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We came to Leon with one goal: To board down a volcano. More accurately put, to sledge down an active volcano, one known for explosive activity. Now this wasn't an aim pre travel but word goes round between backpackers and suddenly it became a desire we never knew we had. It also happens to be on CNNs top 10 thrill seekers list behind flying a Russian fighter jet, which will set you back about £10,000.
The night before our adventure /me questioning why on earth are we doing this, I had a good research on prior eruptions, yes there were quite a few.. I like to know what I'm getting myself in to, I do the same when flying with a foreign airline. I research how many crashes there have been and how many were fatal. Rory thinks it strange, I like to think it's simply statistics on survival. With a top speed recorded of 93kmph it's safe to say it could hurt falling off.
We decided to book our boarding with Big Foot Hostel where we were staying. They record your time and also have the fastest boards. Great. Ready at 9am, a group of 20 of us boarded the truck that would take us there. On the hour journey, I couldn't help overhear a group of girls speaking about a friend who recently broke her leg whilst trying to slow down. Once there I decided to sound out if others were nervous, one Swedish girl told me she couldn't wait, which I then pretended to nod and agree with.
It was a 45 minute uphill journey in the heat. Rory valiantly carried his up, I on the otherhand paid for someone to do the same. Our guide Syed told us a few stories along the way. One included the story of the French cyclist Eric Barone who cycled down Cerro Negro at 107 mph beating the world record at the time, only to break every single bone in his body. One Aussie guy (of course) was inspired by the story and wanted to find a safe way for everyone to have a go. This included testing sledging on a fridge door and a picnic table before getting to the plank of wood it is today.
At the top, the fear subsided as you took in the beautiful views. The Atlantic on one side of the Volcano, the Carribean on the other. You also couldn't help notice the heat of the ground, if you dug in to the ground steam rose. This started to make it all the more appealing to board down quickly and get out of there.
We suited up in our orange jumpsuits looking like prisoners but less scary. It was time to take the plunge and go down. I had visions of steering to miss huge rocks as molten lava chased me down. The truth was it was almost all gravel making it fairly straightforward to steer and control the board (providing you weren't attempting to beat the record). Rory was faster than me at 45kmh. I hit about the same speed as a 73 year old granny did a few weeks before, exactly what I aimed for. It was actually so much fun we'd have loved to do it a second time but one climb up the Volcano was enough for one day.
To say Leon was only about volcano boarding however would be denying the other delights of the city. Nicaragua is home to the most award winning rum, Flor de Cana and the distillery is just outside of Leon. I didn't think it was possible to become a rum snob but we have. One visit to the distillery and we tried all the varieties on offer, including the 18 year old rum that's more similar to whisky (also almost triple the price at home).
We also took the journey to Las Penitas, a surf costal town only 30 minutes from Leon. Huge waves only suited to pros and for the rest of us the best wave pool you can find. Most similar to a washing machine. We stayed at the Lazy Turtle, a cool chilled place, so chilled the owners were drunk when we arrived. They were married, now broken up but good business partners. Whatever works I guess. During our stay we frequented a great bar Playa Roca with great smoothies, fried chicken (let's not get too healthy) and the best view to watch the surfers ride in.
With a perfect finish to Nicaragua, we were ready to venture on to our next and final Latin America stop Guatemala.
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