Leon

Feliz Navidad / Merry Christmas / Frohe Weihnachten / Vesele Vianoce

I wasn't quite planning on it, but the route was rather flat and I made it as far as Leon today. Between Choluteca and the border I saw these kids selling lizards - the animals were alive but didn't look very happy:

At the border, the usual disorder - when I was exiting Honduras, a soldier took my passport and slipped a piece of paper that I had received from the immigration officer into his pocket. Then he was brave enough to tell me that I will have to pay $7 because I am missing that very piece of paper. I told him he should check his pocket...I found this very entertaining.

Ever wondered why SUVs are called SUVs? (If this question doesn't make sense, you may want to google "Lada Niva" which is the quintessential Soviet Union V)

I will be in Leon for two nights and then head south. Since a trip to Oaxaca in the mid nineties, I have always found Christmas in Latin America very enjoyable in a way that's quite different from Western Europe or the US, as people are out on the streets with food stands and performances, etc....food...this reminds me that I am hungry (and thirsty)...Merry Christmas!