best weekend ever

yikes! left leon on friday after class and hopped on the bus to las peñitas, this awesome low-key beach 30 minutes outside of leon. i met the most interesting people of my trip this weekend. my friend seth came out on saturday night from leon and we spent the weekend with the other guy in the dorm, steve, a latin american studies/development professor in australia. aside from staying in the best hostel right on the beach for next to nothing and with maybe eight other people in the whole place, we went back to leon on saturday for the final game in the nicaraguan ¨world series¨! so rad. everyone from the hostel went to the game and we went nuts for leon, who totally lost to managua. after many many beers, this was a pretty epic night.

here are some shots of the game, the riot police marching into the game (they later stood right behind us), the fire department hosing down the field, all the ridiculous headbands and hats we ended up with, crazy managua fans, some sunsets, my new pals and finally a billboard of ortega that had been decidedly paintballed.

overall, an amazing weekend of lounging in hammocks reading steve´s books about foreign debt cancellation and nicaraguan politics. didn´t surf (sorry george, no great stories..) as the waves were nuts and i am still a little traumatized from getting thrashed around in san juan.

i got a ride from the beach to esteli where i am now from this brother-sister duo from new york. they own two restaurants on the lower east side and offered me a job when i get to new york, as well as housesitting their huge townhouse in the west village.