Flor de Caña Rum Factory, Chichigalpa; León, Nicaragua

We moved this morning to the Port of Corinto for our second adventurous day in Nicaragua. Our wonderful Nicaraguan staff was waiting for us at the dock after breakfast when we boarded the buses, and we headed onto the roads guarded by the San Cristobal, Cerro Negro, Momotombo and Momotombito volcanoes. First, we drove through Chinandega, towards the town of Chichigalpa where we were to visit the “Flor de Caña” – flower of the cane – Rum distillery. Founded in 1890, the Nicaraguan Liquor Company has always produced high quality beverages taking particular care in making the process environmentally friendly. The brand new plant manages to recycle all the “waste” material: the cardboard boxes, paper, aluminum, bottles are sold to be recycled, the organic leftover is used as a fertilizer, the water is re-pumped and reused in the factory, the carbon dioxide that is produced is used in making carbonated drinks, and the recycling goes on and on. We were amazed at the almost perfectly efficient process, only a few gallons of water are lost in the way of vapor.

Later today we headed towards the city of León. The former Capitol and now the city of knowledge, it has the largest and most important university in the country. León takes its character from its imposing colonial cathedral and surrounding stylized buildings. The splendid baroque art adorning the eighteenth-century “La Recolección” church reflects simplicity and magnificence at the same time. We wandered on the roof of the cathedral, its park, and the market place around it. Some of us filled the need to buy the local rum in a local store, after learning all about its production earlier in the day.

Finally, we visited the museum of myths and traditions of Nicaragua. We were pleasantly surprised by a traditional show known as the “Gigantonas y el enano” – the giant women and the dwarf. A great second day in the Nicaraguan mainland! Later in the afternoon, some of us went to a beach to do some body surfing and kayaking, while others took a Zodiac cruise among mangrove forests.

Here we go, to our last country in our Central American adventure!