León

One of Leon's main streets, through the central plaza

León is the hottest city in Nicaragua, which is one of the hottest countries in Latin America. It’s ‘winter’ at the moment, with temperatures in the high 30s whenever the sun appears. Our photos really do fail to capture the heat, when the sun is out we seek out the shaded side of the street and even under a cloudy sky it is sweaty. One of many colonial churches in the centre of Leon.

We came here from Esteli to get a feel for the place, knowing that we would be spending the next six months or so either here in Leon, or back in Esteli, or a combination of the two. Planning our cultural assault on the city

We had heard that there was quite a buzz about Leon as it's a student city and that it draws a number of tourists with its attractive colonial architecture. Another colonial church

A restored and very smart colonial building

For the first day or two, we found it hard to appreciate the city beyond the stifling heat. Leon is down out of the mountains at sea level, around 20 miles from the Pacific, and until the afternoon rains set in or the sun goes down, it can be difficult to muster the energy to do anything but eat mango and lie next to a fan. Most people get about on foot, or several people on one bike, or in cars, trucks, taxis or buses, but you do see the odd horse and cart.

We were beginning to wonder whether it was wise to have left the breeze of Esteli behind, but after meeting up with people, a couple of good nights out, and an exploration of the city, we have started to see why people like it so much here. A very impressive art gallery in town where we weren't supposed to take photos.

Out of everywhere we have been in Latin America, this city seems to be able to achieve a seamless mix of tourists, international workers and locals, rich and poor. Locals drink in the bars and restaurants of traveller hostels, we can wander through the most chaotic of markets without being either pointed at or ignored and if we sit on a bench in the main square, we will surely have somebody talking to us within a few minutes, and not necessarily to sell us anything.

Resting in the Poets' Park. It was nearly sundown and the stone next to Ruben Dario's bust was uncomfortably warm after a day of baking sun.

Outside the central cathdral, which is the largest in Central America (it goes a long way back). Someone wondered if the plans for a cathedral in Lima and one in Nicaragua got mixed up in the Italian architect's office. A beautiful evening wedding inside the central cathedral.