Nicaragua!

Hey everybody,

So I’ve had a couple adventures since my last entry. Once we arrived in Granada after being scammed out of 60 dollars between a money exchanger and a cab driver, we finally got to the Oasis Hostel. From there we had planned to do a boat tour of the islets which is a series of islands on lake Nicaragua formed from a volcano explosion a long time ago. The tour was interesting and the islands beautiful but it felt kinda like tour of just the small but beautiful houses spread out amongst the islands. And for the comparably small price 175,000$ you can buy an island of your own. However, later on that day we did a Masaya volcano and cave tour that was truly amazing. We were able to be driven to the top and got some incredible views of the sulfurous smoke billowing out of the crater. Then to top it off, when we walked to the summit I finally spotted my first Venomous snake the Fer-de-lance. After that we headed down a different side of the volcano to walk through a cave formed by lava flows where bats were pouring out into the night, we even spotted a prehensile-tailed porcupine.

The next day we finished up our stay in Granada by walking around town, then hopped on a bus to make our way to Ometepe Island on Lake Nicaragua. Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes, Concepcion and Maderas. Concepcion, the larger and still active of the two towers 5,182 feet from the lake. Hiking this volcano was not even a question so we hired a guide and set out at 5:30am one morning to reach the summit. For the first 3,000 feet we traversed through lowland forest and eventually moved up into a cloud forest and ate lunch just above the tree line. From here alone the views were spectacular and is often a place where many hikers decide to turn back because it only gets more difficult from then on. The trail, which was set by our guide Javier, was basically a straight up route over loose rocky terrain at an incredibly steep angle. Scrambling over the rocks, sometimes on all fours we finally reached the summit after about 5 hours. And although most of our view was clouded by smoke and fog it was still a totally bazaar and unique experience to be that close to such a powerful geologic force. The rocks near the summit were still warm and air vents were whistling out steam too hot to get close to. We then started to head back down, which seamed much more treacherous since a fall could be fatal if you started to roll. And, as the sun heated off the morning fog we got some really great views coming down. We had reached the bottom after a total of 8 hours hiking and we had been sore from that point on for the next three days. But it was definitely worth it. The next day we relaxed at a fresh water spring Ojo de Agua, and then went back to the hostel where we each got a 10 dollar hour long massage.

After that we hopped back on the ferry and made our way to San Juan Del Sur, a surfing town on the pacific coast. San Juan del Sur was a very unique surfing area due to its proximity to lake Nicaragua, which creates an offshore wind almost all the time and helps create some massive waves. While we were there a national surfing competition was going on just north at Colorado beach where USA took home first and second place, with Brazil picking up third. I wasn’t up for getting smashed around with a surfboard so I body surfed the whole time I was there. This proved to be pretty difficult when the surf towered twice over me, at these points I would head back in a build what turned out to be a pretty impressive sand castle with some friends we had made.

After a couple relaxing days at the beach and a day of frisbee golf, it was time for Bailey to head back home, and for me to figure out what I wanted to do next. I decided that I wanted to be around some people I knew so I talked with Landon (toucan man) and headed back down to Turrialba to surprise m new friends. After a 15-hour trip I finally made it going through a tricky border crossing and feeling some serious digestive issues. I had been drinking too much of the water I suppose and after talking to some people at the border, they suggested that I might have some sort of Ameba or bacteria that needed to be flushed out. So they gave me some pills for it and set me on my way. I made it to Turrialba around 9 and was well met by all the old volunteers who were happy to see me back.

Today I am letting my digestive system settle, but tomorrow if off to follow Toucans with my antenna and machete in hand.

Check in later

John