Still here in Granada

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But I swear I am leaving today - and not in the sense of the 3 lies of traveling (which are 1. I'm not drinking tonight, 2. I'm leaving tomorrow and 3. I love you). I haven't decided yet whether I am going to slowly make my way back up and stop in Leon and Esteli (both in Nicaragua) or if I am going to to undertake the long trek backup to Honduras (12 hours! and that's not even to my final destination). (I'm apparently feeling very parenthetical today.)

Granada has been lovely, or I should say Hostel Oasis has been lovely, because I have spent the vast majority of my time since Saturday right here, testing the safety of each and every hammock. There's a group of about 5-6 of us who are completely stuck here, and we talk every night about where we are going next and each day we are all still here. To be completely fair, I have made some short trips around the area. I first went to the Masaya market, which Lonely Planet says is the best souveneir shopping in Nicaragua. And I catch LP in another lie. It was fine at first, but after about an hour, all you can see are vases with fish carved into them and Che's face adorning everything from cigars to flip flops and you just kind of give up. So none of you are getting presents - sorry =)

That same evening I went on a night hike of the Masaya volcano, which at one point was used to sacrifice virgins and children, and then was declared to be the mouth of hell. We got to the edge of the crater, and all of the parking spaces say "Park Facing Exit" in case of an eruption in the ever so optimistic view that you will be able to outrun lava. There has been some activity in the area lately, including a plume of black smoke that shot up 1km in the air just last week, so we were all excited. From the edge, you couldn't see much - just clouds of steam, and when the wind blew the right way, down pretty far into the crater. There are these funny parakeets that live in the holes in the walls, and have adapted to survive in the sulphur fumes, and we saw them returning in great big groups. Our guide tried to convince us that they could live there because they don't have lungs, but I have a strange feeling that he wasn't telling the truth. From there we went into these tremendous lava caves which requiered helmets and flashlights. The caves were super cool, with roots growing down, stalactites forming and bats hanging everywhere. When we got in as far as we could, we stopped and turned off our lights and could feel the bats whooshing by our heads! The final stop was the top of the crater, where were supposed to be able to see glowing lava, and had to put on gas masks. Fun!

Yesterday, I went up to the Laguna de Apoyo with every intention of diving in the lowest point in Central America, but then we got there and there were these beautiful hammocks, and hammock chairs, and lovely water...and I couldn't be bothered to go seek out diving. I did become a lot less slothlike when exposed to water though - I went kayaking for an hour and swimming for an hour, and it kind of felt nice to move around again. It was one of the most scenic places I have ever been, and I was sorry to leave it, but Hostel Oasis was calling me back. But I am going to resist, and actually leave in an hour or two, and I will update you all as to where I head off to next!

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Comments

[moonshine]

I would not enjoy bats flying around my head, but testing out hammocks sounds like heaven to me!