A volcanic lake, a disappointing ride and an unexpected highlight.

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So after a week of Central America we are making our way through our third country, Nicaragua. The country is characterised by its many volcanoes, lakes and beaches, each of which we have briefly sampled in our short stay so far. By far the most beautiful place we have visited in Nicaragua so far is Laguna de Apoyo. Formed in the crater of a volcano and surrounded by volcanos on all sides, the Laguna is in a picturesque spot. As it is heated by the volcano, little pockets of warmth exist throughout the lake, which is 200 meters deep in the centre making it the lowest point in Nicaragua.



It is necessary to pay a fee to visit the Laguna, which is accessible only by the resorts which have sprung up around its edge. We chose to visit Paradiso Hostel, which operated a shuttle from where we were staying in Granada. At $6 each it wasn’t a bargain but, in our view, it was better than taking local transport which would have meant being dropped off on the main road, an hour and a half walk from the resort. On arrival we were met by a very efficient young man of no more than fourteen. He greeted us cheerfully and asked whether we would prefer him to speak in Spanish or English. When nobody responded he was undeterred and began in a cheery, professional manner with ‘So English then!’ (Whatever gave us away?!) He clearly knew the drill and his employers certainly knew what they were doing as he explained the facilities at our disposal (showers, terrace seating, restaurant, sun loungers, rubber rings and kayaks, all for free). The resort, he said, should be our home for the day. To top off the sales pitch we were each given an animal card, per person or group, with which to place orders for food and drink at the bar. We would not need to pay this, or our entrance fee of $6, until departure at the end of the day. Cue over expenditure by the majority of our party, mainly Aussies and Americans. We, being on a budget, were something of an anomaly when at the end of the day our only expenditure was our entrance fee. Nonetheless, the day felt nothing short of luxury compared to our recent experiences. The water, calm and tranquil, proved too inviting for Mike who swam off to the pontoon (diving platform to me...) before troubling himself to put on sun cream. A decision he, and his fried shoulders, came to regret when he returned from the water some forty five minutes later. At this point, we noted the lack of shade, in terms of parasols and the like, and promptly sat in the only shade around in shadow of the restaurant. Sadly, the peaceful tranquillity of the Laguna was later broken by the onslaught of loud, irritating (mostly American) tourists who were clearly staying in the resort. Still we seized the opportunity to try (and fail at) two seated kayaking, spending much of our time going round in circles. We were sorry to leave when, as our departure time approached, a member of staff moving between sun loungers began calling ‘kiwi and whale, kiwi and whale.’ ‘Kiwi’ was the animal card we were assigned and the gentleman came to advise us that our return shuttle was due any time. Grabbing our things and putting clothes on over damp swimwear we headed back to the bus smiling, if rather sunburnt.



The next morning, having left our particularly friendly hostel in Granada (De Boca, En Boca for anyone passing that way) we followed their directions to the local buses. As it happens, in Nicaragua it’s more a case of the bus finding you. A packed local bus came towards us and after a lot of beeping and shouting in Spanish we managed to grasp that it was headed for Managua, our changing point for the next stop of Leon. We somehow managed to squeeze ourselves and our packs onto the front and then settled in to watch the fun. To get on and off the bus there aren’t so much designated bus stops as people who look like they may want a bus stood in various places along the side of the road. And even then the bus doesn’t stop. The conductor communicates with the driver through whistles, telling him to slow down, watch out or go. But not stop. As we found out there seems to be a knack to getting off but as I watched a small boy fly past the window somehow landing on his feet, I didn’t relish the prospect of trying. Thankfully our bus reached Managua in no time as speed limits aren’t really an issue. And it was another hour in a slightly more comfortable milocanibus until we reached Leon.



After an interesting ride in a pedi cab through the market place we arrived at our hostel. A place with a reputation for having a party atmosphere and cheap drinks. Anyone who knows us will realise this probably wasn’t our greatest choice. Thankfully it was at least well run and clean and our dorm was at the back where it was quieter. We even had a group of Manchester uni students in our room (small world!). After a wander around the town we eventually made it to the Cathedral. A national landmark and amazing piece of architecture. Or at least it would have been had it not been completely submerged under blue tarpaulin and scaffolding. A bit disappointing really although the regeneration did look like it would be spectacular when finished.



Another thing that our hostel was famous for was volcano boarding, something that had put it on many top ten lists varying from CNN to National Geographic as one of the best adrenaline seekers bucket list activities. So after much deliberation about the cost and how much food it would buy us, we signed up. The next morning we gathered in the front bar and were given bottles of water and told to make a line at the door ready to get in the massive trucks that were outside. The first thing you noticed was not the giant trucks, nor the bright orange boards or jumpsuits laid out on the floor. The first thing you noticed was that nearly every single person of the forty or so group was white, middle class and probably at university. This made us a little worried and was not helped when people started trading gap yah stories about how pissed they have been getting. When we got to the national park and saw the volcano, Cerro Negro, everyone went quiet as we realised that it was a lot bigger than we had all imagined and we had signed up to slide down the very precarious looking track on its front side. We paid our entrance fee and I spotted a picture of a man riding down said volcano on a bike to break the land speed record, and every bone in his body as our guide later informed us. What had we signed up for? Anyone that had done this before told us that it was a reasonably easy hike to the top. They might have been right had it not been for near gale force winds and the fact that we each had to carry a large piece of wood that weighed a ton and threatened to act as a kite and take us off the side of an already precarious looking ridge. The group was moving painfully slowly and having not run in at least a week, I was desperate to ditch the stupid board and the rest of the group and run to the summit. The volcano itself was still highly active and you could see, and smell, the sulphur as we looked into the crater. The ground was also warm to the touch. Not only were we at risk of broken bones but also being fried in an eruption, even though my geography background told me that was highly unlikely and that the chances were extremely small it didn’t calm our nerves. Thankfully that particular worry was soon dispersed when we looked over the side we would soon be throwing ourselves off and we all began to wish we were somewhere else entirely. After putting on our fetching goggles and convict style orange jumpsuits, we lined up apprehensively and watched as people slowly shuffled themselves over the edge. One thing you don’t want when you are sat on a precipice above a sheer drop, waiting for a signal to go, is a swarm of bees. But unfortunately against the pure black of the volcano, we looked like giant orange flowers. And so, sat on my perch I struggled to not slide down whilst getting one bee out of my goggles and two from in my jumpsuit. Just as the man told me to go, bee number three decided to sting me in the hand. Not entirely helpful when you are holding on for dear life. The ride down was over very quickly and Zoe would agree when I say it was actually pretty underwhelming. We both agreed that was the last time we pay over the odds for an over hyped tourist activity. The fresher types were keen to get back for a free cocktail and a good party, my request for a non-alcoholic one met with scorn and ridicule. We were keen to distance ourselves from the gap yahs and go and see more of the city.



Feeling a little down after spending so much on something that wasn’t that brilliant, we went and sat in the central park. Now Alison and Yeti have told us many times that the people you meet when travelling are the real highlights. And although clichéd we definitely found this to be the case on this particular afternoon. Our first encounter happened when we were sat on a bench and a Nicaraguan man came along and started talking to us. At first we thought he was trying to sell us something but then he explained that he was a big fan of travelling himself and could speak four languages. Something you wouldn’t have guessed from looking at him. Turns out that Marcelo was a tour guide who had just finished for the day and so came to tell us about how beautiful his country was. He knew of Manchester United and wanted to travel to Europe someday. After a quite long chat, we asked him what he would recommend in Leon and he suggested the Museum of the Revolution which we were unknowingly sat in front of. Turns out that this was the best choice we made all day. The two dollars entrance fee were more than justified when we met James our Spanish speaking guide. An ex Sandinista guerrilla, James was understandably very passionate about the Revolution and proceeded to explain in a very animated fashion, all the facts of the war. Although our Spanish is poor to say the least, it was helped by the fact that I had studied the Sandinistas at university so I was able to connect the dots between the odd words and pointing to pictures. We even asked some questions. Having realised we were both genuinely interested, James went into overdrive and showed us everything from the murals to his own paintings of Sandino. Zoe even got to hold a real rocket launcher. At this point the museum had all but closed and we were the only people in there, the only other two, a bored looking pair of English boys, had given up and left a while ago. Then James suggested we needed a picture, which was tricky as we’d both made the mistake of not picking up our cameras from the hostel lockers after leaving them for volcano boarding. Nonetheless, we decided to follow him. He led us through the massive and rather dilapidated colonial building and up a huge staircase. Then it dawned upon us. James was leading us to the roof. The rusted tin roof of a 3 storey building. After a few steps on the creaky, cracked roof Zoe panicked and went back to the safety of the stairs. I decided to follow regardless, making sure to watch where he put his feet and avoid the holes. I asked in broken Spanish if it was safe and he responded by jumping up and down. Not helping my nerves. Turns out that the roof had a layer of concrete under which would have prevented an inevitable death but we weren’t to know that. James pointed out all the volcanoes and buildings we could see and let us take very poor pictures on my iPod as the sun started to set. For all the hype and tourism of Leon, it was a random encounter with two genuinely friendly and passionate local men that made our trip worthwhile. Next, the Corn Islands and then on to El Salvador and Guatemala…

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Comments

[Yeti]

Glad you're meeting some locals!
Sorry to hear the surfing was naff, but hey-ho... You don't know unless you try. Has Mike eaten anything adventurous yet? Has he eaten anything at all..... Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mrcooke]

Had a few unidentified meats (dog or cat we reckon...) and typical breakfasts. Haven't had to eat much at restaurants as markets are so cheap we've made our own food!

[Yeti]

Following
Hi Both, I've tried following you on both your site and ours to no avail!! Will keep trying....Hope things are getting better and better, usually does the more you're on the road. Great that you're meeting and enjoying the locals....you're right the cliche is true.....Haven't posted your tickets home yet,cus we're planning our next trip!!!!!!!