Pictures of Nicaragua are up HERE.

Caught in the Act!

This morning as we were brushing out teeth, our sort of cat strolled into the bathroom, yowled a few times and then jumped into the toilet.

Travel entries will be posted on the date they happened! So please scroll down to read about Nicaragua starting April 14.

Pictures will be up soon!

Home!

After a wonderful 10 days away we have returned to Calgary (and work). Once we get things re-organized at home, I'll be posting more pictures and tales of our adventures in Nicaragua. But for now we're home safe and sound (much to Patches enjoyment!) and definitely enjoyed our time away :)

Masaya and the Volcano

Masaya, located about 40 min from Granada, is known for its markets. Its also known for its active volcano, Volcan Masaya. In the same day we made two separate trips to Masaya to see both of its attractions.

We started in the morning by catching the same bus we took on our last adventure, we even got the same bus driver. After some confusion in Masaya (and a popsicle to cool down) we found the second of the two markets in town, which is nicer, cleaner and made for tourists. The market was nice and quiet, but a little too expensive for those of us on a budget. We admired the beautiful hammocks (something which Nicaragua is known for) and oil paintings of Nicaragua, which we decided that we'd have to purchase closer to the end of our trip.I bought a new purse (ok, large bag) and we sat down for what might have been the longest lunch I've ever experienced.

After lunch we headed back to the less touristy market to make a few small purchases (from the stall below) and then hoped on the return bus to Granada.

Back at our hotel we had time for a quick shower before heading off to see Volcan Masaya, at night! We'd booked the tour the day before with Tierra Tour and were joined by two other Canadians and a couple from Seattle. Our evening tour would include viewing the crater before the sun went down, a trip into a lava tube and a chance to view the lava at night. Our air conditioned mini-bus took off only slightly later than promised and we once again drove the highway towards Masaya.

The volcano, which is the most active in the region, is easily assessable by car. You can drive up through an old lava field, walk 50 m to the low wall and stare into the crater. For your safety, a sign explains, you should only spend 20 minutes in the crater area. The crater billows gases and steam, which apparently protects a colony of green parrots, who nest inside the crater. Although dusk is supposed to be the best time of the day to see them, only a dozen or so were spotted.

On the night tour, our guide explained, we would get the chance to visit parts of the park not usually assessable to day tours. This included a trip up a set of stairs (under construction) to see the cross planted by a Spanish priest, who thought this was the gate to hell. The view from the top was nice, and you could see across the fields of old lava to the edge of the original crater.

We did a few more hikes, to see an extinct crater and a view of the lake (only using paths marked with "do not enter" signs) before driving to the trail that would lead to the lava tunnels. Always safety conscious, we donned hard hats (with chin straps) and were issued flashlights. Then we followed our guide down the path to the entrace.

The lava tunnel was large and dark and home to hundreds of bats, all who weren't too thrilled with our entrance into their home. We followed the tunnel 150 m into the ground, listening to the sounds of bats and trying to catch them in our flashlight beams.

Andrew got nicked by a bat, creating the joke (funny at the same): "What sound does a bat hitting Andrew make?" Answer: *sound of Andrew screaming like a girl*. (ok, so Andrew didn't really scream like a girl, but its funnier that way).

We exited the lava tunnel, returned our hard hats and flashlights and got back in our van for our last stop of the night. We were issued gas masks, which our guide assured us were really not needed tonight. Then, by the light of his flashlight, he lead us through the dark to the edge of the crater, and, warning us not to get to close, let us all lean over the edge and view the glowing lava below.

After getting our fill of the glowing lave we again got into the airconditioned van and drove back to Granada.

Granada

The first stop on our trip was the beautiful colonial town of Granada, located at the northern tip of Lago de Nicaragua (the largest lake in Central America). It was an excellent start to our adventures: clean, easy to navigate and conveniently located with a view of the volcanoes.

On our first morning we wandered around taking photo after photo of the brightly colored buildings and beautiful churches near the city center.

This is the town center of Granada. We ate our first breakfast in Nicaragua at a little cafe just to the left of this building.

Granada Cathedral. Very large and very yellow. And I imagine very hot once its packed with people. We did wander in to see the insides, which were nice but I think I like the outside better.

After only a few hours we decide that it was too hot to stay in the city and headed to Laguna de Apoyo. The Laguna is really a crater lake in an extinct volcano, approximately 30 min by public bus from Granada. Our hostel was located fairly close to the "bus stop" and since the bus driver's assistant's only job is to call out the destination whenever the bus spots people, it was fairly easy to catch a bus for the first leg of the trip. We each paid our 9 Cordobas (about $.50) and repeated our destination to the driver enough times for him to remember to tell us to get off the bus at the right spot. The lake, of course, is located at the bottom of a very large hill, which, of course, isn't served by public transit. But luckily for us, we only had to wait about 15 min for some locals to flag us down a ride to the bottom of the crater.

We spent the afternoon at a little restaurant on the lake edge relaxing and swimming. Much cooler than a day in the city!

On the way out, a nice group of university students from Managua stopped for us and gave us a lift to the top of the crater (for free no less!) where we were able to catch a bus back to Granada.

That evening we went out to try the local food at a small street vendor near our hotel. Dinner consisted of BBQed chicken, fried plantain and a spicy cabbage salad served on large leaves, all for less than a couple of $ each. The street vendor ran a very popular stop, sort of like a drive through, where people in cars would pull up to her BBQ and order dinner to go.


We finished off the night with a drink at a local bar before heading back to our hostel for some much needed sleep.

Departure

After several long months of waiting, its finally travel time! I'm really looking forward to our 9 days in Nicaragua. We've got a rough itinerary worked out which should involve some volcanoes and some sun and sand. I love markets, so hopefully I'll get to visit a few and try out my barganing skills in spanish.

We packed last night and managed to fit everything into two smaller packs with room to spare. I don't think we've overpacked (although there are a lot of power bars in there), and hopefully we haven't forgotten anything! My only concern is that I may run out of reading material (I only packed two books) but my mother introduced me to Bookcrossing.com last night so perhaps I'll be able to catch a wild book.

Should be a fantastic trip! Check back in 10 days for photos of our adventures. Hasta luego!

Easter Weekend

Its been a busy weekend for the MacDonald family. We both worked Friday, which means we get monday off, which means although it feels like the weekend is over, we still have one glorious day left!

Yesterday we accomplished almost the last items on our to-do list for our trip. Other than a call to our credit card company, I think we've got everything covered. Not too many days left until we'll be in Nicaragua!

Today was the first day in a long time that the weather has been really nice. We took advantage of the sunshine and spent the morning wandering in Weaselhead Park.

Patches enjoyed the snow, in only a way that Patches can.

I examined some of the river rocks while Jon and Patches skipped them.

These ducks flew by...

And then so did this guy!

He saw us waving at him, so he circled back around a lower elevation so we could see him more clearly.

Using kibbles, we convinced some chickadees to feed from our hands.

Patches enjoyed the watchable wildlife (he's watching some geese swim down the river).

Memories

I spent the best and the worst days out on the block. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed those years of my life lately, but I came across some photos of treeplant our last year there and they brought it all back.

These photos come from a collection by another planter Hugh (you can see many more at http://www.hughstimson.org/gallery/main.php).

Jon: parking lot in Grande Prairie after what I can only guess was a long shift.
Me, sitting in my favorite spot (the van after a long day) and pretending like I know how the radio works.