WOW what a weekend... okay two weekends since I haven´t written in a while. Both were very volcano-filled. I´ll start with last weekend.... We took the new volunteers back to Mombacho to, of course, walk up the road to the top (the truck is for wimps.) This time we got to sleep up there, in a dorm on the top of the ranger station on top of the volcano. It was awesome!!! It was freezing, and we got to go on a night hike to see a species of salamander that only lives on this volcano and only comes out at night. Cool huh?! It was a very quiet, relaxing evening as it was only our group, a couple of rangers and two science researchers staying up there. In the morning we got up early, had breakfast and hiked the "Puma trail" which takes about four hours and is lots of climbing around on slippery rocks. The top of the volcano was completely covered in fog this entire time so you couldn´t see anything! We learned a lot about the biology of the volcano and about its unique ecosystem. We ended up taking the truck down because we were all so tired, but not without a stop at the coffee farm halfway up the volcano. YUM!
My legs barely had time to recover when we left early Friday morning to go to Ometepe Island, which is in the middle of a huge lake called Lake Nicaragua or El Lago Cocibolca (I´m pretty sure it has some other names, too...) We stayed in a very nice little place far out on the island with a great view of the water and BOTH volcanoes that basically make up the island. Cat lived there when she was a volunteer two years ago so we got to meet her host family. On Friday afternoon we hiked up to a waterfall and swam there, but we left too late so we ended up finishing the hike in the dark. It was pitch black by the time we got from the trail to the road back to our hotel, and we were in a very rural area so there were no lights anywhere, plus it started thunderstorming and raining! It was an adventure for sure.... we made it back though, in time to eat dinner and crash.
The next morning we got up early to hike up the Maderas Volcano, the smaller of the two on the island but not to be underestimated! Warning Dad: you will be jealous. Cat and Megan turned around about halfway up but Rachelle, Brett and I hiked up to the lake on the top with our guide. The top half of the volcano is basically like rock climbing but with roots and vines instead, a full body workout of pulling yourself up! On the way down, it poured, so the mud made it even more challenging. There were lots of falls and near misses but it was quite fun and very beautiful, although unfortunately I don´t have many pictures due to the treachery of our climbing. It was true jungle and there was a lot of swinging on vines involved. Now, though, I can barely move and have lots of scrapes and bruises! I have to wash my sneakers to get all the mud off and then duct tape them where they ripped, so it´s a good thing I will not physically be able to run for a few days. I think that I will have to leave early to walk tomorrow morning, as I am moving significantly slower! It was definitely worth it though, an intense but beautiful weekend.
Rachelle and I just cooked a simple but delicious dinner of burritos with lots of veggies and for dessert we made fried tortillas with mango ice cream... totally an experiment but probably one of the best things I have eaten in my life. Ahhhh so good!
I realize that I have not written that much about the orphanage so far which I apologize for, I will definitely have to do more of that soon. It´s tiring but I am definitely enjoying it. More to come later when people are not staring me down waiting to use the computer....
The next two weekends I am spending in Jinotepe, in the hammock, watching movies and drinking coffee. I am very, very much looking forward to it... adventures are great but I need a rest!
More to come soon.