Thursday we went to Volcan Masaya National Park for an evening visit. We were able to drive right up to the edge of the crater on this one (did I tell you the last volcano I tried to climb I had to hitch a ride halfway up in a truck?). It was impressive to say the least. It is still active – and visibly so. One tour group ahead of us was wearing gas masks. Signs warn you not to stay longer than 20 minutes because of the gases that are being emitted. The Spaniards named it ‘the mouth of hell’ and the indigenous people tried to appease it with human sacrifices. We then climbed a trail to peer into another crater, less visibly active. The views from the top of the mountain were spectacular! One of the women said that it was as though we were ‘in a map’. I was very worried about the next part of our visit as I have a tendency to be claustrophobic. We were going 200 meters into an underground volcanic cave. I handled it quite well I think, no freaking out. It was actually quite spacious. There were some massive tree roots working their way down there, too, searching for water. Then we were lucky enough to poke our heads into an active bat cave! Batman was not there, but hundreds of bats were flying in and out searching for insects and mosquitoes. THAT was a little freaky!! Finally – it was now about 7:30 at night- we hiked up another trail to peer into yet another crater to see if we could catch a glimpse of any glowing magma. I can’t say I saw any magma, but what I did see was an absolutely beautiful night with stars sprinkled through the heavens. It was really one of the highlights of my visit to Nicaragua so far. I am starting to get sad about leaving, but very happy and looking forward to seeing my niece, Christine on Sunday in Managua.
Thursday we went to Volcan Masaya National Park for an evening visit. We were able to drive right up to the edge of the crater on this one (did I tell you the last volcano I tried to climb I had to hitch a ride halfway up in a truck?). It was impressive to say the least. It is still active – and visibly so. One tour group ahead of us was wearing gas masks. Signs warn you not to stay longer than 20 minutes because of the gases that are being emitted. The Spaniards named it ‘the mouth of hell’ and the indigenous people tried to appease it with human sacrifices. We then climbed a trail to peer into another crater, less visibly active. The views from the top of the mountain were spectacular! One of the women said that it was as though we were ‘in a map’. I was very worried about the next part of our visit as I have a tendency to be claustrophobic. We were going 200 meters into an underground volcanic cave. I handled it quite well I think, no freaking out. It was actually quite spacious. There were some massive tree roots working their way down there, too, searching for water. Then we were lucky enough to poke our heads into an active bat cave! Batman was not there, but hundreds of bats were flying in and out searching for insects and mosquitoes. THAT was a little freaky!! Finally – it was now about 7:30 at night- we hiked up another trail to peer into yet another crater to see if we could catch a glimpse of any glowing magma. I can’t say I saw any magma, but what I did see was an absolutely beautiful night with stars sprinkled through the heavens. It was really one of the highlights of my visit to Nicaragua so far. I am starting to get sad about leaving, but very happy and looking forward to seeing my niece, Christine on Sunday in Managua.
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