From Ryan:


Today was the travel day from Managua to San Juan del Sur.  As we did on our first travel day, we used this opportunity to make some interesting stops along the way.  Our first stop was at Volcano Mombacho, which is a dormant volcano so we weren't worried.  We got off our miniature travel bus and broke into two groups.  Each group got into a jeep like vehicle.  The backseat was composed of two long seats that faced inward, so we were all looking at our friends across from us.  From here we began our decent of Volcano Mombacho.

The decent was steep, and with every gear switch we bumped into the person next to us.  The road was made of cobblestone; it was beautiful, and it must have taken a lot of hard work to make.  We stopped halfway up the Volcano and got to try some coffee.  The silver coffee thermoses weren't labeled, so it turned out that I had poured expresso into my dixie cup.  I only put sugar into it, but let me tell you it was delicious.  They explained to us that growing the coffee at higher altitudes produced better quality beans.

From here we continued our jeep ride further up the volcano.  It wasn't too long before we were at the top.  We stepped out of the vehicle, and the air was significantly cooler.  We seemed to be standing in a cloud.  You could feel the water particles in the air, but it didn't seem to be raining on our heads.  Our tour guide explained that we were about to endeavor through a miniature rain forest.  The paths were all man made and carved out well, which made navigation very accessible.  We saw a plethora of beautiful views, learned about some interesting plants, and got a workout in as we walked up and down some slippery paths.  It was certainly an experience that I will never forget.

After the volcano, we stopped for lunch, and then began the long drive to San Juan del Sur.  This small city is beautiful.  It stems from a Bay full of small boats.  The Bay connects to the Pacific Ocean, and rumor has it that there are some wonderful beaches near by.  We had a lovely homemade dinner, and we met with one of the entrepreneurs that we are going to be working with this week.  We are excited to start working with the rest of the entrepreneurs as many of us will wake up early tomorrow morning to paint a fence.  A lot of hands should make the job quick and easy.  Needless to say it was another wonderful day in Nicaragua.  The first week has been amazing, and we can't wait for what is left to come.