It was time to say goodbye to Managua and head to Granada. Like always it was an early start. Our bus was quite the sight with a 4 ft pile of suitcases on top. I know most of us were constantly fretting the worst, the sight of our suitcases sprawled across the street.

Our first stop was Volcano Masaya. Yes, it is an active volcano. It is one of the most visited tourist sites in Nicaragua. We stopped at the Natural History Museum and then continued up to the volcano. As we drove up to the summit, the heat and slow chug of our bus built up our anxiousness. The first sight was an overwhelming cloud of smoke. We approached the first of two craters. It was impossible to see the bottom amidst the sulfuric gas and all we saw was a deep abyss.  We understood why it has been called “The Mouth of Hell”. A small group adventured to the inside of the crater where we were met with the unfriendly, suffocating sulfuric gas: On to the next one. Where most of chose to hike up to the next crater, five from the group chose a different method. At first we thought the 5 decided to just hang back, but as we turned around all of them mounted and started riding horses up to the peak. Kim was the expert of the group, and Carlie's horse lagged behind. It was most definitely a once in a lifetime experience all of us wish we opted to do.

Next stop, Tip Top fried chicken—comparable to Popeye's or KFC. It was most definitely a more local feel that gave us a good first impression of Granada.  Then, it was back to work. After we checked into our hotel, we visited the Puedo Leer Library.  It had a quaint store front about the size of a small classroom. Carol and Darrel, the owners, shared their goals to create more libraries in Granada, and eventually put the library in the hands of Nicaraguans. Our job was to present ways to make their business a sustainable one.  Some of our ideas ranged from marketing ideas such as a bookmobile and more integrated school programs to reorganizing their finances and sharing potentials for grants. By the end of the presentation, I think Darrel and Carol were grateful for our fresh perspective.

As our day was coming to a close we got to hang out by the pool at Hotel Con Corazon.  Our rustic hotel is perfectly equipped with a handful of hammocks, lounge chairs, and even a life size chessboard( a dream for all of those Harry Potter fans out there).If I am not mistaken, Claire came out undefeated in Chess.  

Finally, we headed to dinner at the Garden Café. After, we received quick tour  from Albert of the main street in Granada. It is filled with cute restaurants and bars, filled with bright lights and painted in bright colors. Everything is in walking distance of our hotel in Granada. It will be a fun couple of days here.