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.
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