volcanos, craters, and monkeys, oh my!

We’ve officially hit the road – first stop: Laguna de Apoyo, a crater lake right next to the Masaya volcano where the water is clear and crisp and water sports and nature walks comprise your days. Kevin’s girlfriend Jessly was our transportation angel, whisking us out of the city of Managua and into the heaven that is Laguna de Apoyo. We arrived at nightfall and the moon hung so low, its light bouncing off the lake, looking like an illustration in a children’s book. …and then we said Goodnight Moon. We spent the next two days, paddling in the lake, playing bocce, flipping over one-person kayaks in search of the epic first instagram selfie, and getting a taste of what our next ten months would be like. It was the perfect place to relax after our hectic airplane experience and chill place to start our travels.

Then it was off to Granada, a historic town with vibrant colors situated right on Lake Nicaragua. We lucked out and arrived on the day of what we understood to just be a celebration of Granada put on by the church. Two bands played opposite each other, one a country act complete with cowboy hats and bikini-clad girls, and the other the N’Sync of Granada, sporting black pants and yellow leather shirts. We dubbed them the “Curious George’s”. The locals seemed to know exactly who they were singing along to every word. We attempted to dance on the side of the stage welcoming the laughs and hollers of the old women watching/making fun of us.

The following day we hopped on a ponga and went around the isletas that formed from a volcano eruption (we don’t actually know how many years ago). Apparently many families live on the isletas for generations and generations but there seemed to be quite a few expats buying islands and building mansions on them as well. An island full of monkeys was a highlight of the boat ride. The guide passed out little fruits which Luke immediately popped one in his mouth and then later hoped weren’t poisonous to humans. Lucy and her daughter swung from the trees and into our boat where we held hands and bonded over sour berries.

Our hostel in Granada was highly questionable, but full of great people. We wound up spending the night in a treehouse bar with four new, very cool, traveling friends. Luke practiced his Spanish playing cierto or falso with new glittered pals. Our hike down from the treehouse after the evening was far from graceful but the bumps, bruises, and dirty clothes were very worth the new friends and memories.

Off to Ometepe!