Mombacho Volcano, Canopy Zip line and San Juan de Oriente
In the morning we all got on the bus at 8:22 A.M. Unfortunately, we were 22 minutes late. When we got on the bus we all sang songs by Sam Smith. On the way to the volcano we picked up Juan Carlos, our guide, then went straight to the volcano. When we reached our destination, we stopped at a tourist hut called Miravalle. It was beautiful there, the building is situated on a coffee bean farm. It had a nice porch we could sit and relax on. We then split into two groups of 8 and entered two 4x4 cars. Next was a very bumpy narrow ride up the volcano. The ride was about a good 10 minutes. We saw lots of houses and farmland on the way. We learned that only the top of the volcano is protected land. The bottom half is private property. At the top of the volcano there was a small building that had a display case of all the insect, snakes and arachnids on the volcano. Inside the building there was a 3D map of the volcano where the tour guide showed us where we were, the highest point, and where we were hiking. About 5 minutes after that we took our bathroom breaks then took a group picture right at the beginning of the hike. During the hike we saw a part of the volcano that had been changed by an earthquake, it had made a trench called the “Air conditioning tunnel” named after the breeze as you walk in its skinny gap. We also went to a very open space on a cliff where the wind could push you off your feet. After that we walked to a path where there was ginger (not Doyle, the self proclaimed best ginger in the world) that smelled 10x fresher than ones you can buy in the Reading Terminal. On the end of the path was the building where we started the hike. We all jumped back into the 4x4s and headed back down to Miravalle. We then set up at some of the deck tables for ham and cheese sandwiches made by M.Kelly. A dog came to the table and found the unwanted end of the loaf on the floor and ate it. Shannon named him Charlie the Alligator because on our juice boxes there was an alligator on it. Also because she wanted to say “See ya later Alligator”.
Written by Ruby and Matthew
After the volcano adventure we went back down the way we came up. We stopped at the base of the tour guide hut. We had sandwiches and some small snacks. Then it was time to face heights and go ziplining. The tour guide showed us how to stop and go. To start some of our group was nervous and some jumped right in. Later some of us did a superman, that’s when the tour guide holds your legs and you were facing the ground with your arms out like Superman. Everyone who did it screamed at some point. Some of us were adventurous and hung upside down. After that adventure we stopped at a small town called San Juan de Oriente, where they specialize in making clay creations. There were clay whistles and plate, lanterns, cups and coasters. A wide variety of items to buy. We got back on the bus and headed to dinner to fill our hungry bellies. We ended up visiting a town called Catarina that has an overlook to Laguna de Apoyo. That’s a big lagoon in Nicaragua. On the way, we stopped at a fruit stand and bought jocote, corozo ( sour berry) and mango with lime and salt on it. The overlook was beautiful, you could see the whole valley from Catarina all the way out to Lake Nicaragua. We could see the volcano and the lagoon and the little islands. We ate at a restaurant called “El Tunel” and it was hot and delicious food. After, we got to stop at a little market and shop, there were a lot of things there so I won’t list them all now. On the way home we saw an ambulance that was carrying a little baby. We think they made it to the hospital. The worst thing about it is that the cars weren’t getting out of the way.At the hotel, we saw a cocoroach in Maestra Elisse’s room. She killed it with her flip flop and then I (Jack) had to do the honor of flushing it down the toilet. Jack to the rescue!!! Later I told Maestra that she better watch out for roaches in her sleep and she tried to throw me in the pool.
-Elena and Jack