Nicaragua: Touring Managua and going home

Monday, June 30: This was our only chance to be tourists. A woman from a cultural arts school came to the hotel to talk about the school that strives to continue the indigenous crafts and history. She had attended the school as a child and is now an instructor. She had tables full of her jewelry and paintings and we spent a while buying gifts to take home. Unfortunately, during this time Carolyn laid her purse down and it disappeared, leaving her without money or credit cards for the rest of the trip. Luckily, CEPAD had collected our passports and hadn’t returned them yet so she didn’t lose it.  

Learning about the crafts school

We spent the rest of the morning at the nearby Masaya Volcano National Park. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and learned the history and geology of this very active volcano. We were happy to learn that the winds were such that we could not only drive up to the rim but wouldn’t need gas masks for the visit. A few members of our group chose not to go up the mountain because of fears of the gaseous fumes overflowing the caldron but no one who went had any problems. The basin was so full of those fumes that we couldn’t really see much over the rim but we could look across the city of Managua, and down into the valleys and the lake formed by the last major eruption. 

Relief map showing Jinotega, the reservoir north of it, and up into the mountains where we stayed.

Hannah and Grant looking at the map of Masaya Volcano National Park

Close up of the three calderas of Masaya Volcano National Park

Barb, Hannah & Nancy at the rim of the volcano

Panorama of the rim of the volcano

Looking into the caldera

Looking over Managua from the volcano's rim

For lunch we went to a very good, but slow, restaurant overlooking a volcanic lake called Laguna del Apoyo in the town of Catarina. We had lots of time to wander the market there after lunch. 

Lunch with a view!

Active volcano looking right from the restaurant 

From there it was a short drive to the shore of Lake Nicaragua where we got into two long, low launches for an hour’s cruise through and among the mangroves along the shoreline. Our guide had limited English but when he realized I was interested in the birds he pointed out many along the way. 

Leaving the dock area

Water fowl on the rocks

The edge of one of the hundreds of islands in the lake

Our other launch

Active volcano near the lake

The lights of Managua

On the way back to the hotel we stopped for a quick visit to the Massaya Market, which is very old. By the end of the day we had seen a lot of the greater Managua area and learned much about how the numerous volcanoes have shaped and formed the landscape. Over the two days we also had several opportunities to see the ornate light features around Managua added by the president’s wife for a visit by Chavez. Our “Farewell Dinner” was held at a favorite restaurant of CEPAD’s people, Cocina de Dona Haydee, where we had most of the back room to ourselves. There was confusion over the bill when Carolina paid so we ended up putting in more money (as we were able) to cover it. Back at the hotel we readied ourselves for a quick get-away in the morning.

Other than having to be up well before dawn, it was an uneventful trip back to the good ol’ USofA. It had been a very good experience that really pushed the boundaries of our comfort levels. We were both very satisfied with what we had done and accomplished and were grateful for the opportunity. It should be a long time before either of us turns on a tap to potable hot and cold running water without giving thanks for the blessings in our lives.