I also started some due diligence around property purchase, wanting to make sure any investment made would be a sound one. All was going well until I discovered an active volcano on the outskirts of town. That did put a rather large crimp on an otherwise damn fine idea.
Volcano Masaya and National Park is a volcano (derived from Vulcan, the Greek god of war). It produces igneous rock (derived from the Norse God of fire, Ignus) in large quantities. We got to walk through one of the pyroclastic vents of now cooled lava. It is active but plugged and covered in trees but the magma chamber below is in full flood and could erupt at any time. Rather confusingly, it was the smaller sister cone that was farting sulphurous gas and lava (I saw lava but it unfortunately didn't come out great on camera). So it was the smaller cone that provided most of the entertainment rather than the cone that gave its name to the national park.
...Actually, before anyone calls me on it, I've made up most of the posh words above, or at very best dug them out of my hazy memory from Geology lessons some, ahem, well some years ago. So what I've just described is 95% bollocks. Well I've had to make it up because our guide was a man of limited ability and knowledge. I seriously doubt he could pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel, let alone educate tourists on vulcanology.
Anyway, it was a completely and totally excellent trip. It's one of the few places on planet earth you can get up so close to a vigorous volcano in a 4x4 with shorts and T-shirt and it only cost $25 for that plus a trip to a tat market.
I've also been trying to work out my route into Belize from Honduras. The two most cost efficient options both take me through a city called San Pedro Sula. San Pedro Sula has no claim to fame really, oh, aside from being the most dangerous city in the world. I'm still working on a way of avoiding the place if I can. Going belly-up so late on in my travels would really annoy me.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/15/san-pedro-sula-honduras-most-violent
Very smelly volcano
Volcano hole (technical term)
At sunset
Pyroclastythingy ....maybe? Plus bonus sweaty back.
No comments on the Viagra required thank you.
ReplyDeleteApologies for the gap in comments but back on track. Your New Year looked and sounded great - well done for declining the face paint option, that would have been one to haunt you on every beer night ("a bit of rouge with your wine sir"). San Blas beach could give Brighton a run for its money, but I bet they don't have a pier! The scorpion encounter must have been bitter sweet as it no doubt reminded you of a band that stole your best song.... Now Nicaragua is an interesting country especially for an ex cowboy president with some dubious intelligence operative funding. Granada looks good and nice to hear you've struck gold with both accommodation and nutrition. The ice cream won't help your new physique though, especially if volley ball becomes your thing. Sounds like you should take the sensible route to Belize as cutting you trip short due to not breathing would be a disappointment and actually we'd miss you as well.