Volcanoes and FSLN bus rides

¡ Buenas!
Oh no, another month has nearly slipped by without updating. Matt, Jenny, and I are well . . . in fact, we´re very well. I don´t think we´ve been sick since leaving Granada, Nicaragua (nearly a month . . . that´s very good for being in Central America!). We arrived in El Salvador a little less than a week ago. Right now we´re staying in a small mountain village called Juayua in Western El Salvador. We came here today from the Pacific coastal villages of El Zonte and El Sunzal, which are surfers´ paradise beach towns. We tried some Boogie Boarding but were completely slaughtered by the waves.

Nicaragua was memorable . . . in fact, it´s difficult to describe, but something clicked in Nicaragua . . . even though it´s the second poorest country in the Western world, it´s the place to be! People are so friendly there and are genuinely interested in others passing through. I had a lot of stimulating conversations with locals on buses and boats, who just started chatting with me . . . curious about who I was and what I was doing in Nicaragua. It was a great opportunity to ask them about their country, way of life, and everyday struggles. On the island of Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua, I ran into Isimati and Mimag, a older French hippie couple who´d been living in Nicaragua for some years. They certainly knew a lot about the island, and shared a lot about what they´ve experienced there. We took some time exploring the island . . . climbing Volcan Maderas and checking out a waterfall and natural pool system. After that, we whipped up to Leon, a bustling colonial town surrounded by volcanoes and a mere hope skip and a jump from the Pacific. Although we were there for a little over a week, we spent most days hiking with Quetzaltrekkers, who are based here as well as in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala. In Leon, they support an interesting after-school program for the local kids, providing them with meals, homework-help, English lessons, and a place to comfortably relax and play.

I´m very interested in Quetzaltrekkers. In fact, Matt and I have actually recently decide to go back to Xela, Guatemala to do some more treks with them and be there for Semana Santa (Holy Week). Xela is said to have an intriguing fusion of Mayan and Catholic celebrations during that time.

While in Leon, we did three treks. A two day hike up Nicaragua´s pride and joy volcano, Momotombo - the one that the poets all write about. From the top, we had a magnificent view of the entire Marrabios volcano range, the Pacific Ocean, Lake Managua, and the cities of Managua and Leon. It was spectacular! We did a 3 day trip to Cosiguina, an exctinct crater lake volcano on the most Northwestern point of Nicaragua, right on the Golf of Fonseca. From the beach, where we camped out under the stars, we could see Honduras, El Salvador and the vast Pacific Ocean. We struggled with dehydration during the 37-40 degree C hike and were completely schooled by the local kids from the nearby village in a game of soccer on the beach at sunset. On our way back to Leon, we hitched a ride with one of 20 buses full of FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional) political supporters. They were all headed to a political rally in Leon, where Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega (FSLN), and Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, were expected. We didn´t check out the rally, but the bus ride was definitely good fun. The other hike was a one day hike to Cerro Negro, a very young and active volcano that just popped up in a farmer´s field in 1850 and is now 728 m tall. Why we walked right into the hot crater riddled with sulphur vents boggled my mind . . . but it made for some great photos!

The bus ride from Leon, Nicaragua to San Miguel, El Salvador was a jumble of boarder-crossing and bus catching madness. We passed through Southern Honduras along the way. We´re actually saying farewell to El Salvador soon. We´re headed back to Antigua, Guatemala tomorrow. Jenny´s flying out from Guate (Guatemala City) in about a week.

I saw a fantastic film the other day called ´Cry Freedom.´ It´s a Richard Attenborough film based on the lives of Steven Biko and Donald Woods, two anti-apartheid activists in South Africa during the 1970´s. It´s defintely an eyeopener. I´d imagine that Woods´ book ´Biko´ would be worth a look at too.

Ben