Nicaragua Day 1

Nicaraguan immigration proved less organised than the USA but just as annoying. As I left baggage claim I spotted some comrades gathering in the arrivals hall wearing the requisite green Earthwatch t-shirt and we chatted and wandered the airport shops for an hour or so until our lift arrived.

It was an half hour or so drive from the airport to the town of Masaya where we are staying. The drive gave the chance to appreciate the heat, the haphazard buildings and the crazy roads; most bizarre sight so far a young man on a bicycle carrying his grandma on the handlebars .... This seems a regular mode of transport.

At the hotel we were allocated rooms and had a quick 10 minute turn around before going out in the minibus for an orientation. We were joined by some more volunteers who came last week and were staying for a fortnight. We drove up to an abandoned fort, later a revolutionary prison, built on top of a cinder cone just outside of town and now managed by the Boy Scouts of Nicaragua as a tourist attraction. From here we got great views of the surrounding countryside, and could put our volcano into context of both the larger caldera (that the whole town in built on) and the string of volcanoes stretching the length of the country and beyond. 

We then had a tour of the prison. The guide didn't speak English, so Rob who was here last week remembered what he could and did a really good job. The conditions in the sub levels were appalling and it was quite eerie. There were bats living in the darker rooms which kept flitting around our heads.

 

We returned to the hotel to freshen up and had a health and safety briefing and introduction to the studies. We were issued with gas masks for the days we are in the crater, as the carbon dioxide and sulfur gases can be lethal. Although I want to see the volcano up close, I am more looking forward to the ecology side which will involve swishing butterfly nets and identifying what we find. 

My room mate Lee collapsed in a heap from jet lag after the briefing, so we abandoned her and went out for pizza in town. It was only 9pm when we got back but the mantra here seems to be early to bed and early to rise. Having wrestled with the mosquito net, I spent a restless night. I have to say though that 5am is probably the best time of the day as it is cooler with a nice breeze. I am looking forward to our first full day today.

Panoramic view from the prison, with Masay town in foreground and our volcano to the right; it's not really visible, but the volcano is persistently de-gassing