Telica

I know it has only been a few days, but well, it´s laundry day, and it´s 40 degrees outside, so there is some time to post the last adventure and enjoy a break from the sun.

Sunday morning, bright and early and after a nice breakfast we packed up tents and warm clothes and food and litres upon litres of water and set out for Volcano Telica. The hike was not as technically gruelling as the last, but it also wasn´t any easier as this time we carried our heavy packs and walked almost 6 hours in direct sunshine. Finally, we arrived at the top and set up camp, then climbed the rest of the way to the peak of the crater. This volcano, unlike the last, is active. It is rated ¨orange¨which means, if you feel a tremor - RUN! The last eruption was in 2000.

It was amazing!! We stood 2 inches from falling inside the crater as the gases poured out. The view was incredible! And if you looked hard enough, there was a tiny speck of lava shining through the gases. Sadly, that glimmer was all the lava we got to see as the gases were to thick and the sun to bright. But that night as we all sat around the camp fire, losing count of the millions of stars and listening to the volcano and the breeze, we weren´t sad about the lack of lava - no, just a little overwhelmed at having stared in the eye of a volcano. Quite the reminder that the earth is alive. Swirling and gurgling and popping and hissing. I won´t soon forget that sight!

So, we´ve been doing this for a few weeks now and for the most part it has been great! If I have one complaint it is about the food - not that the food isn´t delicious - it really is (the coffee too!!). But there is a lack of variety here. I would give my first born to anyone who offered me a perogy!! Mmmmm...with mushroom sauce and a side of sour cabbage rolls and a slice of deer sausage....sigh...

Tomorrow we will leave Nicaragua and cross into Honduras. Our first destination will be the Bay Islands, which will take us 2 days to get to, and there we will spend Christmas. Diving in a shipwreck.