Day 3

­­­­­­This is morning we had pancakes and fruit for breakfast. I absolutely love fresh pineapple! We left  in a 16 passenger van to visit the Masaya volcano around 8 am. I was really car sick today, and couldn't seem to cool down. I think it is going to take some time to get this Minnesota girl used to the tropical climate and city traffic.

After driving for about an hour, we went to Volcano Masaya. We walked through the museum, although I didn't read as much as I normally would because I was still feeling sick. After walking through the museum, we took the van to the mouth of the volcano. Because of the elevation it was a lot cooler and more breezy and I felt much better.
After visiting the mouth of the volcano and hiking to the top of the neighboring crater, we went to the restaurant, Mi Viejo Ranchito. I ordered a grilled chicken quesadilla. It was so good! I had a mochito? or a cacao/milk drink with my meal that was really good too--you can't see it in the picture, because I finished it before my meal came. (oops). I am not a huge fan of rice, (don't tell) but hopefully I will learn to like it. Ignore the French fries--plantains just aren't as good...

History Lesson of the Day:

Volcanos are significant to Nicaragua, but this is just a quick overview of the one we went to today. Masaya is one of two volcanoes and five craters. The volcano last erupted of April of last year, although from what I could tell, the eruption wasn't as large as I thought. Indigenous people and the Spanish conquerors feared the volcano and titled it,  "The Mouth of Hell". They sacrificed humans to keep the volcano content. In the 16th century a priest put a large cross near the mouth of the volcano. Ever since then they stopped human sacrifice.

In the afternoon we went to Apoyo lagoon. It was so pretty and we hiked down to get a closer look. It was so pretty and the hike was good exercise. It wasn't too hot because we were still in high elevation. I was really excited to see monkeys! I held our coordinators 2 year old son, and it gave me a good chance to practice my Spanish. We walked around the market for a while but I didn't see anything that I had to have. (Feel free to comment Christmas present ideas). After that, we got back in the van and drove back.

I am so thankful for internet access. I have been able to get some work done, return some emails and catch up with what is happening back home. Overall, I am feeling great, and very excited for tomorrow.

Thanks to my friend, Angie, for the panoramic picture of Volcano Masaya :)