Fuego!

Elise and I were sitting upstairs discussing some of the travel itinerary and smelled some smoke. I said to Elise, "This is the first time in Nicaragua that we can smell something burning." Elise concurred and we went on talking for a minute or so. That is when Elise looked out our bedroom window and said, "The electrical pole is on fire." At that moment we screamed outside our window to the people below, "Fuego! Fuego alla! Cuidado!" The people down below, on the street, already knew what was going on and pointed at their cell phones indicating the authorities have been called. We felt like such dorks and laughed at how alert we were. Shortly thereafter, the volunteer fire department came and the fire was eventually put out, after several tries. The electrical and cable went out for then entire neighborhood but by 2 in the morning a new pole was put up and electricity was restored. It was quite an exciting night for the block to say the least.   

The volunteer and regular fire departments showed up to put out the electrical fire

The girls looking out the bedroom window at all the action below. The girls were in our swimming pool when all the excitement broke out. 

It is always good to see help arrive when you need it

The fire eventually burned through most of the pole and made the situation of replacing the pole the highest priority for the electrical department.

The fire was not easy to put out and would constantly restart with the breezes from the lake.

Mombacho and Masaya volcanoes

The last few days we explored Mombacho and Masaya volcanoes surrounding Granada. Both volcanic areas are still very much active and in close proximity of Granada. The vegetation on these slopes ranges from savanna grasslands to cloud forests. On Sunday, we hiked the slopes on Mombacho through protected forests filled with native animals and on our way back to the visitor center we saw a mother and a juvenile sloth in the canopy. The butterflies were amazing to see, including a butterfly with transparent blotches on the wings. We tried taking a picture of it but it was hard to see. The elevation was about 3300 feet and remained cool the entire hike even in the sunnier areas. These mini excursions into the wild are what kids live for and they loved the entire hike.  
   Today, we went to lake Apoyo and Masaya volcano. Masaya, called the mouth of hell by early Spanish explorers, can erupt without warning. The sulfuric gas that steams out is intense and the park staff recommends limiting your exposure to less than 5 minutes. Oddly enough, the volcanic rim is home to thousands of nesting parrots that burrow their nests into the soft crater walls, well inside the steam zone. The scientists are at a loss as to how they can survive in the crater with such poor air quality and poisonous levels of gas. Both volcanoes are within 20 minutes of downtown Grenada and yet feel a million miles away. On a side note, we were going to go to Ometepe island this week but are going to postpone it for a week as volcano Conception is shooting ash into the air. That island is experiencing many tremors as well so we are in no rush to go there.

The girls hiking on the slopes of Mombacho volcano

The pathway around the crater is filled with surprises like this corridor carved in the soft soil

The view once we got through the corridor to the valley below

The girls always like taking pictures with flowers

Wild orchid will have to do instead of Texas Bluebonnets this year.

Lake Apoyo is as clear as crater lake in Oregon.

The A'a lava is just like the west side of the Big Island in Hawaii

The girls at the rim of the crater can attest to how hot and noxious it would be for the parrots

The crater is large and full of hot steam

The inside of a neighboring dormant crater is fertile ground for vegetation.

Granada feels so Tuscan

We like Granada a bunch and are finding things to keep us busy. This place does not feel like a third world country. In fact, Elise and I remark how nice the people are everyday. This is a very special place and it is good to see the local government doing so much to preserve the heritage here.

We love relaxing in our indoor pool at our home. It keeps us cool in these warm summer days.

No joke, taking a horse drawn carriage ride is a major way for locals and tourists to get around town. It is so different than Antigua with their dirty chicken buses and tuk tuks evrywhere.

Walking through the pedestrian zones in Granada at night is a lot of fun. Many of the grand colonial estates have been converted to hotels like this one above.

Having a bite to eat at a cafe in the pedestrian only zone makes eating so much more enjoyable.

The eclectic vibes come alive at night with street shows, like this fire dancer, that spontaneously happens.

There is usually a pleasant breeze coming off lake Nicaragua which cools the city down at night.

Sun setting over the town makes having a cocktail all the more fun. Food and drink in Granada is still very cheap, like bottles of beer for $1, spectacular Mojitos for $1.50 and dinner plates for $6 

The courtyard is a typical feature in colonial houses

I liked the roof lines on this church which was at the end of the pedestrian section of town.

Mausoleums are common in Granada

Ahhh Nicaragua

This is Mike...
We all like Granada very much. This is the place that comes to mind when you think of an adorable colonial town. Something we really appreciate is they don't burn things en mass here like Guatemala or El Salvador and the air quality is good. We are glad to be out of El Salvador. The fact, there are so many guns, generalized corruption and lawlessness made us feel uneasy. Also, to be truthful, they don't see too many North American families traveling so we were quite an oddity to them. For example, we wanted to go out to eat at a local restaurant. We stopped in the small town to see what there was to eat and literally everybody came out to watch us. It was like a scene straight out of the movie Deliverance. We had such a creepy feeling that we decided to leave and as we were leaving people were telling us to stay. Their over-enthusiasm was our turn off. After that, we all felt like it was time to leave but could not go until the next morning because of the logistics. Elise said she felt weird the day before but I had no idea. I guess you can chock another one for woman's intuition.  Either way, El Salvador was the low point of the trip so far. Now, though, we are happy to be in Granada and we appreciate the nice pedestrian friendly city.
        

A French bicyclist we met at the El Salvadoran border. He bicycled up from Argentina. We gave him our detailed map of Mexico through El Salvador and he was so happy. You would have thought we gave him a a thousand dollars by his elation of getting a good map.

The main church in Parque Central, Granada

Our new home in Granada is a real nice spot

The house we are renting in Granada is a two story with two bedrooms and three bathrooms and a plunge pool.

Crossing two very tough and corrupt borders.

This is Mike...
Yesterday we crossed the El Salvador to Honduras border and then the Honduras to Nicaragua border and it took about 5 hours for the border paperwork and waiting in lines, not including the 6 hours of driving. Yesterday was a long tough day. We knew it was going to be but still was exhausting. We have several blog followers contemplating doing the same journey, so below is a detailed description of what it is like if they choose to cross here as well:

We pulled up to the typical mile long line of semis parked on the highway and as we slowed down at least 20 men, from all over the place, ran up to our truck. I obviously did not want to let any of them near us so I drove off road, around the semis and then, as usual at the borders, drove in the opposing lane of traffic for about a mile to the control point. We arrived to an obscure collection of completely neglected buildings and none of them marked as to what they were. An El Salvadoran official came up to our SUV and asked for the following items; original title, driver's license, registration, passport and copies of the same items minus the registration. The guard told us to wait at the car so we did. The guard went to the grey customs building without windows in the middle of the parking lot. After about 40 minutes the officer came out and handed all of my important documents to an El Salvadoran man. That man, had my ability to leave El Salvador in his hands. I asked him for the items and he said it's no problem and said he was a facilitator. He wanted the girls passports as well to get everything stamped and approved. I gave him the passports but had Elise trail him to immigration. That took another 20 minutes. None of the buildings are marked but the immigration office is a shack on the right side of CA1. After that we proceeded about 2 kilometers down the road to the Honduran check-in. Just before crossing the bridge an El Salvadoran soldier stopped us to ask why the facilitator was there. What could we say? The truth that an El Salvadoran official gave him all of our stuff? He would not buy that. We were just jumping through the hoops until he let us go. The Honduran side was tedious because of the customs documents for the vehicle and the mind-numbing lines. Both controls took just shy of 3 hours. Costs for leaving El Salvador $40 for vehicle permit cancellation and $3 a person exit fee. Costs for entering Honduras were $10 vehicle entry fee and a $5 vehicle fumigation fee. Cost for the facilitator was $65 and I felt ripped off since all of my important documents were handed to him without my permission. If you plan on leaving El Salvador for Nicaragua leave no later than 7am and plan on bringing at least $200 to be on the safe side. There is no need to exchange money here as dollars are freely taken. And finally, the worst potholes to date have been on CA1 in Honduras to Nicaragua. Plan on driving around 30 to 40 kph for an hour. Some of the deeper potholes were 2+ feet, enough to break an axle. Entering Nicaragua was a typical C.A. border crossing and the best part is they scan all the docs. The lines were long but everyone was very friendly. For those of you wishing to drive from Guatemala straight through to Nicaragua in one day it won't happen, so plan on staying somewhere along the way for a night. For more specific info feel free to email me. I hope that helps get you further south or north whichever it may be.  See you on the road.
     

Granada

This is Elise.  We made it to Granada, Nicaragua from El Cuco, El Salvador in one day.  I am so happy to be out of El Salvador!  This is a much nicer country in every way.  The people are friendly and warm.  The countryside is beautiful.  It was a long unpleasant day but we made it through.  Yesterday I think I was close to a nervous breakdown.  I could not relax at all in El Salvador and the last week in Guatemala was not good either.  Granada feels so much better.  This is the Central America we were looking for.  As much as I wanted to like Guatemala, I did not.  Then, we had to pass through El Salvador and Honduras.  It felt like we were in the Congo.  It is that undeveloped and just feels weird and unsavory.  This country just looks and feels so much better.

Kid's entertainment

This is Mike...
The kids never cease to amaze me regarding what they need for entertainment. Yesterday's big show was as grand as any silver screen showing. Rogers and Ebert would have given it two thumbs up. But the most important critics of all were my kids, and they of course loved it. What was it, you ask? They were watching a mommy dove bird sitting on her eggs. They were mesmerized and conjured up a story line based on the what they new of birds and fairy tales. It was too cute.   

The big event, parasol in hand and fancy outfits make for a fun time

The main attraction, a mommy dove bird keeping her eggs warm