Our Man in Granada

Volcan Mobacho puts my head in the clouds

It's testimony to the pulling power of Volcano Mombacho that we headed back for a second look.

Last time we nipped up and down and, in between, we zoomed around the Crater Trail.

We returned, specifically for two attractions: spending the night on top of the volcano and doing the Puma Trail.

Firstly that night in the clouds.  Earlier we'd taken a short walk in the darkness - our torches like light sabers in the darkness.  Later it was just so good to sleep when you're just about, very nearly, almost, a little cold. 

So good to be snuggling in your blanket as opposed to bemoaning the fan's limited power. 

We asked the guide in the morning how he slept, he replied bueno, es fresco y tranquilo.  Quiet and cool - a duo you can long for at times in steamy Granada.  I also wondered, in my room at the top of the biological station, was I the highest sleeping person in Nicaragua?  Maybe. 

Still the most beautiful place in the world

Yes.  I wondered.  I found out.

While it has changed a little since I last visited in 2002, Ometepe remains just as gorgeous as it has ever been.

Nica Trips: San Simian, Laguna De Apoyo

This is all getting a little out of sync, however...

I managed to grab a first trip out of town this weekend gone.  I'd been hanging on for wor lass to join me here - she's got commitments in Aus - before I started seeing the sights.

However Laguna De Apoyo was calling me.  Gin-clear water, monkeys in the trees, breeze etc etc and all just 20 minutes from Granada.  I couldn't wait any longer.

Grounded

I had a sneaky feeling when I wrote this, that it would come back to haunt me.

It's a short piece I did for Vietnamese travel magazine Pathfinder and it details the fact that expats never can say goodbye.  There is an infuriating habit of way too many leaving parties to the point where everyone just wishes they'd finally, once and for all, just go.

You always end up asking: "Are you still here?"

Cuba - The Future?

Not Nicaragua but Cuba - a country whose influence and fame transcends its relatively small size.

It's certainly a trip I'd like to take from Nicaragua once I have settled in a little.

But with Castro (pictured with Nica president Daniel Ortega) sick and quite possibly on his way out, what of the future?

Ralf Potts talk to the author of the Cuba Moon Handbook, Christopher P Baker for his thoughts on Cuba.  What next and what does it mean to visitors?

Picture below from here.