Maderas Volcano, Ompete, Nicaragua

Today myself, three other girls hiked up (with a guide)another volcanoe. This one was called Madras Volcanoe on Ometepe Island and had not errupted for over 3000 years so we figured it would be safe! The path was wet to begin with as it had rained solidly all night! (If you have ever been to Central America you might understand their rain - "solidly" I mean almost flooding!) It was still raining a bit when we started the hike and we had to cross a "river" which had developed along the path the night before. Mud was everywhere - including all over us after only a few minutes! The hike took us about 8hrs in total including our breaks. We were wet from the rain and after it stopped we stayed wet drenched in our own seweat due to the over-powering humidity. We were so glad to reach the lake at the top which has formed inside an old crater from the volcano. It was not easy, but we definitely felt like we had accomplished something by the end of the day!

San Juan Crater, Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua

Well this one was a pretty easy hike. More of a walk actually. We were able to drive right into the nature reserve and walk up to a view point to see the large crater and old volcanoes near by. The Masaya Volcano's last eruption was in 2003. After that we walked the ridge between San Jan and San Fernando craters formed long, long ago.

Water Cay, Utila Island, Honduras

It has rained the last two days and it's pretty hard to do much of anything. The island I was going to (Roatan) had a strike on it and the roads where blocked so instead I went to Utila. To make a long story short, the ferry that regularly goes to Roatan also was being repaired, and instead of the 1 hr ferry to Utila we went on one that took us 3hrs in the storm! Yesterday it rained all day and although I went for a couple walks and got thoroughly drenched, the majority of the day was watching movies. So today we were happy to get out and go on a snorkeling boat trip to some islands (cays) around Utila. (Even if the island was covered in trash from the mainland!)

Copan Ruins, Copan, Honduras

Today we went to the Copan Ruins which are not far from the border of Guatemala in Honduras... it was very interesting and I coudl have spent all day there if it weren't for the humidity! (But then again I love that kind of stuff!) Here I am in what used to be a head/mouth of a snake. You can see the bottom jaw and teeth. It was a great day overall even though it was pretty hot and sticky.

Cerro de la Cruz, Antigua Guatemala

Today I walked up to the Cerro de la Cruz a hill that overlooks the city of Antigua. It had been raining most of the morning, but luckily when I got to the top it cleared a little and I was able to sit and enjoy the view for a while. What a beautiful old colonial city!

Placaya Volcano, near Antigua Guatemala

Today I went up Placaya Volcano. It was quite an interesting experience to say the least. When we got to the top the guide actually let everyone roam around where ever they liked on the lava. Parts of it were glowing red and there was heat coming from under our feet. People actually melted their shoes and one family brought marshmallows along with them so we roasted them on the hot spots. Only in Guatemala!