Nicaragua

I'm losing track of time, but I think it's been a week in Nicaragua and I have seen a lot so far. After leaving San Pedro Sula I spent one day in the capital of Honduras Tegucigalpa. It seemed a lot safer than Guatemala City, but since I really only saw the central section I can't be sure. The hostel I stayed in was run by a friendly American guy who was quite helpful. There was a water shortage here too, so the shower I had was more of getting slightly damp experience.

I stopped in Esteli in northern Nicaragua for one night. I had a hard time finding a hotel there for some reason, and when I did find one it was a lot more expensive than Guatemala or Honduras. On to Managua where I stayed with my cousin Michael and his family. They had a beautiful big house and it was nice to relax in a hammock by the pool for a few days and visit with the kids whom I haven't seen in over five years. While there I went on a school field trip with Nicolas sixth grade class to the Masaya volcano. They needed another adult on the trip, so I volunteered to go along. I thought I was finished with volcanoes, but this one was a lot easier to get up, since the bus drove right to the crater edge. The crater was a lot larger than I expected. Being with a group of 12 year olds was quite tiring as they seemed to be pumped up full of sugar the whole time, but I escaped unscathed.

I also visited the city of Leon and stayed with a local family. It was an interesting experience. It seems like everyone in that neighborhood had a rooster, and they were all out in full force before dawn, so no sleeping in there! Had a side trip to the Pacific coast and the beach there was a lot nicer than the one I went to in Guatemala. Now I'm in Granada near Lake Nicaragua and will visit Laguna Apoyo, Isla Ometepe, and San Juan del Sur before moving on to Costa Rica.
Adios