Day trips from Granada: Las Isletas and Volcan Masaya

There are 365 islands which comprise the islets of Granada, one for every day of the year. The islets were formed when Mombacho blew its cone thousands of years ago creating the archipelago. Most of the islets are covered in dense vegetation and are rich with wildlife, namely birds. Cameron and I awoke early one morning to set out on a boat through these islets. The day prior, we had worked out a ride down to the water with Giovanni. We were under the impression he would be driving us down there, so when his friend showed up we were a little uncertain. Being the trusting souls we are, we went against everything our mothers taught us and climbed into a stranger's car. Once down at the water we were a little hesitant climbing into yet another stranger's boat, but since we were in a relatively remote part of the country we figured most of the criminals and kidnappers were probably in the city and not here. Looking back, I guess it is all part of living on the edge while vacationing.

A day in Granada, Nicaragua

The sun scorched down on us as the market was a whirlwind of activity. Pedestrians, cars, and bikes jockeyed for position along the street. With a lack of sidewalk there was no clear path to take. Endless interesting items, most notably soft white cheese in plastic bags peeked our interest. Plastic bags seemed to be the container of choice, everything was put inside those little bags. I remember feeling a strong sense of sensory overload, but tried my best to not look bewildered. This crowded, bustling street market was the place I bought my first baby item. At that point, I was relatively certain I was pregnant, but had not completely convinced myself. I knew I wanted to buy something as a souvenir, so we peeked into several shops and after much indecision purchased a beautiful white hand embroidered dress. For some reason, I assumed we were having a girl and I tucked the little dress into my suitcase for "someday" soon. Buying my first baby item seemed surreal, but it was actually what I needed to do to process that yes indeed we were going to be having a baby.

Spring Travel: Granada, Nicaragua

I like places with a little grit. I want to feel a little uncomfortable, I want to ask myself a time or two if maybe we should have gone somewhere else, I want to know I am no longer at home. And if I have moments of feeling ungrateful and even a bit ashamed of my gluttony back at home; it is even better.

I like travel which changes me, that gives me a more global perspective. Last year Cameron and I planned a two week Central American adventure with a bookend Florida getaway. We have already been in Belize, Guatemala, and Costa Rica and wanted to check a couple more Central American countries off our list. Our trip went a little something like this:

life's a beach

One of the best days we had in Nicaragua was the day we went to the beach. No one was around, there was plenty of great waves, a delicious fish lunch and a gorgeous sunset. Despite the fact my seashells were confiscated in Costa Rica, I will always look fondly back on that day.

Life in Nicaragua is simple, it makes you realize how overcomplicated we make things America.

Shortly after he learned how to walk, I bet he learned how to surf. This little guy was amazing.

 No, this was not our lunch.

I always like the idea of hats, but since my hair is so short and I usually never end up wearing them because I feel like a boy. I was determined to wear my hat at our day at the beach.

A break from the sun and the view for our lunch table. Never mind we were repeatedly hounded by small children selling trinkets. We are such jerks, we never bought anything, but they have the sad eye thing down pat.

The restaurant we ate lunch at.

All of the sudden some random horses joined us on the beach. They must have known the sunset was coming.

I never tire of sun, sand, freckles and spending the day with my husband.

Leon

Leon was hot, crowded, smelly and not a particularly pedestrian friendly place. After a few hours of almost falling into gaping holes in the narrow sidewalks, nearly being struck by cars and incessant honking I was ready to get out of there. The next day we decided to seek solace at the beach.....it was pure bliss and a great reminder that even when you are on vacation not everyday is going to be perfect.

Traveling can be plain exhausting. Recovering back at our hotel. Did I mention we were the only ones staying there for the first night. Kind of weird huh?

Masaya and Mombacho

Hiking around two distinctly different volcanoes was one of my favorite things we did in Nicaragua. The first was a big gaping sulfur pit in which at night we had to put gas masks on to view the bubbling lava below and the second was a dormant volcano located high up in the jungle. Note how the cars are all backed into their parking spaces. A couple years several large boulders came hurling out of the pit, so they are parked this way for an easy escape. Made me feel real safe, HA!

The wind was ridiculously strong, hence the wild hair do on my part.

Walking back down during sunset.

The view of Las Isletas from Mombacho. Jaguars and howler monkeys are known to roam this area, but we did not see any.

Views of Granada and Lake Nicaragua.

Our awesome guide and new friend. He particularly was interested in learning American slang, so we had fun teaching him everything we could think of.