» Questions Answered
  August 16th, 2006

I have been receiving a lot of good questions from friends and family about my upcomming trip and I thought I'd answer some of them here.

Why did you choose Nicaragua?
  Just like The Hoff, I got Hooked on a Feeling about Nicaragua. Originally, I was going to go to Costa Rica. In fact, there was a moment where I was just one click away from purchasing airline tickets to San Juan, but it's hard to explain other than I just wasn't feeling it. Costa Rica didn't create a strong allure. I studied websites, maps, and magazines - I even invested in the Lonely Planet and Moon guidebooks to Costa Rica - but nothing captured my imagination. After a month, I decided to get some advice from my friends at eurotrek.net, a website dedicated to budget travel. Someone suggested the unthinkable, to check out Nicaragua, and within just two hours, I was shopping for cheap airfares.
  One of the things about Nicaragua that hooked me was the geological activity of the country. Approximately the size of New York state, Nicaragua has an large fracture running down the western side of the country where two major tectonic plates collide. Trekkers have nicknamed this "The Ring of Fire" after the string of young volcanoes that form here, some of which are active. Having lived in Oregon and California for most of my life, I have a strong connection with volcanoes and earthquakes. I was six years old and riding my tricycle outside our house in Eugene when Mount Saint Helens erupted in 1981, causing a sonic boom heard and felt in the area. My Parents first reaction was to check on me, for they thought I ran my tricycle into the house. When the 1994 Northridge earthquake occurred at 4:30am, I recall hearing my sister yell "knock it off, Kolby!" from her room, thinking that I was shaking her bed. Funny how my family tends to blame me for any natural disaster isn't it?

How did you get the time off from work?
  I milked my work for every vacation hour I could, to tell you the truth. I had to switch shifts, change schedules, and practically sell my soul to get November 30th to December 13th off. But to tell you the truth, the people who sign my paychecks were quite supportive. When I told them where I was going, more than a few pleaded for me to stow them away in my backpack. I told them that if it wasn't for that stupid 60-pound luggage limitation, they would definitely be accompanying me.

Are you going alone?
  I love to travel alone, but more times than not, I tend to meet like-minded backpackers while traveling. For my last "solo" trip to Peru and Bolivia in 2004, I spent 12 out of 15 days with other backpackers. Traveling solo seems to create more opportunities for me to check out my surroundings, meet new people, and experience the culture.

What do you plan on doing in Nicaragua?
  I hope to spend most of my time hiking and camping a trekking route called the Ring of Fire. As of now, the plan is to start at the most northwestern volcano, Volcan Cosiguina, which has a view of three countries, and end at Ometepe Island, home of the two southernmost volcanoes in the country, Concepcion and Maderas. I have set a goal to summit at least six of the country's volcanoes during my 2-week trip. Many are considered active, rumbling and coughing up ash every couple of years, but I doubt that I'll be in any danger while I'm hiking up their sides. Although, it would be nice to see a full eruption while I'm there (from a distance). Of course, if I happen to find myself in the country during an eruption or an earthquake, I'll have to call home and explain to my family that I didn't have anything to do with it.

As always, thanks for reading.
~K