» Tranquilo
  December 9th, 2006

I left Leon for good yesterday, which was a bit sad in a way. I had fallen in love with Leon and the feeling was mutual. I remember when I arrived into this city that I was a bit nervous and worried about walking into the wrong neighborhood, even during the day. But after a week, I gained a pretty good feel for the town and its people. Walking from the hostel to the main bus terminal yesterday morning was a nice way to say goodbye to the colonial city. I would smile and greet the people on the streets like one would greet a neighbor and they would return a smile and a greeting as well. No matter what the type of person - the women selling cold water in plastic bags, the men driving by in their taxis or on their old burros, or the children who would stare at me as I passed by - these are the friendly people whom became apart of my daily life in Leon.

But the adventure must continue. Before leaving the city, I stopped by QuetzalTrekkers and told them the good and bad news. The good news is that their Full Moon Trek to Volcano Telica was the best hike i have been in my life. Being able to reach the rim of an active volcano just as the sun is rising will be one of my memories I will be thinking of with a smile when I'm old and gray. I told them the bad news, that I would not be doing any other hikes with them. I originally planned to go on the 3-day trek to Volcano Mombotombo followed by a 3-day trek to Volcano Cosiguina, but frankly, I'm tired, sore, bitten by insects, scratched up, and ready for a quiet place to lay around for a while.

I searched for such a place yesterday and found it: Laguna de Apoyo, a tranquil lake within an inactive volcano crater. They have made this area a natural reserve to protect all of the amazing flora and fauna. I arrived by taxi and found the Proyecto Ecologico, where researchers study the diverse ecosystem. It is also a Spanish school where travellers can live and take one or two-week courses in Spanish. Yesterday, I met some of the biologists when they returned from a scuba dive. They had with them a six specimens of a fish recently "discovered." They will introduce this new fish in a scientific journal early next year.

In the evening, Mario Montenegro, a famous Nicaraguan songwriter and a friend of the researchers here, arrived with his guitar and played some of the songs from his new album while we ate a light dinner of beans, plantains, cheese, and bread. There are about six foreigners staying here, all but myself are here to learn Spanish. In the evening, a few of us walked 100 yards down the old half-cobbled, half dirt road to the bar. On the way, small bats would grab insects from the air, swooping very close to our faces, but no one really commented on that. It is just a part of life here in the forested beach.

At the bar, we bought beers and sat in plastic chairs right on the beach just a few feet from the water. The moon rose from the rim of the volcano. Later, I went to sleep to sounds of owls, insects, bats, and other performers of the jungle orchestra. My tent is near a pig pen, but the two large pigs made little noise at night. I looked through the mesh of my tent at the large trees covering me. The moonlight provided a silhouette of the trees that could never properly be photographed to capture its beauty and mystery.

I have found tranquility.

In the morning, I woke up to the daytime orchestra, which is much different than the performance at night. The day orchestra has roosters, chickens, dogs, and a wide assortment of birds. I rolled out of my tent and walked 60 feet, down a path under large sinuous trees, to the water's edge. The water was slightly rippling as the sun rose. I waded into the luke-warm, volcanically heated water to start another wonderful day in Nicaragua. I watched the shoreline as birds came down for their morning bathing and drinking. I saw at least six different types in a few minutes. Bright yellows, reds, and even a purple one with the most beautiful and proud call.

Right now I am in Masaya, the neighboring large city about 30 minutes from the beach village. I don't want to be here long - I just came to check in and get some money from the bank - so I'll be leaving this town in an hour to return to paradise. This afternoon I will be taking a nature hike, where it is said you can count over 50 types of birds on a one hour hike. Maybe I'll see some monkeys for the first time in my life, one of the goals of this trip. Tomorrow I will be scuba diving with the research scientists (two dives for $30 total - gear included), where I hope to see this newly named fish in its environment. The water in the lake is crystal clear so I'm sure there will be a lot to see.

I will be leaving for Lake Nicaragua on November 11th, to spend the last few days on Ometepe, an island known for its two volcanoes. The Internet connection will be more available on the island.

Thanks for reading!
~K