We spent a lazy morning at the pool. While we were swimming, a walking tour of the city came through to see our hotel. I felt like I was on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”
Jana of the Rich and Famous
Tom takes it easy
David and driver Cesar picked us up at 1:00 for our day-trip to Volcan Masaya and the surrounding towns. The Pueblos Blancos region, as it's known, is famous for its crafts, with each village having its own specialty. We made two stops in San Juan de Oriente, known for its ceramics, first at at shop with ordinary items, and then at the gallery of a master craftsman.
Ceramics shop in San Juan de Oriente
Behind the scenes of the ceramics shop
Helio Gutierrez is a prize-winning ceramics artist of international renown, with pieces on display everywhere from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to the Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramics in Finland. We met the artist himself, who handed us one of his signature works, an extravagantly decorated ceramic sphere. Tom asked how much it cost - a very reasonable $500 - and we handed it right back. These things are breakable, you know!
Artesano Helio Gutierrez
Our next stop was in the village of Catarina, at a spectacular mirador overlooking Laguna de Apoyo and Volcan Mombacho, with Granada and Lake Nicaragua visible in the distance. Too bad I didn't bring my binoculars, but I wasn't able to because the Nicaraguan government is known to confiscate binoculars at the border. You know, cuz it's spy stuff.
Laguna de Apoyo
Laguna de Apoyo is an unbelievably blue, 200-meter-deep lake contained within the massive caldera of an ancient volcano. Warm water still bubbles from beneath its surface. We stayed at the Mirador de Catarina almost an hour. My favorite stop of the day!
Jana and Tom at Laguna de Apoyo
Laguna de Apoyo and Volcan Mombacho
Apparently, no tour of the area is complete without a visit to Masaya's Mercado de Artesanias, located within a fort-like building near the city's Parque Central. The market is touristy but colorful. Shopping isn't really our thing, but still I left with a small canvas painting that could be rolled up and carried in my backpack. It will make a nice addition to our living room wall.
Pueblo de Masaya
Mercado de Artesanias
We had a late lunch in Masaya at Pupusas Sofia. The hot, cheesy, El Salvadoran pupusas were only 30 cordobas each (less than $1), so I thought they'd be smaller. I ordered four just for me, but two would have been plenty. Excellent! I wish I had one right now.
Lunchtime in Masaya
Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion
On the outskirts of Masaya, we visited Fortaleza de Coyotepe, built in 1893 atop a high, strategic hill. Later, it served as a horrific prison for dictator Samosa's political enemies. Occasionally, prisoners would be taken from here by helicopter and dropped into a nearby volcano.
Fortaleza de Coyotepe
Inside the dark dungeon
Coyotepe was finally overrun by the Sandinistas in 1979, who also used it as a prison before eventually donating the place to the Boy Scouts, who still own it today. After touring the dark and creepy dungeon, we climbed to the roof of the prison for a panoramic view.
Volcan Mombacho
Volcan Masaya
Click on the pic for a larger panorama
After sundown, we arrived at the main event of the day, Volcan Masaya, part of Nicaragua's largest national park. This volcano is best visited after dark, when you can stare straight into “The Mouth of Hell,” a large, bubbling pool of red-hot molten lava. The pictures don't do it justice. It was very cool.
Entrance of Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya
The Mouth of Hell! Masaya's bubbling cauldron of lava
David and Cesar dropped us back at the hotel at 8:00 p.m., after a seven-hour tour. We could have visited all these places on our own via buses, taxis, and tuk-tuks, but it was a lot easier with their help.
Since we'd had a late lunch, we skipped dinner tonight, but did venture out to Sandbar for a quick nightcap.