Bats in the belfry

Well, I’ve finally had a chance to experience what Nicaragua is known for: the beach. The next 36 hours or so are being spent on the Pacific side of the Nicaraguan coast and I can see what all the fuss is about.

Last night we camped at the edge of the Masaya volcano. Normally, this isn’t possible but we had read about it happening on certain occasions. They didn’t want to let us camp there, but Scott’s credentials and our encounter with the Minister of Ecology helped us secure spots for the night.

The highlight of the night was our descent into a cave home to 20,000 bats. We spent about an hour and a half doing a pretty nasty overland trail near the volcano. The track we took had previously been open to tourists, but seismic activity had caused the track to shift and it showed. I think I shook a filling loose. No one was going to get a truck stuck like in the jungle, but there was a serious chance of damaging a vehicle.

Soon after our trail adventure, we put on hard-hats and descended into a hot, humid cave home to a multitude of bats. If everyone turned out their lights, you could feel them flapping around you. The fact that none of us was hit by a bat is a testament to their echolocation skills. The floor was also covered in bat guano so one had to tread lightly. The cave was easily one of the best experiences on the trip. Absolutely astounding.

The rest of our evening was interesting if not quite as exciting. We descended into a lava tube and viewed areas which were used for ceremonial purposes by indigenous peoples. The evening’s activities concluded with the group scaling the rim of the volcano and peering down into the clouds of toxic gas, hoping to catch a glimpse of red-hot magma below us. The winds were in our favor and we were able to see a fait red glow at the bottom of the volcano. The fact that we were even able to see it is amazing considering we were 260 meters from the bottom.

Today was spent driving to our current location of Las Salinas, a quiet beachside town home to a number of surfing camps. Our trucks have taken a heavy beating and decided collectively that today was the day to break down. Luckily we’ve been able to resolve almost everything and I think tomorrow will be spent relaxing and unwinding.

Chuck