• Robert Tremblay
  • Benoît Proulx
Oca – Şub 2019

Nicaragua

Robert & Benoît tarafından 15 günlük bir macera Okumaya devam et
  • Gezinin başlangıcı
    31 Ocak 2019

    Ready Set Go

    30 Ocak 2019, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ -15 °C

    I am pretty excited to head off for this trip. We have had lots of snow in the last couple of weeks. I do not mind trading snow ❄️ for sand for a couple weeks and also get some vitamin D ☀️. We are headed to a yoga retreat with great friends. We made a similar trip last year in Costa Rica and had a blast.

    We made our list and checked it twice and packed our bags last night. As usual I am probably bringing more clothes than what I actually need but hey that's my pattern. My bag is pretty packed. We want to carry on our stuff to avoid having to check them in.

    This morning we completed our self check-in for our flight and got electronic boarding passes. We are heading to Montreal tonight, our flight is at 6am tomorrow. We did no want to have to drive at night so we booked a room near the airport. As a bonus we can leave our car for 2 weeks without any extra fees. A shuttle will bring us to the airport at around 3:30 am 🌙. I probably won't get much sleep tonight anyway.

    Off to a new adventure!
    Okumaya devam et

  • Courte nuit à l'hotel avant le depart

    31 Ocak 2019, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ -17 °C

    Une courte nuit au Travelodge pour éviter de conduire à 2h du matin pour notre vol de 6h. Un dernier goût du froid de l’hiver québécois avant le départ en prenant la navette vers l’aéroport 🥶

  • Travel day

    31 Ocak 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    An early wake up (3:30 am) this morning. Our plane leaves at 6:00 am so we need to get to the airport pretty early. We hop on the shuttle at 4:00 am and arrive 15 minutes later. It's pretty cold out there, I will be happy to trade the minus sign for the plus sign.

    At the airport we go to the American gates and head for the line up for security and customs. When we get there we see a sea of people waiting in line; there must be over 400 people. We thankfully see the Nexus logo where only 3 people are in front of us. This Nexus card pays for itself.

    Once security and customs are over we head to gate 81. We get to our gate pretty early, there is no one yet arrived. We head over to get coffee and a snack for the plane. About 45 minutes later we are starting to worry that our travel companions who had to use the regular security line might miss the plane. I ask the flight attendants if there is any way to wait for them. They simply tell me that if they miss their plane they will "simply" have to book another flight. Thanks...

    We are asked to board and still no sign from our friends. We are worried as we have passed the gate and are waiting to get in the plane. Thankfully at the last minute we get a text that they made it and will be able to board. They had to run through the airport.

    Our flight to Miami goes great. We have an hour and a half wait before we take the next flight to Managua. We stop to eat and head to the gate last minute. As we arrive our names are called at the desk. "Shit did we lose our seats" is the first thing that comes to my mind. It was finally just a re-sanning of our passports. She would not tell us why but that it had to be done.

    This flight was a bit longer than expected, one of the pilots seatbelt was defective and needed to be replaced before we took off. A mechanic is required to fix this. It took an hour due to the replacement part being completely at the other side of the airport.

    The flight went well, we arrived in Managua about 45 minutes later than the original expected time. Our whole group goes through customs and immigration without any problems. Yay 🙂. At the exit Gustavo, our driver, is waiting for us to do the last leg of our travel for the day. We have a 3 hour drive heading north to our destination.

    The drive took a bit over 4 hours. Traffic was present and the roads are under lots of construction. Gustavo did a great job getting us to the resort. We made a small pit stop for some alcoholic beverages. We are ready.

    Upon our arrival we are shown our cabanas and get the explanation on how things are setup. It's going to be a really nice stay. Once we set everything our supper is served. The food is great. We are pretty tired from our journey so we head to bed.

    Tomorrow we start surfing 🏄‍♂️
    Okumaya devam et

  • Enfin arrivés à destination

    31 Ocak 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Après une longue journée de transport, on arrive finalement au resort Coco Loco à la noirceur vers 20h30. Le dernier bout de route de terre était assez rough : on devait rouler à 5 ou 10 km/h. Je suis affamé. Heureusement un excellent repas nous attend.

    Notre cabana est spacieuse et bien aménagée. Il y a 3 lits donc si on se chicane on va être OK ;-) Les toilettes sont bio, j’ajouterai quelque chose là dessus plus tard 💩

    J’ai hâte de voir le resort à la lumière du jour.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFood Day 1

    31 Ocak 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Après une journée de bouffe d’aéroport, les gens au resort nous avait préparé un délicieux souper (tardif car on est arrivé à 20h30). Ça s’annonce comme un délicieux voyage… va y avoir un pré-déjeuner servi à partir de 5h30 (gruau, pain, yogourt), suivi d’un déjeuner chaud, d’un lunch et d’un souper. 🤤😋

    *Souper*
    Poisson local frais, riz et légumes grillés;
    Dessert : brownies avec crème glacée à la vanille.
    Okumaya devam et

  • First time surfing

    1 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Sleep was great. They have fans in the rooms to keep us cool and we have the ocean waves providing a nice soothing rhythm. Perfect sleeping conditions for me.

    I wake up at 5:30. It is central time here so it’s really 6:30. I thought others would be up for coffee and the sunrise. Nope, I'm on on my own, I meet Mylena who is part of the morning staff. She brings in the coffee while I try practicing my Spanish and have a small conversation with her. The conversation is short, my vocabulary is still too limited 🤷‍♂️. Mylena offers to help me practice, I need to find more sentences to say for her tomorrow morning.

    After our first breakfast we get our first surfing lesson which is included in our stay. Oscar has a team of instructors ready to help us with our first waves. It's quite the sport, I did not think that I would have been out of breath that much practicing this sport. Battling the crashing waves as you head to sea requires lots of jumping over the break and then trying not to be pulled back to shore. After a couple of attempts to stand on the board we are able to ride the waves. It's a great feeling when you ride the wave.

    After a couple hours of surfing we head back to the Casa Grande for second breakfast. Another great meal is served. Jamie, one of the owners, comes to chat with us. He shares a short version of his story on how he decided to come Nicaragua to build something that will benefit the community. He will share more when the rest of the remaining guests have arrived early next week.

    I then decide to head for a nap as the surfing took quite the toll on my body. Once rested we have a super relaxing yoga session with Nicky who made us go through some great stretch poses. After yoga we eat lunch which is again really tasty and also healthy. I think I may gain 10 pounds this week. Alvaro is the cook and so far all the food he has prepared was amazing.

    We relax for the rest of the afternoon with some reading, swimming and enjoying local rum. Another group of guests arrive around 7:30pm. We know these guys as we met them last year at the retreat in Costa Rica. We will be 18 total, more are arriving at midnight and the remaining will arrive Saturday at different times.

    The day ends with another great meal. I think it will be pretty easy to fall asleep tonight.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFood Day 2

    1 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Crêpes aux bananes;
    Pouding au chia, noix et coconut;
    Œufs durs avec sauce piquante.

    *Lunch*
    Assiette de humus, légumes grillés et bananes plantain.

    *Souper*
    Crudités et guacamole avec tortillas maison;
    Chili végé avec riz et pain;
    Dessert : sorbet à l’ananas et sirop de agave.
    Okumaya devam et

  • Another great day

    2 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    I wake up at 6:00 to get ready for some boot camp style training this morning. I am leading th session and we are a group of 10 that decide to workout. Pretty good, we have a couple others that will probably join for our next sessions.

    After the sweating session we have a little breakfast and get ready for surfing. We want to see if we can apply what we leaned yesterday. We start on the easy waves and then try some of the bigger ones. I flip head over feet a couple of times when I would try the big waves. I also nose dived other times. I was afraid to get hit by the board, thankfully I only got hit once by Ben's board. I try the easier waves and am able to stand and ride a couple nice ones. After a while my knees and ribs get pretty chafed so I decide to stop for the day and take photos of the others who are still having fun.

    Big breakfast is served after surfing. We stuff ourselves and then chill until 1:30 where we have our first yoga session with Basia. She gets us to do mostly stretching as we did yesterday. Tomorrow will be more of a "Flow" yoga. We will be working harder.

    We spend the rest of the afternoon chatting and meeting the remainder of the guests whom arrived today. We're going to have a great week. The people are great, the food is excellent and the place is amazing. I'm really happy to have accepted the invitation to join.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFood Day 3

    2 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Gallo pinto (riz avec bines)
    Œufs brouillés
    Pico de gallo (salsa de légumes)
    Tortillas
    Bananes plantain sucrées
    Fromage

    *Dîner*
    Quesadillas végétariens
    Riz et salade nicaraguanénne

    *Souper*
    Jalapeños farcis au fromage
    Poisson pané avec salsa au melon d’eau, riz tropical et légumes
    Dessert : Yolos (dates, sirop d’agave, beurre de peanuts et chocolat)
    Okumaya devam et

  • Surf's Up

    3 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We start the day with Boot Camp session number 2. We are 11 this morning so I prepare 6 stations. I also decide to increase the intervals from 50 seconds to 60 seconds. After the workout is done and I have a quick shower and a mini breakfast as yoga starts in 20 minutes.

    Yoga feels like a second workout this morning. My shoulders are screaming for a break. I push through and take a couple of small breaks to get me through the flow work. Near the end we get to more of the stretching movements, I am happy when we reach the last Shavasana.

    Big breakfast is served after yoga. While we eat the crew is preparing a cooler with beer; today the guys will bring us surfing at another beach. We prepare our things and meet everyone at the beach house. There is a pickup truck loaded with the surf board.

    Once everyone is arrived we start our walk toward the other beach, it takes us about 15 minutes to get there. We bring our things to a shaded area and grab a board. Ben and I decide to share a board and take turns. While on is surfing the other tries to take photos of the others surfing.

    It's good surfing for beginners, the waves are not too high and they can take us for a good ride. It's easier for me today to catch the waves and stand quickly. We surf for a couple of hours before we head back to the resort.

    After lunch we have some time to ourselves before our second yoga session. I go take a nap while it's the hottest and stay in the shade.

    The afternoon yoga is a accompanied with music. Cat and Andreas work as a duo to make us feel the music vibrations while performing relaxing yoga poses. It's an interesting experience. I am curious to see what they will do the following days.

    Jamie has setup a TV and plugged it to his computer to stream the Superbowl. Some of the guys here wanted to watch it. The cooks even prepared some finger foods for us like chicken wings, popcorn, fried cheese and other tasty food.

    Before heading to bed, we take a detour to the beach to watch the stars. It's quite the lovely sky without all the pollution caused by light. We also notice many hermit crabs running on the beach. They are quite quick.

    Another great day in Paradise.
    Okumaya devam et

  • Les toilettes compostables

    3 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Ici toutes les toilettes sont des toilettes compostables. Elles ont le bénéfice de conserver l’eau tout en produisant de l’engrais et du compost.

    Comment ça marche ?
    •Les fluides coulent dans un système d’eaux grises qui irrigue les arbres de coconut
    •Les solides (qu’on couvre de copeaux de bois) vont dans un pot et sont convertis en engrais riche en nutriments
    •Le papier de toilette va dans la poubelle

    Pour les avoir utilisé je peux confirmer qu’effectivement il n’y a pas plus d’odeur que dans nos toilettes auxquelles on est habitué et ça fait la job 💩
    Okumaya devam et

  • #Awesome Foods Day 4

    3 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Quiche et patates.

    *Dîner*
    Falafels et riz;
    Salade de carottes, betteraves tomates et concombres;
    Pain naan et sauce tzatziki.

    *Souper* (de Super Bowl)
    Apéro : Ailes de poulet, crudités avec guacamole, tostones (truc avec bananes plantain en galette frit?) avec fromage frit;
    Macaroni au fromage, enchiladas de légumes, légumes
    Dessert : Ananas grillés avec sauce au rum et crème glacée à la vanille
    Okumaya devam et

  • Rest day

    4 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Hmmmm. Something I ate is not setting well with my bowels. This morning I feel pretty bloated and have discomfort in my belly. I think it my have been the Tzaziki that we ate yesterday. Boot Camp is thankfully cancelled as the surf time is at 6:30 am due to the tides.

    Both Ben and I skip surfing this morning. Instead we have coffee and relax. We still head to the beach to watch how the surfers are doing with the waves.

    Yoga starts at 8:30. The session is not extremely challenging but I do not feel any better. Everytime we do a twist my belly tells me to watch out. I listen to my body and make smaller movements or take breaks when needed. At the end of the session I feel awful.

    I'm still hungry even though I don't feel the best. I have a smaller breakfast and avoid foods that could cause some discomfort. I decide to take it easy for the rest of the day ad chill in a shaded area by the beach. Some of the folks decide to go play in the water and it looks like fun. I feel better from time to time but no enough to go out in the ocean or in the direct sun.

    We eat lunch in early afternoon. After having some food there is a padle board activity organized for those who are interested. I decide to give it a try as I'm told it's pretty easy and you can stay in the shade for a good part of the ride.

    We have a 15 minute ride to get to our starting point. Security in vehicles does not follow the same standards as in Canada; seat belts are optional and beer is permitted. The girls decide to sit in the back of the pickup truck for the ride. Travelling on dirt roads we get to our starting point where there are a couple guys on the river with the paddle boards and kayaks waiting for us.

    The mangroves are interesting and the water is nice. We start in a wide area of the river and end up in a narrow section where we need to be precise with our "driving". We Paddle for about an hour and a half before we get to a marina. The pickup truck is there waiting for us to bring us back home. I decide to ride in the back of the pickup for our return.

    Supper is served not too long after we arrive. After dinner the are local dancers who come and give a demonstration of local dancing and also provide some dancing lessons. Some of us are pretty tired so I head of to one of the cabanas for a chat with a glass of rum while Ben gives some dance moves a try with Basia before joining us later.

    Sleep is well invited tonight.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFoods Day 5

    4 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Crêpes avec pommes et ananas confits
    Œufs brouillés

    *Dîner*
    Buddha Bowl avec poulet (riz, bines, légumes et sauce aux amandes)

    *Souper*
    Apéro : nachos avec pico de gallo
    Filet de poisson avec sauce à l’ail, légumes et purée de patates douces et/ou carottes
    Dessert : Macaron de coconut et crème glacée à la vanille
    Okumaya devam et

  • Mmmm Chocolate

    5 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    I'm thankfully feeling better this morning. My belly is still sensitive but there is great improvement. There are not too many activities planned today so I will again chill and relax.

    Yoga feels great and helps me get very deep stretches.

    After breakfast we have a chocolate making workshop. Mylena is our guide and brings out many various ingredients for us to add to our chocolate. We first start by peeling the skin of roasted cocoa beans. Once that is done, we use a hand grinder to smash the cocoa and make it into a powder. We each get a bowl and start our own chocolate mix. We first add a bit of oil and then you do what you want. I add some agave and condensed milk for sweetness, natural peanut butter and a pinch of salt. We mix our ingredient and shape our chocolates. I make Hershey kisses shaped ones and add a couple nuts inside each. Ben shapes his as cubes. We then place our masterpieces in the fridge to set.

    After this session we have another workshop with Jane on the subject of Brainspotting. It is a new therapy pratice where an individual is asked to look at a pointer at different locations and keep your gaze on that point for a while and let yourself just be. It is interesting.

    It's Ben and Marc's birthday today. We asked the crew to do something special. They made a lovely cake for the guys. After desert they have Ben and Marc blindfolded to try and hit a Piñata. It is quite entertaining to watch them.

    We end the evening with some dancing, karaoke and chilling in the pool.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFoods Day 6

    5 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Gallo pinto (riz avec bines)
    Œufs brouillés
    Pico de gallo (salsa de légumes)
    Tortillas
    Bananes plantain sucrées
    Fromage

    *Dîner*
    Pad Thaï végétarien

    *Souper*
    Tacos / Fajitas
    Dessert : Gâteau tropical pour la ma fête et celle de Marc 🥳
    Okumaya devam et

  • Waves of Hope

    6 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I thought I would have a huge head ache this morning. Thankfully is not too bad :) We drank a lot last night celebrating the birthday boys. Ben had lots of fun :)

    This morning we go surfing at 6:30 for optimal conditions. I catch some nice waves, I think I am ready for the next level of surfing higher on the wave. I tried a couple of attempts but have not been able to stand too long. I think I need a few tips and tricks to get on at this height.

    For Yoga we have a different session today. Kathy has asked that we do a typical Ashtanga class. This style of yoga is set of sequences that must be followed and of specific durations based on your breathing. Basia explains the different movements and makes us go through the sequence of movements. We skip many of the movements as it could take us a very long time to complete all the sequences. We also lack the flexibility to perform many of the poses. All in all we still get quite the workout as the movements are to be done without stopping.

    We eat breakfast and then get ready to go see the help and work that was brought to the community from Waves of Hope. Initially Jamie and his friends raised money from family and friends in Canada and today tries to get help from a variety of sources. We start by visiting an elementary school that was recent built and this is their first week of school. The school is well built and has all the basics needed for the kids. A communal water supply was also built and all the houses nearby can come get access to clean water. We also visit a high school where about 200 kids attend. There are about 60 kids that graduate each year. Waves of Hope sponsors 20 kids per year to go to university. It costs around $40 a month per kid to go to university here.

    Once back at the resort we have another great window to go surfing again. Many of us head out, the waves are even better than this morning. We have tons of fun.

    After that great workout we watch the sunset over the ocean. We finish the day with a restorative yoga session. We do very relaxing and supporting poses. It feels great. I almost fall asleep twice. Supper is served around 8 and we chill the rest of the evening.

    Sleep will come easy tonight.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFoods Day 7

    6 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Omelettes avec “gallo pinto”

    *Dîner*
    Burger végétarien; salade de concombre et melon; chips de yuca

    *Souper*
    Apéro : Rouleaux de printemps avec sauce au beurre de peanuts
    Tikka Masala avec poulet; riz, pain naan et salade de papaye
    Dessert : Brownies cru (avec dates, chia, …)
    Okumaya devam et

  • Taking in the sun

    7 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This morning my body feels tired. I guess the stuff we did yesterday was more demanding than I thought. Many of us feel this way and decide to take a real rest day.

    After ou stay here at Coco Loco some of us are staying an extra 4 days before heading back to Canada. We decide to look at our options for accommodations and activities that we would like to do. I do some searching on AirBnB and suggest a couple of places to stay. I book a couple places and get help for Jamie from setting up two activities.

    We spend most of the day relaxing by the pool and by the beach. The sunset tonight is amazing. We take interesting photos with the sunset behind us.
    Okumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFoods Day 8

    7 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Coupes de plantains farcis; œufs brouillés

    *Dîner*
    Sandwich au poisson pané aux amandes; frites

    *Souper*
    Apéro : Crudités avec humus
    Poulet parmigiana
    Dessert : Biscuit épicé au chili et crème glacée à la vanilleOkumaya devam et

  • #AwesomeFood Day 9

    8 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Enfrijoladas

    *Dîner*
    Bol de tacos

    *Souper*
    Apéro : Chips de plantains et salsa
    Filet de poisson au gingembre et sauce à la lime et soya; riz; légumes
    Dessert : « Sluty cookies »

  • Last day in Paradise

    8 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Today is our last full day at Coco Loco. We want to take the opportunity to surf. The waves sound and look pretty big this morning so we grab a board and head into the water. The water is pretty warm for 6:30am. We have fun in the waves until we need to get ready for yoga.

    After Yoga and Big Breakfast we chill by the pool and have some drinks. Piña Coladas 🍹are the popular drink this past week.

    After lunch we head to the beach for more surfing. I really enjoyed being on the board. The feeling when you catch the wave and get some speed is really amazing. I will have to do this again.

    We have one last session of Sonic yoga and then have dinner. Tonight the crew has planned a party and a bon fire by the beach.

    We head to the beach around 10pm, the crew brings speakers and coolers with drinks. We have lots of fun dancing under the stars. A great night of fun. We finish the day by going skinny dipping at the pool to cool down before bed. With all the lights off the sky is pretty amazing to watch.
    Okumaya devam et

  • León

    9 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌬 35 °C

    The morning came quickly. I got up and started packing my bags for our departure from Coco Loco. Another aventure awaits for next 5 days.

    We say our goodbyes to everyone and leave for León around 9am. This time we are able to get a better view of the various villages as we travel through them. When we arrived last week it was extremely dark. People are out in the streets doing their thing.

    We get in León around 11am and do our check in at our Hostal. We have the whole place to ourselves. It is quite warmer in town than at the resort. Thankfully there is a little breeze.

    We decide to go and walk around. We quickly visit a large cathedral and then head to find a place to have lunch. After finding a restaurant and taking a seat, the waiter comes to take our order. As he is doing so we hear a very loud siren. The waiter does not look stressed so I decide it's nothing. Ben seems a bit more curious and asks what the sound is for. The siren is to announce that it's noon.

    After lunch we get ready for our hike. Our guide Grethell picks us up directly at the hostel. We have a 1:45 drive to the based the volcano. The first 25 minutes are smooth driving. The remainder is however in a very bumpy dirt road and we get thrown around from side to side. I wish I had a handle to hold.

    We get to the base of the Telica Volcano. This volcano is still active. Our guide explains that its last activity was a month ago 🌋. She also explains that there are wild horses, scorpions and snakes. Watch where you step. Our hike to the top takes about 45 minutes. The circumference of the rim of the crater is around 750m. It is quite the hole. We do not see the lava as the sulfuric smoke blocks the view but we can hear it hissing.

    We buy drinks from a guy who carries a cooler at the top everyday and enjoy the view. He offers beer or coke. After our drink we head to another spot to go watch the sunset. On our way we make a small detour to see the bats in a small cave hidden. As we approach the bats hear us and start flying everywhere. There are many bats coming and going flying inches above our heads. It is quite interesting to watch and hear.

    When then head to a spot to watch the sunset. As we watch, we chat with our guide to learn more about her an what she does for fun in her spare time. She has 3 dogs and loves music and movies. She is very kind.

    After sunset we walk back to the top of the Volcano to try and see some lava. We still see nothing, Grethell says that we have to wait for a bit more darkness. We see a small crack with orange lava open for a couple of seconds and then it disappears. All excited we try and see if we can spot more. 2 minutes later we hear a small explosion. Our guide asks if it was us that threw a large rock. We say no, she then says "Sorry guys we have to go". Because it's active she does not want to take any chances as she has had one scary encounter 3 years ago and had to run down. We are not running down but walking fast enough. Thankfully we do not hear any other loud sounds from the Volcano.

    We get into the Jeep and start our bumpy ride back to the city. My butt is happy when we finally arrive on pavement. We are taken to a bar where we share a beer with Grethell. We eat supper there and then take a nice deserved shower before going to bed.
    Okumaya devam et

  • Cerro Negro

    10 Şubat 2019, Nikaragua ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    The neighbour's rooster wakes me up this morning. It's about 6am so it's not that bad. It took me 2 minutes to fall asleep last night, I guess our trek in the heat was a pretty good workout after all.

    This morning another adventure awaits; we will go boarding down a volcano called Cerro Negro. It is the youngest Volcano in Nicaragua and it is still active. David our guide picks us up at 8am. He tells us that they estimate that Cerro Negro erupts every 20 years. The last eruption was in 1999. We first think he is kidding but he is serious 😳. If there is any sign of activity they would warn us and not allow any tours to get nearby. We should be okay.

    The ride in the Jeep is thankfully not as bumpy as yesterday. There are three other tourists with us going to the activity. Two are American and the other is Columbian.

    Once we get at the base of the volcano, David gives us a backpack and a board. We have 45 minute climb to get to the top. As we ascend we feel the wind becoming stronger and stronger. Our boards catch in the wind and try to pull us like a sail. We have to adjust the way we hold it or else get pulled somewhere we might not want to go. As we get near the top we drop our stuff and head to the other side of the top to see the lovely view and feel the heat of the volcano. You simply dig 20 centimetres and you can feel it being very hot. You also se the steam rising from the hole. You could easily cook an egg.

    After a couple cool photos we head back to our boards. We put on our gear comprised of coveralls, face mask, goggles and gloves. We kind of look like a bunch of minions. We head to the start of the descent after getting the instructions from David. I am a little nervous as the incline from up here can be intimidating. We do no see the bottom as the second half has an even stronger incline. I go first while the others watch. It is pretty fun and I start picking up some speed. Halfway down I feel the incline difference and pick up more speed, I feel rocks flying around me hitting my goggles. I'm glad I have them. Near the bottom my board gets full of rocks and sand and slows down my board to a stop. I have to empty my board before slowing descending the last part of the descent. This was fun. Too bad it's another 45 minutes to get back up.

    We put all our gear away, have a snack and head back to town. We stop for a beer to celebrate surving another adventure 🍻. We exchange contact information with David as he took photos of us and will share them.

    We head back to the hostel to pack our stuff and get ready. We are going to San Jorge for the night. We will sleep there before heading to an island the next day.

    Today is a really windy day. When we arrive at San Jorge we see the trees go sideways and the waves on the lake nearby are about 5 feet high. We try to find a restaurant after checking in our Hostel and find nothing of interest as ther is way too much wind by the water. We decide to dine at the Hostel restaurant. We have pizza and beer 🍕🍻. Tonight we go to bed early watching the Grammy's for a little while.
    Okumaya devam et