(^56) Granada – Masaya - 21 kilometres
From Granada to Masaya, well known for its arts and crafts, was a short twenty-
one-kilometre ride. It was also the most accessible place from where to get to the
top of Vulcan Masaya.
A backpacker’s hostel made for easy exploring and we set off to the artists market,
a vast walled structure with a warren of stalls selling everything from stuffed frogs
to hammocks.
Far more interesting was the municipal market and bus terminus. This dusty place
was fascinating and buses came and went in a seemingly chaotic fashion. The
equally dusty market was jam-packed with traders, shoppers, food vendors, and
scrawny-looking dogs. A place where one could find almost anything, from rice and
beans to homemade cheese and handmade leather goods. Joining other
Nicaraguans, we sat down to a plate of baho (plantain and beef stew), as it’s said
that food becomes an adventure in a foreign country. Oi!
I tried making my way to Vulcan Masaya but could only find a guide for the
following evening. It was fun, and the guide’s English was slightly better than my
Spanish. However, I considered his vehicle far from roadworthy. I sometimes
doubted whether we would reach the top as the drive was steep along a winding
road. The poor car splattered and hiccupped but, eventually, we got to the lip of the
crater.
The Santiago crater is an active crater billowing out thousands of tons of toxic
gasses, causing acid rain and thus very little vegetation at the top. Folklore has it
pre-Hispanic inhabitants of the area threw young women into the boiling lava to
appease the goddess of fire. When the Spanish arrived, they called the crater the
Gates of Hell and placed a cross overlooking the crater hoping to exorcise the
demons who dwelled within. The nearby bat cave was equally interesting and
home to millions of vampire bats. Around sunset, these bats left the cave for food -
an extraordinary sight.
leana
(Leana)
#1