29th May
Day 5
Once again, the sun rose early here in Managua, and so did our team. This morning, however, we did not anticipate a full day of work. The primary objective of the day was to relax and unwind. This did not however, stop us from plugging up a couple of leaks; after all, what could ruin our day more than a leaky VWOS installation?
The leaky connections on the water meter were a major cause of all our woes.
Anyway, we boarded the 15-passenger van and primed ourselves for a day of fun and relaxation. Jeff Thompson (our partner from Forward Edge International) and Nathan Ricardo accompanied us in our big day out. We left the Villa at around nine o'clock, and our first destination was the ancient city of Granada, which was founded in 1524.
After an hour or so, we arrived in the archaic and charming city of Granada. Wrestling through the busy streets gave us plenty of time to savor the architecture and layout of the city. We drove through the city and arrived at a dock, from which we would board a boat to explore Lake Nicaragua.
Amy was a tad apprehensive about having monkeys on board the boat. Her
fears were realized though, as a monkey (affectionately named Lucy by
the boatmen) boarded our boat. Lucy proceeded to hug the boatmen, who serve as her caretaker, before returning to the island.
We returned to the dock shortly after. Our next destination was a place called Masaya. After a lengthy, uphill drive, we arrived at a lookout point in Masaya where we stopped for lunch. Next, we drove to downtown Masaya where we spent an hour shopping in a market square.
"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." - Psalm 24:1
After an hour or so, we arrived in the archaic and charming city of Granada. Wrestling through the busy streets gave us plenty of time to savor the architecture and layout of the city. We drove through the city and arrived at a dock, from which we would board a boat to explore Lake Nicaragua.
A view of a volcano from Lake Nicaragua.
Lake Nicaragua was unusually low at this time, due to the absence of the rain. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful freshwater lake with spectacular views. Plus, there were exactly 365 islands contained within the lake. Nathan had stories to tell about nearly every single one of them. One the islands was home to a group of monkeys.
.
A picture of one of the monkeys stalking along the coast.
We returned to the dock shortly after. Our next destination was a place called Masaya. After a lengthy, uphill drive, we arrived at a lookout point in Masaya where we stopped for lunch. Next, we drove to downtown Masaya where we spent an hour shopping in a market square.
The lookout point overlooking Lake Apollo, where we had our lunch.
Once we were through with shopping, we boarded the van and drove to our next destination: the fearsome Volcan Masaya. Located in a national park, Volcan Masaya is an active volcano that is part of a larger chain of volcanoes that streaks across Nicaragua. We walked up to the edge of the crater and beheld the smoke and strange rock formations.
A picture of smoke emerging from the crater of Volcan Masaya.
As soon as we got our fill of thrills and adventures (and sulfurous gas), we left the National Park and made our way back to the Villa. We stopped by the Cafecito where we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and reflected on our day.
Tomorrow, we will resume our work with the VWOS installation. More specifically, project leaders Amanda Schneider and Amy Heindel will be giving a training session on how to operate the VWOS installation.
We now leave you with these pictures of buzzards in the sunset, which were taken behind the Cafecito.
No comments:
Post a Comment