After an interesting few days learning about health care in Leon, we headed Southeast to Masaya and Granada for the weekend. Although we would have loved to have Julio take us along on this part of our trip, we got the next best thing, his son Cesar! Unlike his father, Cesar is just getting his feet wet in the tourism industry. He is also sweet, but very shy and has not yet learned English, a task his father has imparted on us.
Visiting Masaya National Park and staring down into a vast, smoking crater was a long-awaited experience, despite the strong smell of sulfur in the air. I was a little nervous knowing that this particular volcano last erupted in 2003. Signs displayed throughout the park instructed visitors to take cover if rocks, lava or other debris were ejected from the crater. I just crossed my fingers because that did not seem like a terribly realistic measure.
Granada has a more carefree air to it than Leon. If I could compare it to a place I had been in the States, it would be New Orleans. There are many more tourists and restaurants that cater to Americans. We take a Lagoon tour to see some private islands that are occupied by some of Nicaragua’s elite citizens and even some Americans. The cost for your own private island in this stunning paradise: less than half a million USD. To me, it is not a very good representation of social justice. Of course I am dreaming about having my own island at the same time, but to possess one of the most beautiful natural resources of Nicaragua and place my own barbed wire fence around it does not seem to be very fair in the grand scheme of things!
