Late in the night, I steal away, a plane to Los Estados Unidos waits for me in Managua. Adios & Buenos Noches, La Mariposa. You’ve given me much.
Category: Nicaragua
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Goodbye, La Mariposa
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Downwind of the volcano is Panama, the poorest region of La Concha. The air is so chemically laced that the latches on exposed doors wear away within months. Water is so scarce during dry season that they cannot use toilets, even with donated NGO water tanks. But we are not here to see what they cannot do, but rather, what they can.
Armed with a micro-loan from a social enterprise, a group of local women have opened a small storefront next to a church with a blue door. Here, they recycle newspapers to create bags, magnets, ornaments, baskets. The quality is incredible, given the materials. The drive and the passion are clear.
The women invest the profits that they make back into the village of La Concha. This is business for good.
Panama
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Hiking the Masaya Volcano at dusk. Rock, ash, smoke, sulfur. We peer over the edge; we’re close – the closest we can be to any active volcano in the world.
Up the slope, the steep, slippery slope. The view – there are no words that suffice.
Red smoke, red grass, red sunset. Jupiter glows over the park under the moon. Stars are everywhere. We are small. And feeling small makes me feel very big.
I climbed a volcano!
Volcán Masaya
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Our morning hike begins on the dirt roads of the town, winding through the streets, and eventually into the woods. It is only me, a retired British couple, and the local guide, who leads us straight through the brush and up the hillside, chattering in Spanish as he does. Along the way, coffee beans, oranges, dragon fruit, pinto beans. We hike for three hours to the finca de pina, and then, pineapples, everywhere. The most delicious, sweet, white pineapples, so soft that we eat the core.
The pineapple farm on the hill. The view is amazing.
Finca de Pina
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Night falls on La Mariposa. Another day in this strange, wonderful place has passed.
La Mariposa by Night
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The day was slow and relaxing. The evening, lively and fun. Slaughtered animals hang over the bar, a pot of nacatamales boils. An order of rum & juice yields only one full bottle of rum, sans juice, at a cost of $4 USD. The beer arrives in liters and costs less than $1 USD.We are a bird-watcher from Canada, a law student from Texas, a father and a daughter from Vermont, a ballerina, Kiwis, Dutch, a man who has lived in Madagascar for the past sixteen years, an Appalachian museum curator. Last week, we were everywhere. Tonight, we find ourselves together at a small bar in La Concepción.
Bar El Chanchito
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exploring & escapades 