Another Volcano!

Today, we're set for some serious hiking. We don't get as early a start as we'd like (hello hangover!) and we make it to the entrance to Mombacho Volcano at around 10 AM. It takes some finagling to figure out how we're getting to the top. We find out that the big trucks go up only once an hour or so. We're stuck waiting, which is no big deal seeing as how we're stuck at a coffee plantation. To this day, Ian still says this is the best coffee he's every had. We load up on caffeine and wait for the big truck to come. We hook up with two brothers from the U.S. that are doing the same rough itinerary that we are and start a friendship based on the fact that we all want to do the same hike today. When we get to the top of the road, we get ourselves a guide for long hiking circuit and start walking. Our guide is quick - she says she does the long circuit sometimes 3 times a day. This is good because we all want to hike fast. We get amazing views from the top of the volcano and the boys find a vine to swing from, doing their best Tarzan impressions. We come to the end of our hiking circuit and take the big truck back down to our little rental car that could. We drive through the Pueblos Blancos a bit on the way back to Granada. I immediately wish we could have spent more time exploring them. They are quaint and show a more local flavor of the country than the touristy Granada. We have dinner overlooking Laguna de Apoyo and make friends with the restaurant's owner, Charlie. Strangely enough, this is the name of our favorite bar back home.