I know many ways to get fresh and cold. One can take a cold shower, turn on a vent or look for a shadow under big tree. Those are a few standard methods. But now I discovered another way. One has to find the bat cave and wait for the sun. When the bats are flying out, they can get you fresh.
The bats can fly surprisingly closed to the face but I was told that they would not hit the person thanks to their great echolocation. And I can prove it. Despite that I am really tall, they did not hit me!!!!
Granada.
Granada.
But let start from beginning. I left Isla Omepette early in the morning and I went to Granada. I have heard that it was a beautiful city but it was the most touristic place in Nicaragua. I just wanted to have a short look there. It was suggested to me to climb the clock tower. This city is a beautiful place but I guess the massive tourism changed dramatically the atmosphere and flow of this place. Nevertheless from the clock tower one can enjoy beautiful view of old tiles all over the city.
Bat's Breeze
From Granada I went to see market in Masaya from where I moved on to Masaya volcano. It is one of the most accessible active volcano in Nicaragua. One can basically drive to the crater. This volcano was located in National Park and I also had heard that there was an interesting night/evening tour. I usually prefer to experience things on my own, but sometimes the tourist guide is required. I arrived to the gates of the park, signed and paid for a tour. I also arranged the permit to sleep in the park in my hammock. My tour was supposed to start in one hour, but I wanted to get on the volcano earlier and waited there for my tour. In order to get there I needed to get a lift up the hill. One guy was about to go to the top, so I asked him if he could give me a lift. It was an American person, Tim, that works in Nicaragua as a volunteer and he was there with his mum to show her a volcano. There was a great energy flowing between Tim and his mother.
Sun set over volcano.
He asked his friend and the best guide in the park to give his mum a privet tour. During the way up we talked a bit. Tim told me a bit about his work and foundation. They were financing small scholarships which enables Nicaraguan children to go to school. It was also possible for sponsor to visit "his" child in Nicaragua. As well they financed the hospital. In Central America there was a great number of different foundations and non-profit organization. I met many people that performed different kind of volunteering. I wandered if this concept would get more popular in Poland one day. I did not meet to many Polish people that would devote their time and energy for volunteering, I guess the only Polish person that I know that did it was Karolka, the Polish girl that I met in Brazil.
Anyway at the end I asked if I can join them instead of my tour, and they agreed. I had to admit that our guide was very competent. He knew a lot of interesting things about the volcano.
Parrots live inside the crater.
The only big animal that is able to live inside the volcano is a certain type of the parrot. I wandered if the parrots that lives inside the volcano evolved any molecular differences would help them to cope with toxic gases....
We saw two things which were only accessible for a tours with guides. We went to the lava tunnel. This is underground over 100 meters long tunnel which was created by escaping, burning lava from volcano. It is kind of nice, challenging walk with the headlamp.
Volcano mates in lava tunnel.
Then we went to the entrance of the cave where the bats were flying out. And this was amazing place. We could sit at the cave entrance, enjoyed the air vibrations from the bats wings!!! Magic, magic moment. I was also allowed to take few photos of them. Some of them are very interesting. Only looking on those photos I realized that bats can look very scary.
At the end of the tour we had a look inside the crater, hoping to see lava. But apparently the night was too bright to notice it.
On the way to vulcano.
Finally, they gave me a lift 5 kilometers down, to the museum where I put my hammock under roof with a beautiful view over the Masaya city and lagoon. I slept very tiddly and woke up at the sun rise. I decided to climbed up the volcano once again, early in the morning, where there would not be anyone around. It was a great early walk, where all the nature around was waking up.
Before the opening of the park, I already walked up, see volcano and walked out from the park ready for new adventures.
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