We’ve all heard stories of people who go to see a volcano. Some go to see the vegetation, some go to study it, and some go who are just curious.
If curiosity is what you’re looking for, then Volcano Masaya is the one for you.
The entrance fee is only (US$4).
They’ll even take you up to the crater in a truck.
At Volcano Masaya, you can actually go all the way to the edge of this active volcano.
If you’re (un)lucky, you might even get to see lava as you look down into the crater.
That’s what we did today. Jonathan and I met up with our friend, Martin, for a day at Volcano Masaya.
It was a really great day.
We learned that the most major eruption was in 1772, and it nearly destroyed all the towns at the base of the mountain. But, that’s not the most interesting thing we learned.
Apparently, in the 1500s, the Spanish came to volcano Masaya. During that time, they were able to see the lava in the crater.
They saw so much lava, that they thought that they were looking at the “gates of hell”.
So, they put up a giant cross at the top of the crater to protect themselves. (You can still see the cross today, and even hike up to it.)
We went up to the top. After all, that’s where the best viewing is. We stayed up there for about 20 minutes.
There was a lot of smoke issuing from the crater. It was so thick that we couldn’t see any of the lava at the bottom. In fact, my throat still burns a little from it 9 hours later.
We also hiked the 20 minutes to see the other crater of the volcano. This one is extinct, so it’s covered with vegetation, and is stunningly beautiful.
On the way down, we stopped by the little museum to learn some more about the volcano.
From there we went back into Masaya to check out the artisan’s market that we didn’t get to see yesterday.
It’s in an old fort (supposedly built to protect the people from William Walker and other pirates).
Hello Pirates. (Hey Kevin and Annmarie!)
We were able to find some good things here in this market, but I can’t tell you what they are. Some of you may be seeing them in a few weeks as Christmas gifts, and I gotta keep them a secret.
But, I won’t keep the fantastic artisan’s market (Mercado Viejo) in Masaya, Nicaragua a secret.
In fact, I won’t keep Nicaragua a secret. It’s fabulous here.
Hmmmm…maybe I should keep that secret.
20 cents for deep fried and honey soaked yucca (YUMMY!) in Masaya near Mercado Viejo
Pictures back in Granada
horse and cart in Granada
La Merced Church in Granada
Doorway in Granada