In the Clouds, Literally

Day Three- Friday, February 26, 2010

Excited to begin our third day in Nicaragua and with our faithful and very knowledgeable guide, Bosco, by our sides, we ventured into the Cloud Forest - el bosque nuboso, located at Mombacho one of the 60 volcanoes indigenous to this enigmatic land. It was a place unlike most typical forests we know. Tropical and very dry at the same time, the cloud forest is home to the Heliconias a banana type plant that grows wild and tall. We visited the volcano and felt its warm vapor on our faces as it emitted sulfur from deep within. We made contact with hundreds of types of flora and fauna touched exquisite butterflies and couldn't believe all of this existed from 3,772 ft above sea level. After our visit to Mombacho Volcano, we all wanted to go zip-lining. Although we had to wait about an hour, it was very worth it! There were 11 platforms. You could go upside down, with a friend, or superman style. We all enjoyed it very much! For R&R we headed northwest to swim in a crater lake, known as la laguna de apoyo. We had so much fun and ate very well in a terrific restaurant called La Posada de la Abuela (granny's rest stop). We spoke with a group of Norwegians living in Spain who like us discovered that Nicaragua is a paradise on earth and to think it's only little more than 3.5 hours from Miami!

-Lisa Del Favero

In these three pictures, we are at the Apoyo Lagoon having a nice swim and delicious lunch. It was a beautiful setting. The sun was beaming all over the lagoon, which is 600 feet deep; the deepest in all Central America. To get into the lake, we jumped off the dock that led to the restaurant. It was astounding to be able to swim in a hot, active underground volcano that was heated by its own doings. The water was a perfect temperature, its heat slowly sinking into your skin giving a glow to your whole body. The mountains and volcanoes that surrounded the body of water were standing boldly and peacefully. It completed the view for all of us.

-Tessa