nicaragua, part two

Part two of my amazing trip to Nicaragua.

Canon EOS 3, Kodak Portra VC 400 (Granada)

This is the ancient diesel truck that we rode to get to the top of Mombacho, a volcano and cloud forest just outside of Granada. We were driven there by a man who claimed that his birth name was Marlon Brando. :) This tank stalled out a few times on steep inclines… it was quite terrifying!

Our fearless driver…

I took this photo about halfway up the mountain, where we stopped at a coffee farm. The coffee was delicious.

There were a couple of houses along the way up the mountain. It didn’t appear as though they had any cars; I can’t imagine how they trudge up and down that mountain all the time, especially in the brutal heat.

Alex and Kaitlyn, our gracious hosts, who are serving in Peace Corps in Nagarote (of which you’ll see photos in the following entries). They traveled around with us the whole time we were there. Neither Hunter nor I speak Spanish, so we would have been lost without them!

Velvia, EOS 3

Our tour guide, Carlos, when we arrived near the top of the mountain. We decided to do the long hike, which was about three-and-a-half hours long and probably the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done. My legs hurt for three days after that!

The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking.

I can’t remember the name of this flower, but it was related to the pineapple.

Carlos in the back of the truck that took us back down the mountain. Thankfully, we didn’t have to ride in the tank again!

Two more rolls down, eight more to go. Stay tuned… :)