Climbing up and swimming down a volcano

Ok, so gather up stuff, load into a pickup truck 4WD, collect two girls staying somewhere else and then off to Telica volcano

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/telica.html

So let's start with how many people can you fit in a Toyota Hilux, it turns out quite a lot.  Starting out, the was the driver, our tour guide Raul (think Rastafarian spider, all legs and arms), Jamie (Australian) and Anne (Dutch) squeezed into the cab.  On the way we stopped off and collected the drivers girlfriend so Raul got out and climbed on the back.  A little later we stopped and picked up what I can only think was the population of an entire village they definitely all got off at the same point).

Once they were gone we scrambled out onto the back of the truck as we started the climb up the volcano, fun but at the same time these were not exactly well maintained roads (the only reason I call it a road is because it was wide enough to fit the car - and a few cows)

This is actually one of the better bits before we started going up.

You also had to keep your wits about you for the low hanging branches, something Anne learned to her cost when she was trying to take a picture of some of the cows and took a tree branch to the head.  Nothing too serious, just some scratches and war wounds to show off back home.  So anyway, rough as this road was, it did lead to some amazing views on the way up.........

So once at the top of the road it was then a 45 minute stroll up the side of a volcano, something I am truly built for 😳.  So Raul and Jamie disappeared off up the trail, while at least I had some company at the back with Anne as we struggled along, biggest problem we had was that Raul knew the route (it's all marked out with white paint on some of the boulders) but as soon as you fall a little behind and start going off the trail it becomes a very different proposition!  Anyway, we finally make it to the top and was it worth it!

Yes, that is me looking down into an active volcano.  It actually 'erupted' about three weeks ago, so now there are two lava pits instead of just one you can see, although half the time the cloud meant you struggled to see it.  And the noise it makes is incredible!

So as we're standing there, celebrating our success in climbing up - high fives all round - this started to very quickly loom onto the horizon.........

"What is that?"  I hear you cry!  Well what that was, was a huge tropical storm approaching fast and with the sun going down equally as quickly.  We made a brave decision and started hauling back down the hill.  Yet again, Jamie and Raul disappeared off into the distance but the big difference this time was that they truly disappeared, with the storm on top of us now, lashing down rain, thunder rumbling, and lightning flashes all around Anne and I couldn't actually see them at all unless one of the lightning flashes showed us their outline.

About a quarter of the way down Anne performed an impressive piece of what I can only describe as alternative dance to keep herself on her feet, distracted and thinking she was going to fall...........  I promptly fell over!  Have managed to whack my wrist a little, tweak my knee and bruise my rear end!  I would say I have also lost pride and dignity but those that know me know I don't have too much of that to start with anyway.

But all this pales into insignificance when considering the deluge that was being released from the sky. The worst bit of which was that I realized when we got back to the truck that I hadn't fully closed up my bag and my camera and other bits and pieces were sitting in my own personal, portable swimming pool, just like my feet were in in my shoes.  One problem with waterproofing your shoes - when it's running straight down your legs and into them, there's not really anywhere for the water to go.  

Anyway, back to the truck, bundle in, and cue a rather bouncy ride back to Leon, with everyone sliding around and gradually drying out along with the eclectic mix of music from the driver and occasional inappropriate jokes (I'll leave you to figure out who said most of them but whoever it was got called a dork by the Aussie so I say "well done!").

Anyway, good trip, well worth it.  I need to get a few more of those in before I hit Patagonia, not sure my mountain goat side has really had a run out since Sri Lanka and that time it nearly killed me!

So a day of resting, drying stuff out (not sure the shoes will dry for quite a few days) and then down to San Juan del Sur to see the beach.  Probably only doing one night there and then hauling to Granada. They've got a bunch more tours like the one I just described I want to try and do but I'll have to try and find some others who want to do it as most of them need two people minimum, and they're more fun in a group anyway.