Volcan Mombacho

So having booked this thinking it might be just me, the only option was walking up the thing - starting at 350m above sea level and moving up to 1150m - having arrived at the tour operator I thought the two guys joining me were also waking............  Nope.  Just me.

http://vianica.com/attraction/5/mombacho-volcano

So, the second paragraph kind of paints the picture when it talks about the incredible steepness........  Really should have read this before I started!  Anyway, off I go, trundling up the start of this hill, and it starts out easy enough and gets progressively worse.  Cue, much huffing and puffing from the out of shape fat guy heading up this thing.  When the truck went past carrying everyone else I really did start to curse myself for thinking I could do this.  

Anyway, there is a coffee plantation halfway up that everyone stops at.  At which point I figured I might abandon ship and ride the rest of the way (my guide had told me it gets steeper).  I get there about 10 minutes after the truck and find out that the two Irish guys I was with have decided they want to walk from there.  Sigh!  Well I'm not going to be outdone by the Irish am I?  So a quick two minute break - mistake number one - and we're off and walking up the second half.  It's a lot steeper!  I realised about ten minutes in I had an energy bar in my bag for the halfway point that I hadn't eaten because of the confusion of stopping / not stopping - mistake number two! - but didn't grab it when I had the chance because having crossed the 850m above sea level sign, still going, still grinding out the metres.......  He could go all the way.........  No he can't!  I heard the bus coming and decided to throw in the towel.  Had I needed to?  Maybe not, but it was probably one of the only good decisions I had made up till that point.  So clambering in the back of this thing - high step - was no picnic but up I went and rode the rest to the top.

So the top arrives, and it had only got worse, my shirt was soaked through - I'm not totally sure it's dried yet - and I had a chance to rest before going around the crater.  All in all a decent effort but not my finest hour.  Anyway, once eat the top, a snack and a rest I was ready to go, and yet more amazing views from the top of Nicaragua.

The view across lake Nicaragua from the crater.  The arm of islets you can see were actually created when this thing last erupted many years ago.

A very tired and damp Brit at the top

A rock tunnel formed at the crater by landslides as the rain soaks in.  You hear something shifting, you run!

Steam vents out of the volcano, only water vapour though, no sulphur so it's not active (at least this crater isn't anyway.

All in all a pretty impressive volcano, I still think Telica (the one I got washed down is the better of all but  all of them have their moments.

Tomorrow it's a trip out to the islets to see the dirty great lumps of rock this thing threw into the lake all those years ago.  This one is decidedly more sedentary but should be a good trip.

Adios for now amigos!