17. September: Nicaragua – volcanotour – completely different for a change!!

On Thursday morning I leave Matagalpa early to drive the 160km to Léon. Just in time to park the  bike inside the hostel’s patio, get rid of the motorcycle clothes and eat a croissant before we are driven by a Mercedes truck to the volcano Cerro Negro. The Cerro Negro is one of the many active volcanoes in this area, however, is also not a very high (728müM) and one of the youngest. Due to its type of outbreak, it is growing with each eruption - the last is now back 16 years. For the ascent we all take an orange bag with utensils for the coming down ;-) hmmm, sounds funny - and it is. Coming down to say in this case, namely: sitting on a board down-sliding!! 

At first we have to walk onto the top of the volcano - and of course also today again well in excess of 30 ° C and 80% humidity. The boards we were allowed - of course, at a reasonable rate - left to local helpers and they then hauled them up for us. The rise not much a problem - at least for me - and then up a really fantastic view of the surrounding volcanoes, the countryside and in ascending order down to the volcanic cone, here and there are still sulfur fumes. 

 

But the exciting part was still ahead of us - and frankly, we all are indeed gone up mainly because of it. The orange bags unpacked and lok at that: orange One-Size-overalls. Well, one-size in this case means that the overalls must also fit a 2-meter 100kg man. How that looks on me? I just let the pictures speak !!

Even with a slightly queasy feeling then up on the board and waited for the signal to drive off. Oh man, that's all really steep downhill ... !?

Then finally going exactly according to instructions ... .. not quite as fast as desired because I stupidly was on the "soft" track and the board was thus not really gaining much speed, but hey, it was great fun anyway. Once at the bottom then a welcome beer and homemade cookies (whether there probably was something inside?) ... .. then shortly after back to Léon.

The city by the way nothing earth-shattering: a small park, a cathedral in Renovation and otherwise the usual Nicaraguan chaos to transport, shops and street vendors.
The hostel (Via Via) was really cool, motorcycles parked in the courtyard again and with great location – once you have found through the many one-way streets of the city!
But I look forward already to Granada and whatever else in Nicaragua waits for me;-)