Pics of Volcano surfing and update

picture of me getting ready to surf down the volcano yesterday, hawaiian style.



A view of the area from the top of the crater



for scale, try to find the little figures in orange on the volcano

The speed record for the volcano run was 80Kph. that's 50 miles an hour down an approximately 45 degree slope on a little wooden plank. Everyone sat down on their boards but I wanted to do it hawaiian style so I stood up and surfed down it. sitting down you go a little faster but you have to wear goggles for the dust and the goggles are so old and scratched you can't see anything. Standing up you don't need the goggles and can see everything, plus I liked the surf/skate vibe of standing up. O fcourse, you don't go anywhere near 50 mph but it was still really fun.

Right now I am in Isle de Ometepe. It is an island in the Lake of Managua in Nicaragua that is made up of two volcanoes, one active one not. It is suppose to be really beautiful hiking and adventure touring and just generally nice and laidback. Today was a long travel day and I arrived late into town so I didn't get to see anything yet.

Luckily, I arrived during this town's saint festival. There's going to be music, dancing, drinking, bullriding and chicken fighting supposedly. Hopefully i can go to a chicken fight and make up for the one I missed in Leon. Apparently I've been living a day ahead for a long time now. I thought it was Friday, but it is only thursday.

Today I caught a cab in Leon to the bus terminal, a shuttle south to Managua (managua is a real shithole), taxi in managua, 2nd class busliner to Rivas, taxi in Rivas to San Jorge, San Jorge ferry to Isle de Ometepe. all in all about a 6 hour journey.

I was outside having a smoke and enjoying the cool night air when a distraught young man crying and banging his head and shouting "todo basura" (it's all trash) walked by. He was red eyed and leaking snot. I felt bad for him but I also wondered if he was working a con on me. He sat down next to me and starting talking and gesticulating, I told him I didn't speak spanish but he kept talking and I guess he got his phone and other things stolen while drunk. I think girls were involved. There wasn't much i could do for him so I offered him a smoke. He took it. after he finished that he borrowed my lighter to smoke a bowl (of marijuana). then he offered to buy me a beer. So I'm not too sure why he was so upset if he still had pot and money for beer.