The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

the 1 less traveled by

A move to Nicaragua

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volcano

Azalea & I enoying the view from the top of Fortaleza De Coyotepe
By Jenna Reid 268 Views

Things to do in Masaya

Day Trip to Masaya

My husband, Kharron, works for an American company, which means he gets American holidays off work. We try to use these days to our advantage and spend the day sight seeing parts of Nicaragua.

I purchased a Lonely Planet’s guide to Central America and referenced for ideas on what we should see in Masaya. I had only 3 things on my list because we are learning that in Nicaragua you don’t want to plan too much or you end up disappointed or driving home after dark, which is never recommended.

One of the lookout towers of the fortress
View of one of the lookout towers of the fort

First stop was the Fortaleza De Coyotepe. This fortress was constructed in 1893 by president Zelaya. Built so his troops could easily see enemies approaching and to protect Masaya from the US Marines. During the Somoza family regime, a dungeon was constructed underground below the fortress. The dungeon was used as a political prison and torture chamber. The prisons were very dark and sometimes held more than 800 people. The Sandinistas also used the fortress as a prison before giving it to the Boy Scouts who opened it to visitors.

Kharron & the kids inside a lookout tower.
Kharron & the kids inside a lookout tower.

For $2 per adult, you can walk around the top and get a great view of Masaya and tour the dungeons. There is also a small museum. I hear there are tours, but we were not offered so we did not get one.

 

 

 

 

IMG_1244Next stop was to see the active volcano at Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya. Named by the Spaniards as the gates to hell, this is the most heavily venting volcano in Nicaragua. For some reason you are allowed to drive right up to it, which also makes it the most accessible.

IMG_1246For $4 you can spend a few minutes at the rim of the volcano, named Plaza de Oviedo, after the 16th-century Spanish monk who descended into the crater to collect lava which he suspected was liquid gold, and came back alive. For between C$10 and C$20 more, you can take a guided walking tour along the trails that lead to some other great views, other craters, and to the Tzinaconostoc Cave where hundreds of bats live. There are horse tours offered for an additional $4 as well. IMG_1248

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last stop was to see the Masaya Artisan Market. IMG_1241We weren’t too impressed with the crafts there, seemed like a lot of the same thing, but worth a trip. We had lunch at one of the restaurants.

 

 

 

 

On our way home we went by the Masatepe to see the wood furniture stores. We thought we needed to go into town to see all of them, but really they are all off the main road on the way into town. The furniture is really beautiful and a lot of choices of type of wood and styles. Great place to go if you’re furnishing a house here in Nicaragua and are interested in shipping large items back to your home country.