We have had such a fun couple of months hosting so many family members and friends!!!! My dad and Melissa in November and then back to back adventures with Mitchell's parents and sister, our friend Ben and 6 of my girlfriends from the neighborhood in Utah. Oh we love, love, LOVE having visitors! I have another EPIC blog post in the works about all of our girls trip shenanigans. It will be up soon, once I sort through the 2,300+ photos we all took!
Today we resumed our normal routine of sightseeing only on the weekends, instead of every day like this last couple of months! We decided to return to Venterón and explore the valley a bit more. Venterón is a hill that overlooks the ancient caldera of Volcan Masaya and the now active crater. It is a special place because it was on that very hill that Elder Scott, a now deceased member of the quorum of the 12 apostles, offered a prayer dedicating Nicaragua for missionary work in April of 1990. The LDS church had existed previously in Nicaragua but in 1979 a major revolution developed in Nicaragua and the political regime that took control of the government prohibited the people from gathering together to worship. A few very valiant Saints remained actively involved in carrying on in the faith during those extremely difficult and dangerous 10 years. By 1990 the warring in the streets had stopped and the people were beginning to try to build a peaceful society again.
That smoking crater behind us is the active volcano!
The 2 times we have visited Venterón in the past we hiked up to the top of the hill as a family and we rode horses to the top with the Homers. Both times we made it to the top of the hill, admired the view and then went back down the way we came. This time we decided to explore further into the valley behind Venterón. We were able to drive almost to the very top and then we scrambled down the back side of the hill. Not much grows in the whole valley because of the constant volcanic gases coming from the nearby volcano. We walked over hard packed dirt, rocks, and dry grass-like weeds. Down in the valley we met a couple of local men, their sons and a few dogs out working for the morning. They work for the local tourism department and were building a mountain biking path that will connect Ticuantepe to Volcan Masaya. We think we might take the bike ride someday when the kids are at school and we can steal away. They told us about the history of the area and the ways they are working to build the local tourism industry. We also admired a deep brick rain collecting basin that was used back in the 1950s and 60s. In that time the area was used for farming a great variety of diet sustaining foods like grains, tomatoes, melons, plantains, bananas, yucca, and onions. Once the volcano became more active the sulfuric gases made varied agriculture impossible. Now the area is mostly wild fields but they are able to grow pineapples and dragon fruit there. It was a perfect day to visit Venterón. The wind was blowing, as it always does up there. Even the name Venterón implies that it is a windy place. It was also overcast and a pleasant temperature. It was a really nice adventure!
This wooden embankment is for mountain bikers to take the tight turn and steep drop at high speeds! It sounds absolutely terrifying to me!
Checking out the old irrigation tank
NBD, just an active volcano spewing out angry smoke and sulfur. We love it here!
This afternoon Audrey got to cash in a much anticipated Christmas gift from her cousin Lily. Lily drew Audrey a great picture and gifted Audrey and me a date night! We got to get a treat and visit the princess salon for a manicure. A while ago Audrey mentioned that she had set a goal to try sushi for the first time. Tonight was the special night! We each chose a sushi roll and I taught Audrey how to use chopsticks. After some practice she started to get the hang of it. Her assessment of sushi was that she loved it but got full before she could finish her roll. She liked the pickled ginger but the wasabi was TOO SPICY!!
Wasabi!
Check out that chopstick action! Almost a pro!
After dinner we went to the mall for her princess manicure but sadly, the princess salon has closed. Bummer! Instead she got to choose a nail polish and got a manicure from her momma. It was a really fun night! Thank you Lily!!
We decided this color should be named Mermaid Tail. It's pretty.
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