desde nicaragua

Running. It clears your mind.

This is Marlon, my running partner and housemate. We wake up at dawn. I make us coffee. He carries the keys. We usually don't know where the day's adventure will take place until we get to the bus stop, just a few blocks from the house. Then we pick a neighborhood or nearby village, wait for the right bus, and go there.

Today we went to La Concepción, about a 45-minute ride southeast of Managua. From there we ran to a community called Los Amadores, where there is a hill with a gorgeous view of Volcán Masaya.

The family who lives in this house on the way up sells adorable mobiles, which you can see hanging here. The dangling wooden fish are faintly colored with crayon. Thirty córdobas each, or just under two dollars.

Do you see the bird? That's a guardabarranco, the national bird and the name of a musical duo here. "Guardar" means "to keep" or "to save," and "barranco" means "gully" or "ravine." This creature likes to make its nest in ravines.

"Be careful," this campesino warned us. "Sometimes there's bandits farther up the path. They hide in the brush, then jump out when vehicles pass. They steal everything. That's why I walk around with a machete. They don't bother you if you have a machete."

Luckily, we didn't run into any bandits. This is looking down at last bit of the path.

Hi. My name is Melissa. That smoky thing behind me is the volcano.

These hills are beautiful. I couldn't stop laughing as we ran fast down the lookout. We held out our arms and let gravity yank our legs forward, violently. Dangerously. It feels so open here. It feels so good here.

Sailing down, no hands

pedalpedalpedalpedalpedal — "Watch out for that bus."

pedalpedalpedalpedalpedal — "Watch out for those people."

pedalpedalpedalpedalpedal — "Watch out for the chickens."

pedalpedalpedalpedalpedal — "Watch out for that ... ox?"

Some of the obstacles you come across on the roads here might seem a little, um, unusual. I guess you get used to it.

Adventures yesterday included a lovely afternoon bike ride with a friend. We rode up to Granada's entrance on Carretera Masaya and caught a ride a few kilometers up to the road that takes you to Laguna Apoyo. It's a beautiful crater lake with refreshing cool water. We didn't go in. We panted up some challenging hills, including one we both had to walk, then found a bench, took a break and caught our breaths.

Then we flew down, arms stretched out, my bandanna threatening to whip off. It was the kind of fast that makes you clench your teeth and start thinking that maybe it's time to believe in God so you can pray.

At one hill's bottom, we stopped for bananas. At another we saw the entrance to a bar which is said transvestites frequent. We plan to go back.

Finally, in a town of 250 families, we pause in front of this cross. We are unsure whether it is a church or a grave site.