Laguna de Apoyo - Fun in the Volcano.. umm I mean SUN!

Lagua de Apoyo is worth another post. A lake that was formed in a centuries old volcano crater, the laguna is a beautiful, relaxing spot, but also an interesting one. We heard from one local that the crater lake is so deep that no one has ever been to the bottom. Shaped like an upside down cone, the laguna maintains a mystic air to it. It is said to be 200 meters deep and 200 centuries old. According to some, there is an underground cave that links the volcano to nearby Volcano Mombacho. There is apparently a witch who lives down in the underwater grottos and protects the passageway. It is said that the bodies of people who drown in the Laguna de Apoyo are never found because the witch takes them from the bottom of the laguna and transports them to a final resting place under the volcano. Another story is that the Laguna is linked deep, deep down, to the sea and that is why the water is very slightly brackish. Whatever the truth, there is definitely a lot to ponder while floating in the laguna's emerald waters.

Laguna de Apoyo was the perfect compromise for J and I. I love swimming and he hates everything beach related: Sun, sand, salt water, swimming, fun. He hates it all. The Laguna de Apoyo is a freshwater lake with very little sand and a good amount of shade. All things that made our compromise possible. The beach is rocky and strewn with bigger volcanic rocks. Some of the volcanic rocks even float and you can come across one floating along side you while you're swimming. Others are so fragile that you can actually break the rock in half with nothing but your hands.

Paradiso, the hotel we stayed at was more like a resort than a hotel. There were kayaks, paddleboards

and inner tubes to use, along with comfy beach lounge chairs and a waterside cafe/bar. Most people visit the Laguna de Apoyo on a day trip from Granada. We intended on going for one night and ended up staying two because we liked it so much. Had we been on a longer trip, we probably would have extended our stay even more. We spent the entire three days working our way through a relaxing cycle of swimming, lounging in the shade, eating delicious meals and washing them down with cold Nica beer. We even met a few awesome new people. One of the most inspiring was Deneice, a Brit (by Nationality only) who has been on the road for twelve years! We chatted well into the night and left Laguna de Apoyo knowing that we had been very lucky to have gotten to know her better.

We dragged ourselves back to Granada the very last moment possible and only because we had plans to head north into Nicaragua's cool highlands the next day. New adventures awaited and we had no intention of missing a single one.

Volcanic Zen

I woke up sweating. Despite the fact that two fans had been whirring furiously directly on me the entire night and it was barely 7am, I was sweating.  It was definitely too hot to go back to sleep and I desperately wanted to be much cooler then I currently was.

Thankfully we had fled the oppressive Granada heat and were staying at a 'resort' on the Laguna de Apoyo where the swimming was spectacular. This the third volcano we had been to in almost as many days. Instead of being active, or blanketed in a thick forest, this inactive volcano crater was full of water. Maybe my favourite option of the three!

I slipped out of our room and headed down to the water. The air was hot and thick and sticky but I felt instantaneously happy as soon as I stepped into the lake. I walked out as far as I could touch. The crystal clear water deceptively deep.

I laid back like a starfish and let the water wrap around me like a cool silk sheet. The silence under the water is so complete, its hard not to be instantly relaxed. I looked down at my toes poking just out of the surface. I tried to memorize every detail of the scene around me to re-live one cold February afternoon. The crater rim rising up around me, lush, vibrant, tropical and impenetrable. The tendrils of mist that are clinging to the highest edges, weaving in and out of the tallest reaches of the crater. The sun slipped behind a thin cloud, bathing the entire scene in a silvery, early morning light. The laguna is a mirror. The only sounds are of exotic sounding birds calling to each other from the thick forest. Little fish are jumping a few feet from my outstretched toes. I'm not sure if they are the hunters or huntees until a much bigger fish leaps out of the water and grabs one of the little fish in its mouth. Definitely the hunted. I try to take everything in and make a video in my mind. A tall, elegant white egret lands on the raft floating out deeper. I lie still willing the tranquility to linger just a little bit longer.

But, it doesn't. Employees are arriving for the day, calling out greetings in Spanish. Other guests filter down to the lake, dogs start barking at a neighbouring property...the moment is gone. I slip back under the water and surface  feeling re-energized and lucky that I get to spend another day with the Laguna.