After completing their first #IveyMSc semester, our @IveyMScStudents teams are now diving head first in to one of the program’s capstone experiences, the Ivey Global Lab (#IGL). Over the next ten weeks, we will be chronicling their weekly lives, from arrival to departure, giving you a first-hand glimpse in to this once in a lifetime experience. In our first post in the series, we catch up with Team Nicaragua, made up of Linh Tran (twitter.com/linci2703), Sydney Kidd (twitter.com/SydtheKidd4), and their classmates Alicja and Clara. They were quite busy during their first week in Nicaragua, Volcano Boarding, touring beautiful cities, and ziplining, and that was just the first seven days!
Day 1 – Volcano Boarding
On our first morning in the magical city of Leon we travelled outside of the city limits to the country’s youngest volcano, Cerro Negro. After a demanding climb up the side of the volcano we were rewarded with an incredible view of the area. After pausing for the appropriate Volcano photo-ops we then suited up in full coveralls, elbow pads, knee pads, goggles, and gloves. While our guide joked we were now ready to “clean out the Volcano,” what we were really about to do was hurtle down the side of the 728 metre high volcano in an activity known as Volcano Boarding. Banking on the fact that the volcano had not erupted since 1999 and the Canadians in the group were familiar with the Canadian pastime of tobogganing, we fearlessly ‘took to the slopes.’ What ensued was an exhilarating ride with an even better view. It wasn’t even 11:00 AM yet and we were already craving our next adventure in this eco-tourist’s dream destination.
After lunch and washing off ash from ourselves (as we really looked like Cinderellas after the volcano trip), our guide took us around the city of Leon to learn about its history from the pre-Colombian times to post-Sandinista periods. We also visited the prison in Leon, where the political criminals were incarcerated and executed
Day 2 – Masaya Volcano
The next day we said farewell to the city of Leon and began our transfer to Granada. On our way we stopped to explore the top of the Masaya Volcano with our guide. We learned about the superstitions and legends that had surrounded the volcano for centuries, young children and women were even sacrificed into the mouth of the volcano! We then travelled to the summit where tourists are only allowed to spend fifteen minutes because the volcano is considered to be so active. The most notable aspect was the overwhelming smell of the volcanic gases. It is no wonder local people lived in awe and respect for this incredible landmark. Before reaching Granada, we also stopped by the Masaya artisan market where beautiful handcrafted items were offered. Many of us were especially interested in the colourful hammocks, which made a great souvenir for the folks back home who could have this piece of Nicaragua in their backyards. We even attempted to bargain in Spanish — that was quite an experience and good practice of the language!
Day 3 – City Tour and Kayaking in Granada
Granada is a vibrant and colourful city perched on the shores of lake Nicaragua. We started off exploring the city by walking around the main plaza and visiting the local churches and museums. This city impressed us by its gorgeous colonial architecture, breathtaking natural landmarks, and the artistic vibes. Granada is also one of the hidden gastronomy jewels — The New York Times recognized several restaurants thanks to their unique gastronomic combinations and local grown ingredients. We absolutely enjoyed our stay in this city and are hoping to come back during the break week.
Later on that day, our group took full advantage of the lake by participating in a kayaking adventure through the Islettas that scatter the shoreline. Our guide toured us through this beautiful tropical adventure. We saw a monkey swinging from the branches on one of the Islettas and even ate fresh mangos right from the tree. When the heat was too much a few of us jumped in the water, which proved to be almost as hot as the air. Our guide told us afterwards that there were only a few freshwater sharks in the lake.
Day 4 – Mombacho Volcano Trek and Ziplining
The next day the team was ready to tackle another volcano trek. This time it was the Mombacho Volcano that rests almost ominously over the city of Granada. We took an open safari style vehicle to the top of the crater for full effect. On our walking tour of the crater we took in the lush rainforest canopy, which was limited at lower elevations because April was the end of a long dry season in Nicaragua. A few brave souls even stuck their hands into the steam holes created by the magma that lay dormant below our feet. As we headed back our guide pointed out a rare sight — to our left was a sloth dangling from the trees in a ball. Living up to his name we could only get him to move a few inches before he went back to sleep.
We ended our Mombacho volcano adventure by ziplining down the side of the volcano through the less dense forest coverage. We took a leap of faith or two as we zipped through seven different sets of lines and finally repelled straight down the side of a tree before heading to lunch on the coffee plantation.
Day 5 – Surf Camp
The coastal city of San Juan del Sur is known to have world-class surfing waves and between the board shorts, surfboards, and flipflops it only took us minutes of being in the city to know we were fortunate enough to be in one of the most sought out surfing destinations in the world. As the saying goes, “when in Rome…” Our first morning we could be found practising our surfing stance at a local hotspot for waves. After perfecting our technique on land we waxed up our boards and took to the waves. While harder than it looks, the feeling when one of us finally stood up and road a wave to shore was incredibly rewarding. We surfed for almost three hours before heading back to town with the hopes we would be able to get back out on the water again soon.
That night we stumbled upon a sunset cruise along the San Juan del Sur coast. An impromptu event but how could we resist? The view was breathtaking and we even reeled in a Manta Ray on one of the tour guide’s fishing rods (a first for the tour company).