June 30th, 2006
birdfarm posted a photo:
I knew something of the politics of Nicaragua but not the geography. I was amazed to discover that it is chock full of volcanoes.
“Volcán Masaya” consists of five craters together, surrounded by a much larger and more ancient rim of a caldera. It was really an amazing place to visit.
Although you can’t see them in the photo, the crater wall that I’m looking toward here is full of parakeets’ nests! It’s a special kind of parakeet that has adapted to living in volcano crater walls–the toxic fumes keep predators at bay and don’t bother the parakeets at all! I saw four of them flying home, just before taking this photo.
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 10:26am
June 30th, 2006
birdfarm posted a photo:
Finally got the first few Nicaragua photos up! Just a sampling… more to come!
The technique for making these pots is fascinating, and look at the amazing details. Check out the one at lower right–the designs facing each other are not symmetrical, but instead, more like cutouts of each other–like negatives. Gaw-juss!
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 10:40am
June 30th, 2006
birdfarm posted a photo:
The flat surface is the crater floor. Then there’s a smaller crater within that, and down at the bottom of the inner crater, a huge hole with acrid sulphur smoke constantly billowing out!
You can even hear the lava roiling and rumbling down in the hole! It was truly a stunning display.
Until last year you could see lava down there, but a landslide has blocked it from view.
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 10:25am
June 30th, 2006
birdfarm posted a photo:
Right near the volcano it’s difficult for plants to survive because the toxic smoke creates acid rain. Farther away, however, there is lush vegetation because this is a national park.
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 10:24am
June 30th, 2006
birdfarm posted a photo:
It was so beautiful there. This is one of those scenes that’s just engraved in my memory forever…. beautiful sunny day, cloud shadows sweeping over the land, no sound but wind in grass and the occasional birdcall…
Laguna Masaya is another crater from the same caldera that has filled with water. It is crescent-shaped instead of round, because an eruption several centuries ago dumped lava into the lake on the nearer side (where the cloud shadow is).
Beyond the lake you can see a ridge; that’s the edge of the caldera that was here at the time of the dinosaurs. The whole thing was a giant lake of lava. Pretty impressive eh.
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 10:23am
June 30th, 2006
birdfarm posted a photo:
Observe la coexistencia del caballo, auto, y bicicleta. 
Colorful street in Granada… note the coexistence of horse, car, and bicycle.
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 2:40am
June 30th, 2006
Las autoridades de la Dirección General de Ingresos (DGI), se retractaron de continuar sancionando a los contribuyentes que fueron afectados con el pago atrasado de sus impuestos debido a la huelga de los trabajadores que se mantuvo durante tres…
noticia original publicado el 30 June, 2006, 10:10pm