We went to visit Masaya volcano today. It’s the closest active volcano to where we’re staying and it’s actually active, not just “technically” so. In 2001, it tossed volcanic rock all over the area and caused some fires near Masaya and in 2008, there was an explosion of volcanic ash. There hasn’t been any exciting activity since then, but it’s still shrouded in toxic sulfur gas and the view from the crater is breathtaking.When the volcano has erupted in the past, the lava has flowed down over the crater and cooled in really interesting ways, forming caves and tunnels that make excellent homes for bats – fruit, insect and otherwise. We went climbing into one of the caves and wound up getting hauled out of it in stretchers.
Just kidding! Do you remember me saying that Jason’s a firefighter/paramedic? Well, a few weeks ago, the mayor of Jinotepe asked him if he would set up a training exercise that would get a few of the departments in the area together to learn something new; because he’d just been up to visit the volcano recently, he decided that he’d teach them how to pull injured patients out of the caves. Brianne and I volunteered to be the patients!
We were up at four in the morning and at the fire station by five because we needed to run the entire drill before the Masaya Volcano National Park opened at nine. Brianne was going to be an unconscious patient with femur and arm fractures, whereas I got to play a conscious victim with head, neck and back pain. I even wore makeup to mimic the battle signs of a skull fracture! The firefighters in Jinotepe (and in most of Nicaragua, from what I’ve heard) have almost no medical training. They knew how to take vitals, but Jason only taught them recently how to properly set up patients up on spine boards and build haul systems to get them out of sticky situations. They did an excellent job of the haul system and the communication between the two departments was impressive, but their patient care wasn’t super. It’s understandable, given that they don’t really understand the importance of stabilizing the neck and spine. All told, though, I made it out with nothing but a bruised sternum. (They didn’t think to fake their sternum rubs because I was actually awake and only pretending to pass out because they were taking too long with my oxygen.) Check the sidebar for photos!
The rescue finished right on time, so two park rangers took us on a little tour of the caves and up to the top of the volcano. We walked 180 m one of the caves, which was 25 m underground and, according to carbon dating, was formed about 500 years ago. Apparently, aboriginal Nicaraguans used to distill alcohol in the caves, and use them to sacrifice virgins. The volcano held special significance in their religion, which is why it’s sad that when Catholics came to Central America, they decided that the volcano was actually a gate to hell. They built a giant cross at the top in hopes of exorcising things. 
After our tour, we made a quick stop at Masaya market and then went to Papa John’s pizza. The pizza was delicious and all, but I was most excited about the salad. A real salad! With lettuce and tomatoes and cucumbers and a vinaigrette! It was incredible, as was the ride home. Oscar, one of the firefighters, drove us home in/on his truck and he had some great tunes. As we sped down the highway, wind in our hair and sunglasses on, I couldn’t help but think that I’m really, really happy here.
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