Telica – One of Nicaragua’s Most Active Volcanoes

February 15, 2016 Tricia's Travels 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I traveled to Nicaragua to combine some tourism with a Habitat for Humanity volunteer build. I’ve been working on a few stories from that trip when suddenly today my inbox was bursting with “breaking news” – the Telica Volcano has erupted! Wow, really? I was just there – right on the edge – 2 weeks ago…. Here’s what it was like before the latest eruption. 🙂

Telica is located near León and is a pretty accessible volcano for hikers. It’s “only” 1061 meters high and if you make the rocky trek, you are rewarded with upfront views of the magnificent 700m wide double crater. Even though it was not the most physically demanding hike, it truly has some of the most incredible views I’ve seen in a while! Perhaps my favorite day in Nicaragua.

Getting to Telica is possible on your own, but for $35USD it’s pretty easy to let someone else worry about the rough road and take you right to the base of the volcano. Is that lazy? I think it’s smart. 🙂

We went on a sunset tour with Julio Tours and couldn’t have been happier. When we arrived, just 2 other small groups were at the base and we quickly set off to get a bit of a head start. Here’s the view as you get ready for the climb (it doesn’t look like much…):

On the way up, there are some views of the valley but nothing that I would describe as spectacular. Plus, we were mostly looking at our feet to make sure we had secure footing. And keeping our mouths closed to avoid getting big gulp-fulls of the sulfurous air!

But OHHHHHHHH when you get near the top!

Now that’s what I call awesome.

You can get right up to the edge of the crater and check out what’s going on 120m below – no railings, no safety waivers…

Who could resist taking some selfies here?! 🙂

We hung out up top for maybe 10-15 minutes but the sulfur was pretty strong so we headed down around the back of the crater to catch some views of the entire range before the sunset.

We stopped for a break…luckily a local entrepreneur schlepped up the volcano (in flip flops, of course) with a cooler of soda and beer to complement the salty snacks we had in our packs. When it was time for the sunset, it was quick but beautiful:

And then….darkness fell fast. We trekked back up through the sulfur clouds to catch a quick peek at the magma (see it there, those little dots? 🙂 ):

And then we hiked down…in the dark… Bring a headlamp or hire a guide that provides flashlights, you’ll need them. You can also camp below the rim if that’s your thing. But whatever you do, just go. You don’t want to miss this!

Habitat for Humanity, Nicaragua, The Americas, Travel, Volunteering

Bienvenido a Casa!

February 12, 2016 Tricia's Travels

What a whirlwind! It’s been two weeks already since I returned from a fabulous volunteer trip with Habitat for Humanity‘s Global Village program in Nicaragua. In the course of just 5 days, 14 volunteers joined together to build a home for Gloria and Freddie – and had a little fun along the way. 🙂

After meeting in Managua, we traveled about 1.5 hours southwest of the capital to the municipality of San Rafael del Sur, where we would spend the next week working on our project. After settling in at a fabulous hotel on the Pacific coast, we geared up for our first day of work.

Upon arrival, we met our the homeowner Gloria and had a chance to learn more about her current living conditions. She is currently unable to work due to a medical condition and her husband, Freddie, works as a night security guard at the chicken processing plant for a national fast food chain. Their daughter lives with them in the community of San Ceyatano but was visiting her grandmother during the week we were working.

Their current home consists of a small metal shack. Within one room (separated by curtains), all three family members sleep, eat and relax. The roof has many leaks and the walls are not secure.

As we started out, there were all of the usual Habitat tasks…

Moving blocks:

Sifting sand and moving rock:

Mixing mortar and concrete (again and again and again):

Cutting and tying rebar to reinforce the house:

Pouring the foundation:

And laying block after block after block:

We were constantly running out of water so it was delivery after delivery to unload:

And don’t forget about the preparation of the floor…

But despite all of the hard work, there was always time to jump rope or color with the kids:

To take lots and lots of photos or to find a quiet moment:

Or to mess around in the wheelbarrow (I’m coming for YOU! 🙂

How does all of this come together to build a house? Check out my lo-tech timelapse for a condensed view of our five days of hard work. 🙂

At the end of the week, the most important goal was met: a new home for Gloria, Freddie and their daughter. The doors, windows and roof would be installed by the masons within a few days of our departure and the family should move in within 3 weeks! We had a ceremony to bless the house:

Then Gloria cut the ribbon!

Such smiles, that’s the best part about the whole week. 🙂

Good job team!

Africa, Habitat for Humanity, Travel, Volunteering, Zambia

The Joy of Coloring

January 5, 2016 Tricia's Travels 1 Comment

Coloring and drawing are some of the first ways children express themselves. It’s fun, easy, and even if initial attempts are not much more than scribbling, there is no denying that creativity and imagination are developing! You can find all kinds of articles and charts about when your child should start coloring if that’s your thing…. And of course even in such a seemingly simple pleasure there can be controversy about the importance and benefits of this activity.

But really….isn’t it just fun?

Lately, even adults have gotten in on the act. Adult coloring books were one of the “it” gifts for Christmas 2015 and the #grownupcoloring hastag is popular on lots of social media outlets (Pinterest , Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and more). Adult coloring centers are opening at libraries and many workplaces offer coloring stations in their break areas. I even was seated next to a passenger on a recent flight who was getting in on the action.Adult coloring has been touted as a stress reliever but of course this comes with more controversy… “Are adult coloring books the stress relief tool they’re hyped up to be?” You can decide for yourself. But I digress.

On a recent volunteer trip to Zambia with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Program, I witnessed the joy of coloring first hand. During my stay I spent one week living with 13 other volunteers in a very poor (by monetary standards only!) rural community. The children were naturally curious about the foreigners who were visiting for the week and our house was a mob scene every day – in the best of ways. 🙂 We were escorted to and from meals and work by hoardes of children who wanted nothing more than to hold our hands and practice their English. And each night when we came home, there were many curious eyes watching our every move.

One night, we had a surprise for them – coloring books! We brought them out and immediately the joyful ball tossing, jump roping, chasing and laughing stopped. Silence descended on us all and eager eyes were glued to the prize.

Because of the large number of kids, we needed a system. We literally drew a line in the sand in our yard and asked them all to line up, which they did quickly and efficiently .:-)

Next they were asked to choose a “Spiderman” or “Animal” and one coloring book page was given to each child. Nobody ran off. Still standing perfectly still in line… A few milled planks were in the yard and served as a table for the kids. We distributed a few crayons and let them have at it!

The result was a bunch of happy kids as well as a group of amazed adults. I guess coloring really is for everyone. 🙂

Asia, Habitat for Humanity, Kyrgyzstan, Travel, Volunteering

Can’t top that smile. :-)

December 24, 2015 Tricia's Travels

Just last week I posted an update detailing a Global Village trip with Habitat for Humanity to Kyrgyzstan during August 2014. You can read more about how our team helped to make Jolboldu’s dream of owning a safe and decent home for his family here.

This morning I got the final piece of the puzzle – photos of Ryskiul hosting her welcome/New Years party in her new home! What a great way to ring in 2016. 🙂

Best wishes to you and your family as you celebrate the holidays too!

Asia, Habitat for Humanity, Kyrgyzstan, Travel, Volunteering

A Home for the Holidays (and Beyond!)

December 17, 2015 Tricia's Travels 2 Comments

What great news I received this week – Jolboldu and his family moved into their brand new Habitat for Humanity home two weeks ago! They are excited beyond words…and so am I!!! How did this happen and what makes it so exciting? Ah…read on. 🙂

I first “met” this family when I began planning a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to Kyrgyzstan. Yes, that’s right, Kyrgyzstan. I had heard good things about this place, it was a “unique” destination (to say the least) and I am always up for a challenge so I thought – let’s go!

Imankulov Jolboldu and his wife Ryskiul live with their children in Barskoon village near Lake Issyk Kul (a beautiful place!). Jolboldu works in the town administration. Ryskiul cares for the children during the day and earns extra income for the family as a night watchman at the local pharmacy. They were living in a home that is very old and deteriorating – irreparable cracks in the walls and roof are constantly expanding. It is also quite small for the family and to make matters worse, only one of the two rooms is heated. Here are some photos of the house where the family lived in for 10+ years:

Jolboldu and Ryskiul desired a safer place for their children to grow up and applied for a loan from Habitat for Humanity Kyrgyzstan under their New House Construction Program. When I arrived in Kyrgyzstan in August 2014 with 10 other volunteers, we were the 4^th Global Village team to work on this home.

We spent two weeks doing what we could to bring their dream of owning a safe home closer to reality. The home is different in many ways than others I worked on during previous Global Village trips. For one thing – there was wood. 🙂 Kyrgyzstan is in an earthquake zone and housing recipients are trained in building techniques designed to withstand the forces of nature. Walls in Habitat homes in Barskoon are constructed by affixing wood strapping to each side of the studs and then filling the ~6 inch gap in between with a mud-straw mixture (a different technique is used in the urban areas of the country’s capital, Bishkek – a subject for a future post).

Our first task was to complete the exterior walls. Jolboldu was an expert at the pitchfork-mud-throw technique…and under his tutelage, Tony soon became an expert too. The rest of us relied on the more traditional “mudball stuffing” method. 🙂

After about 2 days, we finished the exterior walls and thought we were really getting ahead! But not so fast…the interior walls needed stuffing next. Oh my!

We were undaunted…and very safe. Don’t worry Terry, there’s only about a 10 foot drop under your round-barrel scaffolding. Jolboldu won’t let you fall! We also recruited extra help from every extended family member who stopped by the worksite. Well, it was more like we couldn’t keep them away, they were so excited. 🙂 How does she stay so clean when I have mud in my hair, in my mouth, even on the inside of my glasses…???

By the time Pat and Julie placed the final mud ball, we all felt like we had accomplished so much! And Ryskiul, who was sidelined with a broken arm while we were working, was all smiles. 🙂 🙂 I mean who wouldn’t be – the walls were complete, the roof was going on and check out the view from the bedroom!

We still had a few work days left and spent them installing the concrete floor. If you’ve never participated in a bucket brigade, you’re missing out. We passed buckets of sand, leveled the base layer, laid insulating foam and a waterproof barrier, then passed what must have been thousands of buckets of concrete. OK. Maybe just a few hundred, but it really did seem like a lot… The floor was finally leveled and – wow, it’s starting to look like a home!

By the time we said goodbye, Jolboldu and Ryskiul were much closer to moving in. They are incredibly kind and we each left a little piece of our heart with them in their new home. ♥

In two weeks, we were able to make great progress and met the goals we had for ourselves, but there was still much to do. We left Kyrgyzstan knowing that there was a good chance the house would not be complete before the winter. Two additional teams came but there was simply too much to finish before the cold set in. The family would have to wait a little longer…

And this brings us back to where I started – over the summer, the finishing touches were added and as of two weeks ago, Jolboldu and his family are living in their new home! Here are some photos of the finished home in all of it’s glory…stay tuned for updates and pictures of this wonderful family at home after New Years Day! 🙂