Our final time in Nicaragua consisted of a drive up to the National Park to look down into the crater of an active volcano. Volcan Nindiri sends plumes of smoke up into the sky and if you peer close enough into the opening and wait for a clear moment, you can see the red glow of lava deep in the abyss. A ranger gave us a bit of history and then sent us off on a short hike to get a view from a different angle. The wind was blowing strongly over the lava fields and the view of the valley below was incredible.

Other than that, it was beach combing and surfing the clean little waves of Playa Maderas. Oso made lots of friends and got in plenty of exercise chasing his new pals up and down the sand. It was hard convincing him to come back up to the hotel.

The last night, we watched the sunset from the pool and had a nice dinner in the restaurant. Jorge, Alma, Blanca and the two primos, Dubin and Nolan, took great care of us. Arte-Sano is an awesome place to spend a few days and enjoy the neighboring beaches.

Getting across the border the next day was the typical grind that third world border crossings usually are. We stopped by the lake for a few moments to soak in the panorama of volcanos in the distance and local kids having a swim in the waves. Yes, waves in a freshwater lake. The Papagayo winds had a few crumblers splashing the shore. After that, five hours of standing in lines and wrestling with bureaucrats before finding ourselves back on the Costa Rican side of the frontera.