Our plane swooped low over Lago Managua, offering us a stunning view of both the lake and the city sprawling along its southern shore. The massive, cone-shaped volcano Momotombo loomed to the north, and below us the midday sun glimmered off of choppy blue waves and red-tiled roofs alike. It was our very first glimpse of Nicaragua. It was love at first sight.

We took a minibus from Managua directly to the vibrant college town of León, an hour and a half to the North. This is true Sandanista country, on the front lines of the revolution. And while this fiercely proud city wears its scars and bulletholes like badges of honor, that was all over decades ago. León today is a mesmerizing paradox: beautiful and tranquil during the day, and buzzing with excitement and nightlife after dark.

And with every passing minute – every spectacular sight, every amazing meal, every laughter-filled conversation we've had – our love for this land has only grown.

Hedgehogs have a habit of not posting too much while on the road, and I'd expect we're probaby going to be focusing more on experiencing every second while we're here. But when we get back, we're going to have some great stories to tell. We aready do. And it's only been about 27 hours so far.

I can't wait to see what happens next.