Days 5-6: Ometepe
We got up early to catch the ferry to Ometepe, which is an island in Lake Nicaragua. The island is hourglass shaped and was formed by two volcanoes. Simon had big plans to climb the smaller of the two volcanoes, which seemed like a fun way to pass a day. On the way out of Granada, we passed a funeral procession. It may have been bad form, but Ivy snapped a quick picture of the horse-drawn hearse because it was amazing and beautiful. |
Funeral procession to the cemetary
Unfortunately we missed a photo the horses, which were shrouded in black. We made a quick stop in Rivas for some cash and a bite to eat, we headed to the ferry terminal in San Jorge. We payed to leave the car at the terminal, then settled in to have a Tona at the little restaurant by the dock. The wind blowing off of the lake was impressive, as was the view of Ometepe.
Isla de Ometepe
Shortly afterwards, we boarded one of the larger ferries and were on our way. The ride took a little less than an hour and was surprisingly rough for a lake passage. As we approached the dock, we were amused to learn how the ferry was moored.
It took a couple of dives to secure the line
In order to get an early start on the volcano hike, we needed to travel to a different part of the island, and planned to take a bus for the 2-3 hour journey. However, something Ivy ate began disagreeing with her just at the end of the ferry ride and getting on a crowded bus for 3 hours did not necessarily seem like a good idea. Unfortunately, the bus to the far side of the island left immediately and was the last ride for the night. We opted to take the later bus to a halfway point, and then hoped to take a taxi the rest of the way, but by the time we reached Altagracia, it was too late and we were in for the night. We had a quick meal and found a cozy little hotel for the night (Hotel Central). We needed to be up early the next morning to start climbing the volcano, and the nice lady at the hotel got us a 4:30 am wake up call for the first bus. (One towel, soap, hammock, fan, cold water shower, no water glasses, but they supplied wine glasses when asked).
Ubiquitous Nicaraguan begging dogs at dinner.
While Altagracia was described as a "quiet little town" by the guide book, we learned that night that Nicaraguan fireworks are really impressively loud because the local kids were setting them off. All. Night. They were still firing at 4:30 when our wakeup knock on the door came. We made it to the Finca Porvenir just before first light and napped in some hammocks until the staff arrived.
Vulcan Concepcion from the Finca Porvenir
Simon negotiated a room, and asked about getting a guide for the volcano hike. We settled in to get some breakfast, but had a bit of miscommunication, so the guide showed up before we had any food. Ivy grabbed a couple of Snickers bars, we filled our water bottles, and were on our way. Ivy has blogged about her experience on the hike here. Let's just say she was not fully prepared for the hike.
The climb up was steep and muddy, and it turns out that the Volcano Maderas is just under a mile high. About 2 hours into the climb we entered the cloud forest, and it got steeper and muddier. After about 4 hours, Ivy gave up and Simon and the guide made the last bit of the climb into the crater.
Petroglyphs on lower region of the hike
Hour one
View of Vulcan Concepcion and Lago de Nicaragua from the "starting point"
Starting the climb into the cloud forest
Our guide and the Maderas crater
Frijoles with a view
After 8 hours (and several falls by Ivy), we finally made it back down to the finca. We took a cold shower and scraped as much mud off ourselves as we could then collapsed in an exhausted heap for several hours. At dinner time we hobbled to the restaurant to watch the sun go down over the the other volcano while having a small meal. The chicken soup was so good that we replicated the recipe once we got home. We ordered some cokes and settled in on the porch with our travel Nica libres.
It felt much worse than it looked
Vulcan Concepcion at sunset from the Finca Porvenir's restaurant
Who needs glasses?
The next morning we caught a bus back to the ferry terminal and Granada for our last night in Nicaragua. Amenities at the Finca Porvenir: two towels, cold water shower, soap, hammock, no water glasses.
Our porch view
The best Viagra advert ever
Our bus stop companion
Leaving Ometepe on the badly listing, and much smaller, ferry
On the bus ride back to the ferry terminal, the bus quickly became crowded and we separated. Simon eventually stood at the back of the bus along with several other men and kids and the rice/plantains/various goods. At some point, I heard what I recognized as distressed chicken noises coming from the vicinity of Simon's spot. Looking back, I saw him grinning down at a 10-ish year old boy who had a backpack at his feet. I asked "are there chickens back there?" and Simon discreetly pointed at the boy. Upon further investigation, I saw that the kid had 2 chickens in his backpack and had unzipped it enough to let the girls' heads out so they didn't overheat. Unfortunately for him, the chickens got a taste of fresh air and made a concerted effort for freedom around that time. What followed entailed lots of angry chicken noises, flying feathers, and quite a bit of negotiation on the part of the boy, but he managed to keep the chickens in the backpack while allowing them their heads to breathe. I could only imagine his mother telling him in no uncertain terms that he was not to lose the chickens on the route to his destination. We were far too polite to get a picture, but I still regret it because it was one of the funniest things we encountered.
After making landfall and collecting our rental car, we made a quick pass through Masaya for some shopping. Along the way we passed a small pickup truck that, from behind, seemed to have a live cow or two in the bed. When we passed the vehicle, we found that there were at least six cows in the back of the equivalent of a Datsun. We were eventually passed by this truck at a traffic jam.
Doesn't seem so odd
One, two, three, four, five...
We finally made it to Granada and settled in our hotel for our last night in Nicaragua, and on Earth, according to the conspiracy theorists (Dec 21st). We found a place to ship our goodies back for us, and encountered a children's nativity parade on our way back.
Our hotel was lovely and comfortable, but we were still recovering from the hike and turned in early. We stayed at a spa hotel owned by a Spanish guy, which we can't remember the name of. However they had 2 towels, bar soap, hot water, a pool, and they provided water glasses (vasos) when asked. All told, it was a wonderful way to spend the end of the world.
For more pictures, visit Simon's Google+ https://plus.google.com/photos/105556746780610833062/albums/5837863115974078625