Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

One of the coolest parts of visiting Isla de Ometepe is feeding the chained monkeys just before entering the ferry. Vendors sells churros just below their tree. We took full advantage by feeding them enough food to last through the month. Seeing a monkey in the zoo is one thing, but actually handing them food is another. Although simple, it was an amazing experience.

The hour long ferry ride to the Island is relaxing and scenic. The two volvanoes that make up nearly the entirety of the island grew in size with each passing second. I have never been in a lake that felt so much like an ocean. We arrived genuinely without a plan. Our intention was to eventually take a second ferry up to granada after a nights stay. Again, our experience would not follow accordingly.

We checked into the Hotel Castillo and right away vested our swimsuits to head to the shore. The shore was not attractive. Judging by the amount of tourists people actually vacation on the island; We don´t understand it. The water is not clear, the beach is filled with pools of old rain water, and stray dogs rain rampid. In an effort to trick ourselves into believing the excursion was worth it we rented mountain bikes to view the island a bit faster. We descended to the fresh water pools after helping push a stalled car up a slight incline. (Until writing these words now i had not thought of the implication of that action ). The water pools actually translate to washing machine for the locals. Between the stench of horse manure and mud the pools were lacking in the area of attractiveness.

We returned the bikes and caught a bus to our hotel in Altagracia. I specifically asked the money collector where we were headed and I distinctly heard ¨Altagracia.¨ We did not end up in Altagracia and no more buses were running until morning. With dawn fastly approaching and in the wrong town of Merida I debated whether to practice my Spanish cuss words on the money collector or swallow my pride and figure out how we could get home.

So we began walking. I really don´t know what I was actually thinking as I knew the area was pretty much devoid of public transportation and the sun would set in less than a half hour. However, I saw a man on a motorcycle pulling a cart with two kids. I flagged him down and pleaded our case. Reluctantly, the man agreed to return and pick us up after he checked in at home. We were elated. While waiting for our savior Max proceeded to approach a cow laying next to its young. Bad Idea. The cow immediately began to ward off Max and Max immediately ran back to me.The lady owner of the heffer ran up to the cow and yelled at it in spanish. The cow immediately obliged; the scene was hysterical.

The man returned, two sons in tow, and we jumped into the carriage along with them. The ride back was gorgeous. The moto moved a slow pace due to the uneven surface of the road but it was pefect for us to take in all the sights. The sunset splashed oranges, pinks and light blues across the sky. Following a light drizzle, the longest, boldest, and most complete rainbow I have ever seen emerged to our right. If that wasn´t enough, the dark night brought out thousands of fireflies that lit up the forests as we whizzed past. I swear i´m not making this stuff up.

We arrived, finally, at our hotel. Turns out the man was a missionary from Costa Rica who had been doing God´s work in Nicaragua for 9 months. We paid and him and gave him as much gratitude as possible. Did he come along because we helped push the stalled car earlier in the day?After a long and strange afternoon we showered and fell right to sleep.

The next day we would depart for Granada.

(Note; I currently have alot of great pictures trapped on Max´s camera. As soon as I can figure out how to upload them I will update recent posts with relevant pictures.)