Posts Tagged Ometepe
Posted on August 4, 2010 by angela
We spent several days on the island of Ometepe. We had purchased tickets for the 11am Monday return ferry, but when we got there no one was in line. We waited a while, then asked the only other car in the area if we were in the right place. They said we were, but after about 10 minutes they drove away. We wandered around for a bit and finally found out that the ferry had mechanical problems and wasn’t running.
We found out about another ferry company with a 12:30 ferry. It was full, but we waited around to make sure. We didn’t make it on, and there weren’t any other ferries with space until the next day. No one knew when our original ferry, the Che Rivera, would be operating again.
Finally, we found out there was a third ferry company with a boat leaving at 3:30 on the other side of the island. After driving up and confirming they had space, we went out for 1 more damn tasty chicken lunch.
After finally getting on the ferry, we discovered it was quite nice. Much nicer than the one we rode over on. It was Dutch and they hadn’t bothered to change any of the signs on it.
We safely arrived on the mainland and made a beeline for the coast. We stayed a couple days in San Juan del Sur, a pretty amazing surf town in southern Nicaragua.
While eating at the pizzeria in town one night, the lights went off. We recollected that the power had gone off every day we had been in Nicaragua. A few minutes later the buzz of a generator kicked on and the restaurant cheered. Within 10 minutes, our lighted pizzeria in the middle of a dark town was like a beacon. People were coming from all over.
We figured we had a pretty good spot. Plus, the thought of going to our hot, dark hotel room with no fan was really unappealing. So, we ordered another bottle of (cold) red wine and kicked back until the power came back on.
Posted on August 2, 2010 by angela
We didn’t have much in the way of food, but scraped together a few meals on the island. One night, it was tuna fish in tortillas. Unfortunately, the bowl fell. Doug and Jason examined what we deemed ‘floor tuna’ and went for the part not touching the ground. I passed.
I told Doug that every day we are stopped at some point by cows or pigs in the road. He didn’t believe us at first and insisted on taking photos every time. He’s since agreed.
The lake water was warm and not very refreshing, but we found Ojo de Agua in the middle of the island. The man at the gate touted the medicinal effects of the water said the average person felt 10 years younger after soaking in it. That is, except for the 100 year old woman who went in and now feels like she’s 40. Well worth the $2 fee. The water was clear and refreshing. We went back the next day, too.
Both days we were hit with the rainstorm while we were there. On day 2 while hanging out in the covered palapa we met Dario and his gang. Dario owns a surf shop at the beach and was here on vacation with his kids and friends. He told us about a festival and rodeo in a town across the island.
We followed them into Moyogalpa. On the way, we stopped for a few photos and the kids chased 2 calves. Then they found a horse. The owner was happy to let them on.
We rolled into town to find the Wild West in the streets. It was a parade of dancing horses, cowboys and homemade gunpowder fireworks…and virgins. It was completely out of control and like stepping into the past.
A block over was the park and ‘arena’ with fire pits and chickens roasting everywhere. One quote of the evening was “They grow some damn tasty chickens on this island.” Es verdad. There were even babies drinking beer.
Then, a rodeo. We paid our 30 cordobas and went up into the smokey stands to see some bull riding.
The bulls were tied up to a tree stump in the arena until they were angry, a cowboy climbs on and the guys would let go of the rope. The bull usually made a break for the stands, and the hundreds of insane young men running around inside the ring would scurry up the sides of the rickety stands. The whole stadium would shake and feel like it was going to fall down. Strangers would grab whatever kid was in front of them just in case.
It was quite a night.
Posted on July 30, 2010 by jason
We stopped by San Jorge to check out the ferry schedule to Ometepe and as luck would have it there was a ferry leaving in 20 minutes. Another boat ride!
This one was pretty easy. For about $20 USD, we could ship the bus and all four of us over to the island. Since we were still a little paranoid after the break-in, we found a perch right above the bus and took a seat where we could see it.
Every single person on the ferry went by the bus and took a gander. Some folks pressed their noses against the glass, some folks used the mirrors to check their hair, some were just drawnd to lean against it. I’m pretty sure that every single person on the ferry put their hands on the car at some point. I never knew how much attention it got when we weren’t around and this was a bit of an eye-opener.
Ometepe is an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua formed by two volcanoes. We hadn’t planned on ferrying over that day so we were a little out of sorts when we arrived. We found a place next to the water with a good view of the biggest volcano.
We swam in the warm lake and then whipped up some dinner. Doug was introduced to the wonders of Cavender’s Greek seasoning and we enjoyed a peaceful evening next to some mooing cows.
I spent some time with my new friend that I named Elsie (pictured) and tried some long exposures using my thoroughly emptied wine glass as a tripod. All in a day’s work.
