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staceyzegers-blog · 7 years ago

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The Island On the Lake...

Ometepe is an island made up of 2 volcanos on Lake Nicaragua. Going there is like going back in time. After spending our final day in Granada biking around town, visiting the local vendors at the market, and going on a 20 platform zip lining adventure (It’s pretty beginner, I hear Costa Rica is better) we took a shuttle ($12 each) to the ferry in Rivas. After a quick hour commute over some bumpy waters (definitely needed that Gravol) we arrived in Moyogalpa. Moyogalpa is the main town on Ometepe, it is made up mainly by restaurants, hostels and motor bike rental shops. It’s a quaint spot where you get the feeling everyone knows everyone. The people there seem kind and honest. We took a walk off the beaten path to our hostel Casa Mauro, which is owned and run by a local family who turned their home into the hostel. Mauro (the owner) is one of those guys you know you would hang out with if you met him back home. He’s generous, answered every question we had and made personal suggestions for what he thought we would enjoy. He told us to treat his home like our own. In the morning, we enjoyed a breakfast of delicious pancakes and fruit, with some local coffee. We met a fellow Canadian at the hostel, Tanner, and each rented motorcycles to head up to waterfall, Cascada de San Roman. The ride is about an hour and a half away, down cement, brick and dusty, stone and gravel roads. The view on the drive is breath taking, and vibe of the island is unmatched. You pass tourists on motorcycles, locals waiting for busses, school kids in matching uniforms. You see horses, chickens, pigs grazing at the side of the road. A farmer guiding his cattle back home after enjoying an open field, all the while in the distance a volcano raising up into the sky, clouds covering the highest point. It felt like I was in a movie.

We made it to the entrance of San Roman and paid the $3 to ride our motorcycles halfway up. From there is about a 40 minute walk to the waterfall. San Roman waterfall cascades 180 meters down into a small pool sized pond, before making its way down the mountain. The view was beautiful and hike was worth it. After spending a little while enjoying the moment we began our descent. Brianna (a friend of Tanners we picked up along the way) lost her footing and almost fell down the path and into the culvert. Thanks to a couple tree branches and quick thinking on my boyfriends part, he was able to grab her and help her back up to the path. Hearts pounding she escaped with only some bruises and a large cut along her calve. #blessed;)

We hiked and motorbiked down the rest of the mountain, and decided to go for lunch.

One of the best things about this island is the uniqueness of it. It seems like every shop has created its own environment to welcome locals and tourists. We saw a sign for Chocolate Factory and are intregged about the local cocoa on the island. We went down a long narrow driveway and are greeted by huts on the sea. It’s a hostel and yoga retreat, with a small chocolate factory. Handmade wooden tables have bowls of coca in shells encouraging guests to do karma while they sit. We order their famous desert (because desert is so much better for lunch then burritos) and shell the cocoa while we wait. I’m immediately filled with the sense of community, and instantly wish I had known about this place before arriving. The desert is beyond expectation and after finishing we ride back to the road to find another spot along the sea to stop for lunch. A few minutes later we find a spot that seems to be hidden in plain sight. We stop for lunch of local fish, and gallopinto, I order a vegetarian burrito and it’s delicious. And hold out for a while to wait for the rain to pass by.

We make a last stop at a natural spring, for a quick dip before calling it a day. The water is cool and refreshing, and I want to drink it in. As the sun begins to set we b-line it for the best place on the island to watch the sun go down, drink a couple cervesas, and beam at the fullness of the day.

#ometepe #sanroman #waterfall #nicaragua #travel #short story

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staceyzegers-blog · 7 years ago

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Day 1/2

The snow hasn’t stopped for over 2 month at my home city of London, Ontario Canada and it’s beyond depressing. Darren and I started planning this trip months ago, when we could still walk in bare feet through the back yard, sit around warm, fall bon fires and smell the wet leaves as they lingered, holding ever so tightly onto their tree branches. But we’ve made it to today our travel day. I’ve been threatening since before New Years Day, that I would leave and meet Darren down here in February. But miraculously I’ve made it to today.

After a long travel day (3 flights and 2 stopovers for pure convenience and savings$$) we landed in Managua at 9:30pm. We pre-booked a cheap hotel ($50US) online called Hotel Del Carmelo because it included a free shuttle to and from the hotel, as well a free breakfast. There isn’t much going on in Managua, and we heard it was pretty dangerous which is why we booked a hotel with a shuttle. We got to the hotel safely, although Darren is fairly certain he heard machine gun fire outside while bumming a smoke from a local.

For some reason, although maybe it’s common, I can’t seem to wake up in Canada. It takes me forever to get out of bed, but in the warm of this country it takes no effort. I awake at 6am, and am instantly ready to make our trek to Granada. We haven’t really planned our trip, just a general idea, and so we didn’t decide that we’d head to Granada first until last night. We booked a hostel and here we go!

We start our morning with a quick free hotel breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, toast and coffee and arrange the free shuttle to UCA bus station, the micro bus driver is eager for passangers, collects our bags and $C29 (about $1) the 1.5 hour drive to Granada commences.

Granada is a beautiful, clean little city on Lake Nicaragua. It has some beautifully painted buildings, kind people and great atmosphere. We’re here in February, so it’s pretty windy, which makes the night a little cool but is a nice break from the 30 degrees sun in the day.

We arrived at the Surfing Donkey Hostel around 10am, and they let us check in early. This is a sweet little hostel right across the street from the lake and pier. It’s a few blocks from downtown, and worth the $25/night for a private room (2 of us are sharing so $12.5 a night a person). It includes free breakfast, a welcome drink (rum and coke), has a pool, pool tables and a great atmosphere. You can tell that the people who work here are really trying, they so want it to be a “go to” place in town, and unfortunately while we’re here we only really see about 8 others who are staying as well.

After we get settled, have a few 11am celebratory drinks, and a dip in the pool we decide to walk south along the beach. We end up in a vast park filled with playgrounds, some bars, and a calisthenics area. We walk until we’re at the end of the road (about an hour later) and go for a drink at a bar, surrounded by boats. They offer tours around the islands ($15/person) kayaks ($15/pp includes a guide). We meet a nice French couple (that’s right I said nice) who’ve just come off the kayaks and say it was a good time. As we’re leaving the nice French people notice we’re walking and offer us a ride back to our hostel, which we eagerly agree to.

At this point we’re starving so we take a walk into town, the main strip is filled with restaurants, shops that boost cheap, handmade leather purses, groceries, and anything you need.

We stop at a place called Nector to enjoy their Taco Tuesday ($1 each) and wander around the city and Park Central.

Unless you’re doing local excursions Granada itself although a beautiful place doesn’t require much time. Once you’re spent an afternoon there you’ve “seen it”. So we head back to the hostel for the majority of the evening (only venturing out for a quick bite to eat) sunsets at 5:45, and we’re not in the mood to party so we go to bed to the sound of the wind and rain on the tin roof at 8pm, like the old couple we are;)

#travel #Nicaragua #central america #backpacking #couplestravel

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