Ometepe, Nicaragua

OMETEPE
We traveled down to Ometepe Island with an English couple, Lynsey and Nick, whom we met for the first time in Guatemala three weeks ago. By chance we bumped into them again in Granada and were all heading in the same direction. It was a long journey there -taxi, bus, taxi, boat, bus - but after seven hours we made it to the small beach resort at Santo Domingo. We stayed two nights at Villa Paraiso for around US$20 a night - a charming little place with pigs wandering around the grounds and a monkey named Tony.

The island, the largest in a freshwater lake, is formed by two large volcanoes - the active Concepcion and the dormant Madera, which forms a figure eight shape lying on its side. Santo Domingo is right at the center of the eight on the northern shore. It is known as the windiest place in Nicaragua and from our beach bungalow I can see why. From our bed we could see the lake and the beach but the wind whipped in from the northeast the whole time. My initial plans to scale Madera and repel into the crater to see the lake were dashed because there were not enough people interested to get a tour group together. I would have to leave another volcano unconquered.

Our view of Lake Nicaragua from Ometepe

Leon & Grenada, Nicaragua

LEON
After some time in the nations capital we decided to head to the oldest city in the country - Leon - about 90 minutes away and also the former capital. The bus trip was quick but the windows were down and the road was dusty so we were very dirty by the time we arrived. It took some time to find out where we were on the city map and then walked about 30 minutes into the center of town. We checked out the Hospedaje Via Via but didn't like it and ended up choosing Hotel America for US$13 a night.

Leon is another very Spanish city with some fantastic old churches including the biggest cathedral in Central America. It was incredibly hot during the day so we were forced to keep our sightseeing to small doses. The bus from Leon back to Managua ran out of gas about half way through the journey so the driver had to wave down the passing traffic until someone let him siphon some gas from their tank.

 Lion outside the Basilica Catedral de la Asuncion

A couple of really beautiful churches in Leon

GRANADA
We were relieved to finally make it to Granada after a couple of taxing bus journeys. Most of the bus windows are kept open so that the breeze can keep the passengers cool but it also means that everyone gets covered with a layer of dirt as well. Granada is much more vibrant than Leon, with far more tourists too. The town square is flanked by a beautiful old church and filled with the typical food stalls and shoe shine kids. Today we ate lunch in the square for less than a dollar and Sara drank her Coke from a plastic bag so that the vendor could keep the bottle.

The town square in Granada

Scaling a palm on the shores of Lake Nicaragua

CANOPY TOUR
Today Sara stayed in the town while I ventured out toward the nearby volcano to do a canopy tour. The tour involves climbing high into the trees to a platform and then flying from tree to tree via a cable and a harness. The experience was fascinating as we flew over coffee plantations surrounded by howler monkeys. It was all over too quickly though, covering the 800m course in just over an hour.

MOUSE
One morning in Granada I woke up with a mouse in my bed. It wasn't the best way to start the day but after I got over the initial shock it was pretty funny. In the bleary eyed first glance it looked for all money like a cockroach so I grabbed our can of fly spray and started chasing it around our room, much to Sara's entertainment. It wasn't until after she moved her backpack out of the way that we saw a tiny brown mouse, cornered, wrinkling his nose at us. So I sprayed it some more - probably blinding it - until it scurried away never to be seen again.

BILINGUAL
Sara is busy at the terminal next to me looking at the horse treks available at our next port of call - Ometepe. She's just found one that has bilingual guides and horses.

Managua, Nicaragua

THANKSGIVING
We spent Thanksgiving on a bus crossing between Honduras and Nicaragua, but it was a nice bus and it had a toilet so it wasn't all that bad. Sara was feeling homesick throughout the day but we treated ourselves to a Thanksgiving feast of fried chicken and plantains for dinner, followed by numerous bottles of the local beer - Victoria. Not your traditional holiday celebrations but then again Nicaragua isn't your traditional country.

A few people had warned us about Managua so we are taking a few extra precautions. It's one of those cities where the word 'armpit' comes leaping to mind when trying to describe it. The setting is potentially idyllic - on the lakeside, surrounded by lush fertile rolling hills - but the place is filthy and lacking of any charm. Near the lake there is a huge abandoned church with one of the turrets missing. All of the major commercial buildings have been moved to the outlying areas of the city for fear of further destruction making it an annoying place to get around quickly.

Managua Cathedral - damaged a few years after it was completed and now derelict

 Monument commemorating the soldiers killed during the Nicaraguan Civil War

Today we have decided to treat ourselves to a movie or two. We've found a nice cinema nearby so we plan to see Harry Potter and Red Dragon before venturing to Leon tomorrow. It's our holiday gift to ourselves. For two nights we stayed just around the corner from the bus station at the Hospedaje Quintana for a bargain US$10 for the stay - we spent more money on beer from the fridge than we did on the room.

Our modest room at Hospedaje Quintana