Changing Course

OK, so I`ve turned into a complete blogging slacker, but the good news is that my days have been quite eventful of late and so I haven`t had much time to write. At this moment, I`m sitting in a cyber cafe in the little port town of San Carlos in Nica and have a few hours to kill before I need to catch a boat, so I thought I`d attempt to capture some details of the past several days before I forget them all.

I last wrote from Matagalpa, and spent my last night in the north camping with a friend in a tiny village called Santa Emilia located not far from Matagalpa. There is a decent-sized coffee plantation there that comprises most of the town, and the owners have constructed housing, communal areas, school facilities, etc. for the workers that live there. It was a beautiful spot and very interesting to learn a bit more about the processing and exportation of coffee.

From Matagalpa, I caught a bus to Granada via Masaya, and while I enjoyed a couple of days of bumming around Granada, strolling through the city, market, churches, etc., I don`t have much to report in the way of big events or activities. I stayed at a lovely hospedaje run by a Nica-French couple and was delighted to discover that I was able to converse with a couple of guests there from Spain, considering the different accent and the accelerated pace at which they were speaking. Also, I got a good laugh when, sipping my coffee across from the park one afternoon, I noticed a carriage driver (male) wearing a "World`s Greatest Mom" t-shirt. I suppose it may have been ironic, but I didn`t ask so I guess I`ll never know.

From Granada, I made my way back to La Concha to spend a few days catching up with my host family and folks from La Mariposa. Again, nothing earth-shattering happened during this time, but I had a wonderful time hanging out with my family, meeting the new crop of students at La Mariposa (of which there are many) and chatting with all of the workers there. I said goodbye to my host family on Monday morning, which was really sad since we all knew I wouldn´t be coming back through again anytime soon, but ultimately I left La Concha fortified by many, many hugs and well wishes, and armed with several e-mail addresses of native Spanish speakers with whom I can practice my correspondence in Spanish, especially once I`m back in the States.

Monday morning, Tom and I headed out with our backpacks bound for the Isla de Ometepe. The trip involved a microbus, school bus, taxi and ferry, but was actually quite enjoyable and most definitely worth it. Ometepe is an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua containing two volcanoes, one active and one dormant, and is spectacularly beautiful. The ferry ride over from the mainland took about an hour and a half, and I spent most of that time standing on the bow watching the two volcanoes get closer and closer. There are several myths about the origins of the island but all seem to agree that the two volcanoes represent a woman`s breasts, however asymmetrical they may be.

We arrived in the port of Moyogalpa, which was bustling with people, and jumped in a taxi to our hotel on the other side of the island. On the drive, we chatted with our driver, Jorge, who gave us lots of good info about the history of the island, activities, flora and fauna, etc. Our hotel turned out to be 1.5 km off the main road, a long, steep slog uphill, which made us glad we had opted for the taxi option. Also, we arrived just in time to catch an absolutely spectatcular sunset over Volcan Concepcion and the lake - truly, one of the most memorable sunsets of my life. After a long day of travel, we were psyched to relax with a couple of drinks (mojitos!) on the patio before crashing.

Tuesday morning, Jorge returned to shuttle us to another part of the island so that we could hike up to a waterfall at San Ramon. The hike, reportedly 3 km but more like 5, we suspect, was lovely and the waterfall was huge and gorgeous! We spent an hour or so chilling at the bottom, chatting with a few other folks up there and enjoying the cool mist coming off the water. One of the folks we met was a tour guide, and when we mentioned that we had begun discussing the possibilility of adjusting our travel plans to visit the Rio San Juan, he assured us that this area is "super bonito". Hmmm.

After the waterfall, we drove to the little town of Merida, and on the way Jorge stopped the van and had us get out so that he could point out a hive of African bees, which he told us are muy peligroso and could kill us if they stung us. Um, thanks. We made our way to a place called Caballito`s Mar, where we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch of freshly caught and grilled tilapia from the lake, after which we digested a bit before heading out in kayaks to explore the Rio Istiam. We kayaked for an hour or so on the lake to reach the entrance to the rio, at which point it was as though we had entered another world - flat, calm waters, lush greenery surrounding us (including on the surface of the water), an amazing array of birds and a terrific view of a volcano on each side. We even spotted a caiman at one point, and the fact that it took me quite a while to notice him even after the guide pointed him out - he looked THAT much like a log - makes me think that I will probably think twice before ever going near a river`s edge again. Also, when the caiman suddenly disappeared under the water with a dramatic thrashing, I froze in panic and waited for him to reappear and seize my arm in his mouth, but the guide just laughed and pronounced him "timido". Ah, yes, he`s just...shy.

Wednesday morning, we set off early on foot with yet another guide, Marlon, to hike to a lookout point about halfway up Volcan Maderas. The walk up was challenging but not too exhausting, and I was excited to walk through tons of coffee plants as well as some cacao trees. I`ve been asking about where I can find cacao because I know it´s the harvest season now and I was intrigued to see it in its natural state, so I was delighted when Marlon plucked a ripe fruit from the tree and sliced it open so that we could taste the pods, which were sweet, slightly acidic and tasted nothing like chocolate. Also, on the walk up we saw tons of howler and white-faced monkeys - really, they were practically everywhere we turned. Unfortunately, while my guidebook claims that the lookout offers the `money shot`of Volcan Concepcion, by the time we arrived, it was pouring rain and all we could see was a wall of mist. Ah well. We made our way back down and stopped to have lunch at a place called Finca Magdalena, a large coffee finca dating back 120 or so years where they produce some excellent coffee. We hiked around the property to take a look at some ancient petroglyphs before making our way back to the hotel for yet another magnificent sunset.

Back at the hotel, Tom and I decided that we needed to make a decision about the next leg of our trip. We had originally planned to catch the ferry back to San Jorge the next day and make our way down to the popular beach town of San Juan del Sur, but we were both intrigued by the possibility of checking out the much less-explored areas of the Isla de Solentiname and the Rio San Juan. Ultimately, the lure of adventure won out and we decided to go the latter route.

Thursday morning, we headed out to the Ojo de Agua, a spring-fed swimming hole on Ometepe where the mineral-rich waters supposedly take years off your life. I`m not sure about that, but the water was crystal clear and very refreshing, and it was a lovely way to spend our last few hours on the island. From there, we headed to the other port town of Altagracia to await the overnight ferry to San Carlos. While Moyogalpa is a decent-sized port town cluttered with hotels, restaurants, tourist offices, etc., the launching point at Altagracia consisted of a cluster of people, mostly Nicas, hanging out by a closed fence near a tiny ticket office. We bought our tickets and settled down with our packs to wait for the arrival of the ferry from Granada. There are actually two classes of seats on the ferry, but tourists are required to purchase first-class seats, still a bargain at about $7. When the ferry rolled in, we threw our bags down on one of the plastic cushioned benches on the upper level and watched as the workers loaded one bushel after another of plantains onto the boat.

As the ferry pulled out of Altagracia, I was amazed to note how relaxed I felt. With the two volcanoes disappearing behind us, a steady, refreshing breeze washing over us, the sky full of stars and the sound of the water churning below us, it truly felt like we were setting out on some magical journey. After a couple of hours, I moved inside and attempted to sleep on one of the benches, which actually worked out better than I thought considering that I was using a backpack full of books as a pillow and that the air-con in the cabin assured that I was freezing all night. The latter made me realize why many of the Nicas opt to pitch blankets - or even cardboard boxes - on the deck outside to sleep. Also, some of the Nicas and tourists alike opted to throw down mats on the floor underneath the rows of benches, which created a funny criss-cross pattern of people sleeping on floors and benches. I`m sure I would have felt claustrophobic nestled under several rows of low benches, but they seemed quite cozy down there!

This morning, we pulled into San Carlos at about 6 a.m., grabbed some gallo pinto and coffee for breakfast and are now making contact with the States for what will probably be the last time in a few days. In a couple of hours, we`ll catch a small boat out to the isle of Solentiname, a tiny cluster of islands inhabited by only 1,000 or so people, many of whom are artisans of one type or another. We plan to spend a couple of days there before passing back through San Carlos and heading down the Rio San Juan to the town of El Castillo. The Rio is supposed to be incredibly beautiful and rich in wildlife, although largely off the beaten path. At this point, my plan is to cross into Costa Rica by boat across the Rio Frio on Wednesday, but we`ll see if I get lured in some other direction.

Time is definitely flying here! I`ll probably next write from Costa Rica, hopefully with some exciting tales of adventure. Ciao for now...