Ometepe, Nicaragua

This land is beautiful and untouched. The people are so warm and welcoming. As i said before the island is made up of two volcanoes forming an hourglass shaped island. A dirt road circles both volcanoes connecting about a dozen or so villages. We decided to stay on the Maderas side of the island. Thats the inactive volcano. We found a hostel in Merida, one of the small villages of Ometepe, called Monkey Island Hostel. The hostel got its name from the small offshore island near the farm which is inhabited by a family of squirrel monkeys. Funny thing is that nowhere else on Ometepe are squirrel monkies found except on monkey island but howler monkies and whitefaced monkies are everywhere. No one knows why. The island has about 100 Kilometers of lakeside beaches and its covered in primary jungle forest and farm land. Horses and cattle run wild and the birds are pretty nice. Its so peaceful here.

Ferry to Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

Next we moved on to Ometepe. A volcanic island in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua. As a matter of fact, it happens to be the largest lake island in the world! And yes it is made up to two volcanoes. One of which is active, Volcan Concepcion, and one of which is dormant, Volcan Maderas. Crazy! We left San Juan Del Sur and headed for Rivas, which is the gateway city to Ometepe. There we caught the ferry to the island. Not so much a ferry and it was a really small boat wearing ferry clothes. This was probably the scariest boat ride i have ever been on! The water was so rough! I guess february is the windiest time of the year in Nicaragua and it causes massive waves in the lake. The boat just swayed back and forth and everytime it swayed to the right that side would sink so low that water would come crashing in! OMG! I was so sick! It didnt help that we had just learned that the lake was home to the only freshwater shark in the world! The Bullshark! Which apparently has the taste for human blood! Fun. Well luckily we made it to the island alive. But not without tradegy. Upon arrival i realized that i had left my atm card in a machine back in San Juan Del Sur. Never again can i withdraw money from an atm without first having my coffee! Ugh. anyways, pictured is a view of Volcan Concepcion from the ¨ferry¨ taken after the seas had calmed.

Playa Madera, Nicaragua

So, the guys were right. The beaches to the north of San Juan Del Sur are incredible!!!!!! Pictured is Playa Madera. Crazy lava flows and tidepools for miles. This made for a great hike and not a soul around. Gorgeous!

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

After Leon, Mary and I headed to San Juan Del Sur. Nicaraguas go at a beach town. Ill be honest, the main village and beach kinda suck. Overpriced and overpolluted. Anyhow, we heard from some guys that the beaches to the north of town were where the unspoiled beauty was. So, we took their word for it and grab a room at the Hotel Estrella. $5 a night! Came with a cute balcony overlooking the ocean, free bedbugs and graffiti on the walls! What more could you ask for!?

Leon, Nicaragua

So, its been awhile since you´ve heard from me. Im in Nicaragua! This country is amazing. After my classes ended i met up with my friend Mary, who also attended the language school, and we headed to Nicaragua. After a 15 hour bus ride we finally made it to Leon. I heart Leon! This city is so beautiful. The colonial architecture is incredible. Its insane. When we first arrived we settled into our hostel and decided to take a walk through the park central. The sun had just set and the park was full people and candles were burning everywhere. Horse drawn carriages filled the streets and live music was heard all around. And just to top it off, church bells rang off in the distant. This place is magical!!!! Its refined and politically progressive too! Pictured are some of the amazing churches and architecture that fill the streets of Leon.

out in the boondocks.

so, for all 3 of you that are following my blog i am sorry about the lack of new posts. i have left costa rica and have been traveling thru nicaragua for the past week! at the moment i am on isla de ometepe, a volcanic island in the middle of lago de nicaragua. internet is slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. and the computers are oldddddddddd. so posting pictures just aint happening. i am leaving in the morning and headed back to the mainland so i promise to share my exciting adventures with you asap!

adios!

The waterfall.