Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Our full day at Totoco EcoLodge was a mixture of experiences. Marnie, recovering from her stomach “event” took it easy and rested at the lodge. All day… in a hammock…with a book. And a dip in the swimming pool. And a nap.

The highlight of the day was finding a snake in the cabin that looked like a coral snake. Eric, the receptionist, came to the rescue and helped the snake back to its home in the jungle. Eric says the snake was not a coral snake, but just looked like one. Yeah, right.

Steve and Sam, along with a new friend Karen climbed Volcan Maderas. We left with a guide at 7:30 a.m. and finally returned at about 4:30 p.m. We were told this would be difficult, but nothing we’ve done in the past (the Inca Trail, Kilimanjaro, and the Tour de Mont Blanc) was as difficult as this hike. The mud was intense, the roots were slippery, and there were areas where you had to use your hands to get through some parts. We’ve got few pictures of the hike, only because we spent most of the time trying to not fall.

This is a hike you can’t do without a guide and our guide was expert. He was patient, young, and informative. He was 24 years old and says he does the hike at least 100 times per year. Wow!

Along the way we encountered packs of howler monkeys and colorful butterflies. We hiked through coffee plantations and cloud forests. Everyone returned in one piece and ended the day with a beer (or two).

Tomorrow we head back across the lake and to our final destination: the beach. Stay tuned!

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Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

For those of you who may be wondering, “How did they come up with the idea of going to Nicaragua?” here’s the story. Over the years the three of us have traveled extensively together. We spent a month in Costa Rica at a language school and three weeks in Peru and the Galapagos Islands. When we began to plan our next trip it was a good excuse to call the same company who booked our previous trip. Adventure Life is a US-based company specializing in Central and South America travel. Originally we considered going to Guatemala for this trip but Nicaragua offered many of the same kind of experiences (volcanoes, colonial cities, wildlife, etc.) at a lower price. Nicaragua’s tourist infrastructure is very young and it is growing rapidly. Adventure Life didn’t steer us wrong and they’ve put us in the most beautiful, convenient, and luxurious accommodations we could imagine and our guides have all been top notch.

This morning we were greeted by driver Sergio and a new guide Raymundo. Sergio and Raymundo drove us for about an hour south from Granada to the port of San Jorge. From there we took a crazy ferry from the mainland to the Island of Ometepe.

The ferry was packed beyond imagination and our travel companions included tourists, locals, and a large colorful bus. You gotta see the pictures.

Once at the port of Moyogalpa on the island of Ometepe, we were met by another guide Francisco and driver Fernando. Both men are residents of Ometepe and speak English well. They drove us to the other side of the island, with a stop for lunch at a beautiful beachside restaurant.

Lake Nicaragua is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world. One guidebook says it is as large as the island of Puerto Rico. Ometepe is the largest island in Lake Nicaragua and consists of two volcanoes, Concepcion and Maderas.

Maderas is a dormant volcano and Concepcion is active. In fact it was acting up just six months ago! The island’s fertile volcanic soil, clean water, wide beaches, wildlife population, and archaeological sites have landed it on the shortlist for the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Our home base for the next two days is the Totoco EcoLodge. Totoco is located on the slopes of the Maderas Volcano and is surrounded by coffee and plantain farms. We each have a private cabin that is 100% eco-friendly. That means that we have a composting toilet, renewable solar energy power, and all the food is organic, mostly grown on site. This afternoon we could hear the howler monkeys as we lay in the hammock on our patio.

Totoco has only four cabins and it appears that most everyone here is either American or Canadian. We are learning a lot from our fellow travelers, most of who are on the same path as we are (Leon, Granada, Ometepe, San Juan del Sur). In fact, we plan to see some of the same people on the beach in San Juan del Sur for New Years. Nicaragua is a pretty small country.

Here on Ometepe our plan is to enjoy the beautiful views of Concepcion from our patio, hike in the cloud forest of Maderas, and enjoy this beautiful natural area. Stay tuned…

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Granada, Nicaragua

Christmas morning in Granada started off much quieter than the midnight fireworks the night before. We had our morning breakfast buffet and met our guide Eric just after 8 for the drive up volcano Mombacho.

We arrived at the Hacienda El Progreso Coffee Plantation about half way up the volcano where it was cool and breezy compared to the city.

We toured through the coffee plantation and processing plant and then zip lined through the coffee fields and jungle canopy. The zip line was highlighted by the Plunge, a 13 meter (4 stories) free fall. Of course we were roped and controlled but it was still quite a sensation.

Next, we were driven to the top of Mombacho where we found ourselves in the middle of the cloud forest: windy, foggy, not raining but humidity in the air beyond 100 percent. We couldn’t see into the crater nor down towards Lake Nicaragua because we were in the clouds. Visibility was a few hundred meters and this apparently is normal and typical. We hiked around the top, saw some steam vents from the active volcano and one lone sloth sleeping in a tree.

Finally, we made our way down the incredibly steep road to the plantation house for a nice lunch before the ride back into Granada. As we entered Granada we met a funeral procession. Eric said that only in Granada are the caskets driven by a black horse drawn carriage. It was yet another cultural experience.

We spent the rest of the day resting and enjoying our hotel and views of the square. The horse drawn carriages stop and start right in front of our hotel.

The afternoon rains came and went and didn’t slow down the Nicaraguans one bit.

When traveling in a foreign country there is always the risk of stomach problems. Today Marnie experienced it in full force. By the time we got back to Granada for our afternoon of relaxation, she was down for the count. We wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but it’s short-lived and she is going to be 100% for our next adventure: the Island of Ometepe.

Feliz Navidad, Nicaraguan style.

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