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As I watched the sun set off the shores of Isla de Ometepe, I thought back over my day of travel and can’t say it was painless. What should have taken 4-5 hours took me eight; but that’s all in the past. I have plenty of time and a whole new place to explore; so all is good. Upon arrival at Hacienda Mérida, which is nestled at the base of Volcán Maderas, I recognized a lot of familiar faces. From hostel Oasis there was Claire (the wacky Brit), Inger (the crass Kiwi), and a group of Israelis; then there was Nick who had worked a short time at Bigfoot in León. There was no need for introductions; we continued on where we had left off, just in a new setting. Isla de Ometepe is a beautiful volcanic island lying in the waters of Lago de Nicaragua; the largest lake in Central America. This massive lake has 45 rivers flowing into it, and an outlet to the Caribbean via Río San Juan. Many spectacular fish live in these waters; including freshwater sawfish and tarpon and the rare freshwater bull shark.

A South Draw and Three Bloody Kiwis

Jeremy Curl
2006-08-28 13:38:46

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As I watched the sun set off the shores of Isla de Ometepe, I thought back over my day of travel and can’t say it was painless. What should have taken 4-5 hours took me eight; but that’s all in the past. I have plenty of time and a whole new place to explore; so all is good. Upon arrival at Hacienda Mérida, which is nestled at the base of Volcán Maderas, I recognized a lot of familiar faces. From hostel Oasis there was Claire (the wacky Brit), Inger (the crass Kiwi), and a group of Israelis; then there was Nick who had worked a short time at Bigfoot in León. There was no need for introductions; we continued on where we had left off, just in a new setting. Isla de Ometepe is a beautiful volcanic island lying in the waters of Lago de Nicaragua; the largest lake in Central America. This massive lake has 45 rivers flowing into it, and an outlet to the Caribbean via Río San Juan. Many spectacular fish live in these waters; including freshwater sawfish and tarpon and the rare freshwater bull shark. In the past, Isla de Ometepe
flow from the two volcanoes created an isthmus which connected them. The tropical island is now home to Volcán Concepción (the larger more conical shaped) and Volcán Maderas to the south. There is much to see and do here to keep a traveler on the island for days. Hike a volcano, see some ancient petroglyphs, visit waterfalls and swimming holes, paddle out to the Monkey islands, canopy tours, and mountain biking are just to name a few. I was unable to do them all due to the costs; but got to enjoy a few. The evenings were just as entertaining. We all sat lakeside and watched quietly as the sun set over the horizon; then proceeded to stuff ourselves with the hostel’s nightly dinner buffet. After eating, we would all sit around and share stories, play cards, and learn funny sayings from each homeland. The Brits definitely took the cake on this one. Every word from Claire’s mouth had me rolling. She taught me some British slang and I ...