It's been a long time since I last updated the blog so prepare for a biggish one, get yourself a nice cup of tea and slice of marmite on toast . . .
My time at Hospedaje & Bar La Libertad passed very amiably, chatting to lots of people, finding out about volunteer projects, dancing and revisiting Laguna de Apoyo several times. In my last week I visited the organic coffee farm that belongs to the owner of the hostel. We were driven up into the cool lushness of the hills where we spent several hours picking the little red berries, that are then dried and from which the bean is then extracted. It was great to be working out of doors, meet the farmers and understand the process that goes into what is probably the most widely consumed drink in the world. Although I doubt your average cup of Nescafe is produced so ethically.
Christmas was spent eating, drinking, dancing and letting off hundreds of fireworks into the street - very dodgy but the Nicas are obsessed with it. Although I spent it with some wonderful people, it definately wasnt the same and I wished I could come home for just a few days.
As the Christmas haze began to clear I headed off solo to Isla de Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. This island made up of two volcanoes, Concepcion and Maderas, is said to be the largest lake island in the world. I arrived a kilometre or two from Finca Magdalena where I was to stay in the dark and had to hike up to the the organic coffee and honey farm by torchlight. As I arrived I was greeted by several people that had passed through the hostel at different times. The network of travellers here is so so strong, its really sociable. The next day I got up at 6.30 am to hike up the slippery muddy Volcan Maderas through the cloud forest to the sound of chattering birds and howler monkeys. In the afternoon we hired mountain bikes and huffed and puffed our way through baking heat and sudden downpours to a beach. As we swam out into the lake and looked up from our position between the volcanoes topped with swirling clouds we couldnt help grinning at each other and feeling truly awe inspired and so so lucky. After the days triathlon of adventure activities we named ourselves 'The Champions of Ometepe' and congratulated ourselves with chocolate cake which we had seen being carried up the steep slope to the Finca earlier in the day. The next day I struck out on my own again, hired a horse from a local family and set off across the island. When I asked about my steeds name, they looked blankly, laughed and named him Colorado on the spot. So me and my new love spent a romantic afternoon trotting to an aqua swimming hole, cantering along the beach through the waves and sheltering under plantains from occasional monsoon blasts.
I left Ometepe on 30th December with the promise to return one day - I could have spent weeks there. Next stop was surfer hang out of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific Coast in the south of Nicaragua. When I arrived I was horrifed to discover that not only was it the Newquay of Nicaragua but all the prices had been jacked up to double and there was still nowhere available left to stay. I ended up sleeping on the floor in the back of a funny house turned shop for a couple of nights with some Aussie guys I had met on Ometepe. I toasted to the New Year striking in the UK at 6pm at sunset on the beach, good 'ol fish and chips and then continued to gear up for the inevitable anticlimax of the gringo swamped bar trawl. I've realised I'm just not cool enough for these surf towns or the posing muscle bound Brads, Chads and Brendons. As the requisite New Years Day grottiness lifted we walked up to a five star resort on the hill where they have a managerie of monkeys, cats and pelicans, all of which I got to cuddle so I was very happy.
After a delayed departure due to a wierd 24 hour tummy bug I retreated back to Granada where I have spent the last couple of days sorting stuff, running errands and working out a minor visa scare. Tommorrow I head to The Corn Islands on the Carribbean side in a tiny little plane. I am really looking forward to some blissful isolation and quiet.
We dont seem to be any further forward on the Ponies and Small Persons front BUT I have made a fantastic link with an organisation The School of Comedy and Mime. Founded by a Venezuelan clown, the Escuela works with young people from low income families and at-risk children teaching then theatre and circus skills. The older more experienced participants then help out with newer younger ones - sounds familiar Firefly?! They have dome some tours of Europe and are very interested in creating some kind of link with Firefly Arts. They have built a house of plastic bottles where they live and practice! The web address is
www.escueladecomedia.org
That's all for now, check out the new photos in the galleries.
Feliz ano nuevo!
Much love, Eleanor xxxxxxxxxx
