From Granada we caught a ferry across to Ometepe the biggest island in the huge Lago de Nicaragua. The trip was without problems except for the fact we left it really late to get there and were exhausted by the time we boarded by the long walk with our heavy packs. Carol had a seasick pill but we got the more expensive tickets which allowed her to sit outside in the fresh air and all was good. The lake can get really rough and a ferry boat went down not so long ago but today it was good and we watched the sun set as we arrived in Altagracia where we stayed the night. A man from the Central Hotel loaded us and several others into the back of his pickup and took us over the diabolical road into Altagracia and his hotel. On the pickup we met Craig, another kiwi (from Auckland) who has been travelling for a couple of years. Amazing, 4 kiwis in the pickup!
He gave us a good deal 40c each for the night in a room with bathroom and the beds were really comfortable and the hotel very nice. We ate there and had to pay 15% tax on our food bill which we were to discover is the thing on the island at touristic restaurants but not at smaller local ones.
Next we moved on to Finca Magdalena near Balgue, the finca is and old coffee plantation and the old coffee storage barn is now a hostel. It is over 130 years old and has huge verandahs with hammocks and has a great view from its position on the slopes of the smaller mountain Maderas. The storage rooms have been turned into rooms and dormitories but we chose to camp out in the trees nearby. We could hear all the birds and the howler monkeys which are as loud as anything despite being quite small animals.
The place was so tranquil that we just lazed a bit, we walked to the village below and ate there (cheaper) and sat by the lake a while. Another day we did a 2.5km walk to see some petrogliphs, it was a really hot day and the wind was lower than usual so Carol nearly melted but Kent loved seeing all the old drawings on the volcanic rock.
Next stop was Hacienda Merida which turned out to be quite an expensive place to stay. We camped and the owner Alvaro was very kind to us while we were there. We went because they need volunteers to teach english at their school but we discovered that Easter is almost upon us and that means a weeks holiday for the students so there wasn't any point in us doing the volunteering. At the Hacienda we met another kiwi couple from Wellington, Beverly and Daryl and spent a great evening with them.
On to Hostel Chico Lago near Charco Verde. This place was also on the lake edge and very cruizy and relaxed. Carol had picked up a bug somewhere and had a very sore stomach so although we could have camped we got a room with bathroom for 240c and stayed 2 nights.
This morning we caught the ferry from right near the Chico Lago across to San Jorge (50c ea) and have come to Riva where our taxi driver (first taxi of our trip!) took us to a good cheap accomodation, room with baño for 150c. We will stay 2 nights, today there is the internet and other stuff to sort and repair. Tomorrow we will catch a bus and spend the day at the beach of San Juan del Sur.
