Isla de Ometepe and San Juan Del Sur

From Granada it was south to Isla de Ometepe, two towering volcanoes that rise from Lake Nicaragua.  The town didn’t have many tourists compared to other destinations in the country and was thus an extremely cheap place to stay for a few days.  Our hostel offered giant home-cooked meals for $2.50 to $3.00 on top of $4.00 lodging – by far the cheapest days we’ve had and a welcome respite for my bank account, which threatens to send me home to face unemployment during a recession more quickly than I had originally planned.  The island was beautiful, as was the hike up the largest of the volcanoes – Concepcion at 1610 meters (about 5200 feet).  On the way we caught some more Howler monkeys and some killer views.  Jeff and Matt got a head start on the rest of the group and were thus able to do the extra hour and a half to the very top – the active crater.  The guides didn’t want to take the rest of us up due to time issues.  Clouds obscured most of the views that high and no crater could have topped the Gates of Hell, so I didn’t lose much sleep over missing the top.

Old blind man plays harmonica for money on a chicken bus to Ometepe.

The view of Ometepe on the boat ride over.

Pulling in.

Our hiking group rests while looking up to the cloudy tops of the volcano.

The view out.

That night we played a game of poker with Darren from Toronto – Matt ended up coming from behind and taking all our Cordoba.  Later than night we played with the pet deer that roamed around the hostel’s garden.  The thing would let you pet it and would lick the salt from your skin – tamer than any deer I’ve ever seen.

Two brothers, children of the owners of the hostel, wrestle on the ground. Every store here sells almost entirely candy and soda pop, which often turns the kids into the juvenile equivalent of crack addicts.

Matt counts his pile of Cordoba. One is worth about 5 cents.

I think I want a pet deer with my pet monkey.

These are the Cokes down here. We’re assuming they’re left over from the Chinese Olympics and shipped down here.

It apparently takes 20 to 30 years for American/European popular music to make its way down here. On the boat ride to the mainland, we were treated to this karaoke DVD of power ballads from the 1970s. There were at least three tracks by Abba and three more by the Bee Gees. Songs or bands that we’ve heard multiple times include “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner, “All By Myself” by Celine Dion, “Lady in Red” by God-Knows-Who and tons of Aerosmith. Occasionally these songs are overdubbed with Spanish lyrics, which actually makes them amusing. Otherwise it’s painful.

The next day we got a ferry off the island and were enroute to San Juan del Sur, a laid back surfer’s paradise on the Pacific Coast.  Once we dropped our bags off we went down to the beach in front of town to witness something that’s been a nightly occurrence here – postcard sunsets.  Dozens of boats are anchored in the harbor and the sun plays tricks on the clouds, which strangely move in from both directions – Pacific systems and Caribbean systems.  The weather is a balmy 85 or 90 degrees here.  This is considered one of the more “touristy” parts of the country, and has plenty of internet cafes and beachfront bars.  But one can’t help but think this is the sort of place that would have had the charm developed out of it if it were located in Hawaii or Costa Rica.  The plethora of gringo beach bums haven’t killed what is still a small town at it’s core.

Locals gather on the beach for a nightly pickup game of football. I once again wish I had invested in a nicer camera.

We celebrated Saturday night with some time at one of the bars and came home with some stories – the best of which include Jeff being sized up by a pair of 6-foot-5-ish transvestites and Darren from Toronto being caught urinating in public by two cops and bribing his way out of it by offering them smokes.

Surfing is the main attraction here, so we figured we’d all give it a try.  Jeff had to sit out yesterday while he fought a fever, but Matt, Ariel from Israel and I gave it a go.  It’s far more difficult than it looks, particularly for someone like me who hardly has the balance or dexterity to stand up on a snowboard.  But I had a good time trying and have developed the beginnings of a tan for the first time all trip.  Last night while watching the World Series (can’t believe they let them play that long, but I’m glad the Rays have another chance to keep the Cinderella story going), I met a dude named Ryan from Portland who was travelling down here and decided to stay.  He opened up a couple internet cafes that make just enough for him to live on and he and a friend put a payment down on a small piece of property that overlooks the town and the stunning sunsets.  The price?  $3,000.  He plans to build a house here and live for good, though he said he’s flying back to the States this week to see friends and vote.  Don’t know if I’m smitten enough to do that yet, but it’s nice to know the option’s there for anyone with a decent chunk of money.  That is as long as President Daniel Ortega (who is in cahoots with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and recently called the U.S. financial crisis the “funeral of capitalism”) doesn’t get the urge to take gringo land and give it back to the people.  Still, the threat of political unrest hasn’t stopped dozens of Americans and Europeans we’ve met from, as Ryan put it, “living the American dream” down here.

The itinerary for the next month or two is beginning to take shape.  Matt and Jeff are taking off for the Corn Islands in the Caribbean for some diving in a few days.  My tentative plan is to go north to either Leon or Granada for an extended period of time, probably for some more Spanish lessons.  Second week of November, my dearest parents are coming down to Costa Rica for a week.  (I convinced them that if they could do Mexico, they can do Costa Rica.)  It will be nice to get a taste of home again and all three of us are looking forward to free accommodations in a country that’s probably twice as expensive as any place we’ve been yet.  (Not to mention we may actually get our first hot showers in two months.)  After they leave I’ve got about a week more that I will likely split between other parts of Costa Rica and Panama.  I’m looking at flying to Brazil on the last Friday in November and staying in Sao Paulo with my friend Joe and his family through the middle of December, including Joe’s graduation from law school.  From there it depends on money and schedules, but Matt, Jeff and I talked to a British dude in Ometepe who convinced us that renting a car is the best way to see Patagonia.

I’m already planning my next Latin American vacation in my mind and I’m not even done with this one.