10,000 miles away - Isla Ometepe

Isla Ometepe an island created out of two volcanos, Volcan Concepción and Volcan Maderas, and is in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. Since we were staying in Managua, we had to drive up to 3 hours to the ferry and load up the car for a 90 min ferry ride. The ferry is very small so it barely fits a few cars and advanced reservation is recommended.

Given how long it takes for us to get there, it was lunch time when we reached so after a quick lunch, we checked into our beach side cabins at Villa Aller in Santo Domingo which is the area where the two volcanic island meet.


We then headed to Ojo dear Agua. It literally translates to a waterhole and that's what it is. It's a natural pool (which now has a cemented embankment). The water is extraordinarily clear and you can see the rocky floor, parts of which are also cemented, and there is a canapy of trees above. There is a trapeze hanging from one of the trees to dive in if you like and we also spotted turtles at the bottom. We all took a dip though I wasn't in there for very long since the water was cold (for me). 

We came back to our cabins and relaxed on the front porch in a hammock and rocking chairs overlooking the beach, watching the waves. After darkness fell and there isn't much to see, we headed to another resort nearby for dinner and listened to the song Ometepe. When we reached home, we were so tired from the whole day that I slept the minute I hit the bed.


Sleeping early has its benefits because i woke up the next day to see the sunrise at the beach with golden waters everywhere as I strolled the beach. By the time the others woke up, the sun was well up and we all went to dip into the water. At first I was afraid having grown up on a sea coast with strong currents. Lake Nicaragua is so large, it looks like the sea, basically you can't see the other side and water stretches as far as you can see. But once I went into the water, I realised the difference. The waves are light push you towards the bank but there is no pull into the waters because there is no current. The lake is shallow for a long way so you can keep walking in for a distance if you like. But the most bizarre thing for me was that this sea like water body did not contain salty water! 



The water was also extremely muddy I realised as i showered later trying to get the mud out of my hair. After we showered and ate breakfast at a vegetarian natural cafe, we made our way to Puente Jesus Maria. This is one edge of Isla Ometepe overlooking the two volcanos on one side and Volcan Mombacho and Granada on the other side. An extraordinary isthmus or a narrow sand bridge (or puente in Spanish) goes into the lake for a mile or so giving one the earrie feeling that one is walking on water, famously like the Jesus, son of Maria is said to have. We couldn't walk too far because the wind was strong and hence, so were the waves.

 After taking in the beautiful views, we went to Charco Verde for some more wonderful views of Volcan Concepción in the background and beautiful green pond in the foreground. The area is also supposed to be a home for many butterflies. 

Soon after, we had lunch and headed out to the ferry for yet another long journey back to Managua.

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