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| On the way to Ometepe |
After indulging in the gorgeous Pacific beaches of San Juan del Sur, Julio and I went to the famous Isla de Ometepe, an island located East of San Juan in the Lake of Nicaragua and home to the ancient petroglyphs. The crossing to the island reminded me of one of my favourite places I have visited on my travels, Lago Atitlan in Guatemala. Ometepe Island was just astonishingly bigger.
Upon arrival to the Island at Moyogalpa we had to take another bus all the way to the other side of the island to a small village called Balgue where we had chosen to stay for a particular coffee plantation located there. The coffee plantation, Finca Magdalena had extended its capabilities to accommodate backpackers and was popular for its extensive panoramic view over Lago Nicaragua. An arduous, rocky, seriously vomit-inducing bus journey followed by a 1.5km uphill hike later and we had found our way to the finca hostel. And indeed, we discovered that the whispers were true and the lofty finca had stunning views of the island's two volcanoes, Maderas and Concepcion.
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| Coffee plantation where we stayed |
Whilst in Ometepe, Julio climbed the difficult Maderas whilst I chose to explore the flatter parts of the island and bussed across Ometepe, venturing in to other villages. Altagracia is Ometepe's second most important town (the first being messy Moyogalpa) and here I walked about absolutely gawped at by the locals as it is not a frequently-visited tourist spot. It is a small, quiet place with church, square, clinic and school but not much more. The people are astonishingly smiley and this was the first place in Nicaragua that I believe I was paying Nica prices for food, transport and internet. Santo Domingo, a town on Ometepe is one of the more popular places on the island for backpackers and tourists. It possesses the most beautiful beaches of the island with black sand and eerily still freshwater. An intensely magnificent and meditative place to relax, I exploited my afternoon there thoroughly and experienced a very refreshing clarity of mind.
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| View of Lago Nicaragua |
Although my visit to Ometepe was brief, I loved the island! The people were humble and friendly, the nature wild and colourful and the still quiet mystical.
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