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Ometepe means two hills and is an island which has been formed by 2 volcanoes. On approach by boat, it really looks very stunning. The volcanoes are so high that the tops of them are in the clouds. From the port we were transferred to our accommodation by cattle truck. Bags piled high and people clinging to the railings. I somehow managed to get the car! Though my bag had the honour of being on the top of the pile which was a bit unnerving as I started to see it slide off the truck as it turned a rather sharp corner. A quick stop and a bit of manoeuvring and it was wedged back in place!
The hostel was lovely. We had lovely wooden shacks on the lakeside. They were sturdy, clean and roomy. You could hear the waves crashing on the rock and the beach. It was very overcast but the place still looked beautiful to me at least. This made up in part for the incredibly bad food - I mean how can you mess up pasta and tomato sauce? I felt like getting the ingredients and making it myself!
In the afternoon I went horse riding. It was so dreadful. The horses were skinny and had scars on their hinds from being hit with a stick. We had been assured that all tours would be ethical and that this one in particular was suitable for beginners. b******s. A guide took 3 of us our - all novices. He had no control, the horses did not respond to commands and they didn't even follow the lead horse. One of the horses bolted and mine just wouldn't stop and knew exactly which direction it wanted to go in - home! When they didn't do what he wanted, he hit them which is bad enough but even worse when you are on them and they are rearing up trying to avoid being smacked. I was absolutely horrified and terrified. In the end, almost in tears, I had to say enough was enough and I wanted to go home. We had been gone 20 minutes and gone probably 0.5 miles! The way back wasn't much beter as my horse just carried on despite there being low hanging branches. At one point I was hanging onto a branch and seriously considering letting the horse just go. It really didn't seem worth it - I didn't like him and he didn't like me.
In the evening we celebrated Ann's birthday with a surprise BBQ. Gino had even managed to organise a cake. It was so big and covered in gooey icing. She seemed really pleased. We finished the evening off with drinks and music at the lake side illuminated by head torches.
I enjoyed my time on the island - it was a real break from everything. I literally did nothing and it felt good.
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