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Its been a while since my last blog, but things have been hectic! Thursday morning we were surprised with a phone call from Maria Dolores that we needed to come to her office. We had no idea why or what was going on so we finnished breakfast and left. Once we got to her office she told us that we were about to meet the US embassador to the United States, Robert Callahan. So they lined us up and we greeted him as he came into the main office of the school. He was very nice and happy to hear we all went to a Jesuit school, he did as well, but he didn't tell us where. Then we sat in on a national conference on how the country would be working with the US to teach spanish in all its schools. The twenty or so peace corps volunteers came from around the country as well.
Friday Kristina didn't feel well so we stayed in and relaxed all day. Saturday morning we got up at 6:30 to be ready for our 7:30 bus ride. Of course I started getting sick around 7, so the three hour bus ride and one our ferry were not so much fun. I took antibiotics before we left, but they take the whole day to really kick in. The ride through all the mountains was beautiful and I loved getting to see more of the country. The driving here is not as crazy as Jamaica although it has its own charms. For instance there are rotarys every five miles or so on the big high ways and speed bumps randomly placed. The same honking rules apply... basically if you are walking or on a bike and hear a car horn you have approximately four seconds to get off the road before you are plowed. we got to the boat and met up with our tour guide who was awesome! His name was Horacio and everyone worships him in Ometepe. Seriously we got the royal treatment the whole time because of him. He and his best friends all run a tour guide company and they spend thier days driving around with each other showing people one of the most beautiful places on earth. They know how to live life!
Anyway, the hotel was sketchy. It had a good reputation apparently but I was ready to book it around the time a leech and or some kind of indestructable worm slithered out from inbetween two of the tiles and towards my feet. My reaction was to stomp on it, but that only aggrivated it and made it swim faster. Needless to say that was the only shower I took that weekend. I won't describe the rest but it pushed the limits of what I can turn a blind eye to.
The first day we got to the island, had lunch and jumped into the van for our first adventure. we visited two museams and drove through the beautiful countryside. There were fields of seseame plants, tobacco and fruit. And everywhere we looked you had a beautiful view of either of the two volcanos (Concepcion o Maderas). After the two museams, we went to Jesus Maria Punta, a black sand peninsula of beach. During the dry season here the lake retreats and you can walk so far out, it looks like you are walking on water back to the main land.
That night we went out to our first bar here in Nicaragua! At first it was pretty chill, but as the night went on it was crazy! It felt like the whole town came to the bar! Eventually our tour guide and his best friends all showed up too! They told us we all had to learn how to dance, so we better get started to night... needless to say we got some practice in! It was so much fun!
The next day we got up early to see a number of sights important to the island. First was Charco Verde, a lagoon in between the two volcanos. We took a long nature walk around the lagoon, and saw some monkeys, tropical birds, tortises, and other reptiles. Then we took a drive to La Ojo de Agua, a natural spring. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. Two crystaline pools, one flowing into the other through a small waterfall, with tropical rainforest fauna all around. Loved it! We stayed there for about an hour before heading off to lunch and then to see some petroglifs (idk how to spell that). That night we all crashed early.
Monday morning we got up at 6am to climb the big volcano. All we had with us was a liter and a half of water and our cameras. First came the 45min walk through black sandy-ash to the base of the volcano. Then we stopped and had breakfast. A ham sandwich about the size of my palm. Immediately I wondered how this was going to go. P.S. no coffee in system. After breakfast we had another twenty minute walk before the tough stuff came. We climbed 3000ft at about a 45 degree angle (or straight up at times) in less that three hours. The path was bearly visible at times, and we had to pull ourselves up by trees and vines constantly. Not to mention it was about 85 degrees with 100percent humidity, it actually rained for a little while. Don't get me wrong the scenery was unforgettable and well worth the work. Still it was the most intense workout of my life. Some of the group stopped about half way up, but I really wanted to make it to the lookout point. P.P.S. There were coffee trees everywhere you looked along much of the path.
When we finally reached the 1000meter mark, we could look out and see much of the island as well as the top of the volcano! Although the very top was covered in sulfuric gas. The return trip or should I say slip was interesting. We are truly lucky that no one got hurt coming up or down the volcano, there were ample opportunities. Also the chances of you getting off the mountain if you couldn't move were slim to none since the path certainly wouldn't allow someone to be carried. But we all quickly got to the base and back out to the main road. No one said a word the entire van ride back we were all so drained. I drank over three liters of water and only had to pee once a few hours later. I was a sweaty mess.
We all slept the entire car ride back to managua. It was a long, but fun weekend, filled with adventures in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I will never forget it!
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