The Island On the Lake...
Ometepe is an island made up of 2 volcanos on Lake Nicaragua. Going there is like going back in time. After spending our final day in Granada biking around town, visiting the local vendors at the market, and going on a 20 platform zip lining adventure (It’s pretty beginner, I hear Costa Rica is better) we took a shuttle ($12 each) to the ferry in Rivas. After a quick hour commute over some bumpy waters (definitely needed that Gravol) we arrived in Moyogalpa. Moyogalpa is the main town on Ometepe, it is made up mainly by restaurants, hostels and motor bike rental shops. It’s a quaint spot where you get the feeling everyone knows everyone. The people there seem kind and honest. We took a walk off the beaten path to our hostel Casa Mauro, which is owned and run by a local family who turned their home into the hostel. Mauro (the owner) is one of those guys you know you would hang out with if you met him back home. He’s generous, answered every question we had and made personal suggestions for what he thought we would enjoy. He told us to treat his home like our own. In the morning, we enjoyed a breakfast of delicious pancakes and fruit, with some local coffee. We met a fellow Canadian at the hostel, Tanner, and each rented motorcycles to head up to waterfall, Cascada de San Roman. The ride is about an hour and a half away, down cement, brick and dusty, stone and gravel roads. The view on the drive is breath taking, and vibe of the island is unmatched. You pass tourists on motorcycles, locals waiting for busses, school kids in matching uniforms. You see horses, chickens, pigs grazing at the side of the road. A farmer guiding his cattle back home after enjoying an open field, all the while in the distance a volcano raising up into the sky, clouds covering the highest point. It felt like I was in a movie.
We made it to the entrance of San Roman and paid the $3 to ride our motorcycles halfway up. From there is about a 40 minute walk to the waterfall. San Roman waterfall cascades 180 meters down into a small pool sized pond, before making its way down the mountain. The view was beautiful and hike was worth it. After spending a little while enjoying the moment we began our descent. Brianna (a friend of Tanners we picked up along the way) lost her footing and almost fell down the path and into the culvert. Thanks to a couple tree branches and quick thinking on my boyfriends part, he was able to grab her and help her back up to the path. Hearts pounding she escaped with only some bruises and a large cut along her calve. #blessed;)
We hiked and motorbiked down the rest of the mountain, and decided to go for lunch.
One of the best things about this island is the uniqueness of it. It seems like every shop has created its own environment to welcome locals and tourists. We saw a sign for Chocolate Factory and are intregged about the local cocoa on the island. We went down a long narrow driveway and are greeted by huts on the sea. It’s a hostel and yoga retreat, with a small chocolate factory. Handmade wooden tables have bowls of coca in shells encouraging guests to do karma while they sit. We order their famous desert (because desert is so much better for lunch then burritos) and shell the cocoa while we wait. I’m immediately filled with the sense of community, and instantly wish I had known about this place before arriving. The desert is beyond expectation and after finishing we ride back to the road to find another spot along the sea to stop for lunch. A few minutes later we find a spot that seems to be hidden in plain sight. We stop for lunch of local fish, and gallopinto, I order a vegetarian burrito and it’s delicious. And hold out for a while to wait for the rain to pass by.
We make a last stop at a natural spring, for a quick dip before calling it a day. The water is cool and refreshing, and I want to drink it in. As the sun begins to set we b-line it for the best place on the island to watch the sun go down, drink a couple cervesas, and beam at the fullness of the day.
