Nica Via Ometepe Parte Uno

A short walk to the bus station without our new travel buddies. They seemed to have found a good time out the night before and were nowhere ready to ride on a ferry. So all aboard the chicken bus. We randomly sat next to the swimming Austrian waiter from Laguna de Apoyo and his Australian travel buddy (you will soon notice many re-occurring characters). We sat out for Revis. Riding the bus in Nica is a unique experience. There is no formal bus schedule, just the opportunity to leave once the bus is full. There is no formal way or time to pay. Just have some cordobas ready for the random guy who comes around to collect your money. There are no formal rules about loitering. Peddlers jump on the bus at various intervals to sell you their goods. From Revis we head to San Jorge, where we board the ferry to Ometepe.

This is the point where I was able to get my first glimpses of the two volcanoes that erupted to form the Island of Ometepe. It was more than I could take in at one time.

We shared a taxi with some other North Americans from San Jorge and made it through the long ride to Santa Cruz. The roads were filled with ruts and boulders that could eat suspensions alive and could break an axle in half with one wrong turn to avoid a boulder (or the occasional cattle drive.

We walked up the rocky and steep road to Little Morgan's and this is when the magic started. For those of you not familiar, this is the hostel where Adam worked while he lived in Nicaragua. Reunion time began for Adam and all of his friends on the island.

We stayed in an adorable little casita while at Little Morgan's.  

The bamboo back of the casita is the bathroom area. Showering became an entirely new process on the island. Step one, turn on the outdoor shower and let it drown the wasps at the base of the shower. Check all corners of the bamboo shower hut for creep crawlies (more on these in a bit), take a deep breath and jump in. That crisp volcano water is never going to get any warmer so you might as well get the initial shock over with, exhale, and look up to see Volcan Maderis standing majestically over your shower stall. Lather, rinse, and repeat several times to keep cool during the day. 

We walked quite a ways up a bumpy road towards Balgue to eat dinner at Adam's friends' house, who hosts a veggie buffet on occasion for the islanders. I've never experienced anything like those veggies!