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So I managed to get to quite a few places over the last few weeks.

1. Ometepe

Beachfront at Ometepe

The sky was amazing!

The kitchen.

That was great. I went with Anna, Patricia, Barbara, Lorena, and a couple others. It was actually a very large group. So while parts of it was incredible, parts of the trip felt like herding cats. We stayed in a cabana at a place called Zopilote. Our cabana was the Mariposa and there were tons of Mariposas! Great venue with the exception of a couple mishaps during my overall stay on the island. (The mosquitoes – I was eaten alive! The fish – food poisoning!) it was fantastic. The water was relaxing. It was really strange to be surrounded by island beach only because this particular island is a volcano island and these particular island beaches were all lakefront beaches! Calm. Beautiful.

Showering outside, outhouses for restrooms. Different, yes. But good for a change of pace. At least for a couple of days.

Getting closer...

Janet y Anna

The map of Ometepe, at the Zopilote

We rented bicycles and rode down to a natural spring water lagoon. So clean.

There was pizza night and organic breakfasts with homemade bread. It was nice to eat outside, with candlelight, under a tree…until it started raining. Anna celebrated her birthday and we enjoyed some Flor de Cana and long chats. I learned a lot, even from the people who were solely obsessed with showing off how many visas and stamps they have in their passports. There were a couple. It was a bit sad to ask “what do you do?” and hear “oh, I’m just traveling for 4 years.” Followed by “what have you done while traveling?” and “Wow! I’ve been to some really crazy parties!”

One of the two volcanos. Concepcion.

Good company. Mixed company.

But, I digress. Overall it was very relaxing and we got the chance to really enjoy ourselves and the company. I was completely blown away by how beautiful Ometepe is (and how many projects they have operating on the island).

2. San Juan Del Sur and then some.

T. was here! It was loads of fun! We had a few good trips in there. We went to Leon, Granada, San Juan Del Sur, Playa El Coco, Playa La Flor, El Ostional …and more. We basically, beached it up. There were a couple of events in Managua as well, but if I begin to write in detail I’ll be here for several hours. So I’ll just sum quickly. Renting a car and chatting about life while driving to the most breathtaking sites and witnessing some once in a lifetime events (like the baby tortugas being released into the ocean at Playa La Flor) is absolutely priceless. Eating fresh lychees under the tree at Playa El Coco was good fun, too.

We watched a thunderstorm off the shore in Ostional. Incredible! I was sick and in that moment forgot all about it, wide-eyed and drop-jawed. What was even more exciting was being thrown down near shore by the waves at Las Penitas. I’ve always had tremendous respect for mother nature, but the sensation of that, coupled with the scenery. Wow! Granada was great, too. Walking down the streets and feeling the soul and the flavor of that little town. We had some pretty fun encounters (though scary at the time), including a drunk guy in his truck who nearly ran me down and starting slurring insults and the two of us. It was fun to watch T’s expression. Not at all fussed. It might be because he couldn’t really decode what the guy was saying. I translated after and we eventually calmed down enough to laugh about it. My biggest thought then (and now) is: wow, there’s that much racism here, too? But it was nice to sit outside of the bar, sipping some Tonitas and laughing…until the rain came.

The moments we were confined indoors were fun, too. Playing scrabble and watching a films on my laptop. Which reminds me. I really need to bump up the harrassing with Don Jairo. While I don’t have a television (and rather enjoy it) I think it would be nice for house guests that want to get a feel for Nicaraguan broadcasting. Besides how am I paying for cable and not have a TV if the house is supposed to come fully furnished? Yes, many things here contradict themselves.

I should also mention that Managua was fun, too. The biggest laugh was a play we should have taken seriously. A one man act from Argentina. The topic was tango and love. I was reminded of a really bad flamenco show I was fortunate (or unfortunate) to catch in Mexico. That was so *funny* (Read: *terrible*) that the other person and I had to leave because we couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t believe I was sitting through the same experience again. Too funny. Especially since I thought to myself before we entered: “I hope this isn’t like that one flamenco show I saw in Mexico.” As soon as the lights came on T and I bounced. Laughing the whole time in the car. My cheeks were sore because I was biting myself to keep from laughing. Don’t you just love those moments?

I have so many more photos but I’ll keep them for next time.  I have to stop now anyway. On my way to the airport soon to get another visitor. Who is it? That’s a surprise!

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