Ometepe
From Playa Maderas we went back into San Juan Del Sur and caught a bus, a taxi, and a ferry to Ometepe Island. Ometepe Island is made up of two volcanoes and is located in Lake Nicaragua. We stayed here for two nights at a great place called El Bosque which was run by a Brit called Ben who had been living on Ometepe for 15 years. The guesthouse was built by Ben and few locals and it has three double rooms with a beautiful big shared kitchen/lounge/bar area. Once again, we were the only ones there so we had the place to ourselves for $25USD a night. We spent the one full day we had riding round the island on bikes, visiting seriously beautiful natural springs, and eating. Ben also owns a restaurant called Cafe Campestre which is so delicious. Most of the ingredients are sourced from his farm and him and his team bake fresh bread daily. Because the accommodation and the cafe have the same owners, you can order dinner from there – yay.
Masaya Volcano
After Ometepe we headed to Granada on a ferry and two chicken buses. We weren’t overly fussed on Granada. The Lonely Planet really talks it up but I think maybe because we have seen much more beautiful colonial style towns already, and because it felt quite dangerous, it was kinda average. However, our visit there did involve one of the highlights of our whole trip; Masaya Volcano. For USD$22 each we were taken up this newly opened volcano. I knew we were going to see lava but I don’t think it quite registered until I saw the orange-tinged clouds of smoke on the way up. When we approached the edge of the crater and looked down, I was left truly speechless. For the next 15 minutes (that’s all you get until the next group comes) I was entranced by a massive crater filled with waves of roaring, fiery, crashing lava. The way it would explode up made it look like glow-in-the-dark paint as it held its colour against the dark rock. It was so surreal. I thought of Aladdin, and fairy tales, and even documentaries, where you nod along with the image of lava, accepting that it’s a thing, not thinking too much about it, but not realising how amazing it is. All the time, underneath us, this stuff is beautifully and powerfully surging away. Much like getting lost in an insanely clear starry night and wanting to know everything there is to possibly to know about Space, I felt in that moment that I wanted to learn everything there is to know about the Earth, right down to the core. We were told when the Spanish first came to Granada and saw the volcano they thought it was molten gold as this area was known for it. When that opinion was dispelled and a priest came to visit, they thought it was the gate to hell. Looking down at this frighteningly powerful, completely unforgiving thing, I could believe it. That priest erected a massive cross at the rim of the crater and this, with the deep red, spiralling clouds of smoke behind it created an unforgettably dramatic scene. As you can tell, I loved it. Didn’t want to leave. Actually yelled out ‘No!’when our driver said time to go. It made me want to travel the world looking for lava. Next stop Hawaii, I guess.
*No photo would ever do it justice, but here’s one anyway.
Scott and Han 