"Ometepe" Nicaragua Travelogue by paradisedreamer

Our car was waiting for usa t 8am and it was 1.5 hour drive to San Jorge where the boats leave for Moyogalpa on Ometepe.
We met a guy (Hector) at the ticket office who organised us accommodation and transport on the island. We were told that the large car ferry was not going at 10:30 as it was being repaired. We didn´t want to have to wait until 2:30 so we went down the pier where a smaller boat was being loaded up with cargo. One look at the boat and the rough sea and we thought uh-oh this is not going to be fun. Standing looking at the boat we wondered how the heck we were going to get on. They were loading the cargo onto the roof which was that bit too high to step onto and the side door of the boat way too low. When they lay a plank from the pier to the top of the boat I thought you have got to be kidding me. Te swells were so high with the boat lurching so much that the plank would slide along the top of the boat. There was a woman on the pier who had obviously just had a baby and was in so much pain she could hardly walk. I really felt awful for this poor woman, it was nightmare enough as it was.

After walking the plank we then had to try and balance on the flat metal roof of the boat (no railings of course, that would be safe now wouldn´t it?) as the boat was battered by the swells. We then made our way downstairs and found a seat. How the new mother managed to get down those stairs I have no idea, she could hardly lift one foot a couple of inches without wincing. We squeezed up so she and her Mum could sit next to us. She needed to be in a hospital and not on this awful boat.

We then faced the longest hour of our lives. Marc was convinced we wouldn´t make it and was very worried which made me worried. The swells were enormous, we have been on some bad sea crossing before but this was beyond belief. One girl was ill within 5 minutes and didn´t even have the strength to stand up, her boyfriend and one of the crew had to prop her up over the side of the boat. When they came back in from under the plastic cover to protect us from the spray they were soaked from the waves battering the boat. Water was still coming in and was swirling around our feet. A lot of people were very ill and there were quite a lot of old people on the boat. Sam fell asleep and were praying she would sleep through it all but she woke up and was very nauseous. She wanted to be sick so Marc held her over the side but we didn´t let her have anything for breakfast so there was nothing in her stomach.
From inside the boat you couldn´t see out due to the plastic lining across the one side that the waves were hitting the boat. On seeing the waves she was frightened out of her mind and begged Daddy to get her off the boat. This added to our anxiety, I have never seen her that scared. There was absolutely nothing we could do but just hold her tight. Marc and I were fine until half way when he started having cold sweats, about 15 minutes after that I began to feel nauseous. They say you should look at the horizon but it was impossible as the waves were just too big. This is a lake for crying out loud!

Well we eventually got to Ometepe and had to climb up the side door and then launch yourself up onto the jetty. We waited until most people were off so the boat was a bit higher in the water. I was feeling so weak and drained and with a backpack on it was a matter of you have to do not wanting to. The crew helped pull everyone up. I managed to get up but the weight of my pack pulled me back a bit but these friendly hands grabbed me. Marc passed Sam to me and then he climbed up also almost toppling backwards. God it was good to be on land, I could have cried, Marc just wanted to get away from the boat.

A Californian and a British tourist went missing on one of the volcanoes a few weeks ago so now all tourists have to show their passports on arrival so they can keep a list of all tourists on the island. The LP says that even experienced hikers should take a local guide.
There are two volcanoes, Concepcion in the north and Maderas in the south. We would be staying on Santo Domingo beach in the north on the other side of Concepcion, a perfect cone shaped volcano with amazing lava flows. We stopped for a drink and a well deserved ciggie at Chaco Verde on the way.
We got to Hotel villa Paraiso a bit later, it is a lovely resort perched on a cliff overlooking the lake with Volcan Maderas to the right. We have a lovely chalet with a patio and hammock.

We had lunch on the deck and watched these beautiful birds up close. We were not quite ready to fully appreciate it after the trip here. In the afternoon I passed out and slept for 4 hours while Sam played nicely and Marc relaxed in the hammock.

We did not do very much on the island besides relaxing. The tours were too expensive, We weren't prepared ot pay $70 to see some waterfalls especially since it is the dry season anyway.
Sam is getting very confident with all the horse riding, here it was about $5 an hour. She is not riding on her own yet but she went with Marc and cantered along the beach.