the various dictators having walked away with much of the country’s wealth in their own coffers, the contrasts between wealth and poverty are not that observable. However, it remains a country where you will see the rural population commuting from homestead to town by horse or horse cart, where wagonloads of bananas are drawn by oxcarts while pickup trucks filled with surfers and tourists zoom by on the bumpy roads. There are speed bumps on the dirt roads, interspersed amongst the pot holes, volcanoes that emerge out of nowhere, from lakes, plains and highlands. So far we have seen only a tiny fragment of this fascinating country but are already mesmerized and keenly looking forward to the rest. There is no one particular thing that seems to draw our attention, but rather the combination of it all, the culture, the basic lifestyles, the scenery and the character of it all.
We left the surfing haven of San Juan del Sur behind and headed by way of yet another chicken bus to Rivas, from where a short taxi ride brought us to the shores of Lake Nicaragua. This huge expanse of water could easily be mistaken for a sea given the large swells on it. In the distance the Conception and Maderas, the twin volcanoes 1610m and 1394m high respectively, seemed to emerge right out of the water. I could easily have imagined Shrek or even Lord of the Rings being set on this fairytale like island. It is here that we eventually picked up Paulina and from where the second part of the Charlie’s Angels saga will continue.
Shaped like the figure 8 it has a volcano on each of its “o’s” with Conception still remaining active whereas Maderas is virtually covered with jungle and a cloud forest. The mural in our hostel depicting an exploding Conception as people stood on the docks and streets of Moyogalpa gaping up at the volcano was a bit disconcerting as it brought to mind scenes reminiscent of Pompeii. With only sporadic ferry services, the Volcano Evacuation Route seemed a tad bit insufficient.
Both volcanoes looked incredibly tempting to scale, yet the stifling heat of the day made such an excursion not necessarily impossible, but most definitely maniacal. Only absolute insanity could have given us enough courage to attempt the 1600m ascent in the 35 degree weather (a temperature that is vastly greater in the direct sun). So instead we had to content ourselves with exploring the island around the volcanoes and headed first to Ojo de Agua, a volcanic mineral spring whose mineral content purportedly restores youth to those who bath in it. A number of years ago a 60 year old lady entered the spring and returned home in the evening 20 years younger. You should be able to judge the results of these waters on the basis of our before and after photos.
From there we headed to the narrowest part of the island where we enjoyed a waterfront lunch. I would have said beachside lunch, except for the fact that the beach has been washed away and completely submerged by the significantly higher water levels of the lake.
In the afternoon, Paulina and I decided to go for a 4km stroll down to Punta Jesus Maria, a narrow sandbar jutting out at the westernmost point of the island. Someone had recommended it to us as a fantastic spot to watch the sun go down. We could not have received better advice. The place was truly magical. With the higher water levels, the sandbar was submerged and created the impression of walking on water as you proceeded further and further out onto the lake. From our vantage point about 50 meters out, we could see both the island volcanoes as well as the volcano on the mainland closer to Grenada. As the sun set in the west, the volcano in the north enshrouded in clouds created a polar opposite: good and bad; night and day. On our right Lord Sauron and Mordor. On our left, the sunny realm of Hobbiton.
Tomorrow, by the 6am ferry, we’re leaving the world of fantasy behind and heading to the colonial jewel of Granada.
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