Left San Juan del Sur on chicken bus to Rivas, then bus to San Jorges to catch the ferry to Ometepe Island in the middle of the lake. From the ferry head on the island 4 of us hired a collectivo driving along the rim of the island to reach Santo Domingo beach. The island is sparsely inhabited, but there is certainly a palpable sense of human habitation. Fortunately, the quaint charm of small town feel is still prevalent as one can continually see children driving cattle down the main road and men riding on horses – which still seems to be the preferred mode of transport here. The island itself is formed from two dormant volcanoes that jut from the center of the lake. The water is murky but tepid to the touch and absolutely refreshing – it would be most agreeable to stay here for a bout a week or so and just explore the island’s wonders.
After some trouble securing a room for the night (we didn’t book ahead) we wounded up having lunch at a little make-shift shack “restaurant”. Julia, the daughter of the proprietor was incredibly amiable and extended warmth and open smile… chatting up the tourist in rapid Spanish and a few phrases of broken English. I’ll likely never come this way again, but for the day it was about as perfect as perfection goes. The food was almost gourmet… still prepared on a wooden stove. Late into the night, I swung on the hammock to enjoy the lake breeze.
Tomorrow we’ll take the ferry back to San Jorges, then to Rivas, and catch a bus to the colonial relic of Granada.