Mari and I left Granada this morning, taking the bus south to Rivas where we caught a taxi headed to the ferries located in a town called San Jorge. The ferries head out to the Islas de Ometepe, two volcanoes that compose an island in the Lago de Nicaragua. The vocanos are Volcan Concepcion and Volcan Maderas. Both exquisite in size and beauty. Stepping off the ferry, we set foot in a town called Moyogalpa, the largest of the towns on the island, and the place we will be staying tonight.
The bus from Granada to Rivas cost us 48 Cordobas, the taxi cost us 45 Cordobas, and the Ferry was 120 Cordobas. Transportation costs put us just under $10 USD for the day. For the last several weeks Mari and I have been traveling on chicken buses, but didnt get the ¨real¨deal until our bus ride today, where people actually had chickens in hand. We shot a small video of a cute little boy and his chicken that I hope to somehow edit and post in the (near??) future.
As for the ferry ride, what a beautiful sight it was this afternoon as we whisked across the water heading towards the island and its two giant volcanoes looming in the distance, each shrouded in cloud cover near the top. The day was slightly windy and the water was quite choppy, making for a bumpy, swaying and rocking boat ride. But....still, nothing compared the boat ride I had a few years back crossing from Morocco to Spain where I thought the boat was actually going to break to pieces and we were all going to drown. This one just imparted the slight feeling of uneasiness that sets your mind thinking out possibilites.
So far... Moyogalpa appears to be a pleasant, small, tranquil island town. The water in the surrounding lake appears to be a muddy, brownish color, reminding Mari of the River Plate that seperates Argentina and Uruguay.
We walked around and checked out 5 places to stay and nothing jumps out as amazing, so I suppose we will just choose one that is on the nicer side and start making more decisions. I decided today we are becoming more picky in our decisions regarding where to stay. I think after traveling as long as I have through several countries, always holing up in hostels, I could create a pretty kick ass hostel that would offer and cater to the desires and whims of travelers. I know this to be true, because we are sometimes quite disappointed in the options of places we have to stay, that offer sometimes nothing spectacular. I wish I could open a hostel consulting firm, where I could help locals create hostels that cater to foreigners. That way travelers could support the local businesses, and it would be a win win situation. Typically, foreigners set up the better hostels, as they know what travelers want and need, thus circumventing the local businesses.
While in Granada we visited another Volcano, named Volcan Masaya. It was located roughly 20 Km outside of Granada, and after two short bus journeys, we were left at the entrance to the park. We paid our entrance and were planning on walking the 6 Km to the top, but after jokingly sticking out my thumb to hitchhike to the top, the car actually stopped and we hopped in for the the short drive to the summit. And what a site it was. A giant smoking crater puffing out throat scraping fumes. Luckily the wind was to our backs and we could enjoy the views without much hinderence. I hope to post some spectacular pics next time I swing by the internet cafe.
Ciao for now.
We hitched a ride from the front gate of the park all the way to the parking lot seen here on the cusp of the smoking crater. This active crater is actually a second volcano at the site named Volcan Nindiri, while Volcan Masaya sits dorment next door. The emitted smoke is acrid, and they recommend not staying nearby for more than 15 - 20 minutes in order to avoid the poisonous affects.
The sides of the crater illustrate the strata and shear faces that plummet straight down into the caldera.
Heres where the magic happens. Sauron's eye in the center of the bowl. They say if you come at night (on the night tour) that you can see the red glow of lava within. That would have been great to see, but Mari and I are shoestringing it and avoided paying for the guide and the tour, thereby quartering the cost of the trip.
This is actually Volcan Masaya, sitting just to the side of the active crater of Nindiri. From our left, this looked like a great place to climb and see the surrounding area.
Atop Masaya we had spectacular views of most of the local craters, all three lakes in the area, plus the giant volcanoes both north and south that sit looming in the distance. You can see Volcan Mombacha in the distance here.
