Adventuras Acuáticas: Capitulo Uno - From Our Island to New, Different Islands

It's been a while, hasn't it?!  Sorry 'bout that!  We got back from the border run, finalized planning for the last semester, then started teaching again right away.  Now that we have our feet under us, it's time to blog!

Here we go!!

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It was border run time again - time for our every-90-day trip to Costa Rica to renew our visas.  This time our trip would be water themed.  We opted to head southeast across the lake from Isla de Ometepe to the small town of San Carlos, where the Rio San Juan begins its journey to the Caribbean.  This relatively quiet region of Nicaragua did not disappoint, either.  Absolutely amazing, and if we had done this trip on one of our earlier border runs, we would have come back to do it again.  Incredible country.  In fact, although we're heading home to the states in a few months, we're already discussing how a return trip downriver could look for us as a vacation from our as-yet-to-be-determined real jobs someday.

After getting the house situated and getting Hamilton lined out to watch the place while we were away, we hopped in with our friend/driver Miguel for the trip to Altagracia.  This is where we would catch the ferry to San Carlos.  This boat only goes twice a week, leaving at 6:30 in the evening and arriving in San Carlos around sunrise.  Yep, the lake is that big and the trip takes that much time - 10+ hours  and overnight, to boot.  You can check out a Garmin map of the entire ride here:  Altagracia to San Carlos.

We got to Altagracia and hit up an ATM and a grocery store to get goodies for the boat trip.  We were excited and ready to get to the port.  Instead, we ended up in line behind a woman with a bunch of small items and who was paying in mostly 1 cordoba coins, 25 of which make a dollar.  Ummm… yeah.  The lady working the register was visibly upset and got more agitated as the woman was digging in her bag for more coins, counting them slowly into piles to pay her tab.  Oy.

Finally, we were on our way to catch our boat.  This was our first time to this port on the island and we were a little surprised at how far out of town it was.  And the road!  Holy hell.  Parts of it made the road to our village look paved in comparison.  It was brutal.  Thank goodness it was just a couple of kilometers.

Never knowing what to expect as far as schedules go in this neck of the world, we arrived plenty early and got our tickets.  We played cards, deciding before we left that we would play rummy during the entire trip and keep a running score.  (Spoiler alert:  Bad idea on my part, as it turned out.)  The ferry arrived and unloaded those that were making Ometepe their final stop.  The ferry originates in Granada, stops on our island, then finals in San Carlos, making a couple of stops along the way, delivering people and supplies to small fishing villages (Morrito and San Miguelito) on the eastern shore of the lake.

The ferry has bench seating inside, with a TV and AC.  But it was pretty full and we didn't really want to be stuck indoors for the nighttime lake crossing.  For $1 each we rented deck chairs, picked a spot along the rail on the upper deck and settled in for the journey.  It was a cloudy night, unfortunately, but the almost full moon peeked through a couple of times.  We had never seen our island from this side, so we thoroughly enjoyed watching Ometepe get smaller and smaller as we traveled.  Bex! slept some; me, not so much.  It was just too damn cool to sleep this trip away.  There were only a few others on the deck, so it was quiet - the sound of the motor and the water splashing the only sounds as we made our way across the lake.  We were grateful to Hamilton because he suggested that we buy snacks for the trip!  We had munchies and a few beers, so we picnicked as the sun set over Ometepe.

To each their own, of course, but we couldn't understand why travelers would want to sit inside on narrow benches with a TV showing an old black-and-white martial arts movie dubbed into Spanish.  Okay, that last bit actually sounds kinda badasss.  But for us, the trip across the lake was part of the adventure, not just a necessary evil.  All the gringos were camped out inside, exiting only to hit the head.  We met a couple of guys from Israel, Eran and Joseph.  They were 'sitting' inside but their chain smoking habit made them frequent visitors to the deck.  It was fun chatting with them.  And, as it turned out, we would see them several more times over the next week!

Gettin' comfy

Want to sing sea chanteys?

The lake was calm for our trip, which made it even more enjoyable.  And once we got close to the eastern shore, the water shimmered like that old-timey glass you see in old houses.  Very cool experience and highly recommended for anyone who has the time to make this journey.  We pulled into Morrito around 10:30pm or so.  There were a few people waiting for a young woman who disembarked here and the port crew unloaded some supplies onto a rickety cart - boxed goods and several stalks of plantains.  We pulled out of Morrito and made our way south along the eastern shore.  The next stop was San Miguelito.  Larger than Morrito, we were here for about 45 minutes while they unloaded a LOT of stuff.

Supplies bound for the towns along the eastern shore of Lago de Nicaragua.  The white specks in the picture are choyules, the miserable little midges that swarm this time of year.  Fortunately, they were only attracted to the lights, not us!

I've mentioned before how resourceful and hard-working the people of Nicaragua can be.  We made San Miguelito well after midnight and there were two women at the dock waiting for the boat.  One had styrofoam cups, the other had two plastic buckets.  One had café negro (black coffee), the other had café con leche (coffee with milk).  Captive audience while supplies were unloaded, right?

Finally, as the rising sun was just barely lighting the sky, we could make out the silhouettes of the Solentiname Islands.  And soon enough we were pulling up to the dock of sleepy San Carlos.  Because of the proximity and ease of access to the Costa Rican border, there were Nicaraguan military personnel waiting for the ferry - bag searches, looking for drug smugglers.  After getting the go ahead, getting our bearings, and heading into town, we stopped to check the boat schedules to the Solentinames, our destination for the day.  We confirmed that we had pretty much all day to kill, so it was time for food.

Our first dawn glimpse of San Carlos

And with the dawn go the fishermen in their boats.

We grabbed breakfast at the Soda La Forteleza, right on the malecón (waterfront).  We watched as residents gathered along the stone wall at water's edge to buy fish from the pescadores (fishermen) who were returning from their early-morning excursions.  After breakfast, we sat on a bench near the water, played cards and watched as San Carlos woke up.  We marveled at the number of vultures that hang out along the malecón, waiting patiently while fish are cleaned and sold. Of course, they're only interested in the 'cleaning' part!

Mmmm… fish entrails...

With plenty of time to kill, we hoofed it uphill to check out the parque central and the remnants of the old Spanish fort that was the last stand against the pirates that used to ply these waters, guarding the entrance into the lake.  Granada was a prime target back in the 1600-1700's, a wealthy, established, and thriving Spanish colonial city - the oldest in Central America, in fact.

David channeled the spirit of a long-dead soldier.

Now, we don't know a lot about building forts and how they work as far as defending people from pillaging, raiding and other pirate-y shenanigans.  The cannons in the above pic are great for this, of course, as they were aimed at the point where ships would enter the lake headed for Granada.  But I think we could have come up with something a little better for the actual fort part, better than what we saw up the hill.  The location was great, with views upriver to spot approaching marauders and clear views into the lake.  Structurally I think it was a little lacking.  But, what do I know, right?

The guard towers had 360 degree views and militia could move easily between them to protect the town.  And the giant Viking horns were intimidating to potential invaders.

There is disagreement among historians as to what function these chutes served.  Some believe they were to allow Spanish troops to quickly descend upon the enemy while others think they were used to pour hot oil onto invading armies.

Because it was the slow season, we had not made any reservations for our trip this time.  After exploring La Forteleza de Fisher-Price, we sat in the park and Bex! made some calls to find a place on Isla San Fernando, the second largest of the Solentiname island group.  We got voice mail at the place we wanted to stay but got an answer from Hostal Vanessa, so there you have it.  The latter got our business.

The guy Bex! was talking to, José, let us know that he was currently in San Carlos, so he told us to wait in the park and about five minutes later - boom - there he was.  He told us about the hotel, tour options, etc.  We worked out a price and he even took our names and passport info to make sure we got a spot on the afternoon public boat to the islands.  The colectivo boat would take a little longer but the experience was worth it.  These boats are the equivalent of the chicken buses we take on land.  They stop anywhere along the way to drop off/pick up people and/or supplies.  José also confirmed our hopes that there was a rapida that ran every day.  This was key for us as we had a schedule, albeit a rather loose schedule.  The public boats only run two days per week.  The rapidas are faster and more frequent.

We still had time before the 2:30 boat left, so we had lunch overlooking the harbor at La Teraza and played rummy.  I was waaaay ahead - for now.  We decided to walk down to the dock to wait for the boat and people watch. 

Then... The Joke happened.  

One thing I love about my wife is that she is extremely smart.  Tactful?  Meh.  We were heading to the Solentiname Islands, described as 'an archipelago'.  I asked the simple question 'So, what's the difference between an island and an archipelago?', thinking it had something to do how the islands were formed or how close together they must be.  Her head swiveled around quickly, she looked at me with a smirk on her face and said 'What, is this a joke or something?'  Translation:  'That was about the stupidest question I've heard in a long time.'  

Um…

Bex! here.  For the record, the delivery of this aforementioned question was exactly the delivery you'd expect for "What did one priest say to the other?" or "Two Irishman walk out of a bar" or "What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?".

Ha!  Not true - and besides, two Irishman would never walk OUT of a bar.  For the record, an archipelago is a group of islands.  Like the cluster of 36 small islands we were heading to.  Even Japan is considered to be an archipelago.  So, yeah… I done got schooled.  

Bex! and some unkempt traveler she met on the boat.  Oh, wait...

Finally - nay, thankfully - I was distracted from my embarrassment by the boat leaving the dock.  The crossing was fine until a little squall came at us, blowing rain in through the windward side of the boat.  Luckily we were sitting on the other side but still got a little damp.  The waves got going pretty good and these boats are long and narrow, so I was scoping out life vest locations and an escape route should the boat decide to not be upright.  Once we got close to the ARCHIPELAGO the water settled down and we proceeded to make several stops at various islands, delivering people and stuff at rickety little docks here and there.  We also have a Garmin map of this trip: San Carlos to San Fernando.

One of several stops we made before reaching our destination.

Isla San Fernando is also known as Isla Elvis Chavarria, named after a young martyr from Nicaragua's revolutionary war.  The dock for our stop was pretty elaborate, being the primary receiving point on this island.  Our hotel, Hostal Vanessa, was quite literally about 10 meters from the dock.  We were met by a young man who showed us to our room, up the hill.  Pretty cool place, with a porch and hammocks.  With no restaurant on site, we were directed to Cabanas Paraiso next door for our meals.  Being on a small island, we were somewhat captive to eat at the only place in town!  The food was good overall and our first nights' dinner of fried fish and all the Nica fixin's was exceptional.  The owner talked us through all the options when we first stopped in and ordered our first dinner.  After that we followed the tradition of ordering our next meal after each time we ate the current meal.  Having dinner?  Afterwards, order breakfast for the next morning!

'Hello, Narnia?'  These lamp posts are situated all along the stone walkway along the lake shore.  Given the rustic nature of the islands, they seemed a little incongruous.

Power on the islands is by generator, so during the day there is no electricity.  They fire up the juice at sunset and it goes til about 4:30-5 AM.  It's important to power lights, fans, and TV's in the evening!  Okay, our room only had the first two items.  I'm assuming someone somewhere on the island had a TV and was hooked on Ojo por Ojo.

The next morning, after breakfast, we met up with Julio to take a little boat tour of the islands.  He putted along the shore of Isla Elvis, then sped across to a couple of the others, giving us ample opportunity to scout out birds, all the cool old docks and other interesting features of these islands. 

The Garmin map of our boat excursion can be seen here: Solentinames Boat Excursion.  What's the opposite of "as the crow flows"?  Oh, for the record the green squiggle on Isla Mancarrón was not part of our boat trip!

The trick is to not drop the camera in the water.

Impenetrable jungle abounds.

Second island to the right and straight on 'til lunchtime.

After the boat trip and some lunch, we walked the paved path that runs along the shore to the local museum for a tour.  Situated a ways up the hillside, it was a bit of a hike on what resembled a drainage ditch.  It wasn't until we left and headed down the hill that we saw the actual, easier path we should have taken up.  (ahem)  The woman who runs the place seemed genuinely surprised when we walked up the steps.  The look on her face was 'What are you doing here?'  It was, after all, the slow season.  

She multitasked as she showed us around, carrying a dust rag to wipe down the exhibits as we went along.  She was pretty funny, too, giggling at the Latin, scientific names of the flora and fauna.  For example, she would show us a painting of a tiger heron done by a local artist, telling us the artist's name and the Spanish word for the bird.  Then she would read the scientific name "Tigrisoma mexicanum… heeheeheehee".  Very cute.

Like I mentioned, the hill on which the museum was situated was pretty steep and on our way down, I lost my footing but thankfully regained my balance.  As I slipped, I looked down at my feet but also reached out to a nearby tree in case I needed an emergency handhold.  Thankfully I didn't because…

Would have definitely left a mark!

We decided to hike up to the mirador next.  We had some vague directions from a fellow traveler, a young woman named Stef who, as it turned out, was from Alaska.  Small world and all that jazz, for sure.  She told us how to get there:  "Take the trail just after the restaurant but before you get to the other hotel.  You'll walk past a house and it will feel like you're in their yard but keep going.  When you get to the big field, go around the right side.  Eventually, you'll pass the school and then you have to go through the fence.  You'll be in a field with a bunch of cows, but just make your way through.  Then head up the hill to the viewpoint."

Okay.

We found two trails between the restaurant and the hotel and, after taking the wrong one first, we got on the correct sendero.  It was just as described - like cutting through someone's yard.  We got to the field and there was a man there, cutting hay with a machete.  He confirmed our intended route to the mirador and we went around the field.  We soon came to a junction of trails - again, we took the wrong one.  Extra exploring!

After backtracking, we finally passed the island's primary school...

…then we cut across the cow pasture… 

...climbed up the steep hill through the waist-high jungle grass ("Trail?  What trail?!")… and eventually made it to the top!

Archipelago from the El Tragon mirador 

Break at the mirador to clean off mud, dirt, rocks. 

After taking in the views all around, we started back down the hill for an afternoon of relaxation and book reading.  And, yeah, maybe a beer or two.

About 2 seconds after I took this picture, the wife turned back with a horrified look on her face because... 

…this fuzzy dude was smack dab in the middle of the trail.

Like I've said before, these things are fearless.  I kicked some dirt at it to get it to move.  He just raised his front two legs, laughed, and stared me down.  Seriously, I heard a chuckle.  We gave Cuddles a wide berth and continued on down.

I can't see my feet!

School in the background

At the bottom, re-entering the cow pasture, it was my turn for photos of getting through the gate!

Are you absolutely sure this is the path we took on the way up?

Good thing I'm so skinny these days.

Phew, made it, piece of cake.  (Mmm… cake…)

Here is a Garmin map of our bipedal excursion: San Fernando Exploring.  And some cool pics (below) from our amblin' around.  The island is known for its artists and their work but, being the slow season, we didn't see either.  We think maybe the artists head for the cities to sell their works during the slack tourist times.

Bex! making her own art in the so-called islas del arte.

The local flora is art-like.

Maybe it was all our gallivanting around for the day or maybe it was the tarantula encounter.  Whatever the cause, Bex! wasn't feeling well that evening, so I went to dinner by myself.  The restaurant staff asked where she was and when I explained, they set me up with hot tea and a plate of fruit to bring back to the room for her.  Very kind, indeed.

Man, did it pour that night!  It rained so hard that the bathroom in our room flooded from water seeping in under the wall from the uphill side of our room.  Cra-zy!  As we would find out later, this is the same storm that caused the flooding and landslides back home on Ometepe.  More on that in another post coming soon.

The next morning, the rain had abated and we went to breakfast.  Bex! was still a little queasy so she tried some pancakes.  This was the day we had planned to leave the islands and continue our border run adventure.  We discussed whether she was feeling well enough to make the boat trips required to do this.  She said she was - and she was.  She's a trooper.

For this trip back to the mainland, we took the daily rapida, the fast boat shuttle to and from San Carlos.  We were told that this boat is also used to pick up the high school-aged kids on school days, making the rounds to all the inhabited islands and bringing them to Isla Mancarrón for classes.  Awesomeness.  

Booby enjoyed the boat ride, at one point saying "Beats the hell outta flying." 

Making for San Carlos.

Yep.

Thankfully, we once again had a pretty smooth lake for the trip across.  Taking the fast boat got us to San Carlos with just enough time to hustle down to the other dock in town to catch the boat to…

[continued in Adventuras Acuáticas:  Capitulo Dos]