This, That & the Other Thing: Ometepe Wrap-up (Final)

And this should be the final wrap from the island, although rest assured should anything else come to mind, we'll let you know!

Ready?  Let's go!

During our stay at Hacienda Merida we got to know a guy named Enrique.  He is from the island, lives in Santa Cruz (about 6k away) and is quite an artist.  He makes jewelry and accessories from string, cord, beads, etc. and is quite talented.  He makes the rounds to all the hotels on the island, as well as occasionally venturing off island to Granada, San Juan del Sur, even Costa Rica once in a while.  He would show up at HM a couple of times a week, bicycling in with his mochila (backpack) loaded with finished goods, supplies and pieces in progress.  Enrique has a little folding table that he somehow carries on the bike; he would set it up, cover it in a beautiful maroon-colored cloth and display his wares.  Then he would just sit and work on more pieces, awaiting customers.

We just said hello the first couple of times we saw him, trying not to get sucked in to buying something right away, wanting to take some time to see what the island had to offer before spending money.  Enrique never approached us, always just sat next to his table and worked on his craft.  But glancing over at his table got the best of me, and I started eyeballing a couple of pieces he had and chatting with him, each of us in our limited capabilities in the others' language.  Soon Bex! joined in the conversation and we got to be friends with Enrique.  

Enrique is the one in the middle.

If you've traveled in Mexico or Central America at all, you've seen the vendors selling wrist bands, bracelets, beaded necklaces, etc.  A lot of them sell the exact same stuff and I'm pretty sure it's made elsewhere and the folks at the table are just passing it on.  When I purchase this kind of stuff, especially if it's for me, I try to buy from someone I see making it, avoiding the 'middle men' if possible.  Enrique fit the criteria!

When we came down here in October, we made the decision to leave our wedding rings in a safe deposit box back home.  Mine could possibly be replaced but Bex!'s rings are antiques, hand made in the 1920's-1930's, platinum and I am sure one of a kind.  Rather than risk something bad happening, we left them behind.  Meeting Enrique gave us a great idea, however.  We approached him one evening and asked if he could make us wedding rings.  At first he didn't quite understand what we were asking.  Then his eyes got big as he said 'Possible, possible'.  After measuring our ring fingers and deciding on colors, this is the magic he worked for us!

Anillos de boda

We had many wonderful conversations with him during our six week stay.  He is a fine man and is extremely good at what he does.  He was grateful for us because we ended up sending him quite a few customers, too!

**********

The last day of kindergarten was a Friday and like all good schools, there was no class!  Woohoo!!  Instead, it was... Swim Day!!

What's Spanish for Loch Ness Monster?

Splish splash, I was taking a bath.

**********

What to say about Hacienda Merida...  

It's a former coffee plantation and the buildings were part of the operation - housing for the staff and managers.  The railroad tracks can still be seen running here and there, a reminder of the history of this site.  Rather than re-invent the wheel, read all about the hotel and its history right about... here. 

The hotel has many amenities - a small speed boat and a sailboat, both of which can be hired out for lake excursions.  They have a wide variety of kayaks and mountain bikes, too.

You've got one of the largest lakes in the world as your playground.

Like most places on Isla de Ometepe, there is a restaurant on site.  Unlike most places, however, Alvaro insists on a healthier menu than what is typically offered.  Vegetarians need not be afraid here!  Plenty of options available.  Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we got a little worn out on the food choices but we were here for six weeks, remember.  Don't get the wrong idea - the food at HM is VERY good.  They even make coconut ice cream from scratch, which I found to be even better in smoothie form when pineapple was added.

Hacienda Merida is unique in another way, especially for the Maderas end of the island, in that Alvaro has realized the importance of the English language to the future of the business.  Many of the staff here speak moderate to very good English, and do so because Alvaro and Esther have provided the means for them to learn.  They have even arranged for several staff to go to university for English language study.  Alvaro lived in the US for a while but came back to open HM.  He has a grand vision for the future of education on the island.

The Nicaraguan government neglects the island in a lot of ways, education being one of them.  The standards set by the Ministry of Education are pretty low, with the goal being to get the average child through 7th or 8th grade - this being considered a success.  And in many ways, it IS a success.  There is a lot of farming and ranching on the island, and children are often expected to forgo classes to help on the land.  We saw many young children moving cattle from one field to another, helping on the farm, and generally doing chores that most kids in the US couldn't put down their PlayStations long enough to even consider doing.

Alvaro has loftier goals for the island's schools.  "Why not 12th grade?  Why shouldn't we expect our children to go all the way through high school?  If we expect less, we get less.  And the country loses."  True, indeed.  This is one reason he has started up his own bilingual school at the hotel.  In the states, we would call this a charter school.  Classes limited to 12 students; meets curriculum guidelines for the country; mix of Spanish/English; students' parents meet regularly with Esther.  There is a little schoolhouse on the grounds of HM.  We taught here during our stay - kindergarteners as well as high schoolers and adults.  Alvaro is constantly raising awareness and funds for the school.  There is only the one classroom now and just before we left, funds had been secured to start construction on the second of what will eventually be six classrooms.  It was great for us to be a part of the first graduating class and we will enjoy seeing the progress over the years.

First graduation banner

While Alvaro is the 'big picture' visionary type, his wife Esther runs the day to day stuff.  In fact, that saying about there being a great woman behind every great man?  This is the example right here.  Esther keeps the schedule in her head, fills in teaching at the school, organizes shopping trips for the kitchen at the hotel, oversees the staff, etc.  You name it, she has a hand in it.  Esther is the first one to tell you that Alvaro talks too much, too!  Haha!  He loves to share his vision with the hotel guests, sometimes whether they want to hear it or not.  Esther calls him on it.  They are a good team.  

More about the hotel... 

This is the dock that is used for fishing by quite a few people in the village.  It's kind of a cool old dock and has been refurbished in stages over the years.

Like walking on a rickety old bridge.

There are hammocks spread around all over, with this one being occupied primarily by an Alaskan girl.  Who knew she would take to the tropics so well?!

It is my very favorite hammock.

This is a pic of the common area, where food is served and wifi is strongest.  Hacienda Merida is also the only place in the village that has back up power when the electricity goes out - a frequent occurrence.

Dave is in the picture for scale.

In addition to running the hotel and starting the school, Alvaro is passionate about conservation.  The hotel composts and recycles, the kitchen uses high efficiency stoves and they grow what produce they can on site.  He had these signs made to raise awareness of the illegal trade in turtle eggs, thought to be an aphrodisiac.  'Don't use turtle eggs!  Use Viagra!'  Haha!  There is one on the road between Santa Cruz and Balgüe.

Technically, it says "My eggs are not the solution" and either implies use of or sponsorship by Viagra.

Even though we got a little cabin fever-y during our six week stay, we would recommend Hacienda Merida as a place to stay, should you ever visit the island!

**********

Not much to say about these pics, other than we lived on a volcanic island for a month and a half!

Concepción normally wears a stylish cloud cap.

But occasionally she goes topless.

Ditto for Maderas.  Sorry for the tower - hard to get a good angle when you're at the foot of the volcano.

**********

And to close out the Ometepe wrap up, here are various pictures of the breathtaking sunsets we experienced.

Ooh la la.

Tranquillo.

**********

Isla de Ometepe was a rewarding experience for us.  Challenging, enlightening, gratifying, emotional.  We made a lot of friends and can't wait to go back to visit!

Or... you know... stay.