A South Drawl and Three Bloody Kiwis

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As I watched the sun set off the shores of Isla de Ometepe, I thought back over my day of travel and can’t say it was painless. What should have taken 4-5 hours took me eight; but that’s all in the past. I have plenty of time and a whole new place to explore; so all is good. Upon arrival at Hacienda Mérida, which is nestled at the base of Volcán Maderas, I recognized a lot of familiar faces. From hostel Oasis there was Claire (the wacky Brit), Inger (the crass Kiwi), and a group of Israelis; then there was Nick who had worked a short time at Bigfoot in León. There was no need for introductions; we continued on where we had left off, just in a new setting. Isla de Ometepe is a beautiful volcanic island lying in the waters of Lago de Nicaragua; the largest lake in Central America. This massive lake has 45 rivers flowing into it, and an outlet to the Caribbean via Río San Juan. Many spectacular fish live in these waters; including freshwater sawfish and tarpon and the rare freshwater bull shark. In the past, Isla de Ometepe was two separate islands; until lava flow from the two volcanoes created an isthmus which connected them. The tropical island is now home to Volcán Concepción (the larger more conical shaped) and Volcán Maderas to the south. There is much to see and do here to keep a traveler on the island for days. Hike a volcano, see some ancient petroglyphs, visit waterfalls and swimming holes, paddle out to the Monkey islands, canopy tours, and mountain biking are just to name a few. I was unable to do them all due to the costs; but got to enjoy a few. The evenings were just as entertaining. We all sat lakeside and watched quietly as the sun set over the horizon; then proceeded to stuff ourselves with the hostel’s nightly dinner buffet. After eating, we would all sit around and share stories, play cards, and learn funny sayings from each homeland. The Brits definitely took the cake on this one. Every word from Claire’s mouth had me rolling. She taught me some British slang and I helped her with her Southern drawl; which in the end was total bollox.

Bright and early Thursday morning, me and some of my new acquaintances (Inger, Adele, and Paul from New Zealand) went over to the local school to cook up a breakfast for the kids. We heard about the volunteer work through the hostel and pulled our money together to buy the food. The morning was great. As the pot of oatmeal simmered, we played outside with all of the kids. We pushed some on the swings and joined others in song and dance (similar to ring around the rosy). Some of the younger kids would attach themselves to our legs as we walked about. We were only feeding a small class of the younger children, but some of the older kids came across the street to meet us. If kids in the states think their classrooms are bad, they should come have a look at these. The older kid’s classroom consisted of a dirt floor, chicken wire wall, thatched roof, a chalkboard, and old hand-me-down desks. After spending some time outside and across the street, it was time for the food. We dished out cups of oatmeal for the children and watched as they scarfed it down. Most only finished a small bit of their meal and then poured the remainder into little containers to take home for later. The kids were so cute with their cheeks full of food. As they finished their meals, it was time for them to continue the day’s activities and for us to return to ours. Their little eyes and smiles showed of appreciation as we said our goodbyes.

Climbing onto our kayaks, the Kiwis (New Zealanders) and I prepared to explore the deadly shores of the Monkey islands. Two to a boat, we only had to paddle out 20 minutes to reach the first island. This was the smaller of the islands and only had two Cara Blanca monkeys living there. We were not allowed to go ashore because these secluded monkeys were very protective of their home and would attack. The monkeys (monos) of this island were not as aggressive as the other island. They just perched themselves on a limb stared out over the lake. They did come down to shore at first to see if we had food, but soon returned to their spot above when they discovered we had none. This was the closest I had ever been to a monkey in the wild; pretty cool. Next, we headed over to the other island to check out its inhabitants. These monkeys were a different type (Spider monkey) being much smaller and a little more aggressive. They swung about wildly from branch to branch as we neared. Trees and vegetation hung off of the shore and down into the water, which we didn’t really put to much thought into at first. With paddles pulled up, we took pictures of the agitated monkeys on shore. Inger and I slowly drifted a little too close to one of the overhanging trees and were made aware by our fellow compadres who yelled; “Look out, it’s charging!”. Pulling my camera down from my eyes; I looked over to see the monkey moving rapidly towards us. Luckily my partner, who does a lot of kayaking in New Zealand, was able to quickly maneuver us backwards. As I waved my paddle in front of me as defensive, the angry little monkey hissed and gnarled his little teeth at us; just feet from where we sat. Now that was the closest I had ever been to a monkey in the wild; and it was awesome. I definitely have a new respect for those quick little boogers, and I don’t find them as cute and cuddly now. After taunting the monkeys a little longer, we made our way around the two islands and headed back. From the water; you get a great view of the island and the volcanoes that tower above. Due to the arrival of the wet season, it is beginning to be much more cloudy than usual; which can obscure a lot but at the same time give a misty jungle effect.

Alright, I know everyone is tired of reading about me climbing volcanoes; but yep, I climbed another. So sorry, but it is truly my only source of good exercise; plus they are all so very different from one another. I have to say that Volcán Maderas is definitely the most challenging that I have summited. It can in no way compare to any of the days my friends (Chad, Bobby, Mark, and Jimmy) and I had backpacking across Denali, Alaska; but it was definitely up there on my list of tough day hikes. There are two options for climbing the volcano. Hike up the east slope (shorter and less steep) or make your way up the west side; which consisted of climbing hand and foot up a steep jungle terrain. We chose the west of course, with a bottom time of a little over eight hours. The expedition team was made up of two guides (Simion and Bismark), me and Teddy (a fellow southerner that I had recently met), and three bloody Kiwis (Inger, Adele, and Paul). We made our way through thick vegetation and major root systems. The ground was covered with vines and lush patches of giant fern and moss. We were watched from above by Howler (Congo) and active little Cara Blanca Monkeys. As we made our ascent, we could hear the roar of Howler monkeys all around. We passed under groups of them in the treetops, and got to hear them close up. Our guide (Simion) would imitate the sound of the Cara Blancas and get them all riled up and stirring about. Eventually we ascended into the cloud cover and made our way across the ridge line. A misty haze loomed around us giving an enchanting feeling to the jungle. Each person was covered in mud from the mucky wet terrain. Unlike most other volcanoes, Volcán Maderas has a lake which lies in its crater. We scaled our way down and over to the crater lake. A lush jungle wall surrounded us on all sides as we sat lakeside. We kicked back and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere as we devoured the lunches we had packed. After a long breather, we hiked back out of the crater and proceeded with our descent. The clouds that were present that morning had dissipated and left us with amazing views. We could see the massive Volcán Concepción before us and had a perfect panoramic shot of the isthmus of Ometepe and its coast lines. The climb down was much faster of course, but reeked havoc on my knees. I took a few falls due to slippery roots and ground; but sustained only a dirty bum. Finally reaching home, we all sighed with relief on a mission accomplished and waited eagerly for our dinner buffet.

The following day, the kiwis headed off for a new destination; two to the north and one to the south. Teddy, Nick and I pretty much just lounged around all day. We found a comfortable spot on the balcony over looking the lake and got deep in conversation about all sorts of topics. Teddy, who is from North Carolina, spent the last two years working in the Dominican Republic. His Spanish is excellent and is constantly helping me with mine. It sure was nice to have a fellow southerner around; especially one the exact same age as me. He is the first American from the southeast that I have met thus far in my travels. That night, Teddy and I spent hours discussing religion. He is undecided in what he believes and had a lot of questions and comments. Our conversation carried over to the following day when we were on the chicken bus headed toward the boats docks (3 hours drive on the worst roads I've been on). We were also accompanied by a fellow traveler from Israel (Leroy - I call him this b/c it is hard to pronounce his name) and a local Nicaraguan girl who got in on the conversation. This was a discussion I won't long forget. There was now a Christian (Myself), a Jehovah's witness (local girl), an undecided (Teddy), and Leroy who practiced Kabbalah-Judaism. I can't begin to tell you how far wacked out this debate went. It is too hard to explain, so I won't. Just know that all four beliefs were so vastly different that it made for quite the discussion. No one got mad, but just shared their thoughts and learned what each other believed. If you are wondering to yourself why I am always bringing up the religious discussions I have with other travelers; it is because I want to show how diverse the thinking is throughout the world. I still find it hard to believe that few of the travelers I have had discussions with believe what I believe. It just shows you and makes you think. Everyday and new discussion is a learning experience. Well, there you have it; another week gone by with much more seen and learned. It is back to the beach for me. I'm headed with Teddy and Leroy to San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. There we will meet up with some friends and continue in our adventures. Till then, take care and Happy Mothers Day ladies.

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Photos

I'm Going Out on a Limb Here!
Cara Blanca Mono

The Kiwi Cooks
Adele and Inger

Maderas Expedition Team
Bismark, Simion, Paul, Teddy, Inger, Adele, and Myself

Comments

[Josh Yarbrough]

You stirring up wildlife? I would never imagine that, you seem to have a knack for that.