Ojo de Agua, Magical Spot

---

---

Walking on the (only) road around Ometepe's two volcanos, one encounters lots of livestock wandering freely: pigs, chickens, sheep. Sr. Carlos says they're not feral, they do have owners, people who give them shelter at night and sometimes feed them. A pig is like a savings account. You're saving him up for a special occasion. Your neighbors know he belongs to you. Billions live this way, of course, but we aren't used to it.

I've been itching to rent a motorcycle since we got to Ometepe, wanting to re-live the great fun I've had before doing that in Malaysia and Thailand. People say motorcycles are dangerous, but that's mostly when they have to share the road with murderous cars and trucks. Here, you can wait an hour for one to come along. Sr. Carlos arranged for delivery of a Chinese model this morning, $30 for the day. After a little practice -- the muddy rocks are very slippery -- I ferried the family one at a time to the fresh water spring called Ojo de Agua. It's on the other side of Santo Domingo, about 15 minutes each away. At the end of the day I ferried them back. The bike only went down once, on El Encanto's narrow driveway at ~0 mph, unfortunately with Melody on the back, fortunately no injuries or damage. (Maybe she shifted her weight ... it's happened before.) We didn't tell the kids.

Ojo de Agua, "eye of the water", is a flowing, fresh-water spring, perfectly clear and cool. It's been "developed" by cementing the sides and bottom, adding furniture, a restaurant, and most importantly for 11-year-old boys: a rope swing! It's much larger than most swimming pools, and mostly shaded, being in the middle of the jungle and all. Ojo de Agua at least matches the best swimming holes I've ever plunged -- sorry, Barton Springs.

What a magical spot!

---