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Published: August 6th 2010
Ometepe Island
the island is made of 2 volcanoes. the northern Conception is 1610mEveryone in his 20s knows
for a fact that life ends at age 30. Then, you reach your 30s and realize that indeed life, as you knew it, has ended.
A few try to continue living as if nothing happened - missing both the 30-something experience and not fully enjoying the 20-something stuff anymore.
Most, embrace their new life so much that their old 20-something self might as well be turning in his grave.
A few leave themselves mental notes from the 20s to the 30s and manage to embrace the best of both.
This is the story of one of these mental notes…. in January 2003 (still in my late 20s) I was traveling alone in Nicaragua where I came across, by word of mouth, one of the best backpack’s places I have ever been to - the south part of Ometepe island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. If you never hear of the place then you can read the pervious sentence as "...I found a really wonderful remote place in the middle of nowhere." Ometepe’s remotes was its major appeal. It took 12 hr in two
near breaking chicken busses , two taxis and a boat ride to get there from the nearest nothings-ville to get there.
Once there I discovered the most underdeveloped tourist location I have been to up to then.
Once there I also discovered that the only guesthouse had no room.
So I crashed on the beach for the next week. I ate from the communal honor-system kitchen, engaged in many outdoor activities, purposefully did much nothing on the beach and at the end of the day played cards with other fellow travelers. I felt was a real seasoned traveler. I could reach this end of-the-map location; I could eat of the land (as long as the land had a mini-fridge with cokes), sleep in nature and chat up any nice Dutch girl that came along ("hi, have you played
Taki?"
That is where I met the Andersen family and was immediately struck with awe.
They too were traveling across Central America. Father, Mother and 3 blond boys aged 10, 8 and 5. These young boys got off the same bus as I, enduring the long travel. They too reached this “hardcore” travel location. I admired this
You're Bluffing
English language edition of Kuhhandel - a very fun and smart card game i learned on Omotepe. I also tought all the other travelers Israeli Taki Danish family! They were not only schlepping their family across the world, they were truly free as I was traveling alone.
I made a mental note -
when I grow up I want to be like the Andersens and enjoy both parenthood and travel. I imagine the Andersen family didn’t start off their family travels with 3 boys and 3 months in Central America. I imagine they started with 1 kid and 1 month in
Turkey and then moved up to 2 months and 2 children in Central Europe.
So that what will be our plans for summer 2010 - 2 parents, 2 children, 2 months and a yet undetermined itinerary into the Balkans. And Kids… I didn’t meet your mother in Ometepe. But you remember that nice Dutch girl? ... She taught me how to play
Kuhhandel . And when I did meet your mother ...she was the best player I met this side of the Atlantic.
True story.
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Julian Brady
non-member comment
Hi there. You've convinced me to go! But can I ask what year you went in? I've got a horrible feeling you went at least a decade ago and now its very different... fingers crossed you went recently or it still has the magic :)