Isla de Ometepe.

No better way to take a break from thesis research than by going to Isla de Ometepe, what literally means "island formed of two volcanoes". This piece of paradise lays in lake Nicaragua and you get there with all transportation modes you can probably think of. 

Friday I travelled to the concrete jungle of Managua to meet up with Maurine, we spent the friday night "American style" in a shopping mall watching Managua's rich kids having fun in the frozen yoghurt bar. Quite weird to be thrown back into the modern world all of a sudden in a city so dangerous as Managua. On our way to the mall, we saw this gigantic christmas tree made of neon lights in the middle of a roundabout with Ortega's campaign slogans around it. Apparently his wife likes christmas decoration so it stays there the whole year round. This little anecdote just to give you an idea how politics work around here. 

The white line is the only main road lingering around the two volcanoes of the Island. We stayed in Balgüe.

Saturday morning we hopped on a bus to Rivas. A flat tire, taxiride and smoky loud boatride further we arrived at Ometepe. A bus took us to our hippie farm hostel "El Zopilote" in the middle of the"jungle". Actually it's just highland, but since our dorm was a wooden cabin with a palmtree roof and you could spot monkeys when you looked out of the "window" , it felt like jungle to me. Pictures will tell you more then words can say.

On the boat, left hidden in clouds Volcan Concepcion and right Volcan Maderas.

two happy thesis students in weekend modus

arrival at Isla de Ometepe

Sounds cliché but the moment you get there, it feels like you're in another world. Everything is peaceful, a million colors everywhere, nature is  just breathtaking, people smile and talk to you about life on the island, you can walk around without people shouting "chella" "chella" what is a relief compared to walking around in Chinandega or even worse, Managua. 

On the bus taking us around the island.

Lake Nicaragua

cutie and a big tree

On sundaymorning we rent mountainbikes from a family and the grandfather of the house held  us company the whole way up to Merida. The 62 year old was so proud of biking around the Island with two foreign girls, so funny. We hired kayaks in Merida and a local from the island (who made a weird noise during the kayaktrip to attract Caimans) companied us to guide the way from the river up through river Istiam. And lucky us, we saw a Caiman staring with his mouth (closed) right at us. No picture as we barely saw him 10 seconds before he disappeared again.

Kayaking to the rivermouth with Volcano Concepcion in front of us.

jungle book.

mangrove

On the island one "road" lingers around the two volcanoes: Volcàn Concepcion and Volcàn Maderas. And people live in farms, "finca's" and small houses on and around that road. We stayed in a get away hole for lost hippies near Balguë, "Finca Zopilote". I felt even more stupid I forgot my mosquito net back in Chinandega as I saw this beauty just before going to bed. 

The dorm was just a wooden house with open holes in the middle of the woods so a lot of bugs visiting at night, we even saw monkeys.

There was also a mirador at the farm that stuck out of the trees and gave a view over the island with Volcano Concepcion dominating the view. Perfect zen place.

On monday we had to get back to Altagracia, a port 2 hours away from the farm and we fixed a ride with a guy who told us they were  building an airport on the tiny island for international flights. I guess the tranquility and mass tourism free times won't last much longer...

And now back to thesis-land, my return to Belgistan is getting closer and my work is far from done here.