At this island we were suppose to do a "homestay", which meant we were gonna stay home with the locals, in a small community G adventures were cooperating with. A small part of the money we pay G adventures for the trip go directly to this community as a part of a project. By doing that, the travel agency and we, are helping the small community excisting of maybe 20 houses, to get a better life, more activities for the children and so on.
*They have (just by the money they have recieved) built an impressive communityhouse close to the lake, that everyone can use for free. Here they have 10 hammocks you could relax in, kayaks and bikes for rental, a beachvolleyball court, a trampoline and a shop were you could by drinks and soda.
They have built a playground for the children, and you could really see a difference between this community and other small places we were driving past on our way from the city.
When we arrived we got splitted into pairs and groups. I got in the house to a pretty, young girl called Maria together with Charlotte from Denmark and Christoph from Germany. We had all become really good friends, so it was nice to share apartment with these two :)Nearly none of the local "hosts" could speak any english as their mother language is Spanish. Our host, Maria understood a bit, and as we didnt spoke Spanish we tried to learn Maria som English instead.
I remember we were driving in the small van from the community house to the houses we were gonna stay in, with all the lugage at the top of the car roof. We past by one nice house, and some people jumped out Another nice house and i really got surprised by how nice they all looked like. Then we stopped by a nice one on the right side and a really simple one on the left side. The house on the left side were not painted in any colours, just the grey, boring brick walls. Nothing outside, and not even a garden. I whispered to Christoph and said "i really dont hope this is our house". Then Charlotte pointed on a sign at the house saying "Maria Josè", and said; I think it is... Then Maria jumped out of the car and looked at us.... At that time, i was really glad we only were going to stay there for 2 nights!
The house was just what i was fearing, and even worse. The house consisted of one big room with an old fashion kitchen i think we need to go 100 years back in time to find - or just to Nicaragua. They had one table with 5 chairs including 2 rocking chairs. A bit surprising but they a tv and a stereo. Other than this - nothing at all the entire room. Just the grey, dreary, brick walls!
Charlotte and i got a bedroom together and Christoph one for himself. We had our own bed covered with a mosquito net, but of course not with aircondition, only a fan placed in the corner of the room.
The walls did not even touch the roof, but it was a whole of 40 centimeters from the top of the wall to the roof.
The first thing i saw when we entered the room was a huge cockroach on the wall, and i just knew i would'nt sleep very much the next two nights...
The same evening we arrived a lot of us went out to the beach. This was a beach that was going 1 km straight out from the land and into the lake. When you reached the end it looked like you were standing in the middle of the lake, far far away, and with both of the vulcanos as a great view!
The strange part was that on the one side of the beach the water was maybe 6-7c warmer than at the other side.
The beach and the sand was all black, as this is all because of the vulcanos when they both were actove long time ago.
After enjoying the view, a lot of photos and a short swim in the water, we got back to the base and watched the sunset which was really nice!
Back in the house we took a shower together with all the bugs and spiders and had dinner together with Maria and her husband. Her husband was away from home all day, working. He usually left home at 4am, and got back around 6pm. When he got back he basically just relaxed in the rocking chair and went to bed at 9pm. What a life!!!
The same night Christoph and i were both agree that to stay in the bed more than we had to was waste of time, as i knew i not was able to sleep very much. It was 30c outside, and with only a small fan on sharing, you need to consentrate to feel a bit wind.
We therefor sat down outside the house in the rocking chairs, just watched the stars, talking about life and rocked back and forth. It was so quite, and so different to all the other places we had been to so far. At 10 PM all the lights in the houses nearby was turned off, and the only light you could see was the one above us and the stars.
We got to know eachother really good that night as we sat talking for almost 3 hours, and i will always remember that feeling, the noices of the barking dogs and the ants passing by all the time.
A really good memory :)
The next day half of the group had decided to walk to the top of Conception Vulcano! They used 5 hours up, and 4 hours down again. I decided not to do that as i didnt felt i had proper shoes to fo the hiking, as well as i know my knees would have been in a really pain on my way down. Considering i still had 6 weeks left of my journey i decided to join the "lazy tour" as our guide called it.
The lazy tour was really lazy, and i regret a bit, but it was okay.
We went to a butterfly garden which was kind of cool. A lot of small and big butterflies! In the same park we also saw monkeys, snake and some other discusting bugs! The walking tour was soooooo slow, so i was in front all the time always ahead of the guide trying to increase the speed.
After the Butterfly farm we went to see some ruins, which was really boring, we had lunch by a vulcano beach and finally stopped by a natural pool for a swim.
The water was actually quite cold (maybe 23c), but with the constant heat is was sooo good to cool down the body and the head!
Really nothing more to say about the trip than to show some pictures :)
Back from the trip we just relaxed a bit before we all was going to meet up for dinner at the community center and a dance show.
In the meanwhile me and Christoph just stayed in the house with the daughter Alexandria.
She was the cutest girl ever, around 7 years old! She didnt understood any english at all, but you can always communicate with kids! You just use your fingers, your smile and your body, and you can literally speak together. She and Christoph really got along, and he was helping her coloring in her colourbook while they was sharing a package of M&M. She didnt liked the nuts outside so she was spitting out the shell and only ate the real chocolate! haha, so funny!
Christoph seemed so concentrated and to be honest, i think he enjoyed it :)
At the end of the day we were all invited to a dance show, with the locals as responsible. They were all so cute with handmade costumes, small girls, young ladies and older women. They were not really good, but they did their best, and they seemed to have a lot of fun. At least we did :)
The final song two dancers grabbed us one by one to join them dancing, and at the end the person we all thought was a girl who only danced with the guys took away the mask and showed his real face, and he was of course a guy!
we all got a real good laughter knowing some of the guys had been dancing really dirty with him!!! hahaha!
Unfortunately i dont have any good pictures from this session, only a movie.
The trip to Ometepe ended u being quite special. We got to meet the real locals, to see how they lived and to be a part of them having dinner and living with them.
I was totally right about the sleep. I think i slept 4-5 hours both of the nights, but that was okay. I had a really good time just sitting in the rocking chair instead.
Actually we had a bit funny moment. Right now it is more than 1,5 months since i was there, and i have not got time to write any blogpost from this place before now.
It is a bit ironic.. We were sitting in the rocking chairs, wathcing the stars, doing nothing and Christoph said; "I was hoping to write a small notice everyday on my trip, but i dont have time"... i just had to let the sentence sink and then i started to laugh!
We were literally doing NOTHING, but even though we didnt felt we had time to sit down with the laptop, writing about all the good experiences we have had the past days. Instead we wanted to enjoy the moment we would never get back, and do what i am doing now, sitting back home in Norway, writing about all the good things i did :)
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Ometepe - you made a huge impression!
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