La Isla de Ometepe, La Finca El Zopilote

One of many beautiful sunsets looking out at Volcan Concepcion

I have spent 12 days on the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. For the first 6 days (not including Sunday) I volunteered in the garden in exchange for a free lunch. The garden is entirely run by volunteers so it´s pretty small, very little direction and therefore very little to do. But when I was working I made a compost mixture, prepared beds, thinned and reorganized overgrown tomato plants, watered, sprayed neem oil, and made cob for a cob bench.

Looking down on the garden. On the right is a gray water filter system.

One day Paul and Travis, the other volunteers and Cristiano and Daniela the Italian owners and I all hiked up the volcano to the ´water project´. After hiking up for 2 hours we arrived at the water project where 20 workers were creating a 4km long water pipe. They set up a dam, and a water filter and will bring water down to the community from way up in the hills. It was incredible to see the things they carried up on their backs- cement, heavy pipes, tree limbs, etc. They were using tree limbs to hoist up the pipes. It was really incredible to watch (all the boys attempted to help but I stayed out of the way). I must say I felt a little out of place being the only woman where all these men were hard at work.

Men at work

After work I have enjoyed spending my time with all the other guests at the hostel. There is a great lookout (mirador) built at the top of the property with a great view for sunsets and star gazing. There´s also a nice beach to sunbathe and swim in the fresh water lake. Three times a week it´s pizza night! The Italians built a pizza oven and serve up amazing Italian style pizza. I have helped out 2 of the nights, serving pizza to guests (and therefore earning a free pizza!) On other days I have checked out the area surrounding the hostel. There are several other farms nearby that I have visited. Most days I make a trip down the hill to one of the little stands to buy tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, eggs and things... the food available is very limited on the island so I am reduced to eating beans a rice very very often.

Just another day at the beach

My friend Sarah, whom I met in Costa Rica met up with me at Zopilote on Saturday. On Sunday, Sarah, Paul, Lisa and I climbed the smaller of the two volcanoes on the island- Volcan Maderas. It took 8 hours round trip and it was grueling. Once we got to the top it was all worth it though. The view was incredible and the feeling of accomplishment grand. We were very lucky to find sunshine when we reached the top (normally there's a thick cloud cover); so we sunbathed by the lake before heading back.

Enjoying a bird's eye view

Sarah (Quebec), Lisa (Germany), Paul (Denver) and I by the lake in the crater of Volcano Maderas

After a day of recovery Sarah and I left Ometepe en route to the Pacific coast. I really enjoyed my time at Zopilote and will miss all the wonderful people I met there, but I'm glad to be near the ocean again. We took a little boat, called a lancha, from the island and the ride was terrible. It was so windy and the lake (more like an ocean) was incredibly rocky. I thought we were going to capsize many times. Sarah and I started out by sitting on the bow of the boat, but after a massive wave soaked us we moved inside downstairs. At one point we came across an abandoned fishing boat with no oars and no one inside. The crew decided to rescue the fishing boat so one guy jumped into the torrential lake and swam to the boat and tied a rope to it. Then as we began towing the tiny boat our boat really started to rock. That's when Sarah and I began strapping our passports and money on us, preparing to go overboard. We never did capsize, but it was all very exciting (and a bit terrifying).

Distressed passengers below deck

After the boat ride (which was preceded by a bus ride) Sarah and I opted to take a taxi the rest of the way. We arrived in San Juan del Sur safe and sound and exhausted. We watched the sunset then enjoyed some fish tacos and mojitos in our hostel's roof top bar. The plan for the week: beach!Sunset in San Juan del Sur