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Here in Nicaragua, we recently visited the largest island within a fresh water lake! Isla de Ometepe is an island within Lake Nicaragua (or Cocibolca). This island is really quite remarkable because it has basically been formed by two volcanoes that protrude from the lake. Volcan de Concepcion and the slightly smaller Volcan de Maderas form two sides of the island that is only connecting by a small piece of land. Originally they were two separate islands before one volcano erupted and joined them together. It is possible to hike up both volcanoes, but after our last summit in El Salvador we weren't feeling too eager to climb another. Instead we opted for the best beach on the island.
Playa Santo Domingo is on the strip of land between the two volcanoes and offers a long 4 kilometer stretch of gray sand. During our walks along the beach we hardly saw a soul! It was a pretty relaxing time since we stayed in a little guest house outside of the "town". Each night offered great breezes off the lake as we lounged in hammocks reading and listening to the thunderstorms and insects chirping.
One day we ventured to a little swimming hole (3.5 kilometer walk) just outside of the town. This little place is called El Ojo del Agua, where we swam in the cool water collected from a flowing stream. We had to tromp through an orchard of plantain trees to get to the swimming spot, but it was worth it. After the long walk we really appreciated the refreshing swim. This impressive island really offers a lot of opportunity for relaxation and we took advantage of it!
After some relaxation and mall visits in Suchitoto and San Salvador, respectively, we went on the hunt for adventure, heading north to Santa Ana with the hopes of using that as a jumping off point to Cerro Verde Park where we would climb one of the three volcanoes. We had to make sure to leave early because the hikes last around 4 hours and we needed to be able to catch the last bus back to Santa Ana at 3:00pm. Arriving at the bus station at 8:05am to catch the 8:30 bus we were told that the bus now left at 8am and we just missed it. Extremely upset we asked it there was any other way to get there. The friendly ticket salesman (everyone in El Salvador seemed VERY friendly and helpful) told us that we could take a different bus at 8:30 that would somehow catch up to the first bus, that would take us all the way to the park entrance. A tad nervous, but not wanting to miss our chance to see the park, we went for it and sure enough, met up with the first bus after about a half hour. Once there, we had hoped to climb one volcano that we had read about in our guide book that offered a beautiful view of the nearby lake, however once arriving we talked with the guides who told us that it had unexpectedly erupted a few years back and that no one was allowed to climb it anymore. With some time to spare before the climb began, we walked around an orchid display and breathed in some fresh mountain air. Come 11am, we began the hike to climb the newest volcano, essentially a cone of loose cinder rock. 
The climb consisted of about a half hour of stairs down, the a scramble up the cinder cone that took about an hour in the thin air. Once to the top the view was nice, even allowing for a view of the Pacific Ocean, many miles away, before the clouds rolled in from the north. Around the rim of the crater we walked around and explored some of the steam vents at the top that were a nice relief from the biting wind. The way down was a different story... A few hundred meters from the way we came up was a very loose cinder slide, covered with scree (sandy like cinders). The fastest way down was to simply run and slide, letting the loose rock arrest one's fall. Perhaps the highlight of the trip was watching the group of Mennonite women who accompanied us to the top, do this in their nice dresses. We all had a good laugh watching everyone make their way down, some more graceful than others. Once off the cone, all that remained was the massive staircase that while taking only 30 minutes to descend, presented much more of an obstacle on the way back up. 
We treated our then tired bodies to some papusas from a woman at a small eatery at top and some Gatorade. Toby also befriended a little fox that gladly accepted a few of his peanuts and nipped him just the slightest bit on the finger.Despite the effort needed to pull ourselves back up the hill to the top and the subsequent days of sore legs, the trip was fun, beautiful, and helped us to justify having a latte or two after the physical exertion.
Here in Nicaragua, we recently visited the largest island within a fresh water lake! Isla de Ometepe is an island within Lake Nicaragua (or Cocibolca). This island is really quite remarkable because it has basically been formed by two volcanoes that protrude from the lake. Volcan de Concepcion and the slightly smaller Volcan de Maderas form two sides of the island that is only connecting by a small piece of land. Originally they were two separate islands before one volcano erupted and joined them together. It is possible to hike up both volcanoes, but after our last summit in El Salvador we weren't feeling too eager to climb another. Instead we opted for the best beach on the island. 
One day we ventured to a little swimming hole (3.5 kilometer walk) just outside of the town. This little place is called El Ojo del Agua, where we swam in the cool water collected from a flowing stream. We had to tromp through an orchard of plantain trees to get to the swimming spot, but it was worth it. After the long walk we really appreciated the refreshing swim. This impressive island really offers a lot of opportunity for relaxation and we took advantage of it!
