Ometepe Series #5, Favorite Scenes: Nica Nugget #39

In my voracious reading over the years, I’ve come upon literary scenes of women washing clothes in rivers and in lakes. But it was only now, at the age of 62, in Merida, Ometepe, Nicaragua, that I finally witnessed the scene with my own eyes. The settings in the books have always been so exotic- the jungles of Africa mostly. And thus, so too, seemed the act. But when I actually saw the women, in two different groups, over two days and at two different beaches around Merida, washing their clothes in the lake looked both normal and fun. A …

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Ometepe Series #4, Charco Verde: Nica Nugget #38

Probably our favorite place on Ometepe was Charco Verde (translated as Green Lagoon). What a great place, especially to see insects! It’s an ecological reserve located along the isthmus between the two volcanoes. On the day we were there we were the only visitors. Our visit began in the beautiful butterfly pavilion. It ended there too, because we just had to go back before leaving. Butterflies are super hard to photograph. They were flitting everywhere: the sudden flash of blue and then black and white, blue and then black and white. Lovely music is piped into the pavilion. There are …

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Ometepe Series #3, Isla Bonita, Where We Stayed: Nica Nugget #37

There are several choices of where to stay in Ometepe: hotels and hostels in town, Eco-farms in the jungle, simple cabanas, fancier hotels with restaurants along the beach of Santo Domingo, and accommodations with local Nicas at their homes. The friend, Jon, who was visiting us from his home in the Rocky Mountains wanted a beachfront location. We visited the lovely Hotel Paraiso in Santo Domingo and enjoyed a cup of coffee at their open-air restaurant overlooking the lake but chose to stay someplace simpler and less expensive. We found our lodging online, via AirBnB. It’s called Isla Bonita and …

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Ometepe Series #2, The Ferry Ride: Nica Nugget #36

We caught the 10:30 am ferry from San Jorge, about a 45-minute drive NE from our home in San Juan del Sur. I’d called and made reservations over the phone the day before and was told we’d be traveling on the Ometepe 3, one of their larger ferrys which took cars. I was told it was a big, three-story ferry with a bar and bathrooms. And also that it could carry nine cars. Those two separate bits of information didn’t match in my mind; surely a large three-story ferry could carry more than nine cars, right? But when I saw …

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Ometepe Series #1, My Two Ometepes & Two Types of Roads: Nica Nugget #35

My Two Ometepes Like Ometepe’s two volcanoes – the active, northern Volcan Concepcion and the dormant, southern Volcan Maderas – I hold two Ometepes in my mind. One Ometepe, is the mystical one, which came to me over the years from traveler’s and expat’s blogs and from our son who claimed: “Once you and Dad visit, you’ll sell your home in San Juan del Sur and move there.” The second Ometepe is the one I breathed and ate and saw with my very own eyes for the first time last weekend, when the visit from a friend spurred my husband …

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Macuas – Nicaragua’s National Drink: Nica Nugget #34

Have you ever had a Macuá? And did you know it was Nicaragua’s national drink? It’s my, and John’s, favorite drink and Buen Gusto, on the beach in San Juan del Sur, makes the very best one. We’ve had a friend visiting from the States, so two nights ago we took him to Buen Gusto for a Macuá. He talked about it all night, vowing he’ll learn to make one in the States. Then he insisted we go back again last night since he was leaving this morning. So we did. Last night it was Guillermo who was mixing drinks …

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Low-water Run of the Yampa River, Part 8: The Green River Ending

Dear Reader, The next morning we woke up, sad to leave Box Elder camp and even sadder to leave the Yampa River. In a few miles, the muddy-colored Yampa River would be flowing into the green-colored Green River and our solitude would be behind us. We’d made it through the Yampa’s shallows, only a day behind schedule. But we knew we could make up our time on the faster-moving Green. There was still Echo Park to visit and Jones Hole with its crystal clear stream. Whirlpool Canyon and the meandering braids of Island Park. And more fun whitewater right before …

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Low Water Run of the Yampa River, Part 7: Running Warm Springs Rapid

Dear Reader, Warm Springs is the biggest rapid on the river; a jumble of house-sized rocks that’d tumbled down off the rock walls, leaving fresh scars up above. At high water, the Class 4 rapid is scary with big holes and waves. The river races and crashes and turns back on itself as it gets constricted between the huge boulders. But at low water, the danger is different: It’s getting pinned on a rock without enough water to wash you and your boat over it. Arriving at Warm Springs On Day 4 we arrived at Warm Springs Rapid. We’d been …

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Low-water Run of the Yampa River, Part 6: The Art of River Camping

Dear Reader, Having the river all to ourselves was something to be cherished. And having such a slow float was a different type of treat. Crabby at Camp But by the time we got off the river, we were sun baked and tired. And we had chores still to do: boats to unload, gear to carry, kitchen and bathroom to set up, tents to erect, sleeping pads to inflate and dry clothes to change into. Tepee Camp was our first night. It’s a steep climb up from the shore. John and I were already cranky after a truck-breakdown night of …

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Miracles: Nica Nugget #33

I sit on my hammock.Not in the usual way.I’m not lying in it, but rather I’m sitting in it with my feet on the ground and rocking back and forth. I hear the waves breaking. But I cannot see them.I hear the pling of stray rain drops on our metal roof.And a motorcycle on the Chocolata.A flock of parakeets squawks past.A gecko makes its cricket noise. I see green. A jungle of green.And I see empty white houses, their owners elsewhere, waiting for tourists to fill them.I see the Christ Statue on top of the headland, his arm outstretched in …

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