It's 7:00 on Saturday as I sit down to update. I've got my favorite coffee in Milwaukee ready to give me a jump start on this Saturday evening. If you live in the area make sure you check out Stone Creek Coffee. The coffee is great, the atmosphere of the shops is even better and the friendliness and attitude of the workers is top notch. Sip, ahhhh.
Back to Nicaragua...
While on Ometepe 2 significant events occurred that changed the course of our trip from a solo tourist expedition to a trip of deeper cultural understanding and meaning.
First, while visiting laguna de ojo I met and began chatting to two Americans who also happened to be there. They had offered to take a picture of Ann and I together. It turns out Sara and Melissa were from Chicago. They had traveled up from Panama to return to Granada, where they had both lived and worked for a period of time. Over the next few days we would quickly become friends and in turn meet some of their friends native to Nicaragua.
The second event is thanks to my wife’s Spanish abilities. We had arranged for transportation from our hotel on Ometepe to take us back to the ferry stop about 45 minutes away. Two middle age couples joined us on that trip. My wife struck up a conversation with one of the women, she was probably about 50. That woman asked how we were going to get from the ferry back to Granada. My wife explained that we would take the same route that we had on the way down. We would catch a van from the ferry stop to the city of Rivas, from there we would catch the collectivo bus (yellow school bus, think Romancing the Stone) from Rivas to the Granada bus station (not really a station more like a dirt pen inside of some fences) and then finally a taxi from the station to our hotel. While this trip had seemed like an adventure on the way to Ometepe, the novelty of that adventure had worn off for the trip back. Immediately this woman whom we had just met offered to drive Ann and I (with our luggage) back to Granada. This was an incredibly generous offer. We ended up spending the better part of the morning with this foursome. The two women, native Nicaraguans were best friends in college and each had significant roles in the war in the 80’s. One of them remains living in Managua with her husband a French expat. During the war she was a key liaison between media correspondents and troops. The other woman, now lives with her husband, a native Mexican, in Los Angeles. There she is a tenured professor at Loyola Marymount University. Her department is the masters degree program in educational administration with a specialty in educational anthropology. She and Ann really got to talking. During the war, this woman fought for the cause of human rights for both sides. Both of these women had some incredible experiences during the war only a few of which they were willing to share openly. We did learn that they had both seen heavy fighting, had both risked their lives and also had seen mass graves. I told them they should really write a book together or even go on a speaking circuit. They were amazingly interesting.
Their husbands were equally as friendly. Talking about Nicaragua, Mexico, France and the United States. These people were incredibly caring and friendly to offer us a ride. Little did we know that the benefit to us would be less in the ride and more so in the chance just to meet and converse with such amazing people.
First, while visiting laguna de ojo I met and began chatting to two Americans who also happened to be there. They had offered to take a picture of Ann and I together. It turns out Sara and Melissa were from Chicago. They had traveled up from Panama to return to Granada, where they had both lived and worked for a period of time. Over the next few days we would quickly become friends and in turn meet some of their friends native to Nicaragua.
The second event is thanks to my wife’s Spanish abilities. We had arranged for transportation from our hotel on Ometepe to take us back to the ferry stop about 45 minutes away. Two middle age couples joined us on that trip. My wife struck up a conversation with one of the women, she was probably about 50. That woman asked how we were going to get from the ferry back to Granada. My wife explained that we would take the same route that we had on the way down. We would catch a van from the ferry stop to the city of Rivas, from there we would catch the collectivo bus (yellow school bus, think Romancing the Stone) from Rivas to the Granada bus station (not really a station more like a dirt pen inside of some fences) and then finally a taxi from the station to our hotel. While this trip had seemed like an adventure on the way to Ometepe, the novelty of that adventure had worn off for the trip back. Immediately this woman whom we had just met offered to drive Ann and I (with our luggage) back to Granada. This was an incredibly generous offer. We ended up spending the better part of the morning with this foursome. The two women, native Nicaraguans were best friends in college and each had significant roles in the war in the 80’s. One of them remains living in Managua with her husband a French expat. During the war she was a key liaison between media correspondents and troops. The other woman, now lives with her husband, a native Mexican, in Los Angeles. There she is a tenured professor at Loyola Marymount University. Her department is the masters degree program in educational administration with a specialty in educational anthropology. She and Ann really got to talking. During the war, this woman fought for the cause of human rights for both sides. Both of these women had some incredible experiences during the war only a few of which they were willing to share openly. We did learn that they had both seen heavy fighting, had both risked their lives and also had seen mass graves. I told them they should really write a book together or even go on a speaking circuit. They were amazingly interesting.
Their husbands were equally as friendly. Talking about Nicaragua, Mexico, France and the United States. These people were incredibly caring and friendly to offer us a ride. Little did we know that the benefit to us would be less in the ride and more so in the chance just to meet and converse with such amazing people.
A village
Concepcion Volcano on Ometepe Island
The next 3 pictures are in and around Masaya Volcano near dusk. This volcano you look down into, as opposed to having a cone you look up at. The local legend has it that you are looking down into Hell.
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