Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua: Volcano Climbing, fiestas and an 8-legged room-mate...

I leave Granada after 2 nights there and decide to head to the Isla de Ometepe, a beautiful volcanic island set in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. It´s a few bus rides and a boat trip to get there, but definitely worth it; the island is really stunning with 2 volcanoes, peaceful villages and loads of outdoor fun to be had. And since my Spanish skills have improved nada since i´ve been in Granada (funny that...), it´s a blessing when I meet another Charlotte, from Norway, who speaks the language perfectly.

So, like a little monkey on her back, I go with Charlotte to the very serene Merida, on the smaller of the 2 islands, and we check in to Monkey Island Hostel (called so because of the abundance of howler monkeys here. shocker, i know!). I decide to stay in the dorm room, and although there are 11 beds, I´m the only person staying there. So naturally, after about 20 minutes my backpack is practically empty and I have every item strewn around the room as though it´s home.

Decide to get an early night, as me and Charlotte are going kayaking in the morning, from the beach by the hostel, down to the river and back. We´ve been promised sightings of Caiman, monkeys and all sorts of exotic birds (whose names escape me), but sadly we barely see a housefly. And it´s a tough trip actually, because the wind was so strong, but completely worth the sore arms just for the sheer beauty alone. The river estuary is especially nice, and reminds me a lot of canoeing the backwaters in Kerala. By the time we get back, I´m knackered and spend the rest of the day lazing in a hammock, reading and listening to music. Tough life!

The following day, it´s an early start for me and Charlotte, as we decide to hike Volcan Madera, the smaller of the 2 volcanoes on the island (allegedly the tougher though...just sayin´...) It´s an early start (7am...kill me now) but we set off nonetheless. It´s an ok hike to begin with, but soon it gets pretty tough underfoot, as the ground becomes rocky and tangled with knots and roots. And about half way up, the cloud cover becomes dense, and it´s unlikely that we´ll actually see anything when we get to the top. So....we turn back. Hey, a 4 hour hike is better than nothing! And I do feel somewhat virtuous for having done it.

Back in my room, I am just about to go for a shower, when my finely-tuned arachna-sense tells me that something is afoot. And I´m right. When I lift up my towel I see the BIGGEST 8-legged monstrosity I´ve ever encountered in my life. I know I say that every time I see a spider, but this one is seriously colossal. Imagine the legs of Gisele, crossed with the body of Beth Ditto. Grotesque altogheter. I try not to freak out too much (I only move to the bed furthest away from it), but have already resigned myself to the fact that I will be insomniac until it is removed. By someone else. But typically, every time someone comes in to the room to help me eradicate it, the little fucker is hiding. So now, I just look crazy! Oh well...

Over the weekend in the village, we discover that a fiesta is taking place, in honour of St Valentine apparently (2 weeks too late maybe...?!). So we head down late afternoon to watch the bull rodeo - not as cruel as bullfighting (in that they only bait the animals, rahter than kill them), but still not really the most pleasant thing to watch. We head back to the hostel for dinner, and by the time we go back to the night-tome party at 9pm, what had begun as a ´civilised` bull rodeo has descended in to utter chaos. The locals are wasted; passed out, fighting with each other and fighting with their own shadows. I feel as though I´m back in Glasgow actually! But I guess Saturday night rituals are the same the world over....

By the time we enter the dance floor ( I use this term very loosely...), we are surrounded by pack of local men, all over 40 (at least!), sweating profusely, and talking utter shite. They really are suffocating us though, so me and Charlotte decide to call it a night before someone gets hurt. And by someone, I mean before I knock one of them out).

Back at the room, el spider is still there, taunting me, so I have a very broken sleep and wake every couple of hours just to make sure I can see where he is. As long as I can see him....
Luckily me and Charlotte have a relaxing day planned for tomorrow, at the Ojo de Agua, a natural and ancient source of volacnic water. Apparently, bathing in it takes 5 years off your life. So I think I need to bottle this and take it home and bathe in permanently! Álthough a little toursity, it´s a lovely pool to swim in, and we spend most of the day there relaxing on sun loungers and reading before we catch the bus back to the hostel (did I mention it´s a tough life...?!)

I´m leaving Ometepe the following day, bound for the student town of Leon, so as tempting as it is to go to the final night of the fiesta - apparently the best night - I need to sleep! It´s a 4.45 am start in the morning....Boak!