Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

Ometepe

Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.  The name Ometepe means two mountains.  It is the largest island on the lake as well as the largest volcanic island inside a fresh water lake in the world.... and it´s beautiful!

Volcano Concepción at sunset.

Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America....this map will give you some perspective.  In June 2013, the Nicaraguan government granted a 50-year concession to a private Hong Kong company (the Chinese government is not involved) to build a canal across Nicaragua - it would utilize Lake Nicaragua.  The $40 billion proposal is undergoing further feasibility studies.

Just a horse... on the beach...

Our day on the bike

With a little negotiating, Philip got us a motorcycle for the day.  With the motorcycle we were able to explore then entire perimeter of the island as well as hike to the San Ramón Waterfall on the opposite side of the volcano Madreas, down a rather rocky unpaved road.

Our Mighty One for the day . . . a bit undersized

For a little perspective, you can barely see me at the bottom of the San Ramón waterfall.

The San Ramón Waterfall is about 50 meters high.

Charco Verde

For the second time on our trip, we rent slightly larger bikes and ride out a couple hours to the Charco Verde Reserve.

The Ecological Reserve of Charco Verde covers 20 hectares of tropical dry forest which is home to many animals Within the reserve is the mystical lagoon of Charco Verde with its emerald green waters. The lagoon owes its peculiar color to abundant algae. In earlier times the Indians used to make sacrifices and supplications to their gods here. 

View of the lagoon and the point from Charco Verde Reserve

The islanders tell many legends about the lagoon of Charco Verde and its surroundings. The most popular story is about the demonic figure of Chico Largo, who dwells at the bottom of the green pond. Chico Largo materializes on the lonely roads surrounding Hacienda Venecia. Not everybody is able to see him, but those who do are lured into making an evil pact. It is also said that on the bottom of the lagoon is a village called "El Encanto" which is populated by people who picked fruits and hunted in Charco Verde. For punishment they were turned into cows, pigs, crocodiles or turtles. Butchers in the area claim that they found calfs and cows who had gold teeth like humans.

...yes, gold teeth like humans...

In front of volcano Madreas is the island of Quiste.  Philip swam to the island from the beach Bancón on the Charco Verde Reserve.

Ojo de Agua (Eye of Water)

A shortish walk down the road from our hotel was Ojo de Agua.  The pools here are filled with thermal spring water from an underground well at the bottom of the upper pool.  The pools are almost 2 meters deep and the lower pool is nearly 40 meters long. The water is cool and refreshing as there is a continuous stream of water flowing from the upper pool to the lower pool and out the other side.  Further down the stream you can find many locals enjoying the fresh cool water, bathing and doing their laundry.

Granada, Nicaragua

Granada, another beautiful colonial city in Nicaragua

Central Park & the Cathedral

The Cathedral

View of the Cathedral from Iglesia La Merced

Iglesia La Merced & views from the bell tower

Las Isletas (Little Islands) of Granada

For the first time on our trip, we rented a couple (very small) bikes for a bike and boat tour of the Islands and Peninsula of Granada in Lake Nicaragua.  We road the bikes from the center of town out to the lake and the boat dock.  We then boarded the boat with our bikes for a tour of the islands.  After the boat tour we were dropped off on the very end of the peninsula to bike back to the city center.  The 365 islands were formed 10,000 years ago when Volcano Mombacho exploded. The neighborhoods on these islands were once among the poorest in Granada (some still are), however, gradually more homes are hotels are being built.

Flying the American and the Nicaraguan flags.

Monkey Island!

Leon, Nicaragua

Leon, Nicaragua

After enjoying five days on deserted beaches, we made our way to steamy Leon, a culturally rich city with a lot of Spanish colonial architecture and civil war history.

Churches of Leon

The Cathedral of Leon, also known as the Real e Insigne Basilica Catedral de León Nicaragua, is the largest in Central American. The Cathedral's construction lasted between 1747 and 1814. Seven tunnels start under the church and lead to the other churches in the city.

Iglesia de La Recoleccion

Iglesia de la Merced

Iglesia de El Calvario

Around town

The central park in front of the Cathedral

Philip wants one for erranding in the southside.

Raspado - street vendors push small wooden carts containing blocks of ice.  They hand-shave the block with a rasp and then top it with a sticky fruit syrups. Ours was tamarind flavored...YUM!

Garden in the Centro de Arte Fundación Ortiz Gurdián...it was the only thing they would let us take a picture of...

Rigoberto López Pérez, disguised as a waiter, entered the house above that was hosting the nomination party and fatally wounded the dictator Anastasio Somoza Garcia.

Anastasio Somoza Garcia was only thirty-four years old when the United States marines gave him command of the National Guard. As the head of the National Guard, Somoza was the one to order the execution of the revolutionary leader Augusto Sandino in 1934. “By 1936, Somoza's power has risen to heights sure of stability so he plotted to overthrow Juan Sacasa the elected president” After the overthrow of Juan Sacasa, Somoza and his family would rule for over forty years, creating the Somoza dynasty. Somoza enjoyed the support that the United States gave him, which in turn made a lot of Nicaraguan citizens unsettled as once again the U.S. had intervention in the Nicaraguan government. During his lifetime Somoza was only president for nineteen years, because of his many political enemies, Somoza had personal bodyguards with him wherever he went. “Nevertheless, on September 21, 1956, while attending a PLN party in León to celebrate his nomination for the presidency, Somoza Garcia was fatally wounded by Rigoberto López Pérez, a twenty-seven year old Nicaraguan poet who had managed to pass through Somoza García's security. The dictator was flown to the Panama Canal Zone, where he died eight days later. Rigoberto Lopez would later be seen as a national hero by the Sandinista government.