Ferry ride to Ometeppe Island

January 23. We caught the ferry to the island of Ometepe which is half way between Granada and our destination, the Rio San Juan river. I arranged for someone to meet us at the ferry port (that's pretty generous as all I could see is a tin roof shack and a couple of beat up vans). One of those vans was ours. We had read that it would take about an hour to go 10 km. I thought how is that possible? Well it is! So image arriving, in the dark, in a place you have never been. As far as I could see there was no road, just a path through the trees where the trees had been removed. The holes in the "road" were as big as the van. I'm not sure why they only had 12 inch tires on the van, but it probably contributed to the missing shocks, springs and fenders on the van. After 10 minutes of dodging pot holes and other vehicles, there was a speed bump!!! Don't ask. We eventually got to a better road, with more speed bumps and lots of people on bikes. Now remember, it's dark, the people are dark, the cloths they wear are dark, and they have no lights in front or back of their bikes. The on coming vehicles all seemed to only have one headlight which they left on high beam to compensate. Now the bicycle people vanished. I started thinking about the poor lady we ran over in Cuba and braced myself for the "thud". Fortunately it never happened. Then there was a new van with flashing blue, red, and green lights that passed us. I thought at first it was some sort of ambulance, but no, just a happy van. We got to our casa, had a great supper and went to bed. There was an abundance of ants scurrying across the floor. Except for Catherine's bed they stayed down on the floor all night and didn't bother me. You know you are traveling with a seasoned traveler when she took it all in stride, crawled into her sleeping bag, put in ear plugs so they wouldn't crawl in, tucked her head inside and went to sleep. We were in a dorm the first night ($8/person) before there was room in the inn.

We moved to a room in the Inn today. Nice room. Although I got a real surprise when I lifted the toilet seat and a little frog leaped out at me. I'm not sure who was most startled but I know I'm sure glad I have a good heart. Or at least I did! Turns out the we're small frogs in the shower as well. After a while you don't really notice them. These were dull colored frogs. It's the brightly colored ones that are poisonous. We hope to see those in the jungle over the next week.

One of the attractions on the Island is a natural spring which runs close to one of the two volcanoes which are the well known landmarks. We spent part of the afternoon at the these natural springs which were the perfect temp for swimming. The only hazard was a parrot having lunch in a tree overhanging the pool.

January 26. We took the night ferry from Ometepe to San Carlos, at the head of the Rio San Juan River. The ferry only goes twice a week, but a great trip, even though we got about two hours sleep. The trick was to get on before the crowd so you could rent one on the chairs for $1. We sent John on that mission. He was successful. The best spot was on the upper deck which is open on the sides and back. If you don't get a chair, you have to either sit on the steel floor, or go inside with the crowd and share a bench with a half dozen other travelers. Oh yes, the entertainment was a 1950's B movie of cowboys and Indians dubbed in English. We waited for a half hour while they hand loaded the cargo deck with bananas. After the workers finished loading, they brought on bundles of banana leaves for beds. A family, with a little girl, and some of the workers bedded down for the night. John and I enjoyed a cigar while watching the activities.