Thursday, September 11, 2014

Keep Calm and Ferry On


Rivas beach and Concepcion Volcano in the background

I didn't expect to take my favorite photo in Nicaragua after they lost our Ferry reservation to the island of Ometepe.  But I did.  We don't speak Spanish.  And when we arrived in Rivas to take the Ferry we experienced our first trip hiccup.  What would that mean?  Sleeping in our car?  Bribing a ferry worker?  Well, luckily it only meant waiting, drinking a Tona and walking on the beach by the Ferry station.  We made it on the next boat.  But things can get pretty confusing pretty darn fast when you don't know when, why or how things go wrong. 


Our vehicle.  I remember wondering if we would get on when I took this photo.  It seemed like such a crap shoot.  When we got on they had Spanish soap operas on the T.V.  And the locals all bought homemade snacks that ladies brought on in big baskets.


The good news.  We arrived on Ometepe at sunset.  The bad news.   We had to drive to our lodge on the other side of the island in the dark.  And if you have ever driven in Central America you know it is not recommended to drive after dark.  The funny thing is that it is not necessarily because of crime.  Every person, cow and dog like to hang out in the road.  It's dangerous! 


Well, I've already posted some of the things that we did on the island. Hit my labels at the bottom to check out some other Ometepe island adventures. 

This post is all about the coming and going.   Now we are trying to figure out the return trip.  Dean is talking with some other gringos.  Hmmm.  Hopefully if we work together we'll get on.


I took this photo of a kiskadee standing tough in the concrete jungle while waiting.  And waiting.


Here it comes.  Do you know that Nicaragua has 19 Volcanoes?  And I just saw on the news that they were hit by a meteorite!  Good grief.  When it rains it pours.  Anyway, we were staying on an island with two of them.  And there's another one peeking out in the right hand corner.  I think it might be Mombachu.  


Ometepe is slowly fading away. The rear view of an amazing adventure is always bittersweet.  You can see both volcanoes in this photo.  Concepcion is on the left.  The cone peaks at 5,280 feet.  Which makes it the world's highest lake island.  And Maderas volcano is on the right. 

It was a beautiful place.


And if you haven't already, please click here to see my illustrated map of Ometepe!  It's published over at the cool travel website TheyDrawAndTravel.

The end! 



38 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Wow! ANd I thought we were having an adventurous summer (but at least we speak 'Alaskan" and 'Canadian"

What a gorgeous place OMETEPE is and how wonderful that you got to experience it (and how I hope you get/got home all in one piece). Thanks for sharing.

eileeninmd said...

What an adventure! Love the kiskadee. Great photos! Thank you for sharing your post and linking up!

Susan said...

I love the first photo, just wow! And the sunset is gorgeous too!

DJan said...

You never do things like other people, but everything happens to you because you know how to translate it into art! Yep, you do. :-)

Pat Tillett said...

Really nice photos Sharon! That is a lot of volcanoes for such a small area. The old ferry boat looks pretty cool.
I'm off to check out the link you posted.

Pat Tillett said...

I just looked at your map illustration. It is really good and fun also. You did go to the petroglyphs, yes?

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

I love that first picture! Beautiful shots and story.

theartofpuro said...

What an adventure! Happy you had fun anyway :) Love the photos :)

Linda Hensley said...

Beautiful, beautiful! Sometimes the wait is the experience, right?

eileeninmd said...

Hi, just stopping back to say thank you for linking up to my critter party.. Enjoy your week!

TexWisGirl said...

i would be a bit unnerved to miss a ferry in a foreign country and not speak the language. :) love the old boat and the sunset photo!

carol l mckenna said...

Love the first photo ~ so creative ~ and the bird photo for critters is awesome too!

Good luck/bad luck all the same ~ Look at all the beautiful photos you got because you had to wait! Universe knew what you needed!

artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

carol l mckenna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amy Burzese said...

I see two favorite photo candidates -- the boat is great and that sunset with the railing is awesome.

Rose said...

I LOVE that first shot. sounds like you might have had some adventures!

A Colorful World said...

The first photo and the sunset photo are exquisite! What a confusing, and somewhat worrisome leg of your trip, since you couldn't speak the language. Glad all we t well after all. Love the bird! What an amazing experience it must have all been!

Creations By Mit said...

Wonderful photos as always, but that top one - wow!!

Latane Barton said...

What an exciting adventure you are on. I know nothing about Central America so this was informative to me and the pictures were great.

EG CameraGirl said...

I had no idea Nicaragua had any volcanoes at all, let alone 19 of them. I really like the sunset shot and also the one of the upside-down boat. It does look like a beautiful place.

LV said...

I feel very uncomfortable being where I do not understand the language. Glad you made it okay.

Roan said...

I'm glad you made it safely. I can't imagine driving there in the daylight. That boat certainly does fit the bill for rubbish. Love it! Honestly, I think it is my favorite picter of the year!

sunshine said...

driving at night in such countries is really dangerous; a thing I don't like to do. Beautiful photos.

Tanya Breese said...

ohhh these are wonderful, i really love the shot with the boat railing!

Hootin Anni said...

I remember the same thing in Chile...'don't drive at night'...but it's because of the narrow, muddy roads and sheer drop offs!!

You have made some great memories tho!!

And, LOVE the kiskadee. We have them in our city...all over. Love listening to them sing.

Rohrerbot said...

I remember that ride! Oooooo it can be a humid one with lots of wait time! Wonderful photos. Nicaragua is one gorgeous country!

Adam Jones said...

Great post and such a colourful looking bird.

Hilary said...

Wow.. what an adventure. I love the first and third photos. I imagine that it was one of those you liked best.

Ida said...

Great shot of the blue boat, the deck railing and the Volcano. I really enjoyed your post.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

oh, what fun. i love a good ferry ride. always a fan. ( :

love the sun shot. neat!!

betty-NZ said...

I can't imagine visiting a place that I don't understand the language, but that's me. Your photos are amazing. Living with volcanoes makes life interesting!

Breathtaking said...

Hello!:) Love your first and third shots, they are so artistic.
The pretty yellow bird was a good find also.
Regards from Portugal.

Anonymous said...

Love the contrast between that bright yellow bird and the stark gray concrete.
Ometepe looks beautiful.

Stewart M said...

Great looking birds - glad your booking hassle was not too bad! Always pays to have a cool drink under these circumstances!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Unknown said...

They yellow bird is so cute.

doodles n daydreams said...

It's always sad looking back at the end of a holiday, but it sounds like you have made good memories.

Diana

theartofpuro said...

Thanks for the comment:) Andrea drew it :)

Traudi Gartendrossel said...

wonderful Photos, the bird is so sweet

Greetings from Germany
Traudi

Maggid said...

This is one of those moments i think I'm super wealthy - (thank you) - i can't decide what would be my favorite - your illustrated map . . AWESOME FUN!!! . . your photos . . SO Unique, Excellent and Inviting . . your Story . . . (oh your stories , , can you feel my smile?) - OR, the time you took to accomplish all of this and still share with us . . I found treasure all over, in and through this post . . WOW!!! thanks - AGAIN . . -g-