I didn't make it to Granada today - which was the original plan: to do Granada at 6:00 am like I did Antigua and make it to Meridia on Isla de Ometepe by sunset. And yet, it may just be a blessing in disguise.
I think somewhere between Guasaule and Chinandega, whilst talking to other passengers on the bus, I realized I wasn't going to make it. So I got my Lonely Planet out and started recalculating ETAs and making alternative plans. My main concern was if I'd taken two days to get there, I'd need two days to get back. And if I wanted to catch San Salvador's procession as part of its Festival de El Salvador celebrations on Thursday, that would mean spending just one night at Meridia before making my way back early the next morning.
In the middle of all this, I thought, 'This is ridiculous. I can't force myself to make Ometepe.' And it was only after putting away my Lonely Planet that I looked out of the window to see the unmistakable perfect cone of a volcano towering out from a range of mountains. I would later find out that Momotombo was the southernmost volcano of Condillera de los Maribios, a chain of ten or so volcanoes. That's when I decided to pass the night in Leon - the safer option than Managua.
***
Over dinner at a roadside food stall, I met these two girls who teach French on Ometepe. They told me that boats from Granada only ran on Mondays and Thursdays. I checked my trusty Lonely Planet and found that they were right and that I'd misunderstood what was written. Plan A would still have worked but it would've been slightly more tricky. Blessing #1.
Back at the hostel, I discovered that there was a communal area with hammocks and a balcony. There, I met this American bloke who had been to the island. He said that it probably wouldn't be worth the trip if I only had an evening to spare there. He said I'd probably enjoy it more here.
So here I am, on one of the hammocks just by the door looking out into the balcony and beyond and really, for the first time, relaxing
I think somewhere between Guasaule and Chinandega, whilst talking to other passengers on the bus, I realized I wasn't going to make it. So I got my Lonely Planet out and started recalculating ETAs and making alternative plans. My main concern was if I'd taken two days to get there, I'd need two days to get back. And if I wanted to catch San Salvador's procession as part of its Festival de El Salvador celebrations on Thursday, that would mean spending just one night at Meridia before making my way back early the next morning.
In the middle of all this, I thought, 'This is ridiculous. I can't force myself to make Ometepe.' And it was only after putting away my Lonely Planet that I looked out of the window to see the unmistakable perfect cone of a volcano towering out from a range of mountains. I would later find out that Momotombo was the southernmost volcano of Condillera de los Maribios, a chain of ten or so volcanoes. That's when I decided to pass the night in Leon - the safer option than Managua.
***
Over dinner at a roadside food stall, I met these two girls who teach French on Ometepe. They told me that boats from Granada only ran on Mondays and Thursdays. I checked my trusty Lonely Planet and found that they were right and that I'd misunderstood what was written. Plan A would still have worked but it would've been slightly more tricky. Blessing #1.
Back at the hostel, I discovered that there was a communal area with hammocks and a balcony. There, I met this American bloke who had been to the island. He said that it probably wouldn't be worth the trip if I only had an evening to spare there. He said I'd probably enjoy it more here.
So here I am, on one of the hammocks just by the door looking out into the balcony and beyond and really, for the first time, relaxing
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