Ojo de Agua

Today was completely exhausting. We took a whole day tour of Ometepe Island, kayaking for three hours on Lake Nicaragua and then driving to the natural pools called Ojo de Agua. The kayaking was frustrating at first. Something wrong with my paddle and my steering kept causing me to turn the opposite way in which I desired, though I eventually fixed the problem and ended up catching up to everyone else. Surprisingly, my arms didn't fall off, but I did end up pretty sore the next day.

The lake is big enough that I constantly forget it's not an ocean. On each side I was flanked by one of Ometepe's volcanoes, which were both partially obscured by fluffy white clouds around their craters. Although we didn't have great weather, I almost didn't mind because the lake was absolutely gorgeous in the rain. At first, it started to drizzle a little, a few drops here and there. Then it began thundering - an awesome sound, coming from no where as you float, minuscule, on the nearly flat surface of the lake. And after that, it began POURING while I kayaked, carving out chunks of water rhythmically. The experience was a cross between a Notebook-Castaways moment, if you know what I mean. I'm not sure I do anyways. 

A beautiful sunset on the shores of Lake Nicaragua

After crossing a small part of the lake, we ended up in a small river that reminded me a lot of the Everglades. At points, the water was so shallow that my paddle would hit the soft mud with every stroke and I'd flick myself with dirty water. The dirt was incredibly soft and fine, perhaps due to a lot of decomposing vegetation. Every few meters there were beautiful white herons and different types of birds that regarded us calmly with black, beady eyes. Once, instead of birds, we found silently staring locals who were fishing. We had some problems with navigating the narrow and shallow river, often ramming one another or getting tangled in water cabbages that cover the surface of the river in all directions. Unfortunately, the water cabbages also prevented us from going further down the river because the recent rains had caused them to proliferate them so much that we couldn't get through. 

Volcano Maderas.

The view from my kayak

We ate lunch at Santo Domingo, the only beach with white sand on the island. The rest have black sand due to the volcanic sediment from the two volcanoes. There are a few restaurants along the road, and we picked a small one to get faster service and cheaper food. I got "breaded chicken," but I got a huge chunk of charred, fried chicken that was suspiciously tender until I realized that it was almost completely raw in the middle. Perhaps that's why I felt a little under the weather the next day. 

Next, we drove to Ojo de Agua, which did not meet expectations. Of course, it was beautiful and very calm. Surprisingly, there were only thirty or so people lounging around what is supposed to be the most popular tourist spot on Ometepe. The pools were completely, crystalline clear, but the floor was comprised of dirt. This is nightmarish for someone (aka me) who is physically repulsed by feet covered in dirt. I had to kept my flip flops on the entire time and tip toe around the pool. The water was freezing and full of little minnows, which was a lovely touch. However, the floor, full of sand, looked unappetizing for someone with a phobia of getting your feet dirty. Furthermore, there were a ton of sand-filled trashbags on the floor...or at least I think they were filled with sand. 

When I got back, I showered (a bucket-bath, once again) and discovered the pulperia next door sold ice cream that contained an odd fruit that was like a cross between an apple, pear and cherry. To top off the night, I straightened Dayanara's hair after she told me that she wanted to be a stylist and wanted straight hair. Like Suge, Dayanara kept touching my hair over and over. Goodnight! We'll be leaving tomorrow for San Juan del Sur..