Ometepe is a big tourist attraction in the middle of Lake Nicaragua that is home to two volcanoes, Volcano Concepcion, which is still active, and Volcano Maderas, which is no longer active. The last volcanic activity on the island occurred in March 2010 when Concepcion spit out a huge ash cloud. Since then, there hasn't been much activity besides the usual smoke cloud that forms above the volcano and blends in with the clouds. Among hiking these volcanoes, there are many other activities to choose from including biking around the island, horseback riding, visiting Ojo de Agua to be rejuvenated by its natural springs, or simply relaxing on the beach outside your hotel.
View of Ometepe from the ferry we took from Rivas to Moyogalpa.
Riding on the ferry was one of the most peaceful boat rides I have experienced. All of us students boarded and went up to share the roof of the ferry with the captain. A slight breeze blew across the lake that kept us cool but didn't blow us overboard. From up there the view was beautiful! I tried to capture a picture of all the different currents flowing through the water but to no avail. Apparently Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake in Central America that is home to freshwater sharks! Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to snap pictures of one of those either.
I took over driving for a bit to give the captain a break because he looked kind of tired.
Upon landing on the island, we were swarmed with taxi drivers and bus drivers all wanting us to pay them to take us around the island. It was like feeding frenzy of a group of paparazzi all swarming us tourists as we got off the ferry, except they all wanted our money, not pictures. After selecting a driver, we eventually arrived at our relaxing hotel room on the east side of the island. Being eight of us, we needed two rooms. Originally the woman showing us the rooms priced them at $85 a piece. No way were we going to pay that!!! But, after some bartering, we eventually dropped the price to $50 each room for two nights. Split between eight people, each person only had to pay $25 total! Not bad bartering for a little blond girl talkin' Spanish; I'll have to explore how well that works in the states. ;-)
The view from the beach outside our hotel.
One of the funnest adventures we had while on the island was kayaking down a river connected to Lake Nicaragua. The green plants combined with the exotic birds of whites, browns, pinks and yellows made for a peaceful morning of rowing and encountering various animals along the bank. The most entertaining part was actually all the picture taking that everyone was doing and the fun some of us had splashing each other while trying not to drown our cameras (mine specifically) in water. After many weeks of classes and adjusting to a different culture, everyone was in need of a good get-away. That kayaking trip along with the rest of the island adventures provided us with lots of fun and relaxation.
The water that day was as smooth as glass and the sun stayed behind the clouds for a while, perfect weather for a relaxing trip in the kayak.
Witnessing God's great glory through the sunrises and sunsets I saw over Lake Nicaragua and the volcanoes was breathtaking. The fact that God created all that beauty himself without help, without lifting a finger is unimaginable. "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse," Romans 1:20. There is no logic in saying that this beauty simply appeared one day after one big explosion of particles. This world is not a ball of randomly scattered atoms; there is order and there is control. And, only God can claim that power!
No comments:
Post a Comment