Brian and I woke up early, packed our stuff for the very long day ahead of us and managed to beat Andrew and Mary up to breakfast (I recall they carried a bottle of wine back to their room last night, perhaps that's why??). Roslyn was there and asked how I was feeling today and seemed very relieved that I was better. We talked for a little while (we discovered that her and Jonathan have a 2 year old little girl) and she insisted we do the waterfall first and then go kayaking -which was the reverse of our original and carefully laid out plan by Brian- as the birds are most active around 3pm. Mary hurt her foot yesterday on the hike during the coffee plantation tour so we weren't sure she was up to more hiking...I was happy to defer to Brian as far as handling the making of plans as well as changing the plans :) Roslyn also said the path 'ala cascada' was "well worn" and she assured us it was "well marked" and we wouldn't need a guide...
We ordered the typical Nicaraguan breakfast today...jeuvos, platanos, arroz con frijoles, jugo de naranja y starfruit (fruta de estrella?)...aren't they just so beautiful? Doesn't a fresh slice of starfruit with breakfast scream vacation? I want one of these Every morning!
We said our goodbyes to Janet and Peter- they were off to San Juan del Sur...and piled into Andrew's Toyota Hilux. Roslyn warned us that the roads on the other side of the island are even worse than those around here...was this really possible? I wondered. Again, the tortuous descent ensued. I felt the familiar, unavoidable, snap-back of the seat belt constantly...the roads went from being semi-paved at Totoco, to dirt with rocks, to sand, back to dirt with rocks, and more and more and bigger and bigger rocks...it took us over an hour to reach the other side...we passed huge trucks piled high with bananas (attended by children) and saw farmers cutting down their own -bright green and unripe- bananas out front of their house...getting them ready for pickup (guess they are embarking on their long journey to US supermarkets). Cattle were herded across the path here and there, stray lactating dogs, thin horses, men on their way to work, children clad in white oxford shirts and navy pants/skirts headed for school...we passed an "escuela" and "la cruza roja" -the Red Cross. Plantain farms as far as the eye could see and where the ended the lake seemed to begin...stretching out as far as the eye could see...and looking beautifully clear and surprisingly calm considering the winds. The sky was bright blue and the sun was beating down. The wind whipped against my face along with dirt and occasional bits of gravel so I kept my sunglasses on for most of the ride...
A young boy held his thumb out and Andrew excitedly held his own thumb back out to him...not realizing the kid was trying to hitch a ride and perhaps throw his broken mountain bike in the pickup :( Most people waved to us or said "hola", "buena" or "buenas dias" as we passed...most seemed friendly despite the fact that we were barreling through these rural roads in an enormous pickup without any cargo while women carried cargo on their heads and boys guided horses with cargo on their backs...some little boys -when their elders weren't looking- stuck their tongues out at us or pretended to shoot us with imaginary machine guns..."they're just little kids" said Mary, but I couldn't help but think they must have learned that from somewhere...and I also couldn't blame them. I wondered what they really thought of us...?
We stopped here and there to snap some photos of the "miradors"...getting quite a different perspective from this side of the island...and finally arrived at our first destination: the well manicured biological center and hydroelectric generator site. We paid the fees to enter and began the smooth ascent up the first 1 km...passing lemon and -very ripe- avocado trees along the way.
The path, to Roslyn's defense, did appear to start out well-worn. But then got really narrow and overgrown, and she failed to mention the light rock climbing that ensued. It was also fairly steep, which I guess we should have expected en route to a waterfall. I led the way as I felt beads of sweat trickle down my bag despite my fancy ventilation backpack. We stopped to see marching ants carrying tiny pieces of leaves across the forest floor, stopped to have a few sips of water, stopped just cause. Some gravel was loose and slippery (my running shoes were proving to not be as supportive as I had hoped)...geckos quickly shuffled about sometimes letting us spot them just before camouflaging themselves into the leaves...(and no, they did not try to sell us any car insurance)...parts of the path seemed to be supported by a complex weave of barbed wire and pipes carrying water downhill sporadically appeared...we didn't see one other person along the way and joked that at the end of the line we'd come upon a McDonald's and a Starbucks...but thankfully we didn't...after a few false-alarms we finally rounded the last bend and there it was...the San Ramon waterfall (cascada) in all it's wonder...definitely worth the hike.
A few European tourists were there (with a local guide) and I quickly kicked off my shoes and peeled off my socks to step in the refreshing water...the spray felt so good against my sunblock sealed skin (thanks Roslyn!)...I was so inspired I even attempted a few yoga poses :)
We felt pressed for time- as we had to be at the kayaking place at precisely 2:15 for our pre-scheduled English speaking guide- so we headed back down...fortunately Brian was paying closer attention to the path than I was (we might still be there otherwise)...the road back down definitely was faster than the hike going up but required a little more mental focus. Brian and Andrew bantered about day trips out of Philadelphia (they're also from NYC) and we talked about meeting up once we were back in the states...we were relieved to see the car still there. A man was watering the avocado trees nearby...
We wondered if we had time for lunch at Hotel de Omaja (where Roslyn recommended) and decided while we might be 20 mins late, maybe we could be on "Nicaraguan time" as well? We decided to risk it and it was great to wash my hands with real soap and water and I even treated myself to an ice cold 7up...yum. Despite asking the waitress in our broken Spanish which meals were the fastest, we still opted for the typical Nicaraguan dishes that she warned might take longer...when I went up to pay the bill and older American man- possibly in his 70s -asked where we were from and we started conversing. Turns out, he's from Omaha Nebraska (hence the name of the hotel) and he's here visiting his son who owns the hotel along with his Nicaraguan wife.
We drove another 10 mins or so down the road to the "road that doesn't really look like a road but is a road" and made it to the kayak place: Cabellita del Mar...we slathered on sunblock, put our valuables in plastic bags and hoped the rest of our stuff would be safe in the car. The place was settled under a thatched roof with hammocks, picnic tables and plastic lawn chairs (where do they get these things anyway??), and attached to a concrete house on the beach, presumably the owner's home. A couple shared a plate of freshly caught fish with their toddler who was dressed as if she were attending a wedding right here on this volcanic beach...Calm waves lapped over the black sand and the kayaks bobbed about behind the boat that would carry us to the mouth of the "river"...which is technically not really a river, but we'll go with it anyway.
The four of us (with some assistance) climbed aboard along with Nolan (his name is up for debate) and another teenager who would be driving the boat...when we arrived at the "river" we gently climbed into our double kayaks and followed Nolan through the wetlands...beautiful orange flowers and their tiny leaves were actively falling forming a beautiful layer over the water to the point that it didn't look like water at all! It was more like a forest in the water. We saw herons, blue magpies (sp?), even a 5-6 foot caymen! Which Nolan exclaimed was his first this season! He pointed out tiger birds which have huge throats that bulge open wide when they make this sound...rooster's of the sea (little black birds that looked like miniature roosters)...and even saw a cow grazing in the foot deep water...Nolan made us taste the orange flowers...I could see why the birds and butterflies flock here...the inside was filled with a tiny pool of sweet water or dew that tastes like honeysuckle. It was so serene here... I could have spent all day :)
But it was soon time to head back...we got to the boat to find our driver asleep on the deck...he heard us approach and helped us climb back in. We stopped by Nolan's uncle's to see how many fish he caught and Nolan helped himself to one...he tossed it on top of the anchor rope and I watched sadly as it struggled through it's last few breaths...we climbed out just as dusk was setting itself upon the horizon, settled our bill and got back into the Hilux.
We were all exhausted after such a loooong day and so much activity that when Mary said she spotted a monkey jumping on a dog we really didn't believe her. Andrew backed up anyway and sure enough- there was a white faced monkey leashed up to his "house" and jumping/partially hanging himself in the process on a dog who must be a glutton for punishment. Fidelio was his name and the residents and his owners called us over: "mas circa, mas circa" they said and invited us onto their property to get closer to Fidelio- the white faced monkey. They admitted that they captured him on the volcano (there are 2 types of monkeys here- howlers and white-faced). He looked almost human when you got up so close! His face was tan with white fur and he munched on a piece of banana...his fingers were long and his movements unpredictable. Flashbacks of the movie "Outbreak" ran through my head and kept me at a safe distance!
Once back at Totoco I was happy to accept keys to bungalow Ometaple for a hot shower tonight (thanks Martin!). I was suffering from a severe case of whiplash at this point and double dosed myself on Aleve. I figured that plus a glass of white wine would do the trick- but I was wrong. I could barely turn my head to either side and especially couldn't look up. Eating dinner proved difficult...but it was delicious...an Indian Bharta something? Brian wished he had gotten it himself but instead he chose the chicken with jalopenos. We chatted with Andrew and Mary, soaking up our last night hanging out together before going our separate ways. Mojitos and Victoria's were plentiful and mid-conversation a tarantula scurried across the floor...YIKES. I was just glad I didn't see that thing in our bungalow! Andrew -who used to own a pet tarantula- assured us that they are very fearful of humans and wouldn't harm/bite anyone unless provoked...it was somewhat reassuring information I suppose. I myself, still would prefer to see tarantulas safely in glass aquariums, in pet stores --where they belong :)
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