The wonders of Isla Ometepe, otherwise known as “magical-mystical island”

Volcan Concepcion

From the moment we got to Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua’s figure-eight-shaped island, everything felt magical. The island is anchored by two volcanoes, Volcan Concepcion on the northern part and Volcan Maderas in the south. It is the largest island located in Lake Nicaragua, and the largest volcanic island inside a freshwater lake (thanks, Wikipedia!).

ANOTHER OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL

The Place: Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua (Charco Verde, El Ojo de Agua)

The Dates: March 19-20, 2009

Journal Date: April 30, 2009

“We spent all day getting to Isla Ometepe [from Leon]. … We stayed at Hostal Charco Verde because with just two days, we couldn’t venture too far into the island. As soon as we got there, though, we realized what an amazing place it was (hence the moniker “magical-mystical island”). Island life just has a slow beat to it. Charco Verde was particularly lovely, with warm, shallow beaches. I definitely preferred it to Las Penitas’ wild waves. We went for a walk in the Charco Verde Nature Reserve and not three minutes in encountered wild howler monkeys. We were almost scared.

Hiking Volcan Telica with Quetzaltrekkers in Leon, Nicaragua

Sun setting on Volcan Telica.

If you have the chance, sign up for a hike with Quetzaltrekkers, a trekking outfit based in both Nicaragua and Guatemala. It’s staffed by foreign volunteers, and the proceeds help street kids in Leon. The two-day Volcan Telica is one of their many Nicaraguan options.

ANOTHER OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL

The Place: Leon, Nigaragua (Volcan Telica)

The Dates: March 17-18, 2009

Journal Date: April 30, 2009

“We headed on an overnight camping trip the next day. It was my first-ever camping trip where I carried my own sleeping bag and gear, and it wasn’t too bad. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that I brought way too much water. I simply don’t need as much as other people.

Our group had 7 people and 3 guides. Unfortunately, no one was hot (I was hoping for an Aussie we met a few days earlier, but instead we got a chubby Israeli), and there were two European couples. But Brad, a young American, hung out with me and Marj, and though he seemed quiet at first, we eventually opened up. 

Days 1-3 of my trip to Nicaragua: Managua, Leon and Las Peñitas

One of the many lion statues found in Leon. I didn't get it at first. Then I realized I was stupid.

ANOTHER OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL

The Place: Managua, Leon and Las Peñitas, Nicaragua
The Dates: March 13-15, 2009
Journal Date: March 23, 2009

“Day 1, Friday, March 13, arriving at Managua airport: My friend and I got picked up by the Managua Backpackers Inn shuttle, sharing the car with a young, chatty American couple where the guy was way hotter than the girl. How does that happen so often? …She seemed like the dominant half of the couple. There must be a plethora of mild-mannered, good-looking men out there.

We took a cab to La Casa de los Mejia Godoy, a famous restaurant that has live, traditional music played by either the famous Mejia Godoy brothers or some other hot acts. One of the brothers, Don Luis Enrique, was playing. Although I don’t remember the music, I liked it, and judging by the laughter around me, Don Luis seemed to be a charming host. Marj and I got up and danced, awkwardly, and took our picture with him as though he were a rock star. It was, overall, a decent night in a city most people tend to avoid. 

Taking an overnight bus from Quito to Lago Agrio (Ecuador)

Here’s something I learned about myself while taking an overnight bus from Quito to Lago Agrio: I'm whiny, and I can't get over it.

ANOTHER OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL

The Place: An overnight bus from Quito to Lago Agrio, where my Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve tour started

The Date: Feb. 17-18, 2008

Journal Date: Feb. 25, 2008

A street in Lago Agrio.

“That 7½-hour overnight ride to Lago Agrio was one of the worst bus rides in my life. It was so damn cold and I had packed both my blanket and my socks away. And since I kept thinking about how cold I was, I couldn’t even begin to concentrate on sleeping. It turns out that when something is bothering me, no power on earth can get me to stop inwardly whining about it. After several hours I finally stuffed my right foot into my cloth-wallet-turned-camera case, and my left into a plastic bag, and jammed them both into my black shoes. After that I managed to sleep about one hour before we arrived in Lago Agrio.

It’s an oil city that for some reason reminds me of the Old West. I guess because Lonely Planet describes it as having prostitution and other such lawlessness. I bought an Adidas hair band, though I was pretty close to buying one that said, “I Love You” all over it.”

What You Should Know: The bus leaves Quito’s main bus station and cost about $8.

You can buy milk to drink straight from the goat.

The baby monkey that peed on me in the Cuyabeno jungle (Ecuador)

Me and Pancho during our brief, glorious truce.

If you come to Ecuador’s Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, you may encounter a (fairly) domesticated baby monkey at your lodge. At least, my lodge had one.

OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL #4

The Place: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Samona Lodge

The Dates: Feb. 18-21, 2008

Journal Date: Feb. 25, 2008

“The best thing about Samona Lodge was Pancho, the resident baby monkey. His parents were killed, I think, the lodge took him in, and he was everybody’s favorite plaything. He was quick to climb on people, and incredibly slow to let go. The first night he was all over me, and it’s a weird thing to feel a monkey’s tail around your neck.

Then he peed on me, and everything changed. I didn’t handle it very well. I jumped up and tried to pull his tail from my neck, yelling, “Get him off me!” Two guides tried to pull him off, but Pancho hates to be forced off someone and only held on all the tighter. He started shrieking, so we were both making a ruckus, and finally someone got him off. I ran off to shower, but not before telling a skeptical Trine, when she asked if Pancho really peed on me, “Touch the monkey pee!”

Tom shows the proper way to act when a monkey pees on you: DON'T freak out.

The experience tainted me for Pancho. For the rest of the trip, save for one blessed, brief moment that I quickly cashed in on with a photo, he seemed to avoid me, even scorning my offers of food. Ouch. And later, when he peed on Tom and shat on Jen, they handled it with so much class, I couldn’t help but be ashamed.”  

Meeting the Siona tribe's shaman in the Cuyabeno

Eloise receives a blessing from the Siona tribe shaman.

If you've signed up for a tour of the Cuyabeno rainforest in Ecuador, seeing a shaman is definitely a part of it. For me, it was far from a highlight of the tour, but hopefully other people had more interesting experiences.

OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL #3

The Place: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Siona tribe’s village

The Date: Feb. 20, 2008

Journal Date: Feb. 25, 2008

“The shaman, a medicine man and a revered figure in the community, wasn’t that interesting because we waited so long to see him (another group was meeting him) and we didn’t hear much about the mystical side of his work. There he was, dressed in full regalia, covered with bird feathers and wearing a necklace of jaguar teeth, and yet he did barely any talking. Someone would ask a question and Nacer [our guide] would answer. I felt like the shaman just looked small and bored. I did find it interesting that Nacer said the Siona believe heaven is a place of hammocks, and that God has already told the shaman there’s a hammock waiting for him. I love that image. Westerners have this image of a bunch of people in white robes with wings and harps, standing on clouds. How dull.

I came up to the shaman and asked as much as I could about how he could tell where someone was hurt, whether he spoke to God and saw spirits. He said when he’s under the influence of a certain hallucinogenic drug, he can see people’s aura and that tells him when something’s wrong with them. And, yes, he can see spirits, and God tells him to be good."

Animal life in Ecuador's Cuyabeno rainforest

We visited the home of a 12-foot anaconda.

The diversity of animal life in the Cuyabeno, part of the Amazonian ecosystem, is amazing. A sampling of animals we saw on my trip: a poisonous frog, a 12-foot anaconda, and even the rare pink dolphin that lives in the Amazon.

OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL #2

The Place: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador (tour pickup in Lago Agrio)

The Dates: Feb. 18-21, 2008 (Monday-Thursday)

Journal Date: Feb. 25, 2008

You get around the forest by boat...

“We got into line to enter the boat that would take us to our lodge ... “It’s like the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland – only real!” I said. It was amazing. We saw a colony of monkeys crossing the river in the treetops above.

That night we went on a jungle walk. … We saw stick insects, spiders, and frogs, a tiny one of which jumped on my jeans. I placed my hand near it and cooed, “Come on, come on,” and when it hopped on my hand I yelled, “Ahh, it’s on me, it’s on me!” But the freakout lasted for one second. Then I held it up for others to take pictures.

Visiting a prison in Quito, Ecuador

My arm was stamped at the prison entrance
to show I was a visitor.

Ever wonder what it’s like to live in a South American prison? Just visit one! Travelers to Ecuador can visit the women’s and men’s prisons in Quito.

OLD TRAVEL JOURNAL #1

The Place: Carcel de las Mujeres (women’s prison) in Quito, Ecuador
Date of Visit: Feb. 17, 2008 (Sunday)
Journal Entry Date: Feb. 22, 2008

“I entered with the name of the of the prison’s only American prisoner – Melanie – surrendered my passport, camera and cell phone, got stamped on the left wrist to prove I didn’t belong there, and entered. I saw what looked like the alley of a major city, with clotheslines strewn all over the place between tall buildings, and children everywhere. They were just madly playing.

Introducing a new series: Old Travel Journals!

When I was traveling in China (back in 2002), I met these two Aussies, Hamish and Simon, who held a contest to see who could get the most comments on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum.

Simon pretended to be an American who wanted to go to “Tieland,” except he heard from his mother that it was unsafe because there were drugs there. He won by a landslide. The comments garnered went along the lines of, “Please, please do us all a favor and don’t leave your little hick town.”

Hamish took the high road and appealed to people’s desire to help. He pretended to be a traveler overwhelmed by the task of keeping up with his journal. How often should he write, when was the best time to do it, how long should his entries be? People’s comments went along the lines of, “Look, man, you just have to do what’s right for you.”

I've been doing what’s right for me by keeping some pretty detailed travel journals. So I’m going to take selected entries (and e-mails) and transcribe excerpts for a new series: Old Travel Journals. It’ll give you a view of what I deem worth remembering when I visit a place (as well as, hopefully, some insight into the place itself).

Enjoy!