Ometepe

The big island in the lake...

It´s two big features are hard to miss...the two large volcanoes looming up from either side of the island. The island itself probably has 40,000 people or so; fairly sparsely populated. It has one ring road that is half'paved with premade small blocks of cement. You´re more likely to see bicycles than any other form of transportation, but there are about 300 cars on the island...and quite a few horses. Ometepe also boasts of a really nice beach on the east side where you can swim in what seems an ocean but drink the water if you so desire. I was quite enjoying myself over there on Santo Domingo Beach, and marveling how I had found such an idyllic location with almost no other human activity in the area, when the gnats showed up. At first I thought I was being pelted with sand but quickly realized it was gnats that were all about me. This fortunately did not happen in San Carlos as I was warned by the note on my door that it could...but they were enough to chase me back to Altagracia on the other end of the island. Nicaragua is, in general, kind of like that...in the sense that things are good...but not quite there where you would want them to be: beautiful beach...with gnat plagues...nice, cheap hotels...no A-C...bicycle rental...gears don´t work...friendly people...incomprehensible Spanish and shortchange you in nearly every monetary transaction.

But if you want those nicer things Costa Rica is just down the block. I prefer it here....