Semana Santa

¡hola amigos!

It is so nice to sit in the internet cafe right now because its so hot outsite! And this is just the beginning of the hottest time of the year...

Two weeks ago we had semana santa so the whole week of from school. Semana Santa is huge in latin america. Every day processions and everybody goes to the beach. Especially during eastern weekend is the whole beach and water packed.
We voluntairs took this free week as a good opportunity to explore Nicaragua a little more I went with 4 others to Ometepe, an Island in the lake of Nicaragua. This Island is basicly formed by two volcanos and they call it the 8st wonder of the world.
We took the boat from Granada and offcoarse we first had to wait 2 houres to buy a ticket and later two houres to enter the boat. It was a four hour boattrip and everybody put there hammock somewhere in the shadow. We arrived in Moyogalpa and it took us a lot to talk the price down for a room from 10 dollars to 5 dollars each. Because of Semana Santa was it really hard to find space and every hotel doubled there prices.
We where planning to hike the highest and most perfectly shaped volcano (conseption) but no guide wanted to take us up there because of eruption risk. So we went to the other part of the Island and hiked the Maderas. It was a nine hour hike and super steep and muddy but gorgious! You start in a rain forrest with howler monkeys and parrots and up there is a cloud forrest with hugh trees with roots all over the path. The best thing was that there was nobody and still so natural. They didn{t do anything to make it more easy and there where no marks. It was real nature. You seriously had to climb with both feet and hands. When we came back late in the afternoon and completely dirty and wet we had to look for a hostel but everything was full. At the end we had to share one tiny bed with the three of us. But we where still lucky but some guys who came later had to sleep on the ground outside...
We had one day that we decided to do a beach day. We had to hitchhike because the buses weren't running so we catcht a hike with a man who brought us to his privat beach and let us swim there! It was a beautiful beach. At one point we were half sleeping in the sun until we realised that we where surounded by cows! That was the real nicaragua experience...
The last day we took the boat back to San Jorge and at the moment the boat was about to leave a big truck full of plantains arrived and they loaded it in the boat one by one...

Ometepe is such a nice Island and the people whp live there are really proud of it. We met one old men once who showed us his fisher boats that he made himself and told us how he builded up his one life and know lived with his familyon his one land in his one house. (still really small but his!) He started as a loanworker with a}earning almost nothing. He was 60 years old and goes fishing every morning. He makes boats, hikes the volcano and sell his fish as well. And he seemed so happy and friendly!

Happy Eastern! A little bit late but with love... ;)

adios!