THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN

Once again we left the coast in search of higher ground and headed to a Lonely Planet “must see” Isla Ometepe! Labeled a ‘fantasy island formed by joined volcanoes with lovely villages and great beaches’ I think we landed on the wrong island!?

We have again confirmed that we are happiest at sea level, with our feet in the sand and not in the mud! The trip was saved by meeting some great new crew, and an interesting old Nica with a machete.

Picture Bangkok tuk-tuk traffic madness, throw in the odd horse and cart, add a hundred or so bike riders from Hanoi. Then hear the sounds of current house music being mixed by DJ hopefuls from the doorways of every second block. Walk a bit further and the sky has dissapeared under the cover of a maze of markets, meat is being chopped by machetes, fish is being gutted by hand, and the westerner is being bounced around like a ball in a pinball machine. Just another Saturday morning in Granada.

Volcano skies!

If the volcano erupts run that way!??

Have to keep your guard up in the jungle!

Coffee beans in Ometepe

Founded in 1524, caught up in a civil war and burnt to the ground in 1856. The city has gone through extensive restorations in areas, and been left with run down original buildings for the most part that, giving it a very cool flavour.

Convento e Iglesia de San Fransico - Granada, 1585!

Basalt sculpture from 800AD.

Mirrors!

Amazing massages we had from blind people.

Street signs.

Granada maddness or Bangkok?

Street vendors in Granada.

Market place.

Nicaraguan local selling mango's in the markets.

Meat market.....

Granada streets with our Irish mate Kim.

Hostel paintings.

Exit Granada, spend a night under curfew in the “most dangerous city in Nicaragua, Managua” then spend 16 hours on a bus to make it to the north east coast of Honduras………….Enter The Bay Islands!

Surfboards won’t be making it out of the covers but the mask and snorkel has been dusted off. The Bay Islands are home to the second largest barrier reef system, and cheapest diving on the planet. We have found a home at the Deep Blue dive school, Carlie to start her underwater career tomorrow while I try and turn my brain back on so I can put the words Dive Master on the CV.