Ometepe

Hello friends and interlopers....jajaja.

Dan has gone ahead to Costa Rica and I decided to stay in Nicaragua.  Firstly, Semana Santa (Easter Week) approahes and is  probably the biggest holiday in Latin America.  Most people flock to the beaches, and it will be hard to find accomadation and it's not uncommon for rooms to triple in price.  I need a rock to hide under and Ometepe is a seriously interesting rock.   Secondly,  Nicaragua is a gem and 2-3 days will just not do this visit justice and satisify my curiousity.  At this point, I'm not sure if I'll catch up to Dan, but I decide to do what I feel I need to.  I hope that big guy is ok, without this his little bro : )

“El Ceibo” is a museum on Ometepe island in what once were tobacco farms. I believe the entrance fee was only 3-4 US and that included a tour with an English speaking guide.  There are actually both a museum of anthropology and a museum of currency that explains the history of Nicaragua through it's currency. The later sounds really interesting, but I only had time for one and choose the museum of anthropology.

The amount of artifacts and petroglyphs is astounding.  I'd guess you can't put a shovel into the dirt on Ometepe without hitting an artifact.

My lovely guide speaks excellent english and laughs at my dunb jokes.  

In the First Hall, the most striking display is the recreation of a pre-hispanic tomb; it was found and studied 15 years ago by Ghitis Rivera, 700 meters from the Museum now. During the recovery process, it was mapped identifying the location of human remains and the artifacts contained. 


"The pre-hispanic tomb was reconstructed within the Museum; it contains teeth, bones placed in a ceramic vase, a jade pendant, an animal teeth necklace, an eagle head tripod and a gold shaman, hence it is inferred that the remains belong to a very important person of Ometepe ancestors."-Wikipedia

Ceramic Hall - Tempisque Phase 500 - 300 BCE.  

Grinding stone.

Spearhead, estimated age of 5600 years!

Map of artifacts at the museo.

The Volcán Concepción without much smoke and cloud.

I desperately want to climb this Volcano, but it won't be today because I can't find an available guide.

Volcán Maderas.  I took this photo a few days after we climbed it.

This is the group of Costa Rican's the were on my tour of the dorment Volcán Maderas.  I'd have to find a guide for Conception another day.

Our guide "Will" talking about one of the Petroglyphs.  He says it represents birth.

Termites build these tunnels on the side of trees to protect themselves from predators.

Some of the "top" portion is broken off this one and you can see the track inside.

The hike starts with a gentle incline and gets steeper.  There lots of animals to see at the foot of the Volcano.

The petroglyph has markings that line up perfectly with the cardinal points.

Howler monkeys doing what monkeys do.  Be careful or they'll piss on you.

Orb weevers home.

These horses graze in between scattered black volcanic rocks.

This small pit is home to a "Ant Lion".  This little guy hides buried until an ant walks across the top of the pit.  When he feel some sand tumble down, he throw more sand to the top and causes a small avalanche bringing the ant down to him so he can grab it.

The Ant Lion in the palm of Will's hand.

Acasea plant.  It has a symbiotic relationship with black ants.  The plant produces nectar and the ants helps protect the plant from harm.

The white testicles on this male Howler Monkey helps keep them cool and at the right temperature for success.

The white-throated Magpie-jay.  Cousin to our North American bird.   They make the most interesting sounds and are constantly bouncing around and hard to get a picture of.  I love these birds.

Details to follow.

Much of the trail looks like this, but gets steeper and muddier in sections.

Lake in the crater up top is beautiful, but not good for swimming.

Will was an excellent guide, and I would guess the best guide on the island. Vast knowledge of the flora, fauna, petroglyphs and excellent English.  You can book Will as a guide through the Hotel Finca Venecia on Ometepe.  

I go ahead of the group on the trip down and find this guy on the trail.

Finca "farm" Magdelena at the end of our hike.  A long hike, but an amzing day!