First excursion: Isla Ometepe

Lago Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America. Bull sharks and sawfish live there, making it the only freshwater body in the world where sharks live (although they've been hunted nearly to extinction). Because the lake is accessible to the Atlantic via Rio San Juan and separated from the Pacific only by a small isthmus what is now the Panama Canal almost went through Nicaragua.

The island consists of two conjoined volcanoes, Concepcion and Maderas. We stayed at a hostel at the foot of Maderas and did a dayhike to a waterfall near the town of San Ramon. The hike was much tougher than we expected but it was worth it.

Alma aftermath

Tropical Storm Alma dumped a ton of rain on us and generally complicated travel matters, but all in all I was lucky. Central America was hit pretty hard: deaths, disappearances, destroyed homes, landslides, etc.

Storms do make for colorful sunsets, as this shot taken from Isla Ometepe shows. You can see the sun setting behind what's left of the storm.

The island is spectacular. It's two volcanoes which produced so much lava they became attached. This is going to be a major tourist destination in the near future. The picture doesn't do it justice, but you get the idea.