isla de ometepe

11/02/09

I am on an island in Lake Nicaragua. About 35000 inhabitants. Lots of little villages along the coast and inland. Two volcanos. The land used to be so rich with all the volcanic earth that no fertilizer was necessary to grow their food. Now most do use the chemical fertilizers. There are a few farms that advertise organic food but as elsewere, to live and eat there is expensive.

The island is shaped like a dumbbell with a volcano in each circle. I am staying in the isthmus between the 2 circles. It is called Playa Santo Domingo. St. Dominique`s beach. However there is no beach. There were such heavy rains last winter that the water now has covered all the sand and comes right up to the hotel.The thatch roof parasols are inundated. The water however is delicious to swim in. I walk from the hotel directly into the water, sand under my feet.

I have been here for 5 days. It is hard to leave. The food is pricey but accomodation is clean, pretty and cheap. I swim, walk, visit the lagoon, the waterfall. It is sunny, hot and the breeze blows constantly.

The other day, some men were clearing the coconuts from the neighbouring trees. One young boy clambered up to throw down the coconuts. Another gathered them and the older man husked them. They gave me a couple of green ones to drink. When I returned at the end of the day from the local swimming hole, the man was sitting with 5 big bags waiting for the bus. He and his crew had been working all day. We talked for a bit. He explained that he would clear a few other trees, collect about 10 bags and then transport them to Managua to sell them to the factories that make candies. After paying the owners for taking their fruit, his profit will be around $50. With this, he will pay his crew, the bus fare, the ferry and the young guy on the bus to help him load and unload the bags. He will be back in 2 months for the next harvest.