Eau de Vanessa

Our week long stay on the remote, spectacular and quiet island of Ometepe continued with me getting bed bug bites for the first time. Normally my insect repellent, Eau de Vanessa works perfectly so perhaps it'll have to be changed.

Waterfall on Ometepe island

Subsequently we moved to the smaller of the two volcanoes that make up the island, to a remote little homestead called Finca Mystica in the village of Merida, run by a great American couple who grow virtually all their own food and its by far the best we've had in Nicaragua.

From there we took the sweatiest 4 hour hike to a waterfall which was actually worth it. Partly because it was nearly 100 metres tall but mainly because we could cool off and dry out our disgusting clothes. We sat there for an hour with no one else around, mesmerised by the plummeting cascade of cool water.

Our final night was a stormy affair. No rain but the winds were incredible and nothing liked we’d witnessed before. As we were based at the foot of the volcano you could here the gusts of wind start high up and then roll down the hill through the trees like a juggernaut, continuously slamming into our tin roof cabin. Not much sleep for anyone that night but quite an experience.

After three nights at Finca Mystica's, with our bellies full, we luckily left at the same time as another couple who'd hired a truck so we were able to hitch a lift and jump on the back to the village of Santo Domingo located on the strip of land that joins the two volcanoes. A couple of nights there and our time in Nicaragua will be nearly over.