Smoking Volcanoes and Mossy Jungles

Hey Hey,

Finally managed to get out of Costa Rica after obligatory bastardo o´clock bus journey down the bumpiest road in the world in a 1960´s US school bus, got to the border and had to wait 1.5 hours in a massivo queue. This is the longest it has ever taken me to get into a coutry but met a Dutch women last night who spent 4 hours at the same one so must have been lucky. Arrived in Isla de Ometepe which is a island made out of two volcanos. We had a bit a maire getting to the place in the first place as somehow managed to miss our boat and had to get a lampcha, which is a really, really shit way to travel on water. It was taking water in the side as it was very windy and everyone though it was going to sink. I thought it was quite funny but all the gap year brigade were getting very worried. Imagine captain pugwash´s boat once he decided to flog it and your close!!

After a night in some of the worst accomondation so far (got rather savages by the mossies) we leged it to Merida where you can climb the smaller volcano (safer as it is extict unlike the other one). We walked to a waterfall a third of the way up with some studets who were going to hike the volcano with us but they decided after the Volcano was going to be too much for them. Probably a wise move in hindsight...

Started the walk in sunshine but the top 3rd of the Volcano was in pretty thick cloud and the guide gave a us a 25% chance of a view at the top. The first have of the hike was pretty gruelling as constantly uphill and very steep, with humidity in the 90% mark. We were both soaking and going through are water at a fast rate. Luckily the top have was so overgrown you literally had to crawl through the trees to get up. Very Indiana Jones and definatly the most jungly jungle i have ever been in. Amazingly narled old trees and everything covered in a thick layer of moss and lychen. The fact that you were in the clouds only added to the eariness of the place as eveything was very misty. Will stick some pics online when i get a faster connection, promise!! Anyway eventually we go to the to, you could tell as we ran out of things to climb but couldn´t see a thing. We could have continued onto the rim then down into the crater but as we couldn´t see anything there wasnt much point so we just trudged down. Took us 6.5 hours all in all. Saw some col birds and howling monkeys. Have a cool video of me and Ruth versus the monkeys in a howling competition :D We won defo!

Now in the pretty colonial town of Granada where all the houses are different pastal colours. Going to go on some tours to the local volcanos and beach then try to get up to Honduras at the weekend as need to stick to the schedule if we are going to get to Belize in time for Ruth to dive the blue hole.

Well thats all for now.

Chris

Ps - the sun has finally started to shine :)))))))))))))