We got an early start on Friday morning and after four buses, three taxis and a ferry, we arrived to the quaint Hacienda Merida, situated right on the lake on the south part of the island of Ometepe.

The trip down was scenic and quite an experience. The buses are all mostly old American school buses, or so we guessed from the "pupil guidelines" posted in English at the front. They were quite crowded and women would get on at each stop carrying huge silver bowls of fried and baked goodies. Men would follow with cold sodas and some sort of colorful liquids in plastic bags.

The bus from the ferry stop at Moyogalpa inj the north of Ometepe down to the hotel went all around the island before stopping here, so we got to see a lot of the beautiful flora, fauna and views. There are tons of tiny villages with colorful houses, all immactulately clean. Three hours later we finally made it here, having just missed what was no doubt a fantastic sunset behind the volcano.

The hacienda is very nice - we got a large double with bath (a luxury here) and had a great meal of grilled local fish. There are a few Americans and Canadians here and chatted with them for a few hours before literally falling into bed, cozily tucked under our mosquito net.

It's a beautiful day and we are having some excellent Nicaraguan coffee, pinto gallo (rice and beans), fresh bread and planning our activities for the day.