Every once in a while, you are lucky enough to visit a place that you fall so much in love with that you can’t even remember what life was like before you got there. A place where you feel like you are where you are meant to be. A place where you feel completely at peace.
That is how I feel about Ometepe, Nicaragua. This magical little island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua has it all. Friendly people, charming towns, nice beaches, sweet dogs, a friendly little pig that I named Brigitta the Pigeta……and two massive volcanoes that rise dramatically out of the water like….. ummmm….. boobs
The beauty that surrounds you in Ometepe is indescribable. From the soaring volcanos and rolling hills to the placid water that comes to life as the wind starts to caress the lake’s surface. The sunsets are amazing. The sky becomes an artist’s palette splashed with colors and the lake glistens as the sun says its goodbye.
But like so many places in the world, the magic of a destination isn’t just in the scenery. It is in the people that you meet, the times that you laughed, and the experiences that you had.
- The little girl that gave me fruit every day AND let me pet her goat.
- The grocery store clerk who asked me how my knee was doing after the day before, I had told her that I had hurt it.
- The ice cream store guy who remembered my favorite flavor day after day
- The three wonderful French Canadian women who run Central Hospedaje who treated me like their daughter.
- Jean, the friendly owner of the Mexican restaurant who made my trips to the pier at sunset a little more interesting
- The security guards who would sleep on chairs outside of the banks at all hours of the day.
- The guards who work at the pier who would rush over to say hello with a huge grin when they saw me.
The beauty of Ometepe is found all around you. When you glance over your shoulder and see a volcano rising up above you, when you glide through the lake’s warm waters and feel enveloped in a peaceful stillness, when you feel the warm breeze brush past your skin, when you see a warm smile when you enter a restaurant ….it truly is everywhere and I am so grateful that I was lucky enough to spend so much time here.
Nice story.