Largo Nicaragua is pretty unique. It is large, is home to many volcanic islands, and is one of the few areas in the world (the only one i know of) that has fresh water bull sharks and fresh water sailfish. This was once part of the sea and about 10-15,000 years ago was isolated in land by volcanics. The water slowly lost its salinity, at a pace that allowed some of the sea life to adapt. As well, it holds Ometepe... two large volcanoes that joined together to make one relatively large island. The island is quite dramatic to the eye.
We boarded a ferry (one of several) that brought us from San Jorge to Moyogalpa. Moyogalpa was our base from which we explored the island. When we arrived we ate at a small "fretanga" just left of the dock on a dirt road. It served excellent Nica food for under $4 a plate, as well as 1 L beers for less than $2.... needless to say we were happy after that meal. We also arranged our hike to the summit of Conception Volcano (more about that later), and rented a scooter for our first three days of our stay.
Our accommodation was a family owned house with independent rooms equipped with private washrooms. The property was pleasant and was part of a local tourism collective offering rooms to tourists with local families in a small village outside of Moyogalpa. The stay included a nice breakfast each morning. Typical to Nicaraguan homes, the rooms of the house circle around an open air atrium.
We explored the island with the scooter, many of the roads are actual interlocking paving stones. There is not a lot of traffic on the island, but the traffic includes motorbikes, scooter, people, cars, trucks, horses, carts, bicycles, oxen and cows. During our first evening we made it (but barely) to Punta Christo Maria. Here we were treated to a beautiful sunset. The water was warm and shallow and reminded us of Singing Sands near Tobermory Ontario, Canada.
On our first full day we visited Altagracias, on the opposite side of the island. This is a nice town. It has a museum that was pretty sad looking, but did hold some very interesting monoliths. We went on to visit Ojo de Agua. We were told this would be the clearest water we will ever see (they had no idea where we were from). The water was clear, but there were a lot of people. Regardless, this was a nice spot and a welcome relief to the heat.
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| Ojo de Agua... i am happy, bad photo |
We then attempted to ride our scooter to waterfalls we had heard about. This was not to be; although we were told we could do it on the scooter, it was REALLY rough and we had a feeling we were risking a blown tire and perhaps a complete scooter breakdown. On the way back we found another fantastic Fretanga that had great food at very low prices. We ate there the next day as well.
On our second full day we cruised around a little bit of the island, but not all that much. We were sore from all the riding the day before, the scooters are not the most comfortable for long distances. Also Tracey had developed a cold, so we wanted to rest in preparation for the volcano the next day. In the morning we visited the butterfly conservatory. It was much better than we could have expected. There were a lot of flowers, butterflies (of course), and cases where the butterflies were hatching from cocoons and drying their wings. This was a very relaxing and soothing environment.
In the afternoon, Tracey slept while I did laundry. A down day is necessary every once in a while. That evening we joined some fellow travellers to see local kids perform traditional Nica dances at the village community pavilion. It was a lot of fun and entertaining. We gave them donations that went towards their school. You might be interested to know that during our stay (beginning of February), Nicaraguan kids are on summer break which begins before Christmas and ends after the first or second week of February... very different from Canada.
On the day of our climb we awoke early, said goodbye to our hosts and packed to get ready for the volcano. The trip we purchased was to include a 2 pm start, sunset 1000 m up the volcano, sleep in a hammock, and wake up very early and watch the sunrise from the summit. Cost... $35 per person. Sounded great. We collected our own food as we were responsible for that, brought 3 liters of water each as recommended, and ate a huge lunch so that we could carry less food on our backs... our daypacks don't hold much more than 10 to 15 liters.
When we arrived at the guides' office, returned our scooter but experienced a very different attitude from our guide compared to when we booked with him when we first arrived. Our guide, Jonathan, when we first met him, was super friendly. He gave us a lot of great advice about the island and talked up the trip with the promise of ghost stories, sunrise on the summit, and so on. What we found before we departed was a totally different, cold personality that flat out ignored any of Tracey's questions. We figured he was tired and this would pass... everyone gets the benefit of doubt. Three more people booked the trip to bring the total of clients to 5. We were joined by a young couple from Argentina, and an 18 year old girl from Switzerland. Everyone arrived by 2 pm as requested. We never left the office until 3 pm.
Once we started on the dusty trail, we asked Jonathan about the sunrise at the summit. Jonathan made a strange comment, "I don't think we will be able to reach the summit because the wind will be blowing sulfur gases towards us which is bad for our lungs". This was not communicated to us before, but as a guide myself, I was not going to question anyone looking out for our safety. After about 20 mins on the trail, Tracey and I were way ahead of the others. Jonathan took control and asked us to all walk behind him in a single file because "there are things on the trail ahead that might kill you". Ok, that is a strange thing to say. I am not one to be rude or to question another guide's instruction (especially in a foreign country) so we fell in line, but in 15 minutes he told Tracey and I to walk ahead of him and wait for him at the larger tree. Apparently there was nothing to worry about now?
Tracey and I arrived at the tree and met a Swedish girl walking in her socks, while her guide walked behind her with her shoes in his hands. She was not happy and in a lot of pain descending the trail. In fact, no one that we saw returning on the trail looked happy at all.
When the rest of the group showed up there was a problem. The young Swiss girl could not handle the weight of her pack. (Her pack was actually lighter than either Tracey's or my own.) However, for the sake of the group, I carried 1.5 L of her water in the crook of my arm (pack was full), and the Argentinian guy carried a liter... notice the guide did not.
The trail from this point started to get steep, I mean really steep (even by Lillooet standards). I don't think anyone on Isla Ometepe has heard of switchbacks because there weren't any at all. Our guide however showed no mercy. I have never experienced a pace quite like this (and remember, this is hot... well over 30C hot). We never stopped to look at a single information sign, nor did he bother to tell us what they said. There was little to no commentary at all and only if we asked questions would he say anything. I can move, but when it is hot I really slow down. Tracey was able to keep up but only at the expense of nearly throwing up due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. When we finally reached the shelter, we had been on the trail for less than 2.25 hours.... that means we ascended a few meters less than 1000m in 2.25 hours... that is pretty crazy in that kind of heat. Immediately I tore off my shirt which was absolutely soaked and hung it on a tree branch. I allowed the wind to dry my glistening skin before putting on my thin primaloft jacket... the only extra piece of clothing I had. My pants were soaked with sweat... literally. That would play a part in the hours to come. Honestly, I have never sweat that much due to anything in my life! We were early for the sunset and were able to enjoy our meal of canned sardines and granola bars while watching it over the lake. Food for others was a bit of an issue. It was clear to us that we would have to carry and provide our own food, however, the guide promised to supply food for the Swiss girl. He did not. Instead, he made her share his bowl of rice, from his own bowl. She was not impressed.
We didn't stay up very long, in fact, I think I was asleep in the hammock by 7:30 pm. It wasn't long until my wet pants became a factor and the wind started to pick up. By 10 pm I was wide awake and cold. Tracey was also awake and equally cold. Our guide brought three blankets for the three people who needed hammocks: ourselves and the Swiss girl. He did not communicate this to us. Instead he took one for himself, gave one to the Swiss girl, and one to the Argentinian couple who brought their own gear. We were left with nothing. We didn't know any better until the next morning anyhow.
Throughout that evening all I heard was howling wind (and the Swiss girl farting!) and felt constant gusts of a very damp wind. I was cold, colder than I can remember ever beint while sleeping (even colder than last year's Valentines day night in an emergency snow pit). I was worried about Tracey because she was not feeling well the day before and I could tell she was not faring better than I. It was at that moment that I suggested to Tracey that we try laying together in the hammock. I was concerned that it might not hold us both but this was becoming very uncomfortable and I was concerned by morning that it might be a little more serious than discomfort (or that we might not sleep at all). Tracey did join me, but any portion of us against the hammock was immediately damp and very cold. (The fact we ended up sharing our hammock really upset our guide as he felt it meant he carried an extra one for no reason. Tracey did ask him if we could both sleep in one, back at the office, but he was ignoring her questions) We did get a little sleep but not much more than an hour or two.
We were laying there for hours and I could tell it was getting lighter. I could not understand why our guide was not getting us up to go when everyone appeared to be awake, just not moving. Finally, one by one we started to get up ourselves. The time was around 6:30 am, sunrise at the summit was obviously out of the question. Because I was cold, I was eager to put on my shirt from the day before which I had hung in a tree to dry. I was delighted it had not blown away, however, due to the saturated air, my shirt was even more wet than the night before. Tracey's was no different. It was my only shirt, on it went. I don't believe it ever dried that day, and it was a "quick dry synthetic" (now that says something). Around this time, Jonathan began telling us that the wind was too strong and that we would not be going any further, but that he would call the office and ask what the forecast was. We have no idea if he actually did. He sat in the outhouse hut and was just looking at his phone. He was just sitting there, not using the outhouse, regardless of the fact others wanted to use the facility.
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| Our hut |
Tracey and I sat a little above the trail each eating a can of tuna. We were pretty bummed as Jonathan made it sound like we would be turning back. We understood the need for safety, and even though we were disappointed, we would not let it show 'safety first'. Suddenly a group of two hikers and a guide appeared. They started that morning before 5 am and were continuing on. Jonathan immediately went to the guide and began speaking to him where we could not hear but we could see. It was obvious that Jonathan was telling him that we should all turn around but the other guide would have none of this. He told his pair "vamos", and off they went. Jonathan, without warning said the same. Luckily we had already eaten breakfast, the rest of our group was forced to pack up mid meal and go.
We ascended 100 m in just a few minutes. The wind was howling. Jonathan again said it was to dangerous. I looked up and saw a small whirly wind on the ridge above. I see those regularly in winter in the mountains back home. Jonathan said it was a tornado and that he has seen them knock over people and create waterspouts on the lake. This was not a tornado. Again, Jonathan said the wind was too strong. The other group continued. Then within a minute, another group appeared, and then another. They kept walking a now visibly distraught Jonathan. "Vamos" he yelled and off we went.
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| Orchid in Alpine meadow |
Jonathan was now visibly pouting and would not say anything. In this type of alpine terrain Tracey and I are able to move effectively and efficiently. We were able to keep up with our guide with little effort. (There was no wind at all anymore and we learned from a different guide that the area below is always windy but the area we climb is always calm.) Soon, we reached the groups ahead, Jonathan was cruising. Unfortunately the rest of our group was way behind. Jonathan didn't seem to care that the Swiss girl was obviously struggling. The lack of sleep took its toll on the other three hikers. Jonathan would reach a point, stop and wait. Tracey and I were able to see the others were struggling with the terrain. In one area there would be loose sand and rocks, but beside there would be firm rock. We always looked for the firm rock but were yelled at by our guide that what we were doing was dangerous... there was no obvious danger we could see, however following behind the group above, where he wanted us, exposed us to considerable rock fall... we disregarded him because what he was telling to do was dangerous and way more difficult. The ground under our feet was firm and there were no loose rocks to dislodge... we still have no idea why he said that to us.
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| Our guide in the red pants |
We reached 100 m from the summit. Jonathan was still sulking. He said that we had to wait for the others. Tracey was not happy because she could have been at the top before any of the other groups. If only our guide had helped our fellow hikers we would have been much further along. I would never interfere with another guide and their business, but this was beyond anything I had ever experienced before; he wasn't speaking to anyone or offering any assistance. I couldn't take it anymore. Regardless of being rude and stepping on his toes, I walked down to the Swiss girl and offered her help, which she gladly accepted. I showed her where to place her feet and how to pace herself so that she could make better progress. While I was with her, Tracey witnesses the Argentinian couple get visibly upset with our guide. They handed over the Swiss girl's extra gear they were carrying and told him to do his job.
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| 100 m from the summit |
When I arrived with the Swiss girl, I informed Jonathan that the Swiss girl was dehydrated and needed to drink more water. The guide looked upset and angry with her.... once again, it is his job to watch clients and give advice as needed. Tracey suggested that the young girl leave her pack here to make the last push to the summit easier. The guide said no because of other people stealing her pack. However, when we started to move towards the summit, our guide left his own pack behind.
After several minutes we continued up the volcano. We were completely engulfed in clouds. The rock on the volcano was hot to the touch and vents were spewing out steam all around us. It was pretty amazing. In no time at all, we are sitting on the summit with two other parties. We couldn't go anywhere because it was difficult to see the drop offs and the view was totally obscured. The wind was howling and soaking us to the bone. We were so happy to be there, laughing and joking together with the other groups and their guides.... but not Jonathan, he sat there with his head between his legs sulking. I asked him if he was ok and he complained he was hungry. Tracey and I each were eating a package of refried beans on a tortilla. We offered Jonathan a granola bar which accepted but then gave to another guide who had already eaten... not sure what that was about.
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| Refried beans on the summit |
On the way down, immediately, our guide was way ahead of us walking with another Nicaraguan guy and his American friend. He said only two things to us while descending the 600 m to treeline and never walked with us once. First he told Tracey and I that we were walking in a very dangerous spot... once again he was trying to draw us into the line of falling rock... I was starting to get upset now. Then, from a distance, he yelled back to us and the other three of our party (who were really struggling now), if we fell, to make sure we rolled to the right... not left (facing downhill). That would have resulted in a 10 m drop. Now I was really unimpressed. This guy doesn't know what he is talking about.
While our guide was keeping pace with the other Nica and his American friend. We listened to him tell a story about being hit in the head by a big rock a few years ago and that it nearly killed him. Yet here he was with our group greatly spread apart and in the line of fire... 'some people never learn' was my thought. We reached a sheltered cliff line, our guide was there with the other party and finally he was smiling... this was a great spot (safe and sheltered) to wait for our other three hikers... but they were quite far behind and coming down a visibly dangerous area... an area where one slip would have resulted in a very bad injury or potential fatality. I went to say something to our guide but he told us very quickly to continue on ahead. So we did and when we looked back we could see why our guide was so happy and wanted us to go... the Nica and his American friend were smoking a joint with our guide. We thought maybe he would wait for the others to reach him... nope, as soon as it was done, he continued down the volcano towards us and never even let the other three get close to reaching him. The area his other three clients were walking was nowhere near the route he insisted on Tracey and I taking, but he said nothing to them despite the obvious potential danger they were moving through. Now I was pissed and I was ready to tell him so. Of course I didn't, that just isn't me, but my ever present smile was no longer there; towards our guide, I could only manage a scowl.
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| On our way down, the windy spot |
We reached treeline long before the others. We enjoyed the cooling wind and the gorgeous sunlit vistas. Our guide sat with his head between legs and only said he was "really hungry". We offered him a pouch of nuts but he declined. I should add here that we discovered that our guide did not pack any additional food for the second day. Including any food for the Swiss girl. This was brought to our attention by the Argentinian couple. Tracey and I came to the realization that our guide was planning on turning back without trying for the summit before we even left the office. It makes sense... set a pace that no one will find enjoyable, try to scare your clients about conditions and hazards, and then when all else fails, say the weather is too dangerous. He would have succeeded if the other groups did not appear when they did.... why would we doubt him?
After 20 mins the rest of our group arrived. They were exhausted and their feet were in trouble. We continued down, along the way we saw both howler and white face monkeys. Our guide seemed to get happier as we got closer to the finish. Near the base, the guide took a faint side trail. I followed but Tracey was a bit behind to read one of the interpretive signs. Our guide did not wait to see if we all made the turn. When I looked back 3 minutes later there was no Tracey. The guide didn't seem to care. I ran back up the hill, calling for Tracey. I knew that she had continued down the main trail. Tracey on an average day is faster than most... this close to the end of the trail, Tracey is almost super-human fast. I ran down the trail and after 500 meter she finally heard me call. We had no choice but to back-track up hill because we had no idea where the trail went that our guide was taking. We were long out of water at this point and this extra uphill took a lot of effort. I was totally pissed at our guide now. There was zero client care on this trip. All I could think to myself was that if he was part of the ACMG, I would have made it my mission to have his certification stripped and make sure that he would never be hired in the guiding industry again. A guide needs to be a cheerleader, not a Debbie Downer. Furthermore, he put people at risk of injury with a complete lack of care and disregard for safety, zero mountain sense and no communication.
We reached the trail head and realized we had to walk further along the road. True to form, Jonathan never communicated anything to us, so we had no idea it we were getting picked up or walking the next 5 km to Moyogalpa... which would not have surprised us at all. As a side note, Jonathan is fluent in English... there was no language barrier here to account for his lack of communication on the trip.
We eventually reached a small store where we were able to buy water and Jonathan called a tuk tuk to pick us up. While sitting there a small dog came to me. Over the last few day I had been grooming the street dogs that I had encountered. Some of them had a lot of ticks in their fur, I would remove the ticks to help the dogs out. I asked Jonathan the Spanish word for ticks. It was at this point he informed us that we were all probably covered in ticks from the trail. I asked him if the ticks carried disease and he replied, of course. True to the very end, Jonathan made me shake my head... a friendly warning would have been nice, but perhaps I was expecting too much. (There were no ticks on us by the way).
When we got back to town we went out for lunch. Jonathan made no effort to talk to us or socialize. I bought him a beer but only because I am polite. Once back to his office, Jonathan was the guy we met on Monday. Jonathan was lively, polite and pleasant, but he was trying to sell trips to new customers. We went to leave and Jonathan yelled over to us... please give Little Nathaly (business name) a good review on our website. We smiled and nodded but in our minds we were laughing, 'yeah right'!
The trip of Conception was amazing. It is a 1603 m climb; we started at 7 m and topped out at 1610m. I have no regrets even despite our guide. The views were outstanding and this was my first active volcano ascent. It was equally amazing to be hiking through a tropical dryland forest, and into tropical alpine meadows. To feel the heat of the volcano and experience the steam was a dream come true. In many ways, I'm glad the trip turned out the way it did because it made me appreciate the other forgein guides we have previously hired. They were all very caring, gave us positive experiences and kept us safe. Also, Jonathan made me realize how great the service level is of my fellow Canadian guides. Safety is paramount, equally important is providing an outstanding experience for clients Also, a perfect trip would have been less memorable. Jonathan gave us memories to talk and laugh about, although for all of the wrong reasons. Thanks Jonathan, we will cherish this memory for the rest of our lives and we will continue to laugh about the guide who pouted his way to the top of a volcano until we are old and grey... but next time we will look for a different guide.
That evening we checked into a hostel in ill repair, to us it was a castle compared to the previous night. We were filthy, completely covered in black dirt... a cold shower never felt so good. (Tracey ran out of water, but the owner got the water running again right away.)
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| Filthy but happy |
The view from our door was the objective of our day. We couldn't help but look at it, then each other and say, "we were there today", and then laugh about Jonathan.
We slept well that evening but had really sore legs in the morning. The stairs to and from our room felt harder to get up than the entire volcano. After a great breakfast of Huevos Ranchero with Cafe con leche, we packed up and headed to the ferry. We secured a seat on the top deck and enjoyed the ride. When we reached San Jorge we got on a chicken bus to take us to Managua. It was pretty uneventful except for the plastic bucket that fell from the overhead rack onto my head. We caught a collectivo from Managua and made our way to Leòn.
