My Hawaiian vacation didn’t start off exactly as I was anticipating. At about 8 AM my phone and all phones around me starting blaring an emergency alert about an incoming ballistic missile. I absolutely went into panic mode. 38 minutes later a second message was sent out saying that it was a mistake. Stressful way to start the day.

We left around 9, about an hour late thanks to the ballistic missile, and headed to The Coffee Shack. The location is stunning, on a hillside overlooking the ocean. And they set out little pots of jelly so the geckos can eat breakfast with you.

After breakfast, we made our way down to Pu’uhonua Honaunau national Historic Park. This was once a sacred place for the ancient Hawaiians, and it was a beautiful place to visit! Today, it’s one of the most famous spots on the island for snorkeling. We didn’t have gear, but we were able to see two turtles from the shore.

Our next stop was the green-sand beach. We drove to the very southern point of the island, and the landscape changed dramatically as we did. At the parking lot, there is an option to walk to the beach (2.5 miles) or take the shuttle. In the interest of time, we took the shuttle.

The shuttle consists of standing in the bed of a beat up truck as it attempts to navigate the roads. An adventure itself! We got to the green sand beach, and it really wasn’t that green ? also, I had read that the green sand beach was not a swimming beach. It is. And a I wish I had worn a swimsuit.

On the shuttle back, we were treated to some whale performances. At one point two whale jumped out of the ocean in unison. It was pretty spectacular. We got back in the car and started making our way to Punaluu Black Sand Beach.

At the black sand beach we didn’t stay too long. We snapped some photos of the turtles that were laying out in the sand and then left to make it to our Airbnb before dark.

The last leg of the drive was through volcanoes National Park. Both the landscape and the weather changed dramatically here! For about 20 minutes we were driving through fog so dense you could only see 5 feet ahead. Finally the fog cleared to rain, but at least we could see.

We arrived at the Airbnb and I asked the host for dinner recommendations. She said her recommendation changes if we are doing the hike. “What hike?” I ask. “Oh, most people stay here to do the night hike to the lava”. She offered to share her dinner with us and then we head off.

At the end of the road, we parked our car, and rented some bikes and headlamps. We biked 2.5 miles down the road, stashed our bikes and head out onto the lava field. Supposedly it was a 1.5 mile walk to the lava flow. There was no path, you could see the bright red glow ahead but that was the only direction.

It took an hour, but eventually we were quite close. At this point the ground had gotten hot and you could see the glowing red in the cracks of the earth beneath your feet. We pushed right up to some active lava. Standing in the dark watching the red lava ooze through the earth, rebuilding as it went, was truly one of the most unforgettable moments of my life.

After we felt like we had our fill, we headed back to the bikes. If route finding was difficult on the way up, it was much more so on the way down. Only the occasional glimpse at a light in the distance, the rest was all guessing. We got back to our bikes, biked back to the car, drove back to the Airbnb and went to sleep. ?

Distance: 6 Kilometers

Time: 2.5 hours

Before getting to Ometepe, I had wanted to climb Concepcion, the active volcano on the island. Unfortunately, the weather was less than cooperative.  December and January is generally considered dry season in Nicaragua, but the weather was rainy and overcast while I was on the island. Thick clouds are not great weather for climbing volcanoes. The clouds shroud the entire cone of the volcano with a dense blanket of fog.

I did not want to leave Ometepe without having done any hiking. The island is, after all, a nature-lovers paradise. So I opted instead for a hike that was less dependent on the weather: San Ramon Waterfall. The hike to the San Ramon Waterfall is a must-do on Ometepe. An added benefit, the trailhead is on the Maderas side of the island which was the side I was staying on. I hopped on a bike, rode the ~9 kilometers to the trailhead, paid the $3 entry fee (per person), and began my trek to the waterfall.

Kilometers 1 and 2

The first three kilometers are pretty much just a walk up a semi-paved hill. I did not know this before arriving at the trailhead, but for an additional fee, you can drive your motorcycle/scooter/quad up the first three kilometers of the trip.  It is not the nicest road in the world, but driving certainly makes it an easier trip. Even if we had ridden scooters instead of bicycles, I would not recommend biking up. The trail was a sustained climb, but did not justify motorized transport.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. After almost a full day of sporadic showers the day before, I was happy to see that it was going to be a sunny day. I started early enough in the day that the air was still cool despite being sunny. The green fields leading up the side of Maderas were absolutely stunning. Quickly, the fields turned into cloud-forest as I continued up the volcano. I welcomed the accompanying sun-showers.

Kilometer 3

It is obvious that there is an immediate change in the trail at the two-kilometer mark. This is where the fun part of the hike begins.  All vehicles are parked at kilometer two. Beyond that, the trail devolves into a rocky, mud path through the jungle.  There is a brief descent through a canyon with a welcome cool breeze. This part of the hike was beautiful, but not in a way that looks good in photos.

After some climbing through the jungle, I arrived at the first river crossing. I, mistakenly,  figured I must be close to the waterfall if I was crossing the river.  After a bit more climbing, I found myself in a canyon that felt straight out of Jurassic Park.  If a raptor had burst out around the corner, I would have felt just a normal amount of surprise.

The next section of the hike was some minor scrambling up tiny waterfalls.  It was around this point in the hike that I realized the third kilometer was a “longer-than-average” kilometer.  Despite the official claim that the full trek to the waterfall is three kilometers, reports all over the internet state that it is closer to four. I am not sure I would say that, but I think the last kilometer was more like a mile.

At the San Ramon Waterfall

I did not find the hike particularly challenging. It was nonetheless a relief to finally arrive at the waterfall.  My skin was feeling sticky from climbing up in the humidity.  The thought of cooling off in the pool below the falls sounded quite refreshing.  Thanks to some foresight, I was able to strip down to the bikini under my clothes. The water was cold, even considering the sweat I had worked up.  I spent a few minutes cooling off in the water before retreating to a place nearby to dry-out in the sun.

Kilometers 4 Through 6

The return trip consists of going back down the same trail as the way up.  That is not to say that it is uneventful. There are beautiful views of Lake Cocibolca all the way down.  The sun was higher in the sky and the weather was much hotter. I did not have any sunscreen with me, so I can describe the trip down as light jogs between patches of shade. At the bottom, horses hanging out next to the lake welcomed me back.

I had not stopped for food on the way to the trailhead, so by the time I reached the bottom, I was pretty hungry.  There is a restaurant on the grounds of the trail, but I decided to eat at an inviting-looking place I had passed called Comedor Gloriana. Overall, I would say do not forgo the hike to the San Ramon Waterfall, even if you are staying on the Concepcion side of the island. Remember to bring a bathing suit, plenty of water, and if I were to do it again I would wear some type of water shoes.

Woke up early despite being out late the night before for New Years. It was the most beautiful day yet! I did my morning routine and then took a quick walk up Marsella – what a beautiful beach! I had not had a proper dinner the night before, so I woke up pretty hungry ?. A quick look at Google Maps had me craving some coffee from Arte’Sanel up in the hills.

<<< alked up to the cafe and had some breakfast. The hotel was gorgeous! I could not believe that such a gorgeous place was just up the hill from where we were staying! After breakfast we decided to keep going down the road to Maderas - the surfer beach. When we got there, we immediately noticed the beach was very rocky and the waves looked more beginner friendly than we had been led to believe. <<< ere ready at this point to just chill on the beach. There were chairs and umbrellas set up so I asked the man working how much. He said $15 - too much for us! Besides, there was a restaurant right behind so we decided we were better off just buying a $4 cocktail and chilling there. <<< he early afternoon rolled around, we made our way back to Marsella - it was packed! Marsella was perfect, though! I spent the next few hours alternating between swimming in the ocean and laying out in the sun! This was when disaster struck, however. While Dennis was out in the ocean, a wave struck him from behind and knocked his glasses off. He was blind for the rest of the day ? We got our last meal of fish and chicken, and then headed back to the Aussie Hut to pack up and catch sunset. Boy, am I glad we stayed for sunset! It was truly breath taking and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like it! After the sun set, we got in a cab for 3 hours to get to Managua for our early flight. We stayed at Airport X Hotel – surprisingly very nice! I had my first hot shower in days! Had to head to bed early – morning flight the next day ?

Happy New Years, everyone! Where are you ringing in the new year? I am spending the last few hours of 2017 in Playa Marsella (north of San Juan Del Sur). But the first half of the day was spent on the journey here. We woke up this morning in Mérida, early. Had to catch a 9 AM ferry off the island which meant leaving at 7… earliest start we have had all week!

After the one hour ferry ride, we had another one hour taxi ride. The taxi dropped us off at the beach so we had a bit of a walk up the beach to the “Aussie Hut”. When we got there we were greeted by Charlie and her husband – Australian Jeremy Clarkson. They kindly offered us coffee and gave us instruction on how to get to San Juan.

The first thing we did in San Juan (when we finally got there) was enjoy some smoothies and lunch at Simon Says smoothie bar. After lunch we took a walk up the beach and just relaxed a bit. The day was slipping away quickly, though and it was time to think of a way back to Marsella. We knew there was a shuttle to Playa Maderas, so we booked tickets on the 5 PM shuttle. In the meanwhile, we went to Barrio Cafe for some coffee for a pick-me-up.

When 5 rolled around, we were waiting for our shuttle, as well as 5:15 and 5:30… at 5:45 the shuttle finally arrived. I have not felt closer to death during any of my time in Nica as I did sitting in the back of the truck of some guy who clearly did not want to be giving us a ride and was in a rush to drop us off. But we survived. We walked down the street back to the Hut and were greeted by some friendly faces and offers of beer.

We were shown to our room (very lovely and spacious). We spend a few minutes relaxing, and then went downstairs to partake in some New Years festivities ?