Isla de Ometepe... Part 1: Rough Waves

Isla de Ometepe has been a fun rollercoaster from the moment we left San Juan Del Sur, until tonight, Thomas' and my last night.

It all began while we were on the bus to Rivas. It was packed, as usual, shoulder to shoulder on an old Blue Bird bus fitted with hand rails. Well, a taxi driver hopped on somewhere and picked out the only five of us that were going to try and catch the ferry to Ometepe. I thought, great!, we'll make it. But, as we were pulling into the chaotic bus depot, I wondered...how many people did he get confirmation from that they were taking this taxi?
Once we were standing beside the taxi, it became crystal clear that we were 5 passengers, 1 driver...in a beat up , old, Neon sized car, with a bungee cord to tie the trunk shut. Well, here's how it worked: one in the front, three large men in the back, and me, sitting on Thomas' lap, half way out the window. You really do get a different view from outside a moving vehicle. Until that drive, I hadn't been yelled at, cheered for, or stared at that much in a span of ten minutes, ten minutes of contortionist style driving.

So, anyways, we made it to the ferry!

Lining up for the ferry was a hot ordeal, and to be honest a tad nerve racking. Thomas had just watched the old cargo boat tip and dip and rock into the dock. The lake, Lago de Nicaragua, was extremely rough that day with wind whipping and gusting from the east. Passengers boarding after all the cargo was thrown on, and Thomas and I found a seat by the right side of the boat in the bottom level. Rocking and swaying, we were off!
It wasn't long before we realized exactly how rough the ride was going to be, and how wet we may end up getting. You see, the sides of the boat were wooden slats, fitted into slots, not attached to the bottom with nuts or bolts or screws or anything! As the water started coming in, and going out, the base board came loose just enough so I could see the rough lake water outside.
I thought, "well, maybe I'll just hold it with me leg." And I did for about ten minutes. It wasn't until one of the men working on the boat saw that he called, what I will assume as the maintenance man, over to inspect the very big issue of rough lake water spilling into the bottom of the boat. Thomas and I were moved seats and the work began.
For a good majority of the rest of the swaying boat ride four men worked at repairing the four foot by three foot hole in the side of the boat... Oh did I forget to mention that another slat had come loose?!
When it was all done with, the men who had fixed the hole looked at each other in shock as to what had just happened. They had fixed the boat, all while we were being thrown around by the rough lake waves.

Enough is enough, this will be continued!