The kitchen started cooking breakfast at 6am and we were eating not long after. The standard Nicaraguan fare of Gallo Pinto with scrambeld eggs on the side for David and a healthier fruit bowl for Maria, all washed down with some very good coffee.

Last night we had arranged to go on an early kayaking trip on Lake Nicaragua to get to Istian River with a bit of wildlife spotting thrown in. Our guide Simeon got the two double kayaks ready while we finished off breakfast. An American girl, Sarah, was joining us so that made a good number in the kayaks. As we paddled up the lake, close to the shore, we passed lots of locals washing laundry and bathing in the lake. There were also loads of domesticated animals such as cows, horses, pigs and chickens all running free in the bush on the lakeside.

After about an hour of paddling we pulled into the shore of lake because the river was actually quite dry due to a lack of rain and we couldn't paddle up. We were going to walk up the rivers edge instead which was fine by us because then we could take pictures. There were lots of birds including heron, ibis and a whole lot more local ones that we forgot the name of. Maria was lucky enough to spot the eye of caiman peeping out the water but it was too shy to hang around and retreated under the overhanging tree. There were loads of horses and cows near the river although we were careful about getting too close. There were plenty of swampy bits that Sarah discovered to her misfortune when she didn't follow in the same footsteps as Simeon. She ended up in the mud half way to her knees and was very lucky not to lose her jandals, only good instructions on reversing out saved the day. Being such a nice guy, Simeon even washed up the mess best he could before we carried on.


On our way back to the kayaks we had to pass through a paddock of horses and as if on cue to liven things up for us, two of them decided to have a fight in front of us. A full on kicking & biting fight. The winner stayed with the mares and foals while the loser went off into the distance. Bizarrely, it was looking for horse that brought out attention to fact that both of the islands' volcanoes were visible to us. As we turned back toward the lake, a turtle was perched on a rock sunning itself.

The wind was against us on our earlier paddle and with tired arms we were looking forward to a bit of help from Mother Nature on our return. Not our day apparently, the wind had swung round while we were walking and was blowing harder than before too. With a swell and a headwind, it was a long, slow paddle back to Hacienda Merida.

After dragging the kayaks out the water and throwing our stuff in the room, we were straight back in the water to cool off. The small jetty at the Hacienda provided the perfect shelter and the water was like a millpond. The rest of the day was just spent relaxing, reading and eating.

In the late evening it began to rain bringing some relief to heat. As the night progressed the rain increased in intensity and was joined with some thunder which knocked out the power. Was this the beginning of rainy season?