Ometepe island, just a couple of hours from San Juan, is probably it's most stunning at sunset. On our first evening we (a big group including Jenna, Nicola, Fraser, Lachie, James, Anita, Fred and a few others from Casa de Olas) headed down to the lake and watched the pink sky melt behind an ashy black volcano. Ometepe's only downsides are that it's fly infested and a little too humid which makes for an uncomfortable, sweaty sleep. It's also getting into rainy season which meant one particularly stormy night and a few power cuts.
We stayed at Little Morgans which is a farm turned hostel with little huts, outside bathrooms and a variety of animals wandering around; pigs, cats, dogs, parrots, chickens, the works! It's really refreshing to stay somewhere so outdoorsy and to be right on the cusp of the lake where flying fish fill the landscape like a lake full of shooting stars.
After getting our bearings, we all decide to go horseback riding along the beach. At only $6 USD an hour, it's a complete bargain and a lot of fun. As I've been horse riding recently (in San Cristobal), I felt a bit more comfortable with what I was doing and managed to gallop a fair bit, even leading my magnificent white horse in and out of the water, unlike last time when I felt much more like my horse was leading me. We rode the horses to a fresh water spring where we could swim in the clear shallow waters and cool off after a tiring but fun filled day.
The next morning another 3 taxis full of friends from Casa de Olas turned up. It was nice to see them but afraid of getting sucked into big group mentality, i.e. complicity and laziness, a few of us decided to power on down to Costa Rica for the next adventure.