Whewwwwwwwwwwww

So after over 9 straight hours of travel, we´re finally at the Hostal Colibri in Leon, where we´re showering, napping in the hammocks and generally recuperating from an exhausting day. We woke up a little after 6 a.m. to catch the 7 a.m. bus to Altagracia (the port where some boats leave for the mainland). On the way, we were told we had better transfer to another bus to Moyogalpa (another port). On THAT bus, were were told some disturbing news: the coast guard wasn´t letting the ferries leave the island because of the intense wind. We believed it because every night at Finca Magdalena we´d shiver in our poorly insulated room while the trees shook outside. When we got to Moyogalpa, it was true. The morning ferries hadn´t been allowed to leave. Luckily, at 11 a.m. the coast guard gave the clearance and we were off! We could have been stuck there all day. The ferry ride was only a little rocky, and we got into San Jorge just fine.

From there, we taxied to Rivas, then caught an "express" bus to Managua that made several stops and took a longggggggg time. We arrived at the bus station, and barely had time to pee and buy snacks before we were forcefully herded onto a smaller, nicer, air-conditioned bus to Leon. Unfortunatly, THAT bus station was not centrally located, and we had to take ANOTHER taxi to our hostel. But now we are here, excited for our day tomorrow with Rachel, a woman doing a Fullbright fellowship on sustainable agriculture. She´s set up a lot of interesting meetings for us with different local organizations and I expect we´ll learn a lot!

The other girls will post soon to catch you all up on the rest of our Ometepe adventures. Paz!
-Alice