The sea was rough that day, my friends

This afternoon Rob and I kayaked to the Río Istian, a river at the isthmus of the two volcanoes. It was a little bit over 4 km out there, and quite a challenge to someone with arms as scrawny as mine (see photo below). The river is supposed to be a good place to watch birds, and we’ve been told that monkeys can be found on the shores. I think the afternoon is not as good of a time to see wildlife. Certainly no monkeys and only a few different kinds of birds—none of them colorful tropical birds like I’d been hoping for.

After cruising down the river for a bit we turned around and headed for home. Despite my tired arms, I powered through and we were making pretty good time. Then the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, and it began to storm. The waves got really rough and we were quickly being swept farther and farther from the shore. We hauled ass and drug the kayak up on the shore. At that point, we were so close to home that we could see the dock. Rob thought we should try to pull the kayak through the shallow, rocky shore during the rough section. It was easier said than done. The waves were so strong that once I actually got knocked over! When we finally got through the rough patch, we got back in and paddled for home. As soon as we got out of the kayak, the driving rain subsided and the sun began to come out again! Go figure. On the plus side, I was so chilled from the rain that the cold water from our shower actually felt kind of warm. All in all, it was another exciting Nicaraguan adventure!

Here are some photos. First a nice view of Volcan Maderas during an instant when the clouds were magically swept away.


Here is Volcán Concepción, with its typical cloud cover at the top.

Pasty gringa who needs to build up her biceps:


Paddling into the Río Istian: