Wednesday 18 August 2010

THE MOPED DIARIES OF OMETEPE ISLAND


When I started planning my travels through the Americas back in January, every day was going to be like today. Butterflies danced in the air as the sun shone in the sky and I rode through rural Latin America on two wheels, avoiding farm animals in the middle of the road as I waved cheerfully at locals with a smile on my face and a gentle breeze blowing through my hair helmet.

Every day was going to be like today on the Isle de Ometepe in Nicaragua, until of course I forgot the clocks went back on Sunday 28th March, rocked up late at the DSA Test centre in a fluster and promptly failed my motorcycle test for touching one of the traffic cones whilst doing the slalom maneouvre.

So instead, only today is like today, when Carlos the Mexican that I travelled from Granada with hired mopeds and drove around the Island of Ometepe to visit beaches and pueblos that I would not have got to see on public transport, the massive Volcan Concepcion all the time looming above me as I drove around the island, a constant reminder of what lies in wait tomorrow.