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The Isla de Ometepe is the largest freshwater island in the world. It is home to two volcanos, Volcan Concepcion, a perfect cone shaped volcano that is active and dangerous, and Volcan Maderas on the south side (where finca Magdalena, the ranch we are staying at, rests at its base). There are many small villages littered throughout the island. The people here on the island have so far been even more friendly than on the mainland with huge smiles and wanting to get to know you better. This, as we have learned, is in part due to Nicaraguan Revolution and Civil War were never waged here. Also, the isla seems to be a lot less touristy, resulting in the locals being very interested in getting to know you.
The hike was challenging - the thick forest we hiked through kept the humidity levels very high - so we were soaked within the first hour. Funny thing was, while all 7 of us were soaked, neither of our guides had broken a sweat!!! When we had asked our guides how long it took, they must have answered how long it takes them - their pace was incredible, and despite our recent and past hiking experiences, it was impossible to keep up that pace in thick and slipper mud! This was going to be fun! As we passed the middle mark, we were welcomed with a specatular view of Volcan Concepcion and the shores of Isla de Ometepe. As we stopped to take in the view and rest, a few howler monkeys decided to say hello (we had been hearing them for awhile now). Their "howl" sounds like a pack of sick dogs howling married with really high pitched winds - kinda weird - but nontheless fun to spend time with any monkey :).
We began our dreadful hike up out of the crater and down the volcano, without the euphoric feeling of reaching an incredible summit with potential views of the Pacific and the Lake. Oh well - better luck next time :).
Our 1.5 hour journey to our next hotel back through the dirt, almost impassable roads, was going to be fun in our truck "taxi" which arrived. Our 2 companions, Rich and Nick, who we had met on the boat ride over to the Isla, shared the room the night before, and hiked with, were ready to get out of the communal room ranch as well - so they jumped in the back of the truck to get a 'local' experience, while we road inside (we shared the $25 taxi cost). Our ride was fun at least, as the driver stopped a few times for us to get some pictures of where the lake waters had risen high due to the recent hurricanes, completely covering the "best" beach on the Island, as well as other scenic island shots. We also stopped for a huge herd of cows that were as interested in us as we were in them (see photo)!
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Exausted - that's the best word to describe today. We "slept" in the communal room last night with 5 other people on very "comfortable" cots (calling them a cot is a stretch). We had fallen asleep to crickets and various sounds of the wildlife in Nicaragua, only to be awaken by 2 of our roommates snores. Jaimie gave up after about 5 minutes, and resorted to ear plugs. I was greeted at about 4 am to rooster calls (the sun wasn't out - what were they doing doodling at 4am?). Jaimie, the smart one, had the ear plugs, and was able to get a few more hours of sleep. 
We awoke at 6:30 am and grabbed breakfast. All 7 of us in the room decided to do the hike up Volcano Maderas this morning - so we hired 2 guides at $15 per guide. We were under the impression that our volcano hike this morning was 5 hours total, getting us back at 12:30 pm, so we didn't bother to pack a lunch, just some fresh fruit and 5 liters of water. Off we were on our hike - a 5 km hike - which rose from 500 ft to 4200 ft - once again a steep incline! What we weren't fully aware of was the extensive amount of mud on the trail - which demanded a great deal of effort to keep your balance! 
We continued on, as the mud got thicker and more challenging. As we approached the "summit", we had a good layer of caked mud covering our legs and various clothing. When we got to the top, there was absolutely no view - I couldn't believe it (very anti-climatic). But, at least we were able to lower ourselves about 500 feet (through more trees and mud) into the crater. We had a rest while a few of our companions took a brief swim in the crater lake (didn't look to inviting, so we avoided the black soot/ash/mud waters). 
We arrived back at the finca (ranch) at 2:45 pm and I immediately called another hotel for any vacancies. Getting past the language barrier (my spanish is not perfect :)), they had one cabana left for $35 (score!) at Hotel Charco Verde Inn. They were sending over a taxi. We ate a quick, very bland lunch of eggs, beans, rice, and a beer, and were packed and ready to go within the hour. 
By 6 pm, we arrived at our new hotel - excited to shower off all our mud, eat dinner, and grab some well needed rest. Unfortunately, like the ranch, the showers had no hot water, but by now, it was hard to phase us - we were completely exhausted. While we haven't written it in stone, we're thinking tomorrow's going to be a huge R&R on the lagoon front hotel we're staying in!