Did Che Guevara actually have a Ferry Boat? ... the Volcano Island

Today we took a ferry ride across the huge Lake Nicaragua to a Volcanic island

Like almost everything else here, this ferry boat crossing was not easy.  For the last three days, we had been staying near the ocean at the site where our son TK and his wife Jenny live.   We got up early this morning, had breakfast, packed up, and left the site to drive for an hour to to catch the 9:00 ferry.  Our destination was Ometepe Island. 

Only it didn't leave at 9:00, it left at 9:30, and of course, there wasn't enough room so we had to wait until the next ferry at 10:30. This whole process took a long time, with a lot of negotiation.  I mean ... really? ... it's just a ferry boat for crying out loud.  They do this all day long, every day.  

And of course, we had to "show our appreciation" with a small token of gratitude and ... you would have thought we were negotiating an international peace treaty.   Geez.

One slight benefit was that TK and Jenny were hoping to see a friend of theirs who was coming over on the earlier ferry, and since everything was delayed, we were able to have breakfast with her. 

So you have to back your vehicle onto the ferry from the dock.  It's not easy for the big trucks to do this, but this makes it easier to drive off when you get to the other end.  They pack the darn things down to the inch. 
We had to drive our little rental car - excuse me, we had to BACK our little rental car - onto a boat like this.  They squeezed us in ...

  
Once you get under way, the quality of the boat does not inspire confidence.  It was in very rough condition.  The interior was very "rustic"!  It was not exactly a death trap, but you know how you hear all those stories about ferry boats sinking and ... I'm just sayin'.

You kinda get a feel for the place when you look over at the out-of-commission ferry next to ours.  It was called the Che Guevara ferry. Ha! Ha!

Only this kind of thing is not exactly funny here.  Nicaragua has a troubled history over the last 50 years with brutal dictators and revolution, and then with Cold War political powers supporting both sides and the eventual triumph of the Sandinistas. 

I won't go into a detailed history of this country, but all of this turmoil led to a very unstable economy and years of struggle that are just now beginning to ease.  I try to keep politics out of this blog, so I won't go into the sordid involvement of ... okay, I said I wouldn't.

Luckily, we made the crossing without incident, and made our way to the other side of the island and our hotel.  TK and Jenny know this island well, they worked here for a couple months.    The weather improved from the recent rains and it was a pleasant afternoon.  I was able to capture a sunset picture as the clouds parted over the Volcano.