By David F. Rooney
The first time Katrina Chabot visited the Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua she had accidentally boarded the wrong ferry. But sometimes mistakes are just a way for Fate to intervene in our lives because that small mistake has made a powerful difference in Chabot’s life.
An assistant manager at Canadian Mountain Holiday’s Galena Lodge since 2008, Katrina is heading back to the island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua. (Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome(two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains.) It is the largest island in Lake Nicaragua as well as the largest volcanic island inside a fresh water lake in the world.
That may make it a novelty for travellers, but the real attraction for Katrina is its people.
“They really opened their hearts to me,” she said of the folks who call that volcanic island in impoverished Nicaragua home.
And in return she’s dragging back a real load of items she thinks the people who live there will appreciate: clothes, bags, shoes, fabric, kitchen supplies, baseball gloves and a wide variety of other things donated by generous Revelstokians in reply to Katrina’s ads on The Stoke List.
“I’ve got piles all over my house,” Katrina said.
Well, not for long. Katrina is leaving for Nicaragua on Wednesday, but you’ll be able to follow her adventures on her Facebook page.
Have a great trip, Katrina!
