''Take the big one!'' they said. ''It's smoother on the water.'' Smoother? It's a lake! Lakes aren't rough. What are these people talking about? Lakes are kind and contained. They are home to harmless animals like frogs and ducks. Hell, they are so still, you can even see your own reflection in it! ''No, lakes are not rough! We'll take the small ferry.'' I confidently said to my best friend once our tourists peers away. ''Yea!'' she replied with the same enthusiasm ''We are both from Canada. We like lakes and lakes like us. '' ''YEAAA!'' we joyfully chanted in unison, before leaving for San Jorge, with our big North American egos and two squeaky clean backpacks on the shoulders. *** It was, for both of us, not only our first time in Nicaragua but also our first big trip outside of the Maple Syrup Kingdom. Everything was exciting and new and mucho mas caliente and we felt invincible. We were sliding down volcanic mountains, drinking gigantic beers by the beach and were now getting ready for our journey to Ometepe, an island hosting two Volcanoes. What else could dreams be made of? ''MOYOGALPA! MOYOGALPA!'' screamed the captain from is cabin, giving us the green light to jump on board. The boat was in good shape but looked quite rustic and the remnants of a red and blue paint, scatter here and there on the wooden structure, were giving flashbacks of a previous life. In the hull, were ? Ely and I grabbed a seat, the design was rudimentary and offering simple benches to its passengers. Yet, there was enough space for everyone, from us to a family of five, carrying loads of provisions including a live chicken in a cage, to get comfy and enjoy the view. We were the only Gringos of the bunch and attracted amused looks and whispers when getting excited after a loud and long blast was heard, initiating locomotion from the ferry and taking us all to what seemed at first to be a stretch of calm and welcoming water. When we hit our first small waves, lightly shaking us all, we joined our laughter to the ones coming from the group of kids sitting at the back. But ten minutes later, when we started hitting one big wave after the other, we weren't laughing anymore. ''That's it. It ends here. I had a good run for a 23 year old.'' was I thinking as the boat was deeply leaning from left to right, taking freshwater in with each movement and slowly filling up the shell. It was rocking so hard, I had to grab onto the backseat in front of me to make sure I wouldn't hit my head on anything or anyone. As for my travel partner, she was eyes closed, taking deep breath in and out, hoping for that really bad joke to stop. Where were those waves coming from anyway? What was happening? ''Ask the the man behind us if it's normal!'' Ely had a good base in Spanish and I thought, there will never be a better time to use it than now. ''He says it's not normal. That he has never seen that before.'' Great. Really great. Even the locals were starting to get worried. The joyful kids at the back traded their giggles for agitated screams, the on-going sound of flowing conversations muted and a nun, that I hadn't notice before, was sitting not far from us, head down and palms in a prayer position. I wanted to cry. The woman sitting in front of us was the only one who seemed to handle the situation like a champ. She hadn't say a word or even moved since the departure. She stayed there, comfortably eating a bunch of different snacks and hastened to turn around to try to reassure us, as soon as she overheard one of us speaking her mother tongue. ''Tranquillo, tranquillo. Suaaavveeeee!'' '', was she sharing with us while the boat was still going through an epic seizure. I really appreciated the gesture and will never forget her courage but it didn't help. We both sat through this one and a half hour nightmare, thinking our parents would never forgive us if something bad was to happen. When the engine finally stopped, confirming the end of our trip and our survival, we rushed outside and jumped into each others arms. My more-than-ever best friend, in this moment, looked at me and said, ''What about we take the big ferry to come back?'' I laughed and replied, ''Yes, don't take the small ferry!''