Taking to the Hills

Well, I finally escaped the intense heat of Leon and now find myself in the much more temperate surroundings of Esteli. On Wednesday evening, I met up with a friend, Claire, in Leon, and we went out for a fabulous dinner followed by some great live music at a bar called the Olle Quemada. The place was packed and reminded me of a treasured bar find, where you can relax with friends, listen to good music, dance if you feel like dancing, etc. Even though I couldn't understand all of the words/lyrics in Spanish, the vibe was familiar! They even threw in a couple of tunes by Bob Marley and Guns 'n Roses so that the English-speaking crowd could sing along. It was a nice way to say goodbye to the city that I will always remember as a giant sweat lodge.

Thursday morning, I hopped on the chicken bus to head for the shores of the Pacific, to a beach community called Las Penitas. As I climbed on the bus carrying my heavy backpack and trying to figure out how to navigate my way through the already crowded aisles of the bus, a Nica woman who looked to be in her fifties grabbed the pack from me, turned and marched halfway down the aisle, where she hoisted it onto one of the overhead racks and promptly returned to her space at the front of the bus. At first too stunned to do anything, I had then followed her down the aisle attempting to help her shoulder the weight of the pack, but it was pretty clear she had it under control. I slunk into my seat, hoping it didn't appear as though I had foisted the task onto this poor, unsuspecting woman.

After a pleasant, 45-minute ride, I arrived at my destination and got checked in at a lovely hotel at the end of the beach that had been recommended to me by a couple of people. The man at the desk showed me a lovely single room for $27 a night, but after a quick investigation, I decided to take a bed in the otherwise empty dorm room for $7 a night, where I had my pick of 4 different beds and access to my own bathroom. I spent the afternoon strolling the beach and had a late lunch of beans, fried tortilla and tostones con queso, thereby spoiling my appetite for the grilled fish dinner that I had been dreaming about earlier. Ah, well. The hotel was devoid of guests except for an older Swiss man and a young French family, but I had a lovely time chatting in Spanish with a woman working at the hotel before heading to bed early.

The next morning, I took another long walk on the beach and spent a good long while sitting on the rocks and watching the spray as the waves came in, one of my favorite pasttimes from Maine. Actually, I was surprised at how much this beach reminded me of Maine, save for the thatch-roof huts, the young Nica surfers and the horses running on the beach. Still, it was a nice reminder of home. Oh, and I should mention the tide - it was crazy! Walking along the water's edge, an occasional wave would come up that would soak me up to my waist, and I would plant my feet firmly in the sand so as not to be pulled out to sea. I can see why the guidebook suggested thinking twice before swimming in these waters...After my walk, I had a delicious shrimp ceviche while watching the fishermen bring in the day's catch and then caught the bus back to Leon.

At the bus terminal, I bought my ticket for Esteli (about $3 for a 2.5-hour ride) and boarded a bus that could have doubled for one of the more plush coaches in the U.S., save for the lack of air conditioning. Still, once we got going, the ride was very pleasant, I took in lots of lush, green scenery and was delighted to feel a slight cooling of the air with each passing mile. Once in Esteli, I grabbed a taxi to my hostel, threw down my bag and walked to the cafe across the street to chow down on some yummy fajitas washed down with a cold Victoria. The cuisine, while definitely not traditional Nica fare, was damn good!

Today I've been exploring Esteli on foot and making preparations to get into the wilderness for a few days. I started my day at La Casita, a lovely little cafe on the outskirts of town where I had a cafe con leche along with some homemade yogurt and muesli. The setting was terrific - a small patio containing a few tables carved from logs with a small stream running alongside, but what really got me was a leaflet explaining how part of the mission of the place was to do its part towards reducing the global footprint, by using locally sourced products, not using plastic goods or bags, etc. It noted how Hurricane Mitch was an all too powerful reminder of what happens when nature is thrown off balance, and how they hoped that it would not take another disaster of that magnitude to remind people of the need to be conscientious in how they treat the Earth. (Some of you might remember that Hurricane Mitch ravaged Central America in 1998, causing extensive damage in several countries. In Nicaragua, torrential rains triggered massive mudslides on the side of Volcan Casita, causing the deaths of an estimated 3,000 people living at the base of the volcano, many of whom were buried by the mud and their bodies never recovered. The site where the village once stood is now considered a mass burial ground).

After breakfast, I took the nice, long walk back into town, strolled through the market and the central park, and was disappointed to discover that the Galeria de Heroes y Martires, a museum paying tribute to fallen heroes of the Revolution, was closed. (Esteli and other Northern communities saw heavy fighting between the Sandinistas and the Guardia Nacional of Somoza.) Hopefully, I can check out the museum and some other sights when I come back through Esteli since, as of tomorrow, I will be dropping off the grid for a while!

Just north of Esteli is a protected area known as Miraflor, a reportedly beautiful area consisting of three temperature zones and approximately 44 communities where small-scale farmers grow coffee and other crops, and where a handful of families open their homes to travelers who want to experience a taste of rural life in Nicaragua. I've opted to spend 2 nights each at 2 different homestays, one in the northern reaches of the reserve with its cloud forest, and one in the drier southern region known for its many waterfalls. I'm told that, in addition to experiencing some terrific hiking and breathtaking views, I may get a chance to pitch in with making tortillas, toasting coffee and milking cows (fingers crossed). Also, there's no electricity out there, so I'm guessing bedtime comes fairly early...

I did get around to posting a heap of photos on Facebook, so feel free to check them out if you haven't already. For those of you not on Facebook, you should be able to access the pics using this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=240904&id=631288604&l=af006ed83a

OK, hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm heading out to grab some vegetarian nacatamales (Nica's version of a tamale, although larger) before packing up for the big trip. Should be back online in  a few days. Adios!