The noises of cars and pedestrians on the street here in Rivas are a strange shock after having spent nearly all of my time so far in Nicaragua in the campo. On Monday, Rawley and I left Lagartillo on the 6:30 bus (the times I´ve been waking up at will make going back to work seem like sleeping in) for Esteli, leaving behind friends and a great community. We arrived in Esteli, did some errands then left for Miraflor that afternoon. The bus gradually climbed through cattle pastures and forests to the highlands of Miraflor located north of the city. As we gained elevation, moss cloaked trees, small fincas and fields of corn, potatoes and cabbage appeared out of the drizzle. We passed small communities, eventually arriving at Puertas Azules. From there we hiked along a gravel road a few kilometers to Posada La Perla, located at the highest point of Miraflor. We had reservations to stay two nights there at the small farm of Maribel Gonzales and her family. The finca is a rustic spot, surrounded by pasture, corn fields, shade-grown coffee and a wonderful garden with vegetables like broccoli that one usually doesn´t associate with the tropics. We enjoyed a late lunch then checked out the surroundings.
On Wednesday, Maribel`s 16 year old daughter Eyda and her nephew took us on a long walk through Miraflor. We hiked across pastures, through corn fields, past small farmsteads with dogs, chickens, pigs and cows and under bromeliad and moss covered trees. Miraflor is a different world from Lagartillo, much damper with taller trees and suprisingly less rugged terrain. The area is a little more developed--people grow more crops for sale such as cabbage, potatoes and coffee and some even grow tomatoes in greenhouses. The finca where we stayed had solar power and a TV, which seemed to be the gathering point in the evening for the local chavalos (or maybe it was the young lady Eyda). The tourism is managed by a cooperative of local producers and there see to be a lot of other community oriented projects and organizations in Miraflor. Our long walk through Miraflor eventually led us to a beautiful waterfall, from there we checked out some orchids, few of which were blooming. Rawley scaled the inside of a large tree called a Matapalo. The matapalo is a parasitic tree which over a long time spread its` vines over another tree, eventually strangling and killing the other tree, creating hollow spot in the middle. I couldn´t climb because I was wearing rubber boots.
Miraflor is a place where I could have stayed for a while. The mists, cool air, lush vegetation, friendly people and rural lifestyle make it a magical place. But after two nights in the wonderful Posada la Perla, Rawley and I caught an early bus, thus beginning a long southward descent, first to Esteli, then to Managua and finally to Rivas, a small city in southern Nicaragua. Rivas is not far from the Costa Rican border, the gringo surf town of San Juan del Sur and the waters of Lake Nicaragua. It´s a world away from the highlands of the north and is much less harsh than Managua, which as usual was full of chaos, poverty and hustle. Rivas seems more bucolic than Leon, less poor than the north but still full of that vital street life that makes Nicaraguan small towns and cities so charming. In the evening, chavalos bike the streets, families take strolls and the smell of grilling meat from fritangas drifts through the air. I am sure that I won`t be woken up tomorrow by the cries of a calf hungry for milk. Our stay in Rivas will be short, but enough to enjoy atmosphere in this small, un touristy Nicaraguan city. Tomorrow we catch the ferry to Ometepe, a volcanic island located an hour away in Nicaragua´s large lake, known to folks here at the colcibola.
Well, I tried to upload some pictures, but I guess that will have to wait for another time. Now it´s time to check out the night life here in Rivas, maybe sip a Toña or two and enjoy the evening breeze off the lake.
On Wednesday, Maribel`s 16 year old daughter Eyda and her nephew took us on a long walk through Miraflor. We hiked across pastures, through corn fields, past small farmsteads with dogs, chickens, pigs and cows and under bromeliad and moss covered trees. Miraflor is a different world from Lagartillo, much damper with taller trees and suprisingly less rugged terrain. The area is a little more developed--people grow more crops for sale such as cabbage, potatoes and coffee and some even grow tomatoes in greenhouses. The finca where we stayed had solar power and a TV, which seemed to be the gathering point in the evening for the local chavalos (or maybe it was the young lady Eyda). The tourism is managed by a cooperative of local producers and there see to be a lot of other community oriented projects and organizations in Miraflor. Our long walk through Miraflor eventually led us to a beautiful waterfall, from there we checked out some orchids, few of which were blooming. Rawley scaled the inside of a large tree called a Matapalo. The matapalo is a parasitic tree which over a long time spread its` vines over another tree, eventually strangling and killing the other tree, creating hollow spot in the middle. I couldn´t climb because I was wearing rubber boots.
Miraflor is a place where I could have stayed for a while. The mists, cool air, lush vegetation, friendly people and rural lifestyle make it a magical place. But after two nights in the wonderful Posada la Perla, Rawley and I caught an early bus, thus beginning a long southward descent, first to Esteli, then to Managua and finally to Rivas, a small city in southern Nicaragua. Rivas is not far from the Costa Rican border, the gringo surf town of San Juan del Sur and the waters of Lake Nicaragua. It´s a world away from the highlands of the north and is much less harsh than Managua, which as usual was full of chaos, poverty and hustle. Rivas seems more bucolic than Leon, less poor than the north but still full of that vital street life that makes Nicaraguan small towns and cities so charming. In the evening, chavalos bike the streets, families take strolls and the smell of grilling meat from fritangas drifts through the air. I am sure that I won`t be woken up tomorrow by the cries of a calf hungry for milk. Our stay in Rivas will be short, but enough to enjoy atmosphere in this small, un touristy Nicaraguan city. Tomorrow we catch the ferry to Ometepe, a volcanic island located an hour away in Nicaragua´s large lake, known to folks here at the colcibola.
Well, I tried to upload some pictures, but I guess that will have to wait for another time. Now it´s time to check out the night life here in Rivas, maybe sip a Toña or two and enjoy the evening breeze off the lake.
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