Esteli and Miraflor

Months ago we took a trip up north to visit the highland areas of Esteli, Matagalpa and Jinotega.  Its an absolutely gorgeous area of the country with mountains, cool temperatures, and a different vibe than Granada.  I absolutely fell in love and would like to move up there (to either Esteli or Matagalpa).  If we decide to stay in Nicaragua, its definitely a possibility.  In addition to the beauty and the weather, the areas are not tourist hubs so it feels more "Nicaraguan" to me.  The areas are also known for growing tobacco (think cigars) and coffee, so have traditionally been wealthier than some of the other parts of the country. 

We rented a car and drove first to Esteli where we spent one night.  The drive there was a bit treacherous as it is up windy, mountain roads, it was raining, and we were behind an insane semi, that was passing vehicles in a very unsafe and illegal manner. We actually saw him try to pass, crash into a pickup truck, and then proceed to drive away.  We saw everyone get safely out of the pick-up thankfully, and then amazingly enough, saw the police pull the semi over, over an hour away in the city of Esteli. The whole thing definitely rattled us, but gave us some sense of security that the police actually got the guy.

It rained the whole first afternoon and evening we were in Esteli, so we didn't get to do much, but we did get some sun the next morning to walk around the town a bit.  Esteli apparently has one of the best universities in Nicaragua, so there are a lot of college students, cafes, and nightlife (not that we could confirm the nightlife). 

Ice cream to the rescue on a rainy day.



Many of the central parks we've seen on our travels have a monument to mothers. 
Its very interesting to see such reverence to mothers.

The cathedral.

Gigantic papaya.

Painted pigs and hens for sale.

Isabel driving a Ferrari through the central plaza.

 

After walking through Esteli in the morning, we headed over to Miraflor nature reserve to spend a night on a finca (farm).  The road inside the reserve is all dirt, and we had been told it is best to have a 4x4, especially during the rains.  Well 4x4 vehicles are about quadruple the price of a regular sedan and the rains had just started (and we figured it wouldn't be so bad), so we opted to go without the 4x4.  Not a good decision.  Despite having to inch around an overturned sand truck, we made it to our destination in one piece, but had to drive very slowly and undoubtedly scratched up the underside of the car pretty badly.  It was well worth it however as the views were phenomenal and our time on the finca was lovely.  We were the only guests and were in the middle of nature, with not much more than the rustic cabin, the farm animals, and our flashlights.  We took a hike in the afternoon and a long horseback ride to a waterfall the next morning.  It was gorgeous and so peaceful.  The only people we saw were on horseback or walking, and it was few and far in between that we actually saw anyone.  It was also really cold in the night and morning(which we loved!), but with no hot water, trying to shower Isabel was not a fun experience.  Her screams competed with the sounds of the forest creatures for sure.  All in all, I would definitely go back and would like to stay longer.  Next time however, we have to have the 4x4.

Raul checking out the overturned dump truck to see if they need
help and to see if we could make it around.

Our next roadblock was this large herd of cows.  This is not uncommon however,
and can even be encountered in Granada occasionally.

View of Miraflor from the top of the road.

Bundled up, mud boots on, and ready for our hike.

Our cabin, complete with horse grazing in the front yard.

At the waterfall that we arrived at by horseback.

Our horses.  Isabel moved between the three of us.