Backpacks and Flipflops: Nicaragua post 4... Matagalpa and the Nicaragua Mountains

Prologue

......although, I deeply love oceans, deserts and other wild landscapes, it is only mountains that beckon me with that sort of painful magnetic pull to ealw deeper and deeper into their beauty. They keep me continuously wanting to know more, feel more, see more..... Victoria Erickson

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Heading to the Northern Mountains of Nicaragua

.....just another typical morning scene at a Nicaraguan bus station......we are looking to leave Leon and head to the northern mountains and the town of Matagalpa.

Someone grabs our arm and leads us to a bus. ...Mata Matagalpa?.....Si!.... Matagalpa!

Great! At least we have seats for the 2.5 hr journey from the heat of Leon to the cool air of the mountains.

It actually turns out to be a 'cool' ride with decent scenery. Much like the dry country around our own home province.

And, as passengers get out along the way, we each have seats to ourselves and sit back to enjoy the ride.

There was only a moment (or 2) when we wondered if we were on the right bus, as we seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. However, passengers and driver insisted this was the right bus. Only needed to catch another bus at a crossroads. Yeah....it all worked out.

Matagalpa

Spent a night here...it is a sprawling town with several nice plazas. On the verge of becoming more tourist--friendly, it has a few places to grab a beer or coffee. Matagalpa is a good starting point for further exploration of the mountains.

We end up on the top deck of a city tour bus.

Spent most of the time ducking the low hanging wires and traffic signs to avoid serious head injury.

We climb a 45 degree dirt trail, trying not to tumble off the edge as we squeeze by other vehicles.

View of sprawling Matagalpa

Our accommodation was just behind the tall pink church where we were serenaded with late night gospel.

Bus stop at Yucul... where we waited for our ride to the mountain retreat of Finca Esperanza Verde Eco-Lodge.

No....that wasn't our ride.....

The Esperanza Verde Eco-lodge

We book into the Finca Esperanza Verde Eco Lodge about an hour from Matagalpa. Set high in the mountains, the lodge is a working coffee farm, complete with trails to hike, waterfalls to swim in and wildlife to look for.

The cabins are like high end summer camp quarters.

All cabins are comfortable and private with showers. There's a communal hot shower building steps away.

The view from our deck goes on forever. These are the hills that hold revolutions.

Meals are wonderful, made with many ingredients from the garden.

Every day we spend 3-4 hours walking the different trails. It's tranquillo, even with the constant insect buzzing that fills the air around us.

Yeah.... that's a trail...

Found a waterfall pool while the howler monkeys hooted and hollered from the trees above.

We finally found the elusive slow moving 3-toed sloth

A tree root path

The fragrant coffee flower

Banana flower

A tanager

One night around the campfire, we are entertained by musicians from a local village. They sing folk ballads about the mountains, their life and toil. Very beautiful! Even roasted marshmallows!

The Eco Lodge works closely with the mountain community here. From hiring local staff, building a village school to assisting farmers, the Esperanza Verde is very much involved.

Our days are spent searching for the elusive toucans, to no avail, and our evenings watching the skies turn from the smokey mountain blues that bleed into the blood-reds of the nightly sunsets.

The Lodge is a magical place....we share trails with locals who have used these pathways for generations. Again....we hear the whispers of past conflicts in the breezes that rustle the vines around us. The respite from the city heat allows a pause for reflection and thought.

Morning has broken....high in the northern Nicaragua mountains of Dariense e Isabellia, near San Ramon...in the land of coffee and on the trails walked by farmers and Sandinistas......

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Nicaragua is a magical country. The people so generous, gentle and kind. From crowded buses to busy streets, we witness moments of humanity.....helping a mom and her children down and off a crowded bus....to grabbing an old lady's load and taking it through a narrow passage. The country is beautiful. This is how life should be. Although, we've only seen a small bit, so far, we marvel at the people's warmth and willingness to help.

Hasta Luego until the next time......

Pop...pop... popcorn! Off to the magical Corn Islands

Shayne y Yvonne