|
  | |  |
Trip to the coffee highlands
Entry 5 of 12 | show all | print this entry |
Spent the next 4 days after the last blog entry running to the toilet, obviously eating at market stalls is a no-no. Have mostly recovered now, though not helped by a busy weekend.
Travelled up to a city called Jinotega, in the Northern mountainous regions of Nicaragua. I left home at 4.20am to get the direct bus to Matagalpa, as the tourist information lady and the family i´m staying with had told me. I was then to meet with one of their friends, who incidentally is a bus owner/diver who drives the route from Matagalpa to Jinotega that combines perfectly with the bus from Leon. Unfortunatelt I had been misinformed. I realised this when, at a point I knew was still not even near Matagalpa, the bus emptied of all people and the conductor asked me where I was going. He told me I needed to get a bus to Matagalpa, so, very tired and confused I asked around and found the bus stop to Matagalpa. This connection meant I arrvied 1 hour late. Well, I never really arrived in Matagalpa. At the junction entrance to the town (which they always call the Empalme) someone came on the bus and asked if anyone wanted to go to Jinotega. I was asleep but jumped up and said me-me! I then told him I should have been getting on David Mendoza´s bus, so he told me it would be best to find him in Jinotega. The whole bus ride was very bumpy, with large potholes in the ground forcing the bus to slow down or drive on the wrong side of the road. Eventually (9am) I reached the small city of Jinotega. Somone pointed me round a corner and told me to find David there. His bus with his name on it was, but no sign of him, so I started asking nearby houses and quickly located his sister, who had his phone number, so I called, explained the situation, and 30 minutes later I was at his house being offered multiple Cokes and tacos.
Had a really good weekend. David & his family were really friendly, he took me out to a nearby town in the hills, out with his nephews (my age) for beers that night, lunch the next day, and then to a nearby forest reserve. Jinotega is much colder than Leon, about 25ºC in the middle of the day. It is the coffee capital of Nicaragua, the economy almost totally dependant on it. The nature reserve is half organic coffee farm half cloud forest. It is very peaceful and beautiful. It is also very humid, being in the clouds all the time. I left Jinotega on Monday morning with an open invitation to return, a new friend and bags of coffee for me and the family.
(Sorry no photos yet)
Latest Comments (2)
|
Hi from Gib (reply)
Aug 29, 2008 08:29 EST by coolaunty
Hi Robert
Sounds fantastic.......the world is full of friendly people, isn't it, how good of them to welcome you and look after you for a weekend.
We're back in Bristol on Sunday:(( Not looking forward to the weather but kind-of looking forward to the the kids going back to school!You missed a great BBQ at Bahia Dorada a few days ago.......carry on having fun!!
|
|
|
Hi from Gib (reply)
Aug 29, 2008 08:29 EST by coolaunty
Hi Robert
Sounds fantastic.......the world is full of friendly people, isn't it, how good of them to welcome you and look after you for a weekend.
We're back in Bristol on Sunday:(( Not looking forward to the weather but kind-of looking forward to the the kids going back to school!You missed a great BBQ at Bahia Dorada a few days ago.......carry on having fun!!
|
 Post a new comment |
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from Nicaragua or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
