I’ve been remote! The combination of full days, lots of activity or travel and feeble wifi has not encourged much writing. Tonight, I’m catching up!
I arrived back here around noon after being in Selva Negra for two nights. Before that, I traveled here, walked and talked to people about how to make Selva Negra happen. Then, minimized things I would need so they fit into a very small backpack. Everything else was left in storage in my big backpack!
After I finish writing, I’ll repeat that process! I forgot how dark my room is with very low watt light bulbs so did a bit of organizing before the sun set. One of the adaptations of travel: dark rooms! Fortunately, I have a good headlamp!
More interesting travel in store tomorrow! I have sketchy information about what bus to take and how to get there. Key word: SKETCHY! I’ll set off early for the 9:00 bus hoping there is one. I’ve written down the name of the organization I am going to visit and will show that to the driver and all his assistants. Then, something will happen. Following that, something else will happen and eventually, I’ll end up where I want to be.
And that is in a remote natural wilderness area without many people but a healthy ecosystem to play in! I am stying there for two nights and then going to a different place for two nights on the way back! Curious about the area? Check out this link: Peñas Blancas Massif
Esteli and area adventures
It was an adventure getting to Esteli! Once there, I enjoyed the little town! And staying at Luna Internal Hostel was a great choice! Ariel was most helpful! When I asked about getting to one of the finca’s in Miraflor, he told me how it worked. He called, booked it, I paid him, knew which bus to get on and set off! Before leaving, I received a message back from one farm I had written to, just down the road from the farm Ariel helped me with. I decided to extend my visit two nights to experience that as well! Aside from some heavy rain, it was a great area to be! The first farm was a family farm and the family welcomed me and other guest warmly! Awesome! The rain interferred with our coffee tour but it was lovely just to be there and enjoy nature. Plus, it was cool!!
The second farm was very nice but without the family feel! Lots of birds and butterflies, lush gardens, fruit and avacodo trees, it was a lovely place to be! I was preparing for a hike to get there but the boys from Holland were leaving and offered me a ride. Then, Jonusch decided to leave so gave me a ride back to Esteli! Perfect connections!
The Miraflor is a cloudforest area where local families host travelers. I got a glimpse into what that life is like! One glimpse reminded me of what my grandfather did with a plow team and a single bottom plow! I watched two teams on different fields work back and forth followed by people planting potatos!
Back in Esteli for one night
I planned one night in Esteli then headed off to Matagalpa! I had intended to visit Jinotega but that changed. As I headed back to Esteli,I remembered that Friday was a morning they offered Cigar Tours! I asked, Ariel said yes, so I packed and was ready for the tour after breakfast at 9:00. What an awesome experience!
Esteli is now considered the cigar capital of the world! And this mid sized business does everything to a very high standard! I was completely impressed, enough so I bought several different types of cigars to try later!
Mechanised...NOT
I walked through, room to room, immersed in the fragrance of fresh tobacco, and learned the steps involved. Here is a blog I found that goes into more detail about the steps in the process: Tabacalera Flor de San Luis. That is the name of the cigar factory I visited.
Nothing mechanical, everything done by hand. Every leaf is inspected. If it does not meet a certain standard, it is put to a different use. Some leaves are for the final wrap. Others, in combination with leaves from different places, are rolled into the different types of cigars. After pressing, rolling, finishing, every cigar is hand inspected for any imperfection!
I’m not a cigar smoker and remember the tast of the last cigar I smoked decades ago! Not a pleasant memory or taste! But here, I was given a mild sweet cigar to taste while we toured. Now I know why the cigars I smoked before tasted so bad!! While not something I imagine I can get into, I’m thrilled to know the work they do from planting, harvesting, drying and finally producing the cigars! An amazing process!
To Selva Negra, "black forest"
Once again patience pays! I arrived knowing two places I wanted to visit but I’d been unsuccessful finding helpful information online! I walked to a tour agency and met Deya. She spoke great English and offered ideas for what I could do. They are a “tour” company so that is what she offered to put together for me. She was MOST helpful!
And after talking with her, I got back online and found what I needed to make my trip happen. Selva Negra has small single rooms, actually for 3 people, for a very reasonable price! I emailed someone who confirmed they had some and booked a room for me. Then, I got on a bus headed for Jinotega, told the driver where I wanted to go and got off when he pointed to my spot!
I had a short…long walk to get to reception. It was about 2.5 kilometers. However, once i got my camera out and saw coffee fields on both sides of the road, it took me longer. Such a lovely walk in!
I met Jose who is their guide and he told me they were having a night hike that night. I love those! The next morning, we did an amazing coffee tour!
Like the cigar tour, they do everything here to a very high standard! And I saw “yellow” coffee beans for the first time! I had never heard of those! Now, I have some to try at home.
Each morning, I woke to the sound of Howler Monkey’s. Up around 5:00 am, I was off hiking as the sun came up. Slowly, with no one else in sight, I wandered the forest for a couple hours before breakfast. What a perfect experience for me! I also saw two types of hummingbirds that I have never seen before!
Wrapping up, repacking for next forest adventure
In the morning, I’ll be up early for breakfast and then off on a bus for 3 hours. This is the most remote forest area I’ll visit in this part of Nicaragua! From here, I’ll head down to the tropical and humid Rio San Juan and head down to the India Maiz Reserve. It’s just across the border from Costa Rica. On the Costa Rica side is an area known as the “Amazon of Central America”. Much of the habitat will be the same. I’m looking forward to that!
Ciao!!
Beautiful! The hummingbird’s beak is amazingly long. The leaves look giant. What great travel for you! Almost made me want to try a cigar …