Wednesday in Matagalpa

Wednesday 5pm

 As if the chorus of barking dogs and a howling cat weren’t enough, my first migraine of the trip decided to interrupt my sleep plans shortly after midnight.

  The combined effects of an Imitrex and an Imovane  provided me with some relief around 1:30am and I slept soundly till 7:30 this morning.

 Heading uphill towards the bus depot, I made a brief stop at the house of Jeaneth Larios, our homestay “mother” from the last trip. An enjoyable but limited conversation followed as her English comprehension is practically nil. Leaving her some copies of photos from the last trip, I continued to the bus depot where a bus for San Ramon was waiting. Some 12km east of Matagalpa, over reasonably good roads, San Ramon is a small village of perhaps 2000 people. Set into the hills it has few amenities but provides a nice “city break” with some pretty houses and little else. A few walking trails lead off into the hills, one to an abandoned mine and a coffee plantation.  I found the road, once I had left town, to be a bit quiet, with only the odd local passing along the same path. After a km and unsure of just how much further the mine was, I turned back, but not before taking some photos of the surrounding hills.

  Returning to town, I stopped for lunch at a relatively new restaurant adjacent to the town square. Seated at the next table was a woman from Pittsburgh who I had seen about 10 days earlier in El Castillo. It turns out that we were travelling similar routes but going the opposite way. Consequently I was able to provide her with recommendations for her planned trip (after lunch) to Jinotega and Esteli.

  Strangely enough, one of the main purposes of her trip to Matagalpa was to visit the grave of Ben Linder, something she must have done shortly before my own visit yesterday.

  Following lunch, a stop in at Matagalpa tours got me an unaffordable price to visit Finca Esperanza Verde, a coffee farm west of town. While I could have done it using local buses, that route required an 8km round trip hike over some rocky roads. The tour would have eliminated the hike, but at $110 US for a single person, it was well beyond my willingness to pay. Similar to Selva Negra it would have been an interesting way to spend the day, but I am sure I can find some short hikes around town that will keep me busy for a lot less $$.

   Supper tonight was at La Vita e Bella, a small pizza/Italian restaurant near the hotel. Having enjoyed a meal there on my last visit I was a little disappointed at tonight’s speed of service and  just average food. A new place, which just opened up a couple of weeks ago El Mason will probably give them some competition in the pizza department.

 Still a little too early for bed, I entertained myself watching a few South Park episodes that I had loaded onto my I-Pod- totally tasteless!!!! But somewhat amusing.