Return to Esteli

Hey everyone,

This past weekend, a group of us made a trip up north to see the famous Somoto Canyon! It's one of the oldest canyons in Central America, and a really cool spot to explore. It's located about an hour and a half outside Esteli, so we ended up staying in a hotel right in the city of Esteli for the weekend. We were all excited, especially since it's been getting warmer in Chinandega. The cooler weather was just what we needed.

Of course, we had to pass through Matagalpa on the way there to check out some of our favorite coffee shops.

Simon & I went up with Josh & Cassie, a couple from Australia, and Jen, a sister from Virginia. They all serve in the English congregation in Chinandega. We've all become pretty close, so it was fun for us to make this trip together.

Cassie & I.

Cass & Jen.

It was nice being back in Esteli again and catching up with a few old friends. There were a few major differences between Esteli & Chinandega that became quite apparent:

• Esteli is so much cooler - and I mean to the point that we were FREEZING at some points! It was nice to breathe some fresh air!!
• The coffee is a lot better in Esteli & Matagalpa.
• The actualy city of Esteli is a lot nicer than Chinandega - and cleaner. You wouldn't think so if it was the first place you went to in Nicaragua, but it's true!
• While Esteli is a lot more scenic (it's surrounded by views of the mountains) and has a lot of good coffee shops, it's very isolated; at least three hours from the ocean. I'm not too fussed about living close to the beach, but it's weird to not at least have the option to go.
• The ministry is amazing in Chinandega - that's what we keep reminding ourselves. :)

After staying at the hotel Saturday night, we headed off to the Somoto tour the next day. Josh & Cassie have a car that we were able to take, which was worlds better than taking buses. We made our way to the offices, where our tour guide met us. We walked about one kilometer down the road to get the actual trail.

Excitement!

The trail was also about one kilometer, and we got to see some beautiful things on the way there, including:

1 - a dead snake

2 - a cow posing for pictures

3 - a nice little house by the countryside

and 4 - a clear view of Honduras and its immigration office!

Soon, we finally made it to the beautiful canyon! February is probably one of the best times of the year to see it - in October (the peak of the rainy season), there is way too much water, and in May (the peak of the dry season), there is virtually no water. February provides a nice middle ground.

We were expecting (or at least I was) a simple hike around the canyon and to make our way to the swimming hole. That was not the case - It turned out to be a lot more physically demanding that I thought it would be! We had to make our way through some rough parts of the river and had to do a lot of swimming, which got to be a little scary. A lot of the times, we couldn't touch the bottom for a while! Oh, and another thing: the water was COLD. We could NOT stop shivering!!

The tour guide gave us these really attractive swimming shoes to wear...

I can't handle this!

Finally, we made it to a nice swimming spot, which had a good rock for us to jump off of!

Happy to still be alive!

Going further along, we made our way through some rougher waters, finally coming to another jumping spot. This time, it was much higher...

Can you see those tiny people in the background? That's how high it was! I think it was about 10 meters high. Josh was just a little excited. The rest of us, however, were a bit apprehensive.

That's my foot over to the left. Josh & Simon had just taken the plunge. In the end, I decided not to. I know, I know, but I've jumped high distances before, and it was just too much pressure! I'll probably do it next time. The rest of us just jumped from a shorter distance. Also, this next picture justified my decision. I hope you deal well with blood...

Poor Simon. He had his waterproof camera with him, and took it with him as he was jumping. The impact of hitting the water made him hit himself right in the face with the camera! He was a good sport though. He didn't even notice it until Josh pointed out the injury!

At last, we made it to the end of the tour, where we were able to take a boat to the end of the river. This picture pretty much sums it all up.

We sustained a lot of cuts & bruises. I was grumpy right here because I had just gotten a major cramp in my leg! Simon, however, took home the prize for best injury.

We survived Somoto Canyon! We then made another hike back to the tour guide office, where they fed us lunch! Along the way, we got to overlook everything. It's beautiful there!

Simon also received some medical attention for his injury. Thankfully the swelling has gone down a lot. All that's left is a black eye. He's telling people that he was just trying to save a poor old lady from getting robbed. You should see the other guy!

Although it was absolutely freezing and physically exhausting, we had a great time together. It was also nice not to be melting in a pool of sweat! I would definitely go back. Anyone else??

Talk to you all soon. Stay in touch!

Sam