Walking Tour of Esteli

De vez en cuando, when I am traveling, I run into someone who inquires about what there is to see in Esteli. At first I was always stumped because Esteli is not a tourist town as yet, even though it is at the center of an area with tremendous potential for eco and appropriate small-scale tourism. The issue is made more complex because the people who ask this question are usually short on time and short on language skills, two things that don’t mix well with getting to know an area that doest not have the infrastructure for ¨quick and easy¨.

So, let me try to bang together a short walking tour of the town for someone who has a day or 2 and enough Spanish and adventure spirit to wander around loose for a while.

If you come in from Managua´s Mayoreo Bus Station on an expresso bus to Esteli you will probably end up at the Cotran Sur Bus Station on the highway (El Panamericano). If you came in on an espresso to Somoto or other points north, you will probably be let off at one of the Shell stations on the highway, Shell Esquipulas on the east side of the road or Shell Esteli on the west side. If you ride on one of these buses, make sure to tell the attendant who loads your bag in Managua that you are getting off at Esteli so he can position your stuff accordingly.

The entrance to Esteli is like few others in Post-war, post- revolution Nicaragua, in that the silhouette of Sandino stands proud on the Highway under the red and black banner of the revolution. Strange in a country that, in the name of reconciliation for a bitter civil war, has even taken all trace of its national hero from its coins and paper money.

But don’t expect a bunch of politics. You can go months in Esteli without hearing about the war or the revolution. And how much do you expect the people to talk about the father lost in the fighting, and the family that lived in poverty for decades thereafter? Or the babies crippled and retarded by malnutrition? War can be a lot more glorious in the history books than on the ground. The people of Esteli, many veterans and refugees of the fighting in Esteli, Condega, Miraflor, and points north, seem to have a quite pride in their history. Let’s leave it at that.

The central part of town is roughly triangular in shape, bordered by the Esteli River to the west, the Panamericano to the east, and the Parque Central to the north. The rest of the town sprawls for miles, mostly on the west side of the river, a little on the east side of the highway.

From the bus station, take a cab to Parque Central. Esteli colectivo taxistas are the mellowest I’ve found in Central America. The going daytime rate for the downtown area is 7 cords per person, sometimes 8 if you are going east of the highway for some reason. Walk the park, check the statue dedicated to the Nicaraguan mother, view the old Cathedral, the murals on some of the walls, and the typical small town stuff: a movie theater here, an ice cream shop there, and no shortage of soda vendors and shoe shine stands.

From the southeast corner of the park, walk south to the Museum of Heroes and Martyrs. Don’t expect high tech or glitzy displays, just the heartfelt memories of people who lived the revolution.

South to the corner, you have Artesanias La Sorpresa on the left. If you are interested in handicrafts, this is one of the better stores in Esteli, with good selection, marked prices, and a friendly staff. The local specialty is soapstone (marmolina) carvings from the town of Limay and coffee grown in the Department of Esteli. On the right, you have the Casa De Cultura, which features paintings for sale by local artists, and through a separate entrance to the west is Liquados Ananda, a great place to take a rest and have a fruit drink, yogurt, or vegetarian sandwich.

Walk to the corner west of Ananda, and you are at Avenida Central, the main downtown shopping street. Head south a few blocks to get a feel of a world that hasn’t quite figured out mass marketing yet. Who knows, you might even find something you just can’t live without in one of the ten zillion little shops. If you go south about 7 blocks you will find Parque Infantil. It’s not real noticeable from Avenida Central, but walk around the corner to the entrance. It’s a cute park, almost out of place in a town that is woefully short on both cute and parks. It was a gift from volunteers of the Ejercito Popular Sandinista in 1980.

Continue southbound, stop at Reposteria Gutierrez if you feel the urge. Its way short of a sidewalk café, but it’s a good place to find (instant, yuk) coffee, pastry, and a place to sit all in one location. At the corner just south of the pastry shop, cut west for one block. On this corner is the Rincon Legal, a bar /restaurant with the walls plastered with Sandinista era memorabilia.

As you continue south on Avenida 1 Suroeste, you pass several leather working shops and end up in the city’s open air market, the land of platanos, beans by the bushel, avocados, and all the other good stuff you are supposed to be eating.

Walk the market district for 3 or 4 blocks and catch a cab back to the park You done.