As I mentioned in previous blogs, Esteli was a more secluded, less-traveled-to, destination in Nicaragua. It was high in the mountains, where it rained almost daily. The city seemed small because it sat atop a mountain instead of in a valley, like most cities, so there was no real vantage point to get perspective on it's size. However, this is considered the third largest city in Nicaragua (based on population) and is called the "Diamond of the Segovias" because of it's beautiful natural settings and diverse and prosperous economy. The surrounding area is some of the best farmland in all of Nica. and there are several horse-back guided tours of coffee plantations if you're looking for a reason to go. There are also cuban-cigar making factories (tours often include a cigar), and several professional sport teams. A great place to enjoy some relaxed, off the beaten-path, down time. You'll enjoy cool nights and less tourists in this great city.
I did however have a rather exciting evening in town here though. As you can imagine of most of these countries, where there is fertile land, and opportunity to make money in the drug industry, there are those who are looking to make a few more dollars (just like in any other country). In areas like these, there is usually a boss, and his name in Esteli was the same that we see in movies, "El Jefe". I happened across this man, while visiting a more local bar with two women that I had met at the restaurant across from my hostel. We had tried a more "lively" bar down the street where some locals had told us we might be able to dance, but it was a Tuesday if I recall correctly and when we showed up, all that we found was a bar full of maybe 16 year-olds hanging out with each-other in small cliques, similar to those in high school here in the U.S. So we got a recommendation from the bar tender for what people would call here, a dive bar. When we arrived there was quite a crowd, and to me, it seemed that no-one paid us much attention. What I didn't know was that as soon as I would leave to use the restrooms, the girls would be swarmed by local men. As I walked back to my table I saw maybe 8 or so guys sitting/standing around where I had previously been sitting, as I got to the table, almost immediately they all cleared out to their near-by surrounding tables. That is, except for El Jefe and his friend. We chatted amongst us for a while in half-Spanish/half-English broken statements and managed to communicate a few jokes, but before long I was quite tired from trying to make small talk in a language that I wasn't fluent in. So I managed to start talking with another local sitting behind me who spoke fluent English. El Jefe and his friend talked with the girls for a while, but I think that the girls uneasiness with the situation was made obvious and he didn't make any obvious advances aside from jokes. As the night was ending he made a few more jokes with the ladies, but they were a little more direct, and kept asking which one was my girlfriend. I didn't want to put either girl into a situation where they didn't feel comfortable (either from having to be my pretend girlfriend, or from me telling El Jefe that they were single) so I would simply respond with something like, "los dos" or both of them. We would all laugh and after a few more attempts El Jefe told us that he was concerned for our safety walking back to the hostel at night, offered us a ride, but when we refused was very polite. The waitress came to give us our tab, and I couldn't help but notice that they didn't ask for any money from our new friends, but his friend left a considerable amount of cash on the table and said these are for your drinks. We insisted that we would pay for our own drinks, but thanked them, and he left the cash anyhow. We decided to walk home anyhow, and managed to make it safely back to my hostel where we joked about what had happened.
Perhaps it was my naivete, or arrogance from the beer, but I really didn't feel that unsafe around the guy. So if you're looking for something to do at night in Esteli, and you see a guy who fits the part of "El Jefe" make sure to joke with him about the American with two girlfriends, haha.
I did however have a rather exciting evening in town here though. As you can imagine of most of these countries, where there is fertile land, and opportunity to make money in the drug industry, there are those who are looking to make a few more dollars (just like in any other country). In areas like these, there is usually a boss, and his name in Esteli was the same that we see in movies, "El Jefe". I happened across this man, while visiting a more local bar with two women that I had met at the restaurant across from my hostel. We had tried a more "lively" bar down the street where some locals had told us we might be able to dance, but it was a Tuesday if I recall correctly and when we showed up, all that we found was a bar full of maybe 16 year-olds hanging out with each-other in small cliques, similar to those in high school here in the U.S. So we got a recommendation from the bar tender for what people would call here, a dive bar. When we arrived there was quite a crowd, and to me, it seemed that no-one paid us much attention. What I didn't know was that as soon as I would leave to use the restrooms, the girls would be swarmed by local men. As I walked back to my table I saw maybe 8 or so guys sitting/standing around where I had previously been sitting, as I got to the table, almost immediately they all cleared out to their near-by surrounding tables. That is, except for El Jefe and his friend. We chatted amongst us for a while in half-Spanish/half-English broken statements and managed to communicate a few jokes, but before long I was quite tired from trying to make small talk in a language that I wasn't fluent in. So I managed to start talking with another local sitting behind me who spoke fluent English. El Jefe and his friend talked with the girls for a while, but I think that the girls uneasiness with the situation was made obvious and he didn't make any obvious advances aside from jokes. As the night was ending he made a few more jokes with the ladies, but they were a little more direct, and kept asking which one was my girlfriend. I didn't want to put either girl into a situation where they didn't feel comfortable (either from having to be my pretend girlfriend, or from me telling El Jefe that they were single) so I would simply respond with something like, "los dos" or both of them. We would all laugh and after a few more attempts El Jefe told us that he was concerned for our safety walking back to the hostel at night, offered us a ride, but when we refused was very polite. The waitress came to give us our tab, and I couldn't help but notice that they didn't ask for any money from our new friends, but his friend left a considerable amount of cash on the table and said these are for your drinks. We insisted that we would pay for our own drinks, but thanked them, and he left the cash anyhow. We decided to walk home anyhow, and managed to make it safely back to my hostel where we joked about what had happened.
Perhaps it was my naivete, or arrogance from the beer, but I really didn't feel that unsafe around the guy. So if you're looking for something to do at night in Esteli, and you see a guy who fits the part of "El Jefe" make sure to joke with him about the American with two girlfriends, haha.