Backpacking Jinotega | Nicaragua
Posted: August 19, 2022 | Tagged: Nicaragua
After a week of doing sweet FA in Esteli, I was recovering from Dengue Fever, I went and backpacked Jinotega.
The chicken bus from Esteli to Jinotega:
Tired of dorm rooms, I upgraded a little. I took a single room at the Hotel América. A bargain at 400 C$, just over 11 USD.
And my room, number 11 right at the back, as far from the road as one can get.
I have decided to give YouTube another chance. So all my blog posts will feature a few videos.
And my room, number 11 right at the back, as far from the road as one can get.
I have decided to give YouTube another chance. So all my blog posts will feature a few videos.
They are raw and unedited. Just 'point and shoot' style and following the #authenticity niche of my blog, the videos bring you everything. All the bad stuff as well as the good stuff.
Having checked in, I went in search of food.
So far in Nicaragua, I have struggled to find what I call a 'cantina'.
You queue up like in a school canteen. You get your tray and the server plates up whatever you ask for. Just like the Samsil in San Salvador, or the Puzata Hata in Ukraine.
But Jinotega came up trumps within 10 minutes.
The Buffet Lindo Día was just what the doctor ordered:
Having checked in, I went in search of food.
So far in Nicaragua, I have struggled to find what I call a 'cantina'.
You queue up like in a school canteen. You get your tray and the server plates up whatever you ask for. Just like the Samsil in San Salvador, or the Puzata Hata in Ukraine.
But Jinotega came up trumps within 10 minutes.
The Buffet Lindo Día was just what the doctor ordered:
And this was a good find because in 3 days I found nothing remotely similar, though of course, it doesn't mean there wasn't.
When I find a good place, it is my modus operandi that eat most of my meals there.
I took my breakfast there at 9 ish, then lunch at around 1 ish.
In the evening I struggled somewhat.
Getting bread and a tin of sardines saved my ass 1 evening. On the 2nd evening a pupuseria of all things. Buffet y Pupuseria River, just a block from my hotel but was disappointing. A Salvadorean would have laughed at this:
When I find a good place, it is my modus operandi that eat most of my meals there.
I took my breakfast there at 9 ish, then lunch at around 1 ish.
In the evening I struggled somewhat.
Getting bread and a tin of sardines saved my ass 1 evening. On the 2nd evening a pupuseria of all things. Buffet y Pupuseria River, just a block from my hotel but was disappointing. A Salvadorean would have laughed at this:
The food in the Centro had nothing more than a few FAST FOOD JOINTS that looked very unappetising apart from 1 pizza place.
Jinotega, "The City of Mists" lies at 1050m asl and produces 80% of the coffee in Nicaragua.
Coffee at my Hotel América was free and was very good:
Jinotega, "The City of Mists" lies at 1050m asl and produces 80% of the coffee in Nicaragua.
Coffee at my Hotel América was free and was very good:
I went to a coffee cooperative, "Soppexca" to buy some coffee for Miss CDMX. We love a decent coffee in the morning.
And in my wanderings I came across, La Casa de Don Colocho.
Coffee and cake and superfast WiFi. A 3-minute video at my Hotel took 80 minutes to upload. Here, a video of similar length uploaded in just 5 minutes.
And in my wanderings I came across, La Casa de Don Colocho.
Coffee and cake and superfast WiFi. A 3-minute video at my Hotel took 80 minutes to upload. Here, a video of similar length uploaded in just 5 minutes.
The top highlight in Jinotega is the hike up to the Peña de La Cruz. 250 metres of thigh and lung-busting steps. As a young man, I would have jogged up and run down without too much stress. Now, "oh how it hurts".
I had planned the Peña de La Cruz for day 2 but I went and backpacked it right after lunch on my first day.
Awesome is a word that was at the forefront of every utterance.
The steps hurt me. That much was clear. But the views soothed my foggy mind.
An excellent little hike.
I had planned the Peña de La Cruz for day 2 but I went and backpacked it right after lunch on my first day.
Awesome is a word that was at the forefront of every utterance.
The steps hurt me. That much was clear. But the views soothed my foggy mind.
An excellent little hike.
I made the hike twice in my 3-night stay in Jinotega.
The El Centro is based around the central park with the cathedral on the west side, the University on the south side, a museum on the north and the former prison on the West Side:
Jinotega has the great but pricey La Colonia Supermarket, a PALÍ and a MAXIPALÍ, the Walmart-owned budget Supermarket.
But it seems cheaper to eat out rather than cook for myself (not that I could here, but I end up buying nice things like pasta sauce, nice bread, and costs me twice as much as going to a restaurant.
What else is there to do in Jinotega? Not much admittedly. You could go to the baseball stadium:
But it seems cheaper to eat out rather than cook for myself (not that I could here, but I end up buying nice things like pasta sauce, nice bread, and costs me twice as much as going to a restaurant.
What else is there to do in Jinotega? Not much admittedly. You could go to the baseball stadium:
Or go to the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles:
Jinotega to Matagalpa by Chicken Bus
Buses to Matagalpa and Managua depart from the clean and well-organised Cotran Sur bus terminal.
All other destinations are served by the Cotran Norte, which is in complete disarray.
The journey time for the 30km was a slow 85 minutes but quite scenic. The fare was 40 C$.
I got off at the INEP bus stop and walked to my hostel.
All other destinations are served by the Cotran Norte, which is in complete disarray.
The journey time for the 30km was a slow 85 minutes but quite scenic. The fare was 40 C$.
I got off at the INEP bus stop and walked to my hostel.
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