Another side of Nicaragua

I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long! Technological problems.

This weekend I experienced another side of Nicaragua, maybe the real side. It makes life in Managua seem like a shadow. The mountains in the north of the country are where the most intense part of the Contra war was fought. The slopes of the mountain are a patchwork of fields planted with corn, beans, coffee and pastures for cows and horses.

We stayed on a farm, of my friend's sister-in-law's mom, Doña Marta and Don Toño (see picture of Norma and Doña Marta above, mother and daughter). We had to cross a river on foot to get there (see picture). They welcomed us warmly, cooking us special tamales with chicken from the patio, atol, which is a corn-based dessert, and killing a pig for my friend's nephew's birthday party. Doña Marta and her family gave up their beds for our group of 8 people to sleep in, made us delicious breakfasts of gallo pinto with eggs, avocado and cheese, and told us all about work on the farm.

After the piñata (see picture above), my friend and I went to Wiwilí, a small town way up by the border with Honduras on the Rio Coco. I felt like I was in a different country here, in the midst of green folding mountains and farms. It took us 4 hours in a bumpy horrible bus to get there, but it was worth it. We walked 15 km to the tiny community that my friend worked in during his year of social service after medical school (picture of river and mountains). It took 4 hours, and the wife of his friend saved our lives by making us some food, as there was absolutely nowhere to go to buy food. After 4 hrs of walking it was necessary to eat (for those of you who know how I am when I'm hungry)

Despite the extremely long trip, it was amazing to share a piece of life with the people I met up north.