Nicaraguan Adventures 8: Somoto & Chinandega

Somoto, refers to the town and the canyon just a few miles north. We stayed at the aptly-named Hotel Panamericano, two blocks off of the international highway of the same name. Of course, “highway” may be misleading. This is just a main two-lane road cluttered with slow-moving traffic, pedestrians, and donkeys. In fact, Somoto is also called “el Pueblo de los Burros” – “Town of the Donkeys”. The hotel was cheap enough and the owner was very accommodating. The only sad part was seeing those nervous spider monkeys kept in small cages.

The photos are from our two separate trips, November 2018 and May 2019.

Left: Government building with Sandinista flag over the entrance. Top Right: Waiting for a ride at the bus terminal. Lower Right: Our favorite meal in Somoto are the Nacatamales. Much better than the usual tamales we get in Mexico. Ours had mixed into the masa rice, meat, potatoes, olive, and raisins. And I’m sure I am forgetting an ingredient or two.

Opposite the well-shaded town square is the Templo Santiago Apostol, built in 1611. One of the very oldest churches in the country.

Incendiaries & Ice Cream (in the far right corner). The town, like in other rural parts of Nicaragua, has several Sandinisti and Socialist-themed murals.

We were planning on exploring the area outside of town but found the surrounding hills hard to get to. Also we had heard that robberies have been known to happen in the hills close to town. So we took the local bus to go to a famous, and safer, canyon of the name as the town. It was worth the trip. Somoto Canyon is maybe two kilometers from the Honduran border.

I wanted to do some hiking in these hills bought we heard too many cautionary tales of muggings.

Bus rides in Nicaragua are always an adventure, good and bad. The seating – at least for this tall Gringo – is excruciatingly cramped. And the driver often has the music playing really loud. We routinely take earplugs with us.

Do you see the ladder and bars around the top of the bus? I have seen the helper climbing up from the front on to the top and then see him come back in the bus via the rear door. All while the bus was in transit down the curvy road!

On our last day trip to Somora Canyon we rode out on the bus you see here, but came back in a crowded transport truck. We waited over on hour for the bus that never came.

The real draw to this area is the canyon, not the town. We came here twice. One of the times we hired a boatsman to take us far into the canyon. The second time we entered from a different road and traversed the canyon where it was more shallow.

Left: Coming back from our canoe trip we met a Chinese tour group entering in. 大家好! Center: Plenty of of livestock wandering through parts of the National Park. Right: Along the steep sides of the canyon there were the stately Cardon Cactuses.

We chose the muddy Frostian path less traveled. But well-traveled by cattle, making our hike difficult. I think my weight doubled with each muddy footstep!

Two beauties of the canyon. Left: Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Myiodynastes luteiventris Right: Turquoise-browed Motmot, Eumomota superciliosa. This second bird is called “Pajaro Reloj” – “Clock Bird” because his tail swings back and forth like an old-fashioned clock.

Our second time here the path was impassable without getting the feet – or hooves – wet.

Left: The loud rattle of the Ringed Kingfisher, Megaceryle torquata, is almost always heard before seen. Right: Blackbelly Racerunner Lizard, Aspidoscelis deppii.

Left: I don’t mind getting wet. At least in areas where there are no crocodiles! Right: At the end of our boat ride, before heading back.

Next: Chinandega, a sketchy little town that kept us on our toes. See the map for the location of both of these towns.

We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with … Molotov Cocktails? A contrast of wars and warriors, sword and shield armored angel (?) and a plucky revolutionary, lighted Molotov in one hand and firearm in the other.

Close to this statue, thankfully not visible, was a scrawny guy who, well, clearly did not know how to work his zipper correctly.

1. Our bus that brought us here was quite colorful. 2. Painted statues and pithy political slogans are common throughout Latin America. 3. This Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brotogeris jugularis, doesn’t really fit in this set of four but it was the only bit of wildlife I saw in this town. 4. A common mode of travel here is the pedi-cab taxi.

Above and Below: Market area spills over into several side streets.

In our hunger we momentarily forgot that ordering pizza anywhere south of the Rio Grande is a risky proposition. We waited almost an hour for this pizza. Yet it was clearly undercooked. Not worth the wait.

It was hard to know where the bus terminal starts and the market ends.

I would have taken a few more pictures but after I took my phone out I was warned to put it away because of all the thieves and pickpockets. All in all this town was one of the least favorite places we visited.

Next: Ocotal, Mozonte, and Esteli, colorful and quaint corner of northern Nicaragua. I would have liked to have stayed longer in these next towns.