Estelí is one of a few natural meeting points for the members of Peace Corps group. It is a big city with a lot of bus connections in the north of the country. And we have a lot of Volunteers in the north or on those bus routes. So to celebrate Matt and Ania’s birthdays (both of whom live in the department of Estelí) we all decided to get together in Estelí for the weekend.
In lieu of birthday cake we had birthday guacamole with candles
Our first stop was Salto de la Estanzuela waterfall.
Due to the drought the waterfall was less than impressive, but we still had a very nice time. In addition to other Peace Corps Volunteers we had a mix of other American friends, a Japanese volunteer friend, and a few Nicaraguan friends that we have all made along the last five months.
If you’re wondering how we got to the waterfall, we took a packed-full chicken bus there down a dirt road for about 20 or 30 minutes, then hiked down about ten minutes. There weren’t any buses when we left, so we had to hike the whole way back to the city.
After the day at the waterfall we went to favorite local joint for wings before going out dancing. Today I got back to my house in León at 5:45. The bus from Estelí to León takes two hours if there aren’t any delays or stops. I am tired and sore, but I am glad that I went. Next weekend there is luckily a Volunteer get-together in León, so I won’t have to travel at all.
The wings aftermath
Incidents of Travel 
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Hi David. Will you need someone pretty much full time for the week, or just someone to show you around and teach you how to order breakfast?
Hi,
Ideally, someone for a full day in Esteli (more specifically Miraflor) Friday and Saturday. We will be visiting coffee farms/coops and conducting a few interviews.
Thank you,
-David
Hello,
I am a graduate student at Michigan, and I stumbled across your blog while Googling about Esteli. I am making a quick research trip there next week, and are in need of a translator – could you by chance provide some guidance?
Thank you!
-David
David, my friend will be contacting you. Drop me your contact info so that you guys don’t have to communicate over my blog’s comments if you don’t want to.
Fantastic! Thank you very much. wangkd@umich.edu is best.