Miraflor - a forgotten region

I spent the last two days in Miraflor, a nature reserve in the mountains northeast of Estelí. The region is situated at about 1,500 meters above sea level and is heavily agricultural. The roads are unpaved, and apart from small farms and homesteads, there is little infrastructure. The people there live in great poverty. Agricultural machinery is absent; plowing is still done with a wooden plow drawn by two oxen.

Three times a day, a bus travels to the nearest town. It takes about three hours to cover the 42 kilometers over bumpy gravel roads. It not only transports passengers but also supplies residents along the route with essential goods from the city—a logistical process that was truly fascinating to observe. Goods were unloaded at each farm and received by waiting locals. Conversely, agricultural products were also loaded onto the bus to be sold or distributed in the city.

I stayed in an ecolodge that, due to the lack of infrastructure, only offered full board accommodations. There was a hot meal three times a day: Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) either with an egg or some chicken. The lodge was very simply furnished, and due to the consistently high humidity, everything—the room and the bedding—smelled musty and damp.

The lodge also had four large, flea-infested guard dogs that were generally friendly but completely untrained. They terrorized not only cattle and neighborhood dogs but were also intrusive towards the few guests staying at the lodge.

The owner of the lodge, Isabel, is German. She lives there alone (I suspect her marriage failed; at least she has a son who does not live with her) and is somewhat eccentric. Perhaps understandable when living in such seclusion. Against this backdrop, I can also understand why she does not regulate the dogs’ behavior more strictly.

I must admit that I felt somewhat relieved when I walked to the bus stop this morning in the fog to continue my travels. The living conditions were too stark for me and thus somewhat oppressive. I couldn't easily turn my back on the European standard of living and live in seclusion at the end of the world. Isabel has been doing this for 15 years!