Hopped on a bus heading for the border of Nicaragua and I could not help The Clash from being stuck in my head. It has been 20+ years since the fighting stopped in Nicaragua's Civil War but there are still political tensions of the different parties that fiercly remain today. Murals of heroes in the war are painted on abandoned brick buildings and words like 'revolution' and 'wanted'
(this mural says, preacher, teacher, poet, fighter, revolutionary)
are spray painted everywhere on concrete walls down here but these words take on a whole different meaning, given the history. The first town I stopped in was Esteli, which was is a stronghold of Sandanista support. Esteli supported the Sandanista rebels during the civil war and payed a heavy price. In 1979 the town was carpet bombed by the Samoza dictatorship. Many women, children and old folks were amung the dead. The Sandanista forces were known to have holdings near the edges of town, but the Somoza forces (with the help of a US Marine airstrike) took out nearlythe entire town. It was an attack that was meant to dampen the spirits of the townsfolk and punish them for supporting the rebels but it actually deepened the support for Sandanistas and became a sort of 'remember the alamo' type of moment for the rebels.
Bullet holes are still visible on a few of the taller buildings that survived the carnage. A few years later the rebels were victorious and a few years after that we got into the Iran-Contra affair that most of us remember (hopefully). To meet the locals it is no wonder that their resolve is as strong as it is. The town (90,000 people) is very much a cowboy town with tons of hat and coot shops. Amazingly all the boots sold in these shops are still made in the shop with the help of very few machines. No factories here, just a bunch of strong men stretching the leather and beating the soles into place. An actual cobbler which intersted me greatly given my last name (insert smart ass comment here). I stopped in a shop to talk with the owner who was nice enough to tell me a little about the process but our conversation was cut short when some actual paying customers came in. Lots of ranching which made me feel like I was in a Cormac McCarthy novel. I made my way to a local musem El Museo de Heroes y Martires (The Museum of Heroes and Martyrs). It is a sort of VFW for mothers of soldiers lost in the civil war. Most have aged into grandmothers who had lost children in the violence and all had stories and strong opinions about the war. Given, they were all Sandanista supporters (in fact, this museum was started by the FSLN rebels although it is 100% funded by donations from visitors) but you could still see the despair in losing loves ones in their eyes. Nicaragua is a very young country (something like 75% of Nicas are under 30) and these museums act as a reminder to the young'uns of the sacrifices their family and friends had made. The museum was filled with head shots of many people who had died during the conflict. I could not help but feel haunted by some of the blank stares at the camera, knowing that they had died in the fighting. The ladies were hanging out and talking with each other and there was a sign in the musem that said if you had any questions about anything to ask. I was planning on it but they were in a heated debate over the lunch that was just served and I didn't want to disturb them. That night I tried to go to a local bar called Rincon Legal. It is supposed to be a very strong Sandanista bar, but I could not find it. As with many things in my guide, the infor mation is wrong or out dated or just put on the maps in the wrong place. Frustrating when you're trying to do a little drinking with a ex-guerilla. Not a whole lot to do in Esteli, per se, so I headed to the next town of Matagalpa. Matagalpa seemed to be an even stronger Sandanista stronghold. Spray painted slogans were everywhere.
(Daniel refers to Daniel Ortega, the current President and face of the party)
In front of a bank I took this photo and the guard walked outside and gave me the ol' fist to his chest then raised it in the air. Obviously he felt happy that I was taking pics of his slogans. In fact, he might have been the fella who tagged the building and was happy that I had stopped to admire his work, I don't know.
(this poster says, "Wanted for Stealing" and then "Did you vote for this thief?" and the picture is someone I don't know but can only assume is the opposition leader)
I spent the day walking around town and taking in the few sights. I'm planning on heading further up into the mountains to do some hiking in the jungle tomorrow. I hear there are monkeys up in them woods and I havent seen any yet.
