Early on Sunday the 4th, we left Sabana Grande and first
headed north to Ocotal so Susan could see a little there and also so we could
catch a southbound express to connect to a bus to Matagalpa. We arrived at the station about 10 minutes
before departure and I experienced another Nicaraguan first: the bus was considered full and was not
selling any more tickets! It didn’t seem
nearly as full as other buses I’ve been on, but we waited an hour for the next
bus and headed to Estelí. Since we had
to change buses, we stopped at the small restaurant where I ate on my previous
trip to Estilí. We then caught a local
to Matagalpa, which was amazingly empty for a Sunday (well, empty isn’t exactly
the right word, but it wasn’t crowded at all by Nica standards) so there were
fewer intermediate stops and we arrived earlier than expected in Matagalpa. There was a bus loading for Jinotega, so we
got right on and were heading up the mountains within a few minutes. It’s only 10 or 15 km to Selva Negra, but the
grade was very steep and the old, fully-loaded school bus up the hill for 45
minutes before dropping us at our stop.
From there it was about 100 m more to an old, disabled tank from
Somoza’s national guard where you turn right into Selva Negra. It’s a couple more km to the hotel and we
were there before 4:00.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtCIZ8_4A_kjgpCyJ5cyKTSKw4Aip7TpkJkWGElnIYVJKe2kyWgQlnEMef4aexoUTV2fy29U2Gs-U04BPyu76wlgcAStR9DSIf4PmYh4uUBhcnTb2_B8cKi5swQQa3mREMbLXIU_l-Ms/s400/000+esteli.jpg) |
In the gardens at
the restaurant La Casita in Estelí. The
tree I’m standing next to is a Ceiba (like the huge tree in Sabana Grande), but
as a young tree, it apparently has spines on the trunk. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUIseVgnO0DUa1xAfCjJEH6CZb0gK4h-IePPG_U7n8tU9tyR0bIfB7KudrXWCEljRliN7BM926_eCfg5ChCClMEm1CQQhtxNLe9HF2kPbMHitqEzphOzk4FbtCymGJrc0nou3mjt39GY/s400/001+tank.jpg) |
The old tank that
marks the entrance to Selva Negra. |
First, a little history to put Selva Negra into
context. I’ve already posted some about its
approach to sustainable coffee growing, but it also includes a hotel. Some of you who speak Spanish may have
already noted that the name means “Black Forest,” and it’s no coincident that
the name is more generally associated with Germany. The history of the place as a coffee
plantation actually goes back to the 19 th century. Nicaragua recruited Europeans to immigrate
and start coffee plantations and among them were some Germans who were the
ancestors of the current proprietors, Eddie and Mausi Kühl. This particular property, however, was actually
owned be other German families in the 1800s and it was only purchased by the
current owners in 1975. They had made
money in the rebuilding of Managua after the 1972 earthquake and wanted to
return to the family roots in the mountains.
However, this was not a great time to start an enterprise for a couple
of reasons. First, the price of coffee
was very low at that time and the hotel was started as a way to diversify and
remain solvent until coffee prices rebounded.
Second, it was just about the time that the resistance to Somoza was
gaining strength and the war of liberation was imminent. In fact, the family had to flee to the US and
lived in Houston for about 12 years, returning in 1990 (after the Contra war
concluded). An uncle oversaw the
operation in their absence. Eddie
wanders the grounds, kibitzing with the guests and supervising various projects
(his background in civil engineering/steel construction). Mousi is the day-to-day manager and is in
constant touch with all the operations.
They also have 4 daughters, 2 of which are actively involved in the
management. We met daughter Karen and
her family, who remember William from his CELL trip 3 years ago because of the
ukulele.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXLt_-0d1j-rYJF6DBQEmTKSI_A9djcZyUQkqiP1t9PUNuHtvVfeUsou3_S3kbaMqmw31pOoo9s3I2p1Gso_O9AdFwKKsXEWiiYHRiIs3ms8CGWHmFSoYw-V13NmCEmTLnxPCxCkJXqc/s1600/100+terrocarril.jpg) |
One of the historical items on display is this painting
of the ”Terrocarril,” basically a steam
roller pulling wagons of coffee. The
object was to go from near Matagalpa to the coast (I’d guess about 120 km), but
unfortunately it never successfully completed a trip. You’ll notice from the names, however, that
this was a German enterprise. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lC7SrhY5lJOIBSoPP-kPFzfnlZdBmy59C8jPUxH_jzuKPQn2hxYw-rtWDXkvSeHwQfcCmnFnNaps9MCgSqQhJFxrEfGqk46DcqmRE3aSas_UI-G3sxayW9P-OoooYT34bcDs67uOkEw/s400/100a+house+and+housing.JPG) |
A view of the
owner’s house on the hill with typical Alpine style and the farm workers’
housing below. There are some elements of
a “company town” here, but you can see by features such as electricity and real
chimneys that the housing is better than average rural housing in Nicaragua. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35Z7NsmLmFeDQ8awae3hyphenhyphenxgctJb_MJvj-ML3EIu7nSdN3Z1pR0qVlcur91POiWGcCl53oLloLMHmayS0FcJewpNveF5oeyIyH0qZpvb5HnRF53WZxGWbbj2u5wCuY2zZj-lySAc9IufY/s400/101+CELL.jpg) |
Here is Susan inspecting the evidence that William was here in 2009. This was the CELL groups project to prepare
this poster describing the world of the strangler fig (called Matapalo in
Spanish, or tree killer). These figs
start in the branches, send down roots to the ground and eventually completely
engulf the host tree, killing it. |
Since returning in 1990, they have continued to expand and
now the hotel includes dozens of cabañas, some mult-room buildings, a youth
hostel, meeting rooms for up to 300, a restaurant, a little museum, over 300
acres of cloud-forest nature reserve with miles of trails and a chapel.
Most of the architecture is German style and
there is something of a German feel to the way things are run, but there are
also Nica touches.
It’s amazing the
amount of work that has been invested in the many details:
walkways and roads all lined with plantings, landscaping,
trails, benches, bridges, fire rings, gazebos.
There is even “landscaping” on most of the roofs!
(Metal roofs prepared to accommodate various
plants.
Actually, even if they didn’t
plan for plants to grown on the roofs, they probably would anyway.
The lushness is remarkable and virtually
every surface has moss, lichen or something growing on it.)
For a quiet family reunion, this would be a
fantastic place.
(Perhaps quiet isn’t
quite accurate because every night about 5:00 the howler monkeys start calling
from the mountains and soon after the frogs in the lake start croaking in an
almost rhythmic fashion.
Additionally,
there are numerous geese swimming/strutting around that can become a bit boisterous
at times.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwOkddkBdVFeJGKpdRZmwPm9ohOwSXEgnSzkfQZxmLQorSqaBAdSE2thdAfgtQFV6pygKlouiwSVWfLCi1nRHXFm97qJy6BmHBiOtevE921xvlDprdxBrCqjYzMV93BBSMgcxpJtu0fc/s400/200a+our+room.JPG) |
The building
with our room. Note the lakeside
location and the solar hot water on the roof. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s4u8EKpPiwAvJcF_LM22JeU7UizYHfzG5SWKgERm4ZDYolxteDk15mq2SEiBxCHR0XCPkIfx3HFvJfek6XazHpihFl-joCToQmRMurn5mQpFnkwVSLIv9WYrViHpfBd9OuAAxYCEvww/s320/200b+cabana.JPG) |
One of the many
cabañas at the resort. Note the profuse
growth on the roof as well as how lush all the plants are; not all roofs are covered this much, but most have at least some. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNPxxJPeo28nc1ZR0uiCfN_eJmsGXQujcIUu9iaj6GHCiTFoGaiMSxmqljNFDOE0WzBqfSG77HvciVuq5x_82aoGoRyznuAXjPEv0enpATKxWtDTo79ZY1IfkWzetpmsTbT2MdDlKVvI/s400/200c+church.JPG) |
A view of the
chapel which was completed 20 years ago for their daughter’s wedding. This roof is also covered with plantings. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00WZRNo2BKXzoHFnroORaDwE8a7foP3e2vaRer-iOkKSry4skH5gz5qGMjNUiR3XhPhp7JBexOr5UuduRa1RZJDv9ujuTTHN2cuzyHRVxozwhO6kxWEdzyuKaVTmUAv0I9zRULFUoK3o/s400/200d+fern.JPG) |
A view at the
typical landscaping in the hotel area.
You can see a fern tree in the middle and an example of a stone path in
the foreground as well as bananas and what looks a bit like a bird of paradise. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9Fn24C2jZ4DHzkY11gy8CR37gmntGdGXtmEuOPdc_wpR5yGd8ir3X1SIoBXbhptkSPcsFX6KljBo6U8OIbvXaFVB1ceZkZcWkWBmfLHbjgyNR3-1B0sh2J7JBKSwez7csW8dBNsK6Dk/s400/200e+geese.jpg) |
A couple of
shots of the geese that act like they own the place. They always marched around in single file and
would come right up to our door. They
were not shy about asserting their territorial rights if you got too close. I can now see where the term "silly goose" comes from. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8lPg38keNLgscVqbr0lVw_3iJGZrYa5pTfYrfuG1UVwgySiPQKfNtx5cZU2hd862hpLdWQntBwPHCMZgKZJT_taVhXlFRbiSlCGYh7_f5SdpuzeutY2R3mpemKt-bsQagtaYUntpN7E/s400/200f+geese+lake.JPG) |
A view of the
lake with the geese in the background and showing how thick the forest is in
the background. |
The restaurant serves Nica food as well as German and US
items, such as kraut and wurst, Wiener schnitzel and pancakes (panquekes). Much of the meat, dairy and vegetables are
organically grown right on the farm.
They also have a very good pastry chef and there is typically a
selection of 5 or 6 different cakes each day.
Seating is either indoors or out overlooking the lake, but we mostly ate
indoors due to fairly strong winds and cool temperatures. (This is the only place in Nicaragua that
I’ve actually put on my windbreaker.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kcVfGoZKzu5ykLzf-EUW2gl3XdfTBL7aey80o0nh2qCEs87Vhum-cQNq2rfPKSbas4cvkiABLyiBN-9H6Qe8GZxGDHkzDsQYtyVgLFBPHc00_udhgx85orta9x-oYdDyJX1iPwNA5N8/s400/300a+restaurant.JPG) |
Susan having breakfast on the deck of the
restaurant. I know she won’t like this
pose, but it was the only photo I had inside. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sQTtLcfjYPKKQWc0a6dCwCzKj2eghyx3dc7VSFaei66jtBZRMsH2S24HWC2laI80M4vGImzmk9tW14VWWZgG2aKRUDm6euezxvtObohu7xO_SuouJUgnUR8JywMQaUYYE8_Ca5HuJ2U/s320/300b+lake+restaurant.JPG) |
A view of the
restaurant deck from across the lake.
Our room was just behind the blue roof in the center. This also gives a nice, sunny view of the
mountains. Being a cloud forest
environment, it was often cloudy/foggy and damp, but there were generally patches
of sun mixed in as well. |
Like the farm, the resort also strives for sustainability
with features such as solar hot water heating and micro-hydro electricity
generation in addition to the locally-produced food. We noticed that the sheets were actually sewn
together, so probably salvaged from a couple of damaged sheets and
sheets/towels are not changed everyday unless requested.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hpvWR_jJM2xoOCzllFsvt46uJgHqKOWpaKHlg3PH3OvGnjph4XzD6uZ3Op3uQ6us0EJPtW8VE_j3oPcfRH3zqieeM15E4VN_PMQIBgMwlB6Wwo_eX4_YvHBrE23LOaL3NAcUe6DD4aQ/s400/400a+hydro.JPG) |
The inlet to the
micro-hydro generating plant located on the farm. Note that the filter system consists of old
washing machine drums pounded out flat.
I think they would do any depression-era farmer proud with the way they
improvise and use what’s available. |
There is also the nature preserve adjacent to the hotel
where we walked several times during our stay.
There are nice, flat trails near the bottom of the hills, but some of
the higher trails are very challenging, in part because the ground is always
wet and slippery.
The growth is
incredibly dense with many unfamiliar species, but some that are familiar as
house plants.
It is also quite dark in
the forest, even if sunny, but it was cloudy/misty for much of our time, so
many of the photos didn’t turn out well.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp7WDgOBU8n6jisVBPXZyplgMh6jJkimNI-ey4k91hbJvUCHTm5CcWiV6btaX2QL0ZmyA9r8Ff9xfwhqbedQk2kH7W07ICYVR6ta5pzG16K1DnJ3p-sswYfhPEzog5cShpfm9tD_4qn4/s400/400b+fig.JPG) |
A living example of the strangler fig. In the center of the trunk is the rotting
carcass of another tree. You can see how the trunk is made up of the viney roots of the fig that have merged to form a solid trunk. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwdde-G-zKj58O31Qd1T8uH8Jtm1lcC7kSJ36Lku7wl-_HALi4Pwqfzd8Ep4vQA_Zeq3pohe99V6t4_Lt3CA_OX-yzrrZ8FnAhliFMljCtyPees6z9UwSMB2Ad2LKTSVh9EabWK4H9xE/s400/400c+flower.JPG) |
A flower growing from the
trunk of another tree. It is not an
orchid (although there are many), but it grows in a similar manner. Note all the moss and growth on the trunk as
well |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEi5xrftaZKov7W-RD9E-vBwFLB0aNtneRW-JSdNIaFSeUsiATrZjI-sR2rbCtO43KfesceVXk_ReF9qGCzFsXDAeujr_VXh8BvAJgW7oC9Hoz6N51ZT9epqNmcd4zp3UnJOL5gItW9Y/s400/400d+umbrella+plant.JPG) |
Susan standing next to a plant that is
locally known locally as the poor man’s umbrella (for obvious reasons). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGn7LJXT_VdTuZKh8w13vIQR8VCnZ9W9i7Yf_ioGjZeE95h0OWuw1G_7og_iUy412dODLGjek4hCz2-tMcFv_mM3Ksn7ly2lvuTpnibTTWW6gUiWS9blBi0W32u7o1UsAKWDxJnOsul48/s400/400e+view+of+matagalpa.JPG) |
Here is a shot to show what the cloud/mist
conditions are often like. If it were a bit
clearer, you could see Matagalpa through the notch in the mountains at the
center. |
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