The Tranquilo Traveler
The Tranquilo Traveler is a celebration of voluntourism, slow travel, and other interesting ways to see the world. Travel writer and award- winning Moon Handbooks author Joshua Berman created The Tranquilo Travel as a resource for world trippers and international volunteers, a window to the author’s travels in Nicaragua, Belize, and beyond, and an update of his books and articles.
Back in Nicaragua: La Trinidad, Estelí
By Joshua | March 28th, 2007 | 
23 Comments » 
This is me and Darwin Escoto, my compadre, neighbor, and best friend during the two years I lived in La Trinidad, Estelí. We’ve kept in touch; I’ve been down a bunch of times and his band, Los Mokuanes, does occasional tours in the U.S. When I can, I meet him at the gig, where we hang out and catch up, before and after the show with the other guys in the band and members of the local Nica expat community. Anyway, this is Eudelia’s comedor, the place where I first met Darwin. It was nine years — to the day — before this photo was taken. It was my first day in La Trini, and my counterpart was away at the beach, “drinking guaro,” his wife said. She didn’t invite me in, so I humped my pack — and anxiety (I would be spending the next two years in this dusthole!?) down to the corner bar.
The rest is history. Here’s Eudelia:
Right where I last left her two-and-a-half years ago, during my last visit when Darwin and I took a remarkably similar nostalgic vuelta through town as the one we’re doing today. It’s kind of a tradition. After coffee and rosquillas on his porch with Karla, we strike out, walking to Eudelia’s. We call for her, give hugs, then retell the story of our meeting, standing in the gloom of place. I’d come in and ordered chicken. Eudelia had then retreated to the kitchen, muttering to Darwin (who happened to be visiting) about some “gringo son of a bitch, I can’t understand shit of what he’s saying.” After which Darwin emerged to translate my faltering Spanish and buy me a Victoria.
On this day, neither of us feels like drinking beer, so our visit is short. We’re back out on the street, in the hot afternoon, and we glance across the street at my old house. It’s a corn mill now, with a second story, Darwin says. Then he makes a sexual crack on the word “molino,” or grinder, regarding my house and the current occupant. We head up the block to visit Don Pío, the old mandolin player and proudest of all Triniteños. When I lived here, people said Don Pío was 94 years old. Now no one has any idea, himself included. The man is old and used to tell me toothless old stories between songs and lessons. I’d brought a mandolin to Nicaragua, and Pío taught me how to pluck “La Moralimpia” on it. We find him sitting in his corner, cement walled living room.
I could go on, as Darwin and I do, heading up to the park now, to Ali’s corner shop, to Alicia’s school, to my old office in the Ministry of Education. Lazily wandering, greeting, talking. If the walk goes all afternoon, we sometimes end up at one of the two gasolineras on the highway: Texáco or Petronic. They both serve cold beers, rum buckets, cacao drinks, and there are always fritanga hawkers and various Triniteño characters (there are many). Tonight, we buy sweetened cacao con leche to accompany Karla’s cooking.
In the morning, Donald (a.k.a. “El Chino”) and his son pull up on bicycles. He’d heard I was around and raced over to catch me before I left. Donald used to come to my house evenings, to play guitar and sing. He wanted to learn “la musica country” and “los blues,” which I taught him in exchange for a goldmine of Nicaraguan, Cuban, Mexican, and Guatemalan songs. He especially liked Eric Clapton; I especially liked Sylvio Rodriguez. El Chino is an Adventista and has never touched alcohol. He sold Adventist literature, not very profitable. He turned down a singing job with Los Mokuanes because of his religion (they play at some pretty rowdy parties). After a year of agonizing about it, Donald finally hired a coyote to take him to the United States. His wife, Alba Luz, and I kept each other up to date whenever El Chino called one of us, from Mexico, then Texas, then finally, Milwaukee, where he bagged two jobs: packing onions in a warehouse and parking cars at a fancy Italian restaurant. His child was born during this time. He finally made it back, after two years, with enough money to buy a truck, some land, and build a small house. The money’s gone now, he tells me, drinking tamarindo juice on Darwin’s porch. “Josué I’m thinking about taking another trip.”
After more coffee, the Mokuanes tour bus pulls up, and just like old times, I grab my pack and climb in. I roll with them to Sebaco, where I jump off and catch another ride northeast. To Matagalpa, in the back of a pickup truck while the sun sets over the Sebaco Valley.
For Further Listening:
Video of Darwin kicking ass on the congas
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23 Responses to “Back in Nicaragua: La Trinidad, Estelí”
Hello i\\\’m lenar, i was looking through your page and i t\\\’s very cool to me. I love to see people who talk about la trinidad.
I am glad to see this report about La Trinidad.
La Trinidad is the most wonderfull place to live.
Our way of life is so laid back, it seems that times travel in slow motion. I hope one day, I would be able to live in this place where I grew up. PAN DE A MEDIO A MORIR!!!!!
estoy orgulloso por ser buen nicaraguense y en nuestro pueblo esta el mejor grupo, ‘ los mocuanes” y el mariachi norteno, tambien me gusta el estilo de vida y recordadndo de las tajadas y vigoron que hacia Laurita Blandon que esta en la garnacha debajo del palo de tamarindo,tambien recuerdo los nueganos y turrones hechos por dona Tella Hernandez.
I LOVE LA TRINIDAD ….SURE! IS MY beatifull TOWN
I grew up in la trinidad, i left when i was 9 years old, its kind of cool to see other people talk about it too.
I am so happy to see pictures of Darwin and La Trinidad. Darwin, Karla, and Karling and Darling were so kind to me during my stays in La Trinidad. It’s a wonderful place!
I LOVE MY TOWN! QUE TREMENDO VER ESAS IMAGENES DE DONA EUDELIA, DON PIO. I LEAVE LONG TIME AGO, PERO SE SIENTE TAN BONITO, NOSTALGIA Y LOT OF THINGS, OJALA Y PUBLICARAN MUCHOS MAS DE NUESTRA QUERIDA TRINIDAD.
TRINITENA 100%
Que bello mi pueblo querido!!!!
Pan de amedi por siempre
Triniteno asta la muerte
triniteno hasta las cachas , arriba la trinidad , aunque estemos lejos , algun dia con el permiso de nuestro diosito , estaremos por haya , saludes a todos los amigos y paisanos ………..
hola a todos q estan adentro y fuera de la trinidad como extrano la cancha de caridad como quisiera regresar el tiempo y jugar cada juego pero con el mismo entusiasmo no es facil estar tan lejos de lo que tanto queremos como dice felix algun dia llegare mi numero de telefono es 786-991-8271 saludo saravicha negro lucrecia wainer.
Hola a todos los trinitenos, les invito a que bayamos por alla ,el pueblo esta bellisimo ha progresado mucho, yo he estado por alla muchas veces, recien regrese hace un mes y ya me quiero regresar de verdad les recomiendo que bayan estando uno alla uno se olvida de todo el ajetreo de aqui.
Saludos a todos.
extrano las calles de mi pueblo triniteno estados unidos es bonito pero nunca sera mejor que mi pueblo saludes a todos que viva el barrio san antonio
hola joshua como esta yo soy la esposa del chino, le escribia para pedirle su correo usted sabe para estar en contacto. espero su respuesta y que Dios lo bendiga saludes departe de la familia triniteña.
increiblemente encontre este sitio e por un amigo en facebook y conosco muchos de los que han escrito en esta pagina, yo tambien soy de la trinidad y me dio gusto de ver ese reportage de la trinidad..
hola a todos el que lea este saludos muchos me deben conocer soy hijo de la profe monchita suazo tengo 6 anos de estar lejos de mis seres queridos y de mi pueblo que nostalgia ver todas esas personalidades el chino,dona eudelia y felicitaciones a darwing escoto que siempre pone en alto la trinidad soy del san antonio y algun dia regresare se despide un pan de a medio,katrin,tilinte,que anora su pueblo
hola a todos los triniteños les deseo que dios les bendiga y nos de las fuerzas necesarias para seguir adelante y poder regresar algún dia con bien a nuestro pueblo, en las vacasiones de verano si dios quiere estaré nuebamente por allá , trataré de tomar fotos del pueblo y las pondré para los que tienen mucho tiempo de no ir por allá y desean ver como esta actualmente la trinidad. vendiciones a todos
HELLO JOSUE THIS THIS THE FIRST TIME THAT SEE AN ALIEN WRITES A FEW WORDS OF MY TOWN LA TRINIDAD TO BE GRACEFULL WITH THE PEOPLE WHO SHARED MANY EXPERIENCES DURING THE TIME THAT YOU WERE THERE.
MAY BE YOU DON\’T REMEMBER ME BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF KNOWN PEOPLE IN LA TRINIDAD BUT I SPOKE A COUPLE OF TIMES WITH YOU.
MANY FORIGNER PEOPLE FROM OTHER CONTRIES HAVE COME TO LA TRINIDAD AND THEY NEVER COME BACK OR WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT THE EXPERINCE THAT THEY HAVE LIVED IN OUR TOWN.
THANKS FOR BEING A GRACEFULL PERSON.
SINCERILY
RIQUI RICON
DIOS SIEMPRE BENDIGA MI PUEBLO CADA DIA QUE LO VEO SIEMPRE ESTA SUPERANDO EN CULTURA Y EDUCACION EXTRANO MUCHO MI PUEBLITO
In nicaragua my grandma lives there and so those half of my family i miss them and someday i will go back and eat those picos, the malta drink. The clothes i used to wear when i was little.
hola soy d honduras una ves estube en la trinidad es un pueblo muy bonito me gustaria saber si hay alguna persona que me informe d la familia de natalia mesa que tiene un hijo que le dicen el muco, se llama marvin mora mesa a quien lo conosca comuniquese con migo al liriodeverano1979@hotmail.es gracias a todos hermanos de nicaragua besos
vaya bonitas fotos.
Saludos.
Wow! I was born in La Trinidad. I left when I was 14 years old, but I remember the food, the people and the good times I had. I remember Los Mokuanes for my cousin Salomón Moreno played with them. I used to hear the music when they played at the basketball court all the way from my house. I loved rosquillas with black coffee,nacatamales and vigoron. Un saludo a mi familia y conocidos viviendo allá todavía. Besos! Espero volver a verlos. Sigan escribiendo de La Trinidad, Esteli
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I grew up in La Trinidad and i have so much to say of my town , to start everybody knows each other not to mention how friendly they are with tourists, seeing these pictures brings so many memories mostly seeing don Piyo and doña Eudelia because she made the best tajadas and nacatamales when I was growing up…