Lazy Day in a Better Room

Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013--Esteli

Because the private rooms in my hostel were booked up for tonight, I checked out this morning and walked to the Panarama #2 Hotel.  It had not been noted in my guide or on the Internet, but I could tell it would be a nice place when I saw it a couple of days ago.  A room was available, and it was much nicer than where I had been staying while costing only $2.25 US more per day.  This is a CLEAN place.  The woman who runs it was cleaning when I arrived and was still cleaning 2 hours later.  In my room, the mattress is much better than the one I had in the old place.  There is also a TV (with CBS Super Bowl coverage including commercials, although I only watched part of it).  I wish I had been staying here for the whole time I've been in town.

I have eaten all my meals while here in Esteli at one place--the Gutierrez Bakery.  It is such a wonderful place.  All their products are fresh and delicious.  They have sandwiches, savory items similar to kolaches with either meat and cheese or vegetables inside, and sweets such as cookies, donuts, cakes, puddings, etc.  Fortunately, they were open in the evenings as well as during the daytime.  Wish they had a branch in San Antonio.

Sunday is a slow day here.  Not much happened, so I mainly relaxed.  I even took a deep nap for about an hour in the afternoon.  I went to the park for a while to read, but a drunk young man approached me.  I couldn't understand what he was saying, and he smelled terrible from the beer he had apparently been drinking all night.  When I realized he wasn't going away, I told him I needed to leave and walked away.

I finished reading the novel Ireland by Frank Delaney this morning.  It's about a young boy who becomes fascinated with an itinerant storyteller who stops by their home for a few days.  It's a very interesting general story, although I began to tire of the historical stories that were inserted into it by the storyteller, by the boy, and by others.  I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4.

I have a small problem.  I think I only have 2 more books with me.  I packed 7 for the trip thinking that one a week would be enough after Wes left.  But I have been reading one every 4-5 days.  Too bad I didn't leave my winter pullover (which I thought might be needed in the mountains but hasn't been) and put 2-3 more books in the bag.

I'm also a bit worried about going to Leon tomorrow.  I do not have a reservation there.  I tried to make one at my first-choice place, but they said they are fully booked.  The main university of the country is in Leon, and this is the end of the "summer break."  That means that potentially the city could be overrun with parents bringing their children to town to move into dorms and apartments and to start classes.  I'll just arrive tomorrow and wander until I find a place.  I've marked about 8 potential places on the map and will route myself from one to the next hoping that I will find an acceptable place.