I was in San Carlos a week or so after the first two significant quakes. The restaurant I was in had a news program on about Cuban seismologists arriving to help assess the danger of further quakes, and the other patrons were watching intently. A couple days later, on Ometepe, I read a BBC article saying that the first lady of Nicaragua telling people Managua was on red alert for a big quake and people should start sleeping outside for safety until further notice. The article went on to say that Nicaraguan seismologists said the recent quakes had 'reactivated' the fault that was responsible for the 1971 quake that levelled the city and killed 10,000 people. At the bottom of the article, US seismologists were quoted as being skeptical as to the fault being ' reactivated' saying only that any fault activity can affect other nearby faults .
I was a bit freaked out. But decided to go on with my trip. My feeling, completely uninformed, was that the first lady's announcement was a product of genuine concern for people, as so much of the housing in this country is substandard and would certainly collapse in a major quake, and part covering their behinds, so if something did happen, the govt could say that they warned people, they were not to blame if peopel died. But that is just my general opinion of govt everywhere showing itself.
I can also now tell you what I thought of Jinotega. I didn't think much of it. I loved Matagalpa. Vibrant, working city, surrounded by mountains, free hikes right through rural villages right on it's doorstep(written guides bought from Centro Girasol for 30 cordobas each) Selva Negra just a 45 minute bus ride away(though I didn't have time for that). My hotel El Castillo, was $15/night for my single, with a terrace overlooking the city with some plastic furniture where I could sit and eat street food for dinner.
Jinotega is smaller and grittier. The poverty was more evident. Men sleeping/passed out drunk on the sidewalk in some areas, etc. It has it's charms, but most of it seems to lie outside the city. As does Matagalpa's it was just easier to access as an independent, not wanting to pay for a tour, traveller from Matagalpa. There aren't a lot of places to eat beyond comedors., but the comedors were fine. The street food was a step below the stuff in Matagalpa and Leon. Same stuff, just not as well prepared. The central park is beautiful, with a really charming playground where it is fun to sit and watch the families and kids while having a couple 50 cent slices of adequate pizza from the food cart adjacent. The market was actually quite nice, open and pleasant to walk through. I didn't feel unsafe walking around at night. Grocery stores and other practicalities are available.
The one hike I did was up to Cerro la Cruz, which was nice, it's a concrete staircase most of the way. I was a bit worried about safety, being an urban trail, but a local assured me it was fine, and I saw many people doing it, a lot of woman doing it as a Stairmaster, one guy running it with ankle weights. There were two security guards, one part way up, the other near the top But if I was choosing a place to base myself up here, I'd pick Matagalpa, or Esteli, where I am now. But then I can't speak to the sights around Jinotega, as I didn't take them in because of time constraints. I stayed at hotel Bosawas, which was $9/night for my stuffy, smelled like toilet bowl cleaner, single facing into the lobby, where the the was on until late. It was fine for $9 and two nights, but if you have a bit more to spend, I'd recommend looking at other options.
I think Jinotega was just a little bit too small for me. I like my cities mid-sized. I didn't need more than my 1.75 days there, and if I hadn't had a brief cases of nerves about going on Cerro la Cruz alone on my first day, I would've been fine with walking around the city in the morning, hiking up in the afternoon, and leaving the next day.
