Tomorrow I return home! I have finally accepted that, after trying and failing to extend my stay here (it would have been far too expensive). I´m disappointed that I had to carry on the trip alone, but I met so many awesome people on this trip who kept me from being lonely.
I´m coming home with a new addiction: poker! I love it and I´m lucky in the game, so if any of you like to play, let´s do it. I´m not bringing home any souvenirs, nor did I get around to sending postcards, so sorry about that. It´s interesting to see the same souvenirs throughout central america, the only difference being the name of the country printed on it. So I´ll leave the Costa Rica magnets in the mercado... I´m also coming home with many scabs, bruises and mosquito bites, as well as two less toe nails. It turns out that I have no tolerance for itchy bites and I will scratch until my skin is raw and bleeding. There were a lot of sand flies and mosquitoes!
I already miss the sound of the sea and howler monkeys, and who knows when I´ll have hammock time again. I also got used to hearing people speak different languages, although I felt inferior because I am only fluent in English, with beginner Spanish skills. So I will learn a language when I´m home, or at least try. French would probably be the most useful for me in Canada, but I love the sound of German, so maybe I´ll see what I can do with it.
After leaving La Tortuga Feliz I travelled down the Caribbean coast to Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. Puerto Viejo is alive at night and Cahuita is the opposite. It must be low season for tourism, because both towns were quiet and there weren´t many backpackers around. That didn´t bother me, since I was able to spend time with some locals I met who completely changed my experience. I will also miss everything about the Caribbean! The food, the laid-back vibe, the smell of the sea, the rastas (other than those that wanted me to give them money, invest in a barber shop, or marry them). I was told that Canadian women must be drinking a different kind of juice, because the rastas will pay extra for us! Sweet. Maybe I should stay?
I really am a lucky girl, because when I was out at a bar for the night I realized I lost my key. I left and went back to the hotel to find the key in the lock of my door, and nothing was stolen from the room. Pura vida?
I like throwing in Spanish phrases you might not know. Sorry, it fits.
In Cahuita there was a beautiful national park where I saw many white headed monkeys, butterflies (possibly even the Julia butterfly, but she was too fast for me to confirm that). The swimming was the best I had since I was in Belize - warm, calm salt water.
So other than the scabs and such, I am coming home without being sick once (I´m not including stomach aches caused by gluttony/guacamole). The creepiest thing I saw was a wolf spider that crawled out of my pants when I was doing laundry. Thinking of it makes me feel sick. Look it up on Wikipedia and you will see what I mean. Those legs! So pointy and dangerous looking!
This is the end of the blog. I will see you all soon!
Monday, June 4, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
La Tortuga Feliz
Our unofficial motto at La Tortuga Feliz is ¨save a turtle, kill a crab¨ because we pretty much have to kill any crab we see within 10 feet of the hatchery. I have issues with that role, but it´s suprising how easy it became. It´s just what we have to do, I guess.
So I am having an absolutely incredible time in Costa Rica. I feel like this is the first time in my life where I´ve actually had meaningful work to do! I don´t have much time in town today, so I´ll try to make this quick. And I must say, it´s really strange being in a city now where I cannot hear the sea crashing in the background.
First thing to talk about is of course the turtles. Right now it is the nesting season for leatherback turtles, and green sea turtle season starts in June so I may not see those. Buuut there have been a few earlybirds and I´m hopeful that I´ll see one before I leave.
The leatherbacks are beautiful and massive creatures! Dinosaurs even. The average shell length in 150 cm and is not scaly like others turtles, but leathery (go figure). My favorite part of the turtle is her eyes - they´re almost human like, but of course much bigger, and really dark.
There are 3 shifts I could be working: 1. housekeeping slash kitchen duty. I may get this once a week, but usually less. 2. hatchery - we dig nests and bury the eggs. When the eggs hatch we release the babies into the sea. My arms aren´t as long as the depth of the hole, so I end up doing one handed push ups while scooping out sand with the other. 3. beach patrol - a 4 hour walk on the beach searching for turtles that come on shore to lay eggs. When we find one, we take her eggs and walk back to the hatchery. The eggs are not light! On average there are maybe 80 fertile eggs and 20 infertile. All shifts are 4 hours long minimum and it is really hard work! I feel stronger every day because of it.
Food, of course I will talk about the food. Love it. There is variety but at the same time it is predictable. Each week the meals repeat with slight variations, but it is all so good that I´m entirely satisfied. I´m not even sick of the gallo pinto (rice and beans) yet! There are coconut trees, passion fruit, pineapple, avocados, lemons, mangoes and more growing on the project grounds. I´ve never ate so much coconut in my life. I just learned yesterday that scorpions live in coconut trees so I think I´ll get someone else to fetch them for me next time...
On the boat ride to the project on the first day we saw howler monkeys - what is such an elusive animal in other parts of Central America! They are easily spotted around here, and heard when dawn breaks. One of the shifts I work is 2-6 am and as soon as the sun starts to rise the sound of the monkeys begins and the birds start chirping. I saw one snake, but I think some survival mechanism kicked in because I saw it and kept walking. It was a blurred coil of green and brown. It moved so damn fast and apparently that´s a good thing because it was a venomous one!
The project is set on the Caribbean Sea, but unfortunately there are really strong riptides that I can feel even when in the shallows. If you get caught in one you will likely be pulled out to where the agressive bull sharks are. I saw some from the shore, not too far out actually, so I´´m pretty careful everytime I go in the sea.
About a week ago a 13 year old boy got killed by a crocodile in Tortguero National Park, which is up the coast from us, maybe about 2 hours. That story freaked me out and I don´t think I´ll go fishing/wading in the lagoons any longer! The last time the guys from the project went out they saw a croc in the spot they were just fishing at. I haven´t seen one yet, or a caiman, but I hope to see those when I take the kayak out next.
The people here are awesome, although a lot of people stay for only 2 weeks, and it´s hard to see them go. We are understaffed so that means work is a bit harder, but we still only work 4 hours a day. Shifts are scheduled 24 hours a day, but mostly at night. I don´t have a sleeping schedule of any kind right now, but that´s alright because hammocking has easily become one of my favorite pastimes.
I´m not sure what I´m missing, and I´m not going to edit this so surely there are loads of errors. Hopefully you can make sense of this.
This is one of the greatest experiences of my life! So glad I made it here.
So I am having an absolutely incredible time in Costa Rica. I feel like this is the first time in my life where I´ve actually had meaningful work to do! I don´t have much time in town today, so I´ll try to make this quick. And I must say, it´s really strange being in a city now where I cannot hear the sea crashing in the background.
First thing to talk about is of course the turtles. Right now it is the nesting season for leatherback turtles, and green sea turtle season starts in June so I may not see those. Buuut there have been a few earlybirds and I´m hopeful that I´ll see one before I leave.
The leatherbacks are beautiful and massive creatures! Dinosaurs even. The average shell length in 150 cm and is not scaly like others turtles, but leathery (go figure). My favorite part of the turtle is her eyes - they´re almost human like, but of course much bigger, and really dark.
There are 3 shifts I could be working: 1. housekeeping slash kitchen duty. I may get this once a week, but usually less. 2. hatchery - we dig nests and bury the eggs. When the eggs hatch we release the babies into the sea. My arms aren´t as long as the depth of the hole, so I end up doing one handed push ups while scooping out sand with the other. 3. beach patrol - a 4 hour walk on the beach searching for turtles that come on shore to lay eggs. When we find one, we take her eggs and walk back to the hatchery. The eggs are not light! On average there are maybe 80 fertile eggs and 20 infertile. All shifts are 4 hours long minimum and it is really hard work! I feel stronger every day because of it.
Food, of course I will talk about the food. Love it. There is variety but at the same time it is predictable. Each week the meals repeat with slight variations, but it is all so good that I´m entirely satisfied. I´m not even sick of the gallo pinto (rice and beans) yet! There are coconut trees, passion fruit, pineapple, avocados, lemons, mangoes and more growing on the project grounds. I´ve never ate so much coconut in my life. I just learned yesterday that scorpions live in coconut trees so I think I´ll get someone else to fetch them for me next time...
On the boat ride to the project on the first day we saw howler monkeys - what is such an elusive animal in other parts of Central America! They are easily spotted around here, and heard when dawn breaks. One of the shifts I work is 2-6 am and as soon as the sun starts to rise the sound of the monkeys begins and the birds start chirping. I saw one snake, but I think some survival mechanism kicked in because I saw it and kept walking. It was a blurred coil of green and brown. It moved so damn fast and apparently that´s a good thing because it was a venomous one!
The project is set on the Caribbean Sea, but unfortunately there are really strong riptides that I can feel even when in the shallows. If you get caught in one you will likely be pulled out to where the agressive bull sharks are. I saw some from the shore, not too far out actually, so I´´m pretty careful everytime I go in the sea.
About a week ago a 13 year old boy got killed by a crocodile in Tortguero National Park, which is up the coast from us, maybe about 2 hours. That story freaked me out and I don´t think I´ll go fishing/wading in the lagoons any longer! The last time the guys from the project went out they saw a croc in the spot they were just fishing at. I haven´t seen one yet, or a caiman, but I hope to see those when I take the kayak out next.
The people here are awesome, although a lot of people stay for only 2 weeks, and it´s hard to see them go. We are understaffed so that means work is a bit harder, but we still only work 4 hours a day. Shifts are scheduled 24 hours a day, but mostly at night. I don´t have a sleeping schedule of any kind right now, but that´s alright because hammocking has easily become one of my favorite pastimes.
I´m not sure what I´m missing, and I´m not going to edit this so surely there are loads of errors. Hopefully you can make sense of this.
This is one of the greatest experiences of my life! So glad I made it here.
Friday, April 20, 2007
I heart Nicarauga
So we are now down to one girl and a guy in Central America, travelling separately. I just happened to run into Mark at the hostel I´m at about 10 minutes ago. It´s unfortunate how this trip turned out, but at the same I think it was unavoidable. I hope that doesn´t sound crass.
I thought I´d update this blog one more time before I leave for Costa Rica. So here´s a quick description of what I´ve been doing with myself. And may I add that travelling as a single female creates a lot of unwanted attention from men! How can I politely say ¨I´d rather continue reading than talk to you¨?
Managua: The capital of Nicarauga. Everything is barred up, indoors and outdoors. Outside, on top of the bars you will see barbed wire. I was warned by the hotel owner and about 4 people on the street that I shouldn´t be walking alone at dark. I was back inside by 6:30 p.m. and ready to move on. Streets are unmarked as is the case in many Central American cities. That makes wandering around, searching for a destination infuriating at times. And it kinda causes some insecurities. Gave in and ate at freaking Burger King after getting lost, misguided by the Lonely Planet, and ripped off by a cab driver. Love the breakfast sausage.
Granada: I returned to Granada for a second time because I liked it and the hostel so much. Plus there isn´t much about Costa Rica that appeals to me or fits into my budget. Enjoying the comfort of being in a familiar place, free DVDs and a 10 minute phone call to Canada, as well as the pool. Granada is unbearably hot. Ate the best veggie burger of my life. Some attractive, maintained colonial buildings, and a lot of dilapidated structures. Took a day trip to Lake Pacoyo, which reportedly has the cleanest water in Nicarauga. Lazed around in an inner tube on the crystal clear water for most of the day.
Isla de Ometepe: Two islands were formed into one after an eruption of one of the (2) volcanoes created an isthmus between them. Having difficulties pronouncing isthmus. Travelled with a couple from London (UK), Nick and Jo, and two others from the UK, Julian and Keith, as well as another Julia and a teacher named Dave. Spent two nights in Merida. Hiked to San Ramon. Viewed spectacular waterfall cascading down a steep rock face. Falls provide drinking water for town, so no swimming allowed. Decided to ignore the ¨watch for falling rocks¨sign and stood under the falls for a minute. Was hit in head by a falling rock. Enjoyed the gluttony of having a breakfast and dinner buffet served at the hotel. Lake swimming was amazing, although thoughts of the fresh water sharks crossed my mind. Nearby island was made home to monkeys rescued from captivity. Monkeys are now dependant on the owners since the island doesn´t have food. Roaming cows, pigs, chickens and horses everywhere. One night on Santo Domingo beach. White sand, not at all busy. Splurged for a nice hotel. Wished I had much more time here. Truly is ¨an ecological jewel¨. Took small ferry back to mainland. Luckily did not puke.
San Juan del Sur: Still travelling with the group, minus Dave and other Julia. Formerly a town visited by rich Nicaraugans and few surfers. Now being developed by rich Nicaraugans, visited by many Gringos. Subway was put in town 8 months ago. A 20 story hotel was just approved for construction. Other than that, the beach was good, water cool (Pacific) and salty so floating was not an issue. Visited nearby Playa Majagual and Maderas. Gorgeous area. Wish I was a geologist so I could describe the cliffs and eroded rocks surrounding the shore. Accomodations were pricey, the budget place was booked, so it became a day trip. Splurged and bought shrimp and tried some lobster. Both were incredible. Not much to eat but seafood.
And here I am in Granada. The trip to San Jose is about 8 hours long, so I plan to leave early tomorrow morning for the big city. Start volunteering on the 23rd.
I thought I´d update this blog one more time before I leave for Costa Rica. So here´s a quick description of what I´ve been doing with myself. And may I add that travelling as a single female creates a lot of unwanted attention from men! How can I politely say ¨I´d rather continue reading than talk to you¨?
Managua: The capital of Nicarauga. Everything is barred up, indoors and outdoors. Outside, on top of the bars you will see barbed wire. I was warned by the hotel owner and about 4 people on the street that I shouldn´t be walking alone at dark. I was back inside by 6:30 p.m. and ready to move on. Streets are unmarked as is the case in many Central American cities. That makes wandering around, searching for a destination infuriating at times. And it kinda causes some insecurities. Gave in and ate at freaking Burger King after getting lost, misguided by the Lonely Planet, and ripped off by a cab driver. Love the breakfast sausage.
Granada: I returned to Granada for a second time because I liked it and the hostel so much. Plus there isn´t much about Costa Rica that appeals to me or fits into my budget. Enjoying the comfort of being in a familiar place, free DVDs and a 10 minute phone call to Canada, as well as the pool. Granada is unbearably hot. Ate the best veggie burger of my life. Some attractive, maintained colonial buildings, and a lot of dilapidated structures. Took a day trip to Lake Pacoyo, which reportedly has the cleanest water in Nicarauga. Lazed around in an inner tube on the crystal clear water for most of the day.
Isla de Ometepe: Two islands were formed into one after an eruption of one of the (2) volcanoes created an isthmus between them. Having difficulties pronouncing isthmus. Travelled with a couple from London (UK), Nick and Jo, and two others from the UK, Julian and Keith, as well as another Julia and a teacher named Dave. Spent two nights in Merida. Hiked to San Ramon. Viewed spectacular waterfall cascading down a steep rock face. Falls provide drinking water for town, so no swimming allowed. Decided to ignore the ¨watch for falling rocks¨sign and stood under the falls for a minute. Was hit in head by a falling rock. Enjoyed the gluttony of having a breakfast and dinner buffet served at the hotel. Lake swimming was amazing, although thoughts of the fresh water sharks crossed my mind. Nearby island was made home to monkeys rescued from captivity. Monkeys are now dependant on the owners since the island doesn´t have food. Roaming cows, pigs, chickens and horses everywhere. One night on Santo Domingo beach. White sand, not at all busy. Splurged for a nice hotel. Wished I had much more time here. Truly is ¨an ecological jewel¨. Took small ferry back to mainland. Luckily did not puke.
San Juan del Sur: Still travelling with the group, minus Dave and other Julia. Formerly a town visited by rich Nicaraugans and few surfers. Now being developed by rich Nicaraugans, visited by many Gringos. Subway was put in town 8 months ago. A 20 story hotel was just approved for construction. Other than that, the beach was good, water cool (Pacific) and salty so floating was not an issue. Visited nearby Playa Majagual and Maderas. Gorgeous area. Wish I was a geologist so I could describe the cliffs and eroded rocks surrounding the shore. Accomodations were pricey, the budget place was booked, so it became a day trip. Splurged and bought shrimp and tried some lobster. Both were incredible. Not much to eat but seafood.
And here I am in Granada. The trip to San Jose is about 8 hours long, so I plan to leave early tomorrow morning for the big city. Start volunteering on the 23rd.
Friday, April 6, 2007
The best hostel in Honduras?
We haven´t talked about the hostel we´re staying at in Omoa yet - Roli´s Place. It definitely deserves a mention.
In the Lonely Planet guide is it touted as the best hostel in Honduras, or something along those lines. It seems that this praise has gone straight to Roli´s head.
After dropping our bags off in the room it was necessary to walk around the place to read the signs posted around, some with kinda contradictory rules. There are rules for everything.
My favorite sign is basically an introduction to Roli. He lists of all of the wonderful things he is doing to keep the hostel as the best in Honduras. His job is to keep the place ¨extra special¨, and while doing his work he does not have time to answer outlandish questions from his guests! Apparently every night as he puts out the mosquito coils for us he is bombarded with questions such as: ¨you must be Roli?¨, ¨where is the bus to bla, bla, blah?¨, ¨do you know where I can find a decent restaurant?¨ and so on.
All questions are to be directed to Nellya - that's what she is paid for! He makes a comment about how people ignore her because she doesn't speak English, and because she looks young. Is that possibly a generalization?
And by the way, he hasn't been doing his job with the mosquito coils - I counted over 100 bites below my knees. I refuse to use the DEET spray I brought with me unless I'm in an area that's puts me at risk for malaria. Anyway...
So the highlight of this story is right here: this one traveller was staying at Roli's for a couple nights and then decided to camp out on the beach. He came by one night with a guest who stopped in to get something from the room. He was there for about 30 seconds before Roli came out, accused him of abusing his hospitality, hit him with a flashlight, grabbed his arm and pulled him off the property. I hung out with this guy - he was nowhere close to being a nuisance.
I should've just copied that sign out for you guys. Honestly, it cracks me up every time I look at it.
- Julia
In the Lonely Planet guide is it touted as the best hostel in Honduras, or something along those lines. It seems that this praise has gone straight to Roli´s head.
After dropping our bags off in the room it was necessary to walk around the place to read the signs posted around, some with kinda contradictory rules. There are rules for everything.
My favorite sign is basically an introduction to Roli. He lists of all of the wonderful things he is doing to keep the hostel as the best in Honduras. His job is to keep the place ¨extra special¨, and while doing his work he does not have time to answer outlandish questions from his guests! Apparently every night as he puts out the mosquito coils for us he is bombarded with questions such as: ¨you must be Roli?¨, ¨where is the bus to bla, bla, blah?¨, ¨do you know where I can find a decent restaurant?¨ and so on.
All questions are to be directed to Nellya - that's what she is paid for! He makes a comment about how people ignore her because she doesn't speak English, and because she looks young. Is that possibly a generalization?
And by the way, he hasn't been doing his job with the mosquito coils - I counted over 100 bites below my knees. I refuse to use the DEET spray I brought with me unless I'm in an area that's puts me at risk for malaria. Anyway...
So the highlight of this story is right here: this one traveller was staying at Roli's for a couple nights and then decided to camp out on the beach. He came by one night with a guest who stopped in to get something from the room. He was there for about 30 seconds before Roli came out, accused him of abusing his hospitality, hit him with a flashlight, grabbed his arm and pulled him off the property. I hung out with this guy - he was nowhere close to being a nuisance.
I should've just copied that sign out for you guys. Honestly, it cracks me up every time I look at it.
- Julia
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Jelly Fish
I was going to wait for Julia to do this blog, but it is hot outside and I am looking for reasons to stay in the blissful A/C. So here I am.
We have been in Omoa for...I dunno, 6 days maybe and I pretty much love it here. I have yet to determine if it is the place or the fact that I am once again on the Caribbean sea. I suspect that any town on the Caribbean coast I would be in love with, but that is neither here nor there. Today I am going to talk to you about the sea itself, not my love of it.
The first two days were pure bliss in the warm blue water of the sea. Julia and I would go to the beach simply to float in the water and let the sun beat down on us. The sea is particularly thrilling to Julia as the poor girl is cursed with the inability to float in fresh water. Seeing her newly bouyant body in the water is peculiar at times as she has yet to master the art of relaxation and I can often here her momentary panic and feel the usually calm water ripple with her jerky and uncoordinated movements as she struggles to remain afloat. Forgetting of course that she was just floating a brief moment ago and there is no need for the panic...but I digress.
We had just gotten used to our daily water routine of doing virtually nothing but play around in the salty bathwater when it was brought to our visual attention that we had some friends in the form of jelly fish. Not one or two, because of course jelly fish swim in schools, but a dozen of them or so in the immediate vicinity of us. I dont know how many there were in total as for the duration of their visit (about 2 days) we kept our frolicking to the warm shallow waters instead of the cool depths just slightly farther out. It was interesting the watch these globes of jelli (say it like its spelled. Its funnier that way. Jell-I) float about the water without a direction or purpose. However no matter where we went they seemed highly attracted to us and would change course to better follow our retreat. They didnt effect our stay in the sea too much however and for the couple days they were there we made a game of finding them and identifying the different colours. People standing on the peer and gazing into the water had a better view and could see just how many there were, but we felt that our swimming would stop entirely if we knew the truth and we continued to delude ourselves that there were only a bakers dozen or so. I should also mention that Julia had a momentary brush with death (as she likes to think of it) as a jelly fish collided with her clothed side and they made quick but definite contact with each other. Wow.
On day two of our visitation to the Jelli we discovered that there was a poor deceased soul floating in the water. The underneath part had been removed (I dont know how or why) and just the jelly bowl was floating along in the water. Julia picked it up and placed it on her head (what is the name for the Jewish hat thingy? It looked a lil like that). We spent a few minutes touching it and feeling the jelly. It is a rather thick membrane for those that dont know. And while it is soft, and in fact jelly-like the membrane is about an inch to an inch and a half thick making it difficult to penetrate without a sharp object on hand. Julia tired of the bowl quickly and left me to play with it. We had already filled it with water and worn it on our heads...there didnt seem to be much else to do with it, so I hurled it at Julia. It did not hit her, but she was vex nonetheless and picked it up to launch at me. This lasted for a few moments until we realized that we were essentially throwing a dead carcass at each other, and the playing stopped.
We searched but could not find one jelly fish. Our Jelli friends had left to go haunt another beach town Im sure and Julia and I have gone back to our daily frolicking. They will be missed.
Janelle
We have been in Omoa for...I dunno, 6 days maybe and I pretty much love it here. I have yet to determine if it is the place or the fact that I am once again on the Caribbean sea. I suspect that any town on the Caribbean coast I would be in love with, but that is neither here nor there. Today I am going to talk to you about the sea itself, not my love of it.
The first two days were pure bliss in the warm blue water of the sea. Julia and I would go to the beach simply to float in the water and let the sun beat down on us. The sea is particularly thrilling to Julia as the poor girl is cursed with the inability to float in fresh water. Seeing her newly bouyant body in the water is peculiar at times as she has yet to master the art of relaxation and I can often here her momentary panic and feel the usually calm water ripple with her jerky and uncoordinated movements as she struggles to remain afloat. Forgetting of course that she was just floating a brief moment ago and there is no need for the panic...but I digress.
We had just gotten used to our daily water routine of doing virtually nothing but play around in the salty bathwater when it was brought to our visual attention that we had some friends in the form of jelly fish. Not one or two, because of course jelly fish swim in schools, but a dozen of them or so in the immediate vicinity of us. I dont know how many there were in total as for the duration of their visit (about 2 days) we kept our frolicking to the warm shallow waters instead of the cool depths just slightly farther out. It was interesting the watch these globes of jelli (say it like its spelled. Its funnier that way. Jell-I) float about the water without a direction or purpose. However no matter where we went they seemed highly attracted to us and would change course to better follow our retreat. They didnt effect our stay in the sea too much however and for the couple days they were there we made a game of finding them and identifying the different colours. People standing on the peer and gazing into the water had a better view and could see just how many there were, but we felt that our swimming would stop entirely if we knew the truth and we continued to delude ourselves that there were only a bakers dozen or so. I should also mention that Julia had a momentary brush with death (as she likes to think of it) as a jelly fish collided with her clothed side and they made quick but definite contact with each other. Wow.
On day two of our visitation to the Jelli we discovered that there was a poor deceased soul floating in the water. The underneath part had been removed (I dont know how or why) and just the jelly bowl was floating along in the water. Julia picked it up and placed it on her head (what is the name for the Jewish hat thingy? It looked a lil like that). We spent a few minutes touching it and feeling the jelly. It is a rather thick membrane for those that dont know. And while it is soft, and in fact jelly-like the membrane is about an inch to an inch and a half thick making it difficult to penetrate without a sharp object on hand. Julia tired of the bowl quickly and left me to play with it. We had already filled it with water and worn it on our heads...there didnt seem to be much else to do with it, so I hurled it at Julia. It did not hit her, but she was vex nonetheless and picked it up to launch at me. This lasted for a few moments until we realized that we were essentially throwing a dead carcass at each other, and the playing stopped.
We searched but could not find one jelly fish. Our Jelli friends had left to go haunt another beach town Im sure and Julia and I have gone back to our daily frolicking. They will be missed.
Janelle
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Gracias, Honduras. Parque Celaque
Sooo Julia and I went to Parque Celaque to give the hiking thing another try for me. There is a beautiful cloud forest and this National park has the highest peak in Honduras. We probably should have started with something smaller, but whatever.
Thank God we talked to a couple the day before leaving who had just done and told us it was very steep. It was in fact a vertical incline to the camp we were going to try to get to. We decided based on their story to camp at the visitors center at the base of the trail.
Our driver picked us up at 7am to take us to the park. We felt all local and cool sitting in the back of a pickup cruising in the coutryside, and as soon I get around to posting more pics, you will see how gorgeous our surrounding were. ANYWAY. We dropped our pack off at the visitors center which was a 45 minute uphill walk from the gate (tiring) and started our trek the cloud forest. Now, while I did much better this time, and last much longer physically, at around the same altitude as volcan Pacaya I began to feel dizzy and light headed, and couldnt continue. I think I have a real problem with altitude. It also didnt help that my allergies decided to kick me in the face while we were up there.
Julia wants me to tell you that she did not make me walk down alone, she came with me even when I told her she could go on. Good pal.
Back at the bottom we went to Doña Alejandrinas for dinner. This woman has been living on the mountain since before it was a National park. She has been there for over 54 years and can cook better than any restaurant we have been in since starting this trip. She served up two types of tortillas, black beans, refried beans, potatoes, rice with vegetables and the best damned coffee. Mmmm!
She and her son live in a wood shack with no electricity or running water. They cook over a woodfire, and by all North American standards, are literally dirt poor. Being there and eating two meals courtesy of them we were transported to a time long since forgotten. Eating her simple and delicious dinner over candlelight we could hear Pumas meowing in the distance, fireflies dancing and the dogs waited patiently at our feet for scraps. Peace.
Doña Alejandrina was a wonderfully sweet old woman, with sparkling eyes and big smiles and she and her son lived simply and most importantly they are very happy. I have to say that I was envious and humbled by their simple existance and wished that I could speak better Spanish because I am sure that woman had so much to teach. I wished that I could go back and sit with her. I tried to go and take her picture before we left but she had left for the woods, and I was unable to. :(
Now the scary part...We spent the night in the camp that by my account was infested with spiders. Julia may disagree but she is not as observant to these things as I. There were these rather large brown ones that had sharp looking legs and glittery eyes. So whenever I scoured the room with my headlamp the light would reflect off of their eyes and I could see them all glittering back at me. I had visions of them crawling on me in my sleep and biting my sweet, tender flesh...I really wanted to vomit and did not sleep very well at all that night.
All in all, it was really unique and educational experience, and certainly one that I will not forget!
Thank God we talked to a couple the day before leaving who had just done and told us it was very steep. It was in fact a vertical incline to the camp we were going to try to get to. We decided based on their story to camp at the visitors center at the base of the trail.
Our driver picked us up at 7am to take us to the park. We felt all local and cool sitting in the back of a pickup cruising in the coutryside, and as soon I get around to posting more pics, you will see how gorgeous our surrounding were. ANYWAY. We dropped our pack off at the visitors center which was a 45 minute uphill walk from the gate (tiring) and started our trek the cloud forest. Now, while I did much better this time, and last much longer physically, at around the same altitude as volcan Pacaya I began to feel dizzy and light headed, and couldnt continue. I think I have a real problem with altitude. It also didnt help that my allergies decided to kick me in the face while we were up there.
Julia wants me to tell you that she did not make me walk down alone, she came with me even when I told her she could go on. Good pal.
Back at the bottom we went to Doña Alejandrinas for dinner. This woman has been living on the mountain since before it was a National park. She has been there for over 54 years and can cook better than any restaurant we have been in since starting this trip. She served up two types of tortillas, black beans, refried beans, potatoes, rice with vegetables and the best damned coffee. Mmmm!
She and her son live in a wood shack with no electricity or running water. They cook over a woodfire, and by all North American standards, are literally dirt poor. Being there and eating two meals courtesy of them we were transported to a time long since forgotten. Eating her simple and delicious dinner over candlelight we could hear Pumas meowing in the distance, fireflies dancing and the dogs waited patiently at our feet for scraps. Peace.
Doña Alejandrina was a wonderfully sweet old woman, with sparkling eyes and big smiles and she and her son lived simply and most importantly they are very happy. I have to say that I was envious and humbled by their simple existance and wished that I could speak better Spanish because I am sure that woman had so much to teach. I wished that I could go back and sit with her. I tried to go and take her picture before we left but she had left for the woods, and I was unable to. :(
Now the scary part...We spent the night in the camp that by my account was infested with spiders. Julia may disagree but she is not as observant to these things as I. There were these rather large brown ones that had sharp looking legs and glittery eyes. So whenever I scoured the room with my headlamp the light would reflect off of their eyes and I could see them all glittering back at me. I had visions of them crawling on me in my sleep and biting my sweet, tender flesh...I really wanted to vomit and did not sleep very well at all that night.
All in all, it was really unique and educational experience, and certainly one that I will not forget!
Gracias, Honduras. The hot springs
When we first arrived to Gracias, I was ready to start crying. From first appearance it is a shit town, with nothing to do, and no where to go, and the locals couldnt even be bothered to smile at us. Not at all what the guide book made us think when we would find. However, this firt impression did turn out to be inaccurate. Good.
We realized soon in that the reason for the locals not being willing to help us was not because they had a thing against Gringos, but because they spoke a dialect of Spanish that we were not familiar with and thus communication was even more hindered. Super.
The town had dirt roads and no vegetarian options to speak of for restaurant selection with the exception of one place which was situated on a hill, and managed by a dutch lady who truly did not want to help us and guarded by rabid dogs who tried to take a chunk out of my leg one afternoon on the way to lunch. The town was cute though... in a way.
One afernoon Julia and I made the 4km trek to nearby hotspings ina an attempt to do some swimming. The hot springs, while still man made, were 1 million times better than the ones at Copan. There were multiple pools of varying depths and temperatures. We first chose the last one as it was unoccupied and was big enough to paddle around in.
I would say a good 3 minutes after getting in the pool two local men came over and tried to sweet talk us. They wanted to take us dancing and they wanted our email addresses (shcoker, they never did email us). The cute and VERY young looking one was keen on Julia, while the older one and unfortunetly much less attractive one was so keen on me he tried to pull me out of the pool and take me with him.
Sadly, as my man did not even speak a single word of English, and my Spanish is poor at best I could not even tell him that our relationship would never work as I have a distinct policy against dating anyone who spends more time looking at my breasts than my face or any other part of my body for that matter. I do have to give him props though as he paid a meriachi (sp) band to come over and serenade us, he even sang to me.
Julias manboy was also out of luck as well as she has a distinct policy against dating anyone who may not even be legal enough to vote. It was still flattering though, and they will remain in our thoughts for days to come I am sure.
Janelle
We realized soon in that the reason for the locals not being willing to help us was not because they had a thing against Gringos, but because they spoke a dialect of Spanish that we were not familiar with and thus communication was even more hindered. Super.
The town had dirt roads and no vegetarian options to speak of for restaurant selection with the exception of one place which was situated on a hill, and managed by a dutch lady who truly did not want to help us and guarded by rabid dogs who tried to take a chunk out of my leg one afternoon on the way to lunch. The town was cute though... in a way.
One afernoon Julia and I made the 4km trek to nearby hotspings ina an attempt to do some swimming. The hot springs, while still man made, were 1 million times better than the ones at Copan. There were multiple pools of varying depths and temperatures. We first chose the last one as it was unoccupied and was big enough to paddle around in.
I would say a good 3 minutes after getting in the pool two local men came over and tried to sweet talk us. They wanted to take us dancing and they wanted our email addresses (shcoker, they never did email us). The cute and VERY young looking one was keen on Julia, while the older one and unfortunetly much less attractive one was so keen on me he tried to pull me out of the pool and take me with him.
Sadly, as my man did not even speak a single word of English, and my Spanish is poor at best I could not even tell him that our relationship would never work as I have a distinct policy against dating anyone who spends more time looking at my breasts than my face or any other part of my body for that matter. I do have to give him props though as he paid a meriachi (sp) band to come over and serenade us, he even sang to me.
Julias manboy was also out of luck as well as she has a distinct policy against dating anyone who may not even be legal enough to vote. It was still flattering though, and they will remain in our thoughts for days to come I am sure.
Janelle
Monday, March 26, 2007
sneaky Canadians
One of the things I was looking forward to doing on this trip, was swimming in natural hot springs. I have, three times so far, but the first was definitely more appealing than the others, and most importantly - natural!
In Copan, we got a group of people together and sat on a bus for one hour to reach the hot springs 24 km out of town. The roads were winding, and the views spectacular - I love the landscape of Honduras - incredibly lush, rolling mountains, stray cows and horses roaming everywhere.
So we arrived at the hot springs to discover that what was accessible for $1 were two small spring-fed concrete pools (picture a public pool filled with warm water), and a river with run-off from the natural spring, that wasn't deep enough to cover your legs if you sat in it. It was more than disappointing, but we weren't going to pay the $10 (seriously, that is a lot of money for this trip) to access the natural springs, even if it came with a free massage.
Instead we decided to sneak in. I saw a path on one side of the river, guarded by a local wielding a machete. He agreed that the trail was public, and would lead to the ¨grande¨ hot springs. We followed the trail, which led where we expected it to, except the springs were guarded by security. He asked for our tickets, which we conveniently left by the other pools. He bought it, and we were in. Way too easy...
We made it down to a spring-fed jacuzzi (yeah, still not the natural wonder we were expecting, but it was a step up) and sat for about 30 seconds. The guard came down and told us that he'd meet us on the other side of the path after we were done, to see our tickets. We agreed, because we didn't know what else to say. He then told us the ticket should be yellow, and should have cost 10 times what we paid. ¨What?¨
So, we left the jacuzzi and followed the man up to a deck, where he called another guard who was to meet us and escort us back. I apologized and explained that the local dude told us the trail was public, and that we didn't know we needed a special ticket....his response? ¨lo siento? (I'm sorry?) yeah, right, no lo siento, you guys are sneaky! well, enjoy the view¨. Luckily he found it pretty amusing, and just asked to be careful when exiting the trail, so that other vistors wouldn't try to get up there too.
We are now in Gracias, Honduras, and one of the highlights of the area are hot springs an hour walk out of town. The place is a popular local hang-out, and basically another set of spring-fed pools. They were more appealing, given that the pools were made of rock, and were surrounded by trees. Janelle might have more to say about our adventures with the locals that day. For now, I have to go.
Actually, I will add one more thing. Janelle and I have parted ways with Mark, at least for the time being. We are now enjoying our vacation, conflict-free.
- Julia
In Copan, we got a group of people together and sat on a bus for one hour to reach the hot springs 24 km out of town. The roads were winding, and the views spectacular - I love the landscape of Honduras - incredibly lush, rolling mountains, stray cows and horses roaming everywhere.
So we arrived at the hot springs to discover that what was accessible for $1 were two small spring-fed concrete pools (picture a public pool filled with warm water), and a river with run-off from the natural spring, that wasn't deep enough to cover your legs if you sat in it. It was more than disappointing, but we weren't going to pay the $10 (seriously, that is a lot of money for this trip) to access the natural springs, even if it came with a free massage.
Instead we decided to sneak in. I saw a path on one side of the river, guarded by a local wielding a machete. He agreed that the trail was public, and would lead to the ¨grande¨ hot springs. We followed the trail, which led where we expected it to, except the springs were guarded by security. He asked for our tickets, which we conveniently left by the other pools. He bought it, and we were in. Way too easy...
We made it down to a spring-fed jacuzzi (yeah, still not the natural wonder we were expecting, but it was a step up) and sat for about 30 seconds. The guard came down and told us that he'd meet us on the other side of the path after we were done, to see our tickets. We agreed, because we didn't know what else to say. He then told us the ticket should be yellow, and should have cost 10 times what we paid. ¨What?¨
So, we left the jacuzzi and followed the man up to a deck, where he called another guard who was to meet us and escort us back. I apologized and explained that the local dude told us the trail was public, and that we didn't know we needed a special ticket....his response? ¨lo siento? (I'm sorry?) yeah, right, no lo siento, you guys are sneaky! well, enjoy the view¨. Luckily he found it pretty amusing, and just asked to be careful when exiting the trail, so that other vistors wouldn't try to get up there too.
We are now in Gracias, Honduras, and one of the highlights of the area are hot springs an hour walk out of town. The place is a popular local hang-out, and basically another set of spring-fed pools. They were more appealing, given that the pools were made of rock, and were surrounded by trees. Janelle might have more to say about our adventures with the locals that day. For now, I have to go.
Actually, I will add one more thing. Janelle and I have parted ways with Mark, at least for the time being. We are now enjoying our vacation, conflict-free.
- Julia
Thursday, March 22, 2007
white hot
We arrived in Antigua after a bit of a nerve wracking drive through the mountains. I think it has been mentioned already that drivers love to pass the vehicle in front, no matter if it means driving into oncoming traffic, or in this case, on a narrow mountain road. I also loved the wide switchback turns. It was a gamble each time - would there be another car in the opposing lane of traffic? Luckily for us, there never was.
So we made it to Antigua, and again were instantly surrounded by locals who tried to direct us to a hostel they were associated with. We found a pretty decent hostel with free breakfast! Yes, that is a wonderful bonus - fresh fruit, pastries and coffee, all for free!
We spent some time wandering around town, looking at church ruins and markets, and ate a lot of meals at an obviously Western-owned bagel restaurant. The ruins were pretty beautiful, if you´re attracted to dilapitated buildings as I am. There was an earthquake years ago which devastated the town, and some time after that the captial moved to Guatemala City, and so did the funding to cover the maintenance/reconstruction of the churches. Fine with me.
For me, the highlight of the trip to Antigua was climbing Volcan Pacaya. Janelle may disagree, as she had a panic attack about a quarter way up, and had to ride a horse the rest of the way. And then she kind of got stranded near the top, alone, for over an hour. By the way, you aren´t supposed to climb without a guide because of the risks for robbery and rape. But she was alright, and I will continue my story..
I won´t lie, it was an arduous climb. When we got off of the bus local kids offered us walking sticks, and it turned out to be an excellent companion. Even with that, we climbed on very ashy terrain, which has the texture of sand, right? So it was tough. Plus, as Mark pointed out to me, my teeth turned a lovely shade of brown from breathing in so much of it.
The trek was well worth it. We made it to a clearing near the top in time for the sunset - beautiful, albeit a bit cloudy. Pacaya is an active volcano, so we could see and hear the flowing lava. We hiked across a lava field - each step was crucial! The lava rock was sharp, and the morbid side of me couldn´t help but think what would happen if the group fell down like dominoes. That´d be a bloody mess. But again, we all made it to the top and back. By the time we started to descend the volcano, it was dark. I brought my trusty head lamp, but with the group of us constantly kicking up ash in the air, visibility was low.
It was definitely the most incredible experience on this trip so far. I didn´t get as close to the laval as others did, but it was still amazing. Areas of the field were white hot, and could be ignited if you tried to stir it up. The temperature went from cold to ridiculously hot in a matter of 25 feet. It was insane.
We are now in Honduras. We decided to bypass El Salvador, at least for now, because of the logistics of it all. Tomorrow we are heading to the Copan ruins. I´m sure someone else up update this soon, with a story about our hot springs adventure today. Hope you´re all having fun at home.
-Julia
So we made it to Antigua, and again were instantly surrounded by locals who tried to direct us to a hostel they were associated with. We found a pretty decent hostel with free breakfast! Yes, that is a wonderful bonus - fresh fruit, pastries and coffee, all for free!
We spent some time wandering around town, looking at church ruins and markets, and ate a lot of meals at an obviously Western-owned bagel restaurant. The ruins were pretty beautiful, if you´re attracted to dilapitated buildings as I am. There was an earthquake years ago which devastated the town, and some time after that the captial moved to Guatemala City, and so did the funding to cover the maintenance/reconstruction of the churches. Fine with me.
For me, the highlight of the trip to Antigua was climbing Volcan Pacaya. Janelle may disagree, as she had a panic attack about a quarter way up, and had to ride a horse the rest of the way. And then she kind of got stranded near the top, alone, for over an hour. By the way, you aren´t supposed to climb without a guide because of the risks for robbery and rape. But she was alright, and I will continue my story..
I won´t lie, it was an arduous climb. When we got off of the bus local kids offered us walking sticks, and it turned out to be an excellent companion. Even with that, we climbed on very ashy terrain, which has the texture of sand, right? So it was tough. Plus, as Mark pointed out to me, my teeth turned a lovely shade of brown from breathing in so much of it.
The trek was well worth it. We made it to a clearing near the top in time for the sunset - beautiful, albeit a bit cloudy. Pacaya is an active volcano, so we could see and hear the flowing lava. We hiked across a lava field - each step was crucial! The lava rock was sharp, and the morbid side of me couldn´t help but think what would happen if the group fell down like dominoes. That´d be a bloody mess. But again, we all made it to the top and back. By the time we started to descend the volcano, it was dark. I brought my trusty head lamp, but with the group of us constantly kicking up ash in the air, visibility was low.
It was definitely the most incredible experience on this trip so far. I didn´t get as close to the laval as others did, but it was still amazing. Areas of the field were white hot, and could be ignited if you tried to stir it up. The temperature went from cold to ridiculously hot in a matter of 25 feet. It was insane.
We are now in Honduras. We decided to bypass El Salvador, at least for now, because of the logistics of it all. Tomorrow we are heading to the Copan ruins. I´m sure someone else up update this soon, with a story about our hot springs adventure today. Hope you´re all having fun at home.
-Julia
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
San Pedro, Guatemala
Today I am going to tell you about San Pedro, Guatemala.
When we first got into the town all we could smell was the overpowering odour of olives, which we later found out to be coffee beans drying. We loved it on sight. The food there was great and it is the cheapest place to stay in all of Guatemala. We could get a Foccacia for 5Q (about $.75) and our room was 20Q ($2.50) per person/ night. Our hotel overlooked the lake and we had a dock which I used to tan. :) We found a few really delicious places to eat, and met some cool people.
Our first day there we were on a mission to find John, the friend of Michelle. We asked a random waiter at The Alegre pub, who knew immediatly of Michelle and John. He sent us over to Freedom where they informed us that John and Michelle had moved to Rick's place on San Marcos. It was like we had just missed her. :)
We met a lovely girl named Megan with whom we ended up spending lots of time with, talking about food and such. Poor girl must have thought we were ill because Julia and I were always in bed by 10:00 at the latest, and couldnt even manage to stay out and drink on St. Patty's Day.
The town was quite lovely, and Julia fell in love with a little blind street dog who cowered whenever she went near him. She spent quite a bit of time feeding this dog some leftover bread she had. My only complaint about this place was that to leave our road and go anywhere else in the town...like the bank, we had to go uphill. A tall hill that was at least on a 60 degree angle. Ugh!
Oh yeah, back to John. We took the boat to San Marcos and when we got there we ran into 2 girls who also lived at Rick's place who informed us that John would not be back until Saturday...we never did meet this John. He is like Polkaroo...
I think that is all I have to say about that. I have twisted Julia's arm into telling you about Antigua.
bye bye
Janelle
When we first got into the town all we could smell was the overpowering odour of olives, which we later found out to be coffee beans drying. We loved it on sight. The food there was great and it is the cheapest place to stay in all of Guatemala. We could get a Foccacia for 5Q (about $.75) and our room was 20Q ($2.50) per person/ night. Our hotel overlooked the lake and we had a dock which I used to tan. :) We found a few really delicious places to eat, and met some cool people.
Our first day there we were on a mission to find John, the friend of Michelle. We asked a random waiter at The Alegre pub, who knew immediatly of Michelle and John. He sent us over to Freedom where they informed us that John and Michelle had moved to Rick's place on San Marcos. It was like we had just missed her. :)
We met a lovely girl named Megan with whom we ended up spending lots of time with, talking about food and such. Poor girl must have thought we were ill because Julia and I were always in bed by 10:00 at the latest, and couldnt even manage to stay out and drink on St. Patty's Day.
The town was quite lovely, and Julia fell in love with a little blind street dog who cowered whenever she went near him. She spent quite a bit of time feeding this dog some leftover bread she had. My only complaint about this place was that to leave our road and go anywhere else in the town...like the bank, we had to go uphill. A tall hill that was at least on a 60 degree angle. Ugh!
Oh yeah, back to John. We took the boat to San Marcos and when we got there we ran into 2 girls who also lived at Rick's place who informed us that John would not be back until Saturday...we never did meet this John. He is like Polkaroo...
I think that is all I have to say about that. I have twisted Julia's arm into telling you about Antigua.
bye bye
Janelle
Yo
Hookay...
First of all yes we are homesick.
Secondly, my online album only allows like 100mb or something so I have created and used multiple accounts. Cheap I know, but I didnt have time to set up a pro account...get over it. Now I will be uploading to all of them as my limits permit. All the links will be posted so you will just have to check them all...I know, I know.
Janelle
First of all yes we are homesick.
Secondly, my online album only allows like 100mb or something so I have created and used multiple accounts. Cheap I know, but I didnt have time to set up a pro account...get over it. Now I will be uploading to all of them as my limits permit. All the links will be posted so you will just have to check them all...I know, I know.
Janelle
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Baby Fader
This is only trip related in that it is about what we are missing by not being back home.
The thing is, that while for us, life is on hold, for the rest of you, life goes on. WAIT FOR US, WE ARE COMING HOME IN JUNE I PROMISE!!! We will be missing birthdays, and anniversaries, and we have already missed one big giant event.
We don't have a lot of details yet, but my lovely Adrienne Fader had a beautiful baby girl on Monday (?) Both Julia and I are a little teary that we missed this event, and give both of them our love. We will update everyone (even if you dont know her) when we have more details.
Congratulations kiddo. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Janelle and Julia
The thing is, that while for us, life is on hold, for the rest of you, life goes on. WAIT FOR US, WE ARE COMING HOME IN JUNE I PROMISE!!! We will be missing birthdays, and anniversaries, and we have already missed one big giant event.
We don't have a lot of details yet, but my lovely Adrienne Fader had a beautiful baby girl on Monday (?) Both Julia and I are a little teary that we missed this event, and give both of them our love. We will update everyone (even if you dont know her) when we have more details.
Congratulations kiddo. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Janelle and Julia
Monday, March 12, 2007
Would you like to fly like a bird?
I have a quick story for you all. Yesterday we were looking for a place to eat, and I suggested this one Uruguayan restaurant which was recommended by the Lonely Planet guide. We were checking out the menu and just as we were finalizing our decision to eat there, a kid walked out of the restaurant and began puking on the street. So that place was out. We kind of stood there and watched the kid for a bit, and while that was going on a man approached us...
Him: Would you like to fly like a bird?
Us: What?
Him: Would you like to fly like a bird or a butterfly in the sky?
Us: What?
Him: Are you afraid of nature?
He then began to tell his story of how he came from Quebec to Guatemala to experience the wonders of nature. In the middle of his tale, we noticed that one of the many stray dogs started to lap up the fresh pile of regurgitated food. Good for it, for scoring a meal? Well, when Janelle noticed that happening she loudly stated that we had to get out of there before she was sick. The mother overheard and interpreted Janelle´s comment as disgust for her child´s illness, and looked as though she was going to come over and throttle her. So we left the scene, and never did find out exactly what the Quebecer was trying to sell us.
Julia
Him: Would you like to fly like a bird?
Us: What?
Him: Would you like to fly like a bird or a butterfly in the sky?
Us: What?
Him: Are you afraid of nature?
He then began to tell his story of how he came from Quebec to Guatemala to experience the wonders of nature. In the middle of his tale, we noticed that one of the many stray dogs started to lap up the fresh pile of regurgitated food. Good for it, for scoring a meal? Well, when Janelle noticed that happening she loudly stated that we had to get out of there before she was sick. The mother overheard and interpreted Janelle´s comment as disgust for her child´s illness, and looked as though she was going to come over and throttle her. So we left the scene, and never did find out exactly what the Quebecer was trying to sell us.
Julia
I had some time...
Today we went to the nature reserve in panajachel. It was uphill the whole way there and there was a brief moment where I was pretty sure that I wasnt going to make, but I obviously did as I am sitting here writing you this blog entry. My legs better look fantastic when I get home and after my bites and bruises fade.
Wandering around this town which known for its extensive market you get used to saying no thanks when you are approached a bajillion times by vendors on the street, but when it is a child that is trying to sell you something it much harder for me to say no; and when those same children ask me for money or food my heart breaks a little more every time. I wish I could just buy them all a meal or give them all some money, but I cant and it just kills me to say no to them. I knew that this would be hard, but I never expected to feel this bad about it. I just want to hug them all and tell them it will be ok. I am hoping that I will get a little more immune to them as the days pass otherwise I will not make it. They make me want to cry. :(
Did I tell you guys about the spider I saw in Rio Dulce? It was in my bathroom stall and was easily the size of my palm. Big, brown, and hairy, and as I told Megan this morning it appears that the bigger they are the faster they run, and they will only get bigger from here. I did good though, yall would be proud. I did my business (quickly) and didnt pass out with fear once. My eyes may have welled up momentarily with tears but it was soon over. Also Rio Dulce had BIG rats, they are gross little buggers. Not the cute-ish ones you see at the pet store.
Also, it does indeed get cool at night. I sleep with my thermal shirt on (thanks Blake) and my hoodie, AND a wool blanket. I should have brought my warm pink hoodie, but I didnt think it would be that cold. Even though Matthew who clearly knows more about this than I do told me too. Meh, when do I ever listen?
We have turned somewhat into day people while we are here. We are in bed my 10pm at the latest and usually up at around 730pm when we dont have to set the alarm. No partying for us. Its nice though. There are some places where you really dont want to be wandering around at night, and we like to take full advantage of the day. My tan is coming along nicely.
I think that is all for now...I was bored. :)
ps - I hear Shakira ALL the bloody time. They love her here. Shakira overkill.
Janelle
Wandering around this town which known for its extensive market you get used to saying no thanks when you are approached a bajillion times by vendors on the street, but when it is a child that is trying to sell you something it much harder for me to say no; and when those same children ask me for money or food my heart breaks a little more every time. I wish I could just buy them all a meal or give them all some money, but I cant and it just kills me to say no to them. I knew that this would be hard, but I never expected to feel this bad about it. I just want to hug them all and tell them it will be ok. I am hoping that I will get a little more immune to them as the days pass otherwise I will not make it. They make me want to cry. :(
Did I tell you guys about the spider I saw in Rio Dulce? It was in my bathroom stall and was easily the size of my palm. Big, brown, and hairy, and as I told Megan this morning it appears that the bigger they are the faster they run, and they will only get bigger from here. I did good though, yall would be proud. I did my business (quickly) and didnt pass out with fear once. My eyes may have welled up momentarily with tears but it was soon over. Also Rio Dulce had BIG rats, they are gross little buggers. Not the cute-ish ones you see at the pet store.
Also, it does indeed get cool at night. I sleep with my thermal shirt on (thanks Blake) and my hoodie, AND a wool blanket. I should have brought my warm pink hoodie, but I didnt think it would be that cold. Even though Matthew who clearly knows more about this than I do told me too. Meh, when do I ever listen?
We have turned somewhat into day people while we are here. We are in bed my 10pm at the latest and usually up at around 730pm when we dont have to set the alarm. No partying for us. Its nice though. There are some places where you really dont want to be wandering around at night, and we like to take full advantage of the day. My tan is coming along nicely.
I think that is all for now...I was bored. :)
ps - I hear Shakira ALL the bloody time. They love her here. Shakira overkill.
Janelle
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Link to photos
Lemme know if this works or not. I can't put a permanent link on the blog yet because I am inept.
Cass or Deon, your help is still required.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellachimera/
From here, go to the Central america set. Feel free to comment there as well.
also, as I can't read Spanish, you will have to paste into your browser address field because I can't tell how to make it a real link.
I'm special. Enjoy!
Cass or Deon, your help is still required.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellachimera/
From here, go to the Central america set. Feel free to comment there as well.
also, as I can't read Spanish, you will have to paste into your browser address field because I can't tell how to make it a real link.
I'm special. Enjoy!
To answer some comments
1 - Miss you guys too.
2 - Dad, I do not know where your socks are
3 - Blake, I took my charger, sorry kiddo. Don't know where yours is.
4 - Baby Fader is in our thoughts, and mami Fader too of course.
5 - Yes Michelle, we are in Guatemala, and heading to San Pedro in a few days where we will be for nights before moving on to El Salvador.
6 - Hmmm, I think that is it. Adios Amigos!
2 - Dad, I do not know where your socks are
3 - Blake, I took my charger, sorry kiddo. Don't know where yours is.
4 - Baby Fader is in our thoughts, and mami Fader too of course.
5 - Yes Michelle, we are in Guatemala, and heading to San Pedro in a few days where we will be for nights before moving on to El Salvador.
6 - Hmmm, I think that is it. Adios Amigos!
Hi guys, Mark here, trip is going awesome, natural beauty to this point has been mind blowing, from coral reefs, to waterfalls, to mountains and volcanoes, just awesome. Have met some cool people along the way, some brits and cdns who were down with hanging out and partying. Girls have not been misbehaving too much, although one of them had lost their bra one night, found the next morning on top of the bar, not sure how that happened, alcohol may have been involved. Good times so far, Guatemala has been cool and cheap. Lots of love out to everyone back home, hope your all doing well. Till next time, -Mark
The road to Panajachel
Ok so let me tell you a little story....
Yesterday we left our little jungle abode and our 2 new Canadian friends (shout out to Heather an Cailey!) in Rio Dulce to go to Panajachel where we are to chill for a few days before heading off to San Pedro...This is Guatemala by the way.
First we have to catch a bus to Guatemala city, this is fine although a long ride (6 hour bus ride) then we have to take a cab to another bus station where the bus there will supposedly take us to our destination. The buses there look like school/circus buses. They are brightly coloured and there is latin music blaring from inside the vehicle. A man takes our bags and tosses them on top of the bus and ties them down with rope. Sketchy but ok, the bags have to go somewhere. 5 minutes into the ride our bus is assualted with street vendors trying to sell us everything from watermelon and water, to gum and books. Then a cowboy preacher man comes on the bus and we all prayed. The seats were very roomy and I thought it was going to be a good time until my bladder announced to me that it really needed to go to the bathroom, and we clearly had another 3.5 hours of travel time left. The bus then stops to let on more passengers and we quickly realize that the roomy seats are actually supposed to seat 3 people not 2, which turned it from roomy to invasion of personal space. I have never been so close to Julia in my life.
the roads are bumpy and the driver doesnt appear to be aware of the speed limit, or the fact that driving into on coming traffic in order to pass, is not really a good idea. Our drive was so focused on speeding as fast as he could that there was a second man who's job appeared to be that of the horn man. Turns out that this man also had the job of climbing on top of the bus while in motion to check on our bags. That my friends is beyond sketchy. It moves right into stoopid and scary mode.
halfway into our ride my butt hurt, my bladder was at the point of exploding, I was thirsty and hungry and I had a slight burn on the left side of my face from sitting in the window seat. Joy.
We pull into Solola where we have to change buses again. Did anyone at any point bother telling us this? The answer is no. If it wasnt for the random German people on the bus who seemed to know how it all works we would have been stranded. We watched as they literally threw our bags from the roof of one bus to the other, amazed that they were even still there, and hoped onto the next circus bus to complete the last leg of our immediate journey. Finally, over 10 hours of bus travel and discomfort later we were in Panajachel, on Lake Atilan. Whew!
Janelle
Yesterday we left our little jungle abode and our 2 new Canadian friends (shout out to Heather an Cailey!) in Rio Dulce to go to Panajachel where we are to chill for a few days before heading off to San Pedro...This is Guatemala by the way.
First we have to catch a bus to Guatemala city, this is fine although a long ride (6 hour bus ride) then we have to take a cab to another bus station where the bus there will supposedly take us to our destination. The buses there look like school/circus buses. They are brightly coloured and there is latin music blaring from inside the vehicle. A man takes our bags and tosses them on top of the bus and ties them down with rope. Sketchy but ok, the bags have to go somewhere. 5 minutes into the ride our bus is assualted with street vendors trying to sell us everything from watermelon and water, to gum and books. Then a cowboy preacher man comes on the bus and we all prayed. The seats were very roomy and I thought it was going to be a good time until my bladder announced to me that it really needed to go to the bathroom, and we clearly had another 3.5 hours of travel time left. The bus then stops to let on more passengers and we quickly realize that the roomy seats are actually supposed to seat 3 people not 2, which turned it from roomy to invasion of personal space. I have never been so close to Julia in my life.
the roads are bumpy and the driver doesnt appear to be aware of the speed limit, or the fact that driving into on coming traffic in order to pass, is not really a good idea. Our drive was so focused on speeding as fast as he could that there was a second man who's job appeared to be that of the horn man. Turns out that this man also had the job of climbing on top of the bus while in motion to check on our bags. That my friends is beyond sketchy. It moves right into stoopid and scary mode.
halfway into our ride my butt hurt, my bladder was at the point of exploding, I was thirsty and hungry and I had a slight burn on the left side of my face from sitting in the window seat. Joy.
We pull into Solola where we have to change buses again. Did anyone at any point bother telling us this? The answer is no. If it wasnt for the random German people on the bus who seemed to know how it all works we would have been stranded. We watched as they literally threw our bags from the roof of one bus to the other, amazed that they were even still there, and hoped onto the next circus bus to complete the last leg of our immediate journey. Finally, over 10 hours of bus travel and discomfort later we were in Panajachel, on Lake Atilan. Whew!
Janelle
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
a quick update
I am once again being pressured to contribute to this blog. With 6 minutes left of internet time, I{ll see what I can do. And in case this hasn{t been mentioned already, the Spanish keyboards are hard to use and I can{t get all of the characters to work.
First, to answer Andy{s question, yes, we have been to a seedier bar than the Jazz - it was simply called Discoteque, and was the only bar open in Orange Walk, which is why we went. Not that the neon lights from the street weren{t enough to draw us in. Our flip flops stuck to the floor, Janelle and I were asked by all 5 of the locals in the bar to dance, and the music was really crappy 90{s nu-metal type of stuff. On the way out, after drinking a beer as quickly as possible, we passed by a couple woman entering the bar who were arguing and trying to pick a fight. Rass!
We{ve seen some pretty awesome wildlife so far, including howler monkeys in the jungle surrounding the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. They{re kind of hard to describe. They didn{t howl as I expected them to, at all. They{re actually really ferocious sounding - kind of like a dog with bronchitis growling in a microphone with something covering it{s mouth to make it sound muffled. Make sense?
Time{s up.
Julia
First, to answer Andy{s question, yes, we have been to a seedier bar than the Jazz - it was simply called Discoteque, and was the only bar open in Orange Walk, which is why we went. Not that the neon lights from the street weren{t enough to draw us in. Our flip flops stuck to the floor, Janelle and I were asked by all 5 of the locals in the bar to dance, and the music was really crappy 90{s nu-metal type of stuff. On the way out, after drinking a beer as quickly as possible, we passed by a couple woman entering the bar who were arguing and trying to pick a fight. Rass!
We{ve seen some pretty awesome wildlife so far, including howler monkeys in the jungle surrounding the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. They{re kind of hard to describe. They didn{t howl as I expected them to, at all. They{re actually really ferocious sounding - kind of like a dog with bronchitis growling in a microphone with something covering it{s mouth to make it sound muffled. Make sense?
Time{s up.
Julia
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Welcome to Belize
We got to Corozal and I fell in love. It is a small town and you can hear reggae music in the streets. We ate amazing Belizean food, and stayed at this adorable Inn on the water. The roof of the inn is a giant patio with hammocks and chairs, and since we were the only ones in the hotel we didnt have to worry about being bugged by other people.
We met this man named Shey, who owns a barber shop/radio station/ tv repair place. He was very goodlooking until he took his hat off. He had this MC hammer flat top haircut. Sigh... he was wicked nice though, and very cool to hang out with. We only spent one night there, but I would have stayed longer if we could have.
Ok, so the next day we did this day trip in lamanai to see the mayan temple. Very cool. mark and I walked all the way to the top which is over 33 meters. From there you could see the entire jungle and the water, it was breathtaking. I have cuts all over my legs, and blisters on my feet because of it, but it was so worth it.
We stayed the night in Orange Walk, which was sketchy at best. We got a drink at this disco, and it was awful! Wet, sticky floors, there were only 4 people and they were making out, and fighting, and generally sleazy. The place had bottles everywhere and huge cobwebs in every corner. We high tailed it out of there as fast as we could. Yuck. It was hundred times worse than Jimmy Jazz. Our hotel was made of concrete and all the windows were barred. It kinda felt like prison, espcially when they gated the door at night. I do not recommend that town. nope.
Mark tried to update the blog himself, but his computer was being iffy so he gave up, and Julia is taking a ridiculous amount of time emailing.
Right now we are in Caye Caulker. It is stunningly beautiful here. A small island in Belize, no cars, clear water...you can walk the whole town in 20 minutes, or if you are really lazy you can rent a bike or a golf cart. Our cabana is on the water, and we have lizards under our stairs. They nod to us as we pass, and Julia and I often comment on how cute they are. We went snorkelling yesterday and I pet a shark and sting ray's. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done. We are spending two nights here in paradise before we move on, but I could spend eternity here without a doubt.
Hopefully pictures will be coming soon... ugh, I know. We are slackers.
We met this man named Shey, who owns a barber shop/radio station/ tv repair place. He was very goodlooking until he took his hat off. He had this MC hammer flat top haircut. Sigh... he was wicked nice though, and very cool to hang out with. We only spent one night there, but I would have stayed longer if we could have.
Ok, so the next day we did this day trip in lamanai to see the mayan temple. Very cool. mark and I walked all the way to the top which is over 33 meters. From there you could see the entire jungle and the water, it was breathtaking. I have cuts all over my legs, and blisters on my feet because of it, but it was so worth it.
We stayed the night in Orange Walk, which was sketchy at best. We got a drink at this disco, and it was awful! Wet, sticky floors, there were only 4 people and they were making out, and fighting, and generally sleazy. The place had bottles everywhere and huge cobwebs in every corner. We high tailed it out of there as fast as we could. Yuck. It was hundred times worse than Jimmy Jazz. Our hotel was made of concrete and all the windows were barred. It kinda felt like prison, espcially when they gated the door at night. I do not recommend that town. nope.
Mark tried to update the blog himself, but his computer was being iffy so he gave up, and Julia is taking a ridiculous amount of time emailing.
Right now we are in Caye Caulker. It is stunningly beautiful here. A small island in Belize, no cars, clear water...you can walk the whole town in 20 minutes, or if you are really lazy you can rent a bike or a golf cart. Our cabana is on the water, and we have lizards under our stairs. They nod to us as we pass, and Julia and I often comment on how cute they are. We went snorkelling yesterday and I pet a shark and sting ray's. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done. We are spending two nights here in paradise before we move on, but I could spend eternity here without a doubt.
Hopefully pictures will be coming soon... ugh, I know. We are slackers.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Janelle, Call Contact Brenda asap
Hey Janelle, It's your bro. I hope your having a ton of fun and have'nt gotten into the payote yet, lol just kidding. Brenda needs you to get in touch with her as soon as possible. Wes left and she needs to talk to you to find out what to do. Please contact her as soon as possible.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Appreciate crosswalks
I´m currently being threatened by Janelle to contribute to this blog, so here I am. Uh..I mean, I miss you guys and I wanted to send an update.
So I´ve learned a couple things about myself so far.
1. I have really poor perception of distance. Crossing the street in Cancun is kind of stressful - cars don´t signal, there are a whole bunch of roundabouts with cars coming from all directions, and pedestrian crossings don´t really exist. So I keep finding myself stranded on boulevards while Mark and Janelle wait patiently on the other side of the street.
2. I shouldn´t be put in charge of the alarm clock. Today, for example, I got Janelle out of her bunk an hour early because I forgot to change the time back an hour. And I didn´t set the alarm.
3. I´m obsessed with learning Spanish. At any given time in my head I´m thinking ¨how do you say...?¨. So far, the locals are impressed with my skills. Or amused, whatever.
So I´ve learned a couple things about myself so far.
1. I have really poor perception of distance. Crossing the street in Cancun is kind of stressful - cars don´t signal, there are a whole bunch of roundabouts with cars coming from all directions, and pedestrian crossings don´t really exist. So I keep finding myself stranded on boulevards while Mark and Janelle wait patiently on the other side of the street.
2. I shouldn´t be put in charge of the alarm clock. Today, for example, I got Janelle out of her bunk an hour early because I forgot to change the time back an hour. And I didn´t set the alarm.
3. I´m obsessed with learning Spanish. At any given time in my head I´m thinking ¨how do you say...?¨. So far, the locals are impressed with my skills. Or amused, whatever.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
We are in Mexico
This keyboard is messing me up. LOL. We are in Mexico enjoying the warm weather, and trying to decide what we are going to do tomorrow. The traffic scares me mostly because there appears to be no rules whatsoever. We got a pasta dinner tonight for $3.50USD. It was yummy. They also serve pop in bottles which I think is cute.
My newly learned phrase is: Donde es la bano...or something like that. WHERE IS THE BATHROOM??? LOL
Maybe Julia and Mark will blog tonight..who the heck know.
And yes, Buffalo is a hole.
My newly learned phrase is: Donde es la bano...or something like that. WHERE IS THE BATHROOM??? LOL
Maybe Julia and Mark will blog tonight..who the heck know.
And yes, Buffalo is a hole.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Hola!
Ok folks it is....almost midnight and we are in The Hampton hotel in Buffalo. As usual Julia and I were running late...by about 3 hours. Typical I know. We got on and off highway 7, three times before we finally rembered everything. The drive to Mississauga was slightly sketch as the Elantra's tires are bald and we slid the whole way there. Fun and scary at the same time.
Julia is sitting beside me impatient to take advantage of the courtesy internet connection here at the hotel, which btw will not let us access our hotmail. BOO I SAY. She also just mentioned that she may not cut her nails for the entire trip. Pretty gross. Now she says she is kidding. I'll let you know.
We have set 2 alarms and asked for 2 wake up calls for about 5:30am. You can't be too careful.
Will update more when I am more coherant and we are established...somewhere momentarily.
Oh yeah one more thing...this is a parent friendly blog people. You can be funny and sarcastic and even a lil spicy. But make sure you keep it a lil spicy. BEHAVE. :)
Ok, Julia is going to start giving me the evil eye soon so I should go. I am sure that Mark says hi but he is in bed taking advantage of the TV. Boys.
Adios Amigos!
Julia is sitting beside me impatient to take advantage of the courtesy internet connection here at the hotel, which btw will not let us access our hotmail. BOO I SAY. She also just mentioned that she may not cut her nails for the entire trip. Pretty gross. Now she says she is kidding. I'll let you know.
We have set 2 alarms and asked for 2 wake up calls for about 5:30am. You can't be too careful.
Will update more when I am more coherant and we are established...somewhere momentarily.
Oh yeah one more thing...this is a parent friendly blog people. You can be funny and sarcastic and even a lil spicy. But make sure you keep it a lil spicy. BEHAVE. :)
Ok, Julia is going to start giving me the evil eye soon so I should go. I am sure that Mark says hi but he is in bed taking advantage of the TV. Boys.
Adios Amigos!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
our itinerary...kinda
We will baaaasically be in these countries in and around these dates. no idea where in the country we will be, but we will probably be there :)
feb. 26 - buffalo
feb. 27 - mexico
feb. 28 - march 4 - belize
march 5-march 17 - guatemala
march 18 - 24 - el salvador
march 25 - April 3 - honduras
April 4 - April 12 - nicaragua
April 13 - costa rica
April 14 - April 21 - panama
April 22 - costa rica
April 23 - may 28 volunteering (costa rica)
may 29 - June 5 - costa rica
June 5 - home
feb. 26 - buffalo
feb. 27 - mexico
feb. 28 - march 4 - belize
march 5-march 17 - guatemala
march 18 - 24 - el salvador
march 25 - April 3 - honduras
April 4 - April 12 - nicaragua
April 13 - costa rica
April 14 - April 21 - panama
April 22 - costa rica
April 23 - may 28 volunteering (costa rica)
may 29 - June 5 - costa rica
June 5 - home
comienza
Greetings,
Janelle here with the first of many (hopefully) blog entries for y'all to simply feast your eyes on while we are gone. I, and theoretically Mark and Julia as well, will do our best to give you the downlo on our wee (and by that I mean rather sketchy) mission. However, it appears Guatemala is out of money, so considering that...how reliable is their Internet connection do you think? Hmmm...I promise you nothing.
I will have a Flickr account set up to upload pictures too. Maybe a Mr.Deon Desir can help me create a link to it from here, and also help me make a pretty template. (Yes, I know D, it's probably sickningly easy to figure out, but this is a self proclaimed Princess here; we have someone do the html for us.)
The purpose of this is to address you all at once without having to create a mass email everytime. This is annoying and we might accidentally leave people out. This way youz guyz can come here and take lil peek yourself. I encourage everyone to comment on any (or all!) of the blog entries should they desire.
We will probs be checking email too, but isnt this more fun? yes yes
ttyl!!!1 (did anybody get that?)
Janelle
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