Firstly, let me appologize for the normal amount of spelling errors in my posts. Usually I don't have the energy to go back and fix my bad typing skills. Let it be known though, that i DO know the difference between too and too and all the theres[.. I promise! * plus, as a little added extra, this keyboard does not have any letters on it, they have completely rubbed off.. so my typing may be even worse than usual...:)
Classes are over, but the experience will last- my first teaching stint was a success! It opened my eyes to many things I would not have thought about, and at times made me gasp with horror
one example of an "eye opening" experience was teaching the teachers. They have a pretty solid english base, so we worked mostly on speaking and writing. but oh dear, was it hard. Like pulling teeth. The first thing we did was draw and random picture, and later (I thought) we would write a story for it. My lesson plan included 5 minutes for drawing. I gave them an example on the white board of something random and -crazy. I drew a shark and a waterfall and a castle.. all with my less than fantastic drawing skills in 30 or so -seconds. An hour later, THey were finally done theirs. What were they? All four of my teachers drew a flat roofed house, a cow, and some potato fields... thinking outside the box is just never done here!
Sad but true, they are taught from a young age not to explore beyond the familiar. I looked after some kids in a nursury for a few days, and we colored.. with ONE color of crayon. (reason being aparently that the kids intentionally break them, so they just get one.)
Even more eye opening, I decided that we would colour on BLANK pages ( never done, you must color within the lines of preprinted coloring pages.) They asked me what to draw, and when I said whatever they sat there, still as minature statues for a lonnng time. Finally a little girl, thank goodness, started --------to draw a dog.. so all the kids copied her and drew a dog. Ahhhhh..
Still, the kids were great, very studious. However Despite cackling at my spanish they still seemed to be unable to talk to me directly. The few that gathered up the courage to speak with the light haired flip flop wearing me( it is Winter, don[t you know? I was told.. winter, yet 27 degrees in the sun..) were very nice, and loved talking about their lives. I'll miss them, and my English classes. Spanish is so much easier when you know exactly what the equivalent is in English!
I went to the prison TWICE. because it was just so interesting.The first time I went there with a old missionary from Germany, and the second time by myself. The missionary teaches, has made a church available to the men, and has done some good work. It was plain to see that his presence was greeted happily by the inmates and the guards. It gave them something to do in their spare time * not to mention the food he brought in was greeted by cheers, haha). One of the guys spoke really good english, so i just cruised around, looked in barracks, and asked questions through my interpreter. The GUARD told me, before I went in, that probably half of the guys are innocent, so it was wierd trying to view them as men serving their time for worngful acts, because who knows if they did something or not? In Honduras, often you get thrown in jail because someone said you did something, and you wait and wait and wait for your trial. More often you serve your whole sentence without getting to argue your case. 10, 15, I taked with guys who had been in there for 20 years, whose case had never been heard by a judge. Then again, I talked with guys who said they killed their wifes lover in a drunken rage with a beer bottle..a little bit of everything.
The thing I found the most interesting was the saftey. The guards never go into the prison. They just stand on the roof looking into the open courtyard with machine guns. However, the store keeper (also an inmate) told me he has never been robbed. His cash box is an open basket full of crumpled bills. If someone wrongs another, they "take care of it" and the gurads turn a blind eye. A few of the guys said 'trust' is all they have. They have to live, shit, and eat side by side, so they can't go stabbing eachother in the back.
Just like the hospitals here, if you want a blanket, juice, toilet paper, you have to buy it yourself. Beans and rice are provided twice a day but everything from shoes to shampoo and beds are provided by the inmates or their family. The beds were crazy, four high, hanging from the ceiling, you have to jump and climb to get to the highest ones.If you don,t have money to buy a bed, you sleep on the concrete.
I spent two months living like a queen with a family. My breakfest was laid out for in the morning, and supper with the family was made for me at night. They refused to let me help, and it took a few weeks to cojole them into letting me do my own laudry. Who wants another person hand scrubbing your undies?!
They constantly corrected my spanish and we had some interesting and lively conversations.The father in particular was interested in asking about my "foreign morals, and white girl thoughts". jaja. He was a super nice guy, but thought he was this liberal and modern father and husband. He, who had no job, swept.. once a week.. and watered outside. He said he had no problems with Homosexuality, yet would not tolerate it with his daughters. He slept through the morning routine of getting his kids to school, and woke up with me to a breaky already made. The dishes stayed on the table, to wait for Patty, his wife, to come home and do them. Sometimes it was hard to keep my mouth shut. Patty and the kids played games with me, and explained wierd festivals and cultural dances. Patty even taught me how to make pupusas, and we made them Kristin style with rosemerry and spinach one night for supper. I learned later that Patty had to go the a different town to get the spinach, because it is not normally eaten here.. oops!
Different, but a fantastic family. I am sad to have left (especially the morning treat!), but I am on to different things!
A twelve hour chicken bus, and I am back up in Guatemala, which is by far my favorite place. I have two days to shop and get anything I want ebfore I fly out of Guat city on Wednesday. I have a 17 day rafting trip waiting for me in Arizona, wish me luck!
lundi 25 février 2013
dimanche 27 janvier 2013
La Esperanza
Got here, settled in.. Some great things and some great people.. Also some mildly crazy people. You can meet them all down here in quaint La Esperanza!
I was greeted at the bus station ( rather.. A large shoulder on the road..) by an older gentleman who drove me to where I would stay for a week until Susan, the head honcho of Ël maestro en Casa¨ came in from the States.
He believes me to be ignorant too, and tried to teach me all about how America is going to hell because ¨The Blacks¨are taking over and aim to show those previously in power how horrible it is to be a slave.
I admire the missionaries who come here to help, and it is plain to see all the different agencies and individuals who have helped over the years, they have left a positive lasting impression. However it is hard for me to see the good in actions that are so close minded and don´t benefit the people.
Despite all this, I really believe that even though he is a disillusioned drawling Southerner, it is still admirable to leave the comforts of home for what you believe in.
ANYWAYS. I still enjoy listening and asking questions to this man who I thought only existed 50 years ago or in films. Real eye opener.
From the dozens of Aid and development organizations, I managed to find one that fit exactly what I wanted. No religious agenda, community based, and not a ¨volunteer holiday¨kind of gig. El Maestro en Casa is a small school that helps La Esperanza and the surrounding communities to reach their education goals. The public education system here is disgustingly corrupt. The schools are full, falling apart, and don´t have many of the necessary supplies. Kids rise grade through grade passing if they deserve it or not.
To parents who had no education, receiving a pass is all they need to show them that their child is progressing. However, the kids arn´t learning. The teachers are always on strike, and half the school year is cancelled. EMEC gets kids regularly in seventh and even eighth grade who can´t spell their name. No joke.
EMEC also helps those who can´t get to public schools because of isolation or economical situations. Mostly of the Lenka community, these indigenous people live in the mountains with rice, corn and coffee crops. Kids are often needed in the fields, so EMEC and its once a week distance education program is really tailored to their needs.
Susan, the 70 year old, fit, expressive, amazing director started this section of EMEC a long time ago, and now is trying to wean herself away and let the others run the school ( former graduates). She has for years gone back and forth between the states, living for a decade here in Honduras setting up this project and others like it. I saw her house.. It was in the middle of nowhere, no running water, no electricity.. No road.. Much to remote for me not to go crazy!
I have two months to do a semester of the Bachillato program ( highlights split into two years), to give daily lessons to the teachers, bi weekly beginner English lessons, and to make a decent semester of lesson plans for the next volunteer to follow. It is great, I feel like I am doing something worthwhile, and improving my Spanish all at the same time.
After leaving here, I am going to do a day shopping trip in Guatemala City ( put in your orders now!!) and then I fly to Arizona for a 17 day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon!
Life is full of adventures!
jeudi 3 janvier 2013
Ok, Nicararagua.. where to start
Well, inititial views of Nica were.. different... It was through my airconditioned, window seat Tika tour bus, like any other wheelly bag traveller. The bus dealt with customs; we didn't have to attempt to communicate with anyone, we didn't have to bargin for our entrance fee, we didn't have to pick a txi driver out of the swarm who followed us. Basically, I could have been in Canada and I wouldn't have know because it was just that easy.
Not a bad experince, but I feel like I missed out a bit on the travel experience.. not to worry though, I get to go through plenty more dirty, dusty border checks.. not too mention the inexplicably long amount of no mans land in between...
Past the border, everything looks pretty similar to Guatemala, just not quite as good. The Spanish architecture mixed with the startling bright colors are a bit more drab, and the local customs are similar but not quite as prominent. The people.. ughh the people almost ruined it for me!
For various reasons I suppose, the people are rude. No chit chat, no politely listening as you attempt to talk in Spanish. Transaction---done. No smile, no help, I am a walking bank card to them and that is all. Ugh. It is the most frusturated I have been on this whole trip. I understand there are asshole tourists who deserve a punch to the face and a good shot of manners, but shop owners and hostel workers and in the customer service industry. Put a freaking smile on your face!
ok. It's out of my system.. on to some good stuff.
After the boder I went to Granada and Leon, volcano towns !
New ones, old ones, erupting ones.. who knows, but if you pay, you can find someone to take you up anyone of them!
I did an overnight vocano hike on Telika, an active volcano with a 700 m wide crator. Smoke was pouring out of the center, making it hard to breathe and to see the lava underneath. But I did! I saw some freaking lava! Check on the bucket list for sure. The depths of the crator made a groaning crunching sound, which constantly reminded me that its most recent erruption was in 2011. Later when we had made it back to the vehicles, our guides said they were a little worried because of the increased noise and smoke. Pretty happy they told me that after we were out of the danger zone..
My second volcano experience was volcano boarding down Cerro Negro.
This volcano is so recent that no vegetation grows on the sides, and the ground is hot to touch at the top. Reaching speeds up to 80 km an hour (radar guns are great!) we sled down the front of the volcano on crudely made toboganns. Fun!
After my volcano fun, I carried my dirrty self (ash and dust stick to everything..) to Ometepe. Ometepe is an island formed by volcanoes (who would have thunked!)that sits in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the biggest lake in Central America. This lake drains into the Carribean although it is closer to the Pacific. and is succeptable to fresh water bull sharks and back in the day, Pirates.
For unknown reasons, I had bag issues on the island. At the music festival all my gear in my day pack was stolen, and in the morning I couldn't summon up where I had left my large backpack. I spend a good chunk of the day on a rented bike, cruising around hoping to see the hostel that would jostle my memory.
Bag found, and ferried back to the mainland I headed for San Juan Del Sur, and our Christmas house!
The Christmas house was a mansion on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It had a pool, statues and a open style layout . You could open up three sides of the rooms, by sliding the mesh walls and the lack of bugs insured that we kept them open pretty much the whole time.
8 of my new friends and I split the costs of this and a 4x4 to get there, not to mention copious amounts of food.. and *cough* 49 bottles of rum. We split cooking and cleaning up and survived it all without major dilemma. It was a great orphans christmas!
The house was good but the beach is spectacular. This time a round I merely sat beside it in the sand and took quick swims. My brief struggle with surfing has stopped.. on the realization that the surfboard (and teammate "wave" ) was always going to win.
I had beach fires, complete with energy circles and massage sessions. ( All curtesy of "Shine"the self made spirit guide..)
I saw thousands of crabs all washed up and having a group pow wow on the beach, and baby sea turtles (the ones that survived being poached) make their way to sea.
In four days of living in a hammock by the ocean I demolished three novels, ate out every meal, enjoyed my share of treats and rum, swam and played volleyball all for a grand total of 27 dollars.
Ahhhh.. swweet paradise.
This beach style living, specatular as it was, gave way to an unfortuante parasite.. that resulted in some ugly open sores. Ughh. Apparently caused by special Central American sandflies.. I got the special treat of a blood infection.
Antibiotics should make these devils disapear, just in time!
I am on my way to Honduras to teach English for 2 months to second year Highschool students. Hopefully I dont look like a beast when I show up.. Please work drugs, PleaSE!
Well, inititial views of Nica were.. different... It was through my airconditioned, window seat Tika tour bus, like any other wheelly bag traveller. The bus dealt with customs; we didn't have to attempt to communicate with anyone, we didn't have to bargin for our entrance fee, we didn't have to pick a txi driver out of the swarm who followed us. Basically, I could have been in Canada and I wouldn't have know because it was just that easy.
Not a bad experince, but I feel like I missed out a bit on the travel experience.. not to worry though, I get to go through plenty more dirty, dusty border checks.. not too mention the inexplicably long amount of no mans land in between...
Past the border, everything looks pretty similar to Guatemala, just not quite as good. The Spanish architecture mixed with the startling bright colors are a bit more drab, and the local customs are similar but not quite as prominent. The people.. ughh the people almost ruined it for me!
For various reasons I suppose, the people are rude. No chit chat, no politely listening as you attempt to talk in Spanish. Transaction---done. No smile, no help, I am a walking bank card to them and that is all. Ugh. It is the most frusturated I have been on this whole trip. I understand there are asshole tourists who deserve a punch to the face and a good shot of manners, but shop owners and hostel workers and in the customer service industry. Put a freaking smile on your face!
ok. It's out of my system.. on to some good stuff.
After the boder I went to Granada and Leon, volcano towns !
New ones, old ones, erupting ones.. who knows, but if you pay, you can find someone to take you up anyone of them!
My second volcano experience was volcano boarding down Cerro Negro.
This volcano is so recent that no vegetation grows on the sides, and the ground is hot to touch at the top. Reaching speeds up to 80 km an hour (radar guns are great!) we sled down the front of the volcano on crudely made toboganns. Fun!
After my volcano fun, I carried my dirrty self (ash and dust stick to everything..) to Ometepe. Ometepe is an island formed by volcanoes (who would have thunked!)that sits in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the biggest lake in Central America. This lake drains into the Carribean although it is closer to the Pacific. and is succeptable to fresh water bull sharks and back in the day, Pirates.
For unknown reasons, I had bag issues on the island. At the music festival all my gear in my day pack was stolen, and in the morning I couldn't summon up where I had left my large backpack. I spend a good chunk of the day on a rented bike, cruising around hoping to see the hostel that would jostle my memory.
Bag found, and ferried back to the mainland I headed for San Juan Del Sur, and our Christmas house!
The Christmas house was a mansion on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It had a pool, statues and a open style layout . You could open up three sides of the rooms, by sliding the mesh walls and the lack of bugs insured that we kept them open pretty much the whole time.
8 of my new friends and I split the costs of this and a 4x4 to get there, not to mention copious amounts of food.. and *cough* 49 bottles of rum. We split cooking and cleaning up and survived it all without major dilemma. It was a great orphans christmas!
The house was good but the beach is spectacular. This time a round I merely sat beside it in the sand and took quick swims. My brief struggle with surfing has stopped.. on the realization that the surfboard (and teammate "wave" ) was always going to win.
I had beach fires, complete with energy circles and massage sessions. ( All curtesy of "Shine"the self made spirit guide..)
I saw thousands of crabs all washed up and having a group pow wow on the beach, and baby sea turtles (the ones that survived being poached) make their way to sea.
In four days of living in a hammock by the ocean I demolished three novels, ate out every meal, enjoyed my share of treats and rum, swam and played volleyball all for a grand total of 27 dollars.
Ahhhh.. swweet paradise.
This beach style living, specatular as it was, gave way to an unfortuante parasite.. that resulted in some ugly open sores. Ughh. Apparently caused by special Central American sandflies.. I got the special treat of a blood infection.
Antibiotics should make these devils disapear, just in time!
I am on my way to Honduras to teach English for 2 months to second year Highschool students. Hopefully I dont look like a beast when I show up.. Please work drugs, PleaSE!
vendredi 14 décembre 2012
To the beach!
Last time I left off I was in the beautiful town of San Pedro, around the Atitlan lake. I stayed there for a bit more than two weeks, finished up my second week of spanish ( a bit hindered because of a few rowdy nights) and went ( drumroll please..) paragliding!
Not parasailing ( the one pulled beind a boat), the one that you start realllly high up on a hill, run a bit until your ¨wing¨ fills up and then continue running off a cliff..
Amazing.
We were in the air for alomst an hour, catching drafts from the lake and touching our toes on the forest canopy. My guide, a former French Canadian engineer, did loops and spirals, flipping right over the wing in some crazy tricks.
My patched flying equipment held me safely, despite that the colors had been sun bleached out of it and my harness buckle that was missing ( BUT he was a very knowledgable knot man..). I got some amazing photos of the whole lake, and some of the best foot photos ever ( mom will vouch for this..).
After my high air adventure I left the group for the Guatemalan coast, to try my hand at surfing.
I took six chicken buses, two taxies and two boats to get to El Paredon, a secluded little town on the west coast. A welcome difference from San Pedro, everyone in El Paradon goes to bed at 10 and wakes up with the sun.
During the evening hours women set up little tables outside their house full of interesting (and always fried) food. I spent a good hour or two making my rounds of the village trying everything out. to add to entertainment, the choice for kids toys here is fire works. I twitched all night long as little 4 year olds set them off behind me or on adjacent streets. You would watch the ölder ones¨light them and then race away as fast as possible before the things blew up. Interestingly no one seemed to be missing fingers... they must be smarter than our toddlers...
The black sand beaches of Nicaragua (and El Salvador) are beautiful to look at.. but that is all. Dont even think of walking on it barefoot without burning the first few layers of skin off. Sandals are even worse, as it traps the hot sand in contact with your skin.. after the first time running and crying like a baby you remember to get to the the waves-fast.
A week trying to surf in Guatemala ( and failing miserably..) led me down the coast to El Salvador. Two days later ( the buses realllly suck.) I rolled up in the horrid heat of El Tunco. A surf town, El Tunco is a bit more pricey than Guatemala, but without excursions I have been able to keep at my 20 dollar budget. Here I met up with the group again, and met Katey and Brandon, who I know from back home. Small fricking world!
The waves here are a little more beginner friendly, as is the vibe. On a whole I am probably in the middle of the pack as this is a beginners beach. I happily rate myself as a 2 out of ten , instead of a 0- Progress!
Heading to Nicaragua tomorrow, bypassing Honduras for now ( West coast of H is not very travel ( or anything) friendy) , on a FORTY FIVE dollar shuttle. It better have air conditioning. Although ten hours, it is significantly faster than chicken buses and will allow me to do some volcano boarding by the end of the weekend!
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope your snowy/rainy/icy holiday is lovely!
(..evil snicker..)
Not parasailing ( the one pulled beind a boat), the one that you start realllly high up on a hill, run a bit until your ¨wing¨ fills up and then continue running off a cliff..
Amazing.
We were in the air for alomst an hour, catching drafts from the lake and touching our toes on the forest canopy. My guide, a former French Canadian engineer, did loops and spirals, flipping right over the wing in some crazy tricks.
My patched flying equipment held me safely, despite that the colors had been sun bleached out of it and my harness buckle that was missing ( BUT he was a very knowledgable knot man..). I got some amazing photos of the whole lake, and some of the best foot photos ever ( mom will vouch for this..).
After my high air adventure I left the group for the Guatemalan coast, to try my hand at surfing.
I took six chicken buses, two taxies and two boats to get to El Paredon, a secluded little town on the west coast. A welcome difference from San Pedro, everyone in El Paradon goes to bed at 10 and wakes up with the sun.
During the evening hours women set up little tables outside their house full of interesting (and always fried) food. I spent a good hour or two making my rounds of the village trying everything out. to add to entertainment, the choice for kids toys here is fire works. I twitched all night long as little 4 year olds set them off behind me or on adjacent streets. You would watch the ölder ones¨light them and then race away as fast as possible before the things blew up. Interestingly no one seemed to be missing fingers... they must be smarter than our toddlers...
The black sand beaches of Nicaragua (and El Salvador) are beautiful to look at.. but that is all. Dont even think of walking on it barefoot without burning the first few layers of skin off. Sandals are even worse, as it traps the hot sand in contact with your skin.. after the first time running and crying like a baby you remember to get to the the waves-fast.
A week trying to surf in Guatemala ( and failing miserably..) led me down the coast to El Salvador. Two days later ( the buses realllly suck.) I rolled up in the horrid heat of El Tunco. A surf town, El Tunco is a bit more pricey than Guatemala, but without excursions I have been able to keep at my 20 dollar budget. Here I met up with the group again, and met Katey and Brandon, who I know from back home. Small fricking world!
The waves here are a little more beginner friendly, as is the vibe. On a whole I am probably in the middle of the pack as this is a beginners beach. I happily rate myself as a 2 out of ten , instead of a 0- Progress!
Heading to Nicaragua tomorrow, bypassing Honduras for now ( West coast of H is not very travel ( or anything) friendy) , on a FORTY FIVE dollar shuttle. It better have air conditioning. Although ten hours, it is significantly faster than chicken buses and will allow me to do some volcano boarding by the end of the weekend!
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope your snowy/rainy/icy holiday is lovely!
(..evil snicker..)
vendredi 23 novembre 2012
Do's and Dont's of Central America So far..
Carrying on with the time-saving point form of my last post, this one will follow the same theme!
IN Central America
DO
-Say Bueno Dia to every. Single. Person. you pass.
-learn how to say No Thank you.
-Eat out locally. You are going to get sick no matter what.
-Watch out for scorpions.
-and have friends crazy enough to pick them up.
-Stand far away from boys and their fireworks. A half dozen 'Osamas' ( I didn't name them..), a few dozen smaller ones, flour and ketchup all stuffed up a Santa pinatas behind really does BOOM.
-Make sure you don't live in this hotel...Santas along with melon/eggs/and papayas make quite a mess.
-enjoy the cheap booze!
-Learn Spanish! Even if it feels like a huge chore in your otherwise empty day.
-Expect the lake to get choppy the minute you get to the other side.
-enjoy the kayak 'tubing' when a boat takes pity on your useless attempt the paddle.
-expect your kayak to break while 'tubing'..
- Go to afterparties that include neon face paint and forget about it the next morning.
-Expect to look like you have a bad case of the chicken pox. Damn Mozzies.
-Laugh when your private shuttle runs out of fuel and the driver asks for gas money.
-Enjoy the view.
DON'T
-peer curiously into a chicken coop.. there may be a naked man inside.
-Take the first price on anything..even at a supermarket.
-Lock yourself out after swimming. Running bikini clad down the street is frowned upon.
-Order anything that claims to have ham. It is Spam. There is no disguising it.
-Mix up Spanish vocab and ask you teacher if you have a nice ass.
-if that wasn't enough, make sure not to mix up one letter and boldly say you masturbated for supper instead of paid for supper.
-Listen to the locals, if you want, feed the sad street dogs.. give them a pet.. just wash your hands after!
-Touch your electric water heating shower head. Even if the water is cold it is not worth it!
-Deviate from the usual chicken fajita at Jakus. Nothing else beats it ( and its 2 dollar fifty price!)
-Drink moonshine everyday. I think you could actually go blind.
And There you have it.. my do's and don't's so far!
IN Central America
DO
-Say Bueno Dia to every. Single. Person. you pass.
-learn how to say No Thank you.
-Eat out locally. You are going to get sick no matter what.
-Watch out for scorpions.
-and have friends crazy enough to pick them up.
-Stand far away from boys and their fireworks. A half dozen 'Osamas' ( I didn't name them..), a few dozen smaller ones, flour and ketchup all stuffed up a Santa pinatas behind really does BOOM.
-Make sure you don't live in this hotel...Santas along with melon/eggs/and papayas make quite a mess.
-enjoy the cheap booze!
-Learn Spanish! Even if it feels like a huge chore in your otherwise empty day.
-Expect the lake to get choppy the minute you get to the other side.
-enjoy the kayak 'tubing' when a boat takes pity on your useless attempt the paddle.
-expect your kayak to break while 'tubing'..
- Go to afterparties that include neon face paint and forget about it the next morning.
-Expect to look like you have a bad case of the chicken pox. Damn Mozzies.
-Laugh when your private shuttle runs out of fuel and the driver asks for gas money.
-Enjoy the view.
DON'T
-peer curiously into a chicken coop.. there may be a naked man inside.
-Take the first price on anything..even at a supermarket.
-Lock yourself out after swimming. Running bikini clad down the street is frowned upon.
-Order anything that claims to have ham. It is Spam. There is no disguising it.
-Mix up Spanish vocab and ask you teacher if you have a nice ass.
-if that wasn't enough, make sure not to mix up one letter and boldly say you masturbated for supper instead of paid for supper.
-Listen to the locals, if you want, feed the sad street dogs.. give them a pet.. just wash your hands after!
-Touch your electric water heating shower head. Even if the water is cold it is not worth it!
-Deviate from the usual chicken fajita at Jakus. Nothing else beats it ( and its 2 dollar fifty price!)
-Drink moonshine everyday. I think you could actually go blind.
And There you have it.. my do's and don't's so far!
jeudi 8 novembre 2012
Damn! Time flies!
Oops , it has been a while!
Point form is a girls best friend!
Flores ( Guatemala island on Lake Peten with a spanish colonial feel paired with some more traditional beans and rice meals.)
-best rope swing ever! Ok, so I know I didn't travel across the continent for a rope swing.. but I successfully completed a double back off it and feel pretty accomplished:) We needed to rent a boat to float us there, and then pay a "toll" (5 Quetzal= 50 cents) to use it by the locals who made it.. but well worth it!
- best water slide ever! Ok, I sound a bit repetitive.. but pretty freaking amazing! It is faster that would ever be allowed anywhere where there is safety standards. You skip like a rock 10 meters before sinking into the water at the end or if you are unlucky enough to not have your legs together youg et a good groin pull:) The local vaguely explained to us which slide to use. The one was fine to use ( minus the groin pulling) the other drops you into a crocodile pond. No joke. I did not volunteer to go first..
----on the topic on alligators, there is aligators in the lake as well ( we found out later) but our guide calmly explained that each year the kill all the big ones.. and the little ones are no bother. BAha. just some little corocs.. so they take off a toe or finger.. no prob..
-Day of the Dead was celebrated here with colourful markets and lots of kite flying. Tourists celebrated it a tad different. A good party night. ( beer (tequila) pong bounce specialist right here !)
Laquin ( smal mayan village in the middle of no where with badly cobbled streets and loud irritating morning birds)
-possibly the most picturesque hostel I have ever stayed at. "Zephur" was dirt cheap, no bed bugs ( hooray!) and was on the very top of the mountain looking onto multple lush valleys. The shower was an open wall shower so you could look out ( and the random farmers probably enjoyed looking in..). I was reativly clean here , because the shower was so great!
-We tubed the Coban river, went through some mountain villages and navigated rapids.
-Semuc Champay. look this shit up- doesn't get more breathtaking. A look out point shows the turquoise river, with cascading pools and waterfalls that cuts through the valley.
-Kan'Ba caves. A mandatory guided cave system of watefalls ladders and long swims.. all navigated by candle light. Ah safety. ( Mother and relatives, no judgement here) We successfully got a dry spliff into the caves. (Something was needed to pass the time, the Irish girls were wimpy and took forever to do things..) The guide got a laugh out of that. There was one point where you had to drop yourself into a hole full of rushing water, and aim left where you were dropped into a deep ( dark.. no candles!) pool. Exhilarating!
-after the caves we took a detour to jump off the bridge on our way to a hike. 9 meters high- I got a great video of three of us doing simultaneous back flips, and learned one of the best sayings ever. In response to one of the useless Irish girls wasting our time Brett ( a fellow West Coaster!) said " Shit, or get off the pot!". ahh. I love Canadians. Patience may not be our key attribute, but dirty humour might be!
Antigua (former capital city, before Guatemala city took over that is a bit more expensive but is a fun walk around)
- group meals are the best! I spent less than 5 dollars on food yesterday and ate like a king! I have been travelling with a hodgepodge of fellow travellers. A good bunch of Canadians some Aussies and a Dutch who all appreciate fod ( and sharing;) ) as much as I do
-(No heart attacks please..) Yesterday was an interesting day. Our hostel, which seems reasonably safe, as does much of Antigua ( if you use sense) was home to some one-of-a-kind experiences. First a double murder ( DRUG related.) made our street blocked to traffic. I stress again, not typical, but definitely eye opening. Then an afternoon earthquake, just to help settle lunch. I was on the roof which has an impressive sway without crumbling to the ground. After that the volcano that I can see clearly through my room window decided to act up, pouring smoke into the sky. And to top it off there was a fantastic dry lightening storm acting up as the sun went down.
Damn!
Next to Lake Atilan, and Monday some Spanish lessons!
Budget-
OUT the window for Tikal ( entrance fee of 25 dollars, guide of 15, transportation.. overpriced lunch. plus a new sunscreen, 20 dollars!! UGhh.)
31 dollars a day for the 4 days in Semuc ( we did an activity each day.. and drank copious amounts of liquor. I figure I did fairly well!)
10 dollars a day for the 5 days in Antigua! ( having a kitchen at the hostel really brings the price down.)
Point form is a girls best friend!
Flores ( Guatemala island on Lake Peten with a spanish colonial feel paired with some more traditional beans and rice meals.)
-best rope swing ever! Ok, so I know I didn't travel across the continent for a rope swing.. but I successfully completed a double back off it and feel pretty accomplished:) We needed to rent a boat to float us there, and then pay a "toll" (5 Quetzal= 50 cents) to use it by the locals who made it.. but well worth it!
- best water slide ever! Ok, I sound a bit repetitive.. but pretty freaking amazing! It is faster that would ever be allowed anywhere where there is safety standards. You skip like a rock 10 meters before sinking into the water at the end or if you are unlucky enough to not have your legs together youg et a good groin pull:) The local vaguely explained to us which slide to use. The one was fine to use ( minus the groin pulling) the other drops you into a crocodile pond. No joke. I did not volunteer to go first..
----on the topic on alligators, there is aligators in the lake as well ( we found out later) but our guide calmly explained that each year the kill all the big ones.. and the little ones are no bother. BAha. just some little corocs.. so they take off a toe or finger.. no prob..
-Day of the Dead was celebrated here with colourful markets and lots of kite flying. Tourists celebrated it a tad different. A good party night. ( beer (tequila) pong bounce specialist right here !)
Laquin ( smal mayan village in the middle of no where with badly cobbled streets and loud irritating morning birds)
-possibly the most picturesque hostel I have ever stayed at. "Zephur" was dirt cheap, no bed bugs ( hooray!) and was on the very top of the mountain looking onto multple lush valleys. The shower was an open wall shower so you could look out ( and the random farmers probably enjoyed looking in..). I was reativly clean here , because the shower was so great!
-We tubed the Coban river, went through some mountain villages and navigated rapids.
-Semuc Champay. look this shit up- doesn't get more breathtaking. A look out point shows the turquoise river, with cascading pools and waterfalls that cuts through the valley.
-Kan'Ba caves. A mandatory guided cave system of watefalls ladders and long swims.. all navigated by candle light. Ah safety. ( Mother and relatives, no judgement here) We successfully got a dry spliff into the caves. (Something was needed to pass the time, the Irish girls were wimpy and took forever to do things..) The guide got a laugh out of that. There was one point where you had to drop yourself into a hole full of rushing water, and aim left where you were dropped into a deep ( dark.. no candles!) pool. Exhilarating!
Antigua (former capital city, before Guatemala city took over that is a bit more expensive but is a fun walk around)
- group meals are the best! I spent less than 5 dollars on food yesterday and ate like a king! I have been travelling with a hodgepodge of fellow travellers. A good bunch of Canadians some Aussies and a Dutch who all appreciate fod ( and sharing;) ) as much as I do
-(No heart attacks please..) Yesterday was an interesting day. Our hostel, which seems reasonably safe, as does much of Antigua ( if you use sense) was home to some one-of-a-kind experiences. First a double murder ( DRUG related.) made our street blocked to traffic. I stress again, not typical, but definitely eye opening. Then an afternoon earthquake, just to help settle lunch. I was on the roof which has an impressive sway without crumbling to the ground. After that the volcano that I can see clearly through my room window decided to act up, pouring smoke into the sky. And to top it off there was a fantastic dry lightening storm acting up as the sun went down.
Damn!
Next to Lake Atilan, and Monday some Spanish lessons!
Budget-
31 dollars a day for the 4 days in Semuc ( we did an activity each day.. and drank copious amounts of liquor. I figure I did fairly well!)
10 dollars a day for the 5 days in Antigua! ( having a kitchen at the hostel really brings the price down.)
mercredi 24 octobre 2012
Belize!
Leaving Tulum was hard to do. The beach, the people, the food ( maybe put that down a few spicy levels for complete perfection..) .
But I managed to tear myself away and Jake and I headed for Belize. We haggled for taxis and caught some chicken buses to the border town of Chetamul. At the border we were informed we had to pay a 30 dollar US exit tax.
This is where Lonely planet let us down... It said there was no such thing as an exit tax- and to just stay confident and say no. Bullshit. We ended up paying, what ended up being a legitimate tax after irritating the poor guards for a good ten minutes.
(The group after us made the guards so angry they were told to go pay it at a bank, and then come back with a receipt. A trip back to town to find the banks closed, and back to the border to have the guard laugh at them and say they can try again the next day.)
Disheartened, we tried to haggle for a taxi, with pretty rubbish results.
My sad face must have caught one of the Belizeans attention, because they invited us to catch a ride int he back of their pickup.
A half hour and downpour later we were dropped off a few kms fromt he bus station.
Blah blah blah- TADA. we made it to Belize city!
Pretty in the day time, a bit scary at night- the owner of the hostel took us for a walk as a "guide".
A long enough walk to realize he was bat shit crazy. He tried to teach us to gamble- lost all his (our) cash.
He told stories, but never finished them because he was always distracted by a pretty rock or fish, or headlights. He told us he was a healer, and a drug addict. He was a hippy, and seer and a nudist.
Bat shit crazy.
A boat ride the next day to Caye Caulker, back to the land of sand!
No shoes needed, anywhere, this sand island takes ten minutes to walk across and has everything from chinese food to tacos.
After settling in for the first day, Ythe second day I went fishing. The boys described it as "deep sea" so I was expecting a boat, and poles that are bolted down lest I get wrenched from the boat with my huge catch.
Umm, no. We had hand reels.. actually just a spool of line- with a hook on the end.
None the less it was fun. We got loads of snapper( yellow and red) dived and speargun fished for crabs, and caught a shark!
Today I need to spend less money! A day reading and swimming ( witht he stingrays!) is in store.
Tomorrow, to Guatemala (hopefully!)
But I managed to tear myself away and Jake and I headed for Belize. We haggled for taxis and caught some chicken buses to the border town of Chetamul. At the border we were informed we had to pay a 30 dollar US exit tax.
This is where Lonely planet let us down... It said there was no such thing as an exit tax- and to just stay confident and say no. Bullshit. We ended up paying, what ended up being a legitimate tax after irritating the poor guards for a good ten minutes.
(The group after us made the guards so angry they were told to go pay it at a bank, and then come back with a receipt. A trip back to town to find the banks closed, and back to the border to have the guard laugh at them and say they can try again the next day.)
Disheartened, we tried to haggle for a taxi, with pretty rubbish results.
My sad face must have caught one of the Belizeans attention, because they invited us to catch a ride int he back of their pickup.
A half hour and downpour later we were dropped off a few kms fromt he bus station.
Blah blah blah- TADA. we made it to Belize city!
Pretty in the day time, a bit scary at night- the owner of the hostel took us for a walk as a "guide".
A long enough walk to realize he was bat shit crazy. He tried to teach us to gamble- lost all his (our) cash.
He told stories, but never finished them because he was always distracted by a pretty rock or fish, or headlights. He told us he was a healer, and a drug addict. He was a hippy, and seer and a nudist.
Bat shit crazy.
A boat ride the next day to Caye Caulker, back to the land of sand!
No shoes needed, anywhere, this sand island takes ten minutes to walk across and has everything from chinese food to tacos.
After settling in for the first day, Ythe second day I went fishing. The boys described it as "deep sea" so I was expecting a boat, and poles that are bolted down lest I get wrenched from the boat with my huge catch.
Umm, no. We had hand reels.. actually just a spool of line- with a hook on the end.
None the less it was fun. We got loads of snapper( yellow and red) dived and speargun fished for crabs, and caught a shark!
Today I need to spend less money! A day reading and swimming ( witht he stingrays!) is in store.
Tomorrow, to Guatemala (hopefully!)
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