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!
vendredi 23 novembre 2012
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.)
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