Time warp; on Honduras, from Guatemala

Hey Everyone,
So I know it´s been a while since I last wrote. Soooo much has happened that I´m sure I´ll forget some vital things, but I´ll try to fill you in. Flashback to Nicaragua. When we left Ometepe, we headed to Granada, Nicaragua. This wasn´t as easy as it should have been, as some bus people were trying to scam us into getting on the wrong bus, so that we would have to pay twice as much and go twice as long to get to Granada. To make a long story short I had a giant arguement with the bus driver in Spanish which involved me cussing him out, and we finally got our bags back from underneath the bus, and got back on the right track. When we first got there it was raining so hard that water was squirting up like fountains from the manholes in the street.
We stayed at a place called the Oasis, and met some German girls who we kept running into. They were some of the only travelers at the hostal, because it was full of a boarding school class of boys who were shipped off to Costa Rica from the states. They were obnoxious to say the least.
We just relaxed for much of our time in Granada, but eventually the rain cleared up a bit and we were able to do a canopy tour, which was an absolute blast! We had so much fun! It was 16zipline platforms down the side of Volcan Mombacho. Absolutely gorgeous, and a total adreneline rush as well!
We left Granada and spent one mildly creepy night in the ghetto of Managua, less than a block away from the Tica Bus station. When we walked down the street, the children would say ¨Goodbye¨ to us... which was a little scary.
We had to be up for the bus to San Pedro Sula at 3 am, and we didn´t arrive there until about 7 that night. It was a long bus ride, and somehow Lindsay forgot that she had no cash, and I had just a little as I don´t like to travel with much. I had to pay for both of us to cross the border, which left us with no food for the entirety of the day. Frozen from the airconditioning and nearly starving, we arrived at Hostal Tamarindo, dropped off our bags, and went in seach of food.
We found the most amazing creation known to man, the Baleada. This Honduran delight is a thick flour tortilla covered in everything you could want in it, and folded in half. Sooooooo delish.
We spent a couple of days in San Pedro Sula recovering, before we headed of to Tela, on the northen Carribbean coast of Honduras.
Tela was a cute beachside town with an abundance of seafood. Though it was dead as far as tourists, it was still fairly expensive, which was mildly frustrating. We tried to hike to a Garifuna village down the beach one afternoon, but it was incredibly poluted. The beach was covered in trash and dead fish and birds. We walked about 3k and the village was in sight, but we hit a river that was running black with polution and sewage, and we just couldn´t bring ourselves to swim across it, especially with our legs covered in mosquito bites, so we had to turn back. We learned that the polution was from a huge tropical storm that hit Honduras and washed it all up onto the beach and flooded where they had been dumping. Which explained the miles of flooded farm land, and the miles of tent cities that were built up in the 10 foot span of grass as the freeway devider. While we were in Tela I got really sick, and we ended up having to stay an extra day, because I was in such bad shape I couldn´t do the bus ride to Copan Ruinas.
Eventually we made it to Copan Ruinas. It was absolutely breathtaking there in the coffee farming highlands. Lush and green, and quite chilly we found out.
We went to a butterfly farm while we were there, which was quite fantastic! We also explored the Copan ruins sight just outside of town. It was fantastic, and we were some of the only people there! Such a nice change from the Yucatan on Spring Break! We also did a fantastic tour of Finca Cisne, an all day long affair with horseback riding, tours of coffee and cardamom processing plants and fields, a big family lunch, and hotsprings in the early evening. It was one of the most fantastic days we´ve had here so far, and we absolutely loved the whole experience. My horses name was Rubio, and he was used to being ridden by the tour guide, so he was always racing to be in the lead, which was quite exciting for me!
Now we´re in Guatemala, and tomorrow we go explore the ruins of Tikal! I can´t believe there are only 11 days of this adventure left! So surreal! I´m not ready for it to be over yet!

Having a love affair... with Nicaragua

Hey everyone.
So we arrived to Nicaragua on Sunday night, absolutely exhausted from the trip. We got up around 5 after going to bed around 2, ate some toast, checked out of the timeshare, and hopped in a taxi to the bus station. Our bus left at 7:30 for Managua, and it's about a 9 hour ride from San Jose, but our bus trip was about 8. After going through the bizarre process of crossing the border on an international bus, which required us to hand over our passports, and eventually all get off the bus and wait outside until they called our name to get back on, on both sides of the border, we were in Nicaragua. We exchanged our money, and hopped back on the bus for about a 45 minute ride to Rivas. From Rivas we took a taxi to San Jorge, and from San Jorge, an hour long ferry ride to Moyogalpa, on Isla de Ometepe, in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua. As we approached on the ferry, we were in absolute awe from the beauty of the island. It was created by the lava flow of two volcanoes, and looks something like an 8 from the air. The Volcanoes sit majestically on the island, towering over everything, and topped with clouds that look like fluffy whipped cream, or even snow.
Of course when we arrived it was raining, because every time we travel anywhere it does. We dragged our things through the brick streets of Moyogalpa, trying to find a decent place to stay the night, and a place to eat something, because we hadn't eaten since the toast that morning, and it was fast approaching 4pm. We went directly to a place that was mentioned in the lonelyplanet book as popular for backpackers, but found it empty. We didn't care too much, as we were planning on staying only one night, and went ahead and paid for a room. Once we got into the room we changed our minds a bit. It was swarming with mosquitoes, filthy, there was no toilet paper... ugh. So we were debating whether we wanted to ask for our money back or not when the power went out. We decided to go somewhere else.
So we got our shit and dragged it back through the brick streets, muddy and rainy as all hell, searching for a place. We met a couple from Finland, who were in the same situation as we were. We ended up finding a place for $15 a night that was bearable. They opted for air conditioning which was $25, and just out of our budget. We got caught in the middle of a parade of sorts, for a political party. It was a huge caravan of people voting for the Sandinistas in the upcoming election. The spirit here is much like in the US right now, just much more interesting. We found a place to eat called Yogi's, named after the owners dog, and decided to try it out, mostly due to the fact that we were starving and the town was all at the political festival, not leaving many businesses open. We ate there, being entertained by the bizarre ex-canadian owner who gave us the feeling that we'd gone to someones house to eat dinner. He regaled us with stories of times he'd smoked a joint and did something and then smoked another. Needless to say we ate our food and left, after making false plans to stop by tomorrow and help him bake a cake, and maybe do some laundry. We headed back to the hotel, and crashed at about 6:30. The next morning we got up early to shower and eat a bite before catching the 8:30 bus to Merida. We ate breakfast and drank coffee with the girl from Finland, who we hope to run into again when we head out to Granada tomorrow.
The bus ride to Merida was about 3 hours long, wrapping around nearly 3/4 of the island on dirt roads which had slid out from 9 days of rain. It was a beautiful but rough ride, on an old yellow school bus. We met a couple who were going to Balgue, on the same volcano as us, but on the opposite side. They were older and told us again and again how beautiful we were, and shared their Nicaraguan sweets with us. They chatted about the weather, and the road conditions, where we were from, etc. They were sweet, and we were sad when they left us.
When we finally arrived in Merida it was pouring rain, the street was muddy, and well, there wasn't much of a town. We found Hacienda Merida right away, and dragged our bag through the street which was more like a muddy river. When we arrived there was only one other person checked in. We got a dorm room for 4 to ourselves, that had a private bathroom. For 5 dollars a night we couldn't beat it. There was even mosquito netting on our bed (thank god!) to protect my flesh from the bloodsucking demons.
We ordered some lunch, which took an extraordinarily long time, but ended up being absolutely amazing. The food here is delicious; mostly vegetarian, all made from scratch to order, just really quality. It's not quick, but it's worth it. We went for a walk that evening and saw one of the most amazing sunsets that I've witnessed. The girl who was here already joined us, and while we found her slightly obnoxious, she was ok. When we returned there were 2 Danish girls here... 2 extraordinarily bitchy Danish girls at that. It was nice because the other American instantly latched on to them, though even more obnoxious to hear the way she spoke with them.
We planned to go to a preschool and cook them breakfast and play with the kids the next morning, so we went to bed fairly early.
The next morning after we ate, we discovered that the school had been canceled because there was an outbreak of hepatitis. The weather wasn't great, so kayaking wasn't really an option either, so we spent the morning putting some of our pictures online. In the afternoon, we met with a boy named Horacio who is studying english. He's 14 and absolutely adorable. We talked with him over lunch, he asked us some question, we asked him some. It was quite sweet. Then later that evening 2 more students came back with Horacio; Helen and Darwin. Helen was only 11, and Darwin was also 14. We all talked and laughed, and they were so freaking cute! I loved speaking with them. Lindsay headed in to bed fairly early to read where it was less windy and less buggy. I was on the computer for a bit more, and while I was I met a guy, 20 years old, and studying. I had kind of been smiling at him for the past two days, so he finally started talking to me. We walked out onto the cement dock and sat under a tree and talked in the moonlight for a while. He was sweet, and surprisingly un-creepy (don't worry, I had my pepper spray just in case, and Linds had a time frame to come and look for me), so it was nice to just sit and talk with a local around my age.
Today Linds and I slept in (finally) and when we got up, we ate something, and went for a swim in the lake. The waves are rough because the wind and the rain, but it was fantastic none the less. The water was perfectly warm but refreshing. If it wasn't so rough I could have stayed for hours. Which brings me to now. Tonight at sunset we plan on another swim. We're going to leave the island tomorrow, which means an early day, so I probably won't be staying out until midnight talking to a boy. But really, I absolutely love it here. Isla de Ometepe is gorgeous, even in the fog and the rain and the wind. I can only imagine on a sunny day how absolutely stunning it must be. It so tranquil and peaceful here. I think I could get sucked in and stay forever if I didn't leave soon. So that's that. Miss everyone and I'll try to write again soon!

Slow Days in San Jose, CR

Hey everyone,
I know some of you have been anxiously awaiting my next blog (by some I mean Margaret). The truth is I don´t have a whole lot to write about right now. We left Panama last Friday for Costa Rica, so today I guess we´ve been here officially one week! We spent the first weekend in the Caribbean coastal towns of Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. While they were cute towns, we were cautioned by lonely planet as well as the locals that they weren´t safe places, and to never walk at night, even in groups. This made it a little difficult for us to relax, as I´m sure you can imagine, nobody wants to get mugged or raped. Sooo. Friday night we went to a place called Rocking J´s which is a hostal and bar. There was a live band playing, and free in the mouth shots for girls, but we were feeling pretty tired and relaxed, so we didnt stay too long. We walked back to town with some friendly psudo gypsies, who were doing fire dancing for no aparent reason or desire of profit. They were really sweet, 2 guys and one girl. One guys name was Elie... super addorable. Aaaanyways.
Saturday we spent the day in Cahuita, about a 30 minute bus ride from Puerto Viejo on a dusty partially dirt road, were the buses go about 60 mph, passing people in the wrong lane. We made our way through the quite town, to the water front. The beach we found was also a national park, so we made a donation, and walked down a trail in the shady coverings of trees, searching for a more secluded spot on the beach. As we made our way, we sighted a sloth (everyone knows they´re my favorite!) and an entire tree full of howler monkeys, in transit from one tree to the next. We swam in the mediocre water, and me being, well, me, I took off my bathing suit and enjoyed the waves.
Sunday morning we went to catch the bus to San Jose but came across the problem that the bus we wanted to catch was full. So we first had to take a bus to Puerto Limon, and then on to San Jose, adding about 2 hours to our trip. We learned a valuable lesson about buying bus tickets the day before when possible now. After our long and tiring trip to San Jose, we took a taxi and arrived at our timeshare.
The place is huge, but I must admit its nice for Lindsay and I to have some space to ourselves. We´ve been cooking all of our meals, and pretty much just staying in. One day we went into the actual city, but it was just terribly dirty, crowded, and rainy. Everyone, even the tax driver on the way there, warned us about how dangerous it was. It´s hard to navigate because there are no street names, only land marks used. We went to an incredibly overpriced Marcado Artesanias, and Lindsay got ripped off buying earings which we then saw on the street for 1/5 of the price. I miss Panama.
Tonight I think we will call some people we met in Bocas who are teaching english here in the city, and all go out together. We leave sunday morning for Nicaragua, and will hopefully arrive on the Isla de Ometepe by Sunday night, if all things go accordingly. Sorry I don´t have more of interest to share. It´s been a prety low key week. Next time I should have more!
Ciao everyone!

Changuinola; the Real Panama

Hey all,
Well we´ve passed the 2 week mark here, which means 1/4 of our trip is already over, I can´t even believe it! We arrived in Changuinola last saturday. We left the island in the midst of a pretty huge storm. The lancha ride back to the mainland was less than desireable, and we ended up being fairly soaked. When we got into town on the bus I was brought to tears as we passed Nayda´s house (my old host family). It was so strange to be in this place that I thought I might never see again. We got off the bus and my friend Michael picked us up right away. When we got in he was off to get his teeth cleaned, so he showed us to our room, and we passed out for a quick nap. After he got back he took us over to Nayda´s to visit. It was sooo good to see her and the family again. Indescribable really! We visited and caught up a bit, and then we came back to Michael´s and got cleaned up. We took a walk down towards my old neighborhood and I saw my friend Alex from school, the look on both our faces when we first saw eachother was priceless! When we came back to Michael´s we changed and headed off to the Feria de Changuinola to go to the discoteca. We probably drank slightly more than we should have, of some terrible Panamanian rum called Carta Vieja, and then around 2 went out and got some delicious deep fried hojaldras... these are incredible treats, especially post alcohol consumption!
On Sunday we went to the river in the afternoon. Michael made us Naturalitos out of the back of his SUV; they consist of fresh squeezed lime, sugar, rum, club soda, and lemon grass tied in a not. They´re amazing! We just hung out by the river and listened to music and watched the people for a while.
During the week Michael was working so we were just hanging out a lot. We watched some terrible movies and some bad tv in español (gracias telenovelas) and walked around el centro a lot. We ate some amazing pizza! Michael´s family was awesome and always offering to cook us food or take us out places. We had a BBQ on tuesday night with some of Michael´s friends, and Erick, Nayda´s nephew came over. We drank a lot of atlas out of the cooler. (incase you haven´t noticed, people drink a lot in Changuinola, because there isn´t much else to do).
Wednesday we went to the Finca (farm) up the mountain in Charagre with Michael´s dad Miguel and his friend who we call the Dominican. It was absolutely breathtaking up there. We were in the jungle no doubt about it. First we went to visit Michael´s great grandmother. There we sucked the juice out of oranges that taste more like very sweet lemons while relaxing on the front porch. Miguel told riddles that I could only 1/2 way understand. Then we went to Michael´s familys farm, which is connected to his grandfather´s. There the guys cut down oranges to bring home, while we helped pick starfruit, guanabanas, and wild cacao. We broke the cacao open and ate it. If you´ve never eaten a cacao its an interesting thing. You break it open and suck the gooey flesh off of the big podlike seeds. Its sweet and a little bitter, and stange at first, but quite delicious and addictive, and NOTHING like chocolate. You get chocolate once you dry the seeds, roast them, and grind them. Yummo. We also drank agua de pipa (young coconut water) and ate the flesh out, as well as some organic bananas, and some disgusting thing called a pifa that neither Lindsay nor I could stomach, but locals love! Then last night we went out and played a couple of games of pool at a pool hall and bar with A/C and a Jamaican owner who likes to buy us beer.
Today we went with Michael´s mother to visit a women who she used to work with. She was bringing her food, because the woman is very poor, and has 8 children, no husband, and no way to support them. To get to her house we first drove some distance outside of Changuinola. We parked at a pullout and them walked down the road before we turned off onto a cement pathway. We walked some ways down this pathway, passing little shacks on stilts, with no sign of electricity or water. The further we walked, the cement path turned to a dirt path, which was now a mud path as a result of torrential downpour last night. We arrived at a small creek which she explained to us, was overflowing when the rain was constant, and we crossed over it by way of a narrow metal pole. I felt like a was in a circus balancing act. Once we crossed there it was just a bit futher, and we came to a group of even sadder looking casitas. With the help of a young boy we found the right place, and there we met the woman and her children. They were so sweet, shy at first, except one extraordinarily curageous boy who looked at us with shocked eyes and commented on our height. He was about 4 I would say. There was another boy, younger than this one, and also, a baby girl, just about 6 months. They were so excited about the food, and Michael´s Mom, Marina, handed them out chocolates to eat. She explained to me in Spanish, which I then explained to Lindsay in English, anout this woman´s situation. How she couldn´t work because she had to take care of her kids. The kids slept in hammocks outside made out of a plastic rope. The kitchen was outside, just a little propane stove. The house was nothing more than a one room shack with leaks where she, and a few more children slept. It was incredible to meet them, to see these houses that I´ve seen so many times, up close and personal. We didnt stay too long, just enough to play with the niños a bit, and then we were off again, back up the path. I think I will always remember this family.
Tomorrow we´re off to Costa Rica. One day in Puerto Viejo, one day in Cahuita, and then a week in San Jose in the time-share. Off to the next part of the trip! Salud!