Bocas del Toro

If it is Thrusday (i think it is thursday), this must be Panama. I walked across the border from Costa Rica to Panama today. No questions at customs. I am not sure there was customs. There are booths on both sides of the border for passport stamping but that is all.

After a quick taxi ride through banana plantations and a 45 minute water taxi, I arrived at Bocas del Toro. I think I will spend the next few days, including the start of carnaval, here. It is supposed to be a great party. I will let you know how it turns out.

I hope you enjoy your own carnival.

bjm 1/31/08

Old Port

Do you want some pot? If so, come on down to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

As you walk down the street of this small Costa Rican town, on the Caribbean coast, you are bound to get an offer or two for some pot. The other day, I went to check out a room at a hostel. A guy, I think he was the owner, was putting together some pot in the kitchen, while a group of 5 or so guys smoked in the open ¨lobby¨.

I am sure the same thing happens at some places in the states but i do not know where those places are. I stayed at the hostel Rockin J´s the other day. There are two floors with individual tents and some rooms. The hostel is right next to the ocean. After the drinkers went to bed, and the guy a few tents away stopped his hacking cough, it was nice to hear the ocean waves crashing in the distance.

It was not so nice to walk through the common area and see a white dread-locked American woman breastfeeding her kid with her left hand and drinking a beer with her right hand. I am not a medical professional but something seemed wrong about that picture.

There is a great beach there. I enjoyed the water and the sand much more than I did Tamarindo, on the Pacific coast.

Another great day at the beach has come to and end for me. Since I will be off to Panama tomorrow, the goal now is not have any Colones (costa rican money) in my pocket when i cross the border. I have been told that it is impossible to change the money once you cross. So I need to budget my bus fare and any food i want to eat. I had to change $20 to Colones today, so i should not run out of money. I think i will have to have a nice dinner tonight to make sure i am near 0.00 when i cross. At the moment, I have nearly 5,000 Colones, which is about $10. $10 does not go too far here.

In Granada, Nic, I bought a pineapple for about $0.20; while in this town they cost $2.00. After you pay twenty cents, it is hard to think about paying more.

This weekend will be the start of Carnaval in Panama. I am not sure where I will be but I will try to hit some of the bigger party places. I will let you know if i succeed.

bjm 1/30/08

Mt Waumbek - Jan 27 2008

What a great day for a hike!
Mike and Cath talked me into my first hike of a 4K during the snow season. Glad I said 'yes'!
I drove through lots of snow - but once north of Franconia Notch is was blue skies and sunshine... albeit 17 degrees f.
I've been playing soccer once a week - but I this was a different kind of workout and I was huffing...
Mike/Cath's friend Bruce came along ... and we 'bare booted' up to Mt Star King (3,900 ft) and then I put on snowshoes as we went on to the main objective: Mt Waumbek (4,007 ft).
I had heard about the Canada Jays that feed out of your hand - but this was a first experience actually having one land!

I'll have to plant one of these photos juxtoposed alongside Brendan's recent hiking photos - just to show him what he's missing - nothing like wearing four layers of clothes to really
feel like one with the environment.
nhmurrays

The Wild Weekend

I am in the La Fortuna/Arenal area of Costa Rica. I am just east of Monteverde but it is a different world.

There is a huge, and active, volvano (http://www.arenal.net/arenal.htm) here. It has shown itself on 2 of the 4 days of my stay - I believe that is well above average.

And this weekend has been filled with....not much. I got to the hostel, via a minibus-boat-minibus trip instead of a 5-ish hour local bus ride, and decided that I did not need to be too active. I finished a 500+ page legal 'thriller' (not) and I have started a new book. Even while traveling, it is good to take some time to relax and to veg out.

I will be on the road tomorrow - heading to Puerto Viejo on the east coast. I expect it to be a little more laidback than the pacific coast.

From there, it will be off t0 Panama to find the best spot for carnaval, which is next weekend.

There are some times when I long for my old life - 9 to 6, behind the desk, and surrounded by contracts.

Those times are few and far between and they do not last more than a minute or two.

I am on the road and life is good.

I hope yours is, too.

bjm

Monteverde, Costa Rica

I am in the town of Santa Elena , Costa Rica, which is in the area of Monteverde. This is the start of my third day here. I could stay here a bit more because of the sunshine, the fresh air and the free internet at the hostels, but it will be time to move on soon.

I went to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve yesterday (pics to follow). http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/reserve.htm

It was a great time. I hiked most to the 11km of trails there. I saw many, many different species of birds. I know not their names. I did see at least 3 species of humming birds and a bit of a mid-air fight between two. Hiker Mike would have a great time here.

I saw a group (herd? brood? gaggle¿?) of monkeys high in a tree throwing some sort of fruit to the ground. they were quite wasteful. they seemed to take a little bite out of the fruit and then toss it. They could learn a thing or two from us gringos.

It was quite an enjoyable day. And I finished off the afternoon with an ice cream at Monteverde creamery. I had to sample their milk shakes two days ago - by far the best in Central America (i may have mentioned that before).

Today, I will be off to do some zip lines. My one big money adventure for Costa Rica.

I am not sure where money goes here. I took out 75,000 Colones (about $150) on sunday and on this thursday morning, I have less than $40 left. I don´t drink, so it is not booze. I am a bit skinny, so it may not be food.

If you have any ideas, please let me know.

bjm

Who gets the last laugh?

During a walk yesterday, I came across a pig who thought it would be cute to stick out his tongue at me.

As I sit, full, after dinner, I can´t help but think that I am enjoying life much more than he.

Maderas Volcano Hike

It is time to look back, a week or so ago, to a hike on Ometepe island, Nicaragua.


Wikipedia tells us


With a height of 1,394 m, Maderas is the smaller of the two volcanoes which make up the island of Ometepe, situated in Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua, Central America. Unlike the other volcano on the island, Concepción, Maderas has not been active in historical times. Its crater contains a crater lake.
The Maderas Volcano is one of the few places at the Pacific side of Nicaragua where cloud forest grows. The only other place where this is found is at the Mombacho Volcano. Cloud forests are characterized by high levels of humidity and a rich plant and animal life. Petroglyphs are also found at the Maderas Volcano.


Morris (whom I met in Xela), ¨Yelta¨ (from Denmark, whose name starts with the letters ¨Hj¨ and whom I saw in Guatemala and 2 times in Nicaragua), our local guide and I set off early last week to scale the hights of Maderas. The day and the hike began with sunshine and plenty of sunscreen - one can never be too careful with this central american sun.

Although the mountain had been covered in clouds the previous two days, we set off with high spirits and high hopes. When we boated to Ometepe, both Maderas and the island´s northern volcano, Concepcion, were bathed in sunshine. We expeceted no less.

The 10+km hike began well, when within 15 minutes of starting, we came upon a tree filled with howler monkeys. You may not be able to see them clearly in the pic but trust me, they are there.











We had heard them all that morning. If you have never heard a howler monkey, think subway tunnel as a train approaches. they are loud beasts.

In this case, however, they were just lounging in the trees after their early morning growls.

Prior to hitting the 2 km mark, we were in fairly dense woods and moist, cloud-filled air. It was quite nice. As you can see from the smile on my face, I was enjoying myself.












Due to the moisture in the air, the ground became a little slick and one had to be careful with their footing. As we were ascending, a few of us took care to avoid puddles so as to keep our shoes and pants fairly clean.

While looking at the ground and avoiding puddles, I was not able to avoid low-hanging trees. As the tallest member of our group, I came into contact with 5 or 6 of them. It was the 4th one that hurt the most. You would think I´d learn after 1 or 2 knocks on the head. Not me, it takes more than that to get the point across to me. Worst of all, I hit one or two more after i drew blood. It must be that public school education.


What is a hike without a few battle scars?


When we reached the summit, after 5 Km of hiking, we were a bit disappointed. Although we were quite high, we had no view. Not only were we surrounded by clouds, but the summit is a forest and offers no view beyond the trees. In this case, I could see the forest for the trees.


After the summit, we descended to the crater lake, which was also covered in clouds. I enjoyed that part of the hike. You could not see the other side of the lake, and you could not tell if it was 50 yards across or 300 yards.


After some peanut butter and bread (thanks Morris), we headed back to the summit to start our way home.

As we made our way down, things were a bit tougher - although I only smacked my head 1 or 2 times on way down. The moist air had turned our trail into mud. We had long given up trying to stay dry or clean. the main goal was to make it down without injury.

We all took a few spills but Hjelta had the best one of the day. He remained in good spirits afterwards.


On the way down, we broke through the clouds and enjoyed a bit of sunshine filtering through the trees and views of the lake and Concepcion.





By the end of the hike, were ready for it to be over. the last 3km were much longer than they seemed on the way up. We had a great day (actually a great few hours as we were back in time for lunch) and we were ready for an afternoon in the hammocks.


Our shoes? Well, they were no longer made for walking.

Advertising to Get People Talking

While in Xela, I went to 3 soccer games. There were two night games and an afternoon game. I had not planned on going to the afternoon game.



However, on the way to the market, I walked by the soccer stadium to see what was going on for the pre-game. Claro, one of the bigger mobile phone companies had a stage set up, upon which were the Claro Girls. The Girls did a fine job getting the crowd more excited for that day´s match.



Did I tell this story before? I will have to check earlier blog posts to see. I think I did but I did not post any pics.



The Claro group grabbed various people from the audience to sing the Claro song. As the only gringo in the crowd, i was dragged on stage to sing (horribly) while standing next to beautiful latin women who seemed to tower over me.



I think you did have the story before but now you have some pics. there isn´t a pic of me on stage but i was there, trust me.

I bought a mobile phone shortly after the game. Although sex sells, and I was quite influenced by the Claro Girls, I bought a Tigo - and I never did see a Tigo Girl :-(

bjm

Los Tres Amigos

Los Tres Amigos were 3 great guys (John, John Michael and Jesse) from U of VT. After graduating and spending unproductive time on the ski slopes of Tahoe, they made planes to spend months traveling, together, through Central and South America.

When I knew them in late October and early November, they had great attitudes.

As I read their blog, http://www.journeyquest8.blogspot.com/, they seem to be keeping their spirits high.

Here are a few pics of the boys.

Xela Nights

Since I have just had some success with pics, I need to go backwards to include more from my first few weeks in Xela.

During the first weeks at school, we had Los Juanes a.k.a. Los Tres Amigos (there were two Johns and a Jessie) and Joule, from OZ, Morris from Hawaii, Song from Korea, and Rinske (along with other beauties) from Holland.

And, of course, we had our local hosts - the brother and sister team of Daniel and Sary.
I hope the pics speak for themselves.

Gringos Unite!

As I travel in Costa Rica, and other parts of Central America, I hear about the glut of ¨gringos¨.

For those of you that don´t know, ´gringos´ refers to those from the USA (can´t say ¨American¨as those from the counties of Central America consider themselves ¨Americans¨, too).

A Dutch guy staying in the same hostel as I wrote in his blog

Welcome to the USA, hmm, oops, I meant Costa Rica. It really is so easy to get confused, since there are more Americans around then Costa Ricans.. But, well, in the USA there are no Toucans, so this must be Costa Rica..A bit of Sarcasm from my side, but it practically feels like that. A touristy place, primarily oriented in the American tourist that is here for a few days.

Many ´travelers´, as the backpackers are called these days, comment about the US people in Central America, but, you know, I am sure if I can find plenty of places in Europe that are overrun by people not from that area. If the Europeans could get to a place like Costa Rica with a 5 hour/$400 roundtrip flight, they´d be there in droves.

I left the beach town of Tamarindo because it was too American (i.e., USA), and I feel okay about being here in Monteverde. Sure there are 5 gringos vs the one Dutch in the dorm room but I do not have to spend time with them. Sometimes you have to work to find the locals or the local culture but it can be done.

BTW - I had the best milk shake of my 3 month tour, today, at a cheese factory on the road to Monteverde cloud forest. At 1,100 Colones (about $2.20), I think it was a good deal. I could get a shake in Xela for $1.30 but this was worht the extra 0.90

bjm

Xela Nights 10-31

I have re-sized my pics so it is time to post some old ones.

It was almost 3 months ago but the memories of Halloween in Xela are still in my mind.

Well, not quite true. I do remember having a good time dancing with a German woman, whose name I forget. I remember Los Juanes with bike helmets on for safety. There was Walker, Texas Ranger losing his hat and glasses along the way.

Who could ask for more?

Working on Pics

I am trying to get some pics organized and re-sized so I can add them to the blog.

Until I am able to do that with the good ones, I post one of me, a fellow student (Lynsey) and our homestay Senora (Antoinetta).

The pic is from late November era, prior to me getting my 6-pack and huge biceps.

Nicaragua to Costa Rica

I arrived in Costa Rica today after an trying journey through the countries' border.

The guide books talk about the border crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica taking a few hours. For some reason, I chose not to believe it.

I spent last night in San Juan del Sur - the site of the knife-wielding local. It was all good this time. No knife, no attemted mugging.

This a.m., I caught a taxi ride to the border with 3 Argentinian women. Although more expensive ($5/ea), we thought the taxi would save some time over the two local buses we'd have to take (at about $2). I don't think the taxi saved much time, as i saw some people from the local bus right behind us in line. However, the taxi, while cramped was a bit more comfortable than the local bus.

The paved(?) road from San Juan del Sur to the road that runs to the border is a fine example of....something, I am just not sure what. The road is paved but then there are parts that aren't paved. There appears to be construction going on in some spots but there is no equipment around those areas and there are no people with picks and shovels. There are pot holes, and plenty of them. A ride on the road is somewhat like a slalom race - the cars drive from one shoulder to the other and all parts in between.

After the stomach churning taxi ride, we made it to the border.

As we exited the taxi, we were met by many, many men, each wearing "official" ID badges trying to get us to take "necessary" documents. I do not know if they were trying to sell these free documents and i did not bother trying to find out. the walk from the dropoff point to the gate through which you head to Nicaragua immigration is bit like the wild west (except there are tropical trees around). The street is dirt and all the stores, shuttered or not are covered with a fine layer of dirt. and every where around you, you feel like the people want to rip you off.

I wish I had taken some pics but it was not really a time or place for pics. I just wanted to get on the other side of the border.

We passed through a gate, leading to another dirt road and more people trying to "help" you with every thing as you walk to the Nicaragua immigration building.

While you are making this walk, you have to avoid the semi-trucks with thier trailers and the big international buses. There is no walkway and there are no signs. It is every man, woman and child for themselves.

Once comfortable in a non-moving line, in the hot sun, we were approached by money changers and those offering to speed the immigration process for a $5+ dollar fee. I do not know what they do. My guess is that they are able to take your passport in to an official, who then processes it (probably for a cut of the $5). We went the honest route and well more than one hour later, with passports stamped, we made the +/- half-mile walk through a no man's land of dirt road and trucks to the Costa Rica immigration office. While there are no people trying to rip you off during this walk, there are no signs of any sort to offer any instruction. You follow those in front and hope you end up in the right place.

We did end up in the correct spot. There was a bank inside the immigration building where i was able to change USD$50 for 24,000+ Costa Rica money. (I still don't know what it is called.) I felt somewaht rich carring bills worth 5,000 each - however, they're only worth about USD10.

After another passport stamp, the 4 of us hopped in a taxi for an hour-ish ride to Liberia, CR. The ride cost $4 and it was at least an hour long - on these great Costa Rican roads. Yesterday, I was in a taxi from Rivas, Nic to San Juan del Sur, a 40-ish minute ride for $1.75. In Xela, I took a 10 min taxi ride at a cost of $3.50, which I am told was a good deal. I do not know the how's and what's of taxis but somehow they must all make some money.

After arriving in Liberia, 2 of the Argentinians took off one-way and I hopped on a local bus with the other one to come to Tamarindo. It is on the Pacific and seems like a nice place to come and spend some money. I am staying in a window-less dorm at one of the most popular hostels in town. At $10/night, I would have liked to have a window.

I will go out on the town and see if I can find some salsa. I know not many people are speaking spanish in this town but maybe they are doing some latin dancing.

Oh yeah, for those up north, Costa Rica is hot and humid. You are better off with the chill in the air.

bjm

You know you are in for a good time when...

you are about to board a boat and you see Hawaii´s Morris waiting to board the same boat.

some of you may remember Morris as the ´best man´in my Christmas email.

I hadn´t seen Morris since mid-December in Xela. As it goes here in the traveling world, if you are headed the same direction (south, in this case), you are bound to cross paths at some point.

Our paths crossed on the docks outside Rivas, Nicaragua, while we were waiting for the ferry to Ometepe Island. It was a good reunion.

To get to the ferry, I rode in a taxi with a couple from Denmark and Sweden. I had seen them, but did not talk to them, in Xela (Guate), Granada (Nic) and San Juan del Sur (Nic). Morris saw them, but did not talk to them, in Xela and somewhere in Honduras.

Aside from leaving the island with what may become a scare on my forehead, good times were had by most.

details to follow.

bjm

Day 1: Bad; Day 2: Good, Day 3: Recovery

Greetings to you from San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

I arrived here on Wednesday after a multi-hour trip from Granada. SJdS is set in a natural bay on the Pacific coast. Quite a beautiful spot.

On the 1-1/2 hour bus ride from Rivas (30km away), I met a danish guy. After we arrived here and checked into a hostel, we walked out to where the ocean meets the bay. As we were somewhat close to the furtherest point, we passed some spear fishermen, some gringos and a lone guy sitting on the rocks.

We hung out at the point for a bit and then i headed back alone. I had some sort of cautious feeling as i headed back. I decided to pick up a rock as I made the way toward. As i rounded a corner, I saw the lone guy with his back towards me. he appeared to be headed in the direction of town, too.

I walked passed him, possibly too close. I could have gone a bit wider around him but I did not have much room to maneuver. As I passed, I gave a general ¨hola que tal?¨ greeting. He may or may not have said something in response. Moments later, he was saying ´donde vas?´ ¨Donde vas?´ (Where are you going?). Iwas about to answer him in my best Spanish when he jumps out in front of me with a knife and says somehing about ¨dinero¨.

I am not sure if he used the formal or informal command of ¨dar¨ (to give) or not. I was not about to argue grammar with him. I did not need my dictionary to understand his words - he wanted my money.

The general rule in this situation is, give up the money and get out of there. For some reason, I do not always follow the rules. In this case, I did not happen to have much money, I´d say less than c200 (less than USD 10) but I did not feel the need to give it to him.

When he jumped out in front of me, he seemed to end up more than 6 feet away. While I was scared and nervous, I felt I had a little rooom in which to operate.

I may or may not have lifted up my hand with the rock. For some reason he seemed to hesitate. In either case, i ran like a scared rabbit one way (back toward the dead end of the ocean, but also back to where the Danish guy was) and he ran the other way. Prior to his turning and running really running away, he threw a good-si9zed rock at me. Not to be outdone, I tossed my rock at him.

I do not know if i did the proper thing or not. I got away unharmed and with all my money. I hope it will make hesitate before he tries this again. However, I am sure he will try it again. He never got too close to me with the knife. He could have grabbed me as i passed but he didn´t. i think it was a crime of opportunity by an inexperienced thug.

I won´t let it dampen my spirits but it was hard to get the vision of the knife out of my mind the rest of that day - especially when i saw the guy standing on the corner in downtown near the central market. after i saw him, I went to the police station to inform the proper authorities. by the time 3 cops and i got back to the coner where I last saw the thug, he was gone. i am not sure what would have happened if he had been there.

The second day here, I went to the surf beach, which is a 30 minute truck ride north of town. I did a bit of body surfing and played some beach soccer. My team was a Swede and an Irishman. Our opponents were two Argentinians and an Italian (who wore a tiny orange Speedo. And when I say ´tiny´, I mean much too tiny). It turns out, I am not that good at soccer. I played a game and a half and then I was done for the day - sore feet and sore legs.

The next day, I was a bit sunburned and I had trouble walking. Maybe I should not be playing games with those 15+ years younger than I.

It is saturday, I will stay here one more day. It is tough to leave the sun and the sand.

more later

bjm jan 12, 2008

More Stereotypes

The people of Nicaragua do not work as hard as those in Guatemala. The people of Nicaragua are healthier and richer than those in Guatemala. Guatemalans eat more bread than thos e in Nicaragua.

Again, I do not know how many are true.

The ´healthier´has to do with the number of bikes i see on the street here when compared to Xela. I think that may have to do with the better weather and the better (and flatter) roads.

It may not be fair to compare Xela with Granada, as they are towns of different sizes and different climates and different peoples, but I throw out my first impressions to see what sticks. I doubt i will be here long enough to see what is left on the wall.

Tomorrow, or someday soon, I will be off to Costa Rica.

bjm 1.7.08

Don´t Stereotype

Well, I know I shouldn´t stereotype but it is hard not to when you see the truth in front of you.

What is the truth? People are taller in Nicaragua. It is possible to see more birds in one afternoon in Granada than 10 weeks in Xela. The cars in Nicaragua are in better condition than those in Guatemala. There are more gays in Granada than in Xela. Lake Nicaragua is not clean. Fruit is cheaper in Granada than in Xela. People feeel safer in Granada than in Xela.

I am not sure how many of the above are true, but in less than 24 hours here, they seem to be facts.

I have seen more birds today than during my 10 weeks. That is true. They did not look to be too interesting but there were more of them. It may be that there are more green spaces here than in Xela. I am no expert but i think brids like trees and grass. Granada seems to have more of both.

I do not know if the people are safer here than in Xela - I went out for a walk in downtown and it did not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. But during the day here, many people have their (gated) front doors open. It may be due to the warm temps and the desire for a bit of a breeze. I am not sure. it is interesting to walk on the sidewalk and practically be in someone´s living room. I feels a bit awkward.

I do not know if all fruit is cheaper in Granada but I did buy a pineapple for 3 Cordobas - less than $0.20. In Xela, good piñas will run $1 or more.

I took a walk to the lake this afternoon. (All notes say do not walk (alone or in groups) there at night. It seemed safe in the day light.) It is big - 20th biggest in the world. Although I did not see any, the lake contains swordfish, tarpon, and sharks. I don´t think there are too many places where you will find freshwater shark. However, I am no expert on sharks so do not take my word for it.

A guy on the Managua - Granada bus (who guessed that I was 48 y.o.) told me that there are more than 400 islands in the lake. I do not think I will visit them all but there is one, good-sized island, Ometepe, that may be worth a visit.

If I do not take a ferry there, maybe it will be a bus down south. Or I may spend another day in a warm and sunny town.

bjm 1.7.08

Granada, Nicaragua

Hello to you from Nicaragua. I left Xela at 04:00 this past Saturday. After a 4 hour bus trip, I arrived in Guatemala City, a place in which I have never wanted to spend too much time. I got a Q35 (less than $5, very good deal) cab ride to another bus station for my bus to Nicaragua.

Since I had 3+ hours to kill before my bus, I went to the mall across from the station. It seemed more Tysons Mall Virginia than the Guatemala I knew for the past 10 weeks. The people I saw looked like those i would see in the DC area. After breakfast at Burger King, I headed back to the station.

I caught a 1:00 pm bus for Managua, Nicaragua. Along the way, I passed through El Salvador and Honduras. We stopped for the night in San Carlos (I think) El Salvador. The town is right next to San Salvador. What i was able to see of San Salvador, through the bus windows, looked quite nice. What I saw of San Carlos....not so nice.

For US$8, I got a 5.5 ft x 9-ish foot room with 2 ¨beds¨ and use of a shared toilet/(cold) shower (1 foot from each other).

I woke at 04:00 or so to continue the bus ride to Managua. One thing you notice on the bus ride out of Guatemala is that the roads are much better as you head south. the ¨highways¨in guatemala, outside the Guate City, are a mixture of dirt, stones, pavement, and small city streets. My bus ride seemed to be on real highways and nice two-lane roads.

I am not sure if i set foot in Honduras. If I did, it was only at a border. I did notice that it appeared to be sunny and hilly along my road. I am sure the people are quite nice.

During the ride to Managua, I met a El Salvadorean who works in Managua. She didn´t speak any English so I got to speak Spanish. I won´t say ¨work¨on my Spanish because i did not seem to use or to learn any new words. I spoke a bit too much English the last few weeks in Xela so it was good to speak to someone who had no English.

I also met an Aussie guy on the bus. Once we hit Managua, I hopped in a cab with the Aussie guy to catch a bus ($1.25) to Granada, Nicaragua.

The first thing you notice about Nicaragua, after Xela, Gautemala, is that it is hot - or, at least, quite warm. I am wearing shorts for the first time in 2 months. Not that many people want to see my skinny legs in shorts these days. I weighed myself, one more time, before leaving Guate. i weighed in at 165lbs. I think It is my lowest weight in years (20+ years) but i am not sure. I seem to have lost many of my muscles (or maybe i never had them).

I do not know what I will do here or how long I will stay.

I am told there is a big lake nearby. Maybe I will check it out.

bjm 7 jan 2008

Leaving Xela....I mean it this time

I am heading out of Xela at 0400 tomorrow. This time, I mean it.

After some weeks and many good times, it is time to head out on the road again. I will take a bus to Guatemala City and then catch a 1:00 pm bus to Nicaragua. +/- 24 later, I will arrive in Managua.

I am told that there are two countries between Guatemal and Nicaragua but I will miss them both.

I am not sure what will happen in Nicaragua, but I know it is closer to South America. And South America is where i am trying to head.

All for now.

bjm 1/4/08

Xela New Years

Not since high school (10th or 11th grade) have i had such a new years eve.

I began the night with a simple dinner at ´home´with a Xela friend of mine. Her boyfriend was otherwise occupied so she called me.

After dinner and dropping her off at her apartment, I wandered the city looking for action.

Leonard Cohen once said ¨the place is dead as Heaven on a Saturday night.¨

I am not sure he was speaking of Xela on New Year`s Eve but I would not doubt it.

At around 11:00 pm or so, I passed by all the bars and clubs near el centro. Most were nearly empty and some were closed. I wanded in to La Parranda, one of my usual dance spots. I was able to find an empty stool (or 15) at the bar. I did not count but i am guessing there were 20 or so people there at 11:30. At 11:30 on a typical weekend night, there would be 150 or so.

I started a conversation with the couple next to me (from BC Canada). The woman used to be known as Jessica or Elizabeth (I didn´t quite get it and I did not hear the guy´s name) but a few weeks ago she changed her name to Raven. I am trying to think what my traveling name should be.

We talked to the owner. he assured us that the place would be packed at 12:30. Most people spend the 0:00 with their family.

There was no 2008 countdown at the bar. We were not certain when it was 2008 until we heard the fireworks. Christmas fireworks were something and I am not sure how they compare to the New Years´ones. from just outside the bar, i could not see too much but i could hear the noise. And the noise seemed to continue for a good 15 minutes.

Back in the bar, it was still empty. 12:30 came and went without the big crowds.

At 1:15 or so, I looked around and saw that there were 100+ people n the bar and a line out the door. I do not know when they came or where they came from but they all seemed to come at about the same time.

I stayed at the club until after 2:00and then hit another club, where my dinner companion was working. Her club did not open until 12:30. After not dancing for an hour or so, I headed home. 2008 was here and I was a bit tired and I still felt the loud music ringing in my ears.

in 10th or 11th grade, I spent midnight NYE in a car on Route 690, heading from one part of Syracuse to another part. I forget who was in the car. Since it was midnight and we were in a car and on the highway, I am sure it was a couple of knuckleheads like myself.

Next year will be different. I am sure of it.

bjm 1/3/08

Singapore New Year´s Greetings

Wishing you all a Happy New Year from Singapore!! We just arrived home from New Zealand. It is already 2008 by New Zealand time and we only have a few hours before the New Year will be upon us in Singapore-- though I doubt if any of us will be awake to ring in the New Year-- we started our day at 6:30 AM New Zealand time (that's five hours ahead of Singapore!)

By way of a trip update, we spent several fun filled but jam packed days in Rotorua, New Zealand, our last stop before returning home to Singapore.On the way to Rotorua, we stopped at Hobbiton-- the site of the Hobbit scenes from the Lord of the Rings movie. While we didn't tour the actual movie set (that would have required a whole half day we just didn't have), the town has reinvented itself with lots of Hobbit like buildings and memorabilia. At long last, we arrived in Rotorua-- a geothermic activity zone and the heartland of the Maori Culture.We toured the geothermic area in the city center which was filled with hot springs, bubbling mud pots and beautifully colored waters of blue and teal. Now Connor will be the first to tell you, the smell of the place was not quite so beautiful. Everything reaks of sulfur-- not sure how these folks live in it year round. While you do sort of get used to it after a while, it does take some getting used to first thing every morning.On Saturday, we got up bright and early so that we could head to Wai-O-Tapu-- billed as New Zealand's most colorful volcanic area. We got up early to see the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts each morning and reaches heights of 20 meters (@ 65 feet). Wai-O-Tapu's hot springs, volcanic craters and mineral terraces lived up to their billing as they were of the most amazing colors we have ever seen. Beautiful blue and teal waters hitting up against sulfur yellow and rust colored rocks. There was one pool that was the most incredible flourescent lime green we had ever seen. It didn't even seem like it could possibly be a natural color. On the drive out of the park, we stopped to see spectacular boiling pots of mud-- some as large 50 feet across. The mud boils so violently that it can spit and sling mud up to ten feet in the air and occassionally horizontally across as Sean and the kids learned. Thankfully, the mud cools considerably as it travels through the air though the kids did say it was still warm as it splattered on them! I wouldn't know about that as I stayed a more "comfortable" distance from the spitting pots!!We then headed to Mount Ngongotaha for an afternoon of extreme outdoor adventures. We began by taking a Gondola ride up the mountain with incredible views of the city, Lake Rotorua and the surrounding themal activity zones.Near the top of the mountain is Rotorua's famous luge where you can ride a three wheeled self controlled cart down winding, curving asphalt tracks. There are three track's-- a two kilometer scenic route, an intermediate track and an advanced track. The scenic route twisted and turned through the mountain's Redwood Forest and was the only one I ventured down.Sean and the three kids tried the intermediate track and the big kids ventured down the advanced track.In the end, they all came back to the scenic route as it was the longest track and gave you a bit more of a ride!!After many rides down the luge, it was off to Agra Adventures where Sean, Caitlin and Connor tried their hand at some "extreme activities." Shannon and I were content to be among the many spectators for the events.First up was a ride on the Agrajet-- a 450 horsepower, jet propelled race boat which reaches speeds of 100 Kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds and then stays near that speed over a manmade race course requiring extreme. 90 degree turns around rock islands. The event ends with a 360 degree turn. Then it was onto some Extreme Freefall Body Flying-- think of this as free fall skydiving without having to jump out of the plane. You lay on a net above an airplane jet engine which propels you into the air. Sean and the kids had a blast though they were exhausted by the time they were done. After dinner, it was back to the hotel for some Halibut Head and then on to bed.Sunday was also an early start as we headed to Te Puia-- New Zealand's Maori Cultural Center. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand with a distinct language and culture. The Te Puia Center is built within the Wahakarewarewa Geothermic Valley which houses the Pohutu Geyser and hundreds of hot springs and boiling mud pots. The Pohutu Geyser is one of the largest and most forceful geysers in the area and we were lucky enough to see it blow during our visit.We also got to experience a Maori Cultural Performance. Each performance begins by selecting a "Chief" for the event. And our Chief was none other than our own Sean Murray. That meant, he was the center of the ceremonial activities and we got to sit front and center for the performance. We saw beautiful native dances and the famous Maori "Haka"-- a dance traditionally done by the Maori warriors before they headed off for battle. And for all you Rugby fans-- the haka has now been made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Team who begin each game by doing the "Haka.". Both Sean and Connor went up on stage to learn the Haka from the "Pros"-- we have great photos of the whole event!!After the event, we ate corn on the cob cooked in 90 degree Centigrade water in a nearby hot spring. We got to watch it cook and then feasted on the delicious corn. While at Te Puia, we were able to see wood carving and weaving demonstrations and were able to talk with some of the artists.Following Te Puia, it was back to the Luge for another afternoon of fun.Then it was on the Rainbow Springs Nature Park for a closer look at some of New Zealand's wildlife. The highlight was our first sighting of a Kiwi-- the flightless national bird of New Zealand which looks a bit like a porcupine on webbed feet.We skipped out for a Maori Dinner Show back at our hotel where we were able to eat Hangi-- food cooked in a hot spring just outside the window of the performance theater. Our tickets to Rainbow Springs Nature Park allowed for a 24 hour entry so we dashed backed for a colorful lighted walk through the park.Our walk culminated with a stop by the nighttime Kiwi exhibit. There we were able to see Kiwis in their natural habitat at night when they are most active.We sat in the large enclosure for nearly an hour before we heard the first rustlings of the Kiwis awaking from their slumber in search of dinner. They are odd looking creatures whose brown bodies are nearly hidden in the nighttime forest. They would be impossible to see were it not for their long yellow beaks which they use to sniff about. They are truly adorable little creatures though so helpless it is not hard to see why they are now an endangered species. To see them in their natural habitat was truly an incredible experience-- a great way to end our trip.This morning was an early start as we made the three hour trek back to Auckland to catch our ten hour flight to Singapore.We have four days to recoup before we begin the second half of our holiday adventure-- our African Safari in Kenya. This is our gift to Caitlin and Connor who are fast approaching "Big Birthdays"-- Connor turns 16 on January 4 and Caitlin turns 18 on January 8. We are looking forward to meeting up with Evan who will be joining us from Malawi.Here's hoping you all have a great New Year's celebration and that 2008 will be a terrific year for everyone.Love to all