Quick update:
On Monday we left Guatemala with the hopes of making it to San Christobal de las Casas, a famous historic city in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. No chance. Too far. We decided to spend the night in the city of Villahermosa. After some frustrating searching we actually found a beautiful hostel with good beds and great prices. Spontaneously we decided a nearby nature reserve the next morning. My highlight: The tiger cage. After the tour was over, I went back. The big yellow-black tiger was lying about 15-20' away from me in the shade. Through the fence I started looking right at him. After about a minute, he got up and come over. He started walking along the fence, alternating left and then turning right again and so on, never moving more than 2 yards away from me. I was kneeling. So I decided to test how the tiger would react to an attack threat - and suddenly quickly stood up behind the fence right as he past by. The tiger - no noise, nothing - right away also jumped up, paws on the fence, ending up in a position slightly taller than me. Thanks fence!! ;-)
Later that day we made it to San Christobal - who I have to say is even better than San Miguel, which I consider my Mexican hometown. Slightly larger, and way more cute walking-only streets lined with shops, cafes, bars, restaurants etc. I do have to say that I believe the atmosphere is better in San Miguel, but of course I'm biased.
After spending the day yesterday exploring (during which I finally bought a hammock, so now I have a bed anywhere in the world where I can find two trees [or something similarly useful] close enough together). It was a nice relaxing day, and - we enjoyed the much better food Mexico has to offer compared to what I've seen of Central America.
This morning we took off for the Pacific Coast - and am sitting in a restaurant in Huatulco, Oaxaca now, trying to figure out what to do next. On the way down here, in some little town, we suddenly encountered a traffic jam in front of a bridge we had to cross. We were able to figure out that some demonstration and a political campaign speech were going on, and the bridge was gonna be closed for a while. A friendly guy close by gave us directions to bypass the bridge (sounded like a little detour). Following the directions, we suddenly noticed how most vehicle (that came from the same place) turned down a little dirt path. We followed. Down dusty roads/paths, the caravan slowly made it's way through the river delta. After crossing two rivers at shallow areas and some more dirt paths we got back on track after ~ 15 minutes - really cool.
Sorry - no pictures yet, have to get on that. They will follow soon.
And here some pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/ZipoliteWay#
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, 03/20/2010
No super-spectacular news this time. But adventurous even so.
A quick follow-up on the execution we witnessed: From what I gather this could be related to two things, 1) rival drug cartel violence or 2) political (Honduras had a military coup recently that resulted in a new leader, whom many of the poor Hondurans are not happy with and are conducting propaganda against). It appears to be an extremely rare event for Honduras.
In the border region between northern Honduras and Guatemala we saw some absolutely fantastic landscapes, and I found a valley that I'd buy in a heartbeat to built a ranch on if I had the money.
We spent a day in Rio Dulce, a small town at the edge of Lake Itzabal where the river Rio Dulce flows out of the lake towards the Caribbean.Taking a boat tour through the river to Livingston (at the coast) supposedly offers spectacular wildlife views, but we decided $30 was too much for the roundtrip fare. We did have a really, really cool hotel though, right in the middle of the jungle (see pics & below):
Leaving Rio Dulce we headed East towards Semuc Champey, a place with some beautiful (even though small) waterfalls where the river has carved out something of a tunnel, providing some great pools in the rocky areas above and fantastic sceneries. The drive certainly showed why the route was NOT recommended – first we drove along Lake Itzabal, enjoying gorgeous views, before the road turned into a rather rough path, passing the occasional village. Road signs were completely absent, as were any signs indicating the names of the places we came through. Every turn we came up to we had to guess which way to go, and ask the next possible person if we were on the right track. We arrived late at night (9pm – late for a mountain area where they have no electricity).
We spent the next day enjoying Semuc Champey and stayed another night – in another hotel – also w/ no electricity. They do provide electricity (via a generator) for a few hours a day if enough guests are there.
After that we headed up to Flores, a little island in Lake Peten Itza in Northern Guatemala. It's a beautiful little island, however, tourism has take it's toll – prices are quite step and any traditional feel has been replaced by souvenir shops and hotels. Lots of Mayan Pyramids around here. We're heading out to see one now, and then we're probably off to Belize. Pictures of this to follow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/03gRioDulce#
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/03hSemucChampey#
A quick follow-up on the execution we witnessed: From what I gather this could be related to two things, 1) rival drug cartel violence or 2) political (Honduras had a military coup recently that resulted in a new leader, whom many of the poor Hondurans are not happy with and are conducting propaganda against). It appears to be an extremely rare event for Honduras.
In the border region between northern Honduras and Guatemala we saw some absolutely fantastic landscapes, and I found a valley that I'd buy in a heartbeat to built a ranch on if I had the money.
We spent a day in Rio Dulce, a small town at the edge of Lake Itzabal where the river Rio Dulce flows out of the lake towards the Caribbean.Taking a boat tour through the river to Livingston (at the coast) supposedly offers spectacular wildlife views, but we decided $30 was too much for the roundtrip fare. We did have a really, really cool hotel though, right in the middle of the jungle (see pics & below):
Leaving Rio Dulce we headed East towards Semuc Champey, a place with some beautiful (even though small) waterfalls where the river has carved out something of a tunnel, providing some great pools in the rocky areas above and fantastic sceneries. The drive certainly showed why the route was NOT recommended – first we drove along Lake Itzabal, enjoying gorgeous views, before the road turned into a rather rough path, passing the occasional village. Road signs were completely absent, as were any signs indicating the names of the places we came through. Every turn we came up to we had to guess which way to go, and ask the next possible person if we were on the right track. We arrived late at night (9pm – late for a mountain area where they have no electricity).
We spent the next day enjoying Semuc Champey and stayed another night – in another hotel – also w/ no electricity. They do provide electricity (via a generator) for a few hours a day if enough guests are there.
After that we headed up to Flores, a little island in Lake Peten Itza in Northern Guatemala. It's a beautiful little island, however, tourism has take it's toll – prices are quite step and any traditional feel has been replaced by souvenir shops and hotels. Lots of Mayan Pyramids around here. We're heading out to see one now, and then we're probably off to Belize. Pictures of this to follow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/03gRioDulce#
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/03hSemucChampey#
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, 03/15/2010 Rio Dulce, Guatemala
First off - I'm sorry I didn't update the blog for more than a week. Weak or no internet access as well as loosing my camera didn't help.
Yesterday I saw three guys get killed on the side of the road - certainly one of the less pleasant sides of the trip. More about that later.
Utila:
I finished my Advanced Open Water Diver and my Rescue Diver certification, which now enables me to start a Divemaster-intership - which I'm planning to do in 2-3 weeks. However, I don't see myself as a future scuba-diving instructor, so getting an instructor license afterwards is not on the agenda. Below - our dive boat:
Other than that there is not that much more to report. Kate and I had some cool walk-the-island excursions. We tried to go see the wreck of a drug-plane, which went down a few weeks ago. Those guys use Utila on their route from South America to the US as a refueling point at night. Apparently a few weeks ago they were blocked from landing, ran out of fuel and crashed into the jungle adjacent to the airfield. Officials found $250 million worth in cocaine, which they told us was later publicly burned. (Airport below)
We, however, despite following precise directions, could not locate it - and ended up in the middle of the jungle at nightfall came. We headed back on some mysterious route that probably no man has walked before (we at some point ended up in someone's backyard and had to jump their fence to get back out on the road), but saw some really cool wildlife while walking back.
I decided to travel for a few weeks with Kate after my courses, since it's so much more fun to travel together and it's much more economical. The day before we wanted to leave Utila, Kate walks into this restaurant (where they have a better internet connection). I follow her about an hour later, and find her talking to some guy - Art - who offered us a free sail-trip to the island of Roatan (the Honduras "Bay Islands" consist of three major islands: Utila, Roatan (the largest and prettiest), and Guanaja). Art is fairly new to sailing, and felt more comfortable taking some "extra hands" along. His buddy Dave, who's been sailing for a long time, was coming along on his own boat (a little bit of comfort for me) ;-)
I spontaneously said yes, and after clearing up some of the details we were ready to go. At 6am the next morning Art picked us up at the dock, and at about 7am we took of to Roatan. While I was steering, we suddenly ran into some hefty winds, and I almost thought the boat would capsize (not even close as I learned later).
Once there, we visited Fantasy Island (a small island right next to Roatan). There is a big dive-shop and a hotel-resort there. We saw some cool white-face monkeys (pictures to follow) and just before leaving I met Jami - who owns a Live Aboard (bigger dive-ship that goes out for multiple days and has cabins in which the divers stay), and also trains diver masters as well as scuba instructors. Long story short - now I have a second option where I could do my divemaster. And this one is more economical (free room and board) and Roatan is a much nicer place. Have to do some thinking now.
La Ceiba - Harbour-city and connection point to Utila & Roatan:
We left Roatan the following day and met "Tony" on the ferry - he's an American engineer who grew up in Honduras and heads a non-profit over here. He recommended us to "Omega Tours", a hotel in the middle of the jungle (one of the biggest cloud-jungles in Central America).
We met up with him there that night, and had a small, spontaneous party - before white water rafting the next morning.
After white water rafting the next morning, we headed off for San Pedro Sula - an ugly, and somewhat unsafe city. It is a large industrial town, and somehow all the roads of Honduras seem to converge there. After we passed the city of Tela, which is about halfway, I suddenly here something like firecrackers. The traffic slows in front of me. I notice there is no car coming at me, but there is a Nissan truck kind of parked on the side of the road about 20 yards ahead. As we pass, I suddenly realize that there is a shooting going on, - or, to be more precise, an execution. I will save you further details. After passing, I view what's going on in the rear view mirror, and stop the car ~ 100 yards behind the scene as I see the truck with the killers take off. I ask Kate to hand me my first aid kit, and tell her to stay in the car - then I run off to check if I can still help anyone. I arrive at the same time with a few women from the houses around, which cry hysterically. It is right away apparent any help is too late.
Not a bright and sunny story. And no - not a common occurrence - this morning we told the story to Steve, who has lived in Honduras for 13 years - and has never witnessed anything like this. But to witness this in brought daylight has certainly left a mark. From what I hear these kind of crimes are all drug related. It still seems surreal. Time to take a moment and be glad to be alive.
So far for now. Crossed into Guatemala today. Gonna spend some time in the northern part, then on to Belize and then Yucatan.
New pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05dUtila2#
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05eRoatan#
Yesterday I saw three guys get killed on the side of the road - certainly one of the less pleasant sides of the trip. More about that later.
Utila:
I finished my Advanced Open Water Diver and my Rescue Diver certification, which now enables me to start a Divemaster-intership - which I'm planning to do in 2-3 weeks. However, I don't see myself as a future scuba-diving instructor, so getting an instructor license afterwards is not on the agenda. Below - our dive boat:
Other than that there is not that much more to report. Kate and I had some cool walk-the-island excursions. We tried to go see the wreck of a drug-plane, which went down a few weeks ago. Those guys use Utila on their route from South America to the US as a refueling point at night. Apparently a few weeks ago they were blocked from landing, ran out of fuel and crashed into the jungle adjacent to the airfield. Officials found $250 million worth in cocaine, which they told us was later publicly burned. (Airport below)
We, however, despite following precise directions, could not locate it - and ended up in the middle of the jungle at nightfall came. We headed back on some mysterious route that probably no man has walked before (we at some point ended up in someone's backyard and had to jump their fence to get back out on the road), but saw some really cool wildlife while walking back.
I decided to travel for a few weeks with Kate after my courses, since it's so much more fun to travel together and it's much more economical. The day before we wanted to leave Utila, Kate walks into this restaurant (where they have a better internet connection). I follow her about an hour later, and find her talking to some guy - Art - who offered us a free sail-trip to the island of Roatan (the Honduras "Bay Islands" consist of three major islands: Utila, Roatan (the largest and prettiest), and Guanaja). Art is fairly new to sailing, and felt more comfortable taking some "extra hands" along. His buddy Dave, who's been sailing for a long time, was coming along on his own boat (a little bit of comfort for me) ;-)
I spontaneously said yes, and after clearing up some of the details we were ready to go. At 6am the next morning Art picked us up at the dock, and at about 7am we took of to Roatan. While I was steering, we suddenly ran into some hefty winds, and I almost thought the boat would capsize (not even close as I learned later).
Once there, we visited Fantasy Island (a small island right next to Roatan). There is a big dive-shop and a hotel-resort there. We saw some cool white-face monkeys (pictures to follow) and just before leaving I met Jami - who owns a Live Aboard (bigger dive-ship that goes out for multiple days and has cabins in which the divers stay), and also trains diver masters as well as scuba instructors. Long story short - now I have a second option where I could do my divemaster. And this one is more economical (free room and board) and Roatan is a much nicer place. Have to do some thinking now.
La Ceiba - Harbour-city and connection point to Utila & Roatan:
We left Roatan the following day and met "Tony" on the ferry - he's an American engineer who grew up in Honduras and heads a non-profit over here. He recommended us to "Omega Tours", a hotel in the middle of the jungle (one of the biggest cloud-jungles in Central America).
We met up with him there that night, and had a small, spontaneous party - before white water rafting the next morning.
After white water rafting the next morning, we headed off for San Pedro Sula - an ugly, and somewhat unsafe city. It is a large industrial town, and somehow all the roads of Honduras seem to converge there. After we passed the city of Tela, which is about halfway, I suddenly here something like firecrackers. The traffic slows in front of me. I notice there is no car coming at me, but there is a Nissan truck kind of parked on the side of the road about 20 yards ahead. As we pass, I suddenly realize that there is a shooting going on, - or, to be more precise, an execution. I will save you further details. After passing, I view what's going on in the rear view mirror, and stop the car ~ 100 yards behind the scene as I see the truck with the killers take off. I ask Kate to hand me my first aid kit, and tell her to stay in the car - then I run off to check if I can still help anyone. I arrive at the same time with a few women from the houses around, which cry hysterically. It is right away apparent any help is too late.
Not a bright and sunny story. And no - not a common occurrence - this morning we told the story to Steve, who has lived in Honduras for 13 years - and has never witnessed anything like this. But to witness this in brought daylight has certainly left a mark. From what I hear these kind of crimes are all drug related. It still seems surreal. Time to take a moment and be glad to be alive.
So far for now. Crossed into Guatemala today. Gonna spend some time in the northern part, then on to Belize and then Yucatan.
New pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05dUtila2#
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05eRoatan#
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday, 03/06/2010 Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras
I almost stole another boat yesterday. But then the owner gave us a ride.
However, I could not resist a house break-in.
So on Wednesday morning it was time to leave Lago Joyoa. I'm supposed to give Ari (an Israeli who is just finishing med school in East Tennessee) a ride to La Ceiba (from here the ferry to Utila leaves), and Dillenger and Ana (both Americans who travel all the time) a ride to Tela (city on the ocean straight north from here). Dillenger, who is (kind of) the nephew of the owner Bob (of D&D brewery, the place we are staying at), has essentially been running the place for the past 6 months. I was told he and Ana were going on vacation for 3 days in Tela, but this morning I suddenly figure out that he is leaving for good - I'm shocked - things change fast down here. So well. The drive goes very smooth - thanks to excellent directions we got. We get to see some interesting horse-transport methods -
but Ari and I arrive in La Ceiba too late to catch the last ferry. Since I've heard that prices in Utila for food (and drinks) are fairly high, and I'm - as always - a frugal bastard - I buy a 1 liter bottle of rum this evening. Ari does the same. The cool thing about traveling like this is that most 3rd world travelers are similarly price-conscious, and hardly anyone goes by that "I don't care what it costs, I'm on vacation"-mentality.
Next morning - this is our ferry:
the fact that is entirely enclosed is a little concerning. It's very rough sees - after the first three minutes I start feeling like I actually might get sick - and I usually never get seasick. But after a few minutes things calm down a little bit and I feel better again, even though it remains a bumpy ride.
Arrived in Utila I fight my way past all the guys that want to convince you that their hotel / dive center is the best. I make way way up the street along the bay to check out dive shops. Over here you typically get free accommodation if you do a course, and since I'm planning to do 2 courses there is no need for a hotel. Despite a good impression at Cross Creek I decide to go with Underwater Vision - they just have an awesome ambience in their complex.
After a refresher dive on day one, and my first two dives of my course yesterday morning, I went for lunch with Kate, a girl from Poland, yesterday. After lunch, we continued walking until we reached the other side of town. There is a lagoon on the inland that runs parallel to the bay, and we wondered if it was connected to the ocean. We saw a little motor-boat anchored, and since I now have experience in boat-stealing I was in the process of convincing Kate that we should steal the boat and go find out - as the rightful owner suddenly comes driving up in a small golf-cart. He has a body in one of these strap-ons in front of him, a 5-gallon container of water and a box of groceries with him. I ask him if the lagoon is connected, and he says yes - and invites us to come with him since this is his way. His house is right where the two meet, so we can walk back from there. We agree, and help him get the water and groceries in the boat (not the easiest tasks to do on your own if you have a baby strapped in front of you). It turns out he is from Corsica, his wife is from Quebec, Canada, and they bought a sailboat in Guatemala - which is where their son was born. They sailed down here, but now his wife is pregnant again and they decided to stay for a few years. As we arrive, I take out his water and groceries and then we say good-bye.
On our way back, we saw this really cool wood-home that was under construction, standing on steltz. I thought this was worth checking out, and made Kate into my partner in crime. After stepping on construction material that covered swampy-underground, we made it to the stairs. The door was open, and we get to check out the place.
Beautiful. I would have opted for a different layout, but other than that I loved it. To the back they had a nice view of the lagoon, and to the front of the ocean. The night ended calm – I was tired from only sleeping four hours the night before (I got up at 5am to read about my upcoming dives), so I went to bed at 9.30pm.
This morning I got up at 6am and read some more for my dives today. After a wreck dive and an underwater navigation dive this morning, it's time for a siesta now. I'll have a night-dive tonight, after which I'll be an “Advanced Open Water Diver”. I'll take the camera on the boat tonight and try to take some pictures. Adios ….
I've been battling with the damn uploading now for about 2 hours. The system is super slow, I just had all the pics in the blog that I wanted, and then the damn system gives me some html error. Whatever. Check out the pics on the picasa link. I'll put them in once I have a decent connection again.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05cUtila#
However, I could not resist a house break-in.
So on Wednesday morning it was time to leave Lago Joyoa. I'm supposed to give Ari (an Israeli who is just finishing med school in East Tennessee) a ride to La Ceiba (from here the ferry to Utila leaves), and Dillenger and Ana (both Americans who travel all the time) a ride to Tela (city on the ocean straight north from here). Dillenger, who is (kind of) the nephew of the owner Bob (of D&D brewery, the place we are staying at), has essentially been running the place for the past 6 months. I was told he and Ana were going on vacation for 3 days in Tela, but this morning I suddenly figure out that he is leaving for good - I'm shocked - things change fast down here. So well. The drive goes very smooth - thanks to excellent directions we got. We get to see some interesting horse-transport methods -
but Ari and I arrive in La Ceiba too late to catch the last ferry. Since I've heard that prices in Utila for food (and drinks) are fairly high, and I'm - as always - a frugal bastard - I buy a 1 liter bottle of rum this evening. Ari does the same. The cool thing about traveling like this is that most 3rd world travelers are similarly price-conscious, and hardly anyone goes by that "I don't care what it costs, I'm on vacation"-mentality.
Next morning - this is our ferry:
the fact that is entirely enclosed is a little concerning. It's very rough sees - after the first three minutes I start feeling like I actually might get sick - and I usually never get seasick. But after a few minutes things calm down a little bit and I feel better again, even though it remains a bumpy ride.
Arrived in Utila I fight my way past all the guys that want to convince you that their hotel / dive center is the best. I make way way up the street along the bay to check out dive shops. Over here you typically get free accommodation if you do a course, and since I'm planning to do 2 courses there is no need for a hotel. Despite a good impression at Cross Creek I decide to go with Underwater Vision - they just have an awesome ambience in their complex.
After a refresher dive on day one, and my first two dives of my course yesterday morning, I went for lunch with Kate, a girl from Poland, yesterday. After lunch, we continued walking until we reached the other side of town. There is a lagoon on the inland that runs parallel to the bay, and we wondered if it was connected to the ocean. We saw a little motor-boat anchored, and since I now have experience in boat-stealing I was in the process of convincing Kate that we should steal the boat and go find out - as the rightful owner suddenly comes driving up in a small golf-cart. He has a body in one of these strap-ons in front of him, a 5-gallon container of water and a box of groceries with him. I ask him if the lagoon is connected, and he says yes - and invites us to come with him since this is his way. His house is right where the two meet, so we can walk back from there. We agree, and help him get the water and groceries in the boat (not the easiest tasks to do on your own if you have a baby strapped in front of you). It turns out he is from Corsica, his wife is from Quebec, Canada, and they bought a sailboat in Guatemala - which is where their son was born. They sailed down here, but now his wife is pregnant again and they decided to stay for a few years. As we arrive, I take out his water and groceries and then we say good-bye.
On our way back, we saw this really cool wood-home that was under construction, standing on steltz. I thought this was worth checking out, and made Kate into my partner in crime. After stepping on construction material that covered swampy-underground, we made it to the stairs. The door was open, and we get to check out the place.
Beautiful. I would have opted for a different layout, but other than that I loved it. To the back they had a nice view of the lagoon, and to the front of the ocean. The night ended calm – I was tired from only sleeping four hours the night before (I got up at 5am to read about my upcoming dives), so I went to bed at 9.30pm.
This morning I got up at 6am and read some more for my dives today. After a wreck dive and an underwater navigation dive this morning, it's time for a siesta now. I'll have a night-dive tonight, after which I'll be an “Advanced Open Water Diver”. I'll take the camera on the boat tonight and try to take some pictures. Adios ….
I've been battling with the damn uploading now for about 2 hours. The system is super slow, I just had all the pics in the blog that I wanted, and then the damn system gives me some html error. Whatever. Check out the pics on the picasa link. I'll put them in once I have a decent connection again.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05cUtila#
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, 03/02/2010 Lago Joyoa, Honduras
Two days ago I stole a boat. We did return it later. We also met the rightful owner on the lake.
So after updating the blog on Friday afternoon, I went back to the hotel and overheard how the guy from the hotel wanted to rip of three American girls that needed a ride to San Pedro Sula (1.5hrs away) that night - he wanted $150. So I told them I was heading there that evening and could give them a ride. They gave me $40 for gas, and after Lise and I checked into a hotel I took them to the airport.
The next day Lise and I headed down to Lago Joyoa and got a room in D&D Brewery. Bob, the owner, used to be a civil engineer in the US but got tired of live over there about 14 years ago - and opened his microbrewery/hotel over here. Relaxing was on schedule for the rest of the day ...
On Sunday morning we went on a little tour around the neighborhood. Fidel, a neighbor who has a huge garden, invites us in and shows us around - he grows red beans right now. But it changes frequently - they have four harvest cycles over here.
As we walk on, we come by Doug's house - an American who used to live in Belize working on boats. A few months ago he came down here, bought an overgrown property and has been cleaning it up. We got to enjoy some great fauna and flora as well as got to see some great (hanging) bird's nest afterwards.
In the afternoon two German girls arrived at the hotel - Lena and Susanne. I go for a walk w/ them to get a view of the lake. The view from shore sucks! We keep going on some little path, and end up at a small canal. There are two little boats lying around. We decided to "borrow" one - which of course is stealing, even though we are planning to bring it back.
As I'm trying to figure out the rowing, we're slowly making our way to the lake. We finally get our views - even though it's overcast today. After about 10 mins we decide to head back. Approaching the canal entrance, another boat approaches us. The guys tells us he's the owner of our boat. First we're a little in shock - how upset is he going to be?? But then he just tells us we need to change boats and return the other one soon. After we switched, we noticed why - our boat had been filling a little with water - and he brought a bucket, so he can get it out. Our new boat seems to be watertight. We eat Chinese that night - huge portions, not cheap, and poor service - common over here as we find out.
The next day the three of us head off to the waterfalls. They are 43m (140ft) high and the main attraction of the area. After taking a look around, we decide to do the ziplining before the behind-the-falls tour - no reason to be wet for ziplining. They have five lines, that last one of which takes you right across in front of the falls - awesome feeling.
Then a guide takes us behind the falls. First we have to climb quite a bit a narrow path to get to the side of the falls. Then we actually make our way through the water to get behind and check out some of the caves there. There are some smaller waterfalls on the side which we also explore. At the end, the guide and I also jump off a cliff about 20' high into the water. The girls bail on this one. They are missing out - it's great.
After a relaxing afternoon we finish the night of with some (mediocre) pizza. Back to local food next time.
Today is Tuesday. Lena and Susanne had to leave this morning to pick up a friend in the capitol. I'm planning to head north towards the beach tomorrow with Dillenger (the owners nephew who helps run the place) and Anna (his friend who worked with him in Alaska). I'll drop them off in Tela, a city on the ocean straight north of here, while I'll continue to La Ceiba, from where I'll take a ferry to the island of Utila to do some scuba diving. So far for now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05bLagoJoyoa02#
So after updating the blog on Friday afternoon, I went back to the hotel and overheard how the guy from the hotel wanted to rip of three American girls that needed a ride to San Pedro Sula (1.5hrs away) that night - he wanted $150. So I told them I was heading there that evening and could give them a ride. They gave me $40 for gas, and after Lise and I checked into a hotel I took them to the airport.
The next day Lise and I headed down to Lago Joyoa and got a room in D&D Brewery. Bob, the owner, used to be a civil engineer in the US but got tired of live over there about 14 years ago - and opened his microbrewery/hotel over here. Relaxing was on schedule for the rest of the day ...
On Sunday morning we went on a little tour around the neighborhood. Fidel, a neighbor who has a huge garden, invites us in and shows us around - he grows red beans right now. But it changes frequently - they have four harvest cycles over here.
As we walk on, we come by Doug's house - an American who used to live in Belize working on boats. A few months ago he came down here, bought an overgrown property and has been cleaning it up. We got to enjoy some great fauna and flora as well as got to see some great (hanging) bird's nest afterwards.
In the afternoon two German girls arrived at the hotel - Lena and Susanne. I go for a walk w/ them to get a view of the lake. The view from shore sucks! We keep going on some little path, and end up at a small canal. There are two little boats lying around. We decided to "borrow" one - which of course is stealing, even though we are planning to bring it back.
As I'm trying to figure out the rowing, we're slowly making our way to the lake. We finally get our views - even though it's overcast today. After about 10 mins we decide to head back. Approaching the canal entrance, another boat approaches us. The guys tells us he's the owner of our boat. First we're a little in shock - how upset is he going to be?? But then he just tells us we need to change boats and return the other one soon. After we switched, we noticed why - our boat had been filling a little with water - and he brought a bucket, so he can get it out. Our new boat seems to be watertight. We eat Chinese that night - huge portions, not cheap, and poor service - common over here as we find out.
The next day the three of us head off to the waterfalls. They are 43m (140ft) high and the main attraction of the area. After taking a look around, we decide to do the ziplining before the behind-the-falls tour - no reason to be wet for ziplining. They have five lines, that last one of which takes you right across in front of the falls - awesome feeling.
Then a guide takes us behind the falls. First we have to climb quite a bit a narrow path to get to the side of the falls. Then we actually make our way through the water to get behind and check out some of the caves there. There are some smaller waterfalls on the side which we also explore. At the end, the guide and I also jump off a cliff about 20' high into the water. The girls bail on this one. They are missing out - it's great.
After a relaxing afternoon we finish the night of with some (mediocre) pizza. Back to local food next time.
Today is Tuesday. Lena and Susanne had to leave this morning to pick up a friend in the capitol. I'm planning to head north towards the beach tomorrow with Dillenger (the owners nephew who helps run the place) and Anna (his friend who worked with him in Alaska). I'll drop them off in Tela, a city on the ocean straight north of here, while I'll continue to La Ceiba, from where I'll take a ferry to the island of Utila to do some scuba diving. So far for now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/05bLagoJoyoa02#
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, 02/26/2010 Copan Ruinas, Honduras
Yesterday I sat there playing with Erica - who could look into the others eyes longest w/out starting to laugh. Erica is nine years old and lives in the mountains around Copas Ruinas.
So on Wednesday at 12, after saying goodbye to Emma and Leona (the Irish girls - no women), Luise and I headed off to San Salvador. There we picked up Eddie from Ohio whom we meet the day before in the hotel. Then off to Honduras. It's a small road, we pass many villages. I often wonder if we are still going the right way, and locals assure us that we are when we stop and ask.
The we get to the border. It takes me twenty minutes with some guy from El Salvador, who just ends up making a copy of my car permit. Then we drive over to Honduras. A guy with a golden belt knuckle and golden sunglasses takes us to a room for our visas. Any other circumstance I would have sworn he is a drug-dealer. After almost an hour this is done. Then I have to head off by foot to another building to get the car imported. The guy takes 20 minutes to fill out a damn form. Then he tries to enter the same info into the computer system. Things don't seem to work as he wants them to. He starts sweating. Stares at the screen. Gets a cell phone call. This all goes on for about half an hour - so almost an hour total. I'm so pissed at this point I'm ready to shot people. Or take the authority to perform any border-immigration matters from the country of Honduras. I've waited in a lot of lines at borders, to which there are reasonable explanations. This was just dumb incompetence. The guy finally asks another, younger guy - the paperwork comes out of the printer 5 minutes later. I have to pay $35 - that's outrages. I control my temper, but do tell him that this was ridiculous. After walking with some random woman to get copies of the paperwork, we can head off - two hours later.
Later on we drive through the mountains - and encounter the worst fog/clouds I have ever driven through. For a short while I have a Texas truck in front of me that I can follow (sooo much easier), but most of the 35-min ordeal we have to master ourselves - desperately looking for the grass on the side of the road or the centerline. Finally, after many hours of driving (and some great street food in Santa Rosa de Copan) we arrive in Copan Ruinas. It's a small but beautiful town close by the Mayan Ruins of Copan. These are the 2nd most visited Mayan ruins, famous not for their size but for the excellent Mayan artwork that has survived in them.
Yesterday (Thursday) we slept long and used the rest of the day to go to some hot springs.
So on Wednesday at 12, after saying goodbye to Emma and Leona (the Irish girls - no women), Luise and I headed off to San Salvador. There we picked up Eddie from Ohio whom we meet the day before in the hotel. Then off to Honduras. It's a small road, we pass many villages. I often wonder if we are still going the right way, and locals assure us that we are when we stop and ask.
The we get to the border. It takes me twenty minutes with some guy from El Salvador, who just ends up making a copy of my car permit. Then we drive over to Honduras. A guy with a golden belt knuckle and golden sunglasses takes us to a room for our visas. Any other circumstance I would have sworn he is a drug-dealer. After almost an hour this is done. Then I have to head off by foot to another building to get the car imported. The guy takes 20 minutes to fill out a damn form. Then he tries to enter the same info into the computer system. Things don't seem to work as he wants them to. He starts sweating. Stares at the screen. Gets a cell phone call. This all goes on for about half an hour - so almost an hour total. I'm so pissed at this point I'm ready to shot people. Or take the authority to perform any border-immigration matters from the country of Honduras. I've waited in a lot of lines at borders, to which there are reasonable explanations. This was just dumb incompetence. The guy finally asks another, younger guy - the paperwork comes out of the printer 5 minutes later. I have to pay $35 - that's outrages. I control my temper, but do tell him that this was ridiculous. After walking with some random woman to get copies of the paperwork, we can head off - two hours later.
Later on we drive through the mountains - and encounter the worst fog/clouds I have ever driven through. For a short while I have a Texas truck in front of me that I can follow (sooo much easier), but most of the 35-min ordeal we have to master ourselves - desperately looking for the grass on the side of the road or the centerline. Finally, after many hours of driving (and some great street food in Santa Rosa de Copan) we arrive in Copan Ruinas. It's a small but beautiful town close by the Mayan Ruins of Copan. These are the 2nd most visited Mayan ruins, famous not for their size but for the excellent Mayan artwork that has survived in them.
Yesterday (Thursday) we slept long and used the rest of the day to go to some hot springs.
We relax for hours in tubs with different temperatures. At the end, Eddie and I go down to the river where (really) hot water comes down via a waterfall and mixes with the cold river water. We sit in a naturally formed pond that gets water from both - so it has a nice temperature. We start talking to them. They live out here. The place is about 21 kilometers (~13 miles) out of town. For the most part, that means they go to school until 5th grade and then start working. There are three young guys and two girls with us in there. The older girls is allowed to go to school longer - than typically means that all her siblings have to work as soon as they get out of 5th grade to help the family. She is taking care of the younger girl, Erica, who is nine. And will turn 10 next year in January. It amazes me how responsible those kids already are at this young age, while maintaining that spark of youthfullness and childishness. I wash myself in the river using their soap, and leave with the deepest respect for those people - who have so little, yet seem so happy. I'm sad I didn't get a picture of Erica - but I will keep her in my mind.
This morning I went to the Ruins. Very interesting - but not that much more to say - watch the pictures. We are heading out tonight (Lise and I). Eddie is leaving earlier by bus. I'm giving three American girls a ride to San Pedro - their plane leaves at 2.30am tomorrow morning. Any help with gas money is always good.
I also learned that Dr. Tom Mentzer from the Marketing & Logistics Department, and one of the most highly regarded profs at UT, has passed away this morning after a two-year long battle with cancer. I learn that until a couple of weeks ago he was still doing research - it makes me happy that he had found his passion in life and could do it until his last day. My thoughts are with his family, friends and all those that cared about him today. Joe
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04dCopanRuinas#
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, 02/23/2010 Playa del Tunco, El Salvador
Last Friday we did a pool day - a nice local hotel allows you to use their pool and facilities for $3.75 / day.
Saturday the owner of our hotel, Blanca, offers us along with some other guests to take us to some small town of the beaten path where we also can swim a little. It turns out quite interesting. The town isn't very exciting, - but the drive is. We see modern transportation methods (sorry about the picture quality),
along with idyllic landscapes close to a remote village where we go for a swim with some locals.
To see the radical differences in these countries is amazing. On one hand you find internet cafes on every corner even in the smallest towns, while on the other we pass small, one-room houses built of clay brick and ochs-wagons that make you think you are set back at least a century. Even though for the most of us are aware that most of these people are very poor, it becomes a different pictures when you find out that normal families can't afford any kind of stove/oven or a fridge. They cook over open fires in the one-room houses, and hence many of them have respiratory problems (a lot of aid organizations build stoves in countries down here to fight this problem). Most kids only go to school up to 4th grade, then most have to start working to help support the family. I can't really say that I was that surprised by this. But what really surprised me is how those kids switch between acting their age (like in the picture above) and being quite responsible employees / part-time-mothers & fathers of their siblings. Being down here also reminds me how little we actually "need". I guess in the end happiness is rarely achieved by material things - and maybe those act often as an inhibitor.
Sunday morning comes along. Lise and I intend to head off to Copan, Honduras today. Lise already mentioned last night that maybe we should head south with Emma and Leona to the beach in El Salvador. I remember that many of the border stations close early on Sunday, so possibly I won't even be able to enter Honduras today. We decide to stick around today and all head down south tomorrow.
Monday. After another relaxing pool day, we are ready to hit the road today. I get up at eight in order to get an oil change. It's 3,300 miles since I left Knoxille, so it's time. After a little bit of asking around I find a place. They want $3 for the oil change. Then he tells me that we need to go buy the oil. It's not the kind of shop that has oil on storage. And not the kind of shop where I'd get an oil change under any other kind of circumstances. Enough of the pessimism. I have to call Jason in Knoxville from an internet cafe to confirm that I can use 20W50 in the car - it never get's cold down here, they don't use 10W30 etc. They do the job and everything is fine. After breakfast and saying goodbye to our host Blanca we head down south.
The first surprise: We come by a place called Playa del Sol. For miles and miles there are walls with gates to our right - it appears El Salvador's elite has bought up the entire beach front. Cheap, decent hotels are impossible to find. We stop by a "Comfort Inn" where they let us hang out at the beach for a while, which was very nice.
The beach is beautiful. But all the locals we meet are fairly unfriendly. We notice that nobody smiles around here. The (very) few budget hotels that we encounter all have lots of little sheds between them and the beach where all the fishermen hang up their nets when they come in. Where else could they do it. Essentially the locals access to the beach has been almost completely eliminated. I'd be pissed, too.
We head up to Playa del Tunca, about 90 minutes northwest. It's a surfertown. Cheap. And - as we encounter - great seafood. We end up in a nice little hotel with pool:
A room is $25 for two people - $12.50 a person, expensive for our standards - so this is a treat. The pool is beautiful, down here it's quite warm already. (yeah, picture that while you're shoveling snow next time ;-) ).
Tomorrow it's off to Honduras, the Copan Ruins. On the way we'll pick up Eddie, who I met here this morning in the hotel, in San Salvador - fellow travelers bring down my gas costs, and it's more fun to travel together. Nos vemos ...
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04cOnTheBeach#
(also added more pictures to the Suchitoto album).
Saturday the owner of our hotel, Blanca, offers us along with some other guests to take us to some small town of the beaten path where we also can swim a little. It turns out quite interesting. The town isn't very exciting, - but the drive is. We see modern transportation methods (sorry about the picture quality),
Sunday morning comes along. Lise and I intend to head off to Copan, Honduras today. Lise already mentioned last night that maybe we should head south with Emma and Leona to the beach in El Salvador. I remember that many of the border stations close early on Sunday, so possibly I won't even be able to enter Honduras today. We decide to stick around today and all head down south tomorrow.
Monday. After another relaxing pool day, we are ready to hit the road today. I get up at eight in order to get an oil change. It's 3,300 miles since I left Knoxille, so it's time. After a little bit of asking around I find a place. They want $3 for the oil change. Then he tells me that we need to go buy the oil. It's not the kind of shop that has oil on storage. And not the kind of shop where I'd get an oil change under any other kind of circumstances. Enough of the pessimism. I have to call Jason in Knoxville from an internet cafe to confirm that I can use 20W50 in the car - it never get's cold down here, they don't use 10W30 etc. They do the job and everything is fine. After breakfast and saying goodbye to our host Blanca we head down south.
The first surprise: We come by a place called Playa del Sol. For miles and miles there are walls with gates to our right - it appears El Salvador's elite has bought up the entire beach front. Cheap, decent hotels are impossible to find. We stop by a "Comfort Inn" where they let us hang out at the beach for a while, which was very nice.
We head up to Playa del Tunca, about 90 minutes northwest. It's a surfertown. Cheap. And - as we encounter - great seafood. We end up in a nice little hotel with pool:
Tomorrow it's off to Honduras, the Copan Ruins. On the way we'll pick up Eddie, who I met here this morning in the hotel, in San Salvador - fellow travelers bring down my gas costs, and it's more fun to travel together. Nos vemos ...
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04cOnTheBeach#
(also added more pictures to the Suchitoto album).
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Thursday, 02/18/2010
Quick update:
Hung out with the two ladies in my hotel Tuesday night - getting to know those El Salvadorians a little. Nice;
My car window got fixed (but up to 4 guys) on Wednesday morning.After that I decide to head out, and figure it's time to go to the beach. Want to go up to Honduras.
I miss the proper exit by like half an hour. Who cares - it's a absolutely beautiful drive on this stretch along the Pan-American Highway. I turn around, half dinner at a nice little restaurant along the highway, and decide to head to Suchitoto, El Salvador. Old, colonial town by a lake, not touristy like San Miguel and Antigua. (Picitures to follow, camera fell into water this afternoon). I meet four girls in the hostell, two Irish girls and two Canadians. We went to some waterfalls today - with a (tourist-) police escort. Really cool. Gonna stay a few more days up here, then head on to Honduras.
Pictures will come later, ... praying the camera gets in shape again.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04bSuchitotoElSalvador#
Hung out with the two ladies in my hotel Tuesday night - getting to know those El Salvadorians a little. Nice;
My car window got fixed (but up to 4 guys) on Wednesday morning.After that I decide to head out, and figure it's time to go to the beach. Want to go up to Honduras.
I miss the proper exit by like half an hour. Who cares - it's a absolutely beautiful drive on this stretch along the Pan-American Highway. I turn around, half dinner at a nice little restaurant along the highway, and decide to head to Suchitoto, El Salvador. Old, colonial town by a lake, not touristy like San Miguel and Antigua. (Picitures to follow, camera fell into water this afternoon). I meet four girls in the hostell, two Irish girls and two Canadians. We went to some waterfalls today - with a (tourist-) police escort. Really cool. Gonna stay a few more days up here, then head on to Honduras.
Pictures will come later, ... praying the camera gets in shape again.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04bSuchitotoElSalvador#
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, 02/16/2010 - San Salvador, El Salvador
The past few days have truly been "exciting". But that doesn't mean they were pure enjoyment. Probably most people would be pissed to a certain degree now. But life is too short. And I WILL remember these days.
Read through some of the comments earlier (btw, please write - I really enjoy reading the responses) and will post some pictures again within the text - even though google takes forever to upload them.
Saturday - hiked up volcano Pacay - saw life lava-flow!
I met four Germans in Antigua - Wiebke, Karoline, Florian (Karoline's husband), and Johannes (Karline's brother). We apparently had talked Friday night while partying, of which I remembered little on Saturday morning. They had gone up Pacaya before, so I tagged along with them.
We hired a local guide, Domingo, to take us up there. The walk up was interesting. Along the way there are lot's of guys with horses for the people who suddenly figure out that they are not in good-enough shape to make it up there. Whenever you pass on of those guys they ask you if you want a horse. To which I typically answered some dumbass comment ("you want me to carry it up there"? ...).
There is a point passed which the horses can't go. Then the walk over the dried-up lava starts.
Then it get's cold and you need to put on a sweater/jacket. Then you get onto the warm lava and you get this really cool feeling of getting heated up from below.
Seeing the lava life really was worth the trip. Amazing. You've seen this so many times in movies, and then suddenly this super-hot, reddish substance is flowing right in front of you. As you move close to take a picture, you truly get to understand how hot the stuff is. I three in a small stick which started burning up immediately.
My four fellow Germans head off on Sunday morning after breakfast. Karoline and Wiebke both teach in San Salvador (the capital of El Salvador) at a German School. Florian is looking for a job there, too, and comes off and on. Johannes was here to visit. I spent the rest of the day wondering the city, encountered some really cool ruins and a fantastic 5-star hotel:
It's built on/around the ruins of an old monetary. Some of the ruins are part of a museum, the rest you can wonder around inside the hotel compound. There is a pool, great hangout areas lined with palm trees from which parrots occasionally greet you. I decide that I like the city so much, I'll ask the owner of the hostel on Monday morning if they give me free lodging/food for a few days to do some maintenance work for them.
Then everything came different. Monday morning I'm woken up by the night-hotel-guard - the police is outside, someone has broken into my car on Sunday night. This is an 180-degree turn from Xela, where the police never showed up. These (four!) guys want to know everything, they probably would have called in forensics if they had something like that down here. Two pairs of sneakers, my air mattress + pump and - my electrician tools are missing. I scratch all plans. The side window was broken. I figure out that the only place to repair it would be Guatemala city. No desire to spend any time there.
So I just take off for El Salvador. It take me an hour to cross the border - even more than the typical (excessive) bureaucracy, but I find the people very friendly and I don't have to pay for any of that stuff. In the office hangs a poster with a number to call - in case anyone accepts a bribe. El Salvador fighting bribery.
I can't get a hold of my friends in San Salvador. I loved it so far - driving here was so much better than in Guatemala. Now I'm in this big city, don't know where to go or where to get the window fixed. I'm feeling helpless!
So what! This is what it's all about. This is what I'll remember for the rest of my life. I look at my guide book and find myself a hostel. Head over there. They have free wifi - thank God! I get a list of autoglass places in the city and the address of Subaru San Salvador.
This morning - Tuesday. I'm on a mission to get this done. I try calling autoglass places via skype - nothing. Seems like calling via skype isn't working here. Frustration! I ask the women from the hotel for help. They appeared somewhat cold last night, so my expectations are low. I was soo wrong!
After three calls to Subaru it turns out they have the window. After after much heated arguing with Sonja and Carina from the hostel with the Subaru reception lady I have directions.
Now I'm sitting on a beautiful terrace.
After getting to Subaru and scheduling the window-install for tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, I drove to the German school and asked for Karoline. Happened she was just between classes, and called up her husband who then gave me directions to their house. I'm hoping to leave the car here and then head down towards Panama by bus. If I get the chance, I'd even sell the car here. But I'm not sure how the formalities work here and I'd have to figure out how to get some of my stuff back.
So far so good. I think I'm ready for a nap in the hammock.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04aHeadingToSanSalvador#
Read through some of the comments earlier (btw, please write - I really enjoy reading the responses) and will post some pictures again within the text - even though google takes forever to upload them.
Saturday - hiked up volcano Pacay - saw life lava-flow!
I met four Germans in Antigua - Wiebke, Karoline, Florian (Karoline's husband), and Johannes (Karline's brother). We apparently had talked Friday night while partying, of which I remembered little on Saturday morning. They had gone up Pacaya before, so I tagged along with them.
We hired a local guide, Domingo, to take us up there. The walk up was interesting. Along the way there are lot's of guys with horses for the people who suddenly figure out that they are not in good-enough shape to make it up there. Whenever you pass on of those guys they ask you if you want a horse. To which I typically answered some dumbass comment ("you want me to carry it up there"? ...).
There is a point passed which the horses can't go. Then the walk over the dried-up lava starts.
Then it get's cold and you need to put on a sweater/jacket. Then you get onto the warm lava and you get this really cool feeling of getting heated up from below.
Seeing the lava life really was worth the trip. Amazing. You've seen this so many times in movies, and then suddenly this super-hot, reddish substance is flowing right in front of you. As you move close to take a picture, you truly get to understand how hot the stuff is. I three in a small stick which started burning up immediately.
My four fellow Germans head off on Sunday morning after breakfast. Karoline and Wiebke both teach in San Salvador (the capital of El Salvador) at a German School. Florian is looking for a job there, too, and comes off and on. Johannes was here to visit. I spent the rest of the day wondering the city, encountered some really cool ruins and a fantastic 5-star hotel:
It's built on/around the ruins of an old monetary. Some of the ruins are part of a museum, the rest you can wonder around inside the hotel compound. There is a pool, great hangout areas lined with palm trees from which parrots occasionally greet you. I decide that I like the city so much, I'll ask the owner of the hostel on Monday morning if they give me free lodging/food for a few days to do some maintenance work for them.
Then everything came different. Monday morning I'm woken up by the night-hotel-guard - the police is outside, someone has broken into my car on Sunday night. This is an 180-degree turn from Xela, where the police never showed up. These (four!) guys want to know everything, they probably would have called in forensics if they had something like that down here. Two pairs of sneakers, my air mattress + pump and - my electrician tools are missing. I scratch all plans. The side window was broken. I figure out that the only place to repair it would be Guatemala city. No desire to spend any time there.
So I just take off for El Salvador. It take me an hour to cross the border - even more than the typical (excessive) bureaucracy, but I find the people very friendly and I don't have to pay for any of that stuff. In the office hangs a poster with a number to call - in case anyone accepts a bribe. El Salvador fighting bribery.
I can't get a hold of my friends in San Salvador. I loved it so far - driving here was so much better than in Guatemala. Now I'm in this big city, don't know where to go or where to get the window fixed. I'm feeling helpless!
So what! This is what it's all about. This is what I'll remember for the rest of my life. I look at my guide book and find myself a hostel. Head over there. They have free wifi - thank God! I get a list of autoglass places in the city and the address of Subaru San Salvador.
This morning - Tuesday. I'm on a mission to get this done. I try calling autoglass places via skype - nothing. Seems like calling via skype isn't working here. Frustration! I ask the women from the hotel for help. They appeared somewhat cold last night, so my expectations are low. I was soo wrong!
After three calls to Subaru it turns out they have the window. After after much heated arguing with Sonja and Carina from the hostel with the Subaru reception lady I have directions.
Now I'm sitting on a beautiful terrace.
After getting to Subaru and scheduling the window-install for tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, I drove to the German school and asked for Karoline. Happened she was just between classes, and called up her husband who then gave me directions to their house. I'm hoping to leave the car here and then head down towards Panama by bus. If I get the chance, I'd even sell the car here. But I'm not sure how the formalities work here and I'd have to figure out how to get some of my stuff back.
So far so good. I think I'm ready for a nap in the hammock.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/04aHeadingToSanSalvador#
Saturday, February 13, 2010
02/13/2010 Antigua
So after almost three hours of driving I arrived in Antigua yesterday afternoon - and already survived my first party here.
As I got up yesterday morning, I somehow felt that I didn't want to stay in San Pedro any longer, so I packed my stuff and, after saying goodbye to my Mayan girls from the hotel, headed out. Driving down the Pan-American Highway is an adventure. It snakes it's way through the mountains, so I tested the suspension of the Subaru while enjoying the view. As it get's less mountainous, the road gets worse, and at times isn't even paved any more. I also saw a head-on collision between a small truck and a semi, but luckily it looked like noone got seriously injured. It makes you aware again that driving here can be quite dangerous.
Arriving in Antigua, I got a dorm-bed in the "Black Cat", a really cool, relaxed hotel, with a hangout area/bar downstairs and a nice terrace on top. One of the buys in my room is an Australian who has worked here for the past few months, but is moving on now - so we had a good-bye party for him last night. This place has such a communal feel that I've already met almost everyone who is staying here. I also met four Germans, with whom I'm gonna go up the Volcano Pacaya later today. Caroline and Wiebke both teach in San Salvador, Caroline's husband and her brother are here to visit.
I really like the town so far. Ken, who I met in San Miguel weeks earlier, told me he thinks Antigua is much better than San Miguel. So I came here with high expectations. I really like how Antigua, despite many tourist, has maintained a more natural feel, and the park in the center is just an amazing place to hang out. When I visit the cathedral, of which only a small part has been reconstructed after it was destroyed by an earthquake, I wonder how imposing a structure this once must have been.
They have a central gas-powered hot-water heating system here - so I had my first real warm shower in almost two weeks. It felt awesome. So far for now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/03eAntigua#
Also updated some more pics from Lago Atitlan.
As I got up yesterday morning, I somehow felt that I didn't want to stay in San Pedro any longer, so I packed my stuff and, after saying goodbye to my Mayan girls from the hotel, headed out. Driving down the Pan-American Highway is an adventure. It snakes it's way through the mountains, so I tested the suspension of the Subaru while enjoying the view. As it get's less mountainous, the road gets worse, and at times isn't even paved any more. I also saw a head-on collision between a small truck and a semi, but luckily it looked like noone got seriously injured. It makes you aware again that driving here can be quite dangerous.
Arriving in Antigua, I got a dorm-bed in the "Black Cat", a really cool, relaxed hotel, with a hangout area/bar downstairs and a nice terrace on top. One of the buys in my room is an Australian who has worked here for the past few months, but is moving on now - so we had a good-bye party for him last night. This place has such a communal feel that I've already met almost everyone who is staying here. I also met four Germans, with whom I'm gonna go up the Volcano Pacaya later today. Caroline and Wiebke both teach in San Salvador, Caroline's husband and her brother are here to visit.
I really like the town so far. Ken, who I met in San Miguel weeks earlier, told me he thinks Antigua is much better than San Miguel. So I came here with high expectations. I really like how Antigua, despite many tourist, has maintained a more natural feel, and the park in the center is just an amazing place to hang out. When I visit the cathedral, of which only a small part has been reconstructed after it was destroyed by an earthquake, I wonder how imposing a structure this once must have been.
They have a central gas-powered hot-water heating system here - so I had my first real warm shower in almost two weeks. It felt awesome. So far for now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegrass76/03eAntigua#
Also updated some more pics from Lago Atitlan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
