Last Day

It´s my LAST day in Central America as I will be flying out of San Jose, Costa Rica tomorrow at 600am. I am overwhelmed with emotions...excitement, sadness, anxiety. I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends, to eating at my favorite places and having a home made meal, hot showers, clean clothes and a variety of clothes (been wearing the same few things for 4.5 months), my car, summer in Oregon and so much more. At the same time, I am so sad to leave as I don´t know if I will ever have the opportunity to travel like this again. Once summer is over, it´s back to school and work...the the real world. My mom did point out that at least I had the opportunity to do this trip, as many only dream of doing something like this.

Since my last blog, I´ve been taking it easy in Costa Rica. I spent a few days in Monteverde. My only reason for going there was to do the extreme canopy tour. The canopy course was up in the forest, with 18 different platforms, a repel, tarzan swing and ¨superman¨zip line (where you are attatched to the zip line by your back and face down as you fly through the air). It was such a fun day, flying over the lush trees and land.

After Monteverde I took a bus over to the Nicoya Penninsula, more specifically Tamarindo. Tamarindo used to be a small unknown beach town, and then was discovered by foreigners. It´s now run by people from all over the world...Argentina, the USA, Holland, etc. The moment I arrived, I jumped off the bus, unloaded my bag at the nearest hostel and ran strait to the beach for a late afternoon swim. The water is so warm and inviting, although not the cleanest due to all the construction of building high rises around Tamarindo. Tamarindo reminded me of Southern California, the beach, surf shops and little strip malls, lots and lots of Americans on vacation. But, I can see why it´s a popular tourist destination. My second day in Tamarindo, I took a surf lesson from the hostel owner, and actually stood up a few times. It was a lot of hard work, but so much fun. The remaining days in Tamarindo I continued to do the same thing...surf, swim, sun bathe and enjoy the last few days of vacation. I was really fortunate to have stayed at the hostel I was at, as it is run by two friendly Argentinians and there was a great group of people form all over the world...Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Switzerland, Holland, Costa Rica and more. Meeting people from all over the world has been such a wonderfu part of my travels. Now, not only do I have contacts all over the world, but it has been such an educational experience for me as I have been learning so much about the way people around the world live, view life and how things in their countries work such as health care, education and politics. So, not only did I learn about the countries I visited, but places all over the world.

This evening will be a relaxing one since I have to get up so early. I feel as though my trip has already come to an end, and that all that is left are the plane rides home. This has been the best four and a half months of my life, with many difficult times. My favorite things have been the people that I´ve met from all over the world, chicken bus rides, Maya ruins, Lake Atitlan, the beaches and all the other natural beauty. There were hard moments...when a man followed and grabbed me while I was in Belize, the car accident in Guatemala, long bus rides in very uncomfortable seats, feeling homesick at so many different points in the trip. All around this trip has changed my life and I wouldn´t change a single moment of it. I´ve gained so much, it´s hard to put into words. All I can say to people is TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL! It´s the greatest privelege that we as Americans have. So, take advantage!

Panama

yellow crab, Bastimentos Island
The jungle, Bastimentos Island
Isla Colon
Sunset in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Laura and I on Volcan Masaya
Hey blog followers...for whoever is left. It´s been too long and there is lots to tell.

Since my last blog, my dear friend Laura came to visit me. We spent several days in Granada and went to Laguna de Apoyo, where I had much better weather than I did the first time. It was sunny and beautiful and we swam in the water, kayaked and walked the perimeter of the lake listening to and looking for howler monkeys. From there, I took Laura on a crazy chicken bus ride to San Juan Del Sur where we spent the remainder of her time at the beach. San Juan Del Sur is infested with mosquitos and unfortunately, Laura caught Dengue Fever while visiting me. Awful! Luckily, the symptoms did not arrive until she got home, where she has been able to be on bed rest and recover.

After Laura´s departure, I headed south to Panama. I went strait to the islands on the Atlantic side...first to Isla Colon, also known as Bocas Del Toro. Bocas del Toro is more like Bocas del Tourists. Isla Colon is the most popular island for tourists and Bocas Del Toro has been built to accomodate all the different types of travelers, from family vacationists, resort stayers and backpackers. I stayed at a small hostel with 2 boys I met on the bus ride down. Bocas Del Toro has a huge party scene, which is why the backpackers venture there. The bars are all right along the water, and most have pools built in to their decks, filled with ocean water. One bar even has an 8 foot diving board into their pool...something you would never see in the states. A pool at a bar, with a diving board. Awesome. I went on a bike ride around most of Isla Colon. I can only imagine what the island looked like before tourists and foreigners invaded. Every property is taken up with a hotel, hostel, resort, bar or resturaunt...and what is vacant, is for sale. After a few days on the tourist end, I decided to check out something a bit more local. I hopped on a boat and headed across the bay to the island Bastimentos where I spent the next 2 days. Bastimentos has few tourists, some hostels on the water, no motor vehicles and a friendly, laid back vibe. The people were so hospitable and welcoming. However, there is no sewage system on Bastimentos...meaning that every time you use the toilet or take a shower, the waste goes straight into the Ocean. It´s very disheartening.

After Bastimentos and Bocas Del Toro, I headed west to the Fortuna Cloud Forest in Panama. I ventured to a hostel in the middle of the cloud forest, which was quite a trek to get to all on my own. It was worth the hike and the fear of not knowing whether or not I was going to make it. The first full day there, I went on a tour of an organic coffee and wine farm. It was such an incredible tour, learning about the coffee process (which is long and laborious), and the struggles that the Panamanians experience with their farms, trying to stay organic and the selling of their coffee. We learned that all the coffee that is exported, is 100% coffee, but the coffee that is sold within Panama, is diluted with corn. Yes, corn. The exporters want Panama to keep its good coffee reputation, so the foreigners get all the good stuff, while the locals get the leftovers. Seeing the farm was incredible, tasting all the coffee and many different types of wine (banana, pineapple, blackberry, etc.). All the proceeds from the tour benefit the farmer and his family, and we were able to purchase coffee beans strait from him. In addition to the coffee and wine, he made us fresh squeezed lemonade with lemons for the farm and added fresh squeezed sugar cane. Soooo delicious!

My womderful time in Panama has come to an end, as my travels are coming to a wrap. I am now in San Jose, Costa Rica and will be spending the last 9 days of my trip in the cloud forest and on the beaches...soaking up the rays before heading back to Portland. I leave here on June 24th and will return to Portland for a few days, before heading to Southern Oregon to hang out with my family...

Ometepe, Corn Islands, Granada

Corn Island


Howler Monkey on Ometepe
Volcan Concepcion, Ometepe
Sorry for the delays in posts. There is just so much to do, see and so many distractions. I will do my best to recap the last few weeks. From San Juan Del Sur, I went to Isla de Ometepe, an island formed by two volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. To get out there, you take a ferry to the island. I stayed at a coffee farm on the island with my travel companion Gunvor from Denmark. I spent one morning treking around Volcan Maderas, the smaller of the 2 volcanoes. I went part way up, looking for howler monkeys with some other girls. 45 minutes up the trail, we found two trees full of monkeys. It was my first time seeing monkeys, out in the wild and boy are they just adorable. We were like the papparazi, standing there taking picture after picture of the monkeys. Definately the high light of Ometepe.

Soon after, Gunvor and I decided to take a little trip across the Carribean over to the Corn Islands. We flew to Big Corn and on our way met some lovely ladies from Norway. The 5 of us took a ferry over to Little Corn, a beautiful, tranquil island with no motor vehicles. The island is incredibly small, with about 1,500 inhabitants. The locals speak Englsih, Spanish and Creole. The island is surrounded with white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and a laid back life stlye. Our week there was spent swimming, sun bathing and relaxing. We did have a night out at a local bar where they were celebrating Palo Mayo (May Pole). The people tie ribbons and balloons in a tree which are supposedly filled with different things like money. The people dance around the tree, men climb up it to pop the balloons and wait to see what will fall from it. The dancing was pretty crazy, booty shaking African dance. It was fun to watch.

After the Corn Islands, Gunvor and I parted ways...she headed off to Panama and I to Granada which is where I am now. I spent yesterday at Laguna de Apoyo, a lake in the crater of a volcano. It was pouring rain the entire time there, but we made the most of it and swam in the warm water and relaxed at the isolated hostal. From here, I will be hanging out in Granada awaiting my good friend from college to come visit me for a week!

Nicaragua

View from Volcan Cerro Negro
Church in Leon
Our suits and volcano boards
Volcan Cerro Negro
New Friends before the hike

Alas, I am in Nicaragua. I stayed an extra few days in Honduras between Lake Joyoa and Tegucigalpa, the capital. Tegucigalpa was overwhelming...huge, loud, polluted, yet a welcoming city. I was with 2 other travelers when we were dropped in the middle of the city. We caught a taxi to downtown where we stayed for a night. We wandered around the colonial center which has a very western and bustling feel. One night there was plenty for me. The next morning, I headed out to make my way to Nicaragua with another traveler. After half a day on buses, we made it to Esteli, a small town in northern Nicaragua known for its coffee farms. We spent a day there and stayed in a scary hospedaje. The next morning, we headed to Leon which is where the adventures started. My first full day in Leon, I went up to Volcano Cerro Negro with a group to volcano board. We hiked up the youngest and most active volcano in Central America, had a 360 view of Leon, as far as the Pacific coast. At the top, we suited up into orange jump suits and goggles and got our boards, which look like sleds, ready to go down the volcano. I stepped up and went first with a guy from Australia. After a quick tutorial, we raced to the bottom on the gravel lava rocks. Going first was the best thing as I got to sit at the bottom and watch the other people come down...many of whom ate shit (pardon my language) but it was hilarious! One guy tumbled so hard that he scraped his nose and bruised his forhead! Opps! We had a long drive back into Leon, but they provided us with beer, granola bars and mojitos as soon as we got back to the hostel. A good day.

Two days ago I headed down south to San Juan Del Sur where I have a friend from college living here and working at a hostel. I spent all day yesterday at the beach, attempting to surf but mostly swimming around. The beaches are wonderful, but there are very tiny jellyfish that sting like crazy. Makes the water a bit unappealing, but the sun is so strong that you want to get into the water. Ill be here for a few more days before I head to the next desitination.

Still working on uploading picutres!

Thats all for now...

Border Crossing

Copan
Copan
Copan
My last few days in El Salvador were lovely. I still cant get over how wonderfully friendly the people are. I spent one afternoon in La Palma, a town just south of the El Salvadoran/Honduran border high up in the mountains. The buildings are beautifully painted with murals along the cobble stoned streets. From La Palma, I stayed with Heather, the Peace Corps volunteer in her tiny campo just a few kilometers outside of La Palma. In her tiny town, there are just about 100 houses, a few hundred people. Heather lives in a nice little house with her host sister and baby. The rest of the family lives right next door, in the same lot. Their houses are some of the nicest as they have 2 children in the states who are working and sending the money to them so that they can build their houses. Many people in El Salvador are in the same situation...with family in the states working to send money home, as the wages there are practically nothing. Heather showed me their family's kitchen which essentially is a wooden shack, with no flloor, just the dirt of the land, with a wood stove and the pila, which is a sink made out of concrete. The pila has 2 parts to it, a part that is always full of water (in case the water gets turned off, which was the case while I visited), and the drain. It is quite different than what we are used to in the states. Heather showed me the school she works at and introduced me to some of the teachers and the principal. Life in the campo is very tranquil and simple.

From La Palma, I took a bus up to the border and crossed into Honduras. It was my first time crossing a border by myself and without a shuttle bus waiting on the other side for me. Luckily, it was easy and I just had to pay $3 to enter the country. Once in, I began my 5 hours journey to Copan, a small town on the Honduran/Guatemala border. The bus rides were long, but the scenery was absolutely stunning. Honduras is so green, lush and mountainous. I didnt travel a far distance, from the border to Copan...its just the the roads go up and down through the mountains. Once in Copan, I found a nice youth hostel and met some other travelers. We went out and did a salsa lesson and danced for most of the evening. The following day, we went to the Maya Ruins of Copan, which were pretty awesome. They arent as enourmous as the ruins in Tikal, but the carvings and sculptures have been preserved and are in much better condition. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful site and I will post pictures of it when I can.

I spent the next few days in Copan just relaxing and enjoying the quaint, cobble stoned street town. I met lots of travelers and enjoyed the night life as well. From Copan, I headed to Gracias with 3 other travelers where we spent a few days. Gracias used to be the capital of all of Central America (at least that's what Lonely Planet says). Its a beautiful little town, but very quiet. We explored some hot springs just outside of town which were nice...although a bit out of the ordinary for such a hot day. We went on Sunday, which is family day. It was a neat experience to be there with lots of Honduran families, but it was quite crowded. I had a fan club of little girls who kept looking at me, and finally approached me just to ask my name, tell me theirs and their ages. It was adorable.

Im now in Los Naranjos, a small town just along Lake Joyoa. I made it here with 2 out of the 3 that I was in Gracias with. We are staying at a small hotel run by an Oregonian. Its also a brewery and I had a delicious beer yesterday. The boys and I went to a gorgeous park today along a river and we admired the 40 meter waterfall. Beautiful. Honduras has so much beauty.

Thats all for now. Again, I will update pictures when I can. Hope everyone is well!

Lastly, I was accepted to Portland State University as well, which is where I accepted. I will start in September 2010 for my Masters in Social Work.

Week 2

El Salvador continues to be wonderful, but my time here is coming to an end. Since I last blogged, here is what Ive been up to...

Back in Juayua, we met a local tour guide who took myself and the 4 other gringos on a grand (walking) tour. First, we headed to Chorros de Calera, beautiful waterfalls just a few KM outside of town. We saw 4 waterfalls and went back to the first one to swim in the fresh, yet freezing cold water. After the falls, we took a bus to Apanecha, another tiny town where we walked uphill about 4 KM. The top was beautiful and we had a view of all the towns below us...although it was a bit foggy. We were surrounded by coffee plantations, new and old ones. Our tour guide told us that someone who works in the coffee field only makes $24 a week! CRAZY! So, make sure you know where your coffee comes from and make sure its FAIR TRADE!!! Our guide, Manuel walked us through several different towns where the majority of people work in agriculture and walk around with their machetes in hand. The views were beautiful, but after a full day of walking up and down hills, we were beat.

The following day, our group split and we parted ways. Laura and I went to Santa Ana, the second largest city in El Salvador. We came across another traveler on the bus who we had met before, so the 3 of us stuck together in the bustling city. We spent our first afternoon checking out the main plaza where there is a beautiful cathedral and theatre. From there, we went to eat papusas...which is the typical food here. Essentially, its a tortilla stuffed with one or all of the following: beans, cheese and/or meat. They are quite tasty...but you can only eat so many papusas in one trip! The following day, we headed to the nearby lake and spent the day relaxing at a restaraunt while swimming, drinking smoothies and eating delicious food. Life was rough that day...

From Santa Ana, I headed back to San Salvador on my own. I stayed at a nice hostel which caters mostly to Peace Corps volunteers. I met lots of wonderful people and was even invited to stay with one girl at her site (which is where I am now, waiting for her to get off work). From San Salvador, I took a bus to Suchitoto, a small town in the north. The bus ride was, well, quite interesting. Ive never been on a bus with so many people packed on, there were people hanging out both the front and the back door. I had a seat, but I offered it to an old woman who got on the bus. Another woman got on with a baby, must have been 3 months old. The woman had to stand, and so another woman offered to hold her baby while she stood. At the same time, the old lady who I had given my seat to, offered to hold my purse for me, which contained my life (money, bank cards, passport, etc.). I started to feel nervous for a second, but then I saw how relaxed the woman next to me was, with her baby in a strangers arms.

The woman who was holding the baby, Reina, I had met right when I got onto the bus. She lives in Suchitoto and had invited me to stay with her and her daughter when we got there. Upon arriving into town, she took me to her home, a cute place on a corner just a block from the main square in Suchitoto. Suchitoto is a small picturesque town, similar to Antigua...but without all the tourists. Reina took me on a grand tour of the city and the following day, she took me to the nearby lake. My 2 days in Suchitoto were great and it was good for me to spend some time with some locals and to see how they live. El Salvadoreans really put a lot of effort into their image...the way the dress, hygeine, makeup, etc. They always look nice.

As I said, today I am in La Palma where Im waiting to meet a girl who is in the Peace Corps. Shes going to show me around her village. Im looking forward to seeing some life outside of the weathlier cities.

Signing out for now. Will add pictures later.

El Salvador

El Salvadoran Family, me and Laura in Ataco
One or many murals in Ataco
Road tripping friends in Ataco
La Playa in El Tunca
Me and the beach in El Tunco

Alas, I made it out of Guatemala and into El Salvador...such a wonderful country. Last Sunday, I caught a ride with Joey, a native Tennessean who drove all the way down to Central America and is on a mission to make it to Argentina. With an awful map of Guatemala, we made our way south and to the beach of El Sunzal in El Salvador. We spent a few days there trying to survive the unbearable heat. I spent a morning attempting to surf with an English couple...but the waves just surfed me instead! It was fun while it lasted. I took a day trip to San Salvador with a French couple on Tuesday. Yes, I just find couples to tag along with...I love being the third wheel...aka Im desperate for friends! Haha. It was the first capital Ive been to in Central America. We were warned of the dangers, but we had nothing but a good experience checking out the parks and churches. On Thursday, Joey and I moved over to a hostel in El Tunco where we spent the rest of the week. We passed our days at the beach and at a lovely resort with a pool with some people we met from Salt Lake City. Oh travelers, they are so wonderful and have so much to offer...like a day at a pool in a hotel we would never be able to afford. During my stay in El Tunco I met three girls...2 from the states and one from England. We somehow managed to convince Joey to drive all four of us and our luggage to Juayua, a beautiful mountain town. But what guy would say no to four awesome ladies?! He obliged, put our backpacks on top of his economical car, and off we went with maps in hand. Im becoming a very good navagator. Juayua is absolutely beautiful and the weather is just perfect. We got here yesterday afternoon, just in time to eat at the food fair they hold every weekend. The first thing that was offered to me was rabbit...and I dont know if you all know about my love for bunny rabbits...the cutest things ever. My jaw dropped and I walked away. There are other strange foods...like frog. I wasnt too brave and went safely with the chicken tacos.

Today the 5 of us hopped on a local bus and headed to Ataco, a town nearby. It was one of the best days I've had on my trip, words probably cannot describe the beauty I experienced today. On the bus, I met a really nice woman who is El Salvadoran and now lives in Canada. She was with about 10 family members and she was very friendly, but we parted ways when we got off the bus. When we got to Ataco, a cobble stoned street city with beautiful murals painted on most buildings, we wandered the streets, looked at the beautiful churces, murals and walked up to a mirador, where you could look out and see all of Ataco. We then went into the main part of the town where there were some different markets and music playing in the park. Laura (the Brittish woman) and I talked to local after local as they continuously approached us. One old man asked me if he could take Laura home with him in his pocket...and when I say old, I mean old! The locals here are so friendly and excited to have tourists here. They thank you for being here and say that you are welcome to come back anytime. Later, we ran into the family that we had met on the bus and they invited us over for a photo shoot with them. It was such an amazing moment. I almost asked if I could go home with them! Next, Laura and I headed to a nearby cafe where a man was playing the guitar and singing. We took a seat and just cooed over him and how talented he was. He even took requests from us and as he was about to play his last song, we asked him to play more and he obliged. We chatted with him afterwards, writing down some of the songs he played so that we can find them in the future. Laura and I headed back to Juayua to meet up with the rest of the crew.

It has been a lovely week in El Salvador. I cannot express how wonderful, friendly, genuine and beautiful the people are here. After all the hell this country has been through, no thanks to the USA, it shocks me everyday how welcoming they are to us. This country feels much more westernized than Guatemala did. Almost all the people dress in western clothing, they dont cover up the way people did in Guatemala. A typical meal here is a Papusa...or many papusas as you can typically get three for a dollar. They are thick tortillas stuffed with beans, cheese and meat if you want. They are absolutely delicious...but you can only have so many in one day.

Speaking of food, it's dinner time. Ill post pictures as soon as I have the patience to upload them. Adios!