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...