Situated about 1000km off the coast of Ecuador and consisting of 15 islands, the Galapagos Islands are a truly unique and beautiful part of the world. They are home to a vast number of endemic species of plants and animals. Galapagos means saddle in ancient Spanish and the islands were given this name by early Spanish explorers because the shape of one of the species of giant tortoise shells resembles a saddle. Most of the islands are uninhabited but there a few towns scattered around the islands. About 23,000 people call the Galapagos Islands their home (I had no idea so many people lived there).
On the geological scale of things, the islands are quite young which makes them like a living scientific experiment. Each different island is home to unique species of animals each with slightly different characteristics that allow them to survive more effectively in that environment. An example is the 15 different species of Finches that are only found on the Galapagos Islands. Finches from adjacent islands have each evolved differently and exhibit slightly different physical characteristic (ie different shaped beaks) to make them more capable of survival on their respective islands. This is the land of evolution.
San Cristobal Island
We flew from Quito to the Island of San Cristobal where we met up with our boat tour. The tour group was a mixed bunch and consisted of a retired American couple, a retired Aussie couple, a British couple in their 30s who live in Oz, a Spanish couple who were in their 30s, an Israeli mother and son, a 78 year old French Canadian bloke who had a few screws loose and wasn´t very steady on his feet and an American mum who had recently discovered adventure sports and was very proud of her two sons and did´t mind constantly telling everyone about them. All in all they were a decent bunch of people and only a couple of them got on our nerves.
We got a last minute deal on the cruise which translated to a 50% reduction in the advertised price (it was still extremely expensive). It was a 5 day cruise although it´s more like 3.5 days by the time they stuff around. Our guide Juan Carlos was level 3 qualified (the highest level) which meant that he was very professional and knowledgeable of the area.
We hopped in a bus and after a short drive, a panga (zodiac/dingy) took us out to the boat. Our boat and home for the next 4 nights, The Queen of the Galapagos was one of the larger vessels around and was pure luxury. The meals were delicious and the crew generally went out of their way to make us feel welcome.
Our first excursion was back to San Cristobal where we hopped on a bus and were driven to a tortoise breading centre. It was a shame to only see the giant tortoises in captivity but was still worth it. Their shear size is quite amazing!
After dinner a rumour swept the boat that Clarkey and I were keen to check out the night life on the island. A small group was assembled and a panga dropped us off in town for a few hours. Our guide also seized the opportunity to get off the boat and donned his tightest muscle shirt and pants and accompanied us (nothing suss). There wasn´t much going on so we just had a couple of beers and watched the hundreds of sea lions gathered (mostly sleeping) on the beach.
Espanola Island
While we slept the boat travelled to our next destination, the island of Espanola.
We awoke to quite a beautiful beach surrounded by a ruggered coastline. The first excursion of the day involved a walk along the beach and some snorkeling. The setting was reminiscent of the Whitsundays with turquoise waves breaking on perfectly white sand. There were heaps of sea lions lazing around the beach. In general, the animals here are fearless of humans so you can get up heaps close without bothering them. We also saw some marine iguanas and some colourful crabs. We snorkeled around a nearby island and saw some cool fish and even got to swim with some sea lions which was cool. They look so lazy and grumpy on land but once in the water they are so graceful. My underwater camera (my first one broke already) has proven to be a worthy investment!
After lunch we ventured back on to the island and went for a hike around the rocks. The wildlife was amazing! We saw seal lions, marine iguanas, blue footed boobies, lizards, finches and other birds. Along the way we passed quite an awesome blow hole. It was quite a rocky walk and the French Canadian bloke struggled big time and fell over numerous times. Both Clarkey and I had to catch him on a couple of occasions.
Floreana Island
After another disjointed sleep due to the boat rocking all night (I swear I thought I was going to fall out of bed a couple of times) we awoke to the island of Floreana.
We caught the panga to the mainland and went on a small walk to a shallow lake that was filled with pink flamingos. They´re quite a majestic animal and we learnt that their pink colour comes from a chemical that is in the small shrimps that they eat. We did some snorkeling along the rocks and saw some more colourful fish and some penguins. Later in the morning the panga dropped us off at a volcanic rock formation called The Devils Crown where we did some more snorkeling. The current was quite strong so it was more life drift snorkeling. The water was crystal clear and we saw so many fish and even a few white tipped reef sharks which was awesome. Easily the best snorkeling experience of the trip so far!
In the afternoon we visited Post Office Bay which was the first post office in South America. The deal is that in the old days, ships used to leave mail in the box and when other ships passed by, they would stop and take any mail with them that they were able to deliver. The tradition continues today. I left a few postcards in the box and picked up some postcards that were addressed to Australia and will deliver them or post them when I get home. Pretty cool! I wonder how long my postcards will take to be delivered?
Isabella Island Next up was Isabella Island. After breakfast, we were dropped off on a volcanic island. It was ridiculously hot and the terrain was incredibly harsh and jaggered. We saw some marine iguanas laying eggs and some frigate birds trying to steal them. We also went snorkeling and were meant to see more reef sharks but didn´t see any at all.
In the afternoon we had free time in the town of Isabella. There wasn´t much going on at all! Desmond made the trip as well and I got some photos of him mixing it up with some marine iguanas. We found a cool little bar on the waterfront and drank delicious cuba libres (rum and coke) as the sun set over the water. Very spectacular indeed. It was emotional! We didn´t want to go back to the boat.
Because the Galapagos Islands are right on the equator you are able to see star constellations from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The sky is also crystal clear so it´s quite amazing. We were able to see the Southern Cross and the Big Dipper simultaneously.
The bar tender on board our boat was called Ernesto and our guide treated him like his little bitch. It was friggin hilarious. The guide would yell "Errrrrr-neeeessssto" from anywhere in the dining room and Ernesto would appear, snap to attention (not quite) and answer any questions. So funny!
Santa Cruz Island It was time to leave the boat, so we packed up our stuff and got dropped off at The Charles Darwin Research Centre on the mainland. We saw some land iguanas and giant tortoises that were bred in captivity. We were also privileged to see "Lonesome George", the last of his species. They are trying to get him to breed with some females of similar species but have had no success so far.
We decided to stay a couple of nights on Santa Cruz so found a cheap hotel (Hotel Salinas) and checked in. In the afternoon, we rented bikes and went to Tortuga Bay. It was quite a beautiful beach and the sand was the finest and whitest I have ever seen. There was some decent waves and a few surfers were out. I had no idea you could surf on the Galapagos!
I woke up the next day with blocked sinuses but fortunately they cleared up a bit as the day progressed so I was still able to go SCUBA. We got a lift to the North of the island, boarded the boat and headed to the dive site Cousin Rocks. On the boat there was an Aussie girl, an American bloke, a German bloke and some American college students who were studying marine biology on the islands and also their mums who were visiting.
According to my logbook, I hadn´t dived for 2 years so was a bit rusty when we descended to 30m straight away on our first dive. By the second dive I was feeling much more comfortable and was able to relax more and enjoy the scenery. They were amazing dives! We saw heaps of fish, eels, a turtle, sea lions, spotted eagle rays and the highlight was a school of hammerhead sharks. Unfortunately I didn´t get that close to the hammerheads so only saw the outlines of them as they swam off into the distance. Amazing! My buddy (one of the American mums) disappeared during the second dive and there was a few nervous minutes while the dive master located her. Turns out she had issues with herbuoyancy and surfaced accidental during the excitement of seeing the hammerheards.
Met up with the dive crew for dinner and a few beers at a lively bar called The Rock. Who knew the Galapagos Islands had cool bars? We got talking to these American blokes who are pilots for this ultra deep submarine that can go down to 4400m to collect samples and take photos. Crazy way to earn a living!
I really liked Santa Cruz! It was such an awesome and safe little town!
I met up with Clarkey again at Quito airport and together we caught a shuttle to The Backpacker's Inn in Quito. We stepped out of hostel the following morning and were greeted by a vagrant hurling a brick at us! Fortunately it missed but we decided to head the other way down the street. Not the warmest welcoming to Ecuador!
Our hostel was in an area called Mariscol which has heaps of cool bars but is quite dodgy at night. We only stayed in Quito for 2 nights and took it fairly easy, only venturing out to explore the old town which is quite picturesque (but nothing too much to write home about) and visited some travel agencies to book a Galapagos Islands trip.
Saturday 6th March 2010
Panamania
I did a solo mission to Panama for a couple of nights as it’s the only Country in Central America I hadn’t been to and I’ve always been keen to see the Panama Canal.
I stayed at an awesome party hostel that had been recommended to me by numerous people called Lunas Castle and it didn’t disappoint. Met a few cool people and at night the bar downstairs was going off so we didn´t need to venture any further.
I caught a taxi to MiraFlores on the Panama Canal which is the closest lock to Panama City. Watched a brief movie on the construction and history of the canal and then headed upstairs to the viewing platform. I saw two ships pass through the canal. The first was an oil tanker and the second one was a massive cruise ship. Apparently cruise ships don’t pass through that often so I was lucky to see it. The money involved is astronomical. The cruise ship paid $280K US to pass through the canal. The lowest fee ever paid was $0.36 by an American bloke (Richard Halliburton) who swam the 77km length of the canal. The yanks only handed back the Canal to Panama in 1999 which is why the city feels so Americanised.
Panama City is an awesome city! I stayed in the old town which was very safe as it was close to the Presidential Palace but some of the adjacent suburbs were very dodgy indeed. Panama uses the US dollar and appears expensive at times although I was still able to buy a meal (arroz y pollo - chicken and rice) for $0.80 at a local cafe.
We arrived in Colombia quite exhausted after the Carnival festivities in Rio. Clarkey’s uncle Peter met us at the airport in Bogota and took us back to his apartment. After a couple of good sleeps we were back in the game and spent the next few days relaxing and exploring the city. Bogota is nestled amongst two arms of the Andes and is a very cool city. Everyone is so well dressed and the city has a very European feel to it. The temperature was usually around 20C which was a nice change from Rio.
We checked out the old city and also the art gallery which has quite a few works of Fernando Botero who is famous for his sculptures and paintings depicting objects that are larger (fatter) than life. We also caught the cable car up to Monserrate which is a small mountain overlooking Bogota with a church on the top. The views from the top were very spectacular indeed.
Another day we caught a bus to the nearby town of Zipaquira which is famous for its underground cathedral built in an old salt mine. You walk down an underground tunnel for a few hundred meters then it all opens up to reveal a magnificent cathedral! Quite amazing! I’d never seen anything like it before.
Bogota was generally very safe although we did stick to the nice areas and avoided the dodgy areas. It wasn’t unusual for people to stop and stare at us in the street. Peter and his girlfriend Lucia live in a very nice part of town in a secure apartment complete with gym and squash court (we made good use of the facilities). We didn’t have any problems during our time in Colombia but a story that Lucia told us about how some bandits threatened to kidnap her children only 3 years ago reminded us that the threat was still real.
Our next destination was the town of Santa Marta located in the North of Colombia on the Caribbean coast. Santa Marta was quite poor and run down which was quite the stark contrast from the Bogota we experienced with Clarkey’s uncle. There are quite a few beggars and they hassle you while you are trying to eat your dinner.
Tayrona National Park was only a stone’s throw away, so we caught a bus there to check it out. We walked through the jungle for about and hour and eventually made it to the coast. The only wildlife we saw on the way was some monkeys. The beaches were quite spectacular and it was a beautiful day so we went for a swim. If we had know there were camping facilities there we probably would have stayed a night.
Another day we visited nearby Rodadero where we rented a little shade tent and chilled on the beach all day! Very relaxing indeed!
We found a cool bar and had a couple of fun nights out. Both times we ended up meeting some locals and having plenty of laughs. One night at dinner a local girl invited herself to our table. I saw it as a good opportunity to practise my Spanish so started firing questions at her but the situation turned awkward pretty quickly when she asked to have a sip of my beer, ate one of our slices of pizza and whispered some inappropriate comments in my ear. Funny stuff.
Cartegena was next on our list and the so called 4 hour “directo” shuttle service wasn’t very direct in the end and it took us most of the day to get there.
Cartegena is quite a large city with a very picturesque old town. Out first day was spent exploring the city and walking around the old town. There was an international film festival on so we checked that out as well. Saw a couple of “interesting” short films.
The next day we caught a bus to Volcan de lodo el totumo, a mud volcano. The “Volcano” actually looks more like a mound than a Volcano and instead of spewing lava, this volcano heats up mud. You ascend the stairs to the top and then there is a ladder that allows you to lower yourself in the luke warm mud. You get absolutely covered in mud, so you give your camera to one of the guys up the top and he takes photos of you while you are in there. There are also creepy looking guys waiting in the mud to give you a massage upon entry. I wasn’t up for a man-ssage but the girls on our tour who were got a little more than they bargained for .. hahaha. The mud volcano was like nothing I had ever experienced before, it’s extremely relaxing as you can either just lay back and float on the top of the mud or totally immerse yourself. Apparently there are over 50 minerals in the mud so it’s extremely good for you. After washing ourselves off in a nearby lagoon, we hopped back on the bus and stopped at a nice little fishing village for lunch.
Another day we caught a boat to Playa Blanca which the Lonely Planet described as one of Colombia’s most beautiful beaches. It was pretty nice but wasn’t worth the 2 hour boat ride each way. A better option would have been to get a speed boat there directly.
At the hostel in Cartegena we met an American bloke called Christian who over the last 14 months had cycled from Pantagonia in Southern Argentina all the way up to Colombia (12,000kms), and was continuing on through Central America. Quite amazing and inspirational!
Another overnight bus and a short ferry ride and we found ourselves on Illa do Mel, an island off the East coast of Brazil. The island is car free and is fairly basic and has a few surf beaches but unfortunately there wasn't a wave in sight. There wasn't much to do which suited us as sleep wasn't something that had dominated our trip so far. We spent the days exploring the island and swimming and the nights just chilling. Two nights on the island was all our tight itinerary allowed and before we knew it, it was time to move on.
Another overnight bus to Rio de Janerio was on the cards and upon boarding the bus there was a certain electricity and excitement in the air ... Carnival was going to be epic!
We arrived in Rio in the morning and made our way to the hostel which we payed a ridiculous amount of money to sleep in a triple bunk bed in a crowded dorm. All prices are inflated by a factor of 5 during Carnival but it had to be done!
Our time in Rio sure was an awesome and action packed 7 days. The hostel was in a secure lane with numerous other hostels and was located only a few blocks from Ipanema beach. We were right amongst the action. An old Aussie mate, Mick and his wife Kelly (who is from Brazil) lived around the corner from the hostel and Dane and Claudia were over from London so we had a good group to hang out with. Our days were spent chilling on the beach and exploring the numerous sights Rio has to offer. The afternoons and nights were spent dancing and drinking beers on the street at the numerous "Blockos" (a blocko is an organised street party with music, a couple of floats, thousands of people and blokes selling dirt cheap beers from large eskys). You can either follow the float throughout the streets or just go to the finishing point and wait for the party to come to you.
The weather was absolutely stunning and the temperature hit high 30s most days. One afternoon we caught the cable car to the top of Mount Sugar Loaf and watched the sun set over the city. It was just amazing. Rio truly is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to.
One of the highlights was going hang gliding over the city. Running down the ramp and launching off the edge of the cliff was extremely exhilarating and the first few seconds were quite terrifying. Once I got settled in I was able to relax and enjoy the phenomenal view!
We bought some tickets to the Samba Parade at the Sambrodromo (the big competition samba parade). It was totally crazy. The complexity of the floats and the costumes just blows your mind. Mick, Kelly, Dane and Claudia were actually part of the parade so we got to see them in action.
A Futbal (soccer) game was also on our to do list and we scored some tickets through the hostel to a semi final between two Rio teams, Flamengo VS Botafago. It was a local derby and the atmosphere didn't disappoint and came complete with flares, singing etc. Botafago ended up winning 2-1.
We did a tour of Rocina, the largest Favela (about 200,000 people live there) in South America. A Favela is a type of shanty town or urbanised slum that is controlled by the drug lords and consists of poor living conditions, limited access to services, potential involvement in the crossfire of drug related gang wars and high density illegally built adhoc housing. A bus dropped us at the base of the Favela and then we each hopped on the back of a motorcycle taxi which took us to the top. The group of us then walked through the streets back down to the bottom. It was quite an eye opening experience. Although there was quite an overwhelming smell of sewerage and plenty of rotting garbage in the streets, the people still managed to smile and make us feel welcome. Only about 10% of the people in the favelas are involved in the drug trade so most people work normal jobs but just can't afford to break away from the cycle of poverty.
We also checked out Copacabana beach, ate at a delicious pay by weight restaurant (twice) and went to Corcovada (the famous statue of Christ that overlooks the city).
All in all Rio was incredibly safe and we had such a cracker of a time. The best thing about Carnival is that you get out of it what you want to ie. if you want to party 24/7 you can but you don't have to to have an awesome time!
A funny story from Rio ... I was walking through a park when a bloke came up to me and said that I had dog crap on my thong. I looked down and sure enough there was a nasty looking substance on the toe strap. He had obviously placed it there while I was distracted and coincidentally had a cloth and some cleaning gear and proceeded to remove my thong and clean it. He wouldn't give back my thong until I had payed him about $10AUS ... gold!
After a slight detour to Santiago, Chille due to bad weather, our flight eventually made it to Buenos Aires. It was a long 20 hour journey. We made our way to the hostel only to discover that it was full of weirdos and had the atmosphere of a wet blanket. We were absolutely exhausted but managed to drag ourselves out for a delicious Argentinian steak and a couple of cervezas! Spent the next couple of days exploring the city and eating more delicious tender mouth watering steaks. Initially the weather wasn't the best and it wasn't until the sun came out that we realised what a great place Buenos Aires really is. It feels extremely European and had a very modern mall although is still quite the mix of rich and poor.
A quick look at a map and a calendar revealed that we had a quite a large distance to cover and not a lot of time to make it to Rio de Janerio in time for Carnival. As a result, we cut our time in Buenos Aires a bit short (we fly out of there at the end of our trip so we will have more time to explore later) and jumped on an overnight bus to Iguazu Falls. The bus took about 20 hours but was pure luxury with wide seats that folded almost flat to form beds and multiple hot meals were served including vino!
Iguazu Falls were absolutely spectacular and make Niagra Falls look like Bar Beach storm water drain in comparison! The falls are on the border of Argentina and Brazil and we viewed them from both sides which are equally picturesque and amazing. The Brazilian side allows you to get up and close to the base of the falls while the Argentinian side allows you to walk over the top of the falls on a suspended platform. Desmond the Kangaroo came out to play and received a warm reception from the crowd. Whilst in Iguazu we stayed at this crazy hostel that was an old converted casino complete with pool and multiple bars. We got amongst the atmosphere and met some cool people, ensuring we took note of their travel recommendations for our upcoming journey.
Well I've been back in Australia for almost a week now. My parents and sister met me at the airport in Sydney last Sunday holding "Welcome Home Dan" signs .. quite embarrassing .. hahaha. We went to my sisters house in Glebe for lunch and the first thing I did was order a pie ... loved it, missed those badboys.
So after 2 years running amok overseas I am now back at my parents house in sleepy Soldiers Point (near Newcastle and 3 hours North of Sydney) and having to inform them off what time I'll be home etc. Funny stuff. I've had a pretty quiet week as I was pretty jetlagged and burnt out but still managed to go surfing a couple of times and catch up with a few local mates.
My next mission is to find a job and work out where I am going to live. There's plenty of work out there so shouldn't be a problem.
So no more exciting adventures from me for a while
After an epic 14 hour flight from New York I arrived in Tokyo quite exhausted. With the help of a very friendly Japanese business man I found my way to the hostel in Asakusa.
Jetlagg ensured that I was awake by the crack of dawn each day which created plenty of time for sightseeing. The first day I teamed up with a Norwegian bloke that I met at the hostel and together we hit the streets of Tokyo. We checked out some cool parts of town including the business district, red light district and nightclub district and had a good feed in one of the back streets. Every major intersection is as busy and a lit up with advertising as Times Square in New York, it's crazy. In my opinion Tokyo is like a cleaner more efficient version of New York. It is ridiculously clean and the people are so friendly! The subway system is a bit of a jungle ... just when I thought I had it mastered I would end up going the totally wrong way on a line or catch an express train which skipped the station I wanted.
The food is great. You've got all your usual sushi stuff but most restaurants serve more the rice, noodles and meat sort of meals. The Terryaki chicken was phenomenal. I ate some locusts and whale which was cool!
The remaining few days I hit the streets by myself and explored the Goth area and the electronics district which was amazing. I went to a 7 story electronics store which was awesome, so much technology! The mobile phones here are awesome, full on broadband with huge wide screens! I also went to the Sony building and checked out the latest gadgets ... engineer's paradise .. hahaha
Friday night came around and I was keen to check out the nightlife as everyone said it is a "must see". I tried to round up a wingman at the hostel but luck wasn't on my side so I hit the subway and did a solo mission to the night club district, Ropongi. It was always going to be a big night as the subway shuts down between midnight and 5am. I met some blokes on the street and the 3 of us went to a huge nightclub called Gas Panick. It was pretty damn awesome and the Japanese people sure do know how to party. I noticed that alot of the Western men were really sleazy with the Japanese women which wasn't cricket! I fell asleep on the train on the way home and woke up at 8am somewhere in rural Japan ... farms and cows (OOC), I was totally on the wrong line and it took me 3 hours to get back to the hostel where I had to check out (by 11am) and then make my way to the airport for the flight home! Epic times!
After a stopover in Miami where I felt like I was still in Central America due to the Spanish speaking influence, a few grillings by US Immigration (they are so strict now) and a couple of bag searches I arrived at Philadelphia airport. Kate picked me up which was really nice and we drove into town and had some beers with another friend Mandy. It was damn freezing, quite the culture shock after 3 months in tropical Central America
I spent the next few days chilling at Kate's house near Harrisburg. It was great to catch up with Kate again and see all the hard work she has done on her house. The polished floors looked fabulous! Caught up with a few other friends and went to Kate's work Xmas party which was fun!
On the Friday we drove to Princeton, New Jersey and from there caught a train to New York City as I was flying out from JFK on the Monday. We checked into a cool hostel 20m from Times Square but unfortunately it was booked out on the Sat night so we had to move to another one on Saturday. New York was also damn cold but it is a really beautiful city with all the Xmas decorations around. On the Saturday we scored some free tickets through the hostel to a free play called "How to save the world and find true love in 90 minutes", it was really good and quite funny!
That night we met up with one of Kate's friends and had some drinks with her friends. I wasn't a big fan of the $7.50US beers and couldn't really contribute to the discussions about the Dow Jones ... damn investment bankers!
On the Sunday we walked around Central Park which was nice then I farewelled Kate at the train station and headed back to the hostel. Early start on Monday morning for my flight to Tokyo!
Due to celebrations the night before my bus ride to San Jose, Costa Rica wasn't one of my finest memories from Central America. I was now travelling solo as Frank had decided to chill in San Juan a bit longer but I had to be in San Jose for my flight on Monday! The border crossing into Costa Rica was a total nightmare, it was just totally disorganised and took us about 3 hours to get clearance. Fortunately there were a few familiar faces on the bus so I had people to talk to. I even talked to a few locals in hungover Spanglish which was fun.
I arrived in San Jose at about midnight and did everything that I was told not to .. ie I hopped into a Taxi without Taxi markings and without a meter ... it was a nervous cab ride to the hostel but everything worked out fine and I made it safely. The hostel was very modern and clean and even had a pool which was much needed. I really liked San Jose, it was very modern, quite Americanised and the only Central American Capital city where I didn't feel like I was going to be mugged and murdered. Unfortunately my time in CR was limited to only a couple of days so I didn't get to explore any other areas. Before I knew it I was on a flight to the US of A!
Saturday 2nd December 2006
Nicaragua
To be honest if you'd asked me 6 months ago where Nicaragua was I probably would have replied "somewhere in Africa" ... but No, it's smack bang in Central America between Honduras and Costa Rica. It's the largest country in Central America and also the poorest but probably has the friendliest people. It has a huge lake called Lago de Nicaragua.
The Honduras-Nicaragua border was as chaotic and disorganised as we've come to expect and as usual we waited for a couple of hours while the customs officers examined our passports. It was a slightly different procedure to other border crossings, this time everyone on the bus (some more reluctantly than others) handed their passports to the bus driver along with $5US (not sure if it was a bribe or a fee) and he then passed them on to the officials ... whatever works right.
We met a bunch of Poms on a tour group (Toucan Tours) who were headed to the same town as us so the group of us ended up in Leon together! We had heard great things about Leon and The Big Foot hostel had been recommended to us on many occasions and it didn't disappoint. It is run by and Aussie bloke called Darren and he's a total legend and so full of energy! He really has created a special place with that hostel! Leon is a small Colonial town and there is not a great deal to do so we tested a few Nicaraguan beers and just soaked up the atmosphere. We visited our first cultural venue, an Art gallery which was cool!
Next on the agenda was Granada which was only a couple of hours away by bus with a quick change in the capital Managua. Granada was another colonial town so we only stayed a night before catching a ferry to the Island of Ometepe. The ferry took about 4 hours (damn big lake) and we arrived on the island in darkness. We departed the ferry and were greeted by the usual entourage of cab drivers yelling at you in Spanish in a hope to win your business ... that's all I needed after a peaceful 4 hours on a ferry. The island wasn't very impressive at all, it was very poor and run down and the houses didn't seem to have any doors or windows in them. The hostel was just as bad, I slept on a mouldy mattress and the pillow was just too nasty to describe. To top things off, the hostel was full of weirdos including the old American dude that would start drinking at breakfast time and spend the day abusing the people in the bar including me and Frank. I wanted to smack him one! We spent the next day climbing the Volcano (Conception) which was well worth it as the views from the top were spectacular. A storm crept up on us which turned the descent into a mud slide which was fun for a little while.
We got a ferry off the island and headed to the coastal town of San Juan del Sur for some surfing. The hostel there had a cool vibe and there was heaps of cool people so we spent the next few days surfing and the nights drinking with our new mates. We hung out with a bunch of crazy Swedish blokes who ensured that there was never a dull moment! The surf beach was about 30 mins North so each morning we would pile onto the back of a truck and head out on the dusty road and spend the day amongst the waves. The surf quality was amazing, consistent 4-6ft sets and the water temp was 28C which meant you could stay out all day ... awesome times!
Friday 1st of December signified Frank and my last night together and the last few days of my travels in Central America. We celebrated in style with the Swedish blokes and the $4 Fleur de Cana Rum ensured that I slept through my 5:30am alarm (apparently everyone in the hostel heard it except for me) and had to catch the late bus to Costa Rica. It's all coming to an end ... :(
So we made our way to Honduras from El Salvador. We stopped in the Colonial town of Santa Rosa de Copan for a couple of nights which was very chilled out and had a great little town square. There wasn't much to do so we just chillaxed and caught up on some sleep.
Spent a couple of days on buses and eventually made it to the East (Caribbean) Coast and caught a ferry to the Island of Utila where I am now. Utila is all about Scuba Diving and that's why we are here. It's a backpackers Scuba paradise and one of the cheapest places in the world to get certified! So far I've done 9 dives and have completed the Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses. I'm now fully certified and have 4 fun dives left before leaving on Tuesday. Scuba Diving is an intensely exhausting activity ... I've been constantly craving water, food and sleep since I've been here .... damn good fun though. Highlights include the night dive where we saw a huge barracuda and an incandescent blue octopus and a wreck dive were we penetrated a sunken transport ship. This morning we did our deep dive where we went down to 100ft and had to assemble a Mr. Potato Head (kids toy) to observe the intoxicating effects of Nitrogen Narcosis. We also saw a sea turtle, some eels and of course heaps of colourful tropical fish!
The weather turned bad for our last couple of days on Utila and the ferry was not operating so we had to get a flight in a small Cesna to get off the island. From there we headed to the capital Tegucigalpa where we arrived at night (sketchy as hell) and left the next morning headed for Nicaragua.
After some "quiet" farewell drinks on Friday, a hungover climb up Volcano Pacaya on Saturday (the lava flow was extremely spectacular) and goodbyes to our host families we hit the road to El Salvador on Sunday morning! After a brief stop to change buses in the Capital Guatemala City we headed South in a rusty old coach towards the border.
The bus ride wasn´t too bad at all and the border crossing was chaotic as expected. We arrived in the capital San Salvador and caught another bus to the coastal town of la Liberdad. Darkness was descending and the streets were dodgy as hell. We hopped in the back of a ute and headed North to the El Zonte beach. It was Frank and I and a local kid in the back of the truck and during the ride the kid tried to go through Frank´s backpack with the intent of stealing stuff. We caught him in the act and Frank gave him a swift slap across the head! Little bandit!
We spent the next couple of days chilling on the beach. The surf was great so we rented some surfboards which was awesome! The surf was quite big and the waves consistently good! Awesome times!
The owner of the place we were staying at was heading to the Capital so he gave us a lift and dropped us off right at the bus terminal where we got a bus to the small town of Suchitoto. There wasn´t much action there but it had a nice town square a cool lake and friendly locals. While we were sitting in the main square planning the next day´s travels about 4 people came up and had a chat with us ... good times! We were the only tourists in sight and the locals would literally point and stare at us with loacal school girls often waving and giggling as they walked past.
Next stop .. Honduras
Friday 3rd November 2006
A Month in Antigua
Well it´s been a month since I arrived in Antigua and today was my last day of classes which means that it´s time to move on. Heading to El Salvador on Sunday!
-80 hours of Spanish Class
-13 hours of Salsa Lessons
-Too many late nights
-Too many early mornings
-Climbed 2 Volcanos
-Weekend at the beach
-Weekend at the lake
-Met heaps of people
-Made some great mates
-Awesome times!
Funny story from last night .. we were having a few beers at a bar when 2 cops rock up to the bar and start talking to the bar tender. After a minute or so the barman ducks out the back and returns with a bottle of Vodka which he gives the cops. The cop slips the bottle under his jacket and walks out ... gold! What a country!
Tuesday 31st October 2006
Mumma, Nosotros vamos a subir un volcan!
Yep that's right ... last weekend Frank, Kenny and I climbed a 4000m (13000ft) Volcano called Volcan Acatenango. It was probably one of the toughest hikes I have ever done. After a pre trip briefing on Friday night, the journey started at 5am on Saturday morning when we met up with our guides and fellow hikers. There was 10 of us in total, 2 other Aussies, a couple of Germans and Frank and Kenny.
We started the ascent at about 8am on Saturday morning. The scenery was quite spectacular and we passed through about 4 distinct types of vegetation zones as we ascended the mountain.
We stopped for lunch at a small hut about halfway up then continued the journey. The higher we got the thinner the air got and I it was really noticeable. I still had heaps of energy but the altitude seemed to suck the stamina from me and frequent stops were necessary to regain my breath. Towards the top the atrocious 80s song "Step by Step ... oooh baby" may have spontaneously entered my brain and spurred me on to the summit! hahaha ... I´d be lying if I said that it wasn´t tough going!
The weather on top was pretty bad and the visibility only a few metres so we setup camp at "safe camp" which was out of the wind. The guides cooked up a delicious vegetarian curry and we drank red wine and watched the sun set! We were all exhausted so were in bed by 7:30pm.
Sleep wasn´t something that dominated my night ... there was 5 of us jammed in a 3 man tent so it was pretty tight. I also experience a bit of altitude sickness, not too bad ... just insomnia and a slight headache. 2 Aspirins to thin the blood fixed that in no time though. One of the other chicks was not so lucky and was vomiting and feeling quite ill.
We woke up at about 4:30am and hiked to the top of the crater to watch the sun rise. It was absolutely spectacular. From the top we could see numerous other volcanos, the Pacific Ocean, Lago Atitlan and as far as Mexico. An active volcano, Volcan Fuego wasn´t far away and we saw it erupt a few times, just smoke though!
It took about 7 hours to climb the mountain and only 2 hours to descend. The descent involved basically running down the mountain as it is the easiest and most efficient technique. My quadriceps are hurting today ... my salsa teacher wasn´t impressed!!
I´m not one to talk up my soccer skills but last Friday I played soccer for my Spanish school against another Spanish school and I scored one of the best goals of my life. Some bloke crossed the ball in behind me and in a split second of total coordination I managed to score a goal from a bicycle kick (overhead kick) ... highlight of my life .. hahah! Gold
On Sunday I bumped into a mate from Nelson Bay (Macca) on the streets of Antigua ... can you believe it!! Plenty of "catch up" beers were consumed and Monday morning was not fun!
Tuesday 24th October 2006
Lago Atitlan
Last weekend, Frank and I headed to nearby San Pedro which is on beautiful Lake Atitlan. The journey there involved a 3 hour shuttle bus and then a ferry to San Pedro. We were a bit sluggish as Friday night was Tim and Chris´s farewell party and we only got a few hours sleep. Anyway we checked into the Hotel in San Pedro and it only cost 20Q (less than $3US) for a night .. gold! We met up with some people from our Spanish school who had arrived the day before and headed straight for the beach. The water was quite refreshing but the beach was nothing to write home about really. The town of San Pedro is quite picturesque as it is set right into the hill that borders the lake. There wasn´t much to do in San Pedro apart from chilling in the hammock and taking in the scenic vistas. That night we went out for a few cervezas at a cool bar. Pretty tame really.
The next day we decided to go for the cheap option and returned back to Antigua on a "Chicken Bus". It was good times, at one stage the driver pulled over and refilled the engine coolant with a bucket from a stream next to the road! And of course there was a chicken chirping away in a box in the luggage rack. The bus was packed so it was 3 to a seat with no shoulder room at all. Was glad to get the hell off that bus.
Everything is going well here in Antigua. We´re into a pretty good routine at the moment with daily Spanish classes and plenty of Salsa. I´ve cut down the Salsa from 6 hours to 4 hours this week as it was a bit too much! Not too much to do here at night so we usually go out for a few beers. Tuesday night is the big one though, cheap drinks at Mono Loco (Crazy Monkey) then time to show off your Salsa skills at the bar next door (Sin Ventura). Going to be interesting tonight!
Last weekend a group of us went to Monterrico for Sat and Sunday and it turned out to be good times! Monterrico is on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala and is about 3 hours away by shuttle bus. On arrival we were greeted by an entourage of local kids who I suspected may be trying to steal our wallets but turned out to be just friendly kids. We found a cheap hotel and headed straight for the beach. I was a little disappointed to discover black sand and a messy shore break as I was hoping to maybe rent a surfboard. The surf was quite big so we did a bit of body surfing and chilled on the beach. We then headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, some fresh coconuts and a delicious seafood dinner. That night we went on a turtle tour and were fortunate enough to witness a large tortoise laying eggs on the beach. We waited till she finished and escorted her back into the ocean before collecting the eggs to take them to a sanctuary. She laid 115 eggs in all, what a mission. A few beers at a nice little bar on the beach and we were ready for bed!
The next morning we met up with our guide again to take the eggs to the sanctuary but he did a shifty on us and tried to sell half the eggs on the way. We were right on his case and managed to get all the eggs back and delivered safely to the centre. Makes you realise how desperately poor these people are, they´ll do anything for a quick buck!
Thursday 12th October 2006
Spanish Classes, Salsa Classes & Meet the Parents
Monday was my first day of Spanish classes and talk about brain overload!! It was an intense experience! The classes consist of 4 hours of one on one tuition every morning (8-12) and are a mixture of speaking and grammar. Great way to learn! It´s got slightly easier as the week has progressed but after each class I´m still mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. My teacher´s name is Sergio and he´s a top bloke.
On Sunday Frank and I moved in with our host families. We requested separate families so that we wouldn´t be tempted to speak English all the time and we ended up in houses next door to each other which is perfect! My family is really nice, they have 3 kids and the mother´s name is Chiqui. It was fairly uncomfortable at first but now I feel really welcome there. My Spanish has improved considerably and I got a bit of a buzz last night at the dinner table when I was able to understand about 90% of what was going on and even throw a few of my own (slowly spoken) sentences in! The family must be quite well off as they have two cars, a tv and the kid has a Nintendo. The 9 year old son is pure gold, his name is Oscar and he´s always in trouble. The mum is always yelling "Donde va?" (where are you going) as he is running out the door. It´s funny as Oscar is always on the phone to his girlfriend .. he calls her el amor .. gold!
The house is an interesting setup .. it´s 4 rooms set around an open courtyard and the kitchen is outdoor but covered and consists of 3 sinks and 2 gas burners .. very basic indeed. One of the sinks is for dirty dishes, one is constantly full of water and the other is for clean dishes as they don´t have any cupboards or storage. They have a fridge but don´t seem to use it as all he food is bought fresh on a daily baisis from the local markets. The shower and bathroom is a disgrace and make Aussie public toilets look 5 star .. hahaha. I had heard some horror stories about travellers ending up with bad families and being served beans and rice for 3 meals a day but Chiqui is a fabulous cook and I have been eating like a king for the last week. She asked me what my favourite food is so I said Guacamoli and she cooked it the next night. The avocados here are out of this world! Yeah so I get 3 meals a day at the house and have basically no other expenses so am living very cheaply indeed. Beers in a bar usually cost $1-$2.
During the week we went to two group salsa classes and pretty much became addicted. It´s extremely difficult but great fun. We booked 5 one hour one on one lessons for next week ... bring it on! So next week is shaping up to be a full on Spanish immersion! I´m thinking of abducting a salsa instructor and a Guatemalan chef and bringing them back to Oz to start a Salsa bar ... what do you reckon?
We´ve only been here a week and yet everywhere we go we bump into people that we know ... so much fun! Loving life at the moment!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” --Mark Twain
