We had our last border crossing today into Panama. We strolled across a ghetto bridge with railroad tracks and many holes that would be easy to fall through letting you be swept away in the mucky river below. But, all was well.
The previous few days we have successfully been living off of couch surfing and squeeze beans. Couch surfing experience one was a lovely boy palace apartment. There was boy clutter all around, cereal for all meals (which we were welcome to!), and a tv set up with multiple unidentifiable video game attachments. By the end we demolished four boxes of cereal. The only bummer was that the dog decided to pee on my bag and our clutter on the floor right before we left.
Couch surfing time two was yet another success! We stayed in a nice simple house close to a fruit finca that Clay our host owned. Our second day there we got free roam on the farm and bagged up some Guanabana fruits in the top of a tree with a precarious wooden ladder. We also labored away at trying to bust open coconuts with a machete haphazardly. All fingers are in tack miraculously and in the end had some tasty coconut milk and meat too. The finca across the way which harvests cacao beans also provided endless entertainment. We purchased a kilo of raw beans for two dollars and spent one night roasting and peeling and the next smashing, grinding, cooking, concocting, and molding until we made enough chocolate to make us sick for the next few days or weeks.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Beast
Last night as Santana played in the backround, we had and epic battle against a tarantula with a toilet cleaning brush. Our first attempt to kill the beastly tarantula with a shoe each was no luck and just sent the monster scurrying around the bathroom. But, with a toilet cleaning brush I managed to do some damage. With the first strike I took off half of it´s legs but the fiend still scampered to the other side of the room. Luckily with the next few hits and sqaushing sessions all the legs were removed and it was left wiggling but harmless and soon the fucker was dead!
Costa Rica!
After a twirl of time on the fairytale island of Ometempe (two twin volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua with jungle and plantain farms all around) we headed to the boarder to head into our 4th country, Costa Rica.
It is seemed very surreal to be at another border and a whole other new country. Costa Rica´s border though was free and a mere stroll down a dirt road with a short stop to flick open your passport. We soon encountered this would be the only free or cheap thing we would be finding in Costa Rica though. By the first town we were left mopey and reminiscent of beloved Nicaragua where a hotels were 3 dollars instead of 10 and meals could be found for 1 buck as opposed to 4 here. Also, Costa Rica´s 2,000 bill has an awesome hammerhead shark on it and I am always reluctant and sad to give it away. Despite the prices, we have devised a plan to get in and out of here without too much damage which is centralized around couch surfing, squeeze beans, bread, and bananas.
So far we have not managed to have any luck with the couch surfing but it is looking like the next 4 days and the rest of our time here we will. Our spirits were also boosted when we found a hotel for 6 dollars in Orosi, a little town we have come to adore. There are green hills and mountains surrounding the valley Orosi is in and it mists and is a tolerable temperature for once. There are also some enticing hot spring pools but when we showed up this morning for a dip there was a swarm of old people dominating the area which thoroughly deterred us.
It is seemed very surreal to be at another border and a whole other new country. Costa Rica´s border though was free and a mere stroll down a dirt road with a short stop to flick open your passport. We soon encountered this would be the only free or cheap thing we would be finding in Costa Rica though. By the first town we were left mopey and reminiscent of beloved Nicaragua where a hotels were 3 dollars instead of 10 and meals could be found for 1 buck as opposed to 4 here. Also, Costa Rica´s 2,000 bill has an awesome hammerhead shark on it and I am always reluctant and sad to give it away. Despite the prices, we have devised a plan to get in and out of here without too much damage which is centralized around couch surfing, squeeze beans, bread, and bananas.
So far we have not managed to have any luck with the couch surfing but it is looking like the next 4 days and the rest of our time here we will. Our spirits were also boosted when we found a hotel for 6 dollars in Orosi, a little town we have come to adore. There are green hills and mountains surrounding the valley Orosi is in and it mists and is a tolerable temperature for once. There are also some enticing hot spring pools but when we showed up this morning for a dip there was a swarm of old people dominating the area which thoroughly deterred us.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Pitcures 11
Syked on the Christmas tree outside our room! Our door also had a wreath on it the next morning!
Cows Cows Cows!
Volcan Conception behind a small cemetary
Sad state of affairs for the always pregnant girl dogs around here
A path that turned into a sweet little jungle tunnel
Maderas beach near San Juan. We tested out our luck with surfing here and managed to ride quite a few waves very unskillfully.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Poison in the Air
It is confirmed that not only is my risk of skin cancer going up (from the continual cycle of burning, blistering, and peeling) but also lung cancer from the lovely way trash is dealt with here.
From the back of a moving pick up my eyes were spasming by watching colorful trash pass in the distance. It seemed like the typical spread of litter but soon it turned into heaps and a then a monstrous land fill was revealed. It looked poorly kept up and to top it off there were small fires scattered in it burning it all away. When you could see the last of it a sign revealed that this plant that was spurting out cancer, was the municipal recycling center. Good one guys, recycling toxins into the air.
From the back of a moving pick up my eyes were spasming by watching colorful trash pass in the distance. It seemed like the typical spread of litter but soon it turned into heaps and a then a monstrous land fill was revealed. It looked poorly kept up and to top it off there were small fires scattered in it burning it all away. When you could see the last of it a sign revealed that this plant that was spurting out cancer, was the municipal recycling center. Good one guys, recycling toxins into the air.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Preaching and Pills
Nicaraguan buses have provided a new fascination for us. With each bus ride you can more or less count on some preaching or an advertiser for sketchy unlabeled pills. Almost all seem harmless, but also useless. There are vitamins that make your shinny hair, anti diarrhea pills (which were described by using a chart of invertebrates) and beyond. One in ten times you will get someone that is selling toothbrushes and paste but the interest is those is always much lower despite it being the only sensible purchase. The preaching can be enthralling. They vary in quality but can be quite eloquent. They go downhill quickly though when the preacher starts shaking, and sweating with his eyes closed. Also, at the end of some you will get blessed individually.
After a few of these bus rides we made it to San Juan Del Sur which is definitively the hub of the gringo trail. Our hostel has one of the first security systems we have seen: you are tagged with a bracelet that is red with dog bones and cat paw prints which then allows you to walk past the security guard at night. It is pretty goofy, especially as the hostel is under construction making it easy to stroll in through the back half of the dismantled building.
We explored the beach today and were reminded of Seattle with all the tide pools and inlets. There are also towering cliffs on either end of the beach. One boasts a gigantic Jesus statue that we estimated is about 6 stories after comparing it with the 8 story hotel below it. We hunted for the colossal Jesus but were never successful.
After a few of these bus rides we made it to San Juan Del Sur which is definitively the hub of the gringo trail. Our hostel has one of the first security systems we have seen: you are tagged with a bracelet that is red with dog bones and cat paw prints which then allows you to walk past the security guard at night. It is pretty goofy, especially as the hostel is under construction making it easy to stroll in through the back half of the dismantled building.
We explored the beach today and were reminded of Seattle with all the tide pools and inlets. There are also towering cliffs on either end of the beach. One boasts a gigantic Jesus statue that we estimated is about 6 stories after comparing it with the 8 story hotel below it. We hunted for the colossal Jesus but were never successful.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Halloween!
We were temporarily distressed on Halloween morning as we were candy and costumeless in a deserted fishing community (maybe 100 people and most families have 4-5 kids) on the pacific coast. We had quite a hunt for candy and in the end were able to scrounge up some hard candies, marshmallows, and cookies. In the midst of the hunt we encountered the horror of a large pig being hauled up to the top of a chicken bus. There was a mere twine rope around its neck that it dangled from as the bus attendant took his sweet time with the pig literally screaming. The pig problems continued as the ranch dog who faithfully escorted us was crazed about chasing pigs out of pens and around town. Once it was more or less dark we started our feasting and boogie boarded in the night waves until thunder and lightning signaled for us to get out.
Volcano Number 2:
We headed for the top of our second volcano behind our 16 year old guide and his machete for simultaneous trail work/trail creating. It was five hours of easy up but sweat still flowed from every pore. For a large part of the trail we found dumb struck cows in bushes who seemed to be playing hide and seek with their owner who trotted past us on his horse many times in attempt to round them up. There were also many encounters with mosquitoes and them trying to eat us alive. They especially liked Zoe´s forehead, so I was continually slapping her across the face. The top was, as we expected, magnificent. A perfect volcanic caldera with a perfect blue green lake nestled in it. The top was also a prime view point for much of Nicaragua, and parts of El Salvador, and Honduras. Back down was a few hour stroll, but I managed to stab myself in the heal on a thorn creating a gooey blood mix in my shoe.
Abominable Managua:
We headed to the much hated Managua with high hopes that were crushed within hours. We found ourselves instantly lost and consulted our map. This proved to be useless though as there are no street signs and no one knows street names, including the big ones (pretty typical of everywhere in central america). Still, we resisted the sketchy taxis and began walking. We walked a meager two blocks and then were rescued by a missionary couple. Usually we would be cracking jokes, but they were overly helpful and led us to the exact block were we had 3 hotels to choose from. We settled and then stepped out of our home for some lunch. Within 30 seconds we were approached, offered a taxi to ten mentioned places, then marijuana, and then coke. To avoid such confrontations we stayed cooped up in our room most of the night. We fled in the morning from the god awful capital and are now in Masaya which is quite pleasant and we are offered only tasty bread off the streets, no coke.
We were temporarily distressed on Halloween morning as we were candy and costumeless in a deserted fishing community (maybe 100 people and most families have 4-5 kids) on the pacific coast. We had quite a hunt for candy and in the end were able to scrounge up some hard candies, marshmallows, and cookies. In the midst of the hunt we encountered the horror of a large pig being hauled up to the top of a chicken bus. There was a mere twine rope around its neck that it dangled from as the bus attendant took his sweet time with the pig literally screaming. The pig problems continued as the ranch dog who faithfully escorted us was crazed about chasing pigs out of pens and around town. Once it was more or less dark we started our feasting and boogie boarded in the night waves until thunder and lightning signaled for us to get out.
Volcano Number 2:
We headed for the top of our second volcano behind our 16 year old guide and his machete for simultaneous trail work/trail creating. It was five hours of easy up but sweat still flowed from every pore. For a large part of the trail we found dumb struck cows in bushes who seemed to be playing hide and seek with their owner who trotted past us on his horse many times in attempt to round them up. There were also many encounters with mosquitoes and them trying to eat us alive. They especially liked Zoe´s forehead, so I was continually slapping her across the face. The top was, as we expected, magnificent. A perfect volcanic caldera with a perfect blue green lake nestled in it. The top was also a prime view point for much of Nicaragua, and parts of El Salvador, and Honduras. Back down was a few hour stroll, but I managed to stab myself in the heal on a thorn creating a gooey blood mix in my shoe.
Abominable Managua:
We headed to the much hated Managua with high hopes that were crushed within hours. We found ourselves instantly lost and consulted our map. This proved to be useless though as there are no street signs and no one knows street names, including the big ones (pretty typical of everywhere in central america). Still, we resisted the sketchy taxis and began walking. We walked a meager two blocks and then were rescued by a missionary couple. Usually we would be cracking jokes, but they were overly helpful and led us to the exact block were we had 3 hotels to choose from. We settled and then stepped out of our home for some lunch. Within 30 seconds we were approached, offered a taxi to ten mentioned places, then marijuana, and then coke. To avoid such confrontations we stayed cooped up in our room most of the night. We fled in the morning from the god awful capital and are now in Masaya which is quite pleasant and we are offered only tasty bread off the streets, no coke.
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