Well I'll start with saying that the last few days have been pretty incredible, not necessarily because we have done a lot but we have been able to relax a lot, which is quite nice and a welcomed change from the studying of Spanish and the hustle of Antigua. Getting here was a pretty good story though.
Everything was fine getting to our bus and getting on and all that, everything was smooth, and nothing all that exciting as you would expect from a bus ride till we hit the El Salvadorian boarder. We got off the buss to a huge group of men asking to change money and for us to come with them while they help us across our boarder. Me being an idiot (though I have now learned) took out my passport at which point some dude snatched it from me, and all his buddies tried to hold me back but I kept on pressing though cause some random guy had my passport, the only thing that really matters when it comes down to it. I stayed surprisingly calm cause that could have gotten bad real quick. Anyways once I found the guy in the immigration office and got my passport back the rest of the boarder crossing was painless. From there we got back on the bus and continued on to San Salvador, where we arrived at 7 or so and stayed for the night in the Tica Bus station there, which wasn't all that bad, and really convenient. We met an American on the bus, named Dustin. He needed to get some money and some food so we decided to go with him. Walking around San Salvador at night was pretty sketchy for a group of white guys especially when one was going to an ATM on the street. Seeing how the city is as night was a real eye opening experience and again showed us more if what real Central America is all about. We continued on to get some food at a restaurant and then returned to our hostel. It was sweet to see the night life of the market in a big Central American city, but that was a good way to end off a pretty crazy day.
The next morning we got back on the bus at 5 to continue our journey to Managua. It was pretty nice cause the boarder crossing we all quite easy for us to get through and our ´searches´ of our baggage often consisted of either a pat down of the bags or even just a wave through with no hassle at all. The only thing that sucked about the Nicaraguan boarder was that kale tried to change some Guatemalan Quetzals into Nicaraguan Cordoba, and he got ripped huge, losing 25$ which was a pretty crappy way to start the time in Nicaragua, but definitely learned from that one.
THEN...we arrived in Managua, the capital city, and here is where some real fun started. We parted ways with the American and got ourselves a taxi. After negotiating 1$ ride to the `bus stop` we got in and started driving at which point he started to explain how the buses wern't running from this one stop cause it was Sunday, and at that point i knew that we were going to be taken for a good ride here. So then we asked to go to the main bus stop but for 10$ which is ridiculous for a taxi ride in Nicaragua, so we declined and he told us he would drive us to Granada for 10$ each, which again is retarded cause it costs 1$ in the bus, but at this point there want much to do, cause he could have dropped us off and drove off with the bags or ditched us in a sketchy part of town, so we just decided to haggle with him and only were able to get him down to 25$, but it was so frustrating cause I knew he was lying to us and just taking advantage of us cause we were white, but it was late in the afternoon and we couldn't do much about it, but it drove me wild and I wasn't going to let something like that ruin my trip. So we got to the hostel which was a sweet chill place and relaxed for the night playing cards with some people for the evening.
Nicaragua has been so nice cause we have just been able to relax, partially cause the heat is so crazy but also cause we want to. We did go up a bell tower, on recommendation from Cassie, which it definitely didn't disappoint, with a great view of the city and the lake, well worth it.
The food here is so cheap and so good. We have been able to eat for about 2$ a meal with great fresh food, like gallo pinto, chicken and plantain chips which totally rule the food world.
I have found the national people here to be way more relaxed too. They aren't pushing like Guatemala, and (for the most part) don't try to rip you off. They have a chill approach to life, which is quite refreshing. It is nice to walk through the market and look innocently at the crafts they sell and not get hassled ridiculously by the vendor.
One final point, Nicaragua is the official home of the hotdog and if you want to have the worlds best of anything come here, cause that's what everyone is advertising...like the smoothie and hotdogs hat we had the other day...and it was for the most part true.
We are going to be leaving for Isla Omepete which has been formed by two volcanoes that joined together with cities all around the island. Supposed to be beautiful and relaxing which is what I'm looking for. And hopefully not too much more "learning"
If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you
Talk to you later
Bye for now
Mike
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
The End of Guatemala
So this time tomorrow I will be on a bus headed for San Salvador, el Salvador, and then on to Nicaragua. My how the time has flown by. It was been so much fun here. Last week was pretty good. I went into Chimaltenango to visit the Discover students which was really nice to reconnect with them and see then at the start of the trip. Also was able to see some of the Guatemalan students from last year which was pretty cool to reconnect with them. While I was there i also had the chance to have lunch with the president of GBS, which was really nice to chat with him again and see how things have been going with him.
After that i went down to visit my host family from my weekends in Chimal. It was so nice to see them again and chat with them too. It neat to see how the kids have grown up. Just before we left the mom was about to have a baby but we weren't able to see it cause we left. So this time round I had the chance to see the new little baby April. All in all it was a great time in Chimal.
A quick point before I move on, if anyone has seen or heard from Ben that would be nice if you could let Kale and I know...we haven't seen him in 3 days. He left all his clothes and stuff and just took his passport and credit cards. Not sure whats going on, he has met a few shady people, but anyways I shall continue
The day after that we had a pretty decent earthquake. The 5.3 was located just of the coast and closer to the Salvadorian boarder, but we still definitely felt it. As far as I know there was no damage but it was probably the biggest one that i have felt since being down here.
Today also concludes our home stay here, as well as the Spanish classes. Its been really great learning more and more each day and getting to know the family and share some sweet experiences and laughter with them. I feel like I am a little more confident, and a little more capable to communicate.
It has been sweet to live with some of the people I did Discover with last year, and to have the Spanish over lap with them for the week. It was pretty cool to see them again and chat.
One other point, that I forgot to mention in my last blog was Kale and Ben had their first "chicken bus" experience. These are old American school buses painted really brightly, and they rip around the streets at break neck speeds, with the drivers maneuvering like they have got a 2004 Chevy Aveo (which is for sale by the way, talk to me if your interested) Hitting all the bumps they can and making you pray the moment you step on. I think that Ben put it the best way, Its like a roller coaster...but i think that this one is more a thrill cause death is much more plausible.
So as I said before tomorrow we will head off to Granada in Nicaragua for the next step of the trip. There we hope to continue the chilling and possibly hook up with a group from Canada that is down there on building project.
Sorry that this update wasn't all the most exciting but that's going to happen every now and then.
Bye for now
Mike
After that i went down to visit my host family from my weekends in Chimal. It was so nice to see them again and chat with them too. It neat to see how the kids have grown up. Just before we left the mom was about to have a baby but we weren't able to see it cause we left. So this time round I had the chance to see the new little baby April. All in all it was a great time in Chimal.
A quick point before I move on, if anyone has seen or heard from Ben that would be nice if you could let Kale and I know...we haven't seen him in 3 days. He left all his clothes and stuff and just took his passport and credit cards. Not sure whats going on, he has met a few shady people, but anyways I shall continue
The day after that we had a pretty decent earthquake. The 5.3 was located just of the coast and closer to the Salvadorian boarder, but we still definitely felt it. As far as I know there was no damage but it was probably the biggest one that i have felt since being down here.
Today also concludes our home stay here, as well as the Spanish classes. Its been really great learning more and more each day and getting to know the family and share some sweet experiences and laughter with them. I feel like I am a little more confident, and a little more capable to communicate.
It has been sweet to live with some of the people I did Discover with last year, and to have the Spanish over lap with them for the week. It was pretty cool to see them again and chat.
One other point, that I forgot to mention in my last blog was Kale and Ben had their first "chicken bus" experience. These are old American school buses painted really brightly, and they rip around the streets at break neck speeds, with the drivers maneuvering like they have got a 2004 Chevy Aveo (which is for sale by the way, talk to me if your interested) Hitting all the bumps they can and making you pray the moment you step on. I think that Ben put it the best way, Its like a roller coaster...but i think that this one is more a thrill cause death is much more plausible.
So as I said before tomorrow we will head off to Granada in Nicaragua for the next step of the trip. There we hope to continue the chilling and possibly hook up with a group from Canada that is down there on building project.
Sorry that this update wasn't all the most exciting but that's going to happen every now and then.
Bye for now
Mike
Sunday, January 17, 2010
A Guatemalan Experience Continues
This has been a great week in Antigua, but really I couldn't expect anything less from this place. I moved into another house this week with Ben and Kale because they had an opening there, and their meal times are a lot better cause of some sweet South Africans and also because there is a lot for forced Spanish conversation. I'm really glad that i made that move because i got to meet and get to know some of the coolest people around. These are three guys from S.A. who left stressful careers to travel the world and experience life to the fullest. One guy is a mechanical engineer for Boeing, another is a geologist in northern Ontario, and the third guy has a masters in micro biology, some very bright guys to say the least. they have been traveling by car all through Canada, and the States and are making their ways to Panama and ultimately Peru, rock climbing and kite boarding along the way. They taught me a lot and were really inspiring people, but it was great to get to know them while they were here.
A great experience from this week has been all the live music that we have been able to see. First we were able to see the Buena Vista Social Club at a small restaurant in town. They are a really famous jazz/salsa club from Cuba, and so one of the members came to Antigua and he was great! they also brought in a drum line style group that was also incredible to hear. That was a great night to relax and hear some of the best and liveliest music around.
Another night we saw a group that played Peruvian music. It was a little more chilled out than the salsa but it was still a great time and a fun experience.
This week has also been good for my Spanish. I'm starting to have things click, and I have some daily epiphanies when it comes to Spanish. It has been great not only because it is enabling me to speak a little better and understand a little more, but also because I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about the culture. One day I was talking with my Spanish teacher about the wars that have gone one in the region and it because a very emotional conversation that lasted about 45 minutes. I got some good insight into the history of the area and the scar that it has left on the people here. I'm pretty sure that she wants me to get married cause Ive been given a lot of marital advice, which has been entertaining though i have explained multiple times to her that I don't have a lady friend. But also just in general learning about the culture and various aspects of what is going on here has been rather insightful
We also had the chance to drop off the Gleaners soup (and yes Shelly I got some pics). Its was great to go back to the place and my how it has changed. It was good to see that the orphanage is coming along and that they are getting their feet under them. I'm glad I was able to provide a little bit of help courtesy of the gleaners to the kids there. It was a good day to relax and chill with the kids and see the end part of the gleaners soup process.
Finally, we finished off this week with a trip to Volcan de Pacaya, which is one of 3 active volcanoes in Guatemala. When we started out assent it was quite cloudy and I thought that we would be disappointed and not be able to see the great views. Thankfully the clouds cleared and gave us a great vista of what was around and we some some lava roll down the hill. It was beautiful, and this year I was able to go a lot higher than we did last year, pretty close to the cone. That was such a good experience that was a lot of fun and a great way to end the week.
Today I am going to Chimal to see the Discover student who arrived yesterday. This week is going to consist of some more Spanish and finalizing our next step of the trip to Nicaragua.
Hope you have enjoyed and sorry for the long update.
Bye for now
Mike (who is quite warm in Guatemala!)
A great experience from this week has been all the live music that we have been able to see. First we were able to see the Buena Vista Social Club at a small restaurant in town. They are a really famous jazz/salsa club from Cuba, and so one of the members came to Antigua and he was great! they also brought in a drum line style group that was also incredible to hear. That was a great night to relax and hear some of the best and liveliest music around.
Another night we saw a group that played Peruvian music. It was a little more chilled out than the salsa but it was still a great time and a fun experience.
This week has also been good for my Spanish. I'm starting to have things click, and I have some daily epiphanies when it comes to Spanish. It has been great not only because it is enabling me to speak a little better and understand a little more, but also because I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about the culture. One day I was talking with my Spanish teacher about the wars that have gone one in the region and it because a very emotional conversation that lasted about 45 minutes. I got some good insight into the history of the area and the scar that it has left on the people here. I'm pretty sure that she wants me to get married cause Ive been given a lot of marital advice, which has been entertaining though i have explained multiple times to her that I don't have a lady friend. But also just in general learning about the culture and various aspects of what is going on here has been rather insightful
We also had the chance to drop off the Gleaners soup (and yes Shelly I got some pics). Its was great to go back to the place and my how it has changed. It was good to see that the orphanage is coming along and that they are getting their feet under them. I'm glad I was able to provide a little bit of help courtesy of the gleaners to the kids there. It was a good day to relax and chill with the kids and see the end part of the gleaners soup process.
Finally, we finished off this week with a trip to Volcan de Pacaya, which is one of 3 active volcanoes in Guatemala. When we started out assent it was quite cloudy and I thought that we would be disappointed and not be able to see the great views. Thankfully the clouds cleared and gave us a great vista of what was around and we some some lava roll down the hill. It was beautiful, and this year I was able to go a lot higher than we did last year, pretty close to the cone. That was such a good experience that was a lot of fun and a great way to end the week.
Today I am going to Chimal to see the Discover student who arrived yesterday. This week is going to consist of some more Spanish and finalizing our next step of the trip to Nicaragua.
Hope you have enjoyed and sorry for the long update.
Bye for now
Mike (who is quite warm in Guatemala!)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Beginning of Something Great
Hey all
Man o man, life is good. I am loving it down here for the second time around. It has been great to see the place again and wander around in the beauty of the colonial city. It has been great to have Ben and Kale down here and so see them enjoy the place as much as I did and it helps me to value this experience this so much more.
We made it hear safely after a day of travel, and then were picked up at the airport by our Spanish teacher. It was so sweet to talk to him and get the chance to translate for Ben and Kale...it was surprising how much that I could remember, and exciting to be able to help others out.
The classes have been good. I'm learning and relearning a lot. I think that for Ben and Kale then are having a good time with the Spanish, though finding it a bit of a challenge, which most people do at the beginning.
It has been great living with our Spanish families. Ben and kale live with the school director and I'm next door with a different family. It has been great to speak and learn about the families and some more of the culture while we are down here.
Its a lot different experience than Discover because all the trip is dependent on our planning, but I think that make it a lot of fun.
Ben and Kale had their first time at the market and bought some ponchos. It was pretty interesting to watch them go through that for the first time with the haggling and the ridiculous prices that people start with and where you can get them down too....for example they started at Q225 and ended at Q50...a bit of a difference
It has been so great to meet people from all over the world with the same mind set and goals as you. So far we have met people from England, South Africa, China, Japan, the States, Korea, just to name a few...
There are some great people here.
I want travel to be an integral part of my life and I am enjoying what I am doing so much, this place is great, the people are great, this experience is great.
Well that is all for now, I hope that you enjoyed it
Talk to you later and I hope to hear from some of you.
Bye for now.
Mike
Man o man, life is good. I am loving it down here for the second time around. It has been great to see the place again and wander around in the beauty of the colonial city. It has been great to have Ben and Kale down here and so see them enjoy the place as much as I did and it helps me to value this experience this so much more.
We made it hear safely after a day of travel, and then were picked up at the airport by our Spanish teacher. It was so sweet to talk to him and get the chance to translate for Ben and Kale...it was surprising how much that I could remember, and exciting to be able to help others out.
The classes have been good. I'm learning and relearning a lot. I think that for Ben and Kale then are having a good time with the Spanish, though finding it a bit of a challenge, which most people do at the beginning.
It has been great living with our Spanish families. Ben and kale live with the school director and I'm next door with a different family. It has been great to speak and learn about the families and some more of the culture while we are down here.
Its a lot different experience than Discover because all the trip is dependent on our planning, but I think that make it a lot of fun.
Ben and Kale had their first time at the market and bought some ponchos. It was pretty interesting to watch them go through that for the first time with the haggling and the ridiculous prices that people start with and where you can get them down too....for example they started at Q225 and ended at Q50...a bit of a difference
It has been so great to meet people from all over the world with the same mind set and goals as you. So far we have met people from England, South Africa, China, Japan, the States, Korea, just to name a few...
There are some great people here.
I want travel to be an integral part of my life and I am enjoying what I am doing so much, this place is great, the people are great, this experience is great.
Well that is all for now, I hope that you enjoyed it
Talk to you later and I hope to hear from some of you.
Bye for now.
Mike
Monday, January 4, 2010
Here We Go
So here is the promised Blog. A few months ago my friend Ben approached me about traveling, and I'm not one to say no to that. So we decided to head to Central America. About a month ago Kale was undecided about what he wanted to do, so we offered him a spot to come with us. He took it. As so here we are. Leaving for Central America on Wednesday, January 6th! So, 7 weeks with friends, and 7 weeks alone, and a whole lot of fun.
I will give you all a bit of an outline as to what I will be doing and where I will be going. I'm going to be traveling to Central America for 3 1/2 months with my friends Ben and Kale. We will be backpacking on this adventure, seeing and experiencing one of the greatest places on earth. After last year, I loved Central America so much that I thought it would be awesome to return and see more of the area. The planning for this trip has been a lot of fun and welcomed challenge. I am so glad to have the opportunity to go back. To begin our journey we are going to be flying into Guatemala City, and then leaving for the tourist town of Antigua. There we will be taking some Spanish school so that I can get a little more comfortable with my Spanish and so that Kale and Ben can learn a little bit of the language. During this time we will be living with families, which is such a good time and great experience.
When I was in Guatemala last time, I wanted to go to Tikal. Tikal is a beautiful site with some awesome Mayan Ruins, but that didn't materialize for me on the last trip. So this time I hope to get there, and don't worry, I will make sure to take pictures. Other than that Guatemala is going to be a good place for us to acclimatize Central American culture and experience some of what the place has to offer.
Hopefully I will be able to see some of the people I met and lived with last year. It would be great to see some old friends that meant a lot to me. Also, while I am down there the Discover group will be in the area. It will be nice to see them and catch up on things over a nice cup of coffee at Higher Grounds.
After our time in Guatemala we hope to move down to to Nicaragua. There we hope to meet up with a group from Canada who is building a school in a village down there. It will be nice to add some volunteer efforts to the trip as a value added piece of the trip. After our work with them we are open to explore more of Nicaragua. Following our time there we will head down to Costa Rica. Costa Rica should be a good time. I hope to take in a lot of the natural beauty that the country has to offer. Hopefully a chance to see the rain forest, and possibly give surfing a try, and enjoy the beautiful beaches the country has to offer. Again we are going to try and do some volunteer work with a youth centre outside of the capital, San Jose. After that is going to be Panama. At this point the only thing that I really want to see there is the Panama Canal. I'm sure that things will come up that we can do there, but that remains open ended for me. At this point I will probably end up alone, as Ben and Kale will be heading back to Guatemala City to return to Canada. From there I hope to get to Honduras, at which point i would like to see some more Mayan sites and such. However, this to is going to be an open area for me, and plan can easily change as I find things to do.After that I plan to return Antigua in Guatemala for the Semana Santa celebration. This is said to be the second largest Holy Week celebration out side if the Vatican City. So I thought this would be something sweet to see and experience. Following that I will return to Canada on the 13th of April. I'm sorry that this was such a long post but I wanted to give an outline as to what will be going on. I promise that the following posts will not be as long. I am going to try and update this blog giving you all some information on what is going on and the adventures that I'm going to have. I will try to do this at least once a week, but I cant make any promises due to the unknown access to the internet while I'm gone.
I hope that you will leave me comments or emails and read along as I go on the adventure of a lifetime.
Bye for now.
Mike
I will give you all a bit of an outline as to what I will be doing and where I will be going. I'm going to be traveling to Central America for 3 1/2 months with my friends Ben and Kale. We will be backpacking on this adventure, seeing and experiencing one of the greatest places on earth. After last year, I loved Central America so much that I thought it would be awesome to return and see more of the area. The planning for this trip has been a lot of fun and welcomed challenge. I am so glad to have the opportunity to go back. To begin our journey we are going to be flying into Guatemala City, and then leaving for the tourist town of Antigua. There we will be taking some Spanish school so that I can get a little more comfortable with my Spanish and so that Kale and Ben can learn a little bit of the language. During this time we will be living with families, which is such a good time and great experience.
When I was in Guatemala last time, I wanted to go to Tikal. Tikal is a beautiful site with some awesome Mayan Ruins, but that didn't materialize for me on the last trip. So this time I hope to get there, and don't worry, I will make sure to take pictures. Other than that Guatemala is going to be a good place for us to acclimatize Central American culture and experience some of what the place has to offer.
Hopefully I will be able to see some of the people I met and lived with last year. It would be great to see some old friends that meant a lot to me. Also, while I am down there the Discover group will be in the area. It will be nice to see them and catch up on things over a nice cup of coffee at Higher Grounds.
After our time in Guatemala we hope to move down to to Nicaragua. There we hope to meet up with a group from Canada who is building a school in a village down there. It will be nice to add some volunteer efforts to the trip as a value added piece of the trip. After our work with them we are open to explore more of Nicaragua. Following our time there we will head down to Costa Rica. Costa Rica should be a good time. I hope to take in a lot of the natural beauty that the country has to offer. Hopefully a chance to see the rain forest, and possibly give surfing a try, and enjoy the beautiful beaches the country has to offer. Again we are going to try and do some volunteer work with a youth centre outside of the capital, San Jose. After that is going to be Panama. At this point the only thing that I really want to see there is the Panama Canal. I'm sure that things will come up that we can do there, but that remains open ended for me. At this point I will probably end up alone, as Ben and Kale will be heading back to Guatemala City to return to Canada. From there I hope to get to Honduras, at which point i would like to see some more Mayan sites and such. However, this to is going to be an open area for me, and plan can easily change as I find things to do.After that I plan to return Antigua in Guatemala for the Semana Santa celebration. This is said to be the second largest Holy Week celebration out side if the Vatican City. So I thought this would be something sweet to see and experience. Following that I will return to Canada on the 13th of April. I'm sorry that this was such a long post but I wanted to give an outline as to what will be going on. I promise that the following posts will not be as long. I am going to try and update this blog giving you all some information on what is going on and the adventures that I'm going to have. I will try to do this at least once a week, but I cant make any promises due to the unknown access to the internet while I'm gone.
I hope that you will leave me comments or emails and read along as I go on the adventure of a lifetime.
Bye for now.
Mike
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