Sunday, August 31, 2008

El Norte de El Caribe de Costa Rica!
















Up at the crack of dawn, with the roosters, I was loaded onto a tour bus going to Parque Nacional Tortuguero. I booked an overnight tour to this National Park where sea turtles go to lay their eggs.

The lay of the land going north is all about the banana. Banana trees were pretty much everywhere on our route. We stopped at a banana processing plant, Del Monte actually, and watched the workers process the bananas from the huge bundles off the tree, straight into large vats of water, to quality control (size and number by bunches), to the boxes that you see at the supermarket. The folks that work in this industry only make $300 a month and it is hard work. The company provides housing and supports the schools for their children so they use that $300 for food and other necessities...I had mixed feelings about this. Seems to me that the company keeps the employees close to the plant so that they can work more for the same amount of money. Hmmm...

The tour bus reached the town of Caño Blanco where we had to get all of our stuff and load it onto a boat. The boat took us a long way up the Canales de Tortuguero to the Evergreen Lodge. The Lodge was really nice, with a pool and all meals included...a very pleasant surprise! I had about an hour and decided to take advantage of the pool...ahhh!!! That afternoon, it was off to Tortuguero Village via water taxi where we went to the turtle museum and to the beach to see the turtle nests. Yup...the eggs are there in the big hole that mama turtle dug and covered. Laura, our guide, gave us some info on these turtles. Green sea turtles lay about 110 eggs 3 times a year. Of those 110 eggs, approximately 1% survive. The outlook for these turtles was not looking too good. At one point they thought that there were only about 3000 females left. Now, with all the conservation efforts, they think there are more than 20,000! Yay!

The next morning, we were off with Tomas to slowly creep through the national park in a boat. Tomas is a biologist and his knowledge of birds, plants, animals and the area is quite extensive. We saw all kinds of birds...you know "oh look, there's the 2 toed, purple feathered, long beaked, 3 legged egret thing". Can you tell I am not a big bird watcher? We did get a really cool look at a sloth that was down low in the water, doing his business, and then he climbed back up the tree. Oh and one of the funniest things I have seen so far was on this boat tour. We found a group of white faced monkeys way up high in the trees. We were hanging out under the trees watching them and one of the monkeys got mad at us, someone must have smiled at him, and walked straight over the boat and peed on us. I barely escaped being peed on. The two ladies on the other side of the boat got hit. Hilarious! Even Tomas was cracking up.

Later, we went on a nature hike that afternoon and got eaten by the world's largest mosquitoes. They will eat you through your clothes! The entire time we were on this tour, we were being filmed for a local vacation channel, destinostv...look for me on your local cable network!

After the hike, it was on to a long boat and then bus ride to the capital of Costa Rica...San Jose!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca - the Caribe de Costa Rica...




Back in good old Costa Rica with the Ticos, casados, sodas and great music! Tab and I headed to the town of Puerto Viejo located on the Southern Caribbean of Costa Rica. We didn't have reservations anywhere and ended up at a small place outside of town. It was OK, but definitely not Aqua Lodge caliber. We chilled out and had dinner and called it a night. The next day, Tab was off to San Jose to catch a flight back to the bay. Poor Tab, she was in for a long bumpy ride back to the airport. That is the one thing I forgot (and quickly remembered) about Costa Rica, the roads are horrible. That morning, I made my way into town and found Cabinas Guanara. The owners are Italian and Paulo kept saying "ciao bella" in Italian - loved it! They gave me a great deal so I stayed for 3 nights!

Puerto Viejo, duhhhude, is the most chill place I have ever been. It's Caribbean flavor, pura vida attitude and no worries lifestyle is just so relaxing! Puerto Viejo is also home of the amazing "Salsa Brava" which is what the biggest breaks in Costa Rica are called. The breaks got their name because of the "sauce" it serves up. These waves put Puerto Viejo on the map for surfers all over the world. There´s also a, ahh...how shall I say this, big fan base for herbs here. I was at the tour office, booking my tour for the next day and this older, kind of worn gentleman was in the office. He was rather chatty and I guess felt comfortable enough to ask me if I wanted some herb. Now this, within itself, is no big deal. I have been asked this many times here in Costa Rica. It turns out, revealed after he left the office, this guy is Captain Zero. There was a book written about him. In days past, he was a big drug smuggler and surfer here in Central America. He now lives on the beach and just kind of wanders. He is from Southern Marin...LOL here! What does that say...Jackie, Douglas, Ingrid??? Apparently, they were going to make a movie about him and Sean Penn had come down PV to do some research on him. Not sure what happend with the movie deal, something about book and movie rights. Anyway, I was asked by Captain Zero (let´s not have your kids strive to be like this Captain!) if I was interested in some herb! Whadya think about that?

The next day, I went on a snorkel and hiking tour in Cahuita which is a National Reserve about 20 minutes north of Puerto Viejo. On the way there, I met Tyler from NY via London. We hung out for the duration of the day. I just love that British humor - dry and hysterical. We took a boat out to the live coral reef just off the shore of Punta Cahuita. The water was a bit hazy, but we were able to see some pretty cool fish and the coral was amazing. Hiking through the reserve was next on the agenda. Our guide, we think his name was Ludvig - not sure because we couldn´t really understand him, but that´s what we called him, was a young guy from Cahuita. He spoke English but with a rather strong Caribbean accent. He was really knowledgeable about the plants, sea, animals, etc. I was impressed. Tyler and I had dinner and hung out for a while. Nothing like a cold Pina Colada on a warm night!

My last day in PV was spent on Play Cocles. I just chilled, as is the norm here, and watched the surfers do their thing. I found myself SO chill, that I didn´t take many pictures. I couldn´t lift my arms I guess. Tomorrow, off to Tortuguero, the Northern Caribbean of Costa Rica.

Freak out numero uno y dos...


I am so happy to say that, to date, my travels have gone by virtually without major incident. I did have two minor incidents that I can now laugh about...

Freak out numero uno:
When I was in Manuel Antonio, after school one day, Karen and I had gone into town and then back to my hotel room. When we got to my hotel room, I started looking for my camera. I couldn´t find it. I tore everything apart. Karen checked my bags again and I was at a loss. I was so bummed. I was "freaking out" a bit. I was thinking OMG, my mom just bought me that camera and then OMG, all my pictures. I was so bummed. Poor Karen, she didn´t really know me that well at that point, all she could say was, "I am so sorry". After reading all the "dangers and annoyances" sections of the guidebooks, I was sure that someone had taken my camera. Costa Rica has been known to have its share of pickpockets. I retraced my steps and decided that I should run back to the school and see if they found it. Well, sure enough they had it. I had left it by the computer. Thank Goodness! Whew! That was an adrenalin rush I could have done without!

So we are now at freak out numero dos:
When you get to the border of Panama and Costa Rica, on the Panama side, you have to stop and get your passport reviewed and then walk across this old rickety bridge. It´s a not a short bridge so there are guys on the Panama side that will carry your bags over the bridge for you. There was a guy that grabbed our suitcases and he had mine flung over his shoulder and was pulling Tab´s across the bridge. These are not small bags so he was high tailin it across. There was some sort of scuffle happening with the police and some guy so the border agent looking at my passport was distracted and took a while to get me through the process. We started walking across the bridge and as we get toward the end, I didn´t see the guy with our bags. Where did he go? I start to panic. OMG, he took our bags and just walked away with them. I was pretty much freaked out. In my mind I was thinking well, I am out of here. I have my passport and money and I am coming home early. Oh no, all my stuff. OMG! I walked past the Costa Rican immigration point and went looking for this guy. Tab was so calm..."he´s here somewhere, calm down". Turns out, he was waiting at the Costa Rican immigration point, with our bags, ready to explain to us the forms we need to fill out. I had walked right past him. Ahhh!!! I felt like an idoit. Tab was laughing at me. I think other people were like "what is up with this crazy one?". I laughed at me too...but not till later!

Mellow day and last night in Bocas...




Saturday was our last full day at the aqua lodge (sigh...). We had a mellow day, went into town for lunch, chilled out and went back to the lodge for dinner. We were hoping that the weather was going to cooperate and that it wouldn´t be raining that evening. All worked out. We took the water taxi into town with the lodge staff. They got off work at 10, so we hitched a ride. The ride into town was amazing. The weather was fantastic and there were so many stars in the sky, a site to remember for sure. One of the staff at the lodge, Angelo, took us to Bar Undido for a night of dancing. Poor Tab, Angelo was relentless and I tried to save her but...well you know. I danced most of the night away. The music was pretty good. They played a lot of reggae and salsa mucic, as well as some hip hop and merengue. We took a water taxi back to the lodge and crashed out.

The next day, we were off to Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. In order to get there from Bocas, you have to take a water taxi to the town of Guabito and then a taxi to the border. The boat ride was like being in a car with Mario Andretti. The driver was a maniac and I think bi-polar...he´d go super fast and then slow way down and then super fast again. The scenery was gorgeous though and we made it there without incident. And then came...freak out numero dos...

Bocas minus one...










Karen left us on Friday morning. But, we tried to get some snorkeling in before she left. There wasn´t much to see. Apparently, around our cabin was supposed to be the best stuff but we didn´t see much. Adios for now Karen...buen viaje!

Tab and I took a private boat tour that day. Our tour included a ride to Bahia de los delfines, lunch, and a trip to red frog beach on Isla Bastimentos. We arrived at the Bahia de los delfines and immediately saw another boat stopped with tourists taking pictures. I had never seen dolphins before (other than sea world) and this was pretty amazing. We hung out there for quite a while just listening to the delfines come up for air and swimming around. I loved watching the mom and her baby just cruise around. At one point, it was like one of them said "I am out of here" because out of the blue, he took off really fast jumping in and out of the water. Los delfines were one of the major highlights of my travels so far.

After the dolphins, we ate lunch and made our way to red frog beach. We thought that we were going to see the little red frogs that this beach was named after, but it was really just a drop off to hang out on this gorgeous beach and chill in the sun. Tab was determined to see the little red frogs so we had Estefan, our driver, take us up the beach to a forested area to find frogs for us. He did and we were happy!

We thought we might go out that night, but it was raining and in order to get to town you have to take a water taxi and we weren´t in the mood to go out and arrive soaking wet. We had a chill evening at the aqua lodge.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Mamacita de azucar!

We took a short flight to Bocas del Toro, Panama. Bocas is on the Caribbean side of the country maybe an hour from the Costa Rican border. Bocas consists of 6 islands, all densely forested. Columbus landed on Bocas in 1502 but the region was forgotten since there was no gold to be found. The region was later populated by Afro Caribbean immagrants from Jamaica and San Andres. The main Island being Isla Colon where you find the City of Bocas. Bocas is Panama´s major tourist area and has a very Caribbean vibe. There is so much to do here by way of water...snorkeling, diving, beaches, etc.

We arrived at the airport and then took a water taxi to our accomodations. Oh my gosh was all I could say. Tabitha, who at this point I have decided is sugar mamma (mamacita de azucar en epañol), scored an incredible place at Punta Caracol. Punta Caracol an environmental friendly aqua lodge where each cabin is built on stilts over the Caribbean Sea. Each cabin has low voltage electricity so, no hair dryers! Of course, we had the master suite! This place was...off the hook, sick, bad ass, and every other adjective you can think of for WAY cool!


We hung out at the lodge for a while, ate breakfast and napped. We took the water taxi back into town where we had lunch and checked things out. Bocas, the town, is very small and laid back, but you can tell that it is growing in order to accomadate the fact that the word is out on this place! Here come more tourists! We water taxied back to the lodge and Tab and Karen took the kayaks out for a spin. You can kayak and snorkel right off the back deck of the cabin! We cracked up when Tab took a dump on the kayak...what?? you can´t stand up on these things? Dinner was served at the lodge restaurant and was really good. I had caracol (conch) for the 1st time. It´s kind of like calamari but a little more chewy. I crashed out that night around 10 and apparently slept through one of the biggest thunder and lightning storms ever. Tab and Karen were a bit freaked out and didn´t get much sleep. Tab claims she saw sparks on our thatched roof...hmmm. Me...snug as a bug...woke up fresh as a daisy, ready for the next day!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Our last day in Panama City...




Another late start to the day, but we were able to secure a tour to Gamboa. Gamboa is a small town heading toward the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. It´s located where the Chagres river meets Lago Gatun. We took a 45 minute taxi ride to Gamboa where we got on a boat to Monkey Island. We were basically on the man made lake/river that the ships take to pass through the canal. What do you think we saw on Monkey Island? Yup...more monos! Before our trip, our guide gave us the low down on the Monos - "Don´t smile at the monkeys". What??? You are kidding right? Turns out, if you smile at them, they take it as a sign of aggression and they will want to throw down with you. I couldn´t stop laughing. Whenever you try not to smile/laugh, you always do. This was never an issue before because we hadn´t been that close to them. After being in Costa Rica where feeding the monkeys is a big no no, I was a bit bummed that the tourists on the boat brought bananas and almonds to feed the monkeys and it was not only allowed, but encouraged. I couldn´t bring myself to do it. It was a fun boat ride nonetheless and we saw crockodiles, sloths, iguanas and turtles too. After the tour, we headed back to the hotel. We were all so tired...you know...that lack of sleep thing was kicking in!

That night, we hung out at the swanky hotel bar one last time and then Juan Carlos took us to a local food joint called Nikos. We were after some comida typical (typical Panamanian food). We had rice, beans, a really good pork dish, fish, and platanos (my favorite!). We weren´t sure what to expect when we pulled up to the restaurant but the food turned out to be fantastic! We had a late night at the hotel and basically didn´t sleep because we had to be up at some god awful hour, 4 a.m. or so, in order to catch our flight to Bocas del Toro. Adios Panama City...for now anyway...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Reunited...and the Canal!





Karen arrived at the hotel and we had lots of catching up to do. She gave me the scoop on all the happenings in Manuel Antonio since I left. We took naps and ran over to the mall adjacent to the hotel. We ate cheap mall food for dinner (I know...we were starving...) and later hit the hotel bar for a few cocktails. It was a Monday night and word on the street was that dancing would be better later in the week so, we called it an early night.

OF COURSE, you can´t go to Panama without visiting the Canal! The next day, we decided to take a tour that included The Canal, El Amador, Casco Viejo and Panama Viejo.

The Canal...Can you say engineering genius? The sheer magnitude of the ships is amazing and then watching them move through the locks is just, i don´t know, super amazing! The canal was originally going to be a tunnel. French engineers were working on drilling through the mountains in order to create the passage to/from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but they severely underestimated the terrain and the effects of yellow fever on the workers. The United States saw the French company´s bankruptcy as a business opportunity and took over the construction. North American engineers decided that it was better to go over the mountains. So what you have today are 3 sets of double locks (we were at the Mira Flores Locks) that take the ships from sea level on one side and raise them up and over the mountains and end up at sea level on the other side. There is clearly a ton of engineering lingo here, but at the end of the day it is crazy that today the same methods of passage are being used as in the early 1900s. If it works, don´t try and fix it! The U.S. gave the Canal back to Panama in 1999, thanks to Jimmy Carter, and The Panamanians now have full control of the canal. They plan to expand the canal to accommodate even larger ships as the ships are charged based on cargo capacity.

Tab and I had already been to Almador and Casco Viejo but being on the tour we learned more about the areas. On the tour of Casco Viejo, we were taken to the Palacio de las Garzas. This is the President´s office and is named for the white herons that reside there.

Our last stop was Panama Viejo. This was the site of a very rich city pre 1671. Panama was the gateway for the Orient´s silks, spices, etc. It was also where Peru´s gold bullion was passing through which made it a target for Pirates. Henry Morgan attacked and plundered the city in 1671 and what you have left is the ruins of Panama Viejo. Not very well preserved, but you can still see a cathedral, a hospital and a convent.

Back to the hotel for nap time!

That night, we got dressed up, me in my new magic dress, and Juan Carlos took us to Fiesta Casino. Casinos are a big thing in Panama. It was like a family reunion for Juan Carlos. He had several cousins and friends in town and Marcos met up with us too. This is where we had our 1st taste of Seco. Seco is the local Panamanian liquor that is made like rum, but it doesn´t really taste like rum, to me it´s more like a vodka. We all agreed...Seco is Good! At the Casino, a live band was playing traditional Panamanian music and there was some dancing. An accordion contest was being filmed for a reality show/contest. It was a fun, lively and late night.

Oh and OF COURSE you can´t go to Panama without sporting a Panamanian hat! Tab bought one and we all just had to have our Panamanian Hat photo shoot! Work it mamacita!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Off to Panama...the furthest south I have ever been!




From Playa del Carmen, I took a bus to the Cancun airport on Saturday. My flight to Panama city arrived at 5 p.m.ish. I had time before Tabitha flew in so I decided to go the econo route to the downtown area of the Panama City. I met and befriended a local university student that was going in the same direction and he helped me take the local bus for $1. The taxi drivers were all over me..."I´ll take you downtown for $12". Nope! I was determined. I was so proud of myself. I took a "diablo rojo" (red devil), this is what the local buses are called. Also noted, Panama uses USD as their currency (I had no idea until I read ¨the book¨).

This is Tabitha´s 2 week vacation from work so she had booked 5 nights at a really nice hotel in Panama City, we had a great view of the city. I felt very spoiled and guilty about crashing her pad but, I do plan to repay the favor when I get back to the real world of the working folk! By the time she arrived at the hotel, it was 11 or so. She was hilarious. The 1st thing she pulled out of her bag was a bottle of Champagne! Cheers to vacationing in Panama City! We got ready and were off for a night out on Calle Uruguay. We hit a few clubs and ended up at a salsa, hip hop club (I can't remember the name of it...Tab?) where we met Juan Carlos and Marcos, 2 Panamanias that speak really good English! We finally called it a night (morning) at 5:30 a.m...my latest night so far!

The next day, we got a late start (go figure) and took a taxi in the afternoon to El Amador via a calzada (causeway) that links 4 small islands to the mainland. El Amador (or Fort Amador) is at the end of a causeway. Fort Amador was used when the U.S. had control of the Panama Canal. The military placed bunkers along the causeway for security. We ate lunch there at the marina and then headed back to the hotel. That night, Juan Carlos and Marcos took us to the horse races. Marcos trains horses as a hobby. We were late and only got to see the last race where one horse lost its jockey...ouch! We hung out for a while and called it a night.

On Monday, we went to Casco Viejo. Casco Viejo (Old Compound in English) was the site of the new city in the late 1600s. The new city was moved here because it was easier to defend due to reefs that prevented ships from getting too close and they also built a massive wall surrounding the city. We saw some pretty cool churches and great views of the Bahia de Panama. This area is going through a serious gentrification process (anyone want to make a real estate investment?). There is quite a bit of construction but, it´s cool to see some of the buildings in the "before stage" of reconstruction. The architecture has several influences...French, Caribbean, and Spanish style buildings. Apparently, this was a favorite hang out of Manuel Noriega back in the day. It was really hot that day and we found a cute restaurant with great Sangria. It was a relaxing afternoon. At the restaurant, there was a large table with tourists from Columbia. The owner of the restaurant was playing music videos and she put on a song called "Esta Vida" (which I believe is by a Colombian singer). The main chorus of the song says "Ay ay ay yi que bonita es esta vida" (Ay ay ay yi how beautiful this life is). The entire table was singing and clapping and it was just this crazy jolly time! It was a moment in time that I won't forget! We left Casco Viejo around 3 because it was time for my reunion with my favorite gal from Manuel Antonio...Karen!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I need water!













After being in a hot and sticky place with no respite, I need to be by the water. I had a few options as far as where to go next, but I decided to go straight to the beach. If I am going to be hot and sticky, I want to be where I can hop in the water whenever I want.

From Merida, I took a bus straight to Playa del Carmen. Playa is located about an hour south of Cancun. It´s not quite Cancun as far as crazy touristy, but it´s on its way. Prices are not so cheap here. I am ok with the touristy part because the water is FANTASTIC! Gorgeous blue, warm and refreshing! I decided to have Playa be my home base for day trips.

I arrived on Monday and found Posada Fernandez. Very reasonably priced for the area AND it has A/C - AMEN! I walked around, hit the beach and found a yoga class (yay...I missed yoga!). OH and come to find out, Playa is/can be (if you so desire) a topless beach. There are ta tas everywhere! Although, it´s kind of like Bay to Breakers where the people that run naked are the people you would really rather not see naked...you know what I mean...right?

On Tuesday, Yoga in the morning and then I hit the beach again and went snorkeling. I went on a boat that takes you to the reef just off the playa. This was a good starter trip for me. I haven´t been snorkeling in a LONG time. It was calm and really clear. I just can´t get over the water. It´s so beautiful. I´ve never been to Jamaica or the Bahamas, this is really my 1st time visiting Caribbean Sea and I love it! Manuel, our guide, dove down and grabbed a couple estrellas del mar and I held those prickely things...yikes! TC - I may have to have Carlos help me get dive certified...hmmm...!

Wednesday, I took a day trip to Tulum which is about an hour south of Playa. There is a small town, extensive white sand beaches and it is the site of Mayan ruins called, go figure, Tulum. Tulum means "walled city" as named by the Spanish but they think that it was called "the Dawn" by the Mayans, because of the gorgeous sun rises. Because of it´s location, Tulum was a major link in the Maya´s trade network, linking both land and sea. Now, these Mayans had it straight. If I was Mayan back then, I would have wanted to live here. Talk about beach front property! The site is right on the water with ruins overlooking sea. It takes your breath away. After touring the ruins, I walked to the beach and WOW! White sand, gorgeous water...it was great and a lot less touristy!

Thursday it was off to the island of Cozumel. I took a 45 minute ferry ride to the Island. On the way there, I met fellow SF Giants fan Ramon who was with Dodger fan (big boo!) Bob. Two bay area guys on vacation for the week. We ate breakfast together then they were off to ride scooters around the island. I decided to take a catamaran/snorkel trip to the southern part of the island to Palancar Reef. It was so beautiful. Again, the water...just so blue. We stopped at two different reefs and then on a private beach for dinner, margaritas and pretty much anything else you wanted to do...kayaking, beach volleyball, water trampoline, water rock climbing...so fun! I met Doyle and Cooper, father and son from Texas. They've been to Cozumel many times and gave me the lay of the land. I missed the 6 p.m. ferry so had to wait till 8 p.m. to start my way back to Playa...exhausted!

I needed water...I got water and sun too! Gorgeous, blue and warm water! I am so dark now, I don´t even recognize my arms and legs! Luv it!

One more beach day then I am off to Panama to reunite with Karen and Tabitha!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Merida - home of hammocks and panama style hats!




























I took the night bus from Palenque to Merida. The bus left at 10 p.m. and it took about 8 1/2 hours to get to Merida. I slept for about 5 of those hours so it wasn´t that bad. I wanted to be in Merida over the weekend because there was supposed to be an all day feria Saturday and Sunday. I arrived on Friday and checked into the Hostel Santa Lucia where I paid a whopping $9.50 a night (that did include free internet, breakfast, and Alhambra like water - so it was a really good deal!).

On Friday, I wandered around the main square, went to Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Ateneo de Yucatan (MACAY), visited the Mercado Municipal and tried to stay cool. It is so hot and sticky here...WOW! I love the town though. There´s alot going on here...theatres, music, museums, restaurants, etc! Merida is famous for producing Panama style hats out of the leaves of Jipijapa Palms and for producing great quality hammocks.

My plan was to stay in Merida on Saturday for the feria and head out on Sunday. Saturday came and no feria...what?? I asked a man that was sitting in the main square and he said that the feria is on Sunday not Saturday...what?...crap...the book failed me! I didn´t want to waste a day so I high tailed it over to the 2nd class bus station and hopped on a bus to Chichen Itza, the big mayan ruin site in the Yucatan. I can now officially say that I have been on a Chicken bus! Yes, there were chickens on this bus. On the way there, there was a box full of baby chicks and on the way back, a box with a big chicken. The box had a hole cut out for the chicken´s head and it was loud...squaking the entire way back!

Chichen Itza is amazing, but to me seemed like the "Disneyland" of Mayan ruins. Upon entering the grounds, there are a ton of tour buses, vendors, food stands, ticket takers, etc. I even saw this little boy get sick while he was on his dad´s shoulders (I am sure that happens at Disneyland!). I toured the grounds and took a few pictures. I was there for maybe an hour and I heard one of the vendors say "hay viene la lluvia" (here comes the rain). I looked up and it didn´t seem like it was going to rain so I kept walking. The next thing you know, it is pouring down rain - really pouring! I had to take shelter under a tree. Because I had left in such a hurry, I didn´t have my normal day trip garb...no rain jacket, umbrella - nada! I was soaked - I was actually laughing the entire time - it was like I knew something like this was bound to happen sooner or later! So that was it, I made my way back to the bus area soaking wet and took the next bus back to Merida. That will teach me to question a local!

Sunday was, in fact, the feria. The streets to the main square are closed off and there were vendors everywhere. Food, traditional Mayan dresses for the ladies and Panama style hats for the men, baloons for the kids, music, clowns, and ice cream everywhere! The evening was the best part. That´s when the music got really good. My favorite was this old school band that played mambo, cumbia and rumba beats and all the "old school" locals were dancing up a storm. I had a lot of fun just watching and laughing at the kids having fun.

One thing about Merida though...they´ve got mosquitos and it´s hot and sticky here. Did I say mosquitos?? Yeah...a lot of mosquitos! One night, I forgot to put on my new favorite perfume, DEET, and now I am a mess. I counted 37 bites on my arms and legs. I think it´s time for me to go before I get eaten alive!

Friday, August 8, 2008

San Cristobal to Palenque...my 1st long bus ride...
















I wasn´t feeling very well and stayed in "the cell" my last night in San Cristobal. I planned to catch the 6:30 a.m. bus to Palenque but I set the alarm wrong and didn´t wake up. I think it was better that way. I needed sleep. So, I ended up on the noon bus. They tell you..."oh it only takes 4 1/2 hours to get there". In reality you should add an hour or so. It took about 5 1/2 hours. The ride included about 4 hours of curvy roads into the hills - thank goodness I didn't get car sick! The terrain is actually really beautiful, green and tropical - reminded me of Costa Rica. I was still on my "budget" mission and found Posada Nacha'N-Ka'an (say that 5 times fast!). Woo hoo! I got a dorm room for $5 a night! This is kind of fun...who can find the most tolerable place for the least amount of money? Me, me, me! Shared bathroom and sleeping. It was not bad at all and because I slept with earplugs, I got the best sleep ever! The town of Palenque is really just a stop over point or your home base for visiting the Palenque Mayan Ruins.

The next day, I went on a tour of the Ruins and of the 2 local water falls, Misol-ha and Agua Azul.

At the ruins, I decided to join a group of 7 for a guided tour. Till now, I have joined the tours in English, primarily because I don´t want to miss anything. This tour was in Spanish and I don´t think I missed very much...no problem! The ruins are amazing. The experts think that they were 1st occupied around 100 BC and was in its prime around the 7th century with a population of about 8000. There are several large structures where Royalty lived and that were places of worship and human sacrifice- Templo de las Inscripciones, El Palacio, Templo de la Cruz and Templo de la Sol, to name a few. They are surrounded by jungle/rain forest and have beautiful green hills all around. These were brutal times - human sacrifices to the gods and such. I think even the mutilation in the name of beauty was brutal. For example, changing the shape of a babies cranium in order to distinguish royalty from commoners. All in the name of beauty - sheesh...wait, don´t we have an entire profession dedicated to that???

On the tour, I met Mossimo and Oriana from Rome, Italy. They are a very cool couple traveling through Mexico for 5 weeks or so. They let me tag along with them and we chatted all day about everything - Obama, the sub-prime crisis, the President of Italy (oh I forget his name), Rome, the south of Italy, how their county has the best ice cream ever! - it was great! It´s funny how everyone has the "lonley planet bible", theirs in Italian and mine in English!

After visiting the ruins, we went to the smaller of the two water falls Misol-ha. Nice falls but nothing too impressive. These falls are kind of dangerous so I didn´t get in the water.

From Misol-ha, we drove to Agua Azul. Agua Azul is the place where the guide books tell you the access road can be dangerous because tourists have been robbed by machete-armed thieves - yikes! But, I am in a van with about 12 other tourists so it should be fine right? I am sitting in the front seat with the driver and when we pull up to the "checkpoint" (several local men hold up a rope blocking your passage), he tells me, in Spanish, to lock the door. Ah...yeah sure OK whatever you say. You can tell me in Mandarin, German, Japanese, whatever you want and I get it! They collect $1 per person from him and we proceed on. No drama...whew! It´s my understanding that those men are from the self-governed local indigenous community and they "allow" access to the falls. Agua Azul is beeeeeaaaauuuuttttteeefuuullll! Several falls converging into one large fall. There are swimming areas as well but the water was cold! I love the sound of the water. It was just so powerful and loud. We saw a local woman bathing her little boys there and then she proceeded to wash her own hair...I am sure that´s exactly what used to happen thousands of years ago...and I don´t care where you come from ALL little boys love to play with cars after their bath!

All in all, an action packed day and totally worth it (although found out that the tour agency ripped me off as far as the price goes...my fault, I didn´t shop around)! I wanted to take the night bus to Merida that night, but when I went to buy the ticket, the bus was sold out. That was a 1st for me, so far everything I´ve wanted to do, I was able to do. So I stayed in the $5 dorm another night and I will take the bus tonight. I spent today blogging and trying to hang out in places that have A/C. It´s hot and sticky here and I am ready to leave. I am not a huge fan of the town of Palenque - just passing through! Adios Chiapas, I am off to Merida, Chichen Itza, Tulum and the like, in the state of the Yucatan.

About my Spanish so far...

Many people have asked me how my Spanish is coming along. The answer is "I don't really know if it's any better". I think my vocabulary is better for sure, but my speaking is still not that great. That was one aspect of being in school that I liked. We would have a lot of general discussions and the teacher would help us with what we wanted to say and what was the best way to say it. I liked being corrected...then I knew how to say it right. Now, out and about, I can get my point across no problem or I can talk around what I am trying to say until it is understood but I know I am still speaking incorrectly. Still trying...work in progress!

Karen and I had talked about this and we think that maybe a better way to actually learn is to stay parked in one place for an extended amount of time. That´s what she is doing...girl - you are going to be fluent in no time. If you do that, you build relationships with people that will consistently help you speak better. I may have to plan a month or so just parked somewhere during my next travel stint!

San Cristobal de las casas...


















My goal after Mexico City is to make my way to the Yucatan where I am going to catch a flight to Panama.

From Mexico City, I took a flight (wake up at 3:45 a.m. flight...yuck!) to Tuxtla Gutierrex which is in the Chiapas state of Mexico. This is the city you fly into in order to get to San Cristobal. San Cristobal is a really cute colonial town (Mom- it reminds me of San Miguel de Allende). Street are all cobblestone and there´s main Zocolo, church, etc. San Cristobal is famous because in 1994 with the signing of NAFTA, the Zapatistas stormed and briefly occupied San Cristobal in protest and thus a revolution began. Chiapas is one of Mexico's poorest states. Twenty-five percent plus of the residents (several million people) are Maya but they have little say on how their land is used. The revolution is based on a fight for the indigenous people's rights. The revolution continues today, although the movement has faded. Politically over the years, there have been many promises made but not much seems to have changed for the indienous people.

So it's time for me to implement the "budget" aspect of my trip...ahhh!!! I decide to go to a cheap posada..."the book" (which has been my bible) says it's decent enough and cheap. I arrive at Posada Doña Rosita and get a private room with a shared bathroom for $7 a night! Yup...it's cheap! The room is pretty much like a cell with a bed, garbage can, sheets as thin as tissue paper and no windows that open...I wanted cheap - I got cheap!

At this stage in the game, I am ready to be alone. I want to chill, observe, read and not talk (yeah yeah...I know...me not talk!!!). I walked around the town for a while, grabbed some food, and went to a movie. There are a few little theatres that show movies about the Zapatista Revolution. I watched a movie in Spanish with English subtitles that basically chronicles the Zapatista Revolution from beginning in 1994 till about 2006. Politically, things are so messed up. There has been a lot of blood shed and the discrimination is so sad.

The next day, I went on a guided tour of San Juan Chamula and San Lorenxo Zinacatan. The basis of the tour is to visit Tzotzil villages where modern Mayan life is happening. Our tour guide, Ceasar, was awesome. He has so much knowledge about the local Mayans. He even speaks their language...yes, they don't speak Spanish. Actually, because there are so many different Mayan communities throughout the country, there are many different languages spoken here in Mexico...I had no idea! These people have fierce traditions and, based on our standards, a very primitive way of life. We visited their church and market. It was forbidden to take pictures in the church but we were allowed in while the people were worshiping. I could clearly see the combination of ancient Mayan worshiping with the Catholic ways of worshiping. It's like the Spanish got to them but not all the way. There is a lot of emphasis on candles, chickens and fizzy drinks, as well as pictures of catholic saints. Candles on the floor and fizzy drinks of different colors represent things like corn and rain. They actually sacrafice chickens in the church...yeah - I don't think we ever did that growing up in the catholic church. There are so many things I learned about their beliefs...I could go on and on but some things I noted:

  • They like fireworks -- not for the lights but for the explosion. There were a ton of booms and bangs the entire time (kind of hard on the nerves!) I don't remember why...I think it's the awe factor.
  • They are self governed with a jail that is open and faces the street so that the criminal is faces with public shame. I wonder if that would work in our society?
  • Corn is king. Corn is to them, like rice is to Asia.
  • They have their own medicine doctors - Curanderos - with specialties like pulse reading, midwifery, bone setting and plant healing. They do egg readings too. Pass an egg all over someone's body while chanting, crack the egg into a bowl and you can tell what's wrong with someone.
  • The fizzy drinks, like coke and fanta, are for drinking then burping to expel unwanted spirits.
  • They are self governed. The church leaders do not get paid, they do it for honor.
  • Each community, men and women both, wear a distinct form of clothing for that community.

I loved it. Very cool! And the thing that Ceasar kept telling us was that nothing was for show. This is how these people live and choose to live. They would be in the church at 2 in the morning when no one was around doing the same thing. I definitely got that...me likey! You are most likely not going to see me on TV with a mask (I guess if I had a mask - you wouldn't know it was me) and a support Subcomandante Marcos sign but the experience was eye-opening nonetheless!