In honor of the Cocktail Party: The Top Ten Reasons UF Owns UGA.
1. Gainesville: A Michael Stipe-free zone.
2. Gators pay lower insurance due to mullets, which lower skin cancer rates and keep hair out of eyes for safe driving; unlike universal UGA frat-boy shag, which hangs in eyes and endangers hapless SUVfuls of trashed and screaming dyed blondes yearly.
3. Actual Florida mascot wins death match with UGA–every freakin’ time.
4. Florida: cheer taken from the film Jaws. Georgia: cheer taken from The Arsenio Hall Show.
5. Frequent sideline visitor for Florida: The Nature Boy himself, Rick Flair. Woo!
6. Cheap cocaine keeps UF undergrads lean, sexy, and very, very paranoid.
7. Florida never lost a game to a man named Zook.
8. High percentage of South Florida attendees ensures “active student participation” in creating a secure UF campus. Resulting bullet holes make excellent work-study opportunities for Building Con. majors.
9. Low average participation in Greek system at Florida ensures that embarassing, drunken homosexual experimentation will be free and most likely not conducted in front of twenty “friends.”
10. Darrell Hammond: UF graduate. Debra Norville: UGA grad.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Sweet Original Haiku I Made Up
Here goes. Hope you like it.
All your Google Base
Are belong to us I say
Digital getdown.
All your Google Base
Are belong to us I say
Digital getdown.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Albert really did know what he was talking about
I hope that one day I may be this eloquent but until then just read what he had to say. HERE
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Another Day In The Life
Another glorious day in Athens, the city of brotherly love. Or something along those lines. It was a long day and a very hot one but who really cares. Anyway found something cool so you should check it out. HAHA.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Too Soon?
I don't know about you but this is some pretty funny stuff. Sorry about the long absence but with the whole law school thing I barely have time to get on the computer. As you all know that is a complete lie and I am really just a lazy bastard. Let the good times roll if ya know what I mean.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Whoa Oaxaca
A few of you will understand the real significance of the title (it's not that good) and I will be proud of you and the rest will always wonder what the heck I am talking about. Which, I believe, is the title of the gosh darn blog anyway. Well being home for about a week now I feel I have had ample time to let soak in that which happened nearly 16 days ago. Is that right? I feel like I have been home forever but that is beside the point.
Well Oaxaca, the city not the state (well I guess the state too) for those of you confused, was an amazing city and our first real taste of Mexico. The Italian tourists that we expected in all of C America never really showed up but here there were plenty of tourists although most seemed to be either Mexican or at least from somewhere in Latin America. We arrived quite early in the morning, say 7, and headed for the Casa Arnel where we would only spend one night but two very full days. That seems to happen when you arrive at a place that early and then plan to leave on another night bus the next day. The hotel and Arnel himself were fabulous. He booked buses, tours, taxis, and sold us bottled water. Early the first day started to explore the city by walking down to the Zocalo for breakfast. This was basically the town square with a huge cathedral on one side. There were churches or church ruins everywhere and I ended up using the colorful steeple next to our hostel as a guiding landmark that soared above all others. Brekky was ok Ash got a wimpy fruit cup for like 3.50 and was peeved but I think it was ok except for that. Walked down to the "largest Indian market" in all of Mexico or something like that and it was huge and had everything but all we bought was half a kilo of tortillas for 3 pesos. Quite a lunch. Notice previously I have the quotes back, that is because I am in the United States and have a normal keyboard. Now that we have that settled... I think we just walked around and kind of shopped all day because the area is known for Mescal and weaving. Two things everyone needs. Ash found a sweet as store that he would later patronize (correct word choice?) that sold all kinds of antiques, mostly catholic saint related and really old and cool looking.
Had a killer dinner at Naranjo a restaurant that Ash and I both found recommended during internet time earlier. Went and splashed out for some Moles (another thing famous in Oaxaca - the freaking food) and fish. Had some beers and some killer food and the chef who has been written up internationally, came by and said hi. Finished off the eve with a walk around the Zocalo which was kicking and having a couple pitchers of beer. Yes, they do have Corona on tap, a first for me.
Steve and I went to Monte Alban a center for the Zapotec people. They were around about the same time as the Maya and still have ancestors in the area that have derivatives of the original language. Like Tikal it was a lot of stone building and pyramid but the stones were so different and it was on the open top of a mountain. Quite interesting but it lost a little of its pizazz for being on our schedule the week after Tikal. Got home and kind of chilled the rest of the day and stuffed ourselves at this restaurant that I don't know the name of but served us enough food to feed about 15 people. We ordered for 2 and it was on 2 plates but I guess we are just wimps because we had to force ourselves to eat it all. Might have been the free guac and chips before the food came???
After a late lunch/early dinner we decided to go to the baseball game that I had seen advertised driving into town. Can you believe our good fortunes at having the Oaxaca Guerreros in the playoffs? And against the Yucatan Leons, their archrivals? Wow. That's all I can say. We got in for 50 pesos and had second row seats. Not bad I would say. We had to leave after the sixth but the crowd was really into it with rah rah cheers and a huge cannon that got shot off for nearly anything and sometimes for no reason at all. Ash got a nut plate for a snack which was awesome and had like 10 kinds of nuts on it and we all wore Guerreros headbands the whole game. Totally sick. Got out of there and boarded what would turn out to be a night bus that had no bathroom, was twenty years old, and drove on the curviest road ever. Headed to Escondido, the Mexican Pipe. Ya know...
Well Oaxaca, the city not the state (well I guess the state too) for those of you confused, was an amazing city and our first real taste of Mexico. The Italian tourists that we expected in all of C America never really showed up but here there were plenty of tourists although most seemed to be either Mexican or at least from somewhere in Latin America. We arrived quite early in the morning, say 7, and headed for the Casa Arnel where we would only spend one night but two very full days. That seems to happen when you arrive at a place that early and then plan to leave on another night bus the next day. The hotel and Arnel himself were fabulous. He booked buses, tours, taxis, and sold us bottled water. Early the first day started to explore the city by walking down to the Zocalo for breakfast. This was basically the town square with a huge cathedral on one side. There were churches or church ruins everywhere and I ended up using the colorful steeple next to our hostel as a guiding landmark that soared above all others. Brekky was ok Ash got a wimpy fruit cup for like 3.50 and was peeved but I think it was ok except for that. Walked down to the "largest Indian market" in all of Mexico or something like that and it was huge and had everything but all we bought was half a kilo of tortillas for 3 pesos. Quite a lunch. Notice previously I have the quotes back, that is because I am in the United States and have a normal keyboard. Now that we have that settled... I think we just walked around and kind of shopped all day because the area is known for Mescal and weaving. Two things everyone needs. Ash found a sweet as store that he would later patronize (correct word choice?) that sold all kinds of antiques, mostly catholic saint related and really old and cool looking.
Had a killer dinner at Naranjo a restaurant that Ash and I both found recommended during internet time earlier. Went and splashed out for some Moles (another thing famous in Oaxaca - the freaking food) and fish. Had some beers and some killer food and the chef who has been written up internationally, came by and said hi. Finished off the eve with a walk around the Zocalo which was kicking and having a couple pitchers of beer. Yes, they do have Corona on tap, a first for me.
Steve and I went to Monte Alban a center for the Zapotec people. They were around about the same time as the Maya and still have ancestors in the area that have derivatives of the original language. Like Tikal it was a lot of stone building and pyramid but the stones were so different and it was on the open top of a mountain. Quite interesting but it lost a little of its pizazz for being on our schedule the week after Tikal. Got home and kind of chilled the rest of the day and stuffed ourselves at this restaurant that I don't know the name of but served us enough food to feed about 15 people. We ordered for 2 and it was on 2 plates but I guess we are just wimps because we had to force ourselves to eat it all. Might have been the free guac and chips before the food came???
After a late lunch/early dinner we decided to go to the baseball game that I had seen advertised driving into town. Can you believe our good fortunes at having the Oaxaca Guerreros in the playoffs? And against the Yucatan Leons, their archrivals? Wow. That's all I can say. We got in for 50 pesos and had second row seats. Not bad I would say. We had to leave after the sixth but the crowd was really into it with rah rah cheers and a huge cannon that got shot off for nearly anything and sometimes for no reason at all. Ash got a nut plate for a snack which was awesome and had like 10 kinds of nuts on it and we all wore Guerreros headbands the whole game. Totally sick. Got out of there and boarded what would turn out to be a night bus that had no bathroom, was twenty years old, and drove on the curviest road ever. Headed to Escondido, the Mexican Pipe. Ya know...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Casa de Don Ismael
Hey crew, hope all is well wherever you may be hanging out right now. Yes, right now I am in a crap internet place in Tapachula Mexico. Yes, made it across the last border (except the good ol U S of A) and am in the last stretch of my journey. What this journey was for I may never know but I certainly know that I would feel incomplete not having done it. So the past few days the bros and I have really splashed out in Antigua and Tikal. These are the only places we ended up going in Guatemala even with grand plans to explore Lake Atitlan among other things. Antigua is everything you could want in a Latin America tourist town. The place is great in that it is easy enough for gringos, like myself, who know no Spanish, to get around and find great places to stay, drink, eat, and hang out. The exploring of the markets is great if you are into blankets, bead jewelry, or carved wooden bowls but, to be honest, I really couldn't be bothered to shop for anything. My pack is now lighter than it has ever been and adding stuff to it just seems to be a mistake. That's not to say I didn't look and try to negotiate with the shopkeepers just to see if I could get anything really cheap. After getting in late on the Hedman Alas 312D Mercedes Benz van we walked in circles until we came upon a place where a guy ended up letting us in and giving us a bed for the night. Wasn't cheap so we went in search of a new place the next morning. By we I mean my bros went and I stayed and lazed around the room. We all do the things that we are good at. They found the mother load in Don Ismael. The place was cheaper and far superior. Free brekky, excellent service, cleanliness beyond compare, and forever a friendly helpful attitude. Wow what more could you want for about $6 a night. Hanging out during the day we scored a sweet 15 Quetzale meal including Steve's favorite brown juice. Don't know what this stuff is but it tastes like mud, orange juice, and tomato juice mixed. We shopped around, hung out at a sweet cafe and ate carrot cake and espresso (just to be American) and decided to book a trip to Tikal.
Tikal is a Mayan settlement in northeast Guatemala and I guess one of or the only Mayan ruins in the forest. We did the trip high class and brainlessly getting all of our shuttles, flights, hotels, meals, and tours included. Only problem was getting up at 345a the next day for our 4a shuttle to out 630a flight. Whoa don't know when I have gotten up this early in quite some time. It all worked out and we left our bags at Don Ismael for our return to Antigua. Arriving at Tikal we met Edin our tour guide helper guy and after throwing our stuff in the hotel we started out for a 4 hour tour through the jungle and the life of the Maya. Making into the park after paying an entrance fee (a sore subject with me) we start to see and hear all kinds of wildlife. That day we saw tarantulas, spider monkeys, toucans, turkeys, and all kinds of other birds that I could never name. Quite nice, but more impressive were the ruins themselves. They have excavated about 20 structures I suppose from under trees and dirt that have covered them up over the last 1200 years. These things are amazing and the way you picture ruins to look (they actually shot that scene in Return of the Jedi off of Temple 4 where you see ruins sticking up above the canopy of the forest). The thing that gets you is the fact that these were all standing up painted and there were no trees between them when the city was thriving. We learned a lot about the Maya (including the name Maya actually meaning 'what do you want' in Mayan - stupid conquerors just thought they were introducing themselves) and that they think the end of the current cycle is 2012, so that might be the apocalypse. The modern Maya down here just think it will be a change since they don't want to think about and fear death for the next 7 years. Went back for the sunset that night after a refreshing dip in the hotel pool (one of the flashiest and most expensive places we have stayed) but got a bit lost on the way to the four sided pyramid that we were going to watch it on. We ended up making it in plenty of time to hang out with our lady friends who were on the tour with us and taking Spanish in Antigua. The sunset ended up being quite nice with tons of color but the security guard made us all vamos before the color started showing up. On the way down the steps Steve yelled that it was turning red and almost everyone up there (about 15 people) started running back up to see. The guard's were none too pleased and sent everyone down again. A film crew that was up filming for a documentary told us the next day that it was amazing. Special rights.
We decided that night to make the next morning a 4am morning as well. Had to see the sunrise over the ruins and hear the forest wake up. We got up sluggishly at 415 and headed in the direction of where we knew a tour was to meet. Miguel was giving it and had approached us the night before to see if we were interested. We said no and figured we would follow them in and sneak around with no flashlights in the dark. Not a well thought out plan but a plan nonetheless. So walking toward the meeting spot we see a bunch of lights and they start to head off. We stay about 50m back and just follow. Reaching the first gate a guard with some sort of semi-automatic rifle approaches us and asks what we are doing. We explain we are late for our tour and trying to catch up. He ends up letting us go. First victory. Getting near the group at the second guard station we slow down and end up having to walk up with the group because another group is coming behind us. We pay and walk with the tour people and make it to temple 4 in time to see the sunrise. The sunrise, except in March I hear, is pretty much a hoax. The sun came up but there is so much fog and mist over the forest you cant see anything. Not to say it was a waste though because hearing the animals and seeing the birds and monkeys wake up was quite amazing. Everyone up there was quiet and it was nice just relaxing on my second 4am day in a row. Not to be repeated by the way. Made it back in to look around and then back to Antigua after a grueling 4 hours at the Flores airport.
Back in Antigua our room at the Don Ismael was ready and our bags were still intact. It was good to have a change of clothes after 2 solid days of sweat on the ones we came home in. Next day decided to head it out for Mexico at 11am and had a nice bus ride until getting stuck in Tapachula. Thought we would be able to catch a night bus through to Oaxaca City but we didn't get in till after they had all left. Quite a town around here but don't worry we head out tonight.
Tikal is a Mayan settlement in northeast Guatemala and I guess one of or the only Mayan ruins in the forest. We did the trip high class and brainlessly getting all of our shuttles, flights, hotels, meals, and tours included. Only problem was getting up at 345a the next day for our 4a shuttle to out 630a flight. Whoa don't know when I have gotten up this early in quite some time. It all worked out and we left our bags at Don Ismael for our return to Antigua. Arriving at Tikal we met Edin our tour guide helper guy and after throwing our stuff in the hotel we started out for a 4 hour tour through the jungle and the life of the Maya. Making into the park after paying an entrance fee (a sore subject with me) we start to see and hear all kinds of wildlife. That day we saw tarantulas, spider monkeys, toucans, turkeys, and all kinds of other birds that I could never name. Quite nice, but more impressive were the ruins themselves. They have excavated about 20 structures I suppose from under trees and dirt that have covered them up over the last 1200 years. These things are amazing and the way you picture ruins to look (they actually shot that scene in Return of the Jedi off of Temple 4 where you see ruins sticking up above the canopy of the forest). The thing that gets you is the fact that these were all standing up painted and there were no trees between them when the city was thriving. We learned a lot about the Maya (including the name Maya actually meaning 'what do you want' in Mayan - stupid conquerors just thought they were introducing themselves) and that they think the end of the current cycle is 2012, so that might be the apocalypse. The modern Maya down here just think it will be a change since they don't want to think about and fear death for the next 7 years. Went back for the sunset that night after a refreshing dip in the hotel pool (one of the flashiest and most expensive places we have stayed) but got a bit lost on the way to the four sided pyramid that we were going to watch it on. We ended up making it in plenty of time to hang out with our lady friends who were on the tour with us and taking Spanish in Antigua. The sunset ended up being quite nice with tons of color but the security guard made us all vamos before the color started showing up. On the way down the steps Steve yelled that it was turning red and almost everyone up there (about 15 people) started running back up to see. The guard's were none too pleased and sent everyone down again. A film crew that was up filming for a documentary told us the next day that it was amazing. Special rights.
We decided that night to make the next morning a 4am morning as well. Had to see the sunrise over the ruins and hear the forest wake up. We got up sluggishly at 415 and headed in the direction of where we knew a tour was to meet. Miguel was giving it and had approached us the night before to see if we were interested. We said no and figured we would follow them in and sneak around with no flashlights in the dark. Not a well thought out plan but a plan nonetheless. So walking toward the meeting spot we see a bunch of lights and they start to head off. We stay about 50m back and just follow. Reaching the first gate a guard with some sort of semi-automatic rifle approaches us and asks what we are doing. We explain we are late for our tour and trying to catch up. He ends up letting us go. First victory. Getting near the group at the second guard station we slow down and end up having to walk up with the group because another group is coming behind us. We pay and walk with the tour people and make it to temple 4 in time to see the sunrise. The sunrise, except in March I hear, is pretty much a hoax. The sun came up but there is so much fog and mist over the forest you cant see anything. Not to say it was a waste though because hearing the animals and seeing the birds and monkeys wake up was quite amazing. Everyone up there was quiet and it was nice just relaxing on my second 4am day in a row. Not to be repeated by the way. Made it back in to look around and then back to Antigua after a grueling 4 hours at the Flores airport.
Back in Antigua our room at the Don Ismael was ready and our bags were still intact. It was good to have a change of clothes after 2 solid days of sweat on the ones we came home in. Next day decided to head it out for Mexico at 11am and had a nice bus ride until getting stuck in Tapachula. Thought we would be able to catch a night bus through to Oaxaca City but we didn't get in till after they had all left. Quite a town around here but don't worry we head out tonight.
Friday, July 29, 2005
A Ride To Remember
Seriously, the past few days have been quite a drain. And for those of you non-traveler types out there I don't know if you would have survived. Basically after leaving Antigua the road has been long and if I count correctly we have been on no fewer than 13 buses and a few taxis thrown in there as well. I guess there was a sort of break when we arrived in the Selva Negra for a night but other than that we have been going on all cylinders. For some reason sitting on a bus all day really wears you out as well. Maybe its because I'm a tall drink of water and I like to stretch my shit out.
Getting from Antigua to Matagalpa (our planned highland stopover for a night) was quite a journey. After leaving La Siesta Boris walked us to the stop and directed us to get on the bus to Masaya. Easy enough and after 5 minutes or so it comes and we hop on. This might have been the worst of the buses since the road was being built ie bumpy, it was overcrowded, and it stopped every 30 seconds or so. Making it to Masaya the bus is a mud pit and we find a bus to Tipitapa. We go here to avoid Managua and the filth that we know it to be. A guy we hiked with had gotten mugged a few weeks before and we try to avoid crime at all costs. Makes sense id say. From Tipitapa to Sebaco and from Sebaco to Matagalpa. All of these are old North American school buses that have been painted in various schemes including, but not limited to, hot like flames, love of Jesus, multi color circus bus, etc. I just cant describe how ridiculous some are on the inside they are all the same and all overcrowded. On the last leg of this journey to Matagalpa Ashley stands up to find his wallet missing. There was an old man who had bumped him a few times and thus we found the very crime that we were trying to avoid. After calling the credit card companies and figuring out what all had been lost we relaxed at Roticeria La Posada for some good ol fried chicken and cold beer. Just when we thought all had been lost in central American humanity the family at the next table sent us a liter of beer for no reason other than kindness. Not all bad folks down here.
Heading up to La Selva Negra or the black forest, a hotel and coffee plantation run by German immigrants, the rain starts coming down. We check into this rather expensive, rather non backpacker kinda place and decide to go for a hike to search for the howler monkeys, pumas, and the elusive quetzal. This ends up being quite a wet venture seeing as how it wasn't raining when we started it shortly started and we were soaked by the time we arrived home. Needless to say rainy weather is not the best time to spot wildlife. Chilled the rest of the night and made a plan to get up early the next morning to make it to Tegucigalpa (capital of Honduras) to continue on to Guatemala the next day. After a mad internet search for buses heading north we find nothing of any substance and head for a travel agent. He finds us a bus leaving Managua at 2pm and getting to Sebaco about an hour later. We take it, eat some bread, and head back for Sebaco to find our Transnica luxury bus. We make it back there what ends up being about 3 and a half hours ahead of time. We hang out in this dirty little town and find a little food stand with some chairs. The family running the place ends up being nice and we hang out for a couple of hours taking pictures with them, talking about the states, and about our travels. Obviously this is what I was told we were talking about. We decide to go stand next to the road for fear that the bus might not know it is picking us up and blow by on the quick Pan American Highway. We end us standing next to the road for about an hour and a half and this is a bad thing because we had expected the bus in the first 30 minutes. See, the problem was that, for some reason, we had the wrong time of day. Our watches were an hour ahead because of daylight savings time or the lack of it and we never really figured it all out. During this extra wait we are contemplating what we can say or do to this dirty travel agent that sold us fake tickets. Luckily the bus finally shows and stops without us even flagging it down and we jump on. This is luxury with plenty of leg room, so much in fact that there is a fold down leg rest. Movies, air conditioning, snacks, drinks, in one word: ejecutivo.
Border crossings were easy if not pushing it since we made it to the Honduras border at about 459pm and it had a closing time of 5pm. Close one but these guys are pros so I guess they know what they are doing. Make it to Tegucigalpa and get a cab to Hotel Hedman Alas the hotel that the bus company that we will be taking the next day to Guatemala owns. We come to find out that there is really no relationship between the 2 identically named entities and we cant book tickets until the following morning, if they aren't sold out that is. That night we ate Chinese food and decided to share an order of chicken fried rice (pretty safe) meant for 5 people. We hadn't eaten too much all day and thought it no problem but it turns out this plate is big enough for about 10 people. Literally the largest plate of food ever. We make it back and our armed guard lets us in. That's another thing I have failed to mention is that every place from ice cream parlors to banks to photo shops have armed guards and these guys at minimum have sawed off shotguns but I have seen Uzis, M16s, and all kinds of high powered hand guns. A bit scared but when they are in your hotel I suppose it is a good thing. Next morning with a 5am wakeup call to get tickets we are successful and get the heck outta town. This is a bus ride leaving Tegucigalpa connecting in San Pedro Sula, the Copan Ruins, Guatemala City, and finally to Antigua. The bus left at 545am and arrived in Antigua at about 8pm. You do the math.
Luckily, the bus ride was quite scenic and we saw the sparsely covered highlands of north Nicaragua change to completely covered and lush forest in Honduras to pine covered to volcano based in Guatemala. Beautiful ride just tiring seeing such movies as K Pax, Assault on Precinct 13, Boat Ride (the most hilarious of the bunch starring Horatio Sans and Cuba Gooding on a gay cruise, just imagine the ensuing antics), Honey, and Hotel Rwanda. I know there were others but I tried to sleep through some of them and apparently succeeded. Made it to Antigua and here we stay. Sweet as town just as cute as can be with cobbled streets and old style buildings and enough church ruins for anybody. It is in the middle of three volcanoes and is a perfect temperature at probably about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Not much going on here in the 'land of eternal springtime' but the place is a gringo heaven with all its shops, markets, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and bars. It is known for its language schools and the book says all the bars in town make for a bunch of half ass language students and professional partiers. Letcha know later what's going on here later.
Getting from Antigua to Matagalpa (our planned highland stopover for a night) was quite a journey. After leaving La Siesta Boris walked us to the stop and directed us to get on the bus to Masaya. Easy enough and after 5 minutes or so it comes and we hop on. This might have been the worst of the buses since the road was being built ie bumpy, it was overcrowded, and it stopped every 30 seconds or so. Making it to Masaya the bus is a mud pit and we find a bus to Tipitapa. We go here to avoid Managua and the filth that we know it to be. A guy we hiked with had gotten mugged a few weeks before and we try to avoid crime at all costs. Makes sense id say. From Tipitapa to Sebaco and from Sebaco to Matagalpa. All of these are old North American school buses that have been painted in various schemes including, but not limited to, hot like flames, love of Jesus, multi color circus bus, etc. I just cant describe how ridiculous some are on the inside they are all the same and all overcrowded. On the last leg of this journey to Matagalpa Ashley stands up to find his wallet missing. There was an old man who had bumped him a few times and thus we found the very crime that we were trying to avoid. After calling the credit card companies and figuring out what all had been lost we relaxed at Roticeria La Posada for some good ol fried chicken and cold beer. Just when we thought all had been lost in central American humanity the family at the next table sent us a liter of beer for no reason other than kindness. Not all bad folks down here.
Heading up to La Selva Negra or the black forest, a hotel and coffee plantation run by German immigrants, the rain starts coming down. We check into this rather expensive, rather non backpacker kinda place and decide to go for a hike to search for the howler monkeys, pumas, and the elusive quetzal. This ends up being quite a wet venture seeing as how it wasn't raining when we started it shortly started and we were soaked by the time we arrived home. Needless to say rainy weather is not the best time to spot wildlife. Chilled the rest of the night and made a plan to get up early the next morning to make it to Tegucigalpa (capital of Honduras) to continue on to Guatemala the next day. After a mad internet search for buses heading north we find nothing of any substance and head for a travel agent. He finds us a bus leaving Managua at 2pm and getting to Sebaco about an hour later. We take it, eat some bread, and head back for Sebaco to find our Transnica luxury bus. We make it back there what ends up being about 3 and a half hours ahead of time. We hang out in this dirty little town and find a little food stand with some chairs. The family running the place ends up being nice and we hang out for a couple of hours taking pictures with them, talking about the states, and about our travels. Obviously this is what I was told we were talking about. We decide to go stand next to the road for fear that the bus might not know it is picking us up and blow by on the quick Pan American Highway. We end us standing next to the road for about an hour and a half and this is a bad thing because we had expected the bus in the first 30 minutes. See, the problem was that, for some reason, we had the wrong time of day. Our watches were an hour ahead because of daylight savings time or the lack of it and we never really figured it all out. During this extra wait we are contemplating what we can say or do to this dirty travel agent that sold us fake tickets. Luckily the bus finally shows and stops without us even flagging it down and we jump on. This is luxury with plenty of leg room, so much in fact that there is a fold down leg rest. Movies, air conditioning, snacks, drinks, in one word: ejecutivo.
Border crossings were easy if not pushing it since we made it to the Honduras border at about 459pm and it had a closing time of 5pm. Close one but these guys are pros so I guess they know what they are doing. Make it to Tegucigalpa and get a cab to Hotel Hedman Alas the hotel that the bus company that we will be taking the next day to Guatemala owns. We come to find out that there is really no relationship between the 2 identically named entities and we cant book tickets until the following morning, if they aren't sold out that is. That night we ate Chinese food and decided to share an order of chicken fried rice (pretty safe) meant for 5 people. We hadn't eaten too much all day and thought it no problem but it turns out this plate is big enough for about 10 people. Literally the largest plate of food ever. We make it back and our armed guard lets us in. That's another thing I have failed to mention is that every place from ice cream parlors to banks to photo shops have armed guards and these guys at minimum have sawed off shotguns but I have seen Uzis, M16s, and all kinds of high powered hand guns. A bit scared but when they are in your hotel I suppose it is a good thing. Next morning with a 5am wakeup call to get tickets we are successful and get the heck outta town. This is a bus ride leaving Tegucigalpa connecting in San Pedro Sula, the Copan Ruins, Guatemala City, and finally to Antigua. The bus left at 545am and arrived in Antigua at about 8pm. You do the math.
Luckily, the bus ride was quite scenic and we saw the sparsely covered highlands of north Nicaragua change to completely covered and lush forest in Honduras to pine covered to volcano based in Guatemala. Beautiful ride just tiring seeing such movies as K Pax, Assault on Precinct 13, Boat Ride (the most hilarious of the bunch starring Horatio Sans and Cuba Gooding on a gay cruise, just imagine the ensuing antics), Honey, and Hotel Rwanda. I know there were others but I tried to sleep through some of them and apparently succeeded. Made it to Antigua and here we stay. Sweet as town just as cute as can be with cobbled streets and old style buildings and enough church ruins for anybody. It is in the middle of three volcanoes and is a perfect temperature at probably about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Not much going on here in the 'land of eternal springtime' but the place is a gringo heaven with all its shops, markets, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and bars. It is known for its language schools and the book says all the bars in town make for a bunch of half ass language students and professional partiers. Letcha know later what's going on here later.
Monday, July 25, 2005
G Town What What
I have no idea what that means but I am determined to give the people what they want - more blog!!! Yes I know you are just as excited to read this as I am to write it but I must stick to my mission objective which clearly stated that I would write about any and all significant, and, as it were insignificant events. JK this is all really good stuff.
Riding back from the big fiesta the next day on the 9am ferry we were all wiped out but managed to gain strength through a well cooked breakfast of French toast (don't think the French would do it this way) and instant coffee. Of course I am only used to instant coffee at this point and of all things I do still have a jar of Nescafe in my sack. Never know when you will need a good caffeine rush. So the ferry was nice this time as compared to last where we were being splashed with waves in the bottom of a dirty old boat. Felt like it was a school bus mixed with a slave ship where there happened to be people selling cokes. The first time I felt water running over my foot I thought we were gonners for sure but I came to realize this was common and holes in the boat are really no problem. But, comparably, this new ferry was the bomb. Two TV's, a snack bar, and a rooftop terrace. Those fools up there ended up getting soaked though when the rain came. So with the rain we decided to get a cab after we got back to San Jorge up to Grenada (the g town previously mentioned). This was another tough decision, since they all seem to be these days. We wanted to take the bus but this cabbie said there were no Sunday buses so we believed him since it was raining and he would take us for $18 for a 90k drive. Wouldn't get a deal like that in NYC or Atl for that matter.
Upon arriving in Grenada we didn't know where to stay so we got dropped off at a random corner near a hostel that ended up being closed. We eventually found one called La Siesta that we had heard about and it is quite nice. The French-Nicaraguan couple just opened it 2 months ago and are quite friendly and even eager to try using English for my sake. Remember anything possibly in Spanish I am either making up or interpreting to the best of my ability. We move in this place and alls well and we go hit the town looking for some almuerzo. We are told of the local town specialty and head to the central park to get some. We try to find the northwest corner but have no idea since none of us brought a compass so we just go the closest one. The dish is fried pork skin (pork rinds) on top of vinegary cassava (like Fiji) with shredded cabbage on top and served in the leaves of the cassava (yucca here). Good stuff but even better is the cacao con leche or a kind of chocolate milk thing but really good and fresh and heavenly. After lunch we laze around a bit reading, sit in the park and try the rum raisin ice cream, try to climb to the bell tower of a cathedral during mass, and basically just chill. Had a cerveza at the nicest place in town and headed to backpacker land at the Bearded Monkey for dinner. Got a bottle of the Flor and hit the sack.
Woke up and after much debate decided to stay here for the day and go kayaking on lago de Nicaragua. We only have about 2 weeks to make it to Acapulco and about 10 places we want to see, could be strapped for time to say the least. Anyway, we end up staying and go to the kayaking place to rent them and haggle another Manuel down to $60 for all 3 of us for a 3 hour guided tour. Blows the daily budget outta the water but what can you do? Just have to splash out sometimes. The tour was through this string of over 300 islands just off the coast of the lake near Grenada. We wind through narrow passages in the waterways and deal with big waves on the high seas. Was sweet as and even encountered an island (about 1000 sqft) run by monkeys. There were quite a few and apparently got there through no fault of their own but were now trapped. I have a fear of monkeys, or at least don't like the buggers, and was told that if you get too close they will jump out of the trees on you and start biting you. No good. Stay away. Had a drink at a restaurant out there which actually had a diving board that was a wooden board and the springs of a car I think. Quite ingenious I say. The paddling got tough but since I acquired the nickname 'the rock' from the cab driver on the way over I couldn't let my fatigue show. Steve is obviously 'el bufalo' and Ashley 'the spice'. I think all these names are quite appropriate. The tour ended with a Spanish fort from the 1500s which protected Grenada from alligators or something. Actually this is the only lake in the world with fresh water sharks so it might have been sharks that they needed the cannons for. These mischievous sharks made their way up a river from the Caribbean that later got cut off and they have adapted to the fresh water. Hmm neato. They live really deep and are scared of people now though because the Japanese fished them all for sushi or something so I didn't see one. Grenada is the picturesque Spanish colony from the 1500s reminiscent of New Orleans with a lot more color and people that you don't understand. Pretty sweet place to see some history and how it has survived but we are off for the highlands and hopefully some cooler weather, and less sweat, for awhile.
Riding back from the big fiesta the next day on the 9am ferry we were all wiped out but managed to gain strength through a well cooked breakfast of French toast (don't think the French would do it this way) and instant coffee. Of course I am only used to instant coffee at this point and of all things I do still have a jar of Nescafe in my sack. Never know when you will need a good caffeine rush. So the ferry was nice this time as compared to last where we were being splashed with waves in the bottom of a dirty old boat. Felt like it was a school bus mixed with a slave ship where there happened to be people selling cokes. The first time I felt water running over my foot I thought we were gonners for sure but I came to realize this was common and holes in the boat are really no problem. But, comparably, this new ferry was the bomb. Two TV's, a snack bar, and a rooftop terrace. Those fools up there ended up getting soaked though when the rain came. So with the rain we decided to get a cab after we got back to San Jorge up to Grenada (the g town previously mentioned). This was another tough decision, since they all seem to be these days. We wanted to take the bus but this cabbie said there were no Sunday buses so we believed him since it was raining and he would take us for $18 for a 90k drive. Wouldn't get a deal like that in NYC or Atl for that matter.
Upon arriving in Grenada we didn't know where to stay so we got dropped off at a random corner near a hostel that ended up being closed. We eventually found one called La Siesta that we had heard about and it is quite nice. The French-Nicaraguan couple just opened it 2 months ago and are quite friendly and even eager to try using English for my sake. Remember anything possibly in Spanish I am either making up or interpreting to the best of my ability. We move in this place and alls well and we go hit the town looking for some almuerzo. We are told of the local town specialty and head to the central park to get some. We try to find the northwest corner but have no idea since none of us brought a compass so we just go the closest one. The dish is fried pork skin (pork rinds) on top of vinegary cassava (like Fiji) with shredded cabbage on top and served in the leaves of the cassava (yucca here). Good stuff but even better is the cacao con leche or a kind of chocolate milk thing but really good and fresh and heavenly. After lunch we laze around a bit reading, sit in the park and try the rum raisin ice cream, try to climb to the bell tower of a cathedral during mass, and basically just chill. Had a cerveza at the nicest place in town and headed to backpacker land at the Bearded Monkey for dinner. Got a bottle of the Flor and hit the sack.
Woke up and after much debate decided to stay here for the day and go kayaking on lago de Nicaragua. We only have about 2 weeks to make it to Acapulco and about 10 places we want to see, could be strapped for time to say the least. Anyway, we end up staying and go to the kayaking place to rent them and haggle another Manuel down to $60 for all 3 of us for a 3 hour guided tour. Blows the daily budget outta the water but what can you do? Just have to splash out sometimes. The tour was through this string of over 300 islands just off the coast of the lake near Grenada. We wind through narrow passages in the waterways and deal with big waves on the high seas. Was sweet as and even encountered an island (about 1000 sqft) run by monkeys. There were quite a few and apparently got there through no fault of their own but were now trapped. I have a fear of monkeys, or at least don't like the buggers, and was told that if you get too close they will jump out of the trees on you and start biting you. No good. Stay away. Had a drink at a restaurant out there which actually had a diving board that was a wooden board and the springs of a car I think. Quite ingenious I say. The paddling got tough but since I acquired the nickname 'the rock' from the cab driver on the way over I couldn't let my fatigue show. Steve is obviously 'el bufalo' and Ashley 'the spice'. I think all these names are quite appropriate. The tour ended with a Spanish fort from the 1500s which protected Grenada from alligators or something. Actually this is the only lake in the world with fresh water sharks so it might have been sharks that they needed the cannons for. These mischievous sharks made their way up a river from the Caribbean that later got cut off and they have adapted to the fresh water. Hmm neato. They live really deep and are scared of people now though because the Japanese fished them all for sushi or something so I didn't see one. Grenada is the picturesque Spanish colony from the 1500s reminiscent of New Orleans with a lot more color and people that you don't understand. Pretty sweet place to see some history and how it has survived but we are off for the highlands and hopefully some cooler weather, and less sweat, for awhile.
The Fiesta
So if you were reading the last post you are probably now on the edge of your seats to hear all about the fiesta in Moyogalpo. I know I would be if I were where you are now. Not to rub it in or anything. Anyway, on with the story. We check into the Hotel Aly and it seems alright except for the fact that our room is near 1 million degrees centigrade and smells of something from a swamp (just choose your favorite one, okeefanokee for me) because of all the muddy and dirty clothes that we have in our bags. I have figured out is ok not to wash your clothes for a month if you are in NZ and it is really cold outside but if you are constantly sweating in the muggy heat down here and you are traveling with 2 other guys the rooms can get a little rank. Sorry for the aside but I didn't Want to cast Hotel Aly in a bad light for something that is completely our fault. So we run into some Americans, the Canadian Dan (who hiked the other volcano that day), and an Irish chick. These characters don't really tie into the story other to say that they were there, we ate with them, went to a dance later with them, and generally were pretty good friends with them. I always like to show how I can make friends even though it was really no work of mine. Oh yeah, I just thought of something really funny. We said 'get er done' a lot on the way up the mountain and then after we said 'got er done'. Ha, that's the kinds stuff we can come up with. Also, Manuel told a lot of other bromas (jokes) that I didn't understand but certainly laughed at. Anyway the fiesta.
We wander over to an area of town where we hear a lot of commotion, fireworks, and music after throwing our bags down. The place is packed but luckily the big bull fight hasn't started yet. We go for the seats around the bull ring, pit, field thing that are elevated. They did run us 10 cordobas each (roughly 60 cents I suppose) but were entirely worth it since they were near the tree in the middle. There were already quite a few people there, estimates came to about 300 or 400, most of the males between the ages of 10 and 50 were in the middle. Most of them drunk or drinking. None drunk like the guy passed out below us who finally got dragged up and out of the ring. They were drinking some sort of crappy sugar cane liquor out of plastic bags. This is a typical way of getting a to go drink so it wasn't entirely odd till people started falling down and had dead looks in their eyes. So no shirt guy was the highlight till the bull fight started. He staggered about and kept trying to do anything he could to help set up for the bulls and then he goes and leans on a wall and pees in the middle of the whole thing. He has had his pants open the whole time so I guess this was quite convenient for him. The bulls started coming in and they were small at first and scared for their lives. There were about 20 guys with horses in the ring and they pulled the bulls out of the corral and towards the tree previously mentioned, really just a log with a y on top. They used the y with their ropes through it for leverage and pulled with the horses. Interesting way to start. Once the bull was all the way to the pole they roped him around his neck and got it as tight as possible before putting the ropes to hold onto and around the ol ball sack to make em buck real good. These bulls were so freaked out they were pissing and crapping themselves everywhere. Might be typical cow behavior but was a first for me. Certainly not an animal rights activists cup of tea. The riders were also in age from 10 to 50 and the bulls got up to some real big guys well over 1000 pounds I suppose. The thing is it wasn't really a fight. After the ride they got the ropes off of the bulls and then the red bull towel, blanket things came out and they tried to get it to run around awhile. All during this time no shirt guy is trying to get on just about every bull and trying to help with the ropes and everyone is pretty angry with him and they keep throwing him to the ground and out of the ring. At some point a guy in a yellow NJ Nets shirt shows up and he is, if possible, drunker than no shirt guy. This guy is adamant about getting on a bull and after nearly being trampled at the pole, getting punched in the face and knocked to the ground by another guy out there and attempting to bite the guy for retribution he manages to get on one. The thing was the bull had already run and they had released him when yellow shirt climbs off the fence and gets on backward. Everyone in the crowd knows this is a bad idea and it turns out that he falls off in about half a second and does get trampled while they are trying to pull him away. We heard that in addition to his swollen eye from earlier he got some nasty gashes on his face. Don't know what else but we were pretty scared for him. Some of the other riders were in button up shirts and there weren't many that didn't want to give it a try. It ended on a down note with the last bull not cooperating enough to get tied to the pole and letting it go run about and scare everyone up the fences. The guy who was supposed to ride it looked quite relieved. This may have been the most interesting and crazy cultural experience of my life. Basically a three ring circus, non stop action, not always feel good entertainment, but entertainment none the less perhaps like the gladiators of Rome. That night there was a live band with some countryish Latin music but nothing comparable to the days activities. A lot more people were drunk by then but nothing too amazing. Also cost 50 cordobas ($3) to get in. What do they take us for, fools?
We wander over to an area of town where we hear a lot of commotion, fireworks, and music after throwing our bags down. The place is packed but luckily the big bull fight hasn't started yet. We go for the seats around the bull ring, pit, field thing that are elevated. They did run us 10 cordobas each (roughly 60 cents I suppose) but were entirely worth it since they were near the tree in the middle. There were already quite a few people there, estimates came to about 300 or 400, most of the males between the ages of 10 and 50 were in the middle. Most of them drunk or drinking. None drunk like the guy passed out below us who finally got dragged up and out of the ring. They were drinking some sort of crappy sugar cane liquor out of plastic bags. This is a typical way of getting a to go drink so it wasn't entirely odd till people started falling down and had dead looks in their eyes. So no shirt guy was the highlight till the bull fight started. He staggered about and kept trying to do anything he could to help set up for the bulls and then he goes and leans on a wall and pees in the middle of the whole thing. He has had his pants open the whole time so I guess this was quite convenient for him. The bulls started coming in and they were small at first and scared for their lives. There were about 20 guys with horses in the ring and they pulled the bulls out of the corral and towards the tree previously mentioned, really just a log with a y on top. They used the y with their ropes through it for leverage and pulled with the horses. Interesting way to start. Once the bull was all the way to the pole they roped him around his neck and got it as tight as possible before putting the ropes to hold onto and around the ol ball sack to make em buck real good. These bulls were so freaked out they were pissing and crapping themselves everywhere. Might be typical cow behavior but was a first for me. Certainly not an animal rights activists cup of tea. The riders were also in age from 10 to 50 and the bulls got up to some real big guys well over 1000 pounds I suppose. The thing is it wasn't really a fight. After the ride they got the ropes off of the bulls and then the red bull towel, blanket things came out and they tried to get it to run around awhile. All during this time no shirt guy is trying to get on just about every bull and trying to help with the ropes and everyone is pretty angry with him and they keep throwing him to the ground and out of the ring. At some point a guy in a yellow NJ Nets shirt shows up and he is, if possible, drunker than no shirt guy. This guy is adamant about getting on a bull and after nearly being trampled at the pole, getting punched in the face and knocked to the ground by another guy out there and attempting to bite the guy for retribution he manages to get on one. The thing was the bull had already run and they had released him when yellow shirt climbs off the fence and gets on backward. Everyone in the crowd knows this is a bad idea and it turns out that he falls off in about half a second and does get trampled while they are trying to pull him away. We heard that in addition to his swollen eye from earlier he got some nasty gashes on his face. Don't know what else but we were pretty scared for him. Some of the other riders were in button up shirts and there weren't many that didn't want to give it a try. It ended on a down note with the last bull not cooperating enough to get tied to the pole and letting it go run about and scare everyone up the fences. The guy who was supposed to ride it looked quite relieved. This may have been the most interesting and crazy cultural experience of my life. Basically a three ring circus, non stop action, not always feel good entertainment, but entertainment none the less perhaps like the gladiators of Rome. That night there was a live band with some countryish Latin music but nothing comparable to the days activities. A lot more people were drunk by then but nothing too amazing. Also cost 50 cordobas ($3) to get in. What do they take us for, fools?
The Enchanted Isla de Ometepe
Yes, as of press time, meaning the time that I am writing this, I have already been there and seen the amazing enchanted and quite tranquilo island. This island is certainly not ordinary though. The people of Nica regard it with mystical skepticism and feel a real connection to their roots while on the island. It makes it even more amazing in that lies in the world's eleventh largest lake. I previously thought it was the tenth largest but I have since been informed that I was previously misinformed. I do think I should be a professional writer as well.
After a few uber tranquilo days in San Juan we headed over with a helpful cabbie to the docks to catch a ferry across to the island. It lays in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua and is the result of two volcanoes, one of which is still active. They are called Consepcion (1600m) and Maderas (1400m). We made it to the island and after a taxi, a ferry, a bus ride, and a van ride we made it to a town called Balgue from which the coffee plantation where we would be staying was about a 30 minute uphill walk. Amazingly this was quite a nice walk and we got a cheap watermelon that was never eaten but passed on to other hungry travelers. It was a nice walk mainly because the hour long van ride found us squished in with about 8 to 15 other people at any given time. Not pleasant and to make things worse the road was probably the most rutted out, rocky, and bumpy road of all time. Seriously not good. Interesting drive around Consepcion and through rainforested areas. The towns are all less than 100 people and just seem completely third world. We heard later that less than half the kids make it to 5th grade.
Up at the farm we found many folks we had run into in San Juan and figured we were officially on the 'circuit' (can't find the quotes on this damn Latin America set up keyboard). The reason people come here is to hike up to a lake in the dead crater of the volcano. The people we saw coming down were all moaning about how nasty it was and they weren't lying you could tell by their clothes and shoes. Absolutely filthy, covered in mud. A few smiling faces in the pack but not so many. After seeing this we decided we certainly had to give it a shot and a guide was set up for the next day. He charged us $5 each for a supposed 8 hour hike so we figured at that rate for a personal guide we might as well give him a shot.
Got up pretty early the next morning for our 730 departure on this daunting 8 hour, 1400m ascent. It turned out we left about 830 because the kitchen was notoriously slow and not good at keeping orders straight. It probably didn't help that all 3 of us went by David for the entire stay. So we meet our guide, Manuel, and he seems to be a spry, witty chap in high spirits and up for a good walk up the hill. He told us with all guys in the group that it would take 4 hours up and 3 down. Needless to say I know no Spanish so this is a complete guess, as is everything that I have ever imparted about central America. On the 5k walk up (straight up) we saw all kinds of cool things and met another expat American down helping the school development of Nica. We saw how they grow the coffee, some petroglyphs, some giant beetles, cicadas, parrots, a crab, and cacao trees, probably some other shit too that I don't remember. So the petroglyph we saw was for the rain god which is what the volcano was formed from or for or something but he told us a story that they came and prayed at these carvings for rain and if that didn't work they would actually sacrifice a human and give the blood to the rain god and that almost always worked. Seemed like quite a jump to me without a sacrificial goat or something in between but I guess you just don't know what was going on about 300 AD.
Further up the trail we encountered beetles where the big males were about the width of your palm. These guys were huge and they meant business. Actually they in no way hurt you but they have rhino horns on the front and we were told that men cut the heads off, cover them in silver or gold and wear them on a necklace to attract women on the island. I didn't see any evidence but thought it an interesting idea nonetheless. Further up we saw a random crab on the path (at about 1000m above sea level) and some other cool shit that I don't want to tell you about. The summit was very unimpressive because the volcano was covered in clouds but we hiked down and scaled down some cliffs to reach the crater lake. Which wasn't visible either. Ah well. After a tasty chicken sanny we headed out climbing the cliffs and getting really dirty slip sliding all over the place. We caught a few other groups of hikers because we were as fast as a rocket and the Canadian guy Dan and I took off down the hill jumping, sliding, and nearly running down the trail. We made it down in about an hour and a half nearly eating it on several occasions but at the bottom we were still fairly clean and that first Tona tasted like the sweet nectar of the gods that it is. Nuff said. Rolled out of the farm for another shitty ride back to Moyogalpo (the ferry port town) and had some pizza pie after we found that we had missed our ferry and if we took the next one we would miss the bus. Luckily we had heard about a fiesta, festival, bull fight sorta thing and decided to stay on the island another night. This proved quite an interesting decision...
After a few uber tranquilo days in San Juan we headed over with a helpful cabbie to the docks to catch a ferry across to the island. It lays in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua and is the result of two volcanoes, one of which is still active. They are called Consepcion (1600m) and Maderas (1400m). We made it to the island and after a taxi, a ferry, a bus ride, and a van ride we made it to a town called Balgue from which the coffee plantation where we would be staying was about a 30 minute uphill walk. Amazingly this was quite a nice walk and we got a cheap watermelon that was never eaten but passed on to other hungry travelers. It was a nice walk mainly because the hour long van ride found us squished in with about 8 to 15 other people at any given time. Not pleasant and to make things worse the road was probably the most rutted out, rocky, and bumpy road of all time. Seriously not good. Interesting drive around Consepcion and through rainforested areas. The towns are all less than 100 people and just seem completely third world. We heard later that less than half the kids make it to 5th grade.
Up at the farm we found many folks we had run into in San Juan and figured we were officially on the 'circuit' (can't find the quotes on this damn Latin America set up keyboard). The reason people come here is to hike up to a lake in the dead crater of the volcano. The people we saw coming down were all moaning about how nasty it was and they weren't lying you could tell by their clothes and shoes. Absolutely filthy, covered in mud. A few smiling faces in the pack but not so many. After seeing this we decided we certainly had to give it a shot and a guide was set up for the next day. He charged us $5 each for a supposed 8 hour hike so we figured at that rate for a personal guide we might as well give him a shot.
Got up pretty early the next morning for our 730 departure on this daunting 8 hour, 1400m ascent. It turned out we left about 830 because the kitchen was notoriously slow and not good at keeping orders straight. It probably didn't help that all 3 of us went by David for the entire stay. So we meet our guide, Manuel, and he seems to be a spry, witty chap in high spirits and up for a good walk up the hill. He told us with all guys in the group that it would take 4 hours up and 3 down. Needless to say I know no Spanish so this is a complete guess, as is everything that I have ever imparted about central America. On the 5k walk up (straight up) we saw all kinds of cool things and met another expat American down helping the school development of Nica. We saw how they grow the coffee, some petroglyphs, some giant beetles, cicadas, parrots, a crab, and cacao trees, probably some other shit too that I don't remember. So the petroglyph we saw was for the rain god which is what the volcano was formed from or for or something but he told us a story that they came and prayed at these carvings for rain and if that didn't work they would actually sacrifice a human and give the blood to the rain god and that almost always worked. Seemed like quite a jump to me without a sacrificial goat or something in between but I guess you just don't know what was going on about 300 AD.
Further up the trail we encountered beetles where the big males were about the width of your palm. These guys were huge and they meant business. Actually they in no way hurt you but they have rhino horns on the front and we were told that men cut the heads off, cover them in silver or gold and wear them on a necklace to attract women on the island. I didn't see any evidence but thought it an interesting idea nonetheless. Further up we saw a random crab on the path (at about 1000m above sea level) and some other cool shit that I don't want to tell you about. The summit was very unimpressive because the volcano was covered in clouds but we hiked down and scaled down some cliffs to reach the crater lake. Which wasn't visible either. Ah well. After a tasty chicken sanny we headed out climbing the cliffs and getting really dirty slip sliding all over the place. We caught a few other groups of hikers because we were as fast as a rocket and the Canadian guy Dan and I took off down the hill jumping, sliding, and nearly running down the trail. We made it down in about an hour and a half nearly eating it on several occasions but at the bottom we were still fairly clean and that first Tona tasted like the sweet nectar of the gods that it is. Nuff said. Rolled out of the farm for another shitty ride back to Moyogalpo (the ferry port town) and had some pizza pie after we found that we had missed our ferry and if we took the next one we would miss the bus. Luckily we had heard about a fiesta, festival, bull fight sorta thing and decided to stay on the island another night. This proved quite an interesting decision...
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Nica Surf
Well fans, friends, family, and strangers (i really wanted an f word for that but i just cant think of one, any help would be greatly appreciated and can be put in a comment below) i have made it to the land of the enchanted. Actually i have no idea what that means but i am chillin in San Juan del Sur. This is spot is as tranquilo as they come. We are staying in this place where the rooms were described to have balconies or bats. We lucked out i suppose and got the balcony but seeing as how the tops of the rooms are all open and connected I'm sure that the bats are there as well. The balcony is only big enough for 2 chairs so my bros and i have to take turns with who gets to sit out there. Luckily during the drinking of the Flor de Cana (Nica´s favorite and best and perhaps only rum) last night we lucked out for a bit and got the shared patio where we can all three sit. Also had to smuggle a bowl out of the kitchen to make some guac from the nice avocados we bought at the market. Didn´t turn out so well but it wasn´t my fault i just didn't have the ingredients. And the chips really sucked. A proper fish dinner made up for it though. They even shot off fireworks for us at midnight. Well i think it was midnight but i really haven't figured out exactly what time it is here. That whole not being able to communicate thing is pretty rough.
Getting here took another day on the bus and getting up from the hotel Elvis at about 5am. We missed or should i say were not allowed on the bus that we wanted since it was sold out and the rest of them for that day from the Transnica bus company. So Ashley valiantly hit the mean streets of San Jose looking for another bus that went over the border to Nica. I´m Nico so please don´t get that confused with Nica which is short for Nicaragua. Well, he found one and we all grabbed our packs and hustled over to the rainbow bus a few blocks away. I think it was called Nica Express and it might have been the coldest bus i have ever been on. AC in centro america is a good thing but whoa this was intense. So the ride was fine and i got some good reading in (finishing a whole economist i feel i know more about international affairs than i ever have before) and not much else. Getting into Nica was pretty intense with us all lining up and pressing a button to see if the stoplight lit up red or green. Seems like about every 6 people or so got the red light and they got searched. This seems to be a foolproof system that a drug smuggler would never figure out. Anyway made it through and up to Rivas and had my first Nica cerveza. Quite nice and only 13 Cordobas (exchange is about 16.5 to 1 US dollar) which i thought was a deal. Got a cab over to San Juan del Sur and here we are.
This is a surf town but you have to get a water taxi to the surf spots and then come back to town to tell all the stories of the day over the cheap but very cold beers. Today has been a bit rainy but it´s all just as well. Love it here. Would come back in a second and i already know that i will some day. You are all of course invited.
Getting here took another day on the bus and getting up from the hotel Elvis at about 5am. We missed or should i say were not allowed on the bus that we wanted since it was sold out and the rest of them for that day from the Transnica bus company. So Ashley valiantly hit the mean streets of San Jose looking for another bus that went over the border to Nica. I´m Nico so please don´t get that confused with Nica which is short for Nicaragua. Well, he found one and we all grabbed our packs and hustled over to the rainbow bus a few blocks away. I think it was called Nica Express and it might have been the coldest bus i have ever been on. AC in centro america is a good thing but whoa this was intense. So the ride was fine and i got some good reading in (finishing a whole economist i feel i know more about international affairs than i ever have before) and not much else. Getting into Nica was pretty intense with us all lining up and pressing a button to see if the stoplight lit up red or green. Seems like about every 6 people or so got the red light and they got searched. This seems to be a foolproof system that a drug smuggler would never figure out. Anyway made it through and up to Rivas and had my first Nica cerveza. Quite nice and only 13 Cordobas (exchange is about 16.5 to 1 US dollar) which i thought was a deal. Got a cab over to San Juan del Sur and here we are.
This is a surf town but you have to get a water taxi to the surf spots and then come back to town to tell all the stories of the day over the cheap but very cold beers. Today has been a bit rainy but it´s all just as well. Love it here. Would come back in a second and i already know that i will some day. You are all of course invited.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
#1 Day of Travel...Ever
JK it wasn't really all that bad. We started off this morning as my previous post mentioned on a water taxi from Bocas over to some town called something that started with a ch. I really have no idea what it was but the $5 ride was pretty darn cool. We were stuffed into a typical motor boat with high seas all around. There were about 15 of us i suppose in this boat and we took off like a rocket in Cape Canaveral. We were in a race with another of the taxis for the first kilometer or so then of course we pulled ahead. Both boats were the same hull and engine wise and we had 3 times the load of them but i guess somehow the extra weight was to our advantage. The views were nice and we made it to a canal that was dug or enlarged or something for the banana boats to get to a shipping portal. We cruised up this glassy river swerving around tree roots and overhanging palms at breakneck speed. Stopped to pick up some kids at rivers edge and their dogs were there ready to play. Luckily our driver realized they really wanted to go for a swim and gave them a hearty spray from the propeller. The kids climbed on the already overloaded vessel (I thought this might be another good boat story but to no avail) and we were off again. There were several tight maneuvers on the river that seemed to be for no reason but we had put our lives in the hands of this very able driver. He was at least 20 with a cut off shirt so why not?
At the docks we were accosted by 6 and 7 year olds that wanted to carry our bags for tips but they warrant getting 20 of my hard earned cents that is for sure. My bros and I along with 8 other passengers loaded into a 4 door pickup truck and somehow fit in their with all of our luggage. Mind you there were 11 passengers and 1 driver for a total of 12 people plus a backpack or 2 for each of us. Needless to say this was not the most comfortable ride. There were some Canadians and plenty of Americans and the 6 of us in the short bed back of this truck had to get transferred to another cab (think of the smallest car possible) because the driver didn't want to get a ticket for having us back there. This was a nice stretch since i was about to lose a foot and Steve thought he had actually torn his ACL on the journey thus far. The ch town was only 16k from the border mind you. After we safely passed the police station we pile back in the truck for more dirt road up the ass. Real nice stuff and i think that my coccyx is permanently scarred. Made it to the border and had no problem on the Panama side but the Costa Rica side (after a gallant bridge walk) was a different story. Well mainly just a line that didn't move because the lady didn't want to work. Once she got there it was rather quick. Waited for the bus to San Jose and found the station with a little help from a local. Everyone is very helpful for tips.
The ride was long and at first not crowded but after a few stops namely Puerto Viejo the thing was slammed and people had to stand in the aisles. Not a good way to travel with a bus driver who is determined to pass every other car on the road. The brakes were ridden hard at times and after dark the whole thing just became more surreal. Between the swerving, the engine revs, and the lack of leg room (personal space) i had to put on the headphones and take a nap. We arrived well and made it to the Hotel Elvis right across the street from the buses that go to Nicaragua. We will either leave at 430, 530, or 900 for another 7.5 hour bus ride. Should be tight. Or at least my back muscles. HAHAHAHAHA!!!
At the docks we were accosted by 6 and 7 year olds that wanted to carry our bags for tips but they warrant getting 20 of my hard earned cents that is for sure. My bros and I along with 8 other passengers loaded into a 4 door pickup truck and somehow fit in their with all of our luggage. Mind you there were 11 passengers and 1 driver for a total of 12 people plus a backpack or 2 for each of us. Needless to say this was not the most comfortable ride. There were some Canadians and plenty of Americans and the 6 of us in the short bed back of this truck had to get transferred to another cab (think of the smallest car possible) because the driver didn't want to get a ticket for having us back there. This was a nice stretch since i was about to lose a foot and Steve thought he had actually torn his ACL on the journey thus far. The ch town was only 16k from the border mind you. After we safely passed the police station we pile back in the truck for more dirt road up the ass. Real nice stuff and i think that my coccyx is permanently scarred. Made it to the border and had no problem on the Panama side but the Costa Rica side (after a gallant bridge walk) was a different story. Well mainly just a line that didn't move because the lady didn't want to work. Once she got there it was rather quick. Waited for the bus to San Jose and found the station with a little help from a local. Everyone is very helpful for tips.
The ride was long and at first not crowded but after a few stops namely Puerto Viejo the thing was slammed and people had to stand in the aisles. Not a good way to travel with a bus driver who is determined to pass every other car on the road. The brakes were ridden hard at times and after dark the whole thing just became more surreal. Between the swerving, the engine revs, and the lack of leg room (personal space) i had to put on the headphones and take a nap. We arrived well and made it to the Hotel Elvis right across the street from the buses that go to Nicaragua. We will either leave at 430, 530, or 900 for another 7.5 hour bus ride. Should be tight. Or at least my back muscles. HAHAHAHAHA!!!
Monday, July 18, 2005
Live from Bocas
Another few days in the sun never hurt anyone and this 3 week tan that i am working on from Fiji is not going to wear off any time soon. The sun down here is hotter than ever and i feel that since i am closer to the equator now that it actually is. Muggy and feels like burning to me. Leaving the big city with the bigger skyline after a relaxing few "city days" we headed on to Bocas Del Toro. I have no idea what this means and guess that it means something close to "islands of heaven" but really have no idea. After opting for the $60 1 hour flight rather than the $25 12 hour bus ride we boarded a small square shaped twin prop plane headed for the Caribbean. No troubles boarding and the ride was amazing. Seeing the geography, city, and canal from the air was worth the money in itself. The plane was noisy, the apple juice a little sweet, and the heat leaked from every crack in the plane but it was great nonetheless. It is amazing to be able to look at a map and then see the exact same thing from the air just because the country is small enough for the curves of the land to be remembered.
Arriving in Bocas the heat hit us like a ton of bricks (or feathers i learned in 4th grade weigh the same). We were sweating before we got our bags off the plane which seemed like a good system where you point at your bag and they give it to you after pulling a trolley over by hand. I really dig these small plane rides since it reminds of the time i got to fly the plane in Nebraska when my dad used to fly Cessnas, etc. We found a place to stay after much discussion and the lovely Del Diablo was the choice. Another nice room and the entire building was out over the water. They had a really nice porch with a view of the water and islands that was to die for. We made great use of this porch and the hammock there for siestas, a few drinks, or simply reading in the afternoon. Walking around town you can tell this is a touristy place but there were still not as many gringos as expected. Maybe it's the Panamanians that come here on vacation? Who knows but it has plenty of restaurants, hotels, handiworks shops, and tour companies. After an initial run in with Robert who was from NJ and was trying to hook us up with a sweet hotel we ran into Oxford Jeff who sold us on a snorkeling and beach tour for $15. A great dinner that night at El Poscado. It was splashing out but it was certainly worth it. A few cervezas on the porch and that's all she wrote.
Next day we show up at about 915 for our 930 tour and by 930 Oxford still was nowhere to be seen. Oh well there are plenty of tour companies but by the time we set off to find another one we run into the man and he gets us geared up for a day in the islands. We were to visit dolphin bay, coral cay, red frog beach, and hospital point. We made it to all these places and were back by about 5. Dolphin bay was pretty amazing and there were dolphins everywhere but we couldn't swim with them because there were too many jellys in the water. They stay in the bay to get out of the waves and eat the jellys. Saw quite a few dolphins just cruising around and was really quite impressive to hear them breathe when they come up for air. Sounds a lot like us coming up from underwater which makes sense since they are mammals. Next was a stop at a restaurant on the water to order lunch but luckily we had some pb and bread for lunch because of the big night out before. We went on a great snorkel at coral cay with huge urchin, colorful coral, sea fans, sponges, and a variety of fish. Later on we stopped at another bar/restaurant/dock and snorkeled seeing a barracuda after getting out. Back at the first place there were sharks hanging around the dock as well (one being trapped in a fence). Stopped at red frog beach but didn't see any of the beachs' namesake. Total bummer but a beautiful beach as you would expect. I have seen a lot of beaches and this is one i would come back to. Nice waves, nice sand, and hot sun. Had a siesta and swam then moved on. The boat ride to Hospital point was quite nice and we were swerving through the small islands made of trees like the ones that grow in swamps. Went through some tunnels only wide enough for the boat. Drenched in sun. This might be the time that the skin cancer starts developing. Stopped at hospital point but everyone was too tired to swim. Had ceviche for the first time at happy hour for some nourishment since the pb didn't really do the trick. Really good stuff that i would like to be able to make but wouldn't trust myself to do it correctly. Aww shucks.
Good times around here with a bottle of Panama Jack rum (think of the irony) and a bottle of Coca Cola. No ice of course. This is a little slice of heaven that seems to be turning into more and more of a destination. You guys should all come before it gets too crazy down here. I think we are off for Nicaragua today. We will be catching a 1230 boat to the mainland and a 200p bus from the border to San Jose (CR). Hopefully a night bus to Managua in Nicaragua. This should be about a 20 hour journey so i might not be sleeping for a few days. Hope for a nice bus with leg room and no big dudes sitting next to me. Cheers yall.
Arriving in Bocas the heat hit us like a ton of bricks (or feathers i learned in 4th grade weigh the same). We were sweating before we got our bags off the plane which seemed like a good system where you point at your bag and they give it to you after pulling a trolley over by hand. I really dig these small plane rides since it reminds of the time i got to fly the plane in Nebraska when my dad used to fly Cessnas, etc. We found a place to stay after much discussion and the lovely Del Diablo was the choice. Another nice room and the entire building was out over the water. They had a really nice porch with a view of the water and islands that was to die for. We made great use of this porch and the hammock there for siestas, a few drinks, or simply reading in the afternoon. Walking around town you can tell this is a touristy place but there were still not as many gringos as expected. Maybe it's the Panamanians that come here on vacation? Who knows but it has plenty of restaurants, hotels, handiworks shops, and tour companies. After an initial run in with Robert who was from NJ and was trying to hook us up with a sweet hotel we ran into Oxford Jeff who sold us on a snorkeling and beach tour for $15. A great dinner that night at El Poscado. It was splashing out but it was certainly worth it. A few cervezas on the porch and that's all she wrote.
Next day we show up at about 915 for our 930 tour and by 930 Oxford still was nowhere to be seen. Oh well there are plenty of tour companies but by the time we set off to find another one we run into the man and he gets us geared up for a day in the islands. We were to visit dolphin bay, coral cay, red frog beach, and hospital point. We made it to all these places and were back by about 5. Dolphin bay was pretty amazing and there were dolphins everywhere but we couldn't swim with them because there were too many jellys in the water. They stay in the bay to get out of the waves and eat the jellys. Saw quite a few dolphins just cruising around and was really quite impressive to hear them breathe when they come up for air. Sounds a lot like us coming up from underwater which makes sense since they are mammals. Next was a stop at a restaurant on the water to order lunch but luckily we had some pb and bread for lunch because of the big night out before. We went on a great snorkel at coral cay with huge urchin, colorful coral, sea fans, sponges, and a variety of fish. Later on we stopped at another bar/restaurant/dock and snorkeled seeing a barracuda after getting out. Back at the first place there were sharks hanging around the dock as well (one being trapped in a fence). Stopped at red frog beach but didn't see any of the beachs' namesake. Total bummer but a beautiful beach as you would expect. I have seen a lot of beaches and this is one i would come back to. Nice waves, nice sand, and hot sun. Had a siesta and swam then moved on. The boat ride to Hospital point was quite nice and we were swerving through the small islands made of trees like the ones that grow in swamps. Went through some tunnels only wide enough for the boat. Drenched in sun. This might be the time that the skin cancer starts developing. Stopped at hospital point but everyone was too tired to swim. Had ceviche for the first time at happy hour for some nourishment since the pb didn't really do the trick. Really good stuff that i would like to be able to make but wouldn't trust myself to do it correctly. Aww shucks.
Good times around here with a bottle of Panama Jack rum (think of the irony) and a bottle of Coca Cola. No ice of course. This is a little slice of heaven that seems to be turning into more and more of a destination. You guys should all come before it gets too crazy down here. I think we are off for Nicaragua today. We will be catching a 1230 boat to the mainland and a 200p bus from the border to San Jose (CR). Hopefully a night bus to Managua in Nicaragua. This should be about a 20 hour journey so i might not be sleeping for a few days. Hope for a nice bus with leg room and no big dudes sitting next to me. Cheers yall.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
The Real PC
Yes, i am talking about Panama City, but not the redneck Riviera such as you might be thinking. I am in Panama the southernmost country of Central America and our great continent North America. Although this has been debated. With me as a matter of fact. I don't really remember the outcome of this argument but the ones in which i am wrong i just try to forget so i think that i might have been right for once.
Got down to PC after a couple of days staying at Jon's house in LA or Irvine to be more accurate. We chilled on the Newport beach one day and the other day did laundry, exchanged pix, and other travel necessities. Jo was in town too so it was quite a reunion with all of us there. Jon's parents were excellent hosts offering us beds, meals, information, and parental help. Beach was good but American food was better and i found myself gorging for a couple of days. Another sad goodbye at the airport brought me to Miami and on to Panama. I (of me and my bros) got there first so i found the assigned Hotel (Montreal w/ rooftop pool) and got a room. I found a bathroom, TV, and AC three things my rooms almost never had in the time i have been gone. Chilled it out for a few hours waiting on Steve-o and had a walk about the city. He finally got there and we wandered down to the local gringo watering hole for a beer but they were too pricey and we opted to head to the 24 hour super nice grocery REY. Beers are .39 there for Cerveza Panama the local favorite so we got a 6er and headed to the rooftop terrace/pool but the rain held us back so we watched some English TV in the room (CNN). Good night and the next day to Isla Tobago.
Well we made it to the ferry dock at about noon and to our surprise the only ferry of the day left at 830am. This threw us for a loop since we had brought all our gear and were planning on staying out there. Cant trust those guide books i suppose. We had a PB sandwich on the hill and got kicked off so we wandered around and decided to go back to the Montreal and regroup. We decided on a day trip for the next day and no stay on the island. We went to the old town in Panama City called San Felipe for the afternoon and walked through some rough areas to get there. Past markets selling broken propellers, blender parts, bird cages, and anything else imaginable. Needless to say we didn't exactly fit in. Made and saw some nice religious sites, a good view of the Bridge of the Americas, the historic Presidential palace, and great old buildings since this town is from the 1500s. Good pizza for dinner and more cervezas on the roof.
Isla Tobago was an easy trip by ferry the next morning and we wanted to do the 3 crosses hike to the top of the hill (400m) where an old US bunker afforded 360 degree views. The trail head proved very difficult to find but with tenacity we found it after about an hour. The trail was steep and hot and muggy in the canopy of the rain forest. We first ran into a tarantula looking spider about the size of my hand and hairy, then lots of iguanas fighting, fluorescent green frogs, and a snake that was so long and skinny he floated on leaves. Cool hike with a good view of the islands and the city. The city has a very impressive skyline for less than a million people and you could see it quite well from up here even though this is the rainy season and it had been cloudy every day. The rest of the day on the beach after a meal of a whole red snapper for $5. Snorkeling sucked because of low visibility but saw some colorful little guys and some puffers. Ash was supposed to be there when we got back but found out his flights were all f'd up and he wouldn't be in till 9. Had dinner for $1.50 and headed home. He made it and we were set. The 3 hermanos.
Next day went to check out some rain forest near a town called Gamboa and the canal at the locks. The rain forest was a section of national park that the Smithsonian along with a lot of other researchers use because of the vast array of life. The trail we were on has the most different species of birds ever recorded in a 24 hour period as well. We saw 3 birds. But, we saw some cool as monkeys that crawled around and looked at us through old wise faces. Moved back to the first set of locks on the canal (Mira Flores??). These were on the Pacific side and we saw a Maersk liner, a car mover, and an oil tanker go through. The car liner payed like $150k to go through crazy money but it fit 6000 cars on the boat. These boats were absolutely huge and amazing to see them raised and lowered. Another night on the Terrace and this time Walter showed up.
Walter was a Honduran oil worker or maybe a drug runner from Mexico i couldn't really tell but he told us the first one. He just travelled a bit much for that. Perfect English and he used it. Told us story after story but did buy us a couple rounds to keep us enthralled. He had some American girl with him who seemed somewhat interested somewhat scared out of her mind. Anyway the night grew long and we had to part ways but not before he threatened to throw the waiter in the pool or jump off the building. Interesting character. As they all have been.
Got down to PC after a couple of days staying at Jon's house in LA or Irvine to be more accurate. We chilled on the Newport beach one day and the other day did laundry, exchanged pix, and other travel necessities. Jo was in town too so it was quite a reunion with all of us there. Jon's parents were excellent hosts offering us beds, meals, information, and parental help. Beach was good but American food was better and i found myself gorging for a couple of days. Another sad goodbye at the airport brought me to Miami and on to Panama. I (of me and my bros) got there first so i found the assigned Hotel (Montreal w/ rooftop pool) and got a room. I found a bathroom, TV, and AC three things my rooms almost never had in the time i have been gone. Chilled it out for a few hours waiting on Steve-o and had a walk about the city. He finally got there and we wandered down to the local gringo watering hole for a beer but they were too pricey and we opted to head to the 24 hour super nice grocery REY. Beers are .39 there for Cerveza Panama the local favorite so we got a 6er and headed to the rooftop terrace/pool but the rain held us back so we watched some English TV in the room (CNN). Good night and the next day to Isla Tobago.
Well we made it to the ferry dock at about noon and to our surprise the only ferry of the day left at 830am. This threw us for a loop since we had brought all our gear and were planning on staying out there. Cant trust those guide books i suppose. We had a PB sandwich on the hill and got kicked off so we wandered around and decided to go back to the Montreal and regroup. We decided on a day trip for the next day and no stay on the island. We went to the old town in Panama City called San Felipe for the afternoon and walked through some rough areas to get there. Past markets selling broken propellers, blender parts, bird cages, and anything else imaginable. Needless to say we didn't exactly fit in. Made and saw some nice religious sites, a good view of the Bridge of the Americas, the historic Presidential palace, and great old buildings since this town is from the 1500s. Good pizza for dinner and more cervezas on the roof.
Isla Tobago was an easy trip by ferry the next morning and we wanted to do the 3 crosses hike to the top of the hill (400m) where an old US bunker afforded 360 degree views. The trail head proved very difficult to find but with tenacity we found it after about an hour. The trail was steep and hot and muggy in the canopy of the rain forest. We first ran into a tarantula looking spider about the size of my hand and hairy, then lots of iguanas fighting, fluorescent green frogs, and a snake that was so long and skinny he floated on leaves. Cool hike with a good view of the islands and the city. The city has a very impressive skyline for less than a million people and you could see it quite well from up here even though this is the rainy season and it had been cloudy every day. The rest of the day on the beach after a meal of a whole red snapper for $5. Snorkeling sucked because of low visibility but saw some colorful little guys and some puffers. Ash was supposed to be there when we got back but found out his flights were all f'd up and he wouldn't be in till 9. Had dinner for $1.50 and headed home. He made it and we were set. The 3 hermanos.
Next day went to check out some rain forest near a town called Gamboa and the canal at the locks. The rain forest was a section of national park that the Smithsonian along with a lot of other researchers use because of the vast array of life. The trail we were on has the most different species of birds ever recorded in a 24 hour period as well. We saw 3 birds. But, we saw some cool as monkeys that crawled around and looked at us through old wise faces. Moved back to the first set of locks on the canal (Mira Flores??). These were on the Pacific side and we saw a Maersk liner, a car mover, and an oil tanker go through. The car liner payed like $150k to go through crazy money but it fit 6000 cars on the boat. These boats were absolutely huge and amazing to see them raised and lowered. Another night on the Terrace and this time Walter showed up.
Walter was a Honduran oil worker or maybe a drug runner from Mexico i couldn't really tell but he told us the first one. He just travelled a bit much for that. Perfect English and he used it. Told us story after story but did buy us a couple rounds to keep us enthralled. He had some American girl with him who seemed somewhat interested somewhat scared out of her mind. Anyway the night grew long and we had to part ways but not before he threatened to throw the waiter in the pool or jump off the building. Interesting character. As they all have been.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Wayasewa is Fiji
This is the mantra uttered on all the staff Sulus, or sarongs if you´d rather. Dive...Trek...This is Fiji. They wear these things, male and female, about 80% of the time all over the country. Very interesting and some of the tourists take to this style for their stay. This is usually fat, bald, white men that have turned red because of all the sun but i can see why the Fijians do it with all the heat they have to deal with year round. However i do remember that while in Sigatoka Mani had to buy socks because it was too cold and getting down to about 16 Celsius at night. That is a complete guess but it sounds somewhat accurate. This island is great and is where i spent the last half of my time in Fiji. Beautiful island about an hour and a half boat ride from the mainland but of course i couldn't do it the easy way and had to miss the hotel boat. That was alright though since i caught a supply boat headed for Kwata (island 1k from Wayasewa) and the guy said it would cost $10 which is much cheaper than the $60 that the resort charges. So my ride was about 4 hours long on the front of an overloaded boat holding onto diesel canisters. I met Sans on the ride over and he is the first Fijian that i met with dreads and only for that matter. He was going to school to be a carpenter and will graduate in winter. He seemed a good enough guy but tried to charge me $20 when i finally got off. I held strong and the original $10 worked out. We got some pix together and he really wanted one in front of the boat where we got one of us with our sunglasses switched. It was classic!! It of course worked out fabulously and since i was camping it didn't matter that the resort was full when i got there. They did give me quite a look and ask how i got there but i played it cool and ended up the big winner at this place.
The thing i like about Fiji is that you get 3 big ass meals where ever you stay. It´s quite nice not to have to cook for yourself and eat that many times a day with morning and afternoon tea of course. In Oz and NZ i was used to eating once or twice (jk mom) and that usually consisted of noodles or for the last 5 days in NZ eggs since i got 30 for 3.99. The Wayalailai resort was situated under some giant cliffs of rock that was supposedly loose enough for the govt to move the village but it was alright that tourists are under it i suppose. Since the tourists do keep arriving on the planes every day and are a highly replaceable (renewable) resource. This is their number one industry but all of the money is shipped out to American or Japanese firms. I decided to stay at a resort run and owned by locals. The village where they lived was literally 100m away from the resort and you could smell the burning rubbish and hear the roosters crowing.
There is some good diving and snorkeling out here with reef right off the beach. The snorkeling is difficult because you have to get about 50m off the beach and there is no clear path through the coral. This teaches you to swim in about 1.5ft of water without touching the coral (otherwise you get sliced like a razor to the jawbone). The corals were great and this is known as the soft coral capital of the world. The variety and colors down there were simply astonishing and with only a mask and snorkel i felt truly lucky. I was out for about an hour at a time and some of the beach goers thought i had been lost at sea since the typical in water time seemed to be about 20 minutes. The diving was quite nice as well and since i made friends with Joe the dive instructor my dives were free. They should have been $130FJ but nope not for this guy. Just gives me more money to spend on rum, kava, and stupid souvenirs. The dives were okay but really about like the snorkeling. Saw my first sea horse which was the bomb!!! I later saw another snorkeling but my first spot was my best and everyone was quite impressed. The current on the dives was interesting since there was none in Australia. You would come around a rock or mound of coral and the current would just sweep you away. Kind of fun but tiring and makes your dives shorter since you breathe more when you have to work. First somersault entry as well and it was off a pretty shoddy boat. The thing was canoe like with a motor on the back and the equipment was about the same. I talked to some folks beforehand and everyone said the stuff was fine and of course my dive class taught me to test the stuff myself.
Good hikes up to the big rock and the wobbling rock for sunsets and sunrises. And a 2.5 hour hike to cross the entire island. The first hike was with the mad Dutchman (self proclaimed as any madman would) and was quite slow but we stopped to take in all the vistas as is required when hiking a new place. On the way up he proceeds to tell me about living alone, what trouble womans are, and how the govt can and will screw you at every turn. This guy has been travelling his whole life with a few years on each continent and was actually on holiday in NZ and ended up there for the last 23 years or so. He is an electrical engineer and enjoys his alone time and invents things that he needs. Like a Kaymaran which is 2 kayaks put together like a catamaran so he and another could go together with plenty of gear around Stewart Island. Other on the spot items are a drawer dishwasher (this was for a company and is being sold worldwide), a gravity cat feeder (for this trip), a sweet as alarm system with barking dogs and sirens, etc, etc. He really thought a funny idea was to have the mailman sort the mail into real mail, advertisements, and hate mail. The latter would be burnt, the middle returned, and the former would give a reward to the mailman for bringing it. Something along those lines. Interesting fellow whose company and stories I quite enjoyed.
Participated in a swim race one day from Wayasewa to Kwata the island a little over 1k away and that's a long way to swim. Props to Matt for the triathlon stuff. I made it in about 30 minutes which seemed too long but i was powering through some good current and the whitecaps were filling my gut with sea water. Also got some good coral cuts on the other side which still aren´t healed about 2 weeks later. There was a boat following us asking if we were ok and of course i was because i am quite strong but it would have been so nice to be in that boat. Umm i think i need to get some exercise.
Other than that just layed on the beach and read and explored and played some cards and other games. I gave tours up to the rock at sunset since the resort charged $10 per person but i charged 1 beer per trip. I got quite a bit of business but usually got lost on the way down in the dark. You get what you pay for. Played some dominoes in the electric light till it went off at 930pm and had a good couple of nights on the kava. One night they did Fijian dances and singing which just looked ridiculously silly because i had seen all the dancers moments before in modern clothing and then they go and put on grass sulus. It was nice though and we had a lovo that night which is the traditional Fiji meal of buried and cooked meats with Kasava, Taro, and Pumpkin along with some other random stuff. This dude Rob who i was drinking kava with ended up trading his livestrong bracelet for a Nike respect bracelet and was quite distraught afterward because Lance is his sports hero. He figured it a good story but not worth it in the end. This place had a generator for electricity but it only ran from 630 to 930 at night which made it difficult to do anything but sleep at night. There were quite a few people around but after 930 they buzzed off into their rooms and i to my tent. I left the top open every night so that i could fall asleep looking at the stars and every night i woke to rain on my face and another scramble to pull the rain fly back on. Quite a bummer and one would think that i would learn but it was worth it for the breeze and good view whilst falling asleep.
The return trip was once again a problem with the propeller falling off the motor about halfway back to the mainland but it was a dual motor boat so we made it in just over 3 hours. Sweet as hey. Nadi sucked and i went to the airport for my first Fijian shower and it felt nice. Got on the plane and off to LA. I got stuck in the middle of some larger persons on the plane so i had to make up for it by drinking several rum and cokes. Seemed to work out well since i finally got a couple of hours of sleep. That's all folks.
The thing i like about Fiji is that you get 3 big ass meals where ever you stay. It´s quite nice not to have to cook for yourself and eat that many times a day with morning and afternoon tea of course. In Oz and NZ i was used to eating once or twice (jk mom) and that usually consisted of noodles or for the last 5 days in NZ eggs since i got 30 for 3.99. The Wayalailai resort was situated under some giant cliffs of rock that was supposedly loose enough for the govt to move the village but it was alright that tourists are under it i suppose. Since the tourists do keep arriving on the planes every day and are a highly replaceable (renewable) resource. This is their number one industry but all of the money is shipped out to American or Japanese firms. I decided to stay at a resort run and owned by locals. The village where they lived was literally 100m away from the resort and you could smell the burning rubbish and hear the roosters crowing.
There is some good diving and snorkeling out here with reef right off the beach. The snorkeling is difficult because you have to get about 50m off the beach and there is no clear path through the coral. This teaches you to swim in about 1.5ft of water without touching the coral (otherwise you get sliced like a razor to the jawbone). The corals were great and this is known as the soft coral capital of the world. The variety and colors down there were simply astonishing and with only a mask and snorkel i felt truly lucky. I was out for about an hour at a time and some of the beach goers thought i had been lost at sea since the typical in water time seemed to be about 20 minutes. The diving was quite nice as well and since i made friends with Joe the dive instructor my dives were free. They should have been $130FJ but nope not for this guy. Just gives me more money to spend on rum, kava, and stupid souvenirs. The dives were okay but really about like the snorkeling. Saw my first sea horse which was the bomb!!! I later saw another snorkeling but my first spot was my best and everyone was quite impressed. The current on the dives was interesting since there was none in Australia. You would come around a rock or mound of coral and the current would just sweep you away. Kind of fun but tiring and makes your dives shorter since you breathe more when you have to work. First somersault entry as well and it was off a pretty shoddy boat. The thing was canoe like with a motor on the back and the equipment was about the same. I talked to some folks beforehand and everyone said the stuff was fine and of course my dive class taught me to test the stuff myself.
Good hikes up to the big rock and the wobbling rock for sunsets and sunrises. And a 2.5 hour hike to cross the entire island. The first hike was with the mad Dutchman (self proclaimed as any madman would) and was quite slow but we stopped to take in all the vistas as is required when hiking a new place. On the way up he proceeds to tell me about living alone, what trouble womans are, and how the govt can and will screw you at every turn. This guy has been travelling his whole life with a few years on each continent and was actually on holiday in NZ and ended up there for the last 23 years or so. He is an electrical engineer and enjoys his alone time and invents things that he needs. Like a Kaymaran which is 2 kayaks put together like a catamaran so he and another could go together with plenty of gear around Stewart Island. Other on the spot items are a drawer dishwasher (this was for a company and is being sold worldwide), a gravity cat feeder (for this trip), a sweet as alarm system with barking dogs and sirens, etc, etc. He really thought a funny idea was to have the mailman sort the mail into real mail, advertisements, and hate mail. The latter would be burnt, the middle returned, and the former would give a reward to the mailman for bringing it. Something along those lines. Interesting fellow whose company and stories I quite enjoyed.
Participated in a swim race one day from Wayasewa to Kwata the island a little over 1k away and that's a long way to swim. Props to Matt for the triathlon stuff. I made it in about 30 minutes which seemed too long but i was powering through some good current and the whitecaps were filling my gut with sea water. Also got some good coral cuts on the other side which still aren´t healed about 2 weeks later. There was a boat following us asking if we were ok and of course i was because i am quite strong but it would have been so nice to be in that boat. Umm i think i need to get some exercise.
Other than that just layed on the beach and read and explored and played some cards and other games. I gave tours up to the rock at sunset since the resort charged $10 per person but i charged 1 beer per trip. I got quite a bit of business but usually got lost on the way down in the dark. You get what you pay for. Played some dominoes in the electric light till it went off at 930pm and had a good couple of nights on the kava. One night they did Fijian dances and singing which just looked ridiculously silly because i had seen all the dancers moments before in modern clothing and then they go and put on grass sulus. It was nice though and we had a lovo that night which is the traditional Fiji meal of buried and cooked meats with Kasava, Taro, and Pumpkin along with some other random stuff. This dude Rob who i was drinking kava with ended up trading his livestrong bracelet for a Nike respect bracelet and was quite distraught afterward because Lance is his sports hero. He figured it a good story but not worth it in the end. This place had a generator for electricity but it only ran from 630 to 930 at night which made it difficult to do anything but sleep at night. There were quite a few people around but after 930 they buzzed off into their rooms and i to my tent. I left the top open every night so that i could fall asleep looking at the stars and every night i woke to rain on my face and another scramble to pull the rain fly back on. Quite a bummer and one would think that i would learn but it was worth it for the breeze and good view whilst falling asleep.
The return trip was once again a problem with the propeller falling off the motor about halfway back to the mainland but it was a dual motor boat so we made it in just over 3 hours. Sweet as hey. Nadi sucked and i went to the airport for my first Fijian shower and it felt nice. Got on the plane and off to LA. I got stuck in the middle of some larger persons on the plane so i had to make up for it by drinking several rum and cokes. Seemed to work out well since i finally got a couple of hours of sleep. That's all folks.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Sanasana and Natadola
Wowzers is Fiji ever different than what I expected and what I was used to in the Americanized world of Oz and NZ. This place is running like c America and is very slow. Everyone is on Fiji time permanently but i think it is really just an excuse to stay up every night till 2am drinking kava. Yes, that's the national drink and a murky, earthy, rooty substance made from the root of the pepper plant i think. The stuff really only makes your tongue numb and a bit sleepy but the people of Fiji swear by it and every kava shop that you see is a 24 hour establishment. It was good news here recently that Germany made the stuff legal to use in medicines and whatever else they want i suppose so it is turning into a profitable export for these guys.
I got into the Nadi airport at 5:30am and was greeted by hundreds of locals trying to sell me rides among other things and one lady got me to go with her to the travel agency and set up a home stay in Sanasana village. I found/chose/was recommended this because i wanted to go and stay on Natadola beach for awhile. Turns out i find a home stay with a family there for $30 a night including all meals. The travel agency had an employee that ended up being the mother of the family that i stayed with and that is why it was so easily recommended. Good stuff. Beautiful beach. Picturesque Fiji without all of the tourists that i expected. This place is dirty with everyone littering but that can't really take away from the natural beauty. The kids on the bus are taught to throw their soda bottles or ice cream wrappers out the window instead of dirtying up the inside of the buses that don´t go over 40k per hour or the transports that are all mid 1980 model years.
I get dropped off by the bus at the intersection of the main highway around Fiji (queen´s highway) and the road to Natadola beach. The place is deserted except for a Hindu temple, a bus stop, and a taxi. The walk is 8k to the beach so i opt for the taxi even though Tiki´s uncle David is supposed to be there to pick me. After this fat Indian drops me off the price changes from 7 to 9 dollars and i pay because he won´t leave and they tell me just go ahead and do it. I really don´t like getting ripped off because i´m a traveler but i guess sometimes it comes with the territory. The guy doesn´t know Tiki, who i am looking for, and doesn´t know of any homestays in the village so he starts yelling out the window. We get lucky and Suli is coming back from the field with his horse and he happens to be Tiki´s brother. Shows us the way and Tiki comes out to greet me. Seems like a bit of a fruitcake but has good English and all is well. First thing he tells me about are the 4 American girls from Colorado that left that day and that they had stayed out till 5am drinking on the beach. I got there at about 930am and he looks tired. We decide to have tea and then i take a nap to give him the chance to recover. More tea when i wake up and then to the beach for awhile. Gorgeous and the villagers want you to ride their horses and buy their shell necklaces etc. More tea and reading and sunset and dinner of curry and 3 fried fish. They whole family was quite impressed with my eating skills and i got quite the reputation for eating before i left. 3 fish is unheard of apparently but if i am paying for it and they say eat till you are full that is just what i will do. Same with the biscuits at tea time. They put out a whole pack of chocolate ones and say to eat them all so i certainly try but only get through about half of them. Is lucky for me i later find out because grocery shopping is a once weekly kinda deal and i wouldn´t have had any had i eaten them all the first day.
This house and all in the village have no water or electricity or anything like that. The family that i am staying with does have a propane stove but most don't and cook by wood fire in a separate building. The buildings are all corrugated metal with trees for the supports and dirt floors. Most have rugs covering the floors but not all. They all seem to live very simply and share all that they have. At least with their clan. Next day Tiki accompanies me to the Sigatoka sand dunes (about 50m dunes covered in grasses) which were a little disappointing but good with a visit to Sigatoka town and the market for some cabbage and cucumbers. The dunes cost me $8 to get into Fiji´s first national park and cost Tiki nothing because he sweet talked them in Fijian and said i was his guest and he was showing me around. Worked out well i suppose because he got to see something he never had before as well. The trek included a walk on the windiest beach of my life where i was told that if i went in the water i would get eaten by sharks almost without a doubt. More great food from Tiki, Cali (his father), and Suli. The rest of the villagers are all cousins, aunts, uncles, etc even if they really aren't. Saturday went to Sigatoka for the big provincial rugby game for 2 cups the Fiji cup and the Benson and Hedges (national cigarette, B&H) cup. It was Nadroga (us) vs Talevu and we pulled it out 23-15. There was a lady yelling crazy things behind us such as love for the referee and certain players. I of course don´t know any language but English so i had no idea what she said but Mani (an uncle) told me all about it. He accompanied me to the game even though about half the village went. We got lucky on the walk up the highway to hitch a ride with a tourist with a truck and we ended up getting all the way to Sigatoka for free in about a third of the time it takes the bus. He loved it even though it cost $10 which was probably more money than he could afford. Before the game he haggled the price of a horse bit which started at $4 for about 10 minutes so ya know...On the way home we catch a transport full of people from the village and are cruising along, music blaring, driver passing everyone, till something happens and everyone is curious and then laughing. We ran out of gas just because he didn´t check it. Not for any real reason. So we sit on the side of the road and wait for him to hitch a ride to go get gas. When he returns we stop again at the market and i pick up a loaf of bread for .60 to munch on for the remainder of the time (and in case we never got home).
Sunday we went to church (Methodist) and didn't understand a thing but I wore a sulu (skirt/sarong) and nice shirt and went with a German couple who came to stay with Suli. Cali is really into his religion and is in the choir and kept asking if i had any questions on who Jesus was and things like this. Also quite interestingly there was a Jewish couple in the village that were missionaries. I didn´t know that Jews had missionaries but hey, why not? Went to the beach to relax the rest of the day with Tiki, Samantha (the daughter of the original travel agent! who was 5) and the German couple. Felt lazy so i ran down the beach and then just slept and watched the 8 or so surfers that were trying to catch waves.
Cali showed me around to a cave out on the island where the villagers keep their pigs and goats. This cave was inhabited by cannibals fairly recently but i forget the dates. Quite a nice hideout for these guys since they had been chased by the Fijians with their clubs ever since the Christians came to the island and taught them that cannibalism was wrong in the late 1800s. Also got shown the ´magic´rock which when you throw a stone at it and chip it it conjures up a big storm so the attackers can´t attack. The week before i got there there was a surf competition at Natadola and the coordinator asked to conjure up a storm for big waves and he got it. This kind of magic really does work i suppose.
First night had a welcome kava ceremony where i bought the kava and shared with about 7 people. We sit on the floor in a circle and mix it in a big bowl. It is ground and squeezed through a bandanna thing to make the brown milky liquid. Drank about 4 big bowls of it. You drink one at a time out of a coconut shell and pass it back. Before you receive it you clap once and then say Bula (which you get hella tired of in this place if you are at the tourist places) and then drink it in one gulp and then clap 3 more times. The stuff really just makes you sleepy but they love it. We had a wash down with a bottle of run i bought duty free at the airport in the same manner drinking one at a time out of the same glass. Mixed this 58% alcohol rum with some water. Tasted like shit. The whole time everyone there kept wanting me to talk to a village girl called Mary who they thought i needed make my girlfriend. She had graduated and was to become a bank officer (teller) which is a killer job for a girl from the village. They kept telling me to have very good conversation with her and take her with me to the islands or America when i left. It turns out that she got embarrassed and thought that i was too long anyway and didn´t finish the lolly that the aunt brought to the kava. You always need to have sweet like a lolly, or spicy like jalapeno peas with kava to keep your tongue awake. Had another big grog drink Saturday night and an Irish and Kiwi guy showed up really drunk stumbling all over the place. Good fun. Now on to the Yasawa islands. More later. These computers are from the 80's.
I got into the Nadi airport at 5:30am and was greeted by hundreds of locals trying to sell me rides among other things and one lady got me to go with her to the travel agency and set up a home stay in Sanasana village. I found/chose/was recommended this because i wanted to go and stay on Natadola beach for awhile. Turns out i find a home stay with a family there for $30 a night including all meals. The travel agency had an employee that ended up being the mother of the family that i stayed with and that is why it was so easily recommended. Good stuff. Beautiful beach. Picturesque Fiji without all of the tourists that i expected. This place is dirty with everyone littering but that can't really take away from the natural beauty. The kids on the bus are taught to throw their soda bottles or ice cream wrappers out the window instead of dirtying up the inside of the buses that don´t go over 40k per hour or the transports that are all mid 1980 model years.
I get dropped off by the bus at the intersection of the main highway around Fiji (queen´s highway) and the road to Natadola beach. The place is deserted except for a Hindu temple, a bus stop, and a taxi. The walk is 8k to the beach so i opt for the taxi even though Tiki´s uncle David is supposed to be there to pick me. After this fat Indian drops me off the price changes from 7 to 9 dollars and i pay because he won´t leave and they tell me just go ahead and do it. I really don´t like getting ripped off because i´m a traveler but i guess sometimes it comes with the territory. The guy doesn´t know Tiki, who i am looking for, and doesn´t know of any homestays in the village so he starts yelling out the window. We get lucky and Suli is coming back from the field with his horse and he happens to be Tiki´s brother. Shows us the way and Tiki comes out to greet me. Seems like a bit of a fruitcake but has good English and all is well. First thing he tells me about are the 4 American girls from Colorado that left that day and that they had stayed out till 5am drinking on the beach. I got there at about 930am and he looks tired. We decide to have tea and then i take a nap to give him the chance to recover. More tea when i wake up and then to the beach for awhile. Gorgeous and the villagers want you to ride their horses and buy their shell necklaces etc. More tea and reading and sunset and dinner of curry and 3 fried fish. They whole family was quite impressed with my eating skills and i got quite the reputation for eating before i left. 3 fish is unheard of apparently but if i am paying for it and they say eat till you are full that is just what i will do. Same with the biscuits at tea time. They put out a whole pack of chocolate ones and say to eat them all so i certainly try but only get through about half of them. Is lucky for me i later find out because grocery shopping is a once weekly kinda deal and i wouldn´t have had any had i eaten them all the first day.
This house and all in the village have no water or electricity or anything like that. The family that i am staying with does have a propane stove but most don't and cook by wood fire in a separate building. The buildings are all corrugated metal with trees for the supports and dirt floors. Most have rugs covering the floors but not all. They all seem to live very simply and share all that they have. At least with their clan. Next day Tiki accompanies me to the Sigatoka sand dunes (about 50m dunes covered in grasses) which were a little disappointing but good with a visit to Sigatoka town and the market for some cabbage and cucumbers. The dunes cost me $8 to get into Fiji´s first national park and cost Tiki nothing because he sweet talked them in Fijian and said i was his guest and he was showing me around. Worked out well i suppose because he got to see something he never had before as well. The trek included a walk on the windiest beach of my life where i was told that if i went in the water i would get eaten by sharks almost without a doubt. More great food from Tiki, Cali (his father), and Suli. The rest of the villagers are all cousins, aunts, uncles, etc even if they really aren't. Saturday went to Sigatoka for the big provincial rugby game for 2 cups the Fiji cup and the Benson and Hedges (national cigarette, B&H) cup. It was Nadroga (us) vs Talevu and we pulled it out 23-15. There was a lady yelling crazy things behind us such as love for the referee and certain players. I of course don´t know any language but English so i had no idea what she said but Mani (an uncle) told me all about it. He accompanied me to the game even though about half the village went. We got lucky on the walk up the highway to hitch a ride with a tourist with a truck and we ended up getting all the way to Sigatoka for free in about a third of the time it takes the bus. He loved it even though it cost $10 which was probably more money than he could afford. Before the game he haggled the price of a horse bit which started at $4 for about 10 minutes so ya know...On the way home we catch a transport full of people from the village and are cruising along, music blaring, driver passing everyone, till something happens and everyone is curious and then laughing. We ran out of gas just because he didn´t check it. Not for any real reason. So we sit on the side of the road and wait for him to hitch a ride to go get gas. When he returns we stop again at the market and i pick up a loaf of bread for .60 to munch on for the remainder of the time (and in case we never got home).
Sunday we went to church (Methodist) and didn't understand a thing but I wore a sulu (skirt/sarong) and nice shirt and went with a German couple who came to stay with Suli. Cali is really into his religion and is in the choir and kept asking if i had any questions on who Jesus was and things like this. Also quite interestingly there was a Jewish couple in the village that were missionaries. I didn´t know that Jews had missionaries but hey, why not? Went to the beach to relax the rest of the day with Tiki, Samantha (the daughter of the original travel agent! who was 5) and the German couple. Felt lazy so i ran down the beach and then just slept and watched the 8 or so surfers that were trying to catch waves.
Cali showed me around to a cave out on the island where the villagers keep their pigs and goats. This cave was inhabited by cannibals fairly recently but i forget the dates. Quite a nice hideout for these guys since they had been chased by the Fijians with their clubs ever since the Christians came to the island and taught them that cannibalism was wrong in the late 1800s. Also got shown the ´magic´rock which when you throw a stone at it and chip it it conjures up a big storm so the attackers can´t attack. The week before i got there there was a surf competition at Natadola and the coordinator asked to conjure up a storm for big waves and he got it. This kind of magic really does work i suppose.
First night had a welcome kava ceremony where i bought the kava and shared with about 7 people. We sit on the floor in a circle and mix it in a big bowl. It is ground and squeezed through a bandanna thing to make the brown milky liquid. Drank about 4 big bowls of it. You drink one at a time out of a coconut shell and pass it back. Before you receive it you clap once and then say Bula (which you get hella tired of in this place if you are at the tourist places) and then drink it in one gulp and then clap 3 more times. The stuff really just makes you sleepy but they love it. We had a wash down with a bottle of run i bought duty free at the airport in the same manner drinking one at a time out of the same glass. Mixed this 58% alcohol rum with some water. Tasted like shit. The whole time everyone there kept wanting me to talk to a village girl called Mary who they thought i needed make my girlfriend. She had graduated and was to become a bank officer (teller) which is a killer job for a girl from the village. They kept telling me to have very good conversation with her and take her with me to the islands or America when i left. It turns out that she got embarrassed and thought that i was too long anyway and didn´t finish the lolly that the aunt brought to the kava. You always need to have sweet like a lolly, or spicy like jalapeno peas with kava to keep your tongue awake. Had another big grog drink Saturday night and an Irish and Kiwi guy showed up really drunk stumbling all over the place. Good fun. Now on to the Yasawa islands. More later. These computers are from the 80's.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Cape Trib
We were specifically told that this river was safe to swim in and there was a swimming hole. We found cold water and a sign. After a short exploration of the area i came upon a trail that led to a better pool with rope swing and cliff jumping spots. Some of the best times of Oz. Where is this bag's owner?
Johnstone Croc Farm
Back quite a ways in Aussie we stopped at this place and this is a python who took a special liking to me. Also saw some big ass crocs. Ahh the good ol days in Oz.
Dunedin
No, it's not a fire in the sky of eastern NZ. It's a gorgeous sunset with colors blazing that were almost unreal. What do they say? Red sky at night, sailor's delight?
The real Doubtful
This is the essence of LOTR. Amazing views like this are what I live with and live for. I love this stuff and to think it cleared up and we saw seals minutes later.
Doubtful Sound
A snowy wonderland on the way to the boat. Amazing that we haven't seen weather like this yet. Aesthetically beautiful as well, in case you didn't notice.
Puzzling World
Yes, at the world of puzzles i proved America's worth in the maze and then held up a tower with my arse. Simply amazing and a great workout.
Otago Peninsula
The wildlife was grand out here with seals, sea lions, albatross, kingfishers, and penguins. Oh yeah and the freaks - Irish?
Copland Track
These are some of the dangers that you deal with while tramping in NZ - active avalanche areas in your way. Certainly worth the risk though for the hot pools up top.
Lake McKenzie
Seems like a perfect reflection every time. That is Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman NZ highest peaks. Quite a walk to get here I hope that you appreciate it.
Fox Glacier
Looks like my ice climbing skills have come in handy once again. Luckily it was a bright clear day because i didn't have my goggles.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Wham, Bam, Alacazam
Yeah that's right you are listening to the sounds - the super sounds of the sixties. Yeah that's right that's all I heard for a nearly 4 hour drive to Dunedin in our little grey Ford station wagon. Oh yeah thanks America for making gas so cheap. They pay $1.34 a liter here and there are 4 liters to a gallon - give or take - so that's like $5.36 or something a gallon and even after the conversion advantage we have it's like $4.50. Anyway we had to fill this gas guzzler up a few times on the 600k round trip and it was pricey. Or spendy as some say.
Well this little speed demon took the corners of the curvy mountain road like a true champ and at times I really felt like a rally car driver. They drive Subarus and stuff so I figure when in Rome. I always misuse that. Ahh hell. So we spent a couple of nights in Dunedin and saw about 5 movies while there including but not limited to: What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Independence Day, American Wedding, Ali G's Innit, and Glory. Good sheet.
The point of the journey was to see penguins though. The Otago Peninsula is just out of town (which was crazy because the Lions (English and Irish national rugby team on tour)) and this would be our only hope. They have blue and yellow eyed penguins and both are able to be seen at dusk after a long day of hunting at sea. After hiking through a cow field and having some scary ass bulls stare us down we made it to the beach. There was supposed to be a blind there so you don't scare the little guys but it couldn't be found so we hid behind some dunes. For an hour and a half. No sign of any penguins but there was a stiff breeze and freezing temperatures that were found. A curious sea lion came up and walked around for awhile and there was a grotesquely fat one that looked like a log that had been beached but no penguins. Ahh well.
We did however see Royal Albatrosses and those guys are huge. Up to a 4 meter wingspan they can have (thanks Yoda). Yeah so we saw one of those cruising around right after going to the car to make a pbj. Rushed out and since there was no wind at this point he was cruising real low. Coolest wildlife encounter thus far in NZ. There are no native animals here if you didn't know. Except a couple birds like the kiwi and a lizard. Well for the ride back we bought a tape adapter so we could listen to ipod or cd. Mucho better and had a huge ice cream cone in some town and it was only $1!!!
Well this little speed demon took the corners of the curvy mountain road like a true champ and at times I really felt like a rally car driver. They drive Subarus and stuff so I figure when in Rome. I always misuse that. Ahh hell. So we spent a couple of nights in Dunedin and saw about 5 movies while there including but not limited to: What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Independence Day, American Wedding, Ali G's Innit, and Glory. Good sheet.
The point of the journey was to see penguins though. The Otago Peninsula is just out of town (which was crazy because the Lions (English and Irish national rugby team on tour)) and this would be our only hope. They have blue and yellow eyed penguins and both are able to be seen at dusk after a long day of hunting at sea. After hiking through a cow field and having some scary ass bulls stare us down we made it to the beach. There was supposed to be a blind there so you don't scare the little guys but it couldn't be found so we hid behind some dunes. For an hour and a half. No sign of any penguins but there was a stiff breeze and freezing temperatures that were found. A curious sea lion came up and walked around for awhile and there was a grotesquely fat one that looked like a log that had been beached but no penguins. Ahh well.
We did however see Royal Albatrosses and those guys are huge. Up to a 4 meter wingspan they can have (thanks Yoda). Yeah so we saw one of those cruising around right after going to the car to make a pbj. Rushed out and since there was no wind at this point he was cruising real low. Coolest wildlife encounter thus far in NZ. There are no native animals here if you didn't know. Except a couple birds like the kiwi and a lizard. Well for the ride back we bought a tape adapter so we could listen to ipod or cd. Mucho better and had a huge ice cream cone in some town and it was only $1!!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Oh yeah...The Nevis
So the story goes that back in Aussie Jon, Jo, and I all went for a little bungy jump in Cairns. Yeah thought it was such a good idea that i went ahead and did their 'special' which was buy that jump and get the Nevis half price. Well the Nevis is 134 meters of hell. Yeah you have to throw yourself off of a cable car suspended 140m above a river. It's clearly very stupid and why people would pay for it i have no idea. This was before i went to Doubtful Sound by the way. I think i needed something very calm and soothing after ruining my best pair of boxers.
This was before and i was pretty excited because i weigh 86.5kg and that means that i was the 3rd to go. I saw some people stupider than me but i was still alright with it. I was being strapped in and apparently lost my head and was smiling. I got to the edge and from there looking down it is just insane. Luckily they do a count down and peer pressure makes you throw yourself off of this monstrosity. It's like 440ft for a 40 story building or something. Absolutely nuts.
On the way down you feel speed building up. Blood rushing to your head. And your head rushing toward the river. At some point you feel free to think about anything in the world and then you hit the bottom and spring back up. It is a smooth spring unlike the one in Cairns and this actually makes it less scary. It's just the height really.
This was before and i was pretty excited because i weigh 86.5kg and that means that i was the 3rd to go. I saw some people stupider than me but i was still alright with it. I was being strapped in and apparently lost my head and was smiling. I got to the edge and from there looking down it is just insane. Luckily they do a count down and peer pressure makes you throw yourself off of this monstrosity. It's like 440ft for a 40 story building or something. Absolutely nuts.
On the way down you feel speed building up. Blood rushing to your head. And your head rushing toward the river. At some point you feel free to think about anything in the world and then you hit the bottom and spring back up. It is a smooth spring unlike the one in Cairns and this actually makes it less scary. It's just the height really.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Doubtful Sound
I think it was named this by Sir James Cook because it was doubtful that our car would ever make it home. We rented about a 1988 grey Ford station wagon. It is a beautiful piece of engineering but for me and compared to the Strait i think i will stay away. This place was about a 3 hour drive on the left side of the road from Queenstown. We made it alright only scaring the passengers occasionally above the lake without cliff blockers on the road. We did get to listen to the best of the 60's tape about 100 times. This was a cassette (no radio in the mountains kids) and there was a cheesy band covering and mixing all types of songs together from 'Stay' to 'Mr Tambourine Man', simply amazing. We stayed in some cabin that we got hot as acceptable without boiling with all the wood available. The brothers there to welcome us seemed a little odd but i don't think that they had seen anyone in a few weeks. They also told us that they hadn't seen the sun till the day before in about 3 weeks. Good times in Doubtful Sound.
The next day we were off on an all day adventure that would take us across a lake down into an Italian designed power plant and out into the Tasman Sea through the sound (technically a fjord). Yeah we got up early and made it down there in time to meet the quirky and uninformative crew and be really cold. The lake part was alright and we saw Mt Doom again although i thought i had seen it on the north island. Hmm, i think that they claim that everywhere. Maybe it wasn't even filmed here?
Lots of LOTR looking stuff, again, and then down into the power plant. This plant with 7 generators or whatever could power Auckland they say. Amazing. I've been in Hoover Dam and that is quite a facility. Anyway it was warmer down there so i was happy. On to the Sound down a frozen road and onto our awaiting chariot. We cruised for quite awhile and it was amazing to see cliffs drop straight into the water and we pull up next to the edge and it's still 300m below us to the bottom. It started raining since it does about 200-250 days out of the year here and great waterfalls came off the cliffs. We saw no dolphins or penguins but saw more seals which was pretty bad ass. One even swam next to us at about 3 knots without even making an effort. Pretty sweet animals. The day was long but i had a pbj for lunch and afternoon tea with orange chocolate chip cookies to keep me going. Thank goodness for tea time and English influence.
After a hella long ride back to the docks and back over the lake we had a long ride in the sweet ass car back to Queenstown. More 60's and i think i had the complete tape memorized. I love driving by now because it says you are going 100 and its really in kilometers but you just don't think about it because your wheels might fall off. Made it home after a stop for some ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) cookies and a Moro bar. No dying on the roads out of fear of ice, don't worry.
The next day we were off on an all day adventure that would take us across a lake down into an Italian designed power plant and out into the Tasman Sea through the sound (technically a fjord). Yeah we got up early and made it down there in time to meet the quirky and uninformative crew and be really cold. The lake part was alright and we saw Mt Doom again although i thought i had seen it on the north island. Hmm, i think that they claim that everywhere. Maybe it wasn't even filmed here?
Lots of LOTR looking stuff, again, and then down into the power plant. This plant with 7 generators or whatever could power Auckland they say. Amazing. I've been in Hoover Dam and that is quite a facility. Anyway it was warmer down there so i was happy. On to the Sound down a frozen road and onto our awaiting chariot. We cruised for quite awhile and it was amazing to see cliffs drop straight into the water and we pull up next to the edge and it's still 300m below us to the bottom. It started raining since it does about 200-250 days out of the year here and great waterfalls came off the cliffs. We saw no dolphins or penguins but saw more seals which was pretty bad ass. One even swam next to us at about 3 knots without even making an effort. Pretty sweet animals. The day was long but i had a pbj for lunch and afternoon tea with orange chocolate chip cookies to keep me going. Thank goodness for tea time and English influence.
After a hella long ride back to the docks and back over the lake we had a long ride in the sweet ass car back to Queenstown. More 60's and i think i had the complete tape memorized. I love driving by now because it says you are going 100 and its really in kilometers but you just don't think about it because your wheels might fall off. Made it home after a stop for some ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) cookies and a Moro bar. No dying on the roads out of fear of ice, don't worry.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
What a ride
Yes, well I do realise that my time in New Zealand is over half over without an update and I know you are all biting your fingernails wondering what the heck is going on (ha) but seriously guys you just need to chill out. That's what I'm doing and I know it is a clever pun because it is winter down here and I am about to go skiing (boarding rather) on the sweet ass southern alps but no need to get too worked up. Yes NZ is a kick arse destination. Yes, it is everything an outdoor enthusiast such as myself would love. And yes, there are plenty of sheep for everyone. The bloody poms really get a kick out of making fun of Kiwis about their sheep and the habits they have with sheep. Rightio. Onward Ho.
Well I have made it to Queenstown which is central southern south island and supposedly every adrenaline junkie's dream. It is the home of bungy (not bungee I learned since those are what you use to tie stuff to your car with) and they have jet boats, skiing, paragliding, luging, and umm other cool stuff to do. I'm at the butterfli lodge and they also apparently use smoke signal internet but that's cool because I figure I am just writing so it will be ok. The Kiwi's are great and I have finally given in to the temptation of meat pies and I must say that they are quite nice but you know they are horrid for you. Ahh well I guess I will find out tomorrow when I weigh in to do my next bungy. Yes, I will jump from a cable car and freefall for 134 meters or 9 seconds of free fall. I don't know if I will survive but if I don't you guys divvy my stuff up according to how much you think I like you. Now a little run down of the past 2-3 weeks in the land of Mordor and Hobbits and all that kinda funky stuff.
Auckland - Seems like cities are the same everywhere and although I didn't hang out here at all I have heard from Americans and other nationalities alike that this is a city that wants an identity but has nothing to go on. What they do have is more boats per capita than anywhere else and 2 harbours to Sydney's 1 and being spread out (at least as much as Jacksonville, America's largest city (land wise)). So yeah got out of here quickly on the bus south. Didn't know what to expect but figured when in NZ do as the Kiwis do and peck the ground. Kiwis are strange birds (?) for they have whiskers and their eggs are as big as their bodies. Hmm.
Hot Water Beach - Luckily we hit the tides right here and found some shovels to dig in the sand. No not for sand castles silly but to create our own hot tubs. As long as it is low tide you can just dig a foot or two under the sand and hot water comes up. It's nearly boiling because of all the geothermal activity in the area so you mix it with a little sea water and have yourself a relaxing little bath. Quite nice until you get out and see that shrinkage is real and realize that you aren't on a beach in tropical north Queensland anymore.
Whitianga - Had some $5NZ fish and chips with a Monteith's Black and was in heaven. The beer is actually beer here instead of the Coors Light style stuff they call beer in Oz. Score one for the Kiwis. There is quite a rivalry you know since Aussie considers NZ another state and NZ despises this and them.
Hobbiton - AKA Matamata I think. Yeah I've been there I'm that cool and got a picture to prove it. All I really did here was pee and have a long black which I have finally discovered is the same as an Americano or espresso with hot water. Yee ha I have my coffee back although I mostly drink green tea now.
Rotorua and the Redwood Forest - Rotorua is the center of NZ's volcanic activity. It's a quiet little town with mud bubble things and geysers and stuff like Yellowstone. Smells like sulfur or rotten eggs whichever you are more familiar with and I decided that I had seen enough of that kind of stuff although I heard the local hoods hung out in the park with the thermal activity at night. I thought I might go see what kind of trouble they cause down here but thought better of it and went to see Star Wars 3 instead. Something about a Sith I didn't get it. During the day and before the rain that would last the next 4 days I found that right here in Rotorua they had planted hundreds of kinds of trees in the early 1900's to see which suited NZ since nothing is native here. All they have are birds and one lizard. Everything else imported. Yeah so they have California Redwoods as big as the ones in Cali and I went on a 12k walk in about 2.5 hours. This got me geared up for all the hiking I have been doing since. Very nice walk and I would recommend it over a $25 thermal park any day. They do have a world class spa here from the hot pools if that is your thing. Also our hostel had two naturally heated pools so you could choose the temperature that better suited you.
Waitomo Caves - Almost all the way back over to the west coast we visit the largest cave system in NZ good stuff and the boys on the bus and I decide to do the blackwater rafting. Since it is raining and has been for awhile the water levels are up and the cave is rockin. We get fully decked in 7 mil wetsuits and find a nice innertube to float the things. Turns out the guide chick is from Alabama. First southerner I have run into since I have been away. We don't want to leave the South dammit. Yeah this is a cool little journey through the caves and there are glow worms on the roof of the cave which we find out are maggots who burn their own excrement to trap food from some kind of string. Wacky wild stuff and the Canadian cooked us some fettucini alfredo with chicken for dinner. Smiley our bus driver added some sauteed bacon wrapped mussels for a nice appetizer. I think I am eating better than I did when I cooked for myself. Also got a bagel and tomato soup with the cold tubing adventure and a nice shower which was worth the entire $70 that I paid for the thing. We did get to jump off of 10m cliffs in pitch black onto our tubes though so I suppose that was worth it and the other leader guy's rendition of bohemian Rhapsody. Yeah.
Taupo - Rain. Sleep. Eat. Drink. Big crater lake like in Oregon with tons of Trout that I was going to go fly fish for but the days here sucked. Cheapest sky diving in the world FYI. Going to do the Tongariro Crossing, a hike with killer views of volcanoes and shit but the like I said rain loves itself.
Trout Farm - Worst and coldest stop ever.
Taranaki Falls Walk - In Tongariro National Park NZ's first world heritage site we did a walk in the snow for a couple of hours to see some falls that were in LOTR. Good walk but made me wonder why I left the warmth of Aussie for this. Also made me wonder why I would ever want to leave the South. Yeah boy. Also saw the little falls where Golom catches the fish and beats it on the rock till it's dead. Mordor is also in the park. I guess you now see why I came to NZ I am one of those rings freaks.
Rangitikei River - Or River Valley (or River Anduin in LOTR) as it's known to the locals. Of which there are none. They built a bloody golf course here for some reason. But it is a hell of a river and with all the rain it is barely legal to get on. One below flood stage. Good for us. Killer white water rafting with probably about 8 class V rapids and a lot of smaller ones. Good cliff jumping into a river which seems colder than ice. I don't think that anyone living could feel toes or fingers after this trip. Who cares about money yah know. All I eat is pasta anyway.
Wellington - NZ capital and another city. One day here is enough although I had some nice Thai Squid. Went to Te Papa (Our Place in Maori) a nice national museum that is a little full of itself for only having a 150 year history. You know how proud America is of our 200+ years. The Americans I have met and the people in general have been easier to relate to for me. Good folks down here especially in winter I have been told.
Ferry ride to South Island - Some random classic Irish band was on the boat which was cool and somehow it took 4 hours to go 17k. I walk faster than this.
Nelson - This is where true hostels were discovered. Shortbread cottage with free shortbread and a nice homey atmosphere slept 13 people and was just the ticket to get away from the English and Irish I had been hanging out with. Planning on doing the Abel Tasman track here so I needed a good night's sleep and free coffee to get me revved up in the morn. Wanted to stay at Tramper's Rest hostel with only 8 beds but it was full somehow. They did have an avocado tree though.
Abel Tasman - Four days of bliss and hell. 95k in three and a half days doesn't seem too bad and after the first day of 20k I still saw no problem. The next days were rough but the terrain beautiful. Made several crossings that could only be done at low tide and still had to take my stinking shoes off every time. Tried to lighten the pack but 4 days of food is quite a bit even without a stove. See my fuel bottle was confiscated in Brisbane. Yeah it might blow up even without fuel or a top on it. Ridiculous. Oh yeah a spoon is illegal too. Tramped on beaches, over rocks, through seal colonies, and up to 1100m from sea level. I stayed in huts so no tent but also no firewood and no torch so I was going to bed and waking up with the sun. Good experience and good to get out in it after being around people so much. Met some cool kids out there from England, Aussie, US, and Israel. And one Kiwi family out for the Queen's Birthday weekend. Second and Third day were completely hellish. With near 30k a day and on the third going almost straight up mountains for most of the day. Well worth it for the cup of coffee and hot meal at the end.
Nelson Lakes - First real look at snow except that which was around the hut on top of the mountain which I got to view from the toilet (drop pot). Stunning mountains and first taste of what this south island was all about.
West Coast - This is where the hicks of NZ are. They make fun of mullets here too and the people do nothing but shoot animals and live in their backcountry cabins. I dunno. Punakaiki was cool with blowholes that shoot up water from the waves and limestone formations that look like stacks of pancakes which are unexplainable by science and not seen anywhere else in the world. Lake Mahinapua is where we stay and offered a great sunset and the Poo Pub with Les this 80 year old teenager who runs the place and gets everyone wasted. Everyone dressed up in Rugby gear and some people threw up. Boring.
Down to Franz - More rain and planning the Copland Track. Franz Josef was an explorer so they named a glacier after him. Seems about right. Watched some movies and ate some yummy free soup for dinner. Went to Fox Glacier a day later.
Fox - Glacier walking is the coolest thing around (ha gotcha again). Amazing views and walking with crampons knowing you could fall down crevasses and stuff is nuts. A full day on the glacier is plenty and I was quite cool by the time I went down. Saw some cool calving in of a cave and meeting other Americans eating peanut butter made me feel at home again.
Copland Track - 23k south of Fox lies the Copland track which leads across the Copland pass accessible only by pro mountaineers and wackos. I only did the first 17k up to some hot pools. Easy track with stunning views. About 8 major river crossings and 100 small ones which are smaller but great fun. I think I split my shin somewhere along the way. Best night in NZ up there with the stars and the 50 degree hot pools. The Christchurch U Tramping Club was there too and felt sorry for me as well as this dude called Milan. Again no stove and I was the "sandwich guy" since all I brought was a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and a sleeping bag. That's traveling light. Saw tons of shooting stars and other wild stuff. Made the 17k out in 3.5 hours. Thought that was pretty cool.
On to Wanaka and Queenstown where I am now. Gonna go to Milford Sound, ski, see penguins and then head back to the beach in Fiji. Rough life I know. But just you wait...
Well I have made it to Queenstown which is central southern south island and supposedly every adrenaline junkie's dream. It is the home of bungy (not bungee I learned since those are what you use to tie stuff to your car with) and they have jet boats, skiing, paragliding, luging, and umm other cool stuff to do. I'm at the butterfli lodge and they also apparently use smoke signal internet but that's cool because I figure I am just writing so it will be ok. The Kiwi's are great and I have finally given in to the temptation of meat pies and I must say that they are quite nice but you know they are horrid for you. Ahh well I guess I will find out tomorrow when I weigh in to do my next bungy. Yes, I will jump from a cable car and freefall for 134 meters or 9 seconds of free fall. I don't know if I will survive but if I don't you guys divvy my stuff up according to how much you think I like you. Now a little run down of the past 2-3 weeks in the land of Mordor and Hobbits and all that kinda funky stuff.
Auckland - Seems like cities are the same everywhere and although I didn't hang out here at all I have heard from Americans and other nationalities alike that this is a city that wants an identity but has nothing to go on. What they do have is more boats per capita than anywhere else and 2 harbours to Sydney's 1 and being spread out (at least as much as Jacksonville, America's largest city (land wise)). So yeah got out of here quickly on the bus south. Didn't know what to expect but figured when in NZ do as the Kiwis do and peck the ground. Kiwis are strange birds (?) for they have whiskers and their eggs are as big as their bodies. Hmm.
Hot Water Beach - Luckily we hit the tides right here and found some shovels to dig in the sand. No not for sand castles silly but to create our own hot tubs. As long as it is low tide you can just dig a foot or two under the sand and hot water comes up. It's nearly boiling because of all the geothermal activity in the area so you mix it with a little sea water and have yourself a relaxing little bath. Quite nice until you get out and see that shrinkage is real and realize that you aren't on a beach in tropical north Queensland anymore.
Whitianga - Had some $5NZ fish and chips with a Monteith's Black and was in heaven. The beer is actually beer here instead of the Coors Light style stuff they call beer in Oz. Score one for the Kiwis. There is quite a rivalry you know since Aussie considers NZ another state and NZ despises this and them.
Hobbiton - AKA Matamata I think. Yeah I've been there I'm that cool and got a picture to prove it. All I really did here was pee and have a long black which I have finally discovered is the same as an Americano or espresso with hot water. Yee ha I have my coffee back although I mostly drink green tea now.
Rotorua and the Redwood Forest - Rotorua is the center of NZ's volcanic activity. It's a quiet little town with mud bubble things and geysers and stuff like Yellowstone. Smells like sulfur or rotten eggs whichever you are more familiar with and I decided that I had seen enough of that kind of stuff although I heard the local hoods hung out in the park with the thermal activity at night. I thought I might go see what kind of trouble they cause down here but thought better of it and went to see Star Wars 3 instead. Something about a Sith I didn't get it. During the day and before the rain that would last the next 4 days I found that right here in Rotorua they had planted hundreds of kinds of trees in the early 1900's to see which suited NZ since nothing is native here. All they have are birds and one lizard. Everything else imported. Yeah so they have California Redwoods as big as the ones in Cali and I went on a 12k walk in about 2.5 hours. This got me geared up for all the hiking I have been doing since. Very nice walk and I would recommend it over a $25 thermal park any day. They do have a world class spa here from the hot pools if that is your thing. Also our hostel had two naturally heated pools so you could choose the temperature that better suited you.
Waitomo Caves - Almost all the way back over to the west coast we visit the largest cave system in NZ good stuff and the boys on the bus and I decide to do the blackwater rafting. Since it is raining and has been for awhile the water levels are up and the cave is rockin. We get fully decked in 7 mil wetsuits and find a nice innertube to float the things. Turns out the guide chick is from Alabama. First southerner I have run into since I have been away. We don't want to leave the South dammit. Yeah this is a cool little journey through the caves and there are glow worms on the roof of the cave which we find out are maggots who burn their own excrement to trap food from some kind of string. Wacky wild stuff and the Canadian cooked us some fettucini alfredo with chicken for dinner. Smiley our bus driver added some sauteed bacon wrapped mussels for a nice appetizer. I think I am eating better than I did when I cooked for myself. Also got a bagel and tomato soup with the cold tubing adventure and a nice shower which was worth the entire $70 that I paid for the thing. We did get to jump off of 10m cliffs in pitch black onto our tubes though so I suppose that was worth it and the other leader guy's rendition of bohemian Rhapsody. Yeah.
Taupo - Rain. Sleep. Eat. Drink. Big crater lake like in Oregon with tons of Trout that I was going to go fly fish for but the days here sucked. Cheapest sky diving in the world FYI. Going to do the Tongariro Crossing, a hike with killer views of volcanoes and shit but the like I said rain loves itself.
Trout Farm - Worst and coldest stop ever.
Taranaki Falls Walk - In Tongariro National Park NZ's first world heritage site we did a walk in the snow for a couple of hours to see some falls that were in LOTR. Good walk but made me wonder why I left the warmth of Aussie for this. Also made me wonder why I would ever want to leave the South. Yeah boy. Also saw the little falls where Golom catches the fish and beats it on the rock till it's dead. Mordor is also in the park. I guess you now see why I came to NZ I am one of those rings freaks.
Rangitikei River - Or River Valley (or River Anduin in LOTR) as it's known to the locals. Of which there are none. They built a bloody golf course here for some reason. But it is a hell of a river and with all the rain it is barely legal to get on. One below flood stage. Good for us. Killer white water rafting with probably about 8 class V rapids and a lot of smaller ones. Good cliff jumping into a river which seems colder than ice. I don't think that anyone living could feel toes or fingers after this trip. Who cares about money yah know. All I eat is pasta anyway.
Wellington - NZ capital and another city. One day here is enough although I had some nice Thai Squid. Went to Te Papa (Our Place in Maori) a nice national museum that is a little full of itself for only having a 150 year history. You know how proud America is of our 200+ years. The Americans I have met and the people in general have been easier to relate to for me. Good folks down here especially in winter I have been told.
Ferry ride to South Island - Some random classic Irish band was on the boat which was cool and somehow it took 4 hours to go 17k. I walk faster than this.
Nelson - This is where true hostels were discovered. Shortbread cottage with free shortbread and a nice homey atmosphere slept 13 people and was just the ticket to get away from the English and Irish I had been hanging out with. Planning on doing the Abel Tasman track here so I needed a good night's sleep and free coffee to get me revved up in the morn. Wanted to stay at Tramper's Rest hostel with only 8 beds but it was full somehow. They did have an avocado tree though.
Abel Tasman - Four days of bliss and hell. 95k in three and a half days doesn't seem too bad and after the first day of 20k I still saw no problem. The next days were rough but the terrain beautiful. Made several crossings that could only be done at low tide and still had to take my stinking shoes off every time. Tried to lighten the pack but 4 days of food is quite a bit even without a stove. See my fuel bottle was confiscated in Brisbane. Yeah it might blow up even without fuel or a top on it. Ridiculous. Oh yeah a spoon is illegal too. Tramped on beaches, over rocks, through seal colonies, and up to 1100m from sea level. I stayed in huts so no tent but also no firewood and no torch so I was going to bed and waking up with the sun. Good experience and good to get out in it after being around people so much. Met some cool kids out there from England, Aussie, US, and Israel. And one Kiwi family out for the Queen's Birthday weekend. Second and Third day were completely hellish. With near 30k a day and on the third going almost straight up mountains for most of the day. Well worth it for the cup of coffee and hot meal at the end.
Nelson Lakes - First real look at snow except that which was around the hut on top of the mountain which I got to view from the toilet (drop pot). Stunning mountains and first taste of what this south island was all about.
West Coast - This is where the hicks of NZ are. They make fun of mullets here too and the people do nothing but shoot animals and live in their backcountry cabins. I dunno. Punakaiki was cool with blowholes that shoot up water from the waves and limestone formations that look like stacks of pancakes which are unexplainable by science and not seen anywhere else in the world. Lake Mahinapua is where we stay and offered a great sunset and the Poo Pub with Les this 80 year old teenager who runs the place and gets everyone wasted. Everyone dressed up in Rugby gear and some people threw up. Boring.
Down to Franz - More rain and planning the Copland Track. Franz Josef was an explorer so they named a glacier after him. Seems about right. Watched some movies and ate some yummy free soup for dinner. Went to Fox Glacier a day later.
Fox - Glacier walking is the coolest thing around (ha gotcha again). Amazing views and walking with crampons knowing you could fall down crevasses and stuff is nuts. A full day on the glacier is plenty and I was quite cool by the time I went down. Saw some cool calving in of a cave and meeting other Americans eating peanut butter made me feel at home again.
Copland Track - 23k south of Fox lies the Copland track which leads across the Copland pass accessible only by pro mountaineers and wackos. I only did the first 17k up to some hot pools. Easy track with stunning views. About 8 major river crossings and 100 small ones which are smaller but great fun. I think I split my shin somewhere along the way. Best night in NZ up there with the stars and the 50 degree hot pools. The Christchurch U Tramping Club was there too and felt sorry for me as well as this dude called Milan. Again no stove and I was the "sandwich guy" since all I brought was a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and a sleeping bag. That's traveling light. Saw tons of shooting stars and other wild stuff. Made the 17k out in 3.5 hours. Thought that was pretty cool.
On to Wanaka and Queenstown where I am now. Gonna go to Milford Sound, ski, see penguins and then head back to the beach in Fiji. Rough life I know. But just you wait...
Friday, June 10, 2005
N Zed
Pretty nice down here except for the fact that internet is expensive and is done by smoke signal i think. So far I have gone blackwater rafting which is tubing in caves. Saw glow worms and jumped off some 10m cliffs. Water was colder than anything ever but hey i had a nice thick wetsuit. Went whitewater rafting and hit some kick ass rapids on the day after the river was closed. Highest most of the guides had ever done it. Wanted to go trout fishing in Taupo but it rained the whole time. Went on a 4 day 100k trek in Abel Tasman National Park. Very nice very sunny but climbing up to 1100m from the coast it got pretty cold pretty quick in a crappy little hut with no firewood. Going glacier hiking tomorrow. Hiked through California redwoods. Saw multiple seal colonies. No kiwi sightings yet. All is good. Rotorua smelled like sulfur from the hot pools. Stopped at hot water beach where you can dig a hole and it fills with geothermally heated water. Almost boiling but it feels great. The scenery is beautiful and they have the Southern Alps here. People are alright. Perhaps nicer than Aussies. Ciao. More to come.
Monday, May 23, 2005
I of the Never Never
Yes, that's right i am a diver, officially, at least according to SSI. That's Scuba Schools International for those of y'all not in the know. Of course you have heard of PADI but i got duped into going with the lesser known SSI. It was super and i don't think it makes a difference; i have just heard they are more lax in their certification. Good for me because i am scared of the underwater abyss. Right Matt?
Anyway Jon and i signed up for this course so we could become pro divers in the same vein as Steve Zissou. To don all that equipment would certainly be a sight to behold. And with great and strange beings such as the fluorescent snapper, crayon sea horse, and the beautiful and deadly Jaguar Shark who wouldn't want to explore this underwater playground. Alas, i saw none of these famed creatures and was resigned to be happy with sea turtles, giant clams, trigger fish, lion fish, anemone, and even a few Nemos. But i get ahead of myself.
The first day of class after returning from quite a rain forest adventure brought with it adventure in its own right, no matter that it was confined to a classroom and non-heated pool. We watched several educational videos on equipment and all the various ways to die below water if you weren't careful. Quite interesting but i came to see the Great Barrier Reef and a few White Tip Sharks (which never happened mind you). So the first two days i was buddied up with Claudia a very nice German girl who was either a) shy b) didn't know English well c) didn't like me or d) all of the above. I personally think it was c but that will remain a mystery. We did exercises such as sharing air, switching masks, doing somersaults, emergency ascents, and equalizing our ears. I miserably failed this last one and still can't hear out of my left ear. Some of you may be well aware that a few summers back i ruptured that very ear near Lincolnton, GA and again a few months or a year later at Hartwell, SC. Yes, that ear will plague me the rest of my life whether searching for new underwater life or flying the friendly skies with Delta.
After the second day and more homework than i would have liked, i passed the written exam. All that was to be done now was to tame the great sea before me. I made it my bitch.
Aboard the MV Kangaroo Explorer, where i was to spend the next 2 days, I was suddenly struck with nervousness and excitement of being underwater in a new environ. I got assigned to live with Renaldo, the onboard "video guy" as it exclaimed on his shirt. He was alright but made himself scarce. The pointy ear studs were my only worry. That and the fact that he didn't need a mask to dive. If this is ever the case you should immediately regard the offending person as a freak and go on about your business trying to ignore them as long as possible. Our first dive went well and we stayed under about 25 min at a depth of 11m (all this information is contained in my SSI Dive Log for further inspection upon request). The second dive went well and i have to say that a size 4 wetsuit does not fit me very well. A bit tight and i was fooled into thinking that wetsuits were the new look for the season. That old trick of peeing in the wetsuit does, however, work. Second dive went well and Claudia and I were having a fantastic time. Her ears didn't work so well either and we had very slow descents. At some points a felt light headed and dizzy but had to press through in search of the Jaguar Shark and revenge that lay in my hands.
After a delicious dinner of red slop on rice i decided that i would be daring enough to do a night dive without even being certified. Yes, it was amazing and illegal but i loved it. Saw my first giant clam, trumpetfish, and parrot fish being eaten by a red snapper. That sly SOB used our underwater torches (English for flashlight) to guide him to his prey. David my Frenchie dive partner and assistant teacher shined it on the offended parrot fish who was resting his eyes in his mucus membrane. One minute sweet dreams, the next a struggle for life. I felt horrible but it was the most exciting part of the dive. The other group saw sharks though. Wah.
Yeah next day we did a dive at dawn and a certification dive at 8 which got a little crazy. We did the mask switch underwater, had a dance competition, made signs for the camera, and played (some erotically) with the sea cucumbers. We were all certified and our next dive we would be alone with our buddy within Mother Oceania's womb. This dive was great. C and I planned our dive route and figured we would have nearly 40 min underwater if everything went right. We were to swim counterclockwise around the bomme on port then to the wall off the bow and sweep inside the bomme off starboard. Hoping to see amazing things. All went according to plan (and my amazing sense of direction) and we made it around the first and over to the wall. From there we started swimming and not finding the other bomme turned back. Luckily we did and got to touch a turtle. We saw giant trigger fish, an eel, the biggest clam in the world, the biggest anemone in the world, and 4 turtles. Sweet as.
We made it back to base and congratulated ourselves on a successful first dive. All precautions heeded and equipment passed without fail. This underwater environment is amazing and i hope to get back ASAP. Wish you guys could have been there to share the almost surreal experience. Once you get comfortable down there you realize you now have more than twice as much of Earth's surface to explore. Hope you are all well wherever you may be. Live long and prosper.
Anyway Jon and i signed up for this course so we could become pro divers in the same vein as Steve Zissou. To don all that equipment would certainly be a sight to behold. And with great and strange beings such as the fluorescent snapper, crayon sea horse, and the beautiful and deadly Jaguar Shark who wouldn't want to explore this underwater playground. Alas, i saw none of these famed creatures and was resigned to be happy with sea turtles, giant clams, trigger fish, lion fish, anemone, and even a few Nemos. But i get ahead of myself.
The first day of class after returning from quite a rain forest adventure brought with it adventure in its own right, no matter that it was confined to a classroom and non-heated pool. We watched several educational videos on equipment and all the various ways to die below water if you weren't careful. Quite interesting but i came to see the Great Barrier Reef and a few White Tip Sharks (which never happened mind you). So the first two days i was buddied up with Claudia a very nice German girl who was either a) shy b) didn't know English well c) didn't like me or d) all of the above. I personally think it was c but that will remain a mystery. We did exercises such as sharing air, switching masks, doing somersaults, emergency ascents, and equalizing our ears. I miserably failed this last one and still can't hear out of my left ear. Some of you may be well aware that a few summers back i ruptured that very ear near Lincolnton, GA and again a few months or a year later at Hartwell, SC. Yes, that ear will plague me the rest of my life whether searching for new underwater life or flying the friendly skies with Delta.
After the second day and more homework than i would have liked, i passed the written exam. All that was to be done now was to tame the great sea before me. I made it my bitch.
Aboard the MV Kangaroo Explorer, where i was to spend the next 2 days, I was suddenly struck with nervousness and excitement of being underwater in a new environ. I got assigned to live with Renaldo, the onboard "video guy" as it exclaimed on his shirt. He was alright but made himself scarce. The pointy ear studs were my only worry. That and the fact that he didn't need a mask to dive. If this is ever the case you should immediately regard the offending person as a freak and go on about your business trying to ignore them as long as possible. Our first dive went well and we stayed under about 25 min at a depth of 11m (all this information is contained in my SSI Dive Log for further inspection upon request). The second dive went well and i have to say that a size 4 wetsuit does not fit me very well. A bit tight and i was fooled into thinking that wetsuits were the new look for the season. That old trick of peeing in the wetsuit does, however, work. Second dive went well and Claudia and I were having a fantastic time. Her ears didn't work so well either and we had very slow descents. At some points a felt light headed and dizzy but had to press through in search of the Jaguar Shark and revenge that lay in my hands.
After a delicious dinner of red slop on rice i decided that i would be daring enough to do a night dive without even being certified. Yes, it was amazing and illegal but i loved it. Saw my first giant clam, trumpetfish, and parrot fish being eaten by a red snapper. That sly SOB used our underwater torches (English for flashlight) to guide him to his prey. David my Frenchie dive partner and assistant teacher shined it on the offended parrot fish who was resting his eyes in his mucus membrane. One minute sweet dreams, the next a struggle for life. I felt horrible but it was the most exciting part of the dive. The other group saw sharks though. Wah.
Yeah next day we did a dive at dawn and a certification dive at 8 which got a little crazy. We did the mask switch underwater, had a dance competition, made signs for the camera, and played (some erotically) with the sea cucumbers. We were all certified and our next dive we would be alone with our buddy within Mother Oceania's womb. This dive was great. C and I planned our dive route and figured we would have nearly 40 min underwater if everything went right. We were to swim counterclockwise around the bomme on port then to the wall off the bow and sweep inside the bomme off starboard. Hoping to see amazing things. All went according to plan (and my amazing sense of direction) and we made it around the first and over to the wall. From there we started swimming and not finding the other bomme turned back. Luckily we did and got to touch a turtle. We saw giant trigger fish, an eel, the biggest clam in the world, the biggest anemone in the world, and 4 turtles. Sweet as.
We made it back to base and congratulated ourselves on a successful first dive. All precautions heeded and equipment passed without fail. This underwater environment is amazing and i hope to get back ASAP. Wish you guys could have been there to share the almost surreal experience. Once you get comfortable down there you realize you now have more than twice as much of Earth's surface to explore. Hope you are all well wherever you may be. Live long and prosper.
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