After a relaxing Sunday night of eating pasta and hanging at the hostel, we woke in the morning with a great night of sleep. It was going to be a good day!
We decided that we were going to book our sailboat to Colombia, now one of the most common ways of bridging the gap between Panama and Colombia. Going by land is not recommended, considering there is guerilla warfare in the connecting jungle. Narco-tourism is not what we are here for, although we are convinced it will be a huge thing in a few years. We asked about the boat up on the hostel board called Tango leaving on February 24th from Puerto Lindo to Cartagena. Puerto Lindo is easy to get to by a cheap bus from here and Cartagena is the ideal endpoint since all the other options would leave us needing to take a couple more boat and bus connections in order to get there. It said there were 4 spots left but the receptionist was going to call and confirm that those spots had not already been booked by another hostel. She was talking to the captain and started erasing 4 and writing full, so we thought we were out of the equation. Sad. But then she gave us a big smile and thumbs up to indicate that we were passengers that made it full! Oh happy day! We got it! After stressing about from where and leaving when we got the one we wanted and now that it is full we will definitely be sailing barring any hurricanes (knock on wood).
At this exact moment an old friend walked in. Levi, one of the two cyclists we met in Nicaragua. We were already faked out by two bicycles that arrived the previous day in the lobby belonging to two other men doing an epic bike trip, but calculating what we knew to be Levi and Scotts schedule we deemed it impossible. But here he was, in the flesh, with a huge smile on his face and the haircut Sophie gave him on Isla Ometepe. He parted ways with Scott whose flight is not for another week or so, and bumped his flight up a few days. He was walking by our hostel and decided to go in, remembering we said we were going to be here. Awesome!
We knew it was vital to bring him along with us to the fish market (yes, we are still talking about the fish market), and we gathered him and Barry and went on our way. After a delish lunch we all decided to meet up later, Kat and I making our way to the first post office of the trip. We arrived and were instantly transported to our local post office, where dreams come to die. As soon as you walk into a post office your momentum is halted. Whatever roll you were on, errands and whatnot, getting to the post office really puts a damper on things. Like any in the U.S., the paint is peeling from the walls, there is paper everywhere, and no one, NO ONE, looks happy, especially the employees. We are in Brooklyn, we know it! At least we know that while we are suffering at the offices in the states, we are not the only ones.
After this fun field trip, we head towards the center to a Casa del Cambio where Kat attempted for the umteenth time to exchange her Honduran and Nicaraguan money. This place did it, but it was not pretty. The exchange rate was horrible, but the gamble that she would be able to do it anywhere else forced her to concede. At the mall where this was we randomly ran in to our friend Diego whom we met at the music festival. He works there! Crazy. We made plans to hang out with him and Juan later in the evening for dinner.
Congrats to Juan on his raise, which we ended up celebrating with him that night at Casablanca, a nice outdoor restaurant on a main plaza in Casco Viejo. We will see them tonight as it is our last night in Panama City. Last night was filled with interesting conversation about the effects the canal has on the makeup and relations amongst the people, a fascinating topic which Sophie may consider an anthropological study prospect. All in all it was a nice evening that we ended by sharing Balboas in front of the hostel. We will be sad to leave Panama City, but it has been so good to us we can only say we will try hard to return in the future. It is truly a developing city that is on its way to becoming something big. Casco is on the verge of being one of the best and nicest places to live, probably in all of Central America, soon to move forward from there. We look forward to watching the transformation and feel lucky that we get to see such a thing at this time in the world.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Screw the canal. Give us our ceviche.
So after said epic bus journey (hopefully the worst of the trip, but we won't hold our breath), we arrived at Luna's Castle, which we'd label more as a world. It sits on the edge of the water of Casco Viejo, the old city. We got in between 5am and 6am, greeted by a groggy receptionist and surprisingly several travelers waiting to embark on their journey du jour. We couldn't get beds seeing as it was still dark out, so we all parked it in the "living room" where we attempted to sleep until we could check in around noon. Covered in the lovely traveling film of sweat, dirt and general discomfort, the prospect of a shower was enough to make us sleep soundly for a few hours. By 1pm we had our beds in dorm 12 on the top floor, which we've confirmed has the most spectacular view of Panama of the entire hostel, if not possibly the entire casco. Wooden shutters open up to reveal the beautiful contrast of old and new that is Casco Viejo. As a result of wars and natural disasters the neighbohood has crumbling (literally), hallowed out buildings with an overgrowth of vines and trees trying to escape from the "windows" that once existed. These former residences then sit adjacent to renovated and beautifully kept buildings that seem to have been randomly chosen for the much needed upgrades. It's quite something to see such an obvious juxtaposition (yea, we use that word) of old and new. The asthetic is the same, however, so it's possible and truly romantic to imagine everything the way it once was.
To the left is then the even more stark contrast of Panama City's downtown area, which lies just across the bay. Skyscrapers and cranes form the skyline that makes the development of the city so clearly noticeable. Actually, after studying the view from our dorm window for quite a while, we see that probably about half of these imposing structures and being built right now. Panama City is making its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with.
After having a prolonged shower and catching some shut eye we were starved. We ventured out into the casco, following the directions from the receptionist, Jorge to Cafe Coca Cola. A small spot on the corner of a main intersection, we were finally the only gringas in the joint (which we later heard is not too common). We ate some cheap food and watched the coming and goings of the people, realizing that the everyday here is less Central American and more like that of Mediterranean, due to the diverse makeup of the people as a result of the influx of immigrants for the construction of the canal. We left content and even with some left over rice to be saved in the fridge for later.
We were happy to return to the hostel for a night of live music downstairs at Relic Bar, by far the best place we've been for a night out yet. A reggae jam band was playing that night, clearly scheduled for our personal enjoyment. But the place was packed! An interesting mix of backpackers and Panamanians, the courtyard where the stage was provided the perfect setting and an even better view of the full moon that sat above. The band was incredible! They are called Pureza Natural, native to this area, and included guest appearances from local musicians, whom everyone seemed to know. There were two rappers, another drummer, and THE MOST fantastic "back up singers" (although it's hard to categorize them as such because they are so dymnamite!) we've had the pleasure of dancing to. All in all, it was a stupendous night. We hung out with some Panamanians that were just as enthusiastic to be there as we were and danced the night away, howling at the moon.
The following day we were on a mission. Fish. Fresh fish from the water we can see from our room. We walked a rather roundabout way but made it to El Mercado de Mariscos, following the smell the entire way there. We arrived. It was almost like a pilgrimage for us, for when we arrived our Mecca consisted of stalls after stalls of atun, corvina, octopus, calamari, lobster and shrimp - oh the beauty of such a site. The high ceilings echoed the ferocious fileting that took place at each stand, and voices rang above one another to call out the catch of the day and salutations to passerbys. We were in heaven, for real! We made our way to the back of this crowded market, weaving through the pathways in search of the cevecheria. Just as small as all the other stands, dozens of small containers sitting in ice contained our main goal for the day. We stood there in bewilderment as others moved around us as we just observed to know what it is we're actually supposed to get. But in all honestly, they all looked incredible. A nice older gentlemen saw we needed help and pointed to the one he was getting. He probably got about a half gallon of ceviche. Wow. So we pointed to a smaller size container and said what he told us to..."La combinacion". Thank you, man, wherever you are now. This ceviche was a mixture of shrimp, calamari and octopus in a marinade of lemon/lime juice, probably an entire diced onion, and garlic. Maybe there are other things in it too, but that's what I'm tasting as I recall the greatness now. Ridiculous! We sat at the one small table outside facing the main street, giggling and bouncing in our seats with pure glee. All the seafood was cooked perfectly, chewy if it was supposed to be, juicy if it was supposed to be, crunchy if it was supposed to be. Each bite was better than the last. This was the moment we fell in love with El Mercado de Mariscos. We sat and digested, planned the rest of our day and got in a cab to the Causeway.
The Causeway is a strip of road and foot/bike paths that connect the mainland to a few small island stretching out a few miles from the city. Clearly more concerned about scheduling our ceviche trip, we arrived at the causeway at the height of the sun and set out on a long, hot walk along the water. This heat didn't do much for Kat's raging mosquito bites on her right arm that she got the night before. These things were huge! I promised her I wouldn't use the word puss, but she okayed oozey. Woops, guess I used both. There were about five starting from the elbow down to the hand, quite painful and definitely swollen. But she is such a trooper, and endured a day of heat and discomfort, not to mention a comment here and there from security guards throughout our day who would just point and make a face saying, "Oooh, poor thing." But she prevailed, they have certainly subsided now, but it probably won't be a highlight of the trip for her.
After the blazing walk around the Causeway, we caught at cab to the Panama Canal. Wonder of engineering wonders. It was quite impressive. The sheer traffic that comes through this thing, the 8-10 hour journey from end to end, and the impact it has had and continues to have on the country is astounding. We weren't too geeked about it before we got there, but it really was awesomely interesting. As the title of this post states we were still more fixated on the ceviche, and planned to return to the market for a potentially pointless trip to the market around 5pm. They had some left!! Maybe it wasn't as fresh as the morning, but it still put smiles on our faces. That night we didn't do much. Between the intense heat we were in all day, the bites, and the prospect of partying with Josh the next night, we just chilled and enjoyed a quiet evening.
Yesterday we made friends with another dormmate, Valerio from Stockholm. We told him the wonder of this market and how we had little planned for the day besides checking out the restaurant upstairs from there that we later found out is THE place to be on Saturdays. He joined, but how could he not? We walked through the random hardware market on the way - tiny stalls set up on the sidewalk selling anything from hubcaps (definitely not stollen) to construction gear, each one blasting their own music making for a minblowing walk through Diagon Alley.
We went up to the market and we all ordered la sopa de mariscos, a brothy bowl of wonder that hit all the spots, not just THE one. We sat for a while, people watching over the market and in the restaurant and a table of guys caught our eye. The three of us sat debating where they're from, Valerio convinced they were Italians because of the types of zippers on their pants and their huge sunglasses. But we soon found out they were from a few different places, and are apparently famous. A woman walked over to us after the guy at the head of the table took a picture of the three of us. She offered us three free tickets to a small music festival on the Causeway that was starting that evening. We nodded and smiled and enjoyed the prospect of going to some event that was under the radar. We followed up as we were leaving at their table because we wanted to know what type of music it was going to be. She said it's a few bands playing a range of rock/pop from Mexico, Panama, and Argentina, and introduced the guys around the table being from said bands. Then she also made a point to stress that here and in South America they are "quite famous". Okay, say no more. What time should we come? Sooooooo exciting! Again, these things just fall in our laps. Do we have it written on our faces or something? How, how could these things be possible? While we didn't want to get our hopes up in fear that it'd be a total bust, we just smiled the whole walk back to the hostel trying to contain our excitement. Again, just to reiterate, only good things happen at the fish market. And as Valerio so perfectly put it, if you just plan your day around eating, drinking and walking around a city everything else will just fall into place...and it did.
We got to the festival and it was awesome! One main stage under a tent with a backdrop of a pink sunset it one direction, and Panama City's downtown with the Casco in view before it in the other direction. Now we know this is legit. A small area but perfectly packed, not too much tho, the people were an eclectic mix of young trendy, punky, and Panamanian hipster. It was definitely our scene. The first band was alright, don't remember the name. The second was called Zoe from Mexico, the basist and the lead singer being a couple of the guys from the market. The crowd went nuts for them and knew all the words to their songs. We were on cloud 17, realizing just how cool it was that we got these tickets. The next band (Senor Loop) fell a little flat due to sound problems and the last band, Papasonicos from Argentina rocked the house! The atmosphere was so energetic and between the crowd and the lights it was truly where we wanted to be.
Recapping the festival and the music we realized something - at all the other festivals we've gone to in our lives, it's always about the music. You see your favorite band and wait to hear that perfect song that speaks to you in every way. There is always so much emphasis on the music for us, and rightly so. But this festival was a unique experience for us. Not only could we not really understand the lyrics, but not knowing the band or the history or the overall message we were somewhat restricted (but in a wonderful way) to just enjoy the moment and the serendipitously perfect manner in which we were brought there. As Kat put it, for once the music was not the most important part. But now we have a good base for exploring Latin American music, and I will definitely be seeking out some Zoe in the future.
Just to round it all out, after a great night with Josh and the Panamanians we went for "brunch" to the mercado and had some soup and chatted. This is our favorite spot. Girl talk over seafood, what more can you ask for?
Guy walks up to a bus stop...
A couple of weeks into our trip, while we were walking along some sunny path, Sophie asked me "If we were to run into someone we knew right now, who would you be the least surprised to see?" Obviously, since we were somewhere in the middle of Honduras or Nicaragua, and pretty much had an idea of what most people we knew were doing at that moment, we couldn't really think of anyone we would actually run into. In the end, we left the question unanswered.
A few days ago, after the ridiculous (and now pretty funny) border crossing into Panama, we were sitting in the middle of nowhere at what was apparently a bus stop, waiting for the overnight bus that would take us to Panama City. I had gone into the ticket office to buy tickets, while Soph sat outside on a bench with our backpacks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walk into the ticket office, and I turned around to face him. I realized suddenly, and in a state of acute confusion, that I recognized him! As the answer dawned on me, I rushed out and said "Sophie!" And she said "Is that Emily's brother?!".
It was!! We can still hardly believe it, but it really was. Flesh and blood. Now we know the answer to our question, even more so because, to be honest, of all people we were definitely least surprised to see him (crazy mofo that he is!) although of course our minds did explode and we did nearly jump out of our skins. Turns out he was on our same bus and everything! He told us he had taken a weeks vacation to surf on the Caribbean, and then the Pacific coasts of Panama, and in order to get from one to the other he had to get to Panama City first (and the fastest way, given that he only had one week, was overnight). But what are the chances?? Same day, same bus stop, same time... I just don't know. Besides the fact that he had apparently decided only an hour before to go to the Pacific Coast - originally, he was just going to stay on the Caribbean. I guess the moral of the story is - it was meant to be.
So Soph and I, Josh Foley, and the two Brazilians we met in Puerto Viejo, all braved the bus ride together. And holy cow, it was something to brave. After so many stifling, infernally hot bus rides, I never thought I would complain of a bus being too cold - but traveling finds a way to consistently dismantle anything you ever thought to be true. This bus was freeeeeeezing! We were so cold! We literally huddled together for warmth. Our chairs reclined pretty far back, but of course we were sitting in front of two enormous women, who thankfully did not protest when we silently insisted on reclining all the way (even though we were sure they wouldn't be able to breathe - but hey, on an overnight bus ride, you avail yourself of whatever limited comforts there are). The women also happened to play loud reggaeton music on their cellphones for the entire duration of the ride, but this hardly mattered since the bus driver blasted his own reggaeton tunes on the radio all night as well. The bus departed at 7pm, so for the first three hours we just figured that by ten the bus driver would shut his music off, and would insist that everyone else on the bus did the same. Ten came and went, and then eleven, then midnight. Soon it dawned on us that the music was never, in fact, going to stop. In a final attempt, Sophie went up to the bus driver and politely asked if he could just turn it down a bit, since everyone on the bus was trying to sleep. He replied with a considerate: "Yeah, well, I'm not sleeping," and did nothing about the volume of the music. At that point we gave up, and fell into a torturous sleep to the rhythm of the enormous women's knees kneading the backs of our seats.
Eventually we got to our hostel, which is awesome, as is Panama City. Sophie emailed Josh the name of the hostel, and he agreed that since his flight home was from Panama City on Sunday afternoon, he would come in on Saturday night, stay at our hostel, and we would all hang out. It seemed the only logical course of action after the way that fate literally threw us together. So, we hung out! It was so much fun! Our hostel is above the most popular bar in this city (among Panamanians as well as foreigners, which is a true rarity) so we met up there and had some beers and talked. Soph and I had been at a concert earlier in the evening (more on that in the next post), and we met a couple of Panamanian guys who were really nice. They went to college in the States actually, so they were an intersting mix of Panamanian and American, having spent some seriously formative years in the States. We told them to come by the bar later on, and they did. Josh had met a girl who happened to work on a fishing boat in Alaska (which is what Josh also used to do), so the six of us formed a wonderful little group and had a great night, complete with late-night gyros at the Panamanian equivalent of a Greek 24-hour diner (which is nothing like the US version, as I'm sure you can imagine).
This morning we made sure Josh didn't miss his flight - we know because we watched him get into his cab. We had all had such a great time, and the whole time we were having all this fun, it was made that much more special because there was this undercurrent of wonder and bewilderment at the workings of this crazy universe. It was also special (and this is actually the biggest reason) because he is Emily's brother. Little Foles, we felt like we were getting the next best thing to hanging out with you! It was just spec-TAC-ular.
Running into Josh is just the biggest, most obvious example of so many different little things that are continually happening to us. You know, those little "coincidences" that are actually so much more - the way things come together, and fall into place, and sometimes just plain fall into your lap. For an excellent example of this last phenomenon, see the next post.
Sending gratitude to all of you, and to all of everything,
Sophisticated Koala
A few days ago, after the ridiculous (and now pretty funny) border crossing into Panama, we were sitting in the middle of nowhere at what was apparently a bus stop, waiting for the overnight bus that would take us to Panama City. I had gone into the ticket office to buy tickets, while Soph sat outside on a bench with our backpacks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walk into the ticket office, and I turned around to face him. I realized suddenly, and in a state of acute confusion, that I recognized him! As the answer dawned on me, I rushed out and said "Sophie!" And she said "Is that Emily's brother?!".
It was!! We can still hardly believe it, but it really was. Flesh and blood. Now we know the answer to our question, even more so because, to be honest, of all people we were definitely least surprised to see him (crazy mofo that he is!) although of course our minds did explode and we did nearly jump out of our skins. Turns out he was on our same bus and everything! He told us he had taken a weeks vacation to surf on the Caribbean, and then the Pacific coasts of Panama, and in order to get from one to the other he had to get to Panama City first (and the fastest way, given that he only had one week, was overnight). But what are the chances?? Same day, same bus stop, same time... I just don't know. Besides the fact that he had apparently decided only an hour before to go to the Pacific Coast - originally, he was just going to stay on the Caribbean. I guess the moral of the story is - it was meant to be.
So Soph and I, Josh Foley, and the two Brazilians we met in Puerto Viejo, all braved the bus ride together. And holy cow, it was something to brave. After so many stifling, infernally hot bus rides, I never thought I would complain of a bus being too cold - but traveling finds a way to consistently dismantle anything you ever thought to be true. This bus was freeeeeeezing! We were so cold! We literally huddled together for warmth. Our chairs reclined pretty far back, but of course we were sitting in front of two enormous women, who thankfully did not protest when we silently insisted on reclining all the way (even though we were sure they wouldn't be able to breathe - but hey, on an overnight bus ride, you avail yourself of whatever limited comforts there are). The women also happened to play loud reggaeton music on their cellphones for the entire duration of the ride, but this hardly mattered since the bus driver blasted his own reggaeton tunes on the radio all night as well. The bus departed at 7pm, so for the first three hours we just figured that by ten the bus driver would shut his music off, and would insist that everyone else on the bus did the same. Ten came and went, and then eleven, then midnight. Soon it dawned on us that the music was never, in fact, going to stop. In a final attempt, Sophie went up to the bus driver and politely asked if he could just turn it down a bit, since everyone on the bus was trying to sleep. He replied with a considerate: "Yeah, well, I'm not sleeping," and did nothing about the volume of the music. At that point we gave up, and fell into a torturous sleep to the rhythm of the enormous women's knees kneading the backs of our seats.
Eventually we got to our hostel, which is awesome, as is Panama City. Sophie emailed Josh the name of the hostel, and he agreed that since his flight home was from Panama City on Sunday afternoon, he would come in on Saturday night, stay at our hostel, and we would all hang out. It seemed the only logical course of action after the way that fate literally threw us together. So, we hung out! It was so much fun! Our hostel is above the most popular bar in this city (among Panamanians as well as foreigners, which is a true rarity) so we met up there and had some beers and talked. Soph and I had been at a concert earlier in the evening (more on that in the next post), and we met a couple of Panamanian guys who were really nice. They went to college in the States actually, so they were an intersting mix of Panamanian and American, having spent some seriously formative years in the States. We told them to come by the bar later on, and they did. Josh had met a girl who happened to work on a fishing boat in Alaska (which is what Josh also used to do), so the six of us formed a wonderful little group and had a great night, complete with late-night gyros at the Panamanian equivalent of a Greek 24-hour diner (which is nothing like the US version, as I'm sure you can imagine).
This morning we made sure Josh didn't miss his flight - we know because we watched him get into his cab. We had all had such a great time, and the whole time we were having all this fun, it was made that much more special because there was this undercurrent of wonder and bewilderment at the workings of this crazy universe. It was also special (and this is actually the biggest reason) because he is Emily's brother. Little Foles, we felt like we were getting the next best thing to hanging out with you! It was just spec-TAC-ular.
Running into Josh is just the biggest, most obvious example of so many different little things that are continually happening to us. You know, those little "coincidences" that are actually so much more - the way things come together, and fall into place, and sometimes just plain fall into your lap. For an excellent example of this last phenomenon, see the next post.
Sending gratitude to all of you, and to all of everything,
Sophisticated Koala
Saturday, February 19, 2011
ticket to nowhere
As you can see by the adorable group shot in the previous post, we had some fun with friends in Puerto Viejo. Our hostel was pretty much the epicenter of the social scene, which was so convenient for us! We biked around, went to the beach, and met cool people from all over the world - Chile, Switzerland, Germany, England, Scotland, Australia, and two Brazilian brothers who were so sweet. It turned out that they were leaving the same day we were, and were also taking the overnight bus to Panama City, and were staying at the same hostel there too, so we formed a team and braved the bus ride together, and celebrated our arrival in Panama all together. Just as several times before, we were blessed with meeting two people whom it felt like we had known for years, mostly because we understood each other's sense of humor. We have both found that to be the key to making worthwhile friends while traveling - that way, you don't have to go through all the usual boring getting-to-know you stuff (which you don't have time for anyway since you're only one place for a few days) and skip right to the fun part, which is cracking jokes! And all this despite the cultural differences. It makes us have faith in ourselves as social beings, and in humanity as a whole.
At around eleven in the morning, with our enormous backpacks and the blazing hot sun mercilessly beating down on us, we set out to walk to the bus. Let's just say, it was an infernal experience. We were all dripping with sweat by the time we got there, only to find that the next bus wasn't leaving for another hour and a half. Typical! So we sat and baked a little more, under a tent that provided shade, but no air circulation whatsoever, until finally the bus came and took us to the Costa Rican border with Panama.
At the border, we were told that in order to enter Panama we had to prove that we were leaving the county within a certain number of days. Being the responsible travelers that we are, and having read our guidebook thoroughly, we were prepared for this, and both of us had a printout of our flight home from Colombia at the ready, to show the border officials. As it turns out, in an unbelievably idiotic turn of events, your return ticket needs to prove that you are leaving from Panama itself, and not any other country. If you don't have proof of that (a bus ticket from Panama to somewhere, or a flight out of Panama, etc) you need to buy a 12 dollar bus ticket to San Jose, in Costa Rica. It doesn't matter if you're not actually going to Costa Rica - we know, because we told them that a million times. It also doesn't matter that our flight itinerary proved we were leaving Panama, since our flight home was from Colombia. And as I clarified repeatedly with the border officials, Panama and Colombia are in fact two different countries. Which means, by extension, that one has to leave Panama in order to be in Colombia. It seems simple, right? Well, apparently the Panamanian border officials don't operate on logic. I'm not sure if its a concept they're familiar with. After much sweaty negotiation under the blazing sun, and an unbelievable amount of frustration at the insane stupidity of it all, we had to pay 12 bucks each for a bus ticket to San Jose. Even though we aren't going to Costa Rica. I know. It hurt. Not even because of the money, which was still not so easy to part with considering it was more than what we pay to eat on any given day. It hurt because it was SO UNBELIEVABLY STUPID!!! It made no sense at all! But what can you do. We learn these lessons every day. After buying the useless ticket (they even wrote the date and time of the bus departure! ha!) we then had to exchange the rest of our Costa Rican money, because as soon as we set foot in Panama (literally) they no longer accepted colones, only dollars. So in exchange for what should have been about 70 dollars, I got 57. 57!!!!!!!! That's like paying 13 bucks just to exchange money. Well after all this were close to tears, but we gritted our teeth, got into a shuttle, and took many much- needed deep breaths on the way to the bus stop where we caught the overnight bus to Panama City.
I just needed to get that off my chest. Just you guys know that its not all fun and games!! But really, we are grateful that we're safe, healthy, happy, and in the end it was really no big deal. But at the time... arggghhh!
There is much more to write, but we have to go to a concert we just got some free tickets for. I know, its a tough life. More soon! We love and miss you all.
Your Sophisticated Koala
At around eleven in the morning, with our enormous backpacks and the blazing hot sun mercilessly beating down on us, we set out to walk to the bus. Let's just say, it was an infernal experience. We were all dripping with sweat by the time we got there, only to find that the next bus wasn't leaving for another hour and a half. Typical! So we sat and baked a little more, under a tent that provided shade, but no air circulation whatsoever, until finally the bus came and took us to the Costa Rican border with Panama.
At the border, we were told that in order to enter Panama we had to prove that we were leaving the county within a certain number of days. Being the responsible travelers that we are, and having read our guidebook thoroughly, we were prepared for this, and both of us had a printout of our flight home from Colombia at the ready, to show the border officials. As it turns out, in an unbelievably idiotic turn of events, your return ticket needs to prove that you are leaving from Panama itself, and not any other country. If you don't have proof of that (a bus ticket from Panama to somewhere, or a flight out of Panama, etc) you need to buy a 12 dollar bus ticket to San Jose, in Costa Rica. It doesn't matter if you're not actually going to Costa Rica - we know, because we told them that a million times. It also doesn't matter that our flight itinerary proved we were leaving Panama, since our flight home was from Colombia. And as I clarified repeatedly with the border officials, Panama and Colombia are in fact two different countries. Which means, by extension, that one has to leave Panama in order to be in Colombia. It seems simple, right? Well, apparently the Panamanian border officials don't operate on logic. I'm not sure if its a concept they're familiar with. After much sweaty negotiation under the blazing sun, and an unbelievable amount of frustration at the insane stupidity of it all, we had to pay 12 bucks each for a bus ticket to San Jose. Even though we aren't going to Costa Rica. I know. It hurt. Not even because of the money, which was still not so easy to part with considering it was more than what we pay to eat on any given day. It hurt because it was SO UNBELIEVABLY STUPID!!! It made no sense at all! But what can you do. We learn these lessons every day. After buying the useless ticket (they even wrote the date and time of the bus departure! ha!) we then had to exchange the rest of our Costa Rican money, because as soon as we set foot in Panama (literally) they no longer accepted colones, only dollars. So in exchange for what should have been about 70 dollars, I got 57. 57!!!!!!!! That's like paying 13 bucks just to exchange money. Well after all this were close to tears, but we gritted our teeth, got into a shuttle, and took many much- needed deep breaths on the way to the bus stop where we caught the overnight bus to Panama City.
I just needed to get that off my chest. Just you guys know that its not all fun and games!! But really, we are grateful that we're safe, healthy, happy, and in the end it was really no big deal. But at the time... arggghhh!
There is much more to write, but we have to go to a concert we just got some free tickets for. I know, its a tough life. More soon! We love and miss you all.
Your Sophisticated Koala
Monday, February 14, 2011
Back to the Caribbean!
It is official. We love the Caribbean. What could be better than warm water and tree-lined beaches!
We have not done a whole lot here yet. It was cloudy when we arrived, raining during our bonfire (which was amazing and incredible in every way!!), and rain all morning today. But alas, the sky cleared and we rented bikes and went to the beach with our Chilean, British and Scottish friends! Cristian, Nico, Pete & Barry are our new best friends. Seriously though, they are wonderful. Pete and Barry were in Santa Elena when we were, and Cristian and Nico we met last night and enjoyed and delighful dinner with. We also have been lucky enough to make some Aussie friends, Josh and Hannah, in addition to Hayley from England.
Basically we are just hanging out here on the beach, trying not to think of anything at all. We took a picture on Barrys laptop so it is posted below.
We were also happy to speak with our parents yesterday from San Jose. It was amazing and really recharged our batteries. We are so lucky to have them to support our journey!
We have not done a whole lot here yet. It was cloudy when we arrived, raining during our bonfire (which was amazing and incredible in every way!!), and rain all morning today. But alas, the sky cleared and we rented bikes and went to the beach with our Chilean, British and Scottish friends! Cristian, Nico, Pete & Barry are our new best friends. Seriously though, they are wonderful. Pete and Barry were in Santa Elena when we were, and Cristian and Nico we met last night and enjoyed and delighful dinner with. We also have been lucky enough to make some Aussie friends, Josh and Hannah, in addition to Hayley from England.
Basically we are just hanging out here on the beach, trying not to think of anything at all. We took a picture on Barrys laptop so it is posted below.
We were also happy to speak with our parents yesterday from San Jose. It was amazing and really recharged our batteries. We are so lucky to have them to support our journey!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Jardin Botanico Lankester
We had a nice, chill night at Galileo yesterday. We rose this morning feeling refreshed. Having unlimited free internet access at this place has really lifted a load from our shoulders and we were able to figure out and take care of some logistical planning. We wandered around the neighborhood of the hostel for a while, looking for this one Mediterranean place that supposedly existed. It didn't, so we ended up eating a large portion of huevos rancheros at a place we circled a few times on our search. The menu was hilariously translated from Spanish, saying things like "Meat our chicken" and a section titled "Snachs" for snacks. Every time we sit down to a meal we have a little giggle sesh, trying to be sensitive but truly appreciating the butchering.
The service industry is quite funny here, as we've experienced in most of Central America. There is little concern to move fast, take orders, or bring bills. Our breakfast ended up being way longer because of this, but we had such a great spot outside on a main thoroughfare that it was hard to actually care. Then we swung by the hostel to pick up some things and started on a rather long walk to the city center. This place was like Chinatown, but in San Jose with no Chinese people. People shouting and selling things on the street left and right - "No, I don't want your bootleg DVDs, electronic puppy dogs, or lottery tickets. But thank you for asking over and over." We walked through totally overstimulated, this being our first major city since the beginning of the trip. It was strange seeing soooo many people in such a concentrated area after coming from Monteverde where we were the only people in a cloud forest. Come on! That's a hard transition! City life is so different, we kinda forgot.
But we made it to the other side of town and after asking numerous people, found our way to the bus that was going to take us to Cartago, a smaller city about 45 minutes away. This place was like the New Jersey to San Jose. It is cleaner and quieter with lots of families and residences. It was really nice being the only Gringas around - literally, did not see one other tourist. Thank the traveling gods! Then we got on yet another bus to Paraiso that took us to the entrance (500m walk there after) to the Jardin Botanico Lankester. This place is beautiful. Mainly promoted as an orchid garden (Orquideas), there were thousands of species of trees, flowers, cacti, shrubbery, etc. It was incredible, kept very well, and was basically a pleasant stroll through various gardens. Wonderful! We obviously took tons of pictures and marveled at nature for a while. We also saw a ridiculously long and impressive line of leaf-cutter ants, who were working hard carrying small pieces of leaves from one side of the garden to the other. Literally, 30 feet long! Hundreds of them. From afar, it was a strange sight to see small blades of grass moving independently across the way..."Sooooooooophie, get over here and look at this!" It was crazy, but we just wanted to tell them to slow down and take it easy. It's Saturday!
After the gardens we went on a fruitless search for a small craft brewery that was supposed to be super close by, but ended up being nowhere and known by no one. Oh well. Maybe next trip to Costa Rica. Eh? On the way back to San Jose we stopped in downtown Cartago and went into an incredible church that was unlike anything we've even seen before. Stone and unassuming from the outside, the inside is covered in wood panels, ornate altars, and beautifully painted columns. There was a wedding wrapping up so we just went inside and helped to send them off down the aisle. They walked by probably thinking, "Who invited these two sunburnt gals here?" Then we made our way back to San Jose, again overwhelmed by the bustle that we had to comb our way through the crowds to a bus we hoped was going where we wanted it to. And it did! Who knew it was that easy, as if we've never taken public transit before! We grabbed some aguacates and tomatoes on the way back and cooked up cup o noodles and guacamole for dinner. Delightful!
Now we're internetting it up, soon to venture to the other side of the city that is supposed to have good night life and a university crowd. We'll try and catch some live music if we're lucky, and perhaps meet up with some Aussies that we met in Nicaragua. We shall see.
Over and out
Sophisticated Koala
The service industry is quite funny here, as we've experienced in most of Central America. There is little concern to move fast, take orders, or bring bills. Our breakfast ended up being way longer because of this, but we had such a great spot outside on a main thoroughfare that it was hard to actually care. Then we swung by the hostel to pick up some things and started on a rather long walk to the city center. This place was like Chinatown, but in San Jose with no Chinese people. People shouting and selling things on the street left and right - "No, I don't want your bootleg DVDs, electronic puppy dogs, or lottery tickets. But thank you for asking over and over." We walked through totally overstimulated, this being our first major city since the beginning of the trip. It was strange seeing soooo many people in such a concentrated area after coming from Monteverde where we were the only people in a cloud forest. Come on! That's a hard transition! City life is so different, we kinda forgot.
But we made it to the other side of town and after asking numerous people, found our way to the bus that was going to take us to Cartago, a smaller city about 45 minutes away. This place was like the New Jersey to San Jose. It is cleaner and quieter with lots of families and residences. It was really nice being the only Gringas around - literally, did not see one other tourist. Thank the traveling gods! Then we got on yet another bus to Paraiso that took us to the entrance (500m walk there after) to the Jardin Botanico Lankester. This place is beautiful. Mainly promoted as an orchid garden (Orquideas), there were thousands of species of trees, flowers, cacti, shrubbery, etc. It was incredible, kept very well, and was basically a pleasant stroll through various gardens. Wonderful! We obviously took tons of pictures and marveled at nature for a while. We also saw a ridiculously long and impressive line of leaf-cutter ants, who were working hard carrying small pieces of leaves from one side of the garden to the other. Literally, 30 feet long! Hundreds of them. From afar, it was a strange sight to see small blades of grass moving independently across the way..."Sooooooooophie, get over here and look at this!" It was crazy, but we just wanted to tell them to slow down and take it easy. It's Saturday!
After the gardens we went on a fruitless search for a small craft brewery that was supposed to be super close by, but ended up being nowhere and known by no one. Oh well. Maybe next trip to Costa Rica. Eh? On the way back to San Jose we stopped in downtown Cartago and went into an incredible church that was unlike anything we've even seen before. Stone and unassuming from the outside, the inside is covered in wood panels, ornate altars, and beautifully painted columns. There was a wedding wrapping up so we just went inside and helped to send them off down the aisle. They walked by probably thinking, "Who invited these two sunburnt gals here?" Then we made our way back to San Jose, again overwhelmed by the bustle that we had to comb our way through the crowds to a bus we hoped was going where we wanted it to. And it did! Who knew it was that easy, as if we've never taken public transit before! We grabbed some aguacates and tomatoes on the way back and cooked up cup o noodles and guacamole for dinner. Delightful!
Now we're internetting it up, soon to venture to the other side of the city that is supposed to have good night life and a university crowd. We'll try and catch some live music if we're lucky, and perhaps meet up with some Aussies that we met in Nicaragua. We shall see.
Over and out
Sophisticated Koala
San Jose - a bit of a mystery
So we arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica around 7pm. Not knowing where exactly our hostel was we opted to grab the first cab we saw and directed them to our hostel. Little did we know it was just about 3 blocks away (if that). Woops! Whatever...parents, we were trying to be responsible and efficient. Well, just our luck this one time it was unnecessary. Regardless, we arrived to Galileo Hostel located in the safe and residential neighborhood of La Sabana just west of downtown. This place is a world/country/city/community of its own. As a matter of fact, you really don't need to leave this place if you didn't care what was outside - actually, it seems many don't. There are people from all around the world that reside here. In fact it's rather difficult to decipher who works here and who just stays here. The place is run by a guy from Boston who quit his job of 6 years on Wall St to come open this backpacker haven. It appears that San Jose serves as a hub for exploring the surrounding area of the city, so many guests don't feel the need to do much of anything here besides relax in the hostel bar which is open 24 hours. It's beautifully decorated, and for only being open for two years there are a whole lot of chachskis covering every surface and wall. Upon arrival we got an extensive tour from the owner and his trainee (apparently they just hired a lot of new staff...hmmm), which was clearly an in depth and well thought out schpiel to inaugurate new guests into the world that is Galileo.
Kat set out to gather tips from the staff about what places there are to go out and see live music around this area. He begrudgingly offered up a few suggestions, shocked that anyone would ever want or need to leave this little universe. Once again we battle with the backpacker's world and identity, confused as to why all these people are here and what they are doing? What are we doing...good question? Do we all decide that the only way we could all meet is to spend lots and lots of time in Central America? With all the Canadian backpackers that we meet, it would have just been easier to meet somewhere on our home turf...why Costa Rica?
Either way we ended up going to a place down the street where locals flock to. Little did we know it is the Costa Rican form of "Johnny Rockets." Hilarious menu with descriptions in English saying, "Now this is a sandwich! Roast beef, ham, cheese, mayo, ketchup...What more could you ask for!?" After giggling at the selection for a while, wondering why we were told by both the staff and Lonely Planet to come here, we ordered a Roast beef sandwich, a burger (also with ham!), and fries (which I swear are the same "coated fries" that we carried at Sava's!). It wasn't bad, and it was about 8 dollars total. Meh, we left full so no worries.
We also accomplished a lot of other important things today. We spent a lot of time thinking, planning, & mapping our upcoming crossover to South America. We figured out our time in Colombia (about 2-ish weeks), and kinda Ecuador, in addition to making a big plan by purchasing flights from Lima, Peru to Montevideo, Uruguay. Not ideal to fly during our trip since we wanted to be on land the whole way, but we have figured out a good route that makes sense for our rendezvous with Jeffery in Uruguay and our week in Buenos Aires. It's gonna be awesome!! Jeff, we are so pumped to hang with you down south. It is going to be so dang incredible, words cannot explain. (This is Sophie by the way, just so ya know.) We also are in the process of figuring out our trip to Huaraz, Peru where we are planning on doing a 4 day trek through the Peruvian Andes - holy canoli!!! This is supposed to be the mother of all treks, hikes, through the most insane parts of Peru. Eek! Before that we are going to be hiking a volcano in the Zona Cafetera in Colombia. We are so outdoorsey, none of you knew! Actually, part of this trip has really brought out a huge love of the outdoors that this city gal never knew she had. We've met so many people that spend certain seasons of the year working outdoors in order to spend the rest of the year traveling in various places that either resemble or totally contrast the places where they're from. It's really awesome and inspiring. It makes me feel that I can shift my interest to include wilderness somehow, and I'd be happy. Perhaps a hunting trip up north with the cousins and uncles will be in order soon to get a good fix for it all.
For now we are just chilling at Galileo though. Tomorrow we take a bus to Cartago, a nearby town with the Lankester Gardens, which house hundreds of orchids species. We are currently waiting for an email back from a small craft brewery in Cartago which makes some of the only micro-brews in Central America. We hope to go to the brewery, hang out, talk to the guys that run it. Who knows! Then on Sunday after a chat with the parents we take a bus to Puerto Viejo for some hardcore chillen!!
Much love from Costa Rica. Viva la pura vida!!
Sophisticated Koala
Kat set out to gather tips from the staff about what places there are to go out and see live music around this area. He begrudgingly offered up a few suggestions, shocked that anyone would ever want or need to leave this little universe. Once again we battle with the backpacker's world and identity, confused as to why all these people are here and what they are doing? What are we doing...good question? Do we all decide that the only way we could all meet is to spend lots and lots of time in Central America? With all the Canadian backpackers that we meet, it would have just been easier to meet somewhere on our home turf...why Costa Rica?
Either way we ended up going to a place down the street where locals flock to. Little did we know it is the Costa Rican form of "Johnny Rockets." Hilarious menu with descriptions in English saying, "Now this is a sandwich! Roast beef, ham, cheese, mayo, ketchup...What more could you ask for!?" After giggling at the selection for a while, wondering why we were told by both the staff and Lonely Planet to come here, we ordered a Roast beef sandwich, a burger (also with ham!), and fries (which I swear are the same "coated fries" that we carried at Sava's!). It wasn't bad, and it was about 8 dollars total. Meh, we left full so no worries.
We also accomplished a lot of other important things today. We spent a lot of time thinking, planning, & mapping our upcoming crossover to South America. We figured out our time in Colombia (about 2-ish weeks), and kinda Ecuador, in addition to making a big plan by purchasing flights from Lima, Peru to Montevideo, Uruguay. Not ideal to fly during our trip since we wanted to be on land the whole way, but we have figured out a good route that makes sense for our rendezvous with Jeffery in Uruguay and our week in Buenos Aires. It's gonna be awesome!! Jeff, we are so pumped to hang with you down south. It is going to be so dang incredible, words cannot explain. (This is Sophie by the way, just so ya know.) We also are in the process of figuring out our trip to Huaraz, Peru where we are planning on doing a 4 day trek through the Peruvian Andes - holy canoli!!! This is supposed to be the mother of all treks, hikes, through the most insane parts of Peru. Eek! Before that we are going to be hiking a volcano in the Zona Cafetera in Colombia. We are so outdoorsey, none of you knew! Actually, part of this trip has really brought out a huge love of the outdoors that this city gal never knew she had. We've met so many people that spend certain seasons of the year working outdoors in order to spend the rest of the year traveling in various places that either resemble or totally contrast the places where they're from. It's really awesome and inspiring. It makes me feel that I can shift my interest to include wilderness somehow, and I'd be happy. Perhaps a hunting trip up north with the cousins and uncles will be in order soon to get a good fix for it all.
For now we are just chilling at Galileo though. Tomorrow we take a bus to Cartago, a nearby town with the Lankester Gardens, which house hundreds of orchids species. We are currently waiting for an email back from a small craft brewery in Cartago which makes some of the only micro-brews in Central America. We hope to go to the brewery, hang out, talk to the guys that run it. Who knows! Then on Sunday after a chat with the parents we take a bus to Puerto Viejo for some hardcore chillen!!
Much love from Costa Rica. Viva la pura vida!!
Sophisticated Koala
Friday, February 11, 2011
A Convergence in Santa Elena/Monteverde
Through lots of conversations and attempts at processing just what exactly we are doing here, I think we've finally come up with a pretty concise way of capturing an element of this experience that can be simultaneously frustrating and wonderful. Sometimes, we're in a place where everything, big and small, seems to be somehow wrong (Isla Ometepe, for instance). Not that we had a bad time there - when we're together, strolling or swimming or exploring, we are always having fun. Its those external circumstances that can be a real bitch. On the Isla, we felt unwelcome, and we faced challenges in the form of bugs, dark rocky paths, walks on which we constantly got lost or went the wrong way, and the discomfort of not having a fitted bedsheet (or any vegetables!). In short, things were not going our way. Other times, however, circumstances fall together in our favor to such an extent that it kind of freaks us out - we can't believe our luck. (Example - our ride across the border from Guatemala to Honduras - see earlier post). In those cases, we shake out heads in disbelief and gratitude, and thank our lucky stars about a hundred more times.
So basically, as we go from place to place, a pattern emerges. Things will either diverge, in the sense that we can't get a handle on our surroundings and have a tough time falling into a grove on all kinds of levels; or, things will converge in a perfect, smooth, wonderful way to form an experience that is just too much fun. Our time in Santa Elena/Monteverde falls under the latter category - it has been a total pleasure in every way.
We got in on Wednesday evening, and were immediately able to check in to the coolest (and one of the only) hostel in Santa Elena. There's a kitchen we've made use of to cook ourselves delicious, vegetable-packed meals (there's a supermarket, and they sell veggies! eggplant! spinach! oh the joy!!) and a great indoor and outdoor common area, and the whole place just has a great vibe. Best of all, and in total contrast to the farm we stayed on at Isla Ometepe, the staff here is fabulous. They are all friendly, always present, knowledgeable on all things, and eager to help. Even better, our room was downright luxurious. When we arrived they didn't have any beds available in the dorm, so we reluctantly agreed to stay in a private room, which is obviously more expensive (although realistically, its not actually expensive, just in comparison to what we've been paying so far - which is, clearly, a skewed perspective). Then we say the room - beautiful wooden bunk beds, each of which was a double bed with soft sheets and a white comforter. Our door opened onto a balcony with a rocking chair, and steps down to a grassy courtyard. We couldn't believe out eyes. We haven't seen such accomodations since... I don't even now when. We were geeked like little kids on Christmas morning. Getting into bed has never felt so good!
Yesterday we had a wonderful, fun-packed day in the beautiful outdoors surrounding Santa Elena. In the morning we went on a hike through a tropical cloud forest. The trail was green, lush, with incredible plants all covered in dew. The mist was cool and refreshing, and we took many deep breaths to stock up on all that air, which we agreed was the freshest we'd ever taken into our lungs. We had to remind ourselves to keep walking the trail, because every few seconds one of us would call the other over to look at some strange and beautiful tree or plant. We also saw some crazy birds! There were little ones with yellow bellies, and big black turkey-like ones that had blue iridescent feathers near their beaks, and best of all, we saw a quetzal. The quetzal is a very rare bird in this area, and there are only three in the whole park where we were hiking. The males are especially exotic, and thats what we saw - he had bright turquoise feathers, a burgundy belly, white wing tips, and two really long, wispy feathers coming down from his tail. Amazing!
In the afternoon, after a lovely lunch and siesta, we went zip-lining. This is also known as a canopy tour, because basically you're connected to these steel cables that strung between tree canopies, and as you go zipping down them you get breathtaking views of the forest canopy and surrounding hills. It was so much fun! The last zip-line was a kilometer long, and we got to go down it together. We flew at breakneck speed, with the wind in our faces and giggling like idiots the whole way, and then we got to the end we were laughing so hard we were crying. Thankfully, we managed to get some video documentation on Soph's flip video, which we will share with you all as soon as we can find a computer that loads videos faster than one megabyte an hour.
The night scene has been fun here too, with lots of cool people to meet, and some good live reggae and salsa music to enjoy. This morning has been wonderfully lazy - we are both really enjoying the fact that our bus to San Jose is at 2:30pm, instead of at 6am which is the norm. Oh the joy of sleeping til 8, making breakfast, and relaxing (as opposed to waking up at the crack of dawn when its still dark, hoisting on our insanely heavy bags, and heaving them to the bus stop - and all this when we're barely awake, and have 30 seconds to snag some kind of food for the eternal and infernally hot bus ride ahead). Not that we're complaining!
Now its "on the road again" and we're heading to San Jose. Then its to the beach once more, to a little town called Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We'll be sure to keep you posted from there. We miss you all, and think about you in everything we do!
Much love, and sending warmth and sunshine through the interwebs,
Sophisticated Koala
So basically, as we go from place to place, a pattern emerges. Things will either diverge, in the sense that we can't get a handle on our surroundings and have a tough time falling into a grove on all kinds of levels; or, things will converge in a perfect, smooth, wonderful way to form an experience that is just too much fun. Our time in Santa Elena/Monteverde falls under the latter category - it has been a total pleasure in every way.
We got in on Wednesday evening, and were immediately able to check in to the coolest (and one of the only) hostel in Santa Elena. There's a kitchen we've made use of to cook ourselves delicious, vegetable-packed meals (there's a supermarket, and they sell veggies! eggplant! spinach! oh the joy!!) and a great indoor and outdoor common area, and the whole place just has a great vibe. Best of all, and in total contrast to the farm we stayed on at Isla Ometepe, the staff here is fabulous. They are all friendly, always present, knowledgeable on all things, and eager to help. Even better, our room was downright luxurious. When we arrived they didn't have any beds available in the dorm, so we reluctantly agreed to stay in a private room, which is obviously more expensive (although realistically, its not actually expensive, just in comparison to what we've been paying so far - which is, clearly, a skewed perspective). Then we say the room - beautiful wooden bunk beds, each of which was a double bed with soft sheets and a white comforter. Our door opened onto a balcony with a rocking chair, and steps down to a grassy courtyard. We couldn't believe out eyes. We haven't seen such accomodations since... I don't even now when. We were geeked like little kids on Christmas morning. Getting into bed has never felt so good!
Yesterday we had a wonderful, fun-packed day in the beautiful outdoors surrounding Santa Elena. In the morning we went on a hike through a tropical cloud forest. The trail was green, lush, with incredible plants all covered in dew. The mist was cool and refreshing, and we took many deep breaths to stock up on all that air, which we agreed was the freshest we'd ever taken into our lungs. We had to remind ourselves to keep walking the trail, because every few seconds one of us would call the other over to look at some strange and beautiful tree or plant. We also saw some crazy birds! There were little ones with yellow bellies, and big black turkey-like ones that had blue iridescent feathers near their beaks, and best of all, we saw a quetzal. The quetzal is a very rare bird in this area, and there are only three in the whole park where we were hiking. The males are especially exotic, and thats what we saw - he had bright turquoise feathers, a burgundy belly, white wing tips, and two really long, wispy feathers coming down from his tail. Amazing!
In the afternoon, after a lovely lunch and siesta, we went zip-lining. This is also known as a canopy tour, because basically you're connected to these steel cables that strung between tree canopies, and as you go zipping down them you get breathtaking views of the forest canopy and surrounding hills. It was so much fun! The last zip-line was a kilometer long, and we got to go down it together. We flew at breakneck speed, with the wind in our faces and giggling like idiots the whole way, and then we got to the end we were laughing so hard we were crying. Thankfully, we managed to get some video documentation on Soph's flip video, which we will share with you all as soon as we can find a computer that loads videos faster than one megabyte an hour.
The night scene has been fun here too, with lots of cool people to meet, and some good live reggae and salsa music to enjoy. This morning has been wonderfully lazy - we are both really enjoying the fact that our bus to San Jose is at 2:30pm, instead of at 6am which is the norm. Oh the joy of sleeping til 8, making breakfast, and relaxing (as opposed to waking up at the crack of dawn when its still dark, hoisting on our insanely heavy bags, and heaving them to the bus stop - and all this when we're barely awake, and have 30 seconds to snag some kind of food for the eternal and infernally hot bus ride ahead). Not that we're complaining!
Now its "on the road again" and we're heading to San Jose. Then its to the beach once more, to a little town called Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We'll be sure to keep you posted from there. We miss you all, and think about you in everything we do!
Much love, and sending warmth and sunshine through the interwebs,
Sophisticated Koala
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
El Zopilote en Isla Ometepe
The day of travel to Ometepe was easy and hassle free. Timing worked out and everytime we arrived somewhere it was just in time to catch the next bus/taxi/boat to where we needed to go. The approach to the island was beautiful. Being on the top deck of the ferry was so sweet - wind in your face, waves splashing, with the two volcanoes that comprise the island in the distance. We rode with other backpackers, a few of which we had previously met in Granada. There are these two guys traveling with the chillest, tiniest dog ever. His name is Pablo (or Pablito).
When we docked we got a taxi to take us to the opposite side of the island, which is two volcanoes (Concepcion y Maderas) that create to main islands connected by an isthmus. We stayed on the further one on Finca el Zopilote. We had such high hopes for this place, so that's why we can't be too mad that they fell short. The farm itself it awesome. Set up on the side of the volcano, walking distance from the main road but up a rocky path. One night we returned after watching the sunset and took the wrong path up a little ways. We won't be doing that again without a flashlight. The food here was spectacular. Delish bread, honey, homemade nutella. Our room was cool, too. The loft area of the hammock space, we had to hoist ourselves and bags up the ladder and hope for the best. The mosquito net didn't quite fit our bed but provided excellent comic relief after a day of travel.
No, where El Zopilote fell short was the only place that truly mattered - the people that work there. We have never had such a strange, awkward, negative experience with hostel/farm/hotel employees. It didn't start out total negative, just didn't get good vibes or a warm reception...at all. We constantly felt like we were a burden to the staff that seemed like they wanted to be anywhere but there. We tried not to read too much into the first night with our first encounter, but they never proved us wrong. The other guests there were super cool and we had a great time chilling with them at night, exchanging stories and cooking. Two guys we met are on an epic bike journey all the way from Maine!! Insane!
Basically, after enjoying what the island had to offer - strong sun, Ojo De Agua (the incredible natural pool), and long walks in search of vegetables that apparently do not exist anywhere on the continent, we decided we could move on early without feeling that we had missed anything. Instead of staying for 5 nights, we stayed for three. Not a huge loss but the other a-whole that works there made us pay for two additional nights that we "reserved" and were therefore causing a loss for them (although not really because everyday at least 10 people come looking for rooms and we are sure they are filled by now). That made us even happier to leave, knowing that we didn't have to deal with such issues anymore and could enjoy the rest of the trip away from Isla de Negativa.
We are looking forward to our adventures here in Santa Elena. The ride up the mountain made bus rides on incomplete roads in Greece seems like child's play. The death valley below caused minor heart attacks here and there, but you must remember - these guys drive this road at least once a day. They could do it with their eyes closed, not that we need the extra obstacle. Meanwhile, we continue to figure out what our place is currently in this world. We are in this transient place trying to discover what these other worlds are like, but find ourselves spending most of our time with others just like us. The "Gringo trail" stretches far. We stayed up late talking one night about trying to find the ideal balance of meeting all the other interesting travelers and then trying also to mix with and understand locals. This is when we came to the conclusion that we need to go work/volunteer on a farm or something somewhere for 2 weeks or so. We are open and in need of suggestions. Ecuador? Colombia? Elsewhere?
So we have a new nickname for this packaged deal that we are. It's what our names are when predictive texts decides for us what our names are. So from now on we sign our posts with it.
Love you!
"Sophisticated Koala"
When we docked we got a taxi to take us to the opposite side of the island, which is two volcanoes (Concepcion y Maderas) that create to main islands connected by an isthmus. We stayed on the further one on Finca el Zopilote. We had such high hopes for this place, so that's why we can't be too mad that they fell short. The farm itself it awesome. Set up on the side of the volcano, walking distance from the main road but up a rocky path. One night we returned after watching the sunset and took the wrong path up a little ways. We won't be doing that again without a flashlight. The food here was spectacular. Delish bread, honey, homemade nutella. Our room was cool, too. The loft area of the hammock space, we had to hoist ourselves and bags up the ladder and hope for the best. The mosquito net didn't quite fit our bed but provided excellent comic relief after a day of travel.
No, where El Zopilote fell short was the only place that truly mattered - the people that work there. We have never had such a strange, awkward, negative experience with hostel/farm/hotel employees. It didn't start out total negative, just didn't get good vibes or a warm reception...at all. We constantly felt like we were a burden to the staff that seemed like they wanted to be anywhere but there. We tried not to read too much into the first night with our first encounter, but they never proved us wrong. The other guests there were super cool and we had a great time chilling with them at night, exchanging stories and cooking. Two guys we met are on an epic bike journey all the way from Maine!! Insane!
Basically, after enjoying what the island had to offer - strong sun, Ojo De Agua (the incredible natural pool), and long walks in search of vegetables that apparently do not exist anywhere on the continent, we decided we could move on early without feeling that we had missed anything. Instead of staying for 5 nights, we stayed for three. Not a huge loss but the other a-whole that works there made us pay for two additional nights that we "reserved" and were therefore causing a loss for them (although not really because everyday at least 10 people come looking for rooms and we are sure they are filled by now). That made us even happier to leave, knowing that we didn't have to deal with such issues anymore and could enjoy the rest of the trip away from Isla de Negativa.
We are looking forward to our adventures here in Santa Elena. The ride up the mountain made bus rides on incomplete roads in Greece seems like child's play. The death valley below caused minor heart attacks here and there, but you must remember - these guys drive this road at least once a day. They could do it with their eyes closed, not that we need the extra obstacle. Meanwhile, we continue to figure out what our place is currently in this world. We are in this transient place trying to discover what these other worlds are like, but find ourselves spending most of our time with others just like us. The "Gringo trail" stretches far. We stayed up late talking one night about trying to find the ideal balance of meeting all the other interesting travelers and then trying also to mix with and understand locals. This is when we came to the conclusion that we need to go work/volunteer on a farm or something somewhere for 2 weeks or so. We are open and in need of suggestions. Ecuador? Colombia? Elsewhere?
So we have a new nickname for this packaged deal that we are. It's what our names are when predictive texts decides for us what our names are. So from now on we sign our posts with it.
Love you!
"Sophisticated Koala"
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Making our way down
Although it was tempting to stay on Utila for longer, we knew we had to keep moving on. We spent our last night hanging out with our fly fishing friends, joking and exchanging stories. They were so kind to share their fajitas, in order to keep us from starving while we waited for our food at Evelyn's. This local eatery is infamous for long waits...like long waits. Like, just when you think you are going to starve, you wait longer. And then, just when you are about to give up, you wait a little bit longer. Then hopefully after this point your food arrives (or your neighbors and you just eat theirs). But the company was great. Our new friend Ray from Toronto joined us, and as the place emptied out a bit we combined tables with another full of people that were on the same boat as us on the first day. Our Mahi-Mahi and Tuna kabobs were delish, set to the tunes of Bob Marley, and chatting with Evelyn about why it takes forever was hilarious - "You know, I just like to put a lot of time and effort. I add lots of 'ingremedints' and it makes it so good." She was too sweet, and gave us her sons email who lives in Brooklyn.
We left Utila on the first ferry out the next day, making sure to stop at Thompson's Bakery for a few last cinnamon rolls. With no problems, we got to La Ceiba and got on a bus heading for Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. We were able to get in touch with our couch surfing host, Darwin, a very international guy who has lived in Germany for a few years and who is really into ACDC and The Strokes. Him and his friend took us out for food and drinks to a couple of really cool places. We got back a little later than we wanted but got some shut eye before being up around 5 am to catch the 6 am bus to Nicaragua. After much debate we took the mas caro option, although there was no threat of robbery or gunpoint experiences (which seemed to be almost guaranteed on that bus at that time). Alas, this bus served us breakfast and took care of border crossing proceedings. Little kids run around barefoot at the border, trying to make some coins by climbing into the baggage area to help move bags, causing chaos instead of actually helping.
But after no time at all we were driving through Nicaragua. It is hot here! Seriously. We were warned but didn't know what to expect. Of course, usually when in transit we wear our hiking boots and jeans, so we were suffering when on the minibus from Managua to Granada. As soon as we arrived at the Bearded Monkey hostel, we hopped in the shower for a much needed refresher. We went for lunch and a stroll around the city. Colorful colonial buildings and horse and buggie streets (yes, the smell of horse poopy is everywhere. a definite downside). We climbed to the top of Iglesia de la Merced where we got a 360 degree view of the city and watched the sun set over the mountains in the distance. We walked the main thoroughfair of restaurants and bars, bought some handmade jewery from a dready guy, and met up with our new friend Rupi! (Shout out to Rupi!!) We met here at lunch and decided to meet around 7 for drinks. She is taking a year off before starting residency and working in a hospital here in Granada for a month. We had a great time talking about trips we have taken and saying "no gracias" to the countless number of kids selling candy and cigarettes to us over and over again. Finally the one selling DVDs realized after the 3rd time that we were the same people he kept coming up to, and gave us a break! We bought some cigars at a place where a nice young man gave us the abridged tour in the humidor. So sweet, we had to. Plus is was nice and cool in there, so we delayed the time by asking questions and making conversation.
Today we are going to get breakfast and a place down the street that has huge bowls of yogurt and granola. Then we get on a bus to Rivas, where we then take a taxi to a ferry to Isla de Ometepe, to Finca El Zopilote. We will stay there for about 5 days, and are looking forward to beachy days and bread baking classes.
Loves and kisses
Soph and Kat
We left Utila on the first ferry out the next day, making sure to stop at Thompson's Bakery for a few last cinnamon rolls. With no problems, we got to La Ceiba and got on a bus heading for Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. We were able to get in touch with our couch surfing host, Darwin, a very international guy who has lived in Germany for a few years and who is really into ACDC and The Strokes. Him and his friend took us out for food and drinks to a couple of really cool places. We got back a little later than we wanted but got some shut eye before being up around 5 am to catch the 6 am bus to Nicaragua. After much debate we took the mas caro option, although there was no threat of robbery or gunpoint experiences (which seemed to be almost guaranteed on that bus at that time). Alas, this bus served us breakfast and took care of border crossing proceedings. Little kids run around barefoot at the border, trying to make some coins by climbing into the baggage area to help move bags, causing chaos instead of actually helping.
But after no time at all we were driving through Nicaragua. It is hot here! Seriously. We were warned but didn't know what to expect. Of course, usually when in transit we wear our hiking boots and jeans, so we were suffering when on the minibus from Managua to Granada. As soon as we arrived at the Bearded Monkey hostel, we hopped in the shower for a much needed refresher. We went for lunch and a stroll around the city. Colorful colonial buildings and horse and buggie streets (yes, the smell of horse poopy is everywhere. a definite downside). We climbed to the top of Iglesia de la Merced where we got a 360 degree view of the city and watched the sun set over the mountains in the distance. We walked the main thoroughfair of restaurants and bars, bought some handmade jewery from a dready guy, and met up with our new friend Rupi! (Shout out to Rupi!!) We met here at lunch and decided to meet around 7 for drinks. She is taking a year off before starting residency and working in a hospital here in Granada for a month. We had a great time talking about trips we have taken and saying "no gracias" to the countless number of kids selling candy and cigarettes to us over and over again. Finally the one selling DVDs realized after the 3rd time that we were the same people he kept coming up to, and gave us a break! We bought some cigars at a place where a nice young man gave us the abridged tour in the humidor. So sweet, we had to. Plus is was nice and cool in there, so we delayed the time by asking questions and making conversation.
Today we are going to get breakfast and a place down the street that has huge bowls of yogurt and granola. Then we get on a bus to Rivas, where we then take a taxi to a ferry to Isla de Ometepe, to Finca El Zopilote. We will stay there for about 5 days, and are looking forward to beachy days and bread baking classes.
Loves and kisses
Soph and Kat
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Utila - a picture couldn't do it justice
Just when we thought things couldn't get better, that we were the most spoiled people on the face of the earth, we arrived on the tiny island called Utila off the northern coast of Honduras. Oh yea, in the Caribbean!
But let's back track because we missed a lot of great stuff. After Antigua we took a long bus ride up through the mountains of Guatemala to Semuc Champey. Our hostel called El Portal made you feel like you were the only people living in the mountains, next to a raucous river in a hut on the side of a hill. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Just down the road is the national park called Semuc Champey. Here there are natural pools atop a naturally formed limestone bridge, under which rapids run amok, but on top are cool calm pools. You relax and tred, looking up to mountains towering above you. That little speck you see all the way up at the top is the Mirador (look out). We climbed that just minutes before. Jeez. Later that same day we walk over to Las Grutas Maria Ka'nba. This was a definite highlight for us! Just the two of us led by our guia Rojo, went through this cave with head lamps and candle sticks. Seriously! We had such an amazing time, feeling like explorers climbing rocks and swimming through the cave. We walked through a waterfall and jumped off a cliff into the river that runs through the entire pathway. Amazingness! Before it was dark we returned to Portal for dinner. We ate with people from Spain, London, Australia, Guatemala...everyday we meet new people from countless places all over the world. It's the best!
From here we took a bus to the border of Honduras and Guatemala (La Frontera). And when we say bus, we actually mean 6 buses in 9 hours. Collectivos to be more specific, packing in as many people as humanly (or not humanly) possible. Uncomfortable to say the least, we finally made it to the border. You just walk across it. Funny. But of course, we arrived here and finished our passport business, only to find out that the last bus into Copan Ruinas had left fifteen minutes before. Yikes! With our new friend Jody from British Columbia, we asked around and figured out the situation. You can either hitch a ride with a tractor trailer, a tour bus (but who new when that would be), or a local. We got lucky this time, guys! Just as we were talking to an agent a family of grandparents and their 8 year old grandson we taking a stretch from their long car ride. The agent directed us to talk with them and sure enough, these amazing people squeezed our enormous back packs into their trunk, crushing all their things and not caring. Not only did they take us into town, but they brought us to our hostel and fended off more border police as we got closer to town. And get this small world anecdote: The grandfather learned English in Ann Arbor, Michigan! If that wasn't a sign from the traveling gods and don't know what is!! This was truly the nicest family we met all trip so far. Laughing and joking the whole ride (it was only 15 minutes) we felt truly blessed to have been welcomed in by this family who really helped us in a time of (near) desperation. It could've been bad! But it wasn't so no sense in worrying about it now :)
Copan Ruinas was great. Those Mayans were on to something serious. Too bad Europeans had to come in a destroy all their books and give them diseases and ruin everything. Well, in addition to droughts and other natural causes, too. Anywho - the highlight of Copan Ruinas was easily our guided tour to La Finca de Cisne (Cisne meaning swan). Carlos, the son of a multi-generational, family run farm about an hour or so from Copan. This was incredible. We met him at Via Via Cafe in town, a central hub for socializing, eating, drinking, and tourism stuff. We ate breakfast and got in the car, learning about him and the farm, and asking questions about everything we could possibly think of. When we arrived we took a stroll to the stables and got on horseback!! We took a 2 hour + ride around the grounds of the farm, walking, trotting, & galloping! Nothing has felt so good in such a long time to be on a horse running up open hills, looking at mountains of Honduras, with Guatemalan mountains in the background. Need a snack? Just shimmy up a tree and knock down some coconuts. We got our strength and energy back by drinking some coconut water and eating an older coconut underneath the shade of palm trees next to tilapia pools. For lunch Carlos' mom cooked us up a feast, all food grown and prepared on the farm - verduras, homemade cheeses, shredded taro root pancakes, yuka, beef, and of course coffee that is grown, processed, and sold from the farm. Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did we mention how lucky and unbelievably spoiled we are? After a siesta in a hammock, Carlos showed us where the coffee is washed, sorted and dried, then put into bags to be picked up in the next couple of days. We drank coffee that had gone through the process just days before. You really appreciate that cup of joe when you see the people and machines that go into the whole process. After this we went to some hot springs, yada yada yada, we rubbed hot mud on our skin, blah blah blah, sat there for about an hour and washed off the day. All boring stuff and you can imagine.
It was really hard to say bye to Carlos. He opened up a whole new world to us, and getting to know him was such an amazing experience. He is like no other person we know. Friendly, passionate, genuine, kind - he taught us so much, joked so much, and made us feel more at home that we have since we left about a week ago (ah, only a week! Good lord!). But, what was waiting for us here on Utila was worth the other 6 hour bus rides and 2 hour boat ride. Remember what a tan looks like? I didn't, but it's fantastic! The sun recharges your batteries better than any powdered drink or nap could ever do.We are lucky enough that Libby from the Deep Blue Dive Shop opens rooms every now and then to couch surfers. We are staying in a cute room with aquatic life painted on the walls, just steps from the private dock where a hammock and swings await our arrival early in the morning and late at night. Please google this place that is hear - Treetanic. Talk about a wonderland made for Kat. Mosaics, sculptures, blown glass, all in a tree and courtyard, there for your enjoyment while relaxing from a long day in the sun. Seriously? Get out! But alas, it is real. It exists, and we made some great friends there. 5/6 guys from out west, fishing guides from Colorado and Wyoming. Have we been friends our whole lives? I think so, or at least it seems. After a few beers and lots of laughs we made sure we'd hang out the next day (and I'm laying groundwork for future trips out west when we return to the states!).
Now we just ate breakfast at an amazingly delicious and muy barata cafe, and our going to go snorkeling along the beach. God I hate this life! It will be hard to leave here, but judging by what we've done so far, there can only be more wonderful things ahead, so nonsensical it's hard to write down.
Much love from Honduras! Besos!
Soph & Kat
But let's back track because we missed a lot of great stuff. After Antigua we took a long bus ride up through the mountains of Guatemala to Semuc Champey. Our hostel called El Portal made you feel like you were the only people living in the mountains, next to a raucous river in a hut on the side of a hill. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Just down the road is the national park called Semuc Champey. Here there are natural pools atop a naturally formed limestone bridge, under which rapids run amok, but on top are cool calm pools. You relax and tred, looking up to mountains towering above you. That little speck you see all the way up at the top is the Mirador (look out). We climbed that just minutes before. Jeez. Later that same day we walk over to Las Grutas Maria Ka'nba. This was a definite highlight for us! Just the two of us led by our guia Rojo, went through this cave with head lamps and candle sticks. Seriously! We had such an amazing time, feeling like explorers climbing rocks and swimming through the cave. We walked through a waterfall and jumped off a cliff into the river that runs through the entire pathway. Amazingness! Before it was dark we returned to Portal for dinner. We ate with people from Spain, London, Australia, Guatemala...everyday we meet new people from countless places all over the world. It's the best!
From here we took a bus to the border of Honduras and Guatemala (La Frontera). And when we say bus, we actually mean 6 buses in 9 hours. Collectivos to be more specific, packing in as many people as humanly (or not humanly) possible. Uncomfortable to say the least, we finally made it to the border. You just walk across it. Funny. But of course, we arrived here and finished our passport business, only to find out that the last bus into Copan Ruinas had left fifteen minutes before. Yikes! With our new friend Jody from British Columbia, we asked around and figured out the situation. You can either hitch a ride with a tractor trailer, a tour bus (but who new when that would be), or a local. We got lucky this time, guys! Just as we were talking to an agent a family of grandparents and their 8 year old grandson we taking a stretch from their long car ride. The agent directed us to talk with them and sure enough, these amazing people squeezed our enormous back packs into their trunk, crushing all their things and not caring. Not only did they take us into town, but they brought us to our hostel and fended off more border police as we got closer to town. And get this small world anecdote: The grandfather learned English in Ann Arbor, Michigan! If that wasn't a sign from the traveling gods and don't know what is!! This was truly the nicest family we met all trip so far. Laughing and joking the whole ride (it was only 15 minutes) we felt truly blessed to have been welcomed in by this family who really helped us in a time of (near) desperation. It could've been bad! But it wasn't so no sense in worrying about it now :)
Copan Ruinas was great. Those Mayans were on to something serious. Too bad Europeans had to come in a destroy all their books and give them diseases and ruin everything. Well, in addition to droughts and other natural causes, too. Anywho - the highlight of Copan Ruinas was easily our guided tour to La Finca de Cisne (Cisne meaning swan). Carlos, the son of a multi-generational, family run farm about an hour or so from Copan. This was incredible. We met him at Via Via Cafe in town, a central hub for socializing, eating, drinking, and tourism stuff. We ate breakfast and got in the car, learning about him and the farm, and asking questions about everything we could possibly think of. When we arrived we took a stroll to the stables and got on horseback!! We took a 2 hour + ride around the grounds of the farm, walking, trotting, & galloping! Nothing has felt so good in such a long time to be on a horse running up open hills, looking at mountains of Honduras, with Guatemalan mountains in the background. Need a snack? Just shimmy up a tree and knock down some coconuts. We got our strength and energy back by drinking some coconut water and eating an older coconut underneath the shade of palm trees next to tilapia pools. For lunch Carlos' mom cooked us up a feast, all food grown and prepared on the farm - verduras, homemade cheeses, shredded taro root pancakes, yuka, beef, and of course coffee that is grown, processed, and sold from the farm. Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did we mention how lucky and unbelievably spoiled we are? After a siesta in a hammock, Carlos showed us where the coffee is washed, sorted and dried, then put into bags to be picked up in the next couple of days. We drank coffee that had gone through the process just days before. You really appreciate that cup of joe when you see the people and machines that go into the whole process. After this we went to some hot springs, yada yada yada, we rubbed hot mud on our skin, blah blah blah, sat there for about an hour and washed off the day. All boring stuff and you can imagine.
It was really hard to say bye to Carlos. He opened up a whole new world to us, and getting to know him was such an amazing experience. He is like no other person we know. Friendly, passionate, genuine, kind - he taught us so much, joked so much, and made us feel more at home that we have since we left about a week ago (ah, only a week! Good lord!). But, what was waiting for us here on Utila was worth the other 6 hour bus rides and 2 hour boat ride. Remember what a tan looks like? I didn't, but it's fantastic! The sun recharges your batteries better than any powdered drink or nap could ever do.We are lucky enough that Libby from the Deep Blue Dive Shop opens rooms every now and then to couch surfers. We are staying in a cute room with aquatic life painted on the walls, just steps from the private dock where a hammock and swings await our arrival early in the morning and late at night. Please google this place that is hear - Treetanic. Talk about a wonderland made for Kat. Mosaics, sculptures, blown glass, all in a tree and courtyard, there for your enjoyment while relaxing from a long day in the sun. Seriously? Get out! But alas, it is real. It exists, and we made some great friends there. 5/6 guys from out west, fishing guides from Colorado and Wyoming. Have we been friends our whole lives? I think so, or at least it seems. After a few beers and lots of laughs we made sure we'd hang out the next day (and I'm laying groundwork for future trips out west when we return to the states!).
Now we just ate breakfast at an amazingly delicious and muy barata cafe, and our going to go snorkeling along the beach. God I hate this life! It will be hard to leave here, but judging by what we've done so far, there can only be more wonderful things ahead, so nonsensical it's hard to write down.
Much love from Honduras! Besos!
Soph & Kat
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