Homeless are Funny

Some of them are true comedians!

I've been learning lots from them that's for sure!

Here are just a few of my learnings (as told to me by my new acquaintances):

• "You have no friends on the street. Just alliances and allegiances."
• "Good thing I just smoke weed. Those crackheads can't tell the difference on how cold it is out there."
• "I lived in Quebec in 1972....made over $20.00 an hour in construction. Cigarettes cost me .75 cents and a 24 of beer was $5.00. I always had tons of money on me. That's why I'm like this today."

The Homeless and Popcorn

Not a good mix when I am involved!

So here I am, volunteering with the Canadian Red Cross... who is helping out the Mustard Seed with the overflow for shelter due to the extreme cold.....and starting a bit of a commotion due to popcorn.

It started with me showing up for my shift yesterday at the Grandstand a bit early and one "guest" giving me a bag of microwave popcorn to pop for him. I head off to the Stampede lunchroom to find a microwave. Easy. I give it back to him...popped....no problem.

About 3 minutes later, a different "guest" gives me his bag of microwave popcorn to pop. No problem...so I repeat the process. When I'm giving him his bag of popcorn back, another guy gives me a bag to pop for him. I'm thinking "wow" the homeless sure like popcorn, and where did they get this anyway....surely they have no microwaves.

The second guy comes back and gives me 2 more bags of popcorn to pop. Now I'm thinking ..... is this all I will be doing around here for the next 6 hours.......boring.

While I'm popping these 2 bags, security comes to find me and tells me that they have this lady out front who wants to donate a pile of sweaters, socks, blankets and stuff to our makeshift shelter. I have her come with me while I finish popping the 2 bags and have her follow me in to where the mats are so I can give this guy his popcorn back.

He's not there. I look and look. No guy that gave me the 2 bags of popcorn to pop.

So.....what do I do...which I realize was pretty stupid....is I hold up the bags and ask "who gave me this popcorn to pop". I get several guys going "me"........"my buddy gave you the bags to pop" .........so I just give 2 different guys the popcorn (with a kind of funny feeling I might add).

I then start going outside to help unload all the supplies this lady has donated, hearing someone screaming "where is my f----- popcorn".

OH OH.

Yup...........I gave this guys popcorn away.

Popcorn HE says he PAID for with his own money.

Boy did I ever feel bad.

I tried to fix this by running back into the lunchroom and looking for popcorn...even asking some of the workers there having lunch if they had any popcorn I could buy off of them. No luck.

Meanwhile, this guy had to be restrained by one of the Mustard Seed staff AND one of the Stampede Security staff. He was pretty ticked off. Lots of swearing.

As I'm putting on my coat to run over to the Casino to try to find some popcorn, one other "guest" comes up to me and introduces himself as Alex. He tells me to NOT go buy this guy popcorn . "Trust me....I've been on the street for 4 years. You are being taken advantage of."

"What" I yell........ME....being taken advantage of....absolutely no way could this happen. I go storming back into the building.

Now the Red Cross Team Leader is trying to calm this guy down while he is pointing at me and swearing at me that I gave his popcorn away. Popcorn he paid for. A lot of f words in between.

Wow..........this could NOT be happening to me. How stupid could I have been. Really stupid.

I really had no idea on how to solve this other than say I would PAY for his popcorn.

Rule #1. Never give a homeless person money when you are volunteering at the shelter they are staying at.

I gave him $2.00 and the Mustard Seed security guy gave him $2.00. The Red Cross volunteer gave him water and a granola bar.

All this just before my shift was to start.

I thought I was going to get fired.

I didn't.

I'm actually the Team Leader on today's shift at 2 pm.

I LOVE Reggaeton Music!

WOW! Where have I been?

I just started getting into this right after the Latin festival I went to in Calgary this past summer!

I LOVE it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggaeton

I'm a Latino.

Happy American Thanksgiving Day

The fourth Thursday of November, observed as a legal holiday in the United States to commemorate the feast held at Plymouth in 1621 by the Pilgrim colonists and members of the Wampanoag people and marked by the giving of thanks to God for harvest and health.

The second Monday of October, celebrated in Canada by the giving of thanks to God for harvest and health.

What I am thankful for:

• Living in Canada...a country that is very clean and provides you with many opportunities when you take the initiative
• Family and friends........none of them being super crazy or in jail
• Financial stability.........and boy are we lucky that we do have assistance if one needs it
• Food & drink in my tummy when my body needs it
• My house.......keeps me warm and safe
• Being healthy enough to enjoy my life

And # 1................Living a life of want and not just need!

I was reminded of something last night while watching the Madonna "Confessions" tour on TV.......

'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:31-46

Coming Home

I can't believe that I will be on the 9:35 am flight out of Guatemala tomorrow morning.

I'm so sad.

When I first booked my two month trip, I thought it was a very long time to be away from home and that it was going to be a bit tough at times.

NOPE.

Did NOT happen.

NADA.

I'll have to update a few of the entries on the blog, but other than that, I do look forward to hooking up with my family and friends.

I also need to talk to you Heather about where I will be going next.

These round the world tickets sound quite interesting.

I think I'm kind of ready.

If only I didn't have to backpack it.

Missing My Blogging

Wow........trying to remember what one does even 12 hours later is very hard to do!

Having a computer handy with cheap rates is very convenient when blogging.

It's like having a journal you just take out and write in, right after something happens to you.

I guess I could of hand written a journal for when I did not have a computer handy.........but that would of been hard work.

I'm a fully converted techie now.

Oh....maybe AFTER I purchase my first digital!

Partying in Roatan

What fun we had!

The first night got a little out of hand when we had to pay our dinner and drink bill for 14 people.

Crazy! I hate one tab for that many people. It never works out.

Dinner, however, was fantastic! I had the grilled shrimp. It came with a baked potato, veggies and a salad. 180 Limpira (aprx $12.00 Canadian). It's the drinks that added up. Beer and rum punches.

We headed to the Fubar afterwards and met up with the owner....Aaron. American from Seattle. The bartender was from BC. Not a lot of people there, but we still had a fun time.

We actually went back the next night, Monday, as the signs said ladies drink free Monday thru Thursday...7 to 9 pm.

We found out the sign was incorrect once we got there at 7:15 pm for our free drinks. Aaron's sister was the bartender, along with Patrick the Irish guy (Steven's new male friend).

We did however get cheap rum punch drinks (30 Limpira....$2.00 Canadian) and a lot of free shooters for Aaron's mix up.

Aaron did show up later and by that time we had managed to meet half the bar. All locals....from all over the world....most are dive masters working here on the Island.

I don't know how these people can function the next day....underwater....with their hangovers. I really have no idea.

Erica really tied one on that night. I found her on the bathroom floor passed out.

This will definitely have to go in Erica's own blog entry.

Along with her sleeping the next 2 days away.

Life is great.

Ten Dollar Massage in Roatan

That's in US dollars.

I'm walking on the beach, feet in the sand, water splashing up my legs, when a big black Caribbean women comes up to me and asks me if I want a massage.

"No" I say..........even though I wanted one, but wasn't quite sure how much it would cost me (even though it's low season and not a lot of tourists around).

"Oh... come on now.... baby girl needs a massage. $20 for one full hour. Me and my daughter. Feels so good."

"I don't really have $20 US to spend today....thanks anyways" is my reply.

"I tink you really want a massage....how does $10 sound?"

"Sounds great..........let's go".

This is how I got myself on a table, in one of those wooden type gazebo's.........kind of private but not.

I'm wearing a tankini...which was a good thing.....as before you know it, about 5 other people are in the gazebo having a conversation with the mother and daughter about all the other islanders.

Actually, I would call it gossip.

I could not believe what they were saying. It was so funny!

Who got pregnant by whom, why so and so is sleeping around, what the new girl did with her baby, who robbed who......and on and on. One full hour.

Not a very relaxing massage when one is used to calm music playing in the background. Even the ocean waves could not override the loud caribbeans talking!

As I was getting off the table, laughing, the two rasta guys asked me if I understood all their "island talk".......I said some.

They then asked me if I wanted to go swim with the dolphins or go fishing.

Surprise surprise.

Everyone is always trying to sell me something.

Caribbean or Honduran?

That was the question Erica asked our hotel owner. She replied Honduran, even though she spoke with a Caribbean accent!

I sure felt like I was in the Caribbean!

We stayed at "Seagrape Plantation" in our 1/2 of a hut. The purple one...5a... with a super big hammock out front! Air conditioned and no TV. It was heaven!

Three nights and two full days of lazying around.

The group didn't hang out much during the day, as everyone was off doing their own thing. Diving, swimming with dolphins, hanging out on the beach...........you know, the stuff you do when you are living a rough life!

Fantastic!

The Bay Islands of Honduras offer a very different world from that of mainland Honduras.

The Islands history, which includes many disputes between the Spaniards and the British during colonial times, with the British actually controlling the islands most of time, have given the islands a unique heritage.

There are several islands within the department, with three larger ones being the most popular with tourists: Utila, Roatan and Guanaja.

English is so widely spoken in the Islands, that some people don't even speak Spanish, despite the fact that this is the official language of Honduras!

Roatan is a long island, measuring almost 40 miles in length and with a total landmass of 49 Square miles. The island has a mountainous backbone and is totally surrounded by coral reefs, offering superb diving as well as excellent fishing.

Copan Rocks!

We arrived in Copan Honduras late on Wednesday night, after a long travel day. One short shuttle ride, one boat (1.5 hrs), taxi to the bus depot and one bus (around 7 or 8 hrs).

Driving in Honduras provided us with amazing scenery. Very hilly and green.

We had several stops along the way...some for 10 or 20 minutes long.

We also had two unscheduled stops. One was an oil spill on the road, causing a major standstill. Luckily it was only one hour for us...in the very hot hot weather.....standing on the highway (bus is not airconditioned).

This reminded me of the time I went to the Grand Canyon on a bus tour from Las Vegas. The bus broke down on the highway. It was 120 degrees in the sun and the dry heat was awful. Memories.

The other unscheduled stop was when we got a flat tire. Yup...... on a big bus. The driver was well prepared for this, as he had greasy clothes to change into while changing the tire.

Only in Honduras!

Our Hotel "Las Brias" was very nice and clean. It also had a TV...but we had no time to watch it, as off to dinner we went.

Viavia was the restaurant/bar....great food!

Copan is very similar to Antigua....just smaller and a bit more hillier.

The next day, I headed off to see the Copan Ruins:

Copan, considered by many one of the most spectacular city's of the ancient Mayas civilization, is situated in the southwestern part of the Mayas region. It flourished during the 7th century of our era and is representative today of what Athens, to the old world; the cradle of its civilization. Because of this and other reason, UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 1980.

Later in the morning, a few of us went to visit the local orphanage to visit the kids and drop off supplies and money.

Casa Hogar Angelitos Felices Copan............Director: Delsy Cueva Pineda.

The kids sang us a song...........and then I had the group of us sing the kids a song (Herbie, Steven, Michelle, Wayne, Katrina, Tracy and me).

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O With a "moo-moo" here and a "moo-moo" there Here a "moo" there a "moo" ...

The only song we all knew the words for!

Back in Antigua

I'm so happy to be back!

I love this place..............it feels so comfortable for me.

We got in last night around 6 pm. Private shuttle from Copan Honduras.

Our Hotel is not at the original one we were booked at due to it being full. We are at Hotel Posada Real..which is about one block away.

Several of the folks had to triple up. I was lucky and had to just share with Adi the training tour leader. Room 101. Okay room. I wasn't in there long enough to really notice much, but I think it had a small TV. I know the shower worked alright....and it had hot water.

At 8:30 pm, our group met up for our last dinner together at Las Palmas. The joining group also met us, as this tour continues on through Guatemala and Mexico.

It was quite the party, with all the fines being dolled out by Fine Master Marita!

We then carried the party to La Sala for salsa dancing. A few of us could not stop dancing, so we just kept on dancing at the after hours party.

The Cafecito. 15 Quetzales cover.

Erica, Marita and me of course.

Home at four thirty am. Crazy night.

No Diving for ME!

For those of you that think I will be continuing this crazy extreme sporting and sundry activites, rest assured that I will NOT be diving in Roatan.

All the folks on the tour are really looking forward to updating their dives, or even getting their PADI certificate as I guess this is one of the cheapest places to do it.....but NOT ME!

I can´t swim and I hate having water on my face....add being in the dark and relying on a tank to help you breathe .........

Pat M.....I know you love this kind of stuff, but I´ll fill you in via what the others TELL me.

I´m a spectator when it comes to water sports NOT a player.

I had moments of insanity when I signed up for the whitewater kayaking trip.

This will NOT be happening with diving.

Erica´s Addictions

• Her eyebrows. MUST be PERFECT. She has a very special mirror that magnifies all small imperfections to help with this.
• TV remote control. She LOVES watching TV. For a very smart women (Criminal Lawyer, and recently approved for the British airforce) she really watches a lot of silly shows. She actually watches Gilmor Girls.

This Irish Catholic girl is even dragging me to Church tonight. I think she has us all going with her!

I will be adding on to this Erica blog entry at a later date.

Later date:

• Erica CANNOT drink. I found her on the bathroom floor in Roatan one evening. What a mess!
• Erica LOVES to sleep. Yes, two days straight after the bathroom incident. It was even difficult for her to suntan. Too hot and it hurt.
• Erica HATES spiders. She travels with her own mosquito netting. Tapes it to the ceiling. It falls and tangles her all up. Her brother set her up with all this gear she does not know how to use.
• Erica doesn't like RUDE people. Michelle.
• Erica LOVES her boyfriend. Warwick.

I must say... although Erica is a little princess that loves all that glitters (especially diamonds), we did make great roommates!

I know she misses me.

Para mi Amigos

I LOVE getting comments! Thanks everyone!!

Wade & Kelly: Congrats on the Annual Achievers! WOW! Well deserved. Don´t worry on packing, as this type of vacation is all FIVE STAR! You can bring a suitcase with wheels. Yippee!

Anna: No peas at the market. They have a veggie and fruit section...but I guess peas are not in season. I haven´t seen any the whole time I´ve been away.........and believe me I have looked!

Luca: Mia is going to look so pretty in all the cute clothes I´m buying her from Latin America! I´ve just purchased her a RED evening gown to wear on special occasions. She will look just like a little doll. I´m still laughing over this dress. I just bought it and everyone I show it to just smiles and says how cute it is. I´m not so sure you will like it. Krystal will though.

Steve: I hope you are looking into a great long trip for you and Angela. Now is the time to do it!

Val & Denis: Rose bushes? Oh my god I´m scared. Can I say thank you AFTER I see what you both did to my pad?

Jr: Wait till you see all my pictures! Once I develop them of course. You will have to help me shop for a digital when I get home....I´m so convinced now that I need one. Especially as I am the only one in the WORLD that still has a film camera. I need to fit in going forward.

Monica: I know you will be happy to read that I will be shopping for a digital and will have one in 2007. I´m a bit slow to get it when it comes to technology.

Carmen: Don´t book a short vacation to Canada in January.........maybe you can go home via Vegas and we go party there for a few days.

Heather: I need a job in the travel industry........will you be hiring for a tour guide or something exotic that I would like? We need to talk.

I love my life.

Mercado DeArtesana de Masaya

Yesterday morning I took a cab with Erica and Marita to the town of Masaya so we could go to the market.

The cab cost us 100 Cordoba´s...but we gave the driver 120 ($8.00).

It was pretty funny driving there, as half way to the market (while on the highway) the driver pulls over and takes down his taxi sign. He explained that a Granada taxi is not allowed into Masaya. If he keeps his sign on, he might get a big fine. We laughed.

The market was similar to the one in Antigua....set up wise........with a few of the same things, but still different in the way of souvenirs.

You can buy all kinds of cigars here....and cheap. My cousin Fab would be in heaven in this country!

Driving back home, the Masaya cab driver also stopped mid way to take down his taxi sign.

The taxi signs all plug in somehow.

Very portable.

Horse Carriage Ride

This morning 6 of us went for a ride around Granada.

We had 2 carriages, three of us in each.

I went with Erica and Marita. Our driver was dressed in really cool boots and hat . He also had great green eyes (blue when he dressed differently (his words).

Our horsey ride took one hour and cost a total of 130 cordoba´s ($9.00 Canadian). We gave him 150 Cordoba´s ($10.00 Canadian) and another $1.00 USD tip.

There was a lot of talk about some guy named William Walker...with reference to 2 American films, which I have since googled:

Walker's campaign has inspired two films, both of which take considerable liberties with his story: Burn! (1969) starring Marlon Brando, and Walker (1987) starring Ed Harris. Walker's name is used for the main character in Burn!, though the character is not meant to represent the historical William Walker.

I might have to rent them when I get home.

I´m not really into history........but I like movies!

Where is Batman?

Part of our tour last night also included a hike through this really dark dark cave.

They geared us up with a helmet and headlight each (mine of course was barely working, so I could hardly see as I walked).

Once we got into the cave, you could see all these bats flying around us, but then stop when they saw so much light.

At one point, the guide had us shut off all our lights and just listen to all the bats flying around us.

I felt like I was in FEAR FACTOR!

FREAKY...........

I am happy to report that no bats got into my hair!

Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya

Last night, all of us other than Erica, went on a tour to the volcano next to Granada.

It cost $18.00 US .....4 pm to about 8 pm.

This was so different to Volcan Pacaya!

For one thing, we DROVE up to this volcano. Once we got there, you can see all this smoke.....it´s sulphur and boy did we all cough and have a problem going up this one hill to get a better view. I´m not sure this was great for our health!

They gave us gas masks to wear in the later part of our tour when it got dark and we hiked to this other spot to actually look down into the HOLE of the volcano............very red and full of fire!

Masaya is caldera (4 by 7 miles, 6 by 11.5 km) that contains 13 vents. Caldera: The Spanish word for cauldron, a basin-shaped volcanic depression; by definition, at least a mile in diameter. Such large depressions are typically formed by the subsidence of volcanoes. Crater Lake occupies the best-known caldera in the Cascades.

Most activity at these vents consisted of effusion of basaltic lava. Pyroclastic eruptions have constructed three main cones: Masaya, Nindiri, and Santiago. Santiago formed in 1850-1853. Spatter and scoria deposits indicate fire fountaining at Masaya, the only know occurrence of this type of eruption in Central America (Williams, 1981). Scoria: A bomb-size (> 64 mm) pyroclast that is irregular in form and generally very vesicular. It is usually heavier, darker, and more crystalline than pumice.

Unlike the stratovolcanoes that characterize subduction zones. Stratovolcano: A volcano composed of both lava flows and pyroclastic material.

Masaya has a shield-like morphology. Shield Volcano: A gently sloping volcano in the shape of a flattened dome and built almost exclusively of lava flows

At times, Masaya emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide gas.

In 1979, Masaya became Nicaragua's first National Park (Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya).

My Red Shoes

It was pointed out to me the other day that Ronald McDonald needs his shoes back.

I guess my red crocs look like his shoes.

I agree.

I will be leaving these to Zoila, my Guatemala family.....she really likes them (even though they are huge on her feet).

I don´t think she knows who Ronald is.

Backpacking and Me

I don´t really like carrying anything.

I prefer PULLING things along.

A big suitcase with wheels is my preference.

So is a porter and people to help along the way when you have to "lift" your suitcase.

Luxuries of life!

Beautiful Granada

It´s bright and early and I´ve just finished calling my father to let him know where I am and that all is fine.

I don´t know how this happened, but now I am one hour ahead for time difference.

I´m in beautiful Colonial Granada, third largest city in Nicaragua.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada,_Nicaragua

My hotel is called "Hospedaje Cocibolca". I´m in room 6....a much bigger room than the last place. It also has two fans, so the air circulates a bit better......AND....we have a TV! Yup! We are the only ones that got this "upgrade". I guess it was to make up for the crappy room we got last time.

This town looks quite similar to Antigua, and even though I haven´t done much yet, I can tell I like it!

Yesterday afternoon once we were checked in, we went to the tour office to book any tours we wanted. I then found an internet spot (here at Hostal Central):

http://www.centralhostal.com/index.html

If you can open up the link, you will see where I will be sitting having breakfast after I sign off!

This place charges 14 Cordoba´s an hour for internet use........less than one dollar (similar to what I was paying in Antigua).

Laundry is also inexpensive here, so it´s a great spot to catch up on having some clean clothes.

We are here for three nights, and in about one hour I will be heading off to do some shopping at some famous market.

Last night we went to this place called "Cafe Nuit"...a local bar with live music. The local band had everyone dancing salsa, cha cha and everything else.

I certainly did not even try to dance.

I thought I could dance, but I can´t.

Gossip On My Travel Companions

• Michelle is the tour leader. I´ll have a separate blog entry just on her. Not a great tour leader.
• Adi is the training tour leader for this trip. She has worked for Gap for about 4 months in Peru. Loves her job. A Jewish American, raised in California. Psychology degree....but wanted to travel before she started applying her degree and applied to Gap on a whim and got the job.
• Erica. My roommate. Late 20´s. Irish, but living in London. Criminal Lawyer, who just got accepted into the British Air Force.... she has to sign up for 6 years, and seeing as she loves her boyfriend Warwick of 3 years (never spent a day apart, other than this trip...she has been gone for about 2 months so far...she did the Peru trip and climbed the Inca Trail) and they want to have babies, she will not be signing up.
• Gabrielle. My roommate for the first night. Mid 30´s. Part Italian and Irish, and third generation Australian. In the music industry....has been travelling for a few months already....South America.
• Claire. Mid 30´s. British. Social Worker.....quit her job, divorced her husband and has been travelling for over 6 months so far.
• Tracy. Early 30´s. Canadian (New Brunswick). Took 2 months off her consulting job and is travelling all the way to Mexico with Gap and then hanging out with her parents at some resort.
• Petria. Late 30´s. Eastern Germany. Nurse. Travelling forever.
• Wayne & Katrina. Early 30´s. Australian. Coppers (Police Officers for us Canadians)
• Steven & Herbie. Late 20´s. Irish. Pharmacists. Travelling for almost 1 year. Herbie is East Indian. Her parents are very strict and have no idea she is going out with an Irish Catholic and is also travelling with him. They are Hindu.
• Emma and Martika. Mid 30´s. Australian. HR Manager and Accountant. Both quit their jobs to travel..boyfriends back home and just having fun.

I´ll update this blog at the end of the trip.

Final comments on the group.

Tips On Nicaragua

• The local currency is called "Cordoba"...but of course you can always use US dollars
• You get aprx 15 to 16 Cordoba´s for the Canadian Dollar
• Lake Nicaragua, is the largest lake of Central America, in southwest Nicaragua. The freshwater lake contains fish, such as tuna and sharks, usually found only in salt water because it was part of the Caribbean Sea until land masses rose around it in prehistoric times.
• Population: 5.5 Million people
• Capital is Managua

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua

I don´t know anyone that has "vacationed" in Nicaragua.

Chilling In Nicaragua

I´m forgetting what I have been up to......but I can tell you I am in Nicaragua.

I just got into Granada, but the last 2 days were on a Volcanic Island called Ometepe.

It's the biggest lacustrine island in the world. It's placed inside Cocibolca lake and it's created by two big active volcanoes, Conceptión 1610 mts high and Maderas 1394 mts high. Its surface is about 270 square kilometers and it has 35000 inhabitants approximately. The most part of Ometepe inhabitants work in farming.

Its name derives from the Aztec language and it means Ome= two and Tepelth=hills, due to the mountains formed by the two volcanos. The volcanic activity, through the deposition of volcanic ash, has made the soil of the plains extremely fertile, permitting constant planting without fallowing. The island has probably been inhabited since 2000-2500 B.C.

Lots of trees is what I saw. Also lots of horses. Parked in front of houses....kind of like cars. The narrow highway was also pretty cool with these interlocking blocks that were used to make the road.

We stayed at this really remote hotel called Finca Santa Domingo. Room 7, the small dump of a room. Yuck. We had a shower curtain as the bathroom door. One fan in the room that was useless as it did not blow air on the two beds, due to the positioning of the beds (the room was a very wierd shape and very small). We had it blowing into the bathroom door (shower curtain).

I hated that room.

The Hotel itself was not too bad due to okay food and drinks. You simply had to order and charge to your room. We were right on the playa and also had a few hammocks out front. You couldn´t really lie on the beach due to all these crazy bugs....they kind of looked liked crickets...but I have no idea what they were. Double yuck.

It took us forever to get to this place. We left on Monday morning and had to take a few shuttles and a boat to arrive around 6 pm. Some of the shuttles were an "upgrade" so we had to pay an additional $5.00 USD each.

Crossing over the border was easy.....didn´t take too long and was a much better experience than when I last had to walk over a border with a backpack (Thailand to Cambodia). Cost was $7.00 US and then another $1.00 US for the final door.

We crossed the border while they were tallying up the votes for a new President:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaraguan_general_election,_2006

I´m not into politics, so I didn´t pay much attention to it.

I guess the outcome is not what the USA wanted, so it will be interesting to see what happens to this country. Maybe it is a good thing I am visiting it now.

We didn´t do much the night we got in, other than have dinner and then a few people had drinks. The next day was just a chill out day at the hotel....drinking and relaxing.

We all needed it!

Life is so hard.

Bus, Boats and Horses

The trip to get to Monteverde from La Fortuna on Saturday morning was about 4 hours. First a short bus ride to Lake Arenal. Second a boat ride to the other side of the lake to drop off the 4 people in our tour that were going to ride horses to Monteverde. We got dropped off at another spot on the lake and then got into a shuttle bus to drive us into town.

A long and curvy bumpy ride, but we made it! The cost for this shorten trip was an additional $10 USD. I guess my tour is what is called a "basic trip", which means all local transportation, and on this leg would of been up to 11 hours........so we all voted and paid for the shorter and I guess "upgraded" transport.

Our Hotel "Don Tacos"is quite nice. I'm in room 7 with Erica. Large room with one double bed and one twin bed. No TV or anything else. Some of the others were lucky and have small fridges or TV's. Luck of when the keys are handed out.

We went to "Morpho's" for dinner on the Saturday night. Kind of expensive, so Erica and I shared a big salad and desert.

Money is going really fast in these places.

There is always someone to tip!

Jeeps and SUV's

That's all you see in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

This place is full of adventure seekers.

You can do pretty well anything here that involves the Cloud Forest.

Rent ATV's....go horseback riding...... check out canopy siplines and bridges.

For some of the more safer stuff, you can go to a cloud forest reserve, see frog ponds, butterfly gardens, bird gardens and even a reptile zoo.

Adventure seekers paradise.

What am I doing here?

Suspension Bridges

This was very cool. 6 bridge suspensions. Some 150 ft high and as long as 900 feet.

Suspension bridges, over the cloud forest … Sky Walk

The Sky Walk allows the visitor to safety appreciate the reach diversity of the canopy flora and fauna. It is of 2.5 kilometers of trails and suspension bridges at different heights in the cloud forest of Monteverde.

Zipping Over The Cloud Forest

I surprized myself today.....by actually having fun at the Sky Trek!

I signed up for this activity under a bit of pressure from the group. It was only $42.00 USD and you get 2 hours of zip lining across the cloud forest, 1.5 hours of climbing suspension bridges and visiting the serpentarium at night.

10 of us in the group did this very cool "adventure"...one of the girls did pay for it, but freaked out after seeing it once we climbed the very tall spiral tower so she did not go.

I was very shaky starting the night before, as it was very very windy all night and the morning started out just as windy.

Everyone was convinced that they would not let us do this if it was unsafe, so off we go on the 7:15 am shuttle.

Once we were geared up with helmets, gloves and harnesses, we climbed up a spiral tower and had a lesson on how to sit, slow down and how to get going if you are stuck in the middle of the cable.

I'm still shaky....but it's a good feeling. I was scared but not terrified like being in the water. I'm thinking I can't drown here....so....what could actually go wrong? Not much that you would know, seeing as you would be dead if something did happen that high up.

I LOVED it!

www.skytrek.com

Fly over the cloud forest canopy … SkyTrek

The Sky Trek is a system of cables or zip lines, it allows you to observe the rain forest and its landscape from many different views while offering you, total security of its modern technology, which offers a panoramic view of the Arenal lake and volcano.

All of the platform anchors are concrete and supported by iron beams. The suspension bridges support four (4) time the floor weight. The suspension bridge cables are 1” steel and support 49 tons.

The zip line cables are 5/8 steel and support 17 tons. The Sky Trek pulleys were specially designed in hardened steel with two handles. They support 5.000 kilograms.

We have 11 cables with lengths between 120 feet up 2310 feet and 60 feet height up to 480 feet. It is comprised of several walking trails through the forest. This is a tour through a system of zip line cables in the cloud forest canopy.

I'm so happy I did this.

I would definitely do this again!

Friday Night In La Fortuna

We all went to dinner at this really nice restaurant called "Don Rufino".

I had the the local "casado" dish, which consists of white rice, black or red beans served with pork, steak, chicken or fish. You also get a fried egg on the rice and plantain banana. Yummy! This cost me almost $6.00 Canadian.

Once we were all done, we got up from the table to leave, and there was this women sitting next to us that yelled for us to "just leave".........I think we were either being too loud for her, or we were just being loud with the chairs as we were moving them around. We really had no idea why she was acting crazy.

Erica then started moving the chairs in and out to make more noise...with the waiter egging her on to make more noise. Then they also starting moving tables around...making more noise. It was so funny......we started to clap!

This annoyed the women more and her friends at the table (all three) were very embarassed.

Friday night fun!

To My Rappelling Friend Steve

This country was made just for you and Angela.

One of the "adventures" you can take for only $50.00USD is what they call "Canyoneering".

This is where you combine the thrill of descending 8 breathtaking waterfalls in a gigantic, jungle canyon while taking in the beauty of the rainforest.

Waterfall Rappelling. Tall ones.

Seven of the others on my tour did this today and they are all raving about it.

You need to vacation in Central America.

You can both do all the rappelling you want and all in Spanish!

I Survived Inflatable Whitewater Kayaking

When I first signed up for this $50.00 USD activity, I thought I was going on an inflatable whitewater rafting tour. Rated at a 2-3 level (4 being crazy and 5 being you will die). Pick up at 8 am, return around 12:30 pm. Fruit to be served mid way and lunch at the end.

What I did end up getting to what I thought I was going to get... was.... the pick up, drop off and food.

Here I am (thinking I would not get too wet)... I wear a t-shirt over my bathing suit, pajama boxer shorts, a baseball cap, some sun tan lotion, my contacts with sunglasses, and my red croc sandals. I wasn't looking too pretty for this RAFTING tour.

Next thing you know, the two guides, Jario (21) and Tom (20), decide that it´s best to use the KAYAKS!

Here I am, PETRIFIED of the water to begin with and they decide I need to be in one of those crazy and very flipable coffins! I start to shake.

Tracy, the other girl on the tour that was doing the same thing, tells me not to be scared, everything will be alright..........meanwhile, the two guides are telling me that I can't wear my sunglasses or my croc sandals in the kayak, as I would lose them when I fall out.

WHAT? No one said anything about FALLING OUT. Are you NUTS? "I´m NOT going" is what I tell or should I say YELL to the two KIDS that are responsible for my life at this point.

Jario giggles and tells me to relax, it will be fun. No need to worry, I will have a life jacket on as well as a helmet. He also tells me that he would come in and get me right away WHEN I fall in.

"Nope" I say, "I´m not going in".

Well, after some more joking around, Jario sees that I might not be kidding, so he then tells me that he will make sure that I won´t fall in......not 100%...but he would do everything he could.

He could see that SAFETY would supersede FUN on this trip for him.

At this point, I can see that I´m holding up poor Tracy, so I reluctantly agree to go.

I tell them I would go...but I wanted to wear my sunglasses AND my crocs. Tom then gets me those sunglass holder things you wear around your neck to ensure I would not lose them. GREAT I´m thinking. Why would I need those if I am not going to fall in?

I´m scared. Really Scared.

Tracy heads off first with Tom.

I´m still taking deep long breaths to get myself ready, realizing at that point that I would have to go down this small steep hill then climb around some rocks to get into the kayak.

Crocs are slippery when wet. Luckily I did not fall.

The minute Jario paddles us off, we hit level 2-3 rapids, no slowing into it. OH MY GOD! I was totally unprepared for it. It was so insane. I was covered in water over and over and I swallowed so much of it I was gagging. It was a miracle I did not fall in. I was shaking all over. Luckily I did not cry.

After this maybe 2 minutes of hell, it was flat water and laughing Jario asks me if I like it so far. I yell NO........I don´t think I want to continue. Meanwhile, we notice that Tom and Tracy are stopped and Tracy yells that she fell down the hill getting into the kayak and then FELL out of the kayak as soon as they paddled off due to all the rapids.

Good thing I did not see this, as I know I would not of continued.

I could describe this kayaking in detail..........all 2 hours of it.......... but let´s just say it was insane and I can see why some of you are adrenaline junkies.........I am NOT!

Especially in one part when the expert Jario even yells "Oh my god" on one of the large WAVES that hit me.

An angel was looking over me today that's for sure.

I didn´t fall in.

And maybe it was fun at some points when I was not terrified to death.

We even tipped Jario, Tom and the driver 7 Colones (almost $15 USD) for bringing us home in one piece.

I´m such a baby.

La Fortuna Adventures

Our bus ride yesterday took a little over 4 hours. The first half was good.... it was the second half that was a bit insane with all the stops it had to make and all the people crammed into the bus at that time.

Our Hotel is called "Hotel Oruima"....I´m in room 12 with Erica the Lawyer from England. It´s a pretty nice room....very small... two twin beds, small TV and a bathroom. Very clean. This is the only place so far that uses new and very thick white towels. WOW!

Once checked in, we all headed over to the tour spot to book what we each wanted to do.

http://www.desafiocostarica.com/index.htm

All of us booked the Arenal Volcano observation point and the Baldi Hotsprings for 5 pm that night. We also decided to pick up pizza and beer for the viewpoint. It cost $17.00 USD for the tour part and 2,000 Colones for the pizza. Beer was on your own.

Pick up was at 5 pm...and they were at the hotel 5 minutes prior! Costa Ricans are on time.

The observation point was at the bottom of the mountain, quite a distance away.........very different to where I was last time I visited a volcano! The clouds were also covering a bit of the top, so we didn't see anything right at the start.

We put on music..... first Madonna, then the Grease soundtrack so we could all sing along. It was so much fun standing in the middle of the road singing, eating and drinking...hoping to get a glimpse of some "red sparks" coming down the mountain!

We didn´t have to wait too long, when we soon see red sparks coming down the mountain in quite a few spots. We all yelled " aw" and "wow" and just took crazy pictures of us pointing in the dark to where the mountain was. The one you could only see when the clouds lifted!

After about 1 hour of this tacky tourist thing to do, our driver drove us to Baldi Hot Springs.

16 Hot Springs of various temperatures surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens. Facilities include 2 swim up bars, Spa services & resturant.

This place was AMAZING!

Even I had to sit in different ones for up to two hours.

I left the place as a wrinkled prune.

Life is good.

Our First Group Dinner

We meet up at 7 pm in the courtyard, as Michelle our GAP Leader went over what we would be doing for the next 17 days.

There are 12 people on the tour, plus there is a trainee job shadowing with Michelle so she can take over this route in the near future. Presently Ade is doing the Peru trips.

I can't remember everyone's name right now.........but there are 2 couples, one from Australia and the other from Ireland, and 8 girls. Age range early 20's to mid 30's. I'm pretty sure I'm the oldest. Some of the professions mentioned are: Social Worker (Claire...from England, just recently divorced and she quit her job........travelling so far for 7 months), Music Business (Gabrielle....from Australia, travelling since July....also quit her job), and a Crimal Lawyer who also quit her job. It sounds like most of the girls have boyfriends back home that they also left behind for their travel adventures. I'll have to catch all the others over the next few days.

It's an interesting group!

Most of us went out for the late dinner to "Cafe Mundo"..... within walking distance and very nice. I ordered grilled chicken that came with rice and veggies, and a lemonade. 4,400 colones (aprx $10.00). Expensive I thought, but it also included tip and service. Most places automatically add on almost 25% to your bill.

We are leaving at 8 am this morning for our bus trip to La Fortuna....it takes aprx 4 hrs.

This is where there are a lot of activites to pick from: Arenal Volcano, Baldi Hot Springs, whitewater rafting Toro River, caving, canyoning, waterfall rappelling, horseback riding or a canopy tour. All at a cost of course (as these were not included in the price I paid).

We are there until Saturday morning.

Not sure what I will be doing............ but I think I can keep updating my blog from the hotels we are staying at, as they appear to all have internet access.

My backpack is really full and we just started!

Pepsi vs Coca Cola

I'm drinking way too much pop.

I'm even starting to like the "light" stuff................AND.....coca cola!

I thought I would always be a Pepsi fan only.

What is happening to me?

I'm becoming way too flexible.

Next Leg Of My Adventure

I'm meeting up with my tour tonight at 8 pm.

I did quickly meet the girl I am rooming with this morning at breakfast. I guess she had her own room as well, so we had to decide who was moving.

We decided both of us and we are now in room 23. Everything works that we know of.

I wanted to link my trip to this entry..... even though Gap Adventures changed it a bit for 2007.

This will still give you an idea of what I will be up to:

http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/CRSA

Tight Clothes

Okay, so maybe all the women I saw yesterday wearing all the tight clothes and very little of it, were not your girl next doors.

I figured it out today when I got lost for a short while in the hooker area....the casino area......and the bar area.

There are a lot of working girls here.

I don't know why some women wear such tight pants that you can see all their butt cellulite.

These women must appeal to the pig of a man I saw this morning at my hotel using the computer next to me.

Art Purchases

While I was lost today, I found a few very interesting art galleries that I spent some time in.

What was fun about it, was discussing the art pieces with the owners...and the prices should I buy anything.

I settled on 2 pieces from the same artist...Juan Ramon Serrano. One abstract and one of his tradional pieces. I love them. The final price was $150 USD for both. I will have to frame them at home.

I also noticed some art that is very similar to a piece I have at home. I purchased a piece last time I was in Costa Rica.......in San Jose, the night before I was flying out (seeing as I did no shopping in Puerto Viejo de Lemon...the place I spent my time at).

The artist is "Nayra Araya Chavarra". She signs her art Nayra and then CR with the year she painted it.

I will have to check my painting to see if this is one of her originals.

I guess she is very famous here.

Funny, but I never pay attention to who the artist is when I buy paintings. I just want someone local, and a painting that I am drawn too.

Maybe my art is worth some coin!

I Think I'm Lost

Yup, I was a bit overconfident, thinking I knew the downtown core. Wrong!

Little did I know, that the place I went to yesterday, was only a very small small part of downtown!

There are way too many side streets....calles and avenida's...some north, some south.........a bit more confusing.

I didn't have my map on me, so I was trying to wing it.

I ended up in the hooker area....the drug area...the casino area....the shady area...and then the Jamaican area. This is where I felt the safest, so I finally asked for directions.

Yah man, I found my way.

Good thing I blend in to whatever neighbourhood I'm in.

I'm a little bit cameleon.

Known for my ability to change my color, my elongated sticky tongue, and for my eyes which can be moved independently of each other.

Wikipedia definition.

Museo De Arte

Just got back from visiting the Modern Art Museum....Parque Metropolitano La Sabana.

I only paid 1,500 Colones, as not all the museum was open today. It appeared that they were changing some paintings around.

I like visiting these types of spots in the different cities I am in.

There was a homage to Rembrandt....which I thought would also include a few of his paintings.

I forgot where I was.

I can say that I saw most of his paintings when I was in Holland......they have great museums there.

This one was also good, but not as big, and no real famous artists...other than some newer Central American ones.

I didn't recognize any of the names.

Mind you, in most modern art museums, I don't recognize anyone no matter what city I'm in.

I love art..... but definitely no expert.

Freaky Guy

While I was typing my first entry of the day, here in the computer room down the hall from me, this older guy in just boxers comes in and sits at the third computer.

I'm using the first computer, so there is another one in between us (each in their own computer station).

This guy is smoking...........something he is NOT allowed to do in this smoke free room.

He then proceeds to cough up his lung and scratch himself over and over, grunting as he was doing this.

I just about said something to this PIG of a man!

I'm pretty sure this disgusting man is here for all the paid sex he can get.

He also looks like one of those perverts that comes to these types of countries for child sex.

I think I will go wash and hand sanitize my hands, just in case he used this computer key pad.

He gives me the creeps.

TV Fiasco

After a very full day of walking around, shopping and touring, I was looking forward to picking up something to eat for dinner and just hanging out in the room watching TV!

I turn the TV on to see what movies were playing, to see that it didn't work. Oh Oh. I casually go to the front desk and mention this. The guy at the front desk tells me that it will be fixed for when I get back.

I go back to the pizza joint to pick up some pizza and I also find a place for this great fruit salad. Life is great!

I come back to the Hotel and the front desk guy is shaking his head telling me they had problems and the TV is not working.

"Are you kidding me?" was the first thing that came out of my mouth. Then I went on to say that I was looking so forward to watching TV. I showed him my dinner and kept on saying how boring it was at night in the hotel as I was not supposed to walk around late at night by myself. There was nothing to do in this big city and on and on.

Poor guy. I don't think he was expecting these bold statements from cute me.

He quickly says that he will see what he could do, but it would be difficult. I then ask if I could go watch TV ANYWHERE. I would even come to the front desk and watch his 2 security TV screens. I was BORED........AND......it was only 6 pm!!!

He once again tells me he would see what he could do.

I slowly and sadly walk back to my great room that has a TV in it that does NOT work.

I reluctantly sit on the bed and wonder what I can do. I have no books to read anymore...and I am not tired......it's only 6 pm.

About 10 minutes later while I am just sitting on my bed starring at a moth on the wall, I hear someone pushing something along on the floor and then a knock on my door.

I open it to see the front desk guy with a TV...BRAND NEW and in it's originally package!

WOW! I was impressed and so excited. I was actually jumping up and down clapping (this is just before I gave him a super big hug).

I help him quickly unpack the TV, being sure I give him all the paperwork in the packaging (so he could register it of course).

WOW! I'm still so impressed. A whole new TV just for me!

He plugs it in. Does not work. What?

I ask him if they had checked all the plugs in the wall.....he says yes. It must be the new TV.

Knowing these crazy countries, I ask him if I could just try a few of the other plugs around the room (different walls of course). He says sure, but really no need to.

I take the "broken" TV and plug it into a different wall socket (after he had to go get me one of those converters that have different type plug sockets). It worked. Surprise!

We repack the brand new TV in the box it came in, and then he trys to find me an extension cord to I could actually watch the TV (as the plug was very far from it's original spot).

No extension cord.

No problem, I just had him move the twin bed a bit and re-arrange the furniture so I could watch this TV from my bed. At this point, it didn't matter if I had to watch it sitting up instead of lying down.

Now that is what you call service.

I gave the front desk guy half of my pizza.

San Jose City Tour

I've noticed people are on time here.

The tour shuttle was to pick me up at 1:40 pm, and they got here at 1.45 pm. Wow!

There were 8 of us "tourists" on the tour and it cost $21.00 USD (which I thought was a lot of money).

I spoke to a few of the people on the bus.

One lady I noticed had a real Luis Vuitton fanny type purse so of course I had to talk to her. I've been talking to backpackers all this time, so this would be very refreshing. She is here with her husband who works for HP and they are staying at the Marriott Hotel. One thing she asked me was if I knew of a great restaurant to go to. I said not really. I didn't think she would like the pizza joint I know of.

Another person I spoke to was this guy and his girlfriend as he was quite fluent in Spanish. Turns out he was born in California and his mother is Spanish. He would probably be early 40's. He mentioned that he retired 2 months ago from EBay. Worked for them for 8 years. It sounds like he's worked and travelled all over the world. His girlfriend was blond and probably half his age.

Rich people.

Back to the tour and how it was described:

This tour immerses you in the rich Costa Rican culture and history by experiencing the beautiful museums and historical sites of San Jose. It begins with an orientation and drive through San Jose's beautiful Sabana Park. Next, we will take a walking tour through the historic National Theatre completed in 1897, the theater is a masterpiece in art and architecture. Afterwards, we will visit one of the many unique museums of Costa Rica. We'll continue heading tot he University of Costa Rica, the Supreme Court and various sites of interest. A brief stop will be made in a souvenirs plaza allowing you to browse through the beautiful craft shops located in this area.

My description:

Take a drive in our clean air-conditioned bus through the unpretty streets of San Jose. You will see different "barrios" (neighbourhoods), where people live in houses, some very nice, but all behind bars due to all the crime here. There is a big drug and prostitution problem in the city. We will make a stop at the National Theatre which will definitely "wow" you due to the art and architecture. The pre-columbian Coin Museum will only be great for those of you that love history and archaeological digs. (NOT ME!) We then drive by the University and some other big spots in the city. We end the tour with stops at 2 souvenier shops that are overpriced and cater to people that take these tours.