Adios Costa Rica!

It's hard to say goodbye to a place, it doesn't exactly hug back...

Before our alarm clocks ring, while we are still snug in our beds, the world is alive right outside the window! After missing the early bus Monday I managed to rise on time and catch the 5 am bus Tuesday, to the capital of Costa Rica. Feeling heavy with sleep and sadness I shuffled to the dirt road to meet the bus. My head felt fuzzy and my heart ached, but Mother Nature could care less! She is fully awake and more vibrant than ever! I couldn't believe how much activity was going on, that early, right outside my door. Nature is grooving at 5am, marvillosa!

Brilliant flowers and birds burst around me. Grey clouds turn pink, while chickens peak at the yard and my puppy friend plays at my feet, not aware of our rapidly approaching separation. The little, chubby yellow birds that I see everyday are perched along the fence, a regal salute before I wave down the San Jose bound bus. I can also smell citrus and cilantro rising with the sun. And was that a faint whiff of pinto, I caught, being prepared by the great mothers of Sandalo? Mi comida favorita!

Scarlett macaws and parrots squawk above while howler monkeys growl in the distance, a sound I was longing to hear, one last time.

The nine hour bus trip is long and intense, but I fought off sleep to take in the glorious sights and to breathe in the rain forest that was my home for a season. Layers upon layers of green, a blur from my bus window seat. It has rained all day, almost every day in October and the jungle is now in full force. Today the sky is steel blue, while a light fog rolls off the mountains in the distance, clinging to the surrounding cloud forests.

Costa Rica is a very hard place to leave. The last 4 months have been bliss and I will greatly miss all the wondrous sights, tranquilo way of life and all the loving people who have touched my soul.

While explaining where I lived to a woman I traveled with in Panama, she remarked, "You live in a magical place at a wonderful time, soak it in!" And I did. This magical place and time will forever live with me. If you fancy a glimpse, just ask.

Tonight I will be couchsurfing with my good friend Cyril, the ambassador for Costa Rica. Tomorrow I am Nicaragua bound, another land and people with so much beauty to offer. I will then be making my way Northeast to explore El Salvador and visit an orphanage. Lastly, on November 15th I will arrive in Guatemala City where I will be surfing more couches and partying at a big music festival in Panajachel! November 21st I will be flying home, a week in Toronto and then up to The Soo to try and make some money and join in the family festivities before continuing my adventures in Latin America.

Adios Costa Rica! Te quiero mucho y pura vida!!!

Sloth Action!

Meet Buttercup, a 15 year old 3-fingered sloth. She was the first sloth to be rescued by the owners of the sanctuary. She has lived with them for a decade and has met hundreds of thousands of curious tourists. Buttercup is a big showoff and dreams to one day escape to join the circus!



Meet Millie, a sleepy two-toed sloth who likes to cover herself with a towel to block out the light during her 18 hours of sleep a day.




This is Toyota, a lucky 3-fingered sloth who lost an arm when she was badly burnt by an electric wire. Sloths often climb telephone poles because they look like trees. Luckily, Toyota was taken to the Sloth Rescue Center in Costa Rica and now lives a life of leisure and fame.



Sloth babies are adorable! I spent 5 hours at the Sloth Sanctuary and fell in love with every one of these fascinating creatures. Since we are in Central America we got to play with them. It was bliss, I didn't want to leave. Some of them have lost their Moms, fallen out of trees, been found on the highway or have been tormented by kids who don't know any better.
The babies don't have Moms so they are put together to comfort each other. There aren't any teats to suck on so they suck on each others ears while they sleep! It is so CUTE! This is Taz suckling on Annie´s ear.


Sloth contact! Meet my favourite sloth, Taz! He was super soft and very playful.


Crazy claws!



Ricky hanging out with Piffany, of the 2-fingered variety. Piffany was eagerly awaiting the return of her friend who was being fed lunch close by. The vets figured out that, while sloths are solitary creatures, they really enjoy each others company and when they grow-up together they cry and become depressed when they are separated!



Oh, it is a good life! Sloths are the only animal I can think of that always have a smile on their face! I gots to get me a sloth!!!

COUCHSURFING

¨As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to make the world a better place, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing isn't about the furniture- it's not just about finding free accommodations around the world- it's about participating in creating a better world. We strive to make a better world by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!¨

Trust, friendship and a couch or a similar space to crash for the night-these are the fundamental ingredients for any Couchsurfer. I have found an amazing community of travelers with a group called Couchsurfers. I heard about CS from a guy I met in a hostel in Mexico. I logged on to www.couchsurfing.com to check out what the fuss was all about. I was amazed to read profiles and stories from people who had traveled the world as a couchsurfer. I was even more intrigued by the people who rarely traveled but loved hosting other travelers in their homes.
CS was started by an American guy named Casey Fenton, who got a cheap ticket to Iceland for a long weekend. There was one problem: he had no place to stay and no desire to rot in a hotel all weekend and play Mr. Tourist. So, he came up with the 'brilliant' idea of spamming over 1500 Icelandic students in Reykjavik and asking them if he could crash on one of their couches. After exchanging emails with many of the students, he had several groups of friends offer to show him 'their' Reykjavik. So, after spending an amazing, crazy weekend just south of the Arctic Circle, Casey decided he would never again get trapped in a hotel and tourist marathon while traveling. From that point onward, it was all about crashing on exotic couches and cultural exchange. And, thus, the CouchSurfing Project was born.
When I first discovered this interesting community, in Mexico, I was a little hesitant. I started slowly by emailing people and just meeting up for coffee or a meal. I didn’t feel comfortable going into a strange home. It was great to meet local people, get suggestions for things to do around town and even practise my Spanish from time to time. It wasn’t until I arrived in Costa Rica that I really dove in and started staying at people’s homes and surfing couches.
The mission of CS is simple:
"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding."
I have met so many wonderful people in San Jose through Couchsurfing. Last month I stayed with the CS Ambassador of Costa Rica and he introduced me to his couchsurfing friends. His job doesn’t allow for him to travel very much but he says he feels like the world comes to him instead as couchsurfers share his home, space and social life for a few days at a time.
Is CS safe? This is a very common question with many answers. There are several precautionary measures in place for surfers and hosts. There is a verification system and a strong network of references. Also, everyone wants to be able to be part of CS and if they abuse the system or act outside of the CS mandate then it is the other couchsurfer´s duty to post a bad reference to warn other surfers.


I know there are many communities out there like CS, groups that open their hearts and minds, to share a part of themselves and provide a safe space to learn, love and grow. You probably have many similar types of groups and foundations in your very own hometowns. It could be the local farmer’s market, a church, a school, a sports team or your local coffee shop hang out. I feel now, more than ever, we need to join and reach out to these types of communities in order to ground ourselves and find ways to renew our conviction in human trust and friendship.
Travelling can often be lonely and it seems harder to find true friends. Couchsurfing has provided me with a neighborhood of like-minded individuals who want to promote genuine friendship and an open door policy. They have renewed my faith in the human race! For many years I have cursed technology, stubbornly refusing to adapt to the rapid changes around me. But now I can see how, even in a small way, the Internet and technology can provide me with an opportunity to get closer to people and meet some really caring individuals. I am looking forward to couchsurfing throughout South America next year.

Crocodile infested rivers, fire breathing insects, wild pigs, poison dart frogs, four kinds of monkeys, all complete with the mythical jungle-roaming tapir. Welcome to the rugged Corvocado National Park, the Amazon of Costa Rica!
I spent the Costa Rican Mother’s Day long weekend in the National Park with my boyfriend Ricky. Despite some anxiety ridden moments we had a blast and enjoyed the three days of hiking and exploring this gorgeous rain forest reserve. Along with phenomenal seclusion and splendor the park is described by National Geographic as “the most biologically intense place on earth” and is listed in the book A Thousand Places To Go Before You Die!
Saturday we took a three hour collectivo taxi to Carate, an entrance town to the national park and then hiked 20 kilometers on primitive trails, through the jungle and along the Pacific’s coastal beaches towards the Sierna Ranger Station. We spotted many squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys and my personal favourite the white faced capuchin monkeys playing and eating high up in the trees tops. Later we came across a timid anteater, a dove, vultures, and dozens of coati (raccoon-like animals), a herd of peccaries (sharp-toothed wild pigs), bats, tons of scarlet macaws, and last but not least two enchanting tapirs. The tapir is a fascinating, ground dwelling, plant eating creature. The Baird tapir is a mixture of elephant, rhinoceros, pig and horse! There are approximately 200-300 tapirs left in the national park and are hard to find since they rely on concealment as a form of defense. They leave huge, three-toed tracks in the mud and on forest trails throughout the reserve, but after many tracking attempts over the second and third days we could not find any more. I feel privileged to have spotted, if only briefly, the adult and juvenile tapirs crossing the trail and running for cover back into the dense, wild jungle.
Unfortunately, the planned 20 km hike turned into 25 kms due to poorly marked trails and our constant searches for good locations to cross the high rivers. We were warned about high tides that made the rivers impassable because of water levels, crocodile activity and sharks that cruise the inshore waters… Needless to say I was a bit apprehensive. Luckily we crossed at waist-high depths just before the tidal waves flooded the river.
After a wrong turn I accidentally brushed up against a fern swarming with flame throwing ants! Ok, ok, a bit of an exaggeration, but those nasty inferno ants had a mighty, fiery bite that is still lingering three days later!
We lost our way several times but made it to the ranger station just as twilight became night and before the worry of predators, mainly snakes and big cats such as the jaguar, let our imaginations run wild. To top it all off, during a badly needed shower, at the ranger station, I was stung by a vicious wasp. It may seem like a horrible day to some, but I will look back on August 18th, 2007 with fond memories of amazing animal sightings and great adventures.
Needless to say after a 430 am start and an 8 hour day of hiking I was very happy to settle into our bunk house, change into dry clothes and scarf down some pasta salad before falling sound asleep beneath a mosquito-netted canopy.
The next day we went on some easy hikes around the ranger station and along the beach where we saw huge, beautiful trees entangled in thick, maze-like root systems, hundreds of different butterflies, tons of birds, lizards, screeching parrots, monkeys and a cute little agouti, a cat-size rodent related to the guinea pig. The third day we hiked out at a rapid pace through a torrential downpour that lasted the whole 6 hours of our walk. We didn’t spot many animals because of how much the rain obscured our vision, but we had lots of fun singing silly songs about rain, splashing through huge puddles/creeks and having our picnic lunch in a small cave by the raging ocean. What a fantastic, adrenalin charged weekend! Now I am back in my little wooden shack 50 kms from those bio-diverse trails but only 10 km from another entrance to The Corvocado National Park. Guess where I’m going this coming weekend?!

No Longer Homeless!

This has been a very exciting month, thus far. I now have a home in Costa Rica! I moved in Monday and have been busy cleaning and organizing my new place. I live in a little village called Barria Bonito, close to the main town of Puerto Jimenez in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. I live beside the wonderful Valerin-Jimenez family. Jenny (Mom), Javier (her husband), and Jenny´s two daughters Tatiana (8 years old) and Elizabeth (7 years old). They have been very good to me, providing me with all the things I need and some that I don´t, like last night they dropped off some delicious fish soup!

My little cabin has a cute porch, a big kitchen, a little room + bed, a bathroom (with hot watter! a rarity) and a gorgeous yard surrounded by the jungle. Below you will find a picture of me with my little puppy Osita. I say mine because I am slowly manipulating her to come live with me! Her name means little bear in Spanish. Osita´s Mom was hit by a car a week ago and her brothers and sisters have been given away to other families nearby. She lives in a box in the garage and is very timid. People here don´t tend to keep house pets so it would be selfish of me to house-train her since I am leaving in three months. Either way we are quickly becoming good friends and enjoy reading and taking siestas together on my porch during the lazy afternoons.

I live in the jungle of Costa Rica, how cool is that! Nothing posh, but to me it´s paradise. I have also started teaching English twice a week to an 19 year old girl here who is best friend´s with my neighbour. As far as payment goes we are trading language for language. She is just starting off with the basics in English and I need a lot of practise with conversational Spanish, a great deal for both of us. Her name is Rosaria and she has a really cute, fat 3 month old baby named Natalie.

I need to make some money since my funds have become very thin. I am trying to get an art project started here. I want to make touristy cards, using my photographs, to sell to tourists. Once I get my project up and running I will write more and tell you of my progress.

If you have a week vacation coming up and would like to explore Costa Rica I would love to show you around. It is such a beautiful country, with wonderful people, relatively cheap and easy to fly to from North America. I live a 40 minute flight from San Jose, the capital, and it only costs about $50. In case any of you feel inspired to send me some snail mail or, even better to come and visit me, here is my Costa Rican address: Michelle Laporte, c/o: Jennifer Valerin-Jimenez, Puerto Jimenez, Golfito #35, Costa Rica

Exotic Animals in Costa Rica

The elusive quetzal! I have been looking for this guy for 5 months and finally spotted him at The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica. The quetzal is a very colourful, long-tailed bird that hides out in the Americas and is often held as the most beautiful bird in the Western Hemisphere! The quetzal is also the national bird of Guatemala and so prized that they coined their units of money after this glorious bird.



Tree hugging in Manuel Antonio National Park! This is a sloth, my new favourite animal.
I was following a well-marked path in Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica when I saw a group of tourists starring up into a huge tree. When I got closer I realized they had spotted a sloth, a brown fuzzy blur, high above our heads. The sloth seemed to be asleep and the crowd soon dispersed, more interested in the surrounding beaches. My Irish friend Sharon and I stayed behind and were in awe because we had yet to encounter a sloth on our hiking adventures. We were in for a treat when this two-toed, male sloth made his way down the tree and to the ground in front of us. When I took this picture I was 3 feet from this enchanting creature!

You need a bit more information to understand the rarity of this opportunity. Firstly, sloths only come to the ground about once a week. They live most of their lives hanging upside down in trees, where they eat, sleep, mate and give birth. Secondly, sloths are nocturnal animals and sleep approximately 18 hours a day! They are hunted by jaguars, eagles and people and so they are very cautious about making their decent to the jungle floor once a week to defecate beneath their cecropia tree. They eat the leaves of the cecropia tree and it is believed that they defecate at the base in order to fertilize the trees that sustain them. The great circle of life!
Sloths are the slowest mammals on Earth and get their name from their lack of speed, not laziness, as it is commonly believed. We were entranced by the sloth´s tai-chi like movements as he meditatively made his way down to the ground. A truly beautiful and mesmerizing performance to witness.




The dazzling, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, an engineering marvel! Outside a cafe, in Monteverde, I relaxed in the Hummingbird Gallery where hundreds of hummingbirds flocked to drink the sweet water hung in feeders for them. Hummingbirds have always fascinated me. Their wings beat about 80 times per second and fly 850-1600 km during migration from Canada to Mexico or Central America, non-stop! Phenomenal!

This is Not a Postcard

How many times a day do we feel complete and utter happiness? How many times a year or a lifetime?

Today I was sitting, reading, having a coffee in a cafe in Tortuguero, Costa Rica when happiness washed over me and hovered. The coffee was good and the ambience was pleasant, but real (palm trees, puffy pillows scattered around the cafe, yet an Imperial beercan floated by on the river). The tiniest flower I have ever seen rested on my table, until a breeze lifted it away.
I was reading Fugitive Pieces, a poetic novel by Anne Michaels. Healthy and alert with caffine running through my veins. There was love and peace in my heart, nothing could spoil that moment and I had full control as I basked in its rarity.
Tortuguero does not have a pretty beach and I would not want it any other way. No one was on the black sand with me and no one was swimmming or sunbathing on this gloomy day. The waves were fierce and the water murky with warnings of sharks and barricudas.
This is not a postcard. The water is not turquiose or azul or any other shade of ¨brochure blue¨. It is perfect and I am happy. Why do I cringe and back away from postcard promises? Why do they stir anxiety in me? I do not believe they are real. Because I think they are made to be what we have come to want and call beautiful?
The crashing waves are soothing with no particular rythum. Everything is impermanent. This feeling will pass, I will drink all of my coffee and this beach will disappear into the sea. But for now, en ese momento, life is good and so I will savour it, breath in.
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I have jeans and privacy! These are two things I have been craving. I bought jeans a couple of days ago for $4. The front button was missing but I had one put on for 0.20 cents... Magic happens in the marketplace! No city, town or world should ever be without a market.
And privacy---oh the luxury! How do people find time for themselves here? They don´t and have never had the chance. I travel sola, yet I am never alone and it is often a battle to find space to think or write or be silent. Here, in Tortuguero, I have my own room and washroom for $15 and it is glorious! This is the most I have spent on a room, but it was worth it these last two days.
I catch myself thinking back to ¨A Room of One´s Own¨, by Virgina Woolf. This article has stayed with me through the years and her thesis is so simple: in order to create and find inner joy we must have a room where we can think and enough money to provide for ourselves.
On Canada Day I asked my friends and family what Canada meant to them. There was a common thread in the email replies that I recieved. Our home and native land is blessed with space, lots of space. And those lucky enough, with the proper means, are afforded the luxury to enjoy those beautiful spaces. I had never considered this blessing before, but am rapidly realizing the splendor of space during the course of my travels. Elbowroom and headroom cost money. The majority of people in Central America and in the world cannot afford spaciousness. We can survive without our own space but we cannot thrive.

Happy Birthday to me!

Hey guys, thanks for all the birthday wishes. It was nice to wake up to read tons of emails from everyone and it helped me feel connected to everyone back home. For my birthday I hiked a gorgeous waterfall on the island of Ometepe, Nicragua. I also woke up to a cute card made by my Irish friend Sharon. She collected things from around our hostal and created a very crafty little message. I then had a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto, my favourite dish in Nicaragua. After brunch we hitched a ride from some friendly locals in the back of a pickup truck all the way to the San Ramon Waterfall. It was a peaceful, misty walk complete with more butterflies than I could have ever imagined to exist in one rainforest. There were clouds of them!

Sharon and I travelled off the island later that day and went to celebrate my big day in a tiny beach town called San Juan del Sur. I had a fantastic, fresh fish dinner and a couple of Tonas (the local brew). A perfect birthday!

I am now in beautiful Monteverde, Costa Rica where there are more shades of green than I can comprehend! Stories and pictures to follow in a day or so. Hasta luego!

Double Double

Happy Canada Day! Just a quick shout out to my fellow Canucks. While you relax with your 2-4's, go camping or attend a bbq I'll be hiking a volcano, here in Nicaragua. Unfortunately, there aren't many Canadians around but I will do my best and finish my trek with a nice cold one. There aren't any Steamwhistles or Keiths around...Tona or Victoria are the brews of choice.

I am curious what everyone is up to for the holiday and interested what you think being Canadian is all about or for my readers abroad, what do you think being Canadian means? What is the first image that pops into your mind when you think about Canada? A moose? Beer? Lumberjacks? The Canadian Flag? The beaver on the nickel? Voyageurs? Bonhomme (or Mr.Bon Soo)? Hockey?

While Canada is about so much more than furry animals, hardy outdoorsmen and tasty beverages, we often boil our image down to one of these symbols. Canada has grown as a country. Are there new symbols that better represent who we are? Chinatowns, Macaroni and Cheese or Tim Hortons?!

What do you think? Have a good weekend, EH?

Leon, Nicaragua

Casa de Cultura, where I studied Spanish.



Camping in the old volcanic crater, last weekend, surrounded by horses. ¡Que bonita!



A gorgeous sunset at Volcan Telica!

No Name.

Maybe he said, ¨can you spare some change?¨, ¨please help me, Miss¨, or perhaps, ¨you have very beautiful eyes, my dear¨, when he grabbed my arm in the market today. I don´t know because I couldn´t understand his rapid, slurred Spanish. I just pulled away, without making eye contact and mumbled the ever-ready, lo siento, I´m sorry.

Why couldn´t I look him in the eye? Why are we sorry?

Later, the same day, a nice, clean, smiling elderly man approached me and spoke rapidly about Leon and the beautiful surrounding villages. He also told me some language differences in Nicaraguan Spanish and then commented on how beautiful my eyes were... Although I couldn´t understand him completley, either, I decided to make conversation and listen to his stories.

Today I am feeling quite guilty, puzzled and a bit sad regarding the shell that is hardening around me. Everyday I have tons of encounters with locals but I dismiss most of them out of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear for my safety, fear of misunderstanding due to the lack of my language comprehension and fear of facing a cold truth. The truth being that poverty, sickness, anger and loneliness surround me.

Nicaragua is not only the largest and most populated (5.5 million) country in Central America, but is also the poorest. War and recurring natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, drought, swells, and volcanic eruptions) have destroyed much of the country’s economic base and caused great human loss.

And so I walk on, head down, perhaps muttering a polite apology, failing to even recognize the other person as a human being, who is asking merely to be seen and understood...

I know I can´t help them all, spare change won´t go far. Will eye contact, a smile, some kind words or even my time, provide any relief? I don´t know the answer, but I do feel somewhat ashamed at my constant knee-jerk reactions.

No one would ever wish or ask to be poor, sick or lonely. No one wants to beg, but millions, billions do everyday, who must, in order to survive.

Blue Creek Village

It's been awhile...I really want to share, with you, my experiences in the Maya village so I will try to paint you a picture of this peaceful Belizean community.

When I first arrived I was overwhelmed and felt so happy to be far away from the beach life I had been surrounded by for several weeks. The journey to the village was an adventure in itself. It took me several hours to figure out transportation and the last leg of the journey I spent in the back of a pickup truck with a funny guy who, I believe, was telling me his life story but he spoke a Maya dialect. Therefore I did not understand a word...he might have just been commenting on the weather, but I will never know. The ride in was breathtaking with lush jungles surrounding the tiny, bumpy, dirt road leading to Blue Creek.

Once inside the village I found my way to the Toledo Ecotourism Association Guesthouse, a small palm-thatched hut that can sleep 8 people but has never reached maximum capacity! I later found out that I was the fourth tourist to visit the village this year, and the first one since the beginning on February!

No tourists, no loud music, no on-the-make Belizean guys and no beach-I found heaven! Just a cool breeze, a creek beside my guesthouse, hundreds of chirping birds, chickens pecking there way through the underbrush, and the distant sounds of the forty-five families that make up Blue Creek.

At night I wrote or read by candle light and took cool showers outside (also with candles) before climbing into my little, quaint little bed complete with a mosquito net canopy. I had a rude awakening when I told Pedro, the owner of the guesthouse, that I thought the village was very beautiful and peaceful. He replied, ¨For me, I don’t know if it is nice, I don’t think it is beautiful anymore. It’s the same thing everyday for me; thatched roofs and wooden houses¨. Poetic and sad.

Just before dinner three, adorable little girls walked hand-in-hand up to my door. They giggled and whispered before they approached and told me that dinner was ready. They quickly named me ¨Michela The Giant¨. I love being considered tall! It’s a whole new world to me. After a delicious meal of tortillas and scrambled eggs I read the kids some books and helped them with their homework. There are seven children in total (Octavia, Leticia, Ophelia, Lavra, Amelvia, Arselia and their brother Alvaro)and they had tons of questions and stories of their own.

The next day Pedro came to collect me for some jungle and caving adventures. We spent over an hour in each cave system; one dry, one wet and I learned a lot from him. Twice we turned off our flashlights and just listened to the sounds in the cave and we heard someone walking around above us, someone whispering and a dog barking. I just figured it was coming from above, outside the cave, but Pedro said he hears similar sounds every time and there could be no way that we would be able to hear outside because we were too deep... eerie.

The rest of the day I had many visits from the villagers. Some were curious children who heard I had a camera and wanted to try it out, others came to welcome me or ask questions about my life back in Canada. I had a very long discussion about scuba diving with a woman who couldn’t understand how a person could breathe underwater and why you would want to with sharks and alligators around! There was also a community scavenger hunt that night and my guesthouse was one of the clues so there was lots of activity swirling around my little private oasis.

I had three very healing days in Blue Creek Village and hope to return near the end of my trip if I have time. I have never felt a part of something so peaceful! What an experience!

After Belize I took the long trek to The Bay of Islands in Honduras, Utila in particular. In Utila I did tons of scuba diving and obtained my Advanced Certification. Another place I would like to return before my time in Central America comes to a close. Utila has some of the cheapest diving packages in the world and I am considering taking the Rescue Diver course.

I quickly wrapped up my travels in Honduras because it doesn’t have a very good reputation for being a safe country. I am now residing in Leon, Nicaragua where I am continuing my adventures with the Spanish language. I plan to take classes for 2-3 weeks here and then go explore big, beautiful Nicaragua before heading south to Costa Rica.

II, 16

How surely gravity's law,
strong as an ocean current,
takes hold of even the strongest thing
and pulls it toward the heart of the world.

Each thing -
each stone, blossom, child -
is held in place.
Only we, in our arrogance,
push out beyond what we belong to
for some empty freedom.

If we surrendered
to earth's intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.

Instead we entangle ourselves
in knots of our own making
and struggle, lonely and confused.

So, like children, we begin again
to learn from the things,
because they are in God's heart;
they have never left him.

This is what the things can teach us:
to fall,
patiently to trust our heaviness.
Even a bird has to do that
before he can fly.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

Backtrack to Cozumel

Some of you have been emailing and asking me how my vacation with my parents went so I thought I would backtrack and let you know we had a fantastic time together in Cozumel. Resort life isn't for me but I thoroughly enjoyed the three days I had with Mom and Rick. When I first arrived I was blown away with the prices in Cozumel. Thankfully, I was able to use a bit of Spanish to bargain my way around. I soon forgot about the exuberant costs when I arrived at my parents resort where an abundance of food, air conditioning and hot showers greeted me. It was like Christmas!!!

It was so nice to see my parents! During the day we went scuba diving and at night we relaxed by the pool or went and watched cultural shows that the resort organized. The diving was not what we had expected but still very enjoyable. The highlight for me was a night dive on my last evening in Cozumel. I saw tons of crabs, lobsters, starfish, eels, parrot fish, and an octopus that changed colours as it moved along the reef. At the end of the dive we all sat at the bottom of the ocean, turned off our flashlights and waved our hands around frantically. Odd? Maybe, but this produces a very interesting reaction underwater. Plankton are everywhere and when water swirls around them they get a little bit stressed out and light up. In complete darkness this creates an underwater light show. Very cool!

Scooter Mama! Mom and I rented a scooter to tour the island of Cozumel and had a blast. Traffic on the island can be a bit crazy but Mom maneuvered her way around like a pro. We went downtown and then scooted along the coast where gorgeous beaches abound. We found ourselves a tranquil spot and went for a little swim. We hadn't exactly planned for the beach so we didn't have any swim gear with us. That couldn't stop these gutsy women! How many people can say they have been scuba diving with their Mom, ridden a motorcycle or scooter with her and gone topless with her at the beach?! I have a very cool Mother.

We also stopped for a Caribbean size margarita at a bar called Coconuts. This bar gives out free drinks to women who show off their "coconuts". Private beach OK, public bar-that's where we draw the line. As you can see from my picture, full price for these ladies. :) They actually had a huge stack of photo albums at the bar in case you wanted to take a gander at all the women who had participated over the years... Far from Cancun, but still playing the same games.

You Better Belize It!

Yeah corny, I know, but hey it's the tourist bureau's slogan here in beautiful Belize. I had an amazing time on the three day sailing trip from Caye Caulker to Placencia last week. The trip was even better than I imagined. It was very low key and laid back but I was with such a great group of people and the crew, weather, and food were more than incredible.

The group consisted of a Swiss couple who just got married in Guatemala after their year long volunteer project. They are social workers back home and really sweet, down to earth people. Then there was a couple from Vancouver who I didn't really talk with much because they kind of just cuddled and slept most of the journey. Then another couple, John from Philly and his gf, Saskia, from San Diego. They were on the trip as part of their 10 day vacation to see each other since she was volunteering in Belize for a year while he finished his Master's, with a focus on the effects of Global Warming, in Paris.

Then there was Susan, a Civil Engineer from Saskatoon. She's volunteering at a water filter project in Honduras and had to come up to Belize to renew her visa....hard life, eh? She has just discovered the wonderful world of yoga and meditation so we had some very interesting conversations. Then there was good ol' Joe from San Fransisco, who was in Belize for a week to escape the 9-5 grind before going home and looking for another temp job. Also aboard, were two Czech girls who were really fun to party with during our rum punch night the first evening.

My favourite little group was a Canadian family who now reside in Kamloops, BC but grew up in the Soo! Russ and Wendy are a very interesting, active couple who have done all sorts of travelling and eco-challenges around the world. Wendy was one of the top female athletes in Canada! They have a little 2 1/2 year old named Bree who was just the smartest kid I have ever met. Wendy is quite intelligent herself and came down to Belize 2 weeks before her family to conduct grassland research with her 20 PhD students. Russ runs an outfitter's store and had all sorts of cool gadgets.

Last but not least, we have sleeping Mike. He has now fully embraced the laid back lifestyle of the Caribbean. At the beginning of the sailing trip he was eager to learn about sailing and fishing but soon found his calling on the top deck. :)

Mmmm dinner! Meet Captian Miguel who caught most of our meals during the trip and kept the boat on course. The crew consisted of three fun Belizan sailor's who also happen to be amazing cooks. They caught barracuda for us during the day and cooked up a storm for us at night.
During the day we relaxed on the deck, took snorkel breaks and visited tiny little islands along the way. At night we camped on isolated islands and drank a few too many rum punches. I was really happy with the trip and surprised at the great group we found ourselves.
We sailed into Placencia, Belize on Thursday. Placencia is a quiet beach town with a predominantly Caribbean feel. Belize is the only country in Central America where reggae is more common than salsa. I had a great opportunity to hear some great live reggae and I was even able to attend two Garifuna drum shows where Black Caribs beat out some funky tunes. After a hard day at the beach, we retreated to the popular hangout called The Tipsy Tuna. The drink menu was five times greater than the food menu, but both were equally satisfying.
There is a specialty side dish in Belize that always makes me giggle. To accompany your meal you always have the choice of either rice and beans or beans and rice. Yes, there is a difference: rice and beans ae served separately while beans and rice are cooked and mixed together!
Tomorrow I bus to Blue Creek Village, a Maya pueblo close to Punta Gorda. Belize has a great ecotourism association that sets up village stays in order to allow traveller's the opportunity to get beyond superficial sightseeing. I am looking forward to meeting some locals, trying traditional foods and living amidst the beauty of the region for a few days before heading back to the beach lifestyle. This time next week I will be in Utilia, Honduras where I plan to take my advanced scuba diving certification. Until then, RESPECT, mon!

Seafood and Karoke

I have left the touristy coast of Mexico and am now regaining my health in beautiful Belize. I was sick for the past few days, which I blame fully on the resort food in Cozumel, but am feeling healthy and happy once again. Carefree Caye Caulker, where I have spent the last three days, is an island 45 minutes from Belize City.

What is there to do in Caye Caulker? Swim where the island splits in two (fittingly called The Split), sunbath, eat yummy seafood, drink local Belekin beers and to top it all off: sing the night away at the local karaoke bar. Karaoke seems to be a big hit here and we gave it a go a few nights ago with some rather shy Dutch guys. Mike and I chose a couple of songs, but the other two were a little more apprehensive. All in all a really fun night!

Belize is much different than Guatemala and Mexico. We didn't feel very safe in Belize City and were even warned from a guy on a bike not to walk any further down a certain street. People are much more abrupt and in your face than in any country I have experienced. Yet, for the most part they also seem to be very funny, friendly, and outgoing people. Belize has an extraordinary cultural diversity. Creoles make up 60% of the population. They were brought over as slaves by the English from Africa and Caribbean islands in the 16th and 17th centuries. Then there are the Spanish or Mestizos who have descended from some mix of Maya, Mexican, Guatemalan or Europeans. Also lots of Chinese, East Indians, German Mennonites and of course North American immigrants.

A big colourful mix similar to the rainbow of colours one would find in a Toronto or New York subway car---except in Belize, they're all making direct eye contact and talking and laughing with one another!

Tomorrow I set off for a three day sailboat trip down to the south of Belize. I am very excited for the trip because this is a chance to see all the beautiful reefs and islands that make Belize so famous. There will also be lots of opportunity to snorkel, fish, and learn how to sail. We will be catching our own food and sleeping on isolated islands along the way.

I will send pictures soon!

¡La Pais de Jugos!

It´s simple: put fruit, vegtables or a combination of both and blend. ¡Es facil y inteligente! It´s easy and smart! I know, I know, we have juice bars in Canada and all around the world, but this part of the world has them everywhere. Every restaurant, cafe, and street corner offers a variety of fresh pressed or blended juice (jugos) at very cheap prices. Well, maybe not as cheap as beer.

My favourite blended juice is called Vampiro, meaning vampire. It consists of beet root, orange juice, parsley and grapes. Muy rico! It´s so good! And a great, cheap and healthy way to start the day.

I´m not sure about other areas in the world, but in Canada we have a company called Jugo Juice, which is kind of silly when you realize the Spanish translation would make it simply Juice Juice...anyway just some meaningless trivia for the day.

I am now on the Caribbean coast just south of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel in a small beach town called Tulum. I fled Playa del Carmen after scuba diving one day because it was overrun with resort type ¨touristas¨. Every Mexican I met there congradulated me on my Spanish, which is still very basic, and said how nice it was that I had made an effort to learn their langauge. I have been speaking Spanish as much as I can for the last two months so I was a bit shocked when people in Playa replied in English. And, I understand the average tourist who comes to Mexico for a week or two vacation doesn´t have time to learn Spanish. I hope to continue with Spanish lessons in 4-6 weeks once I am finished with the Caribbean coast and back into the thick of it.

I am very excited to meet up with my parents in Cozumel on Monday! I am staying with them for three days only, porque es muy carro, because it´s very expensive. We will scuba dive for three days and then they will join me in Playa del Carmen for one day before I head to Belize.

All I want for Christmas is a juicer! :) Although, without a juicer there are still many options and combos. Try one out this weekend. Squeeze some oranges, limes and maybe a grapefruit and perfecto, you have yourself a refreshing citrus jugo made with lots of TLC! Have a great weekend everyone! Adios.

Happy Feet in Merida

I have now arrived in humid, intimidating Merida, located in the Northern Yucatan state of Mexico. We are now entering the hottest season of the year and I have already experienced 40 degree Celsius weather...not enjoyable. The city keeps me busy with a plethora of activities, galleries, libraries and cafes. Today I visited the Gallery of Contemporary Art where I fell in love with an artist named Castro Pacheco. This painting really captures my love of feet!

I also found a great English library here where I have been spending several hours a day reading and relaxing in the gorgeous garden. Monday evening they hold group actitivies for English speakers so I'm going to check out what all the fuss is about.

I will be staying in Merida for a week before heading to the Caribbean coast to meet up with my parents. Merida is full of fun, free activities...really important for me as I budget scuba diving into my trip. Every night live music concerts are held in several of the downtown plazas. I have also tried to learn salsa dancing at my hostel where free lessons are set up for us awkward gringos. Luckily, Nestor, the dance instructor here, is patient and a really cool guy. Tonight after a Latin Jazz show we are going to meet up, hopefully away from the dance floor as it seems I have been born with two left feet. Qué puede usted hacer? What can you do?

San Cristobal de Las Casas

A tumble of colors, aromas, sounds, and faces greet the senses upon arriving in magical San Cristobal de Las Casas. The city is overflowing with artisans, cafes, organic coffee and produce, colourful old Volkswagen Beatles, great live music and an abundance of international food with a Mexican flare. The perfect city for me! The original plan was only to stay here a few days, but I fell in love with this peaceful, cozy little town and have been here almost two weeks.

The weather here is absolutely perfect. After being up in the northern tropical jungles I was ready for some cool mid to upper 20´s, perfect for walking around. Situated 2200 m above sea level, in the highlands of Mexico, SC experiences very fresh air with a distinct clarity of light.

The hostel I am staying in has a wonderful ambiance and I was able to strike a deal since I was staying so long. I paid $5 (50 pesos) a night which included my room, use of the Internet, kitchen, hot showers, free water, outdoor patios and hammocks and a TV with DVDs. The kitchen was the real selling point for me because I haven´t cooked for myself in 7 weeks. I was even able to whip up some yummy pesto to remind me of home.

San Cristobal is surrounded by stunning valleys, mountains, deep forested areas, awesome waterfalls, deep canyons and an abundance of wildlife. On the outskirts of San Cristobal you will find many indigenous Maya villages, rich in cultural traditions. I was lucky enough to be able to visit San Juan Chamula over the weekend. People from all the surrounding villages walk miles to reach Chamula in order to pray, conduct rituals and seek healing in the main temple.

Religion here is a mixture of Catholicism and Maya Ritual. Chamulas revere St John the Baptist above Jesus Christ; St John's image is more prevalent inside the church. I entered the church and froze immediately. There were thousands of candles (you could feel the heat!) on the floor, tables and alters. Dozens of saints surrounded the large room and families were spread out conducting rituals. The Temple of San Juan is covered in pine needles: the pine tree is an important part of Chamula culture because their towns and villages are surrounded by pine trees. Symbolism is strong as soda is used in rituals, eggs are used to absorb evil; and chickens or turkeys are sacrificed…all of which I saw. While I was fascinated and intrigued I also felt like quite an intruder in a very private, sacred place.

Another highlight of San Cristobal is the famous Na Bolom Museo, meaning "House of the Jaguar". This elegant colonial mansion was most recently owned by a philanthropic couple from Switzerland Gertrude Duby-Blom and her husband Frans Blom who died in 1963. After falling in love with Chiapas, they moved here and spent the rest of their lives exploring, surveying and studying; educating and protecting the local indigenous peoples. Today the house is packed full of their work including photographs (55 000 taken over 4 decades!), archaeological finds, and books.

To my surprise The Banff Mountain Film Festival was in town last weekend! This is their first time showing the festival in the state of Chiapas and luckily they showed a different lineup then what I viewed in Edmonton early this year. ¡Que casualidad!

The colours here are intense and one can get quite swept away by the beauty of San Cristobal and the gorgeous surrounding areas. But, not all that shimmers is gold. There is still tension, nervousness and anger left over from the Zapatista rebellion that surmounted in 1994. The group was formed by Marxist revolutionaries and later indigenous radicals of Chiapas. They have much to rebel against. The state is controlled by nine wealthy families and, particularly in the highlands, the locals have no rights and no security. For more info if you are interested check out:
Link


The love affair ends at 18:20 hours when I depart for Merida, 12 hours north in the great state of Yucatan. I hope to return to San Cristobal de Las Casas near the end of my travels and perhaps volunteer in a nearby village.

¡HASTA LUEGO!

Some Colour for your Weekend

National Geographic

As you will notice I have not taken many photographs of Mexicans or Guatemaltecos. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, I do not want to invade their privacy by being like a typical annoying tourist, constantly snapping at anything that catches my eye.

Secondly, I find that while travelling, if I become obsessed with taking pictures, I lose out on many experiences. If my camera is always in front of my eyes I can´t truly see and therefore, I forfeit those moments forever.

I have fallen in love with these beautiful, vibrant countries and the wonderful people I meet. Guatemala and Mexico are rich and diverse countries, full of opportunities for photographers. The age old question becomes, ¨to shoot or not to shoot¨?

A camera can take on a different role for different people. Some people simply want to have a visual record of where they´ve been for future viewing or to share with friends and family. Others see photography as an art form. They try to capture their surroundings and see the people and places around them more clearly.

I´ve also met people who use a camera as a shield. They hide behind this small piece of equipment so that they never have to get close to anything or anyone. They just click away, obsessively, thinking it´s the ¨right thing¨ to do while on vacation.

Even though I can barely speak the language here I don´t want to view locals as merely objects on the other side of my lens. They are fellow members of the planet. I think if you approach them with respect, people will pick up on that, and they will treat you the same.

The last two months I have been travelling around heavily populated Mayan areas. There are many Mayans who feel that the camera can take their soul and have a general distrust of cameras. There is also a persistent rumor that foreigners come to Guatemala to steal children...

A couple of you are reading this last paragraph and giggling a bit because you know I quite often joke about kidnapping all the little, gorgeous kids I see. I can understand this maternal stress and fear as hundreds of foreigners ´oh and ah´ over their precious babies.

And yes I agree that ¨a picture can say a thousand words¨. Don´t get me wrong, I am quite fond of taking and viewing pictures and by no means am I retiring my little Canon. Photography has always been a highlight of my travels. I believe there might be a fine line, but I haven´t quite figured out where that is for me, yet.

Photography by Mike Tournoy

The Link

I´m new at this whole blog thing...the link I tried to set up for Tikal didn´t work so let´s try that again: www.parque-tikal.com :)

¡Tikal!

The alarm clock goes off at 4am...we walk 1 km in the dark like zombies. We climb Temple IV which stands at an awe inspiring 72 meters to watch the sunrise! The fog obstructs our view, but we are treated to the bewildering sounds of the jungle as thousands of animals wake with the first rays of light. About 60 tourists from all over the world join us for this 5am sunrise atop Temple IV. Dozens of birds, howler monkeys and perhaps a jaguar or puma can be heard as we all wait in silence, peering over the misty jungle of Tikal.

Tonight is my last night in Guatemala as Mike and I head for Palenque, Mexico tomorrow morning at 5am. We just returned from a wonderful two days exploring the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Tonight we are going to dine in style, which means spending about $10...since we are growing quite tired of the usual Guatemalteco fare (chicken, bean and rice or eggs). I will write more about my adventures in Tikal and Flores, Guatemala soon. Tikal is the largest Mayan ruins and if you are interested check out some info at: Pictures are on their way, I promise!

Vamos a Mexico!!!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Blessed with some of the most breathtaking lagoons, waterfalls and caves, the road from Coban to Chisec, is a nature-lover´s paradise! The past few days I have spent my time trekking through lush jungles, bathing in sunny lagoons and stumbling around slippery cave systems.

Semuc Champey, a major tourist attraction for foreigners and Guatemalteco´s alike, is framed by steep forested hillsides. The water, a series of turquoise pools, turn marvelous shades of blue and green as the sun moves across the sky. Unfortunately, we visited on a very busy day, but there was still lots of room to hike and explore at our leisure. We swam from pool to pool and had many opportunities to jump from waterfalls to the lakes below. Our guide helped us maneuver around the slippery slopes and took us to an incredible cave with limestone formations that looked like glistening tulip chandeliers.

The next day I travelled to a town four hours west called Playa Grande, which is neither a beach nor grande... It was, however, a good base to explore the national park of Lachua. I was absolutely flabbergasted to find a park with strict rules about waste and land preservation. Guatemala is a very dirty country and sadly not many people are thinking about the future of their land. Although in Lachua, we found outhouses with dry composting, organic waste receptacles and even a fruit disease control-inspection station to prevent the movement of contaminated food! We hiked a 4.5 km trail through the lush jungle where speedy lizards and colourful butterflies abound. At the end of the trail we were treated to relaxing and swimming in a gorgeous, tranquil lake.

The highlight of my day took place in the early evening when we hitched a ride in a pickup truck back to our hotel 20 km away. So far most of my favourite moments seem to take place when I´m travelling between places because transportation in Guatemala is always an adventure in itself! We stopped to pick up a family who needed to hitch a ride to a Jehovah Witness gathering. A beautiful, tiny little three year old girl was passed to me to hold during the extremely bumpy, dusty ride. I was in heaven! She was soooooo adorable! We exchanged a few words and then this little precious girl was whisked away to go celebrate at her church. These are the kind of moments that no travel book can prepare you for and no picture could ever capture!

I now have a great travelling companion so I can relax a little. The latino guys can get a bit annoying when I walk around alone, lots of whistling, staring and a few rude comments now and again. Most Guatemalan´s first impression of white women comes to them via Hollywood movies and advertisements with scantly clad Caucasian women. They seem to associate white skin with these images and slogans. Thankfully, the scene totally changes when I´m walking around with my own personal, Dutch bodyguard named Mike. Mike and I met while taking Spanish lessons in Xela. If everything goes well we are planning to travel together for the next two months to explore the ruins of Mexico, the jungles of Belize and the reefs of Honduras. As many of you may know I usually have a hard a time travelling with other people. Luckily, Mike is a very down to earth guy and we have a very similar travelling style.

I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend. I´ll be thinking about big turkey dinners with yummy apple pie while I eat yet another round of rice and beans...Happy Easter!!!

¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome to my blog! I can´t promise daily or even weekly entries but I think it will be a nice central place to write about my travels and to receive comments and feedback from friends and family. Please feel free to post comments and opinions to share with other readers.
Here I am nearing the end of month number one of my Central American travels. It´s been a busy month learning Spanish, climbing volcanoes, enjoying natural hot springs, exploring coffee plantations and visiting hippie towns. I have managed to acquire some basic survival Spanish, but I have a long way to go.
Unfortunately, last week I was very sick because it seems there are parasites having a little fiesta in my stomach... and after a few awful nights, spent in close proximity to the bathroom, I feel much better and have regained about 70% of my strength.
I am now in the beautiful town of Coban in the middle of Guatemala where Semana Santa has begun and the town is flooded with religious processions, loud music and people everywhere enjoying the festivities. I have yet to experience the mayhem of Semana Santa and am leaving the city tomorrow for a day trip to Semec Champay, a gorgeous tropical national park complete with waterfalls, caves and hiking trails. I fled the crowds of Antigua to come up here because it seems that with the influx of tourists and Guatemaltecos, around Easter, Antigua is not a safe place to be during the biggest festival of the year. I will be up north in a week to enjoy Easter from Flores, near the Mayan ruins of Tikkal.
Just a quick side note: you may or may not have heard about Mel Gibson´s new film called Apocolypto which is filmed in Guatemala and focuses on an urban legend, written and directed by Mel, about the Mayans. A word of advice-don´t bother seeing it. In my opinion, this is a ridiculous film of the Mayans which displays them as savage lunatics. Mel clings to his argument that this is fiction and by no means historical, but most Guatemalans are in an uproar because of this racist depiction of their culture and past. I know it could be argued as just another film, simply meant for entertainment purposes. On the othe hand, when most of the world knows little about Guatemala or Mayan history this film tends to discolour a culture with a much richer past. This is definetely much different than the action films we have been accustomed to seeing because you won´t find any automatic weapons, swarms of helicopters, explosions, or speeding cars. So, if you aren’t opposed to graphic, brutal cinematic violence, get in line for Apocalypto this weekend! See it on the biggest screen possible, stuff your face with popcorn and ooo and ahh along with the raging crowd.

A Poem to Travel By.

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I've been circling for thousands of years
and I still don't know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?

~ Ranier Maria Rilke ~