Hello Everyone!
We arrived in Cartagena, Colombia just a few days ago after a very short one hour flight from Panama City. We were on the smallest plane! Only 36 people could fit - it was the smallest plane I have ever been on. We sped through customs and were at our hostel in a very short amount of time. We were not staying in the best area of Cartagena, but we were close to the center and our hostel was very safe. Cartagena is a pretty cool city - the old part (basically the city center) is surrounded by walls built by the Spanish to protect the city from ocean attacks (since the city sits on the Caribbean coast) with forts at each corner and one big one high up on a hill overlooking the city. The roads are super narrow and the buildings and homes still have a very Spanish colonial feel. The city center felt really safe and there were always tons of tourism, community, and regular police patrolling. In Granada, Nicaragua, there were a lot of people walking around begging for money, but not at all in Cartagena - there were a lot of people trying to sell us crafts and Panama hats, but no one begging and no one selling drugs. Food was kind of expensive in Cartagena, but we tried to eat only at the food stalls and street food. We found a delicious bakery that was quite inexpensive and ate a lot of shrimp and snail ceviche!
We took one day trip while in Cartagena and that was to the Volcano Totumo. It is a mud volcano and you go to it to basically sit in the mud. It didn’t look much like a volcano more like some people piled up a bunch of dirt and then added some water to make it muddy! But it was a interesting experience. When you go into the mud you can get a mini massage and when you leave the mud to rinse off in the lagoon there are woman there to bath you! I choose to opt out of both of those, but a lot of people had the woman wash them - it was pretty funny because they just peel off your bathing suit without any warning. Brian and I are still rinsing mud out of our bathing suits!
Yesterday we arrived in Taganga. It is a small town on the Caribbean coast about 5 hours away from Cartagena. We will be here for a few days to soak up some rays and get our Advanced Open Water SCUBA Certification. So far, we like the town as it is really small (the smallest since we started traveling) and the people here are so nice. We are staying at our most expensive hostel yet ($22 a night!!!), but we have a great view, a great private room and bathroom, and a hammock on our balcony! Plus, the front door of the hostel opens up onto the beach. We really cant complain! We haven’t tried any of the local street fare yet, but it looks quite promising.
We have been having a good time trying all the new foods here - most of it is fried, but we have had some super yummy ceviche both shrimp and sea snail. We also like arepas which are kind of like super fluffy corn tortillas grilled and then sliced open and stuffed with butter, cheese, and sometimes egg. We also had empanada like pastries filled with chicken. Yesterday, we ate something that I think was mushed up yucca, stuffed with chicken and veggies and flavored like curry and then deep fried. Also, something that tasted like corn and plantains smashed together and fried that was served with a piece of white cheese. The good thing is that the cheese has been getting better and better as we move south. It is still mostly just white cheeses made with fresh unpasteurized milk, but the flavors are much better than in Honduras. Our favorites thus far (well besides the ceviche and the bakery) have been all of the fruit juices and fruit cups that you can buy from street vendors for only 50 cents. The papaya here is just incredible.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Nicaragua
Puchica! Now that we are officially not Peace Corps Volunteers anymore - we officially are jobless and quite homeless!
We finished our very short and very small tour of Nicaragua. We started in Leon - a very cool (certainly not temperature wise) city with a lot of young Nicaraguans (Nicas) and lots of super interesting museums. In Leon, we visited several museums, churches, and the HUGE basilica. The streets were pretty empty during the day (since it is so hot), but once the sun starts setting people start to fill the streets and the park/plaza/basilica area. People set up food stands, souvenir stands, and other such stands in the park and people just sort of hang out, eat, and chat. We, of course, tried just about every food item we saw in the park and also ate plenty in the Leon market. My favorite drink in Honduras and El Salvador was horchata, but I haven’t been able to find it here. They have a cold chocolate sort of drink that is very tasty and also something called ‘tiste’ which is pretty close to horchata and really yummy.
While in Leon, we also went to Leon Viejo - it took us two buses and a long hot walk to get there! - which is where Leon was originally built, but then ruined by lava and earthquakes. It was not nearly as interesting as we thought it was going to be. We were also just boiling the whole time!
After Leon, we went to Granada. Granada is just like Leon, but with a lot more tourists and a fresh coat of paint on everything. And a lot less Nicas - lots and lots of tourists and then on weekends wealthy Nicas from Managua (the capital). There was really good Nica food in Leon, but hardly any to be found in Granada. But I am certainly not complaining as there was a ton of other delicious (and expensive) food. In Granada we looked at more churches (where I dropped the camera down the spiral stair case from the bell tower and broke it) and we also went on day trips to small cities around Granada. We went to Masaya were they sell a lot of artisan stuff set up in different booths around a series of walk ways. We also went to Catarina, a very very cute little town where we went to see the view of Laguna de Apoyo. Seriously, one of the most beautiful bodies of water I have ever seen. It is a crater lake filled with warm fresh slightly salty water. The people in town were very nice to us. They also sold a lot of artisan items - jewelry, pottery, fabrics, etc.
From Granada we made our way to Isla de Ometepe. The trip to the Isla would have been more pleasant if we weren’t being lied to every second about how exactly to get to the port, but we made it (a few pesos lighter) and then another adventure began - getting to our eco-lodge. Transportation isn’t nonexistent on the island, it too was just difficult to figure out the bus schedule. Once we figured things out we made it to our very eco-friendly lodge. Our ‘cabin’ was very basic - a thatched roof hut on stilts with a bed and a mosquito net. Most of the time we had power! The toilets we compost toilets and all of the showers were for the most part out doors (not exposed!). The lodge had their own farm and made baked goods. They also had a kitchen for us to use, which was good because once the sun set there was no leaving the lodge as there were no lights anywhere and it was a least half a mile from the lodge to the main street (not that there was anything there to do anyway!!). Many people fall in love with this island - it has two volcanoes, one active and one dormant. Lots of jungle and wildlife, monkeys, incredible birds, iguanas, geckos. Waterfalls and hiking trials all situated in the middle of the largest lake in Central America, the 21st largest in the world. - I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I did, however, LOVE the lodge we stayed in (El Zopilote) and would love to go there again. We didn’t do too much on the island, we walked around a lot, visited the small beaches, and rode around the dirt roads on a motorcycle (not recommended as I am very sore).
Did I mention that Nicaragua is HOT? It is. And we never had air conditioning. L
So, after the Isla de Ometepe, since I was over the whole lake thing we made our way over to the Pacific Ocean side of Nicaragua to beautiful San Juan del Sur. SJDS is located on a half-moon shaped bay. It has beautiful beaches and a lot of restaurants on the beach from which to enjoy the beautiful sunset. This small town (about 5,000 people) attracts a lot (and I mean a lot) of foreign visitors. It has hostels that run from about $6 a night for a dorm bed to private cabins that go for $200+ a night (www.piedrasyolas.com and www.morgansrock.com , for anyone looking for a nice getaway). SJDS also hosts a large ex-pat population. The ex-pats are mainly restaurant owners, engineers working in construction, and real estate investors. A lot of them are from Canada, although a good number come from the US and Europe as well.
We spent some time on the beaches in and around town (there are some beautiful deserted beaches only a few km from town), roaming the streets and a lot of time trying to stay cool (it was HOT!!). All in all, it was a nice town with beautiful beaches and good end to our time in Nicaragua.
We definitely would like to come back here again as it is a beautiful country with lots and lots to do. It can also be very budget friendly!!
Our next stop will be Panama City. Check back soon to read about it.
We finished our very short and very small tour of Nicaragua. We started in Leon - a very cool (certainly not temperature wise) city with a lot of young Nicaraguans (Nicas) and lots of super interesting museums. In Leon, we visited several museums, churches, and the HUGE basilica. The streets were pretty empty during the day (since it is so hot), but once the sun starts setting people start to fill the streets and the park/plaza/basilica area. People set up food stands, souvenir stands, and other such stands in the park and people just sort of hang out, eat, and chat. We, of course, tried just about every food item we saw in the park and also ate plenty in the Leon market. My favorite drink in Honduras and El Salvador was horchata, but I haven’t been able to find it here. They have a cold chocolate sort of drink that is very tasty and also something called ‘tiste’ which is pretty close to horchata and really yummy.
While in Leon, we also went to Leon Viejo - it took us two buses and a long hot walk to get there! - which is where Leon was originally built, but then ruined by lava and earthquakes. It was not nearly as interesting as we thought it was going to be. We were also just boiling the whole time!
After Leon, we went to Granada. Granada is just like Leon, but with a lot more tourists and a fresh coat of paint on everything. And a lot less Nicas - lots and lots of tourists and then on weekends wealthy Nicas from Managua (the capital). There was really good Nica food in Leon, but hardly any to be found in Granada. But I am certainly not complaining as there was a ton of other delicious (and expensive) food. In Granada we looked at more churches (where I dropped the camera down the spiral stair case from the bell tower and broke it) and we also went on day trips to small cities around Granada. We went to Masaya were they sell a lot of artisan stuff set up in different booths around a series of walk ways. We also went to Catarina, a very very cute little town where we went to see the view of Laguna de Apoyo. Seriously, one of the most beautiful bodies of water I have ever seen. It is a crater lake filled with warm fresh slightly salty water. The people in town were very nice to us. They also sold a lot of artisan items - jewelry, pottery, fabrics, etc.
From Granada we made our way to Isla de Ometepe. The trip to the Isla would have been more pleasant if we weren’t being lied to every second about how exactly to get to the port, but we made it (a few pesos lighter) and then another adventure began - getting to our eco-lodge. Transportation isn’t nonexistent on the island, it too was just difficult to figure out the bus schedule. Once we figured things out we made it to our very eco-friendly lodge. Our ‘cabin’ was very basic - a thatched roof hut on stilts with a bed and a mosquito net. Most of the time we had power! The toilets we compost toilets and all of the showers were for the most part out doors (not exposed!). The lodge had their own farm and made baked goods. They also had a kitchen for us to use, which was good because once the sun set there was no leaving the lodge as there were no lights anywhere and it was a least half a mile from the lodge to the main street (not that there was anything there to do anyway!!). Many people fall in love with this island - it has two volcanoes, one active and one dormant. Lots of jungle and wildlife, monkeys, incredible birds, iguanas, geckos. Waterfalls and hiking trials all situated in the middle of the largest lake in Central America, the 21st largest in the world. - I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I did, however, LOVE the lodge we stayed in (El Zopilote) and would love to go there again. We didn’t do too much on the island, we walked around a lot, visited the small beaches, and rode around the dirt roads on a motorcycle (not recommended as I am very sore).
Did I mention that Nicaragua is HOT? It is. And we never had air conditioning. L
So, after the Isla de Ometepe, since I was over the whole lake thing we made our way over to the Pacific Ocean side of Nicaragua to beautiful San Juan del Sur. SJDS is located on a half-moon shaped bay. It has beautiful beaches and a lot of restaurants on the beach from which to enjoy the beautiful sunset. This small town (about 5,000 people) attracts a lot (and I mean a lot) of foreign visitors. It has hostels that run from about $6 a night for a dorm bed to private cabins that go for $200+ a night (www.piedrasyolas.com and www.morgansrock.com , for anyone looking for a nice getaway). SJDS also hosts a large ex-pat population. The ex-pats are mainly restaurant owners, engineers working in construction, and real estate investors. A lot of them are from Canada, although a good number come from the US and Europe as well.
We spent some time on the beaches in and around town (there are some beautiful deserted beaches only a few km from town), roaming the streets and a lot of time trying to stay cool (it was HOT!!). All in all, it was a nice town with beautiful beaches and good end to our time in Nicaragua.
We definitely would like to come back here again as it is a beautiful country with lots and lots to do. It can also be very budget friendly!!
Our next stop will be Panama City. Check back soon to read about it.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Adios Honduras, Bienvenido Nicaragua
Hello everyone,
Well as of September 19, 2009 Jessica and I are no longer Peace Corps Volunteers. We are officially Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV), although we technically have not returned anywhere. Our last few weeks in town were both very fun, satisfying, busy and sad. On September 5, we headed up to La Esperanza for a despedida (going away party) for the 5 volunteers who are finishing this month. Emelina (another Volunteer) made some delicious Korean dishes for dinner and we said good by to all of the volunteers that we have grown so close to during our service.
We spent our last week in town finishing projects (Educatodos, TEAM, business presentations) and packing up the house before we moved back in with our host family for a few nights. We had a going away party with Jessica's TEAM class (English for teachers). They sang, played guitar and presented us with some very nice gifts. We also had two separate going away parties with classes in the high school whom we taught English too earlier this year. Again, they both were a lot of fun. It was nice to see the kids organize and put the events together for us. Later in the week the teachers from the colegio had a another despedida for us. We spent the last two nights in town out our host family's house (back in our old room, but this time with a giant queen bed instead of the two single beds we had before). This was really great as we got spend a lot of time with them. On Sunday night, our host sister made us a very nice dinner and the whole family sat down to eat with us. Unfortunately, our host mom could not make it as she was in San Pedro visiting her brother. (She did call several times to see how things were going.)
Overall, we had a fantastic last week in Colomoncagua. Lots of despedidas. Lots of food. Lots of cake and soda. As we left bright and early Monday morning, our whole host family got up to have coffee with us and see us off. It was very sad to say goodbye, but we could not be happier about how we spent our last few days in Colo.
This past week we have been in Tegucigalpa meeting with PC staff and doctors getting ready to leave. To make a long week sound short, after pooing in a cup for three days straight, Jess has parasites and I have giardia (sp?). PC did give us medicine to kill all of the little creatures and a voucher to get tested again stateside. And we are done. RPCVs. It does not seem like we have been here since July 11, 2007. And it has not hit us that we are done.
Now onto our next adventure. Tomorrow, September 19, we are leaving for Leon, Nicaragua as we start our travels. We will spend time in Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. We will update the blog as often as possible, so stay tuned.
We miss you all back home and cannot wait to see you!
Well as of September 19, 2009 Jessica and I are no longer Peace Corps Volunteers. We are officially Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV), although we technically have not returned anywhere. Our last few weeks in town were both very fun, satisfying, busy and sad. On September 5, we headed up to La Esperanza for a despedida (going away party) for the 5 volunteers who are finishing this month. Emelina (another Volunteer) made some delicious Korean dishes for dinner and we said good by to all of the volunteers that we have grown so close to during our service.
We spent our last week in town finishing projects (Educatodos, TEAM, business presentations) and packing up the house before we moved back in with our host family for a few nights. We had a going away party with Jessica's TEAM class (English for teachers). They sang, played guitar and presented us with some very nice gifts. We also had two separate going away parties with classes in the high school whom we taught English too earlier this year. Again, they both were a lot of fun. It was nice to see the kids organize and put the events together for us. Later in the week the teachers from the colegio had a another despedida for us. We spent the last two nights in town out our host family's house (back in our old room, but this time with a giant queen bed instead of the two single beds we had before). This was really great as we got spend a lot of time with them. On Sunday night, our host sister made us a very nice dinner and the whole family sat down to eat with us. Unfortunately, our host mom could not make it as she was in San Pedro visiting her brother. (She did call several times to see how things were going.)
Overall, we had a fantastic last week in Colomoncagua. Lots of despedidas. Lots of food. Lots of cake and soda. As we left bright and early Monday morning, our whole host family got up to have coffee with us and see us off. It was very sad to say goodbye, but we could not be happier about how we spent our last few days in Colo.
This past week we have been in Tegucigalpa meeting with PC staff and doctors getting ready to leave. To make a long week sound short, after pooing in a cup for three days straight, Jess has parasites and I have giardia (sp?). PC did give us medicine to kill all of the little creatures and a voucher to get tested again stateside. And we are done. RPCVs. It does not seem like we have been here since July 11, 2007. And it has not hit us that we are done.
Now onto our next adventure. Tomorrow, September 19, we are leaving for Leon, Nicaragua as we start our travels. We will spend time in Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. We will update the blog as often as possible, so stay tuned.
We miss you all back home and cannot wait to see you!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
HOLA!
Wow! So much has been going on!
Honduras is still coup - ing. Mel Zelaya the ousted presidente is somewhere (maybe Nicaragua? Probably not Mexico… maybe the USA?) he crossed into Honduras for literally 20 minutes and then went back to Nicaragua. It doesn’t look like there is going to be any sort of solution any time soon. Roberto Micheletti likes being el presidente and Mel Zelaya liked being el presidente and wants to come back. Some people are striking (ie the teachers) in support of Mel and others are marching in support of Micheletti. Thank goodness most of the schools in our town are back in session - some for only three days a week, but that is better than no school at all.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO two weeks ago, Megan (Brian’s sister) and her novio (Luis) were supposed to come visit Bri and I in Honduras. We planned on meeting them in La Esperanza as both of them speak excellent Spanish instead of in Tegucigalpa where they landed. Brian and I were craving cheeseburgers and so went to Siguatepeque before their arrival. Well, we were running late in Siguat but were not too worried about it as Megan and Luis would have to pass through Siguat anyway to get to La Esperanza. We were near the bus station when a bus passed and we thought that they were probably on that bus or maybe the next one. Brian went to the bus to save seats and see if his sister and Luis were on it (while I bought myself a delicious strawberry cream popsicle). Brian hopped on the bus and I shortly followed. Not too surprisingly, Brian’s sister was in fact on the bus.
BUT
SURPRISE
SURPRISE
Luis was NO WHERE on the bus!
WHY???
Because instead of Megan bringing Luis to Honduras she surprised us with his MOM! Yay! It was a HUGE surprise! I was so shocked I couldn’t even speak. I just could not believe it nor could Brian. Megan was such a good liar, I mean surpriser! It took awhile for the shock to wear off - I think we are still shocked!
Once we got to La Esperanza, Brian got Megan and Maureen right into Honduran cuisine and bought them some baleadas as they had had a long night and day of flying. We took them straight to the hotel to settle in and to catch up. Then we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, then to the market, and then to Chris and Robynn’s house for some homemade pizza. They had had a long day so after a wonderful time and a great meal at Robynn and Chris’s we called it a night and went back to the hotel. Wednesday, we took our time waking up but eventually got going and went to the Lencan fruit and vegetable market, the Lencan woman’s artesenia store, another small super market, and then hopped on the bus for the 4 hour bus ride to our town of Colomoncagua. Another tiring day ended with a very yummy traditional Honduran at our friend and neighbor’s (Dinsora) little café.
Megan and Maureen spent the next 4 days in our town - they met Profe Francisco and saw the high school, they meet our host family, we took a day trip to El Salvador (where they went to the FMLN museum and old camp sites), Megan milked cows and rode a horse, we drank fresh milk, they experienced our fabulous little Sunday market, we stuffed our faces with traditional Honduran food all day Sunday, Maureen hiked Picacho for excellent views of our town, and then they had to wake up insanely early for the bus ride out on Monday.
Unfortunately, Brian and I were unable to go away with them, but Megan and Maureen went to Copan Ruinas on Monday. They spent the next few days there horseback riding, eating salads (this is jealous Jessica), drinking delicious coffee, exploring the Mayan Ruins, discovering small indigenous villages, visiting a bird park, and shopping. They (I really really hope) had a great time. Copan is a great town with a lot for visitors to discover. Plus, Copan has great food and is just a really cute Honduran town! Go there!
Luckily, Brian was able to meet up with his Mom and Sister on Friday in the town of Gracias. Gracias is a little city along the Ruta Lenca - which is just a route to take to visit various Lencan (indigenous Indians) communities. Gracias is also a jumping off point to hike the national reserve of the mountain Celaque. Celaque has a cloud forest, lots of wild animals, and huge waterfalls. Celaque is an indigenous word meaning box of water. I guess the mountain sort of looks like a box and 11 rivers start from Celaque. Megan, Maureen, and Brian got up very early on Saturday to hike part of Celaque. They hiked an easy trail and then decided to find coffee somewhere on the mountain. Luckily, a man and his mom lived near the trail and they served coffee, food, and offered tours of the mountain (an absolute necessity). Since they had only taken a short trail they decided to hire the man, Miguel, to take them on a hike to see a waterfall. Well, an hour and a half into the hike they were all exhausted and not yet at the waterfall. BUT they were seeing amazing things and Miguel was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. He also had a great love for the mountain, his home on the mountain, and showing off his beautiful mountain to visitors. After almost two hours, they made it to the point to SEE the waterfall. To get to the actual waterfall, they would have to hike for another SEVEN hours!! But seeing it was rewarding enough and they slowly made the descent down the mountain. They stopped again at Miguel’s house for a home cooked meal - fresh chicken soup (I mean freshly killed chicken) - DELICIOUS. A yummy end to a great and challenging day.
Later that afternoon, I was able to meet up with them. We spent the evening at the hotel relaxing and talking. Sunday, we walked around town, explored a small botanical garden, protected Gracias from an old Spanish fort, and waiting what felt like two hours for a truly mediocre pizza! Oh well, it was a great day! This pretty much takes us to the end. We, as usual, had an early bus to catch on Monday. We all went to La Esperanza, did some last minute shopping and photos, and ate a breakfast of baleadas. Brian and I watched Megan and Maureen get on the bus to Teguc and prayed that their flight wouldn’t be postponed (for some reason this happens a lot!). Tuesday morning they left Honduras…
Brian and I are so so happy that his Mom and Sister came for a visit. We absolutely love having people and are so grateful to be able to share this experience. We are coming to the end of our service and going through another life transition. It was so nice to have family here with us to help us through once again. Thank you Megan and Maureen!
Honduras is still coup - ing. Mel Zelaya the ousted presidente is somewhere (maybe Nicaragua? Probably not Mexico… maybe the USA?) he crossed into Honduras for literally 20 minutes and then went back to Nicaragua. It doesn’t look like there is going to be any sort of solution any time soon. Roberto Micheletti likes being el presidente and Mel Zelaya liked being el presidente and wants to come back. Some people are striking (ie the teachers) in support of Mel and others are marching in support of Micheletti. Thank goodness most of the schools in our town are back in session - some for only three days a week, but that is better than no school at all.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO two weeks ago, Megan (Brian’s sister) and her novio (Luis) were supposed to come visit Bri and I in Honduras. We planned on meeting them in La Esperanza as both of them speak excellent Spanish instead of in Tegucigalpa where they landed. Brian and I were craving cheeseburgers and so went to Siguatepeque before their arrival. Well, we were running late in Siguat but were not too worried about it as Megan and Luis would have to pass through Siguat anyway to get to La Esperanza. We were near the bus station when a bus passed and we thought that they were probably on that bus or maybe the next one. Brian went to the bus to save seats and see if his sister and Luis were on it (while I bought myself a delicious strawberry cream popsicle). Brian hopped on the bus and I shortly followed. Not too surprisingly, Brian’s sister was in fact on the bus.
BUT
SURPRISE
SURPRISE
Luis was NO WHERE on the bus!
WHY???
Because instead of Megan bringing Luis to Honduras she surprised us with his MOM! Yay! It was a HUGE surprise! I was so shocked I couldn’t even speak. I just could not believe it nor could Brian. Megan was such a good liar, I mean surpriser! It took awhile for the shock to wear off - I think we are still shocked!
Once we got to La Esperanza, Brian got Megan and Maureen right into Honduran cuisine and bought them some baleadas as they had had a long night and day of flying. We took them straight to the hotel to settle in and to catch up. Then we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, then to the market, and then to Chris and Robynn’s house for some homemade pizza. They had had a long day so after a wonderful time and a great meal at Robynn and Chris’s we called it a night and went back to the hotel. Wednesday, we took our time waking up but eventually got going and went to the Lencan fruit and vegetable market, the Lencan woman’s artesenia store, another small super market, and then hopped on the bus for the 4 hour bus ride to our town of Colomoncagua. Another tiring day ended with a very yummy traditional Honduran at our friend and neighbor’s (Dinsora) little café.
Megan and Maureen spent the next 4 days in our town - they met Profe Francisco and saw the high school, they meet our host family, we took a day trip to El Salvador (where they went to the FMLN museum and old camp sites), Megan milked cows and rode a horse, we drank fresh milk, they experienced our fabulous little Sunday market, we stuffed our faces with traditional Honduran food all day Sunday, Maureen hiked Picacho for excellent views of our town, and then they had to wake up insanely early for the bus ride out on Monday.
Unfortunately, Brian and I were unable to go away with them, but Megan and Maureen went to Copan Ruinas on Monday. They spent the next few days there horseback riding, eating salads (this is jealous Jessica), drinking delicious coffee, exploring the Mayan Ruins, discovering small indigenous villages, visiting a bird park, and shopping. They (I really really hope) had a great time. Copan is a great town with a lot for visitors to discover. Plus, Copan has great food and is just a really cute Honduran town! Go there!
Luckily, Brian was able to meet up with his Mom and Sister on Friday in the town of Gracias. Gracias is a little city along the Ruta Lenca - which is just a route to take to visit various Lencan (indigenous Indians) communities. Gracias is also a jumping off point to hike the national reserve of the mountain Celaque. Celaque has a cloud forest, lots of wild animals, and huge waterfalls. Celaque is an indigenous word meaning box of water. I guess the mountain sort of looks like a box and 11 rivers start from Celaque. Megan, Maureen, and Brian got up very early on Saturday to hike part of Celaque. They hiked an easy trail and then decided to find coffee somewhere on the mountain. Luckily, a man and his mom lived near the trail and they served coffee, food, and offered tours of the mountain (an absolute necessity). Since they had only taken a short trail they decided to hire the man, Miguel, to take them on a hike to see a waterfall. Well, an hour and a half into the hike they were all exhausted and not yet at the waterfall. BUT they were seeing amazing things and Miguel was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. He also had a great love for the mountain, his home on the mountain, and showing off his beautiful mountain to visitors. After almost two hours, they made it to the point to SEE the waterfall. To get to the actual waterfall, they would have to hike for another SEVEN hours!! But seeing it was rewarding enough and they slowly made the descent down the mountain. They stopped again at Miguel’s house for a home cooked meal - fresh chicken soup (I mean freshly killed chicken) - DELICIOUS. A yummy end to a great and challenging day.
Later that afternoon, I was able to meet up with them. We spent the evening at the hotel relaxing and talking. Sunday, we walked around town, explored a small botanical garden, protected Gracias from an old Spanish fort, and waiting what felt like two hours for a truly mediocre pizza! Oh well, it was a great day! This pretty much takes us to the end. We, as usual, had an early bus to catch on Monday. We all went to La Esperanza, did some last minute shopping and photos, and ate a breakfast of baleadas. Brian and I watched Megan and Maureen get on the bus to Teguc and prayed that their flight wouldn’t be postponed (for some reason this happens a lot!). Tuesday morning they left Honduras…
Brian and I are so so happy that his Mom and Sister came for a visit. We absolutely love having people and are so grateful to be able to share this experience. We are coming to the end of our service and going through another life transition. It was so nice to have family here with us to help us through once again. Thank you Megan and Maureen!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
SCUBA - what??????????
The first of many acronyms that we learned during our SCUBA Open Water Dive certification course! About three weeks ago now, Brian and I (along with some friends) went to the Honduran island of Utila to get dive certified. Not only is the diving great in the waters off of Utila, the price for the dive certification (and diving in general) is quite inexpensive.
Now, I must admit that although I was super excited about going SCUBA diving I was also very very nervous (ie extremely scared). Brian didn’t seem to be very worried about it, nor did anyone else in our group…so I pretended not to be scared either.
We took a boat, much like the one to Catalina, to Utila. When we got off the boat we were swarmed with ‘dive masters’ from practically ALL of the dive centers on the island trying to get us to take their dive course and stay at their hotel. Luckily, we already had reservations at a dive center and hotel (Underwater Vision) and some Australian friends were already on the island waiting for us at the dock. Also, our dive instructor, Dave, was there to take us to the hotel and talk to us a little about the dive course. Well, I was at first not impressed with Dave. Which just made me a little bit more nervous about the whole diving thing.
Dave took us to the dive center and got us all set up in our rooms and with our diving reading materials. Our homework for the night was to read the book and prepare ourselves for hours upon hours of instructional diving videos. I think I was just relieved that we would not be diving until two days later! The next day came and went, we watched our videos and read the book. The day after that, we did some review in the book and took a quiz after each chapter leading up to our first diving experience - the contained dive.
Before the actual dive, we met our equipment and the dive masters that would be helping us during our dives. We had an easy swim test, then we put all our SCUBA gear on and hopped in the water. Now, the contained dive site was neither far nor very deep, but to me still quite scary. We made our way over the site of the contained dive - our instructor Dave gave us some instructions and down we started to go….
Wait!! DOWN!?! ALREADY!?!?!?!?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!! You want me to WHAT????? Breath underwater? Ummm, no. Not happening. NO WAY, NO HOW! OHH - MY - GOD.
That went through my head as I was slipping from the surface of the water into the great abyss of the ocean - at a depth of about two feet…hehe. Yeah, I freaked out. I was not prepared. I was having a panic attack. I grabbed the instructor (even though I had no idea it was him) and made the hand signal to go back up to the surface. By this time, I am crying and fully freaking out. The instructor grabbed my head and made the hand motions to breath deep - in and out, in and out. I resisted…I wanted to go back up where human beings are supposed to be…above the water! But before I knew it, I was calming down and we reached the bottom where Brian was waiting for me. I eventually calmed down, although I was by no means comfortable while down there. We practiced our drills and did our drill tests which took us about an hour and a half to complete. Looking at everyone underwater they all looked so calm and comfortable. We finally went up to the surface and got out of the water where I was reassured by two things - one: other people were either uncomfortable or felt nervous and two no one noticed that I had a melt down.
The next few days we went on more dives and by the end of the course I felt pretty darn comfortable being underwater. It took awhile, but eventually all of us felt comfortable and calm in the water. By the time the last dives rolled around we were all able to really enjoy the beautiful underwater world. We were better divers, more efficient breathers, and were actually able to control our underwater buoyancy. I left the course feeling exhilarated and proud! I actually fell in love with SCUBA diving.
So do it!! SCUBA. It is a scary and fun challenge. Go to Utila - Underwater Vision (underwatervision.net) and get Dave as your instructor. He was amazing and my first impressions were so wrong. I can not imagine a better instructor. He loves his job, he loves diving, and he is a stickler for safety and rules.
AND while all of this was happening - there was a coup in Honduras. We were underwater when Peace Corps Volunteers were informed of the coup. We got out and Honduras was a little bit different. Luckily, for us and the people of Honduras there has been little to no violence during this time. Brian will write in a later blog about the coup and the effects on our Peace Corps service.
Now, I must admit that although I was super excited about going SCUBA diving I was also very very nervous (ie extremely scared). Brian didn’t seem to be very worried about it, nor did anyone else in our group…so I pretended not to be scared either.
We took a boat, much like the one to Catalina, to Utila. When we got off the boat we were swarmed with ‘dive masters’ from practically ALL of the dive centers on the island trying to get us to take their dive course and stay at their hotel. Luckily, we already had reservations at a dive center and hotel (Underwater Vision) and some Australian friends were already on the island waiting for us at the dock. Also, our dive instructor, Dave, was there to take us to the hotel and talk to us a little about the dive course. Well, I was at first not impressed with Dave. Which just made me a little bit more nervous about the whole diving thing.
Dave took us to the dive center and got us all set up in our rooms and with our diving reading materials. Our homework for the night was to read the book and prepare ourselves for hours upon hours of instructional diving videos. I think I was just relieved that we would not be diving until two days later! The next day came and went, we watched our videos and read the book. The day after that, we did some review in the book and took a quiz after each chapter leading up to our first diving experience - the contained dive.
Before the actual dive, we met our equipment and the dive masters that would be helping us during our dives. We had an easy swim test, then we put all our SCUBA gear on and hopped in the water. Now, the contained dive site was neither far nor very deep, but to me still quite scary. We made our way over the site of the contained dive - our instructor Dave gave us some instructions and down we started to go….
Wait!! DOWN!?! ALREADY!?!?!?!?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!! You want me to WHAT????? Breath underwater? Ummm, no. Not happening. NO WAY, NO HOW! OHH - MY - GOD.
That went through my head as I was slipping from the surface of the water into the great abyss of the ocean - at a depth of about two feet…hehe. Yeah, I freaked out. I was not prepared. I was having a panic attack. I grabbed the instructor (even though I had no idea it was him) and made the hand signal to go back up to the surface. By this time, I am crying and fully freaking out. The instructor grabbed my head and made the hand motions to breath deep - in and out, in and out. I resisted…I wanted to go back up where human beings are supposed to be…above the water! But before I knew it, I was calming down and we reached the bottom where Brian was waiting for me. I eventually calmed down, although I was by no means comfortable while down there. We practiced our drills and did our drill tests which took us about an hour and a half to complete. Looking at everyone underwater they all looked so calm and comfortable. We finally went up to the surface and got out of the water where I was reassured by two things - one: other people were either uncomfortable or felt nervous and two no one noticed that I had a melt down.
The next few days we went on more dives and by the end of the course I felt pretty darn comfortable being underwater. It took awhile, but eventually all of us felt comfortable and calm in the water. By the time the last dives rolled around we were all able to really enjoy the beautiful underwater world. We were better divers, more efficient breathers, and were actually able to control our underwater buoyancy. I left the course feeling exhilarated and proud! I actually fell in love with SCUBA diving.
So do it!! SCUBA. It is a scary and fun challenge. Go to Utila - Underwater Vision (underwatervision.net) and get Dave as your instructor. He was amazing and my first impressions were so wrong. I can not imagine a better instructor. He loves his job, he loves diving, and he is a stickler for safety and rules.
AND while all of this was happening - there was a coup in Honduras. We were underwater when Peace Corps Volunteers were informed of the coup. We got out and Honduras was a little bit different. Luckily, for us and the people of Honduras there has been little to no violence during this time. Brian will write in a later blog about the coup and the effects on our Peace Corps service.
Friday, June 12, 2009
whoa whoa whoa
June 7th, 2009
We have now been bat free for almost two straight weeks!! Brian put up some wood and other random objects between the wall and the roof so he can not get in as easily. Also, every time we heard the bat come in we would get out of bed and chase it around with brooms - at like 3 in the morning. Our goal was to kill it (every one tells us to kill the bat by smacking it with a broom), but our ceiling is really high so he would just fly up there so we couldn’t reach him. Then he would fly at us and we would get really scared and duck. So maybe we scared him and that is why he has decided to stop coming into the house.
We gave away two of the three kittens already. We still have one left, but he technically has a home. We just do not want to give him up yet! But the darn mother cat is in heat again and running around town with some male cats. It looks like we will be seeing another litter of kittens before we leave.
The high school put on an event called ‘La Novia del Estudiante‘, which literally means Student Girlfriend. Each class in the high school elected a girl to be their ‘novia.’ Then the girls put on a fashion show. They practiced for about four days - you know walking down the aisle, posing, then walking back up the aisle. Although, they most definitely did not practice smiling while walking and posing. Brian and I went to the big event - it was a BIG event as people got really dressed up - and watched the modeling. The girls only had one wardrobe change (I thought they were going to have two) casual wear and sport wear. Casual wear was really just another word for really short skirt wear and sport wear was the category for really short shorts wear. One girl came out in a tennis outfit, which impressed me because I didn’t know they knew about tennis (although she was carrying a ping pong paddle). The boys REALLY loved her outfit because when she did her little spin they could all see her underwear. Alas, no winner was announced because apparently they have another night where we all go back to hear the winner - I am hoping they also have an evening wear competition. The truly best part about the night was that one of my teacher students karaoke a Vicente Fernandez song - if I cant post my video - I will at least post a You Tube of the song he sang.
***Update - So the competition continues this Friday night (June 12th) with two more outfits - Cowgirl and Evening Wear. And guess what??? Brian has been chosen to be a judge…haha. He doesn’t really feel comfortable being a judge, but I told him I will just tell him whom to pick. BUT now that I know everyone gets all fancy we will dress up too! Oh this is just so exciting!!! ***
Our Peace Corps service is coming to an end…we still have four months, but things are wrapping up. Next week, we have our ‘close of service’ meeting, a ‘regional’ meeting, and then we go on our last vacation in Honduras. We are going to the island of Utila to get SCUBA certified!! Once we get back to Colomoncagua at the start of July we will only have 3 months left…crazy! We are planning on throwing a Fourth of July party for our friends in town - hot dogs, Doritos, USA flag cake, piñata - the usual stuff . It should be a fun way to have a little cultural exchange!
And then we receive our very last visitors - Megan and Luis - Brian’s sister and her novio!! Yay! We are super excited for their visit, but as of right now have nothing planned. Our hope is that they stay in our town over a Sunday to experience our Sunday market, because unfortunately none of our other guests had been able to see it and it is really the most exciting thing our town offers…Plus it is the annual Potato Festival in La Esperanza - which, again, is really the most exciting thing La Esperanza has to offer.
We have now been bat free for almost two straight weeks!! Brian put up some wood and other random objects between the wall and the roof so he can not get in as easily. Also, every time we heard the bat come in we would get out of bed and chase it around with brooms - at like 3 in the morning. Our goal was to kill it (every one tells us to kill the bat by smacking it with a broom), but our ceiling is really high so he would just fly up there so we couldn’t reach him. Then he would fly at us and we would get really scared and duck. So maybe we scared him and that is why he has decided to stop coming into the house.
We gave away two of the three kittens already. We still have one left, but he technically has a home. We just do not want to give him up yet! But the darn mother cat is in heat again and running around town with some male cats. It looks like we will be seeing another litter of kittens before we leave.
The high school put on an event called ‘La Novia del Estudiante‘, which literally means Student Girlfriend. Each class in the high school elected a girl to be their ‘novia.’ Then the girls put on a fashion show. They practiced for about four days - you know walking down the aisle, posing, then walking back up the aisle. Although, they most definitely did not practice smiling while walking and posing. Brian and I went to the big event - it was a BIG event as people got really dressed up - and watched the modeling. The girls only had one wardrobe change (I thought they were going to have two) casual wear and sport wear. Casual wear was really just another word for really short skirt wear and sport wear was the category for really short shorts wear. One girl came out in a tennis outfit, which impressed me because I didn’t know they knew about tennis (although she was carrying a ping pong paddle). The boys REALLY loved her outfit because when she did her little spin they could all see her underwear. Alas, no winner was announced because apparently they have another night where we all go back to hear the winner - I am hoping they also have an evening wear competition. The truly best part about the night was that one of my teacher students karaoke a Vicente Fernandez song - if I cant post my video - I will at least post a You Tube of the song he sang.
***Update - So the competition continues this Friday night (June 12th) with two more outfits - Cowgirl and Evening Wear. And guess what??? Brian has been chosen to be a judge…haha. He doesn’t really feel comfortable being a judge, but I told him I will just tell him whom to pick. BUT now that I know everyone gets all fancy we will dress up too! Oh this is just so exciting!!! ***
Our Peace Corps service is coming to an end…we still have four months, but things are wrapping up. Next week, we have our ‘close of service’ meeting, a ‘regional’ meeting, and then we go on our last vacation in Honduras. We are going to the island of Utila to get SCUBA certified!! Once we get back to Colomoncagua at the start of July we will only have 3 months left…crazy! We are planning on throwing a Fourth of July party for our friends in town - hot dogs, Doritos, USA flag cake, piñata - the usual stuff . It should be a fun way to have a little cultural exchange!
And then we receive our very last visitors - Megan and Luis - Brian’s sister and her novio!! Yay! We are super excited for their visit, but as of right now have nothing planned. Our hope is that they stay in our town over a Sunday to experience our Sunday market, because unfortunately none of our other guests had been able to see it and it is really the most exciting thing our town offers…Plus it is the annual Potato Festival in La Esperanza - which, again, is really the most exciting thing La Esperanza has to offer.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
I might be a Vampire
May 15, 2009
Today is a rainy day and I wish that we had internet in the house! Unfortunately, we don’t (we barely have internet in town!). The front of our house turns into the Amazon River when it rains hard and makes it near impossible to get to or from our front door. We literally have to forge the river to get into our house. I don’t want to leave! We have a second little gate that leaves our yard and if it wasn’t chained shut, we could avoid the Amazon, but, of course, it is locked shut.
And we have a bat - or two - or maybe even more. We are not quite sure how many are actually coming into our house, but just about every night in one comes. The bat decided he likes our house to poop in - especially on the extra bed. I have taken to keeping a candle lit at night because I think it keeps the bat from coming into our room. I am quite confident that the candle does nothing, but I need something to help me relax. My fear…thanks to Michelle’s nurse mother… is that it is going to bite me and Peace Corps will have run out of the rabies medicine…or that it will be too rainy for the buses to run and I wont be able to get to the rabies vaccine. Terrible.
I do not know if I should write about this on the blog, but I am going to anyway. As I mentioned a couple of months ago we are having housing issues with the Peace Corps. When we moved into this new house our rent went up quite a lot. I do not feel it is an unreasonable amount, as it seems to be pretty comparable to the other houses in town that are rented out. Anyway, PC will only pay part of our rent (most of it, but Brian and I are pay a small portion out of pocket). This wouldn’t bother me if we had a super nice house, but our house is quite average. I mean, we have bats and a river!! Also, we are being told different things by different Peace Corps staff members - which is just endlessly frustrating for me. What it really comes down to is that I do not think we should have to be paying anything out of pocket or at the very least we deserve an apology from Peace Corps staff members. If you want me to tell you more of the story send me an email…
And a little bit of work info... still teahcing English in the high school. We are pretty busy with them working three days a week. We started our creative projects project in the local elemantary school with 48 fifth graders. So far, things have been going really well - the kids love the projects are they are all worknig really well in their groups. We work with them twice a week. We have also started teaching English to teachers. We have about 26 teachers in the class - so far the classes have gone really well and I think the teachers are enjoying them as well. We taught them the ABC song and they LOVE singing it!! We are also meeting with them twice a week. And finally, we have our Educatodos students - we have two groups and we work them them three days a week. It is pretty amazing how filled our days have become.
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