I'm a Bad Kid for not posting, but I am safe in Berkeley

Time really flies when you're having fun, getting sick, having the car broken into, visiting family, and driving home.

Sorry for the lack of posts. We really enjoyed Chiapas and the Mayan ruins of Palenque, but didn't have internet to post. Then it was down hill with an eye infection for me, and someone breaking into the van in Puebla. Whoever did it, knew what they were doing, and did a job on par with the sophisticated car-break-inners of the Bay Area: jammed the lock, grabbed the stereo and any bags and were out of there, in broad day light.

It was a big bummer, and after that we just wanted to head home. So we hauled it back to Texas. Once there time was spent resting and with the family, and the blog got pushed back because I spent all my time playing with Mom's new kittens and being reunited with Louie. Then after visiting my family in Oklahoma, Louie and I made the trip back to Berkeley.

Dave spent about a week in Texas, then went to Joshua Tree and is now in Tahoe.

Louie and I arrived here Thursday night and are currently enjoying Liza's hospitality. Now I'm going to start in on rejoining society by finding a place to live and a job, and keeping my car clean...

I'm also going to update the blog with a post about Palenque (it was awesome), some pictures from Texas, and a photo slideshow of highlights from the trip.

Thanks for reading, and more importantly, thank you to everyone who emailed or posted comments of support and concern. I can never doubt that I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people.

Revolutionaries and Swine Flu, Oh My!

We are in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

As for the Zapatistas we have seen lots of dolls, postcards, posters etc. But the checkpoints we passed through are easy because of the California plates and our light skin. The first they looked in, asked our nationality, and waved us on; the second they just waved us through.

As for Swine Flu there are a few people wearing masks, maybe one out of every 10. It seems people are excited the shutdown is over. We got into San Cristobal yesterday after an 8 hour drive from Xela. Thanks to the change to daylight savings and our having left early since everyone in the hostel in Xela was up at the crack of dawn, we were here with daylight to spare and enjoyed strolling the picturesque streets.

We left Suchitoto the morning of May 4 and after driving 9 and a half hours got to Xela just before dark. What a luxury to pull into a town where you don't have to look at the map! While we were familiar with Suchitoto, Xela was a good old friend that took very little brain power.
I was extremely excited when I realized that we could go to La Bakeshop for more awesome Mennonite baked goods in the morning before we left.

The only problem was we didn't leave the next morning... When Dave went to get the van, it started spewing oil! Thankfully the man who ran the parking lot had a nephew who was a mechanic. While we were for the nephew, there was time for La Bakeshop and the glorious cinnamon donut. The nephew came and the problem was a faulty oil filter we got when our oil was changed in Nicaragua. After a trip to two autoparts stores and about 30 minutes of fiddling by the nephew we had a new oil filter and no more spewing oil. The downside was it was already 2pm.

We had debated contacting Elsa, Marco, Maria (our host family from before) but decided not to because we didn't want to bother them, and we just wanted to sleep. But while waiting in line for the ATM, we ran into Marco who insisted we come to the house that evening to say hello. I am so glad we did. It was great to see them and talk about our travels.

Yesterday morning we had take 2 of driving to Mexico and it went off without a hitch. We also had our fastest border crossing of 25 minutes for both sides, including driving 4km between offices and me insisting we go in and make sure the car permit was in order, which it was.

Pictures soon. The wifi at our hostel isn't working and there isn't a card reader on the free computer...

Change of Plans!

Yes, that quickly.

Sitting around the square yesterday evening, Dave and I decided that we really don't want to wait to start heading home. Suchitoto is nice, and more Spanish classes would only help me, but the bottom line is, I am tired of traveling!

There, I said it. I am tired of hostels and cheap hotels and no screens on the windows and sleeping in the poison of mosquito coils or repellent so I'm not eaten to pieces during my fitful sleep. I am tired of roosters at 4am. I miss cooking for myself. I miss an abundant selection of veggies. I miss picking up the phone and calling my friends. I miss drinking water out of the tap. I miss wearing something other than my one pair of pants, my one skirt, or my one dress.

I won't speak for Dave and why he wants to go home, but I think it has something to do with climbing and being tired of the rules of the road down here. Just a guess.

Anyway, the new plan is leaving here tomorrow morning and driving into Guatemala. Spending the night in Guatemala. We aren't sure where, still trying to get info on the best route from Guatemala to San Cristobal.

May 5 crossing into Mexico and driving to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. A couple days there, then if Palenque is open going to Palenque for some more Mayan ruins, if not continuing towards Oaxaca City, probably a two day drive. From Oaxaca City to Morelia, again probably a two day drive. Morelia to Leon or Guanajuato. Then to Saltillo. Then to Texas.

Who knows how long it will take us, it depends on road conditions, what all is open, and how we feel.

But I leave you with these pictures snapped the past couple of days around Suchitoto. Which really is a great little town, and if it wasn't so hot and we weren't so weary, we would stay in longer.


The two little dogs that live at the tienda on the square. They are smaller than Louie, but act like they own one entire side of the square.

Scultpure at the Center for Art and Peace

Grass and cobblestones lead to the Square

Thunderhead. Dusk. May 2

Just down from the tienda and the dogs is a souvenier shop that transforms to a comedor around 5.

The Plan, or Pig Flu--- We Ain't Scared

We are itchin' to get home, but unfortunately there's the little H1N1 thing going on, and Mexico has closed down just about everything until May 5.

While we plan on being cautious and using good hygiene and common sense when we drive through Mexico, we are still going to drive home, and obviously that means going through Mexico.

Of course, what things will be like when we get home is another question, seeing as how Comal County (New Braunfels, where we're headed to see my family once we get into the USA) is closing parks and what not, I'm not sure how much there is to look forward to. But I do know that at least I'll have a kitchen and a comfy bed.

So here is the plan, subject to change, of course...

We are in Suchitoto, El Salvador, and happy to be here. We are staying in a nice little room with a strong fan and a gracious host, Robert El Gringo. Starting Monday I am doing 5 days of Spanish class, and Dave will probably head to the coast to surf. Friday or Saturday of next week we'll go back to the Ruta de Flores to see what's like on the weekend, then head into Guatemala. Probably spending the night somewhere along CA2, then into Mexico around May 11. Then we'll drive through Mexico at a reasonable pace given road conditions and how we feel. We promise to wash our hands regularly and thoroughly, and try our hardest to follow the other recommendations made by our beloved friend Dr. Krebs.

4 Borders in 4 Days

That's right, we went crazy.

After Panama City, we went to Santa Catalina Panama, and I had one of the best dives of my life. Then we went up into the mountains to Boquete and enjoyed two nights of cool air.

Day 1 Border 1 We blasted from Boquete through David and to the Panama/Costa Rica border. Driving in Panama is a pleasure. It was a clam crossing and we were done in just under an hour. We drove up the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and into Liberia. It was about 10 hours on the road. We spent the night in a cheap backpackers haunt, then hit to road the next morning.

Day 2 Boder 2 From Liberia to Leon, Nicaragua. The border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua was not as horrific as when we were headed south, but it was still long and unpleasant. The Costa Rica side was fine, there was a small wait for migration, but nothing to long. We got through the fumugation on the Nica side by ourselves, then thankfully spotted Charlie. Charlie is the man who helped us get through the first time. Unlike the kids who hang around and yell and bang on the car, Charlie is calm and efficient. Dave yelled out the window as soon as he saw Charlie. Withouth Charlie it would have been a different story. After the border we headed straight for Leon. We ended up taking the old highway from the Managua area to Leon. The result was a much bumpier and slower ride. We spent 7 hours on the road, and decided to check out Leon for two nights, just to get a rest.

Day 3 wasn't much of a rest. Leon was hot and dusty and just not restful. It does have beautiful old churches and a fantastic art gallery full of work by artists from Central and South America. The gallery was the highlight and for me it is reason enough to go to Leon if you are in Nicaragua.

Day 4 Borders 3 and 4. This was the roughest day. We set out from Leon on a highway that was underconstruction, so two and half hours of dust and bumps, then exited Nicaragua without much effort. Getting into Honduras was a little more work and a lot more money. It costs 40 usd to bring a car in, plus a few dollars per person. After about an hour at the border, we were in Honduras. This stretch of Honduras is notorious for police check points, but we were ready. We bought a new saftey triangle and a fire extinguisher and watched for where speeds were reduced. We were nearly out of Honduras (about a 3 hour drive in all) and through 4 or 5 checkpoints without being pulled over when we got flagged down.

We showed them the triangle, the extinguisher, we chatted it up, then they said we ran a stop sign and wouldn't give Dave's lisence back to us even though we kept saying there isn't a stop sign visible from the road. It was off the road and totally blocked by trees. In the end they got 20 usd and we continued towards El Salvador. It was frustrating because it was so obvisouly a shake-down. Crossing into El Salvador involved waiting around in the heat for a while, but it only took an hour and we chatted it up with some truckers while we waited. We pulled into Alegria around 6pm. Making it a 9 hour travel day. At the end of the day we were rewarded with pupusas, cool mountain air, and friendly conversations.

The only downside was around midnight when we awoke to ''The Gambler'' being blasted in the plaza across from the hotel. Music and singing continued off and on until after 3am. Dave went to the van and retrieved earplugs which helped. Then this morning around 730 we awoke to a drum and brass band marching in the streets. Ends up one of the guys we talked to at dinner is a bit of the town crazy, and this is not an uncommon occurance. This morning we were told people don't try to stop him forcefully because he gets violent when he binges. We still haven't figured out the reason for the marching band.

Pictures from Panama coming soon, as soon as we get wi-fi.

We are headed back to Suchitoto tomorrow. After that we really don't know what we'll do. Probably going back to Playa Mizata for a day or two to clean out the van and collect ourselves. We're kinda waiting to see what the deal is with travelling between Mexico and the U.S.

Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro is actually an entire Panamanian province. But what most people mean when they say it is the Carribean archipelago off the northwest coast of Panama. Most of the islands are ringed with mangroves, although there are some beaches. Houses, restaurants, and hotels are not built waterfront. Instead, they are built on stilts above the water. The buildings range from dingy white to bright turquoise and just about any other color.

The largest island is Isla Colon, but most of the surrounding islands also offer a bunch of accomodations and activities. The main area is called Bocas Town. There you can find every creature comfort and any diversion.

We spent our first three nights in Panama on Isla Colon. Robbie, Ele, Dave and I rented a two bedroom cottage in the Saigon neighborhood, a 5 to 10 minute bike ride from "downtown'' Bocastown. We rented the cottage instead of just showing up, our normal routine, because it was Semana Santa. While there were signs for vacancy here and there, it was pretty full. All of the Panamanians and Ticos were in full tilt party mode as well. Things were a little quieter on Friday, because Panamanian law prohibits the sale of liquor on Good Friday (but not any other day of Holy Week). Although some places would happily serve grapejuice, applejuice, etc if you asked nicely, and there was a giant ''private'' party on a neighboring island.

Thursday
After a bit of confusion trying to find the dock in Chinguanola, there is one but the boats are much less frequent and the ride is longer and more expensive, we drove another half hour to Almirante. There are three or four boat companies running 30 minute rides out to the islands for $4 a person each way. Bocas Water Tours was who we used, they showed Dave where the secure parking was, and the boat was comfortable with shade and lifejackets on the back of everyone's seat.

Once we were on the island, about 5, we met up with the woman who rented us the cottage and picked up the beach cruiser bikes that were included in the rental.

Dave and I went to an indian place for dinner, it was very good but not great, although the smokestack of a table next to us might have influenced how I felt about my food.

Friday
Our cottage came with bikes, without them it would have been a bummer of a location, but with the bikes it was fun to cruise around town, and on Friday Dave and I rode up the coast to a tiny smidge of sand that we had all to ourselves.

Picture thanks to the help of a friendly palm tree.

It was here we fell in love with the macro and supermacro settings on my camera.







We ate lunch at Lili's Cafe. DELICIOUS. If in Bocas, go there and try to Killin Me Man hot pepper sauce. DO IT. I had a fantastic burger, no not fantastic-for-central-america, just fantastic. Thick, juicy, flavorful. It came with the hot pepper sauce, and because I am crazy and my father's daughter, I added more. My lips burned for a good few minutes after we were done eating, and I liked it.

There were religious observances, and riding from a residential neighborhood into town allowed me to peek through many open church windows and doors where services ranging from a traditional mass to a foot stompin' hand wavin' sing-n-shout to something any methodist would feel at home attending. The services were going when we went to breakfast in the morning and they were going when we went home after dinner. That night we witnessed a procession through the streets of downtown. After the video was shot, they stopped and there was call and response and prayer.

As an alternative to the religious observances many Ticos and Panamanians were tearin' it up much like a college student at South Padre Island for spring break.

Policia
After dinner we searched for an icecream shop. Dave loves the icecream cones, and I make it a policy not to say no to icecream. We peddled all over town, and found nothing. Finally we stopped and asked some heavily armed policia who were standing around the square. They were sad to say there was no icecream shop on the island, but they were happy to talk to us, and we stood there for a good 15 minutes just chatting. This friendly attitude has been repeated by cops at highway check points and on the streets of Panama City. You get the feeling from talking to the police and looking at them that there are better trained, better equiped, and better paid than their counterparts in other countries we have visited. You are also keenly aware that people are excited you are visiting their country.

Saturday
We booked a snorkel trip with Bocas Water Sports for Saturday. We left at 930 and returned about 430. $25 was two snorkel stops, dolphin watching, and time on Red Frog Beach. We also went to a little over-the-water restaurant with the option of getting lunch. The lunch wasn't anything special, and was a bit overpriced. Dave and I figured that would be the case, so we packed a few sandwiches (made on bread from the German bakery in Bocas town, yum yum yum), but also ordered one plate to share. Obviously you can't sit in the restraunt and eat the food you brought with you, so it worked out we had a little food then, and then sandwiches once we got to Red Frog Beach. The best part about the trip was going around the islands getting to see uninterrupted coast of mangroves and the quieter side of things.

Snorkeling
It was fun to snorkel, but the conditions were suboptimal. Worth the money to snorkel, but
I'm glad I didn't spend the money on diving. After Roatan, it wouldn't have stacked up. The reef is much more damaged, the algea growth more pronounced, and worst of all, the visibility was much lower. That said, just from snorkelling I did see a decent assortment of coral at the first site and fish at the second, including a trumpet fish, angel fish, parrot fish, gobbies, etc.
I also enjoyed playing with the camera, since I hadn't gotten to in Roatan.



Red Frog Beach
What a great beach! Worth the price-gouged access fee (up by 2 or 3 bucks because of Semana Santa). If we would have had another day in Bocas, we would have spent most of it there.
It is beautiful and the water is great fun. I did feel a slight rip to the current as I waded in, but if aware of it, it didn't seem to be a big danger.

Wading out into the water is fun because there is sandbar after sandbar. One minute you are over your head, the next standing waist deep. The waves were strong enough to bodysurf, but weak enough to swim in comfortably.




Sunday
After a leisurely wake-up, Dave and I took the boat back to Almirante where we headed into the mountains of Bocas del Toro province towards CA1 and Panama City. Because of the 25lb per person baggage limit on Robbie and Ele's flight from Bocas to Panama City, they couldn't take all of their stuff, so we agreed to drive it to them and meet before Ele left on April 14.

Sherry was in good condition, and we drove from Almirante to Santiago. The drive through the mountains to the Pacific side and CA1 was one of the most beautiful we have done. The road was in good condition except for the places where it had been taken out by floods or landslides or a sink hole. The forest is dense on both sides of the road during the climb up on the Caribbean side, then after peaking on the continental divide, there is a drastic change to pine forest with dry grass.

Panama is beautiful and full of physical contrasts.

Turn Around...

Today is the halfway point. Who knows about actual number of days we will end up traveling, but today we left the furthest point away from home we will roam, on this trip.

That point was Isla Robinson and the surrounding islands, Comarca de Kuna Yala, Panama.

We arrived at the island the morning of the 15th and left this morning.


Dave enjoys a snorkel. This is the actual furthest point, about 30 minutes boat ride west from Isla Robinson.

On the boat ride to snorkel.

There is an entire lagoon full of starfish. It was like the tactile pool at an aquarium, only better.

After arriving back in Panama City we went to where we had left our car, on the street by the tourist police station where a guy promised to wash it and watch it. Sherry was still there and she was lookin' good.

Then we enjoyed much needed showers (no running water on the island), and I changed into the last clean clothes I had. That's right, it has been so long since we did laundry that I had one shirt, one pair of underwear, and my jeans. Everything else had be worn and reworn so many times I had to go to the laundry. Luckily there is a laundromat around the corner from the hospedaje we are staying at, and for 2.50 I washed two very large loads. No, not all mine, Dave was essentially out of clean clothes too, but he has more clothes than I do and lower standards. I had great time hanging out and doing laundry. I talked to 5 different people. It's no secret that I love chatting it up, but it is even more fun in Spanish in a laundrymat with the average joe of Panama city! Dave took a nap and missed out big time.

We enjoyed a great dinner at Ego, a restraunt here in the Casco Viejo neighborhood. We sat outside and I savoured homemade ravioli filled with a version of panamanian stewed chicken and served in a creamsauce of nuts, spice, and sage. Dave had gnocchi gorgonzola. Both were perfect.

In case anyone was wondering, today was the 80th day Dave and I have been traveling together. Dave entered Mexico about January 6. I flew into Guatemala January 9. We met in Xela January 28.

Tomorrow we'll visit the Miraflora locks then head up CA1 to see more of Panama.

More informative posting on Islas Robinson, and postings on Panama City and Bocas del Toro very very soon.

Pura Vida en Costa Rica

After leaving San Juan del Sur Nicaragua, we headed south on CA 1 and crossed into Costa Rica.

There is only one border crossing for vehicular traffic, which makes things pretty chaotic. The Nicaraguan side of the border was horrible. We had to pay a guy to help us, because we couldn't even find the people we needed. At every other border there is a line and a door or window or desk under an awning, but in this case you just walk around and look for a policeman and then walk around and look for a customs official. After you have found one helping someone else you have to get them to come with you when he is done. Then you go and stand in a line in a building with power that switches off every 5 minutes or so, for immigration. Finding the roaming officials required a seasoned pro. Additionally all the buses, trucks, and personal vehicles are in the same area, adding to the chaos.

The Costa Rica side was quiet and everyone was friendly and in a designated place.

Parque National Rinconcito Viejo
We headed up to Parque Nacional Rinconcito Viejo. We stayed at the Rinconcito lodge near the entrance, it was quiet and not dry or windy, a very nice change from Nicaragua.

The next day we drove the 10 minutes into the park. With the exception of the park ranger, no one else was there. We took a great hike through secondary growth forest to some oak forest where there were some aguas thermales. You could smell them way before you got there, up close the sulfur was so strong it made my nose itch. We decided to pass on taking those waters.

Instead we stopped at a small waterfall on the way back to the ranger station.

The water was pins and needles cold, but it felt great to drop the core temp. We enjoyed the cold water, clear air, and the sounds of a band of howler monkeys making their ways through the trees.

We liked the park so much, we decided to spend the night there and to pass the remainder of the afternoon reading and playing cards. After paying the camping fee, we were attacked by biting gnats. They were vicious little creatures. I'll take mosquitos any day, but please not these things. The bite was so forceful it created a tiny blood blister. And they itched! Boy-howdy did they itch and swell!

The good news was that they didn't bite through clothing, so we changed into loose-fitting long shirts and pants and put on socks. Then put deet based repellant on our hands, necks, ears, and edges of our faces. Of course we didn't think we needed to put repellant on our ears actually, wouldn't it be enough to put it on our necks? No. Dave and I both got bitten on the ears, then put on repellant. I also received four bites to the face, prompting the ONLY time I have ever put repellant on my face. The good news was at dusk they all disappeared, and the mosquitos were hardly noticeable.

What was noticeable was this guy, known to Ticos as a pizote, aka coatimundi.

He busted into a food bag we had set on the top of the car, eating the bread we had planned to use for sandwiches the next day! Then he stalked the campground hoping we would let down our guard again, but we knew his little tricks.

It was an uneventful night, minus the multiple ticks Dave had to pull. We each had two ticks attached and found more crawling on our clothes. I am pathetic when it comes to pulling ticks. Ticks gross me out, big time. Cockroaches are fine, snakes are fine, spiders are no worries, scorpions I don't want to be on close terms with but they don't give me the creeps. Ticks are another story. I can't hardly pull them off Louiedog, let alone pull one off of me! But that's why I travel with Dave. He takes it all in stride, sticks a hot lighter on its butt and gives it a tug. My hero.
**Just to give credit where credit is due, Mom and Liza are my heroines. Mom has helped me out more than once when I had a tick trying to make a meal of me or one of my pets, and without Liza, Louie would have had to stop going to Elk because he always picks up ticks there. Also, once Liza rushed home when I thought I had a tick between my toes. Ends up it was just a scab. But she still rushed home after I called her totally disgusted and freaking out just a little. **

In the morning we got up, my feet were attacked by more gnats when I walked to the bathroom without socks, Dave made his coffee and we were on the road fleeing from a lovely park and some horrid insects!

We spent the next afternoon and evening in Heredia. It is about 10 minutes from the airport. The San Jose airport isn't really in San Jose, but 30 minutes outside of it. We bought Acerito, hung out at the mall. I was reminded that malls are the same in Malaysia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Texas, California, Mexico... But the mall had free wifi and we had a new computer. Plus in Costa Rica where everything costs as much if not more than it does in the USA, sitting in the food court using free wifi is a very economical way to pass your time.

On the way to the mall, we saw a sign that might explain why some people like to visit Costa Rica.
I think the only worse name would be Esposas de Comprar.


Playa Guiones
The next day we picked up Robbie, Dave's friend from way back, and Ele, Robbie's girlfriend. Then drove 6 hours to Playa Guiones on the Nicoya Peninsula. You might look at a map and wonder why it took 6 hours, but if you were to look at what Ticos know to be CA1 you would understand. Most county roads in the states are better than CA1 is in Costa Rica. No shoulder, not even a gravel shoulder in most places and never a paved shoulder, no dividing line, no passing lanes, nothing. By far the worst condition for CA1 in all of Central America. Because Costa Rica is a more prosperous country than the other ones we have been through, there is a noticeable increase in the amount of cars on the road. Costa Rica is also very hilly, some might even say mountainous although I wouldn't. To top it off, even if they wanted to widen the ''highway'' to meet demand, politically it might be difficult because everything is built right up to the edge of it, meaning thousands of businesses would have to be moved to accommodate even the adding of a shoulder.

We arrived to Playa Guiones to spend a week relaxing and enjoying being in a house. We rented a great little house. New construction (everything around there is) and it even had a little pool!

Dave and I were so excited to get out of the car for more than a day or two. I was thrilled to have a kitchen. I made, and we ate, three big batches of cookies in the week we were there!

The first day we were there we got stuck. Shortly before getting stuck we saw this giant pissed-off bull.

Thankfully we were a few minutes delayed while Robbie and Ele took a picture, otherwise instead of meeting him, and the two cowboys wearily escorting him on long ropes, in a big riverbed crossing we would have had to share a small dirt road.

That evening Robbie had a little run-in with his surfboard. Not wanting to risk infection or a scar he sought medical attention. Being that it was after hours he had to go to the local redcross, they didn't quite appreciate his concerns and only did a little alcohol swab followed by a plain old bandaid. He made it out alright though, considering the medic traded services for a cocacola.


The Playa Guiones/ Nosara area is a total surf scene. Ticos, gringos, and other Central Americans flock there. It was dry, a little greener than Nicaragua, but not that windy.
We had a much needed rest, which included lots of pina coladas, reading, and cribbage. I tried surfing a little more. Ele taught us a new card game, Scopa Scientifico.

I wouldn't recommend Playa Guiones unless you a) like to surf and don't mind sharing the line up b) you are going to a yoga retreat at what appeared to be a first rate yoga center across the street from the house we rented or c) are taking a rest stop and want a nice quiet place to cook, sleep, read, and swim in a small but lovely pool. The beach was salt and pepper sand with no shade and poor swimming and the town is all new and a scene for wealthy Ticos and gringo surfers. The upside is that with the down economy and the off season coming up, you can get a good deal on rentals like the one we had.


Headed to Panama!
After a week of homecookin' and rest we were on the road again. This time we headed to the Caribbean coast. Unfortunately we had to go back through central Costa Rica, but the highway to Puerto Limon is much nicer than CA1. It was still a long drive with hours spent behind a few semitrucks that insisted on going under 20 coming down the mountains. It was a pretty drive through forested volcano peaks and dropping down to the antithisis of the Pacific coast. The Caribbean is green, lush, and humid.

We spent the night in the small town of Siquirres. Nothing remarkable, but a clean room only cost 15 usd, and that is something to smile about.

The next day we were at the Sixola/ Changuinola border ready to cross into Panama. The crossing is mainly used for bananas headed into Panama for export to Europe or the Pacific coast of North America. It is a one lane train trelis bridge high above the Sixola river.

Traffic crosses by taking turns in about half hour increments, or whoever gets there first. There was no one directing traffic when it was our turn to cross. We peered to the end of the bridge and proceeded cautiously. The main hazard was the pedestrians walking across. There is no seperate place for pedestrians for about 20 yards, so everyone is on the bridge together.

We had heard it is a quiet and easy crossing. I can see this being true on a normal day. But this was not a normal day. It was Maundy Thursday. In addition to the banana trucks and the normal trickle of tourist vans, there were lots of Ticos heading to Bocas del Toro for Semana Santa.

The paperwork on the car was the fastest and easiest yet, on both sides. The Costa Ricans issued us an extension/ re-entry pass and the Panamanians, were gracious and quick. Immigration was another issue. Neither side is equipped to handle mass amounts of people. We had the unfortunate luck of being behind TWO tourist busses on the Tico side. One group going in and the other heading out. On both sides of this border the incoming and outgoing are all lumped together. The Tico line seemed long, but it moved quickly because all they did was stamp your passport and take the form you had filled out. The Panama side was another story. We waited in line, in the sun, next to the fumugation station, which was used on every vehicle that came through it, for THREE HOURS! Well we waited for two and a half, Robbie and Ele were in the line the first half hour we were dealing with the car. Because of the waiting in the hot sun and being sprayed with a mix of chemicals the FDA and EPA most likely strictly limit human exposure to, this was the WORST border crossing.

Once across we headed 15 minutes down the road to Chinguanola to get the ferry to Islas Bocas del Toros...

PANAMANIA!

We are in Panama!

We arrived through the crossing on t Caribbean border April 9 and headed to Bocas del Toro, a region bordering Costa Rica. We stayed on Isla Colon, the main island of the archipelago for three nights.

Then had an easy two day drive to Panama City. We've mainly been taking care of logistics, but tomorrow morning at 5am we are taking a ride on a jeep down a 4wd only road back to the Caribbean side. This time we are headed to the Comarca de Kuna Yala. An autonomous region of indigenous people. We'll be back in a few days, and I'll get serious about updating our travels in Costa Rica and thus far in Panama.

The Comarca will be our halfway point, the furthest into Panama we'll go before we turn around for home.

Catch Up

Here's a quick summary of our last bit of travels in Honduras and Nicaragua.

After a couple of nights around Lago Yojoa, Honduras, see Dave's blog for more details, we set out for Nicaragua. We thought we could drive to Danli easily in a day. On the way we stopped at a cavern for a short tour. Think Natural Bridge Caverns, but we were the only ones there.

Our guide was really nice, and excited to practice his English, especially the names for the different formations.

Then we set off on what we thought was 3 or 4 hours of driving. WRONG! It was the worst single day of driving we have had.

All of CA-1 was down to one lane. The Honduran solution to this was for all of the cars to cut over to the shoulder of the on-coming lane and leave a long long line of buses and trucks waiting. Because Dave drives it like he stole it, we were in the line of cars on the shoulder going against on-coming traffic. We were just about to the end of the line of trucks, about 4 miles, when there was a detour. CA-1 was closed in both directions. The detour was a small dirt lane, this would have been slow, but there was a cattle drive down the lane, making it a crawl.


After the cattle drive turned off, people started going fast. It was so dusty from all the cars, it felt a little like we were back on the Playa at Burning Man.


After the construction it was a smooth drive through the mountains, until this semitruck accident. Luckily we were there before it started backing up and we were able to go around.


Around 5pm we pulled into Tegucigalpa, the capital. Traffic was slow chaos, but we made it through until the outskirts, were we were "ticketed'' at a police check point for not having a fire extinguisher or safety triangle.

We made it out of the chaos, and headed to a small town, Yusacaron. There are three hotels in Yusacaron, and one small guest house. All three hotels were full, and it looked like the guest house, Casa Colibri, was shut up. It was dark and we were exhausted, then Brucito showed up. Bruce is in his 60s, he and his wife have been working for half the year in the area for over 10 years doing medical training and community health development. The rest of the year they live in Ohio. He let us in, called the care-taker, and we settled into an idilic weekend in a beautifully restored colonial house. We didn't do much, just enjoy the quiet of the cobblestone streets and watch the processions of devout who walk every weekend during Lent. They walked in two lines, one women, one men. Following a cross and singing.

Dave shows off his panditos candy on the streets of Yusacaron.

View from the porch of Casa Colibri.

After two nights resting in Yusacaron, we crossed into Nicaragua, spent a night in Esteli, an industrial town that would be a good jumping off point for nearby parks in the rainy season, but for us it was too hot and dry for hiking. Next we headed to Granada.

Granada is a beautiful colonial city, and the oldest colonial city in Nicaragua. It is located on the shore of Lake Nicaragua. People were friendly, there is every type of restraunt and diversion you could desire. Generally we liked it. The only downside is how aggressive vendors can be when you are on the street. One boy pushed me twice while we were sitting waiting for our food, and one woman screamed at us then demanded our chips. It caught us off guard because things had been so mellow elsewhere.



There is one very old church where you can walk up the bell tower. We went up for a picturesque sunset.

After Granada we went to Lago Apoyo, a small crater lake between Granada and Masaya. We camped at the Monkey Hut. They had two kitchens, one of them outdoors, and three of four levels of lawn going down to the lake shore. We spent two nights swimming, reading, napping, enjoying the company of a very friendly cat and playing cards.


It was a great place, and we really enjoyed it. Lago Apoyo is the place in Nicaragua I would recommend the most.


We drove from the lake to Playa Popoyo where our friend Zach was hanging out with Lance and Kristin of Surfari Charters. On the drive, Dave found a giant cola. They don't have guests there yet, so we camped behind their bungalows on the beach. They were great hosts, and we enjoyed hanging in hammocks, dinners of fresh fish, and great company. There's not much going on in the area except surfing. But thanks to Kristin, Lance, and the other people from Surfari Charter it was fun.

Sea Turtle on the beach infront of our bungalow. Not really sure why it was there in the morning, but cool to see it close up. It was sad, because there are guys on the beach who just wait for the turtles to come in and nest so they can take their eggs. Gringos and some Nica environmental groups are trying to do community education, but from talking to people it is an uphill battle.

After a week we headed to San Juan del Sur. There are amazing sunsets in the calm bay where the town is. One restaurant has happy hour specials, we enjoyed some appetizers and played cards.
Other posts cover what happened while we were in San Juan del Sur. The town was small and easy to get around with lots of lodging and food options. We also saw Robert and Justin, the two Canadians we met in El Salvador. Minus the robbery and the flooded room, it was a good time.

After San Juan del Sur, we headed for Costa Rica. More on that soon...

Tomorrow we leave Playa Guiones and head towards the Caribbean. From there we'll head south and hopefully get to Bocas del Toro April 9.

Nicaragua Surfing Vids

Dave takes sun protection to the next level by rocking the hat.



Everyone loves a What About Bob reference...





Dave attempts a headstand...

We Got Stuck!

We are in the Nosara area of the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. We've rented a house with our friends Robbie and Ele. It has been great to just be in a house for a while, and the house is quite nice, including our own little pool! And best of all, a kitchen, with an oven. You know I've been baking. The most successful cookies have been oatmeal with raisins and walnuts. The sugar here is refined differently, so the taste is a little different, but perfect for oatmeal cookies. Less good for peanut butter cookies.

Anyway, things have been very calm here. We've mainly been relaxing at the house, swimming, eating, and walking to the nearby beach. But one day we decided to drive to some beaches a little further away.

Good idea? Not so much.

We went down a road that we thought was headed to a beach, but it ended in a dry riverbed. When we tried to turn around, the rear passenger side wheel got stuck. Really stuck. Robbie and Dave worked for a half hour to try and dig us out, but it was a fail. Ele was sent up the road to try and find help. She found better help than we imagined...

Two dump trucks and a backhoe were headed our way, and said they would pull us out.
Here's what happened once we got the chain hooked to the van.

Haircuts and Surfing!

Haircut

Dave got a hair cut! Yes, his golden locks are gone. Well they aren't gone, just shorter.
It happened when we were in Granada about two weeks ago with the sun beating down and bouncing off the colonial buildings. The heat drove him to it.

We walked into a barber shop, and after 15 minutes and two dollars, I couldn't recognize him from the back!

Surfing

I am learning to surf! Dave tried to teach me in El Salvador, but the conditions were rough. Although we had a good time, not much progress was made.
After evesdropping on a lesson yesterday, at a beach near San Juan del Sur (they set up right by me, I couldn't not watch and listen), I was ready to try again. The water was warmer than it was in Popoyo and the waves were nice little ones for me, and hardly anyone else was in the water. I had a great time and Dave said I did well.

I wrote this post after we surfed in the morning, but the internet was slow and the photos wouldn't load, so we went back to the beach for the afternoon. On the way home in the afternoon we were robbed. Dave wrote a detailed account, but as far as I remember, we were not the last car out of there, otherwise it is spot on. Bottom line, we lost 80 bucks and Dave's laptop. Neither of us was hurt. I was scared, but have just about recovered and am only slightly jumpy.

We are in Heredia, Costa Rica. It is near San Jose and the airport. In a few hours we are going to pick up Robbie and his girlfriend and head to the beach near Nosara, where we have rented a house for the week.

Dave also has a new computer, we are calling him Acerito, because it is a tiny little Acer computer. It is great, only problem it is a Spanish XP, so we get to practice our Spanish when we try to set up a new program.

Playa Popoyo

Just a quick note to say we are safe, sound, and happy in Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua. Nicaragua has been fun so far, minus the two speeding tickets. First time we saw someone using a radar gun, it was pointed straight at us!

Dave is surfing; I'm reading lots of books and magazines.

More updates/ catch-up soon...

Our Actual Location

While my blog is nearly a week behind, we are actually in Esteli, Nicaragua. Headed further southwest today, towards Granada.

More posts coming soon. I figured out I type them when we don't have internet then post when we do. It makes it somewhat quicker, but many thanks are owed to Dave for waiting patiently while I fritter time away on here.

Mom's Visit

After welcoming Mom, we loaded up and headed for the coast.


It was a four hour drive to La Ceiba, and we got in just before dark. The original plan was to spend the night, and take the morning ferry to Roatan. But we woke up and it was rainy and the clouds stretched out over the water towards the islands. We checked the weather forecast and it confirmed lots of rain that day out on Roatan.

Cangrejal River

We decided to wait a day for the weather to clear out on the island and instead headed up the Cangrejal River to Omega Lodge and Tours near Pico Bonito National Park. We got the last room in the guesthouse and signed up for an afternoon rafting trip. Our intrepid guide Miles took us down some fun rapids and past giant boulders.

At one point all three of us were thrown from the boat, but aside from a few bruises, it was good fun.
Dave's long hair worked well with the helmet.

Mom jumped off a big rock


I tried to but chickened-out.


Dave jumped too, but went too fast for me to get a video.


The lodge was full of interesting people, most notably our new friend and temporary stalker, John, who followed us out to Roatan. While the area around the lodge is beautiful, and if our visit was any indication the people staying there are generally awesome, and the rafting is fun, the food alone is reason to get out there for dinner if you are in the area. Specifically, order the spatzel. But not just any spatzel, spatzel baked into cheesy-greatness. It makes mac-n-cheese look lame. You can get it with crispy bacon, you are a fool if you skip the bacon, the crispy salty pork perfectly compliments the cheese and spatzel. It is gluttonous, so if you ever go take someone with you so it can be shared. Also, go ahead and end with the homemade chocolate and coconut ice-creams, they are nearly as good as the popsicles in Suchitoto, nearly.

In the morning we hiked up to the waterfall in Pico Bonito National Park. The first step is to cross the suspension bridge over the river.


About three and a half hours round-trip through the forest on the other side of the bridge takes you to the falls and back. It was great to get a close-up of the falls we had seen while driving up to the lodge and rafting down the river. See Dave's blog for more pics.

After the hike and a cold shower (no hot water at Omega Lodge) we drove into La Ceiba to catch the 4:30 pm ferry.

I would prefer not remember the hour and fifteen minutes I spent with my head between my legs crossing to Roatan. No one was sad for the ride to be over, and all three of us were happy to not have needed the little baggies one crew-member walked around handing out.

Roatan

We stayed at Posada Las Orchedias on the far end of West End. The view was great, the room beautiful and full of building defects and staffed by less-than-friendly women. It was quiet and the hammock was nice, and it was right next door to Sea Grapes Plantation and their dive shop.

After an over-rated breakfast at Rudy’s, definitely NOT the best banana pancakes on the island (Dave wants me to mention that he loved his granola, fruit and yogurt), we looked for a dive shop. I did an afternoon dive with Pura Vida, and mom did a refresher dive with West End Divers. The entire next day we dove with Pura Vida as well. Mom did two dives, I did all three. The next two days we dove with Seagrapes. Both shops were good, but very different in style. I would recommend either.

The diving was amazing. I saw at least one sea turtle on every dive. Lots of Queen Angel fish, lots of Black Angel fish, barracudas, two spotted eagle rays, trigger fish, puffer fish, box fish, cow fish, anomies, huge barrel sponges, tall purple sponges, giant fan coral… While it is obvious the reef sees a lot of visitors, the diving was enjoyable with lots to see.

Dave, the non-diver, spent lots of time reading and did some snorkeling.

He got to use my camera, because we were always going deeper than 30ft, the maximum depth my camera stays water-proof.
Here is some of his fine work. There is more over on his blog, as well as video.

Me giving the ok on the descent to Blue Channel


Mom and I at the shallow, inland side, of Blue Channel.


Post-dive interview with Dave


Roatan was expensive. If you aren’t going for diving, I would probably suggest finding another beach that is a little more off-the-beaten-path and where you can get quality food at reasonable prices instead of reasonable food at quality prices. Noteable good food that didn’t cost as much as a dive was
1. the set breakfasts (between 75 and 90L) and lunch sandwiches (around 115L) at The Beach House. But not the bakery items, just the restaurant dishes.
2. the Sunday bbq lunch across from Woody’s grocery
3. the meatloaf and mashed potatoes lunch from the soft-serve ice-cream place across from The Beach House. Every week-day they have a different hot lunch option for 100L. The meatloaf was Mondays and it was tasty and filling.

We took the 2 pm ferry back, and sat downstairs. Mom and Dave were fine on the ride, and they think sitting downstairs helped. I still felt awful for most of the time.

After finding the car safe-and-sound we paid for the parking, loaded up, and headed towards Tela, about an hour and a half drive down the coast towards San Pedro Sula. Tela was much more pleasant than La Ceiba, as far as the town. I hear there is lots of bird watching around there. We stayed at the Mayan Vista hotel, and enjoyed the views of Tela bay and some reasonably priced food. The next morning we headed in to San Pedro Sula. There were a few stops along the way. One for mom to buy some bananas to snack on, one for mom to buy a hammock and some local honey, and one for lunch at a Baleada stand on the highway. Baleadas are a Honduran snack food of a flour tortialla filled with beans and cheese then folded and lightly grilled. Not like a quesadilla because there is just a little cheese and it is the crumbled kind, not the melty-gooy-deliciousness kind.