We've been home little less than a month. I'm not sure how to describe real life anymore. Is it the work that I go to four days a week from sunrise to sundown, or the trip we took through Central America looking for the necessities of actual life? The essentials like where to find a place to sleep or safe to eat food or fuel for the Kia and how to understand our surroundings. The luxuries we have in Canada are amazing but what’s really necessary? My brain has this constant conflict with North American life. We work sooooo hard up here just to keep up with the footrace of our peers, and hope we live long enough to reap the rewards. It seems like an unnecessary effort. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ambitious, not lazy…. There just seems to be a flaw in the system where a kind of greed forces everyone’s hands. Not being cynical but if everyone saw some of the situations we saw, you might reassess things too.
As humans we need very little to live comfortably in a warm environment; Natalie and I are in the slow process of making the changes in our lives which will allow us to move south to Nicaragua. It’s a very poor country with some major socioeconomic problems, and there was a revolution in the 50’s but it is coming around to democracy. It has some amazing sights, some incredible tourist draws and pristine coastline. The country also uses a lot of natural self-sustaining building practicing and wind and solar energy production.
Being home is nice in other aspects. Family and friends are always appreciated. We went a long time without much communication in English and being back on Canadian soil feels rewarding after the adventure. It was crazy trips with much more good than bad so if you ever think of doing a roadtrip like this, DO. Thanks for reading our blog and be sure to follow our next adventure sometime in the future! Adios amigos!
Chris
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Almost Home
It's been awhile since we have been able to write, we have been so busy. So this will be along update!
After San Pedro, Guatemala, we headed to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico. We had a great day there exploring the town and checking out the market. On our second (and last) night we decided to park our car on the street so that we could leave early (before there would be anyone at the hotel to unlock the parkade for us). In the middle of the night Chris heard a car alarm going but it soon turned off and he didn't think much of it. The next morning when I headed out to the car to load up some of our stuff for our drive to Puerto Escondido, I discovered our window was smashed out. At first I thought nothing was missing since our DSLR camera, GPS, and all of the things we had bought along the way appeared to still be there. Then after a few minutes we realized Chris' big bag was missing. He had alot of things in his bag (about $3000 worth), so we decided to go down to the police station to get a police report so we could claim insurance to replace some of the things. We were stuck at the police station for hours while the police hung out outside just chatting and enjoying the day (ohhhh Mexico). Finally we got our report and were on our way to Puerto Escondido with a broken window!
In Puerto Escondido we found an amazing place to stay, called Dan & Carmen's. It had a swimming pool, free wifi, and a huge room with hot water and a kitchen. We negotiated a great deal with Dan after explaining everything we had just been through in San Cristobal. We had a few relaxing days in Puerto Escondido, and on our last day we were sitting eating dinner trying to figure out what time it was when I asked a young guy coming out of the restaurant. We ended up chatting wih him for awhile and he told us that he heard the roads to Acapulco (the direction we were supposed to be heading the next day) were closed due to teachers strikes. He was unable to catch a bus beacuse they weren't running, but we had our car so we decided to give it a try, and give him a ride. We ended up making it fine and never saw any strikes. We ended up driving almost half way across Mexico with him (all the way to Sayulita)! Unfortunately in Puerto Escondido, the maids threw away our police report mistaking it for garbage, so we are really hoping we can still claim insurance without it...
After Puerto Esconidio we spent one quick night in a town called Pie de la Cuesta, which was a fairly expensive resort town for mostly Mexicans, very few tourists. Next we were planning on heading to Manzanillo but a few hours South of it we came across a beautiful stretch of beaches and saw a sign advertising camping at one of the many turnoffs. We ended up spending a night on the small property of a Mexican couple and their daughter. We were the only visitors and had an antire beach to ourselves. It was amazing! The only downside was that there were ants everywhere and we all got bitten up pretty bad (including Nina).
The next day we went to Sayulita where we spent two days relaxing in the sun, Chris did a little surfing, and I got a tattoo (anyone who actually reads this blog will have to wiat until I get home to see it, it will be a surprise)! After spending almost a week with our friend we picked up in Puerto Escondido, we said our goodbyes and headed North.
Our next stop was a little town near the Mexican border called San Carlos, which is very popular with the RVing crowd. We spent the night camping in an RV park.
The next day we crossed the border into Tucson Arizona. We spent about 2 hours waiting in line at the border (they are currently doing some construction to expand the border so it was a painfully long wait). The actual crossing was a breeze though. They didn't search our car, and didn't even ask to see any of the paperwork we had prepared for Nina. They just waved us through and we were on our way.
We are now camping at another RV park in Tucson waiting until we can get the window fixed in our car tomorrow (today is Sunday so we have to wait until Monday), then as soon as that is taken care of we are off to Joshua Tree National Park for a night, then LA, San Francisco, Eureka, Portland, Seattle, then home! It's been a blast but we are very ready to get home:)
Adios,
Natalie
After San Pedro, Guatemala, we headed to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico. We had a great day there exploring the town and checking out the market. On our second (and last) night we decided to park our car on the street so that we could leave early (before there would be anyone at the hotel to unlock the parkade for us). In the middle of the night Chris heard a car alarm going but it soon turned off and he didn't think much of it. The next morning when I headed out to the car to load up some of our stuff for our drive to Puerto Escondido, I discovered our window was smashed out. At first I thought nothing was missing since our DSLR camera, GPS, and all of the things we had bought along the way appeared to still be there. Then after a few minutes we realized Chris' big bag was missing. He had alot of things in his bag (about $3000 worth), so we decided to go down to the police station to get a police report so we could claim insurance to replace some of the things. We were stuck at the police station for hours while the police hung out outside just chatting and enjoying the day (ohhhh Mexico). Finally we got our report and were on our way to Puerto Escondido with a broken window!
In Puerto Escondido we found an amazing place to stay, called Dan & Carmen's. It had a swimming pool, free wifi, and a huge room with hot water and a kitchen. We negotiated a great deal with Dan after explaining everything we had just been through in San Cristobal. We had a few relaxing days in Puerto Escondido, and on our last day we were sitting eating dinner trying to figure out what time it was when I asked a young guy coming out of the restaurant. We ended up chatting wih him for awhile and he told us that he heard the roads to Acapulco (the direction we were supposed to be heading the next day) were closed due to teachers strikes. He was unable to catch a bus beacuse they weren't running, but we had our car so we decided to give it a try, and give him a ride. We ended up making it fine and never saw any strikes. We ended up driving almost half way across Mexico with him (all the way to Sayulita)! Unfortunately in Puerto Escondido, the maids threw away our police report mistaking it for garbage, so we are really hoping we can still claim insurance without it...
After Puerto Esconidio we spent one quick night in a town called Pie de la Cuesta, which was a fairly expensive resort town for mostly Mexicans, very few tourists. Next we were planning on heading to Manzanillo but a few hours South of it we came across a beautiful stretch of beaches and saw a sign advertising camping at one of the many turnoffs. We ended up spending a night on the small property of a Mexican couple and their daughter. We were the only visitors and had an antire beach to ourselves. It was amazing! The only downside was that there were ants everywhere and we all got bitten up pretty bad (including Nina).
The next day we went to Sayulita where we spent two days relaxing in the sun, Chris did a little surfing, and I got a tattoo (anyone who actually reads this blog will have to wiat until I get home to see it, it will be a surprise)! After spending almost a week with our friend we picked up in Puerto Escondido, we said our goodbyes and headed North.
Our next stop was a little town near the Mexican border called San Carlos, which is very popular with the RVing crowd. We spent the night camping in an RV park.
The next day we crossed the border into Tucson Arizona. We spent about 2 hours waiting in line at the border (they are currently doing some construction to expand the border so it was a painfully long wait). The actual crossing was a breeze though. They didn't search our car, and didn't even ask to see any of the paperwork we had prepared for Nina. They just waved us through and we were on our way.
We are now camping at another RV park in Tucson waiting until we can get the window fixed in our car tomorrow (today is Sunday so we have to wait until Monday), then as soon as that is taken care of we are off to Joshua Tree National Park for a night, then LA, San Francisco, Eureka, Portland, Seattle, then home! It's been a blast but we are very ready to get home:)
Adios,
Natalie
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Ten Commandments of Driving in Central America
Just a few useful tips we have picked up from other drivers down here:
1) It is recommended that all people in the vehicle (including the driver) constantly consume some type of alcoholic beverage while in the vehicle; this makes the mundane task of driving much more interesting and exciting. No problema
2) Smoking ganja while driving is also encouraged, and fun. No problema
3) Do not ever obey posted speed limits, they mean nothing. Driving 80+ in a 40 zone is absolutely fine. Just drive as fast as you feel comfortable depending on your current state of intoxication. No problema
4) Should you find yourself behind some "stupid gringo" actually obeying posted speed signs, please pass them. You may pass on either a dotted or solid line; in fact succesfully passing on a solid line is highly respected by other drivers and shows "cahones". No problema
5) While trying to pass a slow gringo, if you encounter oncoming traffic, pass anyways. Oncoming vehicles will not mind slowing down so that you can make your pass. No problema
6) While driving on the highway, should you find yourself in need of a nap, smoke break, phone call, or pee break, etc., simply stop right where you are (in the middle of the road is just fine) and toss on your hazard lights. You can now take your time to finish whatever it is you need to do, and other vehicles will just pass you. No problema
7) If traffic is going too slow, simply make another lane. If it is paved, or even driveable, it is fair game. Road lines mean nothing in Central America. No problema
8) Don't forget to think green: Cram as many people as possible into one vehicle; in the back of a truck, in the trunk of a car, on the roof, hanging out the doors. Save the planet, man!! No problema
9) While driving at night always have your highbeams on. Oncoming traffic will really appreciate the extra visibility gained by having bright lights shone at them. No problema
10) Always remember that you are in Central America, where the Policia have much bigger issues to tackle than your questionable driving. However, in the unlikely event that you get busted breaking a "law", just toss twenty bucks at the Policia and you can happily go on your way. No problema!
1) It is recommended that all people in the vehicle (including the driver) constantly consume some type of alcoholic beverage while in the vehicle; this makes the mundane task of driving much more interesting and exciting. No problema
2) Smoking ganja while driving is also encouraged, and fun. No problema
3) Do not ever obey posted speed limits, they mean nothing. Driving 80+ in a 40 zone is absolutely fine. Just drive as fast as you feel comfortable depending on your current state of intoxication. No problema
4) Should you find yourself behind some "stupid gringo" actually obeying posted speed signs, please pass them. You may pass on either a dotted or solid line; in fact succesfully passing on a solid line is highly respected by other drivers and shows "cahones". No problema
5) While trying to pass a slow gringo, if you encounter oncoming traffic, pass anyways. Oncoming vehicles will not mind slowing down so that you can make your pass. No problema
6) While driving on the highway, should you find yourself in need of a nap, smoke break, phone call, or pee break, etc., simply stop right where you are (in the middle of the road is just fine) and toss on your hazard lights. You can now take your time to finish whatever it is you need to do, and other vehicles will just pass you. No problema
7) If traffic is going too slow, simply make another lane. If it is paved, or even driveable, it is fair game. Road lines mean nothing in Central America. No problema
8) Don't forget to think green: Cram as many people as possible into one vehicle; in the back of a truck, in the trunk of a car, on the roof, hanging out the doors. Save the planet, man!! No problema
9) While driving at night always have your highbeams on. Oncoming traffic will really appreciate the extra visibility gained by having bright lights shone at them. No problema
10) Always remember that you are in Central America, where the Policia have much bigger issues to tackle than your questionable driving. However, in the unlikely event that you get busted breaking a "law", just toss twenty bucks at the Policia and you can happily go on your way. No problema!
Pictures!!
Putting up pictures here is a major pain in the ass so here are half the ones I planned on putting up, I got frustrated and gave up!!! They are in no partucular order:
Cutest puppy I've seen (besides my own dogs) at Playa Avellanas, CR
Playa Avallenas
Nina found herself a bed!
Isla de Omotepe (where we never quite got to go)
Beautiful view from our private pool in Laguna de Apollo, Nicaragua
Pool at our hostel in Playa Zunca, El Salvador (notice the cute sign says there is no "p" on pool, lets keep it that way)
Nice lady in El Salvador who sold us amazing home roasted cashews!
Our lovely room in Laguna Apollo
Playa Tunco, El Salvador
Playa Zunco, El Salvador
Crazyness in San Salvador, a nightnare to drive through
Mud house, Nicaragua
Guatemala Likes Us
We left El Salvador yesterday morning at 7am and made it to San Pedro lake Atitan, Guatemala in one piece. The border between El Salvador and Guatemala was very quick and inexpensive. It actually cost us only $1, which was a small tip for a guy who gave us a quick hand sorting out our vehicle papers.
I should back up; Remember last entry how we talked to the local who lived part time in Texas and spoke English fluently. He ended up getting $40 bucks out of us for “tips” to border officials, other guards, and guys running around getting photocopies of things. We now think we were stupid for paying him so much but we have learnt. We also nearly got talked into paying another $35 dollars for exiting which raised the red flag. He was in our car (again probably not the best idea) and we got him to the gas station he needed out at then told him there was no way we were paying to exit El Salvador while entering…. It just didn’t make sense. Now we know we made the right decision.
Lake Atitan is really a magical place, active volcano’s and high hills surround it. Its unfortunate that local villages are so poor that environmental considerations aren’t taken into account. People don’t realize the impact on the lake when there are so many communities around it (sewage goes right in untreated). The lake is formed in a gigantic volcanic crater and has risen due to lack of drainage; and the black bass (an invading fish) eat everything including the birds that nest in the reeds and water plants. I wouldn’t eat the lake fish or go swimming although some people do.
Shopping around this lake has got to be some of the cheapest, with the best selection of goods in all the places we’ve been. Locals take a real pride in hand making things, which they price exuberantly, but barter until the item is less than half the original asking price. This makes shopping here fun as well!! We just finished a day in which we could hardly carry everything back to our hotel…. We spent the morning in San Pedro, which has better pricing; in the afternoon we took a ferry over to Panajachel for the gigantic selection of goods. On the ferry we met some other people from Vancouver Island who actually have some mutual friends in common!!!!! It’s a small freaking world. That or Vancouver Islanders just love to travel. Greg and Angie live in the Cowichan Valley and are doing a three-month trip, however they flew down. It was so random we went out for drinks with them, showed them around Pana and had them help us lug our day’s prize of a couple rugs, couple hammocks, a purse, two winter jackets (cheap here but probably not necessary to use here) and a large beautiful bag back to the boat for us. It was wonderful meeting them here.
Tomorrow we are just hanging out and going to a (famous around the lake) barbeque. I’m excited but now exhausted.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Rough Start
Well i´d like to say that the start to our drive home has been awesome but that would be a lie. We left Playas Del Coco early on the morning of the 25th and got to the Nicaragua border without any problems. We were bombarded with people trying to help us and after spending a few hours at the border we shot out the other side thankful the day´s ordeal was over. We went to put our Ipod on and noticed it was missing..... The guy who was helping us stole it without either of us noticing until he was gone. Great start hey. Note, never let the guys in your vehicle, we felt like idiots afterwards. Our plan for the day was to go to Omotepe Island on lake Nicaragua. We were told by several people that there was one functional ATM on Omotepe which we tried to use unsucessfully..... meaning we had just enough money to get back off the island without seeing anything. Great. The worst is now over though. We left and pushed on to Granada where we ate dinner, then went to Laguna de Apollo for the night. We were planning on staying at the Monkey Hut which was the only affordable place on the lake but they were booked up for the night. Fantastic. We went to a better (more expensive) hotel down the street called Selva Azul and after explaining our days tribulations the owner Tim showed us an unbelievable room with a private pool overlooking the lake. We thought that it would be way too much but he gave us a great deal so we stayed 3 days, which was perfect. We got professional massages down by the lake and really enjoyed the peaceful seclusion of the community.
Next we crossed two borderes in one day, Honduras and El Salvador. Crossing into Honduras went pretty smooth, except we ran out of money, so we paid our border assistants in Lizano Sauce, Coffee, and Cervezas. We are pretty sure we paid ¨tourist prices¨, becuase it cost alot more than we expected. We decided to get another helper for the El Salvador border, since they usually only cost $5to $10 and make the process alot easier. We found a nice guy who spoke perfect english to help us out. Everything went perfectly fine, until he asked us to pay him upwards of $70!!!! He said that he had personally paid off tips to the officials at the border in order to save us time, however the whole process still took the average 3 hours it always does. When we finally, unhappily, handed over $40 he made us feel like garbage and was very ungrateful. He also tried to tell us that if we gave him another $35 we wouldn´t have to pay anything to enter Guatemala (he explained that he would put us in the computer system as having paid already to save us time when we left), but considering we were in El Salvador, which is a completely different system than Guatemala, it made no sense and he sure wasn´t happy with us declining his oh so generous offer to ¨help us out¨. We have now decided that the help is not worth it. We can do it ourselves, and even if it takes a bit longer we wont end up walking away feeling disrespected, and completely taken advantage of.
We are on the Costa Balsamo, a string of beaches and surf towns along the pacific coast of El Salvador. We are planning on relaxing here for 4 or 5 days, which is much needed after our trip so far! Next we will be heading back into Guatemala, to Antigua. We will try to update again then.
Hasta Luego,
Chris and Nat
Next we crossed two borderes in one day, Honduras and El Salvador. Crossing into Honduras went pretty smooth, except we ran out of money, so we paid our border assistants in Lizano Sauce, Coffee, and Cervezas. We are pretty sure we paid ¨tourist prices¨, becuase it cost alot more than we expected. We decided to get another helper for the El Salvador border, since they usually only cost $5to $10 and make the process alot easier. We found a nice guy who spoke perfect english to help us out. Everything went perfectly fine, until he asked us to pay him upwards of $70!!!! He said that he had personally paid off tips to the officials at the border in order to save us time, however the whole process still took the average 3 hours it always does. When we finally, unhappily, handed over $40 he made us feel like garbage and was very ungrateful. He also tried to tell us that if we gave him another $35 we wouldn´t have to pay anything to enter Guatemala (he explained that he would put us in the computer system as having paid already to save us time when we left), but considering we were in El Salvador, which is a completely different system than Guatemala, it made no sense and he sure wasn´t happy with us declining his oh so generous offer to ¨help us out¨. We have now decided that the help is not worth it. We can do it ourselves, and even if it takes a bit longer we wont end up walking away feeling disrespected, and completely taken advantage of.
We are on the Costa Balsamo, a string of beaches and surf towns along the pacific coast of El Salvador. We are planning on relaxing here for 4 or 5 days, which is much needed after our trip so far! Next we will be heading back into Guatemala, to Antigua. We will try to update again then.
Hasta Luego,
Chris and Nat
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Itinerary for our Drive Home
Here is our approx. itinerary for our drive back home:
Mar 25 - Playas del Coco, CR to Omotepe Island, Nicaragua
Mar 26 - Omotepe
Mar 27 - Omotepe
Mar 28 - Omotepe to Granada, Nicaragua
Mar 29 - Granada to Cinandega, Nicaragua
Mar 30 - Chinandega
Mar 31 - Chinandega through Honduras to San Miguel, El Salvador
Apr 1 - San Miguel to Costa Balsamo, El Salvador
Apr 2 - Costa Balsamo
Apr 3 - Costa Balsamo
Apr 4 - Costa Balsamo to San Pedro, Guatemala
Apr 5 - San Pedro
Apr 6 - San Pedro
Apr 7 - San Pedro to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
Apr 8 - San Cristobal de las Casas
Apr 9 - San Cristobal to Puerto Escondido
Apr 10 - Puerto Escondido
Apr 11 - Puerto Escondido to Manzanillo
Apr 12 - Manzanillo to Sayulita
Apr 13 - Sayulita
Apr 14 - Sayulita to Mazatlan
Apr 15 - Mazatlan to Guyamas
Apr 16 - Guyamas to Tuson, Arizona
Apr 17 - Tucson to LA
Apr 18 - LA
Apr 19 - LA to San Fran
Apr 20 - San Fran
Apr 21 - San Fran to Eeureka
Apr 22 - Oregon Coast
Apr 23 - Oregon Coast
Apr 24 - Oregon Coast
Apr 25 - Washington
Apr 26 - Washington
Apr 27 - Washington
Apr 28 - Home to Victoria, BC :(
Which gives us two extra days since we have to be home by the 30th at the latest! So we don't expect to detour much from this plan!
Mar 25 - Playas del Coco, CR to Omotepe Island, Nicaragua
Mar 26 - Omotepe
Mar 27 - Omotepe
Mar 28 - Omotepe to Granada, Nicaragua
Mar 29 - Granada to Cinandega, Nicaragua
Mar 30 - Chinandega
Mar 31 - Chinandega through Honduras to San Miguel, El Salvador
Apr 1 - San Miguel to Costa Balsamo, El Salvador
Apr 2 - Costa Balsamo
Apr 3 - Costa Balsamo
Apr 4 - Costa Balsamo to San Pedro, Guatemala
Apr 5 - San Pedro
Apr 6 - San Pedro
Apr 7 - San Pedro to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
Apr 8 - San Cristobal de las Casas
Apr 9 - San Cristobal to Puerto Escondido
Apr 10 - Puerto Escondido
Apr 11 - Puerto Escondido to Manzanillo
Apr 12 - Manzanillo to Sayulita
Apr 13 - Sayulita
Apr 14 - Sayulita to Mazatlan
Apr 15 - Mazatlan to Guyamas
Apr 16 - Guyamas to Tuson, Arizona
Apr 17 - Tucson to LA
Apr 18 - LA
Apr 19 - LA to San Fran
Apr 20 - San Fran
Apr 21 - San Fran to Eeureka
Apr 22 - Oregon Coast
Apr 23 - Oregon Coast
Apr 24 - Oregon Coast
Apr 25 - Washington
Apr 26 - Washington
Apr 27 - Washington
Apr 28 - Home to Victoria, BC :(
Which gives us two extra days since we have to be home by the 30th at the latest! So we don't expect to detour much from this plan!
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