Mexico

My first stop was in Palenque to see the ruins. Again, completely mesmerized and completely drenched throughout my entire visit. I'm guessing October is rainy season in Central America... I'm pretty amazed that after seeing so many Mesoamerican ruins, I'm still impressed at every one. They're all so completely unique. Palenque has a Ruin that the Spaniards called "Palacio de los Cruces" or something like that. This was built somewhere around 730 AD before European contact and is filled with crosses built into the walls. That Jesus guy really got around apparently. Who knew. Palenque was extremely well preserved from what I could see. There were even reliefs in the temples showing Mayan Heiroglyphs still intact (unless they were renovated to look intact which would be dissapointing)

 I didn't go much out in the actual town of Palenque save for getting food 3 times a day from across the street..it was just raining so much and I had a guitar and tacos de pastor, what could I do? I'm just blown away at what crossing a simple arbitrarily drawn geographic line can do for culinary stylings. As I've ranted about before, food here...hasn't been that great. It started getting better and more authentic in Central America but was still nothing to write home about. However,  going to a simple Taqueria in Mexico gets you an amazing meal under $5. So Mexico, you might have one of the most corrupt police forces, governments and armies on the face of the planet, you might have a drug war that's threatening to destabilize and topple the country, you might make faulty electronics and bad guitars, people might say that your habit of fitting 8 people into a VW bug from 1972 is in bad taste but I say that your taste in music and food? Pretty..pretty pretty alright.

I bought a ticket to go to San Cristobal de las Casas which is closer to my exit point of Veracruz. After waiting for the 9:30 bus for 30 minutes, I finally asked someone what time it was and was told 11:00. Apparently I forgot to turn my clock ahead when I got into Mexico. In any case, I ended up having to take two shuttles instead of one and still got into San Cristobal, no problem.

My taxi driver obviously had no idea where he was going and dropped me in front of something that looked like a hostel on a random street near to the address I had written down. It was definitely not my hostel but luckily turned out to be a different hostel with overtly sexual art on the walls run by a nice girl from Oregon. I set myself down and went out to explore. San Cristobal is a small town nestled in the Mountains similar to Antigua, Guatemala I suppose. The streets are clean and full of nice restaurants serving international cuisine (even though tacos were hard to find for some reason, it was easy to get a crepe). I went with a bus to see some of the local villages around. It really feels like Peru around there. Alot of people in the town we visited, Chamula, don't speak spanish, only Tzotzil. It's nice to see that the Europeans didn't indoctrinate everyone. In fact, the Maya here have their own form of religion. A strange form of Catholicism similar to Santeria. A church we visited had statues of the saints with mirrors on their chests and has a floor blanketed with pine needles instead of pews.  It's a somewhat chaotic scene with people speaking in tongues and little kids weaving through your legs. I walked up to the altar and caught a glimpse of two men trying their hardest to break a chicken's neck for some kind of ritual. It was bizarre.  The Maya here are superstitious and have that belief that when someone takes a picture of you, they steal your soul. We couldn't take pictures in the church and even in the plaza when a woman in my group took out a camera to take a picture of a bunch of women, several of them hastily covered their faces with their coats to avoid western soul stealing. Unfortunately for them I got some DL photos with my camera phone since it apparently was beyond suspicion...even the Maya think it's too crappy to take pictures. Regardless, To all the women in the plaza whose souls I now have in my camera: sorry. 

I'm waiting for my bus to Veracruz at 9:45pm. It's hard to believe that this'll be the last overnight bus I take in Latin America. They've become so much a part of my existence that I'll probably have to take them to arbitrary destinations in America just to cope for a few months when I get back

Semuc Champey, Tikal and the rest of Guatemala

I got out of Antigua as soon as possible. Not so much because it was boring and expensive but because two Americans that I met in my hostel got robbed by a trannie. However, they helped the Guatemalan police catch the guy (?) and were then stuck waiting in Antigua for the things that were stolen as well as to give testimony....for 3 weeks. I'm strangely relieved that I'm not the only one relegated to having strange stories about transexuals. It makes me feel better. Anyway, the Americans suggested a hostel to stay in near Semuc Champey. I grabbed a bus to a town called Lanquin which is near Semuc Champey (a natural limestone formation).

Someone started this hostel called the Zephyr which is in the middle of a valley with a river nearby in the Guatemalan highlands. Completely cut off and beautiful. It was the first time in awhile that I've stayed in a hostel for more than two nights. Semuc Champey is a natural "bridge" that goes over an underground river. On top are these amazing pools that you can swim in and also a system of caves. You can walk thru one of the systems lighting your way with a candle. This might seem easy enough but there were a few problems. 1) It's pitch black. 2) The caves have a river running thru them. There are areas so deep where you have to tread water to get thru. Have you ever had to tread water while moving forward with one hand and using the other hand to keep your only light source above your head out of the water? You have? Well then, you know how hard it is. 3) It's not a nice, gently flowing stream. There were areas of whitewater rapids and whirlpools where its hard to walk. I saw my life flash before my eyes a few times. Regardless, it was a ton of fun except for the bats...which still scare the bejesus out of me. No matter how many times people tell me that they're just like rats with wings I can't help think that the only thing more terrifying than the concept of a rat that flies is a great white shark that flies...and who wants that?



Anyway, I met some really cool Swedish dudes who proved to further embarrass me and cement my opinion of American education. These guys probably spoke better English than me (ok, definitely spoke better English than me) and most of them were atleast trilingual at the age of 21. They also were good musicians and some of the smartest people I've met on this trip so far. We need to clean up our act or I need to marry a Swedish person and move there. Or both. Yes, I admit it to my friends who have always called me a closet European. Europeans are in fact better than us in almost every way. Except for the fact that we had Motown...like in the 60's.

I left for Tikal which is on this cool little island in Northern Guatemala. Got a cheap room right on the water for next to nothing. Tikal itself was a great experience. It was raining almost from the moment I got there and I didn't bring any rain gear but the rain made the ruins almost completely deserted and really, well, a true spiritual experience. Like Machu Picchu where it was raining too, I felt like I saw the ruins as they were supposed to be seen. The land of Tikal available to walk around is pretty massive and I was privy to see alot of immense pyramids and temples without a soul around. Climbing to the top of Temple IV too, you can see why George Lucas used it for a scene in a Star Wars movie. I'd definitely go again. I'm going to try and dry my clothes before going to Mexico tomorrow but deep down I know...that's not going to happen.

Copan to Antigua

Went to Copan two days ago to check out the ruins. Definitely on a smaller scale than any other highly touted ruins in Mesoamerica but definitely worth a visit. That's all I can think of to say. Although the town of Copan itself (1 km from the actual ruins) is full of tourists, which makes sense since the ruins are its mainstay, it's a nice little town nestled into a valley. Honduras is EXPENSIVE. Atleast compared to Nicaragua. A private room in a hostel in San Pedro Sula was $42 which I haven't seen anywhere. I'm finding that I like impoverished countries alot better. Not only because I can buy cheap combs and batteries but also because, well, they're not as nice and developed. People my parents' age (no offense Mom, I love you) eating in nice restaurants with napkins made of actual cloth eating off of porcelain plates in a town is a sure sign that its been westernized and too culturally paved for my comfort. Antigua, Guatemala (a 5 hour shuttle ride over the border) is much the same. A really pretty town actually, beautiful old churches and clean streets. I can see why aging retirees love it here so much. It's a safe, clean bubble to experience a country from. There's not actually much to do or even see here that you can't see in about a 2 hour stroll around the town is the thing. Antigua exists because of tourism, not the other way around. I can't imagine what you would do here if you weren't taking spanish classes or doing a homestay. It's kind of like Sucre, Bolivia...just more expensive, without as may things around it to see, more tourists and with a McDonalds and Burger King. I like much more having the chance to run into a native Guatemalan on the street rather than another person from my own city. Call it cultural anonymity...I don't know. I'm going to take a shuttle up north to Lanquin which is a lot less developed to see a natural formation called Semuc Champey. More to come later...

Honduras

The past week has been spent in a farm called Bonafide, also on Ompetepe. Bonafide has a completely different feel than Inah Inta. It's run by an American named Chris who experiments with different tree and plant species to see which ones are cultivatable for use by locals on the island. It's a much more academic experience than any farm I've ever been in. There is a big emphasis on Permaculture which is essentially the concept of how to live and work with the land in your immediate surroundings. The people here know alot of information about the subject and its a pretty consistent topic of conversation. After a month of being filthy and covered with sandflies though, I'm ready to get back to the real world of crappy Central American hostels and drunk Australians. I guess it's no news now that I leave for the States in less than a month which is a surreal feeling.
I had the most painless border crossing ever into Honduras. I just gave my passport and entry fee to the bus driver and he did everything on both sides. Everyday should be like this. Honduras is actually alot more expensive and developed than I thought. An hour within getting into San Pedro Sula (a city in the upper northeastern corner of the country) I was sitting in a Wendy's eating a double cheeseburger and watching American Football. I don't feel guilty about doing this anymore. I've been eating rice, beans and fried plantains for over a month now. I'm entitled. Anyway, if you're going to kill yourself with oversalted, high fat food I still contest that their is no better way to do it than with American fast food. We're good at what we do. I am, however, still unsure about what the implications are that a Wendy's Cheddarlover's Hamburger tastes exactly the same in Honduras as it does in Chicago.... Regardless, the effects of Globalization are not lost on me. The further north I go, the more things look like, well, America. I wouldn't even know I was in a foreign county here actually unless it wasn't full of short Mayan looking people. Literally every business is American and this isn't relegated solely to food. From my fat assed seat at Wendy's I was staring out at a Payless Shoe Store right next to a Goodyear. I'm not sure if American companies are really just the most efficient and business saavy or if people here demand American products more? Either way, I'd rather not be in a place like this. It's so much more expensive and all the local culture seems to have been blasted off the face of the planet a la San Jose, Costa Rica style. Tomorrow I leave for the Copan Ruins for a few days and then into Guatemala anyway so it'll be a limited experience....

Hippies and Mosquitoes

I decided to save some money WWOOFing again. I found a farm called Inah Inta which was back on Ometepe Island. It was going back south in the country which usually is a cardinal sin for me but since Ometepe is great and I needed to save cash, I backtracked thru Grenada and Managua again to get to Inah Itah.

Walking there was like something out of a dream. The road leading to Inah Intah was lined with mango trees, which were littering the ground. I found a good one and ate while I walked. Words can't describe what a mango fresh off the tree tastes like. As I came into higher ground, I could see the lake and volcanoes in the distance. Really beautiful. Inah Itah itself is located on a higher part of the island with great views of everything. It turns out that it's more of a "spiritual community" than a farm. The owner, a New Yorker, refashioned herself with the name "Gaia" and started it with her german partner, Paul.  As soon as I got my stuff down, I got a splitting migraine and went around looking for Tylenol. A french girl there asked me what was wrong and I told her I get migraines sometimes and didn't know why. She told me, "Oh, yes. This place has a very strong energy. It's that" I looked at her blankly for a bit and said, "Yeah...that's probably it." I didn't mention that it was probably because of the fact that the last hour getting to the place was comprised of me walking uphill in full sun with a 60 pound pack on my shoulders. I don't like spoiling peoples' fun.

Everyday commences with meditation, then breakfast, work and then Yoga. As meditation began at 5:30, it was rarely something I got up for. Doing Yoga was great. I can honestly say that I didn't know my body could move in such a way. I'm not being sarcastic at all when I say that I could see myself doing Yoga when I get back. However, I also say that I want to start putting more time into studying quantum physics when I get back too...the outlook seems dubious. Every Tuesday consisted of a "sharing circle" where people are encouraged to get their thoughts and feelings out. It essentially turned into a bitch session where people aired their grievances with other people in the community over food preparation, taking breaks during work, etc...and it got quite intense actually with alot of crying and yelling. I didn't have a problem with anyone yet so I stayed quiet and just watched in awe. Some of the people and things I've come to see at this place were one of a kind.

I also took part in my first real sweat lodge. The whole process itself was a ritual; collecting the wood, stones, building the structure, covering it with blankets, starting a fire and finally getting into the dark cave. Now, I have to preface this all by saying that while moving some rocks out of a hole minutes before the sweat, I was stung by a scorpion on the hand. To my surprise, I didn't die or go into paralyis as I was led to believe by most Indiana Jones movies. It was one of the most intense pains I've felt in my life and my finger swelled but nothing else. However, Paulo told me that scorpion stings are usually accompanied by some kind of halucenogenic feeling...this might have painted the experience for me. Apparently the sweat lodge I did when I was 12 at Boy Scout summer camp did not prepare me for a real sweat lodge. When I showed up mostly everyone was buck naked. I wore my underwear, I'm still not ready to make that type of leap.  Everyone there had done sweat lodges before and were used to it but I felt like I was going to pass out after about 10 minutes. Sharing my feelings was something I only half remembered since I think I was hallucinating but I'm sure I talked about how I got picked on when I was a kid...maybe. Anyway, after the first 25 minute session of trying to get comfortable and failing (due to being surrounded by 8 other people in complete darkness and sliding off of myself since I was dripping in sweat) I burst outside, made up an excuse about not being able to do the second round because of the experience being just "too emotionally heavy" and almost ran back to my tent to eat crackers. Turns out I was just hungry. This was probably because we have nothing else to eat here but salad.

It's been a great experience though. I opened myself up to alot of new ideas and practices (look up "tantric breathing" it'll change your world). I'm leaving today to go to another farm on the island than make the move into Honduras finally.

Volcano Boarding and the Pacific

I'm desperately looking for an urban center that I like in Nicaragua, I came to Leon. It's, again, more of the same but definitely the most charming city in Nicaragua so far. There's a ton of churches and also a really great art museum. Somehow it owns a few original Picasso sketches..I don't know how, guess the owner had alot of money. The main reason for coming to Leon though was to hike up and board down an active volcano. Cerro Negro is a relatively new volcano that last erupted in 1999. It's the second I've hiked up but the most volcaney looking volcano that I've been up. All blackened volcanic rock and sulphur clouds. Once you get to the top, they give you a penitentiary style orange jumpsuit, safety goggles and a "Board." My jumpsuit was of course too small and came to about 6 inches below my knees. The guide said it was supposed to fit like that...but then why did everyone else's come to below their ankles? Anyway, I decided to go first against a german guy. One side of the volcano is eroded so that it's more sand-like than the other faces but still pretty much just rocks. You sit toboggan style on the board and they just push you down. You're supposed to put your feet out and use them in a braking type style to steer the board. Easier said than done when you're going 40mph down a volcano on a piece of wood. It took about 20 seconds until I did a face plant on the volcano and my board went careening down the volcano ahead of me. I caught up to it eventually but lost the race. The damned suit left my legs exposed so now I have gashes up and down the side of my left calf. Not to mention that I'll probably be finding volcano dust in my stool for the next week after eating about a pound of it.

Afterwards, myself and some other people from the trip got a bite to eat and a girl with us got her bag with her passport taken right out from under her chair. We were all sitting there...it was like a ghost took it, truly incredible. We went with her to report it. The police station in Leon looks more like a place where you would get robbed than to report a robbery. I waited outside while they got the woman to take our report since I didn't want the roof to collapse on my head. When we were giving our account of what happened, I couldn't help but notice a pile of AK47s just leaning against the cabinet like they were nothing more than envelopes. I probably could've stolen one but I can't take anymore weight in my pack.

I was going to go to Honduras the next day but it would've taken too long to get there by the time I got up. I saw a sign in the hostel bathroom for "Rancho Tranquilo" which was owned by a Californian named Tina. Tina's place was as far out of the way as you can get. Nestled on a little peninsula jutting out into the Pacific ocean, it was perfect. I swam and boogie boarded mainly.

Tina's boyfriend is involved with a sea turtle rescue project which I volunteered with for a bit. I spent the nights stalking the beach with a flashlight looking for mothers laying eggs. The idea was to take these eggs and put them in an artificial nest (vivero) to protect them from poachers and also to supply ideal hatching conditions. The problem is that the fishing stock in the ocean is nearly gone and so out of work fisherman turn to poaching sea turtle eggs and then selling them in town for a quick buck.  Sea turtle eggs are a kind of spanish fly around here and local men do shots of them to increase sexual potency.  It was a frustrating experience because at night when the turtles usually lay their eggs (probably to use the darkness to protect their eggs?) you are searching the beach along with 15 other poachers looking for the same thing as you...and they're way better at it. The poachers always find them first. You can buy the eggs from the poachers but they won't sell unless you give them the same price that they could get in town and since the project is operating with basically no money, we can't afford to buy them. Noel, a local kid helping with the project said that only 5 years ago, you could walk on the beach for 5 minutes anytime after nightfall and almost trip over a turtle laying eggs. Now you're lucky if you walk for 6 hours and find even one. The whole experience for me was like watching extinction happen in real time right before your eyes. If you have any spare money, you can donate money here:

http://seaturtlerescue.org/how.html

I can't think of a better way to use your money...unless you need it for your mortgage payment and in that case, shame on you, who has a mortgage in this economy?

I'm back in Leon today. Leaving tomorrow for Ometepe again. I'm going to work on a farm again...

Little Corn Island-The Shark hunt

After Ometepe...things got kind of garden variety. We got over to Grenada, stayed only for a little bit and then went to Managua (the capital city). As far as ¨Colonial¨cities go, Nicaragua has definitely not put the cash into preserving it like Colombia has. Both Grenada and Managua were ugly messes of decaying buildings and garbage. I looked for some kind of charm in both but couldn´t do it...mainly because I was worried about getting foot mouth disease in Grenada. The second day we were there, they had some kind of horse parade and the streets were blocked with horses at every intersection. We almost got trampled trying to cross the street to eat and definitely stepped in shit getting there. Managua is what I imagine L.A to be like, if L.A was in Nicaragua. The city is a sprawling monstrosity with no recognizable downtown area. You need to take cabs to every point even to the stores to buy batteries. Luckily, we only had to go to Managua to get a plane to Little Corn island which is an island off the Caribbean coast of Nicargua (much like when we went to San Andres island in Colombia)

Little corn is the most remote island I´ve ever been to. There are no hotels just small hospedajes and there is no road so the only option to get around is to walk, use a bike or to get pushed in a wheelbarrow. We rented a little cabina at this place called Carlito´s which was on the other side of the island. Renting at Carlito´s was good for many reasons. One, not many people go to Carlito´s since the restaurant isn´t that great and it´s not a place to party. Two, it´s super isolated because people don´t want to walk all the way to the other side. Three, I heard Carlito served 10 years in a United States federal jail for being caught running cocaine into the United States. This, to me, made the place safer from others since we were already in the arms of the criminal underbelly of Nicaragua. Unsound logic? Maybe, but I bet that if anybody came to mess with his guests and disrupt business, Carlito would probably come out in his khaki shorts and penny loafers brandishing a shotgun. He seemed the type.

I caught up on a 6 year hiatus of diving and snorkeling too (I only went once in San Andres). I quickly became obsessed with the idea of swimming with a hammerhead shark since they hang out around the island. 3 dives and 2 snorkel trips later though, there were none to be found. We saw a lot of nurse sharks, sea turtles, a pack of 5 eagle rays(which is amazing and beautiful in it of itself) and I also got to finally scuba dive with Dolphins. This trumped the Hammerheads anyway. Dolphins are incredibly smart and you know that they are constantly messing with you. They show up out of nowhere, and jump out of the water. You stop the boat dead in the water, everyone frantically gets their stuff on and you jump in and swim after the pod. It´s only after about 10 minutes of swimming that you realize the dolphins are exactly the same distance in front of you...they let you catch up and then swim away. Those things are real tricksters...never trust one with your money.

We got back to Managua and Neesy Bean had to go back to New York so I´m travelling solo again. I guess Leon is next. I´m looking into how to get into Honduras next but currency is not looking so hot these days, someone send money...fast.