5 countries, 17 days

Well, I'm finally blogging again, which I'm excited about, although I'm not sure this post will be super interesting for most of you as it pretty much just chronicles the start of my travels in Central America (more for when the Alzheimer's kicks in).

Once again I quit my job and rented out my condo in order to do some volunteer travel for some months (for the winter of course). It killed me to not go back to India/Nepal this year, but for once I took the advice of some of my peeps and decided to try something new.

I almost didn't choose Central America as the travel reports weren't so great (lots of murders, rapes, kidnappings-you know, the kinds of things you really want to worry about when you are a single female traveller), plus it didn't help that 2 of my good friends, both from Central/South America, had told me that Guatemala (where I planned to stay for awhile to volunteer), was pretty dangerous.

But there is always another side and after reading great travel reports from tourists, I decided to give it a go. Probably the best decision I made though, was to take a short group tour first. The reasoning was threefold; to develop some comfort in Central America within the safety of a group, to see other countries which I wouldn't go to on my own, and in order to know where I might want to go after Guatemala.

So I chose a G Adventures (formally Gap Adventures) tour called The Backroads of Central America, which started in San Jose, Costa Rica, and ended in Antigua, Guatemala where I planned to volunteer. So 5 countries in 17 days!

On November 26, 2013 I flew to San Jose which was smooth sailing despite the usual attempts by taxi drivers to rip you off at the airport. Thank goodness for my (limited) Spanish! I'm embarrassed to say that I saw little of San Jose as my goal was to hit the mall for some basics that I forgot, although that turned out to be a bust. Let's just say it wasn't exactly Polo Park.

I met the group the evening of November 27th and it was pretty United Nations which I love! 7 countries represented in total..several Canadians (Dani, Bobbi, Mike and Kevin (although Kevin is a special case as he is a Chinese guy who grew up in India, who now is Canadian but he lives in Texas). Can you imagine his Customs forms, Geez Louise! One American (Rachel), an Australian (Hussain aka Shelley), Robin from Wales, Alicia from Sweden and...our tour guide Ernyk from Costa Rica. A final member, Avi from Bangalore, India (woot woot) didn't make it until later due to some visa issues :(

We left early the next morning (after Robin's big breakfast) for adventure central La Fortuna, where there is supposedly a volcano overlooking the town, but which we never saw as it was rainy and covered in clouds. We couldn't do much that afternoon because of the weather so walked to town in the rain (rather than taking a very cheap taxi AKA bad decision #1). That night we decided to forgo the free hot springs on the river which the locals frequented, for a hoity toity resort which had many different hot spring fed pools, a waterslide etc. It was all lit up in different coloured lights, there was music, a swim up bar...beautiful! The only problem is how do you get drinks at the swim up bar when you can't keep your money dry? Well, leave it to Ernyk (AKA Rico as in Rico Suave as I soon named him for his calm, cool Rasta vibe), as he hooked us up with a bottle of rum that we mixed on the down low straight up high school style yo. So a couple Cuba Libres whilst soaking in some beautifully lit hot spring fed pools wasn't too shabby.

The next day we all split up to do separate activities. Kevin, Alicia and I went off whitewater rafting AKA my death wish. Now I have to preface this by saying that I have whitewater rafted several times and have NEVER fallen out. Perhaps I was a little cocky in a boat full of newbies, who knows. After our safety briefing, which I think I was only half listening to given what happened minutes later, we took off with our fearless leader Fabio. Well we barely started down the river when we hit our first rapid, which Fabio had told us was an 'Oh Shit" rapid, which meant that on his command we all needed to jump into the middle of the boat with our paddles up. Well, I doubt the next part was part of the plan as the ol' boat hit a big rock and we were almost vertical with Kevin and I on the bottom end. In the water we went (although I had no idea until much later that Kevin fell in with me), and all I remember is hitting the cold water, being swept away fast, underwater of course, and slamming against rocks. At the same time I remember thinking OMG when will I be able to come up for air!? It was soooo scary!! Then I remember someone saying "I got you" and being scooped up into the boat. And that my friends, is the moment when Fabio became the hottest guy in the world :) Once in the boat I remember whining "I don't wanna do this anymore!" so scared that it was going to happen again..shite! But of course it was just the beginning so I had no choice but to continue. How traumatic I tell you!!!

So we continued and I swear I hung on to that rope like no tomorrow!!! Luckily I have a play by play picture library to remind me of the trauma. Thankfully, now it is hilarious to watch especially given that every picture after, no matter what, the rope and I are ONE. Fabio had a great time watching my facial expressions for the rest of the journey as my look of fear was pretty funny apparently. At one point he said "yes I'm still here" as I must have been looking back for some reassurance that my hero was still there.

The pain worsened as the minutes went on, as I had clearly pulled some muscles while the river was playing with my life. I couldn't paddle backwards after awhile but the story ends well as we made it back safely (after what seemed like hours). I could barely walk by this point. But hey. as they say in Costa Rica, "pura vida!!" I'm still alive and it's all good! Not sure I will be rafting anytime soon, however.

The next day we went on to Monteverde which is THE place for ziplining, a great activity when one is in major pain. But when in Costa Rica as they say..I just had to do it. I didn't find it scary although I have to admit that while doing the Superman (I don't think I need to explain) on a couple of the longest lines in Latin America I couldn't help but image the cable breaking and the splat that my body would be on the ground. Well that was nothing really because at the end was the Tarzan Swing. Although it wasn't really rocket science as to what it would involve, we couldn't really visualize what would happen and nobody would tell us anything which was probably good or I may not have done it. They clearly know this as they barely give you a chance to say whether you want to go, or to explain what you need to do. The gate opens and they push you out holding on to a rope free falling until the rope starts swinging. Holy crap, so scary!!!!! Costa Rica will now be forever remembered as the country where I had 2 of the scariest experiences of my life!

That night we went on a night hike, ideally to see sloths, which Robin was most excited for after his stuffed sloth purchase which will either be a hit with the ladies, or cause for them to run for the hills..hard to say. It was a really cool hike with a very knowledgeable guide, and thankfully we saw around 7 sloths, some super close including a mom carrying her baby which was the best sight. We also saw a tarantula in a hole which was super freaky, AND, the best part, a really cute cat followed us the whole time and I loved her :)

After cool weather, lots of rain, everyone and everything smelling like wet dogs, we left for Nicaragua. Well it turned out that the government had instituted a new tax system that day (lucky us) and that due to a problem at the border you had to pay in the closest city about 1.5 hours away. Many found this out the hard way by arriving at the border and being turned away which meant an additional 3 hours in travel alone. Thankfully we found out while we were in the city so lined up to pay. There were tons of people in front of us, and at first I was pretty pumped to be apart of the experience, especially when the locals started to get irritated with the lack of movement yelling FILA FILA, ATRAS ATRAS (which essentially meant they were trying to call attention to the line). Oh yessss I was all up in there like Forrest Gump trying to be apart of that group! Well as the HOURS passed and with the scorching heat, I started to get a bit more aggressive so we could get into that bank! It was a crazy scene with people paying others to process their documents for them (meaning some were going in with oodles of passports). People were also passing off children to women who were able to get into a special women and children's line. Did I mention that Rico, our fearless leader, is the most laidback, calm guy you'll ever meet, a true Rasta (you know, the ya maaan type)..well he was just going with the flow. So I had to take matters in my own hands...there was no way anyone was getting past me! Just as we were getting close some chick tried to budge, and she was like "no hay fila" which means "there is no line" and I was all up in her grill saying "Si hay!!" which means "yes there is!!!" hahahaha I loved it...So finally I inched my way in to first place, and then when I was next I let Rico take over. We ended up being very late that day but it was an experience none of us will forget. It's all about the memories you know..

After a border crossing, a couples buses, and a 'luxurious' ferry where we sat on the deck floor amongst all the other wares, we arrived in Ometepe, a beautiful island on Lake Nicaragua, also the site of a massive volcano. Once there, the group was disbursed amongst families for a 2 day homestay experience. As it turned out, Dani, me, Alicia and Rachel ended up in a Big Pimpin house, probably the biggest and nicest around. The family was so cute (Roman Sr., Sandra and their 3 kids; Roman Jr. Jilma and Steven. They hadn't been with the homestay program very long and it was obvious that they aimed to please. Like for instance we made the mistake of taking their offer of eating outside where it was cooler, after which Sr. and Jr. carried out the dining room table! For dinner we had an interesting typical dish of crispy tortillas topped with shredded mozza cheese, splats of ketchup and something else, perhaps mayo. It sounds kinda gross but it was actually pretty good. The family didn't speak English so needless to say I had to be on my A game as the others didn't speak Spanish.

Our time with them was lovely, apart from there not being full walls resulting in absolutely no privacy, and the herd of 36 cows outside my bedroom. No, really, we had the best food (i.e. the best scrambled eggs of my life), and the family was absolutely lovely. In this area there are about 18 families who work with this homestay program and it appears to be a highly coveted program to belong to. There is a certain criteria that you have to meet, including not being in any trouble with the police..well too bad for that..wouldn't that make for a great time!

The next day only one of us in the group was energetic enough to do 10 hour hike up/down the volcano. God Forbid, in my nightmares! Instead a group of us decided to rent some scooters and tour around the island at our leisure. Sounded like a grand idea to a girl who had never driven a scooter, especially one that thought she would be a passenger. But after a couple of the other girls elected not to drive, I had no choice. I was freaked out after getting some basic instructions in Spanish/poor English, plus the roads were initially sandy which freaked me out even more. As well my helmet was busted and so was falling off all the time, which I am sure looked very attractive, so I was playing with it constantly thereby creating some difficulty. I eventually lightened up a bit, apparently more so after a Cuba Libre stop, and the gang with our hogs, as we preferred to refer to them (yes, the scooters), toured around the island. The countryside was beautiful and the people clearly don't see many hog gangs around as they were very curious and friendly. We checked out a beach but otherwise just toured around like badass gangstas. Needless to say driving a hog is not my strength and so I had a few "incidents." In my defence I did get the most crappy scooter (which in some ways was good as the owner shouldn't notice the damage as much, haha), although had I not had such a crappy scooter perhaps I wouldn't have wiped out..2, perhaps 3, times. I'm killing myself laughing as I write this as it's funny now but at the time, not so much. Between the whitewater rafting and the scooter driving I could have needed that travel insurance after all (which thankfully I did remember to get this time Mother). Instead I just ended up with a stellar bruise on my leg which lasted a good 3-4 weeks.

That night we met a the local meeting place where the families made dinner for us. I didn't like that so much as I would have liked to eat with our family rather than being served. We also tried the infamous Flor de Cana rum of Nicaragua which I had tried before, but which is waaaay better in the country! Sugarcane is growing everywhere so there is plenty of it for the rum.

The next day after another ferry ride and chicken bus (the bus the locals travel in which could have chickens or anything else under the sun, and which I was very much looking forward to) we arrived in Granada. I really loved Granada as it is very colonial and the buildings are all in vibrant colours. There are patios everywhere in the street and with its infamous hot weather it's like summer in Winnipeg :) Thankfully G Adventures hooked us up with a hotel with a pool which provided great relief from the heat. That night after walking around we ordered in and had a pizza party around the pool with me as DJ, (a role I always seem to end up in and let me tell you this was a tough crowd to play for!). We checked out the local nightlife a bit later which was a great time..but I'm pretty sure the other guests didn't appreciate us so much.

The next day we just strolled around and it was lovely..I could definitely see myself going back. That night some of us did a tour of an active volcano/bat caves. I had never seen a volcano up close before, never mind one that was smoking with some visible lava once it was dark. So that was pretty cool. I was pretty freaked out by the potential for bats flying at my face in the cave (and I put my jacket on despite it being 100 degrees just so they couldn't touch me) but there were only like 3, so it was pretty tame.

The next day we were off to Poneloya, an isolated little place on the coast of Nicaragua. After a long bus ride, a boat to get us and our bags across a little stream, and then what seemed like a forever walk to the lodge..we arrived. It was a hostel-ish environment with our group sharing an upstairs dorm with a beautiful view of the ocean. And there was nothing else around except for the lodge. We laid around, swam, at night listened to music around a fire, and watched drunk tourists dance. Unfortunately the beach was not the cleanest, particularly after the drunk girls proceeded to puke on it. Thankfully we had Bobbi though, as she has a talent for identifying uncleanly things such as used condoms in the sand. Gross me green!

The next day was to be a long day as we made our way to El Salvador. I was super excited as it's not the most touristy place and is a country that I wouldn't have gone by myself due to its reputation. After a long bus ride we arrived at a remote border crossing where we were to catch a ferry. In preparation for our 4 hour boat ride I of course wanted to hit the bathroom. Well instead of the bush Rico told me that sometimes they let people use the bathroom in Immigration. So our driver took it upon himself to usher me to a bathroom, and quite proudly as if it was his house. Well, after my many travels all over the world, including India, which has a bad rap for bathroom issues, this was by far the worst! There was no running water and the toilet had clearly been used, a lot, with there being some good, kolbassa type logs in there. The smell was so bad that I gagged 3 times before getting out, and my eyes were watering like crazy. As I walked out in this shape, the good ol' driver was right there, I guess wanting to check how I made out. My God, how horrible...

As luck would have it our boat didn't show up and we couldn't get any information as to when it was coming. While we waited the Customs guy asked us to bring our packs out for him to check. And he proceeded to eye us all up, clearly using high tech assessment skills to decide who may be smuggling (who knows what) out of the country. Clearly a make work project, he casually checked a few bags (Wales and India represented for sure, I can't remember who else) and all he came up with was Robin's prized stuffed animal, the Sloth.

Eventually we left to find a restaurant as it was turning into a long wait with no end in sight. Several hours after arriving our boat finally showed up, well actually, a faster, more luxurious boat showed up, it seemed perhaps to make up for the long wait. What was to be a 4 hour trip with no seats, took 1.5 hours with plenty of room. Well some things happen for a reason, because the trip to El Salvador ended up taking place later in the day around sunset and the ride was absolutely breathtaking. We travelled through the Gulf with Nicaragua behind us, Honduras to the right, and El Salvador to the left. Beautiful volcanoes and rolling hills, the sun going down, and the water like glass. It was absolutely amazing. So despite a very long day and some bad luck with the boat, we arrived in El Salvador grinning from ear to ear from the spectacular ride.

After many more hours in a bus we arrived in Suchitoto, a small, sleepy town in El Salvador. On the way we stopped at a store, something like a 7-11 mid evening (which I found out after the driver was quite concerned about as apparently it was a dangerous area and this was the safest place for us to stop). Outside of the store, a guard with an automatic rifle, and inside, the same. That was a bit disconcerting. After getting my snack of course I had to seize the opportunity to chat with the guard outside to find out what this was all about. Apparently around the area it was quite rough so they pretty much need armed guards so people feel safe to even come in. Welcome to El Salvador!

The next morning we strolled around town and to the market to get some pupusas, an El Salvadorian speciality, a grilled tortilla of rice and corn with beans, meat and/or cheese inside. I wasn't too excited as I had had them before, like at Folklarama, and didn't overly like them. We went to the park and ate our breakfast and they were delicious though! After that I was on the pupusa hunt and this town did not disappoint for delicious pupusas. That day we basically just strolled around and it was lovely. I found the people super friendly, there were almost no tourists and the town was very quaint. I was loving El Salvador!

The next day we travelled to Concepcion de Ataco, another small town; this one noted for its colourful murals, which were beautiful. It is also noted for its coffee so we went on a highly anticipated coffee tour, which turned out to be fantastic. On the way we saw the coffee bushes with their red berries. The tour though, involved the actual production of coffee, from the time the berries arrive, to the point the packages are filled for the store. It was incredible to see how many steps go into it, how many different types of machines are involved, plus human labour. We saw an assembly line of women who during the process hand sort beans, taking out the undesirable ones. Had no idea...This processing plant turned out to be a major supplier of Starbucks, so let me tell you, I now have a much greater appreciation for why my latte costs so much!! At the end of the tour we tasted their coffee on the beautiful grounds. It was made simply by pouring hot water through a mesh filter and was fantastic!

That night we had a nice dinner, with an armed guard at the door of the restaurant. It seemed strange as the town was so small and innocent looking. I hope someone can explain to me one day what goes on there and why there is a need for such high security.

I was sad to leave El Salvador, feeling the need to see more. But on a 17 day tour of 5 countries, time is precious. So before the sun came up we were off once again, this time to Honduras. Interestingly enough, to get there, we crossed into Guatemala then came back through into Honduras, meaning 3 countries in one day. We arrived in Copan, the home of the famous ruins, and here I had the best food I had had in Central America. Honduras is the home of the Baleada, which is basically a soft tortilla with whatever you want in it. But this one tasted like the chapati I used to have in Mysore, India so I was in heaven. As you can tell, for me it's all about the food! I may not always remember what I did somewhere I've been, a place I have been, but I will always remember what I ate!!

So we toured Copan, and I'm kind of ashamed to say that I didn't really enjoy it. But hey, I try and tell myself that we all like different things and ruins are just not my thing, especially after seeing so many in Cambodia and Peru, and as well after being up since 5:30 am and travelling across 3 countries. But Copan itself was a nice town which we got a chance to just stroll around in. It was here that a little boy ventured into our hotel selling Xmas ornaments made of corn husk dolls. He was the cutest little guy and so I was determined to clean him out of his stock! He was a smart kid though, because when he realized this, he ran off to his mom to get more, and then doubled the price :) Shelley begrudgingly bought a big ornament but I hear now that the recipient was pretty happy with it, plus with the story as well.

There are so many little kids working in Central America, selling everything from gum to cornhusk dolls, shining shoes etc. It is hard to see when you think of the life kids have in "the developed countries." Coming from child protection, it also made me think of how easy it is for kids to get trafficked or hurt. This little guy (maybe 6 years old) came right into our hotel, with a group of adults and sat with us for a bit without any worry for what could happen. Scary stuff...

The following day was our final travel day, to Antigua. Guatemala, which would be my home for awhile. My first impression was as expected..very colonial and colourful and with volcanoes surrounding it. It reminded me of Cuzco, Peru with its colonial look, spring-like temperature, tons of people selling things and many tourists. We basically just toured around and that night had a farewell dinner followed by a a little dancing in a jam packed bar, followed by a little swimming (by some) in the pilas (pools of water meant for washing for those who don't have water). Pretty sure somebody, who will remain nameless, will have Hepatitis after that excursion :)

Sadly, most people were off early the next morning to their various countries. I knew in advance this would be a hard transition for me, losing not only the security of a group, but also friends that had become like family in such a short time. But the whole experience was so great, and as I tried to tell myself, as one door closes, another opens, so who knew what was yet in store! Wait and see!