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Tuesday, 24 July 2007

Currently Reading
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
By J. K. Rowling
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CORN ISLANDS

... so we were picked up by our private cab... we did this to ensure that there would be no issues in arriving to the airport in time... made it to managua... and the airport was kind of interresting....
you know you're going on a small plane when at check-in... they don't only weigh your bags.... but you as well!
we waited a bit in the airport... for the past president of nicaragua and his whole family needed to board a private jet first... once more... the very poor v.s. the very rich... except we were the very poor this time ;)

walking out to the plane was very interesting... i was definitely not expecting such a tiny plane....

only 15 people could fit inside... plus our 2 captains

our flight took a little over an hour... and then we arrived in paradise

BIG CORN ISLAND
was our first spot... we stayed on the main island for 3 nights... enjoyed the beach just outside of our home... jumped on the one transit bus... and toured the island in 15 minutes... pretty darn small... they also had a pristine white sand beach where we hung out another day... however, were quickly told to not sit on their chairs as we were not some of their wealthy guests! we were just scraping by after buying our $160 plane ticket... we were living off of tuna and peanut butter sandwiches!

the views from our hotel!!! yes it's all real!
the boat in the first picture was words of warning for one husband.... "my big belly no husband... shame on you!"

we then decided to switch up locations... so we boarded a fair size fishing lancha and made our way over to small corn... it was a very rough ride... put my lifejacket under my butt instead of on due to the large jumps we were making over the waves... basically at the end of our ride we were greatful due to the fact that we did not capsize and we were very wet!!!

LITTLE CORN

BEWARE: this is one of the most beautiful places in the world!!!!

imagine this... an island with no roads... only one paved sidewalk... to easier assist those with wheelbarrows used to transport fresh bread fruit... mangoes... starfruit... avocados... and of course lobster traps... lobster season was just starting and they had to make sure that all the traps had made it down to the water
there were many modern hotels on the west side... aka those we could not afford!... so we walked through the forrest and made it to the east side of the island... aka. cheapland
there were about 3 groupings of cabanas... none charging more than $10 for a 2bed hut... mind you, the bathroom is shared... and since water and electricity only come on between 6pm and 12am... it really doesn't matter! bucket bath land!
our little place had a kitchen we could use, so that helped us save on funds... this is where we spent 5 glorious days!... unfortunately the rain came and chased us off the island... but it was a vacation well worth the splurge!

our own private beach!!!
our cabana hut 'compound' the gang... there was about 12 of us staying there and we all kept eachother entertained... limbo/cards, etc. the cute german couple... he said that little corn island reminded him of thailand in the 70s
our walk through the forest!

Sunday, 01 July 2007

nicaragua

we left for nicaragua on june 20... up at 3:20am to get ready... had to be at the bus terminal at 4am... although we had called and reserved a cab the night before, he wasn't showing up... after calling the company again, someone showed up... unfortunately someone shouldn't have shown up... our cabby was ridiculously drunk... couldn't understand where we wanted to go... but thank god, we finally got there
took a tica bus all the way down to managua... 4 hours to teguc (was able to sleep that portion) and then 8 hours down to managua... we did have to get off the bus at the border... as usual... walk accross... then they searched all of our bags, and just anyone was digging their hands around, so we kept close watch... didn't want to loose anything that early in the trip... changed some money... there are always eager men with stacks o' cash at the border... no need for a bank
we arrived in managua about an hour ahead of schedule so we decided to stay on the road and make our way down to granada... took a public shuttle bus... and only took about an hour...
granada
granada was stunning... their central park was so cute, had a beautifully repainted (yellow may i add) church... super colonial looking town... very much like antigua minus the cobblestone roads

we picked a hostel and stayed there for the first night... pretty shotty... we were up at 6am due to the management thinking that it was a good time for construction! plus the power goes out at night in granada, so we had no fan working in our closed in room... sans breeze... a new hostel was very much needed
the only thing i didn't appreciate about granada was the amount of begging... and the forcefulness of it... no where else have people been so rude... usually people will try to sell you things and so forth, but there was really no begging in guatamala... here we had kids/adults walking up to our table and slamming their fists on our tables yelling "donne me"... basically give me... rude... it's hard to wish to give when someone is that rude
our new hostel was fantastic... free internet... a pool... a breezy room... hammocks to lie in... couches to read on... truly beautiful... oasis.. stay there!

the power was another issue in granada... everynight it would go off around midnight... not a prob when you're in bed... but when you're out on the town... foreign town... it's a little intimidating...
up early the next day... packed up and got ourselves ready for our private cab to the airport....

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

end of guatamala

after lake atitlan we made our painful way... 17 hour crappy bus ride... up to flores... pretty much in mexico... to go and see
TIKAL
the most amazing mayan site i've ever been to... ok... i've only been to copan... but it was incredible... the temples were soo high... lots of climbing... and not so fun for me, as i'm so afraid of heights. since the stone is softer than the stone at copan many of the inscriptions have been worn off... it's pretty sad... but it's still an incredible experience... you're right in the jungle... can hear the howler monkeys... and just mesmerized by the beautiful creations of men
stunning huh! we had to climb up a huge/steep temple to get this shot
jeannette and i... my future roomie for next year... my travel buddy
RIO DULCE and LIVINGSTON
then we bussed down to rio dulce, and spent some time in livingston... so beautiful! it's right on the carribean ocean... starts as a lake at rio dulce... then you follow the river, also named rio dulce and end up at the ocean... absolutely stunning... many little huts along the way. so many sailboats and yachts here... they all stop on their way down south... i looked here for my future hubby!... unfortunately no luck! i plan on buying some real estate here after i buy my saiboat
rio dulce... some fishing boys... what a gorgeous life!

livinston
beach outside of livingston
chicken bus home
that's all i can do right now...
i've got to go to bed... it's 11pm... and i have to be at the bus terminal at 4am! Leavin' for nicaragua!
love you, miss you!
angie

Monday, 11 June 2007

guatamala

(my appologies for the bad writing below... i am lazy, so i repasted emails that i´ve been sending to mom and dad... i´ve tried to make them meld... enjoy!)
here´s to skipping a month or two... i will return to s.p.s. and update you all with my goings on in april and may... b-c basically after mom and dad left, i only stayed put in the city for one w-end... plenty o´ traveling...
alright... so june 2nd... the day after school finished i headed off on a journey with my good friend jeannette and future roomate... we loaded on a bus and headed up to copan and then off to guatamala city.... here her friend picked us up... monica... she´s an architect who jeannette met while living inthe dominican republic... and took us on a tour of the city... it was nightish time.. so the market was closing down... but we basically inched along for about 10minutes through the market... you could buy anything and everything.. definitely more of a city market... tshirts, cds, odds and ends, not really tipico craft stuff.
GUATAMALA CITY
me arriving at the guatemalan border
in guate city
it's always so nice to be able to visit a country where you know someone... the safety is incredible... we got a tour of downtown guatamala city in her car... the architecture here is incredible... so colonial... old HUGE churches, government houses... you just don't see that in san pedro/honduras... comyagua i guess, but that's about it...
their central park is amazing... and they have a HUGE fountain all lit up at night and in front of a humongous old colonial church... then we drove through the market... it looked like a night market, but they just stay open later... it was a cool 10min ride through the market... being able to see everthing going on... super cool...
then to monica's house... her family lives in zona 15... the town is split into 21 zones... they all spiral outwards from the center of the city... it is so organized here... the roads are incredible... you can tell that their infrastructure is way stronger than honduras, and that their country holds more wealth... just iin it's cleaniness... the roads... the organization... and way more malls to cater to the rich... it's super interresting...
anyways... we went out last night for dinner and hten went and watched monica's brother play in the band he's in... everyone knew their songs... they have their own cd, music video, and are played on the radio... felt kind of cool to be hanging with them... they were a great rock band
antigua....
hookah barmonica's family home volcan pacaya that's real molten lava
i am so sorry that i didn´t get you here mom.... i am sorry that you two came to honduras at all... guatamala is so beautiful... jeannette and i walked into town today, and the road sides were clean.. j almost choked when she saw a woman bend down and pick up a piece of garbage!!!! hondurans just throw it out the window... absolutely beautiful...
today we´ve just been treking around town... checking out churches, old buildings, etc... it is incredible how beautiful it is here... there are 3 volcanoes surrounding us.. one used to be full of water... volcan de agua... adn when it errupted, it flooded the town.. then antigua no longer was the capital, as the capital was moved to guatamala city... monica and ana lucia are coming back tomorrow everning... as it´s only 40mins away from guate... then on wednesday j and i will trek up volcan de fuego... it is an active volcano... leave at 12... back at 9... so we´ll get to see it in the nightlight... pretty excited...
antigua is also super safe... we´re staying at monica´s family home just outide of the core... about a 10 min walk... we have a reliable taxi to use at night... have the maid and her family staying at the house-side house... and a friendly lil´cocker spaniel! the only prob is that the house has a ghost... monica was nice enough to inform us at the last minute... thanx!

last night just stayed in and read my book... pretty pleased with myself as i´ve been doing lots of journalling... feels good to be relaxing...
chichicastenanga!
jeannette and i had a very exciting morning... we left early from chichicastenanga... the market town... and took a chicken bus to panajachel... too funny.... we caught the bus seriously jsut down the road from our hostel... the bus has 3 guys... a driver, and two door men... one of the door men whipped js and my packs off our backs and climbed up the back of the school bus... we got on the bus, and were told to sit down.... too bad there was no more space... we both squeezed our little behinds on the edge of the front two seats... seriously squeezed... the bus was full of all locals,... all women in their traditional clothing... too mesmerizing... then i said to jeannette ``i hope he put our packs on the roof`` as i hadn{t seen him reaappear... olnly one man was at the front... then i looked behind me and saw the other man climbing down the ladder on the back, opened the back door and swung in... an amazing feat!° holy spiderman°
then the excitement bagan.... we started inching up the hills... as we are now in the highlands... and seriously fought to keep our asses on the seats... then we started going dowhill.... i don{t know which one was more terrifying... the bus driver was VERY tallented... and i have him to thank for the fun ride.... it was way better than any rollercoaster....
then we reached a mid town... switched busses in about 2 min... a man ran up, caught our bags, and climbed right back up attaching them to the rack.... this ride was about the same-less distance... 30min... crazy b-c only 12km... no where as near curvy, however it was constantly stopping to pick people up... then one more switch... men were offerering to taxi us in the back of their trucks... the kind where everyone is standing... hmmm... a little scary on mountian roads... so we opted to catch a ride on one last school bus... and we made it... only about an hour or so of travel and 11.50 quetzales each... under $2... and some man had offered us 50Q back in chichi with other white people in his mini van... our option was much more exciting!° the largest market in central america
little vendor girl who robbed my heart!
mayan woman who wouldn't leave us alone b/c we wouldn't buy anything from her... so she took a beer... and a cell phone from her bra! her daughter came later... too cute... leslie... and on the way home i played soccer with some kids in the street
funny signs chicken bus from chichi
PANAJACHEL
so... panajachel is the beginning of our stay at the lake... it is very laid back here... like chichi there are fewer gringos than antigua... more here than chichi though... last night we chilled at a little restaurant, and this one lady would not leave us... we couldn{t buy anymore... and seriously only had enough money for our drinks and snacks... so we invited her to have a coke... and she stayed with us for 3 hours... and ended up even drinking a beer... her two children came, so sweet... and on our way home through the market... so phenomenal at night... we saw them making tortillas... and we got to try our hand at it... very unsuccessful... we called them gringa tortillas... the ladies were howling... we became quite the site at the market... stayed warm by their tortilla hot plate and played with rosa{s daughter leslie... i told the little one how she had my favorite cousin{s name... it was cute... then we found a yummy vendor selling tortillas with cheese inside... grabbed one with our remaining 2Q and chit chatted with the locals for a bit... felt so safe... most people were finnaly taking down the last of the market stalls... crazy long day for many of them... then it was up the street to our house.. and jsut outside or hotel there were 2 boys playing soccer so i joined them for a game... i was put in the position for goalie, and did not prove successful... j chit chatted with the little sister watching... it was a great end to a terrific day... it is amazing how much tranquil and safer small towns are... and how you can truly interract with the people... i feel so fortunate
today we grabbed lunch at a little stall for 12Q rice, beef, and beans... not a bad deal... under $2... walked around this little town... had men constantly asking to take us on a boat ride... there are so many places around the lake to see... we gave our laundry to our hotel buddy and the laundry service came and picked them up... mmm... nice warm clothes... haven{t arrived back yet, but soon!° then we went back down to the lake with our googles and swam from shore to the buoy 3 times... we have a feeling it was only about 9 laps... so will have to improve tomorrow... it is chilly , but very refreshing!

SAN PEDRO LA LAGUNA
hello... can´t remember what i wrote last... but yesterday we took a boat over to san pedro on the other side of the island... went swimming... watched some kids jumping off the dock... a cute little family of 5 siblings... they were showing off for us... wearing little ratty underwear... some had been sewn to fit.... too cute...
last night we went out with some boys from new zealand... crazy little party town... pretty exciting...lots of rasta wannabees here... pretty much everplace played raggae and dancehall... ended up dancing salsa at one of the bars along our route last night with a guy with football tacos on... crazy guy from belize
we decided to head back to panajachel this morning so we could get up to coban... but after checking out prices we realized that it would be more economical to skip coban ' there´s supposed to be cool little swimming holes and stuff... but another time-place...
so... tomorrow night we are grabbing a big hedman-alas type bus to flores... it is going to leave at 4pm from here... go to antigua then guatemala city then onto flores... arrive next day 9am... we are getting the comfy chairs and planning on taking some benedryl/valium... and just crashing!
when we are in flores we will head to tikal... it´s just a little day shuttle to get there... pretty excited!!! we´re definitely hauling some ass to get up there... then we´re thinking about busing down to rio dulce and taking a boat back to honduras... to omoa... then onto nicaragua for some great beach time-lake time...
it was warm to swim yesterday and the day before but overcast today... chilly... we´re pansies
today´s update...
we stayed in last night and just read-wrote-relaxed... today we were not willing to go swimming again b-c it was raining... and the lake would have been cold...not a warm ocean like the bay islands... so... we put some music on our little speakers and began to do aerobics in and outside our hotel room... the construction workers across the way really enjoyed it... hmm!? we had to do something active before our long haul up to tikal... very excited as they are mayan ruins in a jungle... haven´t decided where we are staying yet, but we have lots of great and jungle ideas... yee haw...
ciao y´all
nothin like doing laundry on a saturday most stunning views ever!!!

Sunday, 27 May 2007

Currently Watching
The O.C. - The Complete Second Season
By O.C.
see related

Okay... time to update this blog... I am truly sorry to the family who regularly check up to find nothing new... so here we go...
March - my 'not so good' month... everyone traveling south/or somewhere foreign is bound to get ill... i finally got really ill... i had had my bouts with stomach troubles, but this was bad... basically i was sick for a whole month... and after many doctor visits... fun in a spanish country let me tell you! - many tears were shed over misunderstanding what everyone was telling me... but it all worked out because my lovely mother came and saved the day! the pharmacist's diagnosis was jardia... aka beaver fever... and after 10days of flagyll... the one to kill anything... i was good to go
k.. so besides being ill you ask... what did i do... well...
nothing really until the most exciting part... mom and dad came to visit on march 23. That weekend we went to roatan, i took a couple of days off work... mom and i scuba dove, dad read.... we relaxed... i don't think i've ever watched my parents relax! it was pretty cool!
dad and i waitin' for the ferry in la ceiba the new utila ferry leaving the ceiba ferry dock - to roatan Our new lil' friend?! interresting towel adornment my mother... relaxing!!! my father... relaxing!!! mom and dad quickly fell in love with our very own private patio hammock... they agreed on purchasing one for home... in july i'll make sure it actually gets hung!
our litte beach in front of our cabana... they had their own lil' bar and restaurant
west end... you take a boat taxi to get here... this is the cheaper area of roatan... dive shops and hotels abound... we stayed down at the southern tip of the island called west bay... this is where the nice beaches and resorts are... we got the cheapest resort... hence could stay there!
dad and his headlamp... sucks to get old! the lantern and i... mom and i... enjoying a beautiful meal on the beach... how many times can you do that!? mom and dad dancing in front of the beach... aw... too sweet
another sunset view at dinnertime mom and dad... this was the worst dinner yet... electricity has been going out lately... they're on rolling outages on the island... makes it fun for the guys doing construction! anyways... this dinner took 5 hours longer than normal! we ordered the dinner special... and unfortunately our waitress didn't know much about anything... our food took forever... and our included desert?! oh... they were out... but finally someone ran out to buy some icecream... and the coffee... oh the coffee drama... took forever to get coffee... and then it was cold... then took forever to get hot coffee... these are pallisters people!!! they need coffee!
a perfect morning to dive me givin' the ok alrighty... wanna know how many hondurans it takes to move one beer fridge off a truck? that's right... no workers union here baby...
and the answer? 6!
interrested in some realty? - for the same price as a condo in vancouver you can get a beachfront condo in roatan the new condos with swim up bar a typical site for roatan... fishing/taxi boat
ah... the two lovebirds bite on the beach restaurant lites up their water under the dock so you can look for their moray eel... no luck, but we did see plenty of fish and this crab
genuinely happy and relaxed on the pier last day of diving... mom and i did a drift dive... traveled about 4 dive sites... and saw 3 turtle in that one dive... 5 total for the trip... and had to scull away to keep ourselves from running into them... the perfect last dive!
leaving roatan... wreck at the east end
roberto... my muchacho... he is our door man/work guy for the appartments... interresting man... his family had moved into one of my roomies places while they were away... bought a pool... it was their own lil' vacation! this is bobbo and his dinner... mmmm.... iguana

We made it back to school in time for my fashion show... that was my extra-curricular club this year... yes, club.... odd from my last school where i was a leader of 5 clubs minimum... clubs are not so big here! Anyways, i had a blast... i missed my older kids so this way i got to hang out with 30 grade 5 girls and choreograph a dance for them, as well as 50 kids in the fashion show... too cute grade 2s up to grade 5s with their own little walk routine... and... being a proud canadian, it was a western theme, so we had some great honky tonk songs and a lil' bit o' line dancin going on!
my grade 5 girls
lil' juliana... one of my grade 2s

the next day we had our sports day... mom and dad came out again to school... my kids fell in love with them... plus they brought them cdn and easter goodies... no kid can resist moose keychains, canuck hackysacks or kindersurprises! as i marked, mom and dad entertained them with stories and answers to their questions... up until yesterday my kids still said that was one of their highlights of the year... too sweet
my kiddies an dme... yes, i got all dressed up! playin' with the parachute! nothin' beats a potato sack race!
We left on the 31st to Copan... this was a nice treat for both mom and dad... but mainly mom... she loved it up! I appreciated that they felt safe here, so they could wander on their own, as i was worsening in the health dept... spending alot of time inthe hotel room...
typical copan street mom and dad in the tuc tuc... the only form of taxi in copan
Copan - we did the ruins... beautiful...
'basketball' court... don't loose, or you'll loose your head! the fam huge rootsthe steps each show history for another year, the big stone in the middle represent the rulers... you'll notice one is missing in the middle... some obnoxious american took it home... it's sitting in some american museum now... would be nice to return it home the museum portion... they've recreated one of the mayan temples that you can see remnents of below the current site... the mayan would rebuild the sites on top of the old ones
we took a trip into the countryside with a couple of cdn girls who came down to do their practicum at my school... we went all the way to the hot springs... beautiful
on the edge of the river... this was the COLD water this was the HOT water dad finally found his fave beer
el campo... the gorgeous countryside dad mid growin' back the goatee to intimidate any future encounters with bad people!
Mom and dad did the macaw mountain bird park
mom is in heaven
We enjoyed breakfast one morning at hacienda san lucas... then did a lil' morning hike to 'los sapos' a mayan birthing place
mom on the birthing chair - can you see the frog heads? dad and i at breakie... typico
honduran chile labour
We arrived back in town, went straight to the hosp to check out my tummy... picked up quiznos on the way home... bad bad daughter... only to arrive back at the complex and see that my neighbours had cooked their parents an elegant meal... oops...
The next day i think we just did laundry and ran errands... i can't truly recall! but that night i treated mom and dad to a meal... tostadas and bbq salmon... the only two things i'll cook... i hate cooking.... but they liked it so that was good
cheersing with dad... eating outside the beautiful tostadas... beans, veggies, cheese,guac, and tortila
on the 4th we headed to tela... stayed at the mayan vista... unfortunately being semana santa everything was booked... and we were shafted big time... it's a nice hotel, but we didn't get an ocean view room... but instead the room adjoining the party room... so were kept awake at night by young ones boozin it up... however, we made tela a good experience overall...
went to the beach on day one... disgustingly packed with people... garbage everywhere... i was sad that i couldn't show mom and dad the tela i love... we walked and walked and finally found our own lil' private area... in the rich home area! watched kids riding up and down the beach on their atvs... their guards following them... the best was two teenagers taking a love stroll... and then guard was following them with his gun tucked in his belt... and he was holding their sandals... man oh man
however... one of my parents from school owned the house we were lounging in front of and they were very kind and invited us in to visit... we enjoyed some scrumptious arabic food... and took shelter from the sun under the umbrellas! the best was mom and dad being able to spend some time with the parents who i absolutely adore... i was spoilt the whole year by so many of my parents... i think mom and dad started to understand why i want to stay in honduras... the safety is a huge issue... but there are many positives
next day... punta izopo - went on an hour long truck ride... some on sand... through some garifuna villages... to the lagoon to the south/east of tela... we went out in kayaks... and went through the mangrove forest... we saw some white faced monkeys... a jesus cristo (the lizards who run on water)... no crocodiles though, thankgod... only one kayak overturned... sans casualties
day after... cloudy... we went to lancetilla... the botanical gardens in tela... the cdn government has funded some of the projects going on and a research station... pretty primitive... had samples in old jam jars... but you do what cha can. we had a lil' tour with a spanish tour guide, and a wonderful man who offered to be our translator... super sweet couple on their honeymoon... it was a good day until the rain started falling... and hondurans do not just 'walk in the rain' as my mother would! so the tour was cancelled... most exciting thing would have been seeing a scorpion come out of an old bamboo log that the 'sweet man' was carrying... eww
next day... punta sal... the jeannette kawas park... she was a canadian woman who married a honduran, and she devoted her life to making this part of tela a protected park... unfortunately this upset alot of people who saw wealth in the land... and sadly enough she was murdered... however, her work was done, and the land today is now protected... beautiful forests filled with howler monkeys... who continuously peed on our heads, and many gorgeous plants... mom was in heaven... the best part were the stunning beaches... we did a bit of snorkeling and had a full fish meal... as in the whole fish on the plate!
***FROM WIKIPEDIA***The park was originally named Punta Sal National Park, but the name was changed to Jeanette Kawas National Park in honor of an environmental activist and PROLANSATE president who was slain February 6th 1995 for her work trying to keep the palm plantations out of the park.
Jeanette Kawas National Park is part of the Ramsar Convention List of of Wetlands of International Importance and was designated as such on March 28th 1995.
I do believe that it wasn't just palm plantations... there are so many people buying up the land down here like hot cakes... don't blame em, but it is extremely sad to see the natural land get lost amid the resorts...
returned home on april 9th... took mom and dad to guamalito to buy souvenirs... mom took forever!!! :) that night we went out for dinner to my favorite rest... albahaca... yummiest pizza ever...
then, next day it was homego... mom and dad didn't even sleep... i got up, went to school, and came back with my principal gina who was kind enough to drive us to the airport...
i feel so lucky that mom and dad made it out here... we had fun;... we had adventures... hmmm... but overall it was a blast... maybe next year costa rica!??
k... i'm tired...
sorry there's no pics for tela, but i don't have them on my comp.