once again, here is my new number
415-321-0591
Learn it, Love it, Call it...
Friday, May 15, 2009
New Cell Number 415-321-0591
I have long forgotten the feeling of phantom cell phone buzzings in my pocket, feelings of guilt as i screen your calls, and man-texting with my friends, but it is time i submerge myself back into reality and get on with it.
once again, here is my new number
415-321-0591
Learn it, Love it, Call it...
once again, here is my new number
415-321-0591
Learn it, Love it, Call it...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Colombia
I am not dead.
Although i do feel like dying right now. Super hung over from an all night clubbing extravaganza in Cali, Colombia. But that is another story that is not really worth noting except for the fact that we thought it was a good idea, after no sleep and a full night of partying, to start bbqing this morning at 9 am.
I fell asleep before the kindling could catch.
Colombia has been really great. the people here are incredibly friendly and warm. There exists a different culture of trust and honesty that wasn't present in central america. For instance, you never pay for beer one beer at a time. you pay at the end when you are done drinking. In all the hostels there are fridges full of beer and you just take one whenever you want and mark down on a piece of paper how many you had during your entire stay and settle up at the end. That shit would never fly elsewhere, but for some reason it works and nobody takes advantage.
I started in Bogota, which I had originally thought would be a city i'd want to escape fairly quickly, however it was fantastic. There are a ton of college kids out in the old part of town which is a colonial style looking village at the base of the mountains. I got in there at 9:30 at night and immediately found some random Colombians who took me to the dirtiest most awesome heavy metal bar i have ever been to. Imagine 40 long haired, leather clad, bandana wearing, cigarette hammering, members of various local speed metal bands pumping their fists to Iron Maiden in a dark cave lined with kiss, ac/dc, and megadeth posters. My outfit was a little out of place, but my fist pumping abilities were right on par.
I went from Bogota to Medellin. The home of pablo escobar, and implants. Not just breast implants, but ass and lip implants too. Probably the most highly concentrated sector of barby wannaby look-a-likes this side of hollywood. Not that i am complaining. It was fucking awesome. Yes, the night life in Medellin was great fun, but I also managed to go on a pablo escobar tour where we checked out his old homes and offices that were sabotaged by car bombs on multiple occasions, his planes he used to traffic drugs in, his home where he died in, and his grave. Apparently people out here use the address of his home as lucky numbers. you can see in the slide show.
Some colombian guys also took me and a couple other guys fishing. I was stoked. I thought i was going to a picturesque lake or river, but when we got to the place i was a bit surprised. It consisted of 4 different sized bathtubs filled with water where you can hang your hook bated with a piece of dough which is tied to a 3 foot string tied to a 3 ft bamboo pole. Not exactly sport fishing. But it was a funny place to chill and drink a beer as we got soaked by torrential rain and the lighting almost zapped our balls off.
Plus, once you catch the fish they give you this stick to bash it over the head to kill it. There is something about bashing a fish over the head with a stick that somehow makes you feel like less of a man.
Next I headed to this quiet mountain town called Salento. It was a nice break from the party life and I was able to chill out and have some quiet time by myself. There are gorgeous views of river filled valleys and high mountain peaks, all covered with lush green grass. Colombia is a very beautiful country and not as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be.
There is a national park near salento that i went hiking in and i met some aussi guys on the trail who i had met in Medellin. We did a 4 hour hike and climbed 1000 meters through mud, horseshit and rain to the top of this peak where we found a little wooden shack and some guys serving hot chocolate and cheese. It was the most delicious thing I think i have ever put into my mouth. Besides maybe a philly cheese steak from the cheese steak shop which i can't fucking wait to have.
I cruised with these aussi guys down to Cali where we went on a all night bender and here i am. Good times.
I leave for Quito tomorrow and am getting ready for my flight home on the 13th. It has been quite an adventure so far. Looking forward to continuing with more familiar faces and landscapes.
Although i do feel like dying right now. Super hung over from an all night clubbing extravaganza in Cali, Colombia. But that is another story that is not really worth noting except for the fact that we thought it was a good idea, after no sleep and a full night of partying, to start bbqing this morning at 9 am.
I fell asleep before the kindling could catch.
Colombia has been really great. the people here are incredibly friendly and warm. There exists a different culture of trust and honesty that wasn't present in central america. For instance, you never pay for beer one beer at a time. you pay at the end when you are done drinking. In all the hostels there are fridges full of beer and you just take one whenever you want and mark down on a piece of paper how many you had during your entire stay and settle up at the end. That shit would never fly elsewhere, but for some reason it works and nobody takes advantage.
I started in Bogota, which I had originally thought would be a city i'd want to escape fairly quickly, however it was fantastic. There are a ton of college kids out in the old part of town which is a colonial style looking village at the base of the mountains. I got in there at 9:30 at night and immediately found some random Colombians who took me to the dirtiest most awesome heavy metal bar i have ever been to. Imagine 40 long haired, leather clad, bandana wearing, cigarette hammering, members of various local speed metal bands pumping their fists to Iron Maiden in a dark cave lined with kiss, ac/dc, and megadeth posters. My outfit was a little out of place, but my fist pumping abilities were right on par.
I went from Bogota to Medellin. The home of pablo escobar, and implants. Not just breast implants, but ass and lip implants too. Probably the most highly concentrated sector of barby wannaby look-a-likes this side of hollywood. Not that i am complaining. It was fucking awesome. Yes, the night life in Medellin was great fun, but I also managed to go on a pablo escobar tour where we checked out his old homes and offices that were sabotaged by car bombs on multiple occasions, his planes he used to traffic drugs in, his home where he died in, and his grave. Apparently people out here use the address of his home as lucky numbers. you can see in the slide show.
Some colombian guys also took me and a couple other guys fishing. I was stoked. I thought i was going to a picturesque lake or river, but when we got to the place i was a bit surprised. It consisted of 4 different sized bathtubs filled with water where you can hang your hook bated with a piece of dough which is tied to a 3 foot string tied to a 3 ft bamboo pole. Not exactly sport fishing. But it was a funny place to chill and drink a beer as we got soaked by torrential rain and the lighting almost zapped our balls off.
Plus, once you catch the fish they give you this stick to bash it over the head to kill it. There is something about bashing a fish over the head with a stick that somehow makes you feel like less of a man.
Next I headed to this quiet mountain town called Salento. It was a nice break from the party life and I was able to chill out and have some quiet time by myself. There are gorgeous views of river filled valleys and high mountain peaks, all covered with lush green grass. Colombia is a very beautiful country and not as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be.
There is a national park near salento that i went hiking in and i met some aussi guys on the trail who i had met in Medellin. We did a 4 hour hike and climbed 1000 meters through mud, horseshit and rain to the top of this peak where we found a little wooden shack and some guys serving hot chocolate and cheese. It was the most delicious thing I think i have ever put into my mouth. Besides maybe a philly cheese steak from the cheese steak shop which i can't fucking wait to have.
I cruised with these aussi guys down to Cali where we went on a all night bender and here i am. Good times.
I leave for Quito tomorrow and am getting ready for my flight home on the 13th. It has been quite an adventure so far. Looking forward to continuing with more familiar faces and landscapes.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Bocas Del Toro Con Amigos
Bocas Del Toro is the shit.
Not to mention i was blessed to have friends from the states who wanted to come and meet me. Scott also met up for this trip too. There were 8 of us in a room which included a huge balcony overlooking the water, a fridge for us to stock our beer, and our own bathroom.
8 dudes in a room is a stinky ass room. Not to mention there was a water situation which limited our ability to flush the toilet, unless of course we filled up a metal bucket with sea water to aid in our sanitary managment. which was not the best alternative since we were not sure if the toilet water from the hostel was going into the ocean below us and we were just filling the bucket up with what we were flushing down. Gross right?
I actually decided it may be better to flush the toilet with disgusting 8 gallon jug of TANG we baught, but that resulted in a nuclear looking pot of orange brown toxic spooge which would most likely take 8 billion yrs to decay. (sorry for the imagery, but it was noteworthy)
Bocas has a water shortage issue so the water is only on for two hours a day between 7-8 am/pm
Becuase of the bucket situation you could tell when anyone in the whole hostel needed to flush their shit becuase they went to the deck to fill their bucket. I must say, the expressions on the girls' faces when they came to the deck to fill their buckets were priceless.
Water situation aside, bocas was a ton of fun. There are young people everywhere and it seems every night is either 80's night or lady's night. Plus, beers cost 60 cents. Paradise!
The surf swell was not that big which was perfect for me. We found a boat captain, Willy, to take us out everyday. He'd drop us off at a remote beach 30 min away, we'd paddle out of the boat to the surf, then he'd come back to get us 3 hrs later. Really cool experience. Plus i caught the best waves of my life on this trip. I've been improving.
One night we decided to play wizard staff. For those who don't know, Wizard staff is a geniously simple game that involves beer and tape. In short, you drink a can of beer and you duck tape your next beer to the top of your empty can. Eventually, you start to form a wizard staff made of your beer cans. If you drink enough to create a staff as tall as you are, you win. it was a tone of drunken fun and i incuded some pics for your viewing pleasure. oh, we made hats too.
The food situation was pretty good. It is super cheap and filling. for $3-$4 you can get a huge plate of food at one of the local cafateria style restaraunts. Or you can just do what i did and eat dim sum from off a rack at the local hardware store and for dessert, go straight for the carribean burger truck that makes sloppy joe type burgers consisting of the most delicious mystery meat ever.
It was a very successful trip. Oh, and did i mention we partied with the ex hells angel president Rodney Gee. He's a scary lookin fucker who likes to slam $1500 cash on the bar in panama. A good way to attract negative attention quickly. We did not stick around him long.
So all of the guys left yesterday and i said goodbye to governor this morning. Thus ends our adventures together as we both embark on our solo journeys. It has been an amazing ride so far and we both realize, in retrospect, what a no brainer decision it was to leave and venture out into the world. Tryuly priceless.
Originally i planned to take a boat from panama city to colombia, but i changed my mind. The boat will take a while and it costs the same as a flight. I figured i'd rather spend the 5 days in colombia than manning the helm of a boat while the captain is in a passed out drunken slumber. This has been a common story of this boat ride.
So i booked a flight and then decided i'd sell my surf board. I Surfed yesterday morning for one last session, then slapped a 4 sale sign on it and walked with it around town trying to slang it to whoever. I tried everything and everyone and no bites. My throat was dry so i figured i'd have myself a brew. I walked into this bar i know and ended up selling it to the bar tender for $100. which is only $50 less than what i baught it for. Now i am traveling a bit lighter and it feels nice. I don't have to worry about swinging it around the wrong way and hitting some random guy in the balls, or myself for that matter. AND, some guy in bocas will be cruizing around with a surfboard with a big ass profile of my face on the bottom. That makes me smile.
Now i am sitting in the airport in panama city waiting for my flight to bogota in 6 hrs. I got 20 or so days left on this section and i am doing it all solo into uncharted waters. I am really excited and will make the best of every minute of it.
Some reflections at this point: Since i made my decision to come back home i have found myself thinking more and more of what i am going to do when i get there. All the things that pass through my mind are enjoyable, and make me happy, but at the same time i still have 20 days left here. By making future plans and by having something to look forward to, I have to work harder to try and appreciate the present moment. When i had no where i needed to be and nowhere i needed to go, i was just where i was at that moment and that was ok.
Now i have to be somewhere at a certain time and that it is influencing my thoughts and actions as opposed to doing things on a whim because that is the way i am feeling at a particular moment.
I am not saying it is bad for me to have plans, but i noticed the difference in my outlook after they were made. Like i said, I have 20 more days and i plan to work harder at appreciating the present without letting the looming future hinder my ability to enjoy where i am.
That being said, i am really looking forward to seeing freinds and family again.
enjoy the slide show.
Not to mention i was blessed to have friends from the states who wanted to come and meet me. Scott also met up for this trip too. There were 8 of us in a room which included a huge balcony overlooking the water, a fridge for us to stock our beer, and our own bathroom.
8 dudes in a room is a stinky ass room. Not to mention there was a water situation which limited our ability to flush the toilet, unless of course we filled up a metal bucket with sea water to aid in our sanitary managment. which was not the best alternative since we were not sure if the toilet water from the hostel was going into the ocean below us and we were just filling the bucket up with what we were flushing down. Gross right?
I actually decided it may be better to flush the toilet with disgusting 8 gallon jug of TANG we baught, but that resulted in a nuclear looking pot of orange brown toxic spooge which would most likely take 8 billion yrs to decay. (sorry for the imagery, but it was noteworthy)
Bocas has a water shortage issue so the water is only on for two hours a day between 7-8 am/pm
Becuase of the bucket situation you could tell when anyone in the whole hostel needed to flush their shit becuase they went to the deck to fill their bucket. I must say, the expressions on the girls' faces when they came to the deck to fill their buckets were priceless.
Water situation aside, bocas was a ton of fun. There are young people everywhere and it seems every night is either 80's night or lady's night. Plus, beers cost 60 cents. Paradise!
The surf swell was not that big which was perfect for me. We found a boat captain, Willy, to take us out everyday. He'd drop us off at a remote beach 30 min away, we'd paddle out of the boat to the surf, then he'd come back to get us 3 hrs later. Really cool experience. Plus i caught the best waves of my life on this trip. I've been improving.
One night we decided to play wizard staff. For those who don't know, Wizard staff is a geniously simple game that involves beer and tape. In short, you drink a can of beer and you duck tape your next beer to the top of your empty can. Eventually, you start to form a wizard staff made of your beer cans. If you drink enough to create a staff as tall as you are, you win. it was a tone of drunken fun and i incuded some pics for your viewing pleasure. oh, we made hats too.
The food situation was pretty good. It is super cheap and filling. for $3-$4 you can get a huge plate of food at one of the local cafateria style restaraunts. Or you can just do what i did and eat dim sum from off a rack at the local hardware store and for dessert, go straight for the carribean burger truck that makes sloppy joe type burgers consisting of the most delicious mystery meat ever.
It was a very successful trip. Oh, and did i mention we partied with the ex hells angel president Rodney Gee. He's a scary lookin fucker who likes to slam $1500 cash on the bar in panama. A good way to attract negative attention quickly. We did not stick around him long.
So all of the guys left yesterday and i said goodbye to governor this morning. Thus ends our adventures together as we both embark on our solo journeys. It has been an amazing ride so far and we both realize, in retrospect, what a no brainer decision it was to leave and venture out into the world. Tryuly priceless.
Originally i planned to take a boat from panama city to colombia, but i changed my mind. The boat will take a while and it costs the same as a flight. I figured i'd rather spend the 5 days in colombia than manning the helm of a boat while the captain is in a passed out drunken slumber. This has been a common story of this boat ride.
So i booked a flight and then decided i'd sell my surf board. I Surfed yesterday morning for one last session, then slapped a 4 sale sign on it and walked with it around town trying to slang it to whoever. I tried everything and everyone and no bites. My throat was dry so i figured i'd have myself a brew. I walked into this bar i know and ended up selling it to the bar tender for $100. which is only $50 less than what i baught it for. Now i am traveling a bit lighter and it feels nice. I don't have to worry about swinging it around the wrong way and hitting some random guy in the balls, or myself for that matter. AND, some guy in bocas will be cruizing around with a surfboard with a big ass profile of my face on the bottom. That makes me smile.
Now i am sitting in the airport in panama city waiting for my flight to bogota in 6 hrs. I got 20 or so days left on this section and i am doing it all solo into uncharted waters. I am really excited and will make the best of every minute of it.
Some reflections at this point: Since i made my decision to come back home i have found myself thinking more and more of what i am going to do when i get there. All the things that pass through my mind are enjoyable, and make me happy, but at the same time i still have 20 days left here. By making future plans and by having something to look forward to, I have to work harder to try and appreciate the present moment. When i had no where i needed to be and nowhere i needed to go, i was just where i was at that moment and that was ok.
Now i have to be somewhere at a certain time and that it is influencing my thoughts and actions as opposed to doing things on a whim because that is the way i am feeling at a particular moment.
I am not saying it is bad for me to have plans, but i noticed the difference in my outlook after they were made. Like i said, I have 20 more days and i plan to work harder at appreciating the present without letting the looming future hinder my ability to enjoy where i am.
That being said, i am really looking forward to seeing freinds and family again.
enjoy the slide show.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Solo treck
I left nicaragua on the 6th on my own.
Traveling solo has been unreal. Being able to do what ever i whant when ever i want however i want has been a very empowering feeling. I highly recommend it.
I got to playa Samora and checked into a $10 a night hostel right on the beach. I love this town. I met some of the local costa rican guys who work at the hostel and hung out with them all week long. It happend to be a religous holiday that weekend for easter and they had a ban on booze across the country. But these guys had all the inside hookups so it didn't matter
I even got to play on their soccor team. I was the only gringo at the game and i scored the first goal for my team. I felt realy cool. Then on my last night i stayed up partying all night long and caught a 6am bus to panama. Needless to say i went out with a bang.
Then last night i got to bocas del toro panama and went out to a local bar full of indian guys. I made friends with them and a few of us took this guy's boat to some random town 30 min away. We go in the bar and there is a guy literally passed out on the floor right in front of the bar and nobody thinks it is weird. we leave to back to the town i am staying in and the engine breaks down.
Then it starts to rain. Fucking poor actually.
so here i am, with two native panamanians who speak 0 english, in the middle of the ocean, 2 in the morning, drifting. 2 hrs later we drift to an island and wake up some random guy with a boat and he has to tow us to my new friend's house in his village. we get there 30 min later and he gives me some dry clothes to borrow. Dry womans jeans to be exact. So i put them on and fall asleep on his futon which has 0 cushions. I woke up to little kids running around looking at me strange. But i made freinds with his family and they were very warm to me. People live very poor out here but are so giving. it was an amazing experience.
I had to take a pis real bad so i went to their bathroom. it is outside and consists of a few posts, a tarp rapped around to form a circle and a large bucket of water. I didn't know where i was supposed to go.
I try to hold it, but it is too hard. A little embarrased i asked this kid where the hell my piss was supposed to go. 5 min later we figured out what echother were saying and he just told me to piss in the river.
The engine was still broken so i hitched a ride back to bocas with some fisherman.
It was a mentally exhausting night, but the entire experience was not something i could have baught anywhere. And i made some new friends out of it.
Today some friends get here from the states and we will be looking for good surf.
Oh and last but not least, I have booked a return ticket home from quito ecuador. I get back on may 13th to san francisco. will hang there for a week, then go to colorado for a week for a wedding, then to NYC to hang out with family and go to my mom's grave site. the 31st marks the 1 yr anniversary of her death.
Then i come back to the bay area till june 30th and leave for peru with my brother.
So this is a message for all my friends and familly who i may see when i return to the states.
I NEED PLACES TO STAY! YOUR COUCH, YOUR FLOOR, YOUR REFRIGERATOR. IT DOES NOT MATTER.
so if i show up unannounced expecting to be put up, don't say i didn't warn you. And i am probably going to eat all of your food too. and drink all of your beer.
Traveling solo has been unreal. Being able to do what ever i whant when ever i want however i want has been a very empowering feeling. I highly recommend it.
I got to playa Samora and checked into a $10 a night hostel right on the beach. I love this town. I met some of the local costa rican guys who work at the hostel and hung out with them all week long. It happend to be a religous holiday that weekend for easter and they had a ban on booze across the country. But these guys had all the inside hookups so it didn't matter
I even got to play on their soccor team. I was the only gringo at the game and i scored the first goal for my team. I felt realy cool. Then on my last night i stayed up partying all night long and caught a 6am bus to panama. Needless to say i went out with a bang.
Then last night i got to bocas del toro panama and went out to a local bar full of indian guys. I made friends with them and a few of us took this guy's boat to some random town 30 min away. We go in the bar and there is a guy literally passed out on the floor right in front of the bar and nobody thinks it is weird. we leave to back to the town i am staying in and the engine breaks down.
Then it starts to rain. Fucking poor actually.
so here i am, with two native panamanians who speak 0 english, in the middle of the ocean, 2 in the morning, drifting. 2 hrs later we drift to an island and wake up some random guy with a boat and he has to tow us to my new friend's house in his village. we get there 30 min later and he gives me some dry clothes to borrow. Dry womans jeans to be exact. So i put them on and fall asleep on his futon which has 0 cushions. I woke up to little kids running around looking at me strange. But i made freinds with his family and they were very warm to me. People live very poor out here but are so giving. it was an amazing experience.
I had to take a pis real bad so i went to their bathroom. it is outside and consists of a few posts, a tarp rapped around to form a circle and a large bucket of water. I didn't know where i was supposed to go.
I try to hold it, but it is too hard. A little embarrased i asked this kid where the hell my piss was supposed to go. 5 min later we figured out what echother were saying and he just told me to piss in the river.
The engine was still broken so i hitched a ride back to bocas with some fisherman.
It was a mentally exhausting night, but the entire experience was not something i could have baught anywhere. And i made some new friends out of it.
Today some friends get here from the states and we will be looking for good surf.
Oh and last but not least, I have booked a return ticket home from quito ecuador. I get back on may 13th to san francisco. will hang there for a week, then go to colorado for a week for a wedding, then to NYC to hang out with family and go to my mom's grave site. the 31st marks the 1 yr anniversary of her death.
Then i come back to the bay area till june 30th and leave for peru with my brother.
So this is a message for all my friends and familly who i may see when i return to the states.
I NEED PLACES TO STAY! YOUR COUCH, YOUR FLOOR, YOUR REFRIGERATOR. IT DOES NOT MATTER.
so if i show up unannounced expecting to be put up, don't say i didn't warn you. And i am probably going to eat all of your food too. and drink all of your beer.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
5 weeks in san juan del sur
ahhhh.... life is really relaxing. It has been hard to update the blog when every day has basically been the same. No i am not bored at all. i am really embracing the slow paced monotony. I know i will have plenty of time in my future to be running around.
Literally, i wake up, read for an hour or so. brush my teath, hop in the pool, make breakfast (it is probably like 9 am at this point) maybe read a little more or do some drawing, decide when we are gonna surf, hang out for a few hours by the pool, make lunch, go surf, come back, maybe drink a few beers, go to bed, then do it again.
that being said, there have been some interesting occurances.
We have been following the local baseball team and going to the games out here. Nicaraguan baseball games are legit. Everyone is smoking, drinking, and loudly talking shit about the pitcher's ex girfriend who is now sleeping with a member of the other team. There are the local drunks who attend every game and there is actually a job description for the guy who has to ussher these drunks back into the stands when they inevitably stumble onto the feild.
The ticket price is 50 cents, there are $1 beers, and a full plate of food is $2.50. Plus most weekends there is a double header so you make a day of it.
We also went to Omatepe island which is (apparently) the largest volcanic lake island in the world. We rode Scott's dirtbike on the ferry and i rented my own bike while i was there. We were like the show Chips as we motored all aorund the island. Really cool place to visit. Natual mineral springs to relax by, very friendly people, amazing views of the volcanos as you are surrounded by a huge lake.
An interesting anecdote of this trip was when we got a little lost on the moto's and tried to get back to the main road. We ended up crashing our way through a jagged rocky dry river bed until we hit an almost impossible section to get through. This riverbed happens to be a highway for locals who walk to and from work so they were laughing at us the whole way as we stumbled through. I tried to make it up this section and wrecked the bike a little. Nothing major, but slightly noticable to the trained eye. But after dusting my self off, The locals helped me push the bike up the rocky slope and we were on our way.
The next day i return the bike (including the cracked plastic light cover which i peiced on there attempting to hide the damage) and the lady said it was all good. We got on the ferry and i incurred no extra charges. phewww!
Until i got to the other side of the lake.
As we near the dock on the other side, i notice a ton of cops and a few military personel. Huh? they can't be waiting for me. it was just a dirt bike. I get off the ferry and they immidiatly start talking to a few people asking them their name. Then asking them if they know a michael. Oh Shit! They finally get to me and i admit my name . I little nervouse, i manage to figure out what the hell is going on. I guess i put $100 of damage on the bike and they wante me to get into a taxi with them to the atm to pay them. All thsi for $100. I suppose Nicaraguan police are pretty bored. So i comply and go to the atm with them, making sure Scott follows me on the dirtbike so they don'e haul me off to no-mans-land. Small price to pay to avoid Nica jail. exciting times.
Oh yeah, I also got pretty creative with facial hair again. this time i sculped the pencil thin mustach with a mole beard. Which means that i shaved everything exept for a pencil thin mustache and a small clump of hair that exentuates a small mole on my face. It was so hidious that Scott got uncomfortable looking at me. which says a lot for him.
Now i am getting ready to leave nicaragua. I depart on the 6th on my own and am meandering back through costa rica to meet friends in panama who are in search of good waves. It will be nice to see more friends from home. Scott is meeting up for this trip too. After that i plan to do a solo trek farther down south into colombia and ecuador. Looking forward to the experiences ahead and to see what it feels like traveling by myself.
here are some pics. two slide shows this time since i did not have time to combine the albums.
Literally, i wake up, read for an hour or so. brush my teath, hop in the pool, make breakfast (it is probably like 9 am at this point) maybe read a little more or do some drawing, decide when we are gonna surf, hang out for a few hours by the pool, make lunch, go surf, come back, maybe drink a few beers, go to bed, then do it again.
that being said, there have been some interesting occurances.
We have been following the local baseball team and going to the games out here. Nicaraguan baseball games are legit. Everyone is smoking, drinking, and loudly talking shit about the pitcher's ex girfriend who is now sleeping with a member of the other team. There are the local drunks who attend every game and there is actually a job description for the guy who has to ussher these drunks back into the stands when they inevitably stumble onto the feild.
The ticket price is 50 cents, there are $1 beers, and a full plate of food is $2.50. Plus most weekends there is a double header so you make a day of it.
We also went to Omatepe island which is (apparently) the largest volcanic lake island in the world. We rode Scott's dirtbike on the ferry and i rented my own bike while i was there. We were like the show Chips as we motored all aorund the island. Really cool place to visit. Natual mineral springs to relax by, very friendly people, amazing views of the volcanos as you are surrounded by a huge lake.
An interesting anecdote of this trip was when we got a little lost on the moto's and tried to get back to the main road. We ended up crashing our way through a jagged rocky dry river bed until we hit an almost impossible section to get through. This riverbed happens to be a highway for locals who walk to and from work so they were laughing at us the whole way as we stumbled through. I tried to make it up this section and wrecked the bike a little. Nothing major, but slightly noticable to the trained eye. But after dusting my self off, The locals helped me push the bike up the rocky slope and we were on our way.
The next day i return the bike (including the cracked plastic light cover which i peiced on there attempting to hide the damage) and the lady said it was all good. We got on the ferry and i incurred no extra charges. phewww!
Until i got to the other side of the lake.
As we near the dock on the other side, i notice a ton of cops and a few military personel. Huh? they can't be waiting for me. it was just a dirt bike. I get off the ferry and they immidiatly start talking to a few people asking them their name. Then asking them if they know a michael. Oh Shit! They finally get to me and i admit my name . I little nervouse, i manage to figure out what the hell is going on. I guess i put $100 of damage on the bike and they wante me to get into a taxi with them to the atm to pay them. All thsi for $100. I suppose Nicaraguan police are pretty bored. So i comply and go to the atm with them, making sure Scott follows me on the dirtbike so they don'e haul me off to no-mans-land. Small price to pay to avoid Nica jail. exciting times.
Oh yeah, I also got pretty creative with facial hair again. this time i sculped the pencil thin mustach with a mole beard. Which means that i shaved everything exept for a pencil thin mustache and a small clump of hair that exentuates a small mole on my face. It was so hidious that Scott got uncomfortable looking at me. which says a lot for him.
Now i am getting ready to leave nicaragua. I depart on the 6th on my own and am meandering back through costa rica to meet friends in panama who are in search of good waves. It will be nice to see more friends from home. Scott is meeting up for this trip too. After that i plan to do a solo trek farther down south into colombia and ecuador. Looking forward to the experiences ahead and to see what it feels like traveling by myself.
here are some pics. two slide shows this time since i did not have time to combine the albums.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
3 weeks and counting in San Juan Del Sur
The people here are great. Both the locals and gringos give off this great embracive vibe. It is a small town and you get to know people fast. That being said, everyone knows about everyone elses business. For instance,
One night we wanted to go out and needed a ride to town so one of our friends haled a bicycle taxi to peddle up a 4k hill to pick us up. Sweaty and exhausted, the taxi peddler was thankful to be going back downhill into town. But when we started to pick up some more speed , and as a truck was beeming down on us from behind, he lost control and slammed us into the side of the hill on the road. Faces were smashed into the brush, belongings were strewn along the road, injuries and laughter ensued, and everyone seemed to find out about it the next day. No one´s life is a secret and information travels very fast.
I asked our friend (who is putting me up) if she had seen some ceramic plates that were missplaced in our kitchen area. Within 2 min of that conversation, one of the night watchmen was accused of steeling them and on the verge of getting fired. You really have to watch what you say even if it is completely inocent.
All in all life is very relaxing out here and i have just been enjoyig the down time. I keep busy by doing some reading, writing, drawing, and when their is opportunity, surfing.
Gov bought a moto bike out here. We got a surf rack on it and now have our own wheels to the beach. The bike is a fun toy and we promise to be careful and not to crash. Surprisingly, the ocean water is like 60 degrees out right now. Cold enough to make my feet numb after 30 min. Not prime conditions.
Other than that, i have slipped into a routine which i enjoy sustaining for the time being. My computer, konked out on me so unfortunitly i have to come into town to keep the updated. So apologies for the future update delays.
One night we wanted to go out and needed a ride to town so one of our friends haled a bicycle taxi to peddle up a 4k hill to pick us up. Sweaty and exhausted, the taxi peddler was thankful to be going back downhill into town. But when we started to pick up some more speed , and as a truck was beeming down on us from behind, he lost control and slammed us into the side of the hill on the road. Faces were smashed into the brush, belongings were strewn along the road, injuries and laughter ensued, and everyone seemed to find out about it the next day. No one´s life is a secret and information travels very fast.
I asked our friend (who is putting me up) if she had seen some ceramic plates that were missplaced in our kitchen area. Within 2 min of that conversation, one of the night watchmen was accused of steeling them and on the verge of getting fired. You really have to watch what you say even if it is completely inocent.
All in all life is very relaxing out here and i have just been enjoyig the down time. I keep busy by doing some reading, writing, drawing, and when their is opportunity, surfing.
Gov bought a moto bike out here. We got a surf rack on it and now have our own wheels to the beach. The bike is a fun toy and we promise to be careful and not to crash. Surprisingly, the ocean water is like 60 degrees out right now. Cold enough to make my feet numb after 30 min. Not prime conditions.
Other than that, i have slipped into a routine which i enjoy sustaining for the time being. My computer, konked out on me so unfortunitly i have to come into town to keep the updated. So apologies for the future update delays.
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