Cancun (part 1) - Dec 18

Caught a 4.5 hour cab back to Havana today (was the only way to have enabled me to spend an extra day in Trinidad), shared the cab with an Argentinian and a Spanish guy. There was a really great moment where we were all singing along to Bob Marley's Buffallo Soldier as we cruised down the highway.

Made it to the airport at 12 on the dot .. the taxi driver made me pay him in the car rental area and in secret ..

Had a short flight to Cancun .. Feels good to be back in Mexico.. Cancun is not what I expected, was imagining high rise after high rise next to the beach (similar to the Gold Coast), it is more like mega hotels .. Massive big things the size of a city block .. spread out along the thin strip of land between the Carribean and an inland lagoon. 

Wanted to go to Chichen Itza tonight, so that I could be there nice and early tomorrow morning and avoid the hoardes. However the bus station was soo crazy busy and I soo exhausted I decided to book myself onto a morning tour and stay the night in the hotel across the road from the bus station here in Cancun. 

Trinidad (part 3) - Dec 17

Hey holiday romance!

Was meant to go back to Havana tonight but instead decided to spend another day with Aldona (the German girl from Hamburg I met at the bar last night), so que a day at a Carribean beach .. golden white sand, crystal blue waters, just lying around ..

After the beach we caught the taxi back to town to freshen up before dinner than evening. On my side of town the power blacked out for about 25 minutes (not uncommon in Cuba apparently).

We had dinner at a Palador (a private restaurant rather than a state run one), and then drinks (yes .. more rum), at Casa Dela Musica. For some reason they had a 1CUC cover charge tonight .. seems to be purely to discourage locals from attending .. hence it was a bit light on with people dancing.

Trinidad (part 2) - Dec 16

Some observations of cuba

- not many toilet seats
- only thing on offer in the way of street food seems to be pizza (and perhaps some sandwiches). 
- thought i would see spontaneous salsa dancing and much music in the streets .. haven´t seen this at all
- yes they do smoke cigars
- you see old men sitting in the street playing dominoes

Walked around town today, just wandering aimlessly really .. soaking up the colonial atmosphere. There is not much in the way of car ownership in Cuba (same level as England in the 1940´s), so many streets feel pedestrianised.

That evening I met a lovely German girl (who I had seen earlier on the bus from Havana), ended up chatting to her and sharing a bottle of Rum (you can buy a bottle of 3 year Havana Club for $10), then quite inebriated I joined her for some salsa dancing in a cave.

Trinidad (part 1) - Dec 15

Half the fun of Cuba seemed to be the Casa Particulars .. really interesting experience staying in peoples houses. Found out that they have to pay 250 a month, regardless if anyone stays in them or not.

Got the bus in today .. had to navigate an absolute melee of people in order to get out of the bus station, literally had to push past people to get out (with everyone trying to get me to stay at their casa).

Once I was checked into my friendly clean casa (with private ensuite), I decided to do a spot of salsa dancing .. had a private lesson for about an hour and a half just a stones throw from where i am staying in what appeared to be someone´s front room.

Patriot or death .. hey that´s uplifting :)

Food is generally pretty poor here, however I have been eating lots of fish and fresh tropical fruit (guava, papaya).

Cienfuegos - Dec 14

I told the Casa hosts I needed to get up at 8am .. so sure as rain .. at 8 there was a knock on the door, the door opened and the light turned on .. some sort of revenge for me waking them up perhaps? (for the record they didnt seem upset at all when I rolled in late .. they just smiled and suggested I was having a `fiesta, cervesa, bailar.. `)

Got the bus to Cienfuegos, met a Aussie guy from Canberra who is a musician and worked at RMIT in Melbourne, had a good chat to him during the 4 and a bit hour trip.

Ended up splitting a Casa Particular with a Scottish bloke (also met on the bus).

Lots of 50s style architecture here .. houses, shops, gas stations .. really interesting.

Havana (part 3) - Dec 13

This hotel is burning a hole in my pocket, have found a Casa Particular to stay in. Nothing fancy, pretty basic really, but the elderly couple running it are very friendly plus I feel like they need the custom.

Wandered around this afternoon down to the Malecon (the Havana ocean drive), was after quite a bit of rain so maybe that was why it seemed a bit quiet. On one side of the road is a big sea wall which had waves crashing over it, on the other were faded, crumbling beautiful old buildings (some of which they were doing up).

Plenty of hustlers here, was eating lunch when a woman sat down at my table and started talking to me and showing me pictures .. I tried to appear disinterested but she didn´t get the hint until after she had given me the sob story ..

That night I met a gorgeous German girl at a Middle Eastern restaurant. We went out for some drinks and then I sheepishly had to wake my elderly hosts in order to get back into the casa at 5am .. I felt like a naughty teenager!

Havana (part 2) - Dec 12

Saw a young kid dancing salsa moves as I waited for the ATM.

Last night I stayed in the Hotel Plaza, cost about $85US a night which is expensive on my budget. The hotel is quite nice though, it is about 100 years old, with one of the old fashioned lifts with the metal grill around it. 

They have three peso bills here .. have never seen that before.

Ok I think I need to say a little bit about the currency situation over here. Cuba is predominantly a cash economy and there are two currencies a local currency and a tourist currency, apparently the tourists can only use the tourist one .. locals wouldn't be able to afford it anyway as everything on the CUC (convertibles), costs a lot. 

Me with a couple of comrades

Went to the underwhelming Museo De La Revolucion, then wandered around the old town .. that night I went to China town for a non latin meal .. the cook was from Shanghai and yes he made good dumplings.

Feel pretty safe here, wandered around a bit last night .. however I think I may have took a wrong turn and ended up in a street with a lot of ladies of ill repute, maybe I should temper my wanderings a wee bit.

Travel burn out .. it is real and I think I have it .. part of me is actually looking forward to going home.

Havana (part 1) - Dec 11

Bit of a transit day today, I caught a flight from San Jose to Havana with a decent lay over in Panama City. Didn't leave the airport so didn't see much of Panama, however I could see the highrise buildings off in the distance.

After killing time in their very American airport I finally boarded my flight to Cuba, on arrival I was stressing about whether my bag would arrive with me (I have had bad experiences with connecting flights). I was feeling so relieved that they did that I didn't mind at all the red tape and procedures I had to go through to get into the country. It also helped that the woman who was asking me questions was stunningly gorgeous .. she appeared to be very concerned that I was unemployed, and couldn't understand how I had travelled so long.

I do like these 50´s cars

First impressions of Cuba -

- They do have modern cars!
- Not much in the shops
- Expensive!!
- Nothing quite works 100%

Another thing I noticed was that the taxi driver would come to a complete stop, and look around when ever we came to a railway crossing .. guess the boom gates are quite unreliable. 

San Jose - Dec 10

I caught the early morning shuttle to San Jose today feeling a little worse for wear, the same driver picked me up and we picked up from the hotel the same two American girls that I had on the way in.

Stayed the night with an old friend Leo, a guy who I met in Park City close to ten years ago (he looks pretty much exactly the same), he took me out for some beers (through the nightmarish traffic), and some refrijo (a Costa Rican specialty).

Couple of cervezas with Leo (right) and his buddy in San Jose

Would like to add that Costa Rica has the best looking girls in Central America .. probably a lot to do with the fact they are also one of the wealthiest.

Playa Santa Teresa (part 6 and 7) - Dec 8/9

Had a really cool experience out on the waves today for my last surf in Central America, was sitting out on my board having a chat with an English guy when all of a sudden I see the water close by me come alive .. there were fish flapping about and hundreds of small fish, it was almost like it was boiling .. then the school of fish moves towards me and before I know it I am surrounded by little fish, it was a strange sensation having all these little fish brushing against me. There was so many I could scoop them up with my hands .. no wonder the seagulls love it.

I stayed two nights at Adam's casita .. nice place, it had an outdoor kitchen area.. and a space for entertaining. First night we went out to a bar in town, played pool .. the next night we invited the Canadian girls around for some drinks and cards (ring of fire .. where one of the cards was "spontaneous dance party").

Me, Adam and the Canadians

Think I may have over done it with the daily yoga, my left hamstring is starting to tighten right up ..

Playa Santa Teresa (part 5) - Dec 7

Bugger .. somehow got a ding on my rental surfboard today, despite not hitting anyone or any rocks (that I know), I did wipeout and hit my heel against the board .. surely my heel is not that strong (mind you it is a heel shaped ding) .. anyway the bastards want to charge me $70US to fix it ..

Will have to stay in Adam´s spare bed the next couple of nights to try and recoop costs ..

An iguana up a palm tree .. can you spot him?

Playa Santa Teresa (part 4) - Dec 6

Struggled a bit in the surf today, the swell picked up and it was kinda scaring the cr*p out of me .. tough to paddle out, plus had a couple of decent wipe outs. If the swell rises again, I might be out of my depth.

Appears to be mostly tourists in the water, could be that many of the shops and businesses are run by foreigners (Israelis, Italians).

Feeling a bit lonely today, my hostel now has two guests (a couple), but they stick to themselves .. would like to have some people to talk with.

Yoga was tough too .. doing yoga everday is harder than it sounds, was sweating so much I had to take my tshirt off .. then at the end of the class it was so saturated I couldn't put it back on.

View from the yoga place .. ocean is in front of those trees (my camera was seriously struggling looking into the sunset)

After yoga I went to an Argentinian roast chicken place, was really good.

Then in the evening I popped by Adam's place, where I found him entertaining the two young Canadian girls (Lindsey and Catelyn), we had some beers, then went across the road to the opening night of an american sports bar, once the girls said their goodbyes we wandered a couple of km's down the road to Kika's for some live music.

Playa Santa Teresa (part 3) - Dec 5

Lots of critters here .. saw a massive beetle last night about the size of a fist, plus two iguanas wandering around in the backyard of the hostel. It rained last night quite heavily and when it did I saw crabs and centipedes getting about. Lots of mozzies too unfortunately, it is difficult to sleep outside because of the highpitch squeal their wings make as they fly past your head.

Waves are on the border of my ability here, some of the sets that come in are easily over head height at their peaks. Plus it can be a bastard of a paddle out getting out past the white wash.

Think I will crash in Adam's pad for the last two nights here.

She´s a dusty old town that´s for sure.

Trying to find a place that is showing the Man City Man Utd game .. proving tough.

Playa Santa Teresa (part 2) - Dec 4

Wake .. eat .. surf .. siesta .. eat .. yoga .. eat .. sleep

This was my day today and it suits me just fine, all it was lacking was some female company and it would be a 5 star day.

There is no one in my hostel, just me and the two italian owners .. I kinda like it though, it feels like I have my own beach house.

Note the blue couch - this is where I take my daily siesta.

Waves here are bigger than Tamarindo, requiring me to actually paddle out a bit (which at times can be quite the battle .. with all the duckdiving that is needed). Got a few good rides though, and again I feel I am improving.

Had an impromptu "spanish exam", from Andrea the Italian guy running the hostel (and the attached Italian restaurant), did pretty good with my vocab.

In the evening I caught up with Adam, we went to a yoga class ran by a Sydney girl, with a really strong accent.

Playa Santa Teresa (part 1) - Dec 3

Spent the whole day travelling pretty much today .. have realised I dont really enjoy the transit days, much prefer to be in one place .. in Europe I enjoyed travelling around but here it always feels like such an ordeal. Caught the mini bus at 8.25, was chilly when I jumped on .. by the time we got halfway down the hill the heat hit me and I had to take the jumper off. There was just two others in the minivan (the obligatory american college girls).

The bus could have left a good two hours later and still made the ferry crossing at Punteranes, we had a half hour stop whilst the driver ate breakfast and then had about two hours waiting at the ferry terminal.

I got in to Playa Santa Teresa around 4. The hostel I found in the Lonely Planet was being renovated and had been closed for a month and a half, he says he opens tomorrow ..

Santa Teresa is right on the beach, quite tropical, all the dwellings are along the main drag - a super dusty road .. feels quite rustic, a lot different to Tamarindo or San Juan.

Caught up with Adam (the American guy I was hanging out with in Tamarindo), he has got a place near the beach for the month .. might stay in his spare bed, but dont want to cramp his style.

Monte verde (part 2) - Dec 2

Today went zip lining (which is the thing to do in Monte verde), really enjoyed it. Sort of thing I used to do in scouts. Was supposed to get picked up at the hostel but for some reason they forgot me (perhaps because I booked so late .. didnt want to get involved in the hard, pressure sell from the bloke at the desk of the hostel), anyway I got a cab up the bumpy pot holed filled road and arrived when the 20 or so people had been all kitted up (gloves, harness, hard hat). 

The group "Extremo" have rigged things the lines up in the cloud forest, with the wires straddling the valley. They move you through really fast which is good .. there was probably 8 zip lines (some of which you go tandem), as well as a Tarzan Swing (this highlight involved a rope dangled out which you swing off after a 15 foot free fall), and 1 superman. 

Me in the cloud forest .. all harnessed up.

The superman was a 1 km long zip line but you go head first, and you can't break. Felt very unnatural, to be looking down into a ravine from this height.  

Monte verde (part 1) - Dec 1

Terrible, terrible nights sleep last night .. felt I needed an early morning surf as I am heading away from the coast for a few days, hence went to bed early. Unlucky for me, one of the two annoying Canadian frat boys brought a girl back to the dorm (no funny business, but their talking kept me awake until she left). Then just as I was about to get back to sleep I hear;

drip .. drip .. drip 

It sounded like it was coming from behind my head, I put my hand out to feel for any moisture but dont find any. Then I place my hand on my bed to realise there is a big wet spot. My hand feels around in the dark to find drops of liquid seeping from the top bunk. It doesnt smell of urine .. plus surely a bladder cant hold that much volume. I check my phone it is 5 am .. so I head out into the common area (trying my hardest to avoid the ramblings of a drugged up 42 year old american), and pull up a hammock whilst the sun slowly fills the sky with light. 

Didn't manage any zzz's in the hammock, so I head out into the water around 6 .. such a beautiful time of the day, and only a handful out .. lots of waves for me until the lineup filled up. 

After my surf I had breakfast with Zack, watched Man City draw with Everton at the internet cafe, said goodbye to my hostel and caught a minibus to Monteverde. 

One of the vistas on the road to Monte verde

Monteverde is cold, misty and windy .. Went out for some drinks in town with a Saudi Arabian girl .. Discussed politics and religion, the two big no goes .. There was a couple of bands playing in the bar .. One that was indie rock and the other that played mid 90s grunge. 

Tamarindo (part 6) - Nov 30

Finally got a good sleep last night .. feel soo much better today .. got over 9 hours .. feel like a normal human being again.

Went to Avellanes today with Zack (a guy from Austin Texas), and two Canadian girls .. he has a car and it sounds like Tamarindo is getting a bit too small to surf.

Avellanas

I like to be in control, so it felt a bit uncomfortable to me to head out with these people whilst having no control of where we were going or when we were coming back .. as I burn so easily I really dont want to be sitting on a beach all day. However as quite often is the case my fears were unfounded .. mind you I did get burnt.

The squirrels here are red! 

Crabs galore on the beach here .. they like to hang out in little holes in the sand .. it is funny if you make sudden movements you see then all scurrying to get back to their holes.

The waves were a lot bigger and more challenging .. felt good to be tested. Today was the day I rediscovered my "stoke" for surfing.

Tamarindo (part 5) - Nov 29

Too much beer .. too much tequila .. body needs a break from the sun. Tamarindo is wearing me out .. think I may need to head up to Monteverde in order to give my liver a break.

Too hungover to write anything today.

Tamarindo (part 3/4) - Nov 27/28

Surf instructors - it is a scam .. those guys get paid to surf and hang out with barely dressed babes .. it is literally the easiest job in the world.

Yesterday me and Adam took it upon ourselves to be surf instructors to one of the young Canadian girls from the hostel. After drawing out a surfboard on the beach showing a few pop ups and then pushing her onto a few waves, we left her to her own devices and hit the surf. Was fairly choppy, but by the end it was the most productive surf of my trip.

Foot was stinging quite badly, but I got through .. don't want to waste a day waiting for it to completely heal.

That night we went out for some more beers, Sharkey's had a karaoke evening .. bit different and more difficult as you have to sing in front of a crowd. Many of the songs I like weren't on the list (Pearl Jam - Jeremy, Smiths - Charming Man, Blur - Parklife, Neil Young - Old Man), but after a bit of dutch courage I managed to belt out Johnny Cash - Ring of fire .. not my best performance though.

Tamarindo is nicknamed Tamagringo .. loads of Americans here .. not sure how many nights I can do continually drinking .. may need to quiet things down south in Playa Teresa.

Next day surfed Playa Grande again .. a big long beach break, a fun part of it is the fact you have to paddle across the river in order to get to the break. Apparently there are salt water crocodiles about, but I didnt see any.

Am eating a lot of rice and beans .. casados are big here, it is rice and beans and salad, plus sometimes they throw in an egg and some cheese. Mixed with some green and red hot sauce it is a tasty filling meal.

That night I went to El Pacifico, ended up buying shots of tequila and dancing a bit of salsa.

Tamarindo (part 2) - Nov 26

Starting to warm to Costa Rica, had a decent surf yesterday at Lancosta .. however it did come at a cost, I met some people at the hostel who recommended the break and said it was a bit of a walk but not that far .. anyway I didn't wear any shoes as I thought we would be walking along the beach and I didn't want to get my sandals nicked by leaving them unaccompanied. Needless to say by the time I walked half an hour along the gravel road my feet were a bit beat up, then after an hour and a half in the surf I emerged with a huge burst blister on the base of my foot. I couldn't walk back from the beach so after some debate with the taxi driver I managed to convince him to let me put the board in the back of his cab. Lucky for me I have a good first aid kit.

Once my foot was patched up I headed out on the town with Adam (an American guy from the hostel), and two Canadian girls for drinking games and beers at "Sharkeys" a bar in town.

 Tamarindo

 Hostel I am staying it is pretty small .. only 2 dorms and 2 private rooms .. this suits me fine, as I find it much easier to get to know a small group of people, rather than a revolving door of randoms.

Tamarindo (part 1) - Nov 25

Very, very windy in Liberia last night .. not sure why .. but was wondering if it was the precursor to a hurricane or something (it wasnt .. just my mind wandering).

Caught the Costa Rican equivalent of a chicken bus today, which meant a comfortable ride but with people stopping the bus wherever they liked.

Have checked in to a hostel in Tamarindo .. which is the big surf and party town in the country .. lots of gringos around .. feels like Bali-lite.

Lots of locals speak english here .. it is almost a struggle to get them to speak to me in spanish .. come on guys, I want to practice!

Liberia - Nov 24

So I have arrived in Costa Rica .. and I must admit it is a bit of a shock, and to be brutally honest I am not sure I like it.

Today spent literally 2 and a half hours crossing the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica today .. I got a taxi (split with a Canadian couple from the hostel), which meant a 500m dusty walk. The Immigration Control appeared to be closed for lunch and there was coach loads of older gringos waiting in front of us. Once through we jumped on a bus to Liberia.

First impressions of Costa Rica;

- Wow back into the first world .. gutters on streets, clean, sealed roads.
- Expensive .. lunch in the immigration place cost $9.
- Feels a lot more safe.

It feels like a reverse culture shock .. I think a lot of the grit and dirt of Central America is what makes it interesting .. feels very sterile in comparison. Mind you it is a nice change to feel safe at a bus station. 

San Juan Del Sur (part 7) - Nov 23

Have decided I will head out of Nicaragua tomorrow, the hostel is really nice, but it is a bit isolated from the town .. which often means I am super hungry. Have lost weight on this trip .. am kinda scared to see how much, but it is probably good for my health and I am sure my digestive system is enjoying the respite considering the amount of food I normally consume.

I surfed this morning .. there was a howling offshore wind for about an hour there .. which meant that the spray coming off the back of the wave was getting thrown a good 15 meters. Also made it incredibly difficult to see anything when you try and drop into the wave.

A run of the mill sunset over the hostel pool

Have noticed that in lots of hostels there is something of a competition between travellers about who has the most transient lifestyle .. people seem to try and outdo each other with how long they have been out of work for.

San Juan Del Sur (part 6) - Nov 22

Caught an early shuttle down the beach this morning, with Annika (Finnish), a Norweigan couple and an English couple. The first half an hour at the beach was good .. the tide was coming in and it is a lot better on the high. Caught one really good wave and on a 6´6 thruster too .. has been a nice change riding a short board.

Left my sandals in the taxi yesterday .. spoke to the surf shop .. with a bit of luck I will get them back .. they were an awesome pair and super comfy.

.. and yes I did get them back!

In the evening I went with Annika and did a yoga session .. was really cool .. the yoga studio is on the first floor of a wood hut, with open windows covered in mosquito netting, hence you get the evening breeze rolling through. Then when you add the noises of the birds, people in the town, obligatory indian relaxation cd coupled with the sun setting it was a really relaxing way to ease some tired muscles.

San Juan Del Sur (part 2/3/4/5) - Nov 18/19/20/21

"Buzz is loose" ..

Buzz the spider monkey has got off her leash and is swinging across the rafters above the bar area in the hostel. It took about 30 minutes and a lot of biscuits to get her back to her spot next to the pool. 

Buzz the mischievous spider monkey

The past few days I have been staying in Fred and Carla`s hostel in San Juan Del Sur .. it is up on the hill about 5 min out of town. It has an amazing view looking down out to the sea. Fred grew up in Rochy, so knows my Dad .. has been fun talking to him about the home town.

My days here have pretty much revolved around surfing once a day (either Maderas or Hermosa), and chilling out. They have meals cooked family style .. where everyone eats together in the night. Then the bar goes til 11pm. Meals are tasty but quantities vary alot .. first night of pizza left me wanting.

My first day surfing here I was very unimpressed .. the waves were just closing out, and it was pretty crowded .. was feeling a bit dispondent to be honest, but I thought I would give it one more go (largely cause the hostel is so nice and I couldnt be bothered moving on so shortly).

Since then the waves have gotten better .. nothing amazing, but the wind is always offshore and I am managing a few good waves each day.

Inbetween surfing I have been doing the odd bit of yoga, and studying spanish on the Kindle. In the evenings we drink beers, play cards, jenga .. also watched "Get him to the Greek", a surprisingly hillarious film.

San Juan Del Sur (part 1) - Nov 17

Well it is official I have become a bit complacent and comfortable here in Central America .. this morning´s bus experience has brought me back to earth. I thought the Managua bus terminal would be one of those fancy swish things I experienced in Mexico (or to a lesser extent in Guatemala). The taxi driver said it was "muy peligroso" and kindly offered to drive me to San Juan Del Sur (SJDS), for $100US (I politely declined his offer), and the Lonely Planet guide suggested I take a mini van .. however as it also said I had to book at least 3 days in advance I got the taxi driver to drop me off at the Mercado Roberto Huerbes.

Once the cab stopped I was set upon by two guys who appeared to be from rival bus companies by their shirts, and as I knew my bus was meant to leave soon I was hurried onto the bus to SJDS, he grabs my backpack and puts it on the chicken bus then demands a tip (for him and his friend). Then as I sit down I am getting harrassed by very pushy vendors trying to sell me packs of crisps and coca cola. Bus terminal was more like what you see in Morroco .. no ticket windows, just a bunch of buses parked around a run down building with people selling all sorts of crap and hustlers galore .. I then got told the bus wasn´t going to SJDS but to Rivas. I figured it was going at least in the correct direction so I decided to stay on. Anyway this is the most stressful and least safe I have felt the whole trip.

I got the email address of an Australian couple who run a hostel here from my parents .. I contacted them a couple of days ago and checked in this afternoon. The hostel is really nice .. it used to be a hotel a "couples retreat" .. but they had to change to a hostel due to the rowdiness of their next door neighbors (Naked Tiger .. where apparently they sell drugs across the bar .. yeah a classy place). 

San Salvador / Managua - Nov 15/16

Have grouped these two posts together because my last two days have been spent on the bus .. well the Tica Bus to be exact, heading south along the Pan American highway through the less salubrious countries of El Salvador, Honduras and into Nicaragua.

The shuttle bus picked me up from my hostel and then dropped me off at the suprisingly pleasant Guatemala City Tica bus terminal, where after some confusion I bought my ticket and then waited four hours for the bus to depart.

The bus was a fairly decent coach, with good size seats, leg room and a working toilet (albeit without lock). The only real thing of note on the first day of this trip was the madness that accompanied us when we got off the bus at the Guatemala / El Salvador border .. there must of been about a dozen guys offering to change our money (El Salvador uses the US dollar .. whereas Guatemala has Quetzales - named after the beautiful yet elusive bird).

Coming into San Salvador (the capital of El Salvador), was quite interesting .. not much in the way of street lighting yet people wandering around everywhere. The accomodation was quite nice at the Tica Hotel (I stayed in San Benito - the first stop in the city and apparently a nicer neighborhood). I would also like to mention that the El Salvador people I met were super nice and friendly.

The next day I was awoken by a knock on the door at 4am, and another at 4:15 when I hadn´t gotten up. I packed up my things and made my way downstairs for a full day of travelling, with the bus picking me up at 5am.

Several of the border crossing were quite surreal .. I didn´t really have a clue what was going on. They even searched through our bags at one point .. not very thorough mind you .. but at least there are pretending to make an effort.

For some reason the bus drivers here have a penchance for 80s Power balads .. Some of the choice tunes on the bus sound system were "Lady in Red", "More than words can say", "Missing you".

Arrived in Managua around 8pm at night .. there was a really cool sight in the centre of the city, with all the fairy lights strung up on palm trees and statues. The actual bus station compound was a lot more basic than the night before .. my room was just a single bed, with a ceiling fan. Went across the street to use the internet .. glad it was only a 30 second walk .. don´t feel that safe around here.

Antigua (part 3) - Nov 14

Today I decided to dedicate to working out how and where I was going to go next. Decided I want to get to Nicaragua, but it´s a long way .. after speaking to some people found a mob called Tica Bus who have hotels in their bus terminals and they travel during the day. This appeals to me as I am not so keen to be wandering around San Salvador and/or Managua late at night searching for a place to stay.

With help from the people on the hostel reception I managed to book my bus, the rest of the day I dedicated to eating really .. ended up getting a recommendation for a restaurant (thanks Tom and Roshani), and ended up eating there for lunch and dinner.

Antigua (part 2) - Nov 13

Hung out with the German girl again today .. well for the start of the day anyway, she really got on my nerves so I had to ditch her .. told her I was just going to hang out at the hostel and chill.

Anyway .. caught one of the famous chicken buses today (here in Guatemala is where old US school buses come to die .. they are painted all sorts of crazy colours and they belch diesel fumes), to a village out of town to see a church devoted to San Simon. He is apparently a "wicked" saint, who is fond of drinking and cigars. There is a bit of a cult around him amongst unsavoury characters (prostitutes for example).

Out the front of the church they were burning eggs, and within there was a long queue that snaked in front of the alter. Was kind of cool .. not much else to see in the village so I caught the same bus back to Antigua.

The infamous "chicken" buses

That night I went salsa dancing with a Guatemalan girl who works at the hostel (she was also kind enough to mend one of my tshirts that I had ripped on a barbed wire fence). My moves are pretty rusty, but it was fun.

Antigua (part 1) - Nov 12

So I survived the overnight bus .. and the transfer at Guatemala City .. slept pretty much 95% of the way from Flores. Woke up like clockwork every 50 minutes to shift my body position.

Guatemala City does indeed look like a fair dump, but the parts I was awake for did not look so bad with plenty of pine trees and hills/gorges .. mind you I wouldnt recommend wandering around at night.

Surely it must feel a bit threating with that looming over your city

Got into Antigua around 8am .. looks like San Cristobal with Volcanoes, lots of spanish schools here and a nice vibe.

Bumped into a german girl from the bus, and hung out with her the rest of the day. Met up that night where mezcal tricked me into drinking it again.

Flores (part 2) - Nov 11

 "Night is just the day of the moon"

Up ridiculously early this morning (2:35 am), in order to go see the sunrise over the ruins of Tikal .. I really need to get some sleep, this is getting ridiculous!

Hiked through the jungle with a head lamp, via tarantulas and climbed temple 4 (a seriously underselling name for the biggest temple in the Mayan world). Sat up there as the scene in front slowly revealed itself .. through the fog and mist, the sun slowly emerged to show the jungle and temples in all their splendour .. I would liken it to watching a beautiful woman slowly undress .. yes I enjoyed it that much!

Sunrise over Tikal

After this the tour guide showed us around the exposed part of the complex (again like Palenque most of it is still covered in jungle), saw quite a few animals - woodpeckers, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, coatimundis (like a racoon), wild turkeys, crocodiles, agouti (like a bigger guinea pig).

A very excited photo of me :)

Tonight I have to get the overnight bus to Antigua .. don´t want to go alone (as it requires a change in Guatemala City - which I have been told to avoid), hence I am going with Keely (the english girl) .. am thinking I will stay in a different hostel to her in Antigua .. as I kinda feel a bit stalkery (we have been doing a lot of the same stuff together since San Cristobal).

Flores (part 1) - Nov 10

Dragged myself out of bed early still feeling drunk, the two other guys were heading north so Keely, myself and a german guy (Fred) got the minivan at 6am. Keely hadn´t gone to bed and was quite wasted when the minivan rocked up.

Minibus was a bit of a shambles, at one point it left without us and we had to get a different one. We met back up with the group at the border. The border crossing involved catching a long narrow boat up the river .. this was super relaxing, quite a juxtaposition from the 2 hours of unsealed roads in the minivan once we landed ashore in Guatemala.

River crossing

Here are my first impressions:

- More rural than Mexico
- Not as run down as I was expecting (could it be my benchmark - Morocco, is setting a very high standard for poverty?)
- Definitely feels dodgier than Mexico (I saw a guy guarding a clothes store with a shotgun)

That night I got a private room (split with Ed a crazy English guy I met on the bus .. he writes for a ganga magazine), and managed to get into bed by 8pm.

Palenque (part 2) - Nov 9

Ok getting into full blown holiday mode now .. really enjoyed my time here in El Pachan. Last had a big night playing cards and drinking mezcal. Towards the end of the night we went to this Mexican guys cabaña and listened to music and practiced spanish. Only ended up getting a handful of hours sleep as the tour to the Palenque ruins left at 8am.

The ruins were fantastic, really cool .. I think this is largely due to the beautiful location set amongst hills and forest. The Palenque ruins date back to 226 BC until it´s fall around 1123 AD. Much of the site is still covered in jungle (they reckon 70% is still covered in trees).

Palenque

After Palenque the tour took us to a waterfall and Agua Azul (where I had a swim in the fresh water).

That night we met up with a couple of people we had met from San Cristobal (Dany the Kiwi and an English guy whose name I forget .. am typing this out a couple of days later and I am super tired), and had dinner, beers, ron y cokes and more mezcal. The bartender remembered us from the other night and everytime I walked past he would yell at me and say "¿Mezcal?". Ended up getting into the cabaña around 3, and I set my alarm for 5:30 (the bus to Flores leaves at 6).

Palenque (part 1) - Nov 8

Got the first class bus to Palenque today along with some people from the hostel in San Cristobal (Keely - English girl, Greg - English and an Aussie guy who´s name I have forgot), I enjoyed the mountain scenery as we wound our way there.

My first impression of Palenque (the town), was that it looked very western and had the feel of a bit of a tourist trap. We had been recommended to stay in El Pachan which was apparently like being in the jungle so we all jumped in a cab and headed there. We had a look at some rooms but I thought the cabañas seemed more fun, so we booked a spot in the "Jungle Palace".

San Cristobal (part 3) - Nov 7

Had a really interesting day today .. caught a collectivo with a Kiwi and English guy from the hostel to a small village just out of the town (San Juan Chamula), which has a large indigenous population. Many of the people here wear traditional outfits, woolen skirts for women and woolen coats on men are quite popular. 

They practice a strange sort of catholicism which includes many traditional religious aspects. We went into the church and was greeted with quite a surreal scene. The church floor was covered in pine needles, except for spaces where people had laid out candles and were chanting, drinking alcohol and sacrificing the odd chicken. Around the walls were statues of religous figures, and interestingly John the Baptist takes centre stage (with Jesus relegated to his right hand side).

Outside the church

After witnessing the chicken sacrafice I was feeling peckish, so we went and grabbed some tacos. Then wandered up to the cemetary. The graves don´t tell you when the person was born only the day they died, and each has a cross of a certain colour (white for young, black for old and blue for inbetween).

San Cristobal (part 1 and 2) - Nov 5/6

After a night in Tuxla, I caught the collectivo 45 minutes to San Cristobal de las Casas. It is a pretty little colnial town nesteled up in the hills surrounded by pine forest. The temperature is considerably cooler too .. hence I have been wandering around in jeans and a jumper.

Hostel is quite social, chilled out there chatting to an Aussie and an English guy, that night headed out for some food in the centre.

Realised the next day that the charger JWo gave me for his old Nokia phone didn´t work .. first thought was "aah don´t really need a phone anyway", until I realised it was my alarm clock as well. So it was off to the market to find a replacement charger .. or barring that an alarm clock. Markets here are full of all sorts of random things, and the second shop I tried had just the thing - they even pulled out their lights to prove to me that it works.

Looking down on San Cristobal from the church on the hill

Was seriously chilly today, spent the whole day with a jumper and jeans on, even had to change my socks for some warmer ones. That afternoon (after a siesta), walked up the stairs to a nice little church on the hill. Then had some amazing chicken.

Headed out that night, with some of the guys from the hostel .. went to a Cuban style bar which had salsa dancing (didn´t bust out any moves - has been over 4 years since I last did it properly), sat close to the fire and chatted with some Dutch girls.

Tuxla - Nov 4

Today was simply a day in transit, as it appears the only way to get to San Cristobal is either to take and expensive (but yet luxurious), overnight bus or get a crappy cheap day bus to Tuxla - stay the night - then catch a collectivo to San Cristobal .. Well no prizes for guessing which I did.

I said goodbye to the Wo (we decided to go our seperate ways, as I don´t want to rush through central america and he doesnt want to stray to far from Mexico City), wandered around until I found the second class bus station and purchased my ticket. I should have known when we left 25 minutes late that this ride was going to be even longer than the ten hours I had been quoted at the desk.

The bus stopped many times, and made a loud crunching noise whenever the driver changed gears .. I am not sure if it broke down or the driver was taking precautions but there were some long periods where we didn´t move.Slowly, slowly the bus filled up as well, until the point where there was a dozen people standing in the aisles .. I felt bad so gave up my seat .. hence the last two hours of my journey were standing.

I had a chat with a mexican man on the bus, he had lived in the USA for 16 years. He asked if I was Canadian, I replied "yo soy Australiano",  to which he says "your english is very good".

Oaxaca (part 5) - Nov 3

Spent a good part of today in a hotel watching English football .. Swansea v Chelsea and West Ham v Man City. Unfortunately despite wave after wave of attack City could only draw at Upton Park. It is interesting watching football in Mexico .. the commentary is obviously all in spanish, they appear to get very exicited and talk alot. They use nicknames a lot more for players (eg. I hear Carlos Tevez called Carlito - and Torres called El Niño). When a goal is scored they yell "Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool" for literally 20 seconds.

After the football we went and had lunch in the market, the area we ate in they give you a tray (which looks like an upside down thai hat), with spring onions an chillies, then you wander down and grab whatever meat you like and they charcoal it up for you. There are many vendors offering the same service so they can get a bit pushy, there is people and smoke everywhere. I noticed one of our onions fall on the ground, lie there for a minute then get picked up and thrown back onto the coals. 

Starting to feel a bit stir crazy here in Oaxaca .. feel it is time to move on .. but we still haven´t decided where we are going to go next.

Oaxaca (part 4) - Nov 2

Signed up to a cooking course today, I put mine and Jwo´s name down but he baulked at the price so I went alone. There was only one other person there (a middle aged american woman), and the rather surly chef. I had to make up a story as to why my friend couldn´t make it (had to go with a nasty stomach bug). Perhaps it was the 3 other no-shows as to why I got grilled so much about it.

We got taken to the market to get the ingredients then we made - tortillas, thick flavoured tortillas, soup with squash flowers, chicken almond mole, stuffed peppers, chocolate icecream and a very sweet drink from some flower petals.

So yes the chef was a very prickly sort of guy, I actually thought the american woman might leave as he was being so rude to her. At one stage he was showing us how to cook tortillas:

chef - "You need to cook for 10 seconds on one side, then a minute on the other and then turn and again for 20 seconds."
american woman - "It seems like a bit of an art cooking tortillas."
chef - "It is not an art, just 10, a minute and then 20 seconds."

On my last day at Saladita it turned out there was a guy taking photos, this was the one of me I purchased from him.

Oaxaca (part3) - Nov 1

Was meant to meet the Wo and some others at a restaurant for lunch today but it appears I had the wrong address. So for about 45 minutes in the heat of the day I searched in vain and then gave up .. every street looks the same here .. so hard to find anything.

So I spent a few hours at the Museum of Culture, which had a decent collection of Oaxacan items from pre-hispanic up to modern day, all of which was housed in a monastery. Did you know that there are 15 different indigenous languages spoken in Oaxaca? No neither did I .. unsurprising but still sad to hear that many are dying out.

Lots of festivities still going on today .. I watched a handful of parades go past. Many people dressed up in halloween style garb, throwing out sweets to the kids and often accompanied by brass bands.

Dancing the night away

That night I decided to treat myself to a bit more of an upmarket feed, so I went to a restaurant .. was quite fancy they made the salsa in front of me (letting me decide how much chilli to add), and I had an excellent soup which contained squash flowers .. main was pork with mole verde, with white beans and oddly I thought - crisps!

Oaxaca (part 2) - Oct 31

Yesterday was the beginning of the ¨Dia de Muertos¨ (Day of the Dead), celebrations here in Oaxaca. So we organised a tour with one of the hostels. The tour guide didnt really do much guiding but he did drive the minivan to a couple of cemetaries, and he gave us some flowers (marigolds), a candle, and some food (bread and chocolate), to lay on a grave. The second cemetary was out of town a bit, and smaller .. but there were lots of people about, and the atmosphere was really magical.

Day of the Dead - Is a tradition with pre-hispanic roots, in which people get together to honour and remember those who have passed. Small alters are set up, with flowers, food and drink (because the spirits are hungry after their long journey). Apparently if you eat the food after the festival is over, the food has no flavour because the deceased have taken it.

Man keeping a vigil over a grave

Around the cemetary I saw interspersed amongst the copious amounts of tourist (with every second one with a tripod and camera), was local people sitting around graves .. some people sitting alone, others with the family .. the ones sitting alone appeared mostly to be older people.

Oaxaca (part 1) - Oct 30

Arrived today in Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-ha-ca) .. Jwo, myself and Dave (an English guy who was staying at the hostel in Puerto), caught a minivan service early this morning .. the minivan is much cheaper and quicker than the bigger coaches because it takes the shorter, apparently less windy road through the mountains.

Trip pretty much took the whole day .. had some interesting travel companions .. three live chickens in a bag, a mother breast feeding her baby, and a man with some curious facial tattoos (including a tear underneath one eye .. which according to the urban dicionary means he has killed someone).

You see plenty of random shops in Mexico .. you can be out in a small rural village and you see a store that sells just tiles and toilet seats .. or you may be passing down the highway and someone is selling a bunch of beds. Which reminds me .. most people seem to be doing something here .. there is not that much lounging around (which is what I have seen a lot of in countries like Egypt and Morocco).

Puerto Escondido (part 5) - Oct 29

Had to settle for a swim today, as there was no surf at all .. flat like a pancake .. didn´t mind too much though.

Settling in to the hostel now .. quite enjoy staying here (Osa Maraposa), in my wooden shack .. well I think it is best described as a very fancy wooden tent. The owner is an american guy from Colorado .. covered in tattoos he left the US about 7 years ago on a bit of a walkabout "with a broken heart", and somehow he has ended up here. Think he might be a buddhist .. he had a small book he wrote at the hostel about his first steps south of America. Anyway the food was vegetarian but strangely delicious.

So far the people seem very fair .. they don´t rip you off at all .. not like my experiences in places like Morocco where they are out to fleece you for every buck you have. There also doesn´t appear to be a haggling culture .. there is a bit of movement when it comes to accommodation but for the most part the price is the price (which is kinda refreshing)

Puerto Escondido (part 4) - Oct 28

Had a surf yesterday .. managed to get one wave .. haha .. yes one .. was very small again. Had a 7" 2' board .. Jwo had a ridiculously small fish .. I had a try on his board but no chance in this small swell and with my size. 

Bugs are really taken to another level in this country .. have seen some cockroaches (cucarachas), here that would make Australia's biggest cry .. literally twice the size of the typical household cockroach. Have been sleeping under a mosquito net but I dont think the mozzies are that bad here. 

Played cards with the Wo and an English and Swiss guy last night .. played many games of "shit head", the games got progressively more rowdy, the peak being when Jwo was down to his jocks (the game was played in the dining/bar area of the hostel so the aim was to embarass the loser), had to do 30 push ups and buy a shot of mezcal .. Speaking of mezcal .. delicious, but deadly stuff .. soo strong. 

That night we went to a party two blocks down the road .. under a thatched roof while a storm crackled in the distance .. lots of other travellers there .. some weird dodgy locals too .. have become a slightly more hardened traveller. 

Puerto Escondido (part 3) - Oct 27

Went for a surf yesterday at a sheltered beach here, beautiful surroundings .. cliffs, palms .. however the waves werent so beautiful, the only people getting on anything were the people taking lessons who were getting pushed on their longboards onto the waves.

Walked back to the hostel from the break, very long and hot .. I did break it up with a cold coconut (am kinda addicted to these), and some time reading the kindle under an umbrella. My skin is taking a bit of a beating here .. largely because I am out and about in the middle of the day, will try and limit this for the duration of the trip.

Food has been much better here, have had some good meals .. even the food at the hostel is decent .. one of the guys who works there is vegetarian so all the food is too.

It seems every man and his dog is going to Oaxaca for Day Of The Dead (in that every traveller I talk to appears to be), will need to have a look into booking a seat on a bus or we might not get there in time!

Puerto Escondido (part 2) - Oct 26

So we are in Puerto Escondido .. the home of Mexican Pipeline (one of the world´s most famous big wave spots), so maybe it shouldnt come as too much of a surprise that it is quite difficult to find a more mellow wave more suitable to my and the Wo´s abilities. It was this fact and the realisation there are no good mellow waves nearby that caused us to be feeling a bit down about the place. 

It is however by far the most touristy place we have yet been, there are lots of gringos all over the beach. (I was starting to think no-one really came to Mexico), at night it does have a bit of a dodgy vibe (the girl staying at our hostel had her iphone taken by a threating knife weilding hombre), but during the day it seems ok. 

The hostel we are staying in is more like a bunch of shacks, spent my first night ever sleeping under a mosquito net .. and had a surprisingly good sleep.  

Puerto Escondido (part 1) - Oct 25

Caught the bus from Acapulco today .. we were a bit slow to get going this morning, and got a cab to the bus station (a small vw beetle), the driver asked if I was Canadian, but was very surprised to find out Jwo was Australian.

Once on the bus it was a very long and slow ordeal .. took up the whole day, however the scenery was quite pretty, it reminded me of what I imagine Sri Lanka looks like .. lots of coconut palms with thick jungle and flat lands, with winding streams and small lakes. We arrived in Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port) after sunset, so we just checked into the nearest hotel we could find.

During the trip we were stopped a number of times by the millitary .. also there were all sorts of people jumping on the bus to sell things (quesadillas, chewing gum, water), we even had a partially blind busker sing a few songs accompanied by his guitar.

Acapulco - Oct 24

We made our way from the surprisingly flash bus station at Mexico City towards the faded charms of Acapulco .. I had an extremely nervous moment when I left my day pack on the floor out the front of the sandwich shop (I ordered us 3 extremely delicious chapatas - rolls), after about 4 minutes I realised, turned around and ran through the crowd and found it had been put aside by the staff .. was surprised and very relieved (my passport was in that daypack)!

Acapulco feels like it has seen better days .. it was quite the cool spot back in the day with John and Jackie Kennedy going there for their honeymoon .. however it feels kinda dirty and a bit neglected these days.

Went and watched the "famous" cliff divers which was impressive .. they jump from quite high up doing flips, there is no room for error, it feels like if they stuff up they are really going to hurt themselves.

That night we stayed in a very basic hotel .. had my best sleep yet though, as it wasnt too hot or noisy.

Mexico City (part 3) - Oct 23

Was a very cultural day today .. went and checked out some of Diego Rivera´s murals, which were conveniently next door to the hostel. I quite liked them .. they reminded me a lot of Reg Mombasa´s art work with Mambo .. I am guessing he was highly influenced by Diego.

Then it was off to see some work from Diego´s wife - Frida Kahlo. She sounds like she had a really hard life and her paintings are quite tortured and surreal. The area of town the house was in had lots of leafy streets and hip restaurants and cafes .. really relaxing and quiet, but I guess you could have been anywhere.

To cap it off we headed to the Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling), which was very surreal and fun .. we even got to meet ´Delta´ one of the stars of the show. The crowd were getting into it .. one woman sitting in front of us was yelling all sorts of abuse, which the surrounding mexican crowd thought was hilarious .. too quick for me to translate but I heard her say something about grandparents at one point.

Most of them wear masks but apparently to be de-masked is a bit of an event .. there was one unmasking but the guy covered his face the whole time so I guess he got away with it. Then to walk off the stage one of the managers gave him his coat to cover his face.

The Wo and I getting attacked by "Delta"

And yes .. there was one midget wrestler .. I saw him to some kicking to a guy on the ground but for he mostly played a small part in proceedings (pun intended).

Mexico City (part 2) - Oct 22

On the shore lay Montezuma, with his coca leaves and pearls. In his halls he often wondered, with the secrets of the worlds. - Cortez the killer, Neil Young. 

 Well the Wo arrived today, well very early this morning to be precise .. I was going to ask at the front desk for him to be put into my room but then I figured it would most likely get lost in translation, and plus who wants someone bumbling into your dorm room at 1 in the morning. Anyway he sorted it himself and yes woke me up at around 2 in the morning.

Today after a social breakfast of strange cornflake-esque cereal and pancakes we made our way out to the pyramids of Teotihuacan (where I believe Montezuma hung out for a period of time). To get there we had to navigate the surprisingly civilised metro and then catch a bus. Got a bit more of an idea of the urban sprawl today .. it really is spread out .. lots of plain block shaped houses, built up and down the rolling hills .. nothing flash but not as rough as what I expected to see.

One unusual site I saw on the way was a group of a few hundred guys dancing around in their underpants, I imagine it was a protest of some sort .. glad it wasnt me out there, I got burnt just from my time wandering around the pyramids and I was wearing shorts, tshirt and a hat!

Men in underpants - a Bonds sponsored flash mob?

Climbed up the pyramid, pretty steep and quite a large site .. didnt get that much information on it .. read a bit in the lonely planet but it didnt tell a great deal. Apparently they are not solid stone but actually piled up dirt.

Pyramid of the sun .. maybe that is why i got so burnt .. should have shown more respect!

Not sure I realise how close to the edge I am here ..

Have seen quite a bit of PDA here (public displays of affection), and not just amongst randy teenagers, but also from those heading more towards middle age .. with some full on make out sessions from people just waiting to cross the street.

Mexico City (part 1) - Oct 21

Was soo much cooler in the night last night, however I lay awake for about an hour and half because of a mosquito in the dorm, which kept dive bombing my ear. Also it didnt help when the light got turned on at various points in the early morning .. aah the joys of hostels.

After much difficulty I eventually managed to find the correct collectivo (mini bus), to take me to the Bus Station (they have a number of routes around town .. with all rides costing 6 pesos .. but no map to speak of), where I jumped on the first primera clase bus to Mexico City.

Must admit I was pretty nervous about heading here on my own .. it is a seriously big megapolis (around 22 million), but I managed to navigate out the bus station and onto the metro and within an hour was at the hostel.

City feels much more European than I imagined .. and a lot safer than I thought it would .. mind you I get the feeling you wouldnt want to take a wrong turn late at night.

Have seen some interesting sights already .. when I was wandering around I saw what appeared to be a mock exorcism .. complete with a man writhing on the floor in pain.

It seems the hostel offer tours to the Mexican Wrestling .. so I am very much looking forward to that on Tuesday .. plus the Wo* turns up tonight.

* not his real name - but an alias to protect his real identity. 

Morelia - Oct 20

Quite a strange birthday today .. got up around quarter past 7, had a yakult (they are cheap here), then breakfast, packed my bags and begun walking in the heat. By the time I reached the bus station I was covered in sweat .. I noticed that when I put my arms on the counter to purchase my ticket it left a small puddle.

I didn´t even know such thing as a "first class" bus exists, but anyway in Mexico they do .. rather roomy seats, little hadouts (a bottle of water and some snacks), as well as in-bus entertainment. I put on some english language music and watched the countryside pass by.

At one point we stopped at a military checkpoint .. after which soldiers walked onto the bus and people started getting off. I then realised they wanted to see our "maletas" or bags. I went downstairs and had to put my backpack through some sort of scanning machine like you see at the airport, then I said gracias and got back on the bus.

I am now in Morelia, staying in the historic centre .. the architecture is very colonial (feels like I am on the Iberian Peninsula).

The Cathedral in Morelia

First thing I noticed here is that it is a fair bit cooler, might even be able to sleep all the way through tonight .. and under a sheet!

Oh by the way I need to make a comment about the food .. meals have been very hit and miss so far, have had some tasty things .. but have also had some truly dire meals (the type of thing where you have to scrunch up your nose and just keep eating).

La Saladita (part 9) - Oct 19

Well my last day surfing La Saladita today .. caught the most waves yet in a session but again I had a weird incident where my board nearly knocked someone out .. bit of a worry really .. guess I am not used to the big things, tried to duckdive a breaking wave and it sucked me back into the wave and I somehow ended up flying head first along the wave and right out the top of someone .. not cool .. need to do something about this.

Darren and I at La Saladita

Quite a few older guys out in the lineup each day .. usually the same people everyday .. one of the older guys who stands out is a guy everyone calls Corky .. he gave us a lift back to the bus stop today with his much younger mexican wife .. anyway here is what wikipedia says about him.

Corky Carroll (born September 29, 1947) was a professional American surfer and is considered a pioneer in the sport by becoming the first real professional surfer as well as being the first to receive endorsements.

One of the unusual things about Corky, asides from the fact he was three times world champion .. is that he has these two large growths on each side of his top abs. It was not confined just to him .. I saw it on a couple of other older guys, something to do with paddling out everyday for the last 50 years.


One of the vistas from out the bus window

Checked out the bus times to Morelia .. so tomorrow I will be packing my bags and making my way there. 

La Saladita (part 7 and 8) - Oct 17/18

He came dancing across the water, with his galleons and guns, looking for the new world, in that palace in the sun. - Cortez the killer, Neil Young.

Fascinating reading about the history of Mexico, I find you learn so much about the world from travelling .. was chatting to a Ukrainean guy last night as I cooked my dinner at the hostel, and he said 'you know a lot about European history' I said I know a bit about the places I have been.

Internet wasn't working yesterday, so didn't get to update the blog .. so here is two days for the price of one. Yesterday got some good waves, had one ride that must of been close to 30 seconds long. It had rained the night before and the water was pretty funky .. quite brown .. must of scared a few people off cause there wasn't many in the water. Whereas today was flat but yet I counted 27 people in the line up.

The view out the back of a pickup that gave us a lift from Los Llanos to the beach at La Saladita

Have downloaded a spanish teaching book to my Kindle and have been doing a little bit each day. Can read and write pretty well .. but find when it is spoken to me it is so fast I can't process it in time to respond coherently.

The local buses that we've been catching many of them are done up with personality. Almost like themes .. I have seen a Batman bus and also a Freddy Kruger bus. Another thing that entertains me to no end is the very Mexican sounding music that blares out of everysingle bus stereo.

La Saladita (part 6) - Oct 16

¡Yes it is true they do have gingers in Mexico! They are called albinos .. must be quite a common thing .. or maybe they just stand out because everyone else has dark hair and brown eyes.

Back onto the bigger board today, got one super long ride but was an average session in all .. due in large part to the large number of (good), surfers in the water.

Saw a woodpecker today, and a huge butterfly .. it´s wingspan would be the distance from the tip of your index finger to the bottom of your palm.

My stomach is starting to give me a bit of grief .. montezuma´s revenge it aint quite yet .. so far montezuma´s angry stare.

La Saladita (part 5) - Oct 15

Not a good surf session today .. really struggled, it was pretty busy and I tried out a shorter board. To make it even worse I kinda dropped in on a guy .. and my board nearly speared him in the head (it didn´t), but loads of people saw it, don´t wanna be known as ´that´ guy.

No lift today either (came back on the bus) starting to think those first few days were a fluke. On the plus side I saw a hummingbird (too quick for me to take a photo), they are called ´chuparosa´ in spanish.

Every month is Movember in Mexico .. moustaches are all the rage here.

La Saladita (part 4) - Oct 14

Last night I decided to brave the market, didn´t know the words for everything but still managed to cook myself up a beef stirfry with rice. 

Best surf of the trip so far today .. so good I left my rash vest behind at (Llordes) the board place .. rang her via a very confusing public telephone to ask if she could put it aside .. hope nothing got lost in translation.

Struggled with hitchs today .. ended up walking half way back up the track before waiting in the shade for a ride, got in the back of a ute full of empty water bottles. He drove us to the town .. a nice cold coconut helped ease the pain as we waited for the bus.

Here is the very popular Chinese takeaway in town

La Saladita (part 3) - Oct 13

Have seen loads of turtles swimming around out in the surf, everynow and then one pops it head out for a breather. Walking back from the beach there are lizards and butterflies galore. Saw a bigger lizard today .. he is kinda camoflaged but he is in there.

Got a lift all the way back to Zihua after the surf .. wow .. that´s three successful hitchhikes in a row. Was a really nice american couple (from Durango Colorado), who picked us up, they said they weren´t the regular gringos staying in luxury .. they described their place in the village as a concrete tent. They spend half their year in Mexico and the other half back home (snowboarding) .. not a bad way to live!

There is a chinese takeaway (if that is what you call a hole in the wall joint) in Zihua literally a stones throw from the hostel .. and it always seems to have a queue .. have been there a couple of times already. You can get a small meal for 35 pesos.