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.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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| Tamarindo |
Sunday, November 25, 2012
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!
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!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| A run of the mill sunset over the hostel pool |
Thursday, November 22, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| 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).
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).
Saturday, November 17, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, November 16, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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| Surely it must feel a bit threating with that looming over your city |
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.
Monday, November 12, 2012
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!
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| Sunrise over Tikal |
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| A very excited photo of me :) |
Sunday, November 11, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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| River crossing |
- 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).
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).
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).
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| Palenque |
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".
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).
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).
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).
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| Outside the church |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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| Looking down on San Cristobal from the church on the hill |
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.
Monday, November 5, 2012
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".
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.
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."
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."
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| 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. |
Saturday, November 3, 2012
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.
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!
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.
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| Dancing the night away |
Thursday, November 1, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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| Man keeping a vigil over a grave |
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