Month One

I honestly did not know what to expect coming into this little trip that I am currently on. One month ago as I was flying from Halifax to LA my stomach was in a knot and I was having a mild panic attack thinking what in the world have I got myself into. Now a month and one day into my travels I have settled into the zone and God truly has made my travels an extremely enjoyable and rewarding experience. I have been able to do and see so many more things than I thought possible at the very quick pace that I have been traveling at. To date I have only felt ill once (5 nights ago) and was able to go right to bed and woke up feeling great. I still don't know what to expect as I will be moving into South America in the next few days, but I know that I am excited. I'm ready for the Andies. I ask and thank you all for your prayers.

Volcan Arenal

Volcan Arenal is another very active volcano that I was able to visit. Every 10-15 minutes while I was hiking some trails around the base it would have what seemed to be mini eruptions. It would make a loud noise (like that of a jet engine taking off) then spew out a lot of gas and some rocks that you could watch fly down the mountain side. For this reason you can't climb up to the top of the volcano, but can get some great views from the trails around the base. I was told that on a clear night I would have been able to see this activity from town (glowing rocks and lava flying about), but unfortunately it became overcast in the evening so all I saw was greyness. La Catarata waterfalls on the other side of the volcano was a great place to cool off at after hiking about 20km throughout the day. In the evening I was able to make it to Tabacon Hot Springs. I thought about not going since the admission was pricey, but I have to say in going it was worth every penny. This place was like a maze of trails and streams with waterfalls throughout leading to pools of hot crystal clear water. It is very developed, but still extremely beautiful. I would have to say of all the places I have visited so far this area (La Fortuna/ Monteverte) would be right at the top of my list to go back to someday for some more great adventures. It is expensive, but of everything I have done so far it has been worth it. There are so many activities to get involved in (Rafting, caving, waterfall repelling, volcano hiking, jungle hiking, zip lining, hot springs, horse riding, ATVing, fishing...... to name a few things I saw that where available). Another bonus is that it is very safe and most places have people that speak English. Today I made my way by bus-boat-bus to Monteverte were I was able to go zip lining (11 long flying foxes). It was really neat to zip back and forth through and over the jungle. The longest zip line was 770 meters long. This activity is definitely not for the faint at heart (if you don't like heights I wouldn't recommend it, otherwise you should try it next time your down here).

The Rich Coast

I have to say the first time I went to a bank machine to withdraw money here in Costa Rica it really feels strange. This is because the exchange rate is like 450 to 1. This means If I want about $250 CDN I have to withdraw about 100,000 colones. Typing that you want 100,000 dollars at the bank machine really feels strange. I had to do the math in my head a few times to make sure I was not taking out like $5 or even worse $5,000. The first town I stopped at in Costa Rica was Playa Tamarindo. I saw a number of people surfing and wanted to try myself, but again for the second day in a row along the coast the waves were so small I really was wondering what the people out there were doing. In the evening the sunset over the beach made up for the lack of surfing. This was a really fun town that is still not too developed, but I have a felling that in a few years that it will be, so take it as advise to visit soon.

Isla de Ometepe

From Granada I made my way down the coast of lago de Nicaragua to San Jorge where I was able to take a ferry to the Volcanic Isla de Ometepe (I am using the term ferry very loosely). On a calm day on the lake the small wooden boat I took may have been acceptable, but it was windy and the waves were big, however is was a buck cheaper and leaving right off so I took it. I will just let you know on the way back I paid the extra dollar to get on the "big" ferry that I knew was not going to fall apart. The Island was interesting, but there was not that much to do there so I moved on quickly (I saw some ancient sculptures). The lovely Pacific town of San Juan del Sur is were I ended up for the day. This town reminded me very much of a miniature Zihuatanejo. A horseshoe bay with cliffs guarding the entrance on both sides. I was hoping to do a bit of surfing (was suppose to be some of the best surfing in Nicaragua), but unfortunately the waves were not that great the day I was there.

El Pital

El Salvador is a country that many tourists miss out on. While there are not as many major attractions as the surrounding countries there is still a lot to do and see. In the short time that I was there I was able to hike El Pital (the highest mountain in the country at 2700 odd metres) then spend an afternoon and night in the Capital, San Salvador. El Pital is tucked away in the mountainous northeastern part of the country. Thankfully I was coming into El Salvador in that area or I most likely would have missed out on this hike. The hike itself was not too strenuous (just over an hour to the top) since there is a crazy road up the mountainside to two little villages perched there. The most interesting part of the hike was at this place I have a picture of on the left. The only way to get out onto this outcropped rock was via a fallen log (seen in the picture). I have to say I was a bit timid walking across as I looked down to the bottom of the crevice about 100 feet bellow. From El Pital I made my way to the capital to enjoy the multitude of markets before I went to bed early to catch the 4:30 am Tica bus to Nicaragua. Currently I am in the lovely colonial town of Granada on lago de Nicaragua.

Copan

Copan Ruins in Honduras is the site of another famous Mayan ruin that I was able to visit. This site has the most detailed carvings that I have seen of any of the ruins. The structures themselves were impressive also. Nothing to the magnitude of ruins at Tikal, but still worth the visit. The mountainous area that surrounded was beautiful as well (especially as I headed westward) to La Entrada.

Pacaya

As you can see at the top of the Volcano there was a lot of gas being emitted. To see the lava you had had pier down through the pungent gas while holding the hand of another person so a gust of wind wouldn't push you in. This area of Guatemala seemed have have volcanoes strewn about everywhere. Not sure what the name of the volcano in the background is (I'm sure I could find out if you are really interested), but it looked like a good pict so I took it. If you are ever in Antigua it's well worth the trip to see Pacaya.

Volcan Pacaya

Today I had a great time climbing Volcan Pacaya.  I really wasn´t expecting too much.  I was told that this was the only active volcano in the area so I thought it would be cool to go up non-the-less.  I was wrong in not expecting much.  When they say active they mean it´s spewing out gas and lava.  When I reached the top of the volcano (2552 meters) it was chilly and windy so to stay warm I was able to sit by a hot vent while I was waiting for the others that I was with (to an excellent view of Guatemala City and the Pacific Ocean).  The guide that went with us (despite not speaking a word of English) showed us a bunch of interesting spots such as the lava flow in the creator and how to stay warm using the heat vents.  I made my way to Chiquimula (where I am currently) from Antigua through Guate City this afternoon.  For the few hours I have been here I have really enjoyed it.  I´m away from the major gringo path so things are a lot cheaper than in Antigua. (Single hotel room $4.  A full sit down meal with coke $2.75. A 4 hour bus ride $5).  Well off to bed (for $4 hopefully there are not too many cockroaches nibbling on my toes tonight).  Thank you all for your prayers as I move about.

Lago de Atitlan

Guatemala has been a beautiful country to be busing through. With the its jungles, volcanoes, lakes and rolling hillsides. This morning I was able to spend a couple hours walking the streets of Guatemala city. I really don´t know why most people stay away from here. It seems to be a lovely city (at least at that time of day and in the places I went). From the city I headed to Panajachel on Lago de Atitlan. Panajachel is a small touristy town right on the lake with some great views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes. I had a good time sitting by the lake eating a whole pineapple I purchased at the local market for 75 cents. Another short bus ride later I arrived in Antigua. This city is surrounded by volcanoes and what I have enjoyed most about this town so far are the incredible Saturday markets. You name it I´m sure I could find it at the markets here. I´m excited for the volcano climb I have arranged for the morning. Hopefully it will be a good day for some picts.

Tikal

After paying a lot of fees at the Belize boarder and some unofficial fees at the Guatemalan boarder I headed for Tikal. Tikal is an impressive ruin that is deep in the Guatemalan jungles. It was a lot of fun getting there. I had a taxi ride from the boarder where the driver dropped me and the others I was with at the wrong location, then I had my first "chicken bus" experience, followed by somehow getting a combi to myself and finally driving the last 20km in the back of a pickup. How it all worked out I have no idea but it did, and I made it so, I was happy. The Ruins at Tikal would be the most extensive set of ruins I have seen so far. It is so hard to compare any of the ruins I have seen to date since they have all been in such different settings. Tickal is situated on a small hill in the middle of a vast jungle. On the top of a couple of the largest ruins you can look for miles and miles in every direction and see nothing but jungle. I´m glad that it worked out that I saw the ruins in the evening, because the whole jungle came alive around 4:00. It was really cool walking thought the jungle trails with the monkeys and all sorts of other exotic animals flying around the treetops and the noises they all made, wow. I would have went there just to be in that setting. Having the ruins was just a huge bonus.