the reflection begins

i didn´t realize it when planning this trip, but i now see that Mexico has been the perfect place to begin and end this trip. to start, it was a great way to ease back into the language and aid in my transition into the backpacking life. to end, it is nice to come to a country with which i am relatively comfortable, to places and people that are familiar, and still have new experiences awaiting me.

throughout my trip i have made attempts to understand and put some meaning behind all i have seen and experienced, but this has proven to be rather confounding. each country, each city, each person has offered me more to think about and added question upon question...leaving me with the feeling that i understand less than when i started.

yet i know that statement and that sentiment is not quite accurate. so it is now, while on the 6-8-12-14 hour bus rides ahead of me, while walking through the streets of familiar cities, while talking with friends and fellow travelers, while writing, that i will make the effort to reflect upon this journey without searching for "the" meaning, or expecting "greater" understanding. rather, the time will be spent remembering the experiences of each moment and how to possibly integrate the last few months into my life and my understanding of myself and the world i live in.

of course this is all very egotistical of me, which is something i have grown to understand about this entire trip. it is a selfish act, to take time to travel alone without work, without responsibilities and in lands far off from friends, family, community and country. it is a luxury not afforded to most and certainly incomprehensible to many. some have said i am incredibly lucky to have the support of my community and culture, others have said this trip is proof that the Western world has veered too much toward the external, and still others have refused to call this trip anything other than a grand vacation. all have elements of truth and yet there is more to be said and that is what i am hoping time will afford me...

Looking back...Copan Ruins (Honduras)

ruins, ruins and more ruins. it seems i just don´t get tired of them. today i went to Teotihuacan, but that is a story for another day. these photos are a few weeks old and i am way behind on the photos for the blog. however, i am in Mexico City where internet connections are fast when you can find an internet location that is! this one i found is on a side street and you have to walk through the first floor, up the stairs to a small room, it´s the 3rd door on the left!







we have internet access at the hostel, but you are not allowed to connect anything to the computers and there are 2 computers for everyone. this means we are limited to 20 minutes at a time. the hostel is huge by the way, probably the biggest i have been in since Panama, and it is in the perfect location, 1 block from the famed Cathedral and zocalo. curious about the hostel, check out the website, http://www.mexicocityhostel.com/



Anyway, back to Copan, the birds greeted us at the entrance and it was hard not to take a photo of them as there were so many of them!





i will let the rest of the photos speak for themselves. enjoy!

another day, another bus

getting ready for another bus ride, another night bus ride in fact. i think they are kind of addictive actually. well maybe not but they are a luxury, especially after being in so many countries where there either aren´t night buses or they are relatively dangerous. of course there isn´t much of a need for night buses in Central America since so many destinations are under 8 hours away (well not all but most). in Mexico it is a bit different, and of course i have a kind of ridiculous itinerary for the next 6 weeks, my last 6 weeks by the way. there will be lots of buses in my future...it´s a darn good thing i like being on the bus. truth be told i really like buses, all kinds, especially those in Central America. it´s a good thing huh? haha.

tonight i am leaving San Cristobol for Oaxaca where i will spend the afternoon and night and then get on a bus to Mexico City. there i will spend a few days exploring the city and the surrounding areas. yep i am finally going to see the sites instead of the airport and the bus terminals!

now it´s all about Mexico

24 hours and 3 buses later i am enjoying the festivities of the independence of Mexico in San Cristobol de las Casas. the morning started with a parade and has continued throughout the day with music, food and relaxation. The streets are full of people, vendors and the determined bus and taxi drivers who somehow navigate through the throngs of people. the colors of red, green and white are on every window and the flag is flying high from wherever one can put a flag. as the adults walk and enjoy the day, the children run through the parks with balloons and painted faces and i, one of the many foreign visitors on this day, watch and take it all in.

this is my second time in San Cristobol, i was here years ago, and i find it all very familiar. surprisingly familiar actually. the cafe´s, the churches, the zocalo, the streets made for walking and the markets...i remember them all and so i re-visit them once again. i am happily not taking photos this time around, it is kind of freeing to leave the camera at the hostel and just enjoy the city and it´s residents. of course it isn´t all aimless walking and eating (food is everywhere today and it is hard to resist the ice cream, fresh mango, corn on the cob and sweets made just for this day)...i also had to get some things done, like laundry.

i have to say that while the whole backpacking thing can get old, especially wearing the same 4 outfits over and over, the taking your laundry to someone else to wash, dry and fold for about $2-4 never ever ever gets old. because really, when in my life has that ever happened? when i was a kid perhaps, but actually that isn´t true, my mom never folded the clothes (haha it´s true i swear!)

my other mission for the day, updating the blog and returning emails. i fully recognize i am behind on the blog and as i keep saying there is sooooo much stuff to say. but here i am updating just on this day. but a few quick things:

1. El Salvador is beautiful, the people are gracious and in 5-8 years it will be on the Gringo Trail and tourists will be flocking to hike, surf, visit the quaint villages, and enjoy the fabulous museums. Here´s the thing, there are problems in this country AND there is so much to enjoy as well, including the Modern Art museum in San Salvador. i don´t want to compare it to those in the states, but i kind of have to compare it to something and so i will say that it is right up there with those in the states. but i suppose it isn´t the museum itself that is so great (although it is) but what makes it fabulous are the incredible Salvadoran artists. oh and the National museum, aka the Anthropological museum is also very good. granted all the explanations are in Spanish but the presentation of the material and objects is very well done. clearly there is money to spend in El Salvador on the museums because these two are very well done.

Speaking of San Salvador...i really liked this city. ugh i know, i know. there is all this negative stuff out there about this city- it´s the most dangerous capital city in Central America, the gang violence is out of control, the narcotrafficantes have taken over, the police and military are part of the problem, it is dirty, it is polluted, etc., etc., etc. and yet, i really enjoyed my day in the city. one day does not make all that stuff go away, nor does it give me any real evidence to offer a differing opinion. all i can say is that the people were friendly, helpful and welcoming, that i never felt unsafe and there was much to see and do.

pictures of El Salvador and my final days in Nicaragua will be up soon, probably when i am in Mexico City. tomorrow i will spend the day here and take a night bus to Oaxaca where i will have a day or so before i take the bus to Mexico City.

¡Viva Mexico!

quality time on the bus...Tica bus that is...

gotta love a bus line that has computers with internet access in the office. granted you have to pay but still. i am currently awaiting my second bus of the day. i left San Salvador this morning (6 am) and am in Guatemala city at the moment. my next bus leaves in about 30 minutes for Tapachula Mexico. yes i will be in Mexico by tonight. crazy.

one last thing...

i officially hate mosquitos.

El Salvador

as the country prepares for grand parades and fiestas celebrating it´s day of independence the general population also braces itself for continued problems that threaten to halt the buses, hinder their work and possibly result in more violence. it is unfortunate on so many levels that the people of this country continue to struggle as they could not be any more resilient, compassionate or friendly. and the country itself is incredibly beautiful with many wonderful places to see and things to do.

i am saddened by my decision to cut my time here short and am hopeful that in the future things will stabilize and i and many other travelers will be able to visit and explore this wonderful country. the decision to leave is based on safety, and really is a preventitive measure as there has not yet been a moment i felt unsafe. still i am in Suchitoto because the day before i left Perquin as i researched hostels in Santa Ana, my next stop, i learned that there was violence in Santa Ana and buses were stopped after a bus driver was killed. the following day, while in San Salvador i asked around and while buses were running intermittently the military and police presence in the city and on the bus route was increased and it was then that i decided to explore another area of the country.

Suchitoto is a lovely little town and i am quite happy with my decision. but that was not the only decision i made. i also decided this morning that while there are many other places i would love to visit in El Salvador the probability of continued trouble, be it transportation stoppages or worse, continue to grow day by day. and so, tomorrow i will leave this happy little town and go to the capital, San Salvador to purchase my international bus ticket, visit a few museums in the city and prepare for my return to Mexico. yes the plan now is to be in Mexico by the end of the week.

as for Guatemala....it will only be a country to cross. i will not be stopping except for food and the bathroom as the rains have done significant damage and many of the roads are slow to traverse.

two countries with so much beauty and so much heart battling demons and mother nature...welcome to central america.

Country # 6...El Salvador

this will have to be a quick posting as i am using the computer of one of the Peace Corps volunteers i met here in Perquin, El Salvador. i left Somoto, Nicaragua yesterday morning, passed through Honduras mid-day and arrived in El Salvador yesterday afternoon. buses were not running in the country yesterday...the 3rd day of some protests and restrictions but it only hindered my mode of transportation and nothing else. so rather than buses i rode in the back of pick-up trucks with everyone else who was making do without the usual buses. again i have found another country with incredibly welcoming and friendly people. oh i find i am becoming redundant i know...this is a beautiful country!!

more to come as i find a cyber cafe in a bigger town, probably during the week.
oh and if you see stuff on the news about protests and shootings and other such things, well know that it is only part of the story and there is more out there...read more online to get the real story and a more thorough explanation of all that is occurring.

sometimes you just can´t leave

the question has come up quite often recently as to why i have spent so much of my time in Nicaragua. of course the easy answer is, "oh it is a beautiful country with much to see and do" and that of course is a true answer but not quite sufficient. a country is more than it´s beautiful lakes, forests, beaches and mountains. we all know this. and a country is more than it´s food and traditions. a country is those and so much more. and what i have found here in Nicaragua is the opportunity to experience the ´so much more.´by visiting and revisiting cities, by discovering little known places with other travelers, through introductions to foods by locals, through inpromptu conversations, and certainly by spending hours with Nicaraguans.

i have been incredibly lucky in my travels to meet so many different types of people from all over the world and have been exposed to so much through them all. but i find myself even more grateful for the people who have opened themselves and their lives to me here in Nicaragua. from the owner of the local internet location who shares thoughts and ideas about life in Nicaragua and asks for help in his comprehension of english literature to the pre-teen girl who had infinite questions about music and films in the US and shared with me her hopes and desires for her life as a ´teenager.´the day to day interactions and the deepening friendships make it easy to stay longer and longer. and these are two examples of unplanned conversations that at least with the owner has become a regular thing. these types of conversations happen quite often and always leave me with a feeling of appreciation for the moment. there are other relationships though, forged on common interests, which have developed into deeper friendships where understanding culture and life circumstance are as important as language. these are the ones i will carry with me in my heart, these are the ones i will remember not for the stories or the content but for the emotional connection that was shared.

and still as my heart and mind hold Nicaragua dear, i know that my time is limited. with still 1 country to discover (El Salvador) and one to cross (Guatemala) before i end my time with more travels in Mexico, my day of departure is looming. in my trip i gave my self 2 weeks per country, knowing full well that in some countries i would want more time and in others less. it has worked out well thus far and i do not regret spending more or less time in any of the countries i have visited.

hmm...for the first time since Mexico, i am sad to leave a country.

Honduras...in a nutshell

a week in a country is never really enough time to get to know a culture or a people and i knew that when i decided to spend a week in Honduras. but as i look back now, about a week later, i find that in a week Honduras showed me much of itself through it´s beautiful landscape, generous people and fabulous food. It all started with a bus ride (see photos from past posting) and not surpisingly ended with one as well. i spent a significant portion of time in transit- on various forms of buses, vans, taxis and in the back of many pick-up trucks (hitching rides is common and relatively safe in Honduras!). i had two locations to visit before i arrived in Honduras, the island of Utila and the ruins of Copan. However i wasn´t overly excited about the island for some reason so when the trio from Floating Doctors (want to know more? check out the website) invited me along with them to Lake Yojoa i happily agreed. They had heard of the location from other travelers who spoke of the amazing waterfalls and the randomly placed brewery/hostel. i love water and who doesn´t love a waterfall? and a brewery/hostel? well this i had to see!
D & D Brewery...the only microbrewery in Honduras. Started, owned and operated by a man from Oregon. He also has a coffee farm, blueberry farm...and they serve amazing blueberry pancakes for breakfast with their very fresh coffee! yum!
now is the time that i admit that for the first time in my trip i was scared. yep, not just nervous or apprehensive but actually a bit afraid. the crew and i headed over to the waterfall which you can view and also get a guide to take you under-beneath-behind the waterfall and into the tunnels-caverns. the photo does not really do the waterfall justice, nor does it show the amount and force of the water. in only shoes, bathing suits-shorts we found ourselves completely submerged in the water which was fun, refreshing and yes at one moment a bit scary. standing in a cavern with water up to our chests and the falls at either entrance...oh and a guide saying "come on, just look down and feel for the rocks, oh and hold hands"...yeah the longer i stood there, the longer i had time to consider the stupidity of the options before me. however not one to be left behind or one to falter to my fears i forged ahead. of course i am glad i did, not just because i overcame the momentary fear but also because the view from the next cavern-rocks was fantastic! no photos of that though or any of the experience as my camera is not waterproof...note to self, next trip, bring a waterproof camera.
a view from the hills and mountains above the village of Pena Blanca. This region of Honduras is, in my opinion, incredibly beautiful...but here´s the thing, all the parts of the country i saw were in my opinion, beautiful...ok with the exception of Tegucigalpa...not so beautiful but definitely vibrant.

As i mentioned above, i found the people of Honduras to be incredibly friendly, helpful and generous. i cannot count how many times people approached me or one of the other travelers just to see if we were ok and ask us about our travels. one of the consistent questions i was asked by people young and old, women and men.."what do you think of my country?" there is so much pride and so much passion for their country and i was so happy to say that i found the country beautiful and to hear them tell me their thoughts on places to visit, things that made their country unique and foods-drinks i had to try to truly experience Honduras.