Embrace the Chaos

the country fair

2008-09-22T09:07:00.001-06:00

The Tunbridge World Fair started in 1867 and is a typical country fair: vegetable and livestock contests (including strange and large vegetables and obedience and strength skills for animals), fair rides and food (think: fried and greasy), and my favorite part of all: PIG RACES!!! Although a bit cruel to the pigs, they were hilarious to watch and something entirely new for me. There were three heats and the pigs all had names like "Dustin Hogman" and "Oscar Meyer". The first two heats were decently paced and actually ran around the track, but the third consisted of pot-bellied pigs who liked to stop and eat along the 125 foot track. Fun times!
this cow was much bigger than the ones in India!
largest pumpkin at 635 pounds
some very long and strange shaped veggies
go little piggies, go!
no pig race is complete without the pot-bellied ones

the next chapter

2008-09-21T11:19:00.004-06:00

Some people have asked me to keep my blog going, so I'm going to do my best and also do my best to keep it interesting. I will also probably upload more photos from my travels as I recovered those lost files and have tons of other ones as well.

I moved up to Vermont a little over a month ago, thus beginning the newest chapter in my life: graduate school. I'm at the Vermont Law School, but NOT for a law degree, for environmental policy. The town is located in South Royalton, which is rather rural and quite a change, but a great one. The closest grocery store is about 25 minutes away, in New Hampshire, but other than that drawback, everything else is great. Below are some photos of the town, school, and immediately surrounding areas.
bridge over the White River looking back from town
the bridge over the river
the school, although you can barely see it because of the trees...
"downtown" - across the street is the "Green"
my house - the bottom floor is divided into 2 apartments and then 5 of us live on the second and third floors, this photo makes the house look awesome, but the inside is STILL under renovation (small stuff that will probably never be finished)
looking at the green from our living room
on the White River, just down the street
from Kent's Ledge, just above South Royalton

vietnam

2008-07-05T02:29:00.002-06:00

From Saigon/Ho Chi Mihn City, I went on a couple of small tours. The first is of the Chi Cu Tunnels, which is where many locals lived underground during the war in a whole system of tunnels. We went through one that was enlarged for tourists and it was tiny. The second was a trip to the Mekong Delta. Enjoy!
booby trap
entrance to the tunnels
smoke holes for cooking - they spread it out so it just looked like fog to the US soldiers
Vietnamese woman in her boat
canoeing down a side canal

some serious stuff

2008-06-10T08:09:00.005-06:00

I spent a day going to S-21, the high school-turned-prison/torture chambers during the Khmer Rouge, and the Killing Fields. I felt sick to my stomach all day and became teary-eyed more than a few times. Over 2 million people were killed during this regime from 1975-1979. The atrocities that some humans are willing and able to commit are incomprehensible. And it still exists today (most notably in Sudan - if you want to get involved with a reputable group that is working there savedarfur.org is a good one). I just don't understand how the world community continues to let genocide occur again and again... I'll get off my soap box before I really get on it, but see below.
some photos of the victims held at S-21 before they were executed
barbed wire covering the outdoor hallways at S-21
one of the small holding cells
skulls found in the Killing Fields (i spared you the close up shot I took where you can see the bullet holes and marks from the bludgeons; many people didn't get the mercy of a precious bullet -too expensive)
self explanatory
a mass grave
all these depressions are mass graves

ancient angkor

2008-06-10T06:52:00.005-06:00

despite the amount of photos i posted, i wanted to post many, many more, but thought people might get a little tired of seeing so many photos of ancient temples. i spent 3 days wandering around the complexes and wasn't bored at all. to learn more about these ruins, check out this wikipedia page)

inside Angkor Wat
a view of the temple from the outside (largest religious building in the world)
2 faces in the temple Bayon (there are between 150-216 faces such as these in this temple, depending on the reporter - again, not the best photo, sorry!)
always a tree hugger, even in Cambodia!
the tree i'm hugging in the photos above - it's a beast!
a doorway in the most intricate temple, albeit one of the smallest
one of the carvings

more thailand

2008-06-10T06:17:00.002-06:00

beautiful sunset from Railey Beach, Krabi (west coast) (it got even better, but I don't want people stealing my photos, sorry!)
blue water and green trees, taken from the back of a truck, Ko Tao (east coast island) what more could you want?
jeff on rope swing at waterfalls featured in "The Beach", although it looks quite different in the film
jeff (US) and me at another set of waterfalls in Khao Yai National Park (60 meters high - apparently 8 elephants fell to their death over these falls several years back)
our cute Thai guide at the same waterfalls

a new country!

2008-05-31T10:22:00.004-06:00

I finally made it out of India and am now in Thailand. It's VERY different from India (but then again, every other place is) and is set up to make tourists' travel very easy. The beginning of the photos (my camera ran out of battery before I could finish this posting - dang).

reclinging Buddha - 45 meters long and what large feet!
outside the grand palace in Bangkok
Railey Beach - one of the most beautiful beaches i've ever seen

hopefully i'll be able to finish this post very soon and continue with other updates. off to cambodia tomorrow...

remaining bits of nepal and india...

2008-05-31T09:56:00.002-06:00

here are a few last photos from nepal and india. enjoy!
mama rhino and baby! i spent the night in a tower in the jungle and woke up to see a mama rhino and her baby. shortly after this, about a million elephants with 4 people riding each one (so 4 million people!), descended on this poor pair
so cute!
the "toy train" in darjeeling, india. yay pollution!
these 2 young tibetan girls chatted with us for quite a while. their english was excellent!

scenes from the trail

2008-05-14T09:02:00.002-06:00

Below are just a few scenes from the hike that I liked and thought I'd share.
part of the Khumbu Glacier
more of the Khumbu Glacier
just cool mountains with a relatively small glacier on top
the trail, mountains, and yaks
remember those Scholastic posters? this one was in a lodge around 14,000 feet

Everest Base Camp!

2008-05-14T08:16:00.002-06:00

Base camp is quite a surreal place. It is mostly a tent city with no rhyme or reason to the scattering of tents. I'm not sure how many expeditions are there at the moment, but I know that the Chinese are keeping a close watch on everyone staying there because of the torch. There was even a bakery at base camp - probably the highest in the world, and a photos exhibit of glacial melt from the past several decades. I didn't stay very long, but it was interesting to see the spectacle. (Note: you can't see the summit of Everest from base camp.)

reminder: the peak behind me is not the summit to Everest (don't ask about the outfit)

this one is really dark, but you can see the famous/infamous Khumbu Icefall on the right side

the photos you've all been waiting for...

2008-05-12T08:41:00.002-06:00

Okay, well maybe not, but Everest photos are below. First a couple of others on the way there...
part of the Everest range; this part of the trek was like walking on the moon
the eastern side of Cho-la Pass (over 5300 meters) - an amazing glacier was waiting for us after a loooong ascent up 600 meters in the snow
moonrise
and there she is
sunset casting colors on the mountain - it was freezing cold waiting for the sun to finish (this is from a view point called Kala Patther - 5550 meters high/over 18,000 feet; highest point I've ever been!)

incredible!

2008-05-10T09:14:00.004-06:00

Before going to Everest Base Camp, my trekking companions and I decided to take a detour up another valley to a place called Gokyo where we were supposed to have amazing views of the mountains, including Everest. It was a long slog to the top of a small peak (5360 meters/17,688 feet) and worth every step (encouraging words we heard from people on their way down as we were still ascending).
a very tall cairn on the way to gokyo (i'm a little dark, but you get the idea)
the mountains, including ice covered lake
same mountains from a bit higher elevation

that would be me with everest directly to the right of my head - i was so happy to make it!

"the girls," my trekking buddies: Jasmine, me, Valerie, Irene

on the trail

2008-05-01T23:20:00.002-06:00

There were so many amazing scenes while we were on the trail; the following are just a few of them.
the porters never ceased to amaze us with the loads they were carrying
an "aerial" view of one of the larger towns where we stayed - Namchee Bazaar
clouded over mountains
porters and yaks along the way

the beginning

2008-05-01T22:51:00.003-06:00

It all began with a flight into the Tenzing-Hillary airport in a town called Lukla. We were lucky with fairly clear weather for the flight, which allowed for some very nice views of the mountains on the way. The first day was an easy warm up with only about 3 hours of walking mostly down and flat. Below are some photos of other things besides the mountains, there will be lots of mountain photos in the near future.

my trekking buddies: Irene (Holland) and Jasmine (Canada)
one of the many yaks we encountered along the trail
huge boulder with prayers engraved and painted all over it; these were very common at the lower altitudes
the numbers board at the national park entrance

success!!!

2008-04-30T05:50:00.002-06:00

I did it! I made it to base camp and back, all in one piece. I've had a few days to decompress and am going to try and please all my fans with some photos (and stories). First of all, I want to make if abundantly clear that I did NOT climb Everest. In fact, I didn't even climb ON Everest. Base camp isn't actually on the mountain, unfortunately. However, I did see the mountain quite a few times and those photos will come with time, I promise. The 16 days I spent on the trail were incredible and this was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. The scenery was breathtaking and worth every step (which is what many people told us to encourage us along the way and luckily they were right).

[I just spent an hour and a half trying to load some photos, only to have something fail, so I'm going to dinner instead of spending another hour and a half trying again. I'll try again later. Sorry! AHHH, computers in Nepal...]

attempting Everest, base camp that is

2008-04-08T09:22:00.001-06:00

I have gotten a crazy idea and have decided to attempt to climb Everest, or at least to base camp. I have no idea if I will be successful, but everyone cross your fingers that I am, please. If all goes well, I will be out of contact starting this Wednesday until around April 25. Don't worry, there will be LOTS of photos when I return (if the weather cooperates). Please send lots of great wishes my way, and maybe a little oxygen too!

kathmandu

2008-04-07T09:18:00.005-06:00

This past Saturday was probably one of the strangest days I've had traveling yet. I went on a walking tour with a new friend I picked up on the bus and we happened to be in the right place at the right time TWICE! We were walking into a courtyard, when all of a sudden a man in a mask with a skirted costume guided by several other men came out from a building across the street and into the courtyard. Two more quickly followed. We tried to ask what was going on but couldn't find someone who spoke a lot of English. We went back on the street to see a crowd of folks surrounding a small platform and looked up to see the windows crammed with spectators. So we decided to join the window crowd and were able to get a good view and at least a minimal explanation of the event. The three men were all living gods and three sheep and one young buffalo were being sacrificed for them, which meant that the gods had to drink the blood of the animals. We watched what we could, saw more than we needed to, but definitely not the whole sacrifice (I had to cover my eyes several times). IT was a once in a lifetime experience, gruesome, but equally fascinating.

Later in the day, when were in the town center, again there was quite a commotion. This time we already had a good vantage point and saw a young girl being carried into one of the main buildings. Another spectator told us it was the living goddess, who we read only comes out of her abode a few times a year. Again, we were in the right place at the right time. Lucky us!
the living god is in the middle
a monument to one of the Hindu gods
temple tops in the city center

9:45

2008-04-06T04:24:00.002-06:00

When I arrived in India, it took me a while to adjust to the 10 and a HALF hours time difference. It seemed rather silly to have all hours on the half hour with the rest of the world, but I finally adjusted and always understood the reason behind this (India is technically divided by 2 time zones, in an effort to keep everyone in the same time, they chose the half hour between the two). However, Nepal is 15 minutes ahead of India, and therefore 45 minutes (or 15, whichever way you look at it) from the rest of the world. Does this make any sense? Not to me. And their reason is just so they aren't in the same time zone with India! So pick a normal time zone, please dear Nepal!!!!

the TAJ!!!

2008-03-31T00:39:00.005-06:00

After 3 months I finally saw the Taj Mahal. I know everyone has seen a million images of it, but I still couldn't resist posting some photos. I also couldn't stop staring at it. I decided to leave and then turned around, sat down and stared some more. Then I went to a rooftop restaurant in the evening to watch the evening light play upon the facade. It's truly mesmerizing.

Apparently it's not allowed to bring guide books into the Taj; who knows why. After remaining a bit speculative about this, the guard lady finally took a pen out of my bag as a bribe and let me take my book in. It was all quite amusing. Later in the day, at another sight, I got attacked by one of those vicious monkeys! Not really, but enough to scare me. I forgot that I had banana peels in my bag and he ran at me. Luckily he was easily deterred, but he saw me throw the peels away later, ran over to the trash can, knocked it over and grabbed the peels. Then he sat around performing for everyone with cameras. I had already had my fill of him by that point though.
the reflecting pool
through the arches

from the corner
some of the incredible marble inlay
a little dark, but i'm holding the taj in my hand

Pakistan-India border

2008-03-30T00:57:00.006-06:00

I took a nice jaunt up to the Golden Temple and then a quick trip from there to the India-Pakistan border to watch this amazing border closing ceremony. I was there for a local holiday, which meant that both the temple and the ceremony were packing, hindering my view but giving me a great insight into some local customs. The temple is Sikh, which means that anyone and everyone is welcome. They offer free places to stay and free food 24-hours a day. (Of course, a donation will never be turned down.) All the work (cooking, serving, cleaning dishes) is done on a volunteer basis, so I rolled up my sleeves and jumped in the dish washing line with everyone else. All I'm saying is that if I were homeless in India, I would be making my way to a Sikh temple. No one asks questions and there is no class system within meaning you could have as much food as you want. Amazingly, the streets outside still host quite a few beggers.

Afterwards I went to the border where there was quite a celebration going on consisting of several dance troops, drummers, etc. Once the closing ceremony started, there were many cries of "Hindustan" from the Indian side, where people wear their patriotism on their sleeves on a normal basis and exaggerate it at the border. There were quite a few high kicks involved in this ceremony, but I wasn't able to see too well considering all the people.
the Golden Temple - people lined up for hours to get inside
part of the dancing before the ceremony
an impromptu dance party started before the official ceremony
carrying the flag back

one of the guards

little tibet

2008-03-25T06:39:00.002-06:00

I spent about a week in Dharamsala, which is the headquarters for the Tibetan government in exile and where the Dalai Lama lives. It was an extremely interesting time to be there considering all the recent events in Tibet proper (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the news). Most of the Tibetan owned stores were closed for solidarity with their relatives in Tibet and there were peaceful marches and candlelight vigils every night. People are being respectful of the Dalai Lama and the Indian government, which has granted them asylum, but they are very upset about the events in their homecountry. It's heartbreaking.
prayer wheels at the temple in the center of town
monks on the march
the beginning of a candlelight march from above
a young boy wearing Tibetan flag lighting his candle (way to state the obvious, sanders)

snow-capped mountains

2008-03-17T11:23:00.002-06:00

For those of you who know me fairly well, you'll know that my favorite landscape is snow-capped mountains. And what can beat the Himalayas for snow-capped mountains? Be prepared for lots of photos like this in the time to come, as Nepal is getting closer and closer...
a few of the lovely mountains in the distance
yaks at a ski mountain
only in India would you have this much activity going on in one place: skiing, yak and pony rides, paragliding, snow tubing, chai drinking, people wandering around in full-length fur coats, just to name a few

the Ganges

2008-03-04T02:42:00.002-07:00

Since I lost a bunch of photos and about a month of catching up is no longer possible, I guess I'll just bring the blog up to speed now. I'm currently staying in a town called Rishikesh located on either side of the holy Ganges river in the foothills of the Himalayas. I've been taking it easy here, practicing yoga for about 2.5 hours everyday and enjoying it immensely. A whole troup of monkeys hangs out every day on the suspension bridge (pictured below) scaring the pants off me every time I have to cross it. Sometimes, they get into their monkey mischief and harass the passers-by, including attacking a little boy one day. No eye contact with the monkeys!
a view of the river from the bridge
cows make use of the bridge as well
the bridge from the bridge

lost photos

2008-02-29T04:19:00.002-07:00

I plugged my camera in today to try and update my blog only to discover that somehow hundreds of my photos have disappeared. If anyone knows how to recover lost photos, please let me know. Hopefully I'll recover them soon and then I can update my blog. Sob...

anjuna, goa

2008-02-19T09:48:00.002-07:00

this group of girls practically mauled me!
lanterns in the breeze

all the spices you could ever want

boulders, and saris

2008-02-19T09:31:00.002-07:00

two humongous boulders
a view of the boulder-strewn river
a nice vantage point
colorful saris
pretty horns! they have a festival honoring the cows and ox and they paint their horns. i'm sure the animals love it.

more hampi

2008-02-19T09:14:00.002-07:00

these were once the government's elephant stables
part of the "lotus mahal"
ceiling carvings in one of the many ruins
women in saris in front of a temple
me and justin (from US) in the window of a ruin

hampi

2008-02-19T08:51:00.002-07:00

So far, Hampi is my favorite place in India. It's really calm and has amazing ruins doting the landscape, not to mention some incredible boulders. I tried my best to do some rock climbing, but wasn't very successful considering I'm super weak and I lost all my callouses back in Mexico.
one of the ruins, the main temple in town (still active) and some boulders
looking through the ruins at the temple
the after glow
a magic man in his bright turban
through the looking glass...

tea plantations and Mysore

2008-02-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

I took a respite from the heat and went to some tea plantations in the mountains. It was a very welcome break from all the sweating I had been doing on the coasts of southern India. Afterwards, I headed to Mysore, a decently sized city with some palaces and the heart of incense production in the world.

women collecting tea on the plantation
royal palace in Mysore
woman making incense
massive statue of shiva, the bull god

a stroll in the backwaters of Kerala

2008-01-31T03:13:00.000-07:00

We wandered around the island one morning, taking in some of the culture and lifestyle. Check it out:
Alex and Nat on the stroll
man climbing a coconut tree to knock them down
pretty flower
women working in the rice paddies (need a zoom lens...)
a man "mud digging" in the river

Kerala homestay

2008-01-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

The day after the houseboat, we went to a "homestay" with a family on the backwaters. We took "cooking classes" from the mother, who basically just told us what she was doing as she did it, but it was still educational. In the evening we went on a walk around the island and learned about the history. Afterwards, we enjoyed a canoe ride back to the house where the guide and canoers sang us folk songs. It also included a stop at the local toddy store for some locally made alcohol (toddy), which was probably the best locally made alcohol I've tried, but that's not saying much.
cooking lessons
rice paddies
baby goats are remarkably like puppies...
some kids in the backwaters

Kerala houseboat

2008-01-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

I splurged and spent about 3 days' budget on spending a night on a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala, a southern state. Parts of it were worth it, but overall, I'm not sure... It was very relaxing and we got to witness, from afar, some aspects of Keralan life: the women washing clothes in the water, the fishermen on the lake at night. Here are a few photos:

so you don't forget about me (it's a little blurry because I forgot to change from manual focus back to auto - whoops!)
boat graveyard

temples, etc.

2008-01-30T03:35:00.000-07:00

the top of a Dravidian temple, in southern India - Trichy
close up of one of the carvings on a temple, southern India - Madurai
sunset from the southern most point in India - Kunyakumari
a scene from the bus window, some sort of procession
women in a temple

rock carvings

2008-01-25T22:34:00.001-07:00

I heard about these amazing rock carvings in southern India, so I headed south to check them out. They definitely lived up to their expectations, far exceeded them in fact.
a 30 meter long rock carving
if the woman who took this photo had listened to me and framed it like i did instead of changing it, you might have been able to see me peeking out from behind the elephant's trunk
the top of a temple, all carved out of rock
a dance festival in town

street scenes

2008-01-13T02:28:00.000-07:00

The streets always offer amazing sights and smells, along with goodies and people wondering what I (and fellow travel companions) are doing there.

bees swarm some honey treats

more bangles than you could ever imagine

statues of Jagannath, Lord of the Universe and incarnation of Vishnu

view of the street from above

sun temple in Konark (east coast)

2008-01-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

This temple is from the 13th century and is a chariot carrying the sun god. One of the most interesting things about it is that it is covered in erotic sculptures, which seems like quite a diversion from this incredibly conservative culture... (In an effort to keep my blog clean, I did not post any photos of these sculptures, sorry to disappoint some of you.)

one of the chariot wheels

the top of the temple

elephant carvings

beyond kolkata...

2008-01-13T01:27:00.000-07:00

enjoying ice cream with my indian friend

the shore of chlika lake, asia's largest brackish lagoon and host to millions of migratory birds and irrawaddy dolphins

a typical street scene

sights in kolkata

2008-01-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

I am finally able to update some photos. Here are a few from Kolkata (Calcutta) and the beginning of my trip.

The back of a bus in Kolkata: "India is great" and "Danger" Intriguing!

the roles are reversed; the rickshaw driver took this ride with white knuckles

Victoria Monument: if it weren't built for a colonial queen it would have been one of India's best buildings

cows rule the streets

2008-01-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

Spending any time in India will inevitably result in some quality time with cows. I have spent significant time in places where cows wander the streets freely, but until yesterday, never turned around to find myself staring straight into the eyes of a bull walking down the street, not caring what was in its way (would you if you were a bull?). It was harmless, but still gave me a small adrenaline rush.

Then today while in a rickshaw, several cows were literally laying in the middle of the road with a whirl of activity surrounding them: cyclists, rickshaws, cars and buses. They didn't mind at all, nor did they budge. Later, in another rickshaw, we passed a dead cow lying in the street. Someone covered it with a cloth, people had placed money on the cloth as an offering, and our rickshaw driver crossed himself as we passed it. Fascinating.

this cow parked itself like a bike/motorcycle

Indian wedding

2008-01-04T21:44:00.001-07:00

The Hindu wedding did not disappoint. It was an amazing evening of colors, smells, tastes, and sounds (much like India so far). Most women wore the most gorgeous sarees (sari) out of amazing silk, including most of us visiting from the states. The ceremony itself was very interesting and performed in Sanskrit. The first part consisted of a ceremony between Sourav, the groom, and his new father-in-law. Then there was a part with just Sourav, followed by Mary, the bride, entering and circling him several times with her face covered. Afterwards, Sourav, Mary, her dad, and the priest sat down and performed some more rituals, including lighting a fire, then extinguishing it. It was all fascinating.

I'll post more photos of Kolkata (Calcutta) itself soon.

musicians at the wedding
all the U.S. attendees

the last latin american ruins for a while...

2007-12-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

a tower in the palace at Palenque, my favorite ruins so far (well, in this part of latin america)

a view from one of the temples

a view inside the palace

more tropical flowers - this one is at my hostel on isla mujeres

one of my favorite flowers throughout central america; i never saw it when i was able to take a photo (always on the side of the road when i was on a bus) and now the one i have is blurry. oh well, i'll take what i can get!

waterfalls

2007-12-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

me at a waterfall called agua azul (blue water)

a view from above

this doesn't do the blue justice...

another waterfall, not sure what it's called

the view from behind the waterfall

mexican churches, etc.

2007-12-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

This was Trotsky's bed. He was attacked twice in his home in Mexico City, not surviving the second. You can see bullet holes behind the bed from the first attack.

a church in San Cristobal, Mexico -

the entire thing is carved!

another church in san cristobal

a church in a small town in southern mexico,

decorated for some festivals

a market outside the church in the small town

Teotihuacan

2007-12-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

If you remember from your history classes from middle school, Teotihuacan was a city outside the current Mexico City and was the most important city before the Spaniards arrived. Although it's interesting they always mention this because they don't really know much about the site or the people.

an image of a jaguar in one of the pyramids

a view of the sun pyramid (65 meters)
and the moon plaza from the moon pyramid

a view of the moon pyramid (45 meters) from the sun pyramid

damn! I came so ill-prepared!

basilica de guadelupe

2007-12-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

According to my tour guide, this is the second most visited religious site in the world, after the Vatican. Tomorrow (Dec 12) 2.5 million people will decend on this particular site, offering thanks to the Virgin of Guadelupe (Mary). It's more important than Christmas and Easter in Mexico. It was amazing to see the faith these people had. Some people approached the basilica on their knees for 2 kilometers before reaching the alter. Talk about devotion!
The old basilica (on the right) is sinking, like the rest of Mexico City, so they built a new one (on the left), which resembles a stadium or arena more than a conventional church, but whatever works, right?!

inside the new basilica (it's a little fuzzy because
I couldn't use flash and it was fairly dark)

the roofs of both the old and new basilicas

enjoying a very large fruit salad

mexico city

2007-12-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

I met someone during my journey from Guatemala to Mexico City who wished that I would get stuck in Mexico City. I didn't really wish this upon myself, but her wish for me came true. I've been here about a week and have been occupied most of the time. The city is massive, and polluted, but has so much culture and so many amazing neighborhoods that it has been a great place to get "stuck."

Christmas in Mexico City

the cathedral in the center of downtown
a mural depicting the Spainards in Mexico; it made my heart very heavy

buildings and the angel in the middle of town

a colonial building that i thought was interesting

(I'm not sure if the photos are bad, if the computer I loaded them on distorted them, or if the computer I'm using is bad, but the quality seems a bit off...)

Guatemala, again

2007-12-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Back to Guatemala! I spent a few days relaxing on Lago Atitlan, the lake surrounded by volcanoes, also shown in a previous post, before heading to Mexico City.
view of the lake shore

pretty orange flower - sarah, this one's for you!

the view looking the other way

I didn't know you could walk to Princeton, NJ in 2 hours from Guatemala!

El Salvador

2007-12-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

El Salvador reminded me of several different countries/places. In some places it was like coastal Italy and in others, it reminded me of Big Sur (although my photos don't really reflect either of these). There were not as many travelers there, which was a welcome break from following the "gringo trail" for 2 months. Although this great reprieve from those other travelers brought quite a few more stares in this country than others.

Drying fish - it didn't smell very pleasant around the pier, needless to say.

Yet another sunset - and I'm sure it won't be the last

the coast line from my hotel

a view out of the car (I think it actually might be Guatemala, whoops)

trying to post pictures

2007-12-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to post photos since returning to Latin America. No computer will let me open my photos, so I can't please the masses just yet. But I'm trying very hard to post, so hold your horses!

I'm currently in Mexico City waiting for my Indian visa and will be here for about a week. I am apparently an arrogant U.S. citizen and didn't even think about needing a visa (one of the perks of traveling in Latin America - no visas required). Someone mentioned it to me in a hostel the other night and sure enough, I had to get to Mexico City as quickly as possible. After taking 1 boat and 6 buses, I arrived 29 hours after I left the beautiful relaxing lake to the hussling city life. And in this huge city, I'm keeping faith that some internet cafe will let me upload some photos...

welcome back to Honduras

2007-11-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

My *huge* fan base asked for more updates, so I´m going to try and please my faithful followers.

So I hopped on a plane yesterday morning and headed back down to Central America; Honduras to be exact. I got on a bus to meet a friend on the coast and was plesantly reminded of the fun bus rides. This particular bus didn't have any storage space, so everyone's luggage was blocking the aisle and door, which meant that I was practically sitting on someone else's luggage, while people had to step on my seat to crawl over and get further back on the bus. It doesn't sound quite as amusing as it seemed to me at the time, but it was a nice welcome back to the region. The air smelled sweet like the tropics usually do (unless they smell like diesel) and was so warm and stickly I had trouble remembering that I was chilly that morning waiting for the train in Atlanta. Off to eat yet another dinner of rice and beans...

updates - Panama first

2007-11-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just updated my blog, so scroll down a while for lots of new pictures! Most of my pictures of the Panama Canal didn't come out, so this is what I have. The canal was fascinating; it takes 8 hours for ships to get from one ocean to the other and can cost around $300,000 for large cargo ships to go through.
a view of the Miraflores locks

ships passing through the canal

check out the cranes in Panama City - so much development

some ruins in Panama City

I didn't get a chance to properly explain bus rides in Central America. Remember the big yellow school buses some of us rode to school years ago? Well they usually make it down to Central America for many more years of use before they are finally (if ever?) put out of their misery. They paint these old buses lots of pretty colors, like the one above. The buses are called chicken buses and remarkably they don't even translate it, they just call the buses "chicken buses." And people actually bring chickens on the buses, which are never full. They can always fit additional people, which helps gringos like me keep from falling out of the seat on the curvy roads.

pretty views and rum in a can

2007-11-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

La Merced in Granada, Nicaragua

view from La Merced of Granada, Nicaragua

sunset over the Pacific in Nicaragua

a can of rum and coke - only in Central America

Volcan Arenal from the lake - notice the smoke - woohoo!

more photos of the caribbean

2007-11-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

glad this wasn't one of the ants that tried to eat me in Tanzania

another view of Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

Marius and Felix trying to avoid the sun

me, Anders (my scuba instructor - cool name huh?), and Marius (my scuba buddy)

more ruins

2007-11-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

pyramids above the trees at Tikal, Guatemala

hopefully you can see the toucan this time

Guatemala was in the midst of elections - some campaigning for one of the parties

ruins at Copan, Honduras

detail on one of the pyramids at Copan

even more Guatemala

2007-11-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

Jack Sparrow is everywhere!

a ferris wheel in Guatemala that I wasn't about to get on - check out the foundation

women selling flowers outside a church on a Sunday morning in Xela, Guatemala

beautiful Guatemalan woman who wouldn't smile for the camera

more guatemala

2007-11-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

view from the plane

Guatemala City from the sky

largest fountain in central america

pretty yellow church in Antigua

geothermal energy plant outside Antigua, Guatemala; if they can do it, why can't we?

hiatus

2007-11-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm briefly back in the States for a couple of weeks, attending a wedding in Chicago and catching up with folks while I'm here. I plan on posting a few more photos while I'm here, so the blog will still be updated. I will probably start traveling again after Thanksgiving, so check back then if you're interested!

independence day in Panama

2007-11-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Drums have not stopped beating all weekend (literally, they were practicing at 2:00 am Saturday morning). People have been marching in circles around the main square for 2 days straight. It´s a little out of control, but lots of fun and adds to the excitement of the weekend.

I´m currently at Bocas del Toro, Panama enjoying a couple more Caribbean days before I fly home. Below are some photos of the everlasting parade and the beautiful beaches around here.

Red Frog Beach, Bocas del Toro, Panama

same beach, different view

part of the parade

some really cute pom pom girls

bus break down

2007-10-29T17:36:00.000-06:00

So I posted this morning that yesterday was the ultimate gringo day. Today was the opposite (I must have jinxed myself). I took a bus from La Fortuna to San Ramon, which was supposed to be 3 hours and found myself sitting on the side of the road for 2.5 hours waiting for another bus to arrive because ours broke down. Luckily, the scenery wasn't too shabby and there was a restaurant conveniently located 30 meters away that served me rice, beans, and fried eggs, a variation of my breakfast, which was rice, beans, and scrambled eggs. We also bought a pineapple for a dollar and split it among 3 of us.

ultimate gringo day

2007-10-29T08:24:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning began by being strapped into a harness, an orange helmet placed on my head, and being escorted into a van. I spent the following 2 hours flying through the canopy of a rainforest in Costa Rica. Although it was fun, I barely had time to enjoy the scenery below because I was traveling down the zip line so quickly. We had to deal with an obnoxious Danish guy who thought he was hilarious, but was annoying to everyone around him.

Next I took a tourist shuttle to a lake, where we got on a boat, to another shuttle. The boat ride was very enjoyable and offered fantastic views of the active volcano in Costa Rica, the 3rd most active in the world, Arenal.

the only documentation of the gringo day: Volcano Arenal (notice the plume of smoke)

Immediately upon arrival, we went on a tour of the volcano to see the lava at night. (Don´t worry Mom, we were really far away.) We saw chunks of it rolling down the sides of the volcano; it was gorgeous. I could have stayed there for hours, but instead was swept away to enjoy the hot springs near by. This was the most awful thing I´ve done the entire time I´ve been here. It was an extremely developed resort, with swim up bars. This may sound luxurious, but to a backpacker, it was hideous. I never thought I would spend any time at a resort on this trip, but there I was, trying to occupy myself for 2 hours until the bus picked up back up.

I need a break from the "gringo day," so I´m heading to Panama.

seven inch grasshopper

2007-10-26T20:30:00.000-06:00

Last night as I sat down to check my email, my travel companion looked up and motioned that I should do the same. Sitting on a shelf above us was a 7 inch grasshopper (or something of that nature). It decided to become active and started flying around, which sent me flying off the stool I was sitting on and out of the shack (yes, I was checking internet in what would generally amount to a shack). Those that know me know this is odd behavior for me, as crawling things usually intrigue me, but I knew I didn't want anything that thing flying in my face! Needless to say, my internet session was over. I have never seen a larger insect in my life. Oh, and Costa Rica is the home of this massive bug.

the caribbean

2007-10-23T17:06:00.001-06:00

I finally found a computer that would allow me to plug my camera into it, so here are some pictures people have been asking for. I wasn´t able to get a camera to take photos underwater, but in addition to seahorses I saw a morray eel, some more stingrays and tons of amazing fish. Plus we got to play some fun games in the water, including frisbee about 50 feet underwater. Woohoo!

looking back on Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

sunset on the way to my night scuba dive; Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

Marius, my scuba buddy, and me ready for one of our last dives

seahorses!

2007-10-15T11:52:00.000-06:00

I just got back from my first 2 scuba diving experiences and it was fantastic! And as you might be able to guess from the title, we saw seahorses! They were tiny, especially considering one was a baby. We also saw a huge hermit crab co-habitating with some shrimp and a gigantic cucumber. Although I just realized I made a classic scuba diving mistake, as everything is 1/3 bigger underwater, so the cucumber probably wasn't as big as I think. I'll keep posting about the underwater sights as I experience them and will hopefully be able to take some photos at the end of my course. Right now I'm concentrating on breathing underwater (it's harder than you might think!)

downpour in the caribbean

2007-10-13T10:22:00.000-06:00

I finally made it the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, and after finding a scuba diving instructor with whom I feel safe, it started raining and hasn't stopped since yesterday afternoon. Not surprisingly, this makes it difficult to learn how to scuba dive. Hopefully the weather will clear and I will get to see some fantastic sights of the underwater world.

These islands are a whole different world than anything else. I'm not entirely sure which language I should speak and can't understand everything people are saying to me because it's very Caribbean (think Jamaican, almost). It's easy to see how people come for vacation and stay for 15 years.

I ate barracuda last night (yes, I ate fish). It was pretty good, same consistency as tuna, but different flavor, not too fishy.

Also, I realized that on some computers the photos of the summit don't look very good, they are way too dark (they looked good on the computer I posted them on), so I apologize and will change them out later.

queen of Central America!

2007-10-07T18:09:00.000-06:00

This weekend I summited the highest point in Central America, Tajumulco (hence the reason I am now queen of the region, much like ¨King of the Mountain¨). We hiked up to 4000 meters yesterday right before the rain set in, ate some dinner, and went to bed. I was in my sleeping bag at the ungodly hour of 7:00. On a Saturday night. My day today began at 3:30 with our wake up call for a summit push (4220 meters/12,660 feet - damn metric system) in the dark in order to see the sunrise over Central America and Mexico. Below are some photos from the spectacular sights of the morning events, including some of my travel buddies.

Sunrise beginning

Dave (American) and me trying to keep from freezing to death in my sleeping bag- Mexico is behind us

Matthias (Austrian) and me enjoying the view

Here comes the sun...

Volcanic range

Tikal - Mayan ruins in Guatemala

2007-10-07T17:58:00.000-06:00

It took some major dedication to get to these ruins, and luckily they were worth the long bus rides. These are some of the largest concentration of Mayan ruins and they are very different from other Mayan ruins because they are tucked in the jungle with monkeys and toucans roaming around all over the place.

Temple I - one of the larger remains

Spider monkey swinging around the tree overhead

Toucan (it´s in the middle of the frame - yellow bill and red tail- I don´t have a way to edit, so no cropping yet!)

Lago Atitlan

2007-10-05T15:05:00.000-06:00

This is a beautiful lake where I spent a couple of days last week. It´s surrounded by volcanoes, as you can see.

Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

me with the volcanoes

i hate roosters

2007-10-04T12:36:00.000-06:00

It all began when I was locked out of a mud hut 6 years ago in Tanzania (yes, you read that correctly, I was locked out of a mud hut). The light of the moon disappeared and I didn´t have any way to tell the time. I thought the roosters crowing indicated that the sun would come up soon and I would be free from my "imprisionment." Instead, they crowed for about 2 hours before the sun came up. Didn´t anyone tell them they are only supposed to crow once like good roosters?

Apparently, this crowing-for-hours deal works the world over, as roosters in Central and South America do the same thing. You would think that rural areas would be quieter and allow for better sleeping than cities, but that is not the case.

I have several pictures to post as soon as I can get a computer that will read my card, so stay tuned.

the joys of traveling in developing countries

2007-09-30T13:27:00.000-06:00

I love developing countries: the sights, sounds, smells (except for all the diesel exhaust), and the wonderful people. And the adventures of getting from point A to point B. I was in a town called Panajachel trying to get to another town called Quetzaltenango (Xela - pronounced Shay-la to everyone here). It looked like an easy enough place to get to on the map and I should have been able to take one, or maybe two buses, to get here. Trusting the locals, who told us there weren´t anymore direct buses to Xela for that day, we boarded the first bus and they guaranteed that we would only have to change buses once. So we got off and got on a direct bus to Xela, or so we though. Every time we (we is an Austrian guy I am currently traveling with and me) got on a bus, I asked if it was ¨directo a Xela?¨ And the response: ¨Si, si. Directo a Xela. No problema.¨ Yeah right! Four buses and 4 hours later, we finally arrived. Whew.

Hiking on vocanoes

2007-09-27T16:57:00.000-06:00

As a quick update to this small trip I took, there was a renewable energy plant in the middle of nowhere, Guatemala, pulling energy from the volcano and supplying electricity to the towns around there for super cheap. If they can figure out the technology in Guatemala, then surely we can figure out how to harvest enough renewable energy in the US. I mean, come on!

Volcan Pacaya

Hot lava - watch out!

And so it begins...

2007-09-26T19:42:00.000-06:00

After all the discussion and (hurried) preparation, I am finally in Central America, spending the first part of my trip in Guatemala. I arrived at the airport in Guatemala City, decided it wasn't worth my time and hoped on a bus to Antigua, where I currently sit. I'm trying to keep my eyes open so that I don't go to sleep at 8:00 local time, but probably won't fight it much longer as I'm hiking on a volcano tomorrow morning starting at 6:00! I asked the tour company to make sure it's smoking, spitting lava (from afar), and that the weather is impeccable. We'll see if they cooperate.

Will write more later and will hopefully have some pictures to post after tomorrow.

So you don't forget what I look like!

2007-09-24T21:52:00.000-06:00