Honduras to Nicaragua

Nicaragua!

Once again, it has been a while since I wrote to keep you all updated.  Last you heard, I was leaving Utila, Honduras, for Nicaragua.  Because of bus schedules and ferry schedules, I knew it would be a two-day adventure.  I don't know that I was prepared for how exhausting it would all be.

The trip from Utila, Honduras, to Managua, Nicaragua, took two full days.  There's not much to describe, as the trip was just long and rather uninspired.  A group of us (two people from my dive class and another guy we met on Utila) decided to take the 2:00 p.m. ferry off of Utila for the mainland.  The ride from Utila is generally a bumpy ride; this time was no different, although I am thankful we were on a larger ferry than the one we took to get to Utila!  The ferry dropped us off at the port and we took a cab to the bus station in La Ceiba.  We caught an afternoon bus that got us to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, around 9 p.m. (if memory serves me right).  Heather, the other girl I was traveling with, found a great hostel that agreed to pick us up from the bus terminal and drive us back for our next bus in the morning.  That was a HUGE find because the taxis would've cost us about L300 ($15) each way.  The next morning, we got a ride to the bus terminal at 3:45 a.m.  Our bus wasn't scheduled to leave until 5 a.m., but we needed to make sure we got in line for the tickets.  Once on the bus, we all finished our night's rest until the bus stopped for a break in Tegucigalpa, Honduras (about 4 hours from our starting point).  After some really crappy food in the bus station (if you could even really call it that), we boarded the bus again, bound for Nicaragua.

I haven't had any really exciting border crossings (and I pray that I never do), but this one seemed strange.  We all got off the bus in Nicaragua, unloaded our bags, took them to a kiosk where guards searched our bags in a really haphazard and noncommittal fashion.  We stood around for at least a half hour while the guards pulled one girl aside, took her to the back and only Lord knows what they detained her for.  My guess is that she had overstayed her visa, but maybe it was just a random, more detailed search than the rest of us.  The group of us traveling together discovered that one of the guy's wallets was missing, and we're pretty sure he got pick-pocketed by the kids claiming to offer to help with our bags at the border.

Back on the bus...hours later inside the Nicaraguan border, we got stopped by the Nicaraguan drug police.  Mind you, we'd already been traveling since 5 a.m. and it was now about 6 p.m.  First they selected a few passengers to randomly check.  They were taken off the bus and searched.  Next the police began removing paneling and other "hidden compartments" inside the bus.  Then the dogs came and searched the storage holds and everything outside the bus (the dogs didn't board the bus itself that we saw).  Next we were told that we were waiting for another bus to arrive so that we could switch buses...because the cops were confiscating our original bus.  We switched buses at least 2 hours after we were supposed to have arrived in Managua.  Sixteen hours after we set off from San Pedro Sula, we arrived in Managua.  We chose the hostel right around the corner from the bus station, dropped our bags and went in search of food.  Wow!  Turns out we were only a block from one of Lonely Planet's recommended eateries, Comidas Sara!  That was an awesome meal for a great price after a long day of traveling!

The next morning, my two diving buddies headed toward Grenada.  Our other companion decided he was headed to San Pedro Sula.  I made the decision to go with him to San Pedro Sula, rather than staying in Managua (as was my original plan), so that I wouldn't have to make the trek alone.

The bus to San Pedro Sula is a chicken bus.  That was gonna be my first time on one of these (earlier in my trip I had thought that my next transport would be a chicken bus, but it turned out to be a small collectivo -- minivan -- instead).  I can honestly say that the chicken buses might be better than the collectivo vans.  The collectivo vans are minivans that are rigged to properly seat about 14 people.  Problem is that they frequently have many more than 14 passengers.  I was on a collectivo at one point with 20 adults and about 8 children.  Nope...not kidding.  What's worse is that the passengers have the ability to close the stinking windows!  The people down here may be used to the heat, but this gringo needs the wind from rolled down windows!  I digress.

I arrived in San Juan del Sur around 6 p.m.  It was already dark, but I could see that the small town was still alive, which is not common in a region in which most people rise and sleep with the sun.  The streets...and there were few...ranged from cobblestones to pavement to dirt.  The buildings still have a bit of the Spanish colonial feel to them, but far less so than places like Antigua.  The town definitely is a beach town, with restaurants lining the sand and the occasional band or bar pumping out tunes.  There are hostels and hotels in town, as well as some scattered along the coastline.  At least two hostels are a shuttle ride from town, but the hostels are good about regularly scheduled shuttle services.  There are food shacks, restaurants, carts, and other mom-and-pop places to eat, ranging from about C40 to C300 ($1.80 or so to $13-14).  Whatever you choose, chances are that you'll get a decent, but not outstanding, meal.

I chose the hostel Casa Oro as my temporary home and explored the town.  The vibe is young, but not too young.  I soon realized that there a large number of the tourists were there to just party; the other small percentage of people are there to surf and relax.  Oh, and if you want to meet people, this is certainly a good place to do it!  I met some great people in San Juan del Sur!  First there was this guy staying in my hostel, who introduced me to a big group of people staying at another hostel, who eventually became traveling companions to Ometepe.  We went to the top of the hill to watch the sunset together.  Great time!

I spent four nights in San Juan and that was enough.  I was over the party scene pretty quickly...I may be young at heart, but something must've happened to change my perspective because girls dancing on the tables really wasn't my thing.  Several beautiful sunsets, a couple nights out, some fun in the sun & sand, and I was ready to go.

I traveled to Ometepe with the guy from my hostel with two others scheduled to meet us later that day.  They brought another girl with them, and the five of us hung out for the next several days on Ometepe.  Ometepe is an island in Lake Nicaragua formed by two volcanos (Volcano Conception and Volcano Maderas) with an isthmus of land between them that forms the lowest point of the island.  That's about all I knew of the island before heading there. I didn't know what to expect (as is most often the case of these new places I'm visiting) other than some jungles and hiking.  The guide book said there were hikes, waterfalls, beaches, wildlife, and lots of relaxation.

The ferry ride to Ometepe took an hour.  Another bus to a city on the island recommended by the guy from my hostel took two hours.  The bus was at times standing room only, and other times rather comfortable.  A group of school children got on the bus about halfway into the trip...I swear they all bathed at school because the bus was suddenly filled with the pleasant aroma of soap and flowers.  Weird.  Anyway, we had no idea where to get off the bus and had to rely upon the help of the locals to make sure we got off at the right stop in Balgue.  We were dropped in the middle of the road with few buildings nearby, but a sign pointed to Finca Magdelena 1 km down a dirt road.

Finca Magdelena, our first hostel, was amazing.  One kilometer up a dirt/rock road hardly seemed worth the walk at first, but the view was spectacular with Lake Nicaragua and the other volcano in not-to-far distance.  When we got there and unloaded our packs, it was easy to see why this place was recommended for relaxation and nature.  It sat near the base of Volcano Maderas and was surrounded by beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs.  Finca Magdelena is a co-op of coffee growers and we could see many people working nearby.  There were birds everywhere, most of which I'd never seen before.  We could hear the howler monkeys and other monkeys playing in the trees surrounding Finca.  The air smelled like a combination of flowers and mud, if that's possible.  Closer to the lake, I discovered later, the air began to carry a slight sent of fish.

We relaxed for a few days at Finca and explored their grounds a little.  There are so many flowers that it's impossible to know what they all are or to describe them to you.  Suffice it to say that they were beautiful and I tried to smell every single one.  Also, they have these incredible almond trees that grow up and then flatten out in a wide spread of leaves.  Spaced correctly, the could form a perfect cover from the rain, which is precisely what they did at Finca.

I celebrated Thanksgiving on Ometepe with my new friends.  We hiked Volcano Maderas -- not an easy hike by an stretch of the imagination -- for over four hours and finally decided that we were too hungry to go further and broke for "lunch" at 2 p.m.  I gave thanks on that mountain for all the wonderful things in my life, the new opportunities spread out before me, the grace of God, the new friends I've made on this trip, the love of my family and this crazy adventure I'm on.  We made it back down the mountain just before sunset.  Whew!  And then, an ice cold shower (by the way, I have had very few warm or hot showers on this trip...my last one was on Utila and before that, El Remate...I think I've had only about 3-4 hot showers since leaving Mexico in October).

After Finca, we took a bus to Santo Domingo, a city on Ometepe on the isthmus with a beach of sorts.  We stayed at Hospedaje Buena Vista upon the recommendation of Lonely Planet and a local restaurant owner from Australia.  Good choice.  The wind and flies were plentiful and somewhat bothersome, but it was nice to hear the waves lapping  against the shore.  We went on a few walks from Santo Domingo, but nothing really revolutionary.  Four of us rented bikes for a day, but the dirt and rocky roads deterred me because the bikes were far from the best bikes I've ever seen.  The gears didn't work, the brakes barely worked, the tires lost air, and we didn't get helmets.  So, I stuck to the paved roads and my adventurous streak lasted only as long as those roads.  Last thing I want to do is get all banged up on an island with the closest medical care an hour bus ride away.  Two of the guys were willing to take the risks and said it was worth it to see the other side of the island where there was no wind and calm shores.  Oh well.  I may not have seen that, but every day I am seeing something new so I can't really complain.

After Ometepe, three of the people in our group were headed to Grenada and two of us headed to the surf town of Popoyo.  Popoyo is a small surfing village on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua.  We took a cab from Rivas (where the Ometepe ferry deposited us) because we were told that the bus would only get us close to Popoyo and we would have to walk another 10 kilometers to get to Popoyo.  I didn't care about the cab fare; I'd rather not have carried my pack for 10 kilometers!  Anyway, $25 later we were dropped off in front of a beachside hostel.  After wandering around, we decided on one of the hostels.  I came to Popoyo because I just wanted some time to write and relax, without much to do to distract me and without tons of people to disturb my writing.  Well...quiet I found.  Ahhhhhh.  Popoyo is essentially nothing but beach.  It has a few hostels and hotels that line the shore, a surf shop, a couple restaurants, a small tienda, and a bunch of surfers.  I haven't seen many girls here and I swear I'm one of maybe three female tourists here.   That's about it.  Perfect.  My friends (one I came here with, several I met here) here are complaining about the waves not being very good for surfing, which is why they all came, but it's really no matter to me!  I like the smell of the salt air, the slight breeze (although at times it can be very windy), the sun, the quiet and the atmosphere of relaxation.

After a couple days though, I've had enough and I'm ready to set off again.  Problem is, I'm sort of stuck here because there are no ATMs anywhere and I had to borrow some money from my friend.  I can't just go "into to town" to get to an ATM -- that's an hour's drive and at least $25 in cab fare, each way.  So, I can't pay him back until we're both ready to leave.  He's not ready to leave.  And to top it off, it's become awkward because I'm the only native English speaker and I'm the only non-surfer.  Well at least this silence and awkwardness has given me plenty of time to write.  More importantly, I'm ready to do some more voluteer work!  Must get ot Costa Rica soon!

Utila, Honduras

After a night in San Pedro Sula, securely locked in my hostel, I hopped a bus with another traveler heading in the same direction: La Ceiba.  La Ceiba is a coastal town on the Caribbean, with ferries to the Bay Islands.  We arrived in La Ceiba about 2 p.m., found a hostel and settled down for a bit.  There were some other travelers staying at the same hostel, and apparently all of us were headed to the islands.  Whew!  Gotta say, I love meeting other travelers headed in the same direction!  It sure makes getting around feel safer and more secure.  A group of four of us took the 9:30 "ferry"

Utila island in Honduras is part of the Bay Islands.  It's the smallest of the three main islands.  It's supposedly less touristy and less expensive than Roatan island, but I can't confirm that because I'm not going to Roatan.  Reports also say it has less to do if you're not diving (less beach space and less non-diving activities).  Oh well.  Everyone said I HAD to get to the Bay Islands and do some diving, so here I am!

I arrived on Utila after a ferry boat ride from La Ceiba (just about the only way to get here for a reasonable price).  Still, the "ferry" ride was L472, which is about $24 (one way).  I put "ferry" in quotes because it is not the type of boat you think of when you imagine a ferry boat.  Rather, it is a small boat that seats probably about 50 people or so and it is a ROUGH ride.  It's nicknamed The Vomit Comet for a reason.  If you get seasick, you will probably want some Dramamine. Then again, they keep the darn boat at a "comfortable" (ha!) 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees) to help with the seasickness.  I wasn't prepared for the chill!!  Outside it was about 80 degrees and that boat felt cold!

I was grateful when we landed -- not because I was sick, but because I was so friggin' cold!  Even the light drizzle outside felt better than the boat.  We arrived at about 10 a.m. and were practically accosted by all the dive shops and hostels hoping to lure us their way.  Fortunately, two of my travel mates had made reservations and there were signs with their names on them, so we were whisked away to the dive shop and hotel with a minimum of fuss.

On Utila, there is a dive shop about every 20 yards; they are all roughly the same price for the same service so choosing one is really a matter of the feeling you get from each place.  Every guidebook, blog and "scholar" suggests that you check out several shops before deciding on one.  However, I learned a long time ago to follow my gut: if I get a good vibe, even if it's the first place I go, I will select that place provided that they are price competitive.

Captain Morgan's Dive Centre is highly rated and listed in Lonely Planet's guide to Central America, which automatically gives me a sense of ease in selecting the right place.  Besides, one of the guys I was traveling with had already used Captain Morgan's for his PADI certification course and was coming back for his advanced course.  So Captain Morgan's gets a double nod.  The staff are all very nice and they obviously love diving.  We checked out the accommodations at Pirate's Bay Inn (the one connected with Captain Morgan's) and were very satisfied.  The place is practically brand new, the beds are super comfortable and there's hot water!  The place feels more like a hotel than a hostel.  Fresh towels and soap!  These are the things that excite me nowadays.  LOL.  In the end, the welcome we received, the awesome staff, and the price made it easy to get the warm fuzzies about the place.  Captain Morgan's it was!

The first day we arrived, we got our study materials and began reviewing videos.  A couple hours later and we were finished with the first day's studies. Our instructor, Max, met us later that afternoon to distribute our gear, which we set aside for our first dive the next day.  The next morning we got started in the water.

Day two began promptly at 6:50 a.m.  We went over some dive basics and how to operate our gear.  After one dive that included the necessary basics, we went to another spot and had a short, relatively shallow dive (about 11 meters, or roughly 36 feet).  The reef is alive!  OK, so I've been diving once...in the Bahamas in December 1994, and I thought that was cool.  But man oh man!  That place can't touch this place!  I wish I had pictures under water for all of you, but I'd need more than just your average underwater camera for those depths.  I might talk to the shop about renting an underwater camera though.  We shall see.

After the morning's dives, lunch was in order.  Baleadas...mmmmmmm.  A baleada is this plate-sized tortilla, folded over once, filled with your favorite filling and seared.  O.M.G.  They are scrumptious!  Better yet, one baleada will leave you feeling full for only L30 ($1.50).  Holy sch-nikes!  That's a good deal!

Utila island isn't very big, but it sure packs a lot of punch!  There are tons of great restaurants and roadside food carts to choose from.  Food carts and small eateries cost a meager L20-L40 for lunch; restaurants carry everything from appetizers to steak to fresh seafood and, of course, charge much more.  Even so, dinner in a restaurant will probably be less than L200 ($10 USD), including a beverage!  The island has two churches (that I've seen) on the main road and a small cinema.  There's a bank, at least two ATMs, many shops selling local ware, several grocery stores, a hardware store and several other shops...oh, and a tattoo shop.  :)

Day three allowed us a slightly later start: 7:00 a.m.  This morning stuff isn't so bad once you're used to it!  Our second day of diving, we practiced some more dive skills and went on another reef dive.  I think we went about 12-13 meters on the second dive (40-43 feet).  We saw a sea cucumber, which was cool but sort of creepy for one of my diving mates.  We also saw a Southern Stargazer, which is apparently quite rare so I'm pretty excited about that!  Actually, I saw two!  I tried to point out the second one to my instructor, but I guess that will be one of those fish tales.  So far, the Parrot Fish is my favorite one and I'm seriously considering it for the next piece of art on my body!

More baleadas for lunch (aka the tourist wopper).  A beautiful sunset over the water.  A delicious dinner at Munchies.  Day three over.  Well, almost.  As I sat outside working on my blog, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing extremely loud, somewhat harmonious karaoke from the bar next door.  I suppose that Friday on Utila gets a little raucous.  They sounded like tourists though; I'm not sure what all the locals were doing.  I, for one, did not join in.  It's not good to get smashed, stay out late and then go for an early dive.  Day four (third day of diving) would start bright and early at 7:10 a.m.!

Day four on Utila and third dive day brought rainy skies, a slight breeze and choppy waters, but that didn't stop us from diving!  We headed out to sea around 7:15 a.m.  We had a fun dive to about 13-14 meters (45-48 feet) and saw loads of fish we hadn't seen on other dives.  We finished up with some final lessons on our second dive of the day, completing our diving class!  Yay!  In the afternoon, we got our logbooks and our certificate of completion.  So cool!  The last day of diving would be the next day, with just two "fun dives," which are optional but included in the price of the dive course.  I'm wondering if anyone actually skips the free, fun dives.  They'd have to be either fed up with diving or idiots!

Honduras is in the middle of elections.  As much as I relished getting away from the American elections and all that hype, it seems I didn't get that far away from it.  On the second and third days on Utila, there were caravans of tuk-tuks, quads and motorcycles parading down the street for the red party (whatever that is).  The blue party, not to be outdone, decided to do similar parades several times on the fourth day on the island.  Ugh.  What's worse is that they blare music and horns and rhetoric as they go by.  I had to plug my ears on several occasions.  All I know is that I want to be out of Honduras before Election Day!

The big decision after completing the dive course was whether to do the free, fun dives the next day or take a day off and go the day after.  My group (three of us) decided to take a day off and do the fun dives a day after we completed the course.

The next day started off absolutely beautiful.  The sun was out for the first time since I arrived on Utila (remember, it's rainy season here).  I quickly donned my swim suit and set out for the beach in front of our hostel.  Sadly, after just about 15 minutes, the sprinkles started.  Undaunted, I toughed it out for a little while, until the drops became more of a nuisance.  Sigh.  Back into "real clothes" and off to find something to do.  I found a place showing American football, which was a huge treat, and I promptly plopped down in a seat to have my own personal Sunday Funday.  My Falcons may have lost, but I got to watch the game!  On the big screen.  With at least six Saints fans and one other Falcons fan.  It was a good Sunday...at least until I got some bad news from back home that a friend of mine had passed away.  Well crap.  It's times like that when it's easy to miss home and the connections there.  The road can be lonely at times.  I'm meeting lots of new people and making friends, but it's not the same as being able to get a big bear hug from my brother.

The next morning I awoke somewhat melancholy.  I wasn't even excited to go diving.  Truth is, I thought about skipping it, but realized that I would just be wallowing and my friend wouldn't want me to do that.  So, off I went for two "fun dives."  I don't know if it was pure good luck or because we pushed our dive day back a day, but the two fun dives that we did on Monday were FANTASTIC!  We went to the north side of the island, which typically has rougher waters but less-explored dive sites.  The boat ride was about 45 minutes to the first dive site...I assume that the long boat ride (aka lots more gas) is the real reason that not all the dive shops head to the north side.  It was our first sunny day of diving and we were sitting on the front top of the boat, feeling the wind in our faces and the steady rise and fall of the boat as it ascended and descended with the large swells.  There is a level of peace when sitting on the top of the boat staring out over the endless sea.  It's easy to feel like you are alone with God and the ocean.

The first dive site of the day was at a spot called Turtle Bay.  With a name like that, we were bound to see turtles, right?  Well, we did.  Almost immediately after entering the water, we came upon a large sea turtle that seemed to want to swim with us.  He or she kept up with us for about 5 minutes before venturing off elsewhere.  So cool.  I hadn't seen one since 2006 off the coast of Maui, so it was great to see one again.  Throughout our two dives, we saw fish we hadn't seen before, a large nurse shark, a moray eel, HUGE lobsters, a lion fish and an angel fish that tried to eat our bubbles.  About halfway through the second dive, I looked under me and back a little bit only to discover that a moray eel was hot on my tail and chasing me.  WTF?!  Yep, you guessed it...I panicked.  Who wouldn't, especially if your instructor just got done telling you a story of how another diver got his finger bitten off by a moray eel.  Ack!  I raced to my instructor, who had somehow gotten to be about 20 yards away from me, tapped her on the shoulder with a look of fear through my goggles and gave the sign for danger.  She squared off with the monster (and later told me that she thought it was going to bite her fin) until it went away.  Well, we had a good laugh about it all at the end of the dive, but my instructor understood why I was panicked.  LOL.  I swear...only me.

I shared my dive stories with some local expats later that night.  I was somewhat relieved to hear them say that they, too, would've freaked out a little if a moray was chasing them.  I was also delighted when my roomies confirmed that the size of the darn thing wasn't just in my imagination.  I thought about going fishing while I was on the island, but decided against it to save money.  I also thought about going to Water Cay (one of the smaller islands nearby) for a day of sun and fun with the locals, but decided against that too.  Instead, my last day on the island was a day of relaxation, sleep and writing.  It was nice to just chill for a bit.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), after a week on Utila, I leave for Honduras.  I met another traveler heading the same way, so at least I won't have to go it alone.  I must say, that's a huge relief because Honduras is not exactly the safest place (Utila is pretty safe, but the mainland isn't).  Two is always better than one.  We still haven't decided whether to head back through San Pedro Sula or through Tegucigalpa.  Guess we'll figure it out tomorrow!

Arrival in Honduras!

Well, I arrived in Honduras today without any problems.  I took a boat from Livingston to Puerto Barrios (Q35), which dropped my off at the dock.  I walked about a quarter of a mile or so into the town and asked around for the collectivo to Honduras.  A few inquiries later and I found the right one.  I hopped on a collectivo bound for Honduras (they said) and I just had to trust that it was the right one.  Gasp!  Another Q25.  We stopped at a Guatemalan immigration office to get my exit stamp.  The conductor (I'm not sure that's what they're called, but that's what I'll call the guy) asked for my passport, got off the collectivo, and came back with a stamp.  Done!  Easy as pie.  Oh, and I changed my quetzales for lempiras.  The collectivo continued on to the Honduran border; 20 minutes later I was standing in front of a window filling out the necessary form to enter Honduras.  L60 entry fee isn't too bad.  That works out to about $3 USD.  There happened to be a direct bus -- a nice bus with air conditioning and comfy seats -- headed to San Pedro Sula.  I hopped on that bus for L200 (about $10) and was deposited in a large bus station.

I was going to continue on to La Ceiba, but it was just about 4:00 p.m. when we stopped and I know better than to travel at night by myself.  So, I decided to stay in San Pedro for the night and head to La Ceiba tomorrow.  Fortunately I had scoped out a place to stay in my Lonely Planet travel guide and was able to point it out to the cabbie.  Another L300 (about $15) and voila!  Safely tucked in at the hostel with free WiFi!

Now, the hard stuff.  I'm struggling with how much time to spend in Honduras, how much volunteering to do (if any), and how many hours of Spanish lessons I should take (if any).  I honestly thought I would be in Nicaragua by now, if not into Costa Rica.  This whole journey is taking longer than I expected...rather, I'm spending longer in each place than I expected.  I suppose that's a good thing, because I'm getting to experience more of the culture and have more opportunities to see and do things than I would if I just jumped from one site to the next.  But when I try to find the right "fit" for volunteering, it's never an easy choice.  This really great orphanage outside La Ceiba typically only accepts volunteers for 6 weeks.  Shoot!  I was hoping for something shorter.  There are other opportunities, but what to choose?  I need a sign.  Ha!  How often have we all said that?

Well, I'm settled in for the night.  Tomorrow, we shall see what La Ceiba and the island of Utila bring!

San Marcos, Tikal, Rio Dulce & Livingston

Where to begin?  It's been about 10 days since I sat down to write to you all and a lot has happened.  I've seen some amazing places and done some pretty amazing things!  Now, hopefully this blog can capture even a fraction of the beauty and intrigue I've had.

I fell in love with San Marcos on Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala.  There is an indescribable beauty in the countryside and villages surrounding Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán).  Lake Atitlán is one of the largest caldera in the world (top 20, I think) and it is surrounded by the remaining volcanos.  The volcanos rise directly from the water's edge and rise to impressive, monstrous peaks.  Honestly, I almost skipped Lake Atitlán because having grown up in the Pacific NW surrounded by lakes and mountains, I kinda figured "you've seen one lake with a huge mountain in the background, you've seen them all."  Well, not so.  I've never been anywhere like Lake Atitlán.  The lake water is, in most places, blue and clear.  The tiny villages that dot the banks of the lake seem to each have a different way about them than the next.  Panajachel is a known tourist spot.  San Pedro comes in second on the tourist radar.  San Marcos is known for its tranquility and meditation centers.  Santiago Atitlán is generally considered to be the least touristy, but also the most dangerous.  Santa Cruz is supposedly the quietest of the villages, but I can't speak from experience because the most I saw of Santa Cruz was the dock.

As you know, I settled into San Marcos.  I love San Marcos!  One day, I will go back.  It has one major street, but most of the town is connected by narrow walkways lined with buildings, stone walls, beautifully arching flowers and plants...and dogs.

There were stray dogs and family dogs roaming the walkways and streets of San Marcos; they each have their "territory" and guard it somewhat fiercely.  I ended up staying in the Hostel y Restaurante San Marcos.  The place was great!  I had a private room, shared bathroom and breakfast for Q50!  That works out to about $6.50 USD a night!  Better yet, the hostel is fairly centrally located and connected to an Italian pizza restaurant.

It is also connected to Restaurante Fé and it's upstairs open-air café, which offers free WiFi to its customers.  There is young American couple (Kyle and Kaely) who run the café.  They were traveling down Central America and loved San Marcos so much that they accepted the job of running the café.  They are full of information and very helpful.  We quickly became friends and spent quite a bit of time together.

I spent a couple afternoons in San Pedro (although I spent my nights in San Marcos), which is a short boat ride from San Marcos.  The boats are the same type as the one I took originally from Pana to San Marcos.  They should hold about 16 people or so, plus the captain and his mate, but you never know if you will be on a boat with 6 people or 30.  They are like mini ferries; the boat to San Pedro from San Marcos is Q10 (about $1.25).  San Pedro is definitely geared towards tourists when you get off the boat.  In fact, it SCREAMS tourist trap!  (I will, however, say that Pana is worse...more on that later).  Restaurants, tiendas and bars are jammed together along the main street leading away from the dock.  There are tuk-tuks everywhere that will take you anywhere in the city for about Q5, which certainly makes the steep climb up from the dock worth it if the day happens to be blistering hot or raining.  Many of the tiendas sell clearly factory-made goods.  I discovered that if you want something handmade, you're better off finding a street vendor who sets up his wares on a table in front of the regular shops.

One of the afternoons with Kyle and Kaely, we ventured to San Pedro for some essentials and to get Kaely a new pair of hand-made shoes.  They guy who makes them is named Pedro.  He stands about 4'9" and always has a smile on his face.  You can go to him, have him draw the shape of your feet on a piece of newspaper, and get a custom pair of leather shoes in two days...all for about Q300 (about $40).  I understand that Kaely loves her new shoes.  :)

Near San Marcos, a short walk/hike along the edge of the lake, is a place of natural beauty.  It's a protected area and you pay Q15 to enter.  There's a dock (which they call a trampoline...don't ask me why) from which you can jump about 25 feet into the lake.  I chickened out.  Being afraid of heights isn't very fun in those situations.  Oh well, it was still beautiful and Kaely and I were able to catch some decent rays.

On the Saturday before last (about a week ago), Kyle, Kaely and I went to Pana for the night.  The trip was to celebrate Kaely's birthday of the week before, which she didn't get to celebrate since she was working.  First a stop in San Pedro, then on to Pana.  The trip to Pana was fairly uneventful, but we did meet some travelers from San Francisco.  It was nice to hear about their adventures.  But who cares about that, really, when you're surrounded by huge volcanos, a vast, clear lake and a wonderfully fascinating new culture?  I spent the majority of that boat ride staring out over the water and thanking God for bringing me to Lake Atitlán.

I spent most nights in San Marcos just chatting with other travelers or Kyle and Kaely.  For some reason, I didn't find it in me to spend a lot of time writing.  I don't know if it's because the place was TOO peaceful or if I just didn't have anything to write about or if I just needed a break.  Whatever the reason, I regret not having written contemporaneously with my time there.

Paul, the proprietor of Restaurante Fé and the hostel helped me make arrangements for my departure from San Marcos.  As much as I didn't want to leave, it was time. I'd spent 5 nights in San Marcos (well, one of those was in Pana) and it was time to move on to see other things.  I was supposed to catch a shuttle from San Marcos to Tikal (look at a map...they are quite far apart).  It was supposed to leave at 8:30 a.m. and I understood that I was to arrive at midnight.  Ugh.  Long day of traveling, right?  Nope.  Not A long day; more like two.  The shuttle didn't arrive until almost 9:15 a.m. (dammit, I would've had time for that breakfast after all!).  The shuttle took me to Antigua and I arrived there at about 1:00 p.m.  Fortunately I love Antigua, because my "layover" was 5.5 hours.  At 6:30 p.m., I hopped another shuttle to Guatemala City.  My driver dropped me off at a bus terminal teeming with locals and travelers.  I had another two-hour wait for my bus to Tikal.  Awesome.  I couldn't leave the terminal because it was dark (and therefore not safe), so I found a place to rest my pack and chill for a bit.  The bus to Tikal was NICE!  It was one of those overnight buses with a bathroom and comfy seats (thank God).  I quickly fell asleep and let the countryside roll by without any attention.  I arrived in Flores, Guatemala, at just about 6:00 a.m.  There I was, half awake and groggy from not-so-restful sleep, standing in the middle of a turn-out with my bus, several shuttle vans and people screaming, "come this way!  I'll get you right to your hotel!"  I think they time the bus arrival that way specifically to take advantage of stunned, half-awake travelers!  Fortunately, I was going to El Ramate (a village close to Tikal and bout 45 minutes from Flores) and so was another couple, so we all hopped on the same shuttle.  I arrived at my new hostel around 8 a.m.  Ugh.  What an exhausting trip!  I'll tell ya, though: it was worth every penny and every minute!  Tikal is amazing (more on that in a minute).

After some food, a nap and some chill out time, I was ready to explore.  So, the next morning, I hopped onto another shuttle van for the trip to Tikal.  The ride was only abut 15 minutes to the park's entrance and we watched one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen.  After buying my ticket ($20), we rode another 15 minutes into the heart of the park.  Tikal is now an internationally protected site (I can't remember the name of the organization under which it's protected and don't feel like looking it up).  It is deep in the Petén, a region of northeastern Guatemala known for its rainforest and several Mayan ruins.  Tikal is, by far, the largest of the Mayan cities discovered in the area and certainly one of the most impressive.  We started our tour (our tour guide, Cesar, was phenominal) around 7 a.m.  We saw many birds and monkeys, along with a horde some sort of animal that is closely related to the raccoon.  We also saw one rodent-type animal related to the capybara.  We walked and climbed miles in the park, which is fairly spread out.  The buildings are made of limestone and some of them are badly deteriorated, although they are being restored in part.  Temple IV is the highest peak in Tikal and we climbed to the top to look over the top of the jungle and marvel at the other Mayan buildings peaking out from the jungle's trees.  It was an amazing experience, and one I will never forget.

After El Ramate and Tikal, I decided to head to Honduras.  Turns out it's not so easy.  I took a collectivo (which is one of those shuttle vans that runs on a regular schedule picking up people along the way) to Santa Elena.  In Santa Elena (which is near Flores), I bought a ticket to Rio Dulce.  Rio Dulce is on Lake Izabel.  Rio Dulce is both a town and a river.  I met another traveler getting off the bus who also was looking for a place to stay and we ended up having the dorm (a room with bunkbeds, sometimes sleeping 8-10 people) to ourselves. We were both headed to Livingston the next day, so it was nice to not be traveling alone for a short spell.

Livingston is accessible by boat, and only by boat.  It's a beautiful 1.5-2 hours from Rio Dulce, full of beautiful greenery, bird watching and a hot spring.  Unfortunately, we made the crossing in a torrential downpour.  Fortunately, the poncho my mom gave me on the eve of my departure was in an outside pocket of my pack and easily accessible.  Also fortunately, it was relatively warm.  Still, I didn't understand the need to stop at a remote island to gaze at vultures in the pouring rain.  Nonetheless, the trip was fun and filled with beauty.

We docked at Livingston, still in the rain, and I had the luxury of carrying my 45-pound pack up and down and around winding, water-filled streets...in flip-flops.  The first hostel my travel mate and I were ushered to was full.  Sigh.  Another long walk up an even steeper hill in seemingly even heavier rain brought us to our second try.  Success!!  A hostel for only Q40 each with a private bath!  It's a bit out of the way, but the walking does me good.

Livingston is a Garifuna town.  The Garifuna people are descents of Africa.  They have their own language comprised of English, Spanish, French and an African dialect.  The town is infused with Caribbean music.  At night, bars and restaurants BLAST their music so loud that I don't understand how anyone can actually sit in those establishments.  The beaches are nothing to marvel at, although the town IS right on the coast.  People sell vegetables from make-shift tables along nearly every street (which seems odd to me considering how little vegetables are used in Guatemalan fare).  There is a tienda every 25 feet or so.  And a bar or restaurant in between every tienda.  The streets are filled with activity during the day.  It's the vibe in Livingston that draws people to it.  And I totally get it.  The vibe here is laid back, free-spirited and lively all at the same time.


That first night in Livingston it rained and rained.  I prayed that the heavy rain would mean that the next day saw hardly any rain, and my prayers were answered.  We woke up and set out on a 1.5 hour walk along the beach.  Our destination?  Los Siete Altares (Seven Altars).  We walked along the beach, which was scattered with garbage for most of our trek.  I still wonder how so much garbage can just sit there along the shoreline without anyone caring enough to clean it up.  I don't know if the garbage washed ashore or if it was dumped there.  I saw more mismatched shoes and plastic bottles on that walk than I've ever seen outside of a garbage dump.  It made me sad to witness such carelessness.

After a long, hot walk in sultry weather, we came upon the path leading to Los Siete Altares.  Q20 to enter.  What?!  We'd heard it was Q5.  Oh well, if you figure the price based upon US dollars, it was still only $2.50.

As a side note: I try not to think in US dollars because everything will seem really cheap and it's easier to spend money.  I've had to try to reconfigure my brain to thinking in terms relative to the Guatemalan currency.  I've tried to think, "I pay, on average, around Q40-Q80 for a room for the night and I should compare everything to that."  It's not easy, but that's the way of life down here.  Based upon that comparison, take a look at US hotels.  If you pay, on average $80-$125 night for basic accommodations and compare everything to that, you can see how expensive things are.  Lunch down on the street here goes for about Q10-Q25.  Lunch in a restaurant is about Q25-Q45.  So, the price for entry to Seven Altars is about the price of lunch.

In any event, the price to enter Los Siete Altares was a little shocking, but worth every penny.  We climbed over rocks and walked through rushing water, eventually finding ourselves at an amazing waterfall with a perfect swimming hole.  Ahhhh, bliss.

I spent a total of three nights in Livingston -- three more than I ever planned.  It's a little seedy at night, and you have to wonder if the cops are on the take, but it's safe enough to wander around the main streets after dark.  A group of us were told not to walk too far along the beach at night, lest we be victims of robbery.  OK, got it.  Stick to the main streets.  All in all, I like this place, but I don't feel the peace I felt in San Marcos.

I leave tomorrow morning for La Ceiba, Honduras.  Looking forward to another journey.