March 17, 2012
Happy Saint Paddy's Day! There is an Irish bar in town here on Ko Phi Phi that will most likely be full to bursting tonight and Chad saved his new green t-shirt to wear today! He had to buy two new t-shirts because the ones he brought (3 in total) are falling apart or are white and so now covered in yellow stains from sunscreen so look super ugg.
The journey from Ko Tao to Ko Phi Phi was one of the most interesting and trying experiences ever! We took a scooter, boat, tuk tuk, van, another van and then another boat over the course of 18 hours. I am no longer in the state of mind or body to handle that kind of travel so I have sworn off long transports until such time as I can at least sit comfortably without my ass falling asleep or getting cramps in my legs. I am definitely feeling these 20 extra baby pounds.
We had to check out of our sweet hotel room on Ko Tao at 11am so we stored our bags and spent the day at the beach. I was so surprised when I went paddling out to check out the reef that it was teaming with fish and other creatures despite the millions of boats ripping around. I snorkeled around and took a few photos of some sea urchins, parrot fish, angel fish and lots of baby fish that are much more colourful and brighter than their parents. Chad met an English army feller who swam out really far with him, so far I lost sight of them for a while. Chad still needs to learn a healthy fear of the ocean.
We showered off by the pool and decided to go for a massage before embarking on our journey. We opted for the traditional Thai massage and for 10$ each we got pampered for an hour. Poor Chad got stripped down to his gonchies because his shorts were still too wet. He wasn't wearing his nicest pair...in fact they are faded brown with holes and parts tend to flail out with too much motions and these massage parlors are not in the least bit private. I got to remain fully clothed however and was fawned over by two masseuses because of my inability to lay on my back and the fact that my belly friend was putting on a show for the ladies. He was dancing up a storm in there causing a lot of belly touching and giggles.
It was time to catch the boat and an old man with a scooter and a side car came to pick us up. Barreling down the road in a side car was a bit on the scary side but we made it to the boat with plenty of time as the old guy parted the crowds with his scooter contraption and pretty much budded us to the front of the line. We sat and waited for an hour while the crew sat on the boat and starred at us smoking cigarette after cigarette until finally they decided that maybe they could start loading the bags. Finally after a generous amount of time they decided that it was time to go and we had to hurry hurry hurry to get on and find our spots. This place makes no sense to me. We found our sleeping "stalls" #'s 73 and 74. They were approximately 24 inches by 6 feet. Chad was placed next to another stinky dreadlocked viking and me beside a yellow toothed german with quite the ample bum. Next to her an extremely loud swede who had story after story of all of her travels through South East Asia and just kept naming off all these places that I couldn't even pronounce that everyone had to visit. We were provided with mats on the floor and a little pillow thing that I have no doubt has never been washed. I felt like a refugee tucked into the hull of a boat. Thankfully we headed out once everyone was loaded and some people didn't even get spots but had to be stowed on deck with only a bamboo mat to sleep on. The crossing took 8 hours and I slept through most of it despite my back killing me and having to switch from side to side constantly and butt checking the girl beside me. I am sure Chad didn't have much better of a time as dreadhead girls' golden stink coils (her hair) kept whacking him in the face every time she turned around.
When we arrived to the mainland it was 4:30am and the tuk tuk driver herded us into a shelter like cattle and wouldn't let us out for some unknown reason. Had to keep the tourists together or they would stray off I guess. Once he loaded us into the tuk tuk he made us sit in there while he went off for a bit of a vist and a cigarette with his buddies. Effing awesome. I had to pee so bad I made everyone get out again so I could steal off back to the boat. Chad figured he probably should go too but of course right at that moment so did the tuk tuk driver. I told the guy to wait but he was rude and impatient where as five minutes before he was not in any hurry at all. Chad had to jump in as the driver started driving before he was even fully inside. All this hurry and he dropped us off at this tourist office where we had to sit for another hour and a half while the driver of the minibus who was going to take us to Krabi was just getting out of bed and had to shower and change and start the van and pretty much tinker around until he was good and ready. There were signs advertising noodle soups and toast but the lady at the desk was looking too sleepy and said no she wasn't gonna make anything for us. Finally at precisely 7am we were allowed to board the minibus. We were on our way again but of course the driver had to stop at the 7-11 and get some candy and coke for the road. We drove for two hours and ended up in Krabi at yet another tourist office where we had to wait yet again for another hour while the owners asked us how long we were staying in Ko Phi Phi and if they could sell us return tickets or plane tickets or any sort of tickets....hell they'd sell their first born if you wanted. We missed the first ferry due to all this waiting and stopping and had to take the next one. Finally another van came and got us and took us to their ferry terminal where they had real food and AC! Jesus! I was starting to hate everyone and everything! The ferry took another two hours with no AC and a decrepit fan to cool a 100 people. When we arrived to Ko Phi Phi we were bombarded with hawkers saying "boat, boat!" and "where you go?". I found a representative for our accommodation that I booked the day before but when I told him we were here and needed to be shown the way he looked at me and smiled like an idiot and motioned me to go away. Moron. So we found the place ourselves after asking for directions 10 times. Not caring how disgusting the place was we showered and pretty much passed out until hunger brought us back to life. Yep, worst trip ever in the history of backpacking. Soon to come: Ko Phi Phi.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Ko Samui and Ko Tao
We got out of Bangkok with Chad's suit in the skillful hands of a Thai tailor with the oldest pug dog for a pet. Little guy mooshed all his eye boogers into my backpack! After we finished with this crazy suit business we had some hours to kill so we did some pavement pounding on Sukumvit Road. A much more city-fied skyscraper type area with Louis Vouton stores and overpriced fashiony things. To escape the blazing heat, that is always worse in the concrete jungle, we ducked into a crazy 6 level mall. Each level had a fashion theme from different countries. I especially liked the Japanese level! No good deals in this establishment however. With a night bus to catch we headed back to Kho San Road for one last little look about. I opted to try out the fish spa that I had heard so much about. 3$ got me 15 minutes of foot cleaning by tiny little sucker fish wiggling between my toes and up my legs. Ya....frickin gross! It took me a minute to get used to the tickling but once I calmed down enough to keep still it was actually quite enjoyable. My skin was soft and I swear the hairs on my legs were shorter too!
We booked a bus/boat ticket to Ko Samui to do some beach sitting and relaxing. The journey was long and hot and horrible. We got picked up at our hotel and had to walk to the main bus stop...hot and sticky business with a pack on. Once we reached our bus we were pleasantly surprised to see brightly painted coach buses...not minibuses! However our joy turned to woe as we boarded and smelled the rank stench of the bus bathroom wafting through the aisles. Every time someone opened the door....wham! It was so gross! I made myself a peppermint gum mustache to wear under my nose to battle the smell. A friend warned us that bus rides would be shitty because of drugged up, drunk or hungover westerners and people with especially stinky dreadlocks. Amazingly this bus ride was well equipped with all mentioned above. Loud mouth Seattle girl wouldn't shut it until way after midnight! We finally reached what we thought was the boat station but was in fact just a place for us to wait for two hours for yet another bus to come take us to the ferry station. We finally reached the ferry and plunked down for a 2 hour crossing....also hot and sticky despite the advertised "air conditioned!" area for passengers.
Ko Samui is a resort island and we were prepared to spend a little more to have a bit of pampering (we are on holiday, this is no backpacker trip!). We opted for a taxi instead of the tuk tuk truck and chose a secluded bungalow instead of the bustling town on the beach. We arrived to the Jungle Club and were so thankful for some peace and quiet and the company of a cute little jack russel named Lilly with a penchant for flip flops. The food was great too! A delicious bananna mango shake to greet me and I plunked my sweaty behind in the pool for the rest of the day! I forgot to apply sunscreen to my lower legs due to sand being stuck to me and now am suffering from red sausage legs that are burnt to a crisp and swollen...curses!
Beach acticities: 1) I brought with me the last book of a series of four and was extremely excited to not have anything to do for the next few days so that I could finally conclude what was going to happen to the Lannisters and the Starks of Westeros. However as I was nearing the end of the last book I couldn't help but notice that there was no way it was going to finish in the 50 pages that were left. So I snuck a peek to the back and was dismayed to find......"to be continued!" WHATTT! This is an outrage! You can't write a book series of four books and then at the end say "oh ya I forgot to put the last book in so you will just have to wait." 2) swimming in the ocean and then getting too scared I will be pulled out to sea so I stay in the shallows and get wacked around by waves and get sand in my suit. 3) sending Chad to find me non-alcoholic beverages and popscicles. 4) saying no thank you to beach vendors trying to sell really crappy souvenirs and "henna" tattoos * I made the mistake of getting one done in Bali 6 years ago and it was actually black hair dye and made my skin break out into a horrible rash and I would still have the scars if I didn't cover it up by a real tattoo.
Anyways. We are on a strict 8:30 bedtime it seems. With me not being able to drink my face off I just can't seem to find a reason to go out and watch everyone else do it. Poor Chad has been by my preggo side the whole time and I feel that he may crack and take off to find a whiskey bucket very soon.
We left Ko Samui after two nights and took the boat to Ko Tao. That is where we are right now. We bypassed the famous full moon party island of Ko Phangan and headed straight for the Thai diving mecca....and so did all the full mooners! The boat was full to bursting of anxious dive students who have finally got over their full moon hangovers after 3 days since the big event. If we would have known we would have went some where else first and let the crowds pass through. But alas we are short on time and so are "stuck" in a very expensive room that was about the only thing left in town and diving with half the backpackers of Thailand population. Fun for partying sake (of which I can't partake) but not so great for crowds. Our room cost us $60 a night but is 5 star quality, so i'm not complaining. If we were on another long trip we could never do this. The first dive shop we went to tried to put us in a concrete box with a fan and a bed in a construction yard full of leering dudes and roosters...we said no way jose and so here we are at Ban's Dive Resort in the classiest room I've ever laid my pack in!
Chad did two dives today and I tagged along on the boat to see if I could get in a bit of snorkeling. He hasn't dove in 9 months so he was a little nervous but luckily he was paired with an English former dive master who helped him remember his acronyms....Bruce WIllis Makes Horrible Films (or something of that sort). He took some video with his fancy dancy new camera I got him for his 30th birthday and we have yet to review it. He saw some eels, angel fish and a grouper that looked like it could eat him. The dive spots we went to were too deep for me to see anything from the surface so I just paddled around the boat and hung out with a salty cat whose home is the Ban Dive Boat. He keeps it mouse and rat free and gets to eat left over tuna sandwiches, what a life! It actually truly sucks being pregnant! I can't scuba dive, I can't jump off the boat and I can't even drink rum from a snorkel! But then the little neno gives me a couple nudges in the ole ribs and it makes it all worth it.
Well I am ready to go for dinner but it seems that hubby has taken a liking to his new English friend Jon and has not returned to the hotel yet. It seems that Chad and English fellows get along quite well because they both seem to have a healthy appetite for beer and curry. Generally speaking that is. So it might be instant noodles for me whilst I enjoy the AC in our room....could this be Chad's whiskey bucket night?
We booked a bus/boat ticket to Ko Samui to do some beach sitting and relaxing. The journey was long and hot and horrible. We got picked up at our hotel and had to walk to the main bus stop...hot and sticky business with a pack on. Once we reached our bus we were pleasantly surprised to see brightly painted coach buses...not minibuses! However our joy turned to woe as we boarded and smelled the rank stench of the bus bathroom wafting through the aisles. Every time someone opened the door....wham! It was so gross! I made myself a peppermint gum mustache to wear under my nose to battle the smell. A friend warned us that bus rides would be shitty because of drugged up, drunk or hungover westerners and people with especially stinky dreadlocks. Amazingly this bus ride was well equipped with all mentioned above. Loud mouth Seattle girl wouldn't shut it until way after midnight! We finally reached what we thought was the boat station but was in fact just a place for us to wait for two hours for yet another bus to come take us to the ferry station. We finally reached the ferry and plunked down for a 2 hour crossing....also hot and sticky despite the advertised "air conditioned!" area for passengers.
Ko Samui is a resort island and we were prepared to spend a little more to have a bit of pampering (we are on holiday, this is no backpacker trip!). We opted for a taxi instead of the tuk tuk truck and chose a secluded bungalow instead of the bustling town on the beach. We arrived to the Jungle Club and were so thankful for some peace and quiet and the company of a cute little jack russel named Lilly with a penchant for flip flops. The food was great too! A delicious bananna mango shake to greet me and I plunked my sweaty behind in the pool for the rest of the day! I forgot to apply sunscreen to my lower legs due to sand being stuck to me and now am suffering from red sausage legs that are burnt to a crisp and swollen...curses!
Beach acticities: 1) I brought with me the last book of a series of four and was extremely excited to not have anything to do for the next few days so that I could finally conclude what was going to happen to the Lannisters and the Starks of Westeros. However as I was nearing the end of the last book I couldn't help but notice that there was no way it was going to finish in the 50 pages that were left. So I snuck a peek to the back and was dismayed to find......"to be continued!" WHATTT! This is an outrage! You can't write a book series of four books and then at the end say "oh ya I forgot to put the last book in so you will just have to wait." 2) swimming in the ocean and then getting too scared I will be pulled out to sea so I stay in the shallows and get wacked around by waves and get sand in my suit. 3) sending Chad to find me non-alcoholic beverages and popscicles. 4) saying no thank you to beach vendors trying to sell really crappy souvenirs and "henna" tattoos * I made the mistake of getting one done in Bali 6 years ago and it was actually black hair dye and made my skin break out into a horrible rash and I would still have the scars if I didn't cover it up by a real tattoo.
Anyways. We are on a strict 8:30 bedtime it seems. With me not being able to drink my face off I just can't seem to find a reason to go out and watch everyone else do it. Poor Chad has been by my preggo side the whole time and I feel that he may crack and take off to find a whiskey bucket very soon.
We left Ko Samui after two nights and took the boat to Ko Tao. That is where we are right now. We bypassed the famous full moon party island of Ko Phangan and headed straight for the Thai diving mecca....and so did all the full mooners! The boat was full to bursting of anxious dive students who have finally got over their full moon hangovers after 3 days since the big event. If we would have known we would have went some where else first and let the crowds pass through. But alas we are short on time and so are "stuck" in a very expensive room that was about the only thing left in town and diving with half the backpackers of Thailand population. Fun for partying sake (of which I can't partake) but not so great for crowds. Our room cost us $60 a night but is 5 star quality, so i'm not complaining. If we were on another long trip we could never do this. The first dive shop we went to tried to put us in a concrete box with a fan and a bed in a construction yard full of leering dudes and roosters...we said no way jose and so here we are at Ban's Dive Resort in the classiest room I've ever laid my pack in!
Chad did two dives today and I tagged along on the boat to see if I could get in a bit of snorkeling. He hasn't dove in 9 months so he was a little nervous but luckily he was paired with an English former dive master who helped him remember his acronyms....Bruce WIllis Makes Horrible Films (or something of that sort). He took some video with his fancy dancy new camera I got him for his 30th birthday and we have yet to review it. He saw some eels, angel fish and a grouper that looked like it could eat him. The dive spots we went to were too deep for me to see anything from the surface so I just paddled around the boat and hung out with a salty cat whose home is the Ban Dive Boat. He keeps it mouse and rat free and gets to eat left over tuna sandwiches, what a life! It actually truly sucks being pregnant! I can't scuba dive, I can't jump off the boat and I can't even drink rum from a snorkel! But then the little neno gives me a couple nudges in the ole ribs and it makes it all worth it.
Well I am ready to go for dinner but it seems that hubby has taken a liking to his new English friend Jon and has not returned to the hotel yet. It seems that Chad and English fellows get along quite well because they both seem to have a healthy appetite for beer and curry. Generally speaking that is. So it might be instant noodles for me whilst I enjoy the AC in our room....could this be Chad's whiskey bucket night?
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
How naps ruin the world.
We're still here in Bangkok, in large part because of our inability to stay awake. Timing is everything when you're traveling. We strolled into town cool as can be. It honestly felt like we hadn't missed a beat. Like our time at home was basically long enough to grab some clean underwear and grab a new toothbrush. But I guess a lot more has happened than that. Most notably, Kristi's got a human growing inside of her. We made it! So, that's changed quite a few things and altered the way we might have done things otherwise. ie; visiting little nooks and crannies of countries where the risk of malaria is higher. This trip is shorter than our last one so we're not as careful with the penny pinching as we probably should be.
Soon after arriving in Bangkok we quickly formulated one of the best plans we've actually ever made, as far as travel plans go. We're the worst decision makers ever. We were to rest up that night, wake up, do a little wandering around, a little shopping, a lot of eating, get measured up to have a suit made, check out a muay thai match at one of the legendary boxing stadiums, wake up the next day, check out some more stuff and then head south for Koh Phangan, just in time for the world famous full moon party.
Now, what actually happened was a lot less choreographed and the reason I'm writing this from the same guesthouse we arrived at a few days ago. Napping. Napping turns me into a miserable human being, at best. But for some strange reason when you're backpacking it becomes necessary, especially when plowing through different time zones. We got back to the guesthouse at around three or so and then researched the best place to check out some muay thai. We ended up falling asleep and waking up at like 9:30. This set off a chain of horrific events. We were too late to catch the match, too late to book tickets outta here and getting measured for a suit would now set us back an entire extra day. They need a day with measurements and then fit you with a mock up the next day and build it while you are away. This also left us with just one day before the full moon party. It take from 6pm until 11am to get down there by bus and boat. It also left us smack in the middle of All Saint's Day. That means no liquor sales. This would not have been a problem on the bus ride but I'm wandering around Bangkok in the heat and humidity with no hope of touching a lager to my lips for 24 hours. It's uncalled for.
With a gross amount of sleep under our belts and wide awake at the wee hours of the morning and no real interest in wandering around the city, we tried to sleep our way seamlessly into the next day. With such a good wifi connection, this is a rarity to us in our travels, and this handy dandy little Spanish laptop, I killed most of the night researching tailors. I read for hours and hours the pros and cons and ins and outs of getting a suit made in Bangkok. After realizing how much crap goes into making a suit and all the decisions you have to make I wasn't sure I even wanted one anymore. People talked about suits as though they were pieces of space equipment that could one day save our planet. All I wanted was a nice suit at a decent price and to not be ripped off and have the thing fall apart as soon as I got it back home. It seemed in order for me to get this, I'd have to spend a little more than the $150 every odd person was quoting me for a cashmere two piece suit with two shirts and two ties.
I went back to sleep more frustrated than ever. We woke up in the morning with a decision to make. Stay, yet another, night in Bangkok so I could have a suit made or pack up and head south in time for the full moon party and whiskey buckets. Kristi didn't care either way. She's a little touchy about not being able to booze it up with me, especially in this heat. I decided I wouldn't just toss out my hours and hours of research and the chance to have a custom tailored suit at a ridiculously low price, just so I could go get covered in body paint and drown myself in said whiskey buckets. Fuck I'm getting old.
I made my final decision on the tailor and we hopped in a cab. Thirty five minutes later I was standing in down town Bangkok in my underwear with an older Thai gentleman's fingers fluttering ever so eloquently around my man parts. Forty five minutes after that we were off again. Kristi was feeling light headed from the heat so we ducked into one of the thousands of air conditioned 7/11's to cool off. We hopped into two or three different taxi's and were quickly told to exit. The traffic was too bad where we were going they told us. With a bride of an extra 95 bahts, we were on our way again. It took us just as long to get out of the down town as it would have to drive from one side of Edmonton to the other. The downtown is massive. Edmonton or Calgary's downtown could be plunked neatly into one tiny corner of Bangkok's up and coming neighbourhoods. The size of the billboards are as big as the buildings we have at home.
But the food. My god, the food! I should have been born Asian. The only thing about this heat is that it takes away my ability to shovel food down my gullet. Curry and stirfrys and soups and fruits and things on sticks. I could simply sit around all day eating and drinking. It sort of feels as though that's all we've done anyway.
I'll be glad to get out of Bangkok. Eight or 9 million people, or whatever it is, is too many.
Soon after arriving in Bangkok we quickly formulated one of the best plans we've actually ever made, as far as travel plans go. We're the worst decision makers ever. We were to rest up that night, wake up, do a little wandering around, a little shopping, a lot of eating, get measured up to have a suit made, check out a muay thai match at one of the legendary boxing stadiums, wake up the next day, check out some more stuff and then head south for Koh Phangan, just in time for the world famous full moon party.
Now, what actually happened was a lot less choreographed and the reason I'm writing this from the same guesthouse we arrived at a few days ago. Napping. Napping turns me into a miserable human being, at best. But for some strange reason when you're backpacking it becomes necessary, especially when plowing through different time zones. We got back to the guesthouse at around three or so and then researched the best place to check out some muay thai. We ended up falling asleep and waking up at like 9:30. This set off a chain of horrific events. We were too late to catch the match, too late to book tickets outta here and getting measured for a suit would now set us back an entire extra day. They need a day with measurements and then fit you with a mock up the next day and build it while you are away. This also left us with just one day before the full moon party. It take from 6pm until 11am to get down there by bus and boat. It also left us smack in the middle of All Saint's Day. That means no liquor sales. This would not have been a problem on the bus ride but I'm wandering around Bangkok in the heat and humidity with no hope of touching a lager to my lips for 24 hours. It's uncalled for.
With a gross amount of sleep under our belts and wide awake at the wee hours of the morning and no real interest in wandering around the city, we tried to sleep our way seamlessly into the next day. With such a good wifi connection, this is a rarity to us in our travels, and this handy dandy little Spanish laptop, I killed most of the night researching tailors. I read for hours and hours the pros and cons and ins and outs of getting a suit made in Bangkok. After realizing how much crap goes into making a suit and all the decisions you have to make I wasn't sure I even wanted one anymore. People talked about suits as though they were pieces of space equipment that could one day save our planet. All I wanted was a nice suit at a decent price and to not be ripped off and have the thing fall apart as soon as I got it back home. It seemed in order for me to get this, I'd have to spend a little more than the $150 every odd person was quoting me for a cashmere two piece suit with two shirts and two ties.
I went back to sleep more frustrated than ever. We woke up in the morning with a decision to make. Stay, yet another, night in Bangkok so I could have a suit made or pack up and head south in time for the full moon party and whiskey buckets. Kristi didn't care either way. She's a little touchy about not being able to booze it up with me, especially in this heat. I decided I wouldn't just toss out my hours and hours of research and the chance to have a custom tailored suit at a ridiculously low price, just so I could go get covered in body paint and drown myself in said whiskey buckets. Fuck I'm getting old.
I made my final decision on the tailor and we hopped in a cab. Thirty five minutes later I was standing in down town Bangkok in my underwear with an older Thai gentleman's fingers fluttering ever so eloquently around my man parts. Forty five minutes after that we were off again. Kristi was feeling light headed from the heat so we ducked into one of the thousands of air conditioned 7/11's to cool off. We hopped into two or three different taxi's and were quickly told to exit. The traffic was too bad where we were going they told us. With a bride of an extra 95 bahts, we were on our way again. It took us just as long to get out of the down town as it would have to drive from one side of Edmonton to the other. The downtown is massive. Edmonton or Calgary's downtown could be plunked neatly into one tiny corner of Bangkok's up and coming neighbourhoods. The size of the billboards are as big as the buildings we have at home.
But the food. My god, the food! I should have been born Asian. The only thing about this heat is that it takes away my ability to shovel food down my gullet. Curry and stirfrys and soups and fruits and things on sticks. I could simply sit around all day eating and drinking. It sort of feels as though that's all we've done anyway.
I'll be glad to get out of Bangkok. Eight or 9 million people, or whatever it is, is too many.
Monday, March 5, 2012
9 months later.....on our way to Thailand and Bali!
March 4, 2012
It has been about 9 months since we got back from Colombia. And so here we are again on the travelers trail but this time we are on the other side of the world. The side where everyone is about a foot shorter than me and I don't even have to try to learn their language as they would rather they get to practice their English! I love Asia! Ever since we got back from Bali 6 years ago I planned to return. So finally, with only a few months until we welcome our first baby, we decided to take one last backpacking trip sans child. We have 29 days to see the sights of Thailand and Bali.
We just arrived in Bangkok a few hours ago and its 2am here. We are starving and tired and hot and jet lagged. Thankfully there is a 7-11 on every block and so we loaded up on our travel staples of pringles and oreo cookies and hunkered down in our awesome hotel. Yes we splurged a little and opted for a hotel room with AC and a pool (a whole 23$ a night! OMG!). I was not in the mood to get over my jet lag in a dorm room sharing a gross stinky hairy drained bathroom with a bunch of drunken hippies....well not just yet anyways.
We plan on hitting the beach somewhere in the next few days. Got a lot of planning to do to squeeze in as much as we can before we are off to visit Grandma in Bali for our last 10 days. Chad wants to do some diving so we may be headed to Ko Tao for that. We shall see. But for now I am in desperate need of sleep as our Pre-Born was never so active in its life as it was all the way here. It actually kept me awake with all his/her kung-fu moves on the plane. Glad to know he/she is having a great time already!
It has been about 9 months since we got back from Colombia. And so here we are again on the travelers trail but this time we are on the other side of the world. The side where everyone is about a foot shorter than me and I don't even have to try to learn their language as they would rather they get to practice their English! I love Asia! Ever since we got back from Bali 6 years ago I planned to return. So finally, with only a few months until we welcome our first baby, we decided to take one last backpacking trip sans child. We have 29 days to see the sights of Thailand and Bali.
We just arrived in Bangkok a few hours ago and its 2am here. We are starving and tired and hot and jet lagged. Thankfully there is a 7-11 on every block and so we loaded up on our travel staples of pringles and oreo cookies and hunkered down in our awesome hotel. Yes we splurged a little and opted for a hotel room with AC and a pool (a whole 23$ a night! OMG!). I was not in the mood to get over my jet lag in a dorm room sharing a gross stinky hairy drained bathroom with a bunch of drunken hippies....well not just yet anyways.
We plan on hitting the beach somewhere in the next few days. Got a lot of planning to do to squeeze in as much as we can before we are off to visit Grandma in Bali for our last 10 days. Chad wants to do some diving so we may be headed to Ko Tao for that. We shall see. But for now I am in desperate need of sleep as our Pre-Born was never so active in its life as it was all the way here. It actually kept me awake with all his/her kung-fu moves on the plane. Glad to know he/she is having a great time already!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Taganga and Bogota
May 13, 2011
Right now we are hunkered down in Bogota and waiting patiently for Sunday to come so we can begin the journey home! We have been away for almost 5 months and are definitely ready to be among the familiar again.
Last week we spent 5 days in Taganga. Tangana is a teeny tiny little town near Santa Marta. It is famous for diving and the starting point for the Lost City Trek. We were interested in the diving for sure but being that everyday was an average 36degrees we opted out of the trekking tours. We took a bus from Cartagena and 5 hours later they dropped us off at our hotel. Now that we were a mere week from heading home we shelled out a whopping $35 a night for a private room with bathroom at one of the nicer hotels...this one was even called a B&B! It had a pool too which was a life saver in that heat. I have never been that hot in my life. During the day a bathing suit and sarong was the standard uniform. The streets were mostly just dirt and rock and I don't blame them...who the hell would want to pave a street when you can barely breathe when you just walk for 5 minutes.
Chad signed up to do his advanced course in scuba diving. He really wanted to do it in Utila but having infected ears prevented that. It is just as cheap if not cheaper in Colombia to do your dive courses. I did two fun dives on his first day and was amazed by the number of fish I was seeing! The water is not as clear and is quite a bit colder but the angel fish were bigger than I have ever seen and the barracuda were as long as I was. At one point I saw 3 eels, two angel fish and a barracuda and I couldn't decide where to look. We also came across an octopus having a snack on some type of crustacean. I didn't even know it was an octopus because he hid his body inside this tube corral. The divemasters in Colombia are not as hesitant to interact with the wildlife as they are in Utila. My divemaster was grabbing scorpion fish by the tail and picking up porcupine fish in his bare hands and scaring the crap out of lizard fish just to make them move. Entertaining for me yet probably no so great for the fish.
Chad's first two dives were the deep dive at 30m and navigation. He got to see what its like to feel the effects of narcosis that happens at those depths. His instructor asked him to do a few simple math problems and he said his brain felt like mush and couldn't even add 4 plus 4. His next two dives were the drift dive and buoyency perfection. For the drift dive he had to swim against a current and make their way back to the boat using currents. That day they were super strong and they tried to swim against it but were getting nowhere. When they started to head back some how Chad's bouyency got messed up and he ended up floating to the surface. When he tried to submerge again he couldn't find his instructor. Oops. So he just had a little relax at the surface and waited for him to come up. He still passed! Our last day in Taganga we signed up for the night dive. It was amazing! We each are given a flash light and told to follow the leader. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Not at all actually. We saw lobsters that were going about their business, this weird prehistoric looking flat bug thing and all the fish we saw during the day that were busy swimming around sleeping peacefully on the corral. At the end of the dive we all turned off out lights and swirled our hands around so we could see the bioluminesence of the plankton! When we came to the surface we noted that two of our group members were not the same group members we came down with. They also noted this and asked us "who are you?" in which we replied "we are us, who the hell are you?". Unbeknownst to us two of our group had to surface because one was low on air and two divers from another boat some how ended up with us. Very odd indeed. They were just as confused as we were.
Many of our sailing trip friends came to Tanganga as well so we had lots of fun eating and drinking and complaining about the heat! We actually had the best steak dinner we have had on this trip at a restaurant there. But alas time to say goodbye. We decided to fly to Bogota instead of taking the bus because of bad road reports and an aversion to 20 hour bus rides. It was the exact same price and took 19 hours less!
So here we are. I am wearing a sweater and my scarf and socks! I hadn't even looked at my sweater since Mexico. Bogota is at 2400m and is cold and rainy. We actually have blankets on the bed...crazy I know! We arrived yesterday and after a quick nap we went out in search of food! We found a nice place and sat down. I thought I orderd chicken but a big honking steak came out slathered in mushrooms! It was the best mistake ever. Our hostel here is shit but for some reason all the good ones require reservations, who knew. Today we went out for a bit but it started to pour so we had to retreat to a bar for beers. A bar called Public Beer House that has three of its own brew. I even drank a dark ale! I was so impressed with myself. We did a little shopping too and after rewarded our good haggling skills with a chorrizo and a potato on a stick and a chicken empanada. Back at the hostel we are too cold to leave our sleeping bags so I think we will call it a night.
Right now we are hunkered down in Bogota and waiting patiently for Sunday to come so we can begin the journey home! We have been away for almost 5 months and are definitely ready to be among the familiar again.
Last week we spent 5 days in Taganga. Tangana is a teeny tiny little town near Santa Marta. It is famous for diving and the starting point for the Lost City Trek. We were interested in the diving for sure but being that everyday was an average 36degrees we opted out of the trekking tours. We took a bus from Cartagena and 5 hours later they dropped us off at our hotel. Now that we were a mere week from heading home we shelled out a whopping $35 a night for a private room with bathroom at one of the nicer hotels...this one was even called a B&B! It had a pool too which was a life saver in that heat. I have never been that hot in my life. During the day a bathing suit and sarong was the standard uniform. The streets were mostly just dirt and rock and I don't blame them...who the hell would want to pave a street when you can barely breathe when you just walk for 5 minutes.
Chad signed up to do his advanced course in scuba diving. He really wanted to do it in Utila but having infected ears prevented that. It is just as cheap if not cheaper in Colombia to do your dive courses. I did two fun dives on his first day and was amazed by the number of fish I was seeing! The water is not as clear and is quite a bit colder but the angel fish were bigger than I have ever seen and the barracuda were as long as I was. At one point I saw 3 eels, two angel fish and a barracuda and I couldn't decide where to look. We also came across an octopus having a snack on some type of crustacean. I didn't even know it was an octopus because he hid his body inside this tube corral. The divemasters in Colombia are not as hesitant to interact with the wildlife as they are in Utila. My divemaster was grabbing scorpion fish by the tail and picking up porcupine fish in his bare hands and scaring the crap out of lizard fish just to make them move. Entertaining for me yet probably no so great for the fish.
Chad's first two dives were the deep dive at 30m and navigation. He got to see what its like to feel the effects of narcosis that happens at those depths. His instructor asked him to do a few simple math problems and he said his brain felt like mush and couldn't even add 4 plus 4. His next two dives were the drift dive and buoyency perfection. For the drift dive he had to swim against a current and make their way back to the boat using currents. That day they were super strong and they tried to swim against it but were getting nowhere. When they started to head back some how Chad's bouyency got messed up and he ended up floating to the surface. When he tried to submerge again he couldn't find his instructor. Oops. So he just had a little relax at the surface and waited for him to come up. He still passed! Our last day in Taganga we signed up for the night dive. It was amazing! We each are given a flash light and told to follow the leader. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Not at all actually. We saw lobsters that were going about their business, this weird prehistoric looking flat bug thing and all the fish we saw during the day that were busy swimming around sleeping peacefully on the corral. At the end of the dive we all turned off out lights and swirled our hands around so we could see the bioluminesence of the plankton! When we came to the surface we noted that two of our group members were not the same group members we came down with. They also noted this and asked us "who are you?" in which we replied "we are us, who the hell are you?". Unbeknownst to us two of our group had to surface because one was low on air and two divers from another boat some how ended up with us. Very odd indeed. They were just as confused as we were.
Many of our sailing trip friends came to Tanganga as well so we had lots of fun eating and drinking and complaining about the heat! We actually had the best steak dinner we have had on this trip at a restaurant there. But alas time to say goodbye. We decided to fly to Bogota instead of taking the bus because of bad road reports and an aversion to 20 hour bus rides. It was the exact same price and took 19 hours less!
So here we are. I am wearing a sweater and my scarf and socks! I hadn't even looked at my sweater since Mexico. Bogota is at 2400m and is cold and rainy. We actually have blankets on the bed...crazy I know! We arrived yesterday and after a quick nap we went out in search of food! We found a nice place and sat down. I thought I orderd chicken but a big honking steak came out slathered in mushrooms! It was the best mistake ever. Our hostel here is shit but for some reason all the good ones require reservations, who knew. Today we went out for a bit but it started to pour so we had to retreat to a bar for beers. A bar called Public Beer House that has three of its own brew. I even drank a dark ale! I was so impressed with myself. We did a little shopping too and after rewarded our good haggling skills with a chorrizo and a potato on a stick and a chicken empanada. Back at the hostel we are too cold to leave our sleeping bags so I think we will call it a night.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
From Panama City to Cartagena via the San Blas Islands....pure paradise.
May 8, 2011
We haven't written in while because we are running out of time and are trying to pack in a lot of stuff! But I will try to start where i left off...
We booked the overnight bus to Panama City as it was an 18 hour ride. We left SJ at 11pm and got woken up at 4am to get off the bus and stand in line at the immigration office. The office however didn't open until 6am. Two hours of sitting on the ground half asleep for no reason. They wouldn't let us back on the bus. Finally the office opened at 6:30am!! One little stupid stamp and off we went to another line!! 9:00am and we were finally through the border. 5 hours of stupid lists and calling our names and not even once looking through our bags. To get into Panama you are supposed to have a ticket out of the country. We lacked that of course because we are taking a boat out of the country. We told the officer that and he shrugged and stamped away. I think because it says Canada on the front of my passport he didn't really think i was going to try to live in panama illegally.
We arrived in Panama City around 3pm and took a taxi to a hostel called Luna's Castle. This place is amazing. It is a converted colonial mansion. There are rooms tucked away in every corner and art covers the walls everywhere. There is even a theatre room with makeshift movie couches going up to the ceiling. We watched a few movies in there and had a grand time. We met lots of other Canadians here. One being an army med student from Toronto who never seems to be sober. The first morning we saw him he was chowing down on a stack of pancakes (pancakes being free at our hostel). He unfortunately went to a strip club the night before and being quite drunk let a Colombian stripper sit on his lap. She pick pocketed him and left him broke. He managed to still have his passport but all of his cards and cash were now gone. There is even a warning sign at the hostel stating in bold letters "If the girl flirting with you is too good looking to be talking to you she is probably Colombian and on the clock!"
We spent about 4 days around PC exploring the old town or Casco Viejo it is called. It is falling apart in some areas. The ruins of old buildings mixed with bold colours and liveliness of the people is amazing to look at and take pictures of. The presidential palace and the national theatre are both in this area. We went out for pizza the first night we were there and ended up in the "Red Zone" or the zone where whiteys are not accepted readily. We had no clue and no body bothered us at all.
We booked a sailing trip to Cartagena, Colombia on a catamaran called Buon Vento or Good Wind in Italian. The captain was this greasy old salty italian fella whose English was less than great. He sold us with the italian chef on board and promises of pristine islands and what not. $450 each it was a bit steep but only 100 more than a flight so we signed up! While we were signing up we met 5 of the other passengers. The captain was really insisting on us having our passports in Puerto Lindo the next day but we still had some sights to see in PC. He suggested that we find this fellow named Mor who was also staying at the hostel and give him our money and our passports. We figured he must be a crew member but when we met him the next morning he stated that he was just another passenger and was wondering why the hell the captain was telling him to come two days early and to carry that much money and two Canadian passports of people he didn't even know. Mor is from Israel and worked in security and said "ahh Canadian passports? they are worth a lot of money you know." he seemed nice enough. hahah. we being the trusting canadians gave him our passports but no money.
While in Panama City is an apparent must that you have to visit the Panama Canal. We teemed up with our shipmates Dave, Sarah and Sarah from England and went on our merry way. Dave being fluent in spanish after having a spanish girlfriend for three years navigated our journey. First thing however we needed to stop at the mall for a rain coat and a Panama hat. Chicken busing it around the city for 25cents a ride is the way to go! We arrived at the Miraflores Locks. We paid $5 to go up to the observation deck and watch as some big ships were heading through. Super interesting but mostly the kind of thing our Dad's would appreciate we all thought. After hiding in a bus shelter for an hour from the downpour the bus finally showed up and off we went home.
To get to our launch point for the sailing trip we had to get to a tiny town called Puerto Lindo. Its so tiny its not even on any maps. We took a taxi and two buses. On the last bus (chicken in type) we had to squeeze ourselves and our bags into the back. Finding there a lad from saskatchewan. Odd place to find a saskatchewanee but there he was and he and chad chatted it up for the hour or so ride where we were squashed in. The naked baby in front of me was blowing snot bubbles out of her nose and her umbilical hernia was bulging out like a belly wiener. She was adorable.
We got dropped off at our hostel called Wunderbar. Owned by a German couple who have a little daughter with a crazy mullet haircut and a rather rough way with the animals. She has many pets but her favourite and the brunt of most of her tough love was a baby sloth named Lazy. He was adorable and clung to a teddy bear most of the time or hung out upside down in a tree in the yard. We got to hold him and feed him mango. There were also two little green birds that she would grab and stick on her shirt and then wheel around in her power wheels and yell "beep beep!" before she ran over your toes. We went on a walk to town to obtain provisions for the boat. Provisions being booze...and lots of it.
Next morning we met Eduardo and Nicky the Italians who run Buon Vento. We boarded the boat and were shown to our cabin with even our own bathroom. The others however were not as lucky. There were four bedrooms and one small berth at the front of the boat. Eduardo totally overbooked the trip and crammed three people per bed for the people who were not couples. He even put Mor the Israeli guy in with two girls from France and Switzerland. We were lucky and so were the Irish couple because we got our own rooms. Nicky and Eduardo slept in the kitchen.
The first day we sailed for 6 hours until we came to the San Blas Islands. It was a bit rough and almost everybody was sea sick. Chad and I were lucky that time. We anchored right beside a village of the Kuna people who literally live in shacks made of sticks, yet they wear western clothing and really like coca-cola. They paddled across in their ramshackle old canoe came aboard the ship after we had dinner and brought some of their items for sale. For an added commercial effect they had to of course bring their little two year old to charm us into forking over some cash. American cash at that. I bought two purses for my nieces and lots of the other girls bought ankle bracelets that they have to put on you in a certain way by wrapping it around and tying each stand so that it makes a pattern. Some of the boys swam to shore and went about collecting and breaking open coconuts. The Kuna however were not so happy with this as this is the only thing that grows on the island so they would rather that you bought one from them for a dollar and they will break it open for you.
Next morning we had some breakfast and after a quick swim we motored a ways out and the captain let us all get out and snorkel. In this area there was a wreck and it looked rather recent. It must have hit the reef and then sunk because it was hanging on the side of the corral wall. Saw lots of cool fish. After only another hours sail we were at our next stop. This stop was in front of an amazing little beach with a corral reef just to the left of us. It was absolute perfection. The water was crystal clear and full of fish. I even saw pairs of squid changing colours as I got closer. We spent hours snorkeling and usually I get cold eventually and have to get out of the water but the water was so warm that I didn't even feel like I was in the water. Our chef Nicky was out today too with his spear gun. He trapped two huge lobsters and a big crab, our dinner for that night. Once again eating illegally fished lobster! No one seems to care that they are disappearing as fast as we are eating them. Esther from Switzerland mentioned this but it was to deaf ears. You can never waste a lobster so we made sure every last piece if meat was gone. The food on this trip was great but the portion sizes lacked and Chad was starving the whole time!
That night we took the dinghy to the island and made a huge fire on the beach. The Irish couple brought out their drum and best singing voices and we practiced our hippy skills: hoolah hooping and rope and ball swinging. Super fun. We got to swim back to the boat in the dark! The glowing plankton was so beautiful as it lit up around your moving hands and feet. Next morning I woke up and we were in a whole new spot! This was were we were guaranteed to see rays and sharks. The captain took us on the dinghy to the starting point up current a ways. There was a huge piece of pipeline actually stuck in the corral and the sharks like to hide behind it. He let us out in some very shallow water and said to just let the current take you back to the boat. So off we float. Within about 5 minutes I saw my first shark ever! It was a relatively small nurse shark but so unreal to see. They have big fins and these little whiskers on their snouts. I got one blurry picture. Chad had fins on so he could stay close to where the sharks were without getting pushed by the current. He saw 3 sharks, nurse and reef. One he said was about 6 feet long. As we drifted further down we saw tons of rays nestled in the sand. One got spooked and shook off its sand and sped away. The english sarah's had to share a snorkel which was bull shit and blonde sarah almost put her foot down on the ray's tail because she couldn't see that it was below her. Once we got back to the boat it was time for brunch and then to ready ourselves for 30 hours for the open sea crossing.
The crossing itself was uneventful until we were joined by probably about 6 dolphins! They stayed at the front of the boat and dove in and out of the water taking a look at us. They stayed with us for a good 10 minutes or so. It actually helped some of our seasickness to have something to focus on other than how miserable it is to be sick. Brown haired english sarah was the sickest and yacked off the side of the boat a few times. The rest of us were a little green around the gills as well. Not Chad though....show off! I spent most of the time in my cabin sleeping and listening to music. Reading or writing or anything that involved using your eyes was impossible. Usually the crossing takes two days but the captain was eager to get there so he had sails and motor on the whole time which usually doesn't happen. We heard of one boat whose engine broke on the crossing and because the winds are blowing right into us they had to tack the whole way. It took them 10 days!! I couldn't imagine. I would die!!
Once we arrived in Cartagena the captain took us to his friend's restaurant for pizza and told us how to obtain cocaine easily and safely while in Colombia! yeesh!
We haven't written in while because we are running out of time and are trying to pack in a lot of stuff! But I will try to start where i left off...
We booked the overnight bus to Panama City as it was an 18 hour ride. We left SJ at 11pm and got woken up at 4am to get off the bus and stand in line at the immigration office. The office however didn't open until 6am. Two hours of sitting on the ground half asleep for no reason. They wouldn't let us back on the bus. Finally the office opened at 6:30am!! One little stupid stamp and off we went to another line!! 9:00am and we were finally through the border. 5 hours of stupid lists and calling our names and not even once looking through our bags. To get into Panama you are supposed to have a ticket out of the country. We lacked that of course because we are taking a boat out of the country. We told the officer that and he shrugged and stamped away. I think because it says Canada on the front of my passport he didn't really think i was going to try to live in panama illegally.
We arrived in Panama City around 3pm and took a taxi to a hostel called Luna's Castle. This place is amazing. It is a converted colonial mansion. There are rooms tucked away in every corner and art covers the walls everywhere. There is even a theatre room with makeshift movie couches going up to the ceiling. We watched a few movies in there and had a grand time. We met lots of other Canadians here. One being an army med student from Toronto who never seems to be sober. The first morning we saw him he was chowing down on a stack of pancakes (pancakes being free at our hostel). He unfortunately went to a strip club the night before and being quite drunk let a Colombian stripper sit on his lap. She pick pocketed him and left him broke. He managed to still have his passport but all of his cards and cash were now gone. There is even a warning sign at the hostel stating in bold letters "If the girl flirting with you is too good looking to be talking to you she is probably Colombian and on the clock!"
We spent about 4 days around PC exploring the old town or Casco Viejo it is called. It is falling apart in some areas. The ruins of old buildings mixed with bold colours and liveliness of the people is amazing to look at and take pictures of. The presidential palace and the national theatre are both in this area. We went out for pizza the first night we were there and ended up in the "Red Zone" or the zone where whiteys are not accepted readily. We had no clue and no body bothered us at all.
We booked a sailing trip to Cartagena, Colombia on a catamaran called Buon Vento or Good Wind in Italian. The captain was this greasy old salty italian fella whose English was less than great. He sold us with the italian chef on board and promises of pristine islands and what not. $450 each it was a bit steep but only 100 more than a flight so we signed up! While we were signing up we met 5 of the other passengers. The captain was really insisting on us having our passports in Puerto Lindo the next day but we still had some sights to see in PC. He suggested that we find this fellow named Mor who was also staying at the hostel and give him our money and our passports. We figured he must be a crew member but when we met him the next morning he stated that he was just another passenger and was wondering why the hell the captain was telling him to come two days early and to carry that much money and two Canadian passports of people he didn't even know. Mor is from Israel and worked in security and said "ahh Canadian passports? they are worth a lot of money you know." he seemed nice enough. hahah. we being the trusting canadians gave him our passports but no money.
While in Panama City is an apparent must that you have to visit the Panama Canal. We teemed up with our shipmates Dave, Sarah and Sarah from England and went on our merry way. Dave being fluent in spanish after having a spanish girlfriend for three years navigated our journey. First thing however we needed to stop at the mall for a rain coat and a Panama hat. Chicken busing it around the city for 25cents a ride is the way to go! We arrived at the Miraflores Locks. We paid $5 to go up to the observation deck and watch as some big ships were heading through. Super interesting but mostly the kind of thing our Dad's would appreciate we all thought. After hiding in a bus shelter for an hour from the downpour the bus finally showed up and off we went home.
To get to our launch point for the sailing trip we had to get to a tiny town called Puerto Lindo. Its so tiny its not even on any maps. We took a taxi and two buses. On the last bus (chicken in type) we had to squeeze ourselves and our bags into the back. Finding there a lad from saskatchewan. Odd place to find a saskatchewanee but there he was and he and chad chatted it up for the hour or so ride where we were squashed in. The naked baby in front of me was blowing snot bubbles out of her nose and her umbilical hernia was bulging out like a belly wiener. She was adorable.
We got dropped off at our hostel called Wunderbar. Owned by a German couple who have a little daughter with a crazy mullet haircut and a rather rough way with the animals. She has many pets but her favourite and the brunt of most of her tough love was a baby sloth named Lazy. He was adorable and clung to a teddy bear most of the time or hung out upside down in a tree in the yard. We got to hold him and feed him mango. There were also two little green birds that she would grab and stick on her shirt and then wheel around in her power wheels and yell "beep beep!" before she ran over your toes. We went on a walk to town to obtain provisions for the boat. Provisions being booze...and lots of it.
Next morning we met Eduardo and Nicky the Italians who run Buon Vento. We boarded the boat and were shown to our cabin with even our own bathroom. The others however were not as lucky. There were four bedrooms and one small berth at the front of the boat. Eduardo totally overbooked the trip and crammed three people per bed for the people who were not couples. He even put Mor the Israeli guy in with two girls from France and Switzerland. We were lucky and so were the Irish couple because we got our own rooms. Nicky and Eduardo slept in the kitchen.
The first day we sailed for 6 hours until we came to the San Blas Islands. It was a bit rough and almost everybody was sea sick. Chad and I were lucky that time. We anchored right beside a village of the Kuna people who literally live in shacks made of sticks, yet they wear western clothing and really like coca-cola. They paddled across in their ramshackle old canoe came aboard the ship after we had dinner and brought some of their items for sale. For an added commercial effect they had to of course bring their little two year old to charm us into forking over some cash. American cash at that. I bought two purses for my nieces and lots of the other girls bought ankle bracelets that they have to put on you in a certain way by wrapping it around and tying each stand so that it makes a pattern. Some of the boys swam to shore and went about collecting and breaking open coconuts. The Kuna however were not so happy with this as this is the only thing that grows on the island so they would rather that you bought one from them for a dollar and they will break it open for you.
Next morning we had some breakfast and after a quick swim we motored a ways out and the captain let us all get out and snorkel. In this area there was a wreck and it looked rather recent. It must have hit the reef and then sunk because it was hanging on the side of the corral wall. Saw lots of cool fish. After only another hours sail we were at our next stop. This stop was in front of an amazing little beach with a corral reef just to the left of us. It was absolute perfection. The water was crystal clear and full of fish. I even saw pairs of squid changing colours as I got closer. We spent hours snorkeling and usually I get cold eventually and have to get out of the water but the water was so warm that I didn't even feel like I was in the water. Our chef Nicky was out today too with his spear gun. He trapped two huge lobsters and a big crab, our dinner for that night. Once again eating illegally fished lobster! No one seems to care that they are disappearing as fast as we are eating them. Esther from Switzerland mentioned this but it was to deaf ears. You can never waste a lobster so we made sure every last piece if meat was gone. The food on this trip was great but the portion sizes lacked and Chad was starving the whole time!
That night we took the dinghy to the island and made a huge fire on the beach. The Irish couple brought out their drum and best singing voices and we practiced our hippy skills: hoolah hooping and rope and ball swinging. Super fun. We got to swim back to the boat in the dark! The glowing plankton was so beautiful as it lit up around your moving hands and feet. Next morning I woke up and we were in a whole new spot! This was were we were guaranteed to see rays and sharks. The captain took us on the dinghy to the starting point up current a ways. There was a huge piece of pipeline actually stuck in the corral and the sharks like to hide behind it. He let us out in some very shallow water and said to just let the current take you back to the boat. So off we float. Within about 5 minutes I saw my first shark ever! It was a relatively small nurse shark but so unreal to see. They have big fins and these little whiskers on their snouts. I got one blurry picture. Chad had fins on so he could stay close to where the sharks were without getting pushed by the current. He saw 3 sharks, nurse and reef. One he said was about 6 feet long. As we drifted further down we saw tons of rays nestled in the sand. One got spooked and shook off its sand and sped away. The english sarah's had to share a snorkel which was bull shit and blonde sarah almost put her foot down on the ray's tail because she couldn't see that it was below her. Once we got back to the boat it was time for brunch and then to ready ourselves for 30 hours for the open sea crossing.
The crossing itself was uneventful until we were joined by probably about 6 dolphins! They stayed at the front of the boat and dove in and out of the water taking a look at us. They stayed with us for a good 10 minutes or so. It actually helped some of our seasickness to have something to focus on other than how miserable it is to be sick. Brown haired english sarah was the sickest and yacked off the side of the boat a few times. The rest of us were a little green around the gills as well. Not Chad though....show off! I spent most of the time in my cabin sleeping and listening to music. Reading or writing or anything that involved using your eyes was impossible. Usually the crossing takes two days but the captain was eager to get there so he had sails and motor on the whole time which usually doesn't happen. We heard of one boat whose engine broke on the crossing and because the winds are blowing right into us they had to tack the whole way. It took them 10 days!! I couldn't imagine. I would die!!
Once we arrived in Cartagena the captain took us to his friend's restaurant for pizza and told us how to obtain cocaine easily and safely while in Colombia! yeesh!
Saying hasta luego to Santa Teresa, CR
April 21, 2011
The day before yesterday our friend Donaji came to stay with us. She is from Mexico. We met her in Leon, Nicaragua when we were with the big group of people. She is 30 but I thought she was 24. She is on a long trip as well, probably for a year. She is only a couple months into her trip and now she is booking a flight to Bangkok soon. Her English is so good and our Spanish is so bad. I was thinking of trying to speak lots of spanish with her but so far it is just easier to speak in english with a couple spanish words and phrases thrown in for good measure.
The first day she was here we decided just to have a beach day. So we went out surfing with our two boards at low tide and caught lots of little waves and had a blast. Chad went out and caught some pretty nice ones! He is getting better every day and starting to like it more and more. We came home for lunch and then it was back to the beach. Chad of course went back out surfing but since Doni has done a lot of yoga and knows quite a bit about it we decided to have our own little yoga session of our own. So at sunset we faced the sun and did an hours worth of bendy, stretchy, mantra filled yoga! I was impressed with her teaching skills! She could probably start her own class. It was the first time that I had really done yoga properly and not on a DVD. To top off the evening I made a pretty good tasting coconut chicken curry.
Today we rented a quad again to go to the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve. Because of Semana Santa we couldn't even get a good price with a spanish speaker in our group. We only rented one and the three of us piled onto it with Chad driving and me on one side and Doni on the other. We tried to get one for 7am so we could get to the park early to see all the monkeys and other animals when they are most active. But of course the surfer guys who run the hotel up the road are neither friendly or helpful in the morning. So we had to wait until 8am to leave. We got to the park at 9am to start the 5km hike through the jungle to the beach. We spent a good three hours wandering the jungle and saw all kind of cool animals. We saw howler monkeys, white faced monkeys, quatti, mapaches and lots of lizards. We reached the beach in 3 hours and made some sandwiches and hit the water. Little did we know lurking in the water were poisonous sea cucumbers or pepino de mar. Doni got a back sting right on her arm. She flew out of the water after that. The water was murky so we didn't know what it was at first but we asked Alonzo, our local Costa Rican friend, and he said it was a sea cucumber that just floats past. The walk back was grueling because we ran out of water and it was mostly uphill. I don't think I have ever sweat that much. The quad ride home was nice and refreshing.
April 22, 2011
Having returned the quad without filling the gas tank due to no gas stations being open the shop owner wouldn't give Doni her passport back! Luckily with a little help from her friend also vacationing for the weekend he used a little Mexican persuasion to give it back the next day. Mario is Doni's friend from school in Mexico and he was there in Santa Teresa on vacation with his friend Alonzo who is from Costa Rica. We had a great weekend with them! We drank beer and rums on the beach listening to blasting mariachi and latin dance music from his jeep. We got a bit tipsy but after some chicken and rice (of course!) and a wee siesta we were up for the electronic music beach party down the road! The music was a little ravey for me but we still had a good time.
Next morning we packed up the house and our surf boards and hitched a ride with Mario back to San Jose where he works and lives. Doni, Chad and me piled into the back seat with all our stuff strapped and stuffed into any available corner we could find. It was a long drive back to the city because of all the vacationers traffic. We stopped in Punta Arenas for some dinner and an ice cream before hitting the road again. Whilst we were in said town Chad was repeatedly heckled by a crazy woman who fell in love with him. She actually meowed at him. She told Mario why she loved him so much but he was actually embarrassed to repeat it! Its all in the eyes i think. His colouring is so brown he looks like a local until you see his eyes....so I have to beat the ladies off with a stick!
When we finally got to San Jose I thought we might just head to the Ticabus station and hit the road to Panama city that night but with all the Semana Santa traffic the tickets were sold out for two more days! Not really knowing what to do we were lucky enough that Mario is so generous and a great host! He let us stay with him for three nights until the bus came. When we got to his apartment we were in awe! He lives in a really nice complex with a pool and a gym and gardens gallor. He has a great view of a pond and fountain from him balcony. We revelled in the luxuries of a backpacker break. The first day in SJ we hung out at the pool and just had a relax day. That night however, being monday night, was Salsa night at a club that Mario knew. We met another one of Doni's friends from Mexico and Alonso there. The food was absolutely amazing and the salsa was frickin awesome. Not knowing how to salsa, chad and i stood back and took it all in.
The next day we took the bus into the city and went for a walk around downtown and went to the museum. We ended it with some of the best chop suey I've ever had! SJ has a great Chinese food scene! We had to catch the bus to Panama City that night and Mario was again nice enough to drop us off. We left our surf boards with him to hopefully sell but who knows maybe we'll be back soon!
The day before yesterday our friend Donaji came to stay with us. She is from Mexico. We met her in Leon, Nicaragua when we were with the big group of people. She is 30 but I thought she was 24. She is on a long trip as well, probably for a year. She is only a couple months into her trip and now she is booking a flight to Bangkok soon. Her English is so good and our Spanish is so bad. I was thinking of trying to speak lots of spanish with her but so far it is just easier to speak in english with a couple spanish words and phrases thrown in for good measure.
The first day she was here we decided just to have a beach day. So we went out surfing with our two boards at low tide and caught lots of little waves and had a blast. Chad went out and caught some pretty nice ones! He is getting better every day and starting to like it more and more. We came home for lunch and then it was back to the beach. Chad of course went back out surfing but since Doni has done a lot of yoga and knows quite a bit about it we decided to have our own little yoga session of our own. So at sunset we faced the sun and did an hours worth of bendy, stretchy, mantra filled yoga! I was impressed with her teaching skills! She could probably start her own class. It was the first time that I had really done yoga properly and not on a DVD. To top off the evening I made a pretty good tasting coconut chicken curry.
Today we rented a quad again to go to the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve. Because of Semana Santa we couldn't even get a good price with a spanish speaker in our group. We only rented one and the three of us piled onto it with Chad driving and me on one side and Doni on the other. We tried to get one for 7am so we could get to the park early to see all the monkeys and other animals when they are most active. But of course the surfer guys who run the hotel up the road are neither friendly or helpful in the morning. So we had to wait until 8am to leave. We got to the park at 9am to start the 5km hike through the jungle to the beach. We spent a good three hours wandering the jungle and saw all kind of cool animals. We saw howler monkeys, white faced monkeys, quatti, mapaches and lots of lizards. We reached the beach in 3 hours and made some sandwiches and hit the water. Little did we know lurking in the water were poisonous sea cucumbers or pepino de mar. Doni got a back sting right on her arm. She flew out of the water after that. The water was murky so we didn't know what it was at first but we asked Alonzo, our local Costa Rican friend, and he said it was a sea cucumber that just floats past. The walk back was grueling because we ran out of water and it was mostly uphill. I don't think I have ever sweat that much. The quad ride home was nice and refreshing.
April 22, 2011
Having returned the quad without filling the gas tank due to no gas stations being open the shop owner wouldn't give Doni her passport back! Luckily with a little help from her friend also vacationing for the weekend he used a little Mexican persuasion to give it back the next day. Mario is Doni's friend from school in Mexico and he was there in Santa Teresa on vacation with his friend Alonzo who is from Costa Rica. We had a great weekend with them! We drank beer and rums on the beach listening to blasting mariachi and latin dance music from his jeep. We got a bit tipsy but after some chicken and rice (of course!) and a wee siesta we were up for the electronic music beach party down the road! The music was a little ravey for me but we still had a good time.
Next morning we packed up the house and our surf boards and hitched a ride with Mario back to San Jose where he works and lives. Doni, Chad and me piled into the back seat with all our stuff strapped and stuffed into any available corner we could find. It was a long drive back to the city because of all the vacationers traffic. We stopped in Punta Arenas for some dinner and an ice cream before hitting the road again. Whilst we were in said town Chad was repeatedly heckled by a crazy woman who fell in love with him. She actually meowed at him. She told Mario why she loved him so much but he was actually embarrassed to repeat it! Its all in the eyes i think. His colouring is so brown he looks like a local until you see his eyes....so I have to beat the ladies off with a stick!
When we finally got to San Jose I thought we might just head to the Ticabus station and hit the road to Panama city that night but with all the Semana Santa traffic the tickets were sold out for two more days! Not really knowing what to do we were lucky enough that Mario is so generous and a great host! He let us stay with him for three nights until the bus came. When we got to his apartment we were in awe! He lives in a really nice complex with a pool and a gym and gardens gallor. He has a great view of a pond and fountain from him balcony. We revelled in the luxuries of a backpacker break. The first day in SJ we hung out at the pool and just had a relax day. That night however, being monday night, was Salsa night at a club that Mario knew. We met another one of Doni's friends from Mexico and Alonso there. The food was absolutely amazing and the salsa was frickin awesome. Not knowing how to salsa, chad and i stood back and took it all in.
The next day we took the bus into the city and went for a walk around downtown and went to the museum. We ended it with some of the best chop suey I've ever had! SJ has a great Chinese food scene! We had to catch the bus to Panama City that night and Mario was again nice enough to drop us off. We left our surf boards with him to hopefully sell but who knows maybe we'll be back soon!
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