TravelStream™ news feed for member gra8ful on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/gra8ful en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:59:51 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232760300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232760300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232760300/tpod.html Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:59:51 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Palenque, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

The ruins at Palenque were fascinating! It is really funny how different the experience at each site has been. Palenque is amazing due to it volume of ruins discovered. Some 500 excavated of the 1,453 that have been discovered. You can see from the pictures that the Palace and temples are really beautiful. Many carvings still exist around the temples as well. Some say this site shows an Asian influence in architecture. I thought overall its structures were different than the other sites we have seen even though they mostly date from the same period.

Palenque (Spanish for Palisade) was believed to have been called Baak. First occupied around 100 BC with its peak around 600 AD and abandoned, like the others, about 900 AD. A fascinating on-site museum contains many sculptures and items found during excavation including the sarcophagus of King Pakal thought to have raised the city to its greatest height.

We continue to be amazed by the sophistication of the Maya. Wondering often how correct the conclusions and assumptions we have made about their culture are. Disappointed that the conquistadors destroyed so much of their history and records. Angry that since the beginning of time people have tried to rule over others and force them to abandon their ways of life for the ones they believe are correct.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232581320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232581320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232581320/tpod.html Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:44:26 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Tikal National Park, Guatemala

We visited the beautiful Mayan ruins of Tikal today. Tikal is unique and popular due to its setting deep in the jungle and its high temple pyramids. It is set on a low hill above swampy grounds. The ruins are all created from the surrounding ground surface which is made of limestone. The dirt is very shallow here and makes Tikal an interesting settlement as the limestone is porous and is near impossible to collect water and the top soil is so shallow it is near impossible to grow crops. It is supposed they used raised beds for their crops collecting dirt from the many sink holes that naturally happened in the area. Mayan settled in this part of Guatemala around 700 BC and was an important city by 250 AD.

Jeremy and I hit the ruins with the 5 a.m. bus along side a guided tour. Then went off exploring on our own. We enjoy just taking the map and discovering on our own but also like the insight and theories into the Mayan culture that a guide can provide. So why not do both! Our guide was very informative about the local wildlife and many bird sightings. Over 300 bird species exist in this park. And, we were so happy to see some monkeys! He spoke alot about the constellations and his belief that the temples at this site are placed in the form of the little dipper. That perhaps this is where they belived they were delivered in the after life. It was interesting to learn that the Mayan would shape the heads of royal infants into cone shapes to show their status in society. Like so many other cultures (Chinese - foot binding/Africans - lip discs).

It is amazing to think about how these temples were build by hand with the technology they had back then. What fine craftsmanship. Most temples are built upon other temples and through the years causes them to become bigger. It is so hard and intriguing to sit among the ruins and try to picture how it looked in its day with the people going about their day to day tasks with the little bit of information we know about their culture. I was in awe looking out from atop some of these temples and for as far as you can see is jungle and a few temple tops popping through the trees. Really amazing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232227140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232227140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1232227140/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:04:05 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Coban, Western Highlands, Guatemala

As usual, we choose to navigate our way through the countries via public transport. This country has proven to be the most adventurous so far. The terrain is filled with mountains which makes the roads twisty, turney adventures. Many of the locals drive fast and a bit careless creating many accidents. Unlike Asia and India they don't seem to use the horn too much to their disadvantage. The news and papers often display graphic pictures of accidents. We are stunned by the photos they will show of the victims.

The other day we passed an accident where four men died and unfortunately saw their bodies as they lay from the accident. Many people standing around looking yet no one covering up the men before paramedics could make it. Sort of gazing about like it is a minor fender bender. Seems very casual approach though maybe they are just use to it. We are not quite sure.

We had a rather stressful day trying to get to Coban making our way to the Mayan ruins in Tikal. Most people go via a different, quicker route from Antigua however the way we choose was suppose to be some of the most scenic highway in the country so obviously choose it as time is no obstacle.

It started off normal enough taking collectivos (15 passenger mini vans) to a couple connecting towns. It is really amazing how many people they manage to fit in these vans. One count had us at 25. Forget about personal space. Of course along with the giggles Jeremy gets since he can't hardly fit his knees behind the seats (most locals are under 5'5).

We got to the town of Upastan where it should have been the last connection to Coban. However our driver was trying to tell us it was not direct and required a one hour walk to catch the next bus as the road was closed. Well, we thought, that doesn't sound too bad. The road is closed for at least 2 months and our only other option was about 15 hours of buses to go around it via the boring route. Of course, with our lack of Spanish we didn't understand the extent of the problem but it sounded easy enough. As we neared the road block it became obvious that there had been a lot of rain and a major mudslide.

The one hour walk was via a mud laden road created as a detour around the other road. Some 4 wheel drive trucks were making the trip packed to the gills with people and supplies. We attempted to hop in one but the locals quickly descended and we aren't pushy enough to force on. So we started to walk. Each step brought my heel out of my shoe and after about 15 minutes we thought this is ridiculous lets just turn around and head back. It was late afternoon and we didn't want to find ourselves in the dark in the middle of nowhere.

We turned around and met a lady who was waiting for a new tire for her truck and told us we could ride with her. We decided to wait one hour to see if she got the tire otherwise head back. But, as luck would have it, a pick up truck of road maintenance crew came along and took us with them. I can't believe how fortunate we were. We could tell they were the superintendents and were taking pictures and stopping to talk with the workers. They were an answer to our prayer.

To fully appreciate the story you need to understand our surroundings. We were about 2 hours (by car) from the town we had left. This highway is merely a connection between two distant towns and no roads branch off in other directions. People living in this area do not own cars and the only paths that vary off the main road are foot paths leading to peoples homes. We had more on our backs than most people have in their entire house. And are seemingly ¨walking ATMs¨ to some of these people.

After our ride came along I was able to really enjoy the beautiful landscape. Green mountains, heavy fog, crystal blue river below. It took us three hours from the time they got us until just outside Coban. I don't even know how long the walk would have taken. We stopped often with them for pics and whatnot and even did a small hike to a hydroelectric plant they needed to visit.

We saw so much more of Guatemala on this trip that you couldn't pay to see on a tour. Unfortunately many poor people and small uninhabitable houses. We came along a clearing where they emptied a bag of clothes, maybe from Goodwill, onto the ground and the people were rummaging through it. Two men had a small girls bathing suit in their hands and were turning it every which way and stretching it out trying to figure it out. I thought what the heck was that doing in there. The last thing they need however I am sure they found good use for it.

We were so thankful to arrive at our strange little hostel. Budget hostel with a 5 star restaurant attached to it. White tablecloth's and waiters dressed in tuxedos. Strangest place we have ever stayed at but a welcome relief. We clomped on in our mud clad shoes and had a nice dinner then a hot shower. So thankful for the way the day ended.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231962900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231962900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231962900/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:40:23 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Antigua Guatemala, Western Highlands, Guatemala

We headed for Guatemala cheating a bit taking a ¨tourist shuttle¨ since it was only $2 more than the buses and one smooth ride there. Of course, other than the hour layover when the van broke down. I had asked Jeremy what the driver kept doing to the van and he said wearing out the clutch so there you have it. He succeeded.

Guatemala earliest humans date to approximately 11,000 BC theoretically by crossing an ice bridge from Siberia. Which is very compelling as the locals (more than half are Mayan decent) remarkably resemble the Tibetans we saw in India. It is nice to see many locals wearing traditional clothing. They create amazing clothes weaving and embroidering their textiles. Each area we have been to so far has a bit of a variance in the appearance of their clothes. There are four main Maya groups with 20 different dialects of their language which sounds a bit like German or Swedish in their pronunciation.

We have hit a few towns in Guatemala but we are failing to really enjoy it as much as our previous countries. Maybe we are getting a bit tired. We visited the must see, nothing like Guatemala town of Antigua. Adorable, quaint cobblestone streets. Over priced accommodation and food. Power lines run underground, no trash in the streets and stray dogs ¨disappear¨ in the night. It is a gorgeous setting nestled between three volcanoes and filled with tourists and shops. It was however a nice town and nice break.

We visited Lake Atitlan, another amazing setting. Large lake nestled between volcanoes with small villages dotting the hillsides. We choose Santiago to visit for its market and to visit their effigy Maximon. The Mayans were introduced to catholicism when the Spanish headed on over and instead of resisting they decided to blend their Mayan beliefs with those of catholicism. For example, they had been using a cross symbol long before it was introduced to them by the Spanish as the points for sun, earth, moon and people. So, Maximon is a deity they worship and is said to be a cross between Mayan gods, Spanish conquistador and the biblical Judas. Hmmm, okay. He is housed between local homes and moves around to establish balance of power between locals. A wooden figure that smokes cigars and is draped in silk scarves surrounded by statues of saints and Jesus. Interesting. For a $1 fee we got to visit him, take pictures and made an offering of a pack of cigarettes.

Guatemalan people are extremely helpful and polite. A very poor country with more than half the population living in poverty. The official national minimum wage is only $130 per month and not everyone is lucky enough to get that. Many generations of families live together out of necessity in small, single room concrete block homes. Word has it that there is no middle class, only a ruling class and an exploited class. Only recently recovering from a 36 year civil war that ended in 1996 with the indigenous Mayan peoples still on the receiving end of inequality. Like many of the countries we have visited it explains their friendliness and easy going nature. Not expecting much from government or material possessions. Never in a hurry and taking the time to enjoy the things that matter like family, good conversation and a nice meal.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231782780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231782780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231782780/tpod.html Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:17:52 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Copan, Honduras

We finally made it to our first long awaited Mayan ruins. We have both been fascinated by the Mayan culture and eager to learn more. We spent the entire opening time there (9 hours) and had a book and then got a guide. We really loved it. It is labeled as the Paris of the Mayan world. Has amazing carvings that have been preserved in their pyramids and sculptures and were an advanced society for their time. People have seemed to live in this area since 1200 BC with the rise of the Copan empire from 426 AD until their mysterious disappearance around 925 AD. The ruins at Copan contain the longest history of the Mayan glyphs on the Hieroglyphic Stairway which documents the history of the rulers.

Their collapse is said to be due to a few circumstances. First their population grew significantly along with more demand for land and resources which started to disappear after so many hundreds of years of use. Many skeletal remains show malnutrition and early death. There is also evidence of major changes in the climate with intense droughts and disastrous flooding making the land less habitable. In a way it sounds like what is happening today and makes me wonder if a thousands of years from now someone may discover the the sunken city of New York.

I will highlight some points below and then just enjoy the pictures:
·Believed they were born from the flower of corn
·Believed in a type of heaven where the afterlife was better than this life.
·Used cocoa beans for money
·Understood the concept of zero
·Had a developed alphabet (glyphs) and numerical systems reading from top to bottom and right to left
·Knew the world was round and that four elder men carried the world on their shoulders rising and falling each day
·Monarchy government
·Advanced calendar system with 13 month calendar
·Played a ballgame to appease and balance the Gods/world where the best player was sacrificed

There are numerous other interesting points but would take a lot of explaining. Some of the original sculptures have been moved to museums for preservation while other have been covered by roofs for preservation. Enjoy the pics!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231521900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231521900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1231521900/tpod.html Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:52:02 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Gracias, Honduras

We have been bouncing back and forth through Honduras between small towns and tourist attractions. The landscape here is beautiful and full of greenery and trees. I really love the local buses through Central America. As I have said before the old US school buses aka ¨chicken buses¨ are the main transportation for most locals and the cheapest therefore it is our mode of transportation.

It is hard to paint a picture of the activity and colorful people on the buses. There are vendors all over the inside and outside of the buses selling whatever you can think of. They get on and off everytime the buses stops to drop off and pick up people and run along side as it slows down selling their goods through the windows. A lot of drinks and food. Many drinks come in plastic bags with straws sticking out of them (homemade fruit juices) and fresh cut fruits or fried chicken lunches in plastic bags. One of my favorites are the fried bananas and homemade potato chips. Many of these vendors are unfortunately young children. Also for sale is whatever else you can think of belts, underwear, watches, phone chargers, you name it. There is almost always a form of entertainment or as I call it local infomercials with men giving a sales pitch for vitamins or books. We even had a clown come on and entertain the children.

The buses roll through the streets belching their smog into the air and chugging along. I have learned not to look at the tires of the buses before I get on as most of them are bald - I mean nothing left. The grinding of the gears is a noise I know well now and expect to hear. Vehicle upkeep is not something that is known well in these parts. Either is safety. They install long, metal bars across the length of the roof of the bus for people to hold on to and those go smack through the middle of the emergency doors.

Our Spanish has gotten a lot better (though still elementary) and we are using it almost constantly. I do most the talking and Jeremy does most the listening. I have a very hard time understanding but Jeremy is pretty good at it. Many of the young vendors will come on the bus and see us and sit and stare at us. Now at least we can have a bit of a conversation with them and just smiling breaks their seriousness. They will laugh and laugh and ask all kinds of questions. Many are pretty taken with Jeremy´s blonde hair and blue eyes let alone his tatoos when he has shorts on.

I laughed hard with the realization that we are getting accustomed to life here when Jeremy said ¨at least it is a quiet bus station¨ when we were awoken early to the bus station behind our hotel. Onward we go......
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1230849720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1230849720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1230849720/tpod.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:01:59 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Well, well, well where to start? We left behind our country, hillside life in Nicaragua for a white sand beach on the Carribean. A bit of a culture shock at first since we hardly saw other travellers and suddenly we were on an island that exists for tourism. Also unique to many Carribean parts of Central America is that the locals speak English as their primary language. So our Spanish lessons took a side step for the time being. The island has a diverse heritage exisiting of Africans, Caribs, Europeans (from early settlers) and many relocated foreingers who have made the island their home.

The beauty of the island is amazing. The Bay Islands of Honduras are home to the second largest barrier reef in the world and a lot people come for the scuba diving. White sand beaches with crystal clear waters allows you to spend an entire day just looking off a pier into the water watching the fishes swim around. It is like an aquarium. Just from piers alone we saw many small fishes, plant life and even a stingray. It is so laid back and relaxing that we ended up spending 9 days there when we only intended to stay about 4. We went so far as to back our bags one day and leave our cabin only to walk down the road and check into another place. We couldn't get in a cab to save our lives. I never though I was wired in a way to spend so much time relaxing but it somehow came very easy to me.

We both started a scuba diving course to become open water certified however only one of us suceeded. Jeremy is now a certified open water diver. I chickened out quickly but at least I tried. Those who know me well and have heard my first swimming class story know I don't care for water and have never been comfortable in it. However I thought I would give it a try since you are more submerged in the water rather than on top of it. I took a few tests, got all my gear on and got in the water but couldn't handle the sensation of breathing underwater. I felt like I was suffocating. Jeremy however had a great time and went on four open water dives.

I had made peace with the fact that water sports are not for me but to our great surprise I ended up snorkling and really liking it. Just off the dock of our cabin is a ton of reef and I was able to go on some shorts swims to see the reef shelves and a ton of beautiful fish, lobsters, huge squid and other cool things. And Jeremy got to swim with a turtle!

New Year's was a blast with the sand road filled with small bars we walked around to a few getting some Pina Colodas and rang in the New Year seeing the only live band we could find called The Genitals of all things. They weren't too bad and we ended up finding out that the lead singer was back up guitar for the Rolling Stones but left that gig for island living! No wonder he had that kick his leg in the air thing down.

This is the first place we have been outside the States that we would consider moving to. Total peace and tranquility.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1230324900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1230324900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1230324900/tpod.html Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:39:30 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Esteli, Nicaragua

We wrapped up our Spanish classes today with a feeling of success. All of a sudden the past few days a switch turned on and it all came together. We are far from fluent but can talk in simple sentences to hold a basic conversation. We are happy we stayed the extra week as initially we were only going to stay for two. We are a little sad to be moving on but feel sure we will come back in the future.

The past few weeks took us on a few adventures and saw many celebrations. The Nicaraguan people love to have festivals and December sees many. One of the largest festivals here is called Hipicos. To try to sum it up is hard. It is mostly a parade of cowboys on their horses along with much eating, drinking, dancing and merriment. The parade takes hours and goes slowly. The men on horses stop and talk with the pedestrians and have beers along the way. The horses parade down the road in a dancing trot. The whole thing is very macho and manly. Also a bit dangerous as the evening wore on. Horses on a crowded city street mingling with many people drinking and dancing with loud music. It was one of our most memorable days yet and we spent it with some local people we met when we first arrived which enhances the experience because we can ask more question and understand more of what we see.

Christmas was perfect and laid back. Not all the consumerism and commercialism that you see back home. If you didn´t look at the calendar you almost wouldn´t know it was Christmas. However, as with many celebrations here, there are fireworks at midnight on Xmas eve. We had a nice dinner with our family. We were a bit nervous about conversation but it ended up being no problem. Our Spanish vocabulary suddenly pulled together and we were talking quite well. We even held a conversation about the Mayan calendar and the end of the world to our surprise.

We got away last weekend and headed up to the Miraflores reserve. It is an expanse of private land that is community managed mostly existing of farmland and a bit of ecotourism. It was absolutely beautiful and we saw an amazing sunset. We went horseback riding and it was Jeremy´s first time. He was a bit apprehensive at first but ended up loving it except for the sore hiney the next day.

Jeremy had his 15 minutes of fame a couple weeks ago during another celebration.....we were walking around with some friends and a TV camera came up to them and started talking. Okay, no problem....but then the camera turned on Jeremy and he was asked what he thought of the festival....I ducked away quickly but he managed quite well to say we were enjoying it, etc. It was pretty funny. Plus I´m sure the news loved the blonde headed gringo talking about the festival.

All for now....my writing brain isn´t working well.....a bit boring of a post? We leave for Honduras tomorrow and hope to hit the Bay Islands for New Years....more later.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1229186520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1229186520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1229186520/tpod.html Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:51:09 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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Esteli, Nicaragua

We have made it to our long awaited Spanish school in Esteli. We have been planning to take a Spanish course on this trip and heard this was an excellent place to do so. Here is the website for our school http://www.ibw.com.ni/~horizont/. We choose this particular school because the reviews were good, the spanish was one on one, a homestay and an afternoon activity. Plus, the area is not touristy and little english is suppose to be spoken in town therefore immersing ourselves deeper into using Spanish and the culture. The cost for the lessons, activites and homestay with three meals a day is $190 each for 6 days (20 hours of class). Not too bad and keeps us really close to budget.

Our homestay is with the sister of the school´s owner. Lucila is probably around 70 years old. Very sweet woman. Her son comes over nightly and we try to use some of our newly aquired speaking skills and he too trys to pick up on the English. We aren´t quite sure of his story. He is married and we met his wife once but he comes over nightly for dinner and is over often in the afternoon watching TV and what not. He seems to be a bit of a premadonna. She even heats up water for his showers and carries the large bucket into the shower for him and cleans up after him. He doesn´t lift a finger for anything. Probably part of the culture here. He appears to be close to 40 yrs old. I probably look like the bad wife as we both clean up our dishes.

We get fantastic meals that are high in carbs and fat but are yummy none the less. Lunch, as in most of Latin America, is the larger meal. Breakfast (desayuno) is fruta y pan y cafe. While the other meals (almuerzo y cena) is surrounded around rice and beans and tortillas typically with a vegetable in a cream based sauce. She squeezes us fresh orange juice in the mornings.

The home is very simple (as all are). Most every structure is made of concete walls (inside and outside is same wall) and a tin roof with gaps that provide airflow as well as noise flow. The whole home flows openly from garage to living room. One simple kitchen with no oven or stove just dual propane burners on a counter and a small fridge. One sink exists in the entire house for handwashing, teeth brushing, dish washing and laundry cleaning. The living room has about 4 rocking chairs and that´s about it. There are two TV´s however. One in her room and one outside ours otherwise technology is pretty simple. Showers are freezing (el duche is muy frio)! Hot water doesn´t exists in Nicaragua unless you heat it up yourself. So showers are an adventure. I turn on the water and watch it run while giving myself a pep talk to get in. We are however luckier than the other students. One has no toilet seat (we have one and it is even soft and puffy!) and the other has a connecting wall to a butcher that slaughters pigs around 4 a.m. You all know I couldn´t begin to deal with that.

Our teachers are great and both younger than us. Mine is Isabel and is 18 and Jeremy´s is Aura and is 24. They know a little English which helps otherwise we would be completely lost trying to realte things. But 95% of class is in Spanish with much charades to learn the words. They aren´t suppose to use much English but without some the first two days I would have probably walked. We are both feeling pretty good about our progress but at first it was frustrating. We walked in with high expectations of being pretty communicative after two weeks but have come to realize the road will be much longer than that. We can speak simple sentences now but need to really memorize the words so we still need to use the dictionary almost all the time. We feel our vocabulary is around a 2 years old however Martin (the son) said we are at least 4 years old know. Yey! Plus it is funny to learn a language along side learning grammar. We certainly knew how to talk way before we knew what a adjective was and how to conjugate.

Our afternoon activities look intersting however we only get a gist of what is being told to us as, you guessed it, it is in Espanol. There are two dutch students whose skills are more advanced and can usually pick up on some more. We visited a natural medicine clinic, an art center for creating revolutionary art to record history (seen everywhere around the country on the outside walls) and a paper recycle shop where woman recycle paper to create cards and notebooks for money.

So far our experience has been great. The area is beautiful surrounded by many green hills. The area is known for farming and cowboys. We met a Nico couple who lived in LA for 30 years. First night we were here, we went to the Virgin Mary celebration a couple of doors down and immediately meet English speaking people. It was quite funny but a welcome repreve. They took us to their farm nearby the next day and it was nice to talk with them. They moved back as the cost of living here is so cheap and they are close to retirement. They can live here for $400 per month. Can´t quite do that in the States. There are also others that speak some English but we don´t expect it. The other day someone said ¨eight cordobas¨ and we looked at him funny trying to figure out what eight meant. The adventure continues.......pictures early next week.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1228331820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1228331820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gra8ful/fancy_free/1228331820/tpod.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:57:56 -0500 The U.S. and beyond. A chronical of early retirement.

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San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

We made it over the border to Nicaragua via 5 buses and a walk between borders. I was a bit intimidated at first and thought it better to just take the easy bus they brings you city to city but hey, what´s the fun in that. Off we went and it was super easy. Buses are continuous and easy and cheap. We made the journey with two other guys from Finland and Norway. Total Hans and Frans accents and very nice. We immediately hit the beach in San Juan del Sur. The sun was shining brighter than we have seen for days. The landscape here is beautiful.

San Juan del Sur is a small beach town where many tourists go for fun and sun. Our main objective was to see Oliver Ridley turtles hatch and nest on a nearby protected beach. The turtles come out of the ocean at night and crawl up to the dry sand, dig a hole and lay approx. 100 eggs, cover them up and return to the sea. The eggs then hatch under the sand and make their way up to the surface some three months later and crawl to the ocean hopefully before predators get to them. It was really amazing to experience. The turtles always return to the same beach they were born to lay their eggs. They have a type of magnetic sensor that directs them. Amazing!

So, our $50 a day budget, right? Well, they had lobster on the menu and we both wanted it but it was like $15 each and we were like no way can we spend that much on dinner. However, after thinking about it overnight and how cheap it is in perspective we splurged and each got lobster the next night. Turns out it was even two tails each! $35 for two lobster dinners and two beers. Can´t beat that!

We are back to a more logical denomination of money. The Cordoba is 20 to the $1. I can do that math! They also except US dollars but are very picky about the type of bill they get. Their money is beat up and dirty and worn. We gave them a very new $20 and it had a small tear in the border and they wouldn´t accept it. Very funny.

The typical breakfast is rice and beans with eggs. In fact, rice and beans for every meal. The only thing that changes is the drink for the time of day. Morning - coffee, afternoon - soda, night - beer.
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