TravelStream™ news feed for member jenbenz on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jenbenz en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 19 Dec 2005 10:39:11 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1135005540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1135005540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1135005540/tpod.html Mon, 19 Dec 2005 10:39:11 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I'm back in Chicago and "done" travelling for the time being, at least as far as international trips go (I am taking a road trip with my family up to Wisconsin next week to celebrate the holidays with my sister's husband's family). I'll be back in San Francisco in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends there (including several who are coming in from out of town for the weekend) and then get back to work and something more of a "normal" life in early January.

I feel like I should have some profound things to say, but simply don't have time right now as my sister and her husband are moving today and I'm at their apartment and need to get ready for the movers to come in about 2 hours (they are currently at the closing of their first home purchase -- very exciting!). But, I've done lots of reflecting on the trip along the way, as you can see in the past entries (especially the one on Thanksgiving and the early September entries when I just got back to the US after 6 months of travelling). And, you can expect more of that as I try to readjust to a usual routine and being in the US.

In the meantime, I'll answer my two most frequently asked questions:

What was my favorite place?
Hard to choose, as I've really enjoyed every place I've been. But I will definitely go back to Guatemala, Mexico (I feel like I could spend a year just travelling in Mexico!) and the Bay Islands in Honduras for sure to do more scuba diving.

Did I have any latin lovers?
Nope. And, at least in the countries I visited, I think the latin lover thing is a total myth. Maybe they`re somewhere in South America.... Although, I did meet a guy in Oaxaca City who couldn´t have been more than 17 and when he sent me an email it said something to the effect of "I have never met anybody so beautiful as you, your eyes are like the sweet dawn, you are like the soft breeze that touches the flower petals every dawn...." I couldn't believe the translation myself, but that's pretty much the jist of it. So, maybe there's some potential there.

Anyway.... hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Looking forward to reconnecting with many of you in the New Year.

Best wishes,

Jen
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1134790800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1134790800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1134790800/tpod.html Mon, 19 Dec 2005 10:19:34 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Antigua, Guatemala

After spending a bit of time with my family in Colorado after the wedding, I left one last time for Guatemala. This was the third trip to Guatemala this year and I'm already thinking about the next time I'll be able to go back. I started my trip in March in Guatemala, taking exactly the same Denver-LA-Guatemala City flight, arriving before 6am in Guatemala. And, impressively, at that hour, with fog enveloping the city and mountain and volcano tops sticking up above the horizon, and the sun just beginning to line the sky, Guatemala City looks gorgeous, just as it did the first time I went there, in March. That time, I was excited but nervous and arrived after the not-long-enough overnight flight in Antigua hardly being able to speak a word of spanish and feeling a little overwhelmed with the prospect of being there by myself and definitely thinking a couple times that I may have lost my mind to be embarking on such a trip. Just short of nine months later, I didn't have worries about going to Guatemala, except that I wouldn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to.

And, that proved to be true. Saturday, the day I arrived, and Sunday were relatively relaxed. I went to breakfast Saturday morning with Claire, a girlfriend I met there earlier in the year who, as luck would have it, will be moving to San Francisco soon. That afternoon, we shopped and enjoyed Antigua. Sunday morning I met with Franklin over breakfast to and then met Claire and her boyfriend for Hugo's ceviche and beer. Hugo's parks a truck on a corner in town every Sunday afternoon and serves up ceviche and beer "preparado" which means, you take a big sip of the beer to make room for salt, lime, worcheshire and chili sauce. If that doesn't sounds good to you, you need to try it.

But, Monday through Thursday were packed. Monday, I visited my old spanish teacher, did some errands in Antigua, and then went out to Common Hope and met the girl who I'm sponsoring. As a sponsor, I donate $60 a month to Common Hope, which helps pay for the schooling and family development services for one of their affiliated students. The girl I'm sponsoring is 16 and has a few more years of "basico" before going to University. It was interesting to meet her and her family and her mother was certainly a spokesperson for the organization, crediting it with allowing all of her children to graduate from school instead of dropping out to work and help support the family. I can't say enough good things about Common Hope -- if you want to donate money somewhere that it really will make a difference, I'd recommend checking them out. www.commonhope.org

I also spent a bit of time Monday afternoon with Franklin, who I met earlier in the year and hope to do a lot of work with this coming year. Franklin, an american, has been in Guatemala for a couple years and is helping to start several small businesses there, which much success. In March, I wrote about an herbal medicine class and chicken co-op and a group of Guatemalan met who were learning to process their own coffee. At that time, Franklin was helping lead those projects as part of Common Hope. Now, he's doing similar ones on his own, but still closely affiliated with the organization. The idea behind all of his projects is the same, and quite simple: find viable markets in the US for Guatemalan products, and make sure the profits from those markets stays with the people who produce the materials in Guatemala. But, he's also finding and nurturing small business owners to help them learn the skills they need to run their own businesses and help their communities. The impact is incredible. In many cases, a family in Guatemala may live on only a few hundred dollars a year. To create a viable source of income for them means, most importantly, that their kids will go to and stay in school and hopefully have good work opportunities when they are done with school. And, breaking that cycle of poverty has a ripple effect in the entire community.

Tuesday morning, Franklin and I met with Aura, a woman who lives in a village close to Antigua and is an expert weaver. Aura and her family have been affiliated with Common Hope almost since the organization began. I took some designs from a friend who is a graphic artist and met with Aura to see if she could replicate them. Of course she can, its just a matter of how long it will take her. All of the traditional dress worn by indigenous women is hand-made down to every stitch. As a result, the women are incredible artisans. Aura is teaching all of her children, including the boys, to weave. Its an unbelievable craft and I've completely fallen in love with the artistry of it. I hope that replicating graphic designs will work and the end product will be a high-end piece of wall art, with a very high selling price, of course.

Later that morning, I met a group of men who are starting a coffee cooperative and they gave us a little tour of how to pick and process coffee. They are one of three coffee projects going on, one being run by teenagers as a way for them to learn to manage their business, and the other being run by Common Hope employee Felix, who had a very successful crop last year. So successful, in fact, that he's donating a portion of his profits to his community and to CH. Felix produces truly some of the best coffee that comes out of Guatemala, but just started processing and roasting it himself last year. As you can probably guess, all the labor is on the growing/harvesting side of things, but the real money is in processed and roasted coffee. He's in the photo album, when he brought me the 40+ pounds of coffee I stuffed in my suitcase to bring home. Yum.

The rest of the day, I spent with Dom Francisco, an expert jade craftsman. He's been working the jade for decades. He spent a little while teaching us about jade and then we started making a jade piece, which is incredibly detailed, time consuming work. After about an hour of shaping this little piece of jade, I thought I had no patience for this type of work. But, once it started to come together, it was quite fun. His business is growing and growing as he's creating this create-your-own experience and it was fun to spend time with someone who's so passionate about what he does.

Wednesday morning, Franklin and I met at 6:30 in the morning to take a serious of buses and pickups to Santo Domingo Xenocoj (pronounced shen-o-col) to visit Arcadia and her family (they are in the photo album). To get there, we first hopped on the bus to Guatemala City, which as you know chicken buses, was about as crowded as possible and, this morning, also quite sauna-like since all the Guatemalans think its freezing this time of year, even though for most of us it would seem quite warm. After about 35 minutes holding on for dear life, we switched buses and got strange looks and questions from the bus drivers as we were no longer on a usual tourist route. Our next change put us in a small van heading to Xenocoj. We arrived before 8am and the streets of the town were still quite empty and covered in shadows as smoke raised up out of most of the homes. I cursed my decision not to bring my camera, as I can't really describe the ghost-town-like streets in this poor village.

Arcadia and her mother Juana and many of the women in their family are also expert weavers. I met them in March as well. Arcadia speaks Spanish and Kax'chi'quel, one of the nearly 30 mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. She's also very smart and has more of an education than most women in her town, and since she's only 17, there's tons of potential for her to become a successful small business owner. She also seemed quite excited about the prospect of creating some custom designs. Franklin and I spoke to her and Juana in Spanish, and the two of them spoke to eachother in Kax'chi'quel, so it was quite a lively exchange.

We got back to Antigua in time for me to meet Claire for lunch at Isabel and Jose's house. They are the family I lived with in April and Claire introduced me to them and also lived with them for several months. They are just wonderful people and I do feel they are my family in Antigua. After lunch, Claire and I went to huge store in town that sells Guatemalan crafts, in particular artisans work. They were having a sale on jupiles, the amazing hand-made shirts that decorate many women (Juana and Arcadia are wearing jupiles in their picture). Claire and I sorted through hundreds of jupiles, trying to find fabrics and designs that could be turned into handbags, a project we thought up the day before. Franklin knows a few women who are quite skilled at sewing, so this will be their new project. Luckily Claire is in Guatemala for another month and can work with the women to get just the right shapes and quality. Once they're finished, we'll find a way to sell them in San Francisco, that is, if we can bear to part with them.

Thursday morning, Claire and I met a friend on the sidewalk at about 7am to wait for a shuttle to Chichicastenango, the largest market in Guatemala and one of the few places I haven't been but really would like to see. A few hours later, assuming we would be arriving in Chi-chi shortly, traffic stopped and we quickly gathered that there was some kind of strike ahead and the road to Chi-chi was closed. Of course, things on my trip had been going far far too well for too long, so it makes sense that on my last day, plans would go awry. So, instead, we took a ridiculously windy road down to Panajachel, on Lake Atitlan, one of my favorite places. I couldn't really complain too much. The drive took us through some of the areas badly damaged by Hurricane Stan, a horrific storm for Guatemala, but the damages there barely making the news in the US. You could see huge areas where the mudslide was and the road we were on was dug out of the mud, with 6-8 feet of dirt piled on each side of it in some places. In one location, a long wide valley where there used to be crops, the entire valley, maybe a 1/2 mile wide, was turned into a river bed.

Here's more info:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4324038.stm
http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/guatemala/GuatemalanStan.html

We finally got back to Antigua after spending far too much time in the car, and I met Franklin and Felix in the park to get coffee, spent a bit more time chatting with Claire and Franklin about upcoming projects and then tackled the ridiculous task of getting everything I bought (including 40+ pounds of coffee) into my bags.

The week in Guatemala was fantastic and well worth the trip down. I'm really excited to have some opportunities to be involved there and continue to have a connection to that country and the people -- and, of course, another excuse to go back sometime next year. I feel like I barely skimmed the surface with this description but you can be sure that you'll hear about what comes out of some of these business ideas.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1133371800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1133371800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1133371800/tpod.html Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:23:38 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Mexico City, Mexico

Three days in Mexico City is hardly long enough to do anything.... except maybe, in my case, to make many many vows to come back as soon as possible.

I absolutely loved Mexico City. It has all of the life and chaos of a third-world city (huge markets, people selling everything you can think of on the streets, crazy transportation) but also all of the sophistication, culture and history of the world's best cosmopolitan cities (amazing history and art museums, ancient ruins, high-end shopping, fantastic restaurants and bars, and an incredibly efficient and cheap metro system). Mexico City is just as exciting to me as London or New York -- maybe even more so, since its so different and less predictable. And, its less than a 4-hour flight from Los Angeles!

I arrived in la cuidad early early on a Monday morning and left even earlier the following Thursday. My first day, I took a walking tour of the historic downtown area and explored the street markets around my hostel (within a 10-block radius downtown, there's enough to keep you busy for days). The next day, went to the Archeological Museum (amazing enough just for the architecture of the building and filled with an incredible collection of pre-hispanic art) and Coyoacan, to see Frida Kahlo's Blue House. My last day, to the art exhibits at Museo Nacional and Bellas Artes, to book stores and street markets to buy loads of books to take to Guatemala (and a suitcase to carry them in), and to the artisans markets. I was pretty much exhausted by the end of each day, and spent the evenings pouring over maps and guidebooks trying to narrow down what to do next.

I can't wait to go back to have more time to explore the art museums (I didn't get to the best Kahlo and Diego exhibits), the nightlife (sounds great, but I was too tired and too by-myself to do much), the shopping (I only got to a couple of the dozens of markets) and the food, of course.

And, since I know you're thinking, "isn't Mexico City one of the biggest and most dangerous cities in the world?" .... yes, its one of the biggest (I think about 23 million people) and I'm sure there is a ton of crime there, but I never once felt even a bit uneasy. Of course, if someone has the chance to steal your wallet, I'm sure they will, and you have to be careful about the types of taxis you take, but I didn't have any problems at all and felt just as safe as I do in NYC or San Francisco. The men were a constant reminder that I stick out like a sore thumb and there was hardly a block of the city where I didn't get some sort of look, whistle or "hola chica," but that was more comical and annoying than anything (and when I was with people, especially guys, that mostly stopped). I think the city would be a bit more intimidating if I couldn't speak Spanish, but please don't let that keep you from visiting!

I stayed at a great hostel just a block from the Zocalo, the historic center. Would definitely recommend it -- free breakfast/dinner, free tours, secure taxis.
http://www.hostalmoneda.com.mx/
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1133184720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1133184720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1133184720/tpod.html Thu, 08 Dec 2005 13:54:10 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Mexico City, Mexico

It`s hardly even 7am and I just arrived at my hostal in Mexico City. The bus left Puerto last night at 6:30pm, and less than 12 hours later (and still in the dark), we got to Norte bus terminal in Mexico City. Normally I can sleep on buses, planes, trains, whatever, but I couldn`t get a wink of sleep last night. The first half of the bus ride was too hot and we stopped about once an hour for random reasons seeming to range from the driver needing a coffee to army checkpoints to a thorough look at everyone`s documents and ID by immigration police. The second half of the ride was freezing and filled with the ever-calming sounds of snoring. Oh well, I`m here now and super excited to spend some time in Mexico City. I leave for a walking tour of the historic center in a couple hours, hopefully after some serious amounts of coffee.

It was hard to leave Puerto Escondido last night. The last few days, I spent a lot of time with a great group of people: one of my spanish instructors, from Cuba; two Australians, one a bookstore manager who`s been travelling most of the year, the other soon-to-be a political speechwriter spending a few months in Mexico learning spanish before starting work; and a doctor/surfer from South Africa. Needless to say, we had a lot to talk about.

Friday night, we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant on the beach, just after sunset and then went to listen to live music pool-side at my hotel. Yesterday, we went to a nearby beach, Manzanillo and laid under umbrellas and took in the scenary. We got back to our beach, Zicatella, just in time for me to change clothes and pack up my stuff and get out to the beach for sunset. A "salud" over some Sol on the beach as the sunset was my goodbye and I took off to the bus station, really wishing that I could stay for a few more days.

Puerto Escondido and the Oaxaca Coast are definitely on my list of favorites. Puerto is a great combination of gorgeous scenary, interesting people and great food and accomodations. I`ll be going back there for sure:

-- Gorgeous beaches, great sunsets -- Zicatela is the main surfing beach, long and wide with restaurants and umbrellas scattered about. Nearby there are loads of smaller beaches, some you can walk to cab to, others easier to get to by boat. Zicatela faces west for great sunsets every night.

-- A real Mexican city, not just a tourist destination -- Great markets, just as many locals as tourists on the beaches, and the fisherman are out on Playa Principal every morning stringing their nets and hauling in the catch of the day.

-- Cheap -- I paid between $12-14 a night for a hotel room and then my own little cabana, both in the center part of town. Meals around $5 or less, fresh juices and licuados for about $2-3.

-- Great food -- and tons of vegetarian food -- fresh juices, great coffee, tofu! (More than one restaurants makes their own tofu and soy products!) There`s a japanese restaurant right on the beach, lots of italian and, of course, great mexican food too.

-- Interesting people from all over the world -- I`ve met more Australians and Brits than Americans here which is a bit odd since we`re so close to the US. But, also people from all over Europe, South Africa. (And its generally a really good looking bunch of people there -- visitors and locals.)

-- Good spanish instructors at www.puertoschool.com

I`ll get more photos online probably when I get back to the states the end of this week.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1134067680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1134067680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1134067680/tpod.html Thu, 08 Dec 2005 13:49:28 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Denver, Colorado, United States

I'm in Denver at the moment.... got here about a week ago to attend a friend's wedding (yes, another!) and have been spending time with my family this week.

I'm heading back to Guatemala (third time this year!) on Friday to spend a week there. I'm really excited about the trip back to Guatemala -- I'll be able to catch up with friends there (including Isabel and Jose who I lived with for a while). And, I'm going to spend a lot of time with a friend who is starting some small businesses and see where I can get involved. Also, I'm sponsoring a student through Common Hope and I'll get to meet her next week. www.commonhope.org

Guatemala is the final stop on my foreign travels for the year (and has finally depleted my frequent flier miles!). After a week there, I'm going to Chicago to spend Christmas with my family (we'll be helping my sister and her husband move into their new apartment!) and then back to San Francisco just before New Year's. I'm really looking forward to getting back to San Francisco, although not quite ready to be done travelling. I'm hoping this week in Guatemala lets me find some projects there to stay connected and make for good excuses for more trips next year. :)

I just posted photos from Puerto and Mexico City. Hope everyone is doing well!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132854060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132854060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132854060/tpod.html Thu, 24 Nov 2005 20:30:06 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Thanksgiving is usually one of my favorite holidays... we all get 4 days off work, its a good excuse to spend the day with friends and family, you cook great food, you eat pumpkin pie, its not overly commercialized.... what could be better?

So, this year, its a little odd to be spending Thanksgiving without the usual friends and family, or the usual meal, or the usual climate. I spent the morning in Spanish class and plan to spend the afternoon on the beach whereas normally I would be helping chop sweet potatoes or make stuffing.

I do think though, this is a good holiday to acknowledge what we are thankful for and this year, after spending most of it living and travelling in developing countries, I have a different perspective than years past. I think in general in the US, we have no idea just how good we have it. We tend to compare our lives to the wealthiest and most successful among us instead of thinking about how most of the world lives. And, this year, I am very aware -- and very thankful -- for some things that last year at this time I may have taken for granted. So, I thought I`d share what I`m thankful for. And, I`m very curious what`s on your list or if you all would add anything else here.

I am thankful for:

-- I`m thankful for the wonderful family and friends in my life. Because of you all, I can travel around and be in strange places where I don`t know anyone and always feel like I have roots. I can rely on there being someone -- lots of someones, actually -- to lean on in any situation, but most of all, I have amazing people to share my life with and who make my life that much richer. I am thankful that I`ve had the chance to spend so much time with my family this year, and celebrate exciting occasions (like the 6 weddings this year!) and to travel and discover with friends from home and to meet new friends in the most random circumstances and situations. And, I`m thankful that I`ll see many of you very very soon!

-- Likewise, I am thankful for my health and that of the people in my life. I`m coming up on it being nearly 10 years ago that I was diagnosed with and treated for hodgkins disease and I`m thankful to have had that experience and be healthy now. And, I`m thankful that I and my friends and family have access to some of the best health care in the world.

-- While I am the first to be critical of our country and especially our current government, I am so thankful to have been born and raised in the US. A country where:
- I had all the vitamins and nutrients and fresh air and clean water and access to doctors and health care that I needed growing up (and still have access to all those needs and don`t really even have to think about them).
- I had access to quality education and where my family valued education and could send me to a good university.
- I was given value as an individual and was taught to believe that we are all valuable as individuals.
- As a girl, I didn`t grow up much differently than boys. Where I was still expected to get an education and was not subjected violence or oppression. And still, as a woman, I have more or less the same opportunities as men and can live the life I want to, not one that is predescribed.
- I now have good opportunities not just to make a living and survive but to use my education to have a positive impact in the world.
- And, of course, where my passport lets me go basically anywhere in the world!

-- I`m thankful that I can speak Spanish! I have so much more to learn and please don`t ask me if I`m fluent yet because that will take years, but I have a good foundation from which to keep going.

-- I`m thankful that I have the resources and financial stability to spend this much time away from work and do my favorite things and discover new places and meet new people and to share the experience with all of you!

-- I`m thankful that after all of this, I am still really really excited to return back to San Francisco. Not a bad place at all to call home.

And, I hope that when I return to the US and to my usual routine, I keep this perspective front-of-mind and don`t forget what I`ve learned and what I`ve seen -- the good and the bad. I hope that I don`t stop appreciating the amazing things or feeling the compelling urge to try to help change the horrible ones.

And, I hope that all of you are enjoying Thanksgiving. Please have another piece of pumpkin pie for me!

With much love,

Jen
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132190460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132190460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132190460/tpod.html Sat, 19 Nov 2005 15:18:58 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Zipolite, Mexico

After figuring out that buses for Puerto Escondido go through the town nearest to Zipolite, I decided to stop there for a day or so and check it out before heading to Puerto for Spanish school (among other things, like to watch surfing). After an overnight 10-hour-plus bus ride from Oaxaca, I got off in the town of Pachutla and grabbed a taxi for the next 25-minutes to Zipolite. I arrived in Zipolite about 8am and stopped by the yoga/cabanas spot I'd heard about, put down my bags and walked out to the beach. Stunning was my first thought. God its hot outside was my second. But, still, the mile or so of almost-empty beach and big crashing waves was certainly enough to justify a little sweat. About an hour later, I was in a yoga class and already thinking, Ok, this is a place I could stay for a while. Five sunsets later, I was finally on my way to Puerto.

I have head a lot about Zipolite on my travels -- people rave about the beach, the relaxed pace, the there's-absolutely-nothing-to-do quality it has (and how inexpensive it is!). And, to my surprise, they were all right. At first I didn't think there was enough in Zipolite to keep my occupied, but after meeting a few fun people and settling in, I was more than content. The major events of each day were yoga (at 9am), eating (such good food!), maybe going for a dip (although the waves were pretty treacherous!) and watching the sunset, and after that, there was really not a whole lot else to do, which was fantastic. I don't really think of myself as a beach person, but now I think I've changed my mind.

We did pull ourselves away from the beach one day to go on a fantastic snorkel tour. For about $12 per person, a guide took us out on his boat to some hidden beaches, out on the water to look for turtles (we saw about 6, including 2 mating!) and dolphins (no luck there), and to snorkel. The water is a little chilly right now for snorkeling for too long, but there was some incredible stuff to see in the water.

As I said, after the sun sets, there´s even less going on in Zipolite than by day. But, we managed to spend one night drinking and singing with a few locals at one of the bars until about 3am. A totally hilarious scene, five of us showed up (one with a guitar) at the otherwise empty bar and within about 30 minutes, we had a private concert complete with karaoke machine and impassioned lead singer. Turns out the guy who works at the bar has a band and was more than delighted to have an audience. Later in the night, Gabriel (the singer) and D'ae (an Indonesian guy who lives in Holland) were jamming and making up songs, D'ae on the guitar and Gabriel on the mike. I cannot do justice trying to describe the scene of random other locals who wondered in and out of the beach-side bar wondering what all the noise was about. Suffice to say, it was one of the funniest and most entertaining nights of the year.

And, the 16th was the full moon and a new friend´s birthday, the former being cause for a beach bonfire and fiesta, the later being cause for Paul getting thrown in the ocean by the guys we hung out with singing a couple nights before. I´m pretty sure the party attracted everyone staying and living in Zipolite -- about 100 people were there!

Here's where I stayed and took yoga: www.solstice-mexico.com I'd love to go back for one of the retreats and definitely recommend it!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132363380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132363380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1132363380/tpod.html Fri, 18 Nov 2005 19:46:40 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Puerto Escondido, Mexico

I arrived in Puerto Escondido ("hidden port") yesterday. Puerto is famous for the "Mexican pipeline," supposedly the best surf spot in Mexico and usually home to massive waves. There´s a surf competition going on this weekend, but not really any big waves at the moment, although that doesn´t seem to be bothering anyone.

I´m taking spanish lessons at a school here that is conveniently perched above Zicatela, the main surf beach. So far, I´m really impressed with the instructors and glad to be back in classes (and glad that I have not forgotten everything!). One of my instructors is from Cuba and went to university in Russia -- really interesting.

Puerto has a gorgeous big beach and is pretty lively, especially compared to sleepy Zipolite. But, it doesn´t feel overly touristy, which is nice. There also seem to be as many Mexican tourists here as foreigners, always a good thing.

I think I´ll be here for about a week before heading back to Mexico City for a few days and then to Denver on Dec. 1. I´m trying not to look at the calendar too much because it is reminding me that I'm missing Thanksgiving at home. Hope everyone has fun plans for a few days off -- I´d love to hear what you´re up to (and some of the internet cafes are airconditioned!) so please send me an update!

Jen

PS I just posted photos from Oaxaca and Zipolite too. Hope everyone is doing well!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1131755640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1131755640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1131755640/tpod.html Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:53:22 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Oaxaca, Mexico

I´m now in Oaxaca City and its gorgeous here... the bus ride was about 6 hours through some really pretty areas. First, out of the massive sprall of Mexico City, then in between 3 huge volcanoes, then through rolling pine forests, cactus fields (both those big huge tall ones and clumpy tree-like cactus), then green more leafy forests and crop fields. At one point, it looked like a rainbow was coming straight up out of a cloud-topped valley. Not a bad ride at all, especially because Mexico has pretty comfortable and nice bus lines.

Oaxaca city is a lot bigger than I pictured, but the center has all that colonial charm of so many central american cities. It feels and looks a lot like Antigua, Guatemala (including exactly the same version of tourists/language students walking around, women on the street selling arts and crafts, cute cafes and restaurants hidden behind thick walls just off the sidewalks) except with a lot more art galleries (tons of modern art) and some different jewelry and slightly different arts and crafts. My $5 dinner the first night here (in a cute cafe right next to my hotel) was a fresh spinach-apple-carrot juice and veggie sandwich with organic greens. Heaven!

I spent today wandering around the city and in and out of art galleries and museums. The Museo de Contemporary Arte is just gorgeous and there´s another with an unbelievable collection of pre-hispanic art. There`s a huge market area that I wondered through this morning. The sky was perfectly clear with surprisingly bright and hot sun. You`d think I`d want to stay here forever... but, I don`t. I was initially planning on staying here for a week, but I`m leaving tonight for Zipolite and Puerto Escondido, on the Pacific Coast. I`ve been really excited about going to the beaches after reading up on them but I also feel like I`ve already spent tons of time in Oaxaca City, which, of course, I haven`t. But, its very reminiscent of Antigua, Granada, Merida, Valladoid... all those gorgeous colonial spots and I feel like I more or less know what to expect here. So, onto something new. And, I feel like I better sieze the opportunity to change my plans on whim while I still can! (That back-to-work-and-a-normal-schedule looming in the near near future.)

More soon!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1131594240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1131594240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jenbenz/fall_2005/1131594240/tpod.html Wed, 09 Nov 2005 22:50:49 -0500 Bouncing around the US, Europe and Mexico

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Mexico City, Mexico

After a couple crammed days in San Francisco catching up with friends, doing laundry and resorting my backpack, I´m back in Mexico, this time Mexico City. The flight here was surprisingly quick -- only three and a half hours from Los Angeles -- and I found my way to the hostel pretty painlessly with the help of an airport pickup. I´m staying at Hostel Moneda, which is right in the center of the city. About ten minutes after arriving, I was on the roof-top deck eating dinner, drinking a beer, and taking in the view of the Zocalo. Breakfast and dinner and tours are included in the price... I´m already looking forward to coming back here my last few days in Mexico.

I´m going to explore this area a bit in the morning and then head to Oaxaca to find a language school and study for a couple weeks. I´m only in Mexico for three weeks and after that, my travel will be winding down very quickly.

I´ve posted more Greece photos and a few from London. Hope everyone is doing well!
]]>