Summary of journey through Central America

  San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

(This entry only contains a small selection of the ¨Best Of¨ pictures. For more pictures, please select the ¨Picture¨ links in this entry)

Journey through Central America
4 countries full of stories, surprises, beautiful vistas and people
 
                                 Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua
 
Saludos!
 
Many greetings and hellos from Central America! No, we didn´t forget about anyone or didn´t want you not to know where we are but rather it has been a time of incredible changes, developments, events, experiences and personal growth. I haven´t written in a while like you might have noticed and I apologize to those who were expecting a bit more frequent updates from our trip and adventures abroad. Many things have happened and there is so much to tell that I will just give you some of the highlights and when we see you again we can sit down and chat about what it has been like living and traveling here in Central America and really experiencing what these countries are all about. 
 

Volcan Telica, Nicaragua

I have spent lots of hours lately to make some serious changes to our website and have migrated to a Travelpod website. This tool is easier to use for me on the road as well is better for you to follow our route. There is a dynamic world map with interactive map pins you can click on to get pictures and stories of the places we have visited. Yellow map pins have a story and / or pictures while grey map pins are there to create the route. You can zoom in on the map and get a better idea of where we actually are or where the place is that I am mentioning in the update. At the following links you can find the online version of this update as well as the pictures My Travelpod Website. You can still go to the Windows Live Space at http://philippschonger.spaces.live.com/  but there will only be a small selection of the ¨Best Of¨ pictures. Let me know what you think of the change! Each section below has its links to its own set of pictures.
 
Let´s get started ...

just in case you don't remember us (I hope you do :- ) or what we have been up to and to save you from reading the last few blog entries, here's a quick version of our trip. Mariela and I have been traveling since October last year when I left my job at Microsoft in Seattle, WA and we decided to spread our wings and fly away out of the comfort zone of having a job, a home, easy access to food, health care, a nice bed every night, and generally all the familiar and comfortable things around us to take on new challenges, experiences, and see how the world around us works. We left from Seattle and drove down the West Coast of the United States to L.A., then headed across the States to Texas where we spent a few weeks kitesurfing in South Padre Island.

San Pedro, Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala

In December and January we went to Austria to visit my family and in January we flew to Guatemala, Central America to start our journey through Latin America. After spending 3 months in Antigua, Guatemala to study Spanish we traveled to Belize and Honduras, and came back to Guatemala to live with Mariela´s family for 3 months in Chiquimula, Guatemala (See last blog entry - This is a different world! - Chiquimula, Guatemala) which was quite an experience by itself.
 
That´s as far as our last blog entry goes. Now, what has been going on since? Well.. it has been crazy to say the least!



GUATEMALA

Robbery, Guatemala City
(Pictures)
 
After leaving Mariela´s family I went back to Antigua, Guatemala which has become a place that is easy to fall in love with for its beauty and cultural richness. After being back for two days I had to go to the Immigration office in Guatemala City to extend my 3 month visa which had already expired.

Guatemala

Mariela told me that I should take one of the organized tourist shuttles to get from Antigua to Guatemala City but I figured that taking the bus would be just as good and only 1/5th of the price of one of these tourist shuttles. Her concern was the safety of taking a trip in the so-called ¨Chicken Buses¨ which are basically old yellow school buses that have been shipped or driven down from the United States after there wasn't any use for them anymore in the US. In Central America, these buses are the blood that runs inside and between cities and get people to even the most remote places. They are beautifully painted, decorated, modified, and painted and sometimes really have their own character, especially when Salsa, Bachata, Merengue or Cumbia music is blasting through the sound system (which seems to be the most up-to-date component of the bus usually). They are called chicken buses because you can often find chickens among other live stock sitting right next to you or under your seat, or maybe even above you :-). The concern with these buses is that they get robbed at times, i.e. armed robberies are not too uncommon from the stories I have heard, or you can just get pick-pocketed by someone on the bus. Of course it's not as bad as it sounds in all the buses, but it happens. That's exactly what happened to me! I was aware of the dangers but still didn't manage to protect my belongings well enough. Without me noticing anything (obviously) one of the passengers, probably the lady sitting right next to me during the 30 minute ride on the way back from the city, cut a nice hole into my jeans about where my right front pocket ends (see pictures), then cut inside the little sack and took out my credit card. Incredible! I have deep pockets so I figured if someone was to enter my pocket to take out my stuff I would notice it, but who would have thought that someone comes from the outside and cuts into my pocket - most likely with something super sharp. My jeans are by no means thin and you'd have to be skilled to do this without getting any attention, but the bus was super crammed with 3 to 4 people sitting in a row where normally 2 school kids sit, so being squeezed tightly between two people, I just didn't notice it. Doh!

Pickpocketing in the chicken bus, Guatemala

Anyways, getting robbed wasn't a big deal and it's something I figured would probably happen at some point. So I called my bank and cancelled my card about 2 hours after the whole thing happened and figured everything would be fine. The next day I check my statement online and guess what? Purchases for more than $975 have been made within 20 minutes of the robbery. Wow ... I couldn't believe it since I always thought Credit Cards were somewhat secure, but I guess not. The thieves figured that to test out my card they'd buy something for $5 at a Pizza Hut to make sure the card works and not raise suspicion, then they went to another fast food restaurant to buy something slightly more expensive, and finally went to some kind of electronics store to make two purchases over $500 and $400 respectively. I still don't know how they did it but they are professionals and it has taught me a lesson. Wear your money belt while traveling and be aware of your surroundings! To make a long story short, my bank gave me no hassles getting the money back because Visa as well as MasterCard protects you against unauthorized purchases. The most important thing is that I am glad nobody physically threatened or hurt me during this pick pocketing action.
 
Now, that you are a little warmed up after reading about the robbery ... I guess you are ready for the real deal of what has been going down. Stay put!

 
Extortion, Antigua
(Pictures)

Maybe you remember some of the stuff I talked about in our last blog update regarding the extortions that are happening in Guatemala, and probably in all of Latin America. If not, take a quick look at This is a different world! - Chiquimula, Guatemala to get an idea. Well ... this was something I thought I would only hear on the streets, read in the newspapers and see on TV but I never thought this would actually happen to us. What a crazy world! I will make this short because there's a lot of detail involved but it's hard to believe what has happened and it's something that should be told.
 
One morning Mariela was on the way to an Internet Café and got pulled into a car and threatened with a gun held to her head. Yes, crazy! After trying to molest her she was able to

Antigua, Guatemala

escape from the car and ran. The car was able to pass her up at another corner where the men told her that she'd pay for her action (of running away). A few days later one of the men shows up while she is walking through town and threatens and forces her to go to the ATM (bank machine) to withdraw money from her account. If she would not follow his instructions, go to the police or tell anyone about this they threatened her to hurt her as well as her boyfriend, i.e. me. Organized crime! Lot's of crazy shit (excuse my language) happening here with many details that I can't really all write about in this blog, but, oh boy, that was something we would have never expected especially after being in Guatemala for more than 6 months already and knowing lots about the culture, the people, and various places, etc.
 
I've learned a whole lot through this experience. It's sad to say, but you have to be careful who you can trust and who you can't. I'm the kind of person who loves talking to people, socialize, hear stories and tell stories, and easily trusts folks, but in this world you have to be a bit more cautious because you don't really know what someone's intentions may be. I have also learned that you need to be careful if you spend a lot of time in one place. Especially as a foreigner like me (tall and blond) you stand out and people notice your routine and what you are up to on a daily basis. I think I will leave it at that and I am sure you can see some of the things I'm trying to tell you here. Besides loosing a couple hundred dollars to the extortionists we definitely experienced shock, confusion, anger, and a bunch of other emotions which in the end made us I believe stronger, smarter, and more careful for the future.

View of Lago de Atitlan from Panajachel

You might wonder why we didn't go to the police and that's a fair question, but all I can tell you is that with the corruption and involvement of the police in organized crimes this was not the route we were going to take.
 
 
Well ... would I visit Guatemala again after all these experiences? Of course I would! This is an incredible place, with incredible people, incredible landscapes, and incredible customs. Guatemala has a special place in my heart, not only because my girlfriend is from there but also because we spent a very long time here and got to know many good people. The unlucky stuff that has happened comes down to being at the wrong place at the wrong time and really could happen almost anywhere around the world. You might run a bit more risk around Central America but it is no reason to be afraid and miss out on the opportunity to get to know all the beautiful things this country has to offer.

 
Turtles, Monterrico
(Pictures)

Having taken some advanced Salsa classes and continuing to practice my Spanish as well as after doing a trip back to Lake Atitlán to San Pedro La Laguna (Pictures) and to San Marcos La Laguna (Pictures), where we kitesurfed between the volcanoes a few months back, I decided to close the Antigua chapter and hit the beach in Guatemala. I thought some time apart between Mariela and I would be healthy for the relationship since we have been traveling together for many months already.

Sunset in Monterrico, Guatemala

Monterrico was amazing and quite a different place from Antigua. A black sand tropical beach, lined with palm trees, warm water with huge and powerful waves, hot weather, and cheap food and accommodation. 
  
While I was sitting at the beach the first night I had someone from the hotel approach me telling me that a turtle had just arrived at the beach and was about to lay her eggs. After giving the turtle some time to find its nesting location we got closer and I was able to witness one of the most incredible things happening in nature. The turtle was a good 1.5m x 1m big and must have laid more than 40 or so eggs. Incredible! The eggs came out like white ping-pong balls, somewhat shiny and a bit soft. I've never seen anything like this before. While laying its eggs the turtle put itself into a trance state until she is done, then covers the hole with its eggs with sand, practically jumps on top of the sand to harden it and then walks off, sometimes with a lost sense of direction due to the exhausting activity, back into the water. I wish I could describe it better; it's just something you should try to get a chance to see sometime.
 
If you have looked at the pictures already you are probably wondering what's up with the bag and the eggs and the guy reaching into the sand behind the turtle. Well, take a look. Sadly, turtle eggs are somewhat valuable to the locals and they like to collect them to drink them raw (yes, raw!) with orange juice or V8.

Turtle Eggs, Monterrico, Guatemala

Part of the eggs end up at the market or in restaurants while others go back to a turtle hatchery. I talked to some turtle activists about the difficulty of saving the turtles here in the area and the struggle they have sometimes with the locals who claim a turtle and it's eggs incredibly fast when they are trying to make their way up the beach. Slowly they are beginning to understand that if they continue to eat and sell the turtle eggs without leaving some to actually hatch (naturally or in a hatchery), eventually there won't be any turtles at all anymore. There's hope out there, but it surely is a difficult situation. 


 
Natural Wonder, Semuc Champey
(Pictures)

After a few days of relaxation on the beach I made my way to Semuc Champey in the center of Guatemala, close to the city of Coban. Sorry my excitement but WOW, WOW, WOW! Incredible! That place could easily be one of the most beautiful things I have seen. 

Semuc Champey, Guatemala

The ride between Coban to Semuc Champey has been a hair-raising mini-bus ride over gravel mountain roads for more then 2.5 hours. Half way along the way the "ayudante" (the gentlemen who collects the fare and helps with people's luggage in the buses) leans out one of the exit doors looking a bit nervous for the last 10 minutes or so. I get a bit concerned myself while all of a sudden the bus just stops and we get off to have the tire replaced. The tire had a nice big cut in it and was about to explode, luckily we didn't experience that. The bad news though was that the replacement tire wasn't any better and basically, I'm not kidding you, didn't have any profile at all, whatsoever. After talking to some people I find out that the day before that same replacement tire was on the bus and was changed out with the tire that was about the blow up. Great! Anyways, I made it to Semuc Champey in one piece and it was totally worth it.
 
Semuc Champey means "agua sagrada que se esconde en la piedra" ("sacred water that hides in the stone") in the Mayan language, I believe. Basically it's a river that goes into / underneath a huge rock and comes out as a waterfall on the other side while on top of the rock sets of pools have been formed with crystalline, turquoise water that cascades from one pool into the other. Hard to describe this place in words as well as show you in pictures but take a look and you will get an idea.
 
Right next to Semuc Champey are the "Cuevas de K´an Ba" which are well worth a trip as well. With candles in one hand we swam through the river that flows through the caves and we climbed up and slid down waterfalls in complete darkness while bats were flying around us. Really an amazing experience as well.

 
HONDURAS

Diving & Kiteboarding, Utila
(Pictures)

Utila - Water Caye, Honduras

Alter a few days in Semuc Champey I headed south across the border to Honduras for the second time on this trip. The first time when I headed with Mariela in this direction we both got sick and could not do all the things we wanted to. My goal was to make it to the Bay Islands off the North coast of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea. On the way there I stopped in the lovely town of Copan, Honduras - for the second time as well - before I took a bus to La Ceiba. When I arrived in La Ceiba in the afternoon the winds were already blowing strong and I spent 3 days kiteboarding. It was the first time in a few months that I again went to kite and it felt sooooooooo..... good! You kiteboarders out there know what I'm talking about. I was really happy after 3 days of solid wind and then took the ferry from La Ceiba to the island of UTILA.
 
Utila is a diving mecca and is full of dive shops. Supposedly this is the cheapest and one of the best places in the world to learn how to dive so I went for it as well. I had a great time getting my Open Water Certification (around $250) swam in aquarium like water with sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, and thousands of colorful fish. Diving is an adrenaline rush as well as a relaxing activity in my opinion. I am excited to go diving with my brother Chris sometime soon! 
 
After I completed the diving course I had a day to relax before the weather started to change. This was a bad thing for all the dive centers, but a great thing for me J. 4 days of pure kiting in casi turquoise water. The wind / storm was too strong at times for the dive boats to go out on their dives but when they did I cruised with them for while, ¨hucked¨ a nice 20 foot jump behind the boat, waved from the air, made everyone cheer, and sailed back the other way. Great times!

Kiteboarding in Utila, Honduras

After a day or two most people / dive shops on the island knew who the guy with the grey and yellow kite out there was and I got approached several times (and sometimes literally begged) to teach some people how to do this. While the conditions and launching / landing areas weren't perfect on Utila, there's lots of potential there, and right now there is no school, but I am sure there will be one sooner or later. While it is a bay the wind was slightly offshore so I was definitely a bit worried at times that if I missed the point where the beach ends, I would have to sail the ~ 20 km back to La Ceiba. I was pretty blessed when for some reason the wind on my last day changed a bit side-onshore instead of offshore and I actually had to self-rescue after my kite got all tangled up with my lines. That situation would have been bad news the days before where I might have floated past the point and nobody would have even noticed that I am having problems and floating out to the open sea. So ...  this self-rescue operation meant for me that it was time to move on from Utila after 2 weeks.
 
I made my way back to Copan, Honduras (Pictures), for the third time before finding another traveler named Jenny from England to go to El Salvador.

 
EL SALVADOR

People & History, El Salvador
(Pictures)

What an amazing little country El Salvador is! I had serious thoughts of skipping El Salvador all together after hearing and reading about how this country is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America. Well ... danger is all relative and like I said before, it often comes down to being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Looks like I was at the right place at the right time since all I can say about El Salvador is that the people are wonderful and friendly and the land is full of natural jewels that have yet to be discovered by mass tourism. You can get from lakes, to volcanoes, to beaches, waterfalls and even museums within a day.

Sochitoto, El Salvador

But what really makes the country are the people of El Salvador who have not been shaded by tourism yet and are happy to see and talk to the foreigners and share a story or two. These people have had a tough history and have suffered a lot. The 12-year civil war had killed more than 75,000 people and it's still the topic most talked about and people seem very open talking about it. My Spanish speaking abilities have paid off right here where I have talked with people from the armed forces as well as people from the antigovernment guerilla units. During the war the U.S. supported the military dictatorship although there were many human rights violations and according to one person who I talked to the word "GRINGO" was used during this time unfortunately with somewhat of a bad undertone due to the things that have happened and the U.S. involvement in these acts. For more information about the word ¨Gringo¨ take a look at this explanation.
 
It was interesting timing to be in El Salvador because it was "El día de los muertos" or "The day of the Dead". While this is more of a Mexican holiday it is also celebrated in other Latin American countries at the beginning of November to celebrate and honor the lives of the dead. I went to a cemetery in a beautiful town called Sochitoto where hundreds of people had gathered to sing, pray, put flowers, and stay the whole day next to the grave of their loved ones. It was definitely something emotional and interesting to see, especially realizing that a lot of these people had lost someone during the war which according to the people I talked to really had not improved the situation as far as the social inequalities and poor economy of El Salvador are concerned.
 

Coffee in Alegrìa, El Salvador

In Sochitoto I got to know Itay from Israel who by now has become a good friend because I have been traveling with him for the last 3 weeks or so. Jenny, Itay, and I made our way with chicken buses (remember?) to Alegría (Pictures)  , a small town situated on the slopes of Volcán Tecapa where we spent two nights climbing the rim of the volcano and enjoying the views all the way to the Pacific ocean. In Alegría we also got to know Jimmy and Roberto from the capital of El Salvador, namely San Salvador, who offered us to take us in their truck to the coast to Playitas (Pictures) and then to Perquín, and finally to the Honduran boarder. Wonderful people who just wanted to show us their country.
 
The little town of Perquín (Perquin) is not that exciting by itself but the museum of La Revolución Salvadoreńa tells the stories of the conflict in El Salvador from the perspective of the guerillas.

Perquin - museum of La Revolución Salvadoreña

Nearby Perquín is the town of Mozote where a monument has been placed to remember more than 1000 civilians (including kids and babies) that have been killed during a vicious massacre in 1981 committed by the armed forces of El Salvador who were trained by the US military. Mozote is a beautiful little town set amidst rolling hills, nearby waterfalls, rivers, and lagoons, but with a hard to imagine history that after listening to our guide's stories literally made us cry.  If you are interested in hearing more about the "Masacre del Mozote" check out this wikipidedia article only available in Spanish.
 
Jimmy and Roberto from San Salvador brought us the next day all the way to the Honduran boarder where we continued our journey through a small stretch of Honduras again before we hit Nicaragua.

 
NICARAGUA

Poverty, Nicaragua

Nicaragua remains the second poorest country in Latin America after Haiti. Besides also having experienced a 10 year civil war, natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch have struck Nicaragua and have made the situation worse for many of the poor people. Check out the Rural Poverty Portal if you are interested in understanding more regarding this topic. It was strange since as soon as I stepped foot on Nicaraguan land I was approached by children begging for 1 Cordoba ($0.05) (basically nothing!) or some left-over crackers I was carrying in a plastic bag. The situation that probably affected me and some of my travel mates the most was the night in Granada when we were eating from a street vender some grilled chicken.

On top of a chicken bus, Nicaragua

When we had finished our meal and only the bare bones of the chicken were still sitting on the table a group of kid street vendors (between 8 and 10 years) approached us to sell us chicles (chewing gum). This is not an uncommon sight but what was shocking was that one of the kids basically ¨stole¨ (in other words tried to take something without us noticing) one of the finished chicken bones and began nibbling off the rest that was still there. Wow! We were all saddened and surprised by what had just happened and I told the kids that they could have all the bones that were left, but oh boy, did that feel horrible! It was something we were considering to give to the street dogs and no kid should have to eat that. We decided to throw in $1 each to buy these kids a decent meal like we just ate and you should have seen their excitement and happy faces. I have never seen a plate of food disappear as fast as that one. Makes you think about what you did when you were 8 years old. I guess we had it so good that we don't even remember most of that time of our lives.


Land of Volcanoes, Leon
(Pictures)

Leon, Nicaragua

The first stop in Nicaragua was in Leon, a nice university town with colonial buildings, the largest cathedral in Central America, and lots of culture and adventure activities. I spent a week there with a day at the tropical beach of Peńitas 40 minutes away from town, hiking and sleeping at the crater of Volcán Telica, and Volcano Boarding down the lava slopes of Volcán Cerro Negro. Check out the pictures in case you are not sure what Volcano Boarding is. Supposedly near Leon is the only place in the world where you can skid down the side of a volcano at speeds up to 60 km/h with a modified plywood board and a piece of plastic on the bottom for speed, a safety suit and goggles. If you attempt this activity please be careful not to crash or you'll come back with parts of your body shredded from the volcanic rock. Once again the fun factor outweighted the risks involved and it was indeed a fun time without any injuries.

Volcano Boarding, Nicaragua

 
A group of young travelers I met from Holland (Tijs), Denmark (Malene), Elise (Usa), Jenny (England), Itay (Israel), and Yours Truly (Austria) decided to go on a 2 day hike to the crater of Volcán Telica and spend the night there under the guidance of a non-profit volunteer organization named "Quetzaltrekkers" who use their profits to support streets kids and children at risk in Leon, Nicaragua. What an amazing hike it was for a good cause as well. The active volcano with its 90 degree crater walls was probably one of the coolest places I have climbed to. Imagine laying on your stomach at the edge of the crater, staring with amazement down a crater more than 100 meters deep, seeing and smelling sulfur and lava, and hearing a noise like as if there was a strong river going by caused by the boiling lava beneath. This mountain is alive and an incredible sight! Check out the pictures!


Kiteboarding, Granada and Isla de Ometepe

Granada, Nicaragua

After Leon, I headed with my friends Itay (Israel), Tijs (Holland) and Nati (Israel) to Granada, Nicaragua (Pictures). Granada is a beautiful colonial town with a picturesque yellow painted cathedral in its central park and located on the shores of the biggest lake in Central America, Lago Nicaragua. I spent a week in Granada making a side trip to the Laguna de Apoyo (a beautiful crater lake), and the town of Masaya. Almost 4 days though I spent at the towns waterfront taking advantage of the windy conditions. It was wonderful being back on the board again and united with the elements and all the people along the shoreline were quite happy to have some excitement happening on the water. I sometimes wonder about whether it is more fun actually kiting or getting all the people who have never seen this sport get excited and motivated and wanting to talk about kiting. It is just such a cool sport and it has brought me in touch with so many people one way or the other that I would have otherwise not experienced.

Kiteboarding Granada, Nicaragua

Traveling around with my big bag of kiteboarding gear as well has drawn its fair share of attention and has made people wonder whether I might carry a big instrument or even a dead body around. 

 
Fueled by the motivation to follow the wind and search out new kiteboarding spots I decided after a not so promising forecast to make the 4 hour boat trip from Granada to Isla de Ometepe (Pictures) in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. My friend Itay went with me as well. After spending the night in Altegracia we switched location to the nice and comfortable but cheap Buena Vista hotel ($4) on Playa Santo Domingo. This beach is an isthmus (narrow strip of land with water on both sides) connecting two islands with volcanoes Concepción (1610 meters) and Maderas (1394 meters). Isla de Ometpe is quite the incredible place that has not been spoiled by mass tourism yet where you still can run into the occasional white-face monkey and other animals. Less frequently though than seeing monkeys is the sighting of a kiteboarder on the island and once again I was the only one who was ripping between Volcán Concepción on the left and Maderas on the right.

Kiteboarding Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

For you kiteboarders out there, it was blowing perfect 10m conditions from sunrise to sunset and the location can't be beat! 
 
After 3 nights on the island it was time to move on further south and back to the Pacific Coast to San Juan del Sur, a mecca for surfers.

 
Surf anyone?, San Juan del Sur
(Pictures)

Ranked as one of the best places to surf in Nicaragua and a mellow fishing village to hang out for a few days I headed to San Juan del Sur. A small town that's developing rapidly under the influence of tourism with a noticeable number of real estate business that clutter the town it was quite the change from Isla de Ometepe where Internet access still is in its infancy. San Juan del Sur is geared to surfers and tourists in general who want to spend a good time near some beautiful beaches and while it is still reasonably priced ($5 per night) things are definitely going to change sooner rather than later. 
 
 
Conclusions

I am right now in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Here I finally got the time and motivation, as well as the resources to write this monster blog update of what has been happening over the last couple of months.

Sunset in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Someone told me today that not updating your blog just means that you are too busy having a good time or doing other stuff. I felt like it was time to write and tell everyone, hey, we are still kicking out there and what a ride it has been so far! In fact, while we've been gone from the ¨normal¨ life for a while already the last 2 months or so have really felt like traveling more than the rest of the time we have been on the road. The time I have spent in Guatemala was an investment for learning Spanish, getting to know my girlfriend's family, as well as the culture and people by staying put in one place for a bit longer than the typical traveler. Now with a good command of the language I felt ready to hit the road and head south! While Mariela is still in Guatemala she's on her way south as well and we'll meet up again in Costa Rica.
 
The things I have told you about are just some of the highlights but there are so many details, so many stories and experiences to tell you about that I could easily already fill a book. Besides being impressed by the trip itself, the countries and the people, I enjoy meeting a very diverse and international, interesting, sometimes crazy group of travelers from all around the world. When living at home, you never meet any travelers, so it seems, but when you are on the road it seems like everyone is traveling. How weird is that?

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

It's a beautiful thing being able to share and enjoy something new and unfamiliar with people from different countries and diverse backgrounds because there's always something new to learn. My interpersonal skills have been sharpened, my patience been tested, and my knowledge about cultures other than where I am traveling has been enriched. It's amazing how you sometimes can find a connection to people very easily. I have spent a lot of time with my friend Itay from Israel and heard his stories about the difficulties and problems his country has to face. He's coming from a different world of where men and women have to spend years in the military and be prepared for war. While I knew about the problems in the Middle East I hadn't talked and listened to someone as closely who comes from that part of the world. While Itay has grown up in quite a different environment from mine, in the end it seemed like that we were not at all that different and I have made a new friend forever.
 
Thanks for reading this blog. I hope you like the new format and webpage, please let me know. I hope everything is going well with you. I would love to hear from you, even if it's only a quick note just so I know you are still around and to hear how you are doing or what has been happening in your life. All the best and many greetings from Central America!
 
- Philipp & Mariela