Mombacho Volcano, Nicaragua

Volcano Mombacho is the largest in Nicaragua. Scientists are not sure if the volcano is dormant or active. We did see quite a few vents in the ground that smoke and smell of sulfur.

The top of the volcano is covered in cloud forest. On our nature walk, we got amazing views of Lake Nicaragua. In the picture below you can see the city of Granada and the Isletas (small islands). The Isletas were formed when large chunks of rock spewed from the volcano and landed in the lake.

The wildlife on the volcano was great. We saw several types of orchids and even a sloth.

Leon, Nicaragua

Leon is the most liberal city in Nicaragua. The city itself is full of colonial churches and brightly colored buildings. There are also many political murals on buildings. During this time of year the children of Leon wear costumes to make a political statement about the European oppression of the indigenous people. One child will wear a costume that represents a European woman. She is tall (about 9 or 10 feet, the child looks through a screen at her stomach) and elegantly dressed. Another child wears a large, dopy looking head as a costume to represent the indigenous person. In comparison, the woman towers over the other child who fallows behind her. I must say, the statement comes off loud and clear.

El Macho

In our constant quest to find delicious food as we travel, Julie and I found ourselves at ViaVia cafe in Leon Nicaragua. As we perused our options for breakfast, we were surprised at the breakfast item "Macho." For only 15 cordobas (22 cordobas=$1), you can order up a cup of black coffee, a shot of rum and a cigarette. What a deal! While we were not bad ass enough to order this menu item for breakfast, we returned later that night. When the waitress came over we casually ordered two Machos. She looked at us in shock. Apparently she had never seen women order the Macho. Then she told us that she liked our style calling us "bandidas/bandits" (but the feminine form of the word). Check out the pictures. I am not a coffee drinker or a cigarette smoker, you can see the fear on my face. But we had already been called bandidas, so who was I not to go for it?

Thanksgiving In My Bathing Suit

For the first time in my life, I ate Thanksgiving dinner in my bathing suit (and yes, the suit was sandy). We spent several days in Las Penitas, Nicaragua. The place we stayed was run by an American couple who cooked 4 turkeys for 60 people. After eating this giant meal, I spat on every rule about swimming with a full stomach and watched the sunset from the waves. What a day.

The Botanical Gardens, Honduras

We went to the second largest botanical gardens in the world in Tela Honduras. These gardens were set up by the United Fruit Company to do experiments on growing Asian fruits in Central America. Now Honduras owns the gardens, but they keep them up for research purposes. Check out some of the cools plants.

Norman

The breeze agitates the palm trees. Their rigid leaves gently clap and click together whispering “par-a-iso.” The glassious water stretches into infinity. I lean back and lift my feet from the sandy sea bed, the ocean supports the weight of my floating body. I can feel my hair fan out behind me as I stare up at the cloud dotted blue. It is late enough in the day that a half-moon hangs in the sky, a premonition of the night to come. Sea birds with expansive wings float on thermals. Their wings are triangular in shape, reminiscent of terradactyls. I feel calm, connected to the world through the ocean. At peace.

Something brushes against my shoulder and collar bone. With a jolt, I right myself. Okay, not a shark, it’s just a clump of seaweed. Or is it? Upon further inspection, it is indeed a clump of seaweed. But that’s not all. I notice a flicker of movement. A small, black and yellow striped fish is hiding below the floating clump of vegetation. He is the length of the last two digits of my little finger. I name him Norman, a decision made within a few seconds. Animal names just come to me sometimes.

At first Norman is very timid. It’s hard to get a good glimpse of him. I hold the stem of the seaweed gently between my thumb and pointer finger. Slowly he warms up to the idea of my presence. Cautiously, he swims under the slight cup of my hand that holds the seaweed. After a few minutes, he trusts me. I am just another floating object to hide below. His home just got a lot larger. Slowly, I bring my other hand toward him creating a cup below him. Ensuring that water stays in my hands, I lift him out of the ocean to inspect him more closely. He flips his tail gently, unaware that he now only has about a cup of water to swim in. In that moment, I have full determination over this creature. I could easily let his life sustaining liquid drain between my fingers. I feel a rush of energy, power. Norman’s may be a small life, but it is a life I could easily take. Forever more, I would be able to tell people that I had caught and killed a fish with my bear hands. What a bad ass, I would appear to be (especially if I didn’t mention Norman’s size). Another thought floats through my head. Norman is oblivious of the change in his situation. He has no idea that he could be left out to dry and die. Am I any better off than Norman? I too am so trusting that my little world is taking care of me. Would I be able to tell if my situation were close to complete destruction? More than likely, I would be as content in my trust as little Norman. Am I that oblivious now? Are we all?

I lower Norman back into the ocean. From my hand, he swims under the length of my arm up to my armpit. He relaxes in the shade it provides. When I head to the beach, I leave Norman floating with the little chunk of seaweed that I found him under, “protected” from the vast array for aquatic predators. He trusts and I trust. What other choice do we have.

Estoy Tranquila

This was the most fabulous pineapple-coconut smoothie. The adventure has been taken to a whole new level.

Roatan, Honduras

Life Is Good.

Big Day

Today was our first full day in Copan Honduras. This quaint town is home to another set of Mayan ruins. The ruins we visited in Guatemala were the governmental capital of the Mayan empire. The ruins we visited today in Copan were the spiritual center. There were many beautiful stone carvings. The only wildlife we saw was a giant rat. Check out the pics.

After spending all morning climbing ruins, we took a little trip to a bird rescue. The rescue was built alongside a river surrounded by jungle. It was beautiful. I got bit by no less than 12 birds. Shockingly, I also got pooped on. But it was worth it.

La Policia

We made it a whole month without a run-in with la policia, but it was only a matter of time. For a police situation, this was very mellow. But I will share the story just for fun.

Yesterday morning, there were 4 of us in a pickup truck driving back to the house where we have been staying in Antigua. Our Saudi friend, Faisal, was driving. I was riding shot-gun and Julie and Jill were in the back seat of the cab. Additionally, Mario one of the Guatemalans who work for our host family was riding in the truck bed. We just happened to accidently go the wrong way down a one-way street. Oops.

SWARM. Two police trucks and a motor bike cop pull us over. I am quickly hiding the iPods, lap tops and cameras that we had in the truck. I knew a bribe was eminent. I wanted to appear as poor as possible.

An officer in full camouflage walks up to the driver side window. He has a very impressive 3 foot long automatic gun strapped across his chest. He asks for our registration papers and Faisal’s license. Luckily we are able to find the papers, but Faisal does not have a Guatemalan driver’s license. The cop tells us that he is going to write us a ticket. Once given the ticket, Faisal is going to have to go to the department of motor vehicles in Guatemala City where he will have to pay $62 for breaking the law and $62 for driving without a license. I know this would be at least a full day experience for Faisal. I am sure that the government office he will have to visit is in a very sketchy part of town. Additionally, who knows what other kind of fees might be tacked on when he arrives. And $124 is a lot of money in Guatemala.

As the officer retreats to his truck to call on the papers and make sure everything is in order, I pull out $24. I look at Faisal and can tell he is thinking exactly what I am. “Let’s do this.” I tell him. We wave for Mario who jumps out of the truck bed to come talk with us.

Faisal (who is fluent in Spanish) asks Mario to talk with the cops and see if we could do an “instant fine.” Mario goes over to chat with the five cops standing behind our truck. He returns and tells us that they will let us go for $62. Faisal didn’t miss a beat. He tells Mario "$62 is just not in our budget. Please go back and bargain for a better bribe." Like a true champion, Mario goes back to the cops and returns to us with the new offer of $36. We were making progress. We tell Mario that we only have $24, or just under $5 for each cop, please try again. After a few more minutes of negotiation, it turns out that the cops will settle for our offer. So that the bribe is not too obvious, we are instructed to wrap the money inside the car registration papers and send it back over.

Problem solved, no ticket given, everyone is happy. What a bargain. The first bribe of the grand world tour is already behind us, it feels good.

Secondhand Purple Spandex Unitard

Halloween is a very difficult holiday to celebrate in other countries. Luckily, there is a giant secondhand clothing market in Antigua. After 1.5 hours of searching, this really attractive and classy little number jumped out at me. How could I resist a purple onesie that only cost $10?

When you start a night in secondhand spandex, you know it's all down hill from there. The night began with a team bikeride. Why not ride a pink bike around town with all your costume clad friends?

After our bike ride, we danced and partied in true Halloween style.