Aeropuerto Internacional Tocumen, Panamá

After a prolonged delay related to my Greencard, I finally get to journey on my  summer trip to Latin America. I won't get to make it to Salto Angel in Venezuela, but thankfully Machu Picchu is still on the plan. This was a rushed departure since I wasn't sure if I would get the stamp in the passport that says I am a permanent resident in the US. So I am already 18 days behind schedule. The first stop on my trip is Nicaragua. Which is probably hot as hell. 

July 25, 2013

While in Nicaragua I been staying in Leon. The weather is much nicer and by nicer I mean less hot as hell. I had the opportunity to visit a town called Nagarote some 40k from Leon; more or less half way towards Managua. The town is very cute. It is very well kept with basically no garbage anywhere. Alhough the town is overruned by chickens and the occasional black duck. Nagarote has a beautiful plaza and church which is being expanded to include a huge monument with an arch. The town also has a mirador from which you can see the nearby volcano. We also visited the oldest known tree in Nicaragua which is a cenizaro and it's 957 years old. Jose Adan and I had some awesome quesillo in a restaurant next to the highway before returning to Leon. The area around Nagarote is well know for being the birthplace of quesillo and having some of the freshest quesillo in Nicaragua. 

The next spot was Mombacho... Which Cheles tend to call mamba-shoe. Jose Adan and I decided to disregard the tour guide agency and went our way. It did end up costing much less and we had a great time. Unfortunately we didn't see much fauna in the guindes tour inside the park which took about 4 hours. We did see the butterfly sanctuary, a guardabarranco and a black and white rodent. 

Revisiting Masaya was not as exiting. The weather was not on our side and neither was the transportation system. After visiting the market we got rained on our way to the church. Then we waited an exaggerated amount of time for the bus to come in a muddy rainy bus station. We then decided to take a taxi to the highway were we were able to jam ourselves into a sardine packed mini bus. We did manage some cute recuerdos. 

Iglesia de Subtiava 

La taberna de Mau

Sótano de la catedral de León 

Foto enorme usada durante la visita del Papa Juan Pable II

Nagarote, Nicaragua 

Reserva Nacional Volcán Mombacho 

KInd of a blur

The last few weeks of my trip were a bit complicated to say the least. In a way things slowed down and the last week was a streak of bad luck. I fell at the dock, was accused of an illicit entry into Costa Rica and denied entry and just to top things off had to spend an extra x amount of money to purchase a ticket from Managua to NYC which was cancelled because of a tropical storm off the coast of Florida.

So while I had an AMAZING trip it got a little blurred by the series of unfortunate events towards the end of the trip. No trip is perfect, but considering how well things went for the first month and a half, this was overdue.

It is hard to think retrospectively and appreciate the amazing things that happen because I am still in a bit of pain from that fall ja ja but it was actually one of the weird things that happen that makes you appreciate travel. I remember that even though I had just lost my glasses, had gotten my computer and camera wet and had just fallen on murky water the first thing I did was laugh.

From that point on I had to write my blog on paper and hope to eventually upload it here, along with a map of my full trip. Funny that I was able to save my camera's memory card! So I didn't lose my pictures.

Here is my facebook album which should be public

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101519666208617.3149984.8609834&type=3&l=630fdff158

Little Corn Island... The Little Paradise That Is

My stay at Managua was a bit rushed on my way to Corn Islands. I did managed to get some affordable paperback books including Azul by Ruben Dario and Bananos by Emilio Quintana. I had very little sleep as my taxi to the airport arrived at 4 a.m. sharp. So as I manage the strength to get up and drag myself to the taxi, I realize that this was going to be a rough morning. The taxi had not gone more than a couple of blocks when two cops on a motorcycle instruct him to pull over. People make a big deal about Managua being dangerous, but I can probably assure you that it is not as bad as the rest of the CA capitals. But the rush you get from getting your taxi pulled over by two guys on a motorcycle at 4 a.m. is enough to slap you awake. So they pull us over, instruct us to step out and begin taking out everything in our packets... literally digging their hands into our pockets. They also begin to check under the seats. My first thought was that they toughs we had a gun...Once the taxi driver had convinced them we were going to the airport and that we had just left a hotel, they let us go. The cop then said to me "subase chele" which is the word for gringos here ha ha! So, I have been called moreno, indio, and chele. Nicaraguan needs to make up its mind about what label they want to use on me. As we drove off into the pitch black night illuminated only by the silhouette of Sandino at Loma de Tiscapa, the taxi driver told me that they stopped us because they thought we had purchased some drugs. Appaerntly they were for sale near my hotel. And get this... the domestic flights terminal didn't even open until 5! and then they took their sweet sweet time checking people in.

The flight was so fast and convenient. Well I am not sure how long it was, I slept most of it. But it beats the hell out of having to travel by land and boat to the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. Although my budget did get dented by about $180. Loks lek we a gonna it kukunut brid for a wik... ok that was a bad simulation of Caribbean English which is spoken by the majority of native residents of the Corn Islands. After landing, I took a brief boat ride to Little Corn Is. Which was a good idea because it seems so much more charming. What can I say, Lonely Planet gets it right one out of three times.

So as I spend the next couple of days indulging on coconut bread, other meals I can't afford, Victoria beers, the temperad water of the caribbean sea, the sunshine of the tropics, and the poems of Ruben Dario, let me not forget... I forgot.

I Felt a Little Bit in Love with Leon

I crossed the border into Nicaragua from Honduras at Las Manos. Little did I know... It is also recognized as the point of crossing for the maras. Nicaragua is very protective of it's "safety" and I guess they fear violence spilling over from other Central American countries. Which is probably why I was interrogated and made to wait for what seemed and exaggerated amount of time. The immigration officer seemed to be particularly interested on my trip to El Salvador. After questions that only got short of asking the color of my underwear, the officer told me to wait outside and made as many calls as there are volcanoes around Leon (9, 4 inactivos y 5 activos). They finally told me to get copies of my passport id page, all the stamps on it and of my green card. An hour and $12 later I was free to go wait for my bus to Esteli. I meet a cool Nica named Haniel on the bus, who workes in a coffee processing center which made my bus trip after the interaction with immigration much more enjoyable.

Esteli is pretty much cowboy central located in north central Nicaragua. The town is not huge... shaped like a very long rectangle and gained it's place in history as it was bombed during the 1979 Revolution. I stayed at  a hostel and across from it was a charming restaurant where a guy was playing and singing with a guitar. As I went sight seeing before heading to Leon; I got to visit the local museum which has some indigenous artifacts and information on the role of the city during the Sandinista Revolution. People are hard core Sandinista here, they fly the Sandinista flag proudly and have a very intense feeling of their role in history.

I love how this horse was the only vehicle parked outside the university

Nacatamal

León

I probably spent more time in Leon than any other place I visited so far. While here, I got to appreciate a part of Central America, that I haven't seen before. People are charming and nice. I felt like I finally got to connect to some people and learn about the local social aspect of a place. Leon has massive monumental colonial churches and very well preserved houses. It also has awesome wireless internet, and one of the safest night-lives I seen. As it gets dark "guardias" patrol the blocks on their bikes and whistle when they see people.

However, heat in Leon is not just heat, it is calor del infierno.I remember a couple of times when I went outside and came back to my hostel three hours later smelling of sweat with my t-shirt soaked in it. I felt like I could only do so much and found ways to escape the heat as much as I could. You also get this sensation that you are going to be eternally thirsty. I drank so much that it ruined my appetite. 

Museums are awesome here. Ruben Dario's house has been converted into one and it has many of his belongings including the bed where he died and a crucifix given to him by a Mexican poet that he carried his entire life. people are proud of Ruben Dario as well. His tomb is located in the right side of the Gran Catedral and is next to el leon triste (sad lion). The cathedral itself was pretty impressive. Well it needs to be renovated on the outside but the inside is majestic and grandeus. I was a little bit perplexed by seeing a man with a bicycle inside and a dog trying to stay in the shade. I was also pretty impressed by the roof tour. From there one can see all the volcanoes around the city, that are pretty much off sight from the ground. My guide Adan was pretty cool and later also took me on a tour of less seen parts of the city. 

I will miss Leon, we will have to see if Granada (its rival city) can keep up...

Notice the black papel picado to commemorate

Hmmm 

This was from the roof of the cathedral

Volcano Sliding  

And Then I Saw a Quetzal...

I remember listening to someone say that whenever you told a story that sounded fantastic to you, but for some reason didn't turn out to be funny or exiting when you told it, you just needed to say: :"And then I found five dollars!" This will make the story exiting once again. I am not going to lie and say that I had high expectations for Honduras. But then I found a quetzal!

Playa de arena blanca ~ West Bay Beach, Roatan

Roatan was great! I got in pretty late on my first day because I was coming from Gracias (3 buses, 2 taxis, 1 boat) My second day was entirely spent at the beach. I took this 45 minute walk along the shore. Not all of which is sandy and beachy. Then I just sat at a beach bar and relaxed drinking Honduran beer. Why is it that whenever you are drinking beer in the beach, everything is gonna be alright? The sunset was awesome, but the way back to West End was kind of rough. It got dark pretty fast and I had to hurry. By the time I got into West End (the town where I was staying) it was peach black. I only got to stay in Roatan for one day. My t-shirt tan-line definitely went away though. Getting there was not easy or cheap and almost makes me feel like I should have stayed there longer. But I really wanted to see other places too. 
Because of time, I had to change some of my plans. Bus travel itself eats away a lot of time. You may think that one day is enough to get to a town and look around, but by the time you get there it is way too late and you end up having to make your stay longer. And while town hopping is not the best way to go about it, if you want the opportunity to see enough of a whole country, you have to manage this way. 

West Bay Beach, Roatan

Life is good

The hostel that Makes its own beer ~ D&D Brewery, Lago de Yojoa
After Roatan I made my way to D&D Brewery. It is a hostel/brewery near Lago de Yojoa. It has its own brewery and purifies its own water. Its is pretty cool and they also organize tours to the lake and the national parks around the area. There are some really nice people that stayed there and dorm beds are only about $6. 
While there, I went to this nice archaeological park and sleep over a bird watching tour to the lake. Well I can't say that I was too exited about the guy who was taking us. He was British, but kept b%#&$ about Americans. And said something to the effect that my accent wasn't right. Anyways, I ended up going to this awesome waterfall called Pulhapanzak. There was all this cool activities you could do, but most of the people zip-lining and going under the water fall were tourist, so I kinda decided to do the more local thing and just hang around lol. 
The lady that sat next to me on the way to the waterfall was also on the same bus back and again we sat in the same seat. She was the one who told me where to get off and then on the way back she told me about her experience trying to get to the US by way of Mexico. She mentioned that she tried twice with her brother, but was caught on the Mexican side in Tamaulipas and Piedras Negras, which are right next to the border. It took her almost 2 months to get there once and she told me about how the Mexican immigration was bribed and how corrupt they are. She once was caught by the same guys and then the coyote gave them a number and they just called their boss and he gave the ok to let them go so long as they gave them a bribe. If I am ever president (of the World) I am going to get read of all restrictions to travel. Free movement should be a human right. Panamericanism all the way! 
Lago the Yojoa turned out to be amazingly fun. I was about to leave, when they told me there would be a group of people going to climb Mountain Santa Barbara. So I convinced myself that this would be worth staying a bit longer. The guide gave us coffee from his finca and maduros on the way up and when we came down his wife had some home made donuts and coffee again for us. And although that was amazing, the most amazing part was sighting a quetzal! I had heard that there would be a good probability of this and it was an amazing experience. It was only for a couple of minutes, but I managed to take a picture to prove it. Just this one thing would have made this trip worthwhile.  I got the muddiest I have ever been. My shoes were twice as heavy from the mud on them and we all kept falling on our butt. Jimmy, one of the climbers, later mention that the hike would have been more enjoyable had he spent more time looking up rather than down. 
Once we got back to the hostel, the water wasn't running so we had to shower in rain water. I just went under the gutter and stood there. The mud didn't entirely wash away though. My fellow companion where an American, an English, a Norwegian and a Dane. I had to serve as the translator because the guide only spoke Spanish. I had to translate for a lot of people at the D&D. I guess I never imagined that one day I also will be going to a country where I don't speak the language. 

Pulhapanzak Waterfall

I am sure if someone had film of us asking "How high are we now?" and how many times we fell...there wouldn't be enough film 

View of Lake Yojoa from Mountain Santa Barabara

This proves it... the elusive quetzal

One last stop ~ Comayagua
On my last night in Honduras, I stopped in Comayagua. (On my way out of the city I saw a sign that broke it down for me coma y agua!) It is a pretty charming city. Well at least the center area. I went out pretty late and ended up going to the church and having an awesome vegetarian meal in a restaurant next to the cathedral in the central plaza and as I sat there I felt pretty good about myself and  glad that I took this trip. I like to think that this trip allows me to grow and find myself. It is silly but we all have something that inspires us and that allows us to grow and learn and be productive members of our society. 

Had some awesome Vegetarian dish at this place.. chair hurt though lol 

Catedral de Comayagua

I just realized that I have been to four of the top six countries with the top murder rates. In fact Honduras had the highest murder rate, which was in 2011 87 per 100,000. I found it funny that a taxi driver in Honduras tried to argue with me about the murder rate in Mexico! 

Change of Plans... Stay in Gracias for one more day.

Today I stayed for an extra day in Gracias. This is such a charming little town. Tourism hasn't spoiled it yet.

After sleeping really well for what seemed ages, I went to a fort. El Fuerte de San Cristobal is pretty interesting and it has some really creative sculptures. It also holds the tomb of former president Juan Lindo. After walking around the fort for a bit, I headed to a museum called Casa Galeano. I got lost on the way, asked for directions, got lost again and ended up taking a tuk tuk. The Museum was interesting too; it told the history of Gracias from the perspective of the Lenca indigenous people. The town is making a strong effort to recuperate its indigenous identity. People here are very proud of Lempira, the indigenous leader who resisted Spanish conquest.There is monuments to him, he is in t-shirts and the national currency is named after him.

For dinner I went to this charming little place called El Rinconcito Graciano. They had Lenca food and everything was served on traditional Lenca pottery and or made from recycled materials. The owner was university educated and had a vision of expanding her restaurant to include a hostel that would be eco-friendly. She was talking about recycling water which I think is kind of gross, but I agreed with everything else.

I kinda wish I could tell you everything I have learned, but you probably don't have the time to read it all ja ja

Legend goes that when the Spanish captain in charge of finding a suitable place for the the colonial capital found the are where Gracias was built he said "Gracias a Dios"

Fuerte de San Cristobal 

This was an inscription in the tomb of Juan Lindo; former President of Honduras and El Salvador. He institutionalized free education. It reads: One may be a hated ruler of ones time: but if you want to favor the vote of future generations open schools. 

Iglesia Las Mercedes was in pretty rough shape. The side door was crack open and I went inside for a look. It was so awesome to be in there by myself

Rinconsito Graciano. I tried to go there twice and it was closed. This last time I shook the doors before leaving and as I walked away the owner came out and opened the door... Some Spaniards joined later. 

Honduras

It is funny how people are so different from one place to another, but also very similar. I feel that attitudes change but as I rode the bus in Easter Guatemala and Honduras I realized that the cowboy culture of Mexico and Central America is just about the same. I also recently read La Raza Cósmica (The Cosmic Race) by José Vasconcelos who touches among other subjects on Pan-americanism and  the superiority of people of mix race. Anyways the one topic that really became relevant as I traveled in CA is that although there is a huge degree of diversity, the political boundaries in existence today are completely irrelevant.There is one common cultural aspect uniting most people here which is the colonial legacy, but ethnic groups and indigenous communities are often divided by political boundaries at many different levels. Such is the case of the Garifuna and the many Mayan linguistic communities. 
On another note, today I visited Copan in the early morning and again got to have the place almost entirely to myself. The place is pretty incredible and in many ways very similar to the stelaes in Quirigua. I think I am significantly over budget, but I tend to splurge on dam taxi cabs and hotels now and then. But last night I stayed in a pretty confy bed... no hot water though. I am now is a small town called Gracias a Dios... well now day is just Gracias. I really like it. I like small towns; less people, get lost less often, and people tend to be nicer. 

Copan

Copan 

The Macaw is the national bird of Honduras and they roam Copan