The last day of our travels

Up at 530 to catch the 630 bus to Alajuela- the city where the San Jose CR airport is. The trip down the mountain took over an hour and made me kinda sick. I didn't drink the night before (shocker) nor eat too much so it must have been the road because I'm convincing myself that the food I ate is totally fine. That's a tricky thing to do when all you can think about it puking like you want to die.

We arrived at the airport at 10 and took a cab to Alajuela where we were staying at Hotel Cortez Azul. We shared a cab w/ another couple for $5. It's hard to get used to these prices when you're used to paying $1 for a cab ride. Whatever we are almost home. We checked into our private room (yay!) and headed out on the town to look for a shirt for Andy and a hammock for me. It was getting hot so we got an icy drink from a street vendor this thing was sugar crack. Layered in with the ice was condensed milk powder and then red sugar syrup and on top liquid condensed milk. It was kinda gross. We tried to eat it by layers but theres no way you should eat powdered condensed milk. Once we mixed it together it kinda tasted like strawberry shortcake but it was still gross. We were prepared to go into diabetic shock.

The hammocks at $25 here, twice the amount in Nicaragua. I don't even feel like bargaining w/ these people at these prices. A dude in Honduras got one for $7 so I'm sure as shit not going to pay $25. It's OK, I'll just make one at home. We pretty much walked around town and didn't see anything too impressive, it's a smaller city w/in a bigger city. A lot of stores were closed so we went to the hotel to figure out where we were going to celebrate NYE.

We figured we could go to San Jose for NYE or we could just stay close and it would be just the same but much cheaper. We do have to be at the airport by 4am so it's going to be a early night. I found a restaurant we had some cocktails at 4pm and walked around for a bit. It's so early, how the hell are we going to make it to midnight? There are cops everywhere. Is that a good sign that we'll be protected or a bad sign that they need cops everywhere? TBD.

We found a place to have drinks so Andy got us a small bottle of Absolute and we made our own drinks because the one thing we have learned is that Central Americans make shitty mixed drinks (they gave us tonic instead of soda water but oh well). We headed to the previous restaurant for dinner, Andy had to the churrasco and I had to sea bass- delish. All we wanted were martinis, is that too hard to ask? Have we not learned anything about not ordering items that aren't familiar in the area? Apparently not because the martinis were really fucking weird. It's like they looked at a pick, saw it wasn't clear but cloudy, and since they put sugar in everything, they added caramel. Fucking weird and disgusting- and there were olives in the drink. OK, we learned another lesson. Just because it's a cocktail bar doesn't mean you can order something not on the menu and it worked out as you would expect it to.

I'm ready for bed but we are going to push forward and not crash NYE at 9pm. We head to the other areas in our 'map' to find other bars. We come across a 'biker bar'- seriously a dude was wearing a vest that said 'prospect' on it. It was OK- they were playing good 80's music. After a shitty beer we headed to the only other bar we saw. It turned out to be a nice bar so we ordered shots of vodka and this time they got the soda water right because I finally learned that soda= soda water in Central America. Next to the bar was a pizza by the slice place. You know we are def hitting that up before we leave! Several drinks and more 80s music later and it's pizza time. We have to hit it up before they close even if it's not new years yet. $3 for the biggest piece of pizza ever. Holla! Back to the hotel, we'll celebrate there. The fireworks are going nuts. Another early morning tomorrow. Happy New Years pinches!

Surviving the storm in the cloud forest of Monteverde

Up at 5am so we could get our bus tickets to San Jose for tomorrow am. We don't want to be stuck in this town when we need to be at the airport early the following day. We bought our $5 tickets and jumped on the 615 bus to Monteverde. There was only one other tourist couple on the bus, the others were locals.

At Monteverde at 630 and they open at 7. Where is everyone? It's 'raining' (misting from the clouds passing by and kinda raining) and the wind is blowing hard. We are the first to get our $18 tickets and we head out for the hike w/o a tour guide. We were told there wouldn't be any animals so we don't need a guide to point out flora and fauna. The wind was blowing REALLY hard. So hard Andy and I didn't walk together for a bit in case a branch crashed down on one of us. We also reviewed the emergency steps in case the other was hurt. Each time the wind blew really hard, which was often, I looked up in fear and was always prepared to sprint to safety.

We hiked to the top of the mountain and the wind was kicking so hard the rain hurt hitting our faces. It was fun once you took away the fear of being crushed. It was really nice hiking in the park, pretty much alone. When we entered the park the dude told us he would prefer if we didn't do a long hike due to the bad weather. We initially followed his advice and then decided to go for the long hike since this was our plan for today and we were prepared for an emergency. For the first hour Andy was in macro mode- meaning he took a step every 10 seconds and his head was near the ground looking for small mushrooms, plants, and bugs. I don't mind macro but I don't have the patience to walk at this pace for too long, plus there are big branches above us that might fall on us and we need to get moving. Andy did get hit in the head by a plant and I was hit by something small. There were branches crashing down around us. It was pretty freaky.

We eventually came to the Natural Trail- meaning it shouldn't be walked on in bad weather since there are no steps. What the hell we went for it. The path went up pretty steep, Andy and I slipping along the way. Andy gave me a big kiss as we started. I think it was to pre-make up for any 'incidents' that may occur such as me falling on my ass in a pool of mud. Since I didn't fall in the mud I can now say it was a lot of fun. There were areas where we had no choice but get our shoes really muddy so our socks were wet. Andy attempted to walk straight through the puddle until his shoe sunk in several inches. We hopped from side to side of the path trying to get a grip on some grass to make it up the trail. I had no idea how we were going to go down the other side, it was pretty steep and we were already slipping the whole way. Lucky for Andy there were 'steps' going down the other side.

We came across the suspension bridge that could only hold 10 people. They need to specify if they mean 10 non-Americans or 10 Americans- big difference when you're only talking about 10 people. The wind started to calm down a bit and the sun peaked out from time to time. We headed to the waterfall where we had lunch. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Ferns, moss, and flowers everywhere. Andy even found a deadly black centipede. It was now 1230, we had been hiking for over 5 hours and we were done. On the way back we came across a hive that had fallen on the trail from the strong wind. We saw one black hornet on the hive and wondered what he was doing alone. We were swatting by the hive when Andy looked up and saw hundreds of hornets on the side of the trail. I then looked up and saw them 5 feet from us down the trail. There were everywhere. While Andy was taking macros I was trying to figure how I was going to handle this situation. These hornets were huge and I figured would do serious damage if they started freaking out. I told Andy to let me know when he was done taking pics so I could prep myself for the flee. We calmly walked away and didn't disturb the hornets. That was pretty crazy.

We headed back to the entrance and waited 45 min for the bus. They shut the park down while we were hiking due to strong winds. We were so lucky we caught the early bus and got to the park when we did! I would have been pissed if we couldn't have hiked since that's what we came up here for. People arrived at the park and were turned away. No bird watching today. It was late and Andy was impatient so we walked back to the hostel. I really wasn't in the mood for the additional hike but the weather was now sunny and I was working up an appetite for some tacos. It was now 3, the hot shower was amazing and so were the fish and pork tacos we had. Time to relax for the rest of the day (which will likely only be another 5 hours since our days have been ending at 9 recently). To wrap up this great day, my baby went to the store by himself because I was tired and made me hot chocolate! It was perfect.

Last stop- Costa Rica!

Up at 440am to catch the 5am bus back to Rivas and then another to the border. Good thing I remembered to get off at La Virgen for the transfer. When we were waiting for the transfer a guy told me not to stand on the grass. OK, not sure why but I'll move. 10 seconds later my feet were burning. I thought I had thorns in my feet from crab grass but it was ants biting the shit out of me. Bastards! The other bus shortly came and we had to run to get it since it passed us. 'La frontera!' the guy who told me about the ants yelled. We ran and jumped on quickly. Before we knew it we were at the border AND we got to sit on the bus. Excellent.

We waited in line for a bit to get into Costa Rica. The sign said we needed our flight schedule (which I didn't have) but I figured it wouldn't be a big deal because these guys usually don't care. I was wrong. He said I needed a paper showing our itinerary. That's fine but I don't have it and I don't expect you to have internet and a printer I can use. Luckily a guy from Nicaragua who spoke English was on the same boat and needed his car reservation printed. We headed over to CR to find the car rental place wasn't open until 8 which was another half hour and the bus wasn't going to wait I figured. What the hell are we going to do? Everyone else had passed through immigration so the Nicaraguan guy talked to immigration and showed him his reservation on my phone. There's no wifi and I was searching for the reservation to no avail. I started to freak. Luckily gmail saves items that are starred to your phone so I was able to access it since I'm smart and stared the confirmation. Immigration let us through! We ran, scanned our bags, and ran to the bus. Success! Is our luck starting to run out?

Two hours and a nap later, we arrived at our stop for Las Juntas. The stop was actually 6km from Las Juntas- no problem, we'll take the next bus. The taxi driver was trying to tell me I needed to take a cab to the town because the next bus for Monteverde was leaving at 10 and it was 940. Well I didn't understand/believe him so we didn't take a taxi. We hitched a ride and got to Las Juntas at 1030. The bus for Monteverde did leave at 10 and the next one doesn't leave until 330. Shit we are in this small ass town for hours. So much for waking up early. We walked through town wondering the best way to handle this. Along the way Andy spotted something in the river that flows through town. It was the biggest iguana we've ever seen. The body was probably 4 ft long and the tail another 3 ft. We kinda freaked a bit. If these suckers are just walking around town, what the hell are out in the jungle? It swam across the river without any problem. Thus thing could eat a baby. I guess there aren't any cats in this town.

Locals stopped us along the way and gave us support in reaching our journey. Since we so easily hitched a ride to the town, Andy was all for hitching a ride to Monteverde. A taxi wanted $70 because it's an hour on shitty road and pretty high. No way we are paying that. We started walking through the town toward Monteverde. Andy stopped a chick who gave us a ride to the Y. Andy was on a mission. I guess we are doing this! Not long after she dropped us off, a van came by w/ a man, woman, and a little girl. Andy talked the guy into giving us a ride and moved all the stuff out of the way for our bags. OK then!

An hour later and we made it! Who know hitching a ride was so easy?! Costa Ricans are so freakin nice. Unfortunately Santa Elena is packed full of gringos. Oh well, you can't always be the only gringos around. We got dorms at Pension Santa Elena, in separate rooms once again. Next was lunch. It was 1230 and time to celebrate our arrival. Next to the hostel is a taco place that's packed. Just what we wanted! Two orders of fish tacos and two beers and we were good to go. While we were waiting gringos were annoyed that they had to wait for their food. Ugh. I'm not even home yet and they are already annoying me. You're on vacation right?! Chill the fuck out.

The tacos from Taco Taco were awesome (take that Swedes)! Ice cream topped it off nicely and we relaxed for a while before our night hike. We headed for the rain forest at 6pm w/ ~40 other people. There were 8 of us to a guide but when there's 5 other groups walking around in the same area it creates a bit of a shit show. The guides had walkie talkies so they could communicate when they found something and we'd all run over to see it. It was fun, it's just hard to compare the experience to the Rambo dude we had in Ecuador. We saw a three toed sloth in the trees- that was pretty cool. It looks like a huge teddy bear crawling around upside down. We also saw a green viper, crickets, stick bug, red striped tarantula, a cool spider, a coati, and a honey bear that's not a bear but looks like a cat. Well we didn't really see the coati and honey bear-cat. We heard coati's fighting and then the guide pointed to the tree where I saw a furry animal behind leaves. We 'saw' the honey bear-cat from 50 yards away. The whole time the guide was saying- can you see it, isn't it amazing? I can see something in the tree, it could be what you are saying or it could be a stuffed animal. We also got to walk w/ a chick who was new to using a headlamp and a dude who took forever to take a damp pic. The guide said we needed to be quiet. If we don't see any animals it's because we are talking. Right- as Andy said it has nothing to do w/ you loud walkie talkie. We enjoyed the show and headed back to the hostel at 8 and got two hot dogs and quesadillas (Velveta cheese and canned mushrooms- yum). It's been a long day. We passed out in Andy's bed ~9.

Ocean waves kicking my ass

Up at 440 to catch a taxi at 5 to catch the first ferry to the mainland. The driver dropped us off at a different terminal because the banana boat was leaving at 540. These guys seriously moved about a ton of bananas from a truck to the boat. The price was half of what the other ferry was and we got there at the same time not to mention we got to enjoy another fabulous sunrise. Jumped in a cab to Rivas and caught the chicken bus to San Juan del Sur. The bus ride was fast and we sat the whole time. We got to the beach for breakfast around 830- awesome!

We were taking our time until I realized a bus from our Casa Oro Hostel was leaving for Maderas beach in 10 min. We quickly jumped at the chance and paid our $5 each for the ride. The ride was fast and the beach was pretty empty. There were three restaurants and two places to rent boards. We opted for the boogie boards. The waves were amazing and high- and this was supposed to be the small wave beach! I haven't done this is a looong time and it showed. The waves kicked my ass. I tumbled so much, once my feet touched the back of my head. That was enough for a while and I took a break. Back to the sand for a nap. Andy kicked some ass of course, but he took a couple of good spills as well. The sun wasn't out so it was perfect for napping. Once the sun came back out I went back into the water for the last run. It definitely got busier and now it was high tide and the waves were huge! I took caution and didn't crash and burn this time. My stomach was rubbed raw from the salt water and board, it was time to relax.

We relaxed at the bar for a bit w/ some beers and guac. Back to the hostel at 4. It was a great day and I'm so glad we got to experience a whole day here. It's a chill beach town, would def be back. Dinner consisted of fish sticks, fries, and quesedillas. The food was average, but good to us at the time, plus we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the harbor. We still have a couple days for typico food. We are spent. Tomorrow is a long travel day. Going to catch the 5am bus to Rivas and head for the boarder. Let's hope there are minibuses on the other side of the boarder, I don't want it to be a chicken bus day.

Scooting between volcanoes and relaxing in a watering hole

Up at 630 after an awesome night of sleep. Finally! We were going to risk breakfast at these restaurants so we rented a two person scooter to tour the island for $40. We headed to Maderas Volcano first but the roads weren't paved and our vehicle wasn't ready to off-road. Then we came across a nice hotel and restaurant, where Jill and Todd probably stayed, and we ate breakfast. We had two egg sandwiches w/ cheese and they put garlic butter on them. Pretty damn good. Andy broke a metal piece of the bike because he thought (says) it was part of the pedestal so he leaned it against a wall. When we came out after breakfast someone had stood the bike on the real pedestal. Great it's not too broken, we might get away w/ it. Back on the scooter to tour the larger island. Up to Altagracia and down and around to Moyogalpa which is the main city. We took our more cash and came across a pizza place. Yes please! We filled up w/ pizza and real papaya shakes since this would be the only real food until we leave the island. It was delish.

Andy drove us around until this point and I took over. This was my first time driving a scooter so of course I drove it off the road. Not much. I was turning it around and hit the gas instead of the brakes. No damage was done except to my ego. I might have cracked the dashboard but I don't think that was me. I drove us to Ojo de Agua, the natural spring swimming hole. It was beautiful. Fresh refreshing water, small fishes swimming around, and large plants growing everywhere. We had a coconut for $1 to compare to the ones in Belize. The water had an interesting tang to it and the meat was yum.  There was a rope swim so we had to try it out. Andy of course did a back flip and I did the old fashioned cannonball. Not everyone else had such luck. One girl pulled her arm out of her socket and another didn't make it to the water- she fell on her feet then ass. It was time to get out of there before blood spills.

Not sure how we drove around most of the day but we were back at our hotel, Hospedaje Buena Vista, by 330. I was going to relax on the beach but close to sunset there are millions of tiny bugs swarming around the sun. Fine I'll just take a cold shower.  Andy Tom and I went to dinner at the one and only good restaurant, plus the power was out and the hotel had it's own generator. The Dutch gals stayed because they are on a budget although it costs the same as last night's dinner. For some reason I'm needing to carbo overload because I had to go for the lasagna  this place can't get it wrong right? It was good, and so were the two drinks of Flor de Cauco rum straight up. We really enjoyed our dinner and cocktails. So much that Tom asked our waiter for a small bottle of rum to go. Of course the guy said, and the cost wasn't on the bill. When we went to pay Tom was trying to figure out how much to give the guy for the rum and the waiter got flustered and said just give me $8. Totally legit.

Back to the hotel and the power is still out. No worries, we have rum. We didn't have any glasses so Andy cut open two coconuts and we mixed the coconut water w/ the rum and it was goooood. The moon was out in full force, lighting up everything. We kicked back and sipped our drinks and chatted. Time for bed, up at 440am to catch the first ferry.

Now to relax a bit on Ometepe

I slept like shit last night. It was so hot and every time I moved on the top bunk it made a loud screetching sound. I could tell Andy was awake early because I heard him moving across the room. He said every time he moved the chick below him would groan, hehe. I was up early too so we set out for breakfast. We found an open barbershop at 7 which was empty so Andy jumped at his chance to get his beard trimmed. The barber trimmed his bead and hair proper. The seat was old-fashioned so when it was time for the neck shave the barber put in the headrest and kicked back the chair. Not only did he shave his neck once, but again after the cream was shaved off. While he was beautified I played w/ the kitten who was just spayed (I was impressed).

We found a nice cafe for breakfast and since we weren't in a hurry we ordered breakfast sammies and a pineapple shake w/ ice and mango shake w/ milk- both w/o sugar. Refreshing and delisious we went back to the dorm for our move to Ometepe. The girls from Holland were already gone so we headed to the bus stop. Alas it was chicken bus time again. This bus sucked. We didn't have a seat  so Andy had to stand the whole time. I was about to say there's no way they can fit more people in the bus when I stopped myself because I knew what was going to happen. They shoved in 20 more people. Like clowns. I got half a seat which wasn't really helpful since I had to hold my body up the whole two hours w/ my arms. Andy bumped packages w/ another dude and I had a fat lady's boobs against my head and then a girl's hair in my face. I'm almost over this public transportation. Once we got to Rivas we took a cab to the ferry which left at noon.

The ride across the lake to Ometepe was beautiful and it only took an hour. Once we arrived on the  island we jumped back in the chicken bus. This time I'm officially over the fucking chicken bus. A kid was puking next to me, people shoving and sweating all over you. We didn't know where we were going and Lonely Planet wasn't being too helpful. We got off the bus at the first option and walked 15 min down a dirt road. The hotel was booked, I wasn't sure if the hotel was the town of Charco Verde or what the hell was going on. Another 15 min back to the main road and I tried to ask someone where the hotels were but it was lost in translation. Finally I ask the taxi to take us to a new park of the island, unfortunately this cost us $20. We are going to be sucked dry on this island.

The hotel we found was very nice w/ a beautiful view of the north side of the lake (we are staying in between the two volcanoes). We paid for two nights at $20/night, not too bad since we were paying $12-$16 to stay in a dorm. We quickly got two Tona's (I think I like Victoria beer better) and headed next door for lunch. We found the Holland girls at the same hotel and it sounded like their experience was a bit better than ours. I think we need to follow them to San Juan del Sur. For food we orders hamburgers because we were very hungry and didn't know what else was on the menu. Mistake. They tasted and looked like they were veggies burgers because I'm pretty sure that mush wasn't beef.

Let me preface this by saying I'm OK not rushing through dinner, it is vacation after all. With that said these people are slow as shit and as Andy said, anyone can run a restaurant. We met up w/ Karin and Jolanda (our Holland friends) and a guy they befriended Tom from Minnesota/Switzerland. We headed to the other dinner option at 7 because none of us had good experiences earlier that day. Granted there was another large dinner party there, but it took us an hour to get our drinks (which all came out at random times). After they delivered our drinks a guys came out and confirmed our food order. You're just now getting to the food? We laughed at the insanity. They got our chicken finger order wrong and instead delivered fajitas w/o the tortillas. We asked for some, sure no prob. 30 min later, the girls were done w/ their so called lasagne and the waiter said, the tortillas- they are no good. WTF haha! OK we'll eat the chicken. Then Tom got his fish which he said was delish. I know I know, when you're this remote stick to the food they know. Another hour later we got our check. We all chipped in for the 10% tip. Tom said it was optional and that's where the great "cultural divide" occurred. The Americans said just give them the tip, the Europeans said they didn't provide service they don't deserve a tip. Yes I tip even for bad service, I guess I'm a typical American.

Swimming in a crater lake- a good way to spend Christmas

Up at 530 to see the sunrise. Yeah you know that bump in our tent? Well it was felt. I felt like I had a small bend in my back the whole night and couldn't sleep on my side. Whatever, the sunrise was magnificent. The horizon was all the colors of the rainbow and as the set rose you could see sunbeams across the sky. Off in the distance was Momotumbo and right below us was Ass__ that we would swim beside today. This was one of the most beautiful mornings I've ever seen. After some oats w/ bananas we packed our tents and our slightly lighter load for the 5-6 hour hike that was ahead of us. My knee was doing well and I wasn't sore from the day before, I was just glad that we were done w/ our uphill hikes. El Hoyo was only 3k ft but it felt much more after the day we had yesterday.

The hike down from El Hoyo was difficult. It was again more volcanic gravel that was easy to slip on. Sometimes you would step on a large rock and it would break because the rocks were pumice or another rock that crumbles easily. I made it down w/o injuring myself and Andy was one of the first ones down again. We were so excited to get in that water. This was likely the dirtiest I've been possibly ever. The trails are so dusty and full of thorny shrubs my legs are caked in dirt and scratches. Again the hike was almost more of a run. After we were off the volcano the hike was relatively flat around the other volcano and lake to where we could jump in.

The water was so refreshing, it's just what we needed after the two sweaty dirty days we had just had. It was very warm. Andy made jokes about leaches (there were none). Lunch consisted of cold veggie tacos, not the most delicious thing but we would eat anything by this point. We made it to the water in record time. It usually takes 5 hrs and we made it in less than 3. We could hang with those 20 year olds! The hike out was 10 min up a steep incline then a dirt road out. Just what we needed to dirty ourselves again after washing off in the lake.

Not sure if they planned for someone to pick us up but no one showed. We ended up hitchhiking back to a main road. We fit 15 of us in the back of the truck w/ all our bags, it was scary. Andy sat on top of the cab w/ nothing bracing him if the truck braked hard. The first turn the truck turned way too fast and I thought we were done for, all I could imagine was the truck turning over all all the luggage and people falling on top of me or me being catapulted from it. After that he slowed down. We made it to the main road, we offered him money and he wouldn't take it. That was so amazing that he packed in 15 people and all our luggage and wouldn't take anything for the 30 min ride he provided. We finally took a chicken bus back to Leon and hoofed it back to QT. It felt so good to be back.

We packed our stuff, grabbed our free t-shirts (Andy got a second one and good thing because his one and only was done for) said goodbye and headed back out for the bus to Managua. We headed to Granada w/ three other girls, two from Holland and one from Switzerland. The trip from Leon to Managua to Granada was fast and uneventful. A much needed shower was taken at the hostel. No hot water but I didn't want any at this point, lukewarm was perfect. We had only eaten the veggie lunch and a crappy bun filled w/ some meat so we were starving by this point. We headed to the main street w/ restaurants and all of them were still open. I guess they don't close down like we were told/though for Christmas. Andy and I tried to explain the difference between tacos and burittos to the Swiss girl but she wasn't getting it. After a long debate we finally got our quesadillas and chicken fajitas, damn they were good. The street was quite lively, boys were selling gum and palms for money and musicians were out trying to make a buck as well. Back to the hostel after some ice cream and we tried to pass out in the heat. The room we were in had 30 people, that's a lot of people breathing hot air and the ceiling fans didn't seem to help much. The middle of the hostel had a nice grassy area w/ turtles. Apparently there are also rats there, we were told to lock our bags tight. It was a good day.

An amazing hike to El Hoyo for Christmas Eve

Up at 6 and headed to QuetzalTrekkers for our El Hoyo two day hike. Andy got a quick shower, damn him, I haven't showered in several days and it's going to be two days more. QT made breakfast for us which consisted of eggs, toast and potatoes- this was a good sign of things to come. Then we had to pack our bags. Each of us had 5 large water bottles, a sleeping pad, and Andy and I took some food (everyone was supposed to take something but they didn't), and poor Andy had to take the extra tent because he was one of two guys and the other dude already had a tent. Oh yeah, Andy also took of his backpack's belt at home so he was going to have to carry all the weight on his shoulders. That's going to suck. My pack weighed 31 and his 45 lbs. OK let's do this.

A 45 min truck ride to the first volcano for some boarding. Our boards consisted a piece of plywood w/ some metal on the bottom and a couple of pieces of plywood sticking up for our feet and butts. This was going to be interesting. It was hot outside, probably 95 on the Cerro Negro volcano. We hiked up it and saw some sulfur holes that were very active. The water/sulfur coming from the holes were very hot and of course smelled bad. The wind was blowing hard, I tried to use the board as a wind projector to push me up the mountain, it kinda worked. The views were amazing from the top. We then proceeded to put on the jumpsuit, goggles  and gloves. There were holes all over the place, I'm sure there would be much damage done if we crashed.

No one volunteered to go first so I nominated Andy. He was a trouper and took off down the mountain. The farther back you sat the faster you would go. I lost track of him at off in the distance but he was going at a pretty fast rate. I guess I'll see how he is at the bottom. When it was my turn I took it slow at first them leaned back. You tend to turn a bit which means you'll crash so I would slow down a little when that would happened until I corrected myself. I made it down w/o any issues and it was fun! Andy took a spill at the end but no harm was done. Success!

We carried the boards back to the waiting area where we got them. The place was heavily guarded by army guys. Apparently people come out there to poach iguanas (which may or may not be legal) however the issue is that when they poach they burn down trees to get them and start forest fires. We grabbed our heavy packs and started the hike. Mind you it was noon, blazing hot, and the first 90min was up a steep hill w/ no tread because it was volcanic gravel. It was not easy and we only breaked three times. Andy had a hell of a time carrying his heavy ass bag but he, like usual, was one of the first ones. I didn't have such an easy time. I had my knee brace on which helped me a ton, but it was so damn hot.

After the torturous hill the rest of the hike was pretty flat but it was still quite now. Now I see why we needed so much water. Our hiking guide was a kid out of high school and he was practically running. I don't mind walking quickly but I didn't have many chances to look up since you had to watch your step on the rough terrain. Andy and I were def the oldest ones there so we proved we could keep up with the youngins. We had funny conversations along the way. The Europeans were saying how Americans and Canadians say 'awesome' too much. Remington (from Canada) said well maybe we are just happier and more positive? Well said my maple leaf friend. That would explain why the Swed's were perplexed when we said Utila was awesome. Why is it awesome they asked w/ no enthusiasm. Andy and I were stumped. Well, it's the beach, it's warm, we're about to dive, and we're on vacation- duh.

We made it in record time to the camp, about 3 hours total hiking. The view from our campground was spectacular. We had the huge sinkhole above us, our camp was in a crater, and we had views of several volcanoes, Lake Managua, the ocean, and crater lake which we would swim in tomorrow. After we rested for a bit we hiked up to see the sinkhole and then to another large sulfur hole, and then just enjoyed the view. As we set up our tents the QT volunteers (they are not paid) cooked us Christmas Eve dinner.

Kickin it in Leon

Up at 7 after and good night's sleep, the illness is starting to leave my body. It's Sunday here in Leon and not much is open at 8am. We head back to the hostel for some fruit yogurt and the Nicaraguan version of granola. Andy took a quick dip in the pool and we packed our bags for the original hostel we intended to sleep in, Somati (it gives money to the environment in some way). We drops our bags and head for the streets.

Every dude we walked by wanted to give Andy a high five. Go Americans! We signed up for the two day Xmas hike tomorrow, should be fun (and very hot)! The inside market had lots of soup with all kinds of meat in it but I wasn't hungry at the time unfortunately. Bought some bug itch cream (I think), a couple antihistamines (I think) and we were on our way. It's pretty hot so we got some ice pops and then sat down at Via Via for a quick bight to eat. I'm so thirsty we order their fruit w/ water drinks- I had orange Andy had lemon. We were thinking they would be like a slushy because everything out here has sugar in it (not that we want sugar in it). To our surprise they were straight up tart juices but ended up being delicious. The nachos consisted of fried tortillas to dip in beans w/ onions in ketchup. Not exactly what I had in mind but it wasn't bad.

It was hot and we covered pretty much the whole town so we head back to Somati for the hammocks. They were lovely. We chilled and napped for 4 hours. Around 5 it had cooled down enough so we went out for dinner. Our plan was to make it to a tapas place on the other side of town but we stopped by Carnivore so Andy of course had to see the menu. There was so much meat on the menu it was too much for me but we did stay for apps and drinks because it was a nice restaurant and we deserved it. We had two screwdrivers, some octopus ceviche, and carpacchio for $14. Word! It was bomb! We walked around for a bit, the streets were bustling w/ locals still shopping and now the street food vendors were out. Just to make sure we had enough to eat we each got a slice of pizza w/ ham ($1.5) and watched the kids skateboard. Now sure why I can't understand what prices people are telling me. I swear they aren't saying standard numbers because I can truly understand numbers, really I can. Back at the hostel early because we have a big day tomorrow.

It's been a bus, bus, minibus, minibus, tuk tuk, minibus, minibus kind of day

Up at 2am to catch the 330 bus out of La Ceiba. I slept like shit due to my cold but it doesn't really matter when you're only sleeping for 5 hrs anyways. The bus actually left at 315, not sure how that works. We were on a bus that's a step down from Hedman Alas but in no way a chicken bus. I took my cold pills and passed out for most of the uneventful trip.

We had to transfer in Tegucigalpa, the capitcal of Honduras, and let me tell you that place is a shithole. We got out of the bus to the chaos in the streets. Then Andy noticed our bus driver was openly carrying a hand pistol in the streets, then notice another dude had a pistol on him. We needed to get the fuck out of there. We jumped in a cab and headed for King Quality, the only bus leaving for Managua, Nicaragua in the afternoon. We got there and they told us the bus was sold out. Holy shit, what the hell do we do now? There aren't other buses to Nicaragua in the pm and we can't stay in this city. Lizze told us 9 people were killed in one day and I can see that happening. I was concerned, I had exhausted my Spanish and they spoke no English. After several incoherent sentences, the lady handed me a card w/ the name of another busline to Nicaragua. Success! I can understand enough of their directions for us to walk out in the ghetto and we were off.

We turn the corner and see the buses. We have luck! As we near the bus I'm asking "a Managua" and they are saying "si, si" so we get in a bus and have no idea where it's going. At this point it doesn't matter because we need to get out of this city. I keep asking him wher we are going and I don't really understand him because the place he is saying sounds like 3 other places on the map. At this point I'm pretty sure we are heading in the right direction. They handed out barf bags, oh this is going to be an interesting ride. We eneded up in Choluteca where we transfered to a minibus to Guasaule. Our minibus had to stop twice along the way to put water in the radiator. I didn't think we were going to make it. I was getting nervous again because I knew the border closed at a certain time and I had no idea what we'd do if this minibus broke down in the middle of nowhere. It's going on 4 and we've only eaten two small bags of combos. I didn't care I just wanted to get out of this country.

Loney Planet didn't have good things to say about Guasaule and they were right. We were immediately bounced on by dudes wanting to exchange our money. The minibus guy put our bags in a bicycle tuk tuk. I said no I can walk, they showed me their official badge and said it was free. OK, this is a weird way to be taken to the border. I was in one and Andy was in the other. I got to the immigration office first and waited for Andy for a while. I was concerned because my driver said he was w/ the officer. Holy shit what is he getting into now. It turns out the police stopped Andy and made him take everything out of his bag. The officer wasn't treating Andy very well, but he let him pass.

We were stamped out of the country after the dude told me we had to pay. I knew we didn't and they we left us alone. Back in the bicycle tuk tuk and they took us across the bridge to the Nicaragua side. Along the way I asked if many people from the US come this way and he said never. Go figure. We paid our $12 each to get into the country and all was well. Andy and I decided we would be nice and tip our drivers since he worked so hard. When they dropped us off they wanted $20 each! WTF! They are insane and no way in hell were they getting that. Andy wasn't having it either, we gave them a tip and put in on the ground and we walked away. Apparently it was free to the immigration but not the rest of the way. Assholes.

Back in the minibus for Chinandega and then another one for Leon. We were so happy to be in Nicaragua, too many stressful moments in Honduras. It's amazing how the atmosphere changed once we crossed the border too. There was no trash on the side of the road, no potholes, people we out being social. Yes I'm glad to be here. Back in the bicycle tuk tuk to get to out hostel. The dude doesn't know where ours is so we end up at Lazybones. Not bad, they have a pool I'm not getting in. We've had a rough day so we sign up for the private room. We dropped our bags and headed out for food. It's now 7:15pm, we've been traveling for 16 hours w/o food and little water because I had to hold my pee since 10am. I wonder why I have kidney issues. Leon is amazing. It's fun, people are out, I don't feel like someone is going to pull out a gun on me, I can relax here. Funny how things work out sometimes. It's been a long day, I'm ready to retire.

Honduran hospitality 12/21

Up at 7 because we are old and don't sleep in anymore. It's nice taking our time for a change and not rushing to catch the next bus. We mosied our way to breakfast- I got some banana pancakes (now I can't get Jack Johnson out of my head) and Andy got the breakfast typico. Where are those banana shakes when you need them? We stood in line for 20-30 min at the bank to withdrawl cash to pay for the scuba and hostel. Funny how you get different prices depending who you ask. The Spanish hottie said the room was free w/ our dives but of course he was gone when we went to pay. No worries, we can handle the $7/pp for each night. It's been pouring rain all day. Apparently it's been raining a lot before we got there and the forecast looks like it's going to rain everyday. We were so lucky to have two beautiful clear days. We lucked out!

We took another look at the crazy tree bar in the daylight w/ Lizzi and her nephew while Matt was diving (they are letting us stay at their place tonight). It's pretty amazing. What was even more amazing were the huge Banana Spiders in the trees. They were huge and everywhere. Makes you wonder what you touch when you walked by in the dark. After another club sandwich for lunch, some bomb strawberry cheesecake ice cream, and we headed for the 2pm ferry to La Ceiba. We bought our tickets a couple hours ago but they want us to "check them" at the ticket booth again. Only 7 min left and they were taking their sweet Honduran time. They have no sense of urgency and we really didn't want to miss this bus. It's a relief when you are w/ someone who speaks Spanish fluently to understand the insanity of having to check a ticket. All they freakin did was type our name and passport number into their system. Why didn't they do this when we bought the ticket? Someone needs to six sigma their ass. We got on the ferry in time.

Back in La Ceiba at Matt and Lizzi's house. It's a nice house they are renting- they are getting married and moving to CA in Jan. Matt is from Chicago and Lizzi and a cute little Honduran who speaks English very well. Too bad her nephew doesn't because he is bored w/ us around. We chill for a bit, Matt washes our clothes, and we jump on his powerful wifi. Finally we head out for a walk. We walk through bustling downtown La Ceiba to a park that Dole built. We move on to the ocean front. It's too bad there's not more tourist industry here because it could do really well if people weren't so scared to travel here. We drink some Pina Coladas by the ocean, we are the only ones there. We move on to dinner at Kabasa and Andy and I share a seafood soup. It's delicious  crab, lobster, shrimp, all in a coconut drink for just $20. By now we are really sick with a cold. Andy's lungs hurt and my head is so congested it wants to explode.

Matt and Lizzi did so much for us we are so grateful. Matt's going to visit and we're going to dive in Monterey. It's great to see how strangers can be hospitable and we can't wait to be so in return to others. Another cool thing, Andy posted the Whale Shark we saw on a tracking site and we'll find out tomorrow if it's a new whale or one that's already in their database. Hopefully they will be able to see the dots on it's shoulder from Andy's pics (it's like a finger print). Thanks Ian for the cool info.

Night diving, an octopus, and a place to stay

Up at 6am for two dives. There was only 6 of us this time so it was much more peaceful. The dives were beautiful, a bit more chilly, but calm and a great way to wake up. We went to the north side for the first dive and back to the south end for the second. We came back, took a quick rinse and headed out for lunch and to find Andy a shirt since he forgot all his short sleeves. We ended up with two banana shakes and a Guac BLT w/o guac and light on the bacon. No matter, I didn't want that much to eat anyways. Plus we had to prepare our stomachs for the big BBQ this evening.

We hung out at the hostel, swam in the water, and chatted w/ Dr John who we dove w/ yesterday. He's pretty funny, quite the world traveler. He takes a whole year off work w/ his wife and they go where ever they please. That's def the way to do it. Finally we geared up at 530 and headed out for the night dive. Right before I get in the deep black ocean I usually wonder what the hell is wrong w/ me that I'm jumping into the dark abyss in which I can't see anything except my little flash light. Once I'm in though all is well. It's pretty fun actually. For some reason I'm not scared once I'm in the water using the light. I feel safe in my little world w/in the large world we barely know. During the dive I saw an awesome little octopus that was greenish blue. They are hard to see because they hind as soon as you shine a light on them. We saw some lobster and little shrimp w/ their eyes glowing. The most awesome thing was the bat fish (not sure what they are called). They sit on the ocean floor w/ little anntenae sticking off the top of their head. When they are pushed their "wings" span out and they look like a crazy alien bat. So cool.

When we got back we were so hungry. They were BBQing chicken and pork at the hostel. Andy got his first and I stared at him in angst until I got mine 40 min later. It was delicious  We met Matt during our dives, he lives in La Ceiba w/ his Honduran fiance. We asked him for traveling advice and he offered up his place for us tomorrow night. We might as well take it since it's going to take us 2 days to get to Nicaragua. His wife Lizzy, is very cool and speaks Spanish very well. We are all set for tomorrow. Sleep in, chill for a bit, take the afternoon ferry to La Ceiba, stay the night at their place.

Although we were so tired we headed out to see the "#4 bar in the world". It was quite impressive- Treetanic. It's like Willy Wonka on steroids. An artist built a tree house w/ a lot of area that has glass, seashells, and whatever else in cement that create bridges and arcs into a wonderland. Def have to check it out tomorrow. The night view was quite impressive. It's been a good day.

Whale Sharks!!

Up at 8 to catch the 930 ferry to Utila. We had time so we grabbed some breakfast. I was pretty hungry and ready to eat a McDonalds egg McMuffin. There are plenty of fast food restaurants in La Ceiba but of course no McDonalds at the port. The one and only food place was a fried chicken stand. I wasn't about to order one for myself- this was afterall my first meal and I was scared. Andy was frighted/hungry too because he said "I'm salivating because I'm hungry as shit and half because I'm nauseous". That pretty much sums it up. Andy ordered the fried chicken, beans, tortillas, eggs, ham, and sour cream-something. The guy who did the farmer snot shoot into the sink next to us and washed out his mouth really did it for me. I ate a bit just so I could stomach my antibiotics and we took the hour ferry to Utila. Utila's residence have an interesting combination of Spanish and Caribbean. There was a little old white lady on the ferry w/ the loudest Caribbean accent. Just imagine a grandma w/ the voice of a loud Jamaican lady. Hilarious.

It's warm and beautiful here! I think I like it better than Belize. It's smaller than Caye Caulker and pretty chill. We signed up for Captain Morgan's Dive shop and got a discount at Pirate Bay ($7/pp!) since it has the same owner. The dorm's are very nice and they even have real warm showers! We dropped our stuff off and got ready for our first dive.

The dive was very pretty, even better when the sun was shining bright. The coral was more colorful than Belize. Now for the good stuff. During our surface interval our boat captain heard over the radio a Whale Shark was spotted. We took off for the hunt. We were told to wait until the signal to jump in (with our snorkel gear only) and of course not to touch the shark. We were so pumped! As we got closer we saw two other dive boats and the fish jumping out of the water (signaling a Whale Shark) and the Seagulls trying to eat the fish. We knew we were getting close. All of a sudden our DM yells "dive dive dive!". We all jump in and I immediate see a 15 ft long Whale Shark from the back. It was amazing! I swam so much trying to chase it like an idiot I ended up at the other end w/ the other boats, then I had to swim back.

Back in the boat and we headed for another sighting. We were so pumped that we finally saw a Whale Shark! People wait their whole lives to see them! We headed off for the second one not expecting it to be as cool as the first. Very soon we saw the fish jumping and Seagulls and we heard "dive dive dive!". We jumped in and all I saw were bubbles. I had to come up to clear my snokel and as soon as I went down there she was- a huge Whale Shark swam right below me! It was so close I had to hold back so it's fin wouldn't whack me. Luckily Andy jumped in and went right down and took some great pics! This sucker was big, maybe 25-30 ft. So fucking cool. The second dive was better than the first. The highlight was a huge Moray Eel- the biggest I've ever seen! It's head was the size of two basketballs. We could swim past it in an overhead swim-through. Once I saw it I decided not swim through because two girls in front of me were taking their sweet time and I wasn't going to get stuck in front of that eel.

Back on land after an amazing dive and time to eat some real food. Andy got a $1 beer and we headed out for some food. We ordered the fried fish sticks, onion rings, and steak quesadillas. Enough fried food to hold us down for a bit. Not bad for my first real meal. I have a bad feeling about this one but I'm finally hungry so I'm going for it. We'll see how this works out during our 7am dive.

I want to live again 12/18

Up at 3 to catch the 330 shuttle and but to La Cieba, Honduras. I was so excited that I slept all night w/o puking I could hardly contain myself, then I would get dizzy and sit. This was going to be an interesting ride. The cobblestone roads didn't help and I was prepping for the barf bag. So sad we were leaving Antigua w/o seeing much of it. I got a couple rooftop pics I think. Andy was a gem this whole time although he was feeling like shit too.

Not too much to report today. Jumped on the bus from GC at 4, changed buses at the Honduras border, then again in San Pedro Sula, then arrived in La Cieba at 630. I was stoked to be on the bus all day because I didn't have to do any walking (which I was incapable of doing). I didn't puke but there were some scares. I was able to work my way up to eating bread and bland chips. Smells still get to me. I overhear a girl behind us talking about her day 2 w/ food poisoning. Glad I'm not the only one suffering.

We met a Canadian on the bus and headed his way since he spoke more Spanish than we did. We finally found the ATM after asking 4 people and they all gave us different directions. We stopped for dinner, meaning I had Gatorade, Andy had empanada looking things and regretted it a bit later. Back at the hostal and wondering if I should douse myself in poison w/ all the mosquitoes around or take my chance at not getting bit. The way this trip is going the odds aren't in my favor. But what the hell, what's a trip to the Carribean if you don't have the mosquito scars to show for it?

12/17 Worst birthday ever

Up at midnight exactly because I received a little present called food poisoning. I was up ever half hour for the next 15 hours, not to mention that the one dude sharing our room as the loudest snorer ever. The noises he was making should have come out of an obese man. I was so exhausted I could hardly make it to the toilet. I was regretting the picante tacos we had the night before.

Andy was pretty sick but able to move a bit. He got up, walked down to the pharmacy, puked, and brought back antibiotics. All I had to do was keep them down for 20 min. You know how hard it is to keep those pills down when you can't even keep water down? Well they didn't stay down. I kept drinking water just so I had something to puke. Andy was really trying to help and got us a nice room for the evening. The only problem was we had to walk there. He had to carry my bag for me because I could harldly move. The sun beat down  on us and took every ounce of energy we had. As soon as we got into our room we both puked- in the same toilet- complete bonding experience.

The room was amazing but all I could do was puke and try to ignore the complete pain my whole body felt. Andy ordered some veggie soup and bread. The smell of anything was too much for me so after a couple bites of bread I was able to pass out around 7pm. I'm not sure how I'm going to make this 3am bus ride for 12+ hours. Oh god I want to die.

Oh today, I'll chuck this one to the travel gods

Where oh where do I start w/ today. Up at 630 since the shuttle was leaving at 730 sharp because the road closes at 8 and we didn't want to get stuck. Well, the road closed at 745 so we waiting anyways. During our wait we were told the road to Antigua was closed because of a party so we would drop off the others at the airport then head to Antigua. So much for a direct route. Along the way to GC we stopped for a 20 min break which took an hour so we ended up in GC around 1. The people flying out of GC were in luck that we didn't hit Antigua first because they would have missed their flight.

Anyways, since we were in GC and were told there was a direct bus to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, we got out and told the pissed of driver that we were leaving. He wanted more money since we only paid for Antigua. We said oh well, we paid for a direct route to Antigua and we didn't have time for it now since we stopped in GC. We got out and asked the airlines about the cost to fly to SPS. $400? I don't fucking think so. Where's the night bus to SPS we were told about? Well no one at the airport speaks enough English to figure out what they are saying or they tell us there's no night bus. OK, now what? We argue for a bit then decide to grab a shuttle for Antigua although we already paid for the previous one that had just drove by us.

OK, it's now 2 and we're finally on our way somewhere to get the hell out of GC because it's a shithole. The drive was smooth and I was finally relaxing a bit. We follow a chick in our shuttle to a hostel because it has a rooftop bar and I'm a sucker for them. Andy wants to investigate this night bus we were told about to SPS from Antigua so befor we put our stuff down we are looking for Hedman Alas. Half the people in the city don't know of it, the other know it's closed and don't speak enough English to help us. Have I mentioned I hate that I can't speak enough Spanish?

Eventually we get a room at the hostel we originally arrived at and decided to stay a night and take the volcano trip in the am. Did I mention Andy lost his phone? Oh yeah, remember karma? Well karma decided we fucked up and gave the bus driver who was pissed we got off in GC his phone. Now he had to get it back somehow. At this point he says he's going to drop it off tomorrow, we'll see. I have no pics from today due to me wanting to punch everyone in the face, or at least some people. Who thinks getting his phone back will be easy?

A couple cervesas at the rooftop bar, good conversation, and three pecante tacos later and I'm back to relaxing. We might try for SPS tomorrow, which is actually Tues morning at 330am. Maybe we can make the 430pm boat to Utila. Kids remember- transportation is always fucked in non 1st world countries. You can listen to what people say, but they don't really know and you will want to believe them. I always forget these words at the beginning of every trip and then I remember after I had to relearn them. Whatevs, I'm still in Antigua Guatemala and it's awesome. Did I mention the Steelers game was on? How am I in Guatemala and I get to watch the Steelers who I never get to watch in CA? Go figure.

Rest and a beautiful day at the lake

Up at 8am after 11 hours sleep. Didn't make the volcano hike but that's OK, we needed the sleep. Breakfast included fruit granola yogurt, wifi, and real awesome San Marco then Guatemalan coffee- no NesCafe! We chatted with a Canadian couple (we know because she was wearing a Canada pin). Woke up to reading about the horrible shooting in CT. WTF people.

Anyways, we decided to hike around the area so we checked out of our La Paz Hotel, left our bags and headed out for Santa Cruz. The area is so beautiful! Along the hike we had amazing views of the lake, beautiful flowers, coffee beans (it's harvest season), a house using water bottles as insulation, and corn on the steepest hills you could imagine. Andy was trying to take a pic for a large beetle and needed my help. We all know where this is going. It started to fly away in the direction of my face. i didn't yel but I moved fast like a cheetah. It wouldn't have been pretty if it got stuck in my hair because it had  barbed legs. All is well- we moved on. We climbed up the hill, sucked on the coffee beans for energy, and eventually ended up at a beautiful hotel because we were hugry and thirsty. We knew it wouldn't be cheap as we passed by the swimming pool on a cliff but it didn't really matter at this point.

The view was amazing and total worth the price. We got beers and shared a mushroom and meat dish (none of these damn places have Guatemalan food!) and chatted w/ a cool guy from Austin named Jason. We stayed for a while and got some good info from him about Nicaragua and I tried to hook him up w/ some contacts to build his website. We were so very relaxed and ready to go for a swim. So you would think we've never traveled before because we didn't have enough money. Jason gave us some cash so I paypaled him because I felt like an asshole. Then he gave us another 100 Quetzales because he's nice and we were humbled.

Down 350 stairs (thank god I had my knee brace on this whole time) bathing suit on and into the muy frio water. It wasn't so cold, or maybe my body eventually went numb. It was just what we needed and it would suffice as a shower we desperately needed. Swimming in blue water with the volcanoes surrounding the lake. We decided to pass on the Gringo party happening close by. It's supposed to be impressive (with a pig roast)  but we have shit to do tomorrow and can't afford to be hung over so early in the trip.

We were lazy and relaxed so we waiting for a boat to head toward San Marcos. It took a bit and I was wondering if we would have to walk back. I'm not trying to walk in the dark in this area so we waited 40 min for a boat. We finally caught a boat back to San Marcos, grabbed our bags and headed for San Juan. The book said San Juan was keeping it real. Man is that ever true. So real there isn't shit to do there. Andy suggested we walk to San Pedro. By this time it's getting dark, I'm hungry, I know we aren't supposed to walk in the dark w/ valuables, I wasn't thrilled. A tuk tuk finally came by and picked us up. Good thing because I would have been pissed if I had to walk up the hill it drove up. It wasn't making it so the driver's friend had to jump out and walk up.

He dropped us off at the town center and eventually found a hotel and a shuttle for the am. We had enough of chicken buses for now- we paid our dues. We walked around, saw some fireworks w/ a pic of Bin Laden, and finally found a lady selling food on the corner. Good thing because I don't want anymore pizza (for now). A large bottle of Gallo and back to the hotel. It was a great day. Can't wait to check out Antigua! Then catching a night bus to San Pedro Sula (Honduras). It's going to be a long day tomorrow, better get some rest tonight.

Big guy in little chicken bus 12/14

Andy's highlights- 1st class flight was awesome, bus ride here was interesting w/ DJ KoKo, women making his knees uncomfortable, bus driving was scary. We got off the bus chain too early and didn't get back on, boat ride and sunset was amazing, traveling w/ light gear, we are both feeling better physically.

The first day is always great, even if you end up traveling for most of the day like we did. 1am flight out of SFO. I didn't need the Xanax that I took, I woke up for a chicken sandwich at one point, and passed out for the rest of the flight to Mexico City. A couple hour layover and we're only in the air for 2 hours to Guatemala City. Did I mention we were in first class? We never travel in first, and I didn't even know we booked first until I had to change our flight  (the cost was the same as competitors' coach prices). No flight change fee- awesome! I could really get used to flying first class, especially w/ red eyes, but I know it won't happen in a while.

We land in GC and the weather was perfect. I feel like an asshole because my Spanish sucks. I tried to speak to the people at the airport and they immediately switched to English. Oh well, I need to warm up. We agreed to head to Panajecha at the last min so I got the bus schedule from the info lady. We head out of the airport into insanity and almost get a cab. Andy wanted to wait for someone else and split the cost, but we were the only Gringos there and I just wanted to move on so we took the cab to the bus stop in Area8.

The bus was interesting as always. Andy didn't fit in the seat, I barely did and I'm only 5'3". Needless to say Andy is larger than the average Guatemalan. All was well until a lady w/ her kid got on the bus and decided to make our barely two person seat into a four. WTF. Of all the people in the bus she decided to make the large white man squish? Andy was in almost tears for 30 min until people got off and she finally moved. He hung in there like a trouper, didn't bitch or push the woman out of the way. After all we've only been here for an hour, no need to start shit just yet.

The bus finally comes to a stop and makes everyone get out. This isn't Pana. He points to another bus and we board w/o issues. An hour later the bus stops again and makes everyone get out. We're close to the lake so we start walking. I mention we are not in Pana (what the locals call it) but Andy thinks we can walk anyways. Once I find out we are quite far from our destination, and Andy see the lake side from afar, we walk back to the bus area and board our last bus. I try to hold in all my irritation, we can't start fighting on the first day right? All is well and I let my angst go. On our way down the steep mountain to the lake, the bus driver is going crazy fast and at one point I turn around to look at Andy in the back of the bus and we both have the look of death on our faces. Not sure what it is about being in the back of the bus but it's scary as hell. Then we come to a complete stop. All I could think about was another bus drove over the edge. Nope, it was construction and we finally made it to the boat dock.

A beautiful sunset and boat ride across the lake, stopping a several expensive villas on the side of the mountain for some tourists, and we make it to San Marcos. This place is beautiful. So small you need a flashlight to find your way at some points. We find a place- it's suppose to be a dorm but it's a cute little building and we're the only ones in it. We head out for dinner. We get two Gallos cervesas as soon as possible after the long day we just had. It's now 630 and we're finally sitting down. We are now officially on vacation. I can tell because I haven't had a headache all day and Andy isn't sick anymore. Go figure. Funny how our normal lives destroy our bodies. Two  pizzas later and we are in bed by 9. What a long day it's been. Can't wait to see the lake in the manana!

And we're off!

After an insane day at work I was more exhausted and crazy than excited for our trip. A little sushi and sake helped and now I'm ready to go. Our departure wasn't as exciting as when we went to South America (recall Beth thinking we were flying on the following day due to the 1230am flight time). No worries, there will be plenty of excitement and hectic transportation days.
The Xanax is kicking in and we still have another two hours to kill. Might as well take a nap on the floor. I need to get used to it anyways.
See you in Guatemala City!