Cheller

After two months of immobility, I shook the cockroaches out of my pack and loaded up the possessions I thought I would need for the next two weeks. The rest I left in a plastic container in the main house at the Ranch. I said farewell to the team of interns with whom I had shared the “winter”, promising to see them again at Thanksgiving, and headed to Esterillos, the preferred beach spot amongst the “Ranchers”. About two hours by bus on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, Esterillos offered a less-developed atmosphere than nearby Jaco or Parrita, and the owners and family of the Ranch had a friendly connection with a young woman who owned a precious hotel right on the beach. She had planned to take a vacation and offered caretaking responsibilities to the ... read more

From the coastal town of La Ceiba, Honduras, I caught a $50 ferry over to the Island of Roatan, one of the famous Bay Islands. I traveled over with a new friend from NY, another solo female traveler coming from two months volunteering in El Salvador. We stepped off the ferry and stuck out our thumbs, aiming to catch a ride to the backpacker-tourist side of the island. Five pickup trucks later we arrived in West End (free transport was much better and more interesting than the $20 taxi service offered at the ferry dock). We ended up walking a bit also, with our packs and everything, and added to the fact that some invasive germ was causing my body to react feverishly, by the time we reached the cheapest hostel on the one-road strip, ... read more

Palenque, Coba, Chichen Itzá, and Tulum. All wonderful spots. Palenque, in the jungle, all original structures being reclaimed by nature, full of energy. The jungle itself cured me of all ills, rejuvenating me with its hypnotic energy. The first night sleeping in a hammock beneath a thatched roof with a wild rain and lightning storm raging around me made me feel more alive than ever. I saw Coba and Chicen Itzá the same day. Chichen Itzá was a little Disneylandish, but one of those things I was too close to miss, and still very impressive. And then Tulum, today, original buildings on the cliffs overlooking the pristine Caribbean, it´s hard to express in words. I apologize for the brevity of this entry. The time limit of the computer shop is cutting me short. Until Guatemala, love ... read more

Hey all, college graduate speaking! Besides some complications with the tired immune system, the end of the term went pretty smoothly. All those projects that I waited until the last two weeks to start seemed to come together miraculously (I could have studied more for my Spanish test and presentation), but I think I managed to pull off some low A´s nonetheless, finally finishing my first chunk of school. Just some catch up of the last couple weeks. Our last excursion was a three day weekend to Mexico City, which many people call D.F. (pronounced Day Effay) for District Federal. It gets confusing, however, when the locals call it simply Mexico. They also call Mexico state (where Mexico City is located) Mexico. So, when a local is interested in your trip to his country and ... read more

Last weekend we took a trip with the program to a small city in the state of Guanajuato. Being the capital city, it was also named Guanajuato. It was about three hours on a cushy charter bus, then we stopped off at our hotel at the top of a huge hill. I got in a couple hours of sleep before our three and a half hour tour started. This city has amazing history and architecture. Tons of tourists, I felt like I was in Disneyland, but it made sense, considering all the attractions. The city was originally found by the P´urepeca Indians, as their empire spread. They cherished the region for its numerous varieties of clay. The original P´urepeca name meant "Land Where the Mountains Look Like Frogs", changed to Guanajuato by the Spaniards who ... read more