Chrissy C - Chris Clark

An extreme inability to decide what to do when I grow up has resulted in my accumulation of a fairly extensive experience travelling to the four (cheap) corners of the globe. As I am about to embark on a short tour of Central America to spend time contemplating the relative merits of the aforementioned growing up, I thought I might expose some of my random mumblings to the scrutiny of friends and of whichever random strangers might stumble upon this benighted corner of the internet. Please remember that the people, places, and events described herein are constructs of my psyche, inspired by said psyche's experience of objective reality (if any) through the interface of cosmological preconceptions. In other words, don't blame them, blame me.

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Joined on: February 17th 2005
Last Login: August 11th 2008

Blog Entries: 31
Photos: 17

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by Chrissy C, order by Date newest first.

By Chrissy C
April 18th 2005

Please wire money Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Sambo Creek

The equivalent of one third of Honduras’ GDP is wired home every year by Hondurans living and working abroad, the vast majority of course in the States. Without that constant inflow, the economy would collapse completely. Everywhere you go, somebody is asking you where you are from and telling you that they once worked for a year or two in Minnesota, Texas, California, or even Ontario. More often than not they are going back there in a few months. Throughout the country there are Western Union outlets, as well as less well-known operations, dedicated to keeping that money flowing. O [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 17th 2005

Zipping along Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Rio Cangrejal

We went on a canopy tour today. Definitely a novel experience. Curiously, however, I did not experience the kind of adrenaline rush that I thought zipping along suspended fifty feet in the air might provide. It felt altogether too safe. Also, I had been led to believe that the point of a canopy tour was to experience the jungle canopy, where most of the life goes on. But in fact we just shot from one platform to another, with little time to really look around. Perhaps it would be different in the rainforest. [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 14th 2005

The islands come to the mainland Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Triunfo de la Cruz

Spent the last three days in this Garifuna village, apparently the second largest Garifuna village in the world. This is a side of Latin America I’ve never seen before. The Garifuna settled the north coast of Central America, coming from the Caribbean Islands over 200 years ago. Their original landfall was on one of the Bay Islands just of the coast from here, and from there they have spread out along the coast from Belize at least as far as Nicaragua, and perhaps further, I don’t know. There is not much to do here. It is stiflingly hot. If you just [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 11th 2005

Salsipuedes Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Tela

One dark, unblinking eye stares out at me, with a cold look of appraisal that reminds me of its reptilian ancestry. With a movement of its head, it shakes the serpent hanging limp from its beak, perhaps to make sure that the snake is in fact dead. For a moment, the bird grows in my mind’s eye to engulf me, that cold staring eye sucking me in, hypnotizing me. The shake of its head seems defiant, as though daring me to try and take its prize, and although it is silent all around, in my imagination I hear the harsh deafening [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 9th 2005

Gunfire Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Copan

Does anybody know what gunshots sound like? 'Cause I swear, last night there was a shootout going on in the neighbourhood around our hostel last night. It doesn't make any sense at all, we're in what is probably Honduras' biggest tourist destination, a sleepy but prosperous little colonial town on the border of Guatemala, known primarily for being right next to the ruins of one of the major Mayan cities. We've been here for three days while Vanessa was recovering from a bit of fever, and the people here have struck me as leading as peaceful and relaxed a life as [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 5th 2005

Border crossings II Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Copan

We left Guatemala today, after a trying day yesterday wandering around Guatemala City picking up my passport, trying to get my plane ticket replaced, and getting a special stamp in my new passport to confirm that I was in fact in Guatemala legally. I just wanted to leave you with a few parting thoughts about Guatemala, in no particular order and not at all related. Ten years ago, Guatemala ended its thirty-year civil war. That means that everyone you meet here between the ages of 15 and 45 grew up in an environment that threatened, and frequently erupted in, violence that [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 3rd 2005

Mercenaries, mystics, and madmen Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Lago de Atitlan

Over the course of the last couple nights, I was befriended by one of the longer term gringo inhabitants of Lago de Atitlan. We'll call him Joe. I think Joe liked me primarily because I was able to go head to head with him and not fall down, resulting in a couple of expensive nights and a couple of rough mornings. Nevertheless, as the Dirty Willies flowed (Dirty Willies - rum and ginger ale, known elsewhere as Quebec Libres), Joe told me a bit about himself and a few of the odder denizens of this navel of the world. Among the [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 2nd 2005

Don´t waste your time reading me today... Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Lago de Atitlan

...read this instead: Executive summary and if you have time: Full report [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
April 1st 2005

Maximon Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Lago de Atitlan

Sittin´ on the dock of the bay...

Went to see Maximon today. Actually, I've encountered him at least once before, near San Cristobal, Mexico. Turns out, the Maya of the village of Santiago de Atitlan, who worship Maximon (or San Simon, when giving lip service to the Catholic church), came to the area from Mexico. They are, however, not to be confused with the Maya in Santa Clara, on the other side of the lake, where we are staying, who speak a completely different language and came to the area at a different time. Nor are either to be confused with the Maya of San Marcos or San [View Full Entry]

By Chrissy C
March 29th 2005

Navel Gazing Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Lago de Atitlan

Volcano Twilight

Lago de Atitlan is considered a very sacred and spiritual place by the Maya people, so I am told. In fact, they consider it "the navel of the world." This of course makes it one of four or five "navels of the world" I have visited or heard tell of, and I have no doubt that there are as many more as there are ancient indigenous cultures, making the world a many-naveled thing, and conjuring images of countless umbilici waving like tentacles into the reaches of space. Nonetheless, there is no denying the spectacular setting the lake provides, nor, for lack [View Full Entry]

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