scary moment Hi Chrissie....
We had one of those life flashing moments recently...though nothing quite like a magnitude 7 earthquake....
We were on a flight from Sapporo to Narita just last Saturday and were ready to land when the small place we were on started swaying horribly....I could see the runway coming up fast but just before our wheels hit the ground the pilot pulled the plane back up....this happened 3 times but each time the landing was aborted.
I remember hanging on to a sleeping Bo and looking over at Marc who had a sleeping Maya next to him and my first feeling was guilt for putting the kids in danger......then my next thought was "shit, all of us are on this flight" and vaguely at the back of my mind thinking that maybe we should travel like the royal family does...everyone flies separately....funny what the brain does.
lol
mjmt
The power of words Yesterday the adrenalin was finally wearing off after the quake and I couldn't find anyone to chat to. I started to feel really low. Boredom (sorry!) sent me to read blogs on here. Then, in the middle of your entry, you said "I have to salute the Chileans: these people eat earthquakes for breakfast." Twelve words which I needed to hear and which lifted me right up immediately.
Well said I just returned from Guatemala three weeks ago. There were a day and a half spent in Tikal during the trip. We spend one full day, some seven hours, wandering around everywhere in the complex. Simple amazing is the only thing I can say. I have been wanting to see these temples since I was a kid. For the record, I took a picture of myself in the Rebel guard pose to Photoshop when I got home. No posts though. =)
gunfire, hope for peace. i am too confuse about that. i seem to heard gunfire. i also see the light of it. and now i am freak out. it is just a half hour ago, i am about to go outside. i am siting of the sofa when i hear a sound that seem like the gunfire. i look and see a light that flash and some small stuff that fall to the ground. it seem to be coming from the other appartment window. well, i don't know what to do, and i am freaking out. i don't know if it is really the sound of gunfire. i worried that the shooter was trying to shot me or something. what does gunfire sounds like? i just hope that is just my imagination... This country of U.S. is freaking me out. I just hate gun.
finca travellers social structure Hi Chrissy: You shouldn't feel bad about writing your observations or worry what other people tell you about them. It is your journey not theirs. I don't know if it mattered to you where you fit into the scene and group dynamics there, but dont forget one other element to your visit there, besides the people and the place, it was your time there. I've been there and other places like it, and returned and found it to be completely different from the first time i was there. One time you laugh until your sides hurt and then, could be just the next night, and nothings going on and everyone goes to bed early just to be away. So, maybe go back and see some day, or go somewhere else, just really cherish the great times when they roll around for you, and let the other stuff pass, you'll forget those time sooner than you think. cheers, tele
no offense meant I had to read this comment a few times, trying to understand why I was under attack. Then I reread my post. Allow me to respond by stipulating a few points:
1) Shit does happen everywhere, and nothing in this post was intended to imply that bad shit happens more often in Mexico. You can be robbed anywhere. You can and will find good people everywhere, and you can and will find bad people everywhere.
2) I have had three of the best vacations of my life that included time in Mexico. I love the country and the people.
3) I reserve the right to get angry when I get robbed, regardless of where I am. Unfortunately I chose a manner of communicating that anger in this post that was subject to misinterpretation. I intended the use of the ugly cliche to illustrate the way a person's thoughts get twisted when angry, and to be understood as criticism of myself for allowing myself to get into that state rather than as putting everyone in the same package.
I apologize if anybody took offense to this post.
Finally, Caribe, you say you don't know where I am from, but you clearly have some connection to my homeland. Only a Quebecer could write 'Tant pis pour toi'. Cheers and happy travels.
Stay home- stay safe Why going to a latin american country if you expect it to be perfect? just stay home then...
I am latinamerican, I've traveled into Sao Paulo and Rio without troubles but was stolen in Brussels woohoooo!!! So shit happens EVERYWHERE.
Try to stay home and be safe. I am not sure where you are from, but us citizens should be proud of them since they keep their country running.
Open your mind, become angry because you were stolen but try not to put everyone into the same package, I've had one of the best vacations of my life in Mexico. Tant pis pour toi.
Cheers!
Now that's funny I've been to Tikal 3 times now and everytime I go I have to hike to the top of Temple 4 and check out the Star Wars view. Thanks for the photo.
Peaceful Gunfire in Copan? Much more likely firecrackers. I lived there for a month last year, and I must admit I cowered under my bed sheets the first time I heard them, but they absolutely love them - any time of day or night, with any excuse. In Copan there's more reason to party than pull a gun. An oasis of calm in a troubled region.
I Concur Yeah I hate Chris Rock he plays THE SAME character in ever movie, the black guy who hates on white people, and he doesnt ever outstep those boundries. - RICHARD
gunfire you described it well. depending on the kind of gun it is it will sound different, but a pistol, which that is most likely what it was, sounds kind of like a cracking sound, like lightning sounds at first. i don't know if that helps but you probably did hear gunfire. be careful. a friend of mine here in the dom. rep. just told me that murders are relatively frequent in Honduras. She knew two people who where murdered while she was there for the summer, the son of a lady she worked with and a guard, the husband of someone she knew. they only got a few bucks out of the people they killed, sounds like there are some desperate people there. i'm not trying to scare you, just repeating what my friend told me. take it or leave it.
Gunfire your trip sounds cool, keep us all informed. Gunfire can have many different sounds, but generally is a sharp crack and kinda sounds like crackers going off...so if ya saw no colourfull explosions in the sky then you had gunfire! :) - T.J
Bad Luck Chrissy, it was really too bad what happened to you on the bus. But among the worst things that can happen, it happened the less bad thing. If it would have been really bad, it would hadn't been only one robber, it would have been 3 guys called "mareros" and with knifes and guns they would have stolen your bag, Vanessa's bag using some bad words and using force (not forgetting they would use their weapons).
You should not use aggressive vocabulary or actions. It is really a very bad idea, you could get "linchado" by the guatemalan people. Tourist must have a good attitude. Anyway, the Canadian embassy should give u money.
You can take a bus to Antigua Guatemala in Calzada Roosevelt which is relative less dangerous than zone 1.
Any question u may contact me to egosgt@yahoo.ca I live here in Guatemala city. Forgive my english. - Egos
Dawn of the Dead I remember Centaur House clearly. The last time I played volleyball well, and there were two cute German girls.
Maya's dad would indeed love it. In no time he would be analysing the residents, finding their weaknesses, suggesting we all come to dinner nude, etc. but eventually even he would get bored, and go off to make friends with the locals..
I know... I know exactly what you mean about these places Chris. At first you feel like your prayers have been answered, and three days later you feel a scowl coming on... It's like in that zombie movie 28 Days. They find the last living humans all hunkered down in a well fortified country manor... and two days later they're all ready to get back to the zombies. That's a loose analogy, but I know what you mean. Remember Centaur House Australia..? Take care. - Steve
mastercard CHRISSY just read the blog. ohhhh. that sucks. i do believe that out of all of this though we have discovered that you should be a writer, so you can kiss any real material wealth goodbye anyway.
one ipod: $500
one digital camera: $429
being able to experience chris' pain and horror in guatemala city: priceless. - marn
San Miguel calling Chris, my son. Now that I´m allowed to read your diary, how very entertaining it is!! Love your Blogs. Getting to know you is a treat. Love ya. - Mom
Fun Eh? You remind me of my first (and only successful time) surfing at Waikiki. Tiny waves but a great feeling! Since you were only six months old we had left you at home with Grandma Daniels, so you had no opportunity to surf that time. Glad you finally caught a wave. - Dad
Keep practising dude - that's hysterical. i'm sitting in singapore laughing my ass off!
i feel so much pain for you - and Jake - but man -you're nuts trying to put someone else's kid to sleep.
but don't quit now - i can't wait to leave our kids with you...
- Maya's dad
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 ... full info
jean
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scary moment
Hi Chrissie.... We had one of those life flashing moments recently...though nothing quite like a magnitude 7 earthquake.... We were on a flight from Sapporo to Narita just last Saturday and were ready to land when the small place we were on started swaying horribly....I could see the runway coming up fast but just before our wheels hit the ground the pilot pulled the plane back up....this happened 3 times but each time the landing was aborted. I remember hanging on to a sleeping Bo and looking over at Marc who had a sleeping Maya next to him and my first feeling was guilt for putting the kids in danger......then my next thought was "shit, all of us are on this flight" and vaguely at the back of my mind thinking that maybe we should travel like the royal family does...everyone flies separately....funny what the brain does. lol mjmt