http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/jensando/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from jensando en-us Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:46:18 +0000 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:46:18 +0000 So my trip is winding to an end. It is sad but true. I am now in my hostel in Managua preparing for my flight back for the states which leaves in a little over twelve hours. After a very long journey through El Salvador and southern Honduras last week I returned Nicaragua to spend a few days in the colonial city of Leon. It is a marvelous city with a strong and vibrant pulse. The architecture agai http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Leon/blog-317739.html The next stop along my journey was a little town in El Salvador called Juayua. Unfortunately I was only able to spend a couple of days in El Salvador because I only had about a week and a half left and really wanted to spend a bit more time in Nicaragua. My time there was lovely. Juayua is a small town along the famed Ruta de las flores which runs through beautiful coffee country in northern El Sa http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Juayua/blog-315754.html From the calm tranquility of Lanquin I ventured to the lively city of Antigua. It is a beautiful town with many layers. I ended up staying for about a week exploring the city and the incredible vast expanses of the local Mercado. I was in Antigua at the same time that I was getting reports from my family of their adventures and the PNW fair. The fair has always been one of my highlight of the summ http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Antigua/Antigua/blog-315447.html Form Flores I journied to the small highland town of Lanquin. Once again I had only planned to stay a few days but the beauty and tranquility of my surroundings stretched my time there. I arrived to Lanquin at about four in the afternoon. I had heard from many people that the place to stay in Lanquin was the El Retiro Lodge and that as a result it often filled up quickly. I was worried that since http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Semuc-Champey/blog-312205.html After a wonderful stay in Rio Dulce I headed down the Guatemalan tourist track to the little Isla de Flores. However Flores itself is not the reason that tourist flock from near and far to the nortern reaches of Guatemala. Flores is convienently located a quick hour jungle drive away from one of the most incredible sites of ruins in the world. For this experience I gave in and bought the tikal su http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Flores-Tikal/blog-311801.html Okay so I have gotten a bit behind on my blogging. whoops I have just been all swept up in the amazing sights and adventures of Central America. But here goes I am at a hostel with free internet so I am determined to get all caught up. I last posted about my time in Copan Ruinas Honduras and from there I traveled to the northeast of Guatemala to the town of Rio Dulce. I had only planned to stay http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/blog-311787.html When I left for this trip over a month ago I really had no plans of what I was going to do when I got down here. I wanted to be free. I wanted to go with the flow and not be tied to a schedule. All I knew was that I had to be back in Managua by the end of August. However for some reason it never crossed my mind that I would be exploring the ruins of ancient Mayan civilazations. Nice beaches su http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Copan-Ruins/blog-307168.html This trip has been absolutly incredible I keep having amazing interactions and experiences and then I think Wow it really cant get better than this But then it does My life feels like a whirlwind right now. So many amazing experiences and I am just trying to take it all in. I feel so lucky. I am actually doing it I have planned for and anticipated this trip for so long. Now I am in the thic http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Gracias/blog-306412.html After Esteli I took a quick bus ride to Ocotal which is very close to the border between Nicaragua and Honduras. I stayed there for a night. While I was there I met a young woman who was from Ocotal and wanted to practice her english. She had learned her english from tourist and from music and her englishwas quite amazing. She has worked with both Lonely Planet and Moon Handbooks on thier Nicaragu http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Gracias/blog-305189.html I arrived to Esteli Nicaragua yesterday in the early afternoon. After a few quick bus rides I found myself in the busteling city that lies just along the PanAm. It is a great town to explore the streets are narrow and filled with color of fruit stands clothes for sale and brightly painted tiendas of every kind. As I walked through the streets I soon came to the cathedral. It caught me off guard http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Estel-/blog-303373.html I left from Managua to Terrabona around mid day and arrived into Terrabona around Seven at night. I got off the bus in the town where everyone know I am a stranger. I walk the half a block to the hospedaje and start to knock on the door. Before I get ther the boy across the street who I recognised from being there before shook his head at me. There not there he said. Okay thats fine I can wait. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/blog-302912.html I spent the last ten days in the small town of Terrabona. I decided to return to the community where we had stayed as a group. While many towns in Central America are jumping on the tourism bandwagon Terrabona is content with its mule drawn wagons loaded with produce for sale. I find that it reminds me alot of what I imagine the old south to be like where families sit out front under the eaves i http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/blog-302854.html Today I am back in Managua after two days of travel. I left Cahuita early on Thursday on a bus headed for Managua. About half way there our bus broke down so we waited on the side of the road to try and catch a ride on the buses passing by. Each bus was only able to take a few people but by the third bus we were all on our way to San Jose again The rest of the ride was a rather uneventful journey http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Managua/blog-298473.html So after my grand adventure across the border I stayed in San Jose for a day recovering. I wandered around the markets of town and enjoyed some local cuisine. The next day I took the quick four hour bus ride to Cahuita. This beautiful quaint town is bubbling with Carribian culture. I have spent the past few days here relaxing on the beach exploring the jungle of National Park which is a block fro http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Limon/Cahuita/blog-296244.html In Monte Grande we worked side by side with the people. It was really cool because El Porvinir ensures that the community is really in charge of the community project. So we were able to follow their lead and do whatever they needed for their community. You just create such an amazing bond working side by side with someone even thought there is a language barrier. We would be working for a while a http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/blog-295016.html We spent a total of five nights in the little town of Terrabona. It was a really amazing experience because I felt like we really started to become a part of the community. We stayed at a new family run Hospedaje in Terrabona and then traveled a ways to work each day in the community of Monte Grande. Even our first night in Terrabona once we got back from dinner there were a ton of kids waiting o http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/blog-295003.html After a light breakfast a few quick emails checking out of my hospedaje 3 bus rides one failed attempt at border crossing one successful treck across the border several lines 7.50 in bus fares a six dollar cab ride and 12 hours I finally made it. I'll admit that this has been one of my most exhausting warmest and coldest but most of all longest day here so far. It was a great adventure http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/San-Jose/tranquilo-backpackers/blog-294833.html So today was really fun I had a leisurely morning with breakfastlunch in the local mercado. It was my first full day completely on my own and I didnt quite know what to expect. I decided to follow Lonley Planet directions to a Stone petroglyph just a ways out of the city. After walking a while on the road out of town I came to the conclution that Lonely Planet needs to work on their directions. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/San-Juan-Del-Sur/blog-294422.html We arrived into Managua on tuesday afternoon and were picked up by the El Porvinir staff. We spent the first few days touring around Managua a bit and learning more about the history anf the culture. Jimmy who is one of the trip coordinators with El Porvinir and also our translator is like an incyclopedia. He is very knowledgeable and it was great to be able to have him around to give us his pe http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Managua/blog-294054.html After my short four day break at home I am in Seattle once again taking off for my summer adventure I am very excited about the unknowns ahead. I am ready for the freedom and the discoveries to be made. But what I am not excited for is the red eye flight down there. I know that I certainly wont be sleeping on that fight. How could I Sleeping through the journey it would be like sleeping wh http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/Seattle/blog-294045.html