TicoTime

Okay, this entry is a couple days late but we've been really busy and haven't had a decent Internet hookup until today. We left Merida on Monday because that's the day that most shops and major public buildings close to the public. So though it dashed our hopes of seeing the archaeology museum and having some kind of urban adventure, we were eager to push for the coast and some highly anticipated beach time. On the way we went through another military checkpoint as we crossed state lines, but the soldiers were really just going through the motions so I have a sneaking suspicion that my zip-tying our bags shut was a tad over zealous. One soldier was more interested in his Blackberry, to give you an idea. My first impression of Campeche was that they ... read more

Well, we finally made it to Mexico! It's been a long haul this year with our trip being put off a couple times but now that we're here, we couldn't be more happy with how the timing turned out to be more in our favour. Take this morning, for instance. Here in beautiful colonial Merida, it's barely 10AM and the weather is 24C but with the humidity feels just over 30C. And it's clear skies today. Should be perfect weather for some bargain hunting at the artisan market in the town's central market this morning. Later today we'll head out to Uxmal for an afternoon tour, dinner and light show. Uxmal will be our first ruins and should be amazing, not only because of the scale and grandeur but also (relative) lack of crowds (a la ... read more

Hi Everyone, Wanted to update you with our discovery of a new favourite (local) vacation spot. We went for snowboarding but fell in love with Nelson's charm and scenery. Locals are super friendly and there are so many neat little boutique shops and a variety of interesting restaurants. Our favourite spot was a diner called 'The Outer Clove,' where they feature -- you guessed it -- a garlic inspired menu. All I can say is, this joint is so far off the hook it's fantastic. We went twice. Jenny had a delectable curry dish one time and a falafel wrap the next, while I had a sinfully tasty cannelloni one time and the aptly-named 'Yum Burger' the other. Best of all, Nelson had the best powder Jenny had seen yet! The snowboarding conditions at Whitewater were ... read more

Food Poisoning and Rivers Running Brown Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » La Fortuna By TicoTime May 26th 2007 Immaculate Scenery Caño Negro, in all its glory.Recall how we gushed about the best meal we´d had in the Teatro Nacional, in San José? Well we´ve been gushing for days, and paying for it aplenty. The entire time in the Caribbean side and our journey back to La Fortuna was fraught with headaches (of the loco local type and other of the melon kind) and stomach pains and let´s not forget, diarreha. Jenny got the worst of it. That´s because it was in her avocado chicken salad, full of sprouts and broccoli, and I just cleaned up her leftovers. So the first morning we were here (after suffering with it three nights in Cahuita, one more ... read more

Two-Day Reunion Robert, left, and Jenny and myself are flanked by our musical entourage. Fantastico!This morning we went off for the Café Britt coffee tour, in the nearby Heredia area. Initially, we were skeptical about how good of a tour it could be with its (essentially) inner-city location compared to the tours offered in Monteverde. These skepticisms were quickly put to rest, as the tour guides proved enlightening and rather comical. They pointed out the organic procedures and growing arrangements, with other plant life around to enhance sustainability, what with bananas and mangos and more in the growing arrangement. After being schooled on the process of creating mature coffee plants, they led us to the factory where they roast coffee and continued to educate us on that part of the process. Here they handed out free ... read more