Blogs from Central America Caribbean - page 2138

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » Arenal May 23rd 2005

Our third day greeted us with bright sunshine, chirping birds, and the friendly cook/housekeeper. She was a bit disappointed to find out I was vegetarian (since she brought ham and chicken) but quickly whipped up a delicious breakfast of omelettes, toast, juice, fresh sliced fruit, and a pot of Costa Rican coffee. For Bri and I, the first order of business was to find a bank and get some colones (CR currency). Oh, and some Gatorade (what can I say?). She gave us directions to the bank in town, where her daughter works. We headed on over, planning to ask for the daughter once we got there. An armed police officer on the inside of the bank unlocked the entrance with a key, let us in, and immediately relocked the door. The queue was made up ... read more

Update!

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica May 23rd 2005

AndrewNCostaRica

Hello fellow fans of Costa Rica! Yes, I am still here in Washington, DC just aching to get the heck out of here! Only 12 days until I leave for Costa Rica and start running my Bed & Breakfast! I've packing, made my lists of things to finish (and checkin' it twice!). Now all I have to do is sell my truck, close on my house here--Wednesday--yea!!!--and I'm done! Oh, I have to pack my bags too! So, what will happen when I arrive in Costa Rica on June 4 you ask? Not much at all! I close on the B&B on June 6 so I will spend the weekend just relaxing and sitting in one of the hammocks. Oh, my partner in crime Beth and I will need to decide who will get which room ... read more

Costa Rica - Day 2

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » Arenal May 22nd 2005

EricaRidley

Our second day arrived with sunshine, chirping birds, and a light breeze. There was no foreshadowing to let me know I would soon be attacked by a barbed wire fence. Our adventure began quite innocuously. We got up, ate a light breakfast, and decided to hike down the trail to the butterfly garden. It was recommended that we wear boots, but we couldn't find any, so we set out in our hiking shoes, t-shirts, and shorts. Two dogs were sitting at our front door when we left the house - a big white puppy and a small black dog. The dogs kept us company until we reached a blue and white gate. It was necessary to jump over, and it would have been entertaining if we could have seen ourselves attempting to do so - me ... read more

Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas

Central America Caribbean » Bahamas May 22nd 2005

On the Girl's Banks

caribbeangirl

Well, I just got back from a weekend in Harbour Island in Eleuthera, Bahamas. My Bahamian buddy Jason was my travel companion. The adventure began with our flight Saturday morning...we arrived at the airport 10 minutes before departure because my alarm did not go off! We were checked-in and put on the plane--only in the Bahamas!!! That would have NEVER happened in ATL. Bahamas Air flies from Nassau into the North Eleuthera Airport (there are 3 airports on Eleuthera). From there, you can take a $4 one-way taxi cab (5 minutes) to the water taxi which is $4 one-way (approx 10 minutes) to Harbour Island. Harbour Island is off the northeast tip of Eleuthera and was originally settled by Eleuthrian Adventurers (religious dissidents) who were shipwrecked on the Devils Backbone, a ragged shallow reef that has ... read more

Costa Rica - Day 1

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » Arenal May 21st 2005

EricaRidley

The flight from Orlando to Miami was uneventful. Well, while waiting to board, I met these two Costa Rican guys who said they were from San Ramon. I, in my infinite wisdom, said I had no idea where that was, but was going to Arenal. (Turns out it's right next to each other.) I also said to Bri, "Don't worry about Costa Rican money - we'll get some from the ATM once we land, like I did when I went to Europe." (More on my naivete later.) The flight from Miami to Liberia was interesting. I had a window seat (half view, half wing) and it was pretty cool to fly from North America to Central America. The pilot would let us know what country we were flying by ("On your right is Nicaragua") and it ... read more

Wet wet wet

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde May 20th 2005

Queen of the Night outside the Monteverde Cheese Factory

Flora

Buenos Dias from a wet and cloudy Monteverde! Our drive/boat ride to Santa Elena/Monteverde went very smoothly and although the road was very bumpy, I managed to get a few much needed minutes of sleep! Our hostel (Pension Santa Elena) is very cosy, comfortable and cheap ($6/night) and a sort of tour operator as well, so we immediately organised our activities for our two days here. Friday afternoon we went to the cheese factory which was started by a group of Quakers from South Alabama in the 1950s. The history behind the factory is very interesting, but obviously I was more excited about trying the cheese, as it's one of the things I've missed most while I've been here. A lot of the milk they get from the farms in the area (some still run by ... read more

First stop Volcano Arenal

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » La Fortuna May 19th 2005

The Hot Springs at Las Fuentes

Flora

Hello friends from a somewhat more chilly La Fortuna... My final days in Delicias-Montezuma, a quick recap.... I wasn´t sure when exactly I would be leaving as I didn´t yet know where I would be heading, earliest leaving date possible was Friday (the 13th...) so my ¨goodbye dinner¨was on Thursday night. There were a couple of people there I had never met before (a regular night at our house then!) and the neighbours had prepared a great lasagna and two big bowls of salad. A great change from the rice and beans regular meals (don´t get me wrong I´m still enjoying those too). My final day at school on Friday seemed to be over in minutes. It was ¨Agriculture Day¨at the escuela and two people had come to the school to talk about the importance of ... read more

Benefiet

Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Western Highlands » Quetzaltenango May 19th 2005

Benefietavond, ik en de twee coordinatoren van Nuevos Horizontos

Marleen

geschreven op 8 mei 2005: Hola amigos, weer even een update vanuit Guatemala! Ik zal even beginnen waar ik de laatste keer ben geeindigd, inderdaad de overval, van vorige week dinsdag. Nou de volgende dag, woensdag, ik weer zoals altijd met mijn tasje de straat op! Ik moest namelijk een groot geld bedrag gaan pinnen voor de boeken die ik had besteld! Onderweg naar de pinautomaat, werd ik aangesproken door een Guatemalteekse jongen die aan me vroeg hoe laat het was. De eerste gedachte die in me opkwam was: "Je denkt toch zeker niet dat je mijn horloge kunt jatten, die heb ik verdorie van mijn ouders gekregen en daar blijf je met je poten vanaf", heb dus vervolgens niets gezegd en ben arrogant doorgelopen. Vervolgens dacht ik bij mezelf, he dat is geen normale reactie ... read more

Lake Atitlan

Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Western Highlands » Lago de Atitlán May 19th 2005

Lake view

EDAF 2005

Sadly our timing has meant that we are visiting the lake during the rainy season, so we are unable to see to the other side nor the full glory of the volcanos that surround it. It does mean that the lake and its surrounding hillsides look very eerie, almost like a movie set... We opted to stay in Panajechel, as our accommodation is around $2 a night!!! The cheapest so far - however, it does mean that we have had to use an outside toilet and neither of us has been brave enough to venture into the shower (three days later and we are starting to smell....). It has been a bit overwhelming staying here, as you are constantly approached to buy things - if they want me to buy anything else, they can carry my ... read more

Back Home

Central America Caribbean » Barbados May 18th 2005

Bottom Bay

ratita

Good Lord... every time I go home it seems to have improved. This time around my brother and I took 10 clowns from London with us and we stayed down at Cattlewash. It was more a holiday than a hardcore travel experience so I'll just dump some photos here.... read more

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