Blogs from Central America Caribbean - page 2154

Etter en lang dag i Palenque startet vi turen mot Guatemala tidlig neste dag. Forste del gikk greit, med en ny (men ukomfortabel) minibuss. Deretter var det en halvtime med elvebaat for vi naadde Guatemala. Der ble vi loset over i en serdeles daarlig minibuss som ble fylt til randen. Etter mye om og men pluss en del svindelforsok kom vi oss endelig til El Remate, rett ved Tikal, og fikk oss en hyggelig bungallow der. Tilbrakte hele neste dag i Tikal, som ogsaa er en gammel Mayaby. Tikal er mye storre enn Palenque, saa det ble veldig mye gaaing. I Tikal var ogsaa jungelen mye tettere med masse villdyr og rare lyder. Utrolig morsom opplevelse.... read more

The day started fairly early when we left the cloud forest behind us at 8:30! It was a windy narrow road that had some of us clutching the arm rests, but Alex proved once again to be a great driver! Because we were on the the other side of the Continental divide the forest was dry and brown, as opposed to the other side (Carribbean side) which was green and lush. An hour and half into it we reached the Pan American highway, which was much smoother driving! Our second stop was very exciting, as we got to walk across the bridge above the Tarcoles River. Ronald kept calling it the "Jurassic Park" stop, but we didn't know why until we peered down into a muddy river filled with at least 20 crocodiles!! At first it ... read more

Hola amigos!! Hope this finds everyone doing well. I haven´t written in a bit, mostly cause I´ve been so busy!! Who would have thought - in Guatemala? After a week and a half here, it´s starting to feel like home. It´s so strange! I run into people I know on the streets... it really is a small world. So much has happened and I don´t want to bore you with a play-by-play, so here are the highlights.... I´m hoping to add photos soon. Love and hugs to all!! - I´m remembering and learning a lot of Spanish in classes and otherwise... Hardly anyone here speaks English, except some students, so it´s great for practicing. The school offers activities and I participated in three of them last week. The first was a social project the school does ... read more

Extreme sports in the cloud forest of Monteverde - elevation 4,000 - 6,000 feet! On skytrek we flew through the cloud forest and over the treetops on ziplines that are 131 feet to 2,525 feet long. This required a helmet, gloves, a series of cables, and long walks uphill to the next of 11 platform, to be cabled in, lay back, cross the ankles, and hang on for dear life until the cable stopped us at the next platform. "Trust" was the word of the day - in the operators, and in the cables. After 3 hours of this, safe on the ground, comments included-- "from fear to exhileration," "Never thought I'd do it, but I'm glad I did," "It was a blind instrument landing through the clouds," and "At one point, pelting rain." Following this, ... read more

“You want?” The clerk held up plastic. It was a bag, like any other, commonly seen blowing down a street or swept to the side, submerged in the gutters. “No thanks. I have my own here. Reusable.” I lifted the backpack to the checkout counter. “¡Pura Vida!” he said. ¡Pura Vida! Costa Rica’s signature of an eco-friendly consciousness. Heard everywhere, ¡Pura Vida! expresses the pure life, a worry-free contentment, a cure within society. Within the two mountainous settlements of Santa Elena and Monteverde, ¡Pura Vida! is practiced and contained like an abecedarian lesson, honored as an idolatry of the human Soul. From organic produce, to conservation efforts and eco-tourism, the small-town communities present a choice; the ¡Pura Vida! reality representing Life’s diverse beauty. “¡Pura Vida!” I replied, placing the fresh mangoes, mushroom... read more