Plan B: Sun and mangoes, rice and FRIJOLES

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Since I have had to postpone the culinary and cultural delights awaiting me in SE Asia, I have been scurrying around to devise a contingency plan. Pleased to announce that I bought the ticket, and it lands me back in previously trod Central America. However, this time I will get to add Panama's splendors to the itinerary and will not be as much of a whirlwind traveler (last time was 5 countries in 4 weeks).

Three weeks from tomorrow I fly out to Costa Rica, where I will hopefully meet some cool travelers to usher in the New Year with (or find a place to salsa with the Ticos!) From there I plan on visiting Panama's Bocas del Toro and the Chiriqui highlands before heading back to western Costa Rica to (hopefully!) learn how to surf and just plain remember what sun, heat, and ocean are like again, with the occasional volcano and rainforest trekking peppered in for variety.

Perhaps what I am most excited about, however, is the next leg of the trip where I plan on volunteering in Nicaragua. The organization, La Esperanza, is on the outskirts of Granada and has school and community projects for 4 little pueblos. I plan on taking a couple hours of Spanish a day in the morning, but I fear that with my limited Spanish knowledge I won't be able to participate in the projects I have my heart set on, so we'll see how long I end up staying. (I already have half a mind to come back later on when I can commit to stay there for 6 months on a big project...)

Then off to the Bay Islands for some PADI certification and to Belize to practice my newly acquired scuba skills..... this photo is from my last trip where I was too sunburned to even swim in that gloriously clear and warm water without a long sleeved shirt on, and I have dreamt many a night of diving the Blue Hole and snorkeling on that reef that beckoned, teased, and laughed at the lobster-shaded version of me admiring it from the seashore.

Next area: the Yucatan peninsula --- I had thought of delaying this until after Guatemala, however, that would land me in Mexico's glorious Mayan Riviera right smack in the middle of spring break. A little bubble cloud formed above my head and played the following preview of that scene: Upon finding NO budget accommadation, I set out for the beach to ponder my next move, finding myself unable to think between the blaring MTV performances and the "let's see who can drink 14 beers and run around this cone the fastest" contests. Desperately seeking an independent traveler somewhere on the beach, I instead find myself amidst 20 year old sorority girls in bikinis who have eaten nothing but rice cakes and worked out four hours a day for the past 2 months in preparation for the raucous nights of drunken revelry trying to pick up meathead 20 year old boys who dazzle the ladies with every pathetic pickup line in the book and their extensive Spanish vocabulary (Tequila, Cerveza, Cuba libre).

Well, as enticing as all THAT sounds, I think I'd rather risk Zapatista activity and deal with the shady border guards in Chiapas. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy the wonders of the Yucatan and dive the cenotes before the madness begins.

Then it's through Chiapas and down to Guatemala for mad time Spanish studies. Although I'd like to visit a friend I made in Xela last year, I think I may have to take the supercheapie language study option at Lago Atitlan, where I have the opportunity to volunteer with local Mayan communities at the same time.

Finally I will make my trek north to Mexico City, where I plan on spending most of my time in the state of Oaxaca. I hope to take some Spanish lessons there and hit the coast for more surfing practice!

It seems like it will still be too rushed for my preferences, but I am very excited and appreciative of the four months I do have!

NOTE: All of this is completely subject to change and every plan may be blown out of the water if I meet up with some interesting folks along the way or just plain fall in love with some place. The ever-changing path of the journey is part of traveling's greatest enticement....

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Photos

What, you don't believe this is Iowa?
Ok, it's actually Belize's Ambergris Caye, but I daydream about it in Iowa!