We´re playing in Playa (del Carmen). With just four days before our return flight to way too cool Wisconsin, we´re spending time in the waves and sun. Yesterday we rode the waves for two hours and thought of several of our water-loving friends in Bayfield, Roberta and Teresa.... Wish you were here! Compared to Lake Superior the water is so warm here that you never have to get out.
Today the water was smooth and calm. After several efforts to float on her back and a few nosefuls and mouthfuls of water, Frances commented, ¨The sea is my own private netti pot.¨ It´s true! Sea water running into the nostrils is similar to pouring salt water into your nostrils from a small ceramic netti pot. Ah, gross!
Frances bought an English language book on Mayan Prophesies yesterday and read it in its entirely before going to bed last night it was such a gripper. Frances is happy to loan out the book to anyone wishing more information.
Our excitement for the day yesterday was finding acidophilus and bifidus at a pharmacia. That was a major accomplishment since we couldn´t speak enough Spanish to communicate exactly what we wanted. Everyone seemed to think we needed the antibiotics themselves. Now our digestive systems should get back on track after our five day dose of antibiotics.
Steph finds herself floating around for an hour or two after each venture into the water which makes for an interesting time trying to walk and navigate curbs and sidewalks.
Two more days of this intensive relaxation, sun, water, heat, and lounging should make us more than ready to tackle whatever cold and snow awaits us.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
How do you pronounce tocino?
Yes, we´re back in Mexico ... Chetumal, just across the border from Belize. We spent a few hours at the bus station here enroute to Belize during our first week of travel. Now we´re lingering for several days. We´ve slowed our pace considerably due to fevers and stomach/intestinal problems we both experienced several days ago. Luckily we came prepared with antibiotics so we´re well into treating our unknown illnesses.
It´s difficult to determine what causes stomach symptoms in this part of the world. For starters, it could be different foods, contaminated food or water, or insect bites. We read in the guidebook before our visit to Tikal that you can find mosquitoes there that cause both dengue fever and malaria ... or, rather, the mosquitoes can find you. We fell ill the day after hiking through Tikal.
At dinner last night our waiter said, ¨You have to help me with this,¨ as he placed a page of lyrics from an American song on the table before me. His main difficulty was with the words light and bright. He pronounced them the way Spanish speakers pronounce the vowel i which is similar to an American e. In the end, he read through the entire page and did quite well.
Later Frances and I speculated about why he chose to ask me for help. Then I remembered! I asked him for pronunciation help when I ordered my meal, a chicken (pollo) and bacon (tocino) sandwich. ¨How do you pronounce bacon,¨ I asked, ¨Is it tocino or tochino?¨
¨Chicken and bacon,¨ he replied.
I insisted. Eventually he said, ¨Tocino.¨ I´m glad he decided that I could return the favor.
Tomorrow we visit the Mayan Cultural Museum in Chetumal. Wednesday we head for Playa del Carmen to relax, recoup, and spend a few days on the beach--which we haven´t done yet on this trip--soaking up sunshine and storing up heat (just like human solar batteries). A week from Tuesday (Feb. 3) we return to our beloved northern home (a/k/a the Deep Freeze).
It´s difficult to determine what causes stomach symptoms in this part of the world. For starters, it could be different foods, contaminated food or water, or insect bites. We read in the guidebook before our visit to Tikal that you can find mosquitoes there that cause both dengue fever and malaria ... or, rather, the mosquitoes can find you. We fell ill the day after hiking through Tikal.
At dinner last night our waiter said, ¨You have to help me with this,¨ as he placed a page of lyrics from an American song on the table before me. His main difficulty was with the words light and bright. He pronounced them the way Spanish speakers pronounce the vowel i which is similar to an American e. In the end, he read through the entire page and did quite well.
Later Frances and I speculated about why he chose to ask me for help. Then I remembered! I asked him for pronunciation help when I ordered my meal, a chicken (pollo) and bacon (tocino) sandwich. ¨How do you pronounce bacon,¨ I asked, ¨Is it tocino or tochino?¨
¨Chicken and bacon,¨ he replied.
I insisted. Eventually he said, ¨Tocino.¨ I´m glad he decided that I could return the favor.
Tomorrow we visit the Mayan Cultural Museum in Chetumal. Wednesday we head for Playa del Carmen to relax, recoup, and spend a few days on the beach--which we haven´t done yet on this trip--soaking up sunshine and storing up heat (just like human solar batteries). A week from Tuesday (Feb. 3) we return to our beloved northern home (a/k/a the Deep Freeze).
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Treking Tikal
Yes, ... we´re happy to be here. We´ve been in Flores several days. It´s a small island in a freshwater lake (Lago de Peten Itza)in the north of Guatemala. Madeline Island echoes in our memories over and over again because of our numerous island experiences during this trip.
Yesterday we took a tour to Tikal, a Mayan ruin lying deep in the jungle. We chose this tour because, other than our earlier venture to Cerros Ruins in northern Belize, we haven´t made any other treks into the jungle. Our tour bus left at 5am to beat the heat and the rush of tourists that we experienced during our visit to the ruins in Tulum, Mexico.
Our tour was one of the first of the day in the park so we spied creatures immediately ... a Tucan outside the restaurant where some group members ate breakfast, beautiful occillated turkeys by the parking lot (they resembled peacocks and Cesar, our guide, said they were captured for their meat and also their feathers which were used in headdresses), and Pizote-Koatymundis, a mammal that looked like a cross between a raccoon and an anteater with a long striped tail that stood straight up and waved and undulated behind it.
Later in our tour we saw Spider Monkeys frolicking in the branches above us--so much fun to see them in their natural habitat--and we heard the infamous Howler Monkeys (an eerie sound).
A Laughing Falcon pair showed themselves to us while perched high overhead and, at the end, a baby crocodile lounged next to a pond by the Visitor´s Center.
The tour began with Cesar handing out fresh Allspice leaves, a potent remedy against the Evil Eye of others. Next we saw a hughly magnificent Ceiba tree--the Tree of Life. Its root system alone grows taller than a standing human, its trunk--smooth and naked--rises straight into the sky, and its branches spread out horizontally at the top with moss and vines hanging down. It was fabulous!
We remembered that La Ceiba, Honduras was named after this incredible tree that stood by the sea there. Unfortunately, that same tree was later cut down to allow further expansion of the city.
Cesar showed us another tree with a fruit called "horse´s testicles." These large, rounded fruits split in half when they hit the ground and contained a milky liquid similar to Elmer´s glue--very sticky. "Monkeys love this fruit," he told us, "They just wait until the sap dries and the seeds turn brown and hard, then they scoop out the meat without getting messy."
Our four hour tour included three ruins we could climb. I climbed two and skipped the third because, after one high stone stepping climb, I realized that my thigh muscles were too worn out--still are!--to continue. Once I got to the top of Mundo Perdido (Lost World) I was tired AND fearful to climb back down. It was steep! You don´t realize how steep until you stand at the top and survey your surroundings.
Cesar reminded us that ruins were built as places to observe and connect with heavenly bodies. Thus, Tikal was designed to represent the Little Dipper (and, he said, the three great Pyramids of Egypt correspond with Orion´s Belt). Buildings on earth were constructed to line up with the path of sun or stars or moon as they traversed the sky. Quite an amazing feat of engineering!
Our guide revealed near the end of our tour that he and his family were victims of the Guatemalan civil war, his father shot in the back of the head when Cesar was three. "That," he said, "Was how I learned English. My family ended up in the US as political refugees."
We arrived back in Flores at 3pm and went back to our room for a nap. Our bodies and minds were worn out. Today our joints and limbs are still creaky and sore. Frances is experiencing a roiling stomach and napping in bed right now, hopeful that we can still catch our bus to Chetumal, Mexico early tomorrow.
The clock is ticking.... Several days ago in Rio Dulce we bought needle and thread to repair our well-worn packs. We, too, are wearying of our travels but none too excited to return to the extreme cold and snow that await us at home.
Yesterday we took a tour to Tikal, a Mayan ruin lying deep in the jungle. We chose this tour because, other than our earlier venture to Cerros Ruins in northern Belize, we haven´t made any other treks into the jungle. Our tour bus left at 5am to beat the heat and the rush of tourists that we experienced during our visit to the ruins in Tulum, Mexico.
Our tour was one of the first of the day in the park so we spied creatures immediately ... a Tucan outside the restaurant where some group members ate breakfast, beautiful occillated turkeys by the parking lot (they resembled peacocks and Cesar, our guide, said they were captured for their meat and also their feathers which were used in headdresses), and Pizote-Koatymundis, a mammal that looked like a cross between a raccoon and an anteater with a long striped tail that stood straight up and waved and undulated behind it.
Later in our tour we saw Spider Monkeys frolicking in the branches above us--so much fun to see them in their natural habitat--and we heard the infamous Howler Monkeys (an eerie sound).
A Laughing Falcon pair showed themselves to us while perched high overhead and, at the end, a baby crocodile lounged next to a pond by the Visitor´s Center.
The tour began with Cesar handing out fresh Allspice leaves, a potent remedy against the Evil Eye of others. Next we saw a hughly magnificent Ceiba tree--the Tree of Life. Its root system alone grows taller than a standing human, its trunk--smooth and naked--rises straight into the sky, and its branches spread out horizontally at the top with moss and vines hanging down. It was fabulous!
We remembered that La Ceiba, Honduras was named after this incredible tree that stood by the sea there. Unfortunately, that same tree was later cut down to allow further expansion of the city.
Cesar showed us another tree with a fruit called "horse´s testicles." These large, rounded fruits split in half when they hit the ground and contained a milky liquid similar to Elmer´s glue--very sticky. "Monkeys love this fruit," he told us, "They just wait until the sap dries and the seeds turn brown and hard, then they scoop out the meat without getting messy."
Our four hour tour included three ruins we could climb. I climbed two and skipped the third because, after one high stone stepping climb, I realized that my thigh muscles were too worn out--still are!--to continue. Once I got to the top of Mundo Perdido (Lost World) I was tired AND fearful to climb back down. It was steep! You don´t realize how steep until you stand at the top and survey your surroundings.
Cesar reminded us that ruins were built as places to observe and connect with heavenly bodies. Thus, Tikal was designed to represent the Little Dipper (and, he said, the three great Pyramids of Egypt correspond with Orion´s Belt). Buildings on earth were constructed to line up with the path of sun or stars or moon as they traversed the sky. Quite an amazing feat of engineering!
Our guide revealed near the end of our tour that he and his family were victims of the Guatemalan civil war, his father shot in the back of the head when Cesar was three. "That," he said, "Was how I learned English. My family ended up in the US as political refugees."
We arrived back in Flores at 3pm and went back to our room for a nap. Our bodies and minds were worn out. Today our joints and limbs are still creaky and sore. Frances is experiencing a roiling stomach and napping in bed right now, hopeful that we can still catch our bus to Chetumal, Mexico early tomorrow.
The clock is ticking.... Several days ago in Rio Dulce we bought needle and thread to repair our well-worn packs. We, too, are wearying of our travels but none too excited to return to the extreme cold and snow that await us at home.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Surprise! Guatemala
Just to set the record straight ... our own private island wasn´t all peace and bliss. We did have some complicated manipulations going on with the man who found us this island and provided services as our water taxi. But that is an entire story in itself. We´ll tell that another day.
Yesterday we were hijacked and ended up in Guatemala instead of Belize. At least Frances thinks we were hijacked. I think that this is the return route we were meant to take BUT I wanted to go to Guatemala and Frances did not.
It all started at the water taxi. When we arrived before 7AM, we were told there was no taxi to Belize City on Tuesdays and we´d have to wait a week to get there. However, a man at the site assured us we could get to Punta Gorda, Belize if we paid him $40US each and $25US each to get on a different boat. He kept pushing us, saying that we had to make up our minds quickly since the boat was leaving at 8 am.
Finally we said yes since we weren´t inclined to spend another week in Puerto Cortes, Honduras. But, after we naively hopped into Flash´s truck and headed down the road we slowly discovered that Flash intended to drive us to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. There he would drop us off at a boat scheduled to leave Guatemala for Punto Gorda, Belize. SURPRISE!
The drive was beautiful. So much so that by the time we reached Puerto Barrios we were ready to switch to the bus instead of the boat and spend a bit of time in Guatemala. In addition, our taxi ride with Flash got us through immigration quickly and easily, the best experience we´ve had so far entering a new country.
In downtown Puerto Barrios, Flash asked a bus conductor about border crossings into Belize and then, magically, we were immediately placed in the front seat of a small van heading to Rio Dulce, Guatemala. The bus driver, Manuel, was wonderful. He told us he´d lived in California for two years and his English was very good. By the way, Flash revealed to us that he had lived in Boston for 10 years so his English was good as well.
During our trip to Rio Dulce Manuel shared a tremendous amount of travel information with us and truly eased our way into another new country and culture. This was especially helpful given the fact that when we got out of bed yesterday morning we had no plan to visit Guatemala on this trip at all.
We´re on another adventure and plan to spend the next three to four days in Guatemala before entering Belize through another border crossing.
Yesterday we were hijacked and ended up in Guatemala instead of Belize. At least Frances thinks we were hijacked. I think that this is the return route we were meant to take BUT I wanted to go to Guatemala and Frances did not.
It all started at the water taxi. When we arrived before 7AM, we were told there was no taxi to Belize City on Tuesdays and we´d have to wait a week to get there. However, a man at the site assured us we could get to Punta Gorda, Belize if we paid him $40US each and $25US each to get on a different boat. He kept pushing us, saying that we had to make up our minds quickly since the boat was leaving at 8 am.
Finally we said yes since we weren´t inclined to spend another week in Puerto Cortes, Honduras. But, after we naively hopped into Flash´s truck and headed down the road we slowly discovered that Flash intended to drive us to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. There he would drop us off at a boat scheduled to leave Guatemala for Punto Gorda, Belize. SURPRISE!
The drive was beautiful. So much so that by the time we reached Puerto Barrios we were ready to switch to the bus instead of the boat and spend a bit of time in Guatemala. In addition, our taxi ride with Flash got us through immigration quickly and easily, the best experience we´ve had so far entering a new country.
In downtown Puerto Barrios, Flash asked a bus conductor about border crossings into Belize and then, magically, we were immediately placed in the front seat of a small van heading to Rio Dulce, Guatemala. The bus driver, Manuel, was wonderful. He told us he´d lived in California for two years and his English was very good. By the way, Flash revealed to us that he had lived in Boston for 10 years so his English was good as well.
During our trip to Rio Dulce Manuel shared a tremendous amount of travel information with us and truly eased our way into another new country and culture. This was especially helpful given the fact that when we got out of bed yesterday morning we had no plan to visit Guatemala on this trip at all.
We´re on another adventure and plan to spend the next three to four days in Guatemala before entering Belize through another border crossing.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Our Own Private Island
"Would you like your own private island?" asked the man at the airport landing strip in Guanaja, Honduras. We hesitated. "Sure," we thought, "How likely is that?"
But that's where we stayed, on one of the small cayes just inside of one of Guanaja's reefs. The first day Frances and I walked around with big smiles on our faces. We were dreaming, weren't we?
No, this was our reality for five days and five nights. We lived in a multimillion dollar house and property; caretaker's small house and dock at one end of the island and spacious, airy, comfy, two-bedroom, two-bath "Big Boss" house on the other. The entire house had wooden slat louvered doors and windows (mahogany) that allowed it to open up into a breezy shelter that invited the sound of waves and the whoosh of sea breeze to circulate throughout. No screens. Just wide open doors.
The wooden deck straddled the sea on cement-filled plastic plumbing pipes. A combination cement/rock/coral reef sea wall stood along one end and side of this tiny island that took less than five minutes to walk around.
This was a genuinely magnificent spot to idle away hours watching sunrise, moonrise, stars, heavy rainstorms, and sea creatures as they swam and floated and meandered through the shallow waters that surrounded us.
We rested in the hammock, snorkled right off the shore, wrote, cooked, read reef and fish identification books and even finished one novel each on a rainy day. Right in front of "our" house men walked out in the ten inch high water and fly cast for fish that pushed their dorsal fins out of the water as they played and fed in groups.
We were startled to see creatures that were invisible in their surroundings but appeared in front of us for one moment before blending back into turtle grass and white sand, invisible again right before our eyes. Dozens of small crabs, a striped eel, bone fish, sting rays. All of these performed their disappearing acts as we strained to follow their paths in water that was clear like air. That reminded Frances of schools of fish we saw in Roatan, visible only because we saw their shadows in the sand; their bodies were transparent.
The waves hitting the reef roared constantly. While the sound made it through to us (Frances commented that she had to raise her voice louder just to be heard), the waves themselves were calmed.
We left our island paradise on Saturday. Today we're spending our last night in Honduras in Omoa, then back to Belize via water taxi. We'll wend our way slowly toward Cancun in order to catch our return flight in just two short weeks.
But that's where we stayed, on one of the small cayes just inside of one of Guanaja's reefs. The first day Frances and I walked around with big smiles on our faces. We were dreaming, weren't we?
No, this was our reality for five days and five nights. We lived in a multimillion dollar house and property; caretaker's small house and dock at one end of the island and spacious, airy, comfy, two-bedroom, two-bath "Big Boss" house on the other. The entire house had wooden slat louvered doors and windows (mahogany) that allowed it to open up into a breezy shelter that invited the sound of waves and the whoosh of sea breeze to circulate throughout. No screens. Just wide open doors.
The wooden deck straddled the sea on cement-filled plastic plumbing pipes. A combination cement/rock/coral reef sea wall stood along one end and side of this tiny island that took less than five minutes to walk around.
This was a genuinely magnificent spot to idle away hours watching sunrise, moonrise, stars, heavy rainstorms, and sea creatures as they swam and floated and meandered through the shallow waters that surrounded us.
We rested in the hammock, snorkled right off the shore, wrote, cooked, read reef and fish identification books and even finished one novel each on a rainy day. Right in front of "our" house men walked out in the ten inch high water and fly cast for fish that pushed their dorsal fins out of the water as they played and fed in groups.
We were startled to see creatures that were invisible in their surroundings but appeared in front of us for one moment before blending back into turtle grass and white sand, invisible again right before our eyes. Dozens of small crabs, a striped eel, bone fish, sting rays. All of these performed their disappearing acts as we strained to follow their paths in water that was clear like air. That reminded Frances of schools of fish we saw in Roatan, visible only because we saw their shadows in the sand; their bodies were transparent.
The waves hitting the reef roared constantly. While the sound made it through to us (Frances commented that she had to raise her voice louder just to be heard), the waves themselves were calmed.
We left our island paradise on Saturday. Today we're spending our last night in Honduras in Omoa, then back to Belize via water taxi. We'll wend our way slowly toward Cancun in order to catch our return flight in just two short weeks.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Should We Stay or Should We Go ...
We're halfway through our travel adventure ... can't believe it. Today, drumroll please, Frances bought her first sleeveless shirt after traveling for over three weeks in the tropics. I packed two sleeveless shirts and three t-shirts but Frances, the woman who wears long underwear year round in Bayfield brought two long-sleeved shirts and one t-shirt ... she tells me that she's just like her dad.
Here on Roatan Island you typically sweat from about 9am to 9pm. One of the shop owners who moved here from New Jersey last February said that most people try to get into the shade or stay home from around noon to 3pm. I still haven't figured out how people work in the heat. It's hard enough relaxing and having fun.
We ARE getting tans. Even though we spend most of our time under trees or palapas, in buses, or layered with 50 plus suntan lotion, we can't avoid it. The sun is so intense.
About a week ago we saw a large blow up scene celebrating the holiday season. It was larger than life size on the edge of a central park. Styrofoam snow rained down on a snowman. What a sight! I can't even imagine it, or remember it, when I'm living in 80 and 90 degree heat.
We're trying to change our return flight since Frances is over it when it comes to bus travel. If we can't, we'll need to start busing for cancun [sorry, the keyboard I'm using at this internet cafe won't capitalize "c" and "m" or provide parenthesis marks] within a few days.
Both yesterday and today we checked on a thatch roof that's being built downtown in West End. Frances wants to build something similar on our property in Bayfield to duplicate the idea of something natural meant to withstand wind and rain. It's like bringing part of our trip home with us. We found out from our hosts at the cerros Beach Resort in northern Belize that palms for thatch need to be female rather than male because they're stronger. They also have to be harvested between three days before and three days after the full moon so that they are at their peak strength.
One of the men watching the construction yesterday told us that the palms used for this thatch were harvested last full moon. Jenny at cerros Beach Resort told us that the right timing for harvest can mean the difference between a thatch roof that lasts for two to three years versus one that lasts for 15 years.
I mentioned to Frances as we walked down the one main street in West End today that I feel like I'm an investigative reporter searching for as much local lore and information as I can find. It's great fun ... plus you meet many interesting people.
Here on Roatan Island you typically sweat from about 9am to 9pm. One of the shop owners who moved here from New Jersey last February said that most people try to get into the shade or stay home from around noon to 3pm. I still haven't figured out how people work in the heat. It's hard enough relaxing and having fun.
We ARE getting tans. Even though we spend most of our time under trees or palapas, in buses, or layered with 50 plus suntan lotion, we can't avoid it. The sun is so intense.
About a week ago we saw a large blow up scene celebrating the holiday season. It was larger than life size on the edge of a central park. Styrofoam snow rained down on a snowman. What a sight! I can't even imagine it, or remember it, when I'm living in 80 and 90 degree heat.
We're trying to change our return flight since Frances is over it when it comes to bus travel. If we can't, we'll need to start busing for cancun [sorry, the keyboard I'm using at this internet cafe won't capitalize "c" and "m" or provide parenthesis marks] within a few days.
Both yesterday and today we checked on a thatch roof that's being built downtown in West End. Frances wants to build something similar on our property in Bayfield to duplicate the idea of something natural meant to withstand wind and rain. It's like bringing part of our trip home with us. We found out from our hosts at the cerros Beach Resort in northern Belize that palms for thatch need to be female rather than male because they're stronger. They also have to be harvested between three days before and three days after the full moon so that they are at their peak strength.
One of the men watching the construction yesterday told us that the palms used for this thatch were harvested last full moon. Jenny at cerros Beach Resort told us that the right timing for harvest can mean the difference between a thatch roof that lasts for two to three years versus one that lasts for 15 years.
I mentioned to Frances as we walked down the one main street in West End today that I feel like I'm an investigative reporter searching for as much local lore and information as I can find. It's great fun ... plus you meet many interesting people.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Terror of the Not So Deep
Another wonderful day on Roatan. We started with our fruit breakfast and a long conversation about American politics with two young, passionate, and politically-aware travelers from California. Next we headed to West Bay (about a 45 minute walk from Keifitos Plantation where we're staying). We swam out from the shore to snorkle ... the water was incredibly clear.
Unfortunately, Frances is a much braver explorer than I. She tries to point out the beautiful fish but when she looks to find me I have turned and headed back toward shore. All she sees is my pink snorkle disappearing into the horizon. Neither of us can swim but I am more scared about it than she is. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that once I put my face (with snorkle mask) down into the water I am cradled by the water. Today when I saw the sea bottom getting farther and farther away from me I hightailed it back toward shore. We did go out again and swim further into the reef after Frances assured me that it got more shallow farther out from shore. (My fears about going into a low blood sugar add to my anxiety.)
I told Frances today that if we keep getting back into the water and practicing I'm sure that I'll feel more and more confident. I'm definitely learning more about me and my inner fears. Hopefully, I can overcome some of my anxieties before our time runs out here on these beautiful shores.
After a long swing in our hammock and peanut butter sandwiches in our room, we headed into West End to have a drink and visit the internet cafe. We tried our first Mojitos tonight, thanks to another movie star, James Bond. Frances saw them on the menu and the first was so good we had another.
Tomorrow we go fruit picking with our host, Phillip. He harvests his own fruit from the plantation for our breakfasts so we'll see how it's done. He did forewarn us to wear long pants with shoes and socks since we'll venture through stinging nettle.
Unfortunately, Frances is a much braver explorer than I. She tries to point out the beautiful fish but when she looks to find me I have turned and headed back toward shore. All she sees is my pink snorkle disappearing into the horizon. Neither of us can swim but I am more scared about it than she is. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that once I put my face (with snorkle mask) down into the water I am cradled by the water. Today when I saw the sea bottom getting farther and farther away from me I hightailed it back toward shore. We did go out again and swim further into the reef after Frances assured me that it got more shallow farther out from shore. (My fears about going into a low blood sugar add to my anxiety.)
I told Frances today that if we keep getting back into the water and practicing I'm sure that I'll feel more and more confident. I'm definitely learning more about me and my inner fears. Hopefully, I can overcome some of my anxieties before our time runs out here on these beautiful shores.
After a long swing in our hammock and peanut butter sandwiches in our room, we headed into West End to have a drink and visit the internet cafe. We tried our first Mojitos tonight, thanks to another movie star, James Bond. Frances saw them on the menu and the first was so good we had another.
Tomorrow we go fruit picking with our host, Phillip. He harvests his own fruit from the plantation for our breakfasts so we'll see how it's done. He did forewarn us to wear long pants with shoes and socks since we'll venture through stinging nettle.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Thank you, Jackie Chan!
We're back in paradise again ... Roatan Island, off the north coast of Honduras. (We think about Bayfield and Madeline Island often ... the main difference is the climate). We arrived by ferry (250 person capacity) last evening from La Ceiba. It was an hour and a quarter trip across the Caribbean Sea with barf bags distributed freely to those on board.
Luckily the ferry was set up like a movie theater and showed a Jackie Chan movie during the trip. That provided a vital focus point to keep attention off the swells. Nonetheless, people rushed for a bathroom and kids and adults alike made use of their plastic bag accessory. One crew member was stationed at the front of the boat and intently watched faces to discover where to go next to offer additional plastic bags and/or needed wiping up services. I think Frances and I have fairly strong stomachs but, truth be told, Jackie Chan may have saved us!
We found a wonderful lodging that's about a 10 minute walk from town along the beach. Cabins are perched atop a high embankment with stairs to the beach and a long dock. We rented snorkle equipment from Phillip, our host, and we plan to swim right off the shore this afternoon to see what sea life resides underneath the waters. On our deck we have our first hammock! We're told we'll be able to lie in it to watch the sunset! We already paid for four additional nights.
Of course, Roatan is one of the best spots in this country to sample malaria ... five different kinds on this island alone. We visited a butterfly and insect museum in La Ceiba two days ago and also found out about Chagas, a disease from biting insects that affects one-third of Honduran people. No known cure. It gets into the blood stream, attacks heart, liver, digestive tract, and kills within 10 to 20 years after infection, usually by heart attack.
We're staying on a plantation and hope to join Phillip on his venture to pick fruit for breakfast in the next day or two. We had lots of exotic possibilities this AM: a white sour fruit, a black (chocolate pudding-like) fruit, papaya, and watermelon. Frances wants to find out how the owners planted fruit trees in the preexisting tropical forest. There are horses, cows, and chickens here too. As a result, we had homemade cheese on fresh-baked bagels for breakfast this AM. A horse ride on the beach is an enticing possibility as well.
It's noon ... Time to shop for groceries, head back to our lodging, and hit the water. Adios, amigos.
Luckily the ferry was set up like a movie theater and showed a Jackie Chan movie during the trip. That provided a vital focus point to keep attention off the swells. Nonetheless, people rushed for a bathroom and kids and adults alike made use of their plastic bag accessory. One crew member was stationed at the front of the boat and intently watched faces to discover where to go next to offer additional plastic bags and/or needed wiping up services. I think Frances and I have fairly strong stomachs but, truth be told, Jackie Chan may have saved us!
We found a wonderful lodging that's about a 10 minute walk from town along the beach. Cabins are perched atop a high embankment with stairs to the beach and a long dock. We rented snorkle equipment from Phillip, our host, and we plan to swim right off the shore this afternoon to see what sea life resides underneath the waters. On our deck we have our first hammock! We're told we'll be able to lie in it to watch the sunset! We already paid for four additional nights.
Of course, Roatan is one of the best spots in this country to sample malaria ... five different kinds on this island alone. We visited a butterfly and insect museum in La Ceiba two days ago and also found out about Chagas, a disease from biting insects that affects one-third of Honduran people. No known cure. It gets into the blood stream, attacks heart, liver, digestive tract, and kills within 10 to 20 years after infection, usually by heart attack.
We're staying on a plantation and hope to join Phillip on his venture to pick fruit for breakfast in the next day or two. We had lots of exotic possibilities this AM: a white sour fruit, a black (chocolate pudding-like) fruit, papaya, and watermelon. Frances wants to find out how the owners planted fruit trees in the preexisting tropical forest. There are horses, cows, and chickens here too. As a result, we had homemade cheese on fresh-baked bagels for breakfast this AM. A horse ride on the beach is an enticing possibility as well.
It's noon ... Time to shop for groceries, head back to our lodging, and hit the water. Adios, amigos.
Monday, January 5, 2009
From Spanish to English and Back Again
We´re in La Ceiba, Honduras now ... arrived here accidentally on Sunday, Jan. 4. We paid for bus tickets to Tela but didn´t realize we were at our bus stop, a pull off point along the road where we expected a bus station, and we just stayed on the bus. No one told us we were at our destination. All buses have a ¨conductor¨who collects fares along the way as people board the bus. On other buses in Belize that conductor would have told us when to get off. No big deal. We planned to be here soon since this is the jumping off point for the Bay Islands.
We´ve been on the road three weeks. We started in Mexico with mostly English and a little Spanish to communicate, then stayed 10 days in Belize which is English speaking. It was a relief to not have to struggle to communicate. But now we´re back at it. This time most of our communication is with lodging, restaurant, market, and bus employees who know no English or very, very little. So it´s up to us to find a way to express ourselves.
I think often of Dora Kling from Washburn who told me that when she goes to Mexico each March for a month of vacation, she speaks Spanish and when that doesn´t work, she acts and points. ¨Why, once I performed an entire three act play,¨she told me, ¨They still didn´t know what I wanted.¨
We also met a young Canadian man on our water taxi to Caye Caulker, Belize. He had traveled extensively in Mexico and Guatemala and told us that several times he ended up spending an additional night or two at his lodging because he didn´t know how to tell them that he wanted to check out. Whew. We´re doing fine. Steph´s 30 year old college Spanish classes and Spanish dictionary are helping tremendously.
Traveling across borders from one country to the next typically means a long, stressful day. Our experience getting from Belize to Honduras is a prime example. First we boarded a bus in Placencia, Belize at 545 am for a two hour trip to Dangriega. Then we took a taxi to the water taxi meant to deliver us to Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Here we were told to give up our passports for the water taxi company to fill out their manifest. They assured us that they´d been doing this for over 20 years. Then they loaded our luggage in a truck and about 32 of us in various vehicles for our trip to immigration where they took our passports out of a plastic bag for the immigration officer to stamp.
We reboarded our vehicles for a trip to a dock in the middle of nowhere where we waited for over an hour for a boat to arrive. The immigration officer got on the boat and called our names one by one from our passports indicating that we should board. Three hours later we were at Puerto Cortes. Here we had to ride a cab to the Immigration Office in Honduras which was closed. A sign on the door indicated a number to call for assistance. Here we waited over an hour in blazing midday heat for our immigration official to arrive. Again, our passports were handed back to us in order for us to fill out a form to present to the customs´agent. After a long line, and an additional unexplained $3 US fee, we were done.
Frances and I were the only members of our boatload who stayed in Puerto Cortes. Everyone else just wanted to get the hell out of there. Heck, the cab driver told us he had lived there his whole life and there was nothing to see.
But we were exhausted and unwilling to travel any farther. We´d already put in a 10 hour day and needed to rest. We walked to a nearby hotel with a fence all around and booked a room. Chickens must have been living immediately behind or underneath our room because we heard crowing and clucking the rest of that day and all night. There were even small chicken feathers on the floor of our room and in the shower.
Again, what an adventure....
We´ve been on the road three weeks. We started in Mexico with mostly English and a little Spanish to communicate, then stayed 10 days in Belize which is English speaking. It was a relief to not have to struggle to communicate. But now we´re back at it. This time most of our communication is with lodging, restaurant, market, and bus employees who know no English or very, very little. So it´s up to us to find a way to express ourselves.
I think often of Dora Kling from Washburn who told me that when she goes to Mexico each March for a month of vacation, she speaks Spanish and when that doesn´t work, she acts and points. ¨Why, once I performed an entire three act play,¨she told me, ¨They still didn´t know what I wanted.¨
We also met a young Canadian man on our water taxi to Caye Caulker, Belize. He had traveled extensively in Mexico and Guatemala and told us that several times he ended up spending an additional night or two at his lodging because he didn´t know how to tell them that he wanted to check out. Whew. We´re doing fine. Steph´s 30 year old college Spanish classes and Spanish dictionary are helping tremendously.
Traveling across borders from one country to the next typically means a long, stressful day. Our experience getting from Belize to Honduras is a prime example. First we boarded a bus in Placencia, Belize at 545 am for a two hour trip to Dangriega. Then we took a taxi to the water taxi meant to deliver us to Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Here we were told to give up our passports for the water taxi company to fill out their manifest. They assured us that they´d been doing this for over 20 years. Then they loaded our luggage in a truck and about 32 of us in various vehicles for our trip to immigration where they took our passports out of a plastic bag for the immigration officer to stamp.
We reboarded our vehicles for a trip to a dock in the middle of nowhere where we waited for over an hour for a boat to arrive. The immigration officer got on the boat and called our names one by one from our passports indicating that we should board. Three hours later we were at Puerto Cortes. Here we had to ride a cab to the Immigration Office in Honduras which was closed. A sign on the door indicated a number to call for assistance. Here we waited over an hour in blazing midday heat for our immigration official to arrive. Again, our passports were handed back to us in order for us to fill out a form to present to the customs´agent. After a long line, and an additional unexplained $3 US fee, we were done.
Frances and I were the only members of our boatload who stayed in Puerto Cortes. Everyone else just wanted to get the hell out of there. Heck, the cab driver told us he had lived there his whole life and there was nothing to see.
But we were exhausted and unwilling to travel any farther. We´d already put in a 10 hour day and needed to rest. We walked to a nearby hotel with a fence all around and booked a room. Chickens must have been living immediately behind or underneath our room because we heard crowing and clucking the rest of that day and all night. There were even small chicken feathers on the floor of our room and in the shower.
Again, what an adventure....
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