Five weeks is not enough...

As I enter into my fourth week in Central America, I cannot imagine
all the beautiful and interesting places that I am failing to visit.
Three weeks seem to have flown by already. Three jam-packed weeks,
from the first seven days in Panama to the next seven days in Costa
Rica, to now. We are rounding off a week in Nicaragua and I can't bear
to leave without seeing more.

Forty days seems long at first. Yet when the days start to get
shorter, the bus trips get longer, all of the sudden, it's
two-days-here, two-days-there. There are seven individual countries in
Central America (excluding Mexico and including Belize, even though
Guatemala has yet to acknowledge their existence). Yet it seems that
we will only get the chance to really see four. Two weeks in Panama
and Costa Rica were well spent, but now I feel it's time to slow down.

Today we arrived in a beautiful hostel on the Laguna de Apoyo. It is
an inactive volcanic crater, filled with crystal clear water. This
area of Nicaragua is rich with natural wonders and cultural delights.

Isla de Ometepe

This shot is from the balcony of our farm. We stayed three nights on a
coffee plantation in a large furnished barn. The farm is on the side
of the smaller volcano, Madera, which we hiked. What you see here is
the larger, active volcano called La Concepcion.

An Intesting Beginning in Nicaragua

The past few days we have been occupied in the beautiful, complicated country of Nicaragua. Noticeably less touristy and much more impoverished than our previous destinations, the towns we have stayed in offer a unique indigenous charm. Since last Wednesday, the two of us have traveled to the colonial city of Granada and through the volcanic island of Ometepe. With limited running water, shotty electricity, and the rocky, unpaved roads, I have felt humbled and blessed to appreciate these things so coveted within remote pueblos throughout Nicaragua.

During our stay on Ometepe, I was thrilled to learn about the heavy presence of Peace Corps in the country, and fortunate to spend some time learning about a few of their lives. We met three volunteers coming to the end of their two year service term. They were all English teachers living in the areas surrounding the large lake. Gaining insight on the political corruption in Nicaragua, it seems many of us take peaceful fair elections for granted. In this country, much of a persons economic fate is dependent on their activity in the far leftist, currently-ruling political group, the Sandinistas. Walking around and seeing election propaganda and posters advocating peaceful elections shows a glimpse of the country's current events.

The lack of infrastructure in most pueblos also restricts wifi access. This is the first solid access to Internet in a few days. Photos of Nicaragua to come soon!

Rainbow Trunks

After an ecologically friendly day around San Jose and visiting Volcan Poas, I cannot contain my excitement over seeing a very exciting thing: rainbow eucalyptus trees!

For those of you who have maybe never heard of this amazing plant, you can read about it here! or google for yourself.

These amazing trees are very tall and so colorful! And we saw them on the bus ride to and from the volcano! Seeing these in person is such a treat as I never thought I'd be somewhere where they actually exist. However, not to trump the main event of today, which was climbing to the top of Volcan Poas and observing an active volcanic crater spew sulfuric gasses into the sky.

Updates to come. The group has split and Ryan and I now travel solo. Tomorrow we journey to Nicaragua. Stay tuned.

A Glimpse of the Tropics

In our last few days of Costa Rica, the beauty (and expense) of ecotourism has really caught up with us. After touring the cloud forestry in Monteverde, our group migrated to the lazy tourist town of La Fortuna, where the famed active volcano Arenal looms in the distance.

Below is a shot of the main area of our hostel. Thats right, hostel, not resort. With palm trees everywhere, beach cabana-style huts, and this crystal-clear pool, the place is pretty cozy for 14$ a night.

Along with the luxury of the establishments around town, the area also boasts some incredible wildlife. Geckos are everywhere, and we stumbled upon this little green guy:

Our journeys led us to hot springs, hikes around the volcano, and an 80 meter high waterfall, where we spent an afternoon swimming and trying to catch fish. The volcano, Volcan Arenal, is magnificent as it is currently active. Hardened lava trails down the mountain can be seen with the naked eye, and the volcano emits crystal clear water at a variety of temperatures. At the hot springs, while striking up conversations with locals, we discover the techniques used to harness the naturally heater water, channelling it into pools and tubs where one can relax for a day.

Below is a glimpse of the volcano in the early evening hours. Being the rainy season, clear views are often short-lived and sporadic, making photographic captures like this all the more precious.

Tomorrow the rest of our friends depart for the United States, and on Wednesday morning, Ryan and I plan on heading to Costa Rica, escaping both the incredible biodiversity and the quicksand in our wallets. 

The Tourism Effect

The last few days has certainly left its mark on all Of us here. Yesterday, we crossed the border from panama to costa rica... LITERALLY hiked a shaky bridge across two countries. We then proceeded, in an attempt to reach a rainforest, Venice-style town called Tortuguero, to the non-tourist destination of Puerto Limon. The city was quite a change from the gringo-packed paradise Bocas del Toros. Streets were empty, the parks were dark, and there was little to entertain foreigners. But I was able to find such a strange charm from a place that was completely off the beaten path, a place daring to show the ugliness of real lives and real citizens. We received a great deal of help from a generous taxi driver, hoping to get our business for a boat to Tortuguero, but that adventure has since been skipped.

Now, a day of travel later, we have spent our first night in the highly popular cloud-forest town of Monteverde, where on every block exists a dozen hotels, expensive restaurants, and adventure kiosks trying to scam you for canopy tours.

It is clear that this town lives and breathes the tourism industry. All signs and prices are in English and dollars. Food and activities are quite expensive, compared to before, and most people we encounter speak good English.

When in Rome, they say... so tour we shall! Tomorrow the group is leaning towards a three hour zipline tour through the rainforest, a waterfall hike, and a canopy tour. At night, a canopy tour to see night animals is very popular. So its possible my money will fly. Only it's worth it.

A Week in Panama

As a full week abroad draws to a close, the gang prepared to forge ahead to the next stop: Costa Rica! A recap of the week includes walking the skyline in Panama City, mountain-biking in the tiny town of Boquete, and sleeping in a tree house on the paradise island of Bocas del Toro.

While the Spanish is quite different from the lingos and lisps used in Spain, I'm starting to adjust to the carefree, relaxed manner that sometimes involves smashing all the words together. The rest of our group, totaling all seven of us, have vastly improved in Spanish in the past few days.

Now that my first week is nearly done, I look back and see such a humble lifestyle in a hardworkin country. Locals seem diligent in accomplishing their tasks (diligent but slow?) and it truly shows in the thriving city of Panama. Also the tourism industry is off the charts here. In some places, like Bocas, the community seems to survive on first-world tourists alone. Nevertheless, the white sand beaches, coral reefs, rainforests and volcanoes are definitely worth the visit.