Sunday, December 28, 2008

parque nacional corcovado.

Today we finally made it to the Corcovado Park! It was a guided tour, which we ended up being grateful for, since he had a big telephoto lens to spot animals up on the trees...we saw a black hawk, a two-toed sloth, a couple of wild turkeys, a few spider monkeys, an iguana, a toucan, a woodpecker, and a crocodile! Also, we saw tapir footprints, and we smelled some pecari...haha couldn't find them though! I also learned that termites can be eaten in emergency situations, and they're 100% protein...organic protein, even! haha Also, we saw some poison ivy and some gigantic fig trees...and of course the crocodile was really interesting to look at!
The way there on the boat was pretty bumpy, but the way back was beautiful! The lunch was also great...I kinda regret not having been able to stay there overnight, but at the same time I am glad we got the guided tour!
Tomorrow we're leaving by boat (no need to hitchhike this time around!) but we have not made up on our minds yet on where we're going!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

bahia drake.

This place is stunning! It beats P.to Jimenez hands down! I wish we had come straight here! Well, the place we're staying helps too! It's up on a hill overlooking the Pacific ocean, and it's surrounded by lush vegetation...at night between the birds, the ocean waves, and dogs barking, one may think it's hard to sleep! But I love it here...I don't remember ever seeing a sky with so many stars...I love staring at it at night...also, just by being here you can spot animals everywhere...today we went on a 9 hour hike crossing several rivers (we even swam in one!) till we finally ended up by the beach...there we started making our way back to town, and stopped in the most beautiful place to swim for a bit! Then while we were on a beach we spotted several scarlet macaws! Beautiful birds! Then at another beach we spotted two monkeys! It was so cool how they were going from branch to branch! It was awesome! We started following them like paparazzi trying to take a picture of them, it was ridiculous! Then we saw a big woodpecker, but no way to take a picture of it!
Bahia Drake is a town on a bay (duh) which was first found by James Drake, the British pirate, back in the day...I can tell he has good taste, because this place is charming, although very small! I love it though, it's basic and it can do for a few days, plus it's surrounded by wonderful nature and it's a great place to start trips to the Parque Corcovado, which is where we're going tomorrow on a day tour!
How we got here was an adventure of its own...we took a bus to La Palma, from where we thought there was a bus taking us here...except there was no bus! So our bus left us off at the crossroad, and then we hitchhiked...the first car that stopped was driven by a couple of European tourists...the guy brought up some lame excuses and drove off...a taxi asked us for 40.000 colones (almost 80$!!!) for 35 km of dirt roads...then another taxi asked for 25.000 colones (almost 50$) to take us almost to town, stopping at the big river before town...then a pickup truck pulled over, there was a little kid driving...I bargained with the person in the passenger seat, probably his uncle or dad or something...and I got them to take the three of us all the way here for 15.000 colones total (almost 30$)...which is a lot of money for them, but only about twice as much as the bus, which didn't exist! ahha So we jumped in the back of the pickup and there we went, for almost 2 hours on this very rough road, crossing at least 3-4 rivers! It was an awesome journey, the weather was great and the scenery beautiful! The little kid driving turned out to be 14, the road was super bumpy, dirty, and steep...he did an excellent job with a manual transmission! We were bouncing up and down in the bed of the pickup, sitting next to a tank of gasoline, so our food and clothes ended up smelling like gasoline! haha But the trip was awesome! It made it all better!

Friday, December 26, 2008

puerto jimenez.

It's pretty hot here in Port Jim, as the gringos call it -and there's lots of rich gringos here. It's the on the edge on the Corcovado Park, which is full so we can't get in. We're trying to figure out our plan B, although every person and/or guide says something different, and the problem is still the same: not nearly enough time to do half the things there are to do.
To recap our itinerary till here, on the 24th we came down from Cerro Chirripo' in about 5 hours, and it was pretty hard too...not stretching once we got down was a big mistake in retrospective, as now I must look really funny when walking up and down the stairs. My legs are super stiff and sore!
Puerto Jimenez is small, dusty and very hot. The beach yesterday was a good alternative to not being able to do anything since everything was closed!
The past days have been hectic, frantic and kinda frustrating, since time is never enough and trying to do too much in too little time may result in a lot of frustration and nothing achieved. At least that's how I am feeling right now...maybe it's because I haven't yet eaten and it's already noon!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

cerro chirripo' (3820m/11000+ft)

I am at the lodge on the way to the Cerro Chirripo', more or less at 3400 meters above sea level. Tomorrow before dawn we're going to the summit, at 3820 meters, to catch the dawn and both oceans hopefully!
We left Perez this morning at 5.30, then go to San Gerardo de Rivas at 7, started our hike then...it's 2 kilometers to the beginning of the trail...we started the trail, at km 0, at 8am...got up here at km 14.5 at 2pm! So it was a total of 7 hours, mostly doable, except some harder parts, especially right before the lodge!
We're spending the night in this lodge tonight, eating food we brought up (bread and honey mostly), then around 4am we're going to the summit, and then coming back here to the lodge again, before making the 14.5 km hike down...it was a lot of fun, although I wish I didn't have to carry my clothes, sleeping bag and food all the way up here...it would have made it much nicer...oh, we didn't spot that much wildlife...the highlight was a few monkeys we caught at the beginning of the trail!
I am really crossing my fingers that we can have clear skies tomorrow "morning" so that we can see both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, and then maybe also Volcan Baru in Panama!
Then tomorrow after the hike down to San Gerardo de Rivas and the bus back down to Perez (San Isidro), we're going to try and go to a restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner...we eyed a restaurant in town last night, and we might go there again...except doubling our orders, since we'll be super hungry!

Monday, December 22, 2008

san isidro del general (perez).

So I gotta give San Jose some credit, it's not that bad...when I was ready to finally get into it a bit more, then I got upset at how hard it was to find a single bus terminal! Each and every person I asked gave me different directions...was it because they didn't know? Or they were not sure where it is? Or what? Well, it drove me crazy...but eventually we found the terminal, waited for the next available bus and got on...now we're sort of stuck in San Isidro del General (also called Perez) for the night. Our bus for San Gerardo de Rivas leaves tomorrow at 5am, it's a 2 and a half hour drive on mostly unpaved roads...then from there we're going to see if it's possible to spend the night at the hostel on top of Cerro Chirripo' (3820 meters) from where you can see both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans...if not, we're going to spend the day in San Gerardo and then make the 6-8 hour hike up on Christmas Eve...thus spending Christmas Eve at 3820 meters above sea level...which would be nice...and then coming back down on Christmas Day...the only drawback would be not being able to call anybody to wish them a Merry Christmas, but I think I could live with that...so we'll see, tonight we got a bunch of food for the 2 days, since there's no food on the way up or up there...it's going to be fun, I cannot wait!
Merry Christmas everybody!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

san jose.

My day was pretty uneventful...I slept in, ate a whole bunch of food, then walked around Puerto Viejo some more, packed up, and got on 2 different buses to San Jose...this time around I am trying to get to like it here...but I wish I had more time to do that, because we're leaving tomorrow morning again, so not enough time!
The hostel I am staying at, Pangea, is really cool, despite the fact that it took me a while to find it even though it was super close to my bus stop!
Well, anyway, the hostel is kinda pricey and overwhelming, and tailored for Americans, and they're trying to make money off you in any possible way...but it's really cool! It has a freakkin' swimming pool, a rooftop patio, bar and restaurant, free Internet, and a nice TV room...really, a nice way to block out the San Jose craziness and crime...so it's nice to chill out here and enjoy the place, it is really impressive!
I do actually wish I could and would get out and meet Ticos, talk to the locals and discover the place I am in...not this hostel, which could be anywhere in the world!
But it seems that the center of town is "too dangerous" for gringos or whatever...so everything has to be arranged by taxi, or shuttle, and there is security at the door, and we have a wristband, and stuff like that...I don't really like it at all, but oh well...to get to the airport I am not going to use their expensive shuttle, but instead walk to town and take a super cheap local bus...but my brother's plane is going to arrive maybe too late, and we might have to take a taxi all the way back here...we'll see...I am going to drop all my "valuables" in my locker and hide some cash in my private parts and get out there and see what it's like...everybody says it is scary, I want to see for myself. Other than that, not much is going on, I wanted to try the pool, but it feels a little too chilly! At least my belly is very full and I am happy...I am finally getting into vacation-in-Latin-America mode...which I love, and which takes time to get in and out of! So I better enjoy it while it's here! More on San Jose later from these free computers...

puerto viejo de talamanca (costa rica).

Yesterday I got back on the mainland, then back into Costa Rica and eventually made it here, a nice little beach town on the Atlantic, with plenty of surfing spots, reggae music and international cuisine...even a few restaurants owned by Italians...so everything is a little more expensive of course (prices rise where the gringos arrive!), but it's also nice to find all sorts of goodies at the supermarket! It seems like a big party place, so I am glad my hostel is nice and new, but most importantly quiet! We also have free Internet, so how could I complain??!
Yesterday I checked out the town, the various beaches, took another dip in the Atlantic, spotted some surfers going about their routine, and even a few impromptu soccer games on the beach. All in all, as with most places I visit, I wish I had more time to soak in the atmosphere and fully relax and enjoy it...but I don't!
So I am leaving again, in a few hours, to go meet my brother, my one and only brother, in San Jose...unfortunately we're going to have to spend the night there (although luckily the hostel should have all sorts of amenities) before taking off tomorrow to go hike the Cerro Chirripo'...should be fun!

Friday, December 19, 2008

bocas del toro.

Today I took a day long boat tour through some of the islands of the archipelago here, the most important being Isla de Bastimento I guess...we did not get to see any dolphins, which was a major bummer...not a good way to start the day! But then things got better as we did some snorkeling in two different places...pretty interesting! The last stop was at a beach on an island where we got to see these tiny red frogs that are kind of poisonous...then the beach itself had been taken away by the high tides and the currents were pretty rough...so I didn't lie down on the sand, but spent the whole time in the water, trying to relax while I was being pushed back and forth by the currents! I also ran into an older Italian couple from Parma...30 minutes away from my hometown (Guastalla)!
Well, that's it for today, now some chill time and some pasta hopefully, then tomorrow I am going back to the mainland passing through big banana plantations (some locals told me it's not Chiquita anymore, but De La Cruz), then onto the Costa Rican border, then into Costa Rica, stopping for the day and night at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

boquete, bocas del toro

After a long night sleep I embarked on several hours of bus to make my way to the Atlantic side of Panama, through a dam, a lake, highlands with lush vegetation and some isolated villages...interesting ride...then walked to catch a boat in Almirante to get here in Bocas del Toro, an island that's very chill, but at the same time kind of in the same vein as Boquete when it comes to catering to a crowd of wealthy, English-speaking gringos...it's definitely a nice place though, and I got to walk around town before it started raining...I also got to ride a rickety old rusty cruiser through some hilly, pothole-filled roads to get to some caves...me and T went inside and eventually found thousands and thousands of bats packed in the same place...reminded me of NYC! Then on our bike ride back we got completely soaked, so now it's nice to be nice, clean and most of all dry!
Tomorrow is a boat tour to ome other islands around this one, mostly to a bay with plenty of dolphins (or so I hope!), a beach with tiny red frogs, and two spots for excellent snorkeling...or so says the brochure...I will be able to tell tomorrow! Note to self: don't get sunburned again!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

finally back on the road...dallas, san jose, panama city, boquete

I am finally back on the road...after a few years of minor trips, this time I will be spending 5 weeks in Central America...Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala (if all goes well).
I left a few days ago, flying from IAH over to San Salvador through Roatan, an island in the Caribbean of the coast of Honduras where I am going in a few weeks...it looked pretty from the plane, and it has the second biggest coral reef in the world, after Australia of course. The last leg of my flight to San Jose was delayed because of maintenance to the aircraft...so I landed in San Jose kind of late, I missed my bus to Panama City, it was raining, I had no clue how to go about anything, the center of town was closed down...in all this, I was lucky enough to be hosted by A in Escazu, a beautiful area outside the city center. Of course I could appreciate its beauty only the next morning...then it was time to get on a bus for 15 hours all the way to Panama City, which was pretty uneventful, except the 2 hours it took to cross the border and go through all the checks...the officer in Panama didn't want to let me in because I didn't have a return ticket...after a little arguing (his point did not make sense) he finally stamped my passport!
I arrived in Panama City bright and early, my host R was super nice to let me in at 6am, after which I immediately took off to go see the might Panama Canal...which was impressive...I got to understand how it really works, see a few cargos go through, and learn some interesting facts about it all...it takes a boat about 24 hours to cross from one ocean to the other, versus about 2-3 weeks to circumnavigate South America...the boats pay a fee that goes by weight...the highest ever paid was around 390.000$...the lowest? 0.36$ by a guy who was weighed and decided to swim across! It took him 10 hours!
After the Canal I walked around Casco Viejo, the old area of town, which reminds me a bit of Cartagena, Colombia, or Montevideo, Uruguay...parts of it are extremely run down, it almost looks like an urban slum, but the few buildings that did enjoy renovation are quite stunning! The pedestrian area was always packed with people eating, walking around, shopping, and people selling stuff...all sorts of stuff...of course all sorts of goods go through Panama...mostly "made in China" goods I would say...then I took a bus through some residencial areas, which are nice and lush, and kinda remind me of Key West, FL...which contrasts with the hectic and shiny part of town called El Cangrejo, which reminds me of a wannabe Las Vegas with a touch of Miami in it...casinos, electronics stores, big hotels, lots of lights, skyscrapers...I even managed to find a vegetarian restaurant in the midst of all that!
The second day, to escape the bustle of the city, I took a day trip to Isla Taboga, about 1hr boat ride of the Pacific coast...I hiked up to the hill from which you could still see the Panama City skyline, and of course the whole island with its beaches, boats, and houses...then I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling in the water trying to protect my sunburn and chatting it up with some local guys...after that was a visit to El Cangrejo, and then it was my turn to leave for a new destination...not before being stopped by a policeman in the old part of town, around 9pm...he asked me if I was either lost or had a death wish...I said "neither"...he then proceeded to explain I should be really careful, walk only where there are people around, and get out of there...that got the message across especially when he ran his thumb across his neck! haha So I quickly got my stuff, said "bye" to my wonderful host R and his brother A, and took off for a fast walk towards the bus stop...once at the bus terminal, everything was nice and modern so I took some time off to enjoy wandering around the 24hr supermarket...before hopping on a night bus to David and sleeping the entire 6hr ride!
This morning I woke up at 6am in David, caught another bus to Boquete, and tried to stay awake to enjoy the views...but couldn't. Once I got here and found my hostel, I took an hour nap, figured out what to do and went for a 4hr walk on this path that leads through coffee plantations...Boquete is a 5000 mountain town by the Volcan Baru, the highest peak in Panama...it's really nice and I am really enjoying the chilly and rainy weather, which is very good for my sunburn! I came back from my walk, checked out the city center, and then visited the supermarket for some food...what I did not know (and eventually noticed throughout my day here) is that the town is a major destination for gringo retirees and snow birds in general, so parts of it cater to a wealthy, English-speaking population that has nothing to do with the locals...just like in Panama the modern areas are all aspiring to be like the US, while the local folks don't know a word of English and manage to get by on little or nothing...well, here it seems very similar, although there is "no crime" and it's much more cooler and relaxed than Panama City! So the town has a bunch of services that are English-speaking and seemed a bit out of place to me, like several real estate agencies, attorney's offices, and such...even the supermarket has "specialty" goods like Barilla pasta and Silk soymilk that you might not find in Panama City, let alone in a small mountain town! So I learned a little about this back at the hostel while cooking my dinner as I was talking to a Santa-looking like, Tennessee hailing, snowbird that is about to spend 4 and a half months in Boquete, just as he has done for the past 5 winters...I had seen him earlier in town handing out candy to local kids...of course not saying a single word, as he does not speak any Spanish...but he told me about all of this gringo side of things here, which is kinda interesting...again, very contrasting, but Latin America is all about contrasts anyway!
Tomorrow I am off to Bocas del Toro, on an island on the Caribbean side, by the border with Costa Rica...and I am getting there on a water taxi that goes through a bunch of banana planatations, supposedly producing about 30% of the world's supply, and the headquarters of the famous Chiquita brand! haha