Experiences stretch time into eternity.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
1/31/2009 10:52:12 PM - Day 321 - Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles
Traveling the world is like living life in "fast forward". Top of Mt Sinai.
I have all my pictures, not just from my trip, but all the pictures that I have taken for years now for the most part stored on my laptop. I stored them on here to back them up in case anything were to ever happen to my computer back home. For whatever reason, I started looking thru them tonight.
I've been gone now for coming on 11 months.
Back home, when it comes New Years you look at your friends and say "wow, that sure went by fast!" I've come to think that in some ways, our memories, the way we think of the passing of time, is event driven. I don't think that most people look back on the past and think in terms of "I did that on this month, then the next month this, and the next…" I think that people remember the past more in terms of events. "Oh, that month I did this one crazy thing, oh and that year was the year that…" The reason I say that is because unlike some years that seemed to float by due to the monotony of the daily grind back home, these past eleven months have felt like a lifetime in of themselves. Practically every day some type of "memorable" event has occurred. Hell, I look at pictures from the first half of my trip thus far and feel like it was ages ago that I took them even though it was only five or six months ago. Why? Because so much has happened between then and now.
Reverse culture shock. I look at my life before I left on this trip and it is hard to imagine living that lifestyle. The comfort, the easy of living, the slower pace…It all seems so alien to me at this point. However, I know within a short amount of time back home, I would meld back into the groove of everyday life a changed man from whence I left.
I look forward to the day that I get to enjoy the comfort of life back home. Most people don't understand, and will never understand just how good they have it in Westernized Society. Being gone for so long, I have come to really appreciate all the wonderful privileges I had back home in America. I'm talking basic safety, hot water, political stability, toilets, ranch dressing, paved roads, not to mention friends and family. The list goes on and on. Point is, we are very lucky to have the opportunity to live a certain lifestyle in America and most Western Societies, and traveling across the world really brings that into perspective.
This trip has been amazing so far and these are experiences that I am extremely grateful for that I know I will cherish for a lifetime (most of them). For now, the call of the open road beckons me to forgo comfort for adventure. Looking at those pictures, I'm left to dream as to what life will be like back home when I finally finish this trip since it has been so long, and so much had happened since I've left that it is hard for me to relate to that way of life anymore, so all I can do is dream. Dream about a life that has faded into myth.
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Once again, discrimination for being an American.
Leaving Venezuela Was Difficult
1/31/2009 4:31:42 PM - Day 321 - Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles
Some days are a bit harder than others traveling, yesterday was one of them.
Yesterday was a nightmare. Maybe I shouldn't be that dramatic, but yesterday certainly did suck.
Originally I was scheduled for a flight yesterday morning to Curacao where I was going to catch a connecting flight that afternoon to Trinidad. Two days earlier I was notified that my flight had been rescheduled to a later time in the afternoon totally fucking up my plans with my connecting flight because the availability of flights to Trinidad is pretty slim. I rolled with the punches though and it worked out so that I was going to be back in the Netherlands Antilles for two days before I was going to be headed to Trinidad. That wasn't ideal, but hey, shit happens.
I took a cab from my hotel in Valencia to the airport with some crack head cab driver who wouldn't stop asking about how strong the money was in the United States in his rapid fire Spanish that I was having trouble understanding. When I finally got to the airport, I went inside to find that my flight had been canceled. Spectacular. Luckily, there wasn't anyone working for my airline's company in the international terminal so I was pretty much screwed. I talked to someone who worked for the airport and they told me I could find my airline's staff at the domestic terminal that was nearby. I headed over there to see how this all could be salvaged.
Luckily, the girl who worked for the airline was over there, and she could speak English. I speak enough Spanish to get around, but to figure out how to handle a flight cancellation would be really difficult for me. A bunch of other people were also in there asking about the cancelled flight. She was really nice to me, checked into a couple of things, and when I told her I needed to be in the Netherlands Antilles to catch a connecting flight, she was really proactive and ended up finding a flight that I could be on standby for that afternoon (where you wait to see if they have any open seats after everyone has checked in), but I'd have to wait a couple of hours to see what happened and nothing was guaranteed.
I went back to the International Terminal which had gotten much busier at this point and waited. As luck would have it, I, along with four other stranded passengers were able to get on the afternoon flight with a different airline at the expense of my original airline. During this time, the girl who worked for my original airline explained to me that the reason their flight was cancelled wasn't because it wasn't ready to go, but because it had something to do with politics and how the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's administration has ineptly been setup to handle international flights.
I had to wait for everyone to be checked in before they would sell me the ticket for the afternoon flight, and right after they checked in the five of us from the morning flight, they closed the check-in counter meaning we had very little time to get thru customs before our flight was scheduled to take off. By this time the tiny international terminal was jam packed with people and some angry passengers started yelling at check in staff for some reason. The scene was pretty hectic. Then I had to get into a crazy long line to pay an airport tax to exit Venezuela. Of course, only one lady was working at this line, and once again, people were yelling at her and each other. I've never seen such a chaotic mess in an airport before. Of course, by the time I got to the front of the crazy long line to pay, it was time for my flight to take off and I still hadn't gone thru immigration. Luckily, the airline staff knew the situation and told myself and the other four passengers from the morning flight to get thru immigration as fast as possible and that they would hold the flight.
Getting thru security was the worst. I once again got to experience some Anti-American sentiment from the Venezuelan soldier who went thru all my stuff at security. Mind you, the Venezuelans who were in front of me breezed right thru, but when the "American" showed up, he decided to tear thru all of my luggage searching for anything to bust me for. Of course, he knew that my flight was already late and that they were waiting on only me at this point, but the Venezuelan soldier didn't give a fuck. He went thru EVERYTHING even smelling small packages of mine like a dog searching for any trace of drugs, asking me all kinds of stupid questions the whole time in Spanish trying to get me to slip. Something like "How much money did you bring in?" I brought in $300. "You brought in $3,000?" No, I said $300… Finally when the airline personal came over to say that we absolutely had to hurry, did the guard stop with all the stupid questions and hurried up a bit with the searching. Later on, some Venezuelans on my flight told me that he did that only because I was an American.
When I finally made it past that asshole, I ran out onto the Tarmac with the airline staff and saw that they had already pulled the passenger stairs away from the plane and it was getting ready to take off. The airline staff member yelled at them to set it back up and let me on the plane. I ran out to the plane, got on board and was greeted by the icy stares of the airplane's crew who probably assumed that I had showed up late or something, and when I went to my seat, someone was already in it. The entire flight was completely booked except for a seat in first class which they begrudgingly put me in for the thirty minute flight.
Days like this make you second guess traveling to third world countries, or even traveling at all. It also leaves a bad taste in your mouth in regards to whatever country you had the bad experience in. However, I've learned to take the good with the bad and that from time to time, I'm going to have shitty days like this and have to deal with assholes like that Venezuelan soldier. However, for every asshole there are glimmers of hope like the airline staff from my original flight as well as the crew members who ran me out to get on the already departing flight. For any of you that plan on heading to Venezuela, make sure to confirm your flights before leaving your hotel. Also, allot a good amount of time to go thru security and customs if you're an American because you'll probably be singled out and have to waste a bunch of time before they'll let you thru.
* 2/3/09 - In retrospect, even though the Venezuelans said that the only reason I was searched so much by the Venezuelan soldier was because I was an American, I can understand why someone like me might get searched because there is a ton of Narco-trafficking in Venezuela, and a solo, male tourist such as myself could raise suspicions.
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The Black Market for the win!
An American in Venezuela
1/29/2009 10:01:46 PM - Day 319 - Valencia, Venezuela
Ave Bolivar is the longest street in Valencia, Venezuela.
I've started a leg of my trip thru South America that has caused me a good deal of anxiety. My first stop was Venezuela, whose capital Caracas was just listed as the "Murder Capital of the World" in an article on CNN.com. That isn't the kind of stuff that you want to read when you are about to visit a country, but I didn't want to let it scare me away so I decided to continue with my original plans.
First off, some people I had met earlier on my travels told me that they would be surprised if I could get into Venezuela as an American since some travelers were turned back at land crossings. Reading into it, it seems that if you plan on going into Venezuela by land you have to get your Visa sorted out before you go, however if you go by air they issue you a tourist card when you land that acts as a Visa. Another thing, I read that in Caracas the airport officials, taxi drivers, police officers, etc., pretty much everyone and anyone is suspect in terms of corruption and there are a high number of robberies of tourist who leave the airport thanks to this. That, on top of the fact that it was the "Murder Capital of the World" caused me to alter my plans and fly into Valencia instead.
Flying in was a breeze. Once my plane landed the one immigration official, which was a young Venezuelan girl, handed me a tourists card to fill out and when I was done she stamped it and I was on my way. A Venezuelan lady I met on the plane helped me get a taxi and I was soon talking baseball with my taxi driver before getting dropped off in central Valencia at "Hotel Don Pelayo" (Hotel Don Pelayo Review in Valencia, Venezuela). The whole process was a piece of cake and made me relieved that I chose to come to Valencia instead of Caracas.
Another big issue a lot of travelers have with Venezuela is how expensive it is. For one reason or another, the local currency named the "Bolivar" is pegged on the dollar at somewhere around 1$ = 2.25 Bolivars or something close to that. At that exchange rate, this country is expensive as fuck! If you use ATMs, you'll get the same exchange rate as well as some hefty charges if you have an American bank account. However, I learned from other travelers and research online that there is a thriving "black market" here for US dollars. It seems that many stores and banks overseas want nothing to do with Bolivars and only want to do their transactions in dollars, and because of this, it is very easy to exchange US dollars on the black market here at double the standard rate (which is the current black market value, it is always changing though). If you exchange at the black market rate the country all of a sudden becomes quite affordable. Therefore, the advice I read/heard quite often was to bring in enough dollars to cover your trip thru Venezuela. Hell, I had people on my plane exchanging money with me, my taxi driver did and since many travel agencies do as well, I was able to exchange the rest of my dollars with an agency attached to my hotel. It was all super easy, everyone does it and even though it is "illegal", nobody enforces the law because if dollars stopped coming into the country via the black market it would have direct economic consequences for Venezuela.
The first day I got in I decided to walk around the city somewhat before heading back to my hotel because on the advice of my taxi driver, hotel front desk and what I read online, you want to be back to your hotel well before nightfall if you are in the central area of Valencia otherwise you're pretty much guaranteed to become a victim. During the day however, central Valencia was fine and I felt quite safe. The area I checked out seemed for the most part like any other big city in Latin America. One thing that was interesting though was that there were Pro and Anti-Chavez (the Venezuelan President) graffiti everywhere. There is a vote coming up soon as to whether or not they are going to change the constitution to allow him to stay in power indefinitely, and it seems to be a pretty contentious matter. The vote is around February 15h, and I am very glad that I won't be here for that.
The next day I hit up more of the city and saw some of the sights, which there weren’t many of. They were nice to look at.
I've also been having some pretty tasty food. They drink a lot of fruit smoothies here in Valencia which have been delicious. Breakfast is usually Empanadas with some friend plantains while lunch and dinner is white rice, salad and some chicken or beef. Getting the food though is always fun if you don't speak fluent Spanish since like the rest of Latin America, most people don't speak a lick of English. Luckily I speak enough Spanish to get around and order some tasty empanadas!
I've had a couple encounters with the locals and they are usually quite curious as to who I am, where I am from and what I am doing in Valencia since there are close to no tourists here. Most tourists hit up the beaches about 40 minutes away, but I wanted to get away from the tourist crowds for a second and really hangout with the locals. One interesting thing is people's reaction when I tell them I am American. In most places, even countries that America isn't looked favorably upon (say Syria for instance), when I told them I was American people would smile and say "welcome". Here however, when I tell them I am American they sort of blankly stare at me for a second registering what I just said, then give me a serious look and say "ok" in Spanish. I can only laugh each time it happens. This has been my experience, I'm sure other people have had different ones. However, they are quite curious in what I think of Venezuela, guys always ask me what I think if Venezuelan woman since they have quite the reputation in South America as being beautiful and whenever I stop on the street to talk to locals usually one or two curious bystanders stop to listen in. A wandering "Gringo" in Valencia makes for quite the spectacle it seems.
When I got into my hotel yesterday I got some bad news from the airline company that I was flying out of Valencia with. They changed the time on me to a later departure time meaning I wouldn't be able to catch my connecting flight to Trinidad out of Curacao. Needless to say, I was pretty fucking pissed because getting around this part of the world is a royal pain in the ass. After exploring every possible option I could find, it now looks like I am flying into Curacao tomorrow, staying for two extra days before flying into Trinidad. It wouldn't be that annoying if it wasn't for the fact that I am on a bit of a crunch for time as it is. I suppose everything happens for a reason and I can think of worse places to be stranded at for a couple of days than a Caribbean island.
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Have a "Dushi" Day!
More Caribbean Time at Curacao
1/26/2009 6:27:01 PM - Day 316 - Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles
The Caribbean version of Amsterdam, Willemstad.
Willemstad (Willemstad in Curacao Review and Travel Information) has been an enjoyable stop here in the Caribbean. Willemstad is the main town on the Caribbean island of Curacao in the Dutch Antilles. Like Aruba, it is very expensive, has beautiful beaches and there are plenty of tourists. Unlike Aruba, the island isn't so full of tourists that it puts a veneer over the local culture, it is expensive but not as expensive and the city center has a couple cool historical sites besides a bunch of touristy stores.
I stayed at a place called the "Pelkaan Hotel and Casino" (Pelikaan Hotel Review in Willemstad, Curacao) in the downtown area of Willemstad. The hotel itself was only so-so but the area it was in was pretty interesting. My hotel was right next to a bridge that passed over the main street of the central area of Willemstad. If you walked one way under this bridge you would hit the main touristy area with plenty of casinos, bars, shops and a couple forts. If you walked the other way you would be walking right into an area devoid of most tourists with plenty of locals going about their daily business. I remember the first day I got here I walked in the direction that most of the locals were at and walked past some dude lighting up a joint right in the middle of the day on a busy street. That's island life for you.
Most of the locals I have met and seen around here are Caribbean blacks. There are also a couple Mestizos, some Chinese shop owners as well as a few white Dutch people. For the most part the locals have been pretty friendly except for one of the Chinese shop owners taking advantage of me and my poor understanding of the exchange rate when I bought dinner one night. Other than that though, people have been pretty cool.
The central area is centered on a waterway with a giant, floating, movable bridge. Whenever a boat goes thru the waterway the bridge will actually detach from one end and move all the way to the other end of the waterway and then reconnect to the other end of the waterway once the boat has passed. This area of Willemstad is pretty cool because of how all the buildings look. Thanks to the strong Dutch influence owing to the Dutch colonization, walking around central Willemstad feels like you're walking around central Amsterdam (maybe that's why the local was lighting up) thanks to the architecture. It's also relatively safe here and walking around the central area at night you don't have to worry about much (like stray dogs).
The nights seemed to be pretty quiet except for a couple clubs near the waterfront geared towards tourists. Right next to my hotel, underneath the bridge were a couple restaurant/bars frequented by the locals. I checked them out a couple of times. The shopkeepers are all behind secure iron bars and sell beer, mixed drinks, shots and food. The beers are a bit pricey and only come in 8oz sizes. Come on now! I also noticed that at the couple of bars for the locals the blacks and Mestizos hung out separately. Also, some of the bars are outside with music blaring from speakers and people will simply start dancing in the streets when they feel the urge. I had a good time drinking a couple of beers at the local bars. The bars for tourists were way too expensive so I skipped out on visiting. Besides that, most of the tourists here, like Aruba, seem to be couples or in an older age group so I probably wouldn't have anyone to talk to.
The beaches here were a lot of fun to go to. My favorite one was called "Mambo Beach". It was a really social place and I met some cool people there. They have plenty of beach chairs, cabanas and bars to chill at while you watch the tranquil Caribbean Ocean in front of you. Also, the swimming area there is enclosed by a manmade seawall that keeps the swimming waters very calm and nice. Finally, the bars are all playing great beach music with everyone partying it up making for a pretty festive atmosphere. You can meet both locals and tourists there.
I leave tomorrow for Valencia, Venezuela. I'm not sure what to expect because the only places that seem to have a lot of readily available information are Caracas and Angel Falls. Caracas was just rated by Time magazine as the "murder capital of the world" so I decided to skip out on going there and instead opted for Valencia, which from what little I read, is supposed to be safer with some nice nearby beaches. If I didn't say I was a little anxious about going to Venezuela I would be lying, but I'm looking forward to the experience.
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"Who let the dogs out? Whoop! Whoop!"
Caribbean Time at Aruba
1/22/2009 7:46:07 PM - Day 312 - Oranjestad, Aruba
Cooling off in the Caribbean Waters of Aruba. This was Eagle Beach.
Aruba had been an alright place. I initially didn't plan on coming here but plans changed and I soon found myself on the Caribbean Island of Aruba. First impression, this place is fucking expensive! I read that 70% of their GDP is generated by tourism and that being so, taking a taxi is way overpriced and hotels on the island definitely price gouge you. I ended up staying at a place called the "Cactus Apartments" (Cactus Apartments Review in Aruba) near downtown Oranjestad (Oranjestad, Aruba Travel Informatoin and Review) because it was one of the cheapest ones I could find (which still isn't "cheap"). After my first night there, I wish I stayed somewhere with a better location.
The only place I can get Wi-Fi around here is at a pizza shop that is about a ten minute walk from my hotel. My hotel is down a side street that isn't lit very well (if at all in some places). I heard you don't have to worry about getting mugged here in Aruba so I didn't really care about walking home late at night. It was quite late so I left the pizza shop heading back to my hotel and I hadn't started down one side street more than a minute when some dog comes running out of the shadows to start barking at me. Soon a couple buddies joined up with the first and I was surrounded by a pack of barking stray dogs. Great. I read the best way to defend yourself is to throw rocks at them, which I really didn't want to do since I really like dogs. As soon as I bent over the grab some rocks they ran off in different directions. As I started walking though they got back on my tail and were joined by even more strays. Shit, how many fucking stray dogs are in Aruba? A lot. I eventually made it to an area with humans and the dogs skulked back to the shadows. Luckily I didn't have to throw the heater, but if it came down to defending myself and my own personal safety you might as well call me "Rocket Man" because this hand cannon would have started going off.
The next day I had to get a lot of planning done on future destinations, plane tickets and hotel reservations. This is probably one of the things I hate most about traveling. All the time it takes looking for the best deals on flights, figuring out where you are going to stay once you arrive somewhere new, how to get around once there, etc., etc., etc. It is super time consuming and tedious. It comes with traveling though and I have gotten used to it, but damn it sucks!
Today I made it a mission to hit up the beaches. Aruba is famous for its beaches with their soft sand and azure colored waters. I didn't want to get price raped taking a taxi though so I opted to do what the locals do and jump in a minivan "bus" that drives in circles hitting up the main spots on Aruba, like the beach. They cost a fraction of what taxis charge here (taxi prices here are fucking ridiculous). I ended up at the famous "Eagle Beach". The place was beautiful. The waters were crystal blue, weather was perfect and the sand was nice and soft. Also, there aren't any touts coming up to you here trying to sell you things as you soak up the sun. It was a nice change.
One thing I noticed at the beach and while spending some time in the city is that there are close to zero backpackers here which is more than likely because of the high prices and non-existent budget accommodations. Most people here were old people on cruises that docked on the island or couples on honeymoon or some type of romantic getaway. I also met a couple locals and they were all super nice and most of them speak good English. I was a little lost today trying to figure out how to get back to my hotel and a couple of them approached me asking if I needed any assistance. How awesome is that?
It's getting a bit late over here at the Pizza shop and I still have to brave the unlit streets and packs of stray dogs on my way back to my hotel so I don't want to dilly-dally here too much longer. I leave tomorrow for Curacao, another Caribbean island. I've also got to be at the airport here three hours early since they are super strict on security and customs, probably because of the high amount of drug trafficking that goes on in this area of the world. Ok I'm off! Pray that I make it past the dogs (I'm going to wield my Umbrella this time like a Barbarian to try and scare them off). Until next time!
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It's about time!
MY BLOG IS NOW CURRENT
1/20/2009 5:45:09 PM - Day 310 - Oranjestad, Aruba
Yeah! Just knocked this BLOG out baby!
After ten months on the road it is finally done. I am completely caught up on my travel site.
First off, thanks to any of you who have been reading this BLOG even though it was dated material from earlier in my trip. What happened was that being a web developer, I decided to make my own website from scratch instead of using one of the many free BLOG websites that are offered out there. Those sites are all fine and dandy, but I wanted complete control over my travel site and also, since I had the ability to make a site I figured why not?
The problem was that it took A LOT longer to make than I had initially estimated. It was way more complex than I would have guessed and took forever to complete. I ideally would have had it finished before I left on this trip but instead ended up finishing it 4 ½ months into my journey at which point I had to decide whether or not to start from the beginning or simply begin writing BLOGS from the 4 ½ month mark on missing out on all the stuff that happened before. Since this BLOG is as much for me as it is for all of you out there, I decided it would be a shame to not have anything on this site about the first 4 ½ months of my trip which included Africa, parts of Europe and the Middle East. Therefore I decided to start from the beginning.
Catching up was really difficult and much more time consuming than I would have thought. If it had only been written BLOGS, it would have been easy, but I have reviews on cities, hostels, videos to edit as well as numerous pictures. Plus I'm also working on the road as web developer for a company back in California which takes up a good portion of my time. Finally, I'm also traveling, go figure. I'm seeing sights, enjoying myself and having a vacation. Between all of that, getting caught up was quite the ordeal, but after ten months into this trip it is finally done.
MY BLOG IS NOW CURRENT.
Every BLOG from now on will be written as events happen on my trip instead of after the fact. Once again, thank you to all of you that have stuck around thru all of this and I hope to put up BLOGS, videos, reviews and pictures from my travels to come that you all enjoy!
Thanks,
Mattis
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Colombia is safer than I thought!
A Pirate's City
1/19/2009 10:10:18 PM - Day 309 - Cartagena, Colombia
About to enter the old walled city of Cartagena, Colombia.
I've finally made it to the fifth continent on this amazing journey of mine. My first stop in South America was the former colonial port town of Cartagena, Colombia (Cartagena, Colombia Review and Travel Information) which used to be attacked quite frequently by pirates back in the day. It is actually the most visited city by tourists in Colombia today and I was able to find a cheap flight from Panama City to here with a company called "Aires" (so clever aren't they).
If you would have asked me about going to Colombia a couple of years ago, I would have told you that you were crazy. As far as I knew, the government was still in a full on war with rebel guerillas and drug trafficking and violence was a constant way of life here making safety close to non-existent. At least, this was my perception. That may have been true ten or so years ago, but these days there are plenty of safe areas in Colombia which has experienced a renaissance of sorts with much improved safety and standards of living for most. Of course, there is still a crime problem and some areas are to be avoided, but that goes for many parts of the world. In fact, I felt safer in Cartagena than I have in most parts of Central America. I ended up staying in the Boca Grande area at a hostel named "North Star Backpackers" (North Star Backpackers Review in Cartagena, Colombia). The Boca Grande area is really nice with beaches on either side of you not farther than a block or two in either direction.
I arrived late in the afternoon so decided to spend the first day getting some work done. The following day I headed out to visit the old "Walled City" of Cartagena. Before hitting the old city though I decided to go on a mission to find a guidebook on South America. None of the book stores I went to had them! They all said it would be very hard to find a guide book on South America here. Go figure. I then decided to head to the Getsmani area to check out some other popular hostels in the city to see if they would do a book exchange with me offering my guidebook on Central America for trade. The Getsmani area is actually where most backpackers stay at while in Cartagena. It is a bit rundown and I have read that it is not safe at night. I almost stayed at a more reputable hostel that was in the Getsmani area but opted to go with the newer, lesser known one in Boca Grande. I'm really glad that I did that now that I have been to Getsmani. I was able to exchange my guide book on Central America for one on South America, but it doesn't have all the information I needed. I put it off for later and I was about to walk into one last hostel when I just happened to run into a good friend of mine named Mike from my fraternity days back at San Diego State University. What a small world! We chilled for awhile, got some food and hit up the walled old city.
The old city was amazing. It was like walking back in time with all the old restored colonial architecture and buildings. I could just imagine a scene out of a pirate movie with the pirates attacking some port city. Cartagena was "that" city! It was an amazing area. Mike told me that normally the old city is packed full of tourists, but since it was Sunday the place was close to empty which was a nice change. After a bit of walking around we got a beer and caught up. Being Sunday, the only place open in the old city that sold beer was a "Hard Rock Café". We hit it up, had some drinks and looked at the menu only to find to our surprise that they had Ranch dressing! I've come to find out that Ranch dressing is as American as hamburgers and hot dogs and almost impossible to find overseas. Take note any Ranch lovers out there, Hard Rock Cafés overseas might be able to satiate that desire for the creamy goodness that is Ranch dressing.
After a couple beers we said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. I got to say it is awesome seeing a familiar face on the road after being on the road alone for so long. After that I headed back to the hostel since it was getting late in order to get some work done and watch some NFL playoff football.
The next day I checked out the Boca Grande area of Cartagena. It is super nice and safe and I am really glad that I stayed here. A lot of people write shit about how crappy and ugly the beach in Boca Grande is, but having grown up on beaches my whole life, I don't know what the fuck they are complaining about. The beach is pretty decent compared to most. Yeah, it is a bit packed and you will get bugged by a lot of touts trying to sell you shit, but if you can get past that, the beach isn't a half bad place to spend some time at. I also made some photocopies of the information I needed for South America out of another hostel guest's guidebook for $3! Talk about savings!
Now it is getting late and things are starting to wind down. My next stop is the Caribbean island of Aruba. Figuring out how to get there was a hassle and it looks like the best way is to fly, but I have come to learn from my own research and talking to other travelers that traveling in South America by air is fucking expensive! I don't know why that is, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'd bus it if it was possible, but it isn't in this case. Until next time!
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Panama City is Nice
Saying Goodbye to Central America
1/15/2009 11:09:26 PM - Day 305 - Panama City, Panama
Hanging out in the colonia Casco Viejo area of Panama City.
Panama City (Panama City, Panama Review and Travel Information) has been a great end for my jaunt thru Central America. The people here are friendly, there is plenty to see and do, and the hostel I am staying at named "Luna's Castle" (Luna's Castle Hostel Review in Panama City, Panama) is awesome. I also got some "odds and ends" taken care of during my stay here for future travels making the stay both productive and enjoyable.
I got into Panama City on a Sunday pretty hungover since the night before was spent sadly watching my Chargers lose to the Steelers. There is always next year! However, I was definitely spent when I arrived in Panama City and spent most of the day chilling out in a hammock in my hostel nursing my headache (rough life, I know). The following day I had some business to take care of, so I woke up bright and early and headed out in the city to take care of just that, business!
Namely, I decided to get my visa for Brazil here as well as buy a pair of shoes since some fucking asshole (who I hope trips on the laces and loses teeth) stole them from outside my hostel in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. I hailed a cab and set off to the Brazilian Embassy. One thing I've noticed is that in such a short time my Spanish has really improved. I already had a good base to work from making the improvement easier, but I am finding that I am having no problem getting around with the taxi drivers, amongst other things. Once at the Brazilian Embassy in Panama City, I filled out some forms and had to show proof of a departure ticket out of Brazil, a bank statement and proof of accommodation for when I arrived in Brazil. On top of that I had to pay $130 dollars! Fuck! I can't be too angry though, it is all because of "reciprocation" meaning that Brazilians going to the United States have to do all the same and then some. However they did say that they would have my Visa ready for me the next day which is a huge plus since from what I hear, many Brazilian Consulates take a while to process Brazilian Visas.
After dealing with the Brazilian Embassy in Panama City, I walked around the immediate area which was full of shops to find shoes. I went to a lot of shops and they all laughed at me when I told them I needed a size "American 13". Damn that shoe thief! I then hailed a cab and set off for the Albrook Mall that I was referred to by the staff at my hostel. The mall was freaking nice! It has been one of the nicer establishments that I have visited in Central America. In fact, I'm coming to observe that the standard of living here in Panama seems to be relatively good, if not the best I have seen in Central America. Luckily after a bit of searching, I found a nice pair of shoes that weren't only low-key, but also waterproof and breathable which is a step above my old ones that would always get my socks soaked when it rained.
The next day I set off to get my Brazilian Visa which was ready just like the consular official said it would be. Check that off the "to do" list. After that I set off to check out the Panama Canal. I have to say the Panama Canal is fucking amazing. For those of you that don't know, it acts as a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for boats so that they don't have to make the long journey around the tip of South America. The way it works is that they use a series of locks, pumps and gates to lift a boat as it enters the canal until it is well above sea level at which point it enters the largest artificial lake in the world. After that it exits the lake and is lowered using the locks, pumps and gates until it is sea level again at which point it enters the sea once again on the other side of Panama to continue its journey. The price for using the canal is based on the size of the boat and I saw a very large barge and found out they paid $20,000 for the service. Wow! Also, there is an awesome museum that comes with entrance that explains everything about the canal that is definitely worth a look if you visit.
The following day I simply chilled and took in some Panamanian culture. People in Panama are so friendly and cheerful being some of the nicest people I have met in Central America. I'm sure it has something to do with the higher standard of living, but even so, the people here are pretty cool. I love eating all my meals at the cafeteria styled eateries that the locals frequent. The food is great and costs close to nothing! They also use the American Dollar here so it's nice not having to convert currencies in my head each time I look at a price.
The last full day I had here I spent checking out the Casco Viejo area of Panama City which is full of old colonial buildings and churches. It used to be a pretty seedy area but the government has revitalized it and now you see police officers on every other corner making a walk thru there quite safe. They've also renovated many of the old buildings creating some of the nicest colonial squares I have seen in Central America. It is right on the ocean so you get a great view of the Panama City skyline, which is also the best I have seen in Central America.
Tomorrow I head off to Colombia to begin a journey thru South America marking the fifth continent I will have visited on my trip thus far. Central America had been a whirlwind ride of adventure for me: snorkeling with turtles in Belize, finding out that El Salvador isn't as bad as they say, finding out that Tegucigalpa, Honduras is as bad as they say, enjoying lazy days in colonial Nicaragua, experiencing a cop getting shot right outside my hostel in Costa Rica and finally enjoying the nice relaxed atmosphere here in Panama. All in all, I am happy to say that it was time well spent here in Central America.
Hostels are a great place to stay for budget minded travelers. They are great for meeting other people and are usually very laid back and comfortable places to hang out. This is a video taken early one Friday night before people headed out to party at a very good hotel in Panama City, Panama named Luna's Castle.
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The only good bug is a dead bug!
Island Time Bocas del Toro
1/11/2009 10:41:05 PM - Day 301 - Bocas del Toro, Panama
What do you do on a Cribbean Island? Absolutely nothing. Carenero Beach in Bocas del Toro.
Bocas del Toro is an archipelago of islands off the Caribbean side of the Panamanian coast. The main island is named Isla Colon and is the one that I stayed at in a hostel named "Mondo Taitu" (Mondo Taitu Review in Bocas del Toro, Panama). The island itself is pretty touristy being jam-packed with all types of travelers whether it is backpackers, honeymooners or middle aged vacationers.
Getting to Bocas del Toro was a journey. I took a bus to the Costa Rica/Panama border where I dealt with Costa Rican immigration, walked across an old wooden bridge that connects the two countries to the Panama side where I had to deal with two sets of Panamanian immigration officials. I saved $11. You need to have a departure ticket out of Panama and since most people coming by land don't seem to have that, they sell tickets for a bus that never runs simply as a means to get some money out of you yet at the same time have you satisfy the entry requirements for Panama by having a departure ticket. It is a bit of a scam. The guys who ran the last hostel I was at, Pagalu told me this, so I doctored up an old airplane ticket reservation by changing the dates, departure and arrival cities and when I showed it to immigration, they let me thru! After this you get a tourist card and got on another bus which took me to a ferry, after which it was another hour ride across the ocean to Bocas del Toro.
There isn't much to do at Bocas but hang out at one of its many beautiful beaches. The only thing that sucks is that you get bitten to all hell by some type of tiny flea like bugs that infest the area. Everyone I met was covered in bug bites. Most people seemed to not care though as soon as they downed a few beers. I have to say, maybe it is the hostel I am staying at, but it seems like there is a ton of people here whose main priority it is, is to party. It's funny how different parts of the world yield different types of travelers. Bocas del Toro seems to be filled with surfers and partiers. It's a good time for sure for those that are looking for that so I can see why those kinds of people are attracted to here. I definitely did a bit of partying myself and had a blast, but didn't do a ton of it because having traveled this long, you can only party so much.
You don't really seem to see too much of the culture here since it seems that most of the businesses in the area are geared towards tourism, and the only time you really seem to interact with locals is in the shops and restaurants. It's not a big deal, but I wouldn't come to Bocas in search of a cultural experience.
Bocas del Toro was a fun place. Great for relaxing, enjoying the comforts of home at an island off the coast of Panama in the Caribbean. It had fantastic beaches and a great party scene. I'm glad that I spent some time here but I'm ready to move on, especially since by this point I'm covered in bug bites. Next stop, Panama City!
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Chill-laxing!
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
1/5/2009 2:56:12 PM - Day 295 - Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica
Rainforest Canopy Tour, coming at ya!
I came to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (Puerto Viejo de Talamanca Review and Information)on the recommendation of a friend. It is a small, touristy beach town on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. I took a bus from San Jose that cost close to nothing. I'm glad I booked my tickets in advance though because they'll sell standing room only tickets once all the seats run out which is what happened on the bus I took. I caught the bus in the morning and was in Puerto Viejo that afternoon and was shortly soon after settled in at my hostel named "Pagalu Hostel" (Pagalu Hostel Review in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica).
Puerto Viejo itself was an alright place. It is ultra touristy which means that it is somewhat secure, a trait I now greatly appreciate after the incident in San Jose a couple of days ago. Another plus is that there are plenty of stores and restaurants to choose from. One of the downers of the high volume of tourism is the high prices. Many of the groceries I bought at the local market cost more than they would have cost back home in the United States. Costa Rica is fucking expensive. There are only a couple of roads that go thru Puerto Viejo that run parallel to the ocean and you could walk from one end of the town to the other within ten minutes. The beaches are pretty but they are somewhat crowded and close to non-existent, especially during high tide since the water will come right up to the foliage. The vibe in Puerto Viejo was somewhat chilled which is a nice change from San Jose. I decided to spend a couple of days here to unwind.
I didn't do much but get work done, hangout in the hostel and around the town because that's all there is to really do in Puerto Viejo. It was a pleasant place to be at but can get a bit boring after a couple of days. I found I was ultra aware of my surroundings now and maybe even a bit paranoid after what happened in San Jose. I suppose it is better to be safe than sorry, and I am sure this paranoia will fade away over time. I noticed there are a lot of Americans here in Costa Rica. As I already suspected, Costa Rica is a hot spot for American vacationers. I didn't want to only hangout around the beach and hostel though so I decided to book a canopy tour since that is lauded as one of Costa Rica's premier activities.
I was taken out into the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest along with a group of other go-getters who had signed up for the canopy tour. On the way one of our tires almost came off. The driver noticed a strange noise coming from the tires and when he finally pulled over to look we saw that the tire was bent sideways with only one lug-nut holding it on. Good thing he pulled over before that one came off as well. It was a short walk to the canopy tour after that.
A canopy tour involves a series of zip-lines that you zip across as you go from tree to tree in the canopy of the Rainforest. Some canopy tours are better than others based on the length of the tour and what kind of sights you can expect to see. This particular one was pretty good since the entire time in the canopy lasted a couple of hours because there was a ton of zip-lines. You also go super fast on the zip-lines while shooting across the rainforest canopy. You never really know how high you are since you can't see the Rainforest's floor below you because the tops of trees obscures the view. It is a pretty exciting excursion, especially when you scream across the canopy narrowly missing trees on your left and right. We were even lucky enough to see a Lemur.
Puerto Viejo was chill. It involved a decent amount of relaxing, a nice hostel and a fun canopy tour. Oh, and during the canopy tour you do a bit of trekking thru the muddy rainforest so when I got back I took off my shoes, rinsed them off and put them with the rest of the sandals that were in front of the hostel. Sometime during my last day in Puerto Viejo some asshole stole them. I hope whoever it was trips on the shoelaces.
I leave tomorrow for Bocas del Toro, Panama. I've heard nothing but good things about Panama from numerous people so I am really looking forward to it. I also hear it is way cheaper than Costa Rica which will be a huge plus. On top of that, it'll be nice to get out of Costa Rica because I didn't have the best of experiences here. Until next time.
Riding a zip-line in a Rainforest canopy tour here in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.
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This is not why I am traveling.
I Saw A Police Officer Shot in the Head
1/1/2009 6:12:41 PM - Day 291 - San Jose, Costa Rica
The scene from my dorm window after I walked back upstairs after seeing the downed officer.
The blink of an eye. This is all that it takes for your life to drastically change. I've had many unsettling experiences on my trip thus far and as a traveler, you come to expect it when you visit some of the less than safe countries. However, here in San Jose I had an experience that I won't soon forget. An experience that I never expected and I only hope to never have to go thru again.
I arrived at my hostel named "Kabata Hostel" (Kabata Hostel Review in San Jose, Costa Rica) in the early evening on the 30th of December and got settled in. It was a nice place with blazing fast Wi-Fi so I figured I would get some work done on my laptop. The place was pretty empty and I luckily ended up having a ten person dorm room that faced the street on the second story of the hostel all to myself. I laid down in bed, set up my laptop and got to work. It was a quite night except for the fireworks (at least I assume they were fireworks) that you could hear intermittently in the distance, more than likely people gearing up for the coming New Year's celebration. I laid there in concentration as I worked away when I heard some yelling coming from outside my hostel window on the street below. Someone yelling in Spanish "Hurry, hurry!" Then I heard three very loud "bangs". The yelling stopped right after and I laid there motionless for a couple seconds in confusion. "Was that fireworks? Sure was loud for fireworks...Maybe it was some kids yelling about the fireworks before setting them off?" All these thoughts were going thru my head when the wailing started.
"Why is someone screaming? This is not good…" I got out of bed and walked over to my bedroom window and pulled back the curtain. Down below I saw a police truck and instantly thought "fuck. I only hope it was the bad guys that got shot." Then behind the truck I saw a female police officer in hysterics. "No, no, no. This is not happening." I looked closer to my window where I saw a male police officer on the ground.
Not sure how to react or what to do, I shuffled downstairs completely bewildered as to just what the fuck was going on. When I got to the front entrance I saw the big screen plasma sitting in front of the door along with a laptop in disarray on the floor. My fears were confirmed at that point. This was a botched robbery. My heart was racing as I stepped outside afraid of what I was going to see. I exited the hostel onto the street and saw the lady from the front reception frantically pacing around teary eyed while the female police officer was screaming in agony. On the floor was a bleary eyed Costa Rican police officer with gunshot wounds to his head and chest. I'll never forget the look on his face. He looked completely calm, laying there with his head propped up as he looked at his own chest wounds in puzzlement, probably not even realizing that he had also been shot in the head. I stood there for a few seconds trying to comprehend the scene spinning out of control around me. Those few seconds felt like an eternity. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A cop was laying on the floor with fucking gunshot wounds to his head and chest. Fuck!
The reception lady ran up to me and hurriedly told me to put the TV and laptops from the hallway back in the living room while the other guy working at the hostel ran out (they always have two people working at night) and wrapped the officers head in a tourniquet in order to stem the loss of blood. Before the reception lady had finished her sentence more police cars had shown up with their sirens blaring. I never heard them coming. As I began moving the TV and laptops back into the living room more and more police officers showed up. I didn't know what to do at this point. A minute that felt like eternity passed and I found myself slowly staggering back up the stairs. When I got to the top two other girls staying in the hostel asked me what had happened, no doubt alarmed by all the commotion going on outside. I stared at them blankly for a couple of seconds, not knowing how to explain to them what I had just witness and slowly muttered something about a police officer being shot in the head outside after a failed robbery attempt. Their eyes widened and they immediately went back into their room.
I walked back into my dorm and sat on my bed staring at the floor for a minute or so while I tried to assimilate what I had just seen and experienced. "Ok, someone tried to rob the hostel, cops showed up, ended up getting shot in the head and the robbers ran away"… I was in a daze. After a minute I broke out of it and walked back down stairs. I didn't know how I could help or why I was walking down the stairs but I felt compelled. I wanted to know what the fuck happened. When I got down there two other hostel guests were already there in the hostel common room with confused looks on their faces. I walked outside and they followed me. Police officers were all over the place by this point as well as an ambulance. The police officer who had been shot was still alive miraculously. The guy who was working ran up to me and the other guests and said "You can stay outside and watch the show, or go back to your rooms and I'll come up shortly to explain to you what happened". I decided to go back upstairs. I was only getting in the way outside and I didn't even know why I had come back down the stairs to begin with. The other guests also decided to go back inside and we all went upstairs to the kitchen and between the group of us tried to sort out what happened. Soon other guests joined us, everyone was completely confused and I seemed to have the best idea to the situation since this all happened right outside my window and I was the first person to go downstairs to see the immediate aftermath.
Soon the guy working at the hostel joined us to explain what was going on. Sure enough, it was a botched robbery attempt. They always have the front door locked at the hostel and when a guest shows up and rings the doorbell, the lady at reception walks over there and opens it up for the guest. It seems that when the doorbell was rung this time, she went over to open it like usual and upon realizing she had just opened the door for someone not staying at the hostel, tried to close it again at which point two other guys joined the first one to force their way into the hostel. She kicked the wall signaling the guy working at the hostel who was upstairs that something bad was happening. He thought it was some drunk guests acting up but when he started going downstairs he heard all the yelling and saw three local Costa Ricans with guns and immediately ran back upstairs and dialed the police. At this point the robbers had taken all the money from the hostel and were packing up the big plasma screen TV and laptops in the hostel reception area. There are many cops in this particular area because we are so close to central San Jose and one unit showed up within seconds. It was so fast that the robbers hadn't even left the hostel with their stash. The guy working at the hostel was trying to motion to the police that the robbers had guns, but either the police officers didn't realize what was going on or they didn’t' see him. The car that was going to be used as a getaway booked it when the police showed up and upon seeing this, the robbers inside ran outside with guns drawn on two unprepared police officers. Then they shot one police officer repeatedly before running off.
He explained this to everyone and said that this has never happened before, but that San Jose isn't the safest city in the world and that stuff like this does happen. He also said that the robbers reeked of alcohol and that they were most likely trying to get some money together to continue drinking that night. He explained that in Costa Rica, the vast majority of robberies and murders go unsolved and the times that they do catch someone, they almost never successfully prosecute them. He said that people are doing whatever the fuck they want in San Jose and getting away with it, and because of this crime has been spiraling out of control. He finished up the whole explanation with a forced snicker along with a touch of dark humor saying "This is the 'Pura Vida'".
The ambulance carted off the police officer who was still alive thanks to the fact that they showed up so quickly. For the next couple of hours police officers were all over the hostel and the surrounding area investigating the crime scene. Taking pictures, dusting for fingerprints and talking with the hostel staff. To say I was rattled would be an understatement. I couldn't believe what I had just experienced. This was not what I wanted from my traveling. I only hoped that I never had to witness anything remotely close to this ever again. I downed about six extra strength Advils and hoped for a sleep devoid of nightmares.
The next day everyone glumly had breakfast not talking too much about what had happened the night before. Some guests left. I chose to stay. I chalked up what had happened the night before to bad luck. There are plenty of targets robbers can choose, it just so ended up that my hostel was the target that night.
New guests showed up having no idea what had happened the night before. When they found out they were pretty surprised, but within moments went on like nothing had happened. They hadn't experienced what those who had been there had, they hadn't seen the look on the officer's face as he stared at his own gunshot wounds in confusion. They were on vacation and couldn't be bothered by something that had no direct impact on their lives.
That night was New Years Eve and I didn't feel much like going out. The hostel staff organized a huge dinner though and afterwards a large crowd of hostel guests formed up to hit the town. I decided that staying in on New Year's Eve wouldn't do me any good and that I might as well go out. We all went out to this large bar/pub area called "Pueblo" that was actually a pretty cool area. I made the most of it but couldn't shake the events of the night before.
Now it's New Year's Day and I'm laying here in bed thinking about the events of that night. I still can't believe that some assholes tried to rob my hostel and ended up shooting a cop in the head as they ran away. I still can't believe that this happened within feet of me, right outside my dorm room window. I'll also never forget the look on that officer's face as he lay there, wounded, bewildered and calm.
I hope that those robbers receive ultimate justice and that the police officer has a full recovery. At the end of the day, he was only doing his job, and his job at that moment was to protect the innocent people in a hostel, my hostel which indirectly means that he was shot in the head as he was trying to protect me. It's a fucking mind trip.
I was in the central area of San Jose in front of the Teatro Nacional when this guy started flipping out and yelling about something. He went on for awhile. The gringo who tries to reason with him is funny.
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