Economics With A Face

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November 9, 2005

Machu Picchu

We woke up a little before 5:00am and were shortly downstairs where the owners of the hostel had breakfast ready to go. We checked out but they let us store our bags in a backroom as our train did not leave until 5:00 in the evening.

We arrived at the bus stop at about 5:20 but there was already a huge line. At 5:30 they started filling up the buses and we made it on the 3rd one which left at 5:45. The ride took about 30 minutes and is spectacular in and of itself. The bus climbs switch back roads higher and higher into the mountain range of towering peaks. As we made our way up I commented to Em that the hikers must hate all the people like us that take the easy way out with the train and then the bus up to the site. The hikers arrive at Machu Picchu exhausted after 4 days of hiking only to find the place full of tourists who had a good night sleep and a morning coffee and still beat them to Machu Picchu.

Once there we headed directly up to the area of the ruins where you can take the classic photo overlooking the site. One retired couple got there the same time as we did, and there was another young couple sitting on a rock taking in the view, but for the most part we had the place to ourselves. The fog was rolling in and out below us. It was amazing.

Next we headed higher up and realized there were llamas roaming the site too. Em got some pictures of them and some more of the view. For the next few hours we continued to explore the site as more and more people began to arrive. Machu Picchu is hands down the most impressive ruins I have visited yet. I encourage everyone to head over and to take a look at the pictures, although as good as they are, they are not going to do it justice.

At about 10:00 we decided to hike up Huachu Picchu, one of the peaks that sits directly behind Machu Picchu. It was a strenuous hike that took about an hour but it was well worth it. Atop the peak there were workers restoring more ruins. One of them, who was a pretty rotund guy, bragged that he made it up every morning in 20 minutes. “You’re in better shape than I am” I conceded.

Once we made it to the summit we sat there for about an hour and just watch massive clouds pass one-by-one over Machu Picchu below. It was well worth the hike. We finally made our way back down. Passing people on their way up I felt like saying “I don’t envy the hike your about to do”. I couldn’t believe how many steps we had climbed.

When we left the site to catch a bus back to Aguascalientes, it was pouring rain, the lines were long, and there were mobs of people flowing in. We definitely made the right choice getting here early.

Back in town we grabbed some lunch and sent off some postcards before we were back on the train heading towards Cuzco. The train, though, didn’t get into Cuzco until 9:45. We had to be on a bus to Bolivia at 10:00pm so it was just cutting it too close.

Instead we exited the train in Ollatantambo, the small town where we caught the train on the way up and grabbed a taxi back to Cuzco to cut more than an hour off the journey. Out driver was actually a elementary school teacher, but tried to look for passengers after classes to make some extra cash.

We arrived at the bus station and got 2 of the 6 remaining seats on the bus. We had dinner in the bus station at a small place run by a woman with four kids. They were ages 4, 7, 9, and 14 and all kept us entertained during dinner. We started a family feud between the two middle children as after the meal we left a banana we had from earlier in the day that we were not going to eat. The 7-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother both dove for it and started wrestling over it before mom jumped in and said that everyone would share it tomorrow for breakfast.

When we were back in the terminal we were informed that our bus would be delayed for 30 minutes to an hour because of some mechanical problems. Another 20 minutes passed and we found out that it had actually been canceled. The agents were scrambling to try to find another bus as other passengers were getting frantic. One guy had a flight from La Paz the next day and the options they were giving us didn’t give him much hope of making it.

In the end, instead of a sleeper bus leaving at 10:00, everyone crammed into a regular bus that departed for Puno (a town near the border) at midnight. It was really hard getting some sleep on the bus but at least we had seats. The isle was packed with people who were not as fortunate as us.

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November 8, 2005

Where there’s a Market… There’s a Way

The bus was supposed to get into Cuzco at 5:00am, which we hopped would give us enough time to possibly get tickets for one of the trains to Aguascalients, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. It turns out we were an hour late. When we were getting off the bus we could hear the first train leaving so I knew it was going to be hopeless to catch the last train at 6:30am. Our book made clear that tickets were not sold at the station, but on the other side of town, so it just didn’t leave us enough time. It also said to get the tickets as far in advance as possible as the train normally sold out.

I’d lost hope until I started talking with a taxi driver outside the station. We could be in Aguascalientes before 11:00am if we trusted him, he said. According to him we could take a collective to a town about 1.5 hours away and then jump on the train there. He was sure there would be seats. He said he could take us for 40 soles but it would be a better deal to take a collectivo which would cost 10. When we arrived at the location the collectivos were departing he even helped us negotiate the price.

Soon we were making our way through the Andes with 6 other Peruvians packed into a small car. I talked about Fujimori’s (a former president of Peru with a questionable legacy) recent arrest with the other passengers. I wanted to know why the guy just didn’t stay in Japan where he was in exile. I mean, didn’t he know he would be arrested? He knew, they assured me, and they said there was no doubt that Fujimori was the person who made sure all the media was there when he got off the plane in Chile. It was simply a publicity stunt as rumor has it he plans to run again in the upcoming presidential election.

One of the passengers was on his way to be a porter for tourists walking the 4-day Inca Trail. I asked him the weight limit for the tourist bags he had to carry. It was 20 kilos. That is the same weight as my backpack which is pretty damn heavy. We talked more about Peru and his job until we dropped him off a plaza where a group of other porters were waiting. He also worked in the main office and had to talk with them first about a new insurance policy the company had purchased before they all were off to meet the hikers.

We arrived at the train station right before a huge group got there. Everyone was cutting in line but the woman yelling at people in front of us and Em’s evil glares made sure we stayed up near the front. Before long we had tickets to Aguascalientes and a return trip tomorrow. We jumped on the train at 9:05am and were in Aguascalientes before 11:00am, just like the original taxi driver had assured us.

We checked into the another nice hostel that was right by the town’s river. We are splurging a bit on accommodations of late, but after all this traveling I feel we need it. Once we got settled we headed to the hot springs in the town. They were located right up the river from our hotel and were similar to the ones in Baños, but less crowded.

Next we grabbed some food in town, changed some travelers checks (there are no ATMs in town), and caught up on some email.

Tonight we took it easy and got to bed somewhat early as tomorrow we have to catch the 5:30am bus to Machu Picchu.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:36 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 7, 2005

Andean Condors... and then off to Cuzco

We’re really going non-stop but hanging in there better than I would have expected. This morning we were up early and by 6:30 were on a bus to go see Andean condors at the Cruz del Condor overlooking the Cañon del Colca. Luckily, they were flying today and we got some picture and video of them. They are the largest birds of prey in the world with wingspans of up to11 feet, so it was something special to see them up-close. Even without the condors, the site where they nest is spectacular in and of itself. The viewing platforms are right on the edge of a canyon that drops off thousands of feet to a river below. We stayed at the site for about 2 hours and then caught a bus heading towards Chivay.

We told the bus operator selling tickets that we wanted to get off at one of the small towns to get a feel for the area. He said if we would like they could drop us off in Yanque, about 20 minutes outside of Chivay. His bus was departing from Chivay to Arequipa at 12:30 so we could buy tickets with him now then catch a colectivo back to Chivay after exploring the town for a few hours. Better yet, he would keep our big bags in the bus so we wouldn’t have to haul them around in the small town. It worked for us so we got off in Yanque a little after 10:00.

Exploring the Andean highland town was interesting. There was a large church that we toured off the main plaza that was being refurbished by several workers who showed us around. Outside, we walked to the outskirts, which turned into fields of various crops. A good deal of the crops growing were small plants with leafs identical to the coca leaves I’d had the night before in my tea after dinner. It is really amazing how much wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars goes into destroying that plant.

In one of the fields we stopped and talked with a young man who was helping his mother take his grandparents cattle and donkeys out area to get them water. They were actually his grandparents animals but they were now too old to care for them alone so the rest of the family helped. The field was not theirs but they rented it from someone else in the town for grazing the animals, as did others who had livestock.

He was nervous speaking to us at first, he explained, as Spanish was not his first language which was Quechua. We were obviously in the same boat so there was nothing for him to worry about. We took a photo together and then said goodbye as we were about to head back into town. We realized he was having a harder time than us saying farewell as he said things like “Well, maybe I’ll see you later on this evening in town if you decide to come back” and when we said that no, unfortunately we were heading to Arequipa but maybe one day we would travel back to Peru, maybe with kids, and see him then. Or possibly one he would travel to the states and look see us there. “Well, we’ll see each other then…” not wanting the encounter to come to an end. Living in this small town in the Andes I’m sure he was not used to people coming in and out of his life.

We realized that we are getting so used to meeting great people that we might never see again in our lives. It was a much sadder feeling at the beginning of the trip but of late we are getting more and more numb to it. It helps that we hand out our card to so many people that has our email, website, phone number, and address in the U.S. Hopefully we will keep in contact with as many people as possible, but time will tell.

We caught a collective back to Chivay and then were on the bus back to Arequipa. Once again we made our way over the steep Andean passes surrounded by vicuña, llama and alpaca, but luckily this time nobody fainted.

Once back in Arequipa we had dinner at another restaurant overlooking the plaza and by 8:00 we were on yet another overnight bus on our way to Cuzco. If all goes according to plan we should arrive at 5:00am, which will give us enough time to catch the 6:00am train to Machu Picchu.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:32 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 6, 2005

Arequipa to Cabanabonde via Cañon del Colca

Despite the fact we spent so much time on buses today we actually got to see a good deal.
We arrived in Arequipa about 7:00 am and after buying our tickets for the 11:45 bus to Cabanaconde, we headed into town to have some breakfast. After eating we had a few hours to explore the small town, which I realized is actually the home town of Mario Vargas Llosa. At 11:30 we were back at the bus station and shortly traveling once again.

The scenery on the 7 hour journey to Cabanaconde was spectacular. One of the highlights was that we got to see vicuñas for the first time. At one point we were so high up crossing some of the Andean peaks that a Belgian woman on the bus fainted from altitude.

Passing through the various small mountain towns also got me thinking about how this area was most likely affected by the Shining Path in the not so distant past. If anyone is interested, I’d recommend Mario Vargas Llosa’s Death in the Andes for an interesting perspective of the Path’s dark history in Peru.

Most of the small towns we passed were especially unique due to the Incan terraced farming techniques that cut into the steep hillsides. Em actually got some great pictures of the scenery as we would momentarily stop to pick up new passengers. Also impressive was the steep drop-offs into the canyon as the bus ascended into the Andes.

Finally, as it was getting dark, we entered tiny Cabanaconde and 10 minutes later we had checked into a nice hostel. We had dinner off the main square at a small restaurant with only one set menu. Luckily it was delicious. We are both feeling the altitude but as of yet no signs of altitude sickness. Hopefully, if we keep avoiding the alcohol and taking things easy like the book recommends we’ll be okay.

Tomorrow we’ll be up early to see the condors. They better show up after all this traveling. Oh... and one more thing. Our laptop screen cracked on the bumpy bus ride up here. It's still usable but it doesn't look good.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:29 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 5, 2005

Change of plans

After breakfast and paying for another night at the hotel we decided to map out exactly what our schedule was for the next two weeks. We need to be in Miramar, Argentina by Nov 18th which doesn’t leave us much time for Peru and Bolivia.

Once we put it all on paper we decided we needed to leave today. Em, who worked in the Genetics division of the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species, wants to see the Andean condors located in the south of Peru. One of the major projects she participated in at CRES dealt with saving the California condor, a close relative, so it should be fun to see one in the wild.

Our first stop will be Arequipa then onto Cabanaconde where the condors are located. So quickly, we had to inform the hotel owner we would be leaving and took a taxi downtown to buy the bus tickets.

After getting the bus tickets we headed to Lima´s historical center as we had a few hours to spare. As soon as we sat down on the steps outside the main cathedral a guy tried to steal Em’s bag. Luckily he grabbed it as I was looking directly at him and all I had to do was yell to stop him cold in his tracks. He handed the bag back and scurried off as a security guard from the church came over to make sure everything was alright.

After that little adventure we toured the cathedral which housed the remains of Francisco Pizara. I had just read all about him, the Incas, and Cajamarca in the book Guns, Germs, and Steel so it gave this historical sight a bit more perspective. Next, we continued to walk around for the city center for a few hours, this time with our bags constantly closely guarded. It looks like a beautiful city, it is unfortunate that we have so little time here and have to move on so quickly.

On the taxi ride back to the hotel and then to the bus station we had a lively but friendly discussion about U.S. and Peruvian politics with the driver. Our back and forth over free-trade, the Summit of the Americas, and the FTA was particularly interesting. I’ll hopefully get into more detail about the subject in an essay but it is suffice to say here that while he agreed with me with regards to the moral arguments of free-trade, he was not convinced that it would benefit Peru.

At 5:30 we were on the bus and on our way to Arequipa. The bus ride was something to behold. One of the highlights was that they had everyone on the bus play bingo and the winner gets a free return ticket. The guy that won even had to give a speech. Hilarious. Hopefully the buses we are on tomorrow will be just as entertaining.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:27 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 4, 2005

Into Peru

We woke up on the bus and a few hours later had arrived in Lima. Once we had our bags we said goodbye to the various people we had met during the journey and were soon in a taxi on our way to Miraflores.

We found a nice hostel that was near the cliffs right by the sea. As Em got ready I set out to get our clothes washed and get some money out of the bank. A few blocks from the hostel I found a bank. Oddly, only dollars come out of the ATMs and there are two or three money changers waiting to exchange the dollars for sols outside. It was easy enough but I don’t understand why the bank doesn’t just give you soles. When I asked the money changer for an explanation he replied “That’s just the way it is.” I guess I’ll look into it later.

I briefly checked email after I dropped off the laundry. It is going to take me a while to catch up on everything I received. Dora Ampuero cc’d me on a list of contacts throughout South America she had introduced Emily and I to. It looks like they are going to work out great.

Needing to stretch our legs after the long bus ride we decided to take a walk along the cliffs towards the center of Miraflores. It really is a beautiful part of city. Everyone was incredibly friendly. Multiple people stopped us to chat and give us advice about Lima. One guy we met said we couldn’t leave the city without trying the cibiche (it’s spelled with a ‘b’ in Peru). He pointed us to a good cebicheria where Em and I got a good early meal.

We walked around town a bit more afterwards and headed into a book store where I bought another Mario Vargas Llosa book. This one was not a novel but instead his diaries from a 12-day visit to Iraq in 2003. It should be interesting.

Tonight for dinner we ended up at a place that was fancier than we expected. Outside, we realized it was a higher end steakhouse, but once we were in we realized that almost everyone was in suit and ties (we were still in the clothes we had worn on the bus…the water was out at the lavanderia and so our clothes wont be ready until tomorrow).

The food was great though and they didn’t seem to care too much about our scraggly appearance. On the way out they even gave us a complementary ash tray from the place as a souvenir. I don’t know if I’ll ever use it but I loved the gesture.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:23 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 3, 2005

Back from Galapagos

When we arrived at the hostel yesterday we were lucky enough to get the last room they had available. As we were checking in another couple came to the door but the owner told them they were booked. It was odd though, the whole place seemed empty.

When we returned to the hostel after dinner there were about 20 kids in the lobby, some finishing up dinner. We learned that besides us, there were two soccer teams from Quito sharing the place. Talking to one of the players this morning we learned that one is a team of 9 year olds, while the other is a team of 14 year-olds. Today the 14 year-olds are playing for the national championship for their age division. I actually remembered seeing something about it in the sports section of the paper yesterday. We got a picture of David, one of the players we met, holding up a picture of the sports section of the paper that announced they were in the finals right before we left the hotel and he headed off to his game.

We arrived at the bus station early to make sure we could get a seat on the overnight bus to Lima. Yesterday when we came to the office it was closed due to the holiday. Luckily we were able to get seats and at 11:30 were on our way to Lima on the top story of a double-decker bus.

The rest of the day that is where we were. We got advice about Lima from the lady next to us who was lived in Miraflores. We also talked judo with a 9 year old Pedro and his mom. They were from Guayaquil and heading down to Lima for the International Judo Championships. Sounded like fun. There was also a nice couple from England on the ride who were also doing the round the world with backpacks for a year. They were just a month into their journey as their first stop was South America.

Crossing the border was relatively easy. Customs in Lima took quite a while but in the waiting room they had the movie Blood Sport on TV which made it go quick. Before long we were asleep in our recliner bus seats, ready to explore yet another country.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:19 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 25, 2005

Updating the Site

Today was one of those days where we lock ourselves in an internet café and try to update the site as much as possible. We did have a chance to make it back over to IEEP. We got to talk with everyone again. They lent us some books we could read during our trip to the Galapagos. I took a copy of Carlos Montaner’s La Libertad y Sus Enimigos, while they lent Emily a copy of Atlas Shrugged.

We will return in one week and while it will be a holiday for the rest of the employees, we plan on stopping by to say goodbye to Dora and Enrique. They are also kindly going to try to put us in touch with contacts in Peru, Chile, and Argentina. It really adds so much to our trip and I couldn’t thank them enough for all the hospitality they have shown us.

Tonight we had a crab dinner on the Malecon. It was all you can eat crab and all you can drink beer for $9.99… not bad at all. Less than one crab into the meal the waiter could see I had no idea what I was doing and so he came over and taught me the proper way to eat a crab. I had no idea there was so much to it.

After dinner we walked back to the hotel. Tomorrow it is off to the Galapagos.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:22 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 24, 2005

Instiuto Ecuadoriano Economia y Politica

This morning after breakfast we headed to an internet café to catch up on some email. A little before noon I called Dora Ampuero, who runs the Instituto Ecuadoriano Economia y Politica. It is the biggest free-market think tank in Ecuador and she was expecting my call as Vladimir had put us in touch. We decided to head right over and meet with her and her husband.

Their office was located directly next to their home in Urdesa, a suburb of the city. Dora and her husband Enrique met us at the front door and led us to their library we talked and got to know each other for a few hours. I was especially happy to see a copy of George Reisman’s Capitalism sitting on one of the shelves, one of the books that has influenced me the most in my study of economics.

Over discussion covered a variety of topics. We talked a good deal about dollarization in Ecuador, something that their institute played a major roll in bringing about. It was clearly something that they were proud of, and rightfully so. As Dora pointed out: victories for those who believe in free-markets and individual liberty are often few and far between. The dollarization of the Ecuadorian economy had taken away a great deal of power from their government and given everyone in the country a stable currency. This is particularly beneficial to those of those with lower incomes who feel the effect of inflation and a depreciating currency most directly. If you’re rich, you can have dollar or euro accounts overseas and in that way protect yourself from an irresponsible central bank. But these shields against inflation are out of reach from the average person in the county.

Now the central bank has no control over the currency in circulation, but surprisingly they are still a functioning bureaucracy. They now are trying to get involved with cultural projects for the country to in an effort to preserve the thousands of jobs that are no longer needed. It also leaves a window open to return the sucre into circulation.

One issue that I questioned them about was the price hikes that most people we talk to complain about after the dollarization. I plan on writing a bit more about this at a latter date, but in essence this was partially a product of the governments inflationary policies making their way through the system after the dollar was frozen with the sucre.

We talked about a variety of other topics: Alvaro Vargas Llosa, current events in Ecuadorian politics, the number of presidents that have occupied the office in the last few years, the current absence of a supreme court, and much more. On topic that they were currently focusing on was banking laws that had just been passed in Congress. They were fighting hard to get information out on just how bad these laws were for the country. For example, any foreign bank who wanted to operate in the country will have to have a huge portions of their reserves located in Ecuador. Here is a link to one of their recent essays on the topic.

The Ampueros invited us to lunch in their home where we talked more about everything from economics to our families. During lunch they received a call from their son who lives in Florida who wanted to let them know he had made it through the hurricane safe and sound, although he was still without power and it was an extremely rough storm.

When I brought up how much I enjoyed seeing George Reisman’s book in their library Dora pulled down a picture of her, George Reisman, and Tibor Machan together at a conference in Alabama. I took a picture of it to put on our site.

After lunch we headed back to the library to talk with Roberto, Joselo, and Meche, all employees of IEEP. They were all our age and it was a great talking with them about how they got involved with the institute and the progress that was being made. After another hour or two we decided to head back to our hotel. When we left Dora was taking an online class that had to do with her dissertation. The professor was located in Argentina and there were about 20 other students in the class from across Latin America.

Back at hotel walked down to the Malecon and had dinner at one of the many restaurants. Afterwards we continued walking up the sea-side walkway, past a photograph exhibit from the national archive and all the way up to a lighthouse atop a hill that overlooked the city. Everything from the restaurants to the walkway was new and immaculate. It was also extremely safe with policemen visible every 50 to 100 meters. Dora would later tell me this restoration project was almost entirely financed by charitable donations people could write off against their taxable income. It definitely added to the charm of Guayaquil, formerly a rough and dangerous port town.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:20 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 23, 2005

Descent from the Andes

This morning we woke up a little before 6:00am and walked three blocks to the hot springs. Surprisingly, they were already packed. Ecuadorians from the surrounding areas and Quito bus or drive in to take advantage of the hot springs. There were three pools right below a waterfall, each varying in temperature. Em and I spent the majority of our time in the hottest pool, occasionally heading over to the frigid showers before jumping back into the warm water.

At midday we were on a bus to Guayaquil and we arrived in the city just as it was getting dark. The Lonely Planet guide was a complete letdown for the city. Not only had the hotel we were planning on staying in been out of business for quite sometime, so was the bus line they recommended for heading to Lima. Luckily we had a nice taxi driver that found us a hotel in a great location that was much cheaper than what we had planned on paying.

We are right off one of the main plazas and the city looks extremely nice. We had some dinner at a restaurant that is close by and we walked down one of the main streets that was packed with people shopping or going for their nightly strolls. Tomorrow we should have fun exploring the city.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:17 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 22, 2005

Mmmmm…. Cuy

This morning we grabbed a taxi to the main bus terminal in Quito and soon were on our way to Baños. Halfway there we passed a bus that had just gotten into a horrible accident. It was a reminder that these roads are not always safe.

We arrived in Baños in the late afternoon and headed to a hostel that was recommended in out guidebook. The only room they had left was practically attached to the restaurant, but it was cheap and since we are only going to be here one night we took it. Overall it seems like it is a really laid back town.

We walked around town for a bit and decided to get a bite to eat at a restaurant that served cuy (i.e. guinea pig). I figured it was something I had to at least try while we were in Ecuador. It was actually not that bad. Not something I would order on a regular basis, but it was fun to have it for one night. The owners of the restaurant were having a good time with it too. They pulled a whole cuy off the grill and set it up right next to my plate so everyone back hope could tell exactly what I was eating.

During dinner there was a parade going on right outside keep heading out to take pictures of the event during dinner. Some of them turned out great.

We headed to a café after dinner and asked the waitress about tours at night to see the volcano erupting, something a taxi driver earlier in the day had told us about. She said if we hurried, there was another café a block away that sold tickets. We decided to give it a go and before long were on a truck converted into a very unique shuttle, with about 20 other tourists, music blasting in our ears, and our 17 year-old guide Miguel.

It took about 30 minutes to make the ascent up to the lookout point. While we got a great view of the town of Baños, it was too cloudy to see the red lava flowing from the volcano. Still they had plenty of events set up for the hordes of tourists who had come in the various shuttles. There was a bonfire, we got to sample a traditional hot tea type drink, and two fire jugglers gave us a performance. On the way back down we talked for a while with two recent college grads from Guayaquil who were visiting Baños for the weekend. They were both graphic designers and we exchanged emails so that we could keep in touch. After we got back we headed off to bed quickly since we wanted to visit the hot springs in the morning.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:13 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 21, 2005

Journey to the Middle of the Earth

After breakfast we headed over to a place near the hotel that teaches salsa lessons. In order to avoid dancing last night I promised Em I would take a lesson today to brush up.

We signed up for a 4:00 class and then headed off to the equator. It is located about an hour outside of Quito but it took us about 2 hours to get there after several confusing bus transfers.

Surrounding the equator location where the buses drop you off is a tourist trap village that vaguely resembles Disney Land. Still you get to cross between the northern and southern Hemispheres as the line is clearly marked. We ate lunch at one of the many restaurants in the park, took some photos, and then headed back into Quito.

Once back in town we had to head directly over to our salsa lesson. We actually signed up for two and both instructors were extremely nice (and patient with me).

After the lessons we had some dinner, checked the internet, and then it was off to bed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:12 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 20, 2005

Old Town and a Salsa Club

In the morning at a bookstore I found a copy of Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa. It is a novel that incorporates a good deal of history of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. It should be a good book to read during the downtime on the boat next week. [Note from Peter 11/2/05: I finished this book during the trip and while it was great it was one of the most disturbing novels I have read in my life. There were times I was reading the book during our voyage when I didn’t know if I felt sick due to the rocking of the boat or from the horrific scenes I had just read. It is that brutal. It you want a first hand look at the brutality an authoritarian government uses to survive and how ordinary people do detestable things in such circumstances… read the book. But you’ve been warned. A few times while I was reading the book I turned to Em and said “I think this book is going to scar me”… some scenes are that tough to read.]

Mid-morning we headed down to old Quito to see the colonial part of town. It was pretty and had a unique charm. There was definitely a different feel from many of the colonial sections of Managua or Antigua.

Tonight we had Cuban sandwiches at a Cuban restaurant and then watched a salsa band play at a club near our hotel. The band was great and both drummers were so full of energy that it brought a smile to your face just watching them perform. We headed back to the hotel about halfway though the show to get some sleep before another busy day tomorrow.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:10 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 19, 2005

Preparing for Galapagos

Getting our tourist visas extended turned out to be easy although it did take some time. After all was said and done we now have 30 day tourist visas which will be more than enough.

Next on the list was to visit several travel agencies and see if we could find an “affordable” way to get to the Galapagos. I use the quotes because even though it is the low season and by buying them at the last minute we should get a good deal, it is still quite expensive by our traveling standards. Still, this is pretty high on Em’s wish list so I think it will be worth it.

We ended up finding a great boat, “The Sagitta,” with one room left. It leaves next Wednesday and is at sea for 8 days. This puts even more pressure on us in terms of getting to Argentina, as now we won’t be back in Ecuador until November 2nd, but it is the only option we have.

The only catch was we had to pay in cash to get the 50%-off deal. Unfortunately the total we more than we could withdraw from out checking accounts from an ATM machine. In the end, after some advice from a Scottish couple, we headed to one of the major banks in the city and with a cash advance from Em’s credit card, and after a phone call to Bank of America in Saint Helena through an internet phone, we had the money.

I would feel nervous in the U.S. walking around with that much cash on my person and so naturally being our first day in Quito I was even more so. We had no problems, but I was happy to had it over to the travel agent (practically all in 20’s as the banks try to avoid $100 bills as there are too many counterfeits…by the way, if I didn’t mention it before, like El Salvador, Ecuador’s economy is dollarized).

After confirming our reservation on the boat, we had dinner at a traditional Ecuadorian restaurant and relaxed from a hectic day of running around. Luckily it all worked out in the end and we’ll be heading to the Galapagos.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:05 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 18, 2005

Off to Quito

This morning, before heading to the airport, we went over to Beatriz’s house for an hour or so to look at her orchid garden. It was huge and beautiful but I’m not going to be able to do it justice with words so I suggest you click on the photo to the right and head over to our photo site to take a look at the garden for yourself.

We said goodbye to Vladimir and Juan and before long were on a plane to Quito. Once we arrived in Ecuador everything went smoothly except for immigration. When the officer asked us how long we were staying I said a little over a week. She quickly gave us a 10 day tourist visa. When I told her we might be in Ecuador for 11 or 12 days she said we would need to go to an immigration office and have it extended then. Not what I want to do the first thing tomorrow morning, but hopefully it is as easy as it was back in Chiapas.

On our way from the airport to the area of Quito we were staying we got our first exposure to the Ecuadorian-Andean accent. It almost sounds as if they are singing yet is clear and easy to understand. We also caught a glimpse of Andean indeans wearing their traditional hats as we exited the airport. Once again we can tell we are in another country, and not only because the drop in temperature.

We found a nice hostel in Mariscal and headed out for some dinner. You really can feel the altitude here. Hopefully neither of us will suffer any altitude sickness. We are crossing our fingers.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:02 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 17, 2005

Tracking down a Cuban Doctor

As it was our last full day in Caracas I decided to take one more shot at attempting to talk to a Cuban doctor. Em and I hiked to a Barrio Adentro I that was somewhat close to where we are staying. This specific facility specialized in optometry and was located inside a parking garage used by the police force.

Inside there were about 20 or so people waiting. I approached the entrance and asked the patients waiting a bit about the office. There was in fact a Cuban doctor inside at this facility but he was clearly busy. They had been waiting there since 6:30am in the morning (it was now about 11:30am) when the office handed out 25 tickets with sequential numbers to the people they would see for the day. Currently they were on number 7 so there was still quite a ways to go. It was clear no one would have been happy if someone from the U.S. jumped the line to talk with the doctor extending their wait.

As a patient exited the office I got look around the office briefly before the next person’s turn. There was a large picture of Fidel on the wall and while I was expecting a young doctor fresh out of medical school in Havana, instead the Cuban doctor looked to me like he was over 70.

I finished up my discussion with the patients and headed over to Emily who was talking with a well-dressed, middle-aged man who seemed very interested in our curiosity about the program. It turns out he was a director of various cultural programs set up by Chavez, and not surprisingly, a strong supporter.

He explained how the Cuban doctor trade for Venezuelan oil was going well. If there was something that the doctor could not treat here in Venezuela or if operations were needed, Venezuelans and their family members would be flown to Cuba, all expenses paid, to have their medical treatment. Em asked, remembering the poor state of the Cuba situation for Cubans themselves, who paid for all of these expenses? Well Cuba, of course, as part of the oil for doctors agreement. Em then asked, where are the Venezuelan doctors? He explained that Venezuelan doctors were selfish and only concerned with making money. Being a doctor, he said, was more about helping people. Cuban doctors practiced not for money (i.e. not to feed themselves or support themselves) but to help others in need. Em later relayed to me how she found it ironic that this well dressed, clearly well connected man used the Barrio Adentro system that in theory was set up for the poor.

Other topics ranged from the theory we’ve heard repeatedly on the trip that Bush was responsible for bringing down the WTC towers, to the recent history of Venezuela, to various example how the press, opposition parties, and of course the U.S. were lying to try to distort Chavez’s good record.

I just listened calmly to his points not wanting to turn an already 40 minute conversation into a pointless debate. Em on the other hand was unable to just let this guy spout off unchallenged. She finally broke when he presented what he thought was something we had never heard in the U.S. before, that Bush not only stole Florida, but also Ohio in the last election. “Well, thankgoodness at least we have a strong constitution that guarantees that after 2008 we know he won’t be in office” Since Chavez has extended the maximum of 5 years in office to a maximum of 12 years in office, and is toying with the idea of extending it to 32, the guy changed the subject.

Tonight we headed back over to Vladimir’s house for a traditional Venezuelan dinner. We had a variety of Venezuelan dishes that Em recorded in photography. Vladimir and his family are great and we have been so lucky to have gotten to know them this week. Over dinner we of course had many more interesting conversations. It’s hilarious some of the things Chavez does and it just seems everyone here just laughs about it as a release.

They were saying that Chavez tells a story that his one encounter with Bush was in Quebec a few years ago. There were several people between them and while U.S. secret service agents were moving them apart Chavez yelled to Bush “I want to be your friend!!!” to which Bush supposedly yelled back “I want to be your friend too!!” We also talked about the baseball game between Cuba and Venezuela in which both Castro and Chavez took part in. They still jokingly argue whether or not Chavez struck out Castro in an at bat after the game. These guys are character and make you want to laugh until you remember that Fidel is a dictator and Chavez is getting close to earning that title. It is also interesting that just last week the vice president of Cuba stated that Cuba really has two presidents: Castro and Chavez. Possible successor?

We’re now back at the house and about to do some proof reading and post over a month of updates. Should be fun.

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October 16, 2005

A Sunday without “Alo Presidente”

Chavez’s weekly television program “Alo Presidente” was not on today due to the fact he is in Europe attending the Ibo-American conference along with a closed door match between Inter Milan and a Venezuelan team for himself and 200 people in his entourage. As such, we used the morning to catch up on some writing.

In the afternoon we went for a hike in the mountains north of Caracas with Elisabeth’s nephew Gustavo and his wife Daniela. We had good talks along the way. He recently has started a small cattle ranch so he had some insights into the Chavez imposed price controls. We also talked about the movie we saw earlier in the week Secuestro Express. They have actually had some friends kidnapped in Caracas so it obviously took on even more meaning.

It was a good hike but once we had reached our destination after about 40 minutes of hiking, it started to absolutely pour rain. That made for an adventurous decent, but we finally made it. Along the way we met up with a woman and several children who had planned a picnic in the mountains, yet the day had not gone as planned. They had been hiking around since 9 o’clock in the morning, couldn’t get a fire going to cook their food, and were somewhat lost so they followed us back down to the exit. On the way down the woman stated she was going to write a letter to “mi Comandante” (i.e. Chavez) to see if he would fix the steep trails and possibly make donkeys available for people to ride up the mountain. She wasn’t kidding either.

Back at the house we had dinner with the whole family who came over for the weekly Sunday event. At the end of the night we made sure everyone had our email and web address so that we can keep in touch. All of them were so welcoming and nice to us for our stay in Caracas.

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October 15, 2005

Movie Makers and Manifestaciones

Em was feeling sick this morning so Vladimir and I headed over to meet with filmmaker Malena Roncayolo on our own. She and her family were very nice and we had a good talk. More than anything, both Vladimir and I threw out some ideas that could possibly get her films in the hands of more people. It was interesting that she had a good deal of success getting the film distributed in Italy with the help a socialist party in the country. Apparently they don’t think Chavez is worthy of their party’s name. That despite the fact in his own words he is creating socialism for the 21st century.

This afternoon we had quite an adventure and a first for both Emily and myself. We attended an opposition party rally that totaled 5,000 to 6,000 people from all walks of life on the streets of Caracas. Like yesterday, everyone thought Em was international press so she got some great pictures. I also took some video that I’ll possibly be able to put online and link to in the near future.

One of the speakers at the rally, Tulio Alvarez, a lawyer who was leading the legal crusade against the electoral fraud in August 2004, is currently in hiding from the government. When he showed up people erupted in cheers. Helicopters at this point were also circling above. After his fiery speech, Em saw him hop on the back of a motorcycle and disappear into traffic. Some of the pictures will do the event more justice than I can in words so I recommend people head over to our photo site and take a look.

One woman who Em spoke with was a Venezuelan doctor. When asked about the Cuban doctor situation she told of stories of unqualified Cuban doctors treating patients, misdiagnosing the problem, and something going terribly wrong. Patients then had to be transported to military hospitals to attempt to cover up the situation. She was no happy about being locked out of the system as a Venezuelan doctor, and being labeled by Chavez a selfish esqualido. Obviously, she is coming from a unique perspective but it would be interesting to see a study on the quality of treatment within the Barrio Adentro program.

As if that were not a full enough day, after the party we ended up going a party to celebrate the baptism of one of Elisabeth’s nieces. It was an incredible event and quite a contrast the demonstration we had just come from. Best of all was the story of her sister’s husband had come from Spain with basically nothing and started a business doing catering and parties that had turned into a huge success. Needless to say they knew how to throw a party and tonight Emily and I were lucky to be the benefactors of this expertise.

It was an eventful day but now it is off to bed.

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October 14, 2005

Press Conference for Opposition Candidates

This morning we headed to a press conference hosted by the Asociacion Civil Asamblea de Educacion. It featured various opposition party members that were running for Parliament in the upcoming Dec. 4th election. When Em walked in with her camera people though she was international press (which I guess we are) and they handed her information on the event.

The main message of the talk was to encourage people to get out and vote. They were clearly worried about voter turnout as many have been boycotting elections since the referendum to protest all the cheating that went on that day. The problem is that if Chavez’s party gets two thirds of the legislature he will be able to change the constitution any way he wants. [Not that he hasn’t changed it drastically already. For example, what was supposed to be a 5 year term that began in 1998 has now been extended so that Chavez can remain in power until 2021... and he keeps mentioning that this might be extended to 2030.]

Candidates present included: Filipe Becerra, Isa Dobles (who was formerly a close acquaintance of Fidel Castro), Giuseppe Giannetto (a former director of a major University who has been attacked ruthlessly by Chavez), Liliana Hernandez (current member of Parliament and one of the most passionate speakers I’ve seen in person), Leonardo Carvajal, Bony de Simonovis (the wife of a the former police chief Ivan de Simonovis, Ivan was arrested last spring for speaking to the protesters two years ago at the April 11th marches… the day Chavez stepped down from power after many of the marchers were killed), Jesus Cabezas, and Jose Luis Faria (a leftist politician who has turned against Chavez).

While brief, all the speeches were interesting. Faria, for example, gave an excellent talk on the importance of property rights. He made the analogy that if the government was given the power to confiscate farmland it deemed “unproductive”, what safeguards would people have when the government next decided that it wanted to take a second house that was not your primary residence, or even an unused bedroom in your home? When I commented to Vladimir that I wished we had leftist politicians like that in the United States, he replied that Chavez has opened a lot of people’s eyes to these kinds of issues. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Liliana is such a passionate well-spoken individual that I’m sure Chavez would love nothing more than to have her out of power.

It should be noted as well that these politicians face serious risks just exiting and entering the capital building to vote. We were told Chavistas gather in masses in the plaza outside the capital when the parliament is in session and at times have resorted to violence against those who vote in opposition to their party. One opposition politician was stabbed in the plaza when leaving the building. On another occasion, Chavez called for parliament to convene in one of the Barrios of the city. Opposition candidates did not attend, knowing they would be putting themselves in danger. Thus, Chavez used the opportunity to push though several bills he could not get through in normal sessions.

After the event we grabbed some lunch at a small, open-air, buffet style restaurant that was directly across from the building in which Vladimir used to work. We had some great paella at an even better price. Since we were in the area we toured the art museum that was located just across the street. The museum housed a famous painting of Francisco de Miranda in a prison cell that was quite impressive. We also took some time to walk around the city park that was at the same location.

Tonight we headed back over to Vladimir’s house for dinner. Sitting in his living room before the meal he gave us a great walk though of the history of Venezuela over the last 40 years. It really helped to give us a bigger picture.

After dinner we watched another film on the oil workers and their conflicts with the government. Scenes from this event were particularly disturbing. It was another full day in which I’m not even coming close to getting down in writing everything that we are learning.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:51 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 13, 2005

Salsa in Caracas

This morning was a fairly relaxed day. Em and I caught up on a bit of writing and work. The travelogue is officially backlogged over a month at this point.

Tonight though we had a great time with Vladimir’s son, also named Vladimir. He took us out to a salsa bar to hear one of the best bands in Venezuela. Those lessons I took back in Mexico finally paid off. On the way to the bar we learned that no one stops at red lights at night in Caracas. The threat of getting robbed is greater than getting hit by another car coming through in the other direction.

We stopped off first to meet a group of his friends at a smaller bar. On the way there we were flagged over at a random police stop and Vladimir had to pay a bribe to a cop because his license had just expired. It is typical here he told us.

Once at the bar we had some beers and got to know everyone. They were really a nice group. Em and Vladimir warmed up for the larger salsa bar we were heading to later by dancing to a few songs at the first place, but I decided to save my array of 2 moves for bigger club.

We arrived at the main place a little after 11:00 and the band was great. Later on we were told that the lead singer was an actor from the movie we had seen earlier in the week Secuestro Express. Sure enough it was him. We finally called it a night as the band was wrapping up. On the drive home we had anther good talk about what it happening in Venezuela with Vladimir and it was interesting to get his take on the situation. We have to wake up somewhat early tomorrow so right now it is off to bed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:44 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 12, 2005

Touring Caricuao

This morning we headed out to Caricuao on the metro with Vladimir to tour the area with Yajaira, an acquaintance of his who was a resident of the neighborhood. Specifically we were interested in taking a look at some of Chavez’s “Misiones,” programs that plan to improve access healthcare, food, and schooling to poorer districts.

Yajaira was extremely nice and while I believe this was her first time acting as a guide, she was extremely professional in her approach to the task. Interestingly, while not a ‘Chavista,’ today she dressed in a red shirt and red hat to avoid any possible problems.

During the half day tour we were able to take a look at a variety of Chavez’s projects. Barrio Adentro, a program that has brought over 8000 Cuban doctors to the Venezuela, was of particular interest. Unfortunately, the office we visited that was a product of Barrio Adentro I (the first phase of the program) was closed due to the holiday so we were unable to speak with the Cuban doctor who lived there. The building was a small octagon brick structure that housed the Cuban doctor in a room above with what looked to be a one room office below. Buildings that were much bigger and were to be the site of Misiones Barrio Adentro II & III were still under construction. The site of the Bario Dentro II building we were told formerly housed the offices for an opposition political party.

There was also a large hospital that had been refurbished by the Chavez government and in addition renamed. At this large facility Venezuelan doctors worked during the day while Cuban doctors worked during the night. It did appear to be in excellent condition but, as such, they were also currently dealing with overcrowding as people from other neighborhoods now came to this renovated facility whose care was far superior to those closer to their homes.

Directly next to the small healthcare facility from the Barrio Adentro I, we toured a government Mercal, a store where food was sold at about half the cost of private retail outlets. Government subsidies accounted for the price differential. There was plenty of rice, lentils, and oil, all manufactured by the state company CASA. All these products also contained propaganda messages with stories and drawings on the back of their packaging. The store also contained various jars of sauces and other goods that were from a common national brand name company, and we were told this was a recent edition to the Mercal.

There was no chicken or milk in the store. When these products arrive there are huge lines that form and people buy all these products up until they are sold out. Customers are only allowed to buy limited amounts of these goods as they are in such high demand at the low government prices. The limits (in theory) prevent both the store selling out quickly and to prevent reselling of the goods. The stores are partially subsidized to cut the prices and in addition they do not have to pay taxes that private businesses do pay.

Walking around the streets with Yajaira she pointed out quite a few interesting things. Five years ago, when the economy was better in the region, there were no street vendors. Now looking up and down the street many were visible. We headed into a centro commercial that was located right off the street but it was now practically deserted. While some of the stores were having a rough time a few years back and had started to close, it was impossible for the remaining to compete with the Mercal and that competition had sealed their fate.

This reflected a comment that the BBC posted in a recent chat it had with Chavez. At the BBC site a store owner stated:

I am a single mother of 3 with a food shop in Caracas. The government has just opened a Mercal store close to me with subsidized prices at 50% of what I can sell. My business will soon be finished. I am one of millions of poorer Venezuelans that are facing lower income and unemployment. Does the government plan to employ 25m people? Why don't they understand they can best help us by allowing our businesses to do well? Most of us do want work and do well and provide for our families. Andreina, Caracas, Venezuela

We next toured a school and were introduced to a group of young adults who were in charge of programming for a local radio station. The radio station is another of Chavez’s Misiones . The programming ranges from local news to music, but of course is in the revolutionary spirit. A few people at the meeting wore Che shirts. Again they operate on government funding so they don’t need to worry about taxes or finding advertising like private programming.

Across from the school was another medical facility called Comite de Salud. Previously, it was called an ambulotorio and was a small clinic for local people much like the Barrio Adentro I program. However, this building was now run by a Cuban doctor and the name had been changed. I was originally under the impression that all the medical facilities build under Barrio Adento were being put in areas that previously had no medical services. The ambulotorio showed that this was not the case. There had originally been a Venezuelan doctor in the area that had now been replaced by a doctor from Cuba.

Walking down the street we were told how regular garbage service with trucks and dumpsters had been suspended. Now Cooperativos Bolivarianos cleaned the streets but Yajaira showed us how much of the trash was simply dumped into a washway/river that ran along the road. After the cooperatives would leave it there it was left to the rain to eventually wash it away.

Over lunch, Yajaira told us about some of the problems she had encountered on the day of the referendum vote. For a little background, the recall referendum was an attempt to oust Chavez from power in 2004. Opposition groups gathered millions of signuatures (twice) for referendum vote that took place on August 15th, 2004. Acording to international observers Chavez triumphed by 20 percentage points on this date, but not without a good deal of controversy. (Read an exchange on the topic between President Carter and The Wall Street Journal’s Mary O’Grady HERE, HERE, and HERE).

I had heard that there were horribly long lines the day of the elections and her stories confirmed this. She arrived at 4:00am in the morning to vote so she could get to work early but there was already a long line at the poling station. Earlier, from her apartment above, she could see trucks of people arriving around 3:00am in the morning. Apparently these people held up the line for a good part of the day although they were not sure exactly how. Needless to say the line didn’t move. She finally reached the front and voted at 2:00pm. There is a good deal more she told us about the election and her experiences in the city (attempting to enter a school, ID cards, etc) that I am going to leave for another post. In short, it was an extremely enlightening discussion.

Tonight for dinner we were invited over to Vladimir’s house to have dinner with his family. Elisabeth, his wife, had many more stories for us. I won’t get into all the details here but I’ll point out just one that I found interesting. After the opposition initially collected enough signatures for the referendum against Chavez, the government began to knock many of the names off the list using arbitrary standards such as if the signatures looked like they were written by the same person. In the end it was declared that everyone would have to return to the polls to confirm that they had signed for the referendum. But before this was done a list of everyone who had signed for the referendum was made public on the internet by Luis Tascon, as deputy in Chavez’s party.

(READ MORE ON THE TASCON LIST HERE AND HERE)

Those who had signed the referendum found it difficult to obtain government identification (something needed to vote), if they had contracts with the government they were often cancelled, while others were fired from jobs. The government also made it clear that people could retract their signature from the referendum in the second election if they wished. We were told that many people did just that to avoid further harassment. Amazingly the referendum still passed on this second go-around.

After dinner we watched another film that was basically news coverage of the events that let up to April 11th , 2002 when Chavez stepped down from power and his return shortly afterwards. It gave Em and I both a much clear understanding of all the events that had occurred prior to the recall.

Back at our place it was sad reflecting on all we had seen and learned today. We live in a place where you don’t give a second thought to signing a petition to recall Gray Davis. Not so in Venezuela, but people still signed, marched, and protested to get Chavez out of power. All that effort and sadly is still in office… two years after his original term was supposed to end.

You begin to realize that it is impossible to completely understand what this country has gone through. You get glimpses when you share in their excitement when they recount the joy they felt the day that Chavez stepped down, or you think you share in their depression when they recount his return. But the fact is that what I will feel will never be as intense or as real. Makes me glad I had the sheer luck of being born in California, and true pity for those who now forced to deal with the current political situation in Venezuela.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:38 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 11, 2005

Teleferico

Over breakfast this morning we talked with Vladimir a bit about the plans for the week. There is a possibility that we might head to Maracaibo for a meeting on Friday but it is still up in the air. It sounds like an interesting option if it works out.

I am having trouble accessing my site from the house so Vladimir’s son gave us a lift to an internet café that is nearby. Everything ended up being fine with my site, which was a relief. We walked over to the Centro San Ignacio and grabbed a quick bite to eat before it was off the teleferico.

The teleferico is a gondola that takes you up to the ridge of the mountain range that separates Caracas from the Caribbean. The ride up gave us some amazing views of the city. Caracas really is enormous.

Once we had arrived at the top you could feel that it was a bit cooler than down in the city due to the altitude. The views were spectacular. We ended up staying up there for a few hours and actually had dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the city. Although they were out of beer the food was great.

Once back in Caracas we grabbed a cab back home and then were shortly off to Beatriz’s house (Vladimir’s sister) to watch a movie called ¿Premio Nobel de la Paz…? by Malena Roncayolo. The movie is a documentary about acts of aggression by the Chavez government against the opposition. We are planning on meeting with Malena on Saturday so it gave the film even more meaning. It definitely had some powerful footage and I plan on getting a copy before we leave.

We ended the night trying some homemade arepas while Beatriz talked about the special kit she would bring to marches to prepare for tear gas. There have been several occations that she has had to use it. Apparently vinegar and toothpaste do the trick. It is just bizarre that we were sitting in such a calm, normal environment with such nice people, yet tear gas was the topic of conversation.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:36 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 10, 2005

Walking around Caracas

Today we woke up and Juan who works at the house made us a great breakfast. We set off towards the business district where our first task was to get some money out of the bank. It proved to be a more difficult task than I could have imagined. ATM after ATM refused to accept my card, many that it should have worked with due to the “Plus” compatibility. The banks wouldn’t take travelers checks either but we were informed in a bank at the Centro San Ignacio that there was a money exchange office right across from another mall called Sambil that was further south.

Once there, we headed into the mall first to see if we could find an ATM that would work. Again, no luck. I was starting to think that the bank had possibly blocked my card after so many attempts but miraculously we finally found an ATM that accepted it and got out some cash.

With money in hand I set out to buy a watch. Somehow I lost mine back in Nicaragua and it has been driving me nuts not having the time readily available. We found a Casio shop and Em and I ended up getting the same watch, so we now have the matching male and female models. Ah… the joys of marriage.

It was interesting that after purchasing the watches we had to give the store not only our passport numbers, but address we were staying along with a phone number. Later we would learn that this is a new government regulation and is required not only for foreigners, but for all Venezuelans as well.

After the mall we started walking towards Plaza Venezuela, which was located 2km away. Heading down the main pedestrian walkway, right before we entered the area full of buhoneros (street vendors), a woman walking next to us warned us to put our bags in front of us and to keep an eye out for thieves. Entering the busy streets packed with vendors we both agreed that while it was hectic it did seem more organized and calm than cities like San Salvador.

The small stands had everything you could imagine. We were told that Cuban doctors were told by the government not to go to Sambil as the people who shopped there wouldn’t like their presence in the mall. A more plausible reason is that they didn’t want them going there because they would see just how well enterprises can work outside of Cuba. Walking along the street vendors I commented to Em that the Cubans didn’t need to go to Sambil, to experience it they could come to this street alone and be amazed at the availability of goods relative to life back home.

Various times during the walk several young men would chase us down to ask us for the time. Obviously they wanted to steal something from us but in broad daylight I thought it would be an impossible task. Down at Plaza Venezuela Em pulled out our small camera to take some pictures of some red shirts that had Chavez in a beret posed just like Che. This attracted the attention of a few more guys that made their way towards us. I felt more like a target for thieves than in any other city we had been in. To take a break from the crowds we stopped at a restaurant that was set up in the middle of the street to have a beer and relax.

We talked to the waiter for a while we were enjoying a Polar beer. He thought we were German, but once he found out we were from the U.S. he started talking politics. Topics included how much Chavez was helping the people through low cost markets, medical care, and redistributing unproductive land to small farmers so that Venezuela could produce its own goods and not have to import them from countries like Brazil. It was interesting to get his view on all the current events. Also, during the conversation we noticed that one of the guys who had asked us for the time about 1km back was getting searched by the police right in front of the restaurant.

After we finished our drinks we headed back to Sambil where we were going to watch a movie called Secuestro Express. It perked our interest because there is currently a case heading to the Venezuelan Supreme Court trying to get a scene removed from the movie. The controversy surrounds a clip that shows a group from the mayor’s office firing handguns at protesters marching against Chavez. It was also not put forth by the country for Oscar consideration for political reasons, something there is now a petition people are signing trying to get reversed.

Well, the scene that caused all this controversy was about 2 minutes into the movie and lasted about 10 seconds. After that the next 1 and ½ hours followed a couple our age who were kidnapped in Caracas. It was one of those movies where not too many good things happen. After the film I was joking with Em that I was too scared to leave the theater. Luckily she was brave enough to get us to Plaza Altamira where Vladimir picked us up and took us back to the house.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:33 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 9, 2005

First Day in Venezuela

This morning Vladimir took us to a great restaurant right next to the golf course near the house. There we feasted on some traditional Venezuelan dishes: arepas (thick corn tortillas) and perico (a scrambled egg dish w/ bell peppers). The view was beautiful and the food was great.

Afterwards, we headed back to the house to catch “Alo Presidente,” Chavez’s weekly television show. The programming consists of him talking for up to five or six hours about subjects that range from politics to his daughters pets. He also has a variety of guests and takes phone calls from the public.

When we returned he was already on the air and was soon using encyclicals of the Catholic Church to justify property seizures. A half hour later he was touring a new medical facility and interviewing with a Cuban doctor. Chavez hugged her and greeted her family back home between her explanations of how the new medical equipment in the office worked. Later, he continued speaking in front of a large group, consisting mainly of medical students, who were clearly thrilled when he announced that he planned on giving them a 30% raise. At another point in the show Chavez read a letter from a resident of Nothern California who asked if Chavez could send money to pay for things like pencils and notebooks that children in the local school lacked due to the neglect of the Bush administration. Vladimir commented that it was probably one of the easiest requests that Chavez has ever gotten. I’ll have more to say on the show in an essay but to me it was an odd mix of political commentary and Jerry Springer.

The presence of Cuban doctors in Venezuela is in and of itself and interesting topic. Under the Barrio Adentro program established in 2003, thousands of Cuban doctors were brough to the country to help provide healthcare to lower-income Venezuelans. Vladimir explained last night during the drive into Caracas that the doctors live in small buildings built specifically for the program. Their offices are on the bottom floor and the doctors live on the top floor. Residence of the neighborhoods in theory can visit the at anytime for medical care as the physician is always on site. In exchange for Castro sending doctors, Chavez provides Cuba oil at a steep discount.

An hour or so into the program Vladimir asked if we wanted to turn off the volume for a bit to take a break. At the time, as it was my first time watching the show, I was still very much enthralled with the program and didn’t see the need. Another hour later not only was the volume off but I was on the computer in the other room taking a break from the program. It really does get wearing and it is amazing how the guy keeps going and going.

Later in the day Vladimir gave us a tour around town in his car and at the conclusion he dropped us off at the base of a trail near the foothills of the mountain that separates Caracas and the Caribbean. Em and I hiked up into the mountains to get some exercise. We also got some great views of the city as we ascended. Looking at the magnificent city Em and I both wondered how it was possible that the crazy guy we saw on television earlier was running this country. People were out in force getting their nightly walks so it felt quite safe. We finally reached an exercise area about 40 minutes up the trail and then headed back down towards the house.

Tonight we had dinner at the house with Vladimir’s wife, brother and sister, and their families. It is something the group tries to do every Sunday and was really a nice affair. We spent time getting to know them, talking about our trip, and leaning even more about all that is going on in the country. One thing that became clear in talking to them is the hate that is being bred in Venezuela. A real fear of violent Chavistas exists against the opposition/people who speak out against the government. Chavez also commonly refers to his opposition as esqualidos (i.e. squalid people) and divisions are exploited by the government with both race and social class, although the opposition is truthfully made up of a broad spectrum of society. There were also more insights into the economy as we talked about how businesses are getting hit from both sides as they are pay a value added tax on products and are also forced to deal with price controls.

They are such a welcoming and lively family.Tomorrow we plan on walking around the city and getting a feel for the area.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:25 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 8, 2005

From the Panama Canal to South America

Although our plane left at 12:30 and we needed to get to the airport early, we still wanted to squeeze in a visit to the Panama Canal in the morning. We grabbed a taxi and were there when the gates to the Miraflores locks opened up at 9:00am. It was an impressive sight watching the boats head through and the water in the locks change elevation as they passed. I could have stayed for hours but at 10:00 we had to hit the road if we wanted to make it to the airport on time.

On the way back to the hotel as we were passing the former U.S. military installations, the taxi driver told me that the gringos were idiots for giving up the canal, and he would have never done it. We talked to him for awhile about it, as he also gave us a lift to the airport. To me it seemed that while deep down he was glad Panama had control of the canal since 2000, he also lamented the fact that fewer U.S. dollars now flowed into the region. He dropped us off at the airport at about 10:40.

I thought we were there in plenty of time but we due to long lines that were apparently the fault of a computer malfunction, we ended up having to run to the gate to catch the flight that departed at 12:30. In line in front of us was a Columbian woman now living in Miami who was returning to visit her sisters. We were on the same plane, as our flight required a short stopover in Bogota, Columbia. She told us that it was a shame that we were skipping Columbia in our travels. An hour and a half later we were in Bogotá and changed planes to head into Caracas. When we started our decent Venezuela looked beautiful from the air. Beaches, forests, and a blue Caribbean ocean made it look like paradise. As we were landing though I started to get a bit of the same feeling I had when we were flying into Cuba. With all the tension between the two countries (Chavez was saying at a UN meeting just a month ago that the U.S. was going to bomb Caracas and take their oil fields) I wondered if there was going to be any hassle getting through immigrations and customs with U.S. passports.

It turned out to be easy. We sailed through immigration and custom stopping just long enough for immigration to stamp our passports and for customs to welcome us to Venezuela. The airport was also one of the most modern and clean I had seen in my life (Vladimir later told us that the international terminal we were in had just been completed.)

Friend Vladimir was waiting at the airport with a sign that read “Mork” so he was easy to spot. It was really nice to see a familiar face. On the way back to his office (formerly his parents house, which is where we were going to be staying) we talked about the plans for the week. Earlier in the day he had attended the premier of Guevara: Anatomía de un Mito, a movie that was about the myth of Che Guevara. At the showing he had met a variety of interesting people, a few of whom we may meet up with later on in the week.

He also explained about the road that linked Caracas with the airport. At the time of its construction in the 1950’s it was a major engineering feat. Crossing the mountains that lie between Caracas and the sea, it cut the commute time from hours down to 30 minutes. Today it is in need of maintenance like many things in the city. But it still did its job of getting us to the capital.

During the ride we talked about a variety of subjects. One of particular interest was Chavez’s recent war against private schools. Despite the fact that inflation is leading to annual price increases in the high teens, Chavez has imposed price controls on tuition that are making it difficult for private schools to survive. Affected by inflation just like everyone else in the country, schools are forced to find ways around the price controls, like charging extra for English or other other non-core classes. Obviously, what is being taught in private schools isn’t under the control of the government and that is something that Chavez fears.

It was hard to get a feel for the city in the dark, but the numerous skyscrapers stood out. We passed by Plaza Altamira, now commonly referred to as Liberty Plaza, after a woman protesting was shot and killed and many others wounded by Chavez supporters the day after the referendum in August 2004.

Once at the house we met Vladimir’s son, also named Vladimir, and got settled our room. It is amazingly generous for their family to put us up like this. We toured the neighborhood walking before we called it a night. It looks like a beautiful place. It was interesting though, a nice restaurant near the house looked deserted, and this was on a Saturday night. Possibly an insight into how well people are doing economically.

Back at the house Vladimir left for home and Em and I called it a night after another long day of traveling. Hard to believe we’ve made it to Caracas and are now in South America.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:24 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 7, 2005

Long Bus-Ride into Panama

At six in the morning we work up at the Panamanian border and before long were making our way through immigration and customs. Aside from Cuba, it was the most complicated border crossing we have been through so far. (We are expecting the U.S. border to be even worse for us: “WHERE have you been traveling?”.) Luckily there was a representative from the bus company to help us through the process which took about an hour.

We stopped for lunch and a few hours later we reaching the outskirts of Panama City and we got our first view of the Panama Canal. An older woman towards the rear of the bus yelled out “Que linda! Que preciosa!” (in English, “How beautiful! How precious!”) as we crossed the Pan-American bridge. It was a fitting description. It makes quite an impression.

We said goodbye to Mauricio and exchanged emails as we might see each other again in either South America or even England, then it was off to a hotel we had picked out. Panama City looks like another well-developed capital. I’m sure that has to do with a good deal of U.S. investment that stemmed from the canal. Bustling with energy. Our hotel was great and we actually have a view of the Pacific.

Next we needed some food so we picked a restaurant nearby in the book. We were a bit wary about walking around as Mauricio had told us that the last time he was in Panama City he decided to walk around and explore the city. On a couple occasions good samaritans would yell out to him frantically not to walk in the direction he was heading. And this was during broad daylight. At 6-5 with dreadlocks he was a bit more of an imposing figure than me walking around the city with my glasses on. Thus, if he could have had problems I have no doubt it was a possibility for us.

But after walking around looking for the restaurant for about an hour we finally threw in the towel and realized it must have gone out of business. Not even the locals knew where it was. At this point we were starving so we picked a nicer place in the LP guide and headed there. We a great Panamanian meal and then called it a night.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:21 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 6, 2005

Last Day in Costa Rica

For our last day in Costa Rica we took it easy. We ran some errands and walked around a bit to get a feel for the city. Parts of the downtown area are relaxing and gorgeous, while others are hectic and unsightly, just like any other city. But San Jose seems to stand apart from other Central American capitals in its development.

At 9:00pm we headed to the bus station to catch the 10:00 bus to Panama City. If everything went according to plan we would be in Panama City at 4:00pm the next day. This will be our longest bus ride of the trip so far. At the station we met a Costa Rican, Mauricio (or Mau for short), who was just starting a trip through South America. In Panama he was planning on catching a boat to Columbia and then spending 5 months traveling before heading to England where he and his girlfriend were going to work. We were a bit jealous that he was going to be traveling into and through Columbia…until the three of us read our guidebook’s take on the city where Mau would need to catch the boat to Columbia. It was basically a strong warning to stay away from this dangerous city if at all possible. Still, Columbia sounds like it is an interesting place, once past the dangerous guerilla-occupied border areas.

At 11:00 the bus finally departed and after listing to a few lectures I downloaded on my MP3 player we were soon asleep.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:13 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 5, 2005

Cloud Forest

We were picked up in the morning by our guide and we headed to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, which was about 20 minutes away. The area consists of series of trails through a private reserve originally preserved by a group of Quakers. It was amazing. Monteverde is one of only five original cloud forests in the world and the trees were remarkable, but once again the animals kept away. We did get to see a variety of birds, a family of coatimundis, a tarantula, and an armadillo which made for a pretty good trip. The sun came out at one point, and we practically danced with joy.

After walking through the forest, we packed up our bags, checked out of the hotel, and then headed to a pizza place to grab a bite to eat before our bus ride back to San Jose. We ended up eating with the Spanish couple we had met the day before and exchanged emails before we departed. They had seen a sloth in the morning in Monteverde, where they also were, but said it was far away and (not surprisingly) not moving much.

The bus ride back to San Jose was uneventful other than the fact that part of the road at one point was narrowed to one lane so it ended up backing up traffic for miles and we got into the city later than expected. Once at the hotel we were delighted when they handed us the Fed-Ex package with our tickets to Caracas. It looks like we are all set.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:09 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 4, 2005

Suspension Bridges and Fair Trade Coffee

Every article of our clothes in our bags is for the most part completely soaked. It just feels that the last few days we have been in nothing but rain. So top on our list this morning was to get our clothes washed and most importantly dried. The hotel actually had a service, which worked out great.

We also set up our plans for the day. For the morning we planned a tour of a park that has a network of suspension bridges that lie over the cloud forest canopy and for the afternoon a tour of a fair trade/organic coffee plantation.

A van picked us up at the hotel and we headed out to the canopy park at 8:00am. I realized on the drive out that I am turning into a travel snob. There were two brothers in the back seat who had been working on an organic farm in Costa Rica for the last 3-weeks. Their mother had come to pick them up and tour the country for a few days with them. The mother commented how full the van was and one of her sons commented that he had seen them even fuller than this, that usually every seat was taken (there was one empty seat in one of the rows). There were about 14 people in the van and I immediately thought of the trip in Honduras when they packed the same model van with 25 people. But then thinking of some of the stories we have heard of travel in Southeast Asia I know I haven’t experienced it all either.

The park with the suspension bridges was very interesting but it made me glad we have already seen so many interesting animals along the way. The pressure is off for us, so to speak. Costa Rica, even in the rain, has been crowded with tourists all trying to catch a glimpse of something special. It is no wonder that the wildlife keeps away. We walked along and could just enjoy the forest for what it was without stressing out about what we could be seeing if only we were lucky. [Note from Em: Darn those elusive sloths and quetzals] During the walk we stopped and talked to a couple from Spain and shared some traveling stories. The bridges during the walk really gave you a great view of the beautiful lush, mossy forest. Hopefully the pictures do it justice.

After the park we headed back to town and grabbed a bite to eat in a restaurant known for its comida tipica. Covering the walls of the restaurant were sheets of paper that tourists had decorated with messages or drawings about Costa Rica. One caught our eye in particular: a depiction of the artist’s feelings about CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement that is almost ratified. The artist needed an economics lesson as he claimed that Costa Rica wouldn’t be able to export anything to the U.S. [hint: the balance of payments must equal zero]. I’ll be putting together an essay on the subject at a later date.

Next, we headed to the coffee plantation. It is completely different doing things in Costa Rica as a tourist. Even though many of the roads are unpaved, you just can tell you are traveling a well worn path. Tourists are everywhere and this is the low-season.

Our guide’s name was Miguel and despite the fact that it was raining, he gave us a great tour of the plantation. Miguel had just recently started doing this tour for the company, but as a kid he would spend summers picking coffee with his family so he already knew a good deal about the industry. We first visited a small farm that was only about 2.5 acres, but part of a cooperative made up of many small coffee growers, and this cooperative helped the farmers become Fair-Trade certified. We learned about the coffee plants, when the beans ripen, prices and quality of the harvest, and much more.

To be Fair Trade certified, the coffee-plants had to be interspersed with trees (shade-grown), the idea being that some of the integrity of a forest habitat would be maintained. Another requirement is that the plants are to be farmed organically (without chemical fertilizers, but it was unclear whether pesticides could be used). Especially interesting was that according to Miguel, “shade-grown” coffee beans have no higher quality than regularly-grown coffee beans. The premium paid for “shade-grown” coffee is all about maintaining habitat for wildlife. We were surprised to learn that there was no real requirement that the trees providing the shade be primary growth or even native growth. Banana or other fruit trees were sufficient. There has been evidence that these fruit trees do draw sloths, primates and birds, however it would be stretching it to claim that the integrity of the original habitat is maintained. Better than nothing, I suppose. Also, the cooperative has to pay annually for its Fair trade and Organic certification. And while the Fair Trade label meant that the farmers were in fact paid more for their product, the cooperative itself requires that the beans be picked red instead of green (more difficult to pick but of better quality) to justify the higher price.

It was made clear that coffee farming was not the profitable business it had once was. In the 90’s the coffee bean was often referred to as “el grano de oro” (i.e. golden bean), but no longer. The entry of Vietnam into the market has greatly suppressed prices and the farmer whose land we toured was only able to survive off of the coffee he grew as he also was paid a percentage of the cost of the tours. Without this extra money, he would have to get another job to supplement his income.

Another interesting point was that migrant workers flood into Costa Rica from Nicaragua and Honduras during the harvest to pick the coffee beans. Em asked if wages were increased as a requirement for Fair Trade certification, but we were told that the members of the cooperative are small farmers that can pick their own coffee without hiring labor. Usually, family members of these small growers provide sufficient labor to pick the coffee during harvest. It is the larger, non-shade grown, non-organic, non-Fair-Trade certified, massive coffee plantations that do most of the hiring.

Down at the cooperative we were able to see the whole process from where the beans are inspected after they are picked until they are roasted (but beans that are exported to the U.S. are actually roasted in Montana from this cooperative, not in Costa Rica.) On our way back to Santa Elena, our driver picked up the owner of the farm which we had just toured to give him a ridedrive to his place we were lucky enough to get a good view of two toucans that were perched on a tree right by the side of the road. Go figure. We spent all morning in the park looking for animals and we end up seeing these awesome birds right by the road at the coffee plantation.

Back at the restaurant where the coop sells and brews their coffee we actually met a friend of a friend from Healdsburg. Lorraine was her name, living in Costa Rica and working for the cooperative in the café. Yet another example of this small crazy world.

Back at the hotel we picked up our dry clothes (finally!) and grabbed some dinner. Tomorrow we will tour the Monteverde Cloud Forest which is what this area of Costa Rica is most famous for.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:24 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 3, 2005

It's Not the Destination that Counts, It’s the Journey

We woke up, had breakfast, and before too long we hopped on a local bus to Quepos, which is only about 20 minutes away. Waiting at the small bus station for the next bus to Punta Arenas I could see the rundown hotel that I had stayed in with friends Chris and Tony nine years ago. The room faced the bus lot so anyone in the station could see you come and go. Worse yet the room had a window that easily came off so anyone who knew could reach in and unlock the door. But hey it was cheap. We were also there when a hurricane hit Costa Rica so it was an adventurous couple days. In 1996, a bridge actually collapsed as our bus was crossing it. Everything seems much more solid now.

After reminiscing about the old trip, the bus showed up. Once packed full of people, us standing in the aisle, we were on our way to Punta Arenas. Slow-moving because of the rain, it soon became clear that it was going to take longer than the three and a half hours we had planned for. We realized we were going to miss our next bus which left Punta Arenas at 2:30. I made my way up to the driver and explained the situation. He said it wasn’t a problem, he could drop us off on the side of the road ahead and we could flag down the bus to Monteverde when it passed.

Ten minutes later we were off the bus and under a bus stop in the pouring rain along a highway. We were on the wrong side of the road and I could see a couple buses heading our way so I quickly ran across the road to see if one was ours. They weren’t, and although I was planning on just staying on that side of the road, it started to pour even harder so I decided to run back across the road and get under the bus stop shelter.

It was a pretty wild road and cars were speeding by at good clip. I was also running around with a 50 pound bag on my back as well as a smaller backpack on my chest so I wasn’t at my most agile. I looked to the left and there were no cars coming so I started to sprint back across the road. Looking to my right now there were no cars coming from that direction either so it didn’t look like I would need to stop and wait in the middle lane that divided the road.

But just as this thought crossed my head I heard a brief skid and the next thing I knew my leg was swept out from under me, I was briefly on the hood of a car, and then on my side in the middle of the road looking at a taxi that had just hit me. The guy yelled “Are you alright?” as he rolled down his window. I wasn’t sure. I immediately reached for my leg that had been hit thinking that it was going to be hurt, but there was nothing. I pressed it harder thinking it was the adrenaline but it really was fine. I stood up and noticed that the side I fell on was hurting a bit, but it seemed like I was alright. I told the driver it was alright, still confused as to whose fault it was (did I just not see the guy?), and turned around to run back to where Em was under the bus stop.

I knew I was okay, but I was also scared because I knew Em was going to let me have it. I had no doubt that it had scared her to death and she was going to lay into me for not seeing the car. I was shocked though when I approached and the first thing she said was “Is the computer alright?” (Our laptop was in the smaller backpack).

“Uh, I don’t know… I think so...” I replied. I felt my hip which was pretty sore then looked at my arm and found out it was cut up a bit. “Well that was a first.” I said to Em as the rain continued to come down.

“What was a first?”

“Getting hit by a car.”

“You got hit by a car?!?!” she asked, her voice a couple decibels louder. She hadn’t even seen it. She was getting something out of her bag and had missed the whole thing. When she did look up and saw me on the pavement she had thought I had just slipped. That’s why she was so calm when I joined her under the bus stop.

[Em´s version:

“Is the computer ok?” I asked. Peter gave me an even stranger incredulous look. And then I found out that he was hit by the very taxi that sped off and must have done a u-turn in the middle of road. His arm was all scratched up and bloody, but nothing more. We are very very lucky that now it is just a funny story.]

Back to Peter´s version: Right at this point we spotted an old white school bus with “Monteverde” written across the top coming from the other direction. We flagged him down and ran back across the street together, looking VERY carefully before crossing. It turns out that the guy that hit me had pulled out from the bus stop and that was why he wasn’t going that fast. He was looking east for cars just as I had turned my head and was looking west. He didn’t see me until a second before the accident and I never saw him until I was on the ground. I blame him, although pedestrians don´t really seem to have the right of way around here. I’m just glad the guy was going slowly and it turned out to be so minor.

On the bus, the only two seats available were all the way in the back, next to a leaking window. We grabbed them. Em pulled out the medical kid and we patched up my arm. We retold the story to an American girl from Wisconsin and two Ticos she was traveling with.

The adventure wasn’t completely over. After a few hours into the trip with people getting on and off and retrieving their belongings from the back of the bus, eventually my backpack was propped up against the emergency door in the back. I looked at it and thought that the last thing we needed was the door to fly open and to my bag to fly out. About a minute later, feeling a breeze, I looked back, and there was the emergency door unlatched and wide open, the backpack partially hanging out over the road. Em and I both dove for it and pulled it in as another passenger closed the door… firmly this time.

Four hours later, after slowly climbing up into the mountains, we were in Santa Elena, just outside of Monteverde. The bus was held up for about 40 minutes along the dark winding dirt road because a mudslide had covered the road in front of us. As it was being cleared, I began talking baseball with two Nicaraguan guys who saw my SF hat and wanted to make sure I knew that Marvin Bernard was from Nicaragua. I one-upped them when I told them how one of my friends from college, Cesar, went to school with him when he just arrived from Nicaragua and Cesar had just arrived from Guatemala. To their displeasure they never get to see televised baseball from the U.S. in Costa Rica.

In the dark, we found a nice little hotel and were happy with the discount they gave us because of some construction they are doing during the day. Fine by us as I think we could sleep though anything at this point. All our clothes, even the ones in our backpack, are soaked but at least we made it. Tomorrow we’ll get ourselves organized and explore Monteverde.

Posted by Peter Mork at 6:16 PM | Comments | TrackBack

October 2, 2005

Parque Manuel Antonio

We woke up to white-faced capuchin monkeys hucking coconuts onto the ground on the open patio outside our room. They were high up in the palm trees, breaking open the coconuts and then retrieving them to drink the milk out of the shell like they were jugs of wine. I told Em that now we didn’t need to go to the park because we had already seen monkeys but she didn’t go for it.

We knew that even if it was pouring rain, today was the day we would hike in the national park because it would be closed to tourists tomorrow. It was indeed pouring rain when we woke up and only got worse by the time we waded the estuary that led to the park. Amazingly, visitors have to literally cross this river by foot to get to the entrance to the park. The river mouth flows into the Pacific and the depth changes with the tide. I’m guessing that the reason that there is no bridge is to keep tourism down in the small park, but it was a little unnerving as we crossed the river directly in front of a sign that warns you not to swim because there are crocodiles.

The best part about the rain was that we had the park all to ourselves. The area was incredible with the tropical rain forest coming right up to sandy beaches along the Pacific. A couple of times the downpour was so strong, it was difficult to tell if we were still on a trail or if we had suddenly ended up in a river coming off the mountain side. At one point the trail abruptly came to an end as several trees and lots of mud had fallen across it. As we found out later, this was in fact the result of a huge mudslide that we saw were able to see more of from a trail above. The rangers had not discovered it yet, but it was big. Taking out an entire hillside, hundreds of trees had been uprooted and had fallen into the sea below. It would have been trouble if anyone had been on that lower trail.

The mudslide prevented us from getting to a secluded cove with a beach for swimming, but I suppose we were already wet enough. Em waited around with hope to see some of the squirrel monkeys that the park is famous for, but except for a few teasing calls from up in the tree canopy, we were without luck. In fact hardly any animals were out and about in the heavy rain, but the views and the experience of being there by ourselves made it well worth it.

By the time we left the park we were soaked to the bone. The tide was in, and so the estuary crossing was much deeper and wider. A local with a small boat gave us a ride across so we didn’t have to swim. We are so soaked, I have no idea how we are going to dry out all these clothes and shoes without sun. We may just have to get used to the mildew.

Later, we walked down to the end of the beach and found the small hotel I had originally hoped to stay in. It was still a hotel and had not been turned into a restaurant. Go figure. Alas, the monkeys visiting this morning made our hotel more than worth it.

We are constantly moving. Tomorrow we are off to Monteverde in the center of Costa Rica.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:59 AM | Comments | TrackBack

October 1, 2005

Manuel Antonio in the Rain

Because of all the rain we were advised to pay for a tourist shuttle to take us to Manuel Antonio, rather than a bus, so that we didn’t get stranded. We were picked up at about 10:30 and by the late afternoon we were in Manuel Antonio. On the drive down, talking with the driver about the local economy, I learned that Costa Rica is an avocado producer as well and had plenty of trees to prove it.

We had planned to stay in a place right on the beach hidden far off the main road where I had stayed with some friends nine years back. The driver informed us that it had been sold and was now a restaurant. So with that news we checked into a hotel that was right up against the park the region is famous for, Manuel Antonio.

Driving down it looked like we were in store for more sun, but right before we got to Quepos, the port-town closest to Manuel Antonio, the skies got grey and by the time we arrived it was raining.

After dinner we discovered a litter of six kittens at the hotel. Unfortunately they were playing with a gigantic dead rat the momma cat had found. Em caught the attention of two of the kittens before they found the nasty prize and played with them a bit before we went to bed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:57 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 30, 2005

Surfs Up

Today Em took a surf lesson in the afternoon while I relaxed on the beach and did some reading. Her instructor was a great guy from Florida named Bob who had been in the military the last 7 years and had got our 6 months ago. He was down in Tamarindo teaching some surfing, working at a restaurant, and enjoying the Costa Rica lifestyle. After the lesson we saw him at a local café where we talked about some books he recommended we look into.

Inspired, we over to the local book and music store called Jaime Peligro and were shocked to find out that the owner was raised in St. Helena, California, Emily’s hometown of about 6,000 people. She actually went to high school with his daughter who was a few grades ahead of her. Apart from the home town connection, it was interesting talking about the benefits of CAFTA with someone who described himself as a “hippie” in his youth. A successful businessman, he was counting down the days until it was ratified by the Costa Rican congress.

Tonight we ate dinner at the pizza place that Bob works at and watch the Boston/Yankee game with a bunch of rowdy fans from New York and Massachusetts. Tomorrow we head southwest along the coast to Manuel Antonio.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:53 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 29, 2005

La Playa

This morning, after eating, we checked out another hotel. We were both shocked to see the quality of the room which really was so much better it wasn’t even comparable. Better yet it was only a few bucks more. We rushed to our hotel, checked out, and headed back down to our new place. Em was ecstatic.

We spent the afternoon on the beach about 20 minutes south of Tamarindo at Playa Langosta. When we first came across the mouth of a small river hitting the sea I immediately started out across it. Em was worried about getting her camera wet to which I replied “How deep can it be? Just hold you bag up and it won’t get wet.”

A minute later I was walking in water that was a good 6 inches over my head and holding my bag up as high as I could praying it wouldn’t get wet (though knowing if the water got any deeper it would be soaked). All the time I was jumping up and down gasping for air when my mouth would momentarily reach the surface as the current pushed me out towards the sea. Once again Em was right and I was wrong.

After braving the river again (luckily I found a place to cross that was only chest deep) and we laid out a towel and took in some sun on the practically deserted beach. Tonight we had pizza and watch the sunset at a local restaurant and shortly afterwards called it a night.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:50 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 28, 2005

Trek to Tamarindo

We caught an 11:30 bus to Playa Tamarindo on the Pacific coast. It was another long journey and at this point I’m thoroughly sick of being on buses and boats. At one point of the trip the road was completely flooded but the bus driver showed no fear and plowed through the river which was a few feet deep over the road.

At 7:00pm and now dark we arrived in Tamarindo and grabbed a taxi to one of the recommended hotels in the LP. A group of about 8 little kids and a teacher doing yoga and what appeared to be meditation spiritual chants in a circle on hardwood floor near the entrance of the hotel greeted us as we entered the building. Classic Lonely Planet authors I thought, but the owner informed us that she was just about to close for the week as she was heading out of town.

Heading out we met a teenaged Italian girl who informed us that her mother had a place for rent nearby. We checked it out and ended up taking a room. It was far from luxurious but at least it was a place to sleep. Down the road we splurged on dinner at a sushi restaurant of all places. This town must have a decent sized expat community judging by the variety of restaurants which range from a Burger King to some pretty nice places. It’s much more developed than the small beach town I was expecting. Tomorrow we’ll get to see the town during the light of day.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:47 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 27, 2005

River Boat Border Crossing

A little after 5:00 in the morning, and after another half-hour nap under the table, the boat finally docked in San Carlos, Nicaragua. The town is situated along the southern end of Lake Nicaragua where it meets Rio San Juan which flows along the Nicaraguan-Costa Rican border until it meets the Caribbean. A hot and muggy port-town, the place was bustling as we stumbled off the ferry. A woman was selling coffee and pan dulce along the side of the dusty main road, so we bought some and sat on plastic chairs with a couple of Canadians to pass the first hour, and then had breakfast in a small restaurant a few doors down. Finally at 8:00 the immigration office, which was located on a dock on the lake, opened and we got our exit stamps for Nicaragua.

The boat heading to Costa Rica didn’t leave until 10:30 so we headed down the street to take a look at a small market where people were selling fish and crabs that they had caught out of the lake and the mouth of the river, as well as chickens and bananas. The small crabs were sold ten at a time laced on a string. We watched customers walking through town with this string of crabs, bundles of fish, and live chickens held by their feet. Before long we were on the river boat heading up the Rio San Juan into Costa Rica. During the hour journey we met a nice family: the parents were originally from Nicaragua but now lived and worked in Los Chiles, Costa Rica, while both of their two young boys had been born in Costa Rica. We had heard stories that Costa Rica was full of immigrants and migrant workers from other Central American countries; people were drawn there by the stronger economy. This family was an example.

Once in Costa Rica when I went to pull money out of the bank I realized I didn’t have my credit card. Most likely I never got it back after the last meal but who knows. There wasn’t much I could do about it as we needed to quickly get on a bus to Ciudad Quesada. Luckily we made it in time. Hours later we jumped out of this bus and into another headed for San Jose along the side of a road. The buses here are no longer school buses but instead luxury cruisers. I kinda miss the former. Finally, around 7:00pm at night we checked into our hotel.

When I was 19 I took a trip to Costa Rica, the first trip I had taken to what one might consider the developing world (I had gone with my parents to Acapulco, Mexico when I was 5 or 6 but this was my first trip as a young adult). Landing in San Jose and making our way through the city during a torrential downpour I felt like I was in a completely different world. Entering San Jose this time around, I felt like we were back home. It was instantly obvious that this was the strongest economy in Central America we had seen.

Once settled in the hotel I gave Juan Carlos Hidalgo a call. Although we have never even spoken before, we had corresponded by email. Juan Carlos formerly worked at the Cato Institute and now works with the Libertarian Party in Costa Rica (10% of the Congress in Costa Rica is Libertarian). Unfortunately, he was leaving for Spain the next day, so tonight was our only chance to meet. When I reached him he was at a bar having a few drinks with some friends before his departure, and invited us to join them. I said we would try to make it over after we got a bite to eat, but made no promises as both Em and I were tired after our 28 hour journey.

Dinner recharged us though and an hour and a half later we caught a cab to the La Villa, a bar in a trendy part of Costa Rica. Unfortunately, we never did meet up with Juan Carlos. He might have just left or we might have walked by each other 20 times in the happening place. Although we missed each other, it was great to get out and see some of the San Jose nightlife.

After a few drinks and cruising around the bar one last time we called it a night. Tomorrow we are off to Playa Tamarindo. We have heard that Costa Rica (and all the rest of the Pacific coast of Central America) is being flooded by rain from Hurricane Stan and the dirt roads quickly wash out. We´ll see if we make it.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:45 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 26, 2005

The Journey into Costa Rica

Over breakfast we met an employee at the third hotel named Jose who wanted to give us a tour of the surrounding forest in exchange for practicing English with him during the walk. We all agreed to meet at one o’clock to give us plenty of time to do the hike, eat lunch, and then catch the 4:00pm bus to get up the ferry for San Carlos which left at 7 pm.

Before the hike we explored a bit more of the island on our own heading to the south. It is really a beautiful place and once we ended up back at the hotel I took a swim in the lake. The water on this side of the island is like glass and I floated out in the lake for a long while just listening to the howler monkeys on shore and watching flocks of parrots fly by. It felt like a place I would come back to.

At one we met up with Jose and he took us on the hike. I had questioned whether we really needed him in the morning thinking it was an easy trail to follow. As it turns out we would have been totally lost without him. When we finally emerged from the jungle at the end of the hike near the hotel, I was so turned around I thought we were getting close to the other side of the island.

During the hike we saw large parrots, bats, howler monkeys, and white-faced capuchin monkeys. It was well worth it. Back at the hotel Jose was our waiter for lunch and I gave him a good tip to thank him. He was also an amazing student. He had started to learn English, practically on his own, six months ago and was already nearly fluent. Every time he heard a phrase he didn’t know he wrote it down in a booklet he carried in his pocket which he would study every night. It was impressive.

We were packed and waiting on the side of the road with our luggage at 4:00 but the bus never came. We were told it probably broke down and there would be another one at 5:30 but it never came either. Some howler monkeys entertained us in the huge trees across the road. Everytime a bus would roar by (in the opposite direction from where we wanted to go) the howlers would let out their deep growns in response. At 5:45 we flagged down a pickup full of people in the back. I asked how much it would be to Altagracia, but the guy in the back just started to grab the bags and told me not to worry about it. I asked the driver again, not wanting to get charged more than we had on us once we arrived, but he said he was heading that way already and it would be free of charge. He dropped us off 20 minutes later at the edge of town.

We walked another 2km to the port, most of it with a 17 year old named Diego who worked for a hotel in Altagracia. Another nice kid and another diligent English student.

We thought everything was going to plan when we arrived at the port but when we went to buy tickets we were informed by the ladies behind the counter that ticket sales stopped at 6:00pm and we were 20 minutes too late. I asked if there was any possible way that we could buy a ticket as missing this boat meant that we would have to wait another 3 days on the island and we were already low on cash. There was no way one of the women replied and turned her back to me and sat down. Rules were rules and they couldn’t or didn’t want to see beyond them. I was dumbfounded feeling like I was dealing with DMV employees, quite a difference from the bus service we had encountered throughout Central America where bus operators begged you to get on their bus as it was pulling out of the station.

After I offered to pay more for the ticket which got another resounding no from the lady who had turned her back on me, Em started in explaining how the buses were not running and we had been walking for some time just to get to here 20 minutes late. To my surprise the she looked around and saw us both dripping with sweat. “These poor kids” she said “they’ve been walking with their bags since Altagracia. Alright we’ll sell you the tickets.” I was shocked but happy.

Soon we were on the boat on the top level. We paid a bit more for the upper level which had air-conditioning, but needless to say the air-conditioning broke two minutes after we were inside. The boat departed around 8:00 and I made my way out on the deck to just sit and watch a lighting storm for the first 2 hours of the ride as I unwound. Em after writing in her journal eventually joined me but just as she came outside it began to rain. Back inside the boat I found room to lie down under one of the benches and Em found a place next to me under the table. We made a few stops during the 8 hour journey through the night. At 3 in the morning I woke up to the sound of 10 year olds selling hot coffee and tortillas and queso fresco signaling we were docked. These kids have an unbelievable work ethic. Unable to sleep I made my way out on the deck to watch crews unload cargo such as bananas before we departed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:50 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 25, 2005

Ojo de Agua

Today we set off walking through the banana tree fields after breakfast towards the Ojo de Agua, a natural spring about a mile north of our hotel. Once there we met the lady in charge of the place and paid a one dollar fee that allowed us to use the pool that had been constructed for swimming.

It was a fun and relaxing time. A family from the island was there at the same time and Em got some great photos of both the older kids jumping off the rope swing and the youngest member of the family, a 6 month old boy who was enjoying his first trip to the spring.

On the way back to the hotel we got a good view of some howler monkeys that were passing over the road as we were walking back. There is definitely a plethora of wildlife on the island.

Since the island has no banks, and we were running low on cash, we had dinner at the third hotel, which was the most expensive of the bunch in Santo Domingo but it accepted credit cards. It was a good meal and we’ve decided that our final two meals here will be here tomorrow since we can pay with my visa. We don’t want to run out of cash for the ferry to the Costa Rican border.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:47 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 24, 2005

Isla de Ometepe

We woke up and grabbed a bus to Rivas where we next jumped on a taxi towards Lago de Nicaragua. First, though, in the bus lot leaving Granada, Em spotted a friend from highschool that she used to play basketball with jumping on another bus. She raced the bus down and knocked on the window. Tish Landis was heading to Costa Rica. Crazy. Before long were on a small cargo boat headed to Isla de Ometepe, an island created from two volcanos, located right in the middle of the lake. The best part of the boat ride was when some Nicaraguan boys in bathing suits who were with us on the ferry as we left the dock, ran and dove off the top deck to swim back. It looked like great fun.

Once on the island we jumped aboard a bus headed to Playa Santo Domingo, a beach on the north side of the island. We arrived about an hour and a half later. There were three hotels in town but we headed for Hospedaje Buena Vista (recommended by Eelco and Bas) run by island native Byron Flores. Not only was it the cheapest but in our opinion it was also the best. Hammocks and rocking chairs lined the patio which opened up to a great view of the lake. Not only was it beautiful but we were the only guests in the hotel so we had the whole place to ourselves.

We had dinner at the next hotel over whose owner I talked to for a while before we ate about politics in both Nicaragua and the U.S. While we were eating, a curious and aggressive cat came to our table looking for some food. We broke down and threw her a few bites of fish. She disappeared quickly. We found out later that she was a cat from our hotel that had just had kittens.

To my delight, as we were finishing up our meal, I heard HBO Boxing come on the television in the lobby. After paying the bill we headed inside and I watched a Miguel Cotto fight with a worker from the hotel while Em and his girlfriend were bored to tears. The Klitchco/Peters match that was supposed to be up next wasn’t show on Nicaraguan TV and I told the guy that Em had gotten lucky. “So did she…” he replied gesturing towards his girlfriend. We headed back to the hotel and got some sleep.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:41 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 23, 2005

Las Islas

This morning we took a tour of several small islands that lay off the shore of Granada. Our guide, Roberto, was hilarious. He just kept feeding us one comic story after another. They ranged from him being attacked by a monkey, eating a grilled horse leg for $50, the day before putting a friend who had passed out in a gutter roaring with water as tourists passed by, and many more. He had a real soft side too as he shared stories with us about his adopted one and a half year old son and the various pets he had back at his house. He, like Miguel in El Salvador, was about to become a citizen of the U.S., he had passed the test and just needed to be sworn in.

The islands surrounding Granada were beautiful. Several had incredible vacation homes on them. Some were home to local fishermen and their families with basic houses beyond the mangroves. Three monkeys lived on one of the small islands. We stopped at one island that had a restaurant for a drink and a swim. Em of course got some more great photos.

The afternoon was hectic as we rushed around to purchase our airplane tickets to Venezuela as well as outbound tickets to Panama from San Jose. It amazingly all worked out and at 6:00 we went out to grab a bite to eat.

We ordered a plate for two that turned out to be huge portions of various greasy appetizers. There were chicken wings, fried bananas, even fried cheese. Needless to say I was in heaven. As we were finishing two ten year old boys came in who saw us packing up the leftovers. They asked if they could have some so of course we gave them some food and they were off. One of them came back into the restaurant 2 minutes later and asked if he could just have the entire bag of leftovers so he could share them with his friends. We handed it over and as the boy, surprised, exited the restaurant and screamed “Marcos!!!” to his friend across the street, holding up the bag victoriously as if he had won the lottery.

That attracted the attention of another young boy who was 12. He came in and after offering to sell us some cashews asked if he could have some food. We’d just given away all the good stuff we explained, but he pointed to the bed of lettuce and vegetables that the appetizers had come on. If he wanted it, it was his, we explained, so he sat down next to us and devoured the salad as we talked to him about his living situation. He described what he and his family had to eat on a daily basis. Gallo pinto, a mixture of flavored rice and black beans, which comes with practically every meal in Central America, was the staple. They rarely had chicken and rarely vegetables. It is a telling sign when a 12 year old boy gulps down huge bites of salad as if it were ice cream.

Another group of nine and ten year olds passing by saw the boy eating next to us and came in to see if they could get any food. We explained there was nothing left yet they pointed to the plate of leftover bones from the chicken wings. “There’s still some meat on those,” they said with a somewhat dumbfounded look on their faces. Em put these leftovers together on some napkins for them and they thanked us and were out the door cleaning the bones completely. It was a heart-wrenching scene.

As we were getting up to leave, Carlos, from the night before came by. He walked with us to the plaza with his hand on Em’s arm and I gave him some money and some advice. It really didn’t seem like he wanted any advice though. I’m not sure if it was because he was only 7 years old or because he was a very hardened 7 year old and didn’t want to be taking advice from a gringo. Either way you could tell he smart nice kid. You’d have to be inhuman not to feel for all these young guys.

That night back at the hotel we talked some more with Eelco and Bas, a couple from the Netherlands, who we had met earlier in the day. If you thought we were on a long trip take a look at their website, www.baseneelco.nl. They have been traveling for the last 11 months in the south of Mexico and Central America with no set date for returning home. Along the way they make websites for hotels (both have masters in computer science) and often stay for free because of it. They plan on traveling around the globe but if they get tired are just going to head back. Next up they are going to do a big loop through South America, and then head up through the Caribbean to the U.S. They might stop by and see us in California in about a year and half.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:38 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 22, 2005

A Day In the Cafes

Today was a very quiet day. We spent the morning exploring the city and relaxing in intent cafes narrowing down our options for getting to Venezuela. It was a nice change of pace and we enjoyed just taking it easy.

Over dinner a 7 year old boy came up to us and asked us if we had any spare change. We didn’t at the time but instead I gave him a pen we had bought in Mexico that was surrounded by colorful threads. He liked it and after I asked him his name, Carlos, I took the pen from him and wrote it on the palm of my hand, along with my own name Peter.

Immediately he was writing on his own hand trying to spell out his name. I gave him some paper to practice and wrote out both our names as an example and he diligently practiced writing until we left. You could tell he was another good kid in a tough situation.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:34 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 21, 2005

Huelga

Entering the hotel after breakfast, it looked like all hell was breaking loose in the city on the TV people were watching in the courtyard. People were getting arrested by the cops, cameras followed bloodied individuals who had been hurt in skirmishes between the police and bus operators, and there were reports that the strikers were blocking traffic and lighting tires on fire across the city.

The reason for all this mess is that while all buses in the country used for transportation are privatized, by law if you want to operate a bus you must belong to the union. In exchange for granting the union monopoly operating privileges, the government sets price controls on how much they can charge. With the price of gasoline soaring in Nicaragua, as in the rest of the world, the bus operators say they need to be able to charge more in order to recover their costs. Well, politicians don’t want to raise the price cap because then they are going to get an earful (at the minimum) from their constituents. So that was the basis of the strike that had now turned violent

A guy from Nicaragua in the hotel explained that like many things in the country the people suffer on both ends. The politicians say they are going to control how much the buses can charge, but then gas goes up and they have problems like this. Another example he gave me was that politicians attempting to control the price of electricity for the masses passed laws that only let prices go up for businesses (i.e. consumers who used over a certain amount of electricity a month). But as this meant even greater price increases for businesses than what otherwise would have been, the businesses pass the cost onto the consumer in the form of higher prices. Again, life is harder for ordinary Nicaraguans.

Although we were packed and ready to go on our tour, the guide never showed up, which we decided was probably for the better. In the hotel a guest from Honduras and one of his friends/coworkers from Nicaragua I had talked to earlier gave us a lift across town so we could get on a bus out of town to Granada. They even walked us to the bus to make sure we got on the right one. On the way it was interesting getting their perspectives on Central America.

An hour later we were in Granada. It is similar to Antigua in appearances and both duke it out for the title of “oldest city in the Americas”, but Em and I agree we both like this place better. There is more of a sleepy, local vibe here, where in Antigua we felt like we were in big tourist bubble. The hotel is great. Over lunch a young kid selling things table to table got lightly hit by a car that was backing up. Surprised and angry, he yelled at the driver but was mainly ignored as the guy sped off. He broke into tears but luckily the lady from the restaurant brought him inside and gave him some food and a coke to try to help him feel better.

Tonight we ate tacos and talked to a group of 17 year olds we met in the plaza about life here in Nicaragua. Tomorrow we plan on just relaxing and trying to finalize our airline tickets to Caracas.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:31 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 20, 2005

Off to Managua

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then jumped into a taxi and were off to the bus station. Before leaving though we talked to Bob and Sarah, the couple we had met yesterday, who suggested some hotels in Granada we might want to consider staying at.

A couple hours bouncing around in the back of another school bus brought us to Managua. The LP guide only lists one area of town to stay in, but it looked like there were many options so we picked one that had a decent description in the book and had the taxi driver take us there. Driving through the city all the buses were lined up on the side of the roads as the city buses were currently on strike. On the way our driver warned us that in this area of the city we were staying tourists were known to get mugged so we should be careful.

The driver got a bit turned around when we were looking for the hotel and as he was flipping a U-turn in the intersection a 18 year old kid came up and asked where we were going. When the driver told him the name of the hotel he handed us a business card of the same hotel through the back window and then took off in a sprint towards the place. The driver tried to beat him in a race for the commission but we all arrived at the same time. The elderly lady who ran the place had me testify as to exactly what happened and in the end the taxi driver walked with the commission. I gave the young guy the change in my pocket so he wouldn’t walk away empty handed but he was still disappointed with the outcome.

When asked about a good place to eat we were again warned about getting robbed in the neighborhood and were told to only take enough money for lunch and to leave all valuables locked in the room. That way if we did get robbed we wouldn’t lose too much. Not the type of neighborhood I really wanted to be in and to my surprise the guidebook said nothing about any kind of danger.

We walked down the street and found a good buffet and had a good meal. On the way back I found a place to get a haircut, which I desperately needed, so I found out how much it was and ran back to the hotel to grab some more cash. Eveling, the girl who cut my hair, confirmed as well that the neighborhood had gotten worse in the last year, which explained why the guidebook said nothing about any kind of danger. Luckily there have not been any cases of anyone getting hurt, that these kids will flash a knife to scare tourists, and then take their cash but if you told them no and then walked off they most likely wouldn’t do a thing. She said that the police had been more lax about crime in the area recently but it didn’t have anything to do with a change in political parties. She also said that poverty was the excuse people used but at the same time there were a lot of these kids that just didn’t want to work. As an example, she said the other day she was washing windows outside the shop and a kid walked up and asked for a cordoba. When she replied that she would give him five cordobas if he would help her he replied that he asked her to give him money, not a job.

That night at dinner around the corner we ran into the brother and sister traveling together from Japan that we had met in Guatemala. They were in Managua for just one night as well and we staying at a place just a block away. No one had told them the neighborhood was dangerous so we debriefed them on the situation. In another example of the poverty around this area a kid came up to us as we finished our meal and had us scrape our leftovers into a bag for him to eat. We gave him the food and some cash as well although he didn’t ask for any money. It’s a tough life here without many opportunities.

After dinner we exchanged emails at our hotel and then said goodnight. Tomorrow we have a tour planned at 9:00pm of the city. It should be interesting to compare it to San Salvador.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:29 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 19, 2005

Selva Negra

Today we spend the majority of the day at Selva Negra, a park with old growth cloud forest, a coffee plantation and a hotel originally founded by a German couple decades ago. It is about 15 km north of the city and features several hiking trails where you can explore the Nicaraguan forests. It was very muddy given that it had just rained but we managed the trails.

During the hike we met a couple that was also backpacking through Central America. They were in the process of moving from England to Australia, this trip being their vacation in-between. We hiked with them for a bit and actually got to see some howler monkeys from the top of one of the ridges.

After making our way back down we had a snack at the hotel and then walked to the road where we caught a bus back to town. We had a great dinner at a little restaurant in town and then after attempting to catch up on some email on a very slow internet connection we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:25 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 18, 2005

Crossing Into Nicaragua

Today, after eating at a great breakfast place the little guy on the right led us to, we jumped in a colectivo van that took us to the border. The driver and the collector almost got it as full as the bus last night but not quite. Em had a 7 year old on her lap most of the ride and in all there were 26 people in the mini-van. No kidding. Soon though we had our backpacks on and were walking into Nicaragua.

After going through immigration we jumped in a taxi to get to the nearest town Somoto, which was about 20 km away. The driver and I talked about sports, Cuba, Nicaragua and more during the ride. After he dropped us off we were again shortly on another school bus. Before we departed to Esteli we talked with a 12 year old and 15 year old who sold us some bottled water for the trip. When Em asked if they were brothers the older boy replied that they were friends but only at work, as the younger boy would ignore him when he saw him on the street at night. Apparently, he wasn’t popular enough to hang out with the other kids outside of work but Em and I thought he was a sweetheart. We talked to him until our bus left and he shook our hands and said he was happy we met before he jumped off the bus as it pulled out of the station.

Two hours later we arrived in Esteli and found out we needed to head to another terminal to get to Matagalpa. Everyone has been quick to help us out, often without us asking or asking for anything in return. At about 4:30 we pulled into Matagalpa. It turns out that we are here for the annual town agricultural fair which today featured a huge parade through town with horses and floats.

We found a hotel, watched the parade, grabbed some food, and then made our way to the fair where at 8:00 I got to see my first live rodeo. We talked with a family next to us who had 4 boys ranging from 6-11 and a little girl who was 4 years old. The rodeo was a bit disappointing as it mainly consisted of a young bull bucking someone within 5 seconds and then 5 minutes of the clowns torturing the poor animal that was clearly confused and outmatched. Still it was an interesting experience. I had to keep reminding myself where I was. Traveling through all of these countries in such a short time it is easy to lose track. Also, being at a rodeo is one of the last things I thought I would be doing on my first night in Nicaragua.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:20 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 17, 2005

No Maximum Occupancy

It was an adventurous day of travel. Over breakfast we saw the first other tourists we have seen in El Salvador. It was a couple from Australia who were about to head out to the coast to spend 3-weeks surfing. They borrowed our guidebook over the meal to get the names of a few places to say and then were off.

We packed up our bags and before long were on a series of buses to get to the Honduran border at El Amatillo. Arriving at the bus station in San Salvador we were swarmed by guys trying to get us to ride on their buses. Within 3 minutes we were jumping aboard the bus we wanted which was already rolling out of the station. Experiencing how well all of these private buses operate getting everyone across the country or wherever else they want to go for practically nothing makes me wonder if we really need public transportation in the U.S.

At the border, now about 12:30, we jumped on a bike taxi and made our way through customs and immigration. Once in Honduras I had to haggle with the guy who gave us a ride because upon exiting the bus he said he’d give us a ride for a small tip and I stupidly jumped on the bike without realizing his definition of small was $10. In the end it all worked out though after some negotiation.

Driving through Honduras on yet another school bus the first thing that stood out was how many more animals grazed on the sides of the road. Goats, cows, pigs, and more. The highway was like a big farm. We bounced around in the back of the bus and after another couple hours we were in Choluteca, one of the largest cities in the south of the country. We collected our bags and hurried off to find the bus to San Marcos, a town near the Nicaraguan border which would be our final destination.

The police blocked the way of the bus momentarily as a thief has stolen something from a woman directly in front of us. They were trying to figure out what had happened. Before long though we were off… unfortunately not for long.

About 20 minutes into the ride the bus broke down and everyone on our bus that was already full, had to make our way onto another bus that was already half full. I was considering just spending the night in Choluteca but we decided to go for it as it would really make our trip tomorrow much easier if we could make it to San Marcos. One of the operators threw our bags uptop and tied them down, so now we definitely had to get onto the bus. One problem though. There was no, and I mean absolutely no room at this point. Every seat was full and isles were so packed that people were literally coming out the doors.

I left Em at the rear entrance with instruction for her to beg her way on if need be. I could tell there was no way both of us were getting on at this entrance as an older lady and kid were already packed tightly together on the last step. I was able to get a foot on the bottom step near the driver, getting half my body aboard. At the rear of the bus I could see one of the bus operators making sure Em got squeezed in.

We drove off with two guys hanging out the front exit, half my body hanging over the edge, and all in all about 5 of us on the bottom step or hanging out the door. I was shocked when the bus continued to stop to pick people up. Soon there were about 5 guys hanging on the bars that extended out to the side view mirror or from the windows. Just when I thought “Well, at least we are going to make it” we turned a corner where a police pickup was parked and quickly waved us over. Initially when the guys outside saw it they all tried to cram inside to hide but not even one person more could fit. Next thing I knew the cops had the driver out of the bus and were talking to him and the other operator.

I asked a guy next to me if they were going to detain the bus, but he replied they probably just wanted a bribe and then would let us go. “Bienvenidos a Honduras” he jokingly told me. Sure enough the driver shortly made his way back to where we were standing, slyly took out his wallet beyond the view of the policemen, and removed a 20 lempira bill, although I could see he had much more. He made his way back to the police and after paying the bribe we were on our way again. This time it was tougher as we all had to give the bottom step to a mother with her 3 year old daughter. The poor young girl was having a temper-tantrum with such a hot, packed bus so we all gave her some room in hopes that the girl would relax a bit. This meant that I too was completely hanging outside the bus like I was riding a cable car in San Francisco, which I enjoyed, but unfortunately didn’t help to calm the little girl down who continued to throw a fit for the next 45 minutes.

Slowly people departed the bus and about 1.5 hours into the trip I finally got a seat. The views were incredible as we made our way through the highlands of Honduras. Finally we made it to San Marcos at about 5:00pm after a long day of traveling. An elderly gentleman who Em had been talking to during the ride walked us to the pension in town and showed us where to get a cheap dinner.

We eventually got to sleep despite a good deal of noise on the street (I’m also sick again with a bad cold which doesn’t help). Tomorrow: Nicaragua.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:17 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 16, 2005

Touring San Salvador

We woke up and grabbed some breakfast and at 9:30 were back at the hotel to meet with Miguel who was taking us on our tour of the city. After speaking for the first half hour in Spanish we found out that Miguel was a resident of the U.S., had lived there for a year, and was in the process of becoming a citizen. We started speaking in English which was kind of a nice break as we didn’t have to worry about missing anything.

During the day we toured a good deal of San Salvador and the surrounding areas. We got to see the main soccer stadium from a nearby hill, visited a national park called the Puerto de Diablo where we could see all the way to the ocean, sampled pupusas s, a cornmeal, chicharron and queso mixture, in a local restaurant, passed through the suburbs where a growing middle class was visibly thriving, and we again headed into downtown to look at the cathedral.

We talked with Miguel about a variety of subjects: gangs, the civil war with the FMLN, the dollarization of the economy and much more. One interesting discussion we had was when I asked him if the economic growth was only benefiting a certain portion of the population who already were well off. In essence, if people were born into a poor family were they trapped there?

While he acknowledged that of course it was harder to come from a family with scarce resources it definitely could be done. Living proof was his own family. His father had started making money as a young boy selling milk, later working his way up to other products. It wasn’t until he was 19 years old that he bought his first pair of shoes. Miguel himself had grown up in a one bedroom house with his parents, siblings, and often a cousin or two. Their family was now benefiting from a stable and growing economy that El Salvador was providing.

After the tour and back at the hotel, we headed out. Em ended up getting a manicure from a beauty shop across the street, while I had a few beers watching an under-17 World Cup match. We grabbed some dinner and then shortly afterwards called it a night. Tomorrow: Honduras.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:13 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 15, 2005

Chaotic San Salvador

After breakfast at El Mirador, we checked out of our hotel and caught a bit of the independence day parade in the town square where nuns were barbequeing in front of the church, vendors were selling vegetables, and people were enjoying their plaza. A bit reluctant to leave, we caught a bus and were off to San Salvador. We changed buses in Somoto, where we were joined by a bunch of university students who were on their way to the capital to watch the university team from Somoto compete in the Central American Championships (tonight we found out they won the game 5-2).

Entering the capital city it looked relatively prosperous. There were lots of franchises, everything ranging from Goodyear to fast-food. Once at the bus station we caught a cab with a friendly driver to our hotel near the center of the city. We checked in and decided to immediately get out and explore the center of the city and get a bit to eat.

Heading towards the cathedral in the center of the city it became apparent that San Salvador had one of the largest and most centrally located informal markets we have seen in our travels. Music was blaring from every corner and one plaza, just a block from the cathedral, was completely covered with small informal restaurants. Everything from nail polish to Converse shoes to pineapples to video games was for sale, and it seemed as though the market was slowly swallowing up the streets and sidewalks and surrounding buildings. It was a bit overwhelming.

We found a great little restaurant where we were served up with huge portions of all types of food (cafeteria style) for about $4 a plate. Afterwards we looked without luck for an ATM but all the banks were closed. We made our way back to the hotel and after a stop at a bar where I had some excellent chorizo and a beer we decided to call it a night. Tomorrow we’re taking a tour of the city which we hope will be interesting.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:07 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 14, 2005

The Waterfalls in Juayua

Today we woke up and had breakfast at a nice place on the other side of the plaza called El Mirador. The owner was super friendly and let us take a look at the new edition of the Lonely Planet over breakfast. Her hotel wasn’t listed in our version (we bought ours in 2002) but was featured in the latest version.

We also inquired about getting a guide to head to the waterfalls which had been highly recommended by both the LP guide and Sonia at the hotel. She said that Manuel who worked at the hotel could take us but he was finishing some painting. He came out and introduced himself and we all agreed to meet at one o’clock to head over to the falls.

We came back at one and were shortly off to the falls. Manuel was a great guy and we talked about El Salvador as we made our way. I really was not expecting much, so I was taken aback when we finally made it to the site. There was a large underground river the fed the falls and it was really breathtaking.

It began to rain, but we continued. After the first set of falls we continued down the path to another set of falls, this one with a swimming hole constructed out of concrete directly below. I jumped in for a quick swim in the crisp water, which felt great after the walk. According to Manuel the pools were constructed by a resident of the Juayua years and years ago for the community and to help attract tourists. At least in our case it worked.

Manuel walked us back to the hotel and we said we would probably see him tomorrow when we stopped by for breakfast before the trip to El Salvador. Tonight we made our way to the plaza again where we saw another performance by a local school and decided to stay for the “Liberty Torch” to make its way into town at about 10 o’clock, despite pouring rain. Tonight we came prepared with raincoats so we stayed dry.

When it finally did arrive the scene was a bit like the Olympics as people ran with the torch with a long line of cars and crowds and ambulances with sirens in tow. They lit the lantern in the town plaza and then the huge throng of people were off again, supposedly to the Guatemalan border. It was another fun night and easy to get caught up in the excitement. Tomorrow we are off to San Salvador.

Posted by Peter Mork at 12:03 AM | Comments | TrackBack

September 13, 2005

Crossing the Salvadoran Border

We grabbed a quick breakfast in the morning and then were off in a shuttle to Guatemala City. We dropped off a few people at the airport and then made our way into town to catch a bus. I had called the day before and found a line that could drop us off in Ahuachapan, in northern El Salvador, but when we stopped to drop off Nick, a 22 year-old Australian who was heading to San Salvador, we found out that the bus he was taking could also drop us off so we just jumped on the bus with him.

Leaving the city in the bus took a while but it was fun to get at least a glimpse of Guatemala City. Soon we were in the countryside though and making our way to the border. The whole time we were chatting with Nick, a nice guy from Australia. He had been traveling by himself for 2 and a half months and was halfway done with his trip.

Crossing the border was relatively easy but a tad bit hectic. Exiting the bus for our Guatemalan exit stamp, the bus driver put his fingers to his lips and told us to change money on the El Salvador side of the border as it was “dangerous” in Guatemala. Getting swarmed by currency exchangers as we made our way to immigration a few asked it we wanted colones. Colones have not circulated in El Salvador for years as the economy was dollarized in 2001.

Back on the bus, we drove across the border, which was a bridge over a river, and made our way to the immigration office. We had not changed money yet so luckily Em and I had enough dollars left over from the U.S. to cover both our $10 entry fees as well as Nick’s so none of us had to run out, change some money, and then be at the end of the line.

Outside we changed money. It was bizarre seeing dollars again, but it sure will be a lot easier for us. I asked the money changer if he was scared carrying so much money around. He said not really, although he had been robbed in 1994. Supposedly the police “anterior” had taken something like $3000. I asked if things were better now and he said somewhat.

Fifteen miles into El Salvador the bus pulled off to the side of the road at what was apparently our stop, and Em and I jumped off. The guy who unloaded our bags said a collective would be passing soon and sure enough as the bus was pulling off we saw one approaching. We jumped aboard and I made sure the driver would let us know where to get off for the bus to Juayua. I had the feeling we were really getting off the beaten track when a twelve year old boy couldn’t take his eyes off me in the van. Apparently he was not used to seeing two gringos on this route.

Ten minutes later we were standing at another fork in the road on the outskirts of Ahuachapan. It looked like a fairly prosperous town judging by the appearance of some very clean franchise restaurants. A vendor selling cola gave us some stools to sit down on while we waited and he let us know the bus should pass by shortly.

Before long an old US school bus pulled up and we were off to Juayua. The ride was great, heading through mountains covered with rows of coffee plants, despite there being a somewhat shady character that decided to sit right in front of us. Everyone else was great helping us out. The highlight of the trip for Em was when an 8 week old husky puppy got on for part of the ride with its mom and owners.

We pulled into Juayua in the afternoon and found a great place to stay at Casa de Huespedes Dona Mercedes. We literally had the whole place to ourselves as we were the only guests. We headed out for a bite to eat and had a roast chicken meal as we watched Real Madrid get dominated by Lyon. We had some coffee on the plaza and watched a group of little kids in yellow uniforms following a teacher cross the street. They were on their way to exercise in the plaza.

That night we heard some drumming and made our way out to the street to see a school parade heading to the plaza. It was another event for Independence Day (all of the Central American countries have the same day of independance, September 15). Suddenly, it started to pour rain, and cute little kids were running everywhere for cover. The show went on, however. The highlight of the performances was a group of about ten 5 year old girls dressed as flowers dancing. The low point of the performance was when the principal of the school droned on and on how the Twin Towers didn’t fall on September 11th, 2001, but had fallen long ago when the U.S. turned its back on God.

For the first time, we feel like we are the only foreigners in town. We’ve heard that many people come from the capital on the weekends to enjoy the weekly food fair, but right now we are the only outsiders here.

When we got back to the hotel, Sonia, the owner of the place, said that she saw us on the local television station that was broadcasting the event. Guess we just used up 1 or 2 more minutes of our 15 minutes of fame.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:57 PM | Comments | TrackBack

September 12, 2005

Internet in Antigua

We decided against hiking up the volcano today and instead just had a laid back day in town. After our dollar breakfasts that included eggs, queso fresco, tortillas, beans and a cup of Guatemalan coffee we set out to buy more supplies for the trip and to send a package home. We found a DHL office and while sending off a package of books home I enquired about where the headquarters was located. Turns out that they used to have their main offices in San Francisco, but have since moved them to Germany. That made sense as there was an office in the outskirts of Havana. We also bought tickets to Guatemala City where we will hopefully be catching a bus to El Salvador.

Midday we ran into the group of European girls (one from Spain, one from France, and one from Belgium) who had traveled with us from San Cristobal to Panajachel. They were by far the most linguistically talented group we have me on the trip so far. They work for the EU website writing articles on current events, and between them they spoke 6 different languages. They are also leaving tomorrow but heading in the opposite direction up to Tikal.

The afternoon was spent uploading photos and updating the site which is always fun with a slow connection. We went through 2 internet cafes and many but at least we got some photos and writing up before El Salvador, where we really don’t know what the connections will be like.

For dinner we grabbed some sandwiches and then were off to bed. Tomorrow will be in our 4th country.

Posted by Peter Mork at 11:51 PM | Comments | TrackBack

Leaving La Ruta Maya

Tomorrow we are off to El Salvador. The time in Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala has flown by. We’ve visited indigenous Mayan villages outside of San Cristóbal, explored Lake Atitlán, checked out the local wares at the market at Chichicastenango, and much more.

We’ve updated our photo site with new images from Oaxaca south to Guatemala. Check out the Blessing of the Animals in Oaxaca.

We will check in soon.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:59 PM | Comments | TrackBack

September 11, 2005

Exploring Antigua

During breakfast, reading a local newspaper, I found a sad story that fortunately has a happy ending. The article chronicled the last three years of the life of a young boy from Guatemala. He and his two sisters were orphaned by their mother years ago. Three years ago, his sisters were adopted by a family from the United States, but he had run away from the orphanage at this point and when he returned he found out that his sisters had left the country. At the age of 9 he decided to set out on foot to find them. During his first attempt, not knowing much about the geography of the world, he headed in the wrong direction and didn't realize that the United States was in the other direction until he was in Honduras. Subsequently, he had to travel back to Guatemala. Over the past 3 years he has been apprehended in Mexico six times and quickly returned to Guatemala. This last week, now 12 years old, he was finally put in touch with his 14-year-old and 9-year-old sisters in the United States after a astute Mexican official decided to give the child some help. It turns out that the family in the U.S., unbeknownst to this young boy, had planned to adopt him with his sisters three years ago, and now will be able to finalize the process which will reunite him with the only family members he knows. I'll try to see if I can find a copy online for people back home to read as it really is inspiring.

After a quick breakfast, and finishing some more of the newspaper, we walked to theParque Central where we were hearing some pounding drums. To our surprise we found the main square filled with young Guatemalans in marching band uniforms. Representing different local schools, the marching bands were performing as part of the Guatemalan Independence celebrations. Hundreds of kids, decked out in different uniforms, playing instruments all at the same time as they marched by the government building was quite a sight to see. We remembered hearing several different school bands practicing (for this event, I guess) when we were in Lake Atitlan.

Next, we headed over to some ruins on the edge of town. The ruins were of a giant colonial cathedral that was built between 1701 and 1707 but was completely destroyed in a huge earthquake in the 1750's. While most of the walls are still intact, the grounds are covered with huge portions of the ceiling. As we took photos of the ruins, a modeling photo-shoot was taking place right next to us.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped to watch part of a soccer match that was being played in a dirt field, with the impressive volcano, Volcan Agua, looming in the background.

After reviewing our last few bank statements we are really trying to cut back on our expenditures. So today we had a cheap lunch, explored around town a bit, and then just caught up on some reading in an internet café. For dinner we splurged and had 6 tacos, instead of three, but it was well worth it. We are in the process of figuring out the best way to make it through El Salvador, where we will be headed in the next few days. It's fast-paced traveling, but we are loving it.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:48 PM | Comments | TrackBack

September 10, 2005

Mental Note: Don’t Swing from Hanging Vines

This morning we woke up early to visit a nature reserve right outside of town before we had to catch the shuttle to Antigua. The reserve was great; we were the only ones there. We hiked around the place for a few hours, during which we were able to cross suspension bridges and see waterfalls, spider monkeys, and a butterfly farm that was also home to an injured hawk. The only bad part about the hike was when I decided to swing from a vine hanging from a tree crossing the pathway. Needless to say it broke, I slipped on a rock, and landed directly in a pool of muddy stagnant water. To remember the moment properly, we’ve got a photo of the stagnant pool.

We caught a little open-aired cab back to our hotel, got a quick bite to eat at a restaurant right next door, said goodbye to our buddy Miguel, and then soon were off to Antigua in the shuttle.

Once in town we found a decent hotel and set off to explore the city. It reminds us of San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico (in the highlands, terracotta tile roofs, indigenous Mayan influence, cobblestone streets) but has its own feel. Definitely a lot of tourists here; it is more of an established tourist destination than San Cristobal, however you can sense the same dangerous undercurrent as is around Lake Atitlan. Everyone is advised to be accompanied by a tourist policeman when visiting the nearby volcano, the town’s overlook, or the cemetary. Yet all of these things are advertised as popular tourist excursions. We’re probably just going to wander around town for a few days. We had a good dinner and then headed back to the hotel to make plans for the next few days.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:44 PM | Comments | TrackBack

September 9, 2005

Lago de Atitlán

Today, after breakfast chatting with our favorite Guatemalan so far (our fourteen-year-old waiter Miguel), we caught a boat to San Pedro, a town directly across the lake. On the boat we met an adventurous brother and sister from Japan that were traveling through the area. They had just made their way from Cancun through the Yucatan into the north of Guatemala. With limited English and practically no Spanish they had crossed the Mexican-Guatemalan border at a remote and daring location. The sister explained to me how they were both scared to death as they were the only foreigners, and a boat full of guns was being unloaded into Mexico where they were crossing the river border. Being from Japan they said they were not used to seeing guns, which made it all the more terrifying for them. They are basically headed in the same direction as us and will be leaving from Panama City in a month.

San Pedro was a funky little town. A mix of bohemian type foreigners who lived there and locals gave it an interesting feel. I initially wanted to climb the volcano near the town but when I inquired about a guide they said it was too late in the day. Instead we decided to have drinks at a lakeside restaurant and watched a middle-aged German lady in a tiedied shirt lead her horse and five dogs to the lake for a drink. While our waiter was a local, the cook behind the counter was a dread-locked Europpean.

Our outdated Lonely Planet suggested several hikes to neighboring towns, which sounded like a good backup plan. But when we inquired about the trail to Santiago Atitlan we were informed that it was probably too dangerous for us to walk. A kid that sold us some peanuts and cashews told us that he didn’t walk over to Santiago to sell his goods anymore after he himself had been robbed by Santiaganos.

Instead we headed in the other direction to a town called San Juan. It was a pleasant walk where we were greeted by several friendly locals walking in the opposite direction or farming along the side of the road. However, once we reached San Juan, hoping to continue walking on the road to the town of San Marcos to catch the boat home, we were again informed, this time by policemen on a motorcycle, that it was far too dangerous to walk along the road connecting the towns. This violent undercurrent was surprising to us. These are sleepy little towns that are inhabited by quite a few foreigners and have seen tourism for a long time. That even locals selling nuts get mugged is unsettling. It taught us not to trust our lonely planet guide and to get second opinions from locals and other travelers. In fact, maybe we should ween ourselves off of the ubiquitous Lonely Planet.

So to get to San Marcos, we jumped in one van and changed to the bed of a pickup truck to make our way safely into the town. It actually would have been a few-hours walk and was just as interesting riding in the back of the truck with several Mayan women who were making the same journey. I helped them lift the large packages that they carried on their heads into the back of the truck. One of the ladies, who appeared to be over 70 years old, was carrying a very heavy, steaming hot cauldron full of something on her head in this manner. Don’t know how they do it. Once there we explored little San Marcos a bit, listened to the local school’s marching band practice, got chased by some dogs, skirted past the foreign-owned meditation retreats and then caught a boat back to Panajachel.

Back in town we had some dinner, checked the internet, and then called it a night.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:36 PM | Comments | TrackBack

September 8, 2005

The Market at Chichicastenango

We were up early and caught a bus to Chichicastenango to see the big market that is held every Thursday and Sunday. Marcelo and Rosi had described it to us back in Sonora, Mexico. It was about an hour’s drive on windy roads through unbelievable Guatemalan countryside.

The market was quite a social event. Block after block of market stalls sold everything from carefully embroidered traditional Mayan clothing to baby chickens. Near the town plaza was the Iglesia de Santo Tomas which had similarities to the one we saw in San Juan Chamula with lots of candles along the ground, pine needles carpeting the floor and incense.

One of Em’s favorite aspects of the market was that everyone was so busy buying and selling stuff that no one seemed to mind her taking pictures. Head over to the photo site to check them out.

We also made our way up to a small Shrine of Pascual Abaj atop a hill that was about a 20 minute walk from the market. A tourguide trying to get us to pay him to lead the way said it was too dangerous to go alone. Our guide book also warned of robberies. But when we walked to the base of the hill a young Mayan girl laughed when we asked if it was dangerous. She then pointed out an elderly British man who was making his way down the hillside. He also confirmed the walk was fine. We found the shrine without any problems.

Back in Panajachel we had dinner outside our hotel in a restaurant that overlooked the lake. Tomorrow we plan on exploring a few of the other small villages around the lake.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:33 PM | Comments | TrackBack