Where to start, where to start. Let's try the beginning. So, I would like to take you guys back to last Thursday. Last Thursday Chandra and I went to get a replacement passport so that we could get on our way. We had been told that the whole process was to only take two hours or so.
First off, very few workers in the embassy actually speak english, secondly like every other bureaucracy it was just a tad convoluted. When we finally made our way up to the window to get a new passport, the man informed us that we could only get an emergency passport provided we had a flight ticket, or some other form of proof of dates on our trip. In his words we were "vagabonds" and thus it wouldn't ruin our travel plans if we had to wait an extra two weeks.
Next on our stop I would like to take you to the next day, Friday. Chandra and I had decided to make the best of our time here in San Jose and we set off to find a climbing gym. We found this kick as little gym with some really fun routes. We were working on a particularly challenging problem when Chandra fell off of the wall and her foot landed half on and half off of the mat. It hurt really bad and she couldn't walk so we decided to go to the hospital. Luckily it wasn't broken but it was bad enough that the doctor told us that Chandra would need to be on crutches for three weeks. Meaning now, that there was no escape from San Jose.
Now, this situation may sound dire and exhausting but it isn't all bad. I've learned a lot about making the best out of a shitty situation. In the last week we have met many great people, seen beautiful parks, museums, clubs, etc. It has given me the opportunity to better know a city and a country. One week ago, I was not impressed with Costa Rica and now I am enamored with it. As silly as it sounds, I am grateful for this opportunity.
Benjamin
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Life is Always Sunny in San Jose
This is Benjamin here writing a blog from San Jose, Costa Rica. I just wanted to repeat that we are fine, no one was hurt and we have just been relaxing and practicing our spanish. Currently we are staying at a funky little hostel. It's filled with Hammocks, Australians, Murals, and the like. We wandered down to the embassy today, and but it had just closed. It turns out the U.S. embassy only likes to be useful between 8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. It looks as though we will head down to the embassy tomorrow morning and be out of here on friday, almost a week later than intended. Ah, the joys of Latin America. On a positive note our hostel is located in the section of town where the transvestite hookers like to hang out. It's actually a pretty good part of town though. Anyway, I best be off, as I have a whole city to explore.
Que le vaya bien!
Benjamin
P.S. We are absolutely fine. In fact, I would say we are in great spirits.
Que le vaya bien!
Benjamin
P.S. We are absolutely fine. In fact, I would say we are in great spirits.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sin Pasaporte!: Stories from a woman with no national identity)
So, for those of you closely following our blog (which is all of you, right?), you would know that based on the aforementioned schedule, we should be on beautiful Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua right now. We should be appreciating the biodiversity that the island has to offer and appreciating the local cuisine.
For those of you who follow syntax closely, you would know that I have used the words "should be" twice now. You would also know that this means we are NOT doing any of the aforementioned things in the aforementioned place.
That's right, we are still in San Jose, Costa Rica, and I'll tell you why.
Come with me on a journey back to the morning of Saturday, June 6th, 2009. Ben, Miles, and I (henceforth known as Malichi, Max, and Chan) were in the bus terminal in San Jose, waiting to get on a 6 hour bus to Penas Blancas, the border crossing into Nicaragua. Chan had to put her bag underneath the bus for the duration of the trip, since it is the size of a toddler and she cannot set it in the bus with her. She had set her money belt in her purse briefly, and pushed the purse behind her back as she loaded the bag into the belly of the bus. The purse was evidently unzipped.
Fast forward about 5 hours. Malichi, Max, and Chan are preparing to arrive in Penas Blancas when Chan realizes that her passport, $50(US), C6,000(CR), her phone card, and her little notebook with all of her addresses are missing. All of these items were kept in her money belt. Her money belt is also missing. She comes to the conclusion that it was removed from her purse in the less than 10 seconds that it was behind her back while loading her bag under the bus.
Malichi, Max, and Chan are not allowed entry to Nicaragua. It is far too late to return to San Jose without risking further theft and/or a situation which would require them to use the "repatriation of remains" clause on their ISIC cards, so they decided to head to the nearest large enough town for the night.
Fast forward to the part where Chan speaks in first person again:
The town we stayed in was called Liberia, the hostel was Hotel Liberia. It was dirty and falling down, complete with a condescending Tico at the front desk who gladly took our money (which was way too much for what we got) and sent us up the dripping stairs to the top floor. After a sleepless night at Hotel Liberia, we did some self-promotion of the blog and then we were on our way.
We hopped a bus to Brasilito, a little town on the coast where we called a hotel run by Aussies "home." Stress was eliminated by spending the next day and a half in the ocean at Playa Conchal and drinking beer on the beach (which was made of seashells). When it was dark, we wandered to a bar and then outside where we found the locals having a horse party (which I'm sure Malichi will tell you more about later). All in all, we agreed that Brasilito was a great place, and maybe it was a good thing we got sidetracked by the passport deal because it made us find somewhere beautiful in Costa Rica.
This morning, we made our (long) way back to San Jose, where we are now, relaxing in a hostel until we can make our way to the embassy tomorrow and put our foreign diplomatic bureaucracy to work. Wish us luck and that we won't have to stay too much longer!
Pura Vida! (or something)
For those of you who follow syntax closely, you would know that I have used the words "should be" twice now. You would also know that this means we are NOT doing any of the aforementioned things in the aforementioned place.
That's right, we are still in San Jose, Costa Rica, and I'll tell you why.
Come with me on a journey back to the morning of Saturday, June 6th, 2009. Ben, Miles, and I (henceforth known as Malichi, Max, and Chan) were in the bus terminal in San Jose, waiting to get on a 6 hour bus to Penas Blancas, the border crossing into Nicaragua. Chan had to put her bag underneath the bus for the duration of the trip, since it is the size of a toddler and she cannot set it in the bus with her. She had set her money belt in her purse briefly, and pushed the purse behind her back as she loaded the bag into the belly of the bus. The purse was evidently unzipped.
Fast forward about 5 hours. Malichi, Max, and Chan are preparing to arrive in Penas Blancas when Chan realizes that her passport, $50(US), C6,000(CR), her phone card, and her little notebook with all of her addresses are missing. All of these items were kept in her money belt. Her money belt is also missing. She comes to the conclusion that it was removed from her purse in the less than 10 seconds that it was behind her back while loading her bag under the bus.
Malichi, Max, and Chan are not allowed entry to Nicaragua. It is far too late to return to San Jose without risking further theft and/or a situation which would require them to use the "repatriation of remains" clause on their ISIC cards, so they decided to head to the nearest large enough town for the night.
Fast forward to the part where Chan speaks in first person again:
The town we stayed in was called Liberia, the hostel was Hotel Liberia. It was dirty and falling down, complete with a condescending Tico at the front desk who gladly took our money (which was way too much for what we got) and sent us up the dripping stairs to the top floor. After a sleepless night at Hotel Liberia, we did some self-promotion of the blog and then we were on our way.
We hopped a bus to Brasilito, a little town on the coast where we called a hotel run by Aussies "home." Stress was eliminated by spending the next day and a half in the ocean at Playa Conchal and drinking beer on the beach (which was made of seashells). When it was dark, we wandered to a bar and then outside where we found the locals having a horse party (which I'm sure Malichi will tell you more about later). All in all, we agreed that Brasilito was a great place, and maybe it was a good thing we got sidetracked by the passport deal because it made us find somewhere beautiful in Costa Rica.
This morning, we made our (long) way back to San Jose, where we are now, relaxing in a hostel until we can make our way to the embassy tomorrow and put our foreign diplomatic bureaucracy to work. Wish us luck and that we won't have to stay too much longer!
Pura Vida! (or something)
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tito´s Life Lessons
My host dad´s name is Tito.
Tito, among other things, is a wise man who knows secrets about the world that many of us could only ever dream to know.
When I first met Tito last week (he was out of the country working until then) I think my first thought was, ¨I dig this guy.¨ He was fun and interesting and always made an effort to talk to me.
This morning he left for work in Guatemala, so my time with Tito is done. (Initially I was sad, until I overheard him talking to my host mom last night while they thought I was asleep. To paraphrase what he said in English, it was something like ¨I don´t like the girl. All she does is eat and sleep and all she says is ´Good Morning,´´Hello,´and ´Goodnight.´ I don´t like the girl.¨ To clarify, they refer to me as ´the girl.´ After hearing this, I was less sad that Tito was leaving, because if Tito doesn´t like me, I don´t like him. I thought we had something good going on, but like many Latin men I have met, he was deceptive. Back to the topic at hand...)
Though my time with him was short, Tito taught me many things about many things, and I would like to share them with you. Below is a list of topics and the lessons he taught me (all of which have been translated to English for your enjoyment):
On to current events:
As Ben said, we are free from the Institution after Friday, so we will hence to San Jose in the early hours of Saturday morning to attempt to buy tickets to Peñas Blancas, the border crossing into Nicaragua. If we succeed in crossing the border, we will hop a bus to Rivas, Nicaragua, where we will most likely stay the night. The next day, we will travel the beautiful Isla de Ometepe, an island formed of two volcanoes in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua.
I have started collecting post cards, so those of you who have given me your addresses will be receiving something eventually, depending from which country I decide to send you a post card. If you still want one, email me your address at ChanPott@gmail.com, and I will add it to my list.
I miss each and every one of you in very quantifiable and (in some cases) tangible ways. I hope you are all well and that you are now living your lives while keeping in mind the lessons my Costa Rican family has provided.
Hasta Luego!
Tito, among other things, is a wise man who knows secrets about the world that many of us could only ever dream to know.
When I first met Tito last week (he was out of the country working until then) I think my first thought was, ¨I dig this guy.¨ He was fun and interesting and always made an effort to talk to me.
This morning he left for work in Guatemala, so my time with Tito is done. (Initially I was sad, until I overheard him talking to my host mom last night while they thought I was asleep. To paraphrase what he said in English, it was something like ¨I don´t like the girl. All she does is eat and sleep and all she says is ´Good Morning,´´Hello,´and ´Goodnight.´ I don´t like the girl.¨ To clarify, they refer to me as ´the girl.´ After hearing this, I was less sad that Tito was leaving, because if Tito doesn´t like me, I don´t like him. I thought we had something good going on, but like many Latin men I have met, he was deceptive. Back to the topic at hand...)
Though my time with him was short, Tito taught me many things about many things, and I would like to share them with you. Below is a list of topics and the lessons he taught me (all of which have been translated to English for your enjoyment):
- America´s Next Top Model: This is a show where girls stop eating and compete to see who can be the prettiest, but they are all actually ugly.
- Penguins: They live in very cold climates. Penguins could not survive in Costa Rica.
- This fruit in my hand: Es una naranja. En inglés, ¨orange.¨
- Rodeos: They have rodeos in Texas. They are only in Texas. We may think we have rodeos in Wyoming, but they only happen in Texas.
- Chinese food:This food is very healthy because they use a lot of vegetables
- Black people and white women:These are the only people in the United States that are obese.
- Obese people: They are obese because they eat McDonald´s instead of Chinese food.
- E!: This is the best channel on television.
- Keeping Up With the Kardashians: This is the best show on the best channel on television.
- Kloe Kardashian: This is the girl on the best show on the best channel on television that should eat more Chinese food and less McDonald´s.
- Nicaraguans: All of these people carry guns in the sleeves of their coats.
- Guatemalans: This people will cook your pet dogs if you aren´t careful.
- A shot of Anis: This will cure your cold.
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: This show is a competition where you answer questions. If you get the questions right, they give you money. You can win 25,000,000 Colones ($50,000). The host might be a gay.
On to current events:
As Ben said, we are free from the Institution after Friday, so we will hence to San Jose in the early hours of Saturday morning to attempt to buy tickets to Peñas Blancas, the border crossing into Nicaragua. If we succeed in crossing the border, we will hop a bus to Rivas, Nicaragua, where we will most likely stay the night. The next day, we will travel the beautiful Isla de Ometepe, an island formed of two volcanoes in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua.
I have started collecting post cards, so those of you who have given me your addresses will be receiving something eventually, depending from which country I decide to send you a post card. If you still want one, email me your address at ChanPott@gmail.com, and I will add it to my list.
I miss each and every one of you in very quantifiable and (in some cases) tangible ways. I hope you are all well and that you are now living your lives while keeping in mind the lessons my Costa Rican family has provided.
Hasta Luego!
How to Identify an Intruder, and Other Useful Information.
Hello People of the Internet,
It's been just over two weeks since we made our descent into Costa Rica, meaning we have just one more week until we are freed from the institution-I mean institute, and left to our own devices. We are quite bored with Costa Rica and have decided not to spend any extra time here, and come Saturday we will be thrusting on to Lake Nicaragua.
This weekend, Chandra, a few of our friends and I took a trip to the questionable beach town of Jaco. Before boarding the bus we were told by all of our host parents and teachers that it was a nefarious place filled with booze, hookers, and drugs. Basically a seedier Las Vegas but with a beach.
We weren't disappointed. Upon arrival, having grown tired of beans and rice, we made for the most Americanized restaurant we could find. Ironically enough, it was a Mexican food joint. It was here that we laid eyes upon our first ex-pat. He was
sitting with two young Costa Rican girls who were thumbing through the latest Victoria’s secret catalogues, pointing to the 'outfits' he found most enjoyable.
After booking our hostel it seemed as only two of us were really up for going out. We quickly made friends with two Dutch travelers, a German student, and a French surf bum, and headed to the club. It was like a U.N. meeting, except in a club and surrounded by ex-pats and hookers. We were tired so we retired to our hostel pretty early. All and all, I would saw our trip to Jaco was pretty tame.
Every week my host-parents and I have been going to weekly 'community watch' meetings, where I have learned how to identify an intruder, what details to give the cops, and the basic workings of criminal law system. Apparently these meetings have happened every Monday for four months. My host-father, having faithfully attended every meeting, is getting some sort of community watch diploma, and tonight we are attending his graduation. I'm pretty psyched as I have been told there will be free food.
I'd best be off as I have class soon, but,
Peace, Love and Good Skin,
Benjamin
It's been just over two weeks since we made our descent into Costa Rica, meaning we have just one more week until we are freed from the institution-I mean institute, and left to our own devices. We are quite bored with Costa Rica and have decided not to spend any extra time here, and come Saturday we will be thrusting on to Lake Nicaragua.
This weekend, Chandra, a few of our friends and I took a trip to the questionable beach town of Jaco. Before boarding the bus we were told by all of our host parents and teachers that it was a nefarious place filled with booze, hookers, and drugs. Basically a seedier Las Vegas but with a beach.
We weren't disappointed. Upon arrival, having grown tired of beans and rice, we made for the most Americanized restaurant we could find. Ironically enough, it was a Mexican food joint. It was here that we laid eyes upon our first ex-pat. He was
sitting with two young Costa Rican girls who were thumbing through the latest Victoria’s secret catalogues, pointing to the 'outfits' he found most enjoyable.
After booking our hostel it seemed as only two of us were really up for going out. We quickly made friends with two Dutch travelers, a German student, and a French surf bum, and headed to the club. It was like a U.N. meeting, except in a club and surrounded by ex-pats and hookers. We were tired so we retired to our hostel pretty early. All and all, I would saw our trip to Jaco was pretty tame.
Every week my host-parents and I have been going to weekly 'community watch' meetings, where I have learned how to identify an intruder, what details to give the cops, and the basic workings of criminal law system. Apparently these meetings have happened every Monday for four months. My host-father, having faithfully attended every meeting, is getting some sort of community watch diploma, and tonight we are attending his graduation. I'm pretty psyched as I have been told there will be free food.
I'd best be off as I have class soon, but,
Peace, Love and Good Skin,
Benjamin
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Welcome to the menagerie in my shower.
Hola a todos!
We´re still here in rainy Costa Rica.
Not a whole lot has really happened since we last updated. We realized that we live in the boondocks, and not in an actual recognizable city. (By recognizable, I mean that when you get on a bus, the name of Carillos isn´t in the window that tells you where you are going. You have to get on the bus that goes to the nearest largest city and hop off early.) Here are the things that people like to do in the Boondocks called Carillos Bajo:
´Es tan corto el amore y es tan largo el olvido.´ Neruda
We´re still here in rainy Costa Rica.
Not a whole lot has really happened since we last updated. We realized that we live in the boondocks, and not in an actual recognizable city. (By recognizable, I mean that when you get on a bus, the name of Carillos isn´t in the window that tells you where you are going. You have to get on the bus that goes to the nearest largest city and hop off early.) Here are the things that people like to do in the Boondocks called Carillos Bajo:
- Taxistas like to say ´Hey baby! I love you!´when you walk past them.
- Guard dogs like to kill cats and leave their corpses in the yard as a warning to other cats.
- Host dads named Tito like to drive semi truck cabs that have pictures of American eagles in front of confederate flags on the door.
- EVERYONE (including us and some of our teachers and bus drivers) like to sing karaoke at the Pavo Real bar (which means Peacock in Spanish).
- If you eat all of the food you normally eat plus a bowl of diet cereal, it will help you to not get fat.
- If you have a headache, take at least three different pills to cure it, even if the pills aren´t meant for headaches.
- Dogs who have fleas are healthier because it causes them to have stronger immune systems.
- If you wear sandals, you WILL get sick.
- It´s good to have bugs in the house because it teaches us that we need to learn to share our space will all of God´s living creatures.
- It´s good to have lizards in the house because they eat the bugs.
´Es tan corto el amore y es tan largo el olvido.´ Neruda
Monday, May 18, 2009
"Don´t talk to the antisocials": Lessons from día uno in Costa Rica
¡Hola a todos! Today was our first full day in Costa Rica. I arrived here last night after a flight delay caused by "an accident" (which really did wonders for my flight anxiety) and was finally met by my host mom around 11. She is named Flora and she has a son named Juan Gabriel. She also has a husband named Tito and 2 other children, but they are working out of the country and married & living somewhere else, respectively (or was it the other way around?), so it is just the three of us in the house. (I´m having Peru flashbacks of my single mother/same aged son living situation...but I´m fairly certain this will be different since this mother seems to be overprotective instead of encouraging me to binge drink until 6 in the morning).
The Institute is nice. It seems to be HUGE and full of cats that pretend to be your friend until something in their head switches and says "¡Quiero probar su sangre!"and bites your thumb. And by "your"I mean "Ben´s."
I think I´ll like it here if I can get my mind around the fact that I have to speak Spanish instead of horrible Spanglish. (Por ejemplo, I can´t say "Vamos and hablar with otros people.")
That is really all I have to say for now. I´d love to write more, but it has taken me twenty minutes to write this, since this keyboard is NOT labeled with the actual characters that are created when you press the keys. I have been relying heavily on Microsoft Character Map. Also, the kids running the internet place are blasting Dragon Force, and while I do occasionally enjoy a little bit of soprano death metal, I have a little dolor in my cabeza, and I sort of want to go home to play with my host mom´s pregnant miniature pinscher.
¡Pura Vida!
The Institute is nice. It seems to be HUGE and full of cats that pretend to be your friend until something in their head switches and says "¡Quiero probar su sangre!"and bites your thumb. And by "your"I mean "Ben´s."
I think I´ll like it here if I can get my mind around the fact that I have to speak Spanish instead of horrible Spanglish. (Por ejemplo, I can´t say "Vamos and hablar with otros people.")
That is really all I have to say for now. I´d love to write more, but it has taken me twenty minutes to write this, since this keyboard is NOT labeled with the actual characters that are created when you press the keys. I have been relying heavily on Microsoft Character Map. Also, the kids running the internet place are blasting Dragon Force, and while I do occasionally enjoy a little bit of soprano death metal, I have a little dolor in my cabeza, and I sort of want to go home to play with my host mom´s pregnant miniature pinscher.
¡Pura Vida!
The First Two Days!
So, I have been in Costa Rica for less than two days and already I have been talking in spanish so much. I pretty much hit the host family jackpot and will be reaping the rewards for a long time to come. I arrived at the airport at 5:30 in the morning, this is where I met my host sister. She is fully grown and lives with her husband, but she volunteered to take me to the airport because my host-parents do not have a car. They dropped me off and we all had breakfast, a hearty meal of pinto gallo(beans, onions, peppers, some sort of sauce, and rice), eggs, fruit(a huge plate which included papayas from a tree in our backyard, mangos, pinapples, and many more), coffee and juice. I took a nap and didnt wake up until lunch time. My room is rather large with a huge window looking onto the front porch, which is more like a giant covered patio. The whole house is surrounded with the bursting tropics. It is not located in Alajuela, but rather in a tiny town just a short ride from Alajuela It has a few rooms for relaxing, listening to music, a large kitchen, the other bedrooms and then it´s back outside, this time for an uncovered garden/patio. Here is my favorite item in the house, our hammock. Further back is a small pool, which unfortunately is yet to be tiled. Up a metal spiral staircase there is another bedroom and above that is an elevated large covered balcony. I dont believe that my host-parents have jobs other than taking care of the students and working on the house. My host father is a lively man who loves to talk and especially to joke. They were extatic to learn that I spoke spanish because their last student couldnt and hid in his room. My mom is a little bit of a gossiper, but she is kind and an excellent cook.
Today we went to the institute. It is basically an exspansive and beautiful garden with many outdoor classrooms and auditoriums. The only complaint I have is that there are too many students. The great thing is that outside the school, I am mostly surrounded by ticos all of the time. I am speaking so much it feels as though my head will explode. As of now, Ive gone to both of the cities near our village. As is par for the course for Benjamin, I left my messenger bag in a restaurant, but it only had my notebook in it. I bought a new one emblazened with the words ¨fast cars¨on it. It is also covered in pictures of the new hummer. I figured Id step outside my comfort zone on this one.
This is fast turning into the first chapter of a novel, so Id best be off,
Much love,
Benjamin Scott Malichi Silverfox Roberts
P.S. Did I mention that my host parents are jewish.
P.S.S. Chandra just walked in. I bet she might blog, oh and incase you didnt notice, apostrophes do not exist in spanish.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
Now it's my turn to write!
This is Chandra, by the way.
I feel like I need to mention the fact that Ben and I have little to no money with which to make this trip. We are poor. Theoretically, I'll have a college degree by the time we leave, but that doesn't mean I'll have more money (unless my relatives feel generous and send me dolla dolla billz for a graduation present). Since I'm not above begging or accepting undeserved gifts from strangers, I invite you all to click the following:
Think of it as one of those "feed the children" campaigns, only in this case, Ben and I are the children, and "feed" really translates to "give a little bit of cashola for bus fare to". Give it some thought. If you donate just $1, we will probably be able to travel for a day on it.
Also, I want to mention that we want to include you in our travels! If you guys feel like commenting, DO IT. If you have suggestions as to funny pictures we should take (hanging upside down from a tree, petting a farm animal - no pigs, just to be safe -, or riding on a boat), go ahead and ask us. If you want a postcard, give us your address. I'm serious about the last one. I've been collecting addresses for a few weeks.
We are going to do our best to keep you updated on everything we are doing, and once I get better at figuring out how make this blog do what I want, I'll be posting our route and itinerary, if Ben doesn't beat me to it.
Also, while you're here, go ahead and bookmark this page. If you're our true friends, you'll make it your homepage.
That is all. Keep checking in with us!
This is Chandra, by the way.
I feel like I need to mention the fact that Ben and I have little to no money with which to make this trip. We are poor. Theoretically, I'll have a college degree by the time we leave, but that doesn't mean I'll have more money (unless my relatives feel generous and send me dolla dolla billz for a graduation present). Since I'm not above begging or accepting undeserved gifts from strangers, I invite you all to click the following:
Think of it as one of those "feed the children" campaigns, only in this case, Ben and I are the children, and "feed" really translates to "give a little bit of cashola for bus fare to". Give it some thought. If you donate just $1, we will probably be able to travel for a day on it.
Also, I want to mention that we want to include you in our travels! If you guys feel like commenting, DO IT. If you have suggestions as to funny pictures we should take (hanging upside down from a tree, petting a farm animal - no pigs, just to be safe -, or riding on a boat), go ahead and ask us. If you want a postcard, give us your address. I'm serious about the last one. I've been collecting addresses for a few weeks.
We are going to do our best to keep you updated on everything we are doing, and once I get better at figuring out how make this blog do what I want, I'll be posting our route and itinerary, if Ben doesn't beat me to it.
Also, while you're here, go ahead and bookmark this page. If you're our true friends, you'll make it your homepage.
That is all. Keep checking in with us!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Blog Numero Uno
So, This is a blog to document the travels and trials of Chandra Potter and Benjamin Roberts, who, as of May 17th, will be lost somewhere between Panama and Cancun, Mexico. This will be the place to keep updated about our life on the road. As many of you may remember, Connor Oburst once sang that, "There is nothing that the road cannot heal." With about a third of the angst, we agree with Mr. Oburst. We leave this country with one purpose. We want to see and experience as many things as is possible.
Our trip starts in Alejuela, Costa Rica where we will be attending classes with the university. During this time, which lasts three weeks, we will be staying with host families. We hope to make it to Panama on one of our free weekends. After our stay in Costa Rica we will be headed to Nicaragua. First stop La Isla Ometepe, which is an island in Lake Nicaragua that has formed between two volcanoes. We will then head to the beautiful town of Granada. Next, we will hit up a few other towns before ultimately heading to Honduras, where we'll only be staying one night before continuing on to El Salvador. Our first stop in El Salvador will be the quaint village of Alegria. The, we will head to Santa Ana to visit a child that Chandra sponsors. Afterwards, we will cross back into Honduras and find ourselves in the PreColombian Mayan ruins at Copan. After our venture through history, we will high-tail it to Guatemala City. For Benjamin's birthday, we will be staying at the Black Cat Inn in Antigua, Guatemala. Next, we carry on to Lake Atitlan. We will be spending close to three weeks on and around the lake, before heading on to Tikal. After camping a few nights, we will jump the border into Belize. We will head into Belize City before hopping onto a boat and heading to the Ambergris Caye with one goal in mind: The Rum Punch II, a cocktail hour tour boat. We will head from this isla bonita straight into Mexico. Once in Mexico, we plan to relax on the various beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula before flying out of Cancun.
If we can manage to avoid swine flu and gang violence, we will be flying back towards the beginning of August to return to life as normal.
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