Home and Away

Photos: Cuba

kirstenvelthuis — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 15:52:00 GMT

Mexico!

kirstenvelthuis — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:22:00 GMT

Nearly 2 weeks in Mexico already- time flies when you're busy trying to get around the country seeing as much as possible without total heatstroke; getting exhausted and/or blowing the budget. There IS a lot to see and do here and it feels like we are starting to run out of time. Mexico is a real treat after some of the other countries we've been to- it has such 'normal' things like pedestrian sidewalks, airconditioned shops, hot showers, bakeries, food variety (ie food which does not include the eternal beans), traffic lights and bus stops. Did I mention the tasty beers?

The colonial towns are more colourful versions of the originals in France or Spain- they have lively town squares with fountains and benches and kissing couples (Mexico is FULL of kissing couples including us) and churches and cafe's with outdoor seating and waiters jostling for your attention. Not sure which is our favorite: Campeche with its fortress-like town wall, it's beach promenade and its painstakingly restored town centre (it hurts the eyes so beautiful), culture capital Merida with its lively street fiestas, such as the hundreds of local couples dancing to live mariachi bands in the town square every Sunday night, or provincial Valledolid with it's low-key local vibe.

Then there are the ruins, with their unpronouncable Mayan names such as Xipuhil and Dzibilchaltun. They are somehow never quite as easy to get to as we are led to believe, are most of the time swelteringly hot and full of tourists, but they are always amazing. Of course Chichen Itza is meant to be the star attraction, though it was a bit hard seeing the ruins for all the loud junk-sellers located nearly up to the ruins themselves, trying to get your attention and your dollar with their jaguar whistles, their drums and their constant ¡Hola señor!...

And a final mention to the cenotes- ie limestone caves filled with water, they are everywhere. We snorkelled at the Grand Cenote near Tikal; divers go for 2-tank cave dives here, it's so extensive and deep, but it´s still amazing even for a mere snorkeller. Bats flying overhead, fish and turtles in the water, and then the crazy light blue water and the underwater stalacmites and the scary darkness where the ground falls away into the deepness. I can truly say this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Michel, zet dit maar op je duik to-do lijst! Voor als je wat minder druk bent...

Photos: Yucatan peninsula, Mexico

kirstenvelthuis — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:11:00 GMT

Belize and Guatemala

kirstenvelthuis — Thu, 6 Mar 2014 09:08:00 GMT

Just when I'm starting to get the hang of speaking spanish, we move to the one and only english-speaking nation in Central-America: Belize. But just as we're getting happy about being able to understand everything, we realise it's Kriol-English which we understand about as much as Spanish.

Well after hot and dusty inland Nicaragua we're finally on the Carribean side so without delay off to an island for some snorkelling and hammocking. Tobacco Caye is just the right place- a minute island in the middle of the reef. No ferry service to the island but just go to the cafe and ask for Captain Buck, he'll get you there. And so it is. We end up in Captain Buck's little boat loaded full of pineapples and crates of food supplies as well as two island locals. By the time we arrive at the speck of an island that is Tobacco Caye we're completely drenched but never mind we're here!

Three days of nothing, ie wake up, see the sunrise from our balcony, have a little snorkel from our beach, breakfast served at 8, and then just follow that pattern all day long, though throw in a bit of Nicaraguan rum at dusk. Though the reef is not the best, the diversity of fish is amazing, with giant manta rays everwhere, and parrot fish and barracuda - these are very unsmiling and have a habit of hanging around you in a rather annoying/ uncomfortable way. Of course there's also a resident alligator (it's little) and an osprey resing right outside our hotel. It's all very basic here- cold showers and sandy floors but that's part of the charm. Some of the island locals are slightly nuts just like George the happy drunk who hops between the two little island bars all day long and seems to know all the (handful of) tourists. And he did help me crack a coconut one morning so I could surprise Arnold with fresh coconut juice for breakfast. Another useful lifeskill- you never know when you may need it.

Mainland Belize was a bit less of our thing though, partly because of how expensive it is (we're only poor backpackers after all). So after some introductory-sized Mayan ruins near San Ignacio we hopped over the border to Guatemala, to visit Tikal, one of the bigger and better known Mayan sites. So big we needed a couple of days to see only part of it. Eye-popping and spectacular, even for Arnold who's been there before. A good work-out climbing up and down those temples. About time we worked those flabby legs too- don't go on an extended holiday to reallly hot countries if you want to stay fit, that's my advice.

And after that- more Belize or Carnaval in Mexico? Carnaval, of course!!

Photos: Belize and Guatemala

kirstenvelthuis — Sat, 1 Mar 2014 09:20:00 GMT

Ecotourism in Nicaragua

kirstenvelthuis — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:47:00 GMT

We rounded up our stay in Nicaragua with a bit of ecotourism.

Firstly, we stayed at the Rancho de los Alpes, were I was going to 'do some environmental volunteering'. My Spanish teacher had set something up for me a the Rancho and it all sounded interesting. Axel, the owner, showed me around his beautiful horse ranch about half an hour outside of Leon. It was a working farm / eco-hotel where you could ride horses, zip through the canopy on high lines, make tortillas, and learn about the medicinal use of the local plants; amongst other things. Axel ran the hotel but he had organised it so that local people from surrounding communities did all the other bits, in this way sharing work opportunities with his local community. He also organised a range classes for local kids; traditional dancing, painting etc, in short he was a bit of a community leader with a social and environmental interest.

At the back of his ranch he had a patch of dry tropical forest with a short walking track through it. He really wanted to develop this track into an opportunity for environmental education, and this is where we came in. We ended up developing a map of the track with a set of track notes, talking about the various plants and animals occuring in this patch of forest and throwing in a few key environmental messages as well. Arnold helped out with the bird surveys and translated my track notes into Spanish so that Axel would have an English and a Spanish version. I was a bit of a challenge given the limited time, money and equipment but we both really enjoyed being able help out in this way, and Axel seemed pretty happy with the end result too.

After Leon, we moved to the mountain town of Matagalpa, where we visited/ admired the renown Cerva Negra eco-resort. This one has won a lot of praise internationally as they are in fact a coffee farm but have found ways to make everything on their farm sustainable and recyclable, including the waste products. Many local people are employed on the farm and the associated eco-resort looks amazing, complete with plants growing on the roofs of the cabins. The place was well and truly above our budget, but we were able to hike the forest trails which are also part of the resort, followed by a completly surprising meal of ROOKWORST EN ZUURKOOL ...the place was originally set up by Germans. Well considering we eat beans and rice pretty much everyday we were more than happy to tuck in.

We also spend some time at a farm-stay high in the mountains in the north of Nicaragua. Another interesting eco-tourism cooperative involving number of communities within the Miraflor Reserve. This Reserve is basically an agricultural area where local farmers grow a whole range of products such as coffee, corn and tobacco, generally on a small scale. However the government, realising the environmental values of the region has set tight regulations restricting the further clearing of vegetation. The communities within the reserve got together with the great idea to open up some of their homes to tourists- showing them how people live and work in this beautiful mountain region. We stayed with Martha and Luis and their 4 kids. It was the real deal, basic as anything, and a great experience to see. We're talking about cooking with wood, no furniture other than a few plastic chairs and one table, a pit-hole toilet somewhere outback. We ate with the family, I even helped make 30 or so tortillas (Martha gets up every day at 5 am to do so, and stays in the kitchen the rest of the day). Wonderful people, and amazing that they want to share their house this way with what are basically rich strangers with high standards.....Have a look at some of the pictures to get a better idea.

León, primera capital de la revolución

kirstenvelthuis — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 03:52:00 GMT

Leon is where we have decided to spend a bit more time than our usual 2-3 night stay. We´re here for a week so Arnold can chill a bit and I can have more spanish lessons and do some volunteer work. After the beautifully restored Granada, Leon looks a little bit run down- the big cathedral, the pride and joy of not just Leon but all of Nicaragua, could certainly do with a paint job. But the interior has recently been done up and work has just started on the outside too, and plenty of slightly faded but still colourful houses line the streets.

Leon is a university town and full of young people. It´s the most chilled place in Nicaragua so far. Even the market place and street vending is more chilled than elsewhere, and though there are plenty of tourists in Leon, it feels perfectly safe to walk anywhere as we blend in completely with the locals. There are only a couple of real touristy places such as the french bakery where they sell espresso and baquettes with goat´s cheese for instance- not a single local to be found here! Apart from that, Leon has miraculously achieved the seemingly impossible: locals and tourists actually mix!! Arnold and I stayed at this great hotel, Via Via, which had a bar at the front with a pool table where Arnold played with a few local guys; at night there was a local band playing for a room packed with locals and backpackers alike.

Alcohol in Nicaragua is ridiculously cheap and they make a very fine rum, Flor de Cañe, which is sold everywhere for only a few dollars a bottle. We saw many locals at the pub sharing a bottle- they just get a few glasses, a bucket of ice and some limes, and they are set for the night. Arnold actually bought a little bottle the day we arrived in Nicaragua so we can have a nip in the afternoons. Though for my brother´s birthday we splurged and drank a trago each of the excellent 12 year old. I don´t normally drink spirits but I have to say it´s quite smooth and tasty.

It was very nice to spend a bit of time in one place and even to have a slightly normal routine again. In the mornings I would be off to my one-on-one class with Maria Elena a very lovely local teacher who spoke not a word of english. Class was in a courtyard of a church centre, where the local pastor and pastora would be doing things. I found out that in the afternoons they provided meals and daycare for a small group of very poor kids, and so we donated some school equipment to the cause. After four hours of struggling in spanish I would head back and meet Arnold at the hostel or at a cafe somewhere, and then we would try and see a bit of Leon in the blazing afternoon sun (it was 35 degrees everyday we were there).

Leon has got loads of interesting things to see. It has the best art gallery of all of Central-America, set in a beautiful house with lovely shaded courtyards (though I am not sure how the paintings are preserved, hanging outdoor in that heat). It has the Ruben Dario museum, Nicaraguas most famous and loved poets- poetry is a big thing in Nicaragua and apparently all school children are taught his poems.

Then there is the Museum of Revolution, in another grand and dilapidated building where battles were fought. The place is run by former revolutionaries, now old man without a pension keeping the flame alive and getting a bit of money in this way. And so we were led around the place by Commandante Uve, who told us that at the age of 17 was given the task to infiltrate the then dictatorship government. It was quite a tour, completely biased towards the Sandinists- he would go over all the names of the famous revolutionaries shown in the pictures and then later on he would point them out and ask us what their names were. At one point we were on the balcony overlooking the central park, where he explained he had been during one of the conflicts, shooting away. They won the revolution and have in power for most of the time since- though there had been talk of corruption during one of the more recent elections. Another election is coming up this year and the country is full of banners and flags and graffiti promoting the FSLN (Sandistina Front of National Liberation) candidate and current president, Daniel Ortega. Who knows what will happens?

Country of volcanoes

kirstenvelthuis — Mon, 3 Feb 2014 07:39:00 GMT

From Costa Rica, the wealthiest and most stable country in Central America we have gone to Nicaragua, poorest country and one which is probably still best known for the Sandistina revolution which happened more than 30 years ago. Gone are the comfortable, fast but very silent buses of Costa Rica; we´re back on overcrowded (but ridiculously cheap) chicken buses, complete with two bus assistents, shouting the bus destination at potential passengers anywhere along the route, ¡Masaya Masaya Masaya Masayaaaaaaa! And as the bus slows down slightly as they pass a bunch of people, they half hang out the door, pointing at each of the potential passengers in turn, shouting ¿Masaya? ¿Masaya? ¿Masaya Masaya? It´s their job to get as many people as possible on the bus and they take it seriously too.

You might wonder if tourists actually go to Nicaragua and the answer is a firm yes. If there´s a Lonely Planet on a country, there is an established tourist trail. And Isla Ometepe is definitely on it, as is Granada, the beautifully restored, old Spanish colonial city. We´re going to both of these places. First destination is Isla Ometepe, a volcanic island in the gigantic Lake Nicaragua. It only takes two chicken buses, a taxi, a boat, and another chicken bus to get there from Liberia, Costa Rica where incidentally we soaked in a hot water spring near another volcano.

It´s easy to see the difference between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We rented a bike one day to go for a little ride around the island, past little villages. Most houses on Isla Ometepe are simple wooden huts, with dirt floors. Dogs, chickens, pigs and horses roam freely through the streets, and I saw a dog chase an inquisitive pig out of a little shop/house. We rode past a little creek where women and little girls were up to their thighs in water, washing clothes on a brick bench made into the riverbank. There are banana plantations everywhere and men were hard at work, cutting, loading, and transporting bananas. People get around on horse and cart, sturdy old mountain bikes or motorbikes. It´s completely normal to see a whole family loaded onto a motorbike, though I did read in the newspaper that they are trying to stop people from doing this (only the driver normally wears a helmet, if at all).

Granada is a bit different; it´s a biggish city with a beautifully restored centre which is a big tourist drawcard. Our hotel is at the end of a tourist strip, also beautifully done up but a total target for all sorts of sales techniques. At night small marachi bands, people spruiking hammocks or handmade artefacts, and young boys playing drums line up to go through the strip, over and over. It´s quite a sight and can get a bit crazy and uncomfortable at times. We keep a bit of change on us but the general advise is not to just give money to begging children. Some volunteer work in Leon next week seems like a better way to make a small difference in this poor country.

Photos: Nicaragua

kirstenvelthuis — Sat, 1 Feb 2014 07:48:00 GMT

Manuel Antonio

kirstenvelthuis — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:58:00 GMT

Costa Rica continues to be an absolute ecologist dream, it´s just so chock-full of wildlife. It is nearly TOO easy to spot wildlife. We spend no more than a few hours in Manuel Antonio National Park and in that time saw coati´s, raccoons, the guinea pig-like agouti, ctenosaurs, iguana´s and, most amazingly, two types of sloths... and we weren´t even really trying! Ok maybe we were just a little. We also heard and saw howler monkeys again. I must admit that the first time I saw one of those I was a bit startled as for a second I thought I was looking at a human being. Just a dark human-like shape, up in the trees, hands reaching out to grab a branch. Freaky.

Manuel Antonio is actually one of those parks which is nearly loved too much. Easy to see why: it is very easily accessible due to its location adjacent to the very touristy beachtown of Manuel Antonio, the park has a couple of most beautiful beaches and of course there is the wildlife. In fact the park is now such a tourist drawcard that it nearly feels like an amusement park: come 7 AM the gate opens and busloads full of tour groups start up the track, camera´s at the ready. And it is not just popular with foreigners, Ticos (Costa Ricans) also come down in droves to swim and picnic at the beach. Unfortunately, people have started feeding the wildlife and you can guess what has happened. Come lunch time, there are little battles going on all over the beach between people and wildlife. No use stringing your food bags up in the trees either as that´s no problem for monkeys. But still, it is amazing to see sloths in such a heavily-visited place, and there is no denying that the park is both stunningly beautiful and amazingly full of wildlife.

And actually, Costa Rica is quite serious about its natural treasures. Costa Rica is the most politically stable country in Central America, and because of this, has for a long time been the destination of choice for western eco-research (as well as for American tourists/ retirees). With all this international attention and interest in its natural treasures, it´s no surprise Costa Rica is at the forefront of eco-tourism. Rangers are very knowledgeable about flora and fauna and park entry is stricktly regulated, with maximum daily visitors in some places. I would have loved to have done some volunteer work in Corcovado National Park but they required a minimum of several months. Great for me but a bit boring for Arnold!

Osa Peninsula

kirstenvelthuis — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 08:44:00 GMT

So we're in Costa Rica now and having a pretty great time. A couple of buses to get across the border and then we took the slow boat from Gulfito to Puerto Jimenez, our base to get to Corcovado National Park. Arnold has always talked very highly of this park and so it was always going to be on the itinerary. Puerto Jimenez was a very dusty kind of town as there are no sealed roads and everyone drives around in pickup trucks and old 4WD´s. It's a funny sort of place, with quite a few retired Americans living there, one of which was the owner of the backpack safari place we were going to stay at. This place was a few k´s out of town and to get there you´d have to stand in the back of his pickup truck, holding on tight to the metal bars as he drove around town, first doing a few groceries, picking up a neighbour, and doing all sorts of other things before we finally made our way to the place.

The place! What a place! It was a very low-key backpacker place, set in the jungle on a private property not too far from the national park. It has tents instead of rooms and everything, from the showers to kitchen and communal room, was outdoors. He told us his son had set it up a few years ago, building everything himself, but he got tired of it after a few years and moved on. So Pete took it over. It was the kind of place where they try to grow their own herbs and veggies, recycle, and packpackers can volunteer their time to help with the garden and track maintenance in exchange for a free night accommodation. It was a most delightful place. From our tent, open on all sides, we saw several groups of monkeys swing past, checking out one of the banana trees which grows naturally in the area. Hummingbirds zip up and down, flapping furiously but gracefully. Hardly any need to go to the park anymore!

But of course we went there anyway, a bit of an undertaking involving hiring a 4WD, getting up before dawn so we could leave at 5 am, trying to beat the scorching, draining, intense heat and humidity which makes any activity after 11 am virtually impossible. A bumby, hour long drive in the dark was prolonged a bit by a tree which had fallen onto the road and which required some locals, a rope and a car to get it out of the way. Then another 3 km of walking on the beach before we got to the start of the track. The walk itself was quite wonderful, completely shaded by the jungle but close to the beach at all times. We just wondered around slowly, spotting spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, numerous raptors, a whole family of coati´s and some strange, jurassic looking reptilians. Quite a treat!

Today, we´re at Rio Tico safari lodge, quite a bit more luxurious than what we would normally stay at but the place is run by a former colleague of Arnold´s, and he was keen to catch up with her and see the place. It´s right on the Rio Tico so we´ve been chilling out in the numerous waterholes and under waterfalls.

Tomorrow we will be off to Chirripo national park, where there are some seriously challenging mountain trails- from jungle to mountain to have a few days of respite from the heat!

Hola!

kirstenvelthuis — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 04:51:00 GMT

Hola chicos! Just added a few piccies from Corcovado National Park. No time to write a blog as we're about to hop on a bus to the Rio Tico Lodge, which is run by Miranda, a former Sawadee colleague of Arnold. We're staying there for a few days to catch up with her and her family, all Dutchies! Probably have more time there...

Photos: Costa Rica

kirstenvelthuis — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 04:19:00 GMT

getting around Panama

kirstenvelthuis — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 07:30:00 GMT

Getting around in Panama takes a bit of getting used to. We haven't gone very far but things take time here when you're on a bit of a budget, as we are. But we've got plenty of time and this way we get to travel as the locals do from time to time. I had my first experience of a 'chicken bus' (in this case one of those American school buses used in the 50`s) on our way to Soberania National Park, about 40 minutes outside of Panama City. Supposedly world famous for its bird watching, and yes indeed there were some serious looking twitchers clad entirely in camo, with their own local bird expert and lugging massive binoculars and cameras. Still, we didn't do so badly ourselves though more so on the mammals than on the birds due to the fact that we got there late as we were on a chicken bus.

We seriously took one foot into the national park before we spotted our first animal. we spend about 10 minutes looking at a giant anteater glide gently down a palm front and onto the ground near us, casually strolling away. There were also monkeys, capuchin and howler monkeys. Hearing the latter was possibly even more impressive then seeing it, though it was funny to look into its bearded brown face and we stared at each other for a bit, then it scratched its head and climbed on. Arnold tells me he does't know of any national park so easy to get to where you get such pristine rainforest and wildlife experiences anywhere in Central or South America. Of course it is only because of the Canal, as the park is part of the Canal Zone which the Americans managed with the rest of the Canal. Hurray to the canal zone I say! Oh yes and we did also see several other animals but I haven't got Arnold next to me to tell me (yet again) what they were called. It is very good to have my own private guide I must say!

Anyway I am getting side tracked, this is the problem having so many new experiences every single day that it's hard to keep up. Buses are the way to go here, as the only passenger train in the country is (surprise surprise) along the lenght of the Canal. So buses it is. But they are not the dull things we take in Sydney, every single one comes as it's own little dance party blasting salsa/merengue/dancehall/ hiphop/reggea, depending on the taste of the driver. The little bus we took to the mountain village of Santa Fe was the most amazing so far. Apart from a few 4WD-ers and utes, most people here are too poor to own a car, so everyone there just takes the bus. The buses take anything, people with boxed chickens, backpacks on the roof (pray for no rain), even a whole washing machine got its own seat and the driver did a little detour to drop it off at the ladies house. Then there's the people. It is most amazing to see how many people you can actually fit into a bus. Elbows heads bums arms legs everyone all squashed in everywhere, but no one grumbles. The bus doors stay open all during the ride, and this is where the driver's assistence stands to deals with getting people on and off, and fare payments when people get off. On the Santa Fe bus the assistant had his child along with him, and whomever was lucky enough to get the font seat near him, got handed this child to mind. Whenever this person left the bus he just got another passenger to take that seat and take his child. Presumably on this local route everyone knows everyone.

In Santa Fe itself the locals got around on horse, mostly. Small, dapper little horses, ridden by small dapper cowboys. And now I'm going to say the mostoverused holiday phrase ever: all the locals were SO friendly!! I mean it too! It is only a small village, with only a few tourists, and the locals look at you intently and interestedly before saying buenas dias. Every single person, every single time. They offer us lifts in while we struggle up a steep hill during a hike to a local waterfall and then continue to be helpful by giving us the directions after they drop us of to the nearest point. Though people aren't well off, no one has offered to sell us anything or begged for money. The surroundings were quite beautiful and the mountain weather nice and cool (though rather rainy) after the sweltering heat in the city.

Arnold's impression so far (and he's in the know) is that Panama is still quite undeveloped and untouristy compared to say Costa Rica and other places he's travelled. All I can say is I'm enjoying it and am taking it day by day. Australia seems like a different world, far far away, but my friends come back to me most nights in my dreams.

Panama City

kirstenvelthuis — Sun, 5 Jan 2014 10:35:00 GMT

We've been in Panama for nearly a week now (ok, it's only been 5 days but it feels much longer than that) and we (i.e. me) are slowly adjusting to the new rhythm or lack thereof. The first few days we stayed in a bit of a fancy area just to get over the jetlag; an area with lots of fancy hotels and restaurants, a few decent bars right in the same street as our hotel.

For a bit of contrast we then moved to a backpacker hostel in the old centre of town, which is UNESCO heritage-listed. In a way a bit of a strange place as it has been scrubbed up only recently and borders right on a poorer rougher part of town. They take the tourist industry seriously with a whole bunch of special tourist police roaming the streets looking after us lot so we can wonder around with our cameras snapping away in safety.

Panama City is actually quite a well-off place due to the industry associated with the Canal. The Canal was dug and operated by the USA but was finally handed over to Panama in 1999. As such there is quite an American influence in this town, and it is in part very glitzy with lots of skyscrapers, most of them surprisingly beautiful as far as skyscrapers go. They even use the US dollar here as a currency, and wealthy Panamanians in big shiny 4WD's abound in the well-to-do areas. But of course that's only a small part of the population as we've already noticed.

Apart from the fancy and the old part of town, we've also joined locals by hopping on a ferry to la Isla Taboga for the day, where we did a short hike through the jungle to the top of the mountain (spotting poising dart frogs and hummingbirds along the way), followed by a swim in the ocean. No matter where we were on the island we could see the long line of massive container ships biding their time to enter the Canal. Quire an impressive sight, and a reminder of how important the Canal is to Panama.

Photos: Panama

kirstenvelthuis — Sun, 5 Jan 2014 10:29:00 GMT

Panama City and surrounds

Happy new year!

kirstenvelthuis — Wed, 1 Jan 2014 09:45:00 GMT

Just a short blog to wish you all a very happy new year!

We´ve arrived safely in Panama after a good 24 hour of flights and transit. We´re seeing out the end of 2013 in Panama City, where will stay for a few days to get acclimatised. A bit of sightseeing and some spanish language classes and then off to the country side.

I intend to blog about once every two weeks, and I think you can subscribe to my blog so you can keep up to date.

Nuevo años a todos!