Thursdays with Harry

The new Mitch Albom book? Well, not actually, but what a great day!

I did my best to apply sunscreen on my back during the snorkeling trip the previous day, but my "Give yourself a big hug." method still left many spots uncovered. My back was cooked and it was super hot when I got up on Thursday.

The Caye routine in the morning seems to be one of little activity accept for the locals setting up their businesses. Since most folks are working on their homebrew cup of Joe, it takes a little searching to find a coffee in the morning. Especially at 6:30, when my back had finally woken me up for good. I found some coffee at The Happy Lobster and preceded to walk the main strip. Coming upon one of the blue shack of EZ Boy tours I saw Harry milling about.

I had talked to him before about going fishing and the deal was that for about 200usd he would take out a boat with up to 4 people. I set out to market the idea to people I ran in to, but there were no takers. I am not sure why, but people were either into diving, or they were vegans. Harry and I chewed the fat for a while and eventually came up with the plan to go for 100usd after the morning snorkeling trip came back. We would use the left over gas and head out for 4 hours or so. The plan was to meet at 1:30.
After a morning of book reading and general chill time I showed up for the fishing trip. I hung out with Bunny while Harry got everything organized for fishing. Bunny runs the office of EZ Boy. I asked her how she got the name Bunny and she told me that she was born with 2 front teeth and her Dad used to call her his little bunny. It just stuck from there.

Harry and I loaded up and we set off for the reef area outside of the protected park. He had bought a bunch of hooks and sardines for bait and then picked me up a fishing pole.

I have to tell you a little more about Harry. Growing up in these Cayes, was a pretty impressive physical specimen. His body was packed with muscle, his hands were strong and calloused. He was a hyperactive guy with an accent that was difficult to understand from time to time, but I felt welcomed by him.

During the morning, the news got back to the Caye that one of the residents was killed in a car accident along with her 2 children. She was a single Mom. Bunny and Harry were talking about it in Creole back at the shack as I was waiting to go, but I didn't know what they were talking about. I knew they were discussing something intense, but I thought to mind my own business.

On the ride out to the fishing spot Harry started telling me about it and I was struggling to understand through the accent and context of what we were doing. Anyway, we finally got to the first fishing spot and Harry dropped anchor.

He pulled out the fishing pole and stared tying knots with hands that flew around like birds. In no time I was sitting there with a piece of sardine on a hook and Harry was pointing at a light spot in the water where I was to cast it. I opened the bail and let the line go and following his instructions, let it drift to the bottom. Reeling it in slowly I was soon caught on a rock. Harry grabbed the line, snapped it free and then pulled it back to the boat. With another flurry of his hands the line was given another hook and baited again. I cast it out, snagged it on a rock, and the cycle repeated itself again. On the third round I finally got the hang of it.

I had not caught a fish yet, but at least I was fishing. Harry then took a spool of line, tied on a hook and baited it. From there, he simply whipped it in circles with his hand and threw it out into the water. He threw it about twice as far as I could cast it and with far greater accuracy. As soon as his line hit the water he let out a little cheer and pulling the line in hand over hand we had our first fish! He loaded up the hook again and hucked it out there and got another one. He caught 6 fish in about 5 minutes, even swatting one out of the air into the cooler after it fell the hook coming into the boat. He had clearly done this before :)

After Harry's first half dozen fish, I finally got one. They were these yellow tail snapper fish that just glowed in the sun. It was a blast. On my third fish, I set my hook and instantly I knew something was different. The line started to sing and my whole body lurched toward the water. I screamed out a "Oh Shit!" and Harry laughed and echoed my words with a big smile. There was only about 60 feet of line, so the fight didn't take too long, but it was a bit of a battle as it lasted.

When the fish got in sight of the boat, Harry noticed it was a barracuda and he didn't have a gaff. Barracuda have sharp teeth and will bite you if you try to take them out of the water like a normal fish. He told me to keep tension on the line and give him a sec. I looked over and he was taking a broken piece of fishing pole and tying a large fish hook onto the end of it by wrapping (caning I think would be the technical term) it with fishing line. It was pretty impressive on the fly MacGyver type stuff.

He leaned over the edge of the boat and gaffed the fish! Soon I had the camera out and we were taking pictures. Later, Harry explained to me that it was rare for me to catch a barracuda without using a steel leader. Normally, if one takes your bait, their teeth will slice through the nylon fishing line. So it was a pretty good catch!

We moved onto some other spots, but as the tide shifted (Harry's observations) the fish stopped feeding. We parked out on one of the Coral Gardens and then we set out with snorkels for some lobster. Harry tool the gaff and I watched mostly from the surface as he looked in the nooks and crannies of the reef for lobsters. He finally reached into one hole and yanked one out. Back at the surface he held it up and said told me "This will go just right with your fish dinner!"

Back on the shore Harry cleaned everything up and handed over to the BBQ place next door for my dinner. After a good shower and another walk of the island I sat down for my fish feast. I had one of the snappers, 2 'cuda steaks and the whole lobster. After dinner I met up with some of my snorkel trip buddies for drinks and we waited for midnight.

At midnight they ring in Belize Independence Day with Fireworks and everyone from the island comes down to the beach. It was a pretty big show and I was so close that the crumbs kept falling in my beer. What a Day!!!

DMW

I guess I will go to Caye Caulker

With the decision to be made for my next destination, I went with the family to Xocomil. This big water park that was a 2 hour drive from the city. Victor's 2 brothers Eric and Jaime joined us along with his Mom (Sandra). We piled into 2 cars at 6:00am and set out for our day.

About half way there we stopped at a agriculture checkpoint, and I really needed to wiz, so I hopped out and found my way to the bathroom with the help of one of the agents working there. He was sporting a big smile and seemed happy to practice his English with me. It is a challenge to blend in when you are 6'5" with blond hair in Guatemala, so you get lots of attention. Petty crime also seems like a bad decision. Who would they get to stand in a lineup with me?

Anywho, I was walking back to the car and the same friendly guy pointed to where everyone was and said "Your friends are over there.". I responded with "Mis amigos, no, son mi familia!" (cause I was enjoying speaking Spanish). He looked surprised, but then he saw Sue holding Luna and it all clicked. My Guate Peeps.

The water park was a blast. Jaime, Eric and I did all the big kid slides and some were quite thrilling. Being at the tail of the distribution for the clientele I was concerned that the rides might be calibrated without regard for the Dutch Stallion, but I just seemed to get stuck more than other people, as opposed to flying off anything. In the afternoon I convinced Sue to go on my favorite slide with me. We both piled onto this double inner tube thing and slid down through some twists and turns, then, you go down a steep ramp that sends you back up a 1/4 pipe on the other side. You get pretty high on it, then fall backwards and slide into a pool. It really gives you a rush. It was a fun trip for all. Even Sandra went on the rides!

All along I was still chewing on the decision of where to go. In order to pull off the Cuba thing I would need to get so much set up and rush to the airport early. The other option was Costa Rica, but the flights weren't that cheap and I read through the guidebook and the activities that were appealing to me seemed like a lot of work to get to. I decided to travel with Rebecca (Sue's friend) up to Flores.

Flores is a small island town that is best know as a base for exploring Tikal. I was thinking of crashing at a hostel there, then heading south through the Peten to explore and make my way eventually to Rio Dulce. Rebecca splits her time in Flores and Guate, so she rents part of a house in Santa Elena, which is the town connected to Flores by a bridge. Rebecca offered up her extra bedroom and I accepted. I explored Flores for the afternoon and the she picked me up at 5:30. I took a much needed shower and we went out to dinner on a deck built out on the water. We talked about all kinds of stuff, but she told me about Caye Caulker.

She pretty much sold me on the place and we stopped at the bus station on the way home to secure my ticket. She also called her Taxi guy to pick me up early the next morning, which was super helpful. The next morning I was on the bus and on my way.

The bus ride was a good look at how most of Guatemala lives. The roads were falling apart or just plain dirt. I even saw 2 dead horses on the side of the road. I had my ipod to keep me company and listened to a great interview with Alan Alda about his new book about finding meaning in life. I think I am going to read it when I get home. The summary of it could be stated that the most meaning in life is found when you really listen to other people and live in the present.

We arrived in Belize City ahead of schedule, which was a surprise to me, since the bus had to navigate so many rough roads along the way and we needed to pass immigration. When I landed in Belize, I got on a water taxi for Caye Caulker (Key Caulker). I am actually typing this from the internet cafe called Cayeboard Connection, cute huh. I checked in to a really nice hotel here to spoil myself with a hot shower and AC.

I went out to explore the island and on the way back there was a basketball game starting up with some of the locals. The shouted out to me "Hey Luke Longley, come with us mon!" I thought about it for a sec and thought it sounded great. I told them that I needed to put on sneakers and the one guy said "Don't need them mon" and I looked down to see that half of them were barefoot. I still got my shoes. I waited for the first game to finish and then I was on the court! The game was definitely "Street Ball" with no fouls being called and many of the other finer rules not being called. I noticed that before entering the game, so I knew what I was in for.

I ran full court for three games! The locals were pretty good and I was especially impressed with the barefoot players. Their feet were smacking on the ground and that, combined with the court banter in Criole/Spanish/Garifuna/English (nearest I can tell) it was a spectacle. They played a zone defense and always took the ball out from the side, which made me think that there was a soccer influence at play. I didn't score too much, but did my best to play good D and grab rebounds. Scoring was a bit of a challenge since, well, I am more than twice their age, and, the hoops were at different heights and, well, they fouled my post up move everytime. Ok, no more excuses.

I was completely exhausted after the second game and pretty much moved like a zombie in the third. After that I was keen on a shower and a hammock. Which I smartly achieved at the hotel. After that, I set out for dinner. On the way I stopped off at a tour company that had an Adventure Trip planned for leaving the next day. It would be 3 days and 2 nights of snorkelling, fishing and camping. I put my name down and was told to show up the next morning at 8:00.

Unfortunately, that also got cancelled due to lack of people, but I signed up for the all day snorkelling trip. That turned out to be a BLAST. I saw Sharks, Tarpon, Turtles, all kinds of fish, and even the tail end of a Manatee! I free dove through a cave with the guide that was about 30 feet deep. It took me 3 tries to get down low enough, but I finally did it! After the third stop, we set sail back to Caye Caulker and started drinking. They made a Rum Punch with fruit juice that was "Weird Good" and by the time we reached the dock, the whole boat was schnocked.

I made some new friends on the trip and we all met up at Jolly Rogers World Famous BBQ for dinner. I was SOOOOOO hungry since all I had that day was a sandwitch on the boat. Then when we finally got everyone to sit down and placed orders and all, it took forever to get the food. All the ladies got their food first and I was the second to last dinner that was served. This place is basically a BBQ grill and 4 picnic tables on the beach. Roger is a native CC dude weighing in at about 400lbs. It had all the signs of being great food and when it finally came, it was rapture. He felt bad for making me wait so long, so I got 3 lobster tails, a snapper filet and coconut mashed potatoes (all for about $15). There was a convenience store across the road where you could by beers and bring them over. After dinner, which was about 10:30, I was done. It was off to bed for me.

Today I am going Fishing with one of the guides here. It is normally $200, but he is taking me out for $100 since it is so slow. I am hoping to catch my dinner! Tomorrow, I set off to a series of busses and boats to get back to Guate. It should be a full day of travel, but I think I can handle it as long as my sunburnt back cools off a little.

That's all from paradise for now.

I will add some picks when I get to a better computer.....

DMW

Livingston and the Antiboredom Mindset

After a nice weekend at Sue and Victor`s, it was time again to head out for another adventure. Before coming down here I had heard about Livingston Guatemala, which is the home of the Garifuna people. Those of you in Albuquerque might know of Laru Ni Hati, the hair salon. Well, Laru Ni Hati means clear blue sky in the Garifuna Language. On Tuesday morning I set out for the bus station and my First Class bus trip there.

Sue was kind enough to drive me and I got checked in easily. For about $10usd I was able to ride the luxury bus line for 6 hours to get to Puerto Barrios, which is the closest port city. Livingston is not an Island, but it is only accessible by boat. I made my way from the bus station to the Lanchas (taxi boats) quite easily. I am very very happy with the roller bag/backpack I bought before the trip. It works like a charm.

After a little lunch I got onto the Lancha to Livingston and it was about a 30 minute ride. Livingston sits on the estuary of the Caribbean and Rio Dulce. When the Lanchas arrive there is a mad dash of hustlers waiting for you. "Hey Big Mon. You from Colorado Mon?". If I forgot to mention before, the Garifuna are a West Indies like culture that is similar to Jamaica. Even though I had my plans for where to stay, it was a bit daunting, but nothing to horrible.

I was planning to stay at a certain hotel, but when I arrived they were full accept for double rooms that were about 150Q a night. That wasn`t too expensive really, but I thought I would search on. One of the hustlers, who had followed me to the hotel kept suggesting I check out Casa de la Iguana. So, I thought I would let "Anthony the Great" (his title) escort me there. When we arrived I was pretty taken with the place.

I was met by a hunky English dude named Daniel, who looked like one of the British Bulldogs (for those WWF fans out there). He was very welcoming and showed me around the place. They have a main communal area with hammocks, satellite TV and a bar. There are 2 Dorm like Hostel rooms and 3 private bungalows for sleeping. I chose to pay 120Q a night for a private room with connected bath. I was in the mood to pamper a little. The communal open air grass hut was fun. Since most travellers were staying in the dorms, there were people hanging around all the time.

I checked into my room and Daniel filled out the locations on a blank map for the points of interest in the town and described the tours that the coordinate for you. I really felt well taken care of, maybe just because the owner and workers were all from the UK and the accents lend themselves to congeniality. They run a tab system for breakfast, Dinner and Drinks, which is darn convenient. Happy hour was from 5-7, where "The Tele" is turned off and the drinks are about 1/3 less. Granted, this was not an "Authentic Garifuna" experience, but it sure was fun, if not a little too Frat House like.

The workers and tenants were all basically college age and I was having flash backs to keggers with the OKE boys back at Hope. It is a chapter in my history that I don`t talk about too much these days, but it fun to relive those feelings, if just for a couple of days. Lot`s of trash talking over games of dominoes, questioning of sexuality, and of course, tons of beer.


As much as I tried to sit in the hammock all day and watch Euro soccer qualifiers, I did want to get out and explore. I signed up for the Jungle Tour two days in a row, which is a day long cutural outing to learn about the Garifuna people, but it was cancelled both days due to low interest (only me). I also went out those two nights to see the Garifuna bands play in the bars, but, those were cancelled too. I was a little bummed about all that, but it was relaxing and fun to hang at the CdlI.

On the third day, I went on another tour which took me to the "7 Alters" waterfall park and Playa Blanca (both pictured). I went with a group of Israelis and Ed from the UK. I must say that it was a real blast. We set out at 9:30 and the CdlI folks packed us sandwiches and drinks. The short hike up the 7 water falls was fun and jumping off the last waterfall (behind me in the photo), was a blast. I really like watering holes for swimming.

We left Siete Alteras for Playa Blanca after an hour or so.
When we got to Playa Blanca were given 3 hours to chill on the beach. I crawled off under a palm tree for my lunch and a beer. Then I found a hammock and read my book for an hour or so.

After that, I joined the younin's under another palm tree. We went swimming and laid on the beach and had a nice time. I learned a couple of new things about Israel, such as the poorly translated saying "He/She is eating a movie", which is used to describe when someone is paranoid.

We returned to the hostel for all you can eat taco night and had one more night of fun before I set out back to Guate.

In the morning, I got everything paid up and set out for the Lancha back to Puerto Barrios. When I got half way to the dock, I realized that I left my passport back in the lock box at the hostel. I had 5 minutes to get to the dock with about a 10 minute walk from the hostel to the dock. I ran pack to get the passport, then ran to the dock, only to meet the Lancha with the motor running. I made it in the nick of time.

After the Lancha I caught the bus back to Guate and this is where the Antiboredom comes in. I am normally pretty goal driven and like my routines. When plans are executed well and logistics are efficient I tend to get happy and relaxed. On this trip, and I am not sure when, but all that melted away. I am not sure what time it is right now and I have to think about it a little to know what day of the week it is. I would need to count back to when I arrived here to give you an accurate date. On the bus ride back to Guate, there was this enormous traffic jam. We waited for close to 2 hours with virtually no movement. I can tell you with all honesty, that it didn't bother me in the least.

I have been putting myself into daydream states that last for hours on end. It is like the feeling when you are with a group of people and you zone out and someone needs to bring you back. Normally the guilt for ignoring people in that situation slightly overcomes the joy of not being there mentally, but in this case, there is nobody or thing or event to stop me. I can just sit and think.

Normally in life I am waging a constant battle of boredom. When I am with family/friends, playing a sport, watching a good movie, etc, I am not bored. Then there are other times when I am not interested in my work, flipping the channels, sitting in an airport, I am then bored and I do something to alleviate it. I have gotten rather good at it with all the information toys in my life, both mobile and stationary. I have great people in my life spend time with. Crap, I even have a pool table, but something different is happening during this trip. I have really let go and dialed down to a new frequency in my head and it is really different.

I do still have some realities of the world to deal with however, such as my making it to bus stations, boat docks and airports on time, but I have good long periods to prepare. Today, I am trying to think about how to handle my personal little Bay of Pigs situation with the Cuba trip. The issues is that I can't pay for my flight online with my credit card due to the whole embargo thang. I can pay with cash for everything, but there is a daily limit to the amount I can withdrawal per day and with the expenses in Cuba, plus the airfare, I might not have enough cash. When I get to Cuba, there are no ATM's and you can't use credit card anywhere, so I need the cash going in. Ah, the joy of whimsical travel to Cuba.

My plan is to work Sue and My back accounts for the max withdrawals to build up the funds and then, when I get to the airport, there is a chance that I can pay at the ticket counter with my Visa. If that doesn't work, then I think I am going to go to Costa Rica or Honduras to get my Carribean experience. Those are cheaper and shorter flights, so it may leave me with some money to go Sailfishing or something else exotic like a canopy tour. Either way, it should be a blast with more daydreaming, book reading and meeting new people.

I will post again next week from where ever. Cheers.

From Spanish School to the President of Guatemala

After Thursday`s post, there was one last night to take in with the Antigua gang. My head at this point had truely turned to mush and one more night of acting half my age couldn`t make it any worse. After another big dinner at Olga`s and a nap, I was ready for another "ladies night". They seem to be the marketing hit in Antigua with 2 hours of drinks for 3 Quetzales each (7.75Q=1USD). The cheap drinks gets the girls in, and the allure of drunken women brings the boys.

Being the elder statesman of the group, the final night was one last chance for everyone to play "Guess how old Eddie is", which has become a popular past time with Vala and Happy. Since most people come in about 10 years younger than 37, I must admit I like the game a little as well. I think we can toss up 3 years to context and another 3 to politeness, but that leaves me with a solid 4 year advantage over the Class of `88.

Even though the "Cloud of Gringo" looms deep in Antigua, you really meet some interesting people from all over the world (with the exception of Guatemalan`s that is). On the walk from La Sala to Reilleys, we adopted Adam into the group. He is a real live geniuine internationally practicing Beat Box musician. For all of my readers over the age of, well, 37, Beat Box is when you make precussive sounds in your mouth and combine them with singing-like sounds. Bobby McFarren would be the Beat Box that you may have caught on NPR or something. Well, Adam was amazing. Truely jaw dropping stuff. As we walked past the town center he showed me how he adds layers of sound up to 5 distinct tracks. That and he starts his performances with an imitiation of the General Lee`s (Dukes of Hazzard) horn that is spot on.

Well, it goes without saying that we closed Reilleys and then went to the after party until 3:30 or so. I decided to show some sense of control and switch to drinking mostly water, but the youngins pressed on. Ziggy (pictured above in school thje following day) didn`t make it past the first break. Vala required some additinal nursing from her teacher with some regional hang over remedies and Happy just showed up an hour late or so. I was the apple of Silvia`s eye for working so hard that day and not needing extra attention. I must say though that my comprehension of the Por/Para excercise was not at it`s best.

I broke for lunch, got my stuff packed up at Olga`s and returned to school for my final 2 hour session. We mostly chatted. She is now fully versed on such topics as; New Mexico Chile; Why Fab11 was shut down; Why anyone would like golf; Holland Mighigan and The Tulip Festival; All things Moses; Ex Wives & Girlfriend; NYC Bagels & Pizza Superiority and the "Water Hypothesis"; and many many more. I would highly recommend her and the school for learning Spanish.


Back in Guatemala City....

After school I took a 7:00 shuttle to Guate and hung out at La Casa de mi Hermana until sleep took over. The next day was another pleasant, but busy day. I got up a little late (remnants of the night before) and made a tortilla run down the street to get everyone`s breakfast going. The tortillas and fresh egg combo with a little black beans thrown in makes for a tasty little start of the day.

From there, we semi-rushed over to the travel agency to look into a flight to Havana. I am thinking of a spur of the moment run to hang with Elian and his buddies and ask if they can tell how old I am (jk). The flights are usually pretty cheap and I have always wanted to go. I am still trying to figure it all out, but the flights were more expensive than I thought, so I am thinking over how to spend these next few weeks. I have many wonderful options.

After the travel agency we went to a Piñata (birthday party). It was at a hostel with young traveller types from France and Spain, but the party was for Luis (hugging piñata below). We had a bunch of great food and then the kids preceeded to take down the piñata.

After the party we had mostly a chill time back at Sue`s place because the next day was going to be a long one. As you may recall from a previous post, I got trained as an international observer for election day in Guatemala. Victor needed to leave for work at 5 and I was leaving with Sue`s housemate/coworker Bridget at 7, so we watched a movie and turned in early.

The DVD burner has been a noticeable change to Guatemala since my last trip. The Movie rental place burned all there movies from online copies (illegal of course, but so is genocide) and they are also able to burn you a copy of any of their movies to keep. Kids in teh street sell major US movies that have yet to be released along with the classics, such as Glitter and Dude Where`s my Car.

We met up with the other International Observers and set of for San Pedro Sacatepéquez (pronounced as a Jersey accent modification of "Sack of Potatoes" i.e. ^Me and Vinny Sacapatadis are goin down to the bowlin alley") at 7. Other than Bridget and me, there were 2 EEUU guys from Boston and Tucson and a third from France. We all piles onto/into Paco`s truck and drove up these steep windy roads to get to the city.

Once in the city we were stationed at one of the voting centers and observed the process. We spent a bunch of time checking that all of the polling groups were working to the rules, but the whole operation was very impressive. There is little automation in the process, so it is highly manual. Each Mesa (polling table), has about 5 people working for 11 hours straight handing out the paper ballots and checking credentials. I wonder if some of the voter apathy in the US is based on how easy it is to vote, kind of a Freakenomics type deal where the harder it is to do, the higher it is valued. Anyway.

Election day was not only a test of the candidates, but also a test of my digestive system. I had a hamburger for breakfast, Street Taco`s and Campero Fried Chicken for lunch and More Tacos, Papusas and Hotdogs for dinner. Later in the evening I had Guatemala`s version of Doritos and some Marshmellow for a snack. I was in SPS until about 11pm waiting for the counting to be completed. On the ride home I had the pleasure of riding in the back of the pickup (which I deserved for riding in the cabin on the way up), but I was able to break out the Bose Headphones and listen to NPR podcasts on the way home. I was pretty comfortable with the exceptions of the speed bumps. Man, they sure have some EXTREME speed bumps here and they don`t waste any money on painting them. Luckily Paco was driving because there would have been major damage if I was.

Today is a bit of a rest day and tomorrow I head out for Livingston probably. If I can get on a sailboat wednesday and still get back here by Sunday night, I will probably spend 3 days in Cuba staying at a Casa Particular, which is basically a very nice host family. I am learning about travel to Cuba, but I will not waste anymore time on it since I would rather tell you extemporaneously in a future Blog.

Until Next Time.....

Update.... The decision has been made. I am going to Cuba!!!! Anyone that wants to meet me there, the first round of mojitos are ON ME!!!!!!!

Fun Facts about Iceland y más

Ok, other than using Vista for the fist time, I am also learning all about Iceland. As fate would have it there are 2 other students staying at Olga´s who are both 20 years old and both from Iceland. They didn´t meet until they arrived at Olga´s. There are 300,000 people in Iceland (first fun fact), so I suppose there are plenty of Icelanders out there, but it is a bit of an odd coinkydink.

Þorramatur (don´t bother trying to pronounce anything in Icelandic, even in your own head. It is simply a waist of time) are the traditional foods of Iceland and they are eaten during Nordic month, which is the main holiday. They eat rotten shark, ram testicles, a whipped cream like blood pudding and dried fish. Needless to say, the food at Olga´s is well received. But seriously, these foods are eaten in celebration of the survival of their ancestors. The settlers of Iceland faced great famine and developed many methods of preserving (rotten shark) and conserving (ram nuts) food.


World War II was a pretty sweet deal for Iceland. First the English occupied the country and then the Americans took over and built/paid for most of Iceland's infrastructure. It is expensive to travel to and live in Iceland. My 3 new Icelandic friends (Ziggy, Vala and Happy) explain to me that you can buy 6 mojito´s in Antigua for the cost of one in Reykjavík. When you are working out exchange rates with 3 types of currency, it is best to choose a beverage reference point.



Crime in Iceland is virtually nonexistent. Since the USA paid for much if Iceland´s infrastructure, the citizens are all pretty wealthy. The only real crime happens in relation to drug trafficking and abuse. The penalties for drug the most severe of all crime. In fact, the maximum sentence for murder in Iceland is 15 years and you need to kill about 1/3 of the population to get that sentence. Most sentences for murder are 3-5 years, so, if you really need to kill someone, take them on vacation to Reykjavík. Maybe for some ram nuts?


So, other than learning about Vista and Iceland I have been studying Spanish 6 hours a day. My brain turns to mush at about hour 5. My Maestra (Teacher) is named Silvia. She is truly fantastic. She is fun to talk to and laughs at my jokes and makes some pretty funny ones herself. She is also an energetic instructor who doesn´t let me get away with anything. I have homework some days and she grades it with her red pen. I have not had people mark up my writing with a red pen for many many many years. It is a strangely fun process. But seriously, 6 hours of Spanish drill a day is hard work. My mouth gets tired saying all the pronunciations and sometimes I just freeze and can´t think of the simplest words. It is very rewarding and I am having a great time learning. Silvia is kind enough to let me drink a couple of beers in the afternoon sessions to keep the tongue moving. Which works great, accept it doesn´t help me learn grammar.

Yesterday, after school, I took a taxi back to Guatemala City in order to take a training session needed to register as an International Observer for the elections that are being held on Sunday. I am going to San Pedro Sacatepéquez with a group of Sue´s friends to observe the elections in an official capacity on Sunday. It should be quite an adventure. This morning, Sue drove me back to Antigua and here I sit at the Funky Monkey.

The food and accommodations at Olga´s continue to impress. My room is comfortable and clean and we get three square meals a day. Lunch is usually the best, with meat and a soup to start. Breakfast has also been good with omelets and black beans. There is one small problem though. There is a leather tanning facility next door and the smell is unbelievably bad. It is so bad, that you question yourself when it first hits you nose as to whether it could really be that bad, and then you realize that it indeed is that bad. Fortunately, you can only smell it on the street as you pass by, and by some miraculous phenomena, you can´t smell it in Olga´s house.

After my time in Antigua is over, I am off to Livingston for a sailing trip. I am learning new skills in not planning so much, but aparantly, the best way to go is to get to a B&B in Livingston and then ask the purveors to use the ship to shore radios to get you onto a boat. If I need to spend a couple of extra days in the carribian paradise waiting for a good sail to Belize, that will have to do. I hear that in Belize, there are fisherman that drive up to the boats with fresh lobsters and fish for you to cook for dinner. That should be tasty. I have this image of myself sitting in a hammock, drinking beer, watching the sunset and eating lobster. It should be ver nice.

here is the link to all of my photos.

Until next post.....

The Journey Begins

After many sweet and supportive send offs from The Land of Enchantment I was finally ready (minus everything I forgot to pack) to head our on my sabbatical adventure. After putting in considerable thought, I chose to not take my laptop or any other toys on this trip. Well, with the exception of my iPod and headphones, which I have justified to myself as core necessities. And I also have my camera, and, well my cell phone so I can call people when I get back. But really that is it. No Laptop! I can feast of my laptop for countless hours of webcasting, IM´s and DVD collections galore, but this is a trip to try a new perspective. I am currently sitting in the ¨Funky Monkey¨ internet cafe. By the way, this is my first Vista experience. Odd.

Jen was kind enough to drive me to the airport and join me for one last Silver Coin before leaving. Flying to LA was pretty uneventful, but getting on the plane from LAX to Guatemala City was an interesting one. There appeared to be an ocean of confused elderly Guatemalan folk milling around. There was so much mass confusion at checkin that I went off to browse the magazine shop and when I got back the gate was empty. I guess I got distracted. Anywho, when I get on the plane I was seated next to a very large woman. She was unable to fit between the arm rests and had already chosen my seat as extra room. When I sat down she clearly felt uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally, but she (we) had no other option. The plane was completely full.

When we got airborne I walked up to the front of the plane to ask if there were any extra seats. I even offered up the possibility of taking a First Class seat just to make my travel companion more comfortable. The charm of the Dutch Stallion was really on it´s game if I do say so myself and in no time I was sitting in First Class drinking a scotch on the rocks. The man sitting next to me. one of the members of the octogenarian never flown before crowd, was very sweet. He kept refusing all the offers of food and drink. Since the flight attendant didn´t speak any English I decided to tell him that it was all free. His eyes lit up and asked me to order a beer for him. He even got a whiskey after dinner. He was beaming with joy and confusion at his circumstance. I got the feeling that when he got home, nobody would believe what happened to him.

I was able to catch a good little nap on the plane and arrived in GUA at about 4:30am. My sister and nephew were there to greet me. We plopped into her car and made it to her house with no traffic. Guatemala City is one chaotic place to drive. From the potholes, to the non-integer based lane structure, I am glad to have a driver. We got to her house, made coffee and waited for people to wake up. From there, the family got ready and we headed out to the Mercado. The central market in GC sells all kinds of fresh foods and flowers. We started with a stop at a taco stand for chincharone and chile rellenos tacos. Then threw down some tostadas and washed it all away with Gallos. Gallos are the most popular beer in Guatemala. It is a Lager style. We then got the fixin´s for a Churrasco (BBQ).

I crashed for a nap when I returned back at Sue´s house and woke up disoriented. I helped out prepare for the BBQ and got a good lesson in Guate-ness. I think I asked multiple times when everyone was showing up to the Churrasco and was met with a pause, and then the response of ¨they will get here when they are ready¨. Not a rude thing mind you, but just a distinction from the fixed and regulated norms of gringo socialization habits. People that arrive early help prepare, or entertain the cooks. Those that come late get to eat partially cool food, but have no guilt at cleaning out the serving or their last morsels. Two nice options in my book. The BBQ was attended by the POR group of interesting human rights workers, musicians and family members. Everyone is very sweet and patient with my crappy Spanish skills.

After the heavy intake of meat, beer and tortillas, I was ready for a nap. As soon as Akil was excused to go watch cartoons, I joined him. I got another hour or so of sleep and woke to the sound of a backfiring car. You don´t get a chance to hear backfires from cars anymore in the US. I can´t say it is enjoyable, but it is part of the charm. From there we went to see Sue and Vico´s land that they are building a house on. It is on the edge of a beautiful valley. The view is very dramatic. They should have a really nice place there one day.

We then set off for Antigua, where my language school is. Arriving in 30 minutes or so, we checked in and then had some time to kill before my host family came to pick me up. We went out to a Mediterranean place that was just amazing. We sat in the room with all the Hooka´s and ordered Michelada´s and mint lemonades. We even mustered up more hunger for Hummus, Salad and Kabobs. The food was outstanding and the drinks were great. After returning to the school, I was picked up by Olga (my host Mom) and Sue\Vico were off to GC.

Olga is about half as tall as I am and she hosts Spanish students all the time. It is about a 10 minute walk to her house that was made a little hard since my rolling bag and the cobble stone antient streets of Antigua didn´t get along with each other. I could have gone to ¨backpack mode¨with my fancy new Eagle Creek bag, but I never new how much further it was and I was afraid to ask for appearing to complain. We got to her house and I was beat. I took a shower and tried to read my book, but fell asleep instantly.

Today, I awoke bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for my first day of Spanish School. Breakfast was pancakes and fruit. I get 5 days of lodging and 3 meals a day in this program. With 6 hours of 1:1 Spanish training, the cost is $160 for everything. The accomodations are not the Ritz, but it is clean and comfortable and with 3 squares a day, it is pretty sweet for the Dutchman.

Spanish School 1:1 is hard work, but rewarding. There is a framework of grammer, but I mostly go off on tangents in spanish and talk my teacher´s ears off. Being the ADHD random story telling addict works great. I don´t need to justify WHY I am moving from one topic to another unrelated topic, she is just glad I am talking. I guess they get people of few words in this school sometimes and it is a real cross to bear as an instructor. She says I know enough words to be fluent, it is just my grammar that is for crap, which I know. We are starting with grammar and skipping the noun stuff. That is a great thing about the 1:1 training. You can get tailered instruction. It is tiring though. I told her that I feel like a car with a tank of gas representing my ability to speak spanish. The tank gets pretty low from time to time and I just sit there agape, but she is patient and encouraging.

After my first half day I walked back to Olga´s for lunch, which was pretty darn good with chicken, rice, salad and soup. The cook Ireana, said she was glad to have a boy staying this week so she can cook some meat. All the ¨Spanish School Girls¨ are pretty vegetarian across the board. I came from lunch to the Funky Monkey and here I sit.

I am off to the bonus round this afternoon, so wish me luck in not completely running out of gas.