Panama city the capital of panama obviously and the city that sits at the bottom of central america,for me a stepping stone into colombia and South America.This place is weird,it is rich and poor,and also has almost every western mod con at hands reach due to the fact that american´s have occupied the area for decade´s building and running the canal,and also the shipping canal makes it for an easy drop off for world goods.This of course means here you can buy just about anything electronic for a pretty good price and all sorts of other gear off the side of the street.I have updated my i'pod accessories allready and am loving it,what an invention the i'pod is.If you have´nt got one and you love music stop been a tight ass and get out there and buy one today,so worth the money,and no i dont work for apple.I just know how good they are.
Anyway food and beer is pretty cheap here but accomodation is not real cheap.Im not sure how much the extremely hot little hooker is that works my block as im too scared to ask,she looks about 17 and hits me up everyday but i just say i can´t speak spanish,allways a good one when your been hassled it usually works unless of course they speak english.Ive spent up a little and need to get out of here soon,wich is licky as tomorrow i fly to colombia.
So panama city is kinda cool anyhow,the nightlife is pretty wild here as is everywhere i think in these parts,damn they love to party,i like it here.Its situated on the water which is allways nice,because of the hot hot heat and humidity i wanted a swim but on closer inspection i found that the city street outlet drains were everywhereThere was junk all over,one spot i counted six condoms in a 4 square meter area,dunno what was up there but it was a funny sight,so i opted for a cold shower instead.I have walked a couple of seedy area´s and been the only whitey in sight.Pretty keen as robberys here are really common but i just take nothing with me,put my cannons out,look por with no shoes and put on a really mean face and crazy eye´s in hope that no one fucks with me and so far it has worked fine.These places are packed with people and action,it sure is the ghetto and i dont belong there but its fun and different.I hav´nt taken photo´s as i don´t really want to get my camera out in these area´s,alone and no police in sight could mean for not a fun day trip.Apart from those times i feel totally safe around here,same as anywhere you just got to be weary and eye´s open.Im still not used to the traffic driving on the opposite side of the road thogh.I have nearly been hit about four times now going to cross the road and looking the wrong way,so scary,i was about one foot from a bus the other day,it blew my hair into a fuzz and i allmost swallowed my false teeth in shock.Now i just look both ways at every gutter.I got taught that in primary school but probably was´nt listenin¨Look left,Look right,Look bike¨or something like that.
Ive been pretty boring here just doing little daytrips into the city,the canal,small walks, national parks and so on as everytime i go out i spend way to much cash,i love spending money but need to be wise about it cos when i get on a roll there´s no stopping me,and right now im on that rollercoaster.So send me money if you want more storie´s.
wink wink
30 June 2006
PANAMA CANAL
May sound a little borish but today i went to the panama canal and checked out the locks.They were pretty crazy and an amazing idea let alone feat to build it considering they are nearly 100 years old.
The basic jist of it is that it conects the pacific ocean to the Atlantic.Allowing container ships (among all other boats) to cross from places like Japan,China,Korea,Oz and New Zealand to the other side of the world Africa,Europe and the eastern side of the States(where most us goods are shipped to) without going all the extra and dangerous way around the cape of South America.
The US are the major users of the canal with 69% of the traffic.These guys built it and owned it for the most of time but on new years eve 2000 it was completely handed over to Panama,the rightfull owners.I think they gave it up as it is now at its maximum use with more demand and is near the end of its teather,apparently at the moment ships have to book up to a year in advance.Water shortage is a huge concern as an astonishing 52 million gallons of fresh water is lost into the ocean for each ship.
Last year 14,000 ships passed through here and they pay on weight and for the average big container ship its about $70,000 and apparently it has to be paid in cash.Last year they made $847 million dollars on the tollgates,not bad for the country's economy.I can´t imagine why the yanks would give that up.
At one point of the canal there is a 14km long cut through a mountain,half of it is manmade and the other half natural waterways,probably deepened for the ships.Contstruction was a huge mission with crazy landslides frequenly occurring and also yellow fever and malaria killed 20,000 workers.Crazy shit for thirty years of construction spanning from 1880 to 1914 when it opened.
So there are three sets of locks and they change the water level along the way so ships gofrom sea level,up then back again.The locks are perfectly wide enough for the ships.Most ships in the world are built according to these widths just so they can get through here,there is two feet at either side for clearance.The locks i saw were in three stages and the ship had to drop 27 meters,thats a big distance in water and especially for a small floating city.But the water is just let out like i was hoping,it is pumped underground by what i can only imaging to be the biggest water valve pumps ever.The scale of this operatoin is mindblowing.
Anyway after all those amazing facts and mind blowing history i watched a few ships go throuh and do their thing,took about 45 mins per ship,but after that it was pretty damn boring.But still it took nothing away from the feat accomplished here.Check it out on the web if your even a little interested.
The basic jist of it is that it conects the pacific ocean to the Atlantic.Allowing container ships (among all other boats) to cross from places like Japan,China,Korea,Oz and New Zealand to the other side of the world Africa,Europe and the eastern side of the States(where most us goods are shipped to) without going all the extra and dangerous way around the cape of South America.
The US are the major users of the canal with 69% of the traffic.These guys built it and owned it for the most of time but on new years eve 2000 it was completely handed over to Panama,the rightfull owners.I think they gave it up as it is now at its maximum use with more demand and is near the end of its teather,apparently at the moment ships have to book up to a year in advance.Water shortage is a huge concern as an astonishing 52 million gallons of fresh water is lost into the ocean for each ship.
Last year 14,000 ships passed through here and they pay on weight and for the average big container ship its about $70,000 and apparently it has to be paid in cash.Last year they made $847 million dollars on the tollgates,not bad for the country's economy.I can´t imagine why the yanks would give that up.
At one point of the canal there is a 14km long cut through a mountain,half of it is manmade and the other half natural waterways,probably deepened for the ships.Contstruction was a huge mission with crazy landslides frequenly occurring and also yellow fever and malaria killed 20,000 workers.Crazy shit for thirty years of construction spanning from 1880 to 1914 when it opened.
So there are three sets of locks and they change the water level along the way so ships gofrom sea level,up then back again.The locks are perfectly wide enough for the ships.Most ships in the world are built according to these widths just so they can get through here,there is two feet at either side for clearance.The locks i saw were in three stages and the ship had to drop 27 meters,thats a big distance in water and especially for a small floating city.But the water is just let out like i was hoping,it is pumped underground by what i can only imaging to be the biggest water valve pumps ever.The scale of this operatoin is mindblowing.
Anyway after all those amazing facts and mind blowing history i watched a few ships go throuh and do their thing,took about 45 mins per ship,but after that it was pretty damn boring.But still it took nothing away from the feat accomplished here.Check it out on the web if your even a little interested.
ALL THINGS AUSTRALIAN
So i walked into a restuarant yesterday,there was a t.v on and stone the bloody crows it was none other than M´cleods Duaghters on in friggen Panama city.I could´nt beleive it, it was nice to hear that awesome ozzy accent in full flight,but it was an episode i had unfortunately seen at my sisters.This on top of all the socceroos support in the world cup,yes even here,they are the new favourite team i think,everyone is loving an australian here.
So i just can´t escape it.Im am having an awesome time and experience oversea´s but it is things like that wich just set me off thinking of home.Especially when you have all those sexy m´cleods chicks sitting around a campfire out bush for the night looking all cute in their beanie´s and woolens.
My most common is the major need for me to sit around a big ol backyard bbq oz style and drink 500 coopers pale ale´s,id kill for that right now with a group of my ozzy yob mate´s.It allmost feels as if ive been in rehab and givwen up a drug of dependance.
Also id love to walk down the street and hear someone say,"mate your such a DICK HEAD",wow what a word,dick head.
So yeah,i miss our homeland and am damn proud to be Australian,"whatever that means", cos we are good at it all,we think a lot greener than the rest of the world and are enviromentally aware(though there is a lot of room for improvement) we are hip, we hop,and are an amazing sporting and athletic breed.We have a diverse range of food,awesome wine and beer,beautifull landscapes,insane beaches of all types,heaps of wildlife and grouse weather.We also have the oppertunity to work,make lots of money and live in good and a safe society.On top of that we are just the best looking and coolest mother f$%kers around.Sure there are a lot of things that are fucked up too but overall i think we are lucky and it is quite easy to LOVE YOUR AUSTRALIA
So i just can´t escape it.Im am having an awesome time and experience oversea´s but it is things like that wich just set me off thinking of home.Especially when you have all those sexy m´cleods chicks sitting around a campfire out bush for the night looking all cute in their beanie´s and woolens.
My most common is the major need for me to sit around a big ol backyard bbq oz style and drink 500 coopers pale ale´s,id kill for that right now with a group of my ozzy yob mate´s.It allmost feels as if ive been in rehab and givwen up a drug of dependance.
Also id love to walk down the street and hear someone say,"mate your such a DICK HEAD",wow what a word,dick head.
So yeah,i miss our homeland and am damn proud to be Australian,"whatever that means", cos we are good at it all,we think a lot greener than the rest of the world and are enviromentally aware(though there is a lot of room for improvement) we are hip, we hop,and are an amazing sporting and athletic breed.We have a diverse range of food,awesome wine and beer,beautifull landscapes,insane beaches of all types,heaps of wildlife and grouse weather.We also have the oppertunity to work,make lots of money and live in good and a safe society.On top of that we are just the best looking and coolest mother f$%kers around.Sure there are a lot of things that are fucked up too but overall i think we are lucky and it is quite easy to LOVE YOUR AUSTRALIA
CENTRO BLUR
From Guatemala all the way south to the bottom of central america has been nothing but a blur and thats because i have done a three day bus journey the whole way.After having enough of centro america and really keen to get into south america (especially for the peru surfseason,now) i decided on a bus trip rather than a plain to save a little cash,but in the end with accomodatin and all it will work out pretty similar.At least this way i got to see a little more and do my favourite tavelling thing,cross more borders.
So the first leg was into el salvador,i arrived in the city at about five and found out i had a connecting bus to catch at three in the morning,great.Luckily there was acomodation at the bus termianl,a bar and a restuarant.I had to have a couple of beers considering the stress i was under,he he and there were some other travellers doing the same thing as me so we had a couple salvadorian style.That night i got two hours sleep,hardly worth the ten bucks for the room but once on the bus i slept for the rest of the night.These busse´s were´nt quite as spacious as the one from mexico but all is good for a shoestring budget.
At the borders they would announce everything in spanish and apart from understanding a few words i had no idea on what was about to happen,i just did the old follow the crowd and it all worked out well.I was lucky to get into Panama as legally you need an onward ticket out of the country or 500 dollars in cash to prove you are leaving again.Of course i had neither of these,i saw three people before me get done and refused entry.I had a good feeling as somehow i can usually spin my way out of a situation.Anyway i handed over my passport and got the big smile and,"oh australian hey,you have good soccer team",that was my avenue and i talked a little shit and my new border officer buddy flagged me through.God bless the socceroos,they are so popular for having such a good go,every time i meet a local and say im from australia it automatically turns to the soccer with a smile,A perfect time to be travelling a soccer crazy continent.Go you good ozzy´s.
Apart from that the borders were the usual drag, getting hassled and woken up at all hours to get off the bus and cross borders.At one border we had a crim on board that got arrested with fake passports and god knows what,a bit of action.Also once in costa rica and panama there was random inspections from the law,they would come aboard and check your passports,more a pain in the ass than anything.
I passed countless amounts of volcanoes,they still amaze me no matter how many i see.Saw some big active buggers also,they stand out like ayres eock around here and are the main focal point for everyone,love em.The land flattened out at nicuragua for the first time in a long time on the trip.It was nice to travel some flat land as i was getting over hills and seceretly playing corners with the stranger beside me.The hills dropped off and it seemed like a scene out of an african doco,but everything was green and tropical.Nicuragua,costa rica and panama had flatter landscapes with those big fat beautiful trees that you only see in tropical climates.The lands here look perfect for roaming and on my return to the states to fly out in i dont know how long,i hope to spend a little more time in these regions discovering.Also passed through some wicked storms with fork lightening touching down in close proximity to the bus,i was so hanging to see something get struck but to no avail.
I had this guy from amsterdam,the second in as many weeks that would´nt leave me alone.I relly think that they may both have been gay as the liking they took to me was a bit much,man they are a different breed.One was just totally blowing out on me and my barefoot travels with so many questions like "so when did you start wearing barefeet,and what happens when you walk over glass".So in true ozzy style i talked it up and said we are all bushmen that wear no shoes and are able to walk over glass without cuttin our feet.As soon as the bus got into panama i was outta there as he wanted to come in the taxi to the same hotel,i wish the girls were paying me that much attention.
So 5 countrys in three days was quite draining,the bus trip also completely crap,long,hot, and lacking of sleep.But the veiwing and the people i met were all worth it,plus its allways better than working.By the time i reached panam i had bloodshot eyes and stank like a cross country runner in an army suit.I hit a hotel,showered and chilled with 75 channels of nothing.
So the first leg was into el salvador,i arrived in the city at about five and found out i had a connecting bus to catch at three in the morning,great.Luckily there was acomodation at the bus termianl,a bar and a restuarant.I had to have a couple of beers considering the stress i was under,he he and there were some other travellers doing the same thing as me so we had a couple salvadorian style.That night i got two hours sleep,hardly worth the ten bucks for the room but once on the bus i slept for the rest of the night.These busse´s were´nt quite as spacious as the one from mexico but all is good for a shoestring budget.
At the borders they would announce everything in spanish and apart from understanding a few words i had no idea on what was about to happen,i just did the old follow the crowd and it all worked out well.I was lucky to get into Panama as legally you need an onward ticket out of the country or 500 dollars in cash to prove you are leaving again.Of course i had neither of these,i saw three people before me get done and refused entry.I had a good feeling as somehow i can usually spin my way out of a situation.Anyway i handed over my passport and got the big smile and,"oh australian hey,you have good soccer team",that was my avenue and i talked a little shit and my new border officer buddy flagged me through.God bless the socceroos,they are so popular for having such a good go,every time i meet a local and say im from australia it automatically turns to the soccer with a smile,A perfect time to be travelling a soccer crazy continent.Go you good ozzy´s.
Apart from that the borders were the usual drag, getting hassled and woken up at all hours to get off the bus and cross borders.At one border we had a crim on board that got arrested with fake passports and god knows what,a bit of action.Also once in costa rica and panama there was random inspections from the law,they would come aboard and check your passports,more a pain in the ass than anything.
I passed countless amounts of volcanoes,they still amaze me no matter how many i see.Saw some big active buggers also,they stand out like ayres eock around here and are the main focal point for everyone,love em.The land flattened out at nicuragua for the first time in a long time on the trip.It was nice to travel some flat land as i was getting over hills and seceretly playing corners with the stranger beside me.The hills dropped off and it seemed like a scene out of an african doco,but everything was green and tropical.Nicuragua,costa rica and panama had flatter landscapes with those big fat beautiful trees that you only see in tropical climates.The lands here look perfect for roaming and on my return to the states to fly out in i dont know how long,i hope to spend a little more time in these regions discovering.Also passed through some wicked storms with fork lightening touching down in close proximity to the bus,i was so hanging to see something get struck but to no avail.
I had this guy from amsterdam,the second in as many weeks that would´nt leave me alone.I relly think that they may both have been gay as the liking they took to me was a bit much,man they are a different breed.One was just totally blowing out on me and my barefoot travels with so many questions like "so when did you start wearing barefeet,and what happens when you walk over glass".So in true ozzy style i talked it up and said we are all bushmen that wear no shoes and are able to walk over glass without cuttin our feet.As soon as the bus got into panama i was outta there as he wanted to come in the taxi to the same hotel,i wish the girls were paying me that much attention.
So 5 countrys in three days was quite draining,the bus trip also completely crap,long,hot, and lacking of sleep.But the veiwing and the people i met were all worth it,plus its allways better than working.By the time i reached panam i had bloodshot eyes and stank like a cross country runner in an army suit.I hit a hotel,showered and chilled with 75 channels of nothing.
25 June 2006
MY GUATEMALAN FAMILY
|
IN NEED OF AN ADULT SIZED NAPPY
WARNING> this story is'nt really going to be tastefull (i don't know if any of mine are anyway).So if you don't like hearing about human shits,ha ha, then i would quickly skip to the next blog.
During the week i finally succumbed to the dreaded pain in the guts accompanied by the runs.Its been a long time coming with all the hot food and am amazed it took two months.For the first time in my adult life i shat me jox,it wasnt running out the bottom of my pants or nothing nut it sure was a solid follow through.So at the same time as feeling like a bit of a dirty feral with bog in my jox i was kinda excited about it too,as i had heard so many stories of others doing it here and in indo.
One afternoon of a day of been really gassy and letting them rip in the mornings of school like there was no tomorrow(luckily school was outdoors) but my teacher still copped it i think,i couldnt even stand the smell of them myself.So in the arvo i was bedridden with the most painfull stomachache ever,i was curled up for hours in heaps of pain until i hit up the dunny.Wow,i think i just had the biggest bog on human record,had to flush three times before i had finished.I then realised why my guts was so sore,i was carrying about four ton of waste and just unloaded it all at once,like a septic tank cleaner.As you could imagine it was'nt too pretty and there is no photo needed for this story.
After i felt like i had just run a marathon and retired early to bed,i was still feeling ill but not as bad.During the night i had to get up for yet another solid session on the bogger,i was still amazed by the amount i had in me and the amount of poo tickets (dunny roll) i was going through.I woke in the morning only to feel so crook,not the stomach this time but the headaches,nausious and absolutely no energy.I attempted spanish classes but when i colapsed onto the grass after an hour my teacher decide it was pointless in me been there.I hit bed again and woke up about three.Felipe,my host family father dood,came in with some tablets for my stomache and head.The best thing about over here is you can buy all your anti biotics and medicines over the counter.Anyway he sure new what was going on cos about six hours later after taking only two doses of each i was nearly completely cured.Thank christ.
During the week i finally succumbed to the dreaded pain in the guts accompanied by the runs.Its been a long time coming with all the hot food and am amazed it took two months.For the first time in my adult life i shat me jox,it wasnt running out the bottom of my pants or nothing nut it sure was a solid follow through.So at the same time as feeling like a bit of a dirty feral with bog in my jox i was kinda excited about it too,as i had heard so many stories of others doing it here and in indo.
One afternoon of a day of been really gassy and letting them rip in the mornings of school like there was no tomorrow(luckily school was outdoors) but my teacher still copped it i think,i couldnt even stand the smell of them myself.So in the arvo i was bedridden with the most painfull stomachache ever,i was curled up for hours in heaps of pain until i hit up the dunny.Wow,i think i just had the biggest bog on human record,had to flush three times before i had finished.I then realised why my guts was so sore,i was carrying about four ton of waste and just unloaded it all at once,like a septic tank cleaner.As you could imagine it was'nt too pretty and there is no photo needed for this story.
After i felt like i had just run a marathon and retired early to bed,i was still feeling ill but not as bad.During the night i had to get up for yet another solid session on the bogger,i was still amazed by the amount i had in me and the amount of poo tickets (dunny roll) i was going through.I woke in the morning only to feel so crook,not the stomach this time but the headaches,nausious and absolutely no energy.I attempted spanish classes but when i colapsed onto the grass after an hour my teacher decide it was pointless in me been there.I hit bed again and woke up about three.Felipe,my host family father dood,came in with some tablets for my stomache and head.The best thing about over here is you can buy all your anti biotics and medicines over the counter.Anyway he sure new what was going on cos about six hours later after taking only two doses of each i was nearly completely cured.Thank christ.
BACK TO SCHOOL
So the last two weeks i have spent back at school gutemalan style, studying spanish and trying to get enough language to wander the country comfortably.
My school is amazing and very beautiful.At the base of a volcano (volcan San Pedro) there are these wonderfull gardens by the lake where you study outdoors under small huts.Its very tranquill and makes it a delight to rock up to school each day.Its also a motivating atmosphere to learn in.It was one on one classes four hours a day with my teacher julio pronounced hulio.He was a good little teacher so i learnt a fair bit from him in a small amount of time,muchas gracias julio,me gusta mi meistro.I also taught him a little too,especially about australia.At the start it was weird to study again as its been an absence of ten years from the books and school but once i got into it i really enjoyed the learning.As you can see from the photo's i also enjoyed sitting in an awesome place for four hours of the day.
The time after school was spent doing a little bit more study,more at he start than towards the end.But i was also swimming in the lake and practicing my new talent,backflips,off the rocks.One day i hired a kayak and paddled far towards the middle and once close i just sat in silence and took in the magic of it all.
The prices of classes were also ridicously cheap,100 bucks a week for classes and to live with a family with three meals a day.Good value.So i reccomend this spot for anyone travelling centro america and looking to study spanish.An awesome spot.
My spanish still isnt real good but im getting there,will probably do some more schooling in peru and hopefully by the end of my trip will be able to go on a date and speak spanish,Find a rich beautifull latin women,get married and stay here for another ten yearscleaning her house,ha.
My school is amazing and very beautiful.At the base of a volcano (volcan San Pedro) there are these wonderfull gardens by the lake where you study outdoors under small huts.Its very tranquill and makes it a delight to rock up to school each day.Its also a motivating atmosphere to learn in.It was one on one classes four hours a day with my teacher julio pronounced hulio.He was a good little teacher so i learnt a fair bit from him in a small amount of time,muchas gracias julio,me gusta mi meistro.I also taught him a little too,especially about australia.At the start it was weird to study again as its been an absence of ten years from the books and school but once i got into it i really enjoyed the learning.As you can see from the photo's i also enjoyed sitting in an awesome place for four hours of the day.
The time after school was spent doing a little bit more study,more at he start than towards the end.But i was also swimming in the lake and practicing my new talent,backflips,off the rocks.One day i hired a kayak and paddled far towards the middle and once close i just sat in silence and took in the magic of it all.
The prices of classes were also ridicously cheap,100 bucks a week for classes and to live with a family with three meals a day.Good value.So i reccomend this spot for anyone travelling centro america and looking to study spanish.An awesome spot.
My spanish still isnt real good but im getting there,will probably do some more schooling in peru and hopefully by the end of my trip will be able to go on a date and speak spanish,Find a rich beautifull latin women,get married and stay here for another ten yearscleaning her house,ha.
LAGO DE ATITLAN
After arriving in Panajachel,the main tourist town surrounding lake atitlan A meal and a tour of the town at night was the go,there were heaps of little pubs with loud,shit music and it was overrun with touro's.Not really digging it i retired to bed and slept well.The next morning i walked down to the lake to check out the scenery.The streets were quite as the Gautemalans are definately night owel's and stay up late then sleep in.When i got to the lake i was a little awestruck.It was huge,glassy and the water was clear.The air was freah and green mountains surrounded the water 360 degrees.On the opposite side was three volcanoes,two beside each other and one to the right.It was a beautiful sight three volcanoes on a lake,a little surreal.The lake itself is the origanal volcano which at some stage, filled in and filled up with water from the tropical rains off the surrounding mountains.The origianal volcanoe must have being soo sooo big and its hard to even imagen it active,even standing beside it.
To me it is a real life experience of seeing how the earth was created.
The place has history,loads of it.The mayan people,original indiginous people of this land have lived here for god knows how long and continue to do so.Its common to hear their dielect in the streets and the lakes edges is scattered with their village's.The area went through a civil war in the late seventies,early eighties and thousands of lives were lost and scars remain today an all the locals.Also the best coffee in the world is grown here,but most of it is exportes around the world to richer coutrys,then probably added with all sorts of crap to be bottled as nescafe.Their is also a high feeling of spiritual energie here with the age of the land and mystery's of the mayan.Mayan shaman healers exist in the hills.
This place (and the people) has seen so many crazy timesbut nothing could ever take away the bueaty of the land and the goegeous views of the lake.Many say its the best lake in the world and after seeing it with my own eye's im a beleiver.
To me it is a real life experience of seeing how the earth was created.
The place has history,loads of it.The mayan people,original indiginous people of this land have lived here for god knows how long and continue to do so.Its common to hear their dielect in the streets and the lakes edges is scattered with their village's.The area went through a civil war in the late seventies,early eighties and thousands of lives were lost and scars remain today an all the locals.Also the best coffee in the world is grown here,but most of it is exportes around the world to richer coutrys,then probably added with all sorts of crap to be bottled as nescafe.Their is also a high feeling of spiritual energie here with the age of the land and mystery's of the mayan.Mayan shaman healers exist in the hills.
This place (and the people) has seen so many crazy timesbut nothing could ever take away the bueaty of the land and the goegeous views of the lake.Many say its the best lake in the world and after seeing it with my own eye's im a beleiver.
MEX TO GUATEMALA
So after selling the car it was finally time to leave mexico,it kind of felt as if i was leaving my home as i was quite comfortable in mexico,but at the same time was stoked to be leaving for something new and making another step getting closer to Peru (which is no 1 destination).
So we hit the extremely busy bus termainal in oaxaca city and booked a ticket into guatemala.Expecting a pretty ordinary bus our eyes lit up when we saw it and were even more excited once on board.The thing was flash as and inside was more spacious than the busses in oz.The saets had heaps more room in front,they folded back nearly all the way,were heaps wider,served food and drinks (for free) and had a t.v screen above our head,allthogh the movies were heaps dodgey.Oh and it was cheap as.
All this comfort was neede as the trip left at nine at night and arrived at ten in the am,so an overnight sleep on board was compulsary.And sleep i did,in that big comfy chair,nearly the whole night.
We arrived before the border and had to organize another bus into guatemala,it was all to easy and then whaen i saw that bus i litterally jumped in the air.It was a big spanken new double decker,bigger than texas y'all, and we were seated up top.It did'nt take me long to get to the front seat and it felt as if i was seated on a ferres wheel.Fun yes but not the safest seat on the bus.I was in heaven on these busses,felt as if i was an olympian getting transported the the games.(beer drinken olympics most likely).
All this comfort was appreciated but shortlived after the double deck deck ride.
In the middle of nowhere,well there was a little town there.We were dumped off the bus as we were heading of the major roads to Lake Atitlan,to study spanish for a couple of weeks.Anyway this place was a transport crossroads absolutely overrun with more peddlers,markets and randoms selling all sorts of gear on the side of the road.We didnt even know what way to go but as i said it does'nt take long for a local to come and claim you theirs in hope of a little cash deposit,so soon enough we were pointed in the right direction and waiting 2o minutes for a famous "chicken bus".
This little place was loud and going off,busses everywhere and people so close to getting hit by them.Now a chicken bus,they are the old school busses from the states,stripped of yellow paint and decorated colorfully with local colors,they look cool as.But comfort is non existant on these baby's,overloaded,stinky,hot and three people on the one seat at times makes for an uncofortable yet exciting and cultural experience.Not to mention we are driving around the highlands,around volcanoes and hairpin corners at crazy speeds in an old bus that should have being scrapped ten to fifteen years ago.So its full action and i absolutly loved it.Like a dog in a ute peering over the cab i was perched up,rolling with the corners wide eyed and a smile on my face for two hours,had a ball.The music was also blaring so it was like being at a party,people got on and sold food from stop to stop also.One of the funnest things so far and definately my best bus trip ever.It cost like two dollars for a two hundred km trip,well worth it for the fun i had.
Such a different bus trips but such a fun time in transit, go the chicken bus.Finally we arrived in Panajachel after nearly 24 hours of travel by road and i was still smiling.
So we hit the extremely busy bus termainal in oaxaca city and booked a ticket into guatemala.Expecting a pretty ordinary bus our eyes lit up when we saw it and were even more excited once on board.The thing was flash as and inside was more spacious than the busses in oz.The saets had heaps more room in front,they folded back nearly all the way,were heaps wider,served food and drinks (for free) and had a t.v screen above our head,allthogh the movies were heaps dodgey.Oh and it was cheap as.
All this comfort was neede as the trip left at nine at night and arrived at ten in the am,so an overnight sleep on board was compulsary.And sleep i did,in that big comfy chair,nearly the whole night.
We arrived before the border and had to organize another bus into guatemala,it was all to easy and then whaen i saw that bus i litterally jumped in the air.It was a big spanken new double decker,bigger than texas y'all, and we were seated up top.It did'nt take me long to get to the front seat and it felt as if i was seated on a ferres wheel.Fun yes but not the safest seat on the bus.I was in heaven on these busses,felt as if i was an olympian getting transported the the games.(beer drinken olympics most likely).
All this comfort was appreciated but shortlived after the double deck deck ride.
In the middle of nowhere,well there was a little town there.We were dumped off the bus as we were heading of the major roads to Lake Atitlan,to study spanish for a couple of weeks.Anyway this place was a transport crossroads absolutely overrun with more peddlers,markets and randoms selling all sorts of gear on the side of the road.We didnt even know what way to go but as i said it does'nt take long for a local to come and claim you theirs in hope of a little cash deposit,so soon enough we were pointed in the right direction and waiting 2o minutes for a famous "chicken bus".
This little place was loud and going off,busses everywhere and people so close to getting hit by them.Now a chicken bus,they are the old school busses from the states,stripped of yellow paint and decorated colorfully with local colors,they look cool as.But comfort is non existant on these baby's,overloaded,stinky,hot and three people on the one seat at times makes for an uncofortable yet exciting and cultural experience.Not to mention we are driving around the highlands,around volcanoes and hairpin corners at crazy speeds in an old bus that should have being scrapped ten to fifteen years ago.So its full action and i absolutly loved it.Like a dog in a ute peering over the cab i was perched up,rolling with the corners wide eyed and a smile on my face for two hours,had a ball.The music was also blaring so it was like being at a party,people got on and sold food from stop to stop also.One of the funnest things so far and definately my best bus trip ever.It cost like two dollars for a two hundred km trip,well worth it for the fun i had.
Such a different bus trips but such a fun time in transit, go the chicken bus.Finally we arrived in Panajachel after nearly 24 hours of travel by road and i was still smiling.
BORDERS
So i have only crossed two borders,i have so many more to go and i have developed a hate for them allready.Busy,long,slow,smelly and full of scummy little bastards trying to rip you off.There is not one minute when you don't have someone hanging off you asking "what you want,what you need,do you want to change your money,im your man,ill help you out,my hombre over here will get you through quickly,no worries".Excuse me im fine and will you please piss off.
The money thing can be quite annoying,especially if you hav'nt changed it in advance as you need different money on the other side of the border and the guys changing money give you a really really low exchange rate.Ripping you off you are garaunteed to lose money.Now these guys sre'nt in an office or officials at all.They are just any seedy little bugger with a pocket full of cash out to scam a gringo.
So border crossings suck but at the same time they are pretty exciting,you fell pretty alive watching every move around you.But i hate them allready and in two weeks will be crossing five in as many days,bring it on.
At least after that i will have a enough experience,maybe i should work the borders.
The money thing can be quite annoying,especially if you hav'nt changed it in advance as you need different money on the other side of the border and the guys changing money give you a really really low exchange rate.Ripping you off you are garaunteed to lose money.Now these guys sre'nt in an office or officials at all.They are just any seedy little bugger with a pocket full of cash out to scam a gringo.
So border crossings suck but at the same time they are pretty exciting,you fell pretty alive watching every move around you.But i hate them allready and in two weeks will be crossing five in as many days,bring it on.
At least after that i will have a enough experience,maybe i should work the borders.
12 June 2006
MORE BARRA FOTOS
i just have to put some more shots up of this place,not to make all the surfers jealous but more for the fact that i love the place so much and words cant describe just how fun it is,so im hoping maybe the photo's can.Oh and the water is soooo warm,also you can grab a beer between waves.HEAVEN
OAXACA CITY,RUINS,PROTESTERS AND CAR SALES
Oaxaca city is wonderful and so is our host miguel,(thanx champ).The inner city has cobble stoned streets and extremely old buildings.At this time i was lucky enough to experience a huge protest.The teachers of oaxaca are protesting obviously there rights,pay and the totally corrupt goverment in charge,apparently teachers have been murdered by this same govermnt recently.There are five thousand people camping on the streets of the inner city blocking it off completely.It makes for a hard time ducking all of their ropes but is definately and exciting vibe and experience.Power to the people i say.But the other thing is there is a federal election on in two weeks and the streets are abuzz with that aswell,it could go either way and im told it could erupt into violent protests,i hope not but keep an eye on it as it could be interesting.
One day we did a trip to some ancient mayan ruins which was to be my first.It was really to take in all the history and the high concentration of energy,all was so quite there and people moved peacfully as if respecting those who once walked and practiced a mysterious religion here.I think even the least of spiritual beleivers would in someway be effected by this place´s energy.At one ruins built into the side of a hill i sat and took it in (the spot where the picture taken looking down on the ruins).It was so nice to just stop and admire,it also reminded me greatly of a spot in central australia atop of a mountain range which i visited several times.In both places there was silence apart from a soft drone of traffic below.In front of you you have ancient spiritual lands that visually are so beautiful and serene with balso a ghostly feel as if someone is watching or around you.But at the same time there is the apparant sights and sounds of the new world,our world, and although they operate in totally opposite ways you cant help but admire the cross of both and feel happy to be in a time where all can be accessed and experienced.
These ruins were surely special and it hit me that i will be seeing even more intense and larger ruins in the trip in front of me,can´t wait.
So as a few days had past, the car had been cleaned,a few tours of the city,some great meals and beer alike.Oh yeah and the soccer,go you good aussies in the world cup,this was the game that we beat japan 3 to 1.So now we were ready to rid ourselfs of the car.
Early on a sunday morning we hit the local car market,i allready had a good feeling about unloading this blue bitch of a car.Entering the gates we were hit straight up and offered $2500 for the car, which is what we had paid for it.Excited we bumped up the price and were stoked knowing its definately going to sell and that we may have time to watch mexico play in the world cup at eleven o´clock.We parked and were the most looked at car in the market,probably because of the low price and everyone wants to burn a gringo.I shifted in to car salesmen mode and was all over the locals looking,starting it up,telling them how good it was and so on.That lasted about an hour until i was over everyone offering the same price as when we arrived.A few good men told us that it was worth much more and that we should wait out the day for a better price.There was no way that was happening as it was getting hotter and i was tired of being hassled to sell cheap,i got a little short with one guy and realised i will never be a car salesman,thank christ.
By 12 it was all over and we took the best price,definately not what it was worth but at least we made our money back and a little extra,apart from what it cost to get it going forward.
The guys who brought it ran a car yard and asked if i would bring more cars down from the states and sell to them,so for me and anyone travelling through mexico there is allways a buiseness here,only i basically told them to stick it unless they give me more money next time.
That day we watched the soccer and i spewed twice from drinking beer and not eating,not well.
The next day i searched for a new camera as mine has broken,found one after many hot hours of missioning and burnt soles from the hot concrete and road,nearly even purchased some thongs to stop the pain.On arrival back to the good hosts residence a decision was made to leave mexico that night by bus to guatemala,and a short meal and goodbye´s with the boys we were on our way out of mexico.
Thankyou mexico its been fun,but im so ready to get on the road as i have lots more in front of me and have done some serious damage to my bank account thanx to the big beers of mexico.Adios
GOING INLAND
Today i headed inland from the coast.Having to cross a solid mountain range was awesome.The temperature dropped dramatically which was a nice change from the heat of the last four weeks,my eyebrowes hav gone blonde from all the sun.I was so high up i put my hand out the window and literally touched the clouds.The villages were peacefull looking but the ravines and drop-offs to the rivers were the opposite,during that part of the trip we passed three landslide site's where the earth covered the road,im actually more scared of landslides than anything over here.Once getting accross the mountain range we hit a platau and saw the first desert landscape of mexico,finally.I previously pictured all of mexico to look like desert with big cacti and realised i have had this picture in my head since watching roadrunner as a kid,Remember the backdrops to that cartoon,big mountains in the desert with no shrubbery but onlt the odd cactus plant,well thats what i had imagined (and upon telling others i worked out im not the only one),anyway the pacific coast of mexico i have seen has been anything but desert,especially now the rain season has hit.The farmers still do it tough here,i have even seen workers cutting the roadside grass with a machete.
I passed the town where mescal is mass produced for all of mexico and the world,it was just a town of cacti,roadside stops filled with mescal and more v-dubs.It made my stomach drop whan i saw so much mescal.
Then after somehow taking a major wrong turn,we reached oaxaca city after about 7 hours of driving.The entry to the city was beautiful with huge mountains on all sides of the city.I felt as if it was a welcome to the real mexico as the spots i have been are gringo infested and developed for westerner's.
BARRA DE LA HEAVEN
Went south from escondido only to reach this spot,instantly i was blown away.Sitting on the beach the waves looked so perfect just like kirra but with no one out.Once out there it just got better but also a lot heavier with big thick chunky barrels breaking over a couple of feet of water,at least it was sand but still you would hit the bottom every time.
After the first surf here i made a pact with myself that i could'nt leave until i got tubed good and proper so that set the precedent for the coming week.
Once again the accomodation was superb,cheap,friendly and another bungalow.The first night i felt something in my shorts and brushed it off,to my suprise a scorpian fell to the ground.IScorpians had'nt even entered my mind but all of a sudden i was shit scared of them.
For the next three days i surfed unreal waves,getting many curtains but not a full deep tube until late on the third day and as you could imagine i was very bloody happy,kinda like a kid in an ice cream shop with no supervision.
There were some really good ozzies there (even west coast victorians) and we hung,drinking beer and eating at the local outdoor restuarant.
I also got attacked by bed bugs for the first time in my life and i would'nt recomend letting those buggers enter your life.I was itchy all night and day and looked like a freak with the measles,had to sleep in someone else's bungalow on the last night.(non surfers skip the next paragraph)
The last day there was awesome,( had to leave in order to sell the car as the thirty day permit was up).The waves were three foot,clean,four of us out and three foot wide.Allready on a buzz i got tubed in the first half our,
Getting plenty of waves it then happened,one of those lifetime memories.I got deep as in a tube so deep i thought there was no way of making it but held on and somehow came out,i let out a hoot,stood up then straight away another section forned in front of me and like de-ja-vu i pulled into another spanker and made it out.So not one great tube but two in one wave.For me that was absolutely the best feeling as i hav'nt had a great deal of tubes in my surfing career.I danced back up the beach and paddled out,blabbering my experience to the others and was smiled ear to ear.
This place was so beautiful,the village,the local people,the wave and the energy.Unfortunately within a couple of weeks this quite little wonderfull community and wave will be exposed to the surfing world and i am glad i got there before the circus hits town.There is a rip curl pro comp being held there and from my experience this place will not handle the size of such an event,and i don't think the locals realise just how big it will be and the effect it will have.Sure the comp will be a success,the waves will be great,and amazing surfing will take place but in true form the big compañy will come in,make a huge impact and mess then leave back to their own fucked up money hungry world.I really hope i am wrong about this,only time will tell,but it is sad to see every corner of the world being effected by money,buiseness and the western world,so to Rip Curl i say"please do the right thing" and secondly i say "i allready thought you were a bunch of c#nts anyway" but mostly i say "thankyou barra for giving me a wonderfull experience and one i will forever treasure".
After the first surf here i made a pact with myself that i could'nt leave until i got tubed good and proper so that set the precedent for the coming week.
Once again the accomodation was superb,cheap,friendly and another bungalow.The first night i felt something in my shorts and brushed it off,to my suprise a scorpian fell to the ground.IScorpians had'nt even entered my mind but all of a sudden i was shit scared of them.
For the next three days i surfed unreal waves,getting many curtains but not a full deep tube until late on the third day and as you could imagine i was very bloody happy,kinda like a kid in an ice cream shop with no supervision.
There were some really good ozzies there (even west coast victorians) and we hung,drinking beer and eating at the local outdoor restuarant.
I also got attacked by bed bugs for the first time in my life and i would'nt recomend letting those buggers enter your life.I was itchy all night and day and looked like a freak with the measles,had to sleep in someone else's bungalow on the last night.(non surfers skip the next paragraph)
The last day there was awesome,( had to leave in order to sell the car as the thirty day permit was up).The waves were three foot,clean,four of us out and three foot wide.Allready on a buzz i got tubed in the first half our,
Getting plenty of waves it then happened,one of those lifetime memories.I got deep as in a tube so deep i thought there was no way of making it but held on and somehow came out,i let out a hoot,stood up then straight away another section forned in front of me and like de-ja-vu i pulled into another spanker and made it out.So not one great tube but two in one wave.For me that was absolutely the best feeling as i hav'nt had a great deal of tubes in my surfing career.I danced back up the beach and paddled out,blabbering my experience to the others and was smiled ear to ear.This place was so beautiful,the village,the local people,the wave and the energy.Unfortunately within a couple of weeks this quite little wonderfull community and wave will be exposed to the surfing world and i am glad i got there before the circus hits town.There is a rip curl pro comp being held there and from my experience this place will not handle the size of such an event,and i don't think the locals realise just how big it will be and the effect it will have.Sure the comp will be a success,the waves will be great,and amazing surfing will take place but in true form the big compañy will come in,make a huge impact and mess then leave back to their own fucked up money hungry world.I really hope i am wrong about this,only time will tell,but it is sad to see every corner of the world being effected by money,buiseness and the western world,so to Rip Curl i say"please do the right thing" and secondly i say "i allready thought you were a bunch of c#nts anyway" but mostly i say "thankyou barra for giving me a wonderfull experience and one i will forever treasure".
10 June 2006
MANGROVES,MESCAL AND CHICAHUA
From escondido once the car was goo a group of us headed north in an attemt to find a surf break only reachable by boat.
The players were-Brocka-Victoria, Australia
Miguel-oaxaca, Mexico
Louie-San Diego county, California
Cody-San Francisco, California
And yours truley,Mr Noel Esquire
After stocking up at the local market on cheap mangoes,bannana's and other assorted fruits we hit the road north.After turning of the highway it was caguama time(pronounced,kawama) and they are the local one litre beers that rock your world.After that it was a thirty minute dirt road drive that came with the odd car surfing moment and all other road trip antics.We arrived at the port and hooked up a boat ride to the break,the river was beautiful,.Mangrove lined,tidal,wide and full of fish.
Once accross to the break we walked about a kilometer,which seemed like ten due to the water and weight of our packs,and found our accomodation with carlos,a lovely mexican man who gave us free camping under his hut providing we all ate his meals daily.Now this allready seemed like a good deal until we ate that night,then we realised we had hit the jackpot and this place could'nt be beaten.We all got a huge fish each,big enough to feed two,along with beans,rice,and other salads and so on.Oh and dont forget the tortilla's to wrap it in,optional of course.These feeds were truely amazing and the beer and hospitality was of the same magnitude.
Awaking the next mornig the surf was four to five foot,long rights similar to bells and absoloutely no-one out.Without too much consideratin we were out there in the ocean like children enjoying recess in the playground.These waves would last four days with swell everyday,no crowds,heaps of waves and a general great surfing experience.See photo's.
But as usual it was the off field,or rather,on land antics that were to be remembered with once again the ozzie's been the main offenders.
On a windy,onshore afternoon when the surf was shitty,the beers made an early appearance due to the lack of entertainement.After what could have been anywhere between 5 beers and 10, louie,brock and joel decided a croc dundee styled exploratin of the mangroves,riverside,could be fun.Now these waters are apparently home to alligator's,boa constrcitor's and trillions of mosquito's.Upon closer inspectin we realised that these mangroves were allmost impassible we had a brainwave to hire a canoe from any local game enough and paddle downstream with the strong incoming tide,wait for it to turn then come back upstream with the water,sounds good theoretically as most things do when your pissed.We conned a local into lending his craft and hit the water,again like children in the playground.
Things were good until downsteam i decided to jump out of the canoe and have a swim,the boys thought it would be funny to turn around and leave me adrift,and it was funny.Untill then i remebered the alligator thing and shit myself,i tried to catch them but had no luck so headed for the safety of shore in the mangrove's.They came back but could'nt see me and thought i may try to walk back along the mangrove infested shore(steve irwin style) and paddled back with great resistance from the tide.And trie i did but could not penetrate the thick shrubbery,it took me about half an hour to get five meters,climbing,falling and obtaining many scratches along the way.So it was then i realised i was suck in a tree,getting bitten like buggery and and not keen to penetrate three kilometer's of mangrove.All i could do was sit in the tree and wait for the boys in hope they would come back for me.Wait i did,at leasst an hour passed when the light was getting bad and i realised my only way out was to swim against the current,upstream of a dodgy, tropical,who knows what,infested river.And i still was'nt sober.It was either that or sit and wait for the tide to cahnge and be bitten by those trillions of mosquito's and risk malaria and denghi fever.
So i hit it,at least it was warm.The current was sooo strong that after ten meters i was buggered and still had 1km to go,i had to pass two other rivers that were gushing into this one,which in turn pushed me into the middle of a three hundred meter wide river.I was shitting myself that i would surely be eaten,but after an hour of determinatin i made it to safe land.I walked through the vaillage,or rather stumbled like a dorwned rat with absoloutley no strength.Straight to bed to awkae the next day and think to myself,"what the fark" and be laughed at by the boys.All good though,it's not really a trip without a little adventure.
So the next night (cody's 25th B'day) after yet another good day of surfing,carlos cooked us another amazing dish but this time squid straight from the local beach.There was a local guy,george (a solid mexican)and his glamour girlfriend (norah) sittng nearby.He cracked a bottl of tequila and asked us to join for a shot.Cant refuse that anywhere,especially in mexico.Shortly after it was gone and in celebration we decide to get some mescal for cody's birthday.Now this was to turn out an even worse decisin than jumping out of the canoe.
The boys returned with not one but but two bottles of mescal.When i say bottles i mean old 1.5 litre water bottles with homebrewed mescal that can only be likened to drinking petrol.I mean what do you expect from an alcohol derived from the cactus plant.On e was dark(stronger) and one was lighter(still strong as).I remember up to half way of the first one been drunk and from there is erased,apart from a small clipet of me vomoting.The next morning was to tell the whole story of the night.
With horrible hangovers we all woke,i asked what happened,but no one else knew either,even george the big mex fella.Six grown men,all vomited and with absolutely no recolection of the night at all,now thats some serious drink.
Brock awoke absoloutely saturated and was wondering how he got so wet.I mean he was wet,his bed,his sleeping bag,sheet,pillow,mozzy net,and i mean really wet.
It was then we sat down for brekky and norah approached,she did'nt drink and telss us all about what happened. Well it was translated through george as she only spoke spanish.
Louie,you fell off your chair and passed out for two hours until i put you to bed.The rest of you all were totally smashed.We also worked out that we all spewed.
But look out brock,this one is good.(bev and gleeny,you'll love this one)
You, the boy with the blonde hair,norah had to help you out of you bed as you were throwing up all over yourself.She walked you to the toilets nearby and said you kept on saying "sorry,im sorry,oh sorry".Once there she had to hold your hair back and even stick her own fingers down your throat as you were so sick.Then she left you there and got a bucket,filled it with water and proceeded to throw buckets of water over all your gear to get the spew off,"oh,so thats how all my gear got wet" says brock with a totally embaraced face and ashamed tone.He then once again apologises to norah.Spew boy as we now know him had to hang all of his gear in the sun,reeking of you know what,but as we are in the humid tropical wet season not much dried.
So a damn crazy night and i recomend all of you to be carefull when drinking the potent mescal.
We left that day after getting decent surf and having great food and great fun.Back through escondido to stay the night then south for more surfing
ADIOS ESCONDIDO
Ok,so after a week and a bit of being stuck in puerto escondido awaiting our car to be fixed so it would go forwards things started to happen.During the waiting period i did a whole lot of drinking,eating,and more drinking but very little surfing despite the fact that escondido is known world wide for its surf.its extremely heavy even at four foot.
I partied a little and had my first confrontation with a crazy mexican on coke looking to kill gringo's but in true auusie form defused the situation quickly,it was either that or get jumped by a group of his amigo's.Met soooo many ozzies,well probably only a dozen but i did'nt expect that in mexico.anyway they were all really good souls.I also met a couple of uni students on vacation from california and they were really great americans (yeah i was suprised they exist,no no just joking),but spent most of the time with them being educated on mexican markets,food,and the left hand point nearbye.
Escondido could maybe be compared as the mexican torquay,a really big surf scene with people from all over the world being rellay cool and jazzy.Not really my ideal place ( another scene i did'nt expect in mex) but i could have being stuck in worse places thats for sure.The beach was lovely,accomodation cheap and the company was grand but the day the car was fixed was like flying out of australia all over,soooo stoked.
But here is a few shots to show you the heaviness of this wave
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)