Peru - Traumatized in Cusco

***This is a copy of an email I sent to a few of my girlfriends after a horrifying event I experienced in Cusco. Figured I'd share with the world as it's mildly entertaining and as it's been awhile since i've posted, I'd give you something to read while I cook up my Peru post. Enjoy!***

Hola chicas!!

Am writing to you after a traumatizing event. Am currently waiting for my drink to help me overcome this scarring event.

Ahhhh, this Michelada (beer, lime,salt) is delicious!

The last time I got a wax was early July before my sailing trip. No need to say I was due. Imagine my armpits at this stage?!? They were frightening! A couple days ago while my parents and I were walking near the centre I took a flyer from a girl who had great prices for armpits, legs and bikini. The spa at our hotel was charging $30 for a half leg! Those are Toronto prices!

Yesterday my parents and I did the Sacred Valley Tour. Pisac, Ollaytamba and Chincero. Was stunning and so informative!! I wore a tank top. Wrong decision. Had to go waxing ASAP!

So after lunch I took a walk down near Plaza de Armas and found the "spa". Let's just say this place looked frightening. There was construction going on, dust everywhere and not a single soul in sight. Good! I'm getting the hell out! So I continue to walk up calle Triunfo and ask the next spa gals their prices. 40 Soles for half leg and armpits. I get them down to 35 Soles which is $13. Sold. Let's do this!

Just realized my drinks rim is salted with cayenne as well. My lips are on fire. Ah well, they might as well join my legs and armpits! It's a party!!

I get into their room and it's quite nice and clean. Walls painted pink, clean sheets and Enya coming out of the speakers. So far so good!

She checks my hair length and I pass with flying colours. Armpits first. They come at me with a soup pot stirring the hot wax within. Then proceed to lather wax on my entire armpit. Oh Shit. This is going to hurt!!! It's the type of wax you let dry and rip off without strips. She starts picking for a place to grab and tears are already forming in my eyes. She didn't pull fast enough in my opinion and as a result I felt every folicol of hair slowly rip out of my pits. Two layers on each pit and the trauma was over.

Crap, legs next. Those are usually the worst. I was shaking. Sure enough she lathers on a giant strip from my knee to my ankles covering the entire front of my leg. 'AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!' And them it happened! The most painful wax pull of my life. Of course she didn't get all the hair, so another layer of hot wax went on top of my freshly wounded pores. BURNING! She went back and forth between both legs. Layer of wax, pull. Her daughter (I assume) was going back and forth with the pots melting new wax and handing it to her mom switching with the cold pot. I then notice she was taking the used wax strips and putting them in the pot. 'Omg, this is going to get worse isn't it?!'

Wish I had friends to hold my hand through this. *Pic - scene from 40 Year Old Virgin*

It sure did! The strips weren't holding together anymore - most likely due to the thick amount of leg and armpit hair mixed into it. So every pull turned into 5. One being more painful than the other. I turned around thankful this form of modern day torture was almost done. The whole back of my legs were slathered with wax and I braced myself. 'Ooooowwwwww!' That f**king hurt. 'Done? Please be done!' Nope. Her daughter comes back with a fresh pot of hairy wax and instead of checking the temp, she slathers more on my sensitive skin. I've been lucky enough to never have broken bones or get stitches. This my friends is a pain I can't even describe. I actually yelled out loud. "toda bien chica?" in my head I was using every swear words known to man every language I knew. But I managed to muster out a "si". 'Please be done!'

2 minutes later it was done. I turn around and check out her handy work. I see strands of hair everywhere and my skin is a deep red. "Si toda esta bien, grasias"!  She then has the gull to ask if I wanted to do my bikini. 'HELL NO YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR MY VAGINA!!!' Also attached to some of those hairs is wax. Wax everywhere. As I walked here, the wax would attach itself to my pants and I would suffer another painful flashback. Same for every pull of my drink. I've now moved onto a pisco sour and am feeling slightly better.

I paid the girls and kindly declined offering a tip.

So ladies, should you ever find yourselves in Cusco in need of a wax. SHAVE!!!!!!!!!

 

Love Dina

Ecuador - Back to the Cloud Belt Nation

So we meet again Ecuador. You haven't changed much since we last met. Quito is still cold as ice, you're still beautiful, and the cloud belt remains. Couldn't be happier to be back!

From the airport in Quito, I headed straight for Quitumbe Bus Terminal . I knew exactly where I was heading. No need to kick it in Quito. I came, saw and conquered it two years ago with my pals Kyla and Tash. It involved straddling the Equator line, chasing alpaca's, Fifa watching, wandering through the old town, buckets of Rum and Coke and penis piñata's. What more would I need to accomplish here? No, I was in desperate need of some Rest and Relaxation by the beach. I was craving the caress of warm sand beneath my skin, the suns hot rays and the sound of waves crashing along the surf. Canoa was the object of my desire. But first I just have to survive the next 4.5 hours in this bone chilling bus terminal. I had learnt this lesson before, better layer up! Quitumbre is a giant open air terminal. Why on earth they decided to have the terminal open air is beyond me. Quito can drop below freezing at night. I sat there with as many layers as I could put on and thought... "This isn't going to cut it". I got up and bought a pair of gloves. Nope, still cold. Out came my blanket. "Shit, this is going to be a long night". As I sat and froze, I people watched to pass the time. I saw an indigenous lady with about 3 layers of blankets on her shoulders and the part of her legs that weren't shielded by her skirt were in a potato bag. Clever! Bet that cuts the wind whizzing past us. A poodle with a mustache kept me entertained for about 30 minutes. He was completly shaved and had this hilarious Tom Selleck-esque moustache. Then my iPod died. There was no way I was going to survive a 7 hour night bus without music. I went in search of an outlet and after an exhausting search I found the only outlet in the terminal. The guard seeing I wanted to use it, woke up a homeless man and told him to move on. I felt a little guilty, but when I settled down underneath the stairs where the outlet lived, I realized the homeless man was a genius. He knew of the only spot in the terminal which you are shielded by the wind and its cold cold front. I was in heaven. I remained there until 11:30pm came and I headed for my bus. Canoa here I come!

When socks and thongs are totally acceptable!

I had the first seat on the bus. Curiously, I found that I often got the first seat on buses. I was ok with it, I often sat alone and had extra leg room. The bus played ridiculously loud salsa music, therefore I countered with turning my iPod louder. Sleep was very hard to come by. Eventually I arrived in Bahia and hopped on a local bus with all the school kids heading towards Canoa.  Two years ago I came to Canoa and fell in love with it. It was a sleepy little coastal town with sandy streets where all worries are lost and relaxation is the name of the game. Delirious from not having slept and not feeling so good, I made a beeline to Coco Loco hostel, got a bed and crashed. I slept away the morning and most of the afternoon. The sky's were cloudy and grey. Ah cloud belt... you strike again. Over the next few days, I pretty much laid low having digestive problems. I did however realize that I wasn't the only one that discovered what a lovely place Canoa was. The tourism boom this town experienced in the last 2 years was astounding! I spent an afternoon laying on the beach and it was difficult to find a spot. Cabañas lined the road/beach selling ceviche and drinks and colourful sun huts went as far as the eye can see along the coastline. Thousands of people peppered the beach and sea. This is not relaxing at all!

Canoa before - June 2010

 



Canoa after - July 2012

I spent five days in Canoa, and if it wasn't for (litteraly) feeling like shit, I would have left much earlier. Thankfully Liz and her crew at Coco Loco were more than helpful to help me get better. When I did decide to leave, I headed to Cuenca via Guayaquil. On the bus towards Cuenca, I encountered the most cunning vendor of the trip thus far. His name was Mantis and he had a schtick. He first entered in a Question and Answer period which involved "What President said..." and he gave you a candy for the right answer. Afterwards, he handed everyone 3 cookie packets, thanked us all for participating and if we wanted to keep the cookies, it was only $1. Almost everyone paid up, and considering it was a bus of 50 people or so, he made off quite well. Much better than any other food vendor i've ever seen enter my bus.

His last & personally my favourite question was, "What is the name of my bestfriend?" Answer: Jesus Christ... duh!

This bus ride was also the first time I actually turned off my iPod to tune into the movie playing. Weird right? As some of my friends know, I usually can't be bothered with putting on and watching a movie, unless it's Ace Ventura or The Holiday. But this movie sucked me in real good. What movie could do this to me you ask? Death Race 2. Yes, Death Race 2. I loved every second of it. Shortly after it's end - "WHAT! That's it? Who wins?!!" - I suddenly took notice of the scenery. We were travelling up the Andes and riding above the clouds! I must admit the cloud belt looks infinitely better from above as from this vantage point it's not covering the sun! I couldn't help but get picture happy and snap snap snapped away. For one of the first times I was actually on the side with view, though I was in the aisle seat. Luckily the man sitting at the window was sleeping with his music on and seat reclined.

Ecuador's Cloud Belt at its finest

I arrived in Cuenca at around 8pm. I was hungry, tired, had a splitting headache from the altitude and exactly $1.50 remaining in my purse. I read online that was how much it would take me to get to my hostel. I went to the first taxi cab and he said $2.50. I explained $1.50 was all I had and made my best puppy eyes. He wouldn't budge. Neither would the next cab and at that moment I felt my eyes start to well up. I headed to the street to try and find another cab when a man who overheard me asked where I was going. I advised him of the street my hostel was located and he said he could give me a lift for free! Free!? My ears peaked up but still unsure as I followed the man to his vehicle. A moto... a small one infact. Hmmm, does he not realize i'm wearing a pack on my back and on my front. How on earth will I be able to ride on with him without falling over on his first turn? I stood with him for a while and discussed my worries. He seemed like a decent man and I just really wanted to get to where I had to be. So up I went on the bike behind him holding on for dear life to his jacket and bike. The ride took about 15mins, and finally we pulled into a driveway. He led me up some stairs and into a room. "Is this your house?". "Yes, it is, you can stay here for free as long as you want." Oh oh, eyes are welling up again, rage shakes starting. "No sir, you have to take me to my hostel, I have reservations and my mother is awaiting my call." He countered by saying he can go get a calling card and I could use his phone, but I argued my points and eventually won. No way was I sharing a double bed with some stranger. I must admit, I was never scared during this time. I was more pissed that he drove me past my hostel across town when my hostel was litteraly a 15 min walk from the bus station - found this out the next morning. We went back on his moto and he drove me to the centre. I saw the street and we found the hostel. Before he left though, he made sure to tell the Hostel Manager that I didn't have money and to be wary in taking me in as I wouldn't be able to pay in a last ditch attempt to have a cuddle buddy for the night. Obviously I didn't tell him all I needed to do is find a bank machine to retrieve more money, to avoid putting myself in a worse situation. The woman told the stranger it was fine and took me in. Ok, lesson learnt. Don't hop on bikes with strangers. I found a bank machine, bought some food and dove straight into bed.

The next morning after talking to my roommates and learnt I could do Cuenca in a day, I went to the bus station and bought a night bus ticket to Loja. Destination - Vilcabamba. This was a destination Kyla and I wanted to reach 2 years ago but ran out of time. I walked back to the centre and did a tour snapping picks of several churches and other landmarks. I returned to my hostel and it was 11am. Damn... maybe I should have bought an earlier bus ticket! I had lunch and packed all my stuff. Checked out and headed to the bus station once again. It was 12:20pm and I had just missed the noon bus the Loja. The next one was 4pm. Sigh. I changed my ticket, locked my bag up at the station and headed back into the centre. I believe I walked every cross street possible. I visited the Panama Hat museum, and though it was closed and had no tours, I was still able to peek in and wander through the store. I debated buying one, but rationalized it would be difficult to travel with. Finally I found a cafe with wifi, chucked a couple emails out while sipping on tea and having chocolate/strawberry ice cream until 3:15pm. Goodbye Cuenca, it's been fast and furious, but paradise is awaiting me and paradise it was!



Surely you can find a Panama hat that suits you here!

I arrived in Vilcabamba at 9pm and found myself in a beautiful hostel perched atop a hill named Hosteria Izhcayluma. Though I really couldn't tell at that time as it was pitch black out. I heard voices down below and found a group of people huddled around the bar having some drinks. The owner welcomed me and I partook in a couple of bevvies. It turned out everyone sitting at the bar were my roommates - Katie from Nottingham, Michelle from Melbourne and Matty from S.Africa amoungst others. I felt welcomed, happy and slept like a baby that night. I was looking forward to my time here. The follwing morning I took a seat down on the balcony overlooking the hills and smiled. What a fantastic view!

Care for a view with your breakfast?

I was at peace eating one of the best inclusive breakfasts a hostel has ever offered - Fresh fruit salad, bread, butter, jam, granola, yogurt, fresh juice, tea, coffee and your choice of either eggs or crêpe. Later we ventured into town for a little walk, and that evening I had a wonderful 75min full body massage for $22. :D HEAVEN!!!! There wasn't much else to do here but relax and enjoy the scenery. Katie, Michelle and myself looked into treks and settled on a full day horse trek to the highest peak in Podocarpus Reserve. We were all a little nervous getting on our horses that morning. None of us had much experience on a horse. Mine being the first time on a horse just last summer. When we walked into the office, we were given rubber books and then our choice of cowboy hats! I can't explain the excitment this simple offering bestowed upon us 3 girls. After the right hat was placed upon our heads, we were ready. We walked to where the horses were kept and met Jamie a local and our guide. My horse's name was Sheeba, though I called her Sheeba Princess Warrior as I thought it was more fitting.  Immediately we were off and the horses started galloping. Whoa! This is AWESOME! I had no idea galloping was so smooth. We hiked through the hills for 3 hours and witnessed some breathtaking views.

Paradise

When we reached our intended destination, we got off the horses and started to hike towards a waterfall where we would have our lunch. The waterfall was beautiful, a small spout of water falling from the sky. Jaime told us that if we swam in its waters, the locals believed that you would gain 20 extra years of good life. As we're probably never going to get an offer like this again, we all doned our bathing suits. A toe dip in the water sent goosebumps up my body. "Ah shit, this is going to be cold." Mmmmm, no, cold does not accurately describe the frigid nature of what we were subjecting our bodies to. "On second thought, maybe I don't need 20 more years of good life". However, already committed, I forged forward and dove in. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ran back out and watched Michelle and Katie tip top there way in. Jaime not fazed by their shouts,blows past them and showers in the waterfall. Ok, that looks cool, I want to do it. I'm already frozen, it should technically be warmer this time around right? Ha! It was maybe a smidgen warmer. After pictures were taken to prove to the higher powers we rightfully are owed twenty extra years of good life, we warmed up in the hot sun and trek back to our horses climbing up to the highest peak in the region. Breathtaking!

Katie, Michelle and myself on top of the world

Our ride back down went well though Sheeba Princess Warrior sometimes would take a diffrent trail making my heart stop as I looked down the cliff and the jump she had to complete. Luckily she knew what she was doing. Should you ever find yourself in Vilcabamba, I couldn't recommend the 1 day horse trek with Tasca Tours more! This was one of the top adventures i've taken on. The owner René was gracious and our guide Jaime made us non- horse girls feel comfortable and safe. Save to say I've got a new love interest! Sailor out - Cowboy in! If you own a horse, ride horses or even just dress up like a cowboy, you have a significantly higher advantage of winning my heart!

Katie, Michelle and myself were all heading to Peru and decided to join forces and travel together on the road less travelled. After spending another day in Vilcabamba, enjoying another heavenly massage and taking in the stunning views, we forged ahead in what I would say was my favourite journey yet. It involved 2 days, an incredible amount of inhaled dust, a bus, a ranchero, a walk across the border, 2 colectivo taxis, a mini bus and a tuk tuk to make it to Chachapoyas, Peru! Taking the road less traveled was an incredible adventure, even if it was a mostly bumpy and dusty ride. Driving through the Andes and taking in its sights was well worth it!

Much like Colombia, I had to rush through you Ecuador, but I did get some wonderful RnR and experiences in. Thank you! I have just arrived into my 6th country of this trip - Chile! Going to be chilling in Iquique, a beach town set amoungts a desert backdrop. Next post I will take you on my adventure of Northern Peru and my journey towards Cusco to meet my parents.

Hasta luego amigos!

Colombia - I'm sorry!

Oh Colombia! How I've dreamed of loving you and staying here forever. Truth is, I passed you by too quickly and really didn't even give you a chance. I know what you're thinking; "Rude!" I know, I know, so rude! Sorry.

My first stop was Cartagena after debarking from a week long adventure on a sail boat from Panama. I had no idea what to really expect as I had done ZERO research into Colombia. After getting our passports stamped, a few of my shipmates and I headed off to backpackers alley to find a hostel in the old part of town. What an ordeal that was. With too many opinions and my 2 packs getting increasingly heavy, we finally found a spot to rest our wary feet. Some of us were still not used to solid ground and the feeling of the sea swells would sometimes be overwhelming. I was annoyed that I had to wear shoes again. Our room was small, but included a private bathroom, tv and aircon for approx $10 each for 3 people. I think the best part of the room might have been the art. 

We called him Gandolph's Horse

As I had just blown my budget with the sailing trip, I found it rather important to real myself back into uber budget backpacker mode. This was kinda tough in Cartagena but I managed. We did lots of walking around and bought food off the streets. This city boasted some of the most gorgeous streets, stunning row houses with flowers hanging from its balconies and with a whiff of the nose, it wasn't hard to find a Pandaria to satisfy my hunger. For 800 COP ($0.40CAD) I would get the most delicious Pan de Mozzarella. They were always hot fresh out of the oven with yummy mozza gushing from its innerds and finishing the bread off with a crispy cheesy top. 0.40 cents is my kind of budget meal! Add some fresh fruit - apple, mango, avocado - from the street for another 0.50 cents and I was set. Thank goodness for streetfood! I was told I should try Arepas, a corn flour cake cooked on a griddle, slit down the middle and garnished with butter and aged salty cheese. I tried it and gotta say I wasn't impressed. I had something similar in Boquete, Panama and it was much better. Less cake with melty cheese in the middle.

Meh

As mentioned, most days were spent walking around the old town of Catagena. It was small, so no matter what street you took you would be able to find yourself in a place you recognize eventually. The sights were gorgeous and there was always something to see. I was looking for postcards one day walking around with Annalisa and I entered a store. I got distracted and saw a nice pair of earrings I was interested in. They were on a eye height shelf so I reached up and grabbed them to ask for the price. My sweaty elbow got stuck to a ugly plastic bracelet which came tumbling down and shattered into a million pieces. Damn! I had to pay the cost of the bracelet and there went my budget for the day. I was so upset as I was doing so good. Good thing for good friends. Annalisa cheered me up by buying me some delicious gelato. I was quite fine afterwards!

Winner of most impressive balcony

Merel and I posing during sunset

On our last day in Cartagena, Annalisa, Merel and I decided to go to the mud volcano - El Totumo! Mud spewing from a volcano?! Sounds like FUN! Tours were going for 30,000COP but we decided to be true backpackers and take public transportation. Well, first we had to take a city bus to the bus depot. Then we waited for about 30-40 minutes for another bus to take us to the town outside the volcano which cost us 7,000COP. I thought this was a rip off, but sure enough, locals were paying this price. This was a 3 hour journey that took us on every dusty side road possible. As we approached our destination, I couldn't help but notice the flat landscape. I thought to myself "Oh man, are we lost? There is no way there can be a volcano around here". The bus driver told us to get off and here we were 3 girls at a fork in the road in the middle of nowhere. Luckily there were 3 dudes on motocycles waiting for us wanting to give us a ride to the Volcano. They told us it was a 3 minute ride. Again, I looked around and saw no volcano in sight. Alright... let's go. I have to say, I do enjoy moto rides, having the wind blowing in your face and the dangerous aspect of it all is quite exhilirating! Litterally 3 mins later, we ride atop of a hill and there it was - the mud volcano. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. It must be the smallest volcano in life. Definitely not what I had imagined in my head. (Mind you, I still had the hellish climb up Volcan Baru fresh in my mind and again, did no research whatsoever).  The mount of mud stands at about 15 meters high. After donning our bikinis we set up the very slippery stairs (it was raining on and off). There was an older group ahead of us, but they turned around and yelled at us to save ourselves from this danger trap. Ya, I get it, it really was slippery and I had a death grip on the railing climbing up, but once we got to the top, and saw the pit of silky mud awaiting us, I couldn't help but crack a smile. Best of all, we had the entire mud pit to ourselves!! We spent at least an hour floating in the mud and reliving childhood memories. Afterwards, we headed to the lake where 3 ladies ripped out bathing suits off and cleaned all the mud off of us. Again we took the moto's back to the fork in the road because we were running out of time, the last bus to Cartagena apparently left at 3pm. As we waited for this bus to come, I had to bright idea to stick my thumb out and give a try to hitchhiking. The pathed road looked so appealing and I could only imagine how much faster we would get back to Cartagena. Sure enough, a combi bus stops by and for 10,000COP would take us back to Cartagena. Did we ever get there fast - 45 mins! In the end I believe we paid 27,000COP for our off the beaten track route. Though it took us all day and various forms of transportation, it turned out to be a great day with good friends.

Silky smooth skin and dreaded hair in the making

The following day, Annalisa and I decided to head to Santa Marta. I read up a little on it and it sounded like an beautiful seaside town which bordered Parque Nacional Tayrona - a private sanctiuary of protected beaches. I was ready for the beach again, so was excited at the prospect of sand and surf. We arrived in Santa Marta in the evening just before sunset. We found our hostel and decided to walk around. Um....ya. Not the scenic little coastal town I had imagined, maybe I should have read up more on it. The smell of urine was overwhelming, and no, I am not exagerating in the least. We walked to the coast where local kids swam in less than inticing murky waters. Walked around town for a bit and returned to our hostel. Both Annalisa and I looked at each other and thought the same. "Let's get outta here!" The next day I had made plans to go to a hostel just outside of Parque Tayrona as recommended by a friend back home. The owner of the hostel was going to be in town that night and offered me a ride into camp the following morning. This meant another day spent in Santa Marta. We walked around the town and grabbed some groceries to hold us over while secluded in the park. On our way back, not 15 feet away from us, I witness my first mugging. Two young men approached a gringo couple, one was doing the talking, the other sided up to the girl clutching onto her wrist purse. In no time at all, the other guy snatched the purse, tugged hard and they both ran away fast. All the locals around got up and made tons of noise, then slowly returned to their seats. Nobody ran after them. The poor girl was scared witless and when I asked her if she was ok, all she could muster out was "They stole my purse". This place was getting less and less appealing by the minute. That afternoon Annalisa headed for Taganga beach and I, unsure what to do and really not in a great mood surfed the net. What?!... a flight to Medellin for $30 from Cartagena!? Without even thinking about it, I booked it. I felt this was the right thing to do.... yes, I was so close to endless beaches, but I made the decision and wasn't looking back. An important thing to note about traveling is never regret your decisions. I'm on an adventure, and no I won't be able to see or do everything in one go. I have my whole life to travel, and I was set on looking upwards and onwards.

That night we met a couple of Englishmen and a German. We ventured into the centre again, sans purse & money in bra, as everyone was hungry. Salchipapas was the object of everyone's desires and there was only one vender who would be able to deliver. We had witness his work earlier on in the day and let me tell you - Comidas Rapidas Carlos (I think it was Carlos, but I could be wrong) - made fries and sausages look like art and its preparation an artform! I imagine we spent about 1.5 hours there, watching this guy making loads and loads of the same order one after the other. He was a master and I couldn't stop watching. I've seen Salchipapas before and they are litterally fries with cut up pieces of weiners on top. Side of ketchup and mayo. Not these! Let me explain the steps into creating this masterpiece.

So first they make the fries like you should. Blanche them in water, then cook at a low tempurature in oil. Then again in hot oil. Makes for soft on the inside, crispy on the outside fries. He starts off by layering fries in the bottom of a bowl. He would then lightly drizzle on ketchup with a few flicks of his wrist, followed up by mayo then a pink sauce (which I later found out was a mixture of mayo and ketchup. Ha!). Another layer of fries were then added, with another layer of sauces. He then sliced up thinly some sausages, deep fry them and add them atop of the fries with of course another layer of the sauces. We're not done! On came the expertly sprinkle some shaved morcels of fried potato crisps, then (of course) more sauce. A layer of lettuce, tomatoes and onions, proceeded, then more sauce, then more of the potato crisps, then another healthy layer of sauces. Et voilà! Salchipapas delight. I had a few bites, it was heaven. I've yet to see another street vendor or restaurant make salchipapas to this epicness. As I had no camera on me, I have no pictures, but I Google Image searched and here's a pic that resembles the closes to Carlos' fine creation!

The Poutine of Latin America

The following morning I left Annalisa and Santa Marta for Cartagena. Spent another night walking the streets and eating my fav Mozza Bread and after a nights rest, I headed for the airport. Medellin here I come!

Medellin, home of famed Cocaine Cartel boss Pablo Escobar. Aside from this fact, I didn't know much else about Medellin. Turns out it's now one of Colombia's safest cities and riding down the hills into the valley in which lays Medellin, the vast blanket of red brick houses took my breath away. Such a pretty sight. At the airport I had a list of 3 recommended hostels, I decided to call to see which one had availability. I called the Black Sheep Hostel first and they had room. Taking a collectivo taxi I forged into town. The airport is a 45min-1 hour ride from the city. I enjoyed the views and relished in the prospect of what this city had to offer.

That night I made quick friends. A British couple from Manchester named Charlotte and Jon, a Canadian couple from MTL named JP and Vanessa, an Aussie named Ryan and an American named Travis. We had great fun together and soon fell into some sort of routine. Sushi, Asshole, Drinks. Yes, it's true. I'll explain. I started my week off by doing some activities such as riding the cable cars up the hills for stellar views of the city and going into the city centre to see Botero's work in the plaza and museum. I adore Fernando Botero's work who depicts all of his subjects in sculptures and paintings as fat.

Rosita, 1973

After 3 days of not touching a drink as I had put myself in a self imposed detox, I felt good and as I had such cool people around me, I decided, why not... let's go out for a night of fun! Afterall I was leaving early the next morning for la zona caffetera (Coffee Region). Yaaaaaaaa.... all of that went to hell when Ryan - who by the way is Canada's biggest endorser - brought us to his favourite shot bar and introduced us to Bongzilla. I watched as the bar mixed every type of hard liquor, juice and beer into a huge pot. In it went and with all of us doning ridiculous hats, the countdown to inebriation was on. Once the whistle blew I was immediately brought back to my time at U of S res in Uni. Open the hatch and let it all slide down! It was all too easy and this was the beginning of the end. Soon after we found another place and I agreed to share a bottle of Rum with a couple other people. A Bottle!  RUM! If you know me, you know that Rum always spells trouble. The night went on and soon the sky was turning light.

All Hail Bongzilla!

My plans of leaving at 7am were obviously thrown out the window. I woke up at 11am in a haze and stumbled out the door desperately in search of some water. I bumped into my friends who were all up and dressed to head out on a day trip. "Come on Dina, join us!". I believe I used some profanity in response and immediately dove back into bed. Hangovers, the constant reminder of why not to drink heavily. I blame this one on Ryan! I think I regained conciousness at 4:30pm. The next few days we had happily settled into our routine of Sushi, Asshole, Drinks. Charlotte, Jon, Ryan and I would wake up and meet in the common room. Had breakfast and would surf the net and chitchat. When lunch came around, the obvious question arose and Sushi was always the answer. We'd walk to Zona Rosa and order our pick of one of the 10 rolls for 10,000COP. #8 was clearly my favourite. Then we'd slowly saunter back to the hostel, sometimes stop in to Exitos, the biggest and greatest grocery store I've encourntered thus far on my trip. Once settled back in the common room, someone would suggest "Asshole?". Out came the deck of cards where we'd play for hours always trying to grab the illustrious position of Prez and try our best to avoid the position of Asshole. Unless you were Ryan and were in a really comfy seat. As night would come, beers would join our hand of cards and sometimes, just sometimes, we'd switch it up and play Poker. Travis was an avid online poker player and taught us all a thing or two about Texas Hold'em. Speaking about Travis, he has what might be the greatest traveling story in life. He was in the Philippines, walked into a bar and chatted up a girl. 15 minutes later they were off to a tattoo parlour and that's how the site www.myfaceherarm.com came about. Check it out, it's effin' hilarious!

Well after almost a week in Medellin and barely anything to show for, we were all itching to leave, even tough we were all quite comfortable in our routine and in great company. Ryan, Charlotte and Jon booked a flight to Cartagena, Travis booked a flight to Barcelona, Spain, JP and Vanessa were off to Turbo and I booked a flight to Quito, Ecuador. I had my sights set on Canoa, a sleepy little coastal town in Ecuador that Kyla, Tash and myself had visited 2 years earlier. I found a cheap 1.5hr flight to Quito (versus 30 hour bus ride). We said our goodbyes and wished everyone safe journeys. Until we meet again.

And that was it. 13 days in Colombia, 3 cities. I felt slightly ashamed that I really hadn't toured as much as I wanted to. But I had a good reason! Mom and Dad were soon arriving to meet me in Cusco, Peru. I had less than 3 weeks and a ton of kilometers to conquer to make it to my destination. I couldn't wait to see them. Yet great adventures in Ecuador were still to be had until then!

Next post I tell you all about them!

¡Hasta luegos amigos!

Panama - "Moranded" in San Blas

I have come to a few realizations on my travels. Firstly, my aspirations of being a published author are hopeless. I feel like I’m back in school where deadlines are too easy to ignore, and because I truly have nobody to report to but myself, the phrase "I'll do it tomorrow" comes to mind all too easily. Tomorrow never seems to come.

Much like my aspirations of being an accomplished writer, my hopes of marrying a sailor and living the high life out at sea have vanished into the depths of the ocean blue. I often romanticized the idea of falling in love with a sailor, roaming the world via the sea having no fixed address but our boat to call home. My experience with sailing from Panama to Colombia changed that dream.  Like most great experiences, sailing the open seas was epic but something I never want to do again.

Let me explain.

I met Annalisa, a South African girl living in London, in Bocas del Toro, Panama. We lived in the same hostel and became instant friends. We were both headed to Colombia, and discussed the limited ways to get there, and settled on sailing as the best route of passage. I had moved on to Boquete, but we kept in touch and finally decided on a date and ship. July 5, 2012, we were setting sail on the Gypsy Moth to spend 3 days in the San Blas Islands and 2 days out in open sea with our final destination being Cartagena, Colombia.

As I mentioned in the last post, Annalisa and I reunited in Panama City. The day before we set off to sail to Colombia, we overheard someone mention over breakfast that the ship Fritz the Cat had sunk and 19 backpackers were rescued by the Colombian Coast Guards. That didn’t sound fun at all. Furthermore, Fritz was a Catamaran. Aren't those unsinkable? Annalisa and I shared a worried glance.

Uh oh, what the hell were we getting ourselves into?

Early the next morning, we were picked up by a 4x4 and headed towards the San Blas coast. After a nauseating ride to the carribean coast and a 45 minute wait for the rest of our cabin crew, we set off to find our ship. We pull up to a beautiful 54 foot Gulfstar CSY sailing boat at the El Povenir Port in San Blas. Out popped our Captain who immediately invited us on board. First thought... cute and English? Yeah! Great start!

They called her the Gypsy Moth

We took our footwear off which went into a bag and remained barefoot for the rest of the trip. How often can you say you've been without footwear for an entire week? It was glorious. After settling in, our Captain, Symian, advised us that since Fritz sank, the port in Cartagena changed their rules and any ship coming into the harbour had to have a Colombian Captain. Sym made plans with a boat coming from Cartagena to bring us a Colombian (not a Captain or sailor for that matter, just someone with a Colombian passport) so we can get into port without getting turned away or hit with a fee. Furthermore, the port was closed and we couldn't have our passports stamped out of Panama. We would have to return to El Povenir after our 3 days out in San Blas. No biggie - let's GO! We were on an adventure!

We pulled into our first Island - Isla Perro - where we did a little snorkeling at a shipwreck. The skies were dark and the threat of rain was imminent. Thereafter we moved to another island and anchored down for the night. Several of us were given jobs. I got dinghy driver! I took my role very seriously and think it is safe to say I was the best dinghy driver the high seas has ever witnessed.

Isla Perro

I have to say, we were quite a happening crew. There was Josh and Shiv two Americans who are high school friends. Josh taught 1st grade, was sweet as pie and whom garnered the nickname of PB due to an unfortunate spray sun block incident. Shiv had spent 2 years in Panama with the Peace Corps, had great Spanish speaking chops and a great iPod playlist. The other two Americans were Kayvan and Olga, a lawyer and grad student couple that lived in LA, who always had the long lens out snapping the amazing scenery and who were always up for great conversation. The other couple on the boat were Malte and Caroline from Copenhagen, Denmark, also students and evidently in love. Wouter and Merel were both Dutch. Wouter quickly got on my "your awesome" list when he pulled out a pirate hat, eye patch and bottle of rum. He clearly came prepared for the trip. Merel never stopped smiling and was plainly a bucket full of sunshine throughout the time I traveled with her. Add Annalisa, Capt Sym and myself and you couldn't have put together a better group of people.

The Crew enjoying our first meal onboard together

The rain came steadily through the night. Waking up the next morning, the rain continued, but there was not a glum face in sight. Instead we settled in with great conversation and music. Took note of a few great new bands to add to my iPod - Beach House, Knife Party, Paloma Faith, The National, Goldfish, The Whitest Boy Alive and Devotchka amongst others. As the morning passed on the catch phrase "Looks like it's clearing up" quickly became a running joke with our lot. Sym however gave us the Captain's promise it would clear up. Sure enough, by early afternoon the rain stopped and the sun had come out. We quickly lifted anchor and headed to a new Island.

No sooner had PB put down the anchor we were all in the water. Out came the snorkel gear and paddle board. Capt bought us the island to have for the afternoon and we spent it playing volleyball and frolicking on the beach. The vistas around the Island were stunning. Clouds hung low around the mountains on the mainland and other islands peppered the sea around us. It was heaven and I couldn't have been happier.

40-12 as per the Captain who was "keeping" score

That night we all agreed that all the alcohol on board had to be consumed as nobody wanted to be hung-over as we headed to open sea. I really do love how logic plays out sometimes amongst a group of intelligent people. Rum tastings, manual strobe light effects, cabin dancing and conga lines ensued. Later on in the night, we witnessed an amazing effect in the water. Phopherus disruption of algae by fish created beautiful streaks of light in the water. Either that, or it was a school of jellyfish.

"Josh, jump in and see if we can see a streak of light behind you." He did, and we saw nothing. I'm sure this phenomenon can easily be explained by a biologist of which none of us intelligent people were. So instead some of us followed suit and jumped in for a midnight swim. Capt suggested a Keel Dive and I immediately volunteered to go first. This is where you dive under the keel of the boat to come up on the other side. There was about 2 meters between the bottom of the sea and the keel of the ship. Kayvan, Capt and I accomplished this feat. Along with Josh and Annalisa we headed to the Island, where the boys played blind catch with a coconut.

The next morning, despite the 3L of wine Annalisa and I shared, I felt great! Must be life living out at sea. I could get used to this and felt like all my dreams of living the life of a sailor was mine to have. Fortunately I did get the opportunity to relish on the boat life a little longer before everything went to hell in a hand-basket.

We returned to El Povenir and waited the afternoon out patiently for the Delfin Solo ship to deliver us our Colombian.  Tick Toc, Tick Toc, time passed by and no word from Delfin Solo. Capt made the call; we would leave the following morning instead. Monday came by and passed. Still no word of Delfin Solo. I wasn't complaining; I truly didn't want to leave this paradise. We spent the day in the water, lounging on deck and visiting the neighbouring Islands with the dinghy. We met some of the locals who are part of the Kuna Tribe. Dressed in colourful fabrics, with their traditional red with yellow fabric covering their hair and lengths of beads around their wrists and ankles most of the ladies worked on making Molas. I bought one in Boquete and they are stunning. Sheets of colourful fabrics are layered with cutouts and hand stitched together. I was told it took 3 months to make mine. Not sure if that's reality, but the workmanship that goes into this piece of art is apparent. You can't even make out the stitches it's that well done.

My Molas symbolizes the San Blas Islands. The middle represents the community, the little squares symbolize the homes, thes stripes symbolize the bamboo of which they build their homes, and the triangles symbolize arrows, which they use to protect their homes and community with.

That night Capt treated us to a dinner on the Island as food supplies were running low. I had octopus with rice and lentils. At this point we still had not heard of the other ship. "We're moranded!" This term coined by Josh is a combination of Marooned and Stranded. Though judging by how laid back all of us were you would have never guessed we were suffering any sort of setback.

The next morning it hit a little harder that we were 2 days behind schedule. We should have been in Colombia by now and people with deadlines started to worry. The Capt made one last attempt at contact "Delfin Solo, Delfin Solo, Delfin Solo, Gypsy Moth, Gypsy Moth, please come in". Nothing but static. The capt decided to head off to the port and get our Passports stamped and would head out to sea towards Cartegena that evening with or without our Colombian.

We were all hanging out when the radio cracked "Gypsy Moth, Gypsy Moth, this is Delfin Solo - We have your Colombian". As the Captain was onshore, Kayvan manned the radio and confirmed our whereabouts. Cheers erupted all around. By noon the ship arrived, Colombian exchanged and we were shortly on our way. Turns out Delphin Solo's engine died and they had to sail to San Blas by sail only, which lengthened their journey from 2 days to 4 days.

Finally, heading out to sea! Laying out on the front of the boat I took in the sea breeze, the sun and gorgeous scenery. After about 2 hours I decided to sit in the cabin. Shortly after I started to feel the effects of the giant swells we were riding. Uh-oh.... I decided to go laydown in my bed. I felt fine and when dinner came out; I thought let's give this a try. Try I did. I had a few bites of rice, passed my bowl off to someone and immediately tucked back under and tossed my cookies. My next 34 hours were spent horizontal.

Did you know that when you suffer from seasickness your body thinks its being poisoned? It's true. And I felt it. I didn't eat a single thing throughout, creating a little pile of gifted snacks beside me from concerned shipmates. Luckily I wasn't the only one feeling the effects of the sea. Most people kept a low and horizontal profile. Except for that freak PB who stood up the entire time either in the front or the back of the boat. Definitely First Mate material.

Tuesday night at 11pm I woke up from my slumber and noticed the boat was no longer rocking. I cautiously got up and peaked my head out in the cabin. All I could see were lights sprinkling the coast of what appeared to be Cartagena! We made it!!!!

That night, we all slept peacefully and the next morning we made it ashore in to Cartagena, Colombia. We all got our passports stamped with 90 days and off we went in search for accommodations. Not sure what to do without each other, we all stayed close by and met for one last dinner and night out.

Back to landlife and footwear in Cartagena, Colombia

I have to say, sailing from Panama to Colombia is by far the coolest thing I have done. San Blas was a little piece of heaven, the crew was amazing and the Captain and the Gypsy Moth treated us with great hospitality. I would recommend this vessle to anyone thinking of making the trip. Check out the Gypsy Moth on Facebook or their website for departure dates.

So there you have it, my body was not designed for sailing the deep blue sea. Sailor out... maybe Colombia will inspire a new prospective love.

Am currently in Cusco enjoying the Inca ruins and sights with my lovely parents! Am so lucky to have such wonderful parents willing to suffer through altitude sickness to visit their nomad daugther. Tonight we enjoyed a night in which included a massage and some wine next to the fireplace. Dad pulled some strings and surprised me with my favourite food in life. BEST DAD EVER!

POPCORN!!!!!

My parents leave Monday and am dreading having to leave this palacial hotel and VIP treatment for cheap food and hostels. Such is the life of a budget traveler!

À la prochaine mes amis!

Panama - Back to School

Am writing to you from Aeropuerto Rafael Nuñez in Cartagena. Ya, I know, I said I was heading to the beach... and I almost got there. However I found an incredibly cheap flight, made a spur of the moment decision, and here I am! In other good news, my parents have booked their flight. Will be meeting them in Cusco, Peru early August. That gives me approximately 3 weeks to make my way there. It's a long way, so i'm going to take my time and making stops to enjoy the views.

In Costa Rica I had the bright idea to go back to school to brush up on my Spanish. I did an internet search and stumbled across Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro Panama. Learning Spanish + beach? Sign me up!

Shortly after I arrived to Bocas, it started to rain. It rained so hard that the streets turned into swimming lanes. To get from one place to another, you had to walk barefoot in the middle of the street. Even then the water was mid-shin.

Rain rain, go away...

After enduring 3 full days of rain, the sun came out and Dina hit every beach she possibly could. School was from 8am-12:20pm - then we'd form a group and head to a beach. My favourite was Red Frog beach on Bastimentos Island. It was stunning and had great waves to play around in. That's also where I saw my first Sloth. I saw many throughout Panama, however I found it curious I didn't see a single Monkey, as they were EVERYWHERE in CR. I've concluded that Sloths and Monkeys are in the midst of a major territory gang war. Monkeys have Costa Rica, Sloths have Panama. West side vs East side. Sure to be an epic battle. Though I have my money on the monkeys. They're quick and can throw a mean pitch. From what I've witnessed, Sloths don't tend to move... ever. Standing their grown and could be a case of Hare vs Turtle. We shall see.

Red Frog Beach

Along with some schoolmates, we also organized day long trips on the weekends. One weekend we went sailing around the Islands. I saw a gang of dolphins, snorkled some reefs, had a staring competition with a Barracuda (he won) and basically just lounged all day long on the Catamaran and had a grand old time. The second weekend we chartered a boat and headed to Zapatillas Islands.

We got there early and the whole Island was ours. It was a beautiful day with the sun kissing us, the water was a pale blue green and the sand white. After spending 5 hrs on the Island we went back to Bastimentos where they had filmed parts of Survivor Panama, then slowly made our way back to Bocas trying our hand at Wake Bording.





One of the best tours I've taken had to be the Oreba Organic Cacao Tours. Man almightly you would not believe the amount of work that goes into producing Cacao beans. These people dedicate their entire lives to these farms for basically peanuts. Of course their biggest export country is Switzerland, as Panama does not have the facilities to produce chocolate. I got to try the cacao in every stage from right out of the pod to roasted and mashed against rocks. YUM!

After 2 weeks in Bocas, I felt it was time to move on. So I decided to do my last week of School in Boquete with my schoolmate and "little sister" Pauline from Switzerland.

Pauline, profesora Yaira y yo 

Boquete is a small town nestled in the hills. They are known for having great coffee and a Volcano which is the highest peak in Panama. For some reason, I thought it would be awesome to climb up this beast because someone told me you can see both oceans from this vantage point at approx. 3500 meters above sea level and the sunrise is amazing. Cool Right? Sold, I was climbing Volcan Baru at midnight so I can see the sunrise and both oceans.

 The brave ones

I must have been drunk cause this was one of the toughest things I've ever done and after 30 mins of straight 45+ degrees of uphill hiking I immeditately regretted my decision. 3500m above sea level. We started the trek at midnight to be able to reach the peak for 6am to see the sunrise. We were a group of 9 ppl that set off with another group of 3. "One foot infront of the other" was the tune I was signing to myself throughout the hike. The trail after 4 kms became a dried out river bed. The jagged loose rocks made the journey all that much more enjoyable.  Other than the complete uphill misery I had subjected myself to, the night was beautiful. It didn't rain once, and the sky was covered in stars and the moon shone brightly on us. It was cool, but walking kept us warm. Once we reached the top, we soon realized the clouds beat us.

7 out of the initial 9 made it to the top, and we have no idea where the other group of 3 went. We got there just in time to see the pink sky of the sunrise peak out before the clouds took us over. It was quite a sight to see the clouds rolling in on us.

 MADE IT! Where's my bed?

Though we didn't see a sunrise or any ocean, I was elated I made it to the top. It got cold and my pal Laura and I realized we had to get off this peak before we could rest. Let me tell you, I rule at going downhill! We made it to the bottom in 3.5hrs. Once back at my hostel, I took a short nap and ripped myself out of bed to watch the Spain vs Italy Eurocup finals. Italy lost... I went back to bed.

Dina & Laura, volcano climbers extraordinaire.

School was done, I had climbed up Everest and hiked to the Lost Waterfalls (which we got lost trying to find, but eventually found the Lost Waterfalls). Once I regained contiousness from my trek, I forged ahead to Panama City. Stayed in Casco Viejo at hostel Casa Luna. Was a pretty cool place with lots of backpackers. The area was equally nice, however most of it was under restoraton. I did some walking around and visited the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal. My last night there I met back up with Annalisa, a girl from Cape Town, S.Africa, whom I met in Bocas. We both signed up to sail to Columbia on the same boat. Her name was the Gypsy Moth and it was to be a 5 day trip, 3 days in San Blas, 2 days at open sea. I was ready to fall in LOVE with sailing. Armed with all the nautical terminology I would need, we set off early morning to board our ship.

Next post, I'll tell you all about how I lost my sea legs and how our English Captain was replaced by a Colombian.

Hasta lluegos amigos!

Costa Rica - In a Nutshell

Yes, I realize it's been over a month since my last blog post. The truth is I've been busy. Busy enjoying myself. Really you can't blame me for having some fun and enjoying my travels.

Since it has been awhile, over the next few days I’ll be doing some backtracking to get you up to speed. Currently, I am in Panama City until my departure from this beautiful country into South America. No, I am not flying, nor am I daring enough to bus it through the Darien straight. Instead I have opted to sail from Panama to Cartegena, Columbia via San Blas. I simply cannot wait! That blogpost will come in time (depending on the level of fun I am having), for now, let's wrap up Costa Rica.

I believe I left off in Montanita. My next destination was Nosara, which turned out to be quite possibly my favourite place visited in CR. I arrived after a nauseating drive up (see below for description of CR roads), and Nosara really didn't seem like much of a town to the naked eye – at this point I was pretty well versed at judging beach towns. All I saw was green and a few places peppering the main road. Once I arrived to my new home -Nosara Beach Hostel - I discovered there was much more to this place. The epitome of low season was quite apparent everywhere I looked. The beach was sparingly peppered with sun bathers, and the rest were lined up along the Playa Guiones shore on their surf boards waiting for the perfect wave. I planned on being there for only a couple days, but ended up getting sucked into this little jewel and stayed for 5. It was the laid back atmosphere one can only wish for when going on vacation. The owner of the hostel Andres and the daytime Manager Dinia were very cool. When I first arrived there was only 1 other person staying at the hostel; her name was Karin and every night we shared somel aughs, stories and a bottle of wine. My favourite story of hers was how she met and fell in love with her husband (insert Dina’s love struck face here). Case in point, you never know when Love will find you, but when you know... you just know. I digress.

Karin shredding the surf in Nosara

I laid low in Nosara. Like lower than low. I spent my mornings on the beach, the afternoons reading in a hammock and the evenings chatting and drinking wine. One morning it rained, so I waited until the sun came out in the afternoon to hit the beach. Once there, I noticed a legit army of Hermit Crabs all heading West on the beach. Literally thousands of them marching on by in the same direction. I also saw my first of many Howler Monkeys. What surprised me the most about them was their giant hanging balls. No joke, their testi's are quite pronounced. Maybe it helps them create momentum when swinging from tree to tree? Something to ponder.

My pictures of Nosara are lacking because somewhere along the way between Montanita and Nosara I lost my camera battery charger. I also lost (or absentmindedly left behind) my new Nike Free's and my fav new VS sweater. Yes, I definitely overpacked, but don't worry, give me another few weeks and I will surely intentionally and/or unintentionally lighten my load.

My sweet view from where I laid everyday on Playa Guiones

After staying in Nosara longer than intended, I decided it was time to finally go visit my cousin in Liberia. That was my plan until I heard from Katie, a girl I met in Montanita, who was headed to Tamarindo. So I changed my plans and headed to Tamarindo or Tamagringo as many of the locals call it. This was definitely my least favourite spot in Costa Rica. It was expensive, full of tourists, and the beach left little to be desired. Like every good tourist trap, I feel Tamarindo had less to offer than what it was hyped up to be. Katie and I had a good time nonetheless and after 2 nights, she left for Colorado and I finally headed to Liberia.

+1 for Tamarindo, caught a pretty sweet sunset

I had a nice time staying with family. It was my first time meeting my cousin, and he and his family were more than welcoming and hospitable. One day, my cousin had to go work out of town, so his wife took me, and her mother, sister, niece and son to Upala to visit her brother. That's right, all 6 of us in her tiny car. It was a pleasant drive, the views were stunning and I got to practice my spanish as none of them spoke English. Upala is a small town headed towards the Nicaraguan border. We visited her sister-in-law at her little "tienda" at the bus depot, shopped around and had a bite to eat at her brother’s house. It was a long day, but quite enjoyable as I got to experience a typical "day in the life of".

Bus depot in Upala, lost about what felt like a litre in fluids sweating

While in Liberia, I decided that I needed a little refresher on my Spanish skills and signed up for 3 weeks of Spanish courses in Bocas del Toro, Panama. As I plotted my journey to Panama, my cousin's friend happened to mention he owned a place near Puerto Viejo. After a few drinks and some talk, my cousin offered to drive me to the border and would also take this opportunity to treat his family to a little vacation. This was greatly appreciated as it took approximately 9 hours to get there direct. I can only imagine the long local bus rides to PV would have taken.
Though I only spent 1 night in PV, I noted it was a cute little Caribbean coastal town. Quite different from the Pacific side that I had been visiting until now. The foliage is large and greener and the living a little easier. Island living influence in full force, we did as islanders do and had a nice dinner with some family friends and headed to Cahuita for some live music and drinks.

Picturesque in Puerto Viejo. Would definitely want to visit for a longer stay.

The following morning, I was driven to the border, where I crossed a questionable bridge into Panama, and had my passport stamped. Hello Panama! New country and new adventures were on the horizon!

Sure you can enter Panama! All you have to do is cross this bridge without breaking an ankle.

Before embarking into my Panamanian adventure, here are a few memorable highlights of Costa Rica.

ROADS

I heard from a few sources that the roads in Costa Rica were just abysmal. Well, the rumors are true. The main roads and highways are quite fine; it's the roads to the coastal towns you have to watch out for. The worst had to have been the stretch of road (or lack thereof) between Paqueras and Hwy. 21. Supposedly this was a "short cut" that would allow us to skip the ferry ride back to Puntareinas. How can I accurately describe the acute assault on all senses I overcame during this hour long ride from hell? Try to picture this: A road lays ahead of you, add a turn at every 70 meters, remove all pavement, now imagine the biggest pot hole you have ever encountered, now take that pothole and multiply by 1 bazillion and that, my dear friends, is the road we decided to take to cut down on kms. However, this doesn't necessarily mean you cut down on time. Nope, to navigate these roads you are going 30kms/hr - dodging potholes to save your car from disappearing into oblivion and playing chicken with oncoming traffic on these incredibly narrow roads. All of your organs feel like they are being put through the tumble dry cycle of a washing machine, and even if you have an empty stomach, the feeling of nausea is overpowering. Thank goodness Sam (the kind American who gave us a lift to Nosara from Montenita) was a fantasticd river. When we hit pavement I almost cried out of pure joy.

Here's a little picture I threw together for a visual account of the above description. I know what you're thinking... i've got some mad Paint Art skills.

Thinking of a career change - Paint Art Engineer

LIFTS

Very rarely did I have to take public transportation in CR. Everytime I found myself at a bus stop, some nice local would stop by, ask if I was headed his way and if I was, they would take on me and as many people as they could manage. You would sometimes see trucks with dozens of people in the cargo. Ladies and babies of course get a ride in the cab.

PURA VIDA

Everyone will great you with the saying Pura Vida in CR. It has several meanings such as "This is the life", "Easy living","Cool" etc. It truly encapsulates the lifestyle and sense of living in Costa Rica. Skipping from beach to beach, I could not escape la Pura Vida and honestly felt full of life.

BABIES

The general population of Costa Rica must be on a steep incline because every woman young or old was either pregnant and/or carrying a small infant/child. Even more concerning was the lack of safety on the roads for these children. Back home, expecting couples have to bring their cars in to have their baby seats certified and properly installed. Such a thing does not exist here. Toddlers are free to roam the confines of a car and seatbelts are merely a suggestion. Funny how my instincts kick in when I enter a vehicle as I would automatically go to put on a seat belt. I always would...unless it didn't exist- which was often the case. I took some pretty long car/bus rides on some pretty horrible roads and it was amazing to see these mothers and fathers just hold on tight to their babies while we endured the bumpy ride. In the end, the shock of such a sight lessened and now it's part of the norm.
That's the thing about traveling I love so dearly. It takes you out of your comfort zone and opens your eyes to so many different ways of life.What strikes you as abnormal can be completely normal for someone else. It's all about opening your mind and understanding a different point of view.

THE UNEXPECTED

I had only planned to stay in Costa Rica for 12 days as to enter the country I bought a onward bus ticket to Grenada, Nicaragua for June 4th. I had not expected to love Nosara so much, nor planned on going to Tamarindo, or sign up for Spanish Lessons in Panama. Life is all about the unexpected events that take place. Enjoy them, embrace them, this is life.

Next up, Panama!