Happy Travels and Evil Amebas

I feel like I am in the middle of a game of fifty-two pick-up. The cards are scattered all over the floor. While I want to organize them and pick them up, I dont know where to start. Like the fifty-two cards, the details of my life are scattered over the span of the last month and a half and I dont know where to begin. I suppose if I start with one single detail, they will stack on top of one another until I reach the current moment...

I left you last with our departure for Panama City. We left the polluted, nausiating city of Tegucigalpa on an afternoon flight. Arriving late in Panama City made me a bit nervous. However, walking out of the airport, we found efficient safe public buses in a modern style city with plenty of night life and twenty-four hour supermarkets and cafes. We made a temorary nesting spot at the International Voyager Hostal which included use of the kitchen and internet for cheap prices. We enjoyed a couple of days wandering around the old part of the city, walking along the Pacific Ocean boardwalk, and watching big cargo ships pass through the locks of the Panama Canal. We took an overnight bus all the way through Panama to the Northeast corner of the country where we took a mini boat to the well known beatiful Carribean Islands-- Bocas del Torro. As you can imagine, we roamed every nook and corner of the island and also took a day to investigate the scenes underneath the water, snorkeling. The bright purple, neon blue, pink, orange, and yellow fishes that look like cartoons really do exist in the secret world below the sea. After three full days of the Carribean, I had not yet had my fill. We crossed the border without any problems into Costa Rica and stayed in Puerto Viejo for a night. There we enjoyed a long bike ride along along the ocean front road. The road was surrounded with jungle. The white sands reached out to be carressed by the waves of the sea. Steve suggested that we stop for a water break. I glanced up and was surprised to see a group of monkies staring down at us.

On the first day of the big mundial soccer game, we took a LONG all day bus ride through the capital, San Jose, and up into the LUSH GREEN DRESSED mountains. Did you note that detail?? LUSH GREEN DRESSED mountains!!! I would like to point out that Coast Ricans really take care of their environment. From what we observed, the streets were clean without garbage and the mountains are NOT NAKED and BARE as in Honduras. At one point in the long bus ride, the bus driver pulled into a supermarket for a break. We noted that all the employees in the supermarket were glued to the soccer game on the television in the electronics section!

In the Monte Verde Reserve, we spent two days hiking. The expanse of bright colored insects, hummingbirds, and plant life was AMAZING! We even got aught in a down pour. I suppose that the rainforest is called the RAINforest for a reason. We stayed in a hostal just outside of the reserve in the nearest town of Santa Elena. It was owned by a very hospitible brother and sister team from Texas. All along the journey, I always use our lonely planet guidebook and exchange travel suggestions with fellow travelers that we meet along the way to make and change travel destinations. We had heard and read in the guidebook that the active Volcano Arenal in La Fortuna was a spectacular site, especially at night when you can see the red glow of the lava shooting out. We took a jeep-boat-jeep tour to La Fortuna from Monte Verde. From the boat, crossing the Lake, we had a wonderful view of the base of the volcano. However, the tip of the volcano was suffocated with clouds. And the clouds were relentless and stole away any possibility of seeing lava shooting from the top during our entire visit. We did hear rocks falling in the distance. A highlight that made up for our disappointment of not seeing the lava was spotting a family of toucans flying over head on our hike to a beautiful ribbon of a waterfall. I could have easily spent an extra day, and then another day, and multiple more days in Costa Rica as I fell in love with the lush green nature of the country. However, time is not always considerate of my desires and takes me with it whether I am ready or not. We continued North and crossed into Nicaragua. Unfortunately after a LONG all day of traveling, we arrived at the border at six o'clock only to discover that the last public bus to our destination had already departed. We had to pay fifteen dollars for a private taxi to take us to the nearby tranquil ocean side town of San Juan del Sur. The town suprised us with a calm clean atmosphere. We enjoyed overlooking the ocean waves sipping drinks (me coffee and Steve beer). In the morning, we planned on just taking a quick walk along the shoreline before catching a quick bus to a nearby real destination-- Isla Ometepe via Rivas. However, as we walked hand in hand along the coast, I glanced up and saw a white cross clinging way up high to a towering cliff. As all of you close friends and family know me well, the image of a possible great view gave me the desire to climb up the twisting winding road to the top. To Steve's sweaty dismay, he was begged to accompany me. The view was expansive and well worth the hot sweaty sticky hike (according to me).
We spent our third year anniversary at our next destination of Isla Ometepe via Rivas. Isla Ometepe is in the Lake Nicaragua and was created by volcanoes years ago. Of course, the volcanoes are currently unactive. We had a really romantic and adventurous anniversary hiking up the volcano and seeing LOTS of howler monkies. (Keep in mind that this is romantic in my definition and Steve too really is beginning to find a love for hiking and nature)... We spent all day hiking and came back to our hotel just in time to watch the stars over the lake.

Our last night before heading back to our country of Honduras was spent in the colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua-- Granada was actually a bit disappointing.. A bit smelly, some litter, and most disappointing, sewer draining right into the Lake.

Crossing into Honduras, it made me really angry to see people, children, adults, and even teachers I know throw garbage out the window of the bus. I think that Honduras would really have a better chance at more tourism if the people would just put a little more effort into taking care of their environment. This motivates me to work more on environmental education in my last few months here in Honduras.


When we re-entered our little pueblo of Moroceli we were happy to see that everything had turned green and the rainy season had started. However, when the rainy season starts, all the poop from the cows and humans drains into the river which then becomes our drinking water. And as you can predict, it didnt take long before the little ameba devils payed me a visit and decided to throw a party in my belly.

The party (I hope) is now coming to an end and the amebas have been chased away by a troop of medications.

I hope that I have made the distance between us less by sharing a few details of our past month with you. I think it is time to go and enjoy a plate of beans, avocado, and tortillas at Paula`s comedor. We send you lots of love and hugs from our little valley town of Moroceli..