the nomadic road

my guatemalan adventure!

2010-09-20T10:18:00.001-04:00

i know that i have been mr. MIA for the past long while now but in that time i managed to put together a collage of video shorts from my time in guatemala and i post it now to share with you. for me, memories flood back when i watch it and i imagine for those of you who i met along the way the same will be true for you. and for all of you friends and followers who tuned in regularly to read watched or looked on as i conquered guatemala this should be fun or at least a worthy distraction to life.

enjoy! my guatemalan adventure

adventures on the high seas!

2010-05-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

Part 1

as i mentioned in my last post a new and exciting adventure was awaiting me over the next wave. i shall recap.

monday morning we made our way over to roatan, one of the bay islands, to meet with our captain bill, discover our ship and sort out our immigration papers. at 6:30 am a catamaran arrived at our dock to take us to our neighbouring island. the seas were calm and the ride was delightful. lying on the net with the sun warming us while watching the water race below us. what could make a better picture? why dolphins of course and dolphins there were. the journey was not without incident, what ever is? one of our prospective crew was "brought to her knees" with the rocking of the cat. concern for the days ahead lay in her face but she was not deterred, committed and excited she was and forward we proceeded.

arriving on roatan we met our captain bill, a 60 plus american with a long white beard. we had heard many a warning with regards to the captain and the boat. there are many a drunks and just plain miserable people on the water as there are on land and to be cooped up with one for days on end in a confined space...no good. the boat as well. there are boast of all shapes and sizes in all sort of conditions and we had been scared to believe that the sailboat would either be in disrepair or super tiny barely fitting one let alone 5!

one of our first questions upon realizing that the captain was a kind, quiet and thoughtful man was "tell us, what is the size of your sailboat?" we had taken bets on the size and the guess ranged from 32 foot to 42 foot. bill responded with a bashful pride, "56 foot". our collective jaws dropped. wow.

with our large bags, mine larger than the others well at least heavier, we boarded the little inflatable with an 8 hp outboard in two shifts to ferry to our new home for the next 5 days. me and neil were the first two to witness the majesty of "second summit" our 56 foot, double mast one of a kind floating home. we were both unequivocally blown away. it was beautiful, it was visible with every detail that this was a work of love. we learned later the bill had spent the past two years bringing the boat back to its original splendor and then some (that is a personal opinion, i as i never saw the ship before). while in rio dolce he refitted the entire ship with teak from the local jungle creating a stunning look and feel. our fears were dissolving and our and our excitement was growing.

after two days in roatan (not on as we were living on the boat) we woke a touch before dawn to head out on our way. the journey began.

we were expected to operated in teams and the teams in shifts. what i mean is that neil and i, a team, were expected to have 3 hours on the helm while the other teammate was on "watch". this means that a team was on for 6 hours then off for 6 hours while the other team was on duty. as we started off this was a none issue. clear skies and simple seas, it was fun, it was easy (that is once we got the hang of handling a 56 foot sailboat). neil and i were took the first shift and it was great, exciting, simply amazing. mark and eileen were up next and as with us after a bit of learning curve (mark more than the rest of us, he was literally doing doughnuts!)

end of part 1

a new chapter

2010-04-25T19:11:00.000-04:00

first off let me apologize for my lax attitude as of late on this, my blog. for the past 3 weeks my friend marc joined me for 1.5 weeks in guatemala and utila, honduras. i wont catch you up completely as so much has happened but i do hope in my down time to update bit by bit on the amazing good times.

tomorrow morning i will be leaving the island of utila by catamaran to the island of roatan, 5 hour sail. i am heading there with 3 new friends that ive been diving with over the past 2.5 weeks to meet a 'captain bill'. to arrange our papers in order to help him crew his sailboat to rio dolce, guatemala! this is a dream i have had for a long time, to crew a sailboat. i first had the idea in australia but i could not convince a captain to train me on his boat, as suck i was left wanting. again in indonesia and in thailand, i just couldnt catch a break. until now.

captain bill is an 80 something texan who desperately needs crew to help him get his sailboat from roatan to rio dolce for the upcoming hurricane season. we saw a sign on a message board (one on the road not on the internet) asking for experienced crew for an ALL EXPENSE paid sail. we called anyway. he was reluctant and reiterated his desire for experienced sailors but the next day he called back. i think he was worried that none would come forward and couldnt risk it. needing to get the boat back he has decided to take the chance. yay for us.

we are taking the cat tomorrow and captain bill is going to pay for it! once arriving there, a more expensive island than utila, he is going to let us stay on his boat while our immigration is sorted out. and with luck on wednesday we will head out on our way for what will either be a 2 -3 day sail. on which we will be expected to do everything (whatever that is, i will let you know when i find out).

now just a few pictures on my desktop from the past few weeks here on utila.

me underwater 20 meters

me and dora down at 25 meters

me and friends at water key (i am second from the right)

wedding part dos

2010-03-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

so i became (but for a short time) the official photographer of not only the bride and groom but also the 'matron' and a few other couples. eventually i had to pull the plug, so to speak. insisting that though i would love to take their photos all day i had a job to do and a short time to do it in. they were gracious and backed off and i was left with the my intended subjects.

we cruised from pre determined spot to predetermined spot accommodating for those lovely wedding photos that couples cherish. i felt so alive like finally after so much indecision with my life, my plans, my abilities, generally myself, i was able to see and feel like myself. not only believing that i was good at what i was doing but knowing i was great at it!

finally the bride was on her last legs having not eaten all day the photo session was becoming too much for her to handle and so just shy of getting to all the positions i had envisioned the day before it was time to end. regardless of the fact that i didn't get them to all my preconceived positions i was very pleased with what we had accomplished in such a short time considering all the hurdles that we faced namely the language barrier.

someone came up to me and zan and said that the bride and groom wanted a picture with us in front of the building. ok, sure why not. but when we got to the front and posed together for our own photo the bride and groom were nowhere to be seen. as we looked around the back door of the 'wedding car' opened and the bride waved us over. i thought to thank us, i was wrong, instead we were invited into their car! ok, sure, why not.

they were about to get some food and asked if we had any preferences, not wanting to be difficult i stated i had no restrictions nor preferences. zan however is a veggie and asked for a salad. quickly the groom and father-in-law got out of the car and ran across the street towards, of all places, mcdonald's. really, was my first mcdonald's experience in guatemala going to be in the back of a bridal car? as it turned out no, it wasn't. rather it was pollo campero. what's that you might be asking. well before you get to excited, it is the latin equivalent of KFC. so there i was sitting behind a beautiful bride in her amazing typical wedding dress eating greasy fried chicken! whats more is that zan, my veggie friend, who ordered a salad opened her container hungrily only to find strips of chicken on top. i now had a side of chicken strips. mmmmm.

before the food finished we were on the road off to the reception hall. i must admit it was pretty weird driving around town in a car. since being in xela i had been in two cars: a taxi and the bride's brother's car when we went off for lunch. and now here i was cruising around a city i have gotten to know from the sidewalk in the back of a sweet SUV, eating my pollo campero while sitting behind the newest kind of bride, what a difference a day makes!

i was not prepared for what came next. if there were 150 people at the ceremony there were 450 now filling the reception hall. every woman save 5 or 6 wore typical dress, i found out tonight that their fancy special dresses alone would have cost upwards of $500. that is ALOT of money here. money aside it was an amazing site! and when i say every woman i mean, every woman, child and young, young girl. i have never seen anything like it. the colours were bright, vibrant and everywhere! the room as well had morphed into much more for when i left it 12:30ish. obviously now it was filled with people but more so the audio component of the event had only started to arrive in boxes when i was leaving. now it was blaring in front of me (yes i chose that word on purpose) with 2 literal walls of speakers (floor to ceiling) looming and booming with the sounds of the over a dozen piece band. the place was going off!

what followed was truly special. i was afforded the opportunity to not only witness some ancient mayan traditions and ceremonies but i had front row seats! what an honour. i have since described it as opening a national geographic and stepping into one of the pages. introduction dances to gift exchanges brought in on the heads of the matrons i was there, mouth agape delirious with wonder (and as it turned out a bit later some bad chicken) 'shooting' (taking pictures) away. for the first time since arriving in guatemala i was not only being allowed to take pictures of women in their uniquely stunning attire but i was being approached and ASKED to take their photos. i was in heaven. (until the chickens fought back that is).

the traditional aspects were mixed in with what i'll call western traditions like the cutting of the cake, the first dance (but they had a few) and everyone seemed to enjoy both aspects with gusto. when the traditional aspect finished up the band kicked it up and the crowd got to their feet and began to dance up a storm! the air was light with happiness.

eventually the bride and groom, exhausted from the day of nerves, happiness, excitement and love, were ready to take their leave. (and not a moment to soon as i too was done from their day.) shaking hands, hugging, a few tears and they were off.

and so ended my first ever wedding photography experience and more than that a one of a kind glimpse at some beautiful cultural traditions that not even my guatemala housemates who looked at my pictures knew what they were!

i wish the hugo and rebecca all the luck in the world going forward.

the hangover that led to the wedding

2010-03-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

so it all started the day (thursday) that i thought i was going to die. (not literally but nearly so). my house mate, zan approached me and told me that there might be an opportunity for us to be the official photographers at a traditional wedding happening saturday (today). all was confirmed well before i felt human but that didn't impede my excitement and my nerves....a wedding? wow? i've never been the 'official photographer' before, yes i've been the 'official unofficial photographer' at a friends wedding but there was no pressure, i was there for fun to take fun candid shots of all my friends and family. this time it is going to be different. as the expression goes, the buck stops here. there is no one, not even technology, that i can pass the buck onto should every shot be over/under exposed or god forbid the lens cap was left on? i could see a riot of 500 guests rushing towards me to see who could stake the gringo first, for all i know i'd have started a new guatemalan tradition at weddings, as saint patrick ushered (or killed, not to sure on the official story) all the snakes out of ireland, the weddings would spell the end to the gringo infestation or guatemala.

enough of that. there will be no riot and there will be no expulsion of gringos from guatemala (well not on my account anyways).

i have just finished the first portion of the day. up at 7 and at the salon for 8. the salon is where the reception will be held and in what i am to understand is guatemalan tradition the groom, his friends and some family are in charge of the set up. my role was to follow the groom and catch him in all his pre ceremony glory while zan would follow the bride as she embarks on her day of nerves and anticipation. not having yet spoken to zan i do feel as though i got the shorter end of the stick on this one (i am not saying i wanted to follow around a bride on her wedding day but setting up a banquet hall for the festivities that would follow was not how i envisioned my first gig as a wedding photographer!

time has run out and i have to run to the municipal building where the ceremony is to take place. odds are this will resume in the morning,

{pausa}

wow, what a night! well afternoon and night! it was so very cool i feel now that i should warn you that this will probably run on as it was a night of firsts and i have to share.

i left you as i left my house on my way to the municipal building where the wedding was to take place. when i arrived i was full of nerves. as i mentioned this was my first wedding and i didn't know what to expect, how to act, where to be or what to do. the front of the municipal building was locked. i freaked. {deep breath} the groom gets out of his car with his parents. the door to the building opens. and from somewhere deep within a calm takes over.

{maybe it was the dozens of huge political events, rallies and fundraisers i organized and oversaw during the past decade or maybe when you are FOLLOWING YOUR BLISS peace finds you and not the other way around. maybe it was both.}

on the front steps i took some photos of hugo, the groom, and his family with the tall columns stoically standing guard in the background. from there we moved into the garden, i quickly assessed what i thought would be the best shot, overruling 'dad' and directed them to my preferred position in the garden. after a few minutes with them in the garden and sea of colour and smiles began to flow through the front door. ensuring that they were wedding guests with hugo i made my way over to them to begin what was to be a very long day full of hundreds of photos, smiles, traditions, excitement and love.

confirming with the groom, mc (a more serious and officious role than back home, so much so it is shared by two people!) and the mayor (he was officiating the ceremony) that i could stand up on the raised platform where the ceremony was to take place, take my photos and use my flash. then realizing that the time was upon us for the bride to arrive. rushing down stairs to the front steps, regaining my composure and my heart rate. i waited.

but not for long! minutes later the bride arrived in her decorated car and done up self. she was wearing a white veil, traditional to us westerns, but it complemented her traditional mayan dress. a stunning combination. she was dead nervous and it was visible and justifiable. and it was my job to calm her down if there photos were going to turn out. with a few jokes and funny faces she had relaxed to the point of no more clenched faces just lovely smiles.

leading her into the building shooting all the way in. pausing on the stairs for some classic shots. and continuing on her way into the hall. this is where i left her and made my way up to the front of the room just to the left of where the soon to be man and wife would sit.

they were both nervous and it was amazing to share with them such a special time in their lives. the mayor who was officiating the ceremony was, as most politicians, very verbose and from my cramped position kneeling on the ground it seemed to last longer than it actually did. but after 50 minutes the newly married couple made their way down the aisle and out main hall to the balcony and awaiting masses.

after a longer than 'normal' (north american standards) receiving line it was finally MY TIME! now MY TIME was to be short and i was prepared for that having mapped out 6 positions around the garden and around the columned outer-hallways to take some formal couple portraits. it was going smoothly until some of the family who were sort of following us at a distance decided that they were not going to miss the opportunity of having a professional photographer in their midst and not getting a photo of them in these stunning 'positions' aka locations.

end of part 1

stay tuned for more....

Xela Futbol Video

2010-03-16T17:52:00.002-04:00

sunday finally a day of rest

2010-03-14T16:56:00.001-04:00

after much school, yoga, friends, activities, dancing, football (watched not played) and soaking in natural springs 2700 meters above sea level i finally have a day to just sit around, attempt to study (notice attempt), chill in a cool new found cafe while listening to a funky eclectic collection of music while enjoying my favorite guatemalan beer, gallo.

yesterday (saturday) was lovely, exciting and at times a bit freaky. it all started with an early start to say goodbye to a new found friend, allan, who was off from our casa to greener pastures in san pedro (a place near and dear to my heart) before heading back to the US. after walking him to the bus office and waving him off we struggled up the hill to our casa for some much needed breakfast. mine was quicker than normal as i had an appointment to meet a group from my school for a trip to fuentas georginas, a group of thermal springs that flow from the volcano. it was lovely. it was hot. it was heaven on my yoga beaten body. while soaking away the clouds rolled in...

*this means something different at altitude than it does where we all come from. at altitude, 2700 meters, the clouds are not up above but below, in front and all around. it was eerily beautiful. the steam off the pooling water added to the effect.

...surround us was a flora that could only be described as 'jurassic', with leaves that defy the description of large and could be, if needed, used as an umbrella for two! aside from my group of 7 all others were from guatemala city or xela, out for the day to relax with the family or a romantic time with their special person(s). after 4 odd hours of soaking, chatting and all around chilling out we decided to head back to the city. i was hoping for a chance to catch a nap before my second futbol experience.

nap successful. waking up refreshed and ready to go, after a quick bite of course.

having purchased the tickets earlier in the afternoon due to the popularity of the match and not wanting to miss-out we only need to 'pre-game' it before heading to the stadium. it was pandemonium, it was wild it was CRAZY. people everywhere. food vendors. jersey vendors. scalpers. and did i mention crowds and crowds of people everywhere! we entered the stadium to the sound of drums, horns and cheers (it was still 45 minutes still game start). the smells of bbq making me salivate likening me to pavlov's dogs, i was cool with it though they smelled AMAZING! coming up from under the stands, looking up, shocked by the crowds above. i was shocked and wondering where the heck we'd be sitting. as it turned out all the aisles were filled with people using them as seats. so in order to get to the top row (standing only) we had to get through many a guatemalteco who were unreasonably angry at the interruption regardless of the fact that they were sitting in the bloody aisle!

the crowd was in full form. energy was high. shouting was loud and fireworks a plenty. the game was much more interesting than last weeks, with goals, yellow cards and even a few red cards. the ref was making such shitty calls that a mass of SWAT dressed police on the field to escort the blind refs off amid cans, bottles and even fireworks being thrown and shot respectively to the field.

when it was all said and done the score was tied 2-2 and the crowd was happier than last week but not by much. xela still sits in first place and it is my hope that next week we can take it to the next level and win.

today no hangover but also no studying, lets hope i can get on that. wish me luck.

survived another class (spanish and yoga)

2010-03-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

today's report:

what a busy day i had. it is hard to believe that while on "vacation" (that's what some people would call what i am doing but that word does not come close to describing what i am doing here) one could have so little spare time!

yesterday after class i found half an hour to update my blog then it was off to my house (mi casa) for lunch, mmmmmm, as far as food is concerned i am doing very well, then it was time to focus on homework. i plugged away at regular and irregular verbs, present and passed tenses, for 3 hours then it was off to yoga. it was intense. after 15 minutes i was once again prepared to walk right out, but i didn't and i am glad for regardless at how unbendy i am i leave feeling GREAT! in class he was expecting us to plant our hands on the ground outside of our knees as we crouched. then he told us to put our knees on our elbows (what?) then, and i quote, "simply put your weight on your arms, lifting your feet and swing back and forth. (did i mention WHAT?) suffice to say i collapsed twice before i realized that move was still beyond me. aside from that ego squashing experience the class was intense but doable and i felt fresh and alive when i walked out.

it was a brisk walk to the casa for dinner which true to form was delicious! simple but delicious. tortillas (fresh), eggs (fresh), cheese (fresh) and of course hot sauce...mmmmm. dinner was wolfed down and a quick shower followed. dressed i was off to a meringue lesson at my school. meringue, a new experience for me and for my unfortunate partner who received the business end of my elbow in face during, what i considered, a particularly difficult move. she was gracious and was pretended not to be bothered with my clumsy/ungraceful nature. despite my lack of ability in meringue we both had a blast and when it came time to finish our lesson it was decided that we would all head off to a bar to practice...mama mia. remember yesterday how i told you my detox was going great, well no longer. i didn't get polluted but beer was consumed. alas, i figure that a fine balance of education, health and fiesta is my way forward.

arriving home at midnight i had no energy left to review my days studies and homework and drifted peacefully off to sleep. ah sweet sleep. i was so tired i was not woken (for the first time this week) by the rooster who feels the need to flex his muscle at unnatural hours, even for a rooster.

so busy as i am good times are still not only at hand but being had, day in and day out. off to lunch, then homework then a goodbye party for a new friend (where i dare say i will have more than a little beer, but it will be for a good cause. wish me luck. ciao for now.

school, school and then just a bit more school...

2010-03-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

my apologies. i have promised yet not delivered at putting together a batch of photos and videos of our outrageous futbol experience. (yes i do know how to spell but now you too know how to spell it in spanish, your welcome) the reason, not excuse, is due to a change in attitude a shift of focus. rather than going out and partying all night, having a blast and sharing the oddities of the night i have pulled back and am spending a lot of time reviewing what i've learned and even more time tackling all the homework assigned. for example yesterday i was made to write 60ish sentences using irregular verbs in the present tense. sounds pretty tough eh? (if you answered no to this question feel free to close this window and never come back!) i worked on those sentences for 6 hours with but a few interruptions. that's right, 6 HOURS. but that is how one learns a new language and i am determined to bring my spanish to as high a level as possible during my 4 months here.

as well as bettering the mind i am now attempting to also better the body. on monday i went to my first yoga class in 8 years with the idea of detox and betterment in mind i ignored the INTERMEDIATE in the title of the class and focused on the fact it said BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE. at first i was thinking, hey this is just like riding a bike, a little measured breathing, self recognition and introspection. but then it all went to pot. our instructor thought we should do the postures without him talking, he said we'd get more out of it. i however disagree, as trying to follow the movements of someone who as been practicing for 18 years without the aid of instruction, was far far far away from easy but slowly i started to find my own pace and ability level and things started looking up. that is until he said ok now 4 more times in this posture and we can get started. WTF! what felt like 1.5 hours was but 15 minutes, i died a little. when the cute girl beside me, with the "omega" symbol tattooed on her back with a wreath of green and roses, started grunting my spirits lifted.

suffice to say the class was hard but not too hard to scare me off. i may have fallen, i may have sweat a liter of moister, my body may have shaken throughout the entirety of some postures but at the end of it all i felt AMAZING! so much so that i signed up for a month of unlimited classes, i thought it a nice complement to my 20 hours a week of spanish study. i had to laugh when the yogi said "now damon, for this to be of value you have to come at least 6 times" he didn't mean personal value, no he meant financially, 6 classes equal the cost of one month unlimited. why is that funny? well a solo class costs 15Q - just about 2 dollars, the unlimited class is 100Q - around 12 dollars. now if any of you have taken yoga or at least gone to class you will know that a solo class costs well above $12 in fact something much closer to $20-$30 per class and that is reduced when a package is bought to on average $15 a visit.
if i never went to another class again i would still have paid less having bought a month package than if i went to one class in ottawa. that is not to say i am not going back, no that is not the case. this evening i am returning to the aptly named "yoga house" for another session and this time i have recruited, i believe 4 ladies to join me. i don't know if walking like i'd ridden a horse from ottawa to guatemala or wincing at every movement for the past two days would be such a selling point but for whatever reason, i've got recruits!

it is now time for me to go home for lunch, the most impressive meal of the day, and then time to hit the books till it is time to punish my body once again. wish me luck.

oh i think it's a good time to mention that i have not had a drink (not even a beer) since saturday! the detox stands! i don't know for how much longer, but yes it stands!

a wild weekend

2010-03-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

please excuse my lax approach these past few days but it has been crazy busy with fun, frivolities and yes even football (that's soccer to all of you up north) and when i have had a minute to myself my condition was not conducive to motivation or at times coherent thoughts. suffice to say that there was much fun to be had and little time to do anything else so i will take a few minutes to go over the broader strokes while highlighting a few funnier moments.

friday night started off innocently enough with a small fiesta at my school. there were some silly games that became bearable after a gallo (or two) (gallo = local beer), then there was dancing and a man i refer to as elvis guatemalteco played some sweet latin sounds on his guitar. at the end of his 'set' we started to chat and he offered me guitar lessons, not something i was interested in but when he quoted me 25Q for 2.5 hours i couldn't say no. so tomorrow i will begin to learn an entirely new style of guitar, should be pretty cool. things started to go downhill pretty quickly thereafter. first going to a bar, la rumba, where the drinks were flowing and the dancing was abundant. in fact my salsa partner from a few night prior happen to be there and well i wont call it 'salsa' per se but we danced and danced. we danced until i as forced to flee the dance floor. why run away damon? well what started innocently a high five to a guatemalan couple turned into something no bueno, when i was propositioned to 'take leave' with them. i don't want to come off as a prude for that is the last thing i'd call myself but i do consider myself someone with standards and well, they were not being met. rumba closes and we, for no other reason than because, go to the next bar on the block. i can say that we didn't need to be there and at some point my housemate and i decided it was time to return home. by this time it is 3ish in the AM and we are both feeling very 'good'. we were walking chatting, laughing and generally just being foolish. but when we finally looked up (paid attention to where we were and where we were going we realized that we had no clue as to where we WERE! this was slightly unnerving. i hid my wallet in my clothes and kris got out his knife, just in case. luckily for everyone involved after only a few minutes passed and after turning a few corners we come across another friend of ours, who must have heard us coming, as he stood at the end of the street with his arms outstretched in the air, like a beacon of light and hope after a long voyage at sea!

saturday started much slower than not and i missed a walk to some nearby natural saunas, oh well. our entire house looked worse for wear but we knew that the night ahead would hold no prisoners so we had to sort ourselves out. our mama, sandra, looked at us and started making a local hangover cure, gracias mama. slowly but surely we started to feel 'normal' again. and before long it was time to get ready for the football match that was going to be amazing, the crowds were already about, the cops were out directing traffic and generally spirits were high. spending time with the brits of course like before any big night we went out for some curry. i'll give them this, it was huge, spicy and bloody delicious.

meeting up with some more friends post-feed we went and purchased some bottles of 'ron guatemalteca' a local inexpensive brew or rum. arriving at the stadium i knew i was in for more than i could have imagined. people everywhere. fireworks going off. food vendors. unofficial jersey sellers (which most of us ended up buying...when in rome). it was nuts. buying out tickets we entered the stadium. drums pounding. horns blaring. people everywhere! through the mess and up to the stands (concrete seats). we found what we thought were good seats but later turned still to be good but in the oppositions section...iffy.

now it was time to buy some mix for our rum. so guess what they sell the soda and then pour it in plastic bags. interesting. so here we all are holding bags of coke and rum...too funny. the game starts and so do the minutes of fireworks huge ones, little ones, loud ones and scary ones (ever have a firework fall on your head? well me neither but i saw it happen). truthfully, the game wasn't that hot but we made up for it in noise and good times. right before half time we run out of rum. lauren and amanda head out to pick some more up. 45 minutes later we are all a bit worried. just when we think its time to send out a search party they return and far from empty handed. as well as buying more goodness they not only found a puppy but brought him into the stadium. what they were thinking is well beyond me and to be fair after all the rum we'd consumed i think their actions were beyond them too. somehow the situation sort of resolved itself as a couple of guys who also had a puppy agreed to take 'our' puppy. i say 'sort of' because i am of the belief that the puppy was not lost and abandoned but had an owner and a home. oh well.

the game ended we lost but the party didn't stop. i carried on and we carried on. i left sooner than most but couldn't tell you when and felt only slightly better than the rest the next morning. yesterday was spent very very relaxed. walking around the markets that seemed to pop up out of nowhere, eating greasy food and watching movies in the company of good friends. hurting heads but also good times.

i have decided that this week (not weekend) will be spent in 'detox'. focussing on my spanish and my mental/physical well being. this may make for some interesting blogging and it may not. only time will tell. hasta pronto.

photos to follow.

salsa disaster or master?

2010-03-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

as you will know from my last post, i am in xela, guatemala. i am here to learn spanish and experience the second largest city in guatemala. so far so good. being the lucky guy i am i fell into a great school and met up with some great friends from part 1 of my guate adventure. i thought this would be a primarily spanish learning centre (at least for me) but it has turned out to be much more than that.

last night after a delicious family dinner me and my friends went off to a salsa dancing lesson at a bar in town. i was reluctant to say the least so i did require some lubrication from my good friend Gallo (a local beer). 1 liter in i was ready to hit the dance floor, truthfully it may have been more than the beer that brought em to the dance floor...there was a very sexy finish lady that could also take the credit. at first i was thinking cool, 1 2 3 4 5 and back 1 2 3 and forward 1 2 3 4 5, easy i got this! well that was until they added more steps and then, if you can believe it, a spin! i was wishing now for another cervesa and a pair of shoes, the sandals were just not cutting it. but things changed, as they always do, for the better. we got paired up and now we got to practice our 'moves' with another. would you believe it if i told you that canada and finland were united on the dance floor with some wild steps, moves, spins and whatever else our teacher tried to throw at us. i was feeling atop of the world! that is until the bar opened to others and a crowd flowed in filling the once empty bar. soon there were others on the dance floor and they were not beginners. knowing out place we found our seats and watched the madness ensue. i tell you i saw things on that dance floor that i thought was reserved for xxx websites (not that i've looked, of course) and not that i am complaining for it was AMAZING.

the coordination, the skill, the sexuality all ensure that i will be back next week, in shoes and ready to SALSA!

i have arrived!

2010-03-04T12:01:00.002-05:00

after a month of canadian pride i have finally made it back to the lovely land of guatemala! monday night i landed in guatemala city and made it safely to my hotel at around 9:30 pm (not a very safe time to be out and about) but i was in a taxi and felt pretty ok. my intention was to check-in, drop my stuff in my room and head out into the neighborhood in search of food as i had not eaten since 2ish in miami. however this was not to be the case. as i approached the hotel all the shops, eateries, everything was closed! the man at the front desk was a nice and was very adamant the there was nothing open near by and walking around trying to find one was not in my best interest (guatemala city is one of the most dangerous in the americas). i suppose it goes without saying i went to bed hungry - boo.

waking early the next morning i made it to the bus terminal that was going to take me to xela, the city i planned on staying for the better part of march studying spanish. the trip was uneventful and i arrived in xela noonish. having heard from a few friends who had arrived in xela while i was in ottawa i knew to head to a hostel called casa argentina, where they were staying. no problem. met at the door by two lovely dutch ladies who were touting a school. never one to turn my back on pretty ladies i let them lead me to sol latino, which as of one hour ago became my spanish school, to show me around. i could barely believe it when i passed through the front gates and heard my name. sitting in the classroom was phil and lauren to friends i had met in san pedro and who i had spent nearly everyday with before my trip was cut short and i was forced to return to ottawa.

hooray this was working out better than good. i was invited to join them on a trip to a nearby town that makes a fruit liquor, ok i like liquor. it turns out they make bootleg fruit liquor, of course never refusing a host or a drink i bought a bottle as did my friend phil. prepared for the night ahead we got on the 'chicken bus' and returned to our casa. it all started so innocently with 3 liters of beer and our fruit liquor but when we went out for 3 more liters and then 3 more after that we were feeling better than fine. at some point my phone rang and another friend of mine was on route looking for me. he arrived with 3 liters in tow and it went from drunk to drunker. it was truly a well deserved fun fiesta! that being said, this morning when i woke up i wasn't thinking of the fun, nope i was holding my head and wishing i had a bano in my room as i couldn't be bothered to dress!

sucking it up i made it out and had a very productive morning. i checked out a couple of schools and decided on a smaller one with much more character and charm than the others. i start tomorrow and am registered for 3 weeks and 2 days. cool. also i am moving out of my casa argentina in about 30 minutes and moving into a local family's home. also cool. not much else to say other than i really ought to pack up so that i can make it to meet my friends and move into my new home.

i am going to try and be as blog-productive as last month when i was last in guatemala, to share with you what i see through words and photos. thanks for stopping by and chat soon!

the cause of my hangover

rasta dog watch out!

oldest church in CA

a man on a loom, he is also the bootlegger who sold us our drinks

same

loom detail

view from my room first night in xela

GREAT NEWS!

2010-02-17T16:52:00.002-05:00

just a quick note to say that after a what seemed like ages but was actually on 10 days the results from my latest excision came back with flying colours! they were able to conclude this time that they successfully got it all, no nasty cells left behind. YAY.

thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and positive energy, for all intense and purpose they worked! i have had the pleasure of spending some quality time with my family who are supportive and loving as per their usual MO. over the past few weeks, when not dropped by illness or post surgery pain i've been able to touch base with some old friends, some of whom i haven't seen in a few years, all are doing great.

you have all been more helpful than i can even begin to express so please take this small thanks and know you've helped me through a difficult time.

happy family day!

2010-02-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

hi all, sorry for the lax behaviour with regards to my postings and musings on my blog. let me recap the last few fun filled weeks as i am sure you are dying to know all the exciting and fun things i've been doing to fill the time...

lets being with my head in the toilet, for that is exactly how my return to ottawa began, praying to the porcelain god oh joy. i was literally felled by the debilitating stomach flu for the whole weekend. managing to get up just in time for my doctor's appointment monday morning. the surgery lasted for 55 minutes (much longer than i had expected) but it felt like only a few minutes due to a wonderful suggestion from my sister ... NO2/laughing gas = AMAZING. (thanks lara)

maybe now would be a good time to discuss drugs vs pain. regardless of how we feel about drugs illegal or prescription i think we can almost unanimously agree that pain is bad. so why is it i had to wait until i was 32 to be giving NO2 to help ease the pain and anticipation of pain? throughout my life i have had my fair share of cuts, bruises, fillings/teeth pulled and later in life interesting (and scary) bouts with foreign born infections. never once was i offered anything for the pain aside from local anesthetic (and if i may point out those needles tend to hurt as much if not more than the offending problem). why is this? why oh why would we subject people to pain without even the offer of respite? NO2 happens to be even better than a dulling of pain i would dare to describe it as fun, i was completely removed from the experience of having a doctor roughly cut, scrape, dig and sew just below my lower lip for just under an hour. i would not have wanted it any other way. from now on i will take responsibility and ask for help with the pain instead of stoically enduring simply to say i did.

so the surgery was bearable (fun) but the post was brutal. my lower lip swelled and swelled to the point of ridiculous. i was likened (by me) to a white bubba from forest gump, not cool. unable to drink but from a straw, eating but the most basic of soft pureed foods (thanks for all the effort and delicious smoothies and milkshakes mom!) this lasted for 4 days, brutal, it got to the point that i believed my swelling lip would never subside and was beginning my life anew as a freakshow scarring little kids and making babies cry being my new niche.

but then on the 5th day the sun shone and my lip reduced, and the people rejoiced!

saturday i woke with a purpose, a raison d'etre. off to look at some new cool sleeping bags that occupy 1/4 of the space of my current sleeping bag, it just made me giddy. then off to coffee with a couple of friends. a very successful coffee if i may say so, 1 richoo is working on my professional website (so when it gets launched and looks super cool you know where to go for your wicked cool site) 2 recruited my buddy marc to join me on a scuba adventure in early april! how cool is that! we both have been wanting to get out padi for ages and now we plan to get it together in the most inexpensive places in the americas on a reef that is considered second to the great barrier reef! not to mention march and april are two months you are likely to encounter whale sharks! omg!

from there i got in the car and headed to my sister's where i've been since. together (lara, mike, katie and matthew) we celebrated valentine's day and now family day. oh the fun we are having! they say the best medicine is family and i would have to agree with "them". when katie saw my face she said "uncle damon, what happened, you have a booboo?"
"well katie, i went to the doctor and he did some cutting and making me better"
"does it hurt?"
"well yes a little but not so much anymore"
"uncle damon"
"yes katie"
"i am so proud of you!"
well if your heart doesn't melt from that you just may dead inside. (that was harsh so i am going to add a smily face to lessen the impact) :-)

so now i am waiting for the results which will of course be good news and filing my days with fun, family and friends. trying to accomplish a few minor improvements on my pack and travel system, see as many friends as possible and spending some quality time with my family.

until there is more to report, be well.

my attempt to learn spanish - the plan: fly into cancun january 9, travel through belize to xela, guatemala for a month of spanish lessons. another tw

2010-02-10T09:06:00.001-05:00

as you know i am back in canada for a short spell but this morning i came across a very fun blog of a young lady doing much like i was doing and thought that while you can't live vicariously through me, we could all live vicariously through others like her...thoughts? well like or not here it is.

my attempt to learn spanish - the plan: fly into cancun january 9, travel through belize to xela, guatemala for a month of spanish lessons. another two months to make my way back to cancun by april 20. - WorldNomads Adventures

now that i am back in canada...

2010-02-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

for those of you who don't know my politics, this is a satire of the current ruling political party that i have NO love for.
for those of you who do know my politics, this made me laugh it just might do the same to you.

enjoy.

this is me flying like a bird! enjoy. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7_HgNs3tQc

2010-02-04T19:51:00.003-05:00

i am home (well toronto)

2010-02-04T18:52:00.000-05:00

just a quick note to tell you that all is well. after a grueling day - 22 hours of travel - i woke up in a comfy bed in my sister's basement. walking up stairs i heard my sister and her two lovely children playing in the family room. upon opening the door to the basement my niece looked up and with such a look of surprise and joy that all of yesterday's angst melted away. the day was spent playing, playing and then there was some more playing. i also found some time to finish editing a video from monday's adventure (i still haven't told you what i did but soon you will see!) and finishing some potential posts i started while waiting the day away yesterday. below is one called "how is this justice" and it should be noted that my friend who's name isn't jim (i changed it just in case) is no longer in any danger of arrest or anything but that shouldn't make this any less interesting....read on....

__________________

how is this justice?

just a small note to tell of a pretty crazy thing that is happening to a friend and a little advice should you ever find yourself in a similar situation while in guatemala...

the other night while my friend was in his apartment a german guy who somehow got on his roof subsequently fell off the roof. from inside his apartment, jim saw through his window the man falling from said roof. being human, jim rushed to the man's aide, first finding him in the bushes then calling the ambulance and police. wow. but that isn't the crazy part.

yesterday i met with him and he told me that the german died in hospital and that the police wanted him to go to the station for comment but what we learned that afternoon convinced us that going to the police station was a BAD idea. why? well, in guatemala they have a strange law that says the last person to 'touch' someone who then dies is legally responsible and in this case that person was jim. kind of messed up as jim did not invite the german up to his roof, jim did not push the german from the roof, jim did go to his aide and the german did die. considering the law, the country and the situation we both agreed that going to the police station was NOT in his best interest, rather calling the consulate and DC lawyer were what was in his best interest.

i was blown away by the law and by what it ensures, that an injured person is unlikely to get any kind of assistance on the street from passerbys. the government is breeding a negative moral fabric to this beautiful yet fragile society.

not much of a post i know but i think it is important to not only extol the beauty and the majesty of this stunning country but to also show the 'other side', the ugly, the unforgiving, the unjust.

sitting in the airport in guate

2010-02-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

not happy. very tired. started my day after 2 hours sleep at 1:30am. drove to guate for 3 hours. now sitting in the airport 3 hours before check-in as a result of trying to beat guate's rush hour situation (1 km=1 hour).

nothing to report, just whining. maybe chat in miami but only if i can find the time in my 7 hour layover.

today sucks.

t minus 12 hours.......

2010-02-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

there is not much time to write now as i would (no offense) spend my last few hours in this lovely little community with new friends and new family. in fact that has kind of been the case lately as i am sure you noticed but that does not mean that i've been up to nothing, you will soon discover that it is quite the opposite.....during my 22 hour trip home (gotta love cheap last minute flights) i hope to cut some video, work on some photos and write up some of the last few days in the hopes of ignoring the 'present' - siting on a plane, sitting in an airport, getting overly aggressively searched at the airport.

so cheer up folks, damon is coming home! so clear you calendars and get ready to make me dinner and have me sleep on your couch 'cause it is going to happen!'

wish it wasn't the fact but....

2010-01-30T16:34:00.000-05:00

i just booked my ticket home. boo.

i leave wednesday in the am from guatemala city and transfer in miami airport 7 hours later. i will be landing in toronto at 11 pm and going directly to my sisters. the next morning i will drive back to ottawa with my wonderful mom. the only thing i am waiting on now is an appointment from my doctor.

like i said, it sucks but it has to be done so home i go for a short "intermission" from my exciting CA adventure.

more when i have more.

today's news

2010-01-29T19:34:00.000-05:00

i just spoke with the doctor who told me thought not necessary to get on the plane tomorrow, within the next few weeks would be wise. considering it could be carcinogenic (but also could be not) he recommended taking it all off sooner than later. today i have a much cooler head than yesterday when i wrote my venting blog and it is true cooler heads do prevail.

the smart move with this information is to get it sorted in a reasonable timeframe as waiting can be the biggest mistake should the news be bad. i would hate later to realize that a quick trip home could have saved me years of anguish (if not more). all that is to say i am now looking into flights back home within the next few weeks (oh joy). if i look really hard i can find some silver lining.....

1 - see mom and dad

2 - see my sister and her beautiful family

3 - opportunity to get a small artisan co-operative off the ground with some preliminary sales and groundwork.

so maybe life doesn't suck that bad, maybe this will all get sorted and i can smile (and mean it). maybe this is just the sort of catilist i didn't even know i needed (for what i don't know but then again i didn't even know i needed it!)

thanks for all the messages of concern, they go along way when one is so very far away. i will keep you posted.

fun with macs

early morning walk - with photos!

2010-01-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

this morning i woke up early. the doctor was supposed to be available for a conversation 7:45 his time (6:45 my time) but of course he was too busy to talk with the guy he has given alarming news. this means that now i get to call him during his lunch with the hopes that he will be able to find the time to explain his alarming email to me. but it's not all 'le merde' if we were looking for a silver lining i found one.

the other morning when riding in the back of the pick-up to go coffee picking i was like a dog with his head out the window, excitedly looking to and fro please to have the sun and fresh air enveloping me. after a steepish incline and some hairy turns we ended up on a high point over looking san pedro (my current home) and it was stunning. the sun was just cresting over the silhouetted two volcanos that stand sentry behind the sleepy village of san pedro. the streets were mist-lined and every chimney puffed smoke from the morning tortilla making. it was there for a few seconds and then it wasn't as we continued to snake our way along the side of the cliff and crater lake, i silently resolved to get up to the point of 'buena vista' with my camera in hopes of somehow capturing san pedro's mystical morning way.

well today was the day. i started out walking just after 6:30 and made it to the point with the 'buena vista' just in time to see what i'd seen. it was beautiful, i was and still am awed. i will stop typing and let the photos do the talking. i hope you enjoy them.

coffee drying and processing

buy this mattress and you get to sleep with her!

chicken bus

such is life and we take it as it comes.

2010-01-28T11:20:00.001-05:00

i share with you all the good (well most of it at least) so i shall begin to share with you the not so good. and i kind of need to get this off my chest and lucky for you this is my medium of late.

as you may remember if you were with me from the beginning (what feels like months but will only be 2 weeks tonight!) that the morning that i was to fly out of ottawa i had to make a last minute stop to an oral surgeon who excised a growth off my lower lip. it was so harried and last minute that my parents were waiting to drive me to the airport so that i would be able to make my flight with the "enhanced" security measures. it never really sunk in what happened or what could happen. i was told that in 10 business days the results would be in and that would be that. well last night was 10 business days and once again my faith in western medicine (or western doctors) is shaken.

what was concluded? they were able to ascertain that it was "atypical" (thanks doc but i could have told you that, in fact i think i did when i said there is a growth on my face that shouldn't be there). they were also able to ascertain that though they don't know what it is they do know that they didn't get it all the first time. lets recap.

- don't know what it is

- know it shouldn't be there

- know they didn't get it all

starting to feel my frustration?

i responded to the email from my dentist saying thanks for the update and i will see you on the 1st of june (should an appointment be available for round two). i also gave him my mom's number and told him that in my absence she could act as my proxy (calls from guatemala are expensive and god forbid the call was made from a doctor's office, you know those people with $$$$). this is where it gets good.

last night my parents called and after a nice chat i get told that june is too late. she tells me the doctors didn't realize that i'd be gone so long. (a real shame i talk in such code or else there would have been no confusion but i understand how confusing "i am leaving this morning for 4 1/2 months, i'll be back in june but you can email me the details" it really was my fault i should have given him my decoder ring prior to sharing such complex yet vital information) {are you picking up the sarcasm? cause i am laying it on pretty thick!}

the ever helpful doc told her that june was too late (what does that means when they don't know what it is?). now let me break it down again....

- they don't know what it is

- they know it shouldn't be there

- they know they didn't get all of "what ever it is" (might be bad, might not)

- they know that waiting 4 months to do what they should have properly done the first time, i too long.

- i get to go home to have my face cut open again.

now i may be being a bit harsh but this is my blog and i choose to be harsh. just as you choose to read (or not read) and just as the doc has chosen to fuck up my adventure and fun.

now let me be reasonable for a bit: yes if it is bad then going home to sort it out is the smart thing to do. yes, in the grand scheme of things one hiccup in my guatemalan adventure seems pretty insignificant. yes, should anyone around me here be diagnosed with this same issue, they would be singing a different tune (guatemalan's don't survive cancer). and this is why though i am pissed and though i am frustrated i do know that not only can i do this but i have an amazing network around me (here and at home) to help me deal with this no matter what happens.

i am waiting now to talk with the doc directly to find out when i need to be buying my ticket for my return home. please don't freak out. i am (after last night) trying to keep cool about all this and i promise i will update you (vent) as i too know more.

regardless of the recent annoying bordering on ridiculousness life here in san pedro has been spectacular with wonderful people, local and foreign who have become great friends and family. a fun picture to change the mood.

video!

2010-01-27T13:34:00.003-05:00

for full screen options click....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSKD_WH44p0
or watch here. enjoy.

feliz comple anos!

2010-01-27T12:24:00.000-05:00

i really can't seem to find the time to write everything exciting that happens to me and still find the time to experience the new and the different. like the other night when we were invited to the 19 year old birthday party of my guatemalan sister which just happened friday.

it was so very cool. so very exciting. so very unexpected. the day before as our mom got more comfortable with us (and my ability to understand what she was saying to us grew) she mentioned in hush tones that friday was glorias birthday and that there was going to be a surprise party and we were invited! having been to many birthday parties before as well as many parties i knew one thing, i like to party but what was this party going to be like? only time would tell. before we knew it the day was upon us and there was a mass of activity in the kitchen and about the house. cleaning, cooking and just generally busying about so much i took the opportunity to head out into town to my favourite coffee spot to do some homework (and maybe even a blog). with strict instructions however to return before 6 for the surprise.

in the house at the time were 4 students: myself, lena (german), else (norwegian) and pia (norwegian). all of our spanish was pretty weak so what to expect no one know but one thing we knew was that we didn't want to go to a party empty handed. but how much to you spend and what do you buy when some much for sale from the artist vendors is actually part of their daily wear or alternatively the tiendas (shops) that the locals frequent is essentially filled plastic crap. deciding that arriving with a regala (gift) too genorous could be considered ruder than bringing nothing at all (in weaker economic situations that is). in the end i purchased a smallish painting in the traditional mayan style for gloria's wall to remind her beautiful home while off in guatemala city studying to be a doctor. lena gifted her rain jacket, which was of a quality unattainable in a country like guatemala and the girls, pia and else bought a beautiful little purse and put even prettier ear rings in it. i wish it wasn't the case but as it turned out we were the only people who brought gifts whereas everyone else brought great cheer and fun.

in all at the first sitting there were 16 of us around the table and then for the second there seemed to be more but by then the space was teaming with children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, lions and tigers and bears, oh my! for food there were 5 roasted chickens, bowls of potatoes and of veggies and few things i didn't recognize but certainly enjoyed. the festivities went on for quite awhile and the family was excited for me to bring out my photo gear to take a large family picture (in truth i think it was more my pleasure than theirs as i was able to bring my camera out and shoot to my hearts content in a country where many a man and woman will not agree to have their photos taken) beyond that it may also be your pleasure as in my opinion the photos are great!

must go study for class....a bit to share on that front but not at the expense of my studies so i shall save my latest activities for a future post. ciao.

early morning coffee picking!

2010-01-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

buenos dias!

well it is 6 am. there is a chill in the air. the roosters started crowing intermittently more than 30 minutes ago. why am i up so early? am i ill? am i sad? am i lonely? the answer to all those question (save the first) is NO. i am up at what i considered before this trip, an ungodly hour, because in a few minutes i am getting picked-up by who i think is the nephew (or little brother) or my guatemalan mama, gloria. he owns a small coffee plantation, which employs 8 labourers. the other night when we were talking and i discovered that he goes out early every morning with his crew to work the land, being me i quickly asked if i could come one day to take pictures and maybe even be taught how to farm coffee. confused, probably due to the fact that my spanish is less than good and that nobody in their right mind chooses labour over ... well anything and whether it was because gloria was sitting there too and he felt obligated or he thought it would be fun (and funny) he agreed. so here i sit after having had some coffee and toast, mentally steeling myself for the unknown ahead. i will admit that to anyone with a rural background is probably laughing at damon the gringo who is nervous about manual labour, and you know what? i don't care. for me it's new and exciting and you can just judge away, judgy mcjudge'erton....

wow, so we are just back from a morning of picking coffee, that was amazing. i know i say that a lot here but it really was. as aforementioned i am a city boy and aside from being a server (which isn't as easy as everyone thinks but pales in comparison to what i just did) i am not what you would call a sporty guy or even an active guy. true i guess you could say that while i am abroad i do some pretty hairy things but i speak now of me back in ottawa, the land that sucks me dry. so, i left you at about 6:45 am when i went out to wait on the street for tono, as it turns out brother-in-law to gloria (me madre). it wasn't so bad as the newly arrived sun had removed some of the early morning chill. after not more than 2 minutes outside up walks tono and his two children, juan pedro and frank (please note am i not describing child labour well at least not what immediately comes to mind when we here that taboo word. juan carlo and frank are on holiday, what i referred to it as a "trajaveracation" {a working holiday} which elicited a more than a few laughs, though not from the kids). gloria was so cute before she let us go she ran into the house and got us oranges for our day out and about. tono, picks us up and we walk to a "pick-up" stop (pick-up refers to actual pick up trucks that operate much like buses in that they have specific corners to wait at to be picked up at, but they are independently run and provide no real schedule, that being said they seem to be more frequent that oc transpo {a dig at ottawa's brutal public transport system, if you do or have lived there you know what i am talking about}), where we patiently/grogily wait for our ride.

shortly thereafter, a pick-up arrives and our motley crew (two of which were under the age of 11) climbs in the flatbed for an exhilarating ride to san juan, the next town over on lago atitlan (the lake i am living on) where we jump out and head on our way {the cost of the pick-up was 2 Q each which = about $ 0.25, so for literally pennies you get transport that doubles as a ride at the fair} i should note know that i had some expectations in mind when i was first told about the coffee plantation. my only experience being the 'cafe cristolinas' where i have my daily cup of coffee and they grow it in their backyard, literally. that being my only experience i assumed a field of coffee much like a field of corn that i've seen in canada and pretty close at hand. that was not the case. after getting dropped off in town we walked out of town, which didn't take long at all, then we began the 45 minute hike up the side of a volcano to tono's plantation! it wasn't that it was grueling or brutal it was simply that i didn't not plan nor expect to be ascending volcanos early this morning. suffice to say we arrived no worse for wear, in fact upon turning around and seeing the 'bueno vista' all thought of how tired i was or how early it is faded away. we were standing in a lush coffee plantation overlooking a bursting green valley and topping it off the sun was just begin to crest over the ridges ahead. it was so nice i almost forgot that i had a mornings worth of labour ahead.

the directions for the day were of course in spanish and they flew mostly over my head. what i did manage to gather was that we were there to pick the red coffee beans and not the green ones. and from there i stuck close to the elder of the children (grade 7) and did as he did, we picked off the same tree and did what i could to make him laugh. two trees in i started to realize that though not terribly difficult without the knowledge that i was taking off 11ish to make it home for lunch and not sticking around picking beans all day might have turned my mood. however with the knowledge of my early departure i was eager to attempt fill the sac tied around my waist faster and fuller than the others. what made it even more agreeable was that whenever i was feeling like the work was getting the better of me i would stop, walk back to my bag, grab my camera (which was the primary reason for me asking to join) and would migrate to one of the other pickers and take some photos and or videos

upon rereading this after my most delicious lunch i realize that i led the reader to the plantation but aside from describing the view said little else, i shall now rectify my lapse in description. i suppose it can be assumed that in order to reach our plantation we climbed and climbed and climbed that the plantation was also on an incline, if so, your suspicions are correct. the large tract of land was too on an incline, mind you not as steep as some of our ascent but still steeper than i would have ever expected. this meant that you were either below or above the coffee tree. below meant that you could see the red vs. the green beans and so know which to pick, however it did mean that reaching the upper 1/3 of the tree was not an option. hence we would make our way above the tree and in bending back the tree with the left hand could pick with the right, in fact not a bad little system. suffice to say that by the end of the morning our collective hands were filthy and though floating from working with my hands i was more than happy to be embarking on our way home for lunch (our refers to my german friend who has joined me on more than a few of my latest adventures.) after scrolling up i realized was a bit wordy so i shall cut short here and say, hasta pronto!

coffee flower, didn't know they had them? well neither did i!

village justice

2010-01-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

you hear about community justice, there are stories told on the backpacking circuit that always happened a few weeks before you arrived or in another village that dots the lake. the first story i heard has been confirmed though the timing of it is still in question. to help you understand what i mean by community/village justice i shall retell the story as i heard it...

there are bandits that exist in the country due to a combination of a lack of income opportunities and a mass of weapons left over from the civil war that ravaged the country. (of course there are more factors but this is a blog and not an essay so i am taking the liberty to simplify the situation). it is told that some paths around lake atitlan are unsafe due to 'bandits' and the like. however we are assured that is no longer the case due to a dose of village justice that has driven the bandits further into the forests.

one day a 'chicken bus' was traveling from village to village carrying locals and their wares (note: chicken buses are throwaway school busses from north america that have been repainted, named and detailed and are the main form of transport for locals, and adventuresome travelers, to go either from one end of a city to the other or plain across the country. the longer trips cost dollars and the shorter ones barely cost at all. i should also note that they never fully stop, it is a matter of throwing your bag onto the roof and jumping on while the bus is in motion...good times) around the lake village to village carrying locals. bandits displaying more greed than normal stood in the middle of the road holding machine guns. the bus driver, i can only assume was fed up with the general situation, sped up and tried to drive through. the bandits opened fire, killing the bus driver instantly, and the bus rolled to a stop in the ditch. knowing they crossed a line the bandits didn't stick around to rob rather they took to the hills. within days the police identified and apprehended said bandits. immediately the villages demanded the bandits be release to face village justice. the police ignored their pleas. the next day a government building was burned to the ground (with no injuries). the community continued with their demands and again the police ignored their cries. the next day the villagers kidnaped a police office, doused him in gasoline and once again their demands. this time, their wishes were granted and the bandits were traded for the shaken but unharmed police officer. in the manner that justice is dispensed in the villages the bandits were bound, doused and burned for their crimes.

that story might sound pretty harsh but it is also pretty easy to understand when federal justice is rarely felt in the smaller communities. their is a general mistrust of the system that seems to let more people go than punish, where money rules over law. a friend who i had coffee with that in one of the churches there is a poster that says "STOP BURNING PEOPLE, GOD DOES NOT APPROVE". can you even imagine a sign like that in canada or the states and in a church no less? all this brings me to last night...

out celebrating a friends birthday i went out to the blanco bars for the first time since arriving in san pedro. it was nothing special. we climbed up to the roof to chill and drink, nothing fancy but meeting an interesting cast of characters it was a fun time. at 11:00 pm the bartender came up and abruptly turned out the lights and told us, it was now closed and it was time to go. what? 11? why? when she said 'they came by and told us to that they wanted everyone to close at 11, i assumed she was referring to the police. i was wrong. as we left the bar to head back to our friend's posada we passed a group of men, about 8 of them, who were walking down the street abreast. not realizing what was up i shared the common evening greeting, buenos noche. not only was there no response but the air seemed to cool down and it was then that i realized two men were wearing bandanas to hid their face. i should point our that i didn't feel in danger, i didn't get the feeling i was going to be robbed nor the sense that a beating was about to occur, in fact i felt more invisible than anything for my presence was simply ignored. we arrived at our friend's without further incident. when it was time to leave me and a friend started out on our normal way home but stopped dead in our tracks after turning a corner. in the street was now maybe 20 men, some with bandanas, some with machetes, not the kind of crowd i wanted to be passing at 12:30 at night on an otherwise empty street. 180 degrees we turned and took to the back alleys to get home with the hope of avoiding any roaming group of men.

i should point out that they men in the streets were not bandits, they were simply townspeople who decided that they wanted the "gringo bars" to close at 11. they walked through the town and literally shut down every bar. they then appeared to 'stand watch' ensuring no bar reopened. the whole time i was out last night i didn't see 1 police officer. at coffee this morning with a swiss friend who as been here a month, has better spanish than me and a much wider network told me that it was the roaming group of towns people that shut the bars down and not the police. he didn't know as none of the townspeople he spoke to knew exactly why. he was told it had nothing to do with the fact that this is a very religious town. speculation is all we can do. our thoughts are that below the surface of this idilic place there are problems like anywhere else. one of the issues, we suspect, is the dislike that many of the business that the many backpackers frequent are foreign owned and as such an element not so much of envy or jealousness but rather a feeling of an unfair situation and last nights "closing time" was their way of righting the balance.

since starting to type this i have chatted with a few locals and i got the same answer from all them, "son los gentes loco" = "they are just some crazy guys". they all assure me that i was never in danger and that i shouldn't worry (so neither should you mom). so as it stands i do not know what it was all about but my suspicion stands, some men were simply trying to rebalance a very out of whack local economic situation. another suspicion though not one i subscribe to is that the men were a de-facto 'neighbourhood watch' ensuing that the town could sleep the night before church (my thinking, why do you need machetes to ensure bars close?) oh well. feel free to pontificate and share. hasta pronto.

tourism (backpacking) - you decide

2010-01-23T09:16:00.001-05:00

this stunning community of maya people exist the way they did for thousands of years with one small difference, me and other like me. for better or for worse the lucky few of us have found this idilic place that feeds all sense, that calms the soul and opens your eyes. the negatives exist true, with the arrival of whitey so came the drug trade in a community that frowns on drinking and drugs it is not hard to believe that drugs (beyond those used religiously) never had a presence here and if once there was the strong community values quickly had it expunged. now san pedro, due to its stunning location, its inspiring people and beautiful energy, quickly became known amongst hippies and backpackers alike as a destination that easily set itself apart from others. it is not hard to see how that started to happen and probably not that hard to imagine what that does to a community. for example the other day i was chatting with a 14 year old boy (i should point out here that my chatting with kids is by no means nefarious rather their language skills much match my own so at most opportunities as i go to and from school or even on my many walks about town if a child doesn't engage in a conversation with me, which they usually do, i will initiate. this has already greatly helped with my confidence in speaking), when i asked him about school he said he didn't need it. foolishly i asked why. "i sell marijuana, want some?" not wanting to be rude of course i said yes....just joking mom if that were true this would be a pretty hypocritical story, no?......actually, i said "no gracias". how could you say yes? sure a smoke can be fun but look at what is being encouraged but in this instance i would have be putting the proverbial "nail in the coffin" with regards to his education or lack there of. exasperating a situation and a persona that i am not pleased to be associated with even by association. therefore in short the dark side of tourism has created means and opportunity that removed a small boy form school at the age of 10 and countless or youth and adults that now prosper or suffer as a direct result.

yet that isn't to say i regard tourism as bad (for if i did that would imply i regard what i am doing negatively, and that is not the case) for it offers many positives to a community one of which being foreign money into a primarily based on substance agriculture. and the second being that of keeping a culture alive, let me elaborate...as can be witnessed all around the world in developing and developed countries alike is that the traditional rural agriculture is slowly dying this in turn results in an influx of people into a city. in guatemala, if a young child was growing up in a small community that sees hard economic times simply due to weather or other more complex economic reasons well beyond the scope of their understanding, a better life is dreamed of, spoken about and eventually realized as they move to the "big city". (note: guatemala is a country of approximately 10 million people, guatemala city has approximately 3.5 million people, the next biggest city xela has approx. 350 000 people) true much of the mass influx of people into the city can be attributed to the savage civil war that tore up the country side that is just now starting to rebuild and heal the scars that were invariably left however many more left their rural agricultural life behind for a life where they may control their own destiny. unfortunately, a dream is not always reality and this certainly proves that point. with so many 'agricultural refugees' ending up in the same spot there is certainly not going to be enough work to go around. slums grow and grow. where they once could at least grow food if have little else they now find themselves even without that option. is it any wonder that guatemala city ranks among the most dangerous cities in the world? humans have a strong survival instinct and for lack of money and food people are forced beyond their moral comfort zone into the world of crime. and their children grow up in a hopeless environment and it isn't before long they join some of the roughest and toughest gangs in the americas, so much so that there are many section in guatemala city that the police simply do not and will not go. {back to my point} so communities that would invariably start to lose it populations can begin to rely on a new form of fairly steady income, tourist. and well beyond the point of money is culture, something that can easily be lost or forgotten for more pressing issues and concerns. for example, here in guatemala there is a large population of maya. (note: the maya people can be divided up into many tribes and regions but for the sake of this blog i shall refer to the maya generally, much as we do in north america with our 'first nations') making textiles is a large part the maya culture and traditions. the art of weaving is passed down generationally and can get lost and forgotten ever so easily (see 'first nations' in canada) tourism ensures that this skill is indeed passed down for almost every visitor to guatemala will leave with some form of maya textiles from hammocks to wraps to ponchos, a profitable market for traditional clothing has opened up creating income for something that was done out of practicality in the past. so here we see that as a result of tourism, a local maya culture is remembered and passed down generationally and that rural agricultural substance communities do not go the way of the do do. here in san pedro, maya women and girls weave stunning textiles and sell them to tourist and one another. one of the remarkable things in san pedro is that the majority of the population young and old still wear traditional dress and it is stunning! it is primarily a substance agricultural community meaning that it eats what it grows and now has the opportunity to continue on its traditional path with but a few interruptions from tourism.

life just isn't as black and white as our fearless (fearsome?) leaders would have us believe just maybe there are many sides to an argument. i, stepping out of myself, looking around and seeing the world again through new eyes has got me thinking quite a bit. re-examing what i believe and remembering why exactly that was rather than just because. as such, i will continue to travel as i always have with my eyes and my heart wide open, respecting and helping the people and cultures that i have the opportunity and privilege to visit. hoping always to leave with my hosts and new found friends a positive memory and idea of what tourism (or as i more appropriately see myself as a nomad) is and can be.

of course there are many reasons, positive and negative, surrounding tourism and i have only touched a few of them. this was not meant to tell rather to inform and open your eyes and mind to what else lies out there and how we all affect it. if you bared through this my evening ramble, thanks. and if you didn't then you didn't. should you have strong feelings on this subject one way or another i would love to hear it so don't be shy and share.

san pedro - what a stunner

2010-01-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

i spend a lot of time showing with my photos what an amazing place guatemala is, now i would like to do the same thing but with words, please excuse me if they do run on...

for the first few days i looked for a map, there was none and as my time here stretches from days to weeks i begin to understand why. i don't think even the most skilled cartographer would have a chance at mapping this town that leads from the edge of a crater lake up the side of a volcano. at first when i got off the boat and found myself on what i imagined was the main street, i was wrong, in fact even if it was i would have no way of knowing it as all streets manage to go unmarked as is the same with all the alleys that there are many of! so many so that i continue to take short cuts thinking that this must be the right one and i am sad to say, as i have prided myself on a fairly acute sense of direction, i am running at about a 10-15% success rate.

as you might imagine there a many a hill in san pedro but not the sort you are likely to have come across. there are streets here that are so close to 90 degrees i wonder if that is what they were attempting when it was built. all streets are cobble stone (save the main one by the lake) and they snake up and down, around and across with no discernible system or logic. adding to the confusion are the alleys that are not simply paths to take you from street to street but actually house homes, restaurants, hostels and even my school san pedro! how many times in my first two days did i have to rely on the good will of children to walk me to school (i may have made them late but i certainly made their day) i should clarify, i am not bothered by san pedro's unorganized way actually it is quite the opposite, i find it charming and exciting for a walk to a friend's posada takes me 30 minutes to an hour longer to reach than it should and has me talking to many a person trying to make sense of where i am in relation to where i was an where i am going truly reinforcing the old adage that it is not the destination rather the journey that is important.

the charm is augmented by the lives of the locals who go about there business as i imagine they have done for hundreds if not thousands of years. tackling these ridiculous inclines with no hurry and from outward impressing no cares. not only are they strolling through the towns peaks and valleys but they do so with baskets of goods balanced on their head! (well at least the women and girls) personally i can not balance a basket on my head so putting me on a 60 degree angled street would be 'throwing me to the wolves' assuring that nothing in that basket remained clean and unbruised. the women do this in their traditional dress, which consist of three parts: first a wrapped skirt that's a multitude of colours if it's one, a blouse with delicate stitching and the look is completed with an even more intricately woven belt that ties around. the older ladies sometimes can be seen wearing an apron on top of the skirt that is often used to carry fruits, vegetables (or anything really) while they balance a basket on there head.....wow..... the men while not balancing baskets on their heads are themselves fascinating to look at as the majority carry a machete (sheathed) wear what we'd refer to as a cowboy hat and sporting traditional pants hand stitched with intricate embroidery all about. the youngish boys are about the only demographic that is not found wearing what i can only imagine is their culture's traditional wear.

it is almost impossible, even if you tried, to walk down the street and not be greeted with a friendly buenos dias, buenos tardes, buenos noches (depending on the time of day). these innocent greetings at least appear to be genuine and more often than not end up in a small conversation that will last either the length of the walk or in my case the length of my spanish abilities. the streets are usually filled with locals chatting in their local tongue (a beautiful maya dialect, suwoheely {sp}) going about their daily routine and smiling all the while.

lest we forget that san pedro is located on a crater lake. it stands to reason (as it is in fact the case) that it is surrounded by volacnos. no matter where you walk there is always going to be a peak, or two, in the not so far distance. san pedro located at 1500 meters in within 2 to 4 hour walk of its nearest peaks, indian head and volcano san pedro, respectively. if you enjoy fresh water swims then you would be in heaven, floating on your back with the most stunning vistas imaginable looming over you. maybe looming is too ominous a word, perhaps 'a protective surround peaks and crests dot the skyline much like buildings do in city centers' might have been more appropriate, i will let you the reader decide.

now i have forsaken maps as i have forsaken direction. not wearing a watch i am only interested in being home and on time for lunch and dinner (mmmmmm foooooood). i have taken to stopping and chatting, wether young or old, known or unknown, it matters not. i have taken to san pedro as operah once took to ham (and i don't think either of us will soon forget our respective loves, no matter how far i go or how many diets are tried, respectively....of course). NOTE: i know trashing operah is not good for business but i just had to)

just so excited!

2010-01-21T14:00:00.003-05:00

as promised yesterday i was going to bring my camera to school so that i could show you how environment helps learning. true to my word i brought my camera and with my teacher went for a little walk around the sprawling lakeside grounds. it was a beautiful morning and i was more than happy to being my lesson not at a desk rather strolling and chatting and taking photos. we ended up walking for more than an hour before we finally made it back to school (rough i know) and when we returned nico, my teacher, started to look rather pale (and for an indigenous guatemalan, that is not an easy). i was quite to point out that learning spanish and ignoring his well being was not something i was prepared to do and so my school day was cut short and i took full advantage.

on my way home i stopped for a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from one of the three competing juice sellers a few steps from my front door. that in itself is hilarious, the town has a population of 15 000 people and only three street juice vendors, what i find rather amusing is that they have their stalls within 10 feet of one another. when a local or tourist alike walks by the shouting beings. "jugo! jugo! tres Quetzales! jugo de naranja! tres Quetzales" i have been living here at my family's casa for a few days now walking by these stalls at least 1/2 a dozen times a day and it is always the same thing as it is for EVERYONE "jugo! jugo! tres Quetzales! jugo de naranja! tres Quetzales" in fact as i sit here typing away just outside my window every few minutes the competition for customers resumes. what makes it even better is that all three stalls sell exactly the same fresh fruits and charge exactly the same price! too funny.

after my oj i walked on down to this cool mayan store that a friend told me he bought a necklace with his mayan astrological sign. cool store, nice lady and very cool necklace. it turns out that my sign based on the date of my birth is "AQ'ABAL - the night"

so there i am paying for my new cool necklace and reading about my sign when the lady asked if i'd mind running up to get some copies of the description as it was her last one. no problem, happy to help (especially after negotiating down the price). she told me where to go but my spanish is not so good. after entering shop after shop i find myself in the shop that is the front to me casa and as it turns out there is the photocopier. copies made i head back down the hill (san pedro is built on the side of a volcano, ergo uber hilly, i will delve more into this in a later post). in retelling the fact that me casa is also where the copier was she starts to grin wildly. "gloria es me hermana" (she is my sister). i go on in poor spanish. Gloria is my mom here in guatemala, she is amazing, you are her sister so that makes me your nephew! well now we are both laughing and have had a good hug. and i ask her with a big smile, so now that we are related is the price the same (of course i was joking and in fact felt a bit bad for negotiating a lower price from what is now family) again we both laughed an i went on my way. yet the connections kept coming! upon returning to me casa, i retell this to gloria, my guate mama, and she loved it, then goes on to tell me that her niece owns cafe cristobalas, this is the place i blogged from yesterday! the place that grows its coffee in the back and serves it in the front! after i gushed about how much i loved the coffee she tells me that cafe cristobalas is the coffee that she has been serving me for breakfast lunch and dinner (much like my nanny and pappa, once i they get it in their head that i like something, come hell or high water whenever i see them i will surely get one). of course gloria doesn't prepare it with the skill of her niece and it is a bit watered down but a bit watered down fresh organic coffee that was grown in the backyard is MILES better than anything i have ever got in canada. :-)

my new found connection with gloria and her whole family has brought the two of us together even closer than before. now i have been invited into the "living area" that she shares with her family and am now typing away in there 'office' (a room with a desk and phone jack). you are family she tells me, no problem, whenever.

not wanting to waste the whole day away, i will leave you with my delicious street food experience from last night...after spending some time with some friends and deciding it was time to go home i went on my way. but on the way i passed by the bbq chicken lady, immediately my stomach said, time to eat. por favor, pollo? nope she was out (a testament to the deliciousness of night time snack) so i opted for the sausage...mmmmm, amazing i might even wager better than the chicken. on the plate to split sausages, a large dollop of refried beens and doused in spicy sauce and of course the 4 fresh and warmed tortillas. it was so very good i toyed with the idea of having another but having only 10Q in my pocket precluded my strong desire to gorge myself on spicy street sausage and tortillas. what did i learn....always keep an extra 20Q tucked away for you never know when and where you will find yourself (in other words what time of day and which street stall you stubble across.)

i hope you enjoy these photos, i loved taking them.

school view

guatemalan food = buena comida

2010-01-20T19:21:00.001-05:00

ola, buenos tardes!

day 2 of spanish class and i discovered exactly how beautiful the grounds are, unfortunately no camera today but my teacher and i both agreed that bringing the camera tomorrow is a necessity thus you my faithful few will get a glimpse of what class should look like. :-)

today i would like to talk to you about how delicious and amazing san pedro street food is. most people walk by these veritable gold mines of delicious and healthy culinary treats that cost literally pennies to eat. yesterday evening i sampled three wonderful vendors after dinner with my new family i had been chilling with a friend last night when we decided that though the view from the roof of his posada was sucking us and the sounds and songs from the many churches that dot the mountain side was drawing us out into town (pueblo centro).

our first stop: bbq chicken either a leg or breast, globs of guacamole, globs of beans, 4 tortillas all for a whopping price of 8Q ($1)
our second stop: taco san pedro style, tortilla, beef, pile of fried onions, chopped lettuce and muy hot sauce. this ran me 5Q ($.75)
our third stop: tostada - picture every delicious veg, some chicken and then some more and that is approx. what you will find on this tostada. again 5Q ($.75)

of course when such deals are at had with food the same usually stands with beer. unfortunately a liter the mexican beer carto blanco is only 15Q which complemented our spicy evening comida (food) walkabout. the evening was well spent and an early 'to bed' was had. as my description of my tostada was far from accurate and mostly lacking i feel it important to share a self-portrait of my tostada and me from a few days ago.

my delicious tostada (it cost me $.75!)

after class today and a call home .....

we interrupt this blog for a special announcement ..... Jane Berlin had her last treatment ending her most impressive battle with the bloody awful breast cancer! congratulations mom, the world is a much better place with you happy and healthy. and i personally look forward to turning the rest of your lovely hair gray. hey you always told me to finish what i started :-) ....... thank you for your patience and we now return to our regular scheduled program....

.... and a lovely lunch with my new family i went on a daytime walkabout that consisted of, yes you guessed it, tostadas, a climb up to the 'rock', a swim in the lake and now a delicious coffee that was grown in the back of the mini cafe i currently sit in...

me and rosa, my friend and barista

just realizing now that dinner is minutes away and i certainly do not want to be late and miss another lovely night with a lovely group of people. as such i will now show you the photos from today and if there is time i will label if not i am sure you are all clever enough to figure them out.

much love

thanks for checking in. be back soon.

absolutely stunning!

2010-01-19T18:24:00.001-05:00

i suppose that first off i should clarity one of my post statements "i will update my blog daily" to "i will update my blog as often as possible, in a land with long travel times and questionable internet service at best that will be daily often and ASAP depending on circumstances. this follows three days away from my computer. this time has been filled with (in brief) some wonderful encounters, hours on buses (and boats), moving into new digs in a new town and taking up some spanish studies. i shall now elaborate.

when we last chatted (i realize this is a one way conversation but it doesn't have to be...there is a comments section and i encourage any or all three of you ;-) to post advice {well less so advice, sorry mom} and more so your thoughts) i had just climbed an active volcano at my peril yet lived to tell the tale of my exploits with the virtual world. even though my last line of the last blog stated that i was "now alone" it surely didn't remain like that for long (it never does when you are traveling and have the right attitude, great people inevitably find you). having met some wonderful people in the last few days wether it was for a few hours, a day or longer, they have proven my theory that great people find themselves on the road following that great people meet each other. great encounters happened: while sitting on a bench reading a book, sitting in a bus while relocating, sitting down to eat breakfast (amidst an EARTHQUAKE!) the list invariably goes on but i shall spare you the blow by blow of everything i do and everyone i meet and try to pair it down to those things i feel my limited readership might care to hear.

i guess it's important to mention i have since left antigua and moved to a small(ish) town (15 000 people) called san pedro on lake atitlan. for the first 2 nights i was staying a beautiful little possada right on the most stunning volcanic lake i have ever seen. in the morning i'd wake up nice and early, grab my book and sleeping bag (as it gets pretty chilly at this elevation at night) and crawl into my hammock overlooking the lake and the local mayan women who were already busy washing traditional clothes (and themselves) in the chilly water. tough life i know. from there my days got harder. they were filled with beer, walking, swimming, reading, chatting and all the while loving life. yesterday i was sitting down to breakfast when i thought i felt movement not being used to earthquakes i certainly didn't put the two together, at least not at first. but as it continued and other folks started to look around as confused as i, it started to come together. the tale right beside me with three european ladies exchanged glances, is this an earthquake? yup, i think it is. so said our eyes. then the british of the 3 started to get quite worried. i will take this opportunity to explain the movement was MINOR, now this wasn't the case a little south of quate city who experienced a 6.0 on the richter scale, it certainly wasn't more than an extended ground shake. as it wasn't severe and no damage or injuries i can safely say and in good conscience, IT WAS COOL! after sharing a natural disaster with someone an immediate bond develops (no matter how small the occurrence). as such a lovely afternoon that consisted of little more than reading, swimming, chilling and chatting. an amazing day that was mostly totally and utterly positive except for something that didn't occur to me until this morning. that was that when on antibiotics you are much more sensitive to the sun and in a matter of 1 1/2 i managed to make myself muy roho (that means VERY RED!)

(check out that forehead!)

oh, well a few days of suffering, and antibiotics then i say good bye to both. yay. my companions were off bright and early this morning as they intended to hitchhike from lake atitlan to, if not san salvador the coast of el salvador. so as it goes with traveling we said goodbye with well wishes and off to bed i went. once again buoyed by the stories, adventures and personal philosophies of others, i slept the sleep of the dead. until....

...my alarm woke me up at 7:00! quickly i packed and headed to ... my first day of spanish school! the reason for my packing was that as well as 5 classes a week i have moved into a home of a traditional mayan family who i eat with 3 times a day and share accommodations, it is SO COOL. and the really good news is that as spanish is there second language as well, there first being maya, it is spoken slowly. today is only my first day with them but i know i am going to love it! school was cool. 1st day was spent chatting and then getting down to business of learning and i actually enjoyed it! this is not school as we 'developed' nations would think about it, nope, study is 1 on 1 with the teacher and it is not in a stuffy classroom, nope, it is in the shade of trees out side right next to the stunning lago atitlan, AMAZING. san pedro spanish school is my school and i think i will be there for the next 2 weeks (if the next few days continue on this elevated path).

not much more to report other than i am healthy and happy (and a little red). dinner is in a few minutes and i have to find my way back home so i will post some photos and say talk soon.

view as i arrived by boat to san pedro

view near my possada

view from my hammock

where, how and who i spent yesterday with

taken after my swim

same as above

local mayan woman who sells me banana bread every morning, mmmm

lookout!

2010-01-16T19:53:00.001-05:00

yesterday was spent with my 2 of my new found friends as we went about exploring antigua, guatemala's former capital that was finally moved due to the sheer number of destructive earthquakes. from a huge market, to the cemetery, to ruins from 1738 we walked, laughed, snapped photos and generally had a good time. they were preparing to embark on their tour from antigua to cancun (with many a stop in between) but wanted to do one last thing before they left...climb a volcano.

so, this morning i woke up bright and early, 5:30 to be exact, and went to meet up with my aussi friends for a morning ascent. we were to meet the mini bus at 6 for the 1 hour drive to pacaya volcano. there was about 10 of us in the mini bus and there was very little conversation as we were all pretty wiped and trying to steel ourselves for the expected 3 hour ascent.

now this was not just any volcano it is 1 of 3 active volcanos out of guatemala's 80+ volcanos. (truthfully this was not something i learned until i came closer to the peak and i overheard a guatemala guide/security inform a group of girls who had arrived at the same time as us.) 6 o'clock sounds early, yes, but when climbing and or taking part in an activity that will attract many early is better so that the beauty of the experience is not diminished by the throngs of tourists who arrive on scene like ants to a picnic, neither is pleasant.

so up early we were just as we were clueless as to the difficulty of the climb. once off the bus we were offered walking sticks, something i was quick to mock but was encouraged by another canadian who had done the climb previously stating that the last 30 minutes are a scramble up loose scree, reluctantly i agreed and for 5 quezt (less than a buck) i was the proud owner of a walking stick. passed the gauntlet of children hawking walking sticks into a mess of men offering horse rides up the volcano...no thanks, not for me.

it started easily and innocently enough. at 1800 meters elevation we had 800 more meters of elevation to conquer before the summit was reached. the group walking together up a steady incline but nothing offensive. slowly but surely the group began to stretch and stretch and stretch until myself and the two canadians i met on the bus could see no one from our group, sweet a rest was in order ;-)

up and up and up we went. meeting another group, this one all girls and their guide we continued up with them. (there was some concern for our safety and security, still not sure from the volcano or 'bandits')

up and up and up we continued. all of us having shed out outer layers we were now passing up through cloud cover, huffing and puffing, sweating and panting. trying to look tougher and in better shape than i felt. not sure how good a job i was doing as i could think of little else than my faster and faster pounding heart.

finally the scree. and here i thought, great we are nearly there. nope. the next 30 minutes could be liked to climbing a mountain of sand or snow, for every step forward was half a slide back. "leaning forward" or "leaning back" shouted the guide depending on the what part of the path we were on. one of the girls from the other group decided to race down a section of scree and proceed to nearly knock my mate of the side of the cliff and nearly took my eye out with her walking stick, this is all before she lands so hard in the volcanic rock, i couldn't help but laugh.

the group was all but caught up by this point. the horse whisperers, as i called those who opted not to climb, were now with us on foot for the final push. onward and upward we pushed. now the scree was turning into larger volcanic rocks and sooner than later it started to get from pretty brisk to uber hot. the summit was near and so was the open flowing lava. thats right you read it right....burning hot magma.

our guide tested out a path then walked to a ledge while we found an open fissure, 20 feet straight up, that was spewing glowing red rocks... "cool" we all said. impressed (from a distance). by now our guide was waving us over. ok, no problem i thought.

as i approached the temperature increased again, this time dramatically. "see, look over there" we are directed to a open fissure right up from us spewing hot hot magma. (please note: i realize that magma and lava are not the same thing but for the sake of this blog i shall use both words interchangeably, 1- for dramatic license and 2- as i know not the difference)

as we gazed out at the new found fissure a noise from above...as i joke i yell "FORE" until i realize that a boulder is now rolling down the cliff directly towards one of the girls from the other group! "shit. RUN" a mad scramble had her up and out of harms way and not a moment to soon as that red hot boulder now lay where she stood.

by now we are realizing that this is not as safe as we might have originally thought. as it turns out the rocks we are standing on are about 5 feet about flowing lava. how do i know this? the heat was unbelievable. the soles on my friends shoes started to melt. and upon further investigation (looking down through the rocks) we saw the flow. sticking your walking stick down a few inches resulted in it catching fire.

at this point my better judgement is starting to kick in. deciding i no longer want to be standing over burning hot magma i am ready to back away but soon realizing taking your own road is what gets people into trouble, not knowing a safe passage from a dangerous one. i stayed my ground a took a few pictures. (note: these photos were NOT taken with a zoom, in fact they were taken with the widest of wide angle lens, 10 mm, for those of you who don't know what i am saying...we were very close!)

from this perspective the small fissure up to the left is not to easy to see but look closely, it's there.

after a few more minutes the consencus said, time to retreat to safer ground where we enjoyed a small bite (we had purchased subs the night before, i foolishly bought tuna, foolish why? no fridges in hostels) before we began the descent back down. by this point the sun had begun to burn off some of the cloud cover offering up some stunning vistas, just what i was looking for.

our descent was without incident. filled with fun conversation and the retelling of our harrowing tale.

it is coming on 7 pm now as i finish this post. a cervessa gallo at my side but no one else as i am now officially alone (not lonely). the aussies took off on there tour a few hours after our return. saddened from loosing good friends but buoyed by the sense of freedom and adventure that awaits me around the next corner.

Big adventure - DAY 1

2010-01-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

yesterday afternoon i arrived in guatemala with no real plan but a few ideas. my hope was to find some other backpackers on the plane, see where they were off to and if it sounded cool i'd split a taxi. well the flight was a whole lot of guatemalans and for what i could see nada backpackers, mmmm poco problemo. one thing i was and am cognizant of is the danger factor in guatemala and specifically in guate city (where the airport is). not wanting to start my trip off with a knife in my gut i quickly struck up a, well i can't call it a conversation as he spoke no english and my spanish is about as good, with my row mate edgar and this kind man offered to barter with a taxi to ensure my safety and help to organize how to get to ... somewhere else (at times like those a plan can come in handy though at other time or most times plans stifle my soul). while waiting for our baggage, having literally waltzed through customs i noticed what i thought was a canadian passport being carried by a bearded ginger haired dude, aha i thought this is my opportunity. wasting no time i went over to him and his two traveling companions. introducing myself and asking where they were going, "antigua" they said..."cool"said i, "want to split a taxi?" and that was that. the taxi ended up being much cheaper than the shared bus with questionable departure times. it was dark when we arrived in antigua so the only logical thing to do would be to check in to some form of accommodations then find a restaurant to fill the ever growing void in me belly and to begin sampling guatemalan beer. a bit of a tradition when i arrive in a new country, decide which local beer is my favourite and then become it's unofficial spokes person i.e. cuba - cervesa crystal, indonesia - bir bintag, prague - staropramen etc, etc...
dinner turned into more drinks at this wicked salsa club with a solid band. the pianist was playing both guitar and a piano AT THE SAME TIME, i love latin music it gets in your soul and just wont let go. many a cervesa later me and the two ozzies (one left after dinner) made our way home, staying at different hostels but a mere block away, great for safety! the sky was packed with stars, the streets were quiet and we ended up chatting out there for another 45 minutes. good times.

the late hour nor the 4 separate sleep interruptions as drunken guest returned to their beds did not deter me for an early rise for one of my favourite rituals, an early morning wander around a new town with my camera in tow. today was exciting as i was sporting my brand new wide angle lens making for some interesting photos. (see below) that takes us to NOW. once this is posted then i am off to my new friends hostel to meet up for some breakfast....mmmm breakfast.

talk soon

a quick stop in florida and then....

2010-01-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

just a quick note as i will be leaving for miami airport in just a few minutes and would like to squeeze in one last hot shower before leaving for guatemala a land of beauty, culture, volcanoes (and even a little strife) but no bloody hot showers! well at least that's what i've been told. either way, hot showers are nice but hardly essential, while in indonesia (SE asia) i was without hot water for 4 months and on top of that i was without a towel! that was the first time i had experience theft while backpacking and it was from another traveler no less. i was passed out in my hammock, as i do, with my towel and shirt hanging to dry off either end. while napping, some punter came over and nicked my stuff. as such for the remainder of my time in SE asia i would shower (cold) then spend the next hour drip drying. ah the joys of having such an easy schedule that fitting a 1 hour drip dry into your day doesn't disrupt a thing.

so i am sitting here in my grandparents condo on the 17th floor looking out over the ocean and inter-coastal and i thought if i was enjoying the scenery then so should you (all 2 readers).

well my granpa is getting anxious so i gotta go...talk either from the airport or guate...peace out..

oh by the way, that was a lovely shower!

and away we go....

2010-01-12T10:46:00.000-05:00

here i sit in the ottawa airport, waiting and waiting. today i am waiting longer than 'normal' as there are heightened security concerns. so rather than rushing in at the last minute (as i normally do) i got here WAY TO EARLY. lets talk a minute about heightened security, what does it mean. when passing through security for 15 minutes i learned that it means a full body pat down (good times) no shoes (of course) no bag (kidding me?) so add that all together what does it equal? i saw a 90 year old lady in a wheelchair getting the most awkward pat down i have ever seen! and for good cause i mean who would want to profile, that would be terrible just plain wrong. little old ladies in wheelchairs wouldn't be 'harassed' by security and i wouldn't be juggling my carry-ons (laptop, camera+gear and a book) as bags are no longer permitted (did i mention...kidding me?) that would be terrible, wouldn't it? as for my sarcastic commentary of the state of security (perceived or real...i say the former), that's enough, for now at least.

now lets talk about the fact that my adventure begins today! that’s right after many a moon the time is nigh the day is upon us (or me). but today started a bit differently than a usual departure day as i found myself sitting in a surgeon's waiting room at 7:30am nervously awaiting a biopsy just below my lip. yesterday, my dentist who happened upon it stuck the FEAR in me as he alluded to the fact that it could be the big C (cancer) he kindly booked me an early appointment this AM ensuring that i make my flight (11:35). from the waiting room to the operating room, fingers gripping the armrest, colour draining from my face. first the topical disinfectant (making me look like my 1 year old nephew after a plate of spaghetti, then the local. 2 shots for good measure, ouch! talking is now ridiculous, i am starting to look and sound like bubba from forest gump. alright, time to excise...ouch! what a great way to start a day, with that as part of my schedule i would never need coffee to wake up. the good news, speculated yes but also good, the surgeon did not 'think' it was the big C he was more moderate with his guesses that the dentist. allowing me to leave on my adventure with fewer health concerns occupying my thoughts. of course i still need to wait for the results but i am confident that this is now sorted.

back to 'now' in the airport. the freezing is wearing off and the real pain begins. i have just taken a picture of my silly looking face so you can share in my pain. wow, writing sure passes the time, i am now only 1 hour away from boarding. oh joy.

i will leave you now knowing that when i can 'plug-in' again, you will be there. and you can rest assured that i will be back very regularly if not daily to rant, rave and share.

HUGE NEWS

2009-12-27T23:04:00.000-05:00

i have big news to report. after long time of remaining stationary i will be heading to Guatemala for a 4 month education and adventure!

there is no plan merely some ideas, including but not restricted to:
spanish school
photography
volunteer
backpack
(maybe a week for my padi in the bay islands, honduras, but that's assuming i will be able to find the time)

it has been ages since i stuffed my backpack and took off with no direction other than a plane ticket. since buying this latest ticket i have been bursting with excitement.

i am exhausted and have to go. i apologize for such a boring a limited post but i felt it was important to share on my travel blog my impending travel adventure!

dominos till dawn

2009-12-03T16:23:00.001-05:00

my second week in havana was spent in what they call 'a casa particular', that is a private residence that is given a permit by the state to let out rooms at modest prices (at the time approx $25 a night). in my opinion this is the only way to see havana. living in the "muck", with the noise and the splendor of gritty central havana. i cant say all would enjoy this step down in comfort, for example mom and dad, you wouldn't find the accommodations as fantastic as i, dad would say "i cant sleep in the bed, it is too soft (cause it is)" he certainly wouldn't be woken up by the clamour of urban havana life but mom definitely would. you, and probably so would he (that is present day dad, not the guy would tramped around the world) would be very uneasy in the streets after dark. there are no street lights to speak of and there are many a cuban loitering about at all hours of the day, either playing dominos, debating baseball, drinking or most often doing all three. i call these streets home now and corners my hood (i don't use that term but it really seemed to fit). once you learn to politely ignore or joke with the constant barrage of "hey, 'scuse me, where u from? you want to buy cigar, monte cristo? special bottle havana club?(the local rum which is actually distilled in the original bacardi tanks that were left here at the time of the revolution)" you can find the charm beneath hard facade.

one of our first nights in central havana, when Isa (my flight attendant friend who joined me for a few days while in havana) and I were walking home from a family's home (a mother, yuri, and her 2 year old son, harlan, i had all but adopted since arriving there, a family i continue to correspond and assist today) who had prepared an amazing feast for us (this really touched me, people with NOTHING material sharing all that they had with two comparatively rich people from canada. this is not restricted to cuba, all my travels that have taken me through developing countries i am continually amazed and touched as the poorest of poor families invite me into their home and share all that they have with me. in indonesia i think i almost ended up with a young bride, but i digress) let me set the scene, it was around 12:30 and we were walking through the streets with confidence and purpose believing to be in no real danger (later in the week i heard more than a few stories of backpackers getting rolled late at night in that very neighbourhood!). as we walked though the streets i hear the familiar, "hey where you from?" there were 8 or so cubans on the dark corner, playing dominos (of course).
me: "canada"
them: "oh canada! toronto?"
me: "nope"
them: "montreal?"
me: "nope" suffice to say i would normally be a bit more congenial but we were both tired after a very long day and were keen to arrive back to our casa, a mere 2 blocks away.
them: "vancouver?" it is also worth noting that the more knowledge they have the countries people visit from the more likely they are to get money from them.
me: "nope" isa is quietly asking me to shut up and stop encouraging them, remember it is very dark out.
them: "ok, ok, where you from?"
me: "ottawa" to that i hear,
them: "damon?"
wtf!, with this i turn around and walk closer for a better look and wouldn't you know it there is a guy, esslay, i met earlier in the week while out shooting (pictures). we had struck up a conversation about some sexy dutch girls near by and soon after we were sharing a bottle of rum and a couple of monte cristos on the malecon.
his gang of friends called us over and two gave up their seats so now we were playing too! not knowing how to play it must have been rather comedic to watch as we both had "coaches" who were quite literally selecting which blocks to play, i with the help of Havana Club ($3 a bottle, me and isa were glad to pick up a few bottles for the game) i was not catching on that fast apparently there are odds and other confusing factors that impeded my ability play, that coupled with my extremely limited knowledge of spanish, had me placing the pre-chosen blocks on the wrong part of the board with much animation. my coach's english was about as good as my spanish and kept repeating "take it easy, take it easy" and "eat it" (i think he meant block but i can't be sure), my response, "taking it easy, taking it easy". after two poor showings if i managed to play all my blocks, in my usual boisterous manner i jumped up careful not to knock over the board which was resting on our four respective knees. the hours passed, the rum was plentiful and laughs abound! the party continued from some time until just before 5:30 am actually when Isa could contain her bladder no longer and was unwilling to walk up the dark street and relieve herself in the doorway as my drunk and jolly (i use that word as she was round lady) domino partner had done twice since we joined their game. the first time it happened or the first time i noticed, i couldn't quite identify this noise close behind me, as my curious nature demands i turned around to see, much to my surprise/dismay i saw a large woman squatting some 6 feet up the road for me, she had not opted to find a doorway rather she was contently relieving herself on the sidewalk and happily i was slightly uphill! so we said our goodbyes but our new crew wouldn't let us walk back to the casa alone for fear of robberies, this really made me question my earlier decisions to walk around havana after dark unburdened by fear or even apprehension. oh well, live and learn.

luckily for me that was just the beginning of my time with my new friends. after going out i could always find them playing dominos and i was always invited to sit and play. those early hours of the day were some of the most lively and interesting of my trip. i was blown away on my last day while waiting for my taxi to the airport, the crew showed up to my casa and gave me a set of old dominos which i still have today.

inspiration on the road

2009-12-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

our days are filled with excess and we see it as the “end all and be all”. the all mighty dollar and the ever-ticking clock! to name a few of our self-imposed shackles. for years i to was obsessed with the trivialities of life chasing, unsuccessfully, happiness though the amassing of material goods and the accumulation of wealth. it wasn't until i left the "rat race" that i began to realize that there was more out there in the world beyond the trappings of western society, nay a consumeristic illusion. if happiness wasn't in money and things, were was it?

i ended up in havana having decided to see whether photography for me would continue to be a passion or if i could transform it into more. one day while walking about with my camera in hand i met philippe a fascinating italian man with an inspiring story. i was walking through a vibrant and colourful neighbourhood oozing with the afro-cuban culture. the walls were painted in rich colours with spanish sayings and strong shapes. littering the alley were modern art sculptures that drew me closer for observation. in fact there were so many and they are so finely merged with reality that a few trips through the space and you are still likely to miss some of the creations. sitting on a bright red bench amid the colours and textures was a rasta looking guy contently typing away on an antique green typewriter. it all looked unreal. my curious nature had me sitting on the bench and i struck up a conversation. he possessed a strong energy and exuded grounding calm. i learned that he was on an exciting journey, physically and spiritually. starting in anchorage alaska he has made his way south with his ultimate goal in mind, argentina! after spending 10 years in the telecommunications industry in italy, realizing that happiness was not achieved through financial gain and amassing material possessions he quit his job, discarded his techno gadgets and set off on an adventure to discover himself and the world. as he made his way south he was struck with the urge to write a book, not on his travels per se but on his emotional experiences and his connection to the earth. buying a typewriter his thoughts were put to paper. physically weighed down by the antiquated machine his was lighted by the process. we chatted for a short amount of time, especially in the context of our time on the earth but that does not lessen the impact he had on me and, i think, the impression i left on him. inspired by his sense of adventure and his desire to see and do more than the vast majority ever dream of let alone do.

since meeting him in havana 1 year ago phillipe has finished his epic journey from pole to pole, or as close as one can get in an old toyota corolla. i won't claim that all i've achieved in my personal journey of understanding is attributed to his meeting, a 20-minute conversation with a stranger. but i'd be a fool to ignore the impact of our meeting in my evolution of understanding. as we are continually on this road of life it ultimately amounts to our collective experiences varied in importance and impact helping to guide us as we continue on our way.