Merry Christmas!

I’m back for the holidays and have already had a great time seeing people in Denver and am enjoying family time in Texas.

Initially, when I said “I am moving to Costa Rica,” some people took that statement very literally.  I guess I didn’t really have a great way of saying “hey, I’m going to Central America for an undefined period of time and am not really sure when I’ll be back to everyday permanent life in the U.S.”  Once I started backpacking around I found it impossible to stop and as Ryan says, “I just feel like I want to see everything!”  So, I guess that is what I am going to set out to do.

 

So, what is my plan you ask? … I have no clue!  I’d love to do this: Asia-> Europe->Australia/NZ->Africa-> S. America, etc. but I’m not exactly made of money.  I’ve had ideas from teaching English to working on cruise ships to doing freelance photography work, but at this point I haven’t decided what I’m doing.

Anyway, here are my final impressions and thoughts on Central America/Costa Rica:

• Latin America culture is fun, well spirited, and welcoming
• Surfing was fun, but I still prefer skiing
• I really am happy I speak Spanish and believe if you are going to travel somewhere extensively you should take the time to learn the language.
• All the evil things I came to hate about Costa Rica (drug dealers, prostitutes, bugs, etc.) really are the only negatives I have to say about it
• Ryan was probably the best travel partner I could have asked for.  Having someone so laid back and on the same page about traveling and life in general made my experience that much better.  I won’t ever plan a backpacking trip with someone who doesn’t share my style of travel.
• While America may not be the “greatest” country in the world, I still am so glad to call it my “home.”
• I will miss the food in Central America
• Sunny beaches > Snowy Mountains… Skiing>surfing… just my opinion

I look forward to sharing more of my travel experiences with those of you who kept up with my blog.  Until my next trip!

-BP

Some of my last pictures....

  Dressing up as "pirates" for Tony's bday... we tried!

Honduras - Going at it alone..

The entire time I've been in Costa Rica I have been thinking about going to Honduras.  A college friend of mine by the name of Cameron works there for Mission Lazarus (more about that later) and I have been dying for a way to give back and stop living such a selfish life here on the beach in Costa Rica.  So with all of that in mind, I made up my mind and took off from Granada to Managua.

My trip just getting to Honduras was quite the adventure.  After 2 long bus rides that included me sleeping on top of a giant cardboard box full of towels, falling asleep and ending up in some mountain town alone 2 hours out of the way (thankfully the other bus patrons loaned me 50 Cordobas, about $2.50, to buy another ticket), 2 hours back towards the border, two taxis to get to the border, crossing it alone in the dark, and finally dinner with, and a free ride from, one of the border agents... I finally arrived at a gas station in San Marcos De Colon and met up with Cameron.

In summary, Mission Lazarus is a refuge for children who have more or less been beaten up by the world.  At the Mission they are taken care of (mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically).  It sits on a 1000 plus acre ranch with horses, cows, and other livestock.  This also includes storage facilities, maintenance areas, offices, a hotel and restaurant, etc.  My goal in being there was to help out in whatever way I possibly could (keeping in mind that I had just thrashed my body via scooter fall about a week prior).  For two days I helped mix about 60 bags of cement and pour the floor on a church they were finishing up.  It was pretty fun being the token "white guy" on the crew and working my butt off, plus it REALLY helped my Spanish.  I did all sorts of other things in my 5 days there as well including helping haul 2 1/2 tons of beans and corn out of the mountain and helping sort out their food donation packages.  All in all it was great being around other Texans and volunteering.

On my way back to CR I was set to take the TicaBus all the way from Tegulcigalpa (the capital of Honduras) to Costa Rica.  The problem I found out was that the bus left at 5:00AM, there was no place to crash at the station, and no place cheaper to stay for the night (or really 5 hours) than about $50/night.  So I got the genius idea to buy a movie ticket and then stay up at a Dennys (I know, weird right!?) until my bus left.  After hanging out with two travelers I met for a bit in old town Tegus, I headed back to the more modern area to catch "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1."  Now, my only reason for purchasing this ticket was because it was the latest and longest movie they had and I knew I could sleep there.  However, I was so curious to see what this whole Twilight crap was about I decided to watch some of it.  Let me just say outright that this was one of the top 5 worst movies I have ever seen in my life.  A short synopsis (as someone who does not and will never read one of those horrific novels): Girl gets married to a vampire, she gets pregnant with some demon child, the wolves get ticked off at the vampires and they fight, then she has the baby, almost dies, and everyone freaks out, then (SPOILER ALERT!!) she turns into a vampire and the movie ends... just terrible.  After that garbage I walked to Dennys, had french toast  and eggs for about $4, 5 cups of coffee (I am not a coffee drinker), and watched drunk Hondurans come in and out all night until it was time to head out.

Overall, I found Honduras to be a pretty nice country.  The south where Mission Lazarus was extremely friendly and made me feel like I was back home.  It was beautiful (think Western Colorado landscape) and cold (got below 50 degrees one night).  Hondurans are gentle people who love Christmas more than Americans do.  All this time I have heard how dangerous it was supposed to be by other travelers but I really saw none of that whatsoever, I definitely visit again!

View from the Mission Lazarus Property

 Mission Lazarus Refuge

Nicaragua part dos!

It didn’t take Ryan and I long to realize Tamarindo was smaller than we thought, not that I haven’t fallen in love with the trannies who stand outside of Pacifico or anything, so upon meeting several new friends (including a German, a Slovakian, a Laotian, and a go-go dancer from Vegas) looking to head north we organized a trip for 11 to Nicaragua.  After gathering at the bus stop around 9:00AM (trust me, that is early by our standards) we took off to Liberia and then to the CR/Nica border.  I have control issues... I accept it and I am constantly trying to change it.  With that said, I think I did pretty well keeping my cool while the 11 of us crossed the most god-awful border in the world. 

Some of you may remember my post and pictures from Rio San Juan back in August.  Quite possibly one of the prettiest and most interesting coastal towns in all of Central America, we found it just as enjoyable this time around.  I had a great time chilling at Yajure again with Chely and Liz, the best hostel you will ever find.  Aside from the random seasonal muggings we tried to avoid (nothing says “Happy Holidays!” more than a dull knife to the throat), the food was still amazing, prices just as cheap and company even better.  My favorite thing about San Juan this time around was hiking up to the Jesus statue and seeing the amazing views of the town and Pacific Coast, and spending the afternoon at Playa Maderas, one of the better surf breaks in Nicaragua.

Stop #2 on our Southern Nicaragua tour took us to Isla Ometepe.  Situated on an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua (the only lake in the world with sharkks), our first hostel was situated perfectly on the beach between the two Volcanoes on the island, one active and one dormant.Don’t worry, as nice as that last description sounded the next 24 hours of my life pure hell. First of all, there was a giant new hatch of gnats that had just occurred right as we landed.  The sky literally looked brown as you looked up and saw millions of them.  So, the next day I took off with my buddy Tony (sending Ryan with a friend the other direction) to find better accommodations.  Tony and I ended up finding this ecological reserve called EL Zopilote, which was essentially a giant, incredible, picturesque hippie hostel but had no vacancy.  Fortunately for us, Ryan found another place and we moved on before taking off for the afternoon.  More than half of the group wanted to climb up to this waterfall and although they said it was tiresome and long I probably should have gone because I ended up crashing a scooter and successfully gave both myself and this Canadian girl 2^nd degree road rash (I’m not sure if road rash comes in degrees but I’d give it at least a 2^nd degree rating). 

I won’t bore you with the details of the crash just know that it ended up with us both going to and getting treated in the island’s only hospital (free, thanks to social healthcare!).  I’m still embarrassed about this a week later and upset for both hurting a friend and crashing something I literally have spent hours upon hours of my life driving.  Fortunately, the day was somewhat salvaged by what happened that night.  It was Thanksgiving after all and since I had made everyone buy food for their own “dish” and had attempted to negotiate a place to cook about 12 times we WERE HAVING THIS MEAL!!!  Crammed into a tiny kitchen (about 6’x12’) at a small Nicaraguan restaurant with no more than 3 tables we took turns cooking for ourselves and allowing them to cook for their customers until finally our feast was ready.  They don’t have turkey on Isla Ometepe but massive quantities of homemade mac and cheese (mom’s recipe of course), mash potatoes, and deviled eggs were consumed.  I did miss Skyping my family and watching the Cowboys win but I can definitely say this was a great, fun-filled, exciting Thanksgiving!

Stop #3 started with us taking the ferry back off the island where I, my buddy Will, and 4 girls (can’t be mad at that right Ryan?) all headed to Granada.  Granada is hands down one of my favorite places that I have ever been, you might disagree with me on that but I loved the mix of art, food, culture, activities, and architecture.   I’ll spare you all the stories for now and simply share my pictures with you instead (a combo of mine and my friend's pics as always):

 Nicaraguans love baseball and this game was so much fun!  Right behind home plate for $1.25 with drinks and food under $1.00... take that MLB

 

La Parada de los Caballos "Horse Parade"

Fancy wedding in the largest Cathedral in Granada.  There was a fireworks show after in the plaza.

 

 View from the bell tower at one of the Cathedrals... the next several are of the churches in Granada.

 

 

 

 

 A couple pictures of me... thanks Kelli!

Cutest kid in Central America that I have seen... hands down. 

I am currently in Honduras helping out a ranch/children's refuge and heading back to CR soon.  I'll post about my experience here when I return!

Mucho Amor,
BP

If I hear "Pura Vida" one more time, I swear I'm gonna...

I've heard "Pura Vida" no less than 284,000 times in the past three and a half months.  Yes, local surfer Tico, I realize that this is your country's slogan and an incredible effective marketing tool you've created but is it really necessary for you to say this every time we finish a conversation, I turn you down for buying drugs, or your dog tries to bite me?... and yes middle aged woman named Gloria from Omaha, I realize your 4-day vacation at the all-inclusive spa resort with your besties changed your life, but do you really want "Pura Vida" tattooed on your lower back for your 14-year old son and all his Jonas Brothers t-shirt wearing friends to make fun of you for the next time they spot it on you as your out laying by the pool reminiscing about your trip.

A lot of locals down here refer to Costa Rica as "un paraiso" (paradise) and while this is a beautiful place with an amazing culture, you can't exactly overlook their problem with  poverty, theft, drugs, and prostitution (of course trouble only finds those looking for it I suppose).  Now I may be a little jaded towards the term "Pura Vida" by now, but I believe that I have totally grasped that state of mind.  Actually, I came to that realization this morning, let me explain....

When I first moved to Denver I lived with a guy named Chris.  Chris had just recently purchased a home from a young family of 4 in Highlands Ranch needing a larger space and was very graciously allowing me to stay there for next to nothing.  As much as I loved the house I did have two issues with it: First, my room was painted pastel pink and purple (think obnoxious Easter colors).  Nevermind the fact that my other roommate's room was painted light blue with little helicopters around the top, but one day I finally just lost it.  I went out to the garage, found some beige paint, covered all of my belongings, and spent roughly 4 hours re-painting the oddly shaped room to my satisfaction...problem solved!  The second issue I had with the house was that my shower curtain had these little rubber ducks for rings to hold it up and they were made of metal not plastic.  Now, anyone who has ever tried to slide metal shower rings on a metal rod knows that over time the rod builds up junk on it making the rings impossible to slide and thus causing them to jump off track frequently.  

This all brings me to my realization today...As I attempted to slide my shower curtain over, some of the rings came off track causing half of the curtain to awkwardly hang there... and again I see that familiar sight "metal rings on a metal rod."  However, instead of getting upset like I might have before, I really didn't seem to mind.  It just doesn't really bother anymore when I have to wait on a bus, or if a tree frog finds his way into my room every other day, my food takes forever coming out at the restaurant, or someone insists on having me barter with them for the price of a bus ticket. The old, uptight, impatient Bryan is no more... I had been adapting this way for long before I came, but I can now officially say I am on my way towards becoming 100% "Pura Vida." As I begin planning the next leg of my travels to Asia, it has been nice to reflect on my amazing time in Central America and how blessed I am to have good friends, an incredible family, and opportunities such as this. 

...I leave for a 2-3 week trip to Nicaragua with a group of friends from CR on Friday.  Those of you who hate my writings and are only checking this for the pictures will have something to look at soon.. I promise!

Ciao,
-BP

Monkeys in the trees

I see monkeys in the trees all around my apartment.. it never gets old watching them, though I can do without them torturing the dogs next door.  Ryan is convinced they eat the smaller dogs but I've yet to hear this from anyone else... I'll try and take pictures of the "howlers" one day for you.  The weather here is really good right now, I'm starting to get my tan back and definitely enjoying the warmth.  I quit my little job at the hostel yesterday, after 35 straight days of working up there I was very glad for the owner to return.

In other news, we are heading back to Nicaragua for 2-3 weeks over Thanksgiving.  Also, I am currently applying to teach English in South Korea... more to come on that later.

I'll definitely post new stories and pictures from my next trip up north for everyone.  I've got my flight situation taken care of ... Dec 17-20th in Denver, 20-29th in Texas, then back to Denver Dec. 30th.  See ya'll soon! 

In case you wondered if we were still having fun...

7 Billion

So apparently the world just hit 7 Billion people!  I'm not 100% sure how accurate population indexes are these days but those guys get paid the big bucks to track it so for the sake of not arguing I'll run with the idea.  Thus far in my life I've been to 5 continents, lived in 4 countries (and visited many more than that) worked with refugees, and am currently working in a hostel with backpackers from all over the world.  Thus, I've been fortunate enough to meet some very intriguing people along the way.  I thought it would be fun to give my brief (albeit biased) observation of various nationalities I've encountered while traveling around Central America the past 3 months.

Costa Ricans (Ticos) - The Men - seem to be nice enough...business savvy, generally happy, and hardworking.  However, here in the beach-towns the guys are honestly full of themselves, fairly aggressive, and out to snag tourist women and take advantage of anyone by selling or stealing whatever they can find.  The Women – Costa Rican women are shy and they giggle at you… those are pretty much my thoughts.

Germans - The Men - I heard Germans had a dry sense of humor, which is true.  Fortunately for me, I do also and I find them very funny.  The Women - Sometimes cold and 'awkward' for lack of a better word.  German women really make me laugh, they love to be the center of attention and do it in their own way.  Also, I've yet to meet a German woman traveling who was out of shape.

Slovakians - I work for one, with one, am friends with another.  Slovakians come in all shapes and sizes in terms of personality.

Belgians - Full of personality.. maybe the most fun people to hang out with.

Canadians - Ryan told me once "All Canadians are dumb" and I agreed with him.  I'm sure there are some dumb Canadians, but let’s be honest neither of us actually agree with that.  Our neighbors from the north are a good time and my favorite people to talk to because they have a culture so similar to the U.S. with such subtle differences that just fascinate me.  For example, did you know in Canadian football there are only 3 downs?  That blew my mind.

Australians – I’ve never met an Australian I didn't like.
 
British - I've been to England once before and my observation then was "they are all very proper, intelligent, and focused people" ... umm yeah, I still think the same thing.

Israelis - Beautiful people, fun, sometimes weird, but fun.

Norwegians, Danish, Swedish, Finish (People from Finland??) - All of these people are tall and most look about 5 years younger than they actually are.  Easily the kindest group of people I've met… I apologize for grouping you all together but I have to conserve space somehow.

Austrians (or Armenians as Ryan would say) - Two thumbs up!

Asians - I feel bad for grouping them like this but I really haven't met a lot down here.  Asians are the same as they are in the U.S. I guess…think stereotypical Japanese family with their cameras only grungier.

Africans - awesome... but they don't travel in Central America.

French  - I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised by the French.  As Americans, I think we naturally stereotype and subconsciously hate the French (due to what we see on TV and how most are treated when actually going to France) but they really fun people and nearly all French backpackers speak English pretty well.  So, do like I did and chunk those old Freedom Fries you were saving in the freezer ‘just in case’ and learn to love em'.

and finally… Americans - While I may not all be overweight, prideful, and ignorant like most backpackers initially expect to see, I'd say for the most part we are the loudest group of travelers I've experienced.  Americans are some of the least traveled people on earth (of those who can afford it).  I think the ones who do backpack around gain a lot of respect from Europeans and others just for stepping outside of the bubble.

I thought I'd include some of my favorite pictures (both of my own and from my friends) of a few of the 7 billion people I've seen throughout my life:

http://7billionactions.org/data - If you haven’t taken a look at this website I highly recommend it, gives some interesting statistics on our world today.

Frog in my shower

The title says it all.. no matter how nice my apartment is, I still live in the jungle. 

 

 I'd say it was about as big as the palm of my hand.

Thinking you are the only one reading this?

... well so did I.  At some point I suppose every person that writes a blog goes through a moment of being self-conscious and thinking that no one else is reading it.  Well, thanks to blogspot you can actually view "stats" on your blog showing how many views you have in a certain time period, which posts were popular, where people are reading from, etc.  Anyway, I realize this might not interest anyone else but it did me (and kept me from shutting this page down) so I'm sharing it.  Feel free to become a "follower" if you want to get my blog updates automatically!

Blog Stats!

• My total page views are 1,464 (which I have to assume half of which are me making sure my post went though, my aunt, and Amy Lierle).
• My most popular post was: Surprise! my first one
• There were 336 people referred to my blog via Facebook.
• People are reading my blog via: Firefox (24%), Mobile (22%), Safari (19%), Internet Explorer (17%), Other (18%).
• Pageviews by operating Systems: Windows (39%), iPhone (29%), Mac (22%), Android (6%), iPad (1%), iPod (1%).
• And the Coolest stat of all... blog views by country: U.S. (1,164), CR (139), UK (14), Colombia (14), Nicaragua (14), Austria - Thanks Antonia! (11), Australia (11), India (9), Spain - Gracias Yami! (8) , Panama (8)

Well, as long as someone is reading I guess I'll keep writing.
-BP

... a few more of my friends photos that I edited...

 Lifeguard stand in Tamarindo

 

 Health code violation?