Why I Wrote the Way I Did...

I received feedback from this blog, "life is one big road with lots of signs," and I guess I completely misinterpreted the assignment of what kind of travel blog this was supposed to be. I am truly sorry to the people that expected something different. But I would like to take the time to explain the logic in the format of my journey through Central America.

First and foremost, I was not trying to be the typical "American" tourist driving through Central America and Mexico--there were no other gringos to be found in the majority of the places we stopped and passed through. With that said, I tried to set-up my blog in a completely conversational manner. I wanted to explain who I was, where I came from, what I was studying. Once I spent time explaining me, I wanted to make it clear that my trip was going to be an amazing cultural experience, but also a quick adventure with a date in Baja that I couldn't be late for. My trip was by no means a vacation--although I did spend days sitting by pools talking with foreigners, I also talked to locals when asking for directions, at restaurants and in border crossing. While I could have written a novel on each day's happenings, I was almost constantly on the move and when I wasn't, I needed to unwind.

I am not trying to make excuses for omitting exchanges with border officials, military searches, or the underlying reasons for the corrupt exchanges I had with law enforcement. The majority of my research at UPeace, and at my current internship for that matter, is completely focused on the "War on Drugs" in Mexico. While in Mexico, I would be lying to say I wasn't scared. I heard horror stories at my poolside chats on more than one occassion, but I didn't want to focus on that. There is more than enough information on the atrocities of Mexico's current situation, and it has and continues to consume my research, so I chose to focus on the positive spirit of adventure of the trip.

This blog wasn't meant just for my family and friends. I've had people email me out of the blue, saying that they've followed the blog and think that it sends a positive message for people to not be scared to travel in such a feared region of the world. While it might've been rushed and focused on our experiences, my road trip is an example of the possibility to drive through borders, through an entire region of the world, and experience an array of ups and downs in between it all. I did amazing things I would've never dreamt of doing and met wonderful people on my trip--both foreigners and locals--and I don't wish I would have done a thing different.

Life is one big road with lots of signs, even if they're pointing you in the wrong direction, at least you can rely on the power of human kindness to help get you out of an unkown town and on to the Interamericana again.

Wrapping it All Up...

Even though it's been two weeks to the day since we arrived back in San Diego, this is still the official "Wrap Up" blog from the road trip. Sorry for being absent from cyber-land for a little bit, but I had a week and a half to move in to our new house before starting my internship at the Trans-Border Institute, where I am currently writing this from.

Mike, the dogs and I crossed from Mexico into San Diego two Fridays ago in the afternoon. That Friday morning, we were on the road by 6 am from Santa Rosalia, then drove through a time change, which gave us an extra hour, and got to the border at 4:45 pm. The drive through Northern Baja was similar to that of Souther Baja--lots of cacti, windy roads and military checkpoints. The military, who set-up random checkpoints throughout the only highway up Baja, have each car that is passing in both directions go through a stop where they either wave you through or have you stop to thoroughly inspect your vehicle. Our car was inspected at each of the four checkpoints we passed through that Friday, giving us a chance to look at the bulletin board of photos (or bragging rights) of the contraband confiscated at each particular military stop. After looking through the pictures of grenades, bags of drugs and guns, while the military looked through our suitcases, surfboard bags and virtually every nook and cranny in the car, we were back on the road for a few hours before being stopped again. We waited at the border for just over an hour (not too bad for the Otay Mesa Mexico/Us Border on a Friday afternoon), then had a very pleasant encounter with a US Border Official. As she took our passports, the officer asked where we'd come from--"Costa Rica"--and what we were doing in the states--"I am actually starting an internship with the Trans-Border Institute in a week and a half"--and waved us right through, after telling me that she thought my work was extremely necessary because of the biased view the media has put on the Drug War. This Border Official made my last encounter with a law enforcement official on the road trip through Central America and Mexico all the more worthwhile by admiring not only our road trip, but also the hope I have to accomplish something beneficial in the Mexico/US border region at the TBI as well.

As surreal as it was driving up the 5 North after such an unexpectedly pleasant border crossing, we actually made it home! Mike and I got to our new house in Pacific Beach (where I lived before I moved to Costa Rica almost three years ago) and immediately showered and drove up to my grandpa's for dinner, picking up a pizza and freshly brewed beer from our favorite pizza restaurant on the way. Although we'd really wanted to get our bed and what little furniture we had out of storage that evening, we put it off and slept on the air mattress one last night, so we could eat with my ecstatically happy grandpa.

We've spent the last two weeks unloading our storage unit, making various trips to Target, Ikea and Home Depot, and making our house look like a home. The ten day result is that the house looks amazing and it really is so nice to have our own space again. The dogs are extremely content in their new pad too, especially since they have been going to Dog Beach everyday and have lots of new dog neighbors that they like to play with. I'm looking forward to my graduation party on July 24, so that the friends and family that don't live in San Diego can see my new home.

I started my internship yesterday and am currently sitting at my very own desk at the Trans-Border Institute at USD. We had an introductory meeting yesterday, where I met the two other interns and the two full-time staff I will be working with as well. Viridiana is a third year PhD candidate from Harvard that is doing research on drug-related violence in Mexico from the late 80s - current day and will be here through the end of the summer; Jesus will be attending UCSD in the fall and will be here as an intern for the month of June; Stephanie is a USD alum and works in the same office as Viri and me; and Nicole focuses on the violence reported in the media in Mexico and the San Diego regions. The director, Dr. David Shirk, is currently (technically) on sabbatical until mid-August, but will be around midday Monday-Thursday to assist Viri and me with anything we might need. On Monday morning, we will be going down to Tijuana, where David will be giving a talk at the Universidad Iberoamericano. On Thursday of next week, Viri and I will be giving introductions of ourselves and what research work we plan on doing during our time at the TBI, to a group of scholars from USD and the surrounding area. It seems surreal that this experience has been planned for over six months and I am now diving in head-first. I am excited and ready to begin my research on drug-related violence in the Mexico/US border region at the TBI, which I will expand upon more thoroughly at the beginning of next week in a blog entry.

I will try to keep up with what is going on in my life on a consistent basis on this blog. I will be working full-time, Monday-Friday, and I plan on spending the rest of my free time working out, cooking, learning to row and stand up paddle board, or at the beach with my dogs, but I have really enjoyed the virtual journal experience. I reread and added some photos to some entries from the road trip and it was nice to go through the trip again and read about what a roller coaster of an adventure it really was. While I was stressed out and mad for more of the time than I'd like to admit, I think that it was all part of the adventure. The good always seems to outweigh the bad on journeys through foreign countries for me, and this road trip was no exception. The people I met--particularly Mario in El Salvador, the Australians in Puerto Escondido, and the Border Agent at the US/Mexico border--all changed my adventure for the better and really made the trip more worthwhile. And while I may feel like I need to rest my feet for a while and grow some new roots in San Diego and at the TBI, I know my feet will be itching to get out and go on another adventure sooner than later...

Goodbye Southern Baja!

It's been a few days since my last post.

We spent the last few days in Buena Vista waiting for my grandpa's boat to be fixed (it had an electrical problem that was finally fixed after three days) and went out fishing on Tuesday. We went to a delicious sushi dinner that night, which was amazing after eating the same style of food (tortilla and cheese in various forms) for almost two weeks. Yesterday, Mike and I left the beautiful East Cape area and drove an hour and a half to Todos Santos. It is on the Pacific side of southern Baja and is beautiful. However, we're here in May, which my mom just told me is known to be freezing (which it is) and with little to no surf (no waves either). So, even though we're staying in a beautiful spot and it's very picture-perfect, I'm freezing and we're all ready to get on the final two-day stretch home.

We'll drive from here to Guerrero Negro today, which is about half way up Baja. And from there we will head all the way through to Pacific Beach, San Diego, California! Finalmente! I'll try and blog tonight from Guerrero Negro, but it'll be at the end of a long day of driving hard roads and I doubt there will be internet. I am planning on sitting down in San Diego to write one final (and probably really long) entry with my final thoughts and feelings and also upload pictures on the posts I haven't been able to.

Here are some pictures of grandpa, Mike, Maecito and my last day in East Cape, aboard grandpa's fishing boat:

• The first picture is of the last sunrise I'll see coming up over water until my next visit to East Cape.
• The second picture is of Maecito--who conveniently escaped from Kimberly's house and found us right as we were boarding the boat for the day--aboard grandpa's boat, the Dottie B II.
• The third picture is of a dolphin swimming alongside our boat.

That's all for now :)

Grandpa Time

Sorry about not writing since we arrived in Baja. I've been spending time with my grandpa and am thoroughly enjoying being in my second home in East Cape.

Last time I blogged, we were about to get on the ferry in Mazatlan. We checked in around 2, like we were supposed to, and were loaded onto the boat around 4, then left around 5. Although the ferry wasn't very full, they still packed us in amongst all the big rigs on one side of the boat. We took all of our bags out of the back of the car, wrapped them in a big blue tarp we didn't have stolen from us, and inflated our air mattress to lay in the back of the car on. Max (who weighs around 100 pounds) usually sleeps on the floor by the bed but decided that he was terrified of the ferry and had to get in the car with us. So the five of us squeezed on the air mattress for the night and I don't think one of us slept more than a couple hours.

We got into La Paz around 8 in the morning, then had to get our car searched by the military. They really thought they'd found something when they opened my bag of female products, but instantly became mortified when I told them that their good find was in fact tampons. Giggling about the tampon incident the whole way, Mike and I went to Wal Mart in La Paz to get a few things, then drove the hour and a half trek through the desert mountains to East Cape.

I've been coming to East Cape, located between La Paz and Cabo, since I was in my mom's pregnant belly. The Hazards have been coming down to Hotel Spa Buena Vista, in East Cape, since before me. My grandpa owns a fishing boat that he keeps at the hotel and comes down to fish on, with his captain named Vicente, one week out of every month. The rest of the family tries to make it down at least once or twice a year--usually Thanksgiving or Grandpa's Birthday/Mother's Day. This year, my aunt Nina and I were here but my mom and Derek weren't able to make it. My brother is busy in Virginia planning his wedding and my mom is in Florida and was unable to come because she is battling Post Polio Syndrome (for more information on the relatively unknown syndrome, check out http://www.postpoliosupport.com/). I wish that they both could've been here, but I hope that my mommy is feeling okay, resting in Florida and that Derek's wedding planning is coming along. (See you both soon, love you!!!)

Here are some pictures of the ferry ride, Grandpa's 88th birthday party and fishing on Grandpa's boat:

• The first picture is of our car on the (cargo) ferry from Mazatlan to La Paz--can you guess which car is ours? ;)
• The second picture is of my grandpa's birthday marlin--he reeled it in, then Mike and Nestor (the deckhand) held it while I took a quick picture, then it was released back in to the ocean.
• The third picture is of a Mako shark that Mike caught (and ate for dinner that night) with my grandpa's fishing boat in the background. Yes, the water really is that color!
• The fourth picture is of my grandpa, wearing his #88 San Diego Charger's jersey, drinking out of his special birthday margarita glass, and wearing his special birthday hat. Adorable, right?
• The fifth picture is of my grandpa, my aunt Nina and me at my grandpa's party.

We are staying a few houses down from the hotel, with my good friend Kimberly, since the only dogs allowed at the hotel at my grandpa's two shi tzus. We'll be here until Wednesday the 19th and will keep on doing what we always do when we're here in East Cape--fish, snorkel, paddle board, and dinners with grandpa. I'll blog again soon, promise!

That's all for now :)

Time to Catch the Ferry!!!

We made it to Mazatlan yesterday in less than twelve hours from Toluca! It was a really long 24 hours of driving, with only ten hours of rest between, but it was worth it because we made it on time and got to stay in Puerto Escondido an extra day. We drove through Guadalajara yesterday and it brought back lots of memories of my summer there almost four years ago. I can't believe it's been that long, but I guess a lot has happened in my life since then...

We didn't have any police stops yesterday because we stayed on toll roads. The toll roads ended up being over $150 US, but saved us over a day of driving. Plus, you can go 85 miles an hour, legally, on the toll roads, and they're four-lanes most of the way. We passed a giant military convoy that was at least thirty Hummers long a couple of times because every time we had to stop at a toll, they could just keep going without stopping. It was crazy to see all the men, with their hands on their triggers, some donning ski masks and some manning massive machine guns. It was a little creepy being amongst so much gun power, but we felt a lot safer on the toll roads than on the 200, that's for sure.

We got into Mazatlan around 6, which was 7 to us, but there was a time change. We tried looking for hotels in a nice part of town, but none of them took dogs. So, we stayed across the street from where our ferry departs this afternoon and parked our car in the ferry lot for $50 pesos overnight. We woke up early and took the dogs for a walk, avoiding the rabid-looking strays, then I checked us in to the ferry at 9, and we're now sitting on the malecon (boardwalk) at a breakfast place that I randomly saw a person using wireless internet at, waiting to board the ferry at 1:30. We don't actually leave until 4, but getting the big rigs on the boat is a hassle, and we get in to La Paz between 6 and 8 tomorrow morning.

Here are some pictures from the road:

• The first picture is of me (still) driving...
• The second is of agave fields between Mexico City and Guadalajara. Agave is the plant tequila is made from, and we also got to drive through the city of Tequila.
• The third is of our "radio"--it's the iPhone plugged in to the car charger. I really miss volume, but at least we have music still!
• The fourth picture is our (good-for-nothing for the most part) map of Mexico and all of the receipts from the tolls.

Goodbye mainland Mexico! Hello Baja and grandpa's 88th birthday fiesta!!! :)

On the Road Again = Paying More Bribes

Written May 10 from a drive-in motel called The Suites on the outskirts of Toluca, Mexico:

This isn't going to be a long post because I drove for over twelve hours today, but here it goes.

We didn't leave Puerto Escondido until this morning, a day late, because we were having such a great time relaxing and were really not looking forward to getting on the road again. Plus, it was the weekend in Puerto, so a lot of cool travelers came in and we ended up spending most of yesterday hanging out poolside with six Australian guys. They were really funny---two sets of two brothers and two other life-long friends--and their jokes and accents kept Mike and I in a good mood most of the day.

We also met a man that I'm upset to say I didn't exchange contact information with. Julio and his wife were staying in a cabana a few up from ours at the Rock Away the whole time we were there, but we didn't talk until yesterday. Turns out, Julio is a Federale (part of the Mexican governmental police force) in Ciudad Juarez (the most deadly city in the world, and definitely the most dangerous in Mexico during this Drug War) that was on vacation from the insanity of the front line for a week. We were supposed to talk more this morning before we both took off, but I am assuming he got called up in the middle of the night to report back to duty. He got into a conversation with the Australians and us poolside, where he showed us extremely gory pictures out of a magazine, including photos of brutally murdered friends and colleagues of his. Having just done a report on Mexican drug cartel propaganda, I helped him translate some of the narco-banners pictured in the magazine and to explain the situation a little bit to the Aussies. They were definitely shocked by the level of violence, but they had also just been in Pascuales (north of Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast by about ten hours) and had witnessed two US citizens get arrested (actually kidnapped) by men dressed in Federale uniforms but, luckily, they escaped. It seems the Drug War is occurring in each and every part of Mexico--from random surfing beaches along the Pacific coast line to Ciudad Juarez.

Last night, we went to dinner at with friends we'd met, Nisa and Chaz, at their condo they were renting for the month. It was nice to have a fun-filled day at the pool, a chat with Julio on the Drug War, followed by a home-made dinner of shrimp and pasta, then a final night in our bed at Rock Away. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night to a dead rat in our bathroom (it wasn't mauled by a dog so I'm still wondering how it died/ why the dogs didn't wake up) and a cockroach trying to get into our toothbrush bag, yet again.

We got on the road at 8 this morning, then took the 200 about six hours to Acapulco, where we took toll roads almost all the way to Mexico City, and now we're in Toluca, which is just north-west of Mexico. We got stopped five times today--twice we were searched at military check-points, twice we just got stopped to chat, and one time involved a bribery. We were in Mexico state, almost to Toluca, and apparently we weren't allowed to drive out-of-country plates on Mondays in the state. It cost us four hundred pesos and our information written down on a white piece of paper, but the cops had me write down "Comandante Ruiz: facilidades" on a piece of paper so that we wouldn't have to "pay" any of their friends in the area more money for driving with Costa Rican plates. I still don't know if it was a real law or not, but being nice and paying the "fine" are easier than being difficult with Mexican law enforcement, or any law enforcement for that matter.

That leads me to now. We stopped about 45 minutes after the bribery incident, and like I said, we're at a drive-in motel that men usually take women that aren't their wives to. But, we have our own private garage, and to tell you the truth, this is the nicest place we've stayed at yet and it's only $300 pesos a night. We're just trying not to think about what goes on in this place on a day-to-day basis :)

I'm exhausted and don't have pictures to upload from today, but I'll post some tomorrow. Buenas noches!

One More Night in Escon

We are rapidly approaching our time to get back on the road to make it to the ferry to Baja from Mazatlan on time. Crazy we've already spent four nights here in Puerto Escondido--they've gone by quickly for sure. We've spent our time at the beach mostly, but also re-stocked some of our kitchen supplies at the Super Che (grocery store) yesterday and the car is currently getting a thorough washing for less than $7 US.

I have been engrossed in my book, Shantaram, while Mike has been engrossed in surfing the left point break at the south end of the beach. We met a nice couple, Nisa and Chaz, and her dad, Nick, and their dog, Buddy, who were staying across the pool from us at the Hotel Rock Away. They had moved to Puerto Vallarta (a few days drive north from here on the Pacific still) from various parts of the US and decided to drive south to look for a new place to relocate. We hung out with them all day yesterday and are going to the condo they rented this morning for dinner tonight. It's been nice meeting more travelers and having someone to hang out with on the beach while Mike surfs. They've asked me lots of surfing questions and it's been nice to help them learn about what a cool culture it really is.

Two nights ago, I woke up to a loud splash in the toilet of our hotel room and opened the curtain (not door) to see a giant rat swimming around in the bowl. I screamed, while Mike and the dogs barely woke up, then went to the reception to get someone to do something about it. By the time we got back, no less than a minute later, the rat was scurrying up the bamboo wall of our cabana and making his way out between the wall and the palapa ceiling. Now, every time either of us go in the bathroom, we've definitely been a little paranoid about swimming rats.

The waves were insanely huge three days ago and have been steadily getting a little bit smaller each day. Mike and I took pictures two mornings ago (posted below) and a couple yesterday as well. After the dog walk/picture taking of the surfers, we came back to the room and slept in a little longer, until the heat woke us up again for good. Yesterday, when we re-woke up, Nisa told us that a surfer had drowned when we were sleeping. His name was Noel Robinson, from Northern California, and the link to the Surfline article about him is posted below. Where he drowned was literally across the street from our hotel. RIP Noel:

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/rip-noel-robinson--underground-norcal-charger-filmer-drowns-at-puerto-escondido_43204/

It's time to go and pick up the car from the wash, but here are a few pictures:

• The first is of a massive wave three mornings ago, right in front of our hotel.
• The second is of a surfer getting out of a giant barrel.
• The third is of Maecito digging a hole, trying to get at a burrowed sand crab.

Remember that I also have a Facebook album with more pictures. The link is posted on the last blog entry.

I'll write more tomorrow from a new location in Mexico. It's been nice Puerto Escondido--until we meet again!

Five Days in One Place, Thank Goodness!

We're now in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico. We crossed the Guatemala/Mexico border two nights ago around 5 and it was the easiest, quickest border yet. The only problem I had was my passport amendment on the last page changing my last name from Tresize (my dad's) to Hazard (my mom's). The custom officials couldn't read in English and thought that because there wasn't a stamp/seal of some sort, that the printing might be false. After calling Mexico City to ask if it was okay, we got all of our paperwork sorted out and were on our way. We stopped at the first hotel we saw, which was clean and nice but it had no name other than "Hotel" and I couldn't tell you the name of the town because I forgot to ask and it wasn't on the map.

We got on the road yesterday from the "Hotel" around 10, stopped for some food, then took the wrong toll road about two-three hours out of our way. My mom gave me a Mexico road map book on the trip south with Ryan, but there are literally tons of different roads that can get you places in Mexico, but the signs are not very clear or at all in abundance. There are, however, a ton of "Don't drink and drive," "Keep the road clean," and "Don't mess up the signs" signs. If only they said the location of the way we were heading a little more often...

Anyway, we got into Puerto Escondido last night around 8 (sorry mom and grandpa for driving a little after dark but we were so close and there was nowhere to stop at sundown!) and were able to check into the first hotel/ cabanas we stopped at. We're staying at Hotel Rock Away, at the south end of Puerto Escondido, right across the street from an awesome beach break with giant barreling waves. The cabana we're staying in is $250 pesos (around $23 US) a night, which is cheap for the location, but the shower is in the same room as the sink and toilet (think motor home-esque) and there's no kitchen for us to use. But it's cheap and right across the street from the beach, in the middle of the main drag in town, and the dogs have their own space to chill out and relax. Max has been exhausted from his self-appointed role of protector, so he's been happily passed out the entire time we've been here, minus the time spent on the beach of course. We were all ready for some down time off the road and I personally think that this is one of the best spots we could've chosen for a few days off.

I woke up this morning and took the boy dogs for a walk down the beach at 6 am, while Missy and Mike slept in. There were a ton of yellow and black sea snakes washed on shore, presumably to die. They're beautiful looking and super poisonous, but have tiny mouths so they can only bite things like your pinky toe (according to Mike). Either way, I kept yelling at Maecito and Max to get away whenever they got within three feet of one. After the walk, we went and woke the two lazies up, then went to drop off the laundry and stop at an ATM. We haven't gotten laundry done yet, since most of it was stolen in Nicaragua, so I'm extremely happy to pick up (what's left) of our stuff in a couple of hours. Clean sheets and towels from home are something that I am glad I brought and even more glad they weren't stolen. I guess it's the little things, right? After laundry and the ATM, Mike and I took the dogs to the same beach that Ry and I surfed when we were here, but the waves were small so we came back to the main beach and went for a long walk with the dogs, then to lunch at a palapa on the sand. Mike and the dogs are all passed out now and I'm about to go read more of the book I'm currently obsessed with on my Kindle, called Shantaram, by the pool at our hotel. I highly, highly recommend the book to any traveler or adventurer at heart--it's about an Australian man that escapes from prison and moves to India and describes his adjustment to the culture while not being able to communicate with anyone from back home.

I haven't taken any pictures of Puerto yet, but I will tonight and the next couple of days for sure. I started a Facebook album with my pictures as well. If you'd like to see them, they are at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2125456&id=24504079&l=1613876b46

I will keep both the blog pictures and the photo album updated as I go.

As Susan (Steph's mom) said, we are finally on the last leg of our trip. We have a few more days here, then a couple days to get to Mazatlan, where we'll take the ferry from mainland Mexico to La Paz, Baja. My grandpa's 88th birthday party is next Friday night in East Cape (about an hour south of La Paz and an hour north of Cabo on the Sea of Cortez) so Mike and I will spend about a week there, fishing, ATV riding, snorkeling, etc. then a few days in Todos Santos to surf, then a night in the middle of Baja, then home.

I can't believe that it's only been eleven days and that we only have about two weeks left. Time sure flies when you're traveling through six countries in less than two weeks! I'm glad I have this blog to go back and re-remember this whole crazy adventure :)

Antigua, Guatemala

Here we are, in Antigua. I uploaded the blog I wrote yesterday this morning from a cafe with internet, but my computer died and a three-pronged plug has been impossible to find. So Mike and I are sitting at an internet cafe, with the dogs laying in the doorway waiting patiently for us. We got to Antigua around 730 last night (I can't seem to find the semicolon key on this keyboard, lo siento) and of course, the third hotel let us stay there. But after we checked in, the guy who had said we were allowed to stay became a little hesitant and said that we would have to be out before 8 in the morning because his supervisor was coming in and would be mad at him. We were planning on staying two nights if we could find a place to stay, but it seems fate is telling us it's time to move on to the next place. We woke up at 6 this morning, I took the dogs for a walk and managed to find a tiny piece of grass for them to use the bathroom. Antigua is completely cobblestone and is surrounded by three volcanoes, but it's not very dog-friendly. I would love to come back and spend some time here in the future, just without the dogs.

From here we will be driving to the last Central American border we have to cross--Guatemala to Mexico. We should be in San Cristobal de las Casas tonight, but we'll have to see how the border is when we get there on a Monday morning around lunchtime.

Here are some pictures of Antigua:

• The first is of my new favorite little girl, holding Maecito's leash at an open air market.
• The second is of a typical church (including the power lines in front) in Antigua.
• The third is of one of the three volcanoes that surrounds Antigua, with a cobblestone street leading to it.
• The fourth is a typical bus of Guatemala--it's an old US school bus, decked out with lights, stickers and paint.

It's time to get off the internet and get back on the road...hasta pronto!

Karma Karma Karma!

Nicaragua-Honduras-El Salvador

written May 1

Another million years have passed since the day before yesterday when I wrote last. I am currently writing this from the El Salvador/ Guatemala border and haven’t been able to find a place with internet where I’ve been staying, so I’m writing on a word document and will upload this to my blog later.

Mike and I were woken up by a ship being packed with crates, which sounded like bomb blasts, at 4 in the morning yesterday. Since I was already awake, I went out to the car to get some chapstick--which I’d parked in front of Hotel Central in Corintos, Nicaragua and paid the man who watches the area a few dollars to keep an eye on the car--to find the hazards on. Weird, I thought, I know we didn’t leave the hazards on. When I opened the door, I found the part where the car stereo had been completely dismantled and missing the stereo. After checking the rest of the car, in a complete frantic mess, I realized that Mike’s entire suitcase was missing, in addition to the cooler, the tent, every single toiletry and tool, all of our dirty clothes that were in the laundry bag and all of our dry goods. What was left was my suitcase, the styrofoam cooler, my empty Coach purse pushed under the front seat, our tennis shoes, the tarp for the tent and some snacks. Luckily, we had all of the paperwork, passports, computers, cameras and the iPhone in the room with us. And Mike’s surfboards (and my one) were safe and sound inside the hotel lobby. But, Mike and I were both shaken up and felt like someone was trying to tell us something about this trip--we just weren’t quite sure why it had to be in the form of our car getting broken into.

We left Corintos before 5 am and were into Honduras by 11. In the three hours that it took us to drive through Honduras, we were stopped at police checkpoints seven times--they wanted to get us for not having two emergency triangles and a fire extinguisher (the thieves left those, how nice of them) or any excuse they could think of. We also had to wait 45 minutes for a peaceful protest against the government that was blocking the highway. Finally, we made it to the Honduras- El Salvador border. In all of the Central American borders you have to check out of the exiting country, then drive over a bridge into the country you’re entering and do tons of paperwork on both sides. We checked out of Honduras in a relatively short amount of time but entering into El Salvador took over six hours. There was no system, so we got to sit and wait for a 24 hour pass, since they couldn’t enter our car into the system.

By the time we left the border, it was 5 pm. Mike and I drove another four hours, past San Salvador, but started looking for a place to stay around three hours into the drive. Finally, when we were so fed up with everything, we saw a sign for a hotel. I missed the turn because the sign was literally where the turn had to be made, so I was going to turn around and go back, but we saw a sign for another hotel. I knocked on the gate at the Casa Blanca Hotel that entered into a private parking lot (obviously a must from now on on this road trip) and asked if they took dogs, they said yes, and how much, $12 US, perfect! We parked and were introduced to the owner’s 29 year old son, Mario, who showed us to our room and told us to come up to the bar on the top story if we wanted to. A few minutes later, we were hanging out with Mario and his friends, having an amazingly good time. We had a couple of beers, some good conversation, made a plan to go surf at Jutla in the morning for a couple of hours with Mario and maybe his girlfriend, then went to sleep happy as clams. Last night made me believe in karma, especially traveling karma, so much--we were both so down from the car getting broken into, getting harassed in Honduras by the police, then spending eight hours getting into El Salvador, thank goodness we randomly stumbled upon Casa Blanca.

We woke up this morning at six, then went to the beach for a few hours. It was about a forty-five minute drive from the hotel (I’ll have to email Mario for the name of the town it’s in) down the mountains to the beach and the terrain of El Salvador was breathtaking. The rain forest reminded me of Costa Rica and the beach too, but of course it had its own cultural touches to it. Mike caught some waves while I played on the beach with the dogs throwing coconuts and Mario watched, we got some breakfast, then left. Mario was nice enough to take us to get toiletries after that, then to a Multiplaza mall (there’s two in Costa Rica and they’re comparable to any nice mall in the US that I’ve been too, and the one in El Salvador was the same) to get Mike some clothes, since he’d been wearing his only outfit for two days. We got back to Casa Blanca around noon, took a shower, then headed up to the border so that we wouldn’t overstay our 24 hour permit. If it wasn’t for the permit, Mike and I both agreed that we would’ve stayed at least one more night at the hotel to see more of the country with Mario as our friend and guide. But such is life, so we have to come back some day. (Mario, if you’re reading this, Mike and I will definitely be back to visit sooner than later and you should try to make it up to San Diego if you can!)

Okay, so that brings me to now. We’re sitting at the Guatemala side of the El Salvador- Guatemala border and supposedly we’re almost finished. I know our passports are checked, and the dogs are good to go, but the car takes forever to get put into the system. Really, couldn’t it be a little more time-efficient. But I guess that would mean we would see a lot more (or any for that matter) other travelers doing the same route as us.

Here are pictures of the last few days:

• The first one if on the way out of Popoyo--we were stopped by a massive herd of cows so I thought it’d be funny to remember.
• The second one is also on the dirt road out of Popoyo--it is a typical house that we saw all over the country of Nicaragua.
• The third picture is a “Bienvenidos a...” sign, but also note the massive guns the Honduran military (who looked like children) have.
• The fourth picture is of the peaceful protest in Honduras. I love the picture of Che on the yellow banner.
• The fifth picture is of Maecito sleeping on top of Max in the backseat, waiting at the border to get into El Salvador. He is currently in almost the same position, so I’m thinking it might become a habit for the rest of the road trip :)

We’re still waiting at the border and were just informed that (even after the seven hours it took them to do it) El Salvador put 15 instead of 17 numbers for the car’s VIN, so they are fixing it “as quickly” as possible. Vamos a ver... We’re trying to get to Antigua tonight and I’m guessing there will be lots of wireless there since it’s a huge Spanish studying hub, so I’ll post this later and write a short little summary of the rest of the day, too. And that’s all for now folks...

I Don't Like Corrupt Cops

So it´s been two days again. Once I explain the last two days, which also felt like an eternity, it´ll all be understood hopefully.

Yesterday, we left San Juan del Sur around noon and headed to Popoyo. It was supposed to only be a two hour drive, but after following three different signs saying Popoyo down three different awful muddy dirt roads (thank goodness for four wheel drive!), it ended up a four hour adventure. We set up tent at Popoyo Loco and spent the night for $6 US. The surf at Popoyo is supposed to be good with offshore winds for 350 days a year, but I guess we were there during the 15 days of so-so surf because of rainy season beginning. Apparently everywhere we go, we bring the rain storms north with us :-/ I fell asleep at 7:30 because of the stressful drive and lack of sleep because our flooded room in San Juan (we had to change rooms after the hotel staff banged on the door at 3 am and alerted us to the 3¨of water on the floor--did I already write about this?) and slept until 5:30 this morning.

As usual, I took the dogs for an early morning walk on the beach and then woke Mike up. He went and surfed for a little bit, I read in a hammock, then we packed up headed out. Originally, before the Lost Keys Incident in Avellanas, we were going to drive straight through from Nicaragua, through Honduras, and into El Salvador today. But we are in Corintos in northern Nicaragua for the night, so that we can get through the first border (Nicaragua-Honduras) with enough time to drive through Honduras (about three-four hours) and still make it through the second border (Honduras-El Salvador) with enough time to make it to our destination in El Salvador. Corintos is a port town but has an unknown surf break that we looked at this afternoon. If we were here for longer, Mike would´ve wanted to rent a panga to take over to the area, but we´re planning on leaving at 5 am and it´s 6 pm now. I´m at an internet cafe (can you tell by all the Spanish accents as opposed to apostrophes?¿) so I can only upload one picture, which is of a surfer in Popoyo being watched by lifeguard Max.

Oh, I almost forgot about the corrupt cops! Last night as I was falling asleep, I remember overhearing a guy at the hostel saying how he had sold his car in Nicaragua because he was sick of the cops hassling him. I now know exactly what he meant--at random check-points throughout the country, we were flagged to stop four times in a five hour drive. The first guy got $10 US out of me in a bribe because I had my emergency triangles (I remembered being hassled for them on the drive down but only once in Honduras) but not a fire extinguisher. He kept saying he was going to write a ticket, but he took the money instead (obviously). The second guy to stop us said that we were passing in a non-passing zone, but only wrote down our information, which Mike thought was odd but I told him was fine. The last two guys to pull us over just wanted to see our passports and licenses, but still, what an annoyance! I do love this road trip experience--even getting lost is fine because people are super friendly and helpful when I ask for directions--but corrupt cops suck. Plain and simple.

Okay, enough for today. ¡Hasta mañana!

Lost Keys, the First (Of Many) Border Crossings and Flooded Cheap Hotel Rooms

It seems like it's been months since the last post, even though it's only been two days. I was going to write last night, but the internet only worked for the first five minutes we were here, then it started pouring, and it was a really long day...so here I am now!

We are in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. We got here just about sunset last night after a three hour border crossing and about $300 in fees, bribes (because we got there at 3 pm and it closes at 5), and gas. We were planning on leaving Avellanas around 10:30 yesterday morning, but right as we were about to leave, Blake and Jamie lost their key to their car, that just happened to be blocking us in. After a frantic hour and a half search, they gave up and called a mechanic, but the guy couldn't get there until about 3 pm. Mike and I had basically accepted the fact that our first border crossing was going to be delayed a day, when he and Blake decided to see if they could push Blake's car forward enough to get our car out. And it worked--just two hours later than planned.

We got to the border around 3 pm, got to play the "Pick Me! Game" as I call it--when twenty guys come running up to your car to help you get through the border in about half the time it would take without them--on the Costa Rica side, then again on the Nicaragua side. We were planning on driving all the way to Popoyo (about 3 hours from the border), as opposed to the quick hour-long drive to San Juan del Sur from the border, but we chose the latter because the sun was setting and neither of us want to drive at night.

San Juan del Sur is a mellow little fishing town, with beaches that have good waves to the north. There is no camping in San Juan, so Mike and I played another road trip game Ryan and I named, "Do you accept dogs at your hotel?" Just as on my trip down with Ry, the third place said they'd take us. We're at Hotel Delfin, right across the street from the beach, in a room that was $25 sin aire (no air conditioning). Nice location, but unfortunately, when I took the dogs for an early-morning walk on the beach this morning, I noticed it was way dirtier than any beach I've seen in Costa Rica. Trash on the beach is one of those things that makes me so sad.

The internet has gone off four times in the twenty minutes I've been writing. Ugh. But we are off to check out the nearby beach of Maderas for waves, then hope to make it to Popoyo, a few hours north, around 3-4 for the night.

Here are three pictures from yesterday:

• The first picture is Mike surfing one of his last waves in Avellanas, Costa Rica.
• Here's the car! This is Guapa's first appearance on the blog, looking fully-loaded and ready to roll (or be parked in for a few extra hours) from Avellanas to Nicaragua.
• And it's the first "Bienvenidos a..." sign of the road trip. We're really on our way north! Woohoo!

Howler Monkeys and Full Moon Tides

"The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things..."

It's Mike and my last day in Costa Rica, with plans to return but no idea when. We'll head up to the Nicaraguan border before lunchtime tomorrow and hopefully make it to Popoyo (a surf break Mike went to with Outward Bound that he had to go back to again) before sundown, if the border doesn't take more than four-five hours.

Back to the present, Mike and Blake went to get more ice for the coolers and some fire wood for a campfire and s'mores tonight. It's been raining on and off all day, plus it's super windy, but we're all crossing our fingers that we can have a fire on our last night in Avellanas. I spent the day walking on the beach with the dogs, reading my Kindle on the hammock, and making a bracelet. While I was finishing the bracelet, I realized that these were things that I'd dreamt about doing again on a consistent basis while I was finishing up classes. What a nice feeling :)

Well, not much to report on other than that. Here are a few pictures:

• The first is a picture of the three dogs on the path through the mangroves off the beach to Hotel Las Olas, where we had appetizers yesterday afternoon.
• Missy spotted the two monkeys in the second picture. They're howler monkeys, the boy is on the left and the girl on the right.
• The third picture is of Max at the north end of Avellanas beach, with the whole beach in the background. The tide is really low in this picture, but also so high that we had to move our tents back a few feet to stay dry.

Camping at Dos Lunas beachfront in Avellanas

The first night of camping weather in a nutshell: on and off rainstorms the entire drive here, followed by a consistent drizzle all night, and thankfully we woke up to a sunny day in paradise.

I got up at 5:30, like usual, and took the dogs for a walk down the beach. Once everyone else got up, the boys, dogs and I walked down the beach to surf. I hadn't surfed in over six months, since before Mike moved to San Diego, so it was nice to be back on a board. I caught a few waves, then took the dogs back to the campsite for some water and rest. After a little bit, I got bored and took the underwater camera to go take pictures of Mike surfing. But when I got to where he was surfing, he was getting out, so I took a few pictures of the dogs (posted below) and we walked back to the campsite at Dos Lunas (also posted below).

When we got back to the campsite, I noticed a man rolling back and forth in the tide line down the beach. He looked completely limp and like he wasn't trying to even get any air, so Mike and Jamie ran down to see if he was alive and to pull him from the water, while I ran to the next property over, where Outward Bound was staying (since our dueno, Lucas, wasn't home) to have Carlos, a surf instructor Mike and I had been on course together with, call an ambulance. The man ended up being extremely drunk, but alive. After the cops came and Carlos, Jamie, Mike and I wrote down our names and explained what happened, we all went back to our respective campsites a little bit in shock. I am glad he is alive, but wow, how insane alcohol can make you in high doses.

After the mid-day near-drowning of the drunk man, we ate some sandwiches and now everyone's taking a nap while I blog. The plan is to go down to Las Olas, the only hotel in Avellanas, which is down a trail through mangroves off the beach, for some appetizers, then back "home" for some hanging out and maybe some cards.

So I guess that's it for now...Here are some pictures from this morning:

• The first picture is of our campsite--we're the tent on the right, Blake and Jamie are on the left of us, then the picnic table where I'm now sitting at is under the rustic palapa building on the left.
• The second picture is of Maecito with the sandiest face ever :)
• The third picture is of Max trying to hunt me in the water, also deserves a :)

Chau Ciudad Colon...Hello Open Road! :)

These last few days have been in hyper-speed. I gave my final presentation on Mexican Drug War Propaganda and turned in a 10-page paper about the same topic on Wednesday, then Mike got here at 5:30 am on Thursday morning, I had my last day of class on Friday and a going away party that same night as well. It was bittersweet to leave Ciudad Colon--I am so ready to be on the road and make it back to my hometown, but I loved meeting everyone at UPeace and the media department is amazing. Our class of twenty-three students from over twelve countries meshed so well and I will remember all of the eye-opening experiences, both in class and out, forever.

Yesterday morning, we packed up the car and headed down to the Pacific coast for the night. The car actually isn't that full--we have a suitcase of clothes apiece, a cooler, two plastic bins, tent, and bedding are in the back; the dogs are in the back seat and fit perfectly; and there are five surfboards on top of the car. I didn't want to take a picture of the "set-up" until it was in a pretty location, so probably tomorrow in Avellanas. On the drive down to the beach, I could tell that the car was heavier, but it was a smooth ride.

I am writing this blog from Mike and my old neighbors' (Blake and Jamie) new house on Calle Hermosa in Playa Hermosa. Mike and I lived in one half and Blake and Jamie lived in the other half of a duplex in Vida Asana Yoga Retreat for six months right before I started UPeace and we would always joke how ironic it was that we moved in next to one another within a week--she played water polo and is a few years older than Blake, Blake and I have almost matching 4 Runners, Mike and Blake are both passionately obsessed with surfing, and we had two dogs apiece at the time (their dogs are two pit bulls, one of which, Koa, is in a picture with Max below).

We are packing up our respective 4 Runners and driving up north to Avellanas, my favorite beach in Costa Rica, until Wednesday. After that, they'll come back to Hermosa and Mike and I will cross the border into Nicaragua. We're going to be camping in Avellanas, beachfront, so I don't know if I'll be able to find wireless for a couple of days. I'll try though and either way, I'll take pictures and write, then just post them later.

In a few hours, after breakfast and re-packing up the car, we'll start the four-five hour drive up to Guanacaste, the dry province (relatively speaking to Costa Rica) in the northwest of the country. Avellanas is just south of Tamarindo--Ryan and I stumbled upon it by accident on a camping adventure after attempting, unsuccessfully, to find a place to stay with the dogs in Tamarindo (TamaGringo). It is a beautiful beach with sea shells, mangroves, and one restaurant, which closes right after sunset. Down the beach, quite the opposite from the mellowness of Avellanas, is Hacienda Pinilla, a huge JW Marriott project where people like Michael Jordan own homes. The area is known for its teak wood and mangrove-protected beaches, but not it's also well-known among fancy travelers, too. Such is life... Even with the Pinilla, it'll be a relaxing few days in a nice place with good friends before leaving Costa Rica.

Here's some pictures from yesterday during the afternoon rainstorm. The five dogs all hung out on Blake and Jamie's patio, and each found their appropriate lounging spot :)

Koa and Max (the "men") were manning the entrance to the house, to protect us from the thunder

Missy was resting on top of one of our many boards, so comfortable.