Ometepe 2: A picture is worth a 1000 words / Fotka vyda za 1000 slov

 

When we finally arrived to Ometepe, we were immediately greeted by a motorcycle rental Family affair. After some bargaining and wiping the drool from Peter’s mouth, we got this beauty! She safely drove us all around the island and in the end – even up the crazy steep roads to the very top parking lot of volcano Maderas.

Tahle kraska na nas nas cekala u jedne rodiny, co si z pronajmu motorek na ostrove udelala byznis. Slecna si nas odchytla uz pri vystupu z lodi a vzhledem k tomu, ze jsem na motorce uz par mesicu nesedel nam nedala sanci si tuhle dvoustovecku nepronajmout.

 

 

Volcano Concepcion, quietly sleeping in the afternoon haze.

Sopka Concepcion pokojne spici v odpoledni mlze.

 

 

 

 

Traffic jam of kids walking back home from school. We have never seen so many kids walking back from school so organized!

Mistni deti vracejici se ze skoly domu nam pripravili na silnici pekny slalom. Takhle sesikovany odchod ze skoly jsem jeste nevidel!

 

 

 

 

Our room in Playa Santa Domingo…looks more like a submarine…if you ask us. Though, the heart-shaped towels were an added bonus.

Nase skromna cimra na pobrezi jezera v mestecku zvanem Santa Domingo. Vypadala tak trochu jako ponorka. Dojem napravili (alespon trosku) rucniky ve tvaru srdce.

 

 

 

The wind is crazy!!! I haven’t had burronies in 6 months. Heeeelp!

To byl ficak! Po 6ti mesicich tropu v Kostarice se dostavil pocit, na ktery jsme uz zapomneli – zima.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready to rock’n'roll baby!

To si ani nezaslouzi preklad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views of the volcano from the motorcycle. Ilene was a great paparazzi sitting on the back seat.

Ilene sedici vzadu zhavila spoust svyho fotaku co to jen slo. Takovyhle byl pohled na jednu ze sopek ze sedadla nasi motorky.

 

 

 

 

Check out that stud in the mirror (written by Ilene).

Hmmm, kdo je ten fesak v zrcatku? Aaaaa, to jsem jaaa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we took the motorcycle out for a joy ride, we managed to cover half of the island. Along the way, houses like these dotted the coast. How would you feel about living in a house like this?

Standartni ubytovaci zarizeni na ostrove. Ma nekdo zajem?

 

 

 

At the southern most point of Ometepe, we found this gorgeous tree.

Strom krasavec…na pobrezi jezera Nicaragua mu to moc sluselo.

 

 

 

 

 

After driving the first 2km up the crazy steep-ass hill, we only had one more kilometer of hiking before the waterfall. Little did we know that the hill to hike was even steeper! Good thing Ilene knows how to read arrows. Look at those crazy navigation skills: “Waterfall is this way.”

Po 2km jsme motorku museli zaparkovat a zbyle kilasek dojit po svych. Ale ze to byl krpal jak svina! Aspon ze Ilene delala navigatorskou praci s presnosti svicarskych hodinek: “K vodopadu tudy…zavalela podle sipky.”

 

After few more meters, we knew we were on the right track when we saw this sign, complete with gigantic arrow. Way to go navigator Ilene.

Na prvni pohled chybi cestina – VODOPAD! Znaceni jsem ale i tak pochopili. Vse nasvedcovalo tomu, ze nas Ilene vede spravnym smerem.

 

 

 

Hurrrray! We made it! First sight of the waterfall. Check this beauty out…cant wait to go for a dip (because what you dont see in the picture is how bloody sweaty we are).

Konecne jsme u vodopadu. Uz jsme prestavali verit, ze se k nemu nekdy vysplhame. Tak hura do vody..spoceni jsme, ze se divim, ze to na te fotce neni videt.

 

 

 

 

 

It was dry season so there wasn’t much water. But who cares? We jumped in anyways (although the entire village below takes their drinking water from this source).

Bylo sucho, vody malo, ale i tak nam to malinkaty jezirko pod vodopadem stacilo. Vyrochnili jsme se v nem nehlede na to, ze odsud cela vesnice v udoli bere vodu (coz dokazoval system potrubi vedouci z kopce dolu).

 

 

 

 

My little mermaid Ilenie-Weenie (written by Peter). Although tunes of “under-the-sea” and “part of that world” did fill Ilene’s mind as she climbed onto that rock…

Moje mala morska vila Ilene.

 

 

 

 

Not another soul could be seen when we arrived to the waterfall. We were able to enjoy the peace and quiet and beauty that surrounded us. However, a fellow hiker conveniently arrived just in time to snap this shot.

Nadhernyho vyhledu, zvuku vodopadu a prijemne chladne a ciste vody jsme si uzili dosytosti. Romantiku ve dvou pak prekazil dalsi “sopkolezec”, co se k vodopadu vyskrabal. To uz nam ale nevadilo, alespon mel kdo nas vyfotit.

 

 

Ilene’s future career as a professional photographer and Peter’s as a professional ZEN garden designer.

Ze by Ilene udelala diru do fotgrafickyho prumyslu? Ja se pak asi dam na projektovani ZEN budhistickych zahrad.

 

 

 

 

You can see how much I love this photo taken by Ilene…as it became my cover picture on FB timeline! Beauty!

Moje nova cover fotka na Facebooku. Nadhera!

 

 

 

 

Love is around us <3

Laska je vsude kolem <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Descending back down from the waterfall. What a view! Ladies and gentlemen…Nicaragua!

Vyhled na jezero pri sestupu zpet do udoli. Dami a panove, tohle je Nicaragua!

 

 

 

 

How else would you transport bananas? Reminded us so much of Thailand and cutting grass for the elephants. Cool to see, however, the average speed was about 10mph…jeeeez.

Preprava bananu po Nikaragui. Hodne nam to pripomnelo, jak jsme pro slony v Thajsku vozili travu. Jeste ze jsme byli jen na dvou kolech a podarilo se nam ho rychle predjet…jel totiz rychlosti asi 15km/h.

 

 

Street art – Moyogalpa.

Poulicni umeni v Moyogalpe.

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 Kilo of Argentinian beef steak!!!! Hell YEAAAH…

(Before…)

1/2 kilovej argentiskej steak propecenej na medium. Kurva fandim!

(Pred…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

…After!

…Pote!

(no other comment needed / bez dalsiho komentare)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moyogalpa city street.

Centrum pristavniho mesta Moyogalpa.

 

 

 

 

 

Nicaragua…you sure are a magical vacation spot. Ilene wanted to squeeze this picture in before we board the ferry back.

Co je psano, to je dano…v Nikaragui jsme si opravdu uzili magickou dovolenou.

 

 

 

 

Boarding…along with all the oranges.

Nastup…i s hromadou pomerancu.

 

 

 

 

 

What the hell he was doing there, we’ll never know. It was 7am and the water was filthy and cold. Yuck!

Co tam kurna ten typek delal, to se asi uz nikdy nedozvime. Bylo 7 rano a ta voda byla nechutne spinava a studena.

 

 

 

 

Chillaxin’ … ready for the incredibly long bus ride back home.

Posledni relax na trajektu a priprava na nechutne dlouhou cestu zpet v autobuse.

 

 

 

 

Ilene’s photographic obsessions: close shots of flowers, setting sun, signs of all kinds … and … flags.

Ilene je fotografka posedla focenim: kytek hodne z blizka, zapajiciho slunce, napisu vseho druhu … a … vlajek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicaraguan 21st century taxi. Two bucks for a ride from one end of the town to the other one? Yes please.

Nakaragujske taxi aneb: Za dva dolace pres cele mesto. A reknu vam, ze jsem nevidel jedinyho taxikare s nadvahou .

 

 

 

 

 

 

An inspirational wall (lets try how good our Spanish is): “I can do big things with my life…that’s why I care. Preventing AIDS.

Tak schvalne, jestli se se svou spanelstinou s timhle napisem poperu (kdyztak me nekdo opravte): “V zivote muzu dokazat velke veci, proto davam pozor…Prevence proti AIDS.”

 

 

 

Market in Rivas…a lot of fresh produce and plastic crap. (and Ilene still hasn’t found a cute purse)

Trhy v Rivasu…spousta ovoce, zeleniny a plastovych cetek. (ani tady Ilene nenasla kabelku, co by se ji libila)

 

 

 

 

Sign that you see when entering USA: US border protection and security! (with a big picture of policeman holding a stop sign).

…entering Nicaragua…read on ->.

entering Costa Rica … a massive mural saying – Imperial…drink the national beer.

 

 

 

Home sweet home. Digging in the casados in Liberia.

Doma je doma. Neni nad to se po dlouhym vyletu pekne nacpat za par drobnych v nadrazce.

 

The Journey to Ometepe

Can you believe that it is already time for ANOTHER border run?!?! Yup, we’ve been here another 90 days, which means a total of 6 months! Wow, time flies. Read about our last border runs here http://obiandween.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/cestovani-se-straznymi-andeli-traveling-with-guardian-angels/ and http://obiandween.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/back-from-america-and-on-a-new-90-days/.

For this new 90-day tourist visa renewal, we decided to venture out to a Nicaraguan Island. Although we did want to spend our time in Panama (we’re gonna get there sometime), Nicaragua is much closer and cheaper. So, after approving our time off from work, packing our travel backpacks, and chopping all of our fruits and veggies before putting them in a tuberware, we set out for Isla de Ometepe on Friday morning. Our plan to catch the 6:00 am bus out of Potrero was short lived (who wants to wake up at 5:00 am on their day off?!?!). Instead, we rolled out of the house at 7:55 am and caught the 8:00 bus. After a short 40-minute ride to Belen, we changed buses and had just enough time for Ilene (and Peter) to pee before, luckily, hopping right onto the next bus to Liberia. It’s worth mentioning that no bus schedules were seen prior to our departure. Contrary to travel in other places, in Costa Rica (and we can imagine in all of Latin America), you don’t really need to plan ahead, you just get off one bus and catch another.

Our bus ride was easy: we ate our homemade lunch of cut fruits and avocado, as we buried our noses in our neighbor’s Nicaragua Guide book. All was well until the window curtain, powered by the massive winds outside, kept smacking me (Ilene) in the arm. It was so annoying!! After my failed attempts at tying the curtain (so I could prevent future smacking) I asked Peter if he would so kindly lend me his watch to hold the curtain back. That did just the trick!

We made it to the border town of Penas Blancas from Liberia in record time (only 1.5 hours), where we seamlessly received an exit passport stamp from the Costa Rica side. We proceeded to cross the boarder by heading into the most disjoined border crossing I’ve ever experienced!! Upon leaving Costa Rica, we spent a good 15 minutes walking through, what looked like a truck stop along I-35, before finding the Nicaraguan Immigration building. I swear, if Peter had not crossed this border 3 months ago, it would have taken us that much longer. There were abandoned trucks dotting the sides of the fences, random buildings not related to immigration, various duty- free shops, and countless people trying to “sell” you immigration forms. Seriously, three people walked up to us and told us we needed to pay them for our forms. They weren’t in uniforms; they didn’t have official badges…they just wanted to make a buck.

Luckily, we made our way through the obstacle course of a boarder-crossing. Before receiving our Nicaraguan stamp, however, we took another pit-stop. As I was searching for money for the bathroom, (my LEAST favorite thing about traveling: PAYING to use the bathroom. I swear, I’d be a hell-of-a-lot richer if I didn’t have to shell out money every time I needed to pee!)  Peter asked, “Do you have my watch?” “OH SHIT!” I responded, covering my mouth with disbelief, “We left it on the bus!”…After about a 10 minute hesitation on whether we should risk trying to cross back into Costa Rica (remember that 15 minute aimless walking we did to get to the Nicaraguan side?!?!), we decided to go for it in hopes of retrieving Peter’s watch. It still remains a mystery to us, how we managed to avoid the various check-points and security guards, and crossed back into the Costa Rican side, without question. And sure enough, had we waited five minutes more, the bus—complete with Peter’s watch—would have been on its way back to Liberia. But, hooray!! We saw the watch, so loyally holding the curtain back, and Peter climbed up to the window and safely secured his watch back on his wrist. Phew!

And then…Round 3 of the random concrete lot crossing to the Nica side, we paid our $13 and received our beloved Nicaraguan entrance stamp (with watch in tact). Next up, we bargained down at $25 cab ride for $12, and were on our way to the port of San Jorge. Along the 45-minute taxi ride, we were greeted into Nicaragua by a forest of wind power towers, rolling green-gold hills, and one long highway. Sure enough, as soon as we stepped out of that cab and onto the ferry dock, the ferry to the Island of Ometepe was about to depart. The angels of transportation must have been with us that day!

Although Ometepe looked like a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Nicaraguan mainland, it actually took us an hour and a half to get there. Most likely due to the insane waves found in Lake Cocibolca. This lake is actually the second largest in Latin America, but has almost everything it needs to be an ocean: waves, ocean-like storms, even sharks! But in the face of those massive waves, we managed to stay dry on the second level, and enjoy the views of the two volcanoes that make up the Isla de Ometepe: Concepcion and Maderas. Ometepe comes from the Nahuatl (indigenous peoples of Nicaragua) words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), and make up the largest volcanic island inside a fresh water lake in the world. For the entire 1.5 hour ferry ride, we took in the beauty of these two magical mountains—and took A LOT of pictures too

 

Cousin Leah Wuz Here!

**Please note, this is a long blog entry…I think, simply, it is because I was just so excited about their visit! Happy reading!**

Cousin Leah and her boyfriend Benji came for a quick 5-day visit down to Costa Rica at the beginning of February. Leah and I were gchatting (not while she was at work, obviously) a few months ago, and she admitted to a high need for a sun-filled va-ca: a chance to get away from the stress of work, city life, and the Northeastern cold. I suggested mi casa as the perfect spot for rest, relaxation, and tons of SUN. It all spiraled quickly from there; and shortly after, flights were booked—for her and Benji—and plans were set in motion.

In the days leading up to their arrival, Peter and I (unintentionally) managed to take full advantage of their free international luggage checking, with multiple purchases on amazon and ebay. Thank you online shopping! Can you blame us, though? We don’t even have a mailing address here in Costa Rica, so when Cousin Leah offered her transportation services, we gladly accepted. We were desperately in need of things like organic face wash and moisturizer, wireless speakers, guitar strings, and Peter searched for his favorite toothbrush (which, thank you to the country of Denmark, he found). And although they did bring an additional suitcase down with them, what made this deal so beneficial for both parties was that at the end of their trip, Leah and Benji had a whole suitcase empty and ready to fill with Costa Rican coffee—all 20 bags of it! Everything works out in Costa Rica in the end …

Cousin Leah and I held many a gchat convo to discuss wardrobe, activity itinerary, and pre-arrival logistics. Ecotrans (kinda like the Costa Rican Super Shuttle) was booked. As Peter and I live about an hour away from the Liberia airport, with no car, Ecotrans is the best way to get from there to nuestra casa—unless you want to take public transport, which will add about 3 extra hours onto your trip…

My excitement built as each day passed, one day closer to their coming. I counted down the days with my friends here, “only 4 days left until Cousin Leah is here!” Everyone was looking forward to her visit—either that, or they were ready for my countdown to finish already. And finally, the big day rolled around, and Leah and Benji were scheduled to land at 6:30 pm. We gave them about an hour to retrieve luggage, go through customs, and find their Ecotrans driver…plus another hour or so to make their way to Potrero.

With accurate approximation, 8:30 rolled around and a familiar face popped through the kitchen window, as a voice called out, “Ilene?” It was Benji, ensuring they had the right Villagio Flour del Pacifico (whoops, I forgot to tell them that there are three separate Villagio complexes!). A giant hug followed then I ran out the door to greet Cousin Leah!! After rolling the luggage in, we sat down to feed our hungry guests—you can really work up an appetite after traveling all day! And then the fun began…

Wednesday nights are “Ladies’ Night” at the only bar in Potrero, Las Brisas. From 10:00-11:00 pm, ladies have their choice of free rum and coke or vodka and juice. Ticos and gringos alike, from surrounding villages, travel each week to cash in on their fill of free liquor and get their salsa on! After enjoying a drink on the beach, Peter, Leah, Benji and I joined the overflowing group of (sweaty) people on the dance floor, as we attempted our best Latin moves. Luckily, Peter and I now had Benji’s Latin hips to model and we danced the night away. Well, really only until about 11:15…the free drinks were over and our visitors eyes were slowly beginning to close. At home, we said our “buenos nocheses” and were asleep before the stroke of midnight.

Thursday greeted us, as it always does, with beautiful sunshine and lots of wind (it’s the windy season now in Costa Rica). After a typical “Ilene and Peter” breakfast of eggs and breakfast potatoes, Leah, Benji and I headed to the fruit and vegetable market. Foreign to the sun now, Cousin Leah did an excellent job protecting her skin (aren’t you happy Uncle Mitchell?) and applied a heavy coat of sunscreen. Unfortunately, she forgot the tops of her feet and by the time we returned home an hour later, they were the shade of a bright lobster. One of the greatest things I find in traveling is witnessing how people live their lives, so showing the market to Leah and Benji was such a fun experience for me…it’s a part of our weekly life here: packing our backpacks full of fresh produce, chatting with the market owner, and sampling their latest patch of pineapple or watermelon. We loaded up our bags and 25 minutes later, we jumped in the pool at the Villagio to cool off!

Another part of daily life here are trips to Playa Danta: the beach where Peter works. I usually join him on his weekend shift, and spend the day swimming, eating delicious food at Lola’s or drinking gourmet coffee at Pura Vida Ride, so of course, I wanted to show Cousin Leah and Benji this little slice of heaven. Because Playa Danta lays three beaches up the coast from where we live, we were going to walk (or hopefully, hitch a ride) to get there. “Oh, it’s just a 40 minute walk. No worries.” I said. About 20 minutes in, Leah and Benji shot me looks of disbelief when I said we were actually only ¼ of the way there. So we visualized a car pulling over on the side of the road to pick us up, and thank you universe, immediately following, a couple from Canada stopped and said, “Do you guys need a ride?” “Yes, please!” and we gladly jumped into the comfortable, AC filled car and rode the rest of the way. As we traveled along, Leah said, “Are you kidding me Ilene? This is not a walk, this is a hike!”…whoops, I forgot to tell them about all of the massive hills we would have had to climb…

We spent the day lounging in giant hammocks, munching on ceviche, sipping on Imperials (Costa Rica’s national beer) and fruit smoothies, soaking up the sunrays and taking in sounds of the crashing waves. And they were huge waves! The tide was coming in, which made it perfect for body surfing, and Benji’s underwater camera entertained us all afternoon. Thankfully, Peter’s boss took us all home at the end of the day—we missed out on the second “hike” of the day.

On Friday, I bid Cousin Leah and Benji farewell as I went to work in the morning. They greeted me, upon my return, in the kitchen, preparing snacks for our afternoon venture out on a catamaran with all of our friends. (See our previous Catamaran bog entry to find out how magical they are here http://obiandween.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/dolphins-sea-turtles-and-fish-oh-my-plavime-se-s-delfiny/) We joined up with the rest of el groupo on Flamingo beach to board the Mantaray Catamaran. The next 4 ½ hours passed by slowly, as we made our way out to sea. Unfortunately, we did not see any dolphins this time, but we did see a swimming Peter! He got off of work early and swam to meet us as the Catamaran cruised passed Playa Danta. Go Peter, go! The afternoon brought a tranquilo (relaxed) spirit as we snacked on fresh cut pineapple and delicious guacamole, cooled off with Imperials, and absorbed the gorgeous Pacific Ocean around us. Watching the sunset, out on the water, is most definitely my favorite Costa Rican activity.

Greeting Peter after his big swim out to the Catamaran!

Saturday continued the adventures with surf lessons out on Playa Grande. Playa Grande is just that…GRANDE (big). And it’s perfect for surfing. Our friends Matt and Tash own a surf school, so they hooked us up with a group surf lesson (Happy birthday to Peter! This was his bday present from me…more on that in a future blog). Unfortunately, Benji came down with a horrible case of “heat poisoning” (AKA: dehydration) and ended up spending most of his day with his head between his knees. But for the other three of us, we got some awesome surf guidance, as Matt is the best surf instructor in town. Peter and I managed to go out past the break and surfed some grande waves, while Leah got up numerous times. By the end of the two hours, we were all exhausted and ready for that air-conditioned car ride back to Potrero.

Peter, exhausted after his birthday surf lesson

The remainder of Cousin Leah and Benji’s visit fulfilled their rest and relaxation requirements. We hit up the beach, had a BBQ bonfire by moonlight, and chilled by the pool. Their eyes on their Kindles, bodies in our hammock, and breaths deep and filled with fresh air, I believe they went away on Monday morning happy, sunned (well, a little sunburned), and recharged. Peter and I had so much fun sharing our lives and some great memories with them, and it made me especially grateful that my special Cousin Leah came all the way down to the land of the Ticos for a visit! We look forward to our next visitors—whoever they may be—and not just for your free international baggage

Benji, playing some tunes at the bonfire

SO happy they came to visit!!

 

Last Day To Help Support Abriendo Mentes!!!

Looking for a great way to shop responsibly? Shop for great items here and support Abriendo Mentes!

Abriendo Mentes is a community development initiative operating in rural Costa Rica.  Our mission is to offer innovative educational, social and technological programs to rural Costa Rican youth and adults in need, in an effort equip community members with the knowledge and resources needed to achieve a better standard of living and promote economic stability.

 Fresh Words Market is a social enterprise which carries a collection of modern art to inspire the masses, and a mission to help change the world.  For one week, Fresh Words Market has chosen Abriendo Mentes to receive 50% of all proceeds from purchases made here!  Fresh Words Market sells trendy and inspiring prints, cards, journals, and recycled art and loves supporting non-profits through their work. Fresh Words Market is not only a great place to shop for home décor, gifts, and more, but also a place to be socially responsible. Consider shopping here today!

Tuesday, February 7th, is the last day to take advantage of this awesome opportunity! Please consider supporting the work Peter and I (along with so many other wonderful volunteers!) do with Abriendo Mentes by shopping through this website.

PS: Even though both of these pictures are of us with the kids by computers, I promise we do more with them than just play computer games

 

Our First Visitors!

In English and Czech, for your reading pleasures.. / V cestine i anglictine, aby se dobre cetlo..

As many of you know, Peter and I met in Thailand at the end of December 2010. We spent an incredible two and a half weeks touring around the country, volunteering with majestic elephants, and teaching English to Thai high schoolers and Burmese refugee children. At the same time, we formed fast friendships with the other 65 Power of One program participants. Two extraordinarily special volunteers became particularly close with Peter and me: a couple from the Boston area, Jim and Julie. We practiced yoga together on the beach to greet the day, chatted about spirituality and healing, and shared nice, long walks around the Elephant Nature Park. And the friendship didn’t end with the program! Over the past year, I still kept in touch with both Jim and Julie–thanks to email, facebook, and skype.

So when, in November, Jim and Julie emailed about an interest in coming down to visit us in Costa Rica…I was beyond excited! We made plans for them to fly in on Christmas Eve and leave the day after New Years Day; to spend time with us on the beach, while also branching out to travel inland to the mountains and see Volcano Arenal on their own. Nothing gets me more pumped up than the idea of sharing this beautiful place with those I love…needless to say, I could hardly wait for our first visitors!

After a late night arrival and a horrible attempt at using google maps to get them from the airport to their hotel, we met the next day for a short hike to Playa Danta to meet Peter at work. We spent the day catching up, journaling, drinking delicious coffee, and taking in the gorgeous scenery. The next few days were filled with yoga, good food, beach time, and lots of story sharing mixed in with some great laughs! A prime example of some rolling-on-the-floor-laughing happened when Jim ordered the “seafood dish” at a local restaurant, Las Brisas. Nothing could have prepared us for the MASSIVE whole lobster and weird, unidentified tentacles displayed on his plate. We couldn’t help but laugh through Jim’s eating struggle–that was some battle!

Throughout all of the fun, one highlight of Jim and Julie’s visit definitely included our New Years Eve celebration. We packed up their rental car with some other Abriendo Mentes volunteers and trekked alllllll the way up Pacific Heights Road in Potrero, to join the rest of the gang at an AMAZING house that volunteer Caroline’s Dad rented. With views of the Pacific Ocean in the background, bringing in 2012 with food, drinks (including FRESH coconut water that Peter had collected earlier that day), and fireworks was definitely the way to go! Being that this marked the second New Years Eve in a row for Peter and I to spend with Jim and Julie, we declared it a tradition. Can’t wait to see where it brings us next year!

Another highlight included a New Years Day moonlight beach meditation on Playa Penca–one of Peter’s and my favorite beaches around. The four of us strolled along the water, tide coming in…and found a sweet little sand hill to rest. Hearing the crash of the waves, and each other’s deep breaths, we slowly slipped into a mediation. When I finally opened my eyes, the moonlight shining, and saw Jim and Peter playing in the water along the shore and Julie beside me, I felt an calmness in my heart and gratitude upon my face. What a way to start a new year!

On their last night, we sat around our kitchen table, drinking champagne from our “fine” china–AKA coffee mugs–and eating homemade guacamole and chips, and shared more stories and good laughs. Peter and I bid them farewell and look forward to seeing Jim and Julie again, somewhere in the world! And now, we patiently await our next visitors!! So book your flight now

* * *

Jak vetsina z vas dobre vi, s Ilene jsme se poprve potkali v Thajsku, v prosinci roku 2010. Uzili jsme si tam krasne tri tydny nabyte cestovanim, staranim se o slony a ucenim anglictiny a zaroven ziskali spoutu novych pratel ze vsech moznych koutu sveta. Nektere z tech pratel uz davno oval cas, jini nam vsak zustali blizci o po nasem rozlouceni v Thajsku – jako treba Jim a Julie. Neni divu ze prave s timto parem z Bostonu jsme se udrzeli v kontaktu – vzdyt jsme tam spolu stravili tolik casu cvicenim jogy v casnych ranich hodinach, diskusema o byti a nebyti, prochazkama ve slonim parku a nas pobyt jsme to zakoncili paradni party na strese bankokskeho nobl hotelu (do ktereho mi tenkrat byl umoznen vstup az pote, co jsem si od poulicniho prodavace koupil par cernych kecek).

Takze kdyz nam v listopadu poslali email, ze by se radi podivali do Kostariky, s nadsenim jsme souhlasili, ze se staneme jejich hostiteli a pruvodci. Prilet si naplanovali na vanocni den a odlet pak na par dni po silvestru – casu tak akorat na to stravit par dni na plazi a zajet se podivat do sopecne oblasti Arenalu. Ilene div ze nestrihala metr do doby, nez meli oba priletet.

Jejich letadlo dosedlo na letiste v Liberii v 25. prosince v pozdnich hodinach a po nekolika marnych pokusech pouzit GPS navigaci se tak dostali do sveho hotelu az nekdy pred pulnoci. Nebylo divu, ze dalsi den se jim zachtelo vyspavat a misto snidani zacit den az obedem a tak jsme se vsichni potkali az v odpolednich hodinach u me v praci, na plazi, ktera byla od jejich hotelu vzdalena pouze asi 10 minut chuze. Nekolik pristich dni pak stravili dovypravovanim si pribehu z Thajska, pitim vynikajiciho kostarickyho kafe, cvicenim jogy a pojidanim kostarickych delikates. Od srdce jsme se zasmali, kdyz v jedne z mistnich restauraci prinesli Jimovy jeho objednavku – pokrm z morskych plodu – ktere vsak vypadaly stale jako zive. Dlouha humri tykadla trcici z jeho talire a jeho zdeseny vyraz, nemohl na nasich tvarich vykouzlit nic jineho nez velky usmev.

Jednim z vrcholu jejich pobytu se pak stala nase oslava noveho roku, ktera probehla v luxusni vile v kopcich Potrera, kterou pro sebe a vsechny dobrovolniky z AM pronajal Carolinin tata. S vyhledem slunce zapadajici kdesi v Pacifickem oceanu, popijejic vodu z cerstve natrhanych kokosu jsme si uzivali oslavu noveho roku spolecne – uz podruhe v rade. Uz je to asi tradice, rikali jsme si, kdyz jsme sledovali ohnostroje zarici na Flamingem a zaroven premysleli, kde se na silvestra potkame pristi rok.

Prvni lednovy den, ktery je zaroven mym a Ileninym vyrocim, byl jejich dnem poslednim. Ja stravil jeho vetsinu v praci a tak kdyz jsme se konecne dostal domu, uz nezbyla sila na nic jineho, nez na nocni prochazku po nasi oblibene plazi a na kratkou meditaci, kterou ale nakonec pomerne brutalne prerusil vsudypritomny otravny nocni hmyz, ktery z buhvijakyho duvodu na Ilene nejde. Alespon ze ty hvezdy nad hlavou, jasne svitici mesic a sumici ocean nam tu novorocni vychazu zprijemnily.

Kdyz nas pak Jim a Julie dovezli v jejich vypujcenem aute k nasemu skromnemu pribytku, bylo jasne, ze jeste neni cas se loucit. Pozvali jsem je jeste naposled posedet a dopovidat jeste posledni zbytky pribehu – to vse pri sklence sampanskeho z naseho tchai-wanskeho porcelanoveho servisu, pojidajic cerstve “gvakamoli” s chipsama (nebot nic jineho v nasi lednicce nebylo).No a pote uz byl cas se zase rozloucit, poprat jim stastnou a bezpecnou cestu a tesit se na nase dalsi setkani. Jim a Julie byli nasimi prvnimi hosty a my uz se nemuzeme dockat na dasli varku – tak si koukejte KOUPIT LETENKU!

-Ilene

 

Back from America and on a New 90 Days

When entering Costa Rica on a tourist visa, one receives up to 90 days of travel time before departing the Pura Vida homeland. Unlike many countries (eh-chemmm, the USA), the number of times one can be in Costa Rica on a 90-day tourist visa is basically unlimited. So unlimited, in fact, that Peter and I have heard of local expats in our area who have been living in Costa Rica on these tourist visas for 30 years! The only catch is, before your visa expires, you must leave the country for 72 hours. After that, you’re in the clear for a new 90 days of swimming in the ocean, hiking in the rain forest, or relaxing in a hammock with a banana in one hand and a book in the other.

As Peter and I arrived on September 26th, we therefore had to leave the country for our 72-hour-stint on or before December 25th. Hopefully you were able to read about Peter’s “border run” (a local term for the 72 hours a person has to leave to get a new visa stamp)…his amazing adventures, lead by his guardian angels, to Nicaragua. If not, check it out here: http://obiandween.wordpress.com/2011/12/  As for me, I used the other half of our round-trip ticket, Dallas-San Jose, and headed to the U S of A for some family and friend time.

Although arriving into San Jose and journeying the 7 hour bus ride up to Potrero just 3 months ago was seamless, my trip back to San Jose was quite a long-winded tour. Because we live in the middle of rural Costa Rica, the few public buses that head to the big city book up fairly quickly; that was just the case for me. So instead of jumping on a late night bus out of Potrero to catch my 2:00 AM flight back to the States, I (luckily) booked a last minute seat on Ecotrans (like the Costa Rican Super Shuttle) to get me to the San Jose International Airport. The only bad thing about this: I was picked up at 2:00 pm and arrived to the airport at 7:00 pm. It wasn’t the 5 hour ride that was painful…it was the 7 HOUR wait at el aeropuerto!! Of course everything was closed, there was no internet connection, I didn’t sleep for fear of missing my flight…so I waited…and waited…and waited…and became increasingly delirious as the hours passed by. I could NOT wait to board that plane at 2:00 AM. But, in the end, as I always say, “as long as we get there safely, it doesn’t matter”…however, from here on out, I vow to NEVER fly out of San Jose at 2:00 am again! For those of you considering taking a trip down to visit us, I HIGHLY recommend flying into Liberia, which is an airport a short 1.5 hours away from Potrero

When I landed in Ft. Lauderdale and went through Customs, I noticed some very interesting things about America. Now, I’m not saying that other countries are better than the US, and I’m not saying that the reverse is true either…because countries are like people: no one is perfect. Rather, I’m just commenting on a few differences I’ve come across over my travels–and specifically, what I noticed on this trip back State-side. So, I landed in Florida and what’s the first thing you want to do when you get off the plane? Pee!!!!…Obviously (and especially if you are me or Elisa Solomon) because you’re not allowed to leave your seat for the last 45 minutes of the flight because the seat-belt sign is on and you really, really, really gotta go!! But, when I got off that plane in Florida, there was no bathroom in sight! Not one, in fact, until you wait an extra 45 minutes to get that passport stamped. UHH… But I ask you to compare that to Heathrow Airport in London, which has, seriously, 75 bathrooms lining the hallways from the airplane to Customs. Now tell me, which is better for your bladder?!?!

And another difference I noticed: when we landed in Costa Rica, the first thing you see when you step off that jetway is a massive mural of the rain forest with the words, “Imperial. Drink the National Beer.” painted in bright, yellow letters. How inviting, no? But what did I see in the US? A boring gray and white sign with a policeman with a stick that says, “US Customs and Border Protection”…apparently, we’ve got a different way to “welcome” our guests in America…

It’s interesting to mention, that I not only saw differences in my airport surroundings, but also in the way I spent my days in America: jammed-packed! Peter and I are used to going to bed at 9:30-10:00…11:00 at the latest in Costa Rica, with a few leisurely strolls down the beach or a sunset viewing; being back in America, I jumped right back into the old routine of waking up at 7:30 am and going to bed at 2:00 am. I drank more coffee (obviously, because I barely slept), I ate the majority of my meals out–compared to the 1 meal a week that Peter and I treat ourselves to at a restaurant, and I hate to admit it, but I texted while I drove (we can’t exactly do that while riding our bike in Potrero)….yikes! How quickly I got sucked into the fast-paced/multi-tasking/non-stop life!! I’m wondering now if this is not the new “American Way.”

But a funny difference: In Costa Rica, the plumbing system is pretty simple…in other words, nothing goes down the toilet that isn’t organic–no paper, no tampons, no nothing…that all goes in the trash can. So I must have, seriously, spent the first half of my time in America, reaching for the trash can, only to realize that everything’s bigger in the States–even the toilet stream.

On the bright side, over the 10 days that I was in America, I visited Dallas, Austin, and Oklahoma City where I got to see (almost) everyone that I wanted to see. My time there was filled with lunch dates, dinner dates, coffee dates, birthday celebrations, yoga classes at my favorite yoga studio in the world (Dharma Yoga), Hanukkah celebrations with the Rozins AND the Solomons, and of course shopping for the various millions of things on the list Peter and I created entitled “Stuff To Bring Back From the US” including all of the things we wish we had but are too expensive to buy in Costa Rica (another plus for the States: you can seriously buy ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you can possibly imagine. And, at times, I actually felt overwhelmed by all of the choices. Capitalism at its best/worst)…like: olive oil, organic shampoos and conditioners, tampons, razor blades, gluten-free flour, small tool set, gum, cold medicine, etc. etc….a total amount of stuff worthy of another suitcase (don’t forget, I also had to bring back all of Peter’s and my Hanukkah and Christmas presents…don’t judge )!

But when the 10 days were all said and done, I was extremely excited to get back home to the slow-pura-vida-pace-of-life, beaches, and warm weather in Costa Rica and to Peter. Needless to say, I booked my one-way ticket from Austin to LIBERIA…and, after getting my new 90 day tourist visa stamp and greeting Peter at the airport, it only took us 4 hours on the public buses to get home this time!

 

How to Find Work in a Foreign Country… / Jak najit praci v Kostarice

In English and Czech for your reading pleasures..  /  V češtině i angličtině, aby se dobře četlo..

…move there.

Seriously. Especially if you’re not connected to some huge international corporation that is going to cover your relocation costs, your best bet in finding work in a foreign country is to move there. Forget about finding a job over the internet or through an agency – the only thing you’ll get are ulcers. So take a deep breath and dive in.

Before arriving to Costa Rica, Peter and I must have spent 40 + hours researching websites, reading blog posts, and thumbing through our Lonely Planet on how to find jobs in Costa Rica. Obviously, our time here is not a vacation (couldn’t you tell?), rather, we had to find ways to provide for our basic needs, and hopefully, to save up for future travel. Time after time, however, we ran into the same advice: just go to Costa Rica and you’ll find something. But how logical is that to a Westernized mind? Not very. We (especially me) were conditioned to believe that you can only find work BEFORE moving someplace new…or that you had to have a plan in order before embarking on a huge life change as moving to another country. Needless to say, it was very difficult for us to answer our friends’ and families’ questions of: “How are you going to make money?” “What will you do there?” “How are you going to get a job if you’re not legal?”, etc. etc. All I really wanted to say was, “How the hell am I supposed to know? I’m not there yet!”

I mean, we did have some plan: we knew which city we were going to (Potrero), we hooked up with a local nonprofit there called Abriendo Mentes to volunteer teaching English to Tico kiddos, and we had our plane tickets booked (and a return flight, just in case…), but other than that, we had no clue what these past 3 months had in store, and how we were going to support ourselves financially once our limited savings ran out.

For the first month and a half, we dove right into volunteering with Abriendo Mentes, finding our way around the area, exploring Potrero, getting settled in our apartment, and making friends. We even managed to take a few trips with some of the other volunteers and just the two of us. It wasn’t until the end of October, though, when we checked our bank accounts and we (or really just me …) started freaking out about money…although I had about twice as much than Peter.

And all of those voices and questions came back….”How are you going to make money?”….and they were LOUD!

As my Mom always says:”It always works out in the end and if it hasn’t worked out yet, it is not the end,” and so the Abriendo Mentes director sent my resume off to the director of a private, international, bilingual school called La Paz (The Peace School) in the next town over. They, apparently, were looking for a 1st grade teaching assistant! The interview went well and I was immediately offered the job and asked to start the following week. Even better…during the interview, the director, Abel, asked me about how I got down to Costa Rica. So I told him the story of me and Peter (if you haven’t read it, check out the blog “Ok, so we’re in Costa Rica, now what?” http://obiandween.wordpress.com/2011/10/ ) and he asked if Peter had found a job yet. “Not yet,” I responded. “Well, I have a couple of friends with a company who are looking to hire an outdoor adventure tour guide,” said Abel, “have Peter send me his resume and I’ll pass it onto them.” I could barely hide my enthusiasm!! When I returned home that afternoon, I shared the good news with Peter, and his eyes beamed with excitement: “Outdoor adventure tour guide?!?!” Music to his ears.

So within a week, Peter and I were both employed. That next Monday, we set the alarm clock for 6:00 am instead of 10:00 am…had breakfast together, and set off in opposite directions: me for La Paz http://www.lapazschool.org/ to the 1st grade classroom, and Peter, to Pura Vida Ride http://www.puravidaride.com/ where the beach was his new office.

And, gratefully, that’s how you find work in a foreign country.

* * *

…přestěhujte se sem.

Né, vážně se ze všeho nejdřív přestěhujte – zvlášť pokud v zhraničí nemáte spojence v podobě již zaběhnutých kamarádů nebo velké mezinárodní firmy – vaše šance se dramaticky zvýší! Zapomeňte že k práci příjdete na internetu nebo přes agenturu – to dřív příjdete k žaludečním vředům. Takže hluboký nádech a po hlavě do toho!

Kéž bychom tuhle radu mohli sami sobě dát před několika měsíci, kdy jsme trávili dlouhé hodiny prohledáváním internetu, čtením diskusí a listováním v Lonely Planet. Čas od času jsem sice narazili v diskuzi na nějakýho chytráka co radil, že nejlepší je se sem přestěhovat a až pak shánět práci, ale ta otázka, co do našich mozků tak hluboko zasadila západní civilizace se opakovala jako mantra a volala: “Z čeho tam chcete žít, než tu práci seženete?…To může trvat strašně dlouho!” Já tuhle mantru se svým svobodným přístupem k životu ještě přešel…ne už tak Ilene. Jen těžko se jí vysvětlovalo rodičům a dokonce i kamarádům, že tu nezahyneme bídou a že si nějakou tu práci opatříme a to i když je to v podstatě nelegální. Naším jediným esem v rukávu byla silná víra v sami sebe.

Alespoň trochu pevné půdy pod nohama jsem získali poté, co jsme se nakontaktovali na neziskovou organizaci Abriendo Mentes v malém městečku na pobřeží Pacifiku zvaném Potrero. Budeme bezplatně učit děti angličtinu byl tehdy náš plán, nad kterým mnozí z našich blízkých jen nevěřícně kroutili hlavou a div že nevsázeli na to, za jak dlouho nám dojdou peníze a s nepořízenou se vrátíme. Letenku jsem si koupili zpáteční, přesto jsme ale stále věřili.

První měsíc a půl, to se nám to tu pískalo – hned jsme se ponořili do dobrovolničení, sehnali si byt, seznámili se s okolím (zvláště se slunnými plážemi) a vybudovali si komunitu přátel a známých. Dokonce jsem zvládli i pár výletů do jiných koutů Kostariky, které jsme hravě zamázli z peněz, které jsme si s sebou přivezli. Když jsme ale v půli října zkontrolovali svoje bankovní účty, opět jsme znejistěli (oprava…pouze já jsem znejistěl, Ilene začala opravdu vyšilovat a to i přesto, že měla naspořeno asi 2x tolik co já).

Mantra našich rodičů a kamarádů se tak zase vrátila a byla silnější než kdy dřív: “Jak tu chcete přežít?”, ptala se dokola.

A právě ve chvíli, když jsme se začínali ptát jeden druhého a i sami sebe, zdali ještě máme tu víru, přišla záchrana. Jak vtipně říká Ilene máma: “Všechno se vždycky nakonec vyřeší…a pokud se to nevyřešilo, ještě to není konec!,” a tak během několika dnů ředitelka naší neziskovky posílala Ilenin životopis do místní mezinárodní školy zvané La Paz poté, co si ji na ředitelství doslova vymodlila učitelka první třídy, která se s ní seznámila u nás doma na párty. Pohovor už byl pro Ilene víceméně jen formalitou a po jeho skončení byla okamžitě přijata na místo asistentky učitelky první třídy. Že to byla trefa do černého se potvrdilo hned v zápětí! Na konci pohovoru se totiž ředitel školy, Abel, ještě Ilene vyptával, co že jí to vlastně do Kostariky přivedlo a ta mu vzápětí vylíčila celý náš příběh (který si mimochodem můžete přečíst tady: http://obiandween.wordpress.com/2011/10/). “A Peter už si práci sehnal?” ptal se zvědavě Abel. “Ne, stále hledá,” odpověděla Ilene. “Hmmmm, vkaž mu, ať mi pošle životopis. Mám tu pár známých, kteří pro svou firmu hledají outdoorového instruktora,” zakončil Abel pohovor. Jen těžko se Ilene skrývalo nadšení. Když pak přišla domů a o dobré zprávy se podělila se mnou, propukli veliké oslavy. “Outdoorový instruktor?” mé srdce začalo tlouct dvakrát tak rychle.

No a jak to celé dopadlo? Příští pondělí jsme si budík místo na 10 nařídili na 6 ráno, posnídali spolu a vydali se oba z Potrera každý na opačnou stranu – Ilene do první třídy v LaPaz http://www.lapazschool.org/, a já do Pura Vida Ride http://www.puravidaride.com/, kde se překrásná pláž Danta stala mou kanceláří.

Takže to je jeden ze způsobů, jak v zahraničí sehnat práci

Welocme to my office

Ilene with her 1st graders at La Paz

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah / Vesele Vanoce a Stastnouch Chanuku

Happy holidays everyone!!!

As it is New Years Eve, we hope you take some time to reflect on this past year…and set intentions for the next. Over the last few days, we have been doing just that–and my, what a year it has been! We believe next year will be just as wonderful and adventurous!

To celebrate our first Hanukkah and Christmas together, we shared the traditions, customs, and memories unique to our childhoods and upbringings: as Christmas Day in the Czech Republic is on Dec. 24th, we celebrated in full force last Saturday. A traditional Czech Christmas dinner complete with fish and potato salad adorned our table…and per custom, we weren’t allowed to leave the table until everyone was finished eating! And for dessert? Gelt.

The Hanukkah celebration continued our festivities…and we lit the candles as Debbie Friedman’s (RIP) “I am a Latke” song played in the background (thanks YouTube). Our Christmas tree–a wine bottle covered in snowman wrapping paper with branches of palm trees dressed in red & gold Costa Rican ornaments (only $1.50)–served as a beautiful centerpiece, just adjacent to our lively game of dreidel. Peter’s comment, “Jews love to gamble” made me laugh as I went over the game rules.

Please feel free to check out our Holiday Pics in the gallery below. Note: we took a day trip to Santa Cruz with our neighbor Caroline and her boyfriend’s sister to buy last minute Christmas gifts, food, and decorations. Santa Cruz is (the biggest) town about an hour away…and is a place where the locals do most of their shopping at the beginning of the month. Santa Cruz shopping day is MAJOR here–the locals get dressed up and everything! So we felt pretty lucky that we had an impromptu trip there! By the time we left Santa Cruz, however, we felt like Santa Clause/Baby Jesus (Czechs don’t have the big fat man….it’s Baby Jesus who brings their gifts) with all of the stuff that we had in the car!

We had a blast sharing and teaching the other…we’re looking forward to spending many more holidays together! Next year, maybe you’ll come celebrate with us?

Lots of love and light for a wonderful new year filled with peace, love, and contentment! May you all follow your hearts!

-Peter and Ilene

* * *

other text

Happy holidays from Costa Rica

A fine assortment of holiday goods

Christmas shopping spree in Santa Cruz

Where else would you buy fish, but in a back of a truck?

Delivery service.

Santa’s little elf

Santa Clause’s coming to town … or is it Jezisek from the Czech Republic?

Ilene’s first Christmas – decorating our tree

Union of cultures – our table ready for Christmas and Hanukkah

Peek-a-boo / Kuk!

My latest woodwork became Ilene’s gift

Christmas gift in action!

 

Cestování se strážnými anděli / Traveling with guardian angels

Po krásných tšech měsících stráveých v Kostarice na pobřeží pacifiku s mou krásnou přítulkyní byl čas sbalit krosnu a na 72 hodin opustit zemi pro obnovení víz – tak tomu velí zákon. No a protože má bankovní konta se stále ještě vzpamatovávají z dluhů, které jsem jim v minulosti uštědřil, nenasedl jsem na letadlo do Spojených Států, jak jsme původně s Ilene plánovali, ale místo toho jsem zvolil podstatně levnější variantu – autobusovou cestu do sousední Nikaragui.

Vyrazil jsem tedy, jak už to bývá mým zvykem, s heslem “Žádný plán, dobrý plán.” Že cesta to bude dobrodruzná naznačil už začátek, když jsem v pondělí v 9:30 v Potreru marně vyhlížel autobus do Liberie, který bohužel existuje pouze v jízdním řádu, ne tak ve skutečnosti. Ale jak už to v mém životě chodí, opět jsem se mohl spolehnout na vesmírnou sílu a mé strážné anděly, které mí přátelé nazývají tak důvěrně: “Zkurvená Vobhlídalova klika.” Jak jsem tak seděl na patníku a přemítal, jak se dostat do Liberie, zrovna okolo projížděl nás soused Lester a povídá: “Odsud nic do Liberie nejezdí, pojď, hodím tě do Flaminga.”

Flamingo je od Potrera asi jen 10 minut, potřeboval jsem se dostat dál! Na doporučení místní paní prodavačky jsem se rozhodl jsem se vyčkat na příjezd autobusu, který mě měl vzít do Belenu – města kudy autobusy do Liberie projíždí. Zároveň jsem se ale rozhodl znovu pokusit štěstěnu a s nápisem Liberia jsem vystrčil palec na silnici. A ono to znovu fungovalo. Zastavil mi Matt, jeden znamy z práce…že sice do Belenu nejede, ale že mě hodí do Huacas na půli cesty. “Každý kilometr dobrý”, říkám si a už jsem se zase vezl.

Sotva jsem v Huacas stacil vystoupit už vidím autobus do Belenu. A tak rychel spěchám, přebíhám silnici, platím symbolických 600 Colonů a zase se vezu.  O tom, že jsem si to toho dne líp načasovat nemohl, svědčí můj další přestup v Belenu – vystoupit, přejít silnici a nastoupit do autobusu do Libérie.

Konečně v Libérii a zase klika – autobus na hranice s Nikaraguou odjíždí ze stejné stanice. “Paráda”, libuju si, vyměňuju pár colonů za cordoby (nikaragujska měna) a už zase sedím v autobuse.

Po 4 hodinách jsem konečně na hraničním přechodu. Dostávám razítko, platím přechod a po svých zdolávám kostaricko-nikaragujskou hranici. V informačním centru se ptám po autobuse do Granady načež mi paní oznámí, že odsud žádný přímý autobus do Granady nejezdí. Musím prý do Rivasu a tam přesednout a poslední autobus do Rivasu už odjel. Tomu se však ani mým strážným andělům nechce věřit. Ani nevím odkud se vzal, najednou ke mě z hloučku lidí a taxikářů, kteří mi nabízeli odvoz, vyskočil klučina, chytl mě za ruku a povídá: “Autobus, Granada.” S troskou nedůvěry jsem ho následoval ale když mě přece jen dovedl k autobusu, uklidnil jsem se. I pan řidič povídal Granada a prodal mi lístek za $3. Byl jsem moc zvědvý, kde tu noc skončím!

Během třech zastávek se autobus naplnil tak, že jsem přes ten dav lidí už neviděl na dopravní značky a tak jsem prostě jen věřil, že do Granady opravdu dojedeme. Celou cestu jsem pozorně napínaj uši ke všem těm španělským hlášením, z nichž jsem bohužel většině nerozumněl. Čemu jsem ale rozumněl dobře bylo, když řidič i jeho pomocník průvodčí najednou zastavili, otevřeli zadní dveře (netypicky v zadní stěně autobusu) a začali křičet: “Granada, Granada.” Popadl jsem krosnu a stejně asi jako dalších 15 lidí se prodral ven. Tam jeden z Nikaragujcu mou krosnu vzal a hodil ji do autobusu, co zastavil za námi. Netrvalo mi dlouho abych pochopil, ze jsem se stal účastníkem něčeho, co by se dalo nazvat – přestup za jízdy – a ten autobus, ve kterým jsem seděl jel přesně tam, kam jsem potřeboval. Ta paní na hranicích měla pravdu – přímá linka do Granady nejezdí. Já jsem se tam ale přeci jen dostal!

* * *

After three beautiful moths in Costa Rica spent with my beautiful girlfriend, we had to travel out for 72 hours in order to get our visas renewed – as the law requests. And since my bank accounts are still overdrawn, I didn’t get on a plane with Ilene as we planed but chose much cheaper way – a bus ride to Nicaragua.

As always, I set off with no travel plans what so ever, in order to make it as adventurous as possible. And that it’s really gonna be adventurous I found out right in the morning when I was vainly waiting for a bus to Libera in Potrero. Gladly, I have my guardian angels (which my friends call “Peter’s bloody luck”) so while I was sitting on a kerb trying to catch a free wifi and figure out my next step, Lester, our friend that was driving by, stopped and told me: “There is no bus from here to Liberia but I can take you to Flamingo if you want.”

Flamingo is only 10 min from Potrero…I needed to get much further that day. I decided to take a piece of advice I got in a local store and wait for a bus which was supposed to take me to Belen – small town that the buses to Liberia go through. “But why not to try my luck again” did I say to myself, made a sign saying “LIBERIA” and stuck my thumb out. And it worked! Matt, a friend from work stopped saying that he wasnt going to Belen but he could take me to Huacas. “Every kilometer counts” i thought and jumped in his car.

I have not even slammed the car’s door yet when I saw a bus to Belen. Running into its door I took some money out of my wallet, payed for the first time that day – 600 Colones and I carried on in my adventure. “The timing could not had been better” did I think to myself again in Belen – we stopped, I got off the bus, saw a bus to Liberia arriving, crossed the street and got on.

Liberia, finally! I made it safe and sound in just 2 hours. I new that my guardian angels were still with me, because when we stopped at the station, the bus to the Nicaraguan border I needed to catch was right next to us.

After 4 hours of car and bus rides I finally made it to the border. Crossing was so easy and the $12 fee became the most expensive thing I had to pay that day. When I got to Nicaragua, I went to an information center to ask if there was a bus to Granada. “Unfortunately, there is no direct bus to Granada. You have to go to Rivas and change there but the last bus to Rivas has already left” did the lady behind the counter tell me.” But neither me nor my guardian angels could believe that. So all of the sudden, when I was looking for a ride to Granada talking to all the taxi drivers there, there was a little Nico guy who jumped out of the crowd, caught my hand and saying “Autobus, Granada” he was leading me somewhere. My level of trust increased dramatically when I saw that he was really taking me to a bus. The bus driver confirmed that he will take me to Granada and sold me a ticket for $3. I was so curious where I was gonna end up that day.

It only took 3 bus stops to fill the bus up completely. Due to the crowd, I stopped being able to watch the signs and I could only trust, that we were really going to Granada. I was trying to listen carefully all the ticket inspector’s Spanish announcements…but I understood nothing. But luckily, I did understand when the bus stopped, opened the back door (located untypically on the back wall) and started to scream: “Granada, Granada.” I grabbed my backpack and jumped out with another 15 people. When I got out, a Nico guy took my backpack and threw it in a bus that stopped behind us. It didnt take me long to figure out that I got into something that could be called “Quick Nica bus switch” and the new bus where I found myself sitting was heading exactly where I needed to go. The lady at the border was right – there is no direct bus to Granada. But that night, with all my guardian angels, I got there!

“Automatic doors” in my hotel

Anoter fast food – Chuncha con Yuca – Muy rico!

Nica fast food kitchen

Tones of rubbish in the river. Not once did I see someone just throwing ribbish on the street

Nica Coffee shop

Nica Electroworld

Nica butchers – still feeling sick remembering that smell

Nica barbecue

Unbelievable how much rice the guy could carry on his head

Lots of buildings are pretty old

Nicaragua is like a mix of 17th and 20th century

I wish I had a bike like this when I was little

Funny seeing these carriages trying to dodge the cars

Nicaraguan tyres

 

 

Dolphins, Sea Turtles, and Fish…Oh My / Plavíme se s delfíny

This past Thursday afternoon the entire Abriendo Mentes volunteer crew went all aboard the Manta Ray Catamaran to celebrate the end of another successful year of English classes and empowering the local community.

It all began when the group brainstormed ideas for our End-Of-The-Year-Party at a recent volunteer meeting. “We can do a sailboat or a catamaran,” Meradith suggested…”I can make a few calls and we can get a really good deal on either.” The rest of us looked at each other with faces of astonishment “Umm…are you kidding? We’d be happy with either!!!” So we made the necessary arrangements with our friend Kender, who works on the Manta Ray Catamaran, and booked it for the sunset tour.

That day, we loaded up on snacks, beverages, sunscreen and good music, and set off to cruise around for the next four hours. The waters were calm, the breeze was gentle, and the sun rays warmed us as we left Flamingo Beach. Peter and I got comfortable on one of the cushion pillows at the front of the boat. I turned to Peter and said, “I’d really love to see some dolphins today.” We knew that dolphins are frequent visitors in the waters near Potrero, but little did we know we would only have to wait half an hour for our wish to come true! We were jammin’ out to the Jackon 5′s ABC, when all-of-a-sudden, out in the distance, we saw four dolphins and one baby dolphin flipping, doing tricks, and just playing around!!! The entire weight of the catamaran shifted as we all edged closer port side to get a good look. The next thing we know, the dolphins surrounded our boat, and swam next to us…literally within a foot of us and some even right underneath the front of the catamaran!! Cameras flashed, voices shrieked and squealed with joy, and our hearts melted! Who needs Sea World when you can see dolphins, happily playing in the wild?!?!

After about 20 minutes of dolphin fun, we anchored near Honeymoon Beach–a privately owned, super secluded tiny strip of sand. There we swam, watched millions of hermit crabs migrating in their sea shell homes, and two huge turtle nests. Then Peter set out to snorkel. With the help of his trusty scuba mask, he saw millions of tiny colorful fish, an eel the length of his arm span, a massive sting ray, and a playful puffer fish (think “Finding Nemo”). Kender, the “Sea Life Whisperer” befriended a cute little sea turtle, who let us all touch him.

As the sun began to set over the Pacific Ocean, we found our way back out on the open waters. I think I can speak for the entire group, when I say that we felt overwhelmed with gratitude. Not only for acknowledging the present moment complete with gorgeous sunset and One Republic’s Good Life song playing in the background http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEpEeAPwdgs but also for reflecting on the friendships we have made, the people’s lives we have touched, and our own individual growth over the last few months together.

Dolphins supposedly symbolize things like playfulness, gentleness, friendship, generosity, power, transcendence, and contentment…and in that moment, on that catamaran, we were all of those things.

* * *

Česká verze

Poslední čtvrtek jsme se s celou naší partou dobrovolníků z Abriendo Mentes rozhodli oslavit úspěšný, právě skončený semestr a odměnit se za dobrou práci vyjížďkou na katamaránu Manta Rey.

Tenhle “bohový” nápad se zrodil v hlave Meridith, když jsme se naposledy sešli na našem pravidelném týdením brainstormingu. “Můžem si třeba pronajmout loď nebo katamarán,” navrhovala s úsměvem na tváři, “bude nás to stát jen pár telefonátů.” Že z těchhle dvou možností nejde vybrat špatně jsme všichni věděli, ale katamarán zněl přece jen o fous líp. Za několik malo minut byla vyjížďka při západu slunce domluvena – hlavně díky Kenderovi – našemu kamarádovi z Potrera, který právě na jednom z takových plavidel pracuje.

Další den, krátce po poledni, jsme se tak všichni sešli v přístavu vybavení všemoznými dobrotami, pivem a limčou, dobrou muzikou a opalovacím krémem a na čtyři hodiny se vydalibrázdit pobřeží Tichého oceánu. Hladina byla klidná a lesklá jak zrcadlo, mírný vánek jen zlehounka napínal plachty a paprsky slunce ohřívali vše, na čem spočinul jejich svit. Všichni jsme okamžitě zapadli do pohodlných lehátek na přídi vychutnávajíce si tu nirvánu. “To by byla paráda, kdybysme dneska viděli delfíny”, povídá mi z ničeho nic Ilene, jako by snad té nádhery ještě nebylo dost. Věděli jsme, že v místních vodách je těchhle úžasných inteligentních mořských tvorů dostatek. Co jsme však nevěděli bylo, že za ani ne třicet minut nás skupinka asi patnácti z nich poctí svým doprovodem. Uz ani nevím, kdo je spatřil první. S čímsi výkřikem “delfíni!” jsme se všichni okamžitě nahrnuli na pravobok a sledovali úchvatnou podívanou jež nám příroda přichystala. Jeden mladý delfín, jako by se snad chtěl předvést, párkrát zakroužil ve vodě a vyskočil nad vodní hladinu, což jsme okamžitě ocenili hlasitým pískotem i potleskem – ten však delfína nechal ledově klidného. Ale to uz se jich kolem našeho katamaránu motalo na patnáct a všichni sametově šedí, nám na dosah ruky. Zážitek to byl stejně silný jako starat se o slony v Thajsku.

Delíni nám po nějakých dvaceti minutách zamávali na schledanou a my pomalu připluli k cíli naší cesty – Honeymoon Beach. Honeymoon Beach (líbánková pláž, jak by se snad dalo přeložit) je málá soukromá pláž, ke které se dostanete pouze skrze hustou džungli nebo po vodě. My tu spustili kotvy, nasadili šnorchly a vydali se prozkoumat život pod mořskou hladinou. Že tu je bohatý, o tom svědčí jednak tísíce ryb, malých i velkých, šedivých i krásně barevných ale také mořští úhoři, rejnoci a ježíci co když je chytnete do ruky, vypadají jak nakreslení od Desneyho. Nakonec, za pomoci našeho mořského vlka Kendera se nám podařilo vylovit i malou želvu, která se na mořském dně schovávala převlečená za kámen.

Když sluneční paprsky začaly pomalu slábnout, byl čas doslova zvednout kotvy. Překrásný západ slunce za doprovodu skupiny One Republic’s Good Life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEpEeAPwdgs) pak vykouzlili na tvářích některých z nás blažený usměv, na jiných dokonce slzy – zvlášť když jsme měli všichni dost času v duchu si zrekapitulovat uplynulé tři měsíce a uvědomit si, kolik nových přátel jsme si tu našli, kolik jsme toho zažili a kolika lidem a zejména dětem jsme navždy změnili život.

Delfíni údajně symbolizují: hravost, přátelství, velkorysost, sílu, překonávání limitů a spokojenost; což je jen krátký výčet pocitů, které nás všechny toho dne na onom katamaránu, naplnily.

Ilene&Peter

Friendly dolphins

The whole AM crew except Peter who was watching dolphins at the back of the boat

Regular Costa Rican catamaran

One of the most amazing animals in the whole world

Kender – the sea whisperer – with Peter

We love each other..

Sea turtle…jupiiiii!!!!!

We still love each other

Gorgeous all around

It is a bit chilly after the sunset

A sunset we get to see every single day

Doesnt get much better than this