Copan vs. Tikal

Pretty much everyone i´ve met on my travels who have been to either the Tikal or Copan ruins have told me Tikal is better, if you go to it don´t bother with Copan. But what I learned from these cats is that they mostly lack any appreciation for decifering little differences in the ruins which show huge differences in the cultures and lives of these two city-states.
While Tikal seems to be one of the largest Mayan cities with towering temples and great views, all currently hidden in the jungle, and Copan was sold to some archeologists 150 years ago and is now a pretty park with sweet ruins of its own, Copan still holds this amazingness in the ways of its sculputre.

On 85- or so steps up a temple reads the history of the Copan city until the reign of 18 Rabbit. SICK!
And i thought the ball court was way cooler.

below is two pics from Copan...
the first is the depiction of the rain god...underneath is the ball court where essentially the most badass sport was played. apparently the winner was sacrificed...haha, fucking morons.


But then again walking around Tikal you can see that there are so many homes and temples covered in less than three inches of vegitation that have yet to be excavated making the experience pretty mind boggling. and i got some pretty sweet pictures in tikal and clibing those temples was scarry fun.

Sun Jam + Paradise = Heaven

greatest two days ever. i think any of the other 1,500 or 2,000 people on the little Key off the island of Utila would agree that although a rip off, Sun Jam was spectacular.
from noon to noon, 24 hours of techno, house, trance, whatever crappy repetitive electronica it is, blasted throughout this tiny island as all danced or looked like morons freaking out to the beat.
the clearest water with perfect reefs surrounded the island for a great refreshing dip to start off my afternoon followed by an endless night of jumping up and down along with flailing my arms erratically.
as an added bonus, all the street meat vendors from the down brought their ovens to the island.

oh yea, i almost forgot how i almost didnt make it to the festival. in order to get a boat ride for half the price (which ended up being free), i jumped on a boat with the hot dog vendor. about 8 of us squeezed on this tiny leaky boat and we all had to lean from side to side to prevent the boat from tipping due to the large wakes made by bigger and faster water cruisers. Luckily, we didnt capsize like happened to Ann-Marie, whom i've bumped into for the fifth time now on my trip.

Fire spinners, tons of lights, freaks, and great friends from all over the globe helped make the fest really memorable. Although it was supposed to go until noon, 9am saw the end of the festival, which in hindsigt was good because by 10:30 (while on the boat back to Utila) the downpour showed up again. At least it waited until Sun Jam ended. Good thing the after party continued at Coco Locos later that night with more trashy techno that i couldnt help but make cheesy dance moves to.

hopefully some pictures will eventually be found at http://www.sunjamutila.com/

The Los Zorros Sting Ray Attack

So Tina has this sweet place on the northern coast of nicaragua. About an hour walk from the northern tip of the coast.
I hopped on a bus with her and dennis and for three days we just hung out, had some Tonas and adjusted everyone's attitude.
It was a great tranquil break that i needed where i could just read, pee in a bodega, and go swimming...
until a Sting Ray flipped its tail through my foot!
so much pain, my whole leg was going numb. i've never had so much pain in my life. but luckily Tina la Gringa has an adopted Nica family that takes care of her and she takes care of them by teaching them english.

But shit, this Sting Ray really put my life into perspective. I know Steve Irwin was nailed in the chest, but i still thought to myself...what if i was to doe right now, in this tiny village at least 2 hours from the hearest hospital.
My hole take on life changed that afternoon as Arturo took a burning hot plantain to my foot and stopped my pain. A few cups of Flor De Cana also managed ot help a little as well.
i keep o nthining about what im going to do when i get back to the sates and am overwhelmed by options of jobs, careers, locations. i know in my life i can do it all, but i also know that it can end at any minute. So i guess i made the right descision to head to this awesome island in honduras and rave out for the next 24 hours.

For now, im glad i could give Tina and Dennis 20 gigs of music to make their night.

The Nica Straw

We all know that soda out of a glass bottle is amazing. BUt think of the sheer dissapointment that ensues when you order an ice cold Fanta and the lady pours it in a little plastic sandwich bag sticks a straw in it and ties it up.
Well that led me to this new business venture...A bar that serves all its drinks, beer, wine, mixed drinks, shots....all in a little plastic bag with a straw. It´ll be a little tast of Nica life in a bar, aptly named, The Nica Straw.
Booya! amazing idea.


In other news, got to hang out with some locals, under the name Alfonso de El Salvador, and go on a crazy adventure to illegally buy beer at 2am, while trying to ditch a cab driver who wasnt satisfied with the absurd amount of money he charged us to go to the make-shift beer joint in a gas station. I couldnt believe i got away from gringos for a night.


Time for an attitude adjustment. And off to the northern coast to hang at Tina la Ginga´s place.

The ballet in Leon turned out to be a series of 6 or so ballet segments including a 15 min Swan Lake (bringing me back to the horors of Marching Band when we performed it) and an interprative dance to bjork. I wish i could have captured some of these costumes in what appeared to be a middle school dance recital gone awry.

(on a related note, just because the crappy ballet was $1.50, aren´t i still allowed to say it sucked. I cant stand these guys who relate quality to price. True the value added flavor at La Playita was better before they raised priced the last time, butthe fact that i was criticised for giving an honest assesment of shitty expression of art pisses me off.)

and the opposite of shitty art...saw some amazing modern art from central america. too bad the security guards made me delete the photos.

Its also sad to see the lack of interest in art and culture in Nicaragua. Although its there, few people besides the artists choose to recognize it. Perhaps it is because they are too busy working 12 hour days making 2-3 dollars a day and barely feeding their families. But it would be great if I were not the only one in this amazing art museum. I just think that if the people begin to embrace art and other cultural activities, they will grow more as an educated nation and be able to more easily produce wealth for themselves. ( i know i am making some stereotypes, but i have a point)

and one more thing...
The two women selling food behind the cathedral were amazing. Always providing great dinners. My trip to Leon is dedicated to them.

Ceviche and Kebabs

Back in San Jose for one last stroll before heading up to Leon, Nicaragua.
Last time Aaron and i made a big mistake and grubed at this pizza joint not realizing that there was a Kebab/Gyros/Doner stand across the street. So a visit was necessary.
Analysis: Great meat, good quality veggies, but mediocre sauce, and flabby pita. Though not stale, the pita lacked a classic chewiness that compliments the roasted shawarma meat. Also i was dissapointed with the fact that like traditional Doners, this was not overflowing with ingredients. But hey, it was only two bucks.

Even better was a stop at the central market--three times in the past two days. Two of those times Aaron and I (and the second time we brought a german friend along) sat at the counter of a Ceviche stand. nestled in between much of the meat and fish sellers, these guys must be making the best fish and shrimp ceviche around. While heavy on the lime and light on the chilies, the fish was tender and juicy and there were perfect amounts onions, and cilantro to top it off. I recommend adding some hot sauce and making sure you get some fresh tortilla chips and plantains on the side. (grand total: 2.50 for fish, 3.25 for shrimp)

Banana Bread and Turtle Eggs

Tortuguerro is located on the northern Caribeban coast of Costa Rica.About an hour boat ride from the nearest road, this little village of about 1000 people is one of the biggest nesting sites for turtles inth e world. Now i will s top sounding like a Lonly Plantet guide book and tell you that seeing a 4 foot turtle plop out about a 1000 eggs in a hole on the beach is surreal. dissapointingly the guides seem to not be that well educated in the research done with sea turtles especially the Green Turtle whcih we saw. The two day trip also included Steiny and I renting a canoe, and spending 5 hours traversing the little rivers and canals seeing tons of birds, monkeys and even a baby Caiman.

but this was just all a supplement to Dorleans Bakery which had the best Banana Bread in the whole world. One doesnøt know what taste is until they carress little bits of banana bread with hidden chunks of bananas and peaches with their tounge. Oh man, one word: Glorious!

oh and the owner of the roach infested hostel was indeed a vato from oakland. well he certainly looked liked a really big Raiders fan. what a cool dude.

Another try in San Jose

My third time around int he past 6 weeks and this city is finally growing on me. I dont know if its aaron´s enthusiasm or drinking cacique on the street or seeing Malpais at Jazz Cafe...but i dig this dump. Ta Dauw!
In news in my head, ive been coming up with lesson plan ideas if i were ever to become a teacher...i really dig this idea.

The best casado turned bad

Remember when those new lays contained Olestra and everyone was scared? Well i think there might have been tons of olestra in my casado because i was going nuts for two days strait. And the saddest part is that i´ve never had better food from a bus station before in my life. I mean 3 bucks for rice, beans, chicken, plantains, tuna noodle salad, tortillas and a fresca??? undeniable...and in the end totally worth it.

Making another volcano my bitch

Climbed Volcan Madras on Isla de Omatepe in Nica. The bartender in granda said Largo Nicaragua was the 3rd largest in the world. Knowing she was wrong i later found out that its the 20th...so booya!
but anyways...we got our climbing on. sadly two of the scottish guys who came along had to turn back 1km and 2km into the anti climactic hike. sweet lake in the crater but no views...but climbing a volcano is still fun. and a big fat tona afterwards made it all worth while.

and hanging out on hammocks and reading COllapse all day is very relaxing.
at the second hostel, El Zopilote, this part farm makes fresh tahini and nutella, and the best chocolate liquor. the bread and pizza were also terribly amazing. too bad my back was killing me after the night´s sleep on the hammock.
but the views were incredible.
the only thing that killed the moment was Nacho, an angry spaniard that thinks all amaericans should get out of latin america even though it was his people that originally colonized central america. and he complained that turning up some amadou et miriam was ruining the vibe... so in conclusion nacho sucks and aaron and i peaced out of omatepe at 4:30 am to make it to san juan del sur.

notice: dont swim in largo nicaragua. we saw a guy pouring laftover insecticide in the lake.