Medellin days 2,3,4,5

i am writing this extremely hastily...  I assume I am rambling and writing in incomplete fragments at times, I apologize for this.  I've left a lot of details about specifics out because I have no time to write.    I've already forgotten a lot and wanted to get some stuff down so I don't forget more.  What a great experience medellin has been... begun blog:

Dec 28, 29, 30
The past three days have been a whirlwind.  Primarily I stuck with the three Canadian officers (they met in the Canadian military academy) which was nice- I didn't pay attention to anyone selling cocaine - mostly because I think we projected a big time drug free aura.  After the Pablo tour we decided to book paragliding and an afternoon tour.  I met a local girl walking around and scheduled a dinner date for the following evening.  We woke up early, met for breakfast and took off for the paragliding trip.  A couple hostel mates from the Bay Area remembered me and gave me a hard time the entire trip, we bullshitted back and forth- the group was a good fit and the day was pretty awesome.  I remember no one telling me anything, nest thing I know I'm being pulled towards a cliff and told in hasty Spanish some directions I can't make out; surely if it was important someone would have told me something- go pro in hand I just went with it and ran off the cliff, all was well and we were in the air following hawks and cutting clouds.

We made our way back down to the taxi that the tour promoter set up for us to drop us off at the walking tour meeting point.  The tour guide we got was the owner of the company and did a tremendous job telling us about how it was to grow up in Colombia and that he had an engineering degree, masters degree, and lived abroad or many years- he knew what it was like to travel and he would take care of us- we could trust him that he was our for our best interest.   We learned about a lot of beautiful history of a strong, proud people, before cocaine  ever made its way to Colombia; but also drugs, prostitution, cops, and massive wars/problems.  Colombia is an interesting place that is for sure.  Everyone has earned me about the corruption and how you can get thrown in jail or forced to bribe officers for things you didn't even do.  I am clear there is a problem here.

I met another Bay Area guy, an African American named joe who accompanied me to the dinner with the local girl and her friend.  They took us to their favorite spot and gave us a lot of insight to the area, they spoke English but almost demanded we speak in Spanish - i can carry on basic conversation in Spanglish and it went well.  The evening was very authentic and professional, I really enjoyed it, the ladies went home after the dinner and I feel we've got friends for life.  Joe and I joined a pub crawl with about 70 gringos- we met all kinds of people and went to some really terrible bars, until finally we ended up at an odd mix of Colombian disco/hole in the wall that had a great vibe to it.  I sat and watched fully content from my dinner as slowly all the western guys were dancing with local girls (or so it seemed).  What an experience to just sit and watch.  I went home and passed out- I had cable cars in the morning.

The next day I woke up and wanted to go for a run, but I saw the Canadian officers and they said they had to catch a flight so I decided to push my run back and grab breakfast with them/go to the cable cars with them- why not see all the sights together ?  By the time we were done with breakfast and they packed so much time had elapsed they decided to call it off so they didn't miss their flight.  I had met a few other people that wanted to go with me so I told them now I could go with them since I was not on a time crunch with the officers any longer.  Before I knew it the other group of friends (two Australian female roommates) told me the uber was downstairs - I didn't even know we were taking uber but they said they were in a hurry because they had a plane to catch as well.

We got to the cable cars and enjoyed views of the city, beautiful Ride to the top and then got off at park arvi.  The girls had To go, the fourth friend a guy from London decided not to stay as well so I was left alone.  Almost immediately after splitting up I ran into two girls from the Bay Area and we hiked around together trying to find whatever there was to see in the area.  We paid a taxi, took a bus, walked for hours, and didn't really see much of anything special.  Disappointed we headed back to the cable cars and discussed plans for their last evening in medellin.  I told them about my hostel and they wanted to check it out, we grabbed sushi downstairs and had a margarita.  After the appetizer (the sushi was actually really good even though we had our doubts) we split ways and I saw the guy from the gondola ride - I told him I'd grab dinner in a hour or so and asked if he wanted to go - (his name is Andrew) he said he would.  I grabbed my running shorts and ran through the hills behind the pablado area - I ran up up and kept going up, passing little high rise apartments all with security gated perimeters.  As it was around 6pm I saw lots of people transitioning between work and going out for dinner, I looked into the buildings and saw Tv's playing, people living life, everything looked safe.  I imagined living here; rent couldn't be that bad, the weather is the same all year round, people seem to be really chill, I really like this place.  In the back of my mind the warnings from everyone reverberated and I have to force myself to remember the grass always seems greener on the other side, while also remembering some places do in fact agree with people better than others- I couldn't tell which was more likely going on in my head and dropped the idea altogether.  The run back was all down hill on Calle 10, I turned left to go back to the hostel area and ended up running right to the park with the basketball court and free weights.  I purposely didn't bring my phone this time because last time I brought my phone I had no pockets and I felt sketchy leaving an expensive phone lying around Colombia as I worked out.  The weights were so packed (this was a higher class neighborhood and right on one of the most walked paths in the area, I suppose guys love working out here and getting the attention from everyone walking by) so I decided to do some sprints and leg workouts in the basketball court as no one was there.  While in my workout I saw the same guy playing basketball two days before when I worked out last time; I remembered he spoke in English, was really good at basketball and commented on "getting older"- he seemed like a good guy to work out with but we never spoke.  I finished my workout and headed back to the hostel; caught a shower and met Andrew for dinner.  We went back to the place I had gone a couple nights before (I can't even remember who I went with anymore, one of the guys from the hostel) as I knew it was a good place and it had lots of options.  Previously I had ordered "noisettes" some kind of mashed potatoes breaded and fried, with cream cheese and bacon dip...  little balls of heaven, along with ribs for around $20 total.  Everything was delicious, the guy I was with got pizza and we both shared each other's food, both was amazing.  Today the waiter said he didn't have noisettes for some reason (I didn't understand all the Spanish) so we ordered some chips and dip that contained a massive list of ingredients (but all things I liked including cream cheese bacon quest beans guac salsa etc); we both got some kind of meat pizza for the main course.  The service was really slow - I guess because they were so busy; we finished our meal and went back to the hostel to meet a friend of his flying in from London.

(Out of chronological order) at the restaurant with the local girls I ordered ravioli (they mostly had seafood) and I really have to think it was some of the best ravioli I've ever had and priced at around $8.  The food here has been amazing, and I can't find a meal for over $15.

(Back in order) Andrew and I started off sitting alone for a while, then slowly our table grew to six guys or so, maybe eight.  The Cali girls showed up and I introduced them to everyone - we had a conversation about the Red Bull, someone worked at Red Bull and said it was created based off something Thailand and that it was a bit restricted in the USA due to the FDA requirements, but in Colombia was unrestricted and thus a little stronger.  One of the guys was a doctor and said it was terrible for you.  On a side note, I asked him about cocaine and he said it's not so bad... I have been asking everyone here if they do cocaine and am really confused at how high of a percentage of people do, maybe it has something to do with where we are at ??  I didn't come here for that but now that I wasn't around the Canadian officers anymore it seemed much more prevalent.  Thoughts of trying this entered my brain but I just like the idea that I've ever done it, I have a lot of things I want to do with my brain still, and I feel it's too weak naturally so why do I want to put anything else in there to make it weaker?  Many people argue small drug use enhances thought, but I haven't been convinced.  In the end I drink alcohol so I suppose it's just as bad.

 The night went pretty flawlessly, the group kept growing and we eventually took everyone out.  We had people from South America, all over europe, Australia, North America, and Asia.  Poblano (the nice area for foreigners) is small and eventually everyone runs into everybody else.  Apparently the locals have a fascination with foreigners and especially blonde people: even stopping them to get pictures with them.  The tour guide said for a long time medellin was sealed off from the world due to rough geography- also that tourism wasn't heavily popular until recently so many locals haven't seen foreigners.  The tour guide (named Pablo ironically)  also said gringo was not offensive here and the culture was simply to say hola and be nice to each other so do not get upset.  Pablo talked about bartering also but I'm getting off topic.

At the end of the night I met a local and ended up going back to meet her mother in a random set of situations.  Several things led to this, one I had been told it's legal to pee in public- I never do this as I believe in America it is really frowned upon but I really had to pee.  I decided to try and pee behind a tree real quick (but not thinking it was illegal I didn't really scan the area for police) and immediately had two cops on me before I even peed.  Fearing the corruption I immediately said I was sorry and attempted to explain myself.  They looked like they wanted to give me a hard time but someone I had met through friends in the disco came to my rescue.  She later said to me that she told the cops we were dating and made up a story to get me out of trouble.  I felt very thankful and we walked a bit together, some how It ended up that I was to meet her mother ?  I went with it and next thing I knew I was in a four story, immaculately clean, 5-6 bedroom 4-5 bathroom house with a beautiful view.  We talked for a bit about where I was from and what I thought about Colombia; honestly I couldn't get over the house- the funny thing was they kept saying it was small.  I saw no signs of anyone but her mother living here... I got a guest bedroom on the same floor as the mom and went to sleep, had to wake up early to go on a tour in the morning at 8 am.

I fell asleep so fast (by myself of course) and the alarm woke me up in what seemed like an instant, I woke up folded my blankets and Gave the mom a hug goodbye (didn't see the daughter) she walked me out and asked the neighbor to walk me down to find a taxi.  I grabbed a taxi back to the hostel got ready and went out to the tour of guatape.

The tour to guatape had a really interesting group, at first I thought it would be a really separate / group of individuals, but now as we ride back from guatape i see we've really bonded, everyone is now one big group of friends.  We've spent the day sharing stories/experiences and joking, it poured rain and we all froze a bit on the boat ride we took to the second biggest rock in South America (the first is Rio de Janeiro).  We saw Pablo Escobar's second biggest property, walked around guatape, climbed the rock, and now are on our way home stopped at a view point / lookout overlooking the entire city for a really cloudy sunset.  This city is awesome, I can't describe the feeling I have right now for the city I'm staring at.  Pablo, the tour guide said the people of medellin forget all the bad stuff and find reasons to be happy, that is their culture.  The people I've met for the most part have been so friendly and do a good job of making us feel like they truly care about other people : specifically each of us individually.  It feels good to visit here, I feel like I'm part of the community even though I know I'm not, great job medellin I am really impressed.

I decided to stay here for New Years as everyone said Bogota was just alright and I had a lot of stuff I still wanted to do here. Much like Kyoto I didn't want to leave this place with a feeling that I should have spent a few more days - this place was very interesting and I wanted to leave making sure I felt like I really got a genuine, thorough experience so I didn't feel obligated to return.  Guatape specifically was something I was told I had to do, and I kind of see why; although I admit starting off meeting Pablo Escobar's brother, then paragliding, set up the next two days for failure- how do you compete with those?

In closing, I have really enjoyed medellin and also am proud to say I think I've done a fairly good job of being professional, polite, and definitely productive.  I know medellin has a lot going on and I see the drugs everywhere, but I also believe pablo the tour guide that drugs are only a small part of the beauty that is medellin.  Random note: I'm not sure if I commented on my roommate being out of money; he had been sitting in bed for two days straight until I finally asked him, "is everything ok?"  I really was curious to know if he was sick, I felt bad for him, he said he was broke an waiting for payday on the first.  I offered him some of the food the Panamanian family packed for me and he hopped out of the bed for the first time Since I've been here and said I was a life savor.

I got back to my room and talked to my American roommates that have kind of been anti social (they were laying in bed reading... strange to me) and said "wow what an amazing place"- they agreed and said they had been here before and were excited to come back.

I want to keep emphasizing the things I've seen and learned here: there is a real problem, prostitution and drugs are everywhere, the war for cocaine is still going on in the jungles apparently, but, this place was beautiful long before drugs were here- drugs entered the region in 1970, a small window of time.  Hopefully, drugs didn't play as big of a role in economic development as some of us think, and it is more of a huge downside / hinderance to a great place.  I don't know the truths but this is Kind of what is going on in my mind.  I do feel really ashamed I tried peeing in public but admit sometimes I have to do it.

Now I will get showered up, grab some food, meet with friends and hopefully get to sleep in tomorrow.  Tomorrow I just want to do some shopping and relax, my first day without a full agenda and I am looking forward to it.  New Year's Eve is supposed to be a really fun time here and lots of the friends I've made are coming to my hostel to celebrate together.

Escobar's Brother (Medellin Day 1)

Dec 27 2016
Last night I met a few groups of women randomly while trying to find food and thought they were very attractive and also really nice.  They were interested in America and spoke decent English.

Today I went on a tour and was blown away.  I got to see Pablo's grave, meet one of his old drivers, meet his brother, and talk to them as much as I wanted.  I didn't have a lot of questions because they did a great job explaining little details about money, fears, government, etc...  I do appreciate the interconnectedness of life, how one can learn from others experiences, and through my own experiences understand someone else's.  What a great day...  I did not expect to have such close contact with people, especially his brother.  I was worried I wouldn't even find anything with Pablo Escobar but I got to get his brothers signature and talk with him at his house.  Colombia has really impressed me- of course every single person that has impressed me has also given a warning that there still exists corruption- but it's a lot better.  I don't think I'd want to live here but visiting has been really unique.  The layout of the city is amazing...  and some of the conversations I've had have reinforced and also expanded my own beliefs/experiences... I am very thankful for that.

I met some Canadian officers from the Canadian military academy and appreciated conversing with them.  I am slowly talking more about the military but I don't have a lot to say, just some stories that are really unique and a unique perspective even for soldiers.  They were well traveled, well educated, well mannered, and had a lot of experience, it was good to meet them; traveling is good for these types of experiences and exchanging of cultures... they shared some of the differences with their experiences and I shared some of mine, answering some of their questions, some of mine, and questions we didn't even know we had.

I am pretty excited that I took this trip, today was just the icing on the cake; if I do nothing else - this trip was a success... but I am not even half way through yet.  It is too late to go paragliding so I think I will go for a run / exercise at this park nearby that is outside and has weights chained for the public to use for free.  Looking forward to a good meal tonight in this neighborhood everyone keeps speaking so highly about.

Edit: I forgot to mention all the conversations about Colombia, one thing in particular about how they don't believe in life in prison, and how these guys actually seem really peaceful and with good intentions.  They don't seem like vicious criminals and expand my thoughts towards prison systems.  The logic of right and wrong, and thus error, further contemplates in my mind.

Bocas > Panama City > Medellin

Christmas Eve was a good night, likely one I won't forget.  I mostly kept to myself, talking with a couple friends and sticking primarily with my roommate from India.  We met with some Scandinavians and I ended up befriending a 21 year old guy named Zachary who served in the Finnish army.  Zach told me about his history and that Finland took things very seriously in this context being bordered with Russia.  He said they were attacked in ww2 and severely outnumbered but held back the Russians.  Meeting him gave me great insight as I told him a bit about my experiences and that I am really happy to have met him, Zach and I shared very similar thoughts/ opinions and it's nice to know that our thoughts are shared by soldiers of other countries.

My roommate and I made it over to a place called Aqua, which had a tight rope over water, multi level diving platforms, trampoline jumping into water, rope swings into water, swings and all kinds of seemingly dangerous activities you shouldn't have at a bar...  it was like Christmas !  So many people were having fun - I decided I would not, as injury seemed likely.  Instead I decided to climb on the railing to a second level overlooking the water.  Aqua was across the water from our hostel, and from aqua you could see the entire front of Bocas del toro; it was beautiful.  The boat rides we took that night were a dollar each, back and forth, but the views were priceless.  I've heard on a still night in big enough water you can get complete 360 enclosure in stars- but I can't truly fathom it; on this Christmas Eve it was real close, the sky was illuminated heavily and the water was perfectly still, sitting on the corner of Aqua I had about 80% of my view illuminated by stars or reflection of stars and the other 20% was Bocas del toros quaint waterfront property lights.  I stood there for at least an hour as Vedant and I got into some of the deepest conversations I've ever had.

We got back to the room and chatted for a while, I decided I needed some sleep and went to bed around 5-6, my roommate stayed up to see the sunrise with some other friends telling me to wake him up when I get up at 9 to go to a beach.

Christmas Day I woke up feeling great - after three full hours of sleep (that's 6 hours in three days) I went for a three mile run and came across what used to be a beautiful beach some time ago in history but now was filled with trash.  I stopped there and ran on the beach, did some box jumps and yoga stretches and absorbed the beach... beautiful naturally, ruined by people.  There were almost no buildings here, one would think there was an oil spill and the place was toxic or something in order to keep people away from it because it's so beautiful.

I met the tour manager finally; I confirmed that he had dengue and I wanted to assure him I was very considerate that he was sick.  I asked him questions about dengue; he said it is really surprisingly bad - it takes all the energy from you- but after it goes away he believes it is over and no lasting side effects.  I suppose that isn't the end of the world.  I forgot his name- he was from Israel and we talked a bit about it, I wished him a merry Christmas and he corrected me - Hanukkah.

I had until 1700 to get on the water taxi, so I grabbed breakfast with Dan and the guys from London, we dove in and went for a swim while at breakfast because it was actually really warm.  Sonja from Switzerland said (when we went to the island on Christmas Eve) that I had really good luck: it had been poor weather until I got here...  today was downright hot and the dive in the water felt amazing, thank goodness for the place having waterfront property, a dock, and allowing us to strip down and dive in.  We ate, exchanged ideas on what to do for the day, and I took off to wake up my roommate.

My roommate and I were on our way to Estralla beach.  He found a way to get there for less than $5 whereas I found a way that cost $30, so we took his way (his way was by bus, mine was by boat, I did not know it was on the same island... turns out the island is rather huge, but the main tourist part is tiny).  On the way to the bus we saw a guy who said he wanted to go with us- he said there was no bus and he waited for an hour.  I told him I heard it was a minivan type bus and pointed to one half a block away in example of how common they were, he said that could be possible and decided to try again.  The Central Park area where we were told to catch the bus had a minibus waiting to playa de drago (this is where the bus stops at) and we asked if we could ride.  They said they were full but crammed us in after I said I would just jump on the top rack.

Once we got to the beach Vedant and I commented on how this was exactly what we were looking for.  The beach before had too strong of waves which was a different kind of beauty but difficult to just relax.  This beach had zero waves; it made me wonder how many beaches panama has... I guess you can find any type of beach.  Estralla beach is supposedly known for starfish but truthfully Vedant and I didn't really look for them.  I took off after about an hour and headed back to pack, shower, and catch my bus.

I packed all my stuff said my goodbyes and grabbed a pulled pork sandwich basically across the street at a place called toro loco.  They had great service and were playing the warrior / cavaliers game (NBA).  I really enjoy watching the warriors play, especially when they beat the cavaliers :)  .

(Not in chronological order:) The food here in Central America has been amazing, the hostel had pollo Milanese - I would never have ordered it but the waiter recommended it so I just did it- I'm so hambre (hungry) here I will eat just about anything except seafood.  Once I got it, everyone wanted some and a few people ordered it.  The mashed potatoes it came with were cheese mash potatoes which made me think of Naomi's mashed potatoes from thanksgiving.  The chicken was basically a type of schnitzel, we all kind of shared each other's food; people at off my plate and I ate off theirs, fries, hummus, breads etc.

(Back to chronological order:) I left toro loco and caught my bus.  What a whirlwind it had been since I arrived; I would never have thought I would be leaving so fast, with such a full plate of good memories; BOCAS del toro was a special place, but it was time to leave.  I kept to myself, played music, and enjoyed the speed boat ride back.  Beautiful.

Once on land I was met by a shuttle.  I let the women on first so as not to be rude and then they requested I let some other people on (I assumed family) and next thing I knew I had no seat.  They flipped down a makeshift third "extra" seat on one of the rows, which took me about two minutes to figure out was for a five year old.  I am not used to people giving me the child's seat: if someone is bigger than me I don't give them the small seat I give them the bigger seat, it's common sense.  So instead of complaining I just made a space on the floor and passed out.  I noticed the older guy looking at me funny and also noticed he had to stop and pee randomly.  To myself I thought this guy is strange, but he looked so harmless I was even more confused; why did someone that looks so friendly act so strange ?

After the shuttle to "David", panama, we waited for an autobus to Panama City.  I let the older woman go in front of me to be respectful and then realized she's getting tickets for 7 people.  I mentioned, "siete?  Estonia uno, aye yay yaye" and rolled my eyes playfully suggesting I should have went first instead of waiting for 7 people, we only had 45 minutes and needed to eat as well.  I didn't complain any further and waited for them to take care of business; I think they got what I meant and called out hombre, giving me a spot in line to get my ticket.  I got my ticket and went to find food, the family sat next to me shortly after which made me happy because they were locals, and there were a few places to choose from, I had chosen right.

My meal came to $3 and I got rice , mashed potatoes, and beef.  Everything I've eaten here is freshly prepared and delicious - their version of fast food is like a military buffet line you walk down and pick out fresh food.  I've commented a couple times how I appreciate that everything is hand made: chicken strips you can tell are chicken breasts cut into strips, hand breaded individually and fried.  For some reason the food in America when I order it doesn't look like something I could make- often it looks too perfected or machine done, here it's all good I think I could make or looks like I would- tasted delicious as well.  I hope it doesn't get globalized to the point that the authenticity of the food goes down..

Once the bus arrived I recognized it as the same type of bus I took from the Nicaraguan border to San Jose: a double decker.  I always take the seats up top because I don't see storage above the seats on the first floor; I don't like storing my bag underneath when it's everything I have, it makes me want to get out each time someone gets left off and as I am the last stop, I don't want to do that... I just want to go to sleep.  I went to the second floor, only 1/4 the seats were taken, I took an open seat and sat my bag next to me in the safest place, against the window with me in the isle seat.  The bus has four seats, an aisle splitting them into two seats each side.  The gentleman working the bus told me to either put my bag up top or down below.  I put it up top.  Apparently he didn't like it up there either and said it could fall down so I must put it underneath.  All I heard was a scam artist and I told him no with the firmest military voice I could; I said even more coldly, "mucho autobus, no problemo..." he left and I thought to myself, why does every bus just want to hassle me, especially something so stupid.  Apparently he went and told his manager as she showed up to say and extremely politely that I should sit my bag next to me in the seat against the window instead of on top.  I did this (of course, this is where it was in the first place but I know better than to complain, basically I had just won) and she smiled, telling me to have a pleasant ride.  I had some notes about the people on the bus but I'm running out of time and this is getting rather lengthy - one specifically was a young male in a soldier uniform, I am unsure if he is a soldier or police though.  I've seen numerous people in these uniforms, but they have all been nice and generally seem to be happy people, making me feel more safe than anything so I say hola all the time and give them a friendly smile.

I slept the entire bus ride.  I don't remember if it was 1 hour or 10 (it left at 10pm and arrived at 5:30am but I couldn't tell the difference).  Once off the bus I asked the family I've been traveling with some questions about Panama City and they invited me to ride with them.  Once I was in the car they invited me to their home to rest and spend some time as I had a lot of time until my flight.  I told them I am very neutral - but I would go if they wanted me to.  Their ride appeared in minutes and it was a large SUV much like the big Lexus Sophie has- except it was a Nissan (some weird name - nothing like my pathfinder- more like the Lexus).

Arriving at their home they were extremely kind and gave me their sons room; he was still in BOCAS del toro on his way to Costa Rica.  I asked when they would awaken, brushed my teeth and went to sleep.  My alarm went off at 9 am and I went to see if anyone was up, not a soul.  I went back into my room and packed some of my stuff, washed my face, and started hearing everyone wake up.  I got the backstory on everyone in the house, mostly sobrinas and sobrinos (nieces and nephews) that were visitas para vacacion a BOCAS.  One niece was adopted (they didn't say this but I gathered) and they only had one son who was my age and also single.  I told them why I was single and a little about me going to School, how important it has been, and encouraged the younger kids that it's very important, one agreed, the other I'm not so sure about.  I saw in pictures that the older kids all graduated from university and I think by the house I can tell they can likely afford it- big house and very nice by my opinion.  Big Tv's in every room etc.

I also found out the father had Alzheimer's and we ended up watching blade over and over again.  It was really sad talking with him, he seemed like the nicest guy you'd ever meet and just wandered around the house repeating things over and over again.  It reminded me of working out with my friends brother who is special needs, and how much work it can be but also how it gives a different perspective to life, their views and ability to smile and enjoy life are inspirational to me.  He went everywhere with us and had a positive attitude, he even knew more English than anyone else in the house.  He asked me where I was flying to several times, I wondered how Alzheimer's works, how does he remember who I am or that I am flying but not where to.  The world is so complex.

We are a traditional breakfast, carne, yuca, and a Panamanian tortilla.  I've never had anything like the yuca or Panamanian tortilla - yuca is probably a word for some common vegetable (that I've never ate) but whatever it is I greatly enjoyed it and the way it was cooked. The Panamanian tortilla was enjoyable, very different, quite plain which I usually like, but in this case it was just very interesting, my response is very neutral, not bad, not my favorite thing in the world but I would enjoy trying it again.  The beef was delicious, and we had watermelon for dessert though I was the only one to eat it- was delicious- watermelon is my favorite.

After breakfast we watched some tv and let our food digest.  We then went as a large group to Panama City, and it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be- holy cow.  I can't tell how big it is compared to San Fran or Seattle but it has to be close... did not expect that.

Downtown there were more tourists than anything else, I saw hundreds of tourists and only a few locals.  Traffic seemed very light, probably because it was the Monday after Christmas.  We stopped by an helado (ice cream) store and I was excited until I saw they only had ice cream bars or popsicle things (whatever you call them, on a stick).  These are my least favorite - I just like vanilla in a cup or pralines and cream if I'm feeling fancy.     I ended up getting a blueberry bar because I haven't seen blueberries since I've landed.  At first it seemed rather bland but by the end of the bar I was hooked.  One of the sobrinas told me to try hers (strawberry banana) and I thought it was amazing, probably should have got that one, oh well.  I recommended we take a picture, I saw that they had a lot of pictures in their house and thought it was really nice, so I wanted to take one with them too!  We went to a couple more spots and dropped off one of the sobrinas, I assume that they had to drop him off anyway and made a tour out of it, it was very nice of them.

After we got back I helped Flor, la madre pull chicken for dinner, she said she was making a traditional Panamanian Christmas dinner: arroz con pollo y potatas salad (I don't remember the word for salad), which means chicken with rice and potato salad.  I told her I've never eaten potato salad though it is common in America - but I will try hers- and that I loved chicken with rice so I was very excited; the chicken smelt amazing (olor muy bueno).  We are as a family again and the chicken with rice was really good, I told her I could eat the whole thing and she said that was fine she made lots.  I told her my mom taught me better than to help myself as a guest and she laughed, she insisted I ate as much as I wanted and I relented, I ate a lot, even the potato salad was good.  She packed me two to go containers and took me to the airport herself.  I was really heart warmed to meet this family, and I did my best to learn from them while offering just two bits of advice: university was very important to me, and Coca Cola was terrible for my health.  They asked if I would ever return and I said possibly but not for two years; I must admit they make me want to return.

Once I got to the airport Flor told me it used to be an American military base.  I walked in, the guy at the ticket counter said I had to check my bag, I thought to myself, everyone wants this damn bag but had no choice - had to check it and trust them.  One thing I have to admit is that standing in line I saw women that looked like models off of a music video or something... I had to ask where they were from thinking they were Panamanian; all of them responded Colombiano, I just had to shake my head and tell myself Colombia had some oddly good looking women, I was surrounded by them and they were very friendly.

To board the plane we walked to the tarmac, the tarmac had a beautiful view of the city in the background, across what seemed like some water or flat land, it was dark and the tall buildings illuminated the skyline, the weather was perfect and our one plane was the solo airplane at the airport.  I took a picture and thought this was one of the coolest memories boarding a plane... it's rare these days I find things that surprise me like this.

The customs line was rather long, I see why people were rushing off the plane.  I helped an older lady carry a bag and suffered the consequences of losing 15 minutes in line - oh well.  Once through customs I found the only way to get local currency was to use the exchange centers or people- which was a rip off...  I decided to take the bus and pay with American - the bus didn't even know what the conversion rate was- very unlike each country I've been to so far.  When the ticket costs $3 I don't mind paying $3.50...  however someone exchanged my money for me and I got exact change back...  I made the right decision.

The bus ride was interesting, a politician sat next to me.  He showed me pictures of Panama- helicopter rides, yachts, great views, and high level Panamanian politicians.  He said do not talk about this stuff with people in Colombia that panama was much safer.

Once I took a short taxi ride to my hostel - the taxi driver said that Colombia is not safe...  everything closes at 10pm, but the neighborhood I was going to was "high class" and safe.  He was really happy I was at the hostel I was at and didn't really stress over how much I paid him; I tried paying him with $20 but he said he didn't have change, then I put together a combination of Colombian pesos and US dollars with change and he took it without much argument.

I stopped by an ATM and pulled out 400,000 pesos, which is $133 - I got an extra $50 worth for a friend I had met on the way who paid me on venmo- his card wasn't working here (I understand this problem).

I saw a girl with a specific pair of shoes on that I remembered from the airport and stopped to talk to her... she laughed and said she wasn't at the airport, I asked what she was doing here and she said she was very angry, long story short she needed a few bucks for the taxi, and just like ometepe when I helped a guy get food, I helped her get a taxi, except unlike ometepe this girl could have been a model- very good looking and extremely appreciative.  Interesting place, this Colombia.

So I have finally caught up on my blog...  thank goodness.  Good night from Colombia!!  I fly out of bogota to Peru on the 2nd.

BOCAS del toro

Dec 24th,  Christmas Eve:
Last night I got bit by at least three mosquitos while sitting at the dock, one of the bites raised a section of skin that looked like a blister as big as a quarter.  The last time I had a reaction like this was in Africa; I found out that the hostel manager was sick with dengue and "still working" so - that means there will definitely be infected mosquitos around the area...  I am not liking the way that sounds...  

I went to bed at 5 am, last night was fun, except that someone stole my phone (it fell out of my pocket but I noticed it right away; but process of elimination I guessed who had it- a local) and I had to use psychological military tactics to convince the person to give it back for money.

I set my alarm for 9 (that was as late as I could set it and still have a clear conscience if I missed my snorkeling time) but woke up at 8 am without an alarm. When I woke up at 8:30 I had an hour and a half until the time I remembered someone saying the snorkeling tours were... I got a couple things done: 1. I went for a run 2. I ate breakfast 3. Found a travel agency and signed up for a snorkeling tour 4. I dropped off my laundry 5. I bought waters at a grocery store 6. Caught up with some friends from last night.  Man last night was fun, this is a really small fiesta town but also a very calm and relaxing as an island should be; no taxis required here and everyone ends up at the same places - you don't want to be here too long or it will be boring I'm sure, unless you like this type of "smallness".

Once I got onto the boat, the day was in the record books; my roommate Vudant (Punjabi from India (which reminds me a lot of my friends in California)) and I thoroughly enjoyed our time, sonia from Switzerland joined our group and then two guys from Mexico: one was a mechanical engineer - we got along well very well.  The last two to jump on were an older couple from where else: the Netherlands.  I am not sure their age but he still scubadives, does all kinds of recreational sports and keeps his mind young; he reminded me of an older me and I really enjoyed talking to him and gaining his perspectives.  He's done a lot of the things I want to do and I asked questions to gain data on how I thought it would make me feel versus how it made him feel, he basically confirmed my thoughts and added some much appreciated insight as well.

First we went to a bungalow restaurant, next we went dolphin watching (I got a really cool video!), then snorkeling (Vudant got the biggest cramp I've ever seen while we were working on his breathing through the snorkel).  Next we went to a beautiful island beach that everyone agrees was one of the coolest places they've ever been (up there with Mallorca, India, turkey, Greece, Tel Aviv, Thailand, Maldives, and Cancun or anywhere else you could think of as people in the group had been to them all).  We investigated the island then went for a swim, I put my t-shirt an sunglasses on a branch next to a group standing beside us in order to avoid putting them in the sand.  When we finished swimming my stuff was gone and so was the group; I don't think anyone would purposely steal my dirty shirt or sunglasses but wow is it annoying to lose those types of things when traveling, easily replaceable but the quality isn't the same - I can't buy that tshirt down here even though it's cheap- and now I have to go find another pair of $5 sunglasses.  The rest of the day was a bit rougher without sunglasses or a tshirt- I put on sunscreen that Sonia had let me use and that made the sun a little more bearable; it felt like I could "feel" a difference in a burning feeling after putting on the sunscreen.

On our way back we stopped and saw some sloths, ate some food, chatted more and got back around 4pm.  What a day so far!  I had found exactly what I was looking for... the blue water, the bungalows, the island white sand, snorkeling, and an added bonus: interaction with dolphins (the dolphins actually followed the waves of the boat and I got a video of it).

The skipper of the boat had his son with him who was about 10 years old or so, and I had a really strong appreciation for his ability to boat and help his father out- it reminded me a lot of me when I was a kid boating with my dad.

I got the contact information from Sonia and Berry (the older Dutch gentleman) because they wanted the videos and I had pictures of them.  Tonight we will all end up at aqua lounge and let loose, dance, have fun again.  I forgot to mention last night, everyone was playing some sort of ping pong elimination game with books (the bar was called bookstore).  I didn't play the group game but after They were done Dan wanted to play and we really went at it.  Dan was very good and the table / paddles / ball were really working well for me, i was able to play at a higher level than I'm used to, really picking out my shots and having some great luck.  We played four games, he won three out of four but they were real close and I mounted some impressive comeback streaks.  After we were done Dan (from Australia) and his buddies were my right hand amigos: you don't play that kind of ping pong without forming strong bonds.

I met the girl that sat next to me on the ferry ride over (I believe her name is "Velena" from Germany who really turned my first impression of her around from being a total introvert awkwardly carrying on endless "efforted" conversation to really being quite naturally fun and easy going once we were out and about.

The performer at the bookshelf was very original, he sang some very strange songs and some really good songs but all written by him about psychology, politics, plantains (the song was about how much he hated them and I added in what is a plantain !!! I've been wondering that so much as I push them to the side of my plate each day).  I enjoyed the plantain song and the song about presidents on money as well as the vibe in the place - normally I do not like bars but this was more of a little hangout / arcade (they had street fighter on Super Nintendo at the actual bar on an old tv) / ping pong / stage for performances.

The "disco" iguanas was actually really fun and by design very enjoyable; It had an authentic Mexico spring break feel to it (but when I went to Cancun on spring break I couldn't find a place like this).

The town was so small, I kept running into the same people everywhere.  I ate two cheeseburgers and an Empenada with Doug and talked to him about real estate as he was a local that just sold two properties.  He told me the backstory on my hostel coming in and taking all the business putting small hostels out of business- the hostel used to be a place a billionaire owned and had other plans for.

I am going to go pick up my laundry, shower and get ready for the evening shenanigans.  Tomorrow I will check out maybe one more beach and then take a bus to Panama City (merry Christmas).

Day 8: arrive BOCAS del toro

Dec 22nd evening, puerto viejo, Costa Rica
This evening was a special one.  I spoke with a female Air Force officer, gained some ground on perspective of women in the military, helped a performer from the Bay Area who played with prince track down his equipment, had deep conversations about concepts of life and why we do things with a German, held a pow wow with the Argentinian and invited an 18 year old German to join - it's not often you see 18 year olds diving into deep conversations with people almost twice their age- this kid really impressed all of us and I have to think it might have something to do with his family and upbringing?  I met a French woman - talked to her a lot about French culture and the differences many of us travelers come to and what her thoughts on it were- she had a few strong thoughts which I greatly appreciated.  We all formed a bigger group and moved to the beach to have a bonfire after the live music.  The evening was quite simple and quite enjoyable, as we sat on the Costa Rican beach and let the time pass sharing stories and thoughts.  This was like the group I met in Istanbul - just a good mix of people and we are lucky to have met each other.

I went to bed late.  Woke up early, got everything set up for departure: I was heading to bocas del toro.  I waited for the receptionist but I felt I was getting used to the hotel not really putting much effort into reception so I decided to take off into the city to get an ATM and other things I needed to get done.  On the way to the ATM I saw a sign for Bocas del toro shuttles and decided to check it out.  The person working was very well spoken and I believe African American- he said he was from LA and I really respected his patience and professionalism.  We were able to get everything worked out (I also was looking for somewhere to print my plane ticket from Panama to Medellin which I needed for customs crossing into Panama) and I needed more cash so I said I would leave $20 and come back with another $9 since he said the spots may fill up while I was gone and I didn't know how far the ATM was.

When I returned there was a French family there and he asked if I knew French - I said ah no, (rolling my eyes) and everyone laughed.  Dang French.  They were able to work everything out in English and everyone was happy, the French family left and then my French friend walked by.  While I was finishing my booking two other girls stopped and asked about bocas del toro and said they were staying at rocking j's- the same place as me.  I didn't recognize them really and Javier (the guy helping us book) said I was also from there which brought on questions of where I am from etc.  they were from Germany and Chile and recommended a hostel for me to stay at once I got there.  I booked the hostel and then told them how to book the trip before they went to get cash so it doesn't sell out before they get back- they got the last two spots so it worked out well.

I grabbed some lunch and ran into Jenny from Germany who was checking out some bracelets.  I checked them out with her for a bit and decided I didn't favor them much, continued back to the hostel in time to run into Stefano from Argentina, Mich from Switzerland, and Jen from Hawaii (Air Force officer) where I ate my lunch that I had picked up along the way (Javier recommended a local place and dish).  Lunch was interesting- some sort of Caribbean stir fry is what it resembled - all I could think about was my stomach was probably going to be upset for a few more days.

I've got a lot of bites all over my legs, kind of sucks, also I used some Costa Rican bug lotion a guy I played pool with gave me which probably isn't healthy (I don't think any bug repellent is).

I introduced Mich to the German and Chilean women and they hit it off as he speaks every language.  Somewhere randomly I heard Vancouver BC and commented I really enjoyed that place- so did they; as much as travelers agree communicating with a French person can be delicate, they seem to also agree communicating with someone in Vancouver is very easy (they are really good people).

While walking through puerto viejo today, I really started to feel like I knew more of what was around me and could imagine what it would be like being a local.  I really enjoyed this small town and appreciated the memories I was associating here; I really have always appreciated Caribbean experiences, they have what I consider good chill music and chill atmospheres which appeal to me.

I was waving to numerous people I had met and gave hugs as I was leaving.  The staff had taken really good care of me while I was here and all were very kind as I checked out and said goodbyes.  Even though they were slow and sometimes not there to help me, they were at least really nice and meant well.

Once I got on the shuttle I sat up front by myself and typed some more notes for the blog.  I fell asleep and woke up when the bus was filling up; a guy named Frederick sat next to me from Stockholm and we chatted for the duration of the trip.  We drove by Mich and Stefano, so I stuck my head out the window and got their attention as we drove by- small town feeling.  The shuttle ride went fairly quickly, it took about an hour to pick up all twelve people in puerto viejo then another hour to the border and an hour to the water bus, with a 30 minute trip on the waterbus.  I got separated from the girls and had to wait for their Waterbus because they have my charger- I really don't like wasting time so I bought some sunglasses and an extra charging cord while I waited to be productive - then sat and wrote some of this blog.  Panama is an interesting place, I immediately liked it more than Costa Rica.  Boca del toro is exactly what I was looking for- my buddy Andy told me it was great so that is why I'm here, and I think he's right- everything about this place is giving good vibes; I'm looking forward to checking in, getting showered up, and investigating this island.  I wasn't able to take many pictures but bocas del toro (spelling) is very picturesque with nice looking buildings and waterfront restaurants, whereas the rest of the views in panama were also picturesque but had very poor housing and infrastructure.

Once I arrived at the hostel something interesting happened.  I checked in and he couldn't find my reservation- apparently there were two hostels with the name Selina and I reserved one on a secluded island called red frog.  He said he had some rooms available for around $77-$130 (my room was supposed to be $15) and I told him I would wait until the customers were done checking in.   After the last customer was helped an American- asian girl was staring at me, then taking pictures of herself and examining them, something strange I noticed and could only help but assuming where she was from.  Finally I asked her if she had been here a while and what I should do, she easily offered advice but I could tell it wasn't the advice that I was likely to take as my own direction.  Next she asked if I minded her cutting in front of me because she just had a "quick question".  Next thing I know she is booking the last two rooms in the hostel, and maintaining my balance I couldn't help but think this person is an unbalanced person, cutting in front to try to steal the last rooms...  she then tried to complain about the prices and asked if there were any other rooms several times like the answer was going to change.  I was politely waiting for them to be done and kind of checking other options for rooms.  I found a couple but nothing as convenient as this place (Selina was likely rated #1).  They were able to get one room for one night, and there were absolutely no rooms available tomorrow, same thing he told me before; They got the "last two".  After they left a guy named Jason came up and returned the remote, he kept looking at me and I engaged in conversation, saying, "man those two really messed with my chi".  When the receptionist was available I asked if he still had the Delux room for $130, he said he did (I assume he was saving it for me because he didn't offer it to them) and I said I suppose I will take it as those two cut in front of me and took the last rooms.  He said "let me see what I can do for you" and found a room for $30 for two nights... I checked into my room and it was the best hostel room I've ever seen with private restroom and balcony overlooking the water... from "full" to the best room for a great price...  I told him I love how the world works when you're patient...  I don't ever remember not getting a room at a hostel, I think they appreciate travelers that are patient and let people cut in front of them without complaining.

The hostel is great, really like it- kind of like a nice hotel for travelers.  I took the best shower I've had and got some room supplies at a store two blocks away, met up with Jason ( he was randomly one of my two roommates) and we will check out BOCAS del toro this evening.  Good evening from BDT Panama , hopefully snorkeling in the morning.

I don't have time to proofread :(

Day 4.5-7

Day four continued:
I forgot to write about the tropical storm I thought I was in.  While riding the dirt bike on the road connecting the two volcanoes (there's only one and it is on the northern coast of the island) I was exposed to some strong winds that made me ride my dirt bike at a slant.  The wind got so strong it was throwing things in the air and I was hitting them at the combined speed of wind + bike mph.  I started thinking I should pull over for safety reasons as the rain and wind was going against me and really hitting my face hard; thankfully I bought some sunglasses at a convenience store earlier (I had enough bugs in my eyes).  I looked out at the lake and it looked like a hurricane may be coming.  I checked the radar app I have but of course it didn't have any radar covering Central America so that didn't help at all.  I used to ask if anyone had a forecast for the day / week but everyone laughed when I did so I stopped.  I started wondering if I remembered any huge storms killing people in Nicaragua, started planning what I would do to survive and then had to bring my mind back to riding the bike, my thoughts wandered a bit far.  Once I crossed the connecting strip and turned right at the second volcano the wind was non existent and it looked more like paradise than a hurricane.  There was no evidence of a storm, it was tropical and sunny, the vegetation was not agitated, it was hard to believe the difference between north side and middle/south side of the volcano.

Day five:
Woke up and got some breakfast at the hostel.  I decided to take off early talking to someone that worked in San Jose as I wanted to make sure I give myself enough time for a reasonable shot at making it all the way to Puerto viejo without paying for private shuttles from San Jose.  It was 9:40 and I decided to pack my stuff and say goodbyes, Roman said he'd get me there in time for the ferry and called a tuk tuk taxi; it arrived almost instantly.  I gave big hugs to the hostel crew, somehow they made me feel like family in two days, I already miss them.

The Tuk tuk played some good music on the way and I had a musical air drum moment with the driver, island life was good.  We got to the ferry at 9:55 but the ferry was late.  I met some Australian people on the ferry they sat a row in front of me and two new Dutch guys I hadn't met yet sat to my right.  The Australians (I think, based off accent) were well traveled - I saw videos of niagara etc, but they didn't do any siteseeing on ometepe- they were only there for the electronic music festival, they spoke about drugs liberally and mostly kept to themselves which worked for me.  I wish I had my headphones.  The Dutch guys were offering a ride to San Juan del sir, and I was tempted but felt my best option was heading to San Jose.

I took a nap and the ferry ride was over- that was a good strategy.  When I got off the ferry I immediately got in a taxi and took a thirty minute drive to the border.  The taxi driver passed miles of semi trucks and dropped me off at the gate - pointing me in a direction where to go next.  Immediately people were there bugging me and I got scammed for fifteen dollars I think... it was most likely the company being lazy and not fixing a mistake but maybe the scam artists are really elaborate for $15... who knows.  Either way the ticket I bought was taken from me immediately by the bus attendant, I thought it was a little weird she took the ticket before I got on the bus, knowing I would need it to get a stamp for Costa Rica but I figured they knew what they were doing.  There was 15 minutes before the bus departed so I found a duty free shop and bought headphones, I tried to buy an iPhone charger but they didn't have one (my charging cord randomly stopped working).

Once I got through the border and entered Costa Rica while in line at customs I asked the bus attendant what I would do without my ticket as I saw everyone had one, and she didn't show any sign of concern, so again I figured they knew what they were doing.  When I handed the customs agent my passport he asked for my boleta (ticket) and I waved over the bus attendant.  Long story short I had to buy another ticket but it wasn't that easy.  The bus attendants and driver held a meeting and made me feel like I did something wrong first, and I just kept asking them what the problem was, I would happily take another bus.  It took them quite a lot of talking and deliberation until they finally took me to buy another ticket for $25.  I used a translator to attempt to tell them I took a taxi to the border, bought a ticket, and it was taken from me before I ever got on the taxi, but the girl just kept saying that was for the trip in Nicaragua like I was trying to get a free ride.  So I am still unsure what exactly happened, maybe the company sells tickets to cross the border for $15 and then recharges everyone another $25 once across?  Doesn't make sense because a ticket from Managua was only $28 and they did not need a new ticket, so I am confused and decided best to just forget about it, I was only out $15.

The bus ride was probably my least favorite part of this trip, because I was late from the attendants deliberating and having to go back and get a new ticket, I got the last choice in seat and took an isle seat next to an old man.  I felt like I was taking a flight with southwest - everyone wanted the two seats to themselves and I had to sit somewhere - no one was welcoming me in, I don't blame them.  The old man and I got along pretty well, he asked what happened and we exchanged conversation in my broken Spanish; he was very patient and pointed out sights along the way, reminding me of traveling with a dad and making me feel like a kid (in a good way).  He enjoyed looking at my gps updates to how far we were from San Jose; it enabled him to know we were running behind schedule.  I saw some pringles when we stopped for dinner and bought him a container because they are what my grandma always had, I rarely eat them because I think they are unhealthy but I thought he would appreciate them as I always did and I wanted to show a good gesture in appreciation of his politeness.  We arrived at 2100 instead of projected time of 1800, three hours late and I had to stay in San Jose.

San Jose would end up being a pleasant surprise.  I checked into my room and made friends with my roommates.  I turned off the lights when I left the room and then when I came back I turned them back on to find a new roommate rummaging through his bag in the dark telling me it was rude to turn the lights on.  I was a little surprised as I haven't been called rude often, normally even when I accidentally make mistakes people can see the logic behind them and kindly remind me, not call me out so directly.  I kindly told him they were on and I was the one who turned them off, to be polite since no one was awake in the room when I left and now that I'm back I don't see it being rude to turn them on but if he'd like I would turn them off (he looked like he was having a hard time in the dark so who am I to need the light); he said no the light really is a big help and we left it on.  He said his name was AJ and he was from jersey, going to school at the university of Michigan- third U of Mich student I've seen.

I made some friends at the restaurant in the hostel, one an Argentinian named Nelson and a Canadian couple.  I asked if there was anything fun to do in San Jose and the bartender asked her friend.  She said we should go check out a place that was closing and celebrating its last night being open.  We went as a group of five (after chatting for an hour) and had a fun time, it was nice to get a taste of local life and life was good in San Jose.

The following day I slept in, checked out the center of the city, got a phone charger, visited an ATM, ate at some cool restaurants and chatted with a local artist named Brenda.  Brenda was really interesting to talk to, and also very good at art.  She and I had a lot of differences but were able to communicate through them and improve each other's perspectives.

I headed to the bus station a bit early, I would like to have been earlier but I had to wait to say goodbye to some people.  Eventually I got to the bus station but they said it was the wrong one, a person wearing some sort of investigations or police uniform ended up taking me to a taxi and translating where I needed to go, I really appreciated his professionalism and like to think there was a mutual respect between professionals.

Once at the new station, I witnessed further terrible bus attendant service.  Long story short the attendant caused me to be under the wrong impression and then told me they were sold out (even though I had a ticket for it) but not to worry as another bus was leaving in 20 minutes and my ticket would work.  I knew another bus wasn't leaving in 20 minutes but what choice did I have.  Ultimately the bus left in an hour and I arrived at puerto viejo after a two hour ride.  Quickly I realized I was in the wrong puerto viejo; I was near the Nicaraguan border more than Panama.  There were no buses and the hotels were terrible, there was only one option take a taxi for outrageously high prices.  I talked to several drivers and finally a taxi driver that used to live in New Jersey gave me the best rate.  Skipping some steps I paid a lot of money to taxi to the other puerto viejo and had some interesting conversations and stops along the way to include talking about his time in America, his two beautiful daughters, what I would do if I had two beautiful daughters (probably stress out and jokingly interrogate her boyfriends).  He pointed out where his daughter worked and said she was on shift, told me about his friend that was killed driving taxis and showed me pictures of his friends obituary, crime scene (including body bag), also his self defense: mace, gun, and some sort of sharp little stabbing tool.  I asked if Costa Rica was bad and he said no but, I guess like anywhere there can be problems.  This ride was an interesting one.

When I got to Puerto Rico I got bit by two mosquitos while brushing my teeth, so when I checked into my room and saw an open window I had to find some way to either protect myself or switch rooms to somewhere without open air / open mosquitos attacking me all night- I know what happens when I sleep with an open window in a mosquito zone and I was not going to let it happen tonight.  The receptionist was nice, easily switched me into a tent, which was actually really nice.  I got my own tent with a bed in it and it zipped up entirely; I got a good nights sleep and no more bites.

The next morning I woke up in time to check out the tours they offered, decided to rent some bikes, see the beaches and do the jaguar center.  The beaches were alright, nothing like Cancun, Greece or TelAviv, so I wasn't super impressed.  It was nice to sit on the beach where you could see for miles up and down the beach that the coast was beautiful, I wondered about foreigners that found this place hundreds of years ago and what they thought when they landed.  I wondered where this place would be in 20 or 50 years as there is a lot of property for sale.  I just took in the sunset and thought for a while about how Costa Rica is.  All day I've been checking out beaches and talking to locals, taking in the culture and forming my opinion about this place.  I think that Europe agrees with me the most, I hope Australia is awesome, I have some hopes for South America, and Asia is not too bad, the Middle East wasn't so bad; Africa was terrible and Central America isn't by any means my favorite, Canada is one of my favorites but rated highest in the west then goes down to actually be not too great as you get further east in my opinion.  Mexico is its own little thing and my trip with Rachel was quite special in my memory so Mexico rates pretty highly.  The reason I write all this is to kind of put into perspective the feeling of this trip as I'm thinking about it- but it doesn't matter what I think, I knew I had to check these places out, and I'm doing it.  I am also having fun while doing it and I am thankful for that.

Tonight live music is playing and I am meeting a lot of people, I love meeting people.  I hung out with a Swiss army guy (kind of like a Swiss Army knife?) and an Argentinian.  The two were very different as I conversed back and forth between Jiu Jitsu and talking to the Swiss army guy about how he is wired a certain way (trying to introduce him to some things I went through as I feel like he is very much like I was when I was younger (I don't know his age though and he speaks five languages)).  I met a guy from Sweden named Hassan and talked about my experience with Islam and we came to several agreements about things, I really appreciated that his family let him decide what he wanted to be and he is atheist as much as Islamic, he likes how atheist Norway is.

I can't remember everything that happened as I'm trying to write about three days in a hurry because I'm being rude not talking to anyone the last couple hours while writing this blog.  I'm tired, but I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get to know these travelers a little better, our group is growing fast like it usually does.  I will make a comment that I've been sick to my stomach pretty much since I got here; I knew I was going to be, I've been like this before - can't wait until it ends, it's annoying using the bathroom four times a day (to be expected).

Tomorrow I will make my way to boca del toro, and I hope the third time is a charm for the Central American bus system :(

Good night from puerto viejo, with live music playing, mosquitos aggressively biting, and the beach in the background.

No time to proofread so apologies for errors in advance.

4: Cascada San Ramon

Day 4:
Had a great time chatting with Lucas as we sat up on top of the elevated "view platform" last night.  He told me about his polish history and I have to admit I really enjoyed it, I kind of want to go to Poland now.  I have always wanted to go to Poland, but his story about how they were caught between Germany and Russia, being attacked by Germany and relying on a treaty with Russia to help them they got double crossed and had lost to the two countries at both sides.  After the loss Poland was divided between Austria Germany and Russia, for 123 years they were not a country and after what I heard about Russian occupation in Budapest, I can only imagine these were not 123 good years.  Lucas said Germany and Russia killed many of the scholars in Poland and anyone who was important, yet they still taught and went to church underground, hidden from the occupying forces, eventually uprising and regaining their country back.  Once they got their country back Lucas said they were the only country friendly with the Jews and thus many Jews flocked there to avoid persecution from almost every European country; this made it a prime target for hitler in World War Two.  My history of Poland is a little spotty, but Lucas said they fought back against the Germans quite strongly.  Ok Wikipedia it said that the war started with the German invasion of Poland on sept 1, 1939 and Russia invading on sept 17, 1939 from the other side with Poland fighting for over a month holding back both sides until eventually losing, seems to support what Lucas said.  According to Lucas Poland didn't forget this, and still remember to this day, something I can agree with and useful knowledge that Greece and Turkey might want to know as they are currently having demonstrations with Russian influence.

The view up top was beautiful, we were far enough up to escape the noise of the flat ground and heard wind whistling as we carried on conversation.  Eventually he had to check the bar and I had to get some sleep.

I woke up after a solid nights sleep (my first solid night sleep in Nicaragua), saw that it was cloudy, and ordered some breakfast from the hostel restaurant (hostel life is good).  It seemed like it took a while but it was well worth it, the eggs were amazing, the rice and bacon on the side were also very enjoyable.  The menu explained that everything is natural, I think they grow everything here on the property and if not they get it from a neighbor that also grows on property.

After breakfast I worked with the motorcycle rental company that the hostel goes through so that the bike is dropped off for me in the morning and picked up at night- one less step for me.  Everything went quick and I was on my way to see the waterfall.  Once I got to the waterfall I decided to try to get a three hour event done in two, I started walking up with a birthday girl and her guide, and when she went to the store to get water I started running up.  The hike said three k, but it seemed a lot longer.  I marked the start and finish on navigation but forgot how to measure two points and don't want to take the time to figure it out as I'm running short on time today.  While running up (and walking of course) I went past a lot of people and chit chatted a bit, everyone wanted to talk today- lots of westerners.  I started thinking "wow this is a long three k" and asked someone how much further I had- they said it's a ways further - yikes.  I kept going and going and going until finally I was thinking I was at the top, and I thought, well it can't go forever, that would be a cool trick if it could though.

Finally I crested the top of the hill-first I saw a couple people-then I saw the falls... it was so picturesque, I didn't expect to see what I was seeing.  I was thinking of a traditional waterfall - this far surpassed any previous waterfall I have seen and I don't think it's possible to capture the beauty in a picture.  Wow.  It was well worth it (as everyone said on the way up).  Of course Niagara Falls was a different category that was impressively massive.  So much water at niagara, but this waterfall used the little water it had to paint a pretty picture.

I met a brother and sister from denver, that went to Michigan university and Purdue - I was framing a picture and they walked through it.  Instead of being mad I told them to pose and snapped the best pic of the day, then taught them about the Bluetooth photo transfer airplay on the iPhone. We walked together down the fall for a bit until I could run, then I left and I am kind of surprised I didn't get a Facebook from them but I was busy... I only have a little time to get things done.

I took advice from Roman and drove around the last part of the island (the only part I hadn't driven yet) on the way back.  Being the second day using the dirt bike, I felt way more confident and started really speeding through the dirt roads.  I was hitting 40, 60 and 80 kph at times but never felt that I was risking safety.  I made it back to the middle of the island and stopped at a really nice looking hotel for directions on where I can find the kayaking.  The guy at the desk was so nice and helpful I decided to skip kayaking (I wasn't that interested anyway) and eat dinner there.  I talked with him about his life on the island growing up and really enjoyed hearing his story.  I got chili con carne (beef chili over rice).  The place was one of the nicest places I've seen inNicaragua, the serving utensils and placemat were actually really good taste, the counter was quality granite, even the cupboards seemed really exquisite.   The meal was great.  This time I didn't want to miss the sunset, I got a pin on the map from the waiter and went on my way with plenty of time to spare.

Trying to find the pin was more difficult than it should have been.  I was looking early for diagonal routes and then missed the exact perpendicular route, and someone gave me wrong directions so I way over shot it until I hit the airport which was my backstop.  I knew if I hit the airport I went too far and I hit the airport.  I turned around then saw a huge sign, and a dirt road.  It was not clear if the sign meant turn on this road or if it was declaring an area, no arrows or specific guidance was listed.  When I saw the sign I was traveling way too fast to stop so I had to turn around to re-examine the sign and my gps map.  On my way back someone on a scooter pulled up and I almost hit them.  I used my front brake way too hard (again) as it had been working all weekend but this time I almost wiped out because it was all lose dirt/mud.  As it turned out it was a girl from the Netherlands, and I asked are you looking for this sunset too?  She replied she was, and we both thought this was it so I said let's check it out.  My bike was way faster than her scooter so I took off.  I stopped to take a picture and she caught up, but she didn't seem to care I was taking a picture and cruised right into my photo frame.  I took a pic of her riding her scooter then flew by her and told her I got a pic of her.

When I parked I got charged $1 for parking.  More annoying because I didn't have such small change than anything - I figured it would be easier to pay for two instead of getting all this change.  She arrived as I was finishing the receipts and I gave her the ticket.  She thanked me and we exchanged names, she was Kirsten and didn't know how to take her helmet off lol.  I helped her and we walked to check out the "best sunset" view.  We were pretty early so we took pics of each other with each other's cameras as the beach started filling up.  I have to admit she wasn't the best photographer but I think I got some good shots of her and at least she tried?  She was studying law and played field hockey.  She showed me a pic and I just thought it was adorable, since I played ice hockey it just seemed like a funny sport to me to play competitively on grass.  Apparently it's one of the most popular sports in Netherlands.

The sunset finished up and we split ways, I got her Facebook and went to the hostel.  At the hostel the hostel managers/owners and Lucas were making a local soup; I have really enjoyed this hostel, the team has really made me feel part of the family.  Kirsten got lost trying to find the hostel and told me to eat without her, I didn't know she was trying to walk I felt terrible.  I sent pics of the sunset to my two Spanish friends I had made and they were very jealous as they were supposed to meet me there but didn't show up, apparently they were trying to find a hostel all day and even tried my hostel but it was full.  It was true today my room was full- quite surprising actually.  I slept alone last night now I have like 6 roommates.

I ate my soup chit chatting with the hostel team then two Dutch guys asked where the city was.  I thought they were pretty cool and told them I'd go with and show them, turns out there were four of them, and we talked about Amsterdam and traveling while we walked to the city, us five.  It was about a fifteen minute walk and once we arrived the hostel central bar actually had a decent crowd.  I saw the Spanish girls and the two groups sat next to each other- it was nice to introduce the two groups and now I sit here writing while they all get to know each other- a good night.

 Some locals behind me asked me to chat with them and it took about a half hour, apparently the guy talking was a tour guide that had too much to drink and wanted to introduce me to a woman in his family. I told him we all had a girlfriend except Robin (Robin was the only single guy in the group other than me and also happened to be like 6'6).  The guy was really nice and the lady was pretty, I memorized their name to show respect and talked with them for a while...  they were really interested in talking and I enjoyed the conversation but I didn't enjoy worrying if I said something wrong I might offend them.  I didn't want to offend them and starting off by saying no to an offer of a guys family member didn't start me off right.

Thinking back I've really gotten along with Dutch people, and today I've met a lot.  Hanging out with these guys tonight was really easy... they talked about the different cultures that don't get them, and we all talked about the French.  Pretty much everyone has the same opinion about the French, and if you're curious to what I am talking about, just go to France and ask for directions or just about anything for that matter.

Earlier at the sunset, I asked Kirsten if she knew the 1-2-3 hand game a Dutch person taught me- not only did she know but she taught me add-ons.   Now at the city, II asked the Dutch guys and one of them knew it as well, and the Dutch kicked my butt..  It's been a good night.

Tomorrow I will zip line with the hostel team and then take off to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica via bus.  I think, that once I arrive, the most unsafe part of my trip will be over.  I was only worried about Nicaragua and maybe Colombia.

I'm pretty tired and trying to get this written in order to keep track of where I'm at, trying to post once each day.  Good night from hostel central in Moyogalpa, Ometepe.

Arriving Ometepe

Today I woke up in Laguna de Apoyo and ate a pleasant breakfast on the wifi platform/common area.  I had eggs sunny side up, fruit, pancakes with syrup, yogurt, bacon and fruit juice for six bucks.  I sat next to a guy named graham from London and enjoyed talking about life, he was in finance with music.  The water turned back on and I took a cold shower, I was surprised but I guess you can't have it all for $10 a night.  

After packing my bags I hopped on a "shuttle" (a normal car) to ometepe and rode with a guy from Israel.  We had a lengthy discussion and exchanged perspectives, his from Israel and his time in the israeli army and mine from America and my time in the American army.  He was a software engineer, we discussed computers / military, and the theory of thought and reasoning.  He reminded me a lot of my cousin Sophie when he kept jumping to the end result.  I really enjoyed conversing and going back and forth about ideas and why he does things vs why I do things etc.  exposure to different cultures is priceless. 

Before I knew it and mid conversation we arrived.  Hastily we exchanged Facebook info as he was continuing to the border and then I got out of the taxi.  Immediately someone approached me with tickets to ometepe.  I noted the information and passed on buying a ticket, thinking it may be wiser not to buy from people harassing the taxi.  I asked if there was wifi and they pointed me to a restaurant.  Inside the restaurant I made friends with two women from Mallorca.  The waiter had to be 12 and he saw me checking some messages on a video game and commented that he plays also and is level 10.  I barely understand Spanish but I understood what he meant, and I showed him that I was also level 10 he was very surprised and we bumped fists.  The ladies said they were going to wait an extra hour for the larger ferry which would be more safe.  I didn't see any danger in a smaller ferry on a lake so I left them and caught the small ferry over by myself.  I was very glad I grabbed a chicken sandwich and fries before I left as the ferry ride took way longer than I expected (over an hour).  

Upon landing I saw someone trying to rent motorcycles and I approached one that I felt was a decent person, we exchanged a few comments and he earned my business.  As we were going through the process I had some suspicions but he used the universal body language and facial expressions that allowed me to trust him.  After we signed all the paperwork we were about t part ways when he saw the look on my face as I jumped on the bike.  He asked if I had experience, I didn't want to tell him I hadn't ridden since I was a kid and that the one time I did I went head first over the handlebars of my buddies little toy bike.  He suggested I take a practice lap and I did well enough to where he gave me the ok to take off. 

I rode to the hostel and dropped off my stuff, the hostel recommended I take my time and catch sunset over on the beach.  I decided against it and pushed to circle the entire island.  I made my way to the other hostel which is between the two islands about twelve miles away, but the hike to the hostel was so long it took 30-45 minutes just to check it out.  It was a really unique hostel with cottages and cabins secluded way back in the island.  I've not seen any hostel like it, I suppose people go here to get away.  Once I finished checking out this unique hostel I jumped back on the bike and ran into two guys I met earlier, I suggested they park their bike a little more seriously as they will not want to walk back down once they get up there.  They thanked me and we split ways.  I booked it back - after all i have been driving this motorcycle for almost two hours by now- I'm an expert at this point right?  I was chasing the sunset.  The sunset won with the help of about four hundred bugs in my eye.   Along the way I had to stop a few times and take in some views.  A fire left a huge charred open area where you could see from the island the entire bay and sunset from very far away, it was beautiful.  Photos didn't do justice.  Part of the drive back on the west side included driving through an airfield, the airfield seemed to run east west meaning the west side opened up more views to the sunset as it ran all the way to the water...  more beautiful views.  Somewhere on the trip my headphones fell out of my pocket :(

I made it back to the motorcycle return point and had to try and find someone to make a phone call for me.  I met a guy named Wilber that helped me make the call- a decent translator.  Apparently Wilber was here for the electronic music festival that was this past weekend and got so drunk he lost his wallet and slept in too late and now was stranded waiting for the ferry that already finished for the day.  He said he was hungry and was without money.  I asked how much he needed and he said 60 cordobas (spelling).  I did the math in my head and rechecked my math, at 29 to 1 he was asking for $2.  I gave him the two dollars for helping me make my call and he thanked me many times.  While I was waiting for the bike rental manager to arrive I saw Wilber coming back with food, he sat and chatted with me for a while.  He looked like he had a hard life, he said he never went to school, learned English in the streets, and worked in Costa Rica for a while but it's too expensive there.  I was pretty impressed as his English was actually pretty good.  

The bike rental manager arrived and everything was as expected, he gave me my deposit back and shook hands.  He was a really nice guy throughout the process.  I said goodbye to everyone and then went off looking for some food; I looked in the first restaurant and saw two blondes eating all by themselves.  I decided that was probably some kind of setup where you get your organs stolen, so I moved to the next restaurant where I saw the two ladies from Spain and naturally they invited me to join them.  We had a good meal although rather expensive ($15 for a pizza ?) and they had a salad with tiramisu.  So far almost everything I've eaten has been hand made and freshly prepared-not bad even at American prices.

They helped me plan my trip to Costa Rica and Panama, as they had both traveled there already for several months.  I decided to head to Manuel Antonio and then kind of take a different path through San Jose and aim for the Caribbean side due to their suggestions and wanting to end up and boca del toro.  

After dinner the women refused my idea to take a taxi, I told them I was going to try to find one and if I did I would say my goodbye.  Taxis were like two dollars and I wasn't trying to put myself in any situation to get robbed.  There was no taxi so sadly I had to ask if they would protect me if any women tried to rape me (the department of state website has reported that many us citizens have been sexually assaulted here) since the fifteen minute walk back had a lot of unlit road in it.  They promised they would.  I really don't like walking if you don't have to, especially in Nicaragua in the dark with two foreign women.

We got to their hostel safely as it was closer in proximity and they insisted they had to walk me back to mine or I might not make it safely.  True to their word they dropped me off and added me on Facebook, real gentlewomen.  Hard to find chivalry these days but guys I assure you it exists just go to Mallorca.

The dogs here have loved me.  Right now I have some kind of cute little dog sitting between my feet just relaxing with me as I write this, and earlier at breakfast I was trying to teach a dog at Apoyo to sit and catch food I threw to him.  I don't touch stray dogs.. but this guy is a purebread chiwowa or something owned by someone at the hostel so I pet him a bit.

I went over options of what to do tomorrow and had one thing working against me, it's nine o'clock on a Sunday after an electronic music festival.  No one is opening early tomorrow they said.  I wanted to leave at 5 am to get everything in but they said 8 at the earliest, if I'm lucky.  Really nice guys but they are serious about their island life, and relaxing.

I am exhausted.  Lucas the bartender sat down and helped me plan out my time on ometepe.  If the weather is good, perhaps I hike the big volcano.  If it is cloudy there is no point to hiking and I will ride to the far volcano then climb an easy hike to the waterfall and enjoy the view there.

Everyone seems like they are recovering from this weekend and the place is rather empty, so I have plenty of time to ask questions and converse with the entire staff, I feel like I came at the perfect time.

It's almost ten pm and I'm ready to pass out.  It is sad that I lost my headphones.  I'm going to have to find some somewhere they are my key to sleeping when places are noisy (again, thankfully this hostel is not noisy).

Good night from Ometepe.  Tomorrow I should be spending all day hiking or if cloudy, going to a waterfall and possibly zip lining - if all goes well I will catch a majestic sunset that the island is known for on my way back.  I'm rather out of it and too tired to fully proofread this, apologies in advance for any errors.

Nicaragua Night 2

For a brief description of relevant locations at this hostel, it's on a lake.  The lake is surrounded by raised elevation almost like a crater.  This creates a nice seclusion and backdrop.  There are only a couple visible establishments on this lake, and the water is crystal clear/warm.  So far I haven't been bit by a single mosquito and I can't really believe it.  By all normal standards I would expect to get devoured.  I don't know if it just isn't mosquito season or if Central America is not as bad as Africa as far as mosquitos go.  There is only one spot with wifi on this acre and a half or so lot on a hill: it is centralized and isolated by itself on a raised platform by the check in so most of the time you just don't have wifi which actually is kind of nice.  The temperature is really peculiar - it's trying to make me feel cold but overall muggy and tropical- if that makes any sense.  It's definitely warm: I'm sweating, but there's a coolness that almost feels cold... interesting.  The smell in the air is strong of life: dirt mostly with some fires in the background and that humid smell southerners know so well when you wake up early and can smell the humidity (dew).

Today, I feel like I did nothing by my standards.  I went for a swim and just stared into the lake for hours not moving.  Then I swam out to the wooden platform and laid there for about thirty minutes.  I saw rain coming (enough time in the woods teaches you to predict the weather with occasional accuracy.. aka I can see a huge mist coming that blocks the other side of the lake).  I dove into the water and held my breath for a while and swam back.  Once I got back on land I got a couple drinks - pina colada (expensive $4)and a strawberry mojito ($4).  The pina colada was awesome, I asked Gabriel the bartender for a piece of the pineapple he was cutting up and I realized I've had Hawaiian pineapple, Thai pineapple, African pineapple, Mexican pineapple and now Nicaraguan pineapple.  Each one tastes surprisingly different with African pineapple leading the way (when it's not overripe and sour).  This came in a sweet second.  (Side note I'm happy to say this place reminds me more of Minnesota than Africa, except no mosquitos... still can't believe it)

While getting those drinks I saw a sign that said ten dollar massages for thirty minutes.  I was unable to book a massage before I left California and I inquired at the front desk here, they said be ready at 3 o'clock.  I thought that was a ways away and started planning when they told me ten minutes.  I guess time warped and it was already 2:50pm. I fell asleep during my massage and felt great when I woke up.  I went to the patio to check my wifi and remembered that I had some books to read that school made me procrastinate on.  I texted lane and asked for the book he recommended and tried finding it on kindle but ran into some wifi issues and gave up.  No worries, I have a hundred books I need to read so I just worked on one I had already started.  I read for a couple hours with a gorgeous view and randomly felt like running.  It was about 5:45 when I started and the sun was beginning to set.  All the toilets were broken so I ran on a full bladder and it magically emptied en route.  I ran for about a mile around a portion of the lake until it started getting a bit too dark and I started to wonder how many things could kill me out here as the road ended and turned into a narrow, less than enticing dirt path.  I ran a little further using the lack of light as motivation to run faster home, and turned around.  I made great time and was sweating profusely: mission accomplished.  I did some yoga stretches when I got back at the top of the property (no one is up there) and then did some dips, crunches and push-ups.  I went back to the room to shower and all running water was still broken.  My new roommate that I had not met until now recommended I swim off the sweat, she was from Netherlands but sounded French to me.  Her name was unpronounceable and she just said call her marty.  I checked in with the front desk and let them know the water was still not working and double checked my booking for the ometepe shuttle in the morning; thankfully some other guests booked the shuttle to Costa Rica so I can hop on with them and they will drop me at ometepe.

I went downstairs to swim and told the bartender I was going to drink and swim and he just laughed.  Side note I love how there are no liability wavers, lifeguards, or warnings out here if makes me feel like I'm not being babysat- though I understand these things are important, I sometimes like to just be free.  I sat down and was impressed with the view, the entire sky was filled with stars, the night was filled with thick noise from frogs, crickets, and the like.  The clouds have dissipated and the flatness of the lake provides large views of the sky that are only visible from the beach.  I went back to the bar to order my dinner, a pepperoni pizza, and I checked the sky but couldn't see a single star from the bar due to roofing and trees... for hours I've been sitting here alone just marveling in the beauty that no one else is looking at, as usually there are mass crowds at a good view - I'm not shy to keep them all to myself when no one else cares to join.  The temperature couldn't be better, and somehow, there isn't one bug bothering me in this tropical climate!  I still cannot believe it.

So I have the beach alone.  My pizza arrived and I ate the whole thing (while randomly thinking about math and physics)... It was one of the best pizzas I've ever had ($7).  Earlier I ordered and ate Vietnamese pork, mashed potatoes and rice.  The food here is great.  The pizza was definitely hand made and the dough was as good as I could ask for.  This place is a hidden gem; I would love to come back.  I couldn't be more "chill".  I haven't talked much all day and I like it.  Everyone is in their own little zen.

Good night from zen lake!

Arriving in Laguna de Apoyo

Day 2
My roommate woke me up for breakfast and then recommended I catch an early bus from UCA to Granada and then link up with the hostel bus to boca en boca.  I ate some corn flakes with sour milk, washed my face, packed what little I had out, paid my bill and the guard took me to the bus stop for $3.  As the guard dropped me off he pointed at a full bus and said "Granada".  I paid literally less than a dollar for the bus ride from UCA to Granada. There were two guys that operated the bus - a driver and a guy that packed everyone in.  I have met many people like the guy that was loading the bus he's a hustler and hilarious.  He took my bag and put it up front then told me to go in back and I just looked at him clueless as he yelled at me.  after he calmed down I pointed at my bag and ina universal language said I'm not leaving it more than arms length away from me.  He gave up and probably said some curses.  After a few minutes I just laughed and he laughed with me.  This morning reminded me so much of Africa I couldn't wait to get to the beach.  I'm sitting here in the bus checking out the country as we drive through - it just looks really rough to live here.  I'm really looking forward to getting to a more happy place.  Apparently I'm really going to like Granada.  It was not on my destination however it's on my way and my roommate recommended it.  Her and I really got into some heavy conversation after I posted my last blog about relationships and life, it was really nice and equally appreciated.

After getting off the bus I figured it would be easier to find a shuttle over to Laguna de Apoyo but I missed my connection and there were no buses in sight.  I walked around granada long enough to decide there were no places I wanted to eat and hopped in a taxi driven by a kind older looking gentleman.  He negotiated with me politely and we agreed on around $15 - we stopped by a gas station and I found it to be quite upscale... something like America would have.  The prices were local and I got lunch, a week's worth of peanuts, large water and microwave popcorn (random I know....) for about $10.  Lunch was shredded beef on rice with brown beans and two fried banana looking things.  At first I started eating cautiously but then I kind of figured if I can't eat this food I won't eat for a month and I devoured the entire package minus the fried banana looking things (likely some kind of vegetable).

The taxi ride took a while but I arrived to Paradiso Hostel.  It's out in the middle of no where and on a lake, beautiful view I posted on Facebook and self sustaining.  Restaurant and everything you need here... I am quite thankful for that.  This is what I was looking for, thank you to my first roommate, it is time to relax and go for a swim.  Kayaks are free to use, I do not find kayaking favorable for the most part but maybe I will check it out.

Likely it will be an early night and tomorrow I'm trying to find someone to reserve the shuttle to ometepe because they need two people minimum, $15 to the ferry.  I am excited to climb the volcano.

Have a pleasant day from Laguna de Apoyo!