San Juan Del Sur

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Gringo haven, where we outnumber them. Nice little town, right on a large bay and beaches to the north and south. Great place to just be for a few days, and I´ve been here for more than the couple I thought I would be. Tomorrow I shall move on, on my own in order to connect with some friends from home on the Northern most Pacific of Nicaragua. Here I will spend whatever time is appropriete, hopefully pick up some skills in the water and see what I can get into with long time friend Peter Pan Parkinson. This will be fun.
It is great here but it makes me realize what I have always known, that there is no place like home. Bless

Give Praise to the Pacific

After leaving the island the gang and I made our way to the surf town of San Juan Del Sur. A place that feels like southern California, because the Gringos outnumber the locals 3 to 1, and there are wannabe surfers everywhere. Everybody here talks surf, is like whats up dude and just kicks back after getting there ass kicked by whitewash. Sorry to say I have been one of those Gringos, here on the Gringo trail you see the same people over and over. Leave them one place and they show up two days later at the same hostel, six hours from where you first met them.
It has been fun meeting people from all over the world, here to just gain experience, and become more worldly. I´ve now got more connections and have the options of going many other places. Everybody is pretty open and has nothing better to do than just strike up conversation. I have not always been one for small talk but have loosened up a little and thrown out my share of BS. This pics are from the days at San Juan Del Sur, this huge bay that is overlooked by Jesus himself, or at least a huge statue of him that you can hike up to. I have to say this journey and the abundance of religious icons, churches and celebrations has given my new found faith and spiritualality.

Ometepi

More of the amusing gang in and around the island. It is amazing how many people and luggage you can load into one minivan. That is the preferred mode of transport down here, the more people you load into it the less it costs, so economically speaking you are far better off striving for less comfort in order to save a couple cordobas, the equivalent of $.25, its amazing how cheap travelers can be, always trying to save money that they later blow on alcohol. Still trying to figure it out but I am only a novice, and my spanish is too poor to negotiate any rate. So I´ve been taken a few times, I´ve always been a sucker.
Although I´ve been taken for a few dollars here and there I´ve been extremely lucky to not be taken for anything seriouse, nor have I had any misfortunate things happen. My timing has seemed to be good and I have felt blessed with the number of friendly and talented I have met. I give my blessing everyday. Peace to all.

Volcanoe Island of Ometepi

Had a good time with a multinational group of people that I just happened to connect with in Grenada and then travel with for about a week. On the island of Ometepi, we hike up to a water fall that came out and down the side of this volcanoe. The hike was only 3km and really didn´t take too much effort, but here any effort feels like a lot of effort. This group of buddy´s consisted of a couple Dutch crazies, a Morrocan, a Spaniard, an couple Ozzies and myself. They were all amuzed with me as the Cali boy and I equally if not more amused by them and the obsured amounts of rum they decided to drink every night. They did not understand why I did not want to partake, nor why I wouldn´t eat the terribly low quality meat that is far too common and abundant on every menue.
None the less we all had fun and learned from one another. I was good to connect and travel with this group of natural entertainment, there was little to no need for tours our expeditions instead we just laughed and made fun of one another.

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Nicaragua

What a place, Nicaragua has it all, colonial towns, mountains, beaches, surf, lakes, volcanoes, culture and great people. What I have seen of Nicaragua so far is beautiful, I visited the colonial town of Grenada, which is next to Lake Managua and has a great feel for a big old city. Walked around the city and enjoyed the old architecture and many of the friendly people.
The next day connected with some new friends and made our way to lake Nicaragua and the island of Ometepi. This island was created by two volcanoes that worked their way up out of the lake and eventually connected themselves through the eruption of lave. This may be one of the greatest natural settings I have ever been in. The two huge volcanoes towering over the lake, and covered in lush jungle gives you the feeling that you are stranded in a place of majestic tranquility.
The first night we were there we stayed in this beach hostel type place right on the beach. From the beach you could see both volcanoes and that night there was a large lightning storm. It started off over the lake in one direction and then as began back over and behind both volcanoes. So we watched the lightning go off in three different places which created this huge triangle vortex of lightning, which went on forever, repeatedly lighting the sky and the towering volcanoes.

Made it into and out of Honduras

After a long all day trip a group of made it from the south of Belize to the Coast of Honduras and then to the interior. The journey required a long wait for the ferry driver, a visit by customs, a two hour boat ride, some hastling by taxi drivers, and a one hour taxi in the back of a truck with 5 others, and then a 4 hr bus ride. Good times, you can get away with nearly anything here and sometimes you have to. Getting anywhere here is a chore and adventure and never leaves you feeling that great. After breathing copious amounts of diesel exhaust getting through the city you usually feel sick by the time you get anywhere, I guess that is just a part of inexperienced travel. It wouldn´t be so much fun with out it. Only spent a few days in Honduras, mostly on the Bay Island of Utila, where I did some scuba diving and a lot of relaxing. I´m getting lazier everyday.

A few more from Belize

Belize is amazing, beautyful, rich in culture, and extremely diverse ethnicaly. Each region differs emensly to create something that is for everyone. I have enjoyed the Garifuna culture the most with their drums, up beat riddems and friendly families. These people greet you with a genuine smile and are just happy to carry on a conversation, because people in Belize have nothing but time and are happy to share it with you and one another. For a country so rich, the people here are extremely poor yet they are very content. Here you just work with what you´ve got. I have learned and am even more grateful for what I´ve had. I feel blessed to be here to experience and appreciate a life that is lived by so many, yet it is a life until now that I have not experienced. I now have new perspective and motivation to push through hard times in order to achieve greater peace, presence and appreciation for what is out there.

Away again

Hello to All
These are the some of the last places I was in Belize, the land of sharks, pirates and dense jungle. Finally I spent some time out in the depths of Belize's jungle, and it almost got the best of me. I endured 5 nights in the jungle and nearly got washed away while camping on the side of an unexpected rising river, after a night of heavy rain. Then had to cross many creeks that had risen from nearly no water to knee deep swift current. It was well worth the adventure, considering the Belizian system requires you hike with a guide if you are more than 5 miles from any headquarters. I did not really understand this rule, nor want a somebody holding my hand for 10 miles so I went out on my own and simply had to be a little careful.
Anyhow it was great to be out, alone, to have a chance to really get away from it all. Although I have been away from home, I have not been away from all those things I like to do without in order to find peace, quiet, and a place to simply rest.
I think about home and how easy it really is to just be and live peacefully. I hope everyone at home is taking full advantage of it and doing a little more of it on my behalf. It is great to be away, but now I love everything we enjoy at home even more.

Mugshots, self imposed

Good times

On my way out of Belize

So I've been here a little longer than intended and have not done everything that I would have liked to here in Belize. Great country, diverse, culturally, ethnically and in every other way possible. People here are great, creative and very friendly, different in every way possible. Here there are about 4 languages spoken, mostly Creole, some English, Spanish, Mayan and some others. I was not expecting the diversity that is here, everything changes from one region to another which has kept me wanting to know what else is down here.
My travels have been great, my timing has been good and I have been nothing but fortunate in the people whom I have met and the experiences that I have had. The journey has been eye-opening and enlightening, and has allowed me to expand in a number of ways.
I only wish I could convey everything I have experienced and learned in the last couple months. I miss home but by no means am I homesick.
Tomorrow I will leave Belize and head to Honduras to a small island just off the coast. Plan is to dive for a couple days and then spend a couple days on the coast before moving through Honduras to get to Nicaragua to connect with a home town friend. There's nothing like long time friends and family, now that is something I really miss.
I send peace and love everyday and think of all at home. I hope everybody is finding peace within their lives.
Always,
Isaac