Our Honeymoon

Final Post

2005-11-21T13:26:00.000-02:00

Welcome to our honeymoon Blog.

The content goes from the last post to the first, so you are reading it in reverse. The best way to navigate is by using the "Archives" Links that you see to the right. There is one link per entry. On this page, you can see all the entries from Costa Rica to Brazil. For earlyer entries use the "Archives" Links on the right.

Enjoy!

Our Final days in Rio.

It is hard to believe that our trip is now at an end. Over 140 days of excitement, relaxing and exploring. Our last few days in Rio, we did some new things. Yes, after all this time, it is still possible for us to find somthing new to occupy ourselves. Don't worry, this post won't contain phrases such as "crystal clear, warm, blue water". Those days are over. We will spare you all further torture. Believe me, the water in Rio is cold.

We chose to fill our time with other things, although we did of course, visit the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.

One unique thing we got a chance to do was a favella tour. Here we have been trapsing around the country, going from ideal location to ideal location, when all around us 65% of the population lives in the squallor of the run down favellas. In favellas, which are large portions of the city edges where slums have sprung up, a different set of rules seem to apply. Run by the drug lords and shunned by the government, these self-contained systems are worlds within worlds. We met the only man in Rio who is allowed by the drug cartel to do an actual 'walking tour' of a favella.

All the other tours just drive in and take photos and drive out. Our tour was on foot, where our guide, Richard, who has been doing this for over 20 years, showed us all the different aspects of how the favella functions. Richard is beloved by the people in the favella we visited, named Tabajars. He has raised well over 1 million dollars for the people who live in Tabajars and has done a great deal to educate people like Amie and myself about the injustices that go on every day within this amazing country we are in.

He took us up the winding streets and down the twisting alleys. Everywhere we went, we were greeted by the people with smiles and kindness. We were invited into a home, and offfered drink from people who have nothing. You can see the favella stretching up the hillsides of Rio everywhere you look.

We met some children who were happy to see us and even more happy to pose for some photos as we watched them play in the sun. The smiles on their faces do not seem to relfect the horrendeous surroundings they are forced to live in.

After the tour we did some sight seeing. We went to explore Sugar Loaf, which is the name given to one of the huge rock-mountains that jut up out of the earth all around Rio. From the bottom, we took a series of Trams up to the lofty heights of the rock cropping.

From the top we were awarded with great views of the city around us including many famous beaches and undulating mountains. The weather had been poor the previous few days so this bright and sunny day was perfect for us to spend some time gazing down on the city sprawled out before us.

A few days later, after missing our plane ride and a little too much time sick in bed, we went out for one more night. We went to see a big stage show, Rio-style, to top it off. The show was cheesy in a fun way and the costumes were impressive and grand in a way that would make any Las Vegas show girl green with envy.

Now, it is time for reality. As I write this, we are hours from getting on an airplane. Our trip, all the way from Mexico to Rio, plays out in our minds.

Our bags are packed. Every thing that can be made ready is ready and waiting. Our tans are as dark as they are going to get. Our honeymoon has indeed come to an end.

We will miss the adventure of it all but we will be happy to spend time with our family. Now comes the time to get on with the amazing things that are waiting for us.

The last 8 months have been a dream come true. Thanks to every single one of the people who helped make this fantasy a reality. We will never forget this time we spent together. The first 8 months of our marriage just couldn´t have been more perfect.

From our arrival, in mexico , our fun days in Playa De Carmen, to the change in plans caused by the Hurracain, and the long night that ensued.... From our journey into Belize where we swam with sharks to Guatemala and all the fun we had exploring that amazing country.... Then it was on to Honduras , where we learned the true meaning of crystal clear blue waters. Next came Nicarague . Then we were on the road into Costa Rica where were amazed by the beauty and enjoyed the good life. We forged on to Panama. From the cultural richness in Panama we bounced right into the vast territory of Brazil. Starting in Jericoacoara, we made our way to the Marafolia in Sao Luis and then on to the north eastern coast. Olinda and Salvador gave us a break before we headed back to the beaches of Itacare.

Sad that our journey is at an end, we are comforted to know that it´s only going to get better from here......

Jordan & Amie

Beach Tour

2005-11-11T16:42:00.000-02:00

I am sure that by now all of you are sick, and dare I say, tired of hearing about all the spectacular beaches Amie and I are visiting. We often joke that our honeymoon should be called "The Tropical Beach World Tour". It is true we have sampled more than our share of white sand beaches in the last 4 months. Well, get ready, because here comes some more!

After Salvador, we moved south a stretch, to the paradise known as "Itacare". A haven for surfers and backpacking slackers alike, Itacare has as many beaches as Salvador had churches. That is to say, more than we could possibly sample in the time we had alloted. Once a small fishing village, Itacare has had a nice tourism boom in the last few years due to its amazing natural beauty and surrounding rivers and jungles. There are about 5 beaches within short walking distance of the little town. When we wake up, our biggest problem of the day is trying to figure out which beach we will go nap on. Sometimes we hit one, sometimes we hit two or more. Each beach is unique in it's own way and for a week we enjoyed sampling them all.

Some are great for surfing, and for the surf illiterate, surf watching. Crowds of tan surfers paddle out into the water to enjoy the reliable surf breaks that these beaches have to offer. The second and fourth beaches have the best waves. All day long, in the town and on the road to the beach, you can see people toting their trusty boards out to the waves to enjoy the days ride.

Other beaches are beautifully isolated and undeveloped. These serve as perfect locations for stealing the occasional kiss with your sweetheart.

Other beaches have chairs and bars set up to make life easier for the lounge lizards seeking to catch some sun as well as a drink or a bite to eat.

You can walk from one beach to the next, as each one is seperated by a small hill covered in rocks and jungle. The walk is quite nice and offers inspiring views where one can sit and contemplate the mesmerizing water.

Mmmmmm... mesmerizing isn't it?

One day we felt we needed a little more beach. We just were not getting enough. So we took a local bus down the coast a bit to explore what beaches lay outside of our lazy grasp. We were rewarded with some of the most amazing stretches of palm tree lined white sand beaches I have ever laid eyes on. Untouched beach stretched as far as I could see. No hotels, no bars, no resorts, just sand, palm trees, and clear blue water.

It was perfection. Pinch me, am I dreaming? We spent the afternoon there relaxing and sleeping in the sun and wading out into the shallow blue waters to frolic and play in the clear waters´ effervescent caress. Life on the world beach tour is good!

You can tell by our smiles that the relaxation factor is very high.

That is all for now. I am sitting and writing this in Rio. Our final destination. We have lots planned to do here and not all of it is drinking and dancing.

But that story comes in a few days.... For now back to the dancing. And drinking.

Olinda and Salvador

2005-11-06T18:53:00.000-02:00

Our next stop was Olinda. Yet another charming little town. This one more charming by far than most others. With galleries and art sprinkled liberally throughout the city, it was easy to note the importance that the arts carry in this area. We walked through the town for a few days, admiring the churches and architecture. On one of these days our walk took us to some higher grownd that gave us a vast and stretching view of the town laid out below us.

From this vantage point one could see the churches below and, then in the distance, the blue ocean. People gathered to watch the view change colors with the setting of the sun. The locals began their nightly celebrations early, with a few drinks from the drink carts lining the streets.

As the dusk faded into night, the sound of music in the streets mixed with the laughing of children and the noises spilling from bars. A wondering group of street musicians passed in front of our small hotel and we were happy to be swept up in the following crowds. The band chose a winding route up into the alleyways and thin streets of the town´s neighborhood. The crowds followed in tow, clapping and singing along in growing numbers. We were joined by two girls from England, Rachael and Nina, who we had met in Praia de Pipa and took the Bus to Olinda with us. They joined us in our late night trollop through the city streets as we followed the music and danced in the streets wherever they led.

After a few days of wandering the winding streets and visiting churches we moved on to the next city in line, Salvador. Also encrusted with art and saturated with churches, Salvador battles Olinda for the title of most cultural city in Brazil. Its old city streets have a faded peeling charm that I have grown to love in our past months of travel. The ancient walls in this town have stories to tell and all the time in the world in which to tell them. You can see paint chipped, and below it is another color of chipped paint and so on below that. Speaking of vast amounts of time, these crumbling walls are steeped in rich history.

Our first day there, we enjoyed the view from our room on the seventh floor, convienently overloooking one of the towns many center squares. While we were enjoying the view we heard and then in turn saw, a religious procession parading through the streets. We made quick to grab our cameras and were out the door. Soon we were submerged in the middle of crowds of people in the streets. Yet again. This country does seem to have a way with crowds celebrating in the streets! The procession consited of people in various religious garb carrying two statues of saints through the city. A truck carrying large speakers in turn blasted religious songs and the chanting of a preist who wandered ahead, microphone in hand. They carried the two statues through the city and the crowds sang along and slowly grew in number. The saints were marched through the main squares, one after another until, in time, they were brought one at a time to the churches where they reside.

They were then placed back in the churches and the crowd would flow into the awaiting church and the people would sing and dance and raise their hands up to the gilded rafters above. The crowd would press close and reach out a hand to touch the hem of the raised saint for good fortune.

Our days in Salvador were spent, like in Olinda, wandering the town and admiring the churches and the charm of the city. Around every corner was another type of music being played in the street. On every block there were paintings and music for sale. Crafts and art were on display everywhere you laid eyes to rest. Salvador had more churches than any other town I have seen so far. From the birds eye vantage point of our hotel room, I counted no less than 9 churches. Tall impressive luxurious affairs with high bell towers complete with gold encrusted interious. Each one packed full of boroque paintings and sculpted cherubs. Quite a sight to behold.

The days being filled with such wonderful sights were followd by nights of equal splendor. Music owns the night in Salvador. Drum groups marched through the streets, cafes sport musicians playing guitar for drinking and chatting groups of people. Once again Amie and I would pick a wandering band of musicians and follow them through the city as their pounding drums bounced off the city walls around us.

Once the nights´ festivities wound down, we would stumble back home to the waiting comfort of the hotel. There, perched on the seventh floor, we would look out at the city below as the sounds of the party began to fade.

One of our daytime forrays led us to a familliar sight. Once again, I was standing before a scene I knew well from one of Amie's photographs - another of her images from her Tropicalia series. And, this was one of my favorites. Taken right at ``Amie Time`` (the ten minute span of time just after sunset, when the sun has sunk below the horizon yet a rich dark blue light still covers the sky), the image is of a tower adorned with flags that spread out from it. We stopped there and did a little self portrait, as we are want to do, to remember the moment.

So far our time in Brazil has been very varied and productive. Desert and tropics, sand and water, cobble stone and dirt streets, we are enjoying every bit. But there seems to be a light at the end of this amazing tunnel. And it approaches faster than we think. Already, as I sit and type this, it is Novemeber. We leave in only a handfull of days. Rio grows closer and so does the time of our departure.

Still we have much distance to travel. To recap lets take a look at this map.

The dotted line, marking our flight from Panama, goes first to Sao Paulo and then bounces up to Fortaleza. Then we went, via land, a short ways up to Jericoacoara where we enjoyed a week of amazing sunsets with a backdrop of windswept sand dunes. Then once again moving leftward on the map, we went to Sao Louis where we enjoyed the festivities of Marafolia. Then the line breaks and goes back to the south and east. This marks a grueling 29 hour bus ride. The longest of our trip. This was were we stopped in Praia de Pipa. Then we go south again a ways to Olinda. Then again a short (by short we mean relatively, as these bus rides average about 9 hours) ride to the last dot on the map that marks Salvador.

Rio, our end destination is far south, near where our first flight landed in Sao Paulo before we connected and flew back up to Fortalaza. You can barely see a penciled in dot that marks Rio.

Check the blog again in a week or so. We are in a loveley beach town (imagine that!) that I will tell you about. But you will have to wait.

Ciao for now.....

Going Native

2005-11-01T21:33:00.000-02:00

Like a sponge, we are soaking up Brazil. Our tans are thick and dark. Our portuguese sounds more like portuguese and less like a drunk frenchman speaking spanish with each passing day. We are relaxed and enjoying the no stress vibe that Brazil has to offer. We walk the walk. We talk the talk. We eat sleep and breath brazil.

We are going native

After leaving Sao Louis, we went down the coast to "Natal". We landed ourselves in a nice pousada right on the beach. The next morning we scheduled another buggy tour. We just can't seem to get enough. Seems this country has no zip lines for us thrill seekers so the buggy tour will do in a pinch. The tour itselfe was fantastic. Along beaches with waves lapping at the tires, and into remote bits of desert and of course we visited some nice lagoons as well.

We spent the entire day on the buggy tour. Making our way from beautiful location to the next beautiful location. My favorite parts are when we enter the remote areas of the desert where all signs of civilized life are erased from your view. Like a blank canvas, all you can see is emptiness and more emptiness. The sand stretched before you like the deserted floor of a deep ocean. The warm colors match the warm feel of the find sand as it makes it's way through your toes. It is a very surreal landscape indeed.

From Natal we continued south. In time we found ourselves in "Praia De Pipa". A small quant village with more bars and boutiques per square inch than you could imagine. We found a nice place to stay with a garden lush and green. Here we took our tranquilo levels up a notch and did some serious chillaxin'. We continued to "go native" and we both bought new nathing suits that helped us not only walk the walk but look the part as well.

After all, when in rome......

Pipa has many beaches to offer and our feet tread upon them all at leasure. We saw the black and white rock formations on the praia de amor. The cliffs that are all along this secluded little treasure of a beach look like something from another planet. Just another magical location for us to soak in.

... and the cool languid waters of the beach on the opposite side. We shared some tender moments on some pristine stretches of sand where our only company was the occasional palm tree.

Time slowed down a bit and the rush and bustle of the city of Natal was a fading memory. Here we could bide our time relaxing and reading book in the sun. Spending nights out meeting people and toasting to new friends. Then waking up for yet another tranquil walk down the beach perfecting our new relaxed and native looks.

After a few days we decided to up the ante even higher. Last time Amie was in Brazil, she had stumbled onto one of the beaches and had alwayse wanted to return to one of the plush resort hotels perched up above a perfect beach. So we opted to make a dream come true. Its what we do. So we moved into the luxurious resort that over looked the beach below complete with dolphins swimming in the water just off shore.

In time as is alwayse the case we needed to make a move on. We have a date with Rio De Janero that we need to keep. SO we packed up all our stuff, put it once again on our back´s and began our exit.

That is how we look for a large portion of this trip. Pretty nice fashion statement I must say.

The next stop would be "Olinda" and then "Salvador", both of which compete for the title of most cultural city in Brazil.

But that is another story

- Jordan

Marafolia

2005-10-29T14:34:00.000-02:00

After our amazing stay in Jeri, Amie and I headed up the coast a bit to a city called "Sao Louis". There we experienced first hand the amazing spectacle of "Marafolia".

Marafolia is Sao Louis' off season carnival. 3 nights of music and unrestrained partying in the streets of the city right on the beach. Marafolia is part carnival, part concert and a pinch of Burning Man thrown in for good measure. The city closes off a main street that runs along the beach for the party. Huge semi trucks that have been turned into giant mobile stages\art-cars, with bands on top of them provide a moving concert of sorts that the crowds follow through the street. These huge decorated mobile stages flow slowly up the main drag as the people around follow it up the main drag to the final destination of a huge stage area with bleacher seating.

People form what is called a "Blocco" around the moving stage. These bloccos consist of a huge roped in area that surrounds and follows the truck as it crawls up the road thumping its music out into the vast crowds. The people within the blocco all wear a T-shirt with the bands logo and name on it and you must be wearing this shirt to be inside the roped off area, the blocco. The majority of the crowds at these events are wearing a shirt to support their favorite band. Some times they wear one shirt, follow the blocco up the street and then pull another shirt from their pocket to be able to follow another band up the street.

Truck after truck, band after band cruise up the street late into the night with the crowds following along either inside the blocco, or in the case of Amie and I, following just outside of the roped off area with the rest of the revelers. Every kind of music you can think of is represented so everyone has something to shake their groove thang to.

The bands on top of the mobile stages play the crowds favorite songs, whipping the bouncing crowd along into a non-stop frenzy. Huge speakers adorn every spare inch of space on the stage on the music blasts out over the heads of the crowd as the band above sings and dances throughout the night.

The crowd was made up of all locals, as it seems not many tourists have caught on to the off season carnival experience. Amie and I got more than a few stares from people wondering what two tourists were doing lost in the mass of pressed dancing bodies. People would come up and offer us a smile and show us they appreciated us being there. We saw very few other tourists for the 3 nights we attended the event. The local Brazilians proved that they are born to party. They drank until they could not walk and then often passed out only to wake up a while later and continue saturating themselves with potent drinks. There were times when the crowd got a bit out of control but Amie and I kept our collective cool and just kept our eyes open and aware. It was a party unlike anything you would see in the states. The music is in their blood and they party as if there is no tomarrow. We made it through three nights of this eclectic electric experience and the only downside was I was pick-pocked the first night somewhere in the pressing crowd. We never bring much money out with us so I didnt loose much. But I did start using my money belt (given to me by the ever thoughtful Bobbie Potsic) more often.

The rest of our time in Sao Louis we spent recovering and wandering through the ancient cobble stone streets admiring the look and aged feel of the colonial buildings that are scattered through the city. As in many other places we visited we were astounded by the crumbling beauty of these old buildings and peeling walls.

Our hotel had a great view that looked out over the city. Red tile roofs faded in the sun stretching off into the distance. A patchwork of colors and sounds that never seem to end.

Amie took me to parts of the city where she had taken some of her photographs from her "Tropicalia" series. It was wonderful for me to see the actual locations of some of these images I have grown to be so familiar with over the last months

After Sao Louis we wandered south to the city of "Natal". Then on to "Praia De Pipa" and "Olinda".

All that and a photo of Jordans arse will be covered in the next installment of the honeymoon blog.

Ciao for now....

Jordan

And now for something completely different

2005-10-16T17:31:00.000-02:00

We have come a long way. Thousands of miles have been travelled. Jungles have been explored. Our feet have walked on ancient lime stone and fertile soils of the cloud forests. Now we find ourselves experiencing something new. Something different. Because Central America is behind us.

Now for something completely different!

Brazil

Our long flight from Panama took us to the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. There we changed flights and continued the long day of travel, flying up to the city of Fortaleza in the state of Bahia. This way we will be able to work our way south and finish up in Rio.

Our stay in Fortelaza was breif. We rested from our days of travel and then we moved on. We had something fun in mind for our first week in Brazil. We took a long bus ride and then changed to a large all terain bus that took us down the sandy coast and through a desert, eventually arriving in the remote and magical location of Jericoacoara. This is one the the amazing places we have found on this trip that I know we will be returning to. Jericoacoara (hereafter to be known as `Jeri`) is hard to get to. There is no road and you need to take a buggy or some kind of all terrain vehicle to get there. The road is long and bumpy and once you are there, there is no Bank or ATM. All these things tend to help Jeri keep it`s magic.

We arrived with the setting of the sun. The bus dropped us off and we saw our new home in the golden light of the setting sun. I looked towards the beach and past the palm trees was the water.

It was perfection. I looked left and saw a giant sand dune on the edge of the village. It`s huge bulk rose up from the ground as a towerring white mound. A perfect curve. And upon it, sillhouetted against a red sky were people. They were climbing to watch the sunset from on top of this wind blown dune. I knew then we were somewhere special.

We wandered around town and found a Poasada (hotel) that was good value for the money. We are no longer in a spanish speaking country so communication is difficult, but we eventualy sorted out the price and settled in to our new home. We explored the small town, which is made up of 5 sandy streets in the middle of a desert. We ate some food and then went off to see the nightlife that Jeri has to offer. Word on the sandy street is that everyone gathers down by two clubs, `Sky`, and `Planeta Jeri`. We were arriving on a wednesday night, which as luck would have it was one of the more liveley nights in the deserted little town. Wednseday night is `forro` (foho) night. Forro is a local Brazilian music popular here that has a dance that goes with it. So on Forro nights, Wednesday and Saturday, all the locals come down to drink and dance to the Forro sound and meet up with their friends. Crafty locals wheel carts out that are small mobile bars, and line both sides of the street with them so you never have to go far for a drink. These carts offer potent potables that I could not recognize, much less prounounce, which turned out to be sweet and strong. Things get going late at around 1am. People show up in droves and dance until the sky is tinted blue with the promise of a new day.

That night we made two friends who we would spend much of the next week with. Nadia and Chris are two amazing ladies who have spent much time in Jeri. It seems that many people come here for a few days and are never able to break the spell Jeri casts over them. Both Chris and Nadia have been here several times and stayed for months on end. Nadia acted as our tour guide for our stay and she showed us the good cheap places to stay, the internet cafe with the good prices, where to get the best juices... All the things we would have never figured out had we not bumped into them. So we drank and watched the ocean, and eventually Amie took me to the dance floor where I attempted with some success to dance to the Forro music. Nadia also mentioned that she was going on a `Paseo de buggy` (dune buggy tour) the next day and she invited us to come allong.

So the next day we got an early start and Nadia showed up in a dune buggy with our driver for the day and we were off to explore the desert. The buggy cruised down the beach in the shadow of the giant sand dune, until eventualy we came to a river. Groups of people were waiting here with small rafts to take us over the river. So we drove the buggy up onto the raft and watched as we were pushed to the other side with long poles.

Once on the other side we continued our drive into the heart of the desert. We were truly now in the middle of nowhere. All around us was sand. White dunes rippled all around us like an ocean of milk frozen in time. The buggy crawled up them and down, and in between. The views were enchanting. This was unlike anything we had seen on this trip so far.

We cruised through the desert for much of the day, watchig the landscape go by.

Our eyes were wide and our jaws dropped open for much of the time. The landscape was just breathtaking. We would park occaisonally to admire the magic surroundings and take pictures.

`I love you on top of a deserted windswept sand dune`.

We stopped at one particularly tall dune to slide on small hand made sleds down the front of the dune. It was like sledding on snow but instead it was hot sand. Amie proved to be quite adept at this and I could hear here cry out for joy as she slid over the edge and off into the distance down the front of the mountain of sand.

Eventually we moved on and came in time to our destination. I had often heard the term `oasis` used and had wondered what such a thing might look like. Well now I know. We arived at a lagoon surrounded on all sides by white sand dunes. We parked the buggy and stopped here for lunch. It was a dream.

Small shacks were set up for shade sitting in the water. Chairs and tables were in the shallow water in the shade so you could cool off your feet as you relaxed. There were hammocks hanging in the water and floating platforms with beach chairs so you could lay back and relax in the sun. The water was cool and in no time at all Amie and I were swimming in the desert lagoon, looking around us with unbeleiving eyes.

It was a very good day. We did another buggy tour the very next dat to visit two other lagoons. The first one was called `Lago Pariso` and was indeed a paradise. The water was clear and perfect. The second was called `Lago Azul` and the water was an unbeleivable blue color. The wind would hit the water and send the reflected sun into shimmmering waves accross the surface of the lagoon that had me hypnotised. We swam and held eachother in the perfect water. We wandered the shoreline taking photos and soaking in the magesty of this amazing place.

Back home we began to settle into a routine that would become our way of life for the next few days. Rise and eat the breakfast our hotel would offer and then decide what amazing distraction we would entertain ourselves with all day. Meet Nadia for dinner. Then as the sun would begin to set we would go to the beach to watch the `Roda` (hota) which is when a group of people all in a circle perform the brazillian martial art of Capoiera to the music of the drum and the birimbow.

Capoiera classes take place on the beach in the late afternoon and when they are done people all gather in a circle. You can hear the sounds of the birimbow as you arrive on the beach near sun set. The birimbow looks a bit like a bow and arrow and has a gord on the bottom which amplifies the sound.

People begin to play these insturments and all the capoiera teachers gather one by one and begin to form a circle and sing. Soon the circle in complete and the capoiera itselfe begins. In brazil´s past, before they had their independence, they were not allowed to practice martial arts or train any military whatsoever. So the people created the martial art of capoeira. Capoiera is done to music and was created to look like a dance. In this way the Brazilian people could practice their martial arts and it would only appear like they were singing and dancing. The martial art itself is very impressive. It looks like part dance, part gymnastics, and part fightig. Flips and spins and cartwheels in a fluury of activity as two people would face off in the circle. It was no contact and never did I see a blow land but there was definite power and amazing strength and agility of the moves that were being performed.

Amie and I would take photos, and often Amie would sit at the far end of the circle and videotape the whole session with our video camera. In time, as we did this night after night, the locals would begin to show off for the camera, giving us an amazing show. When it was over, like clockwork, the capoeristas would approach Amie and gather around to watch what she had video taped. We made many friends this way including the local capoiera master who was known as master serae. Master serae eventually invited us to his home to entertain us with his birimbow and local songs.

We met up with Nadia on one hot afternoon to take a hike down the coast. We followed the coast for a few rocky miles that reminded Amie and I of the coasts of Monterey in California. Eventually We came to our destination, which was a rocky archway on a secluded beach.

This is the spot we had seen on all the post cards advertisig Jericoacara. We spent the afternoon there and then wandered back home taking the high road that provided us with a great view of all of Jeri sprawled out below us.

Our time in Jeri will be long remembered and I am pretty sure we will be back. The sunsets, the capoeira, and the giant sand dunes will all be waiting for us until we return.

Panama... our last and southernmost country in Central America

2005-10-01T18:54:00.000-03:00

Amie chimes in again...

Panama has been absolutely fantastic and a wonderful ending to our Central American adventure. Since July 7th, when we started in Cancun, Mexico, we have traveled through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and finally Panama. Panama did not disappoint as our last port of call.

Crossing the boarder from Costa Rica, we arrived in Bocas del Toro, a series of islands on the north weastern Carribean coast. We reached the islands via a water taxi through mangroves along a river which opened into Carribean bays. We arrived first at Isla Colon, which is the main island and most developed. We quickly took another water taxi to Isla Bastimentos, which is a much less populated and more beautiful island.

Just after our arrival, we put on our suits and headed for Playa Wizard, a gorgeous white sand beach flanked by rocky cliffs and bordered by lush jungle. Along the way, we lost the trail and ended up hiking the wrong direction in knee deep mud. Not fun. But, we felt relieved to know that just about eveyone we met had made the same mistake before finding the correct trail. We earned that beach visit.

The next day, we went on an all day snorkeling tour around several of the Bocas. We started the amazing day speeding along glassy still water reflecting a gorgeously clear blue sky. We immediately came upon Dolphin Alley where we saw several groups of dolphins swimming just next to our boat. We continued on to Crawl Caye, where we snorkeled among rainbow colored coral in some of the clearest water I've ever seen.

Barracudas and Nurse sharks were spotted as well. We continued on to Isla Zapatillos, which is exactly the kind of Carribean island that Jordan fantasizes about - white sand, clear shallow water, and leaning palm trees lining the jungle covered island.

It was gorgeous! We continued on to two other beaches along Isla Bastimentos seeing many more dolphins along the way. Our boat captain, Mitch, did some spear fishing on our last stop and caught a foot long Trigger Fish. He skinned it, gutted it, and sliced it immediately after catching it on a rock on the beach. It was quite a sight and a fantastic end to a wonderful day.

We awoke to rain the next day, which was our cue to move on. We headed south to the Penninsula de Azuero, which jutts down into the Pacific. We went there for the Festival de la Mejorana in Guarare, which is a festival celebrating the Spanish folkloric traditions of the city. It was absolutely stunning! This region has historically been fairly isolated from the rest of Panama and has retained its folkloric traditions better than any region in the country. Over the course of several days, there were music and dance performances, bullfights, beautiful costumes, an oxcart parade, fireworks, and parties all night long.

The women wear very elaborate, hand made Polleras (dresses) and flowers made of beads in their hair. These Polleras cost about $700 US! They are exquisite.

Adults and children performed folkloric dances all day as the bands played on. Some of the music was acordian based while another type depended on the Mejorana, a small guitar, and a singer that sounded like he/she was yodeling. This singing was a cross between yodeling and a dog yelping in pain. Very unique, to say the least. Men throughout the festival do this kind of yelping to whoop up the crowd and to express excitement. We kept trying to see what terrible thing had happened before we realized what they were doing! There were fireworks, makeshift bars blasting salsa and merengue, and men drinking bottles of Seco, a Panamanian alcohol. It was total mayhem. In addition, the festival honors the Virgin of Mercedes, or Mercy. The statue of her is paraded through the streets and displayed in lights in front of the church.

She has handcuffs - police style - hanging from one of her hands because she is prayed to by convicts since she is the Virgin of Mercy. It was quite odd to see a religious statue donning handcuffs!

The highlight of the festival was the oxcart parade. About 40 carts drawn by 2 oxen each, parade through the streets of the town each with a group of people singing and playing music behind them. Each cart had a gorgeous woman in a beautiful Pollera dress on top. The most beautiful woman on the most elaborate cart was the Queen of the festival, whom Jordan quickly developed a crush on! hahaha!

We watched the parade from a raised platform just before the stage where they are judged. We drank Seco with our new Panamanian friends and enjoyed the show. By the end of the several hour parade, there were tons of drunk men roaming the streets passing from roving musical group to roving musical group.
The air was full of sounds - acordians, guitars, children playing, men yelping, fireworks, and blaring salsa music.

We even took a turn on one of the dancefloors using the salsa we'd learned for our wedding dance. The dj called out to us, saying "Hey Gringos!" We stuck out like blond sore thumbs. This festival doesn't see many non-Panamanian tourists so we were very unique. The shout-out was a friendly one and was followed by the bar owner inviting us to his table for Seco and Rum. The people here in Panama couldn't be nicer. We found so many people here who have gone very out of their way to be kind to us. We are grateful and have had a fantastic time as a result. We left the festival after several days of celebration exhausted and very impressed. I've seen some festivals in my time and travels and this was definitely one of the best!

From Guarare, we continued on to Panama City, where we are now. Panama City is the capital and home to the Panama Canal. We saw ships passing through the canal the other day and were surprisingly impressed.

We had no idea how elaborate the canal is. It took many years to complete, claimed thousands of lives due to Malaria and Yellow Fever, and is comprised of a series of locks, which are hydroelectronically controlled. While we were there, a small sailboat and a larger marine training boat crossed the Miraflores Locks where we watched from an observation deck. It may not sound exciting, but watching tons of water be displaced by each locked area and huge steel doors opening and closing to allow boats to pass is quite impressive in person.

While in Panama City, we have also seen the Casco Antiguo, which is the old colonial part of the city. It is quite Havanah-esque with buildings in different states of disrepair. Some of the buildings were lost to fire and are completely gutted. Others have layers and layers of peeling paint, which were applied and re-applied over the years. The area is quite dangerous so we could only walk through one area, which is patrolled by police. There is a church there which houses a famous gold altar, the only one not stolen by the plundering pirate Henry Morgan.

Morgan stole just about all the riches in Panama during his attacks. This is one of the few to remain, it is said, because it was hidden by a priest by painting it black so that Morgan wouldn't notice it. Whether this is true or not, is up for debate.

Yesterday, we took a day trip north to the Carribean coast to Portobelo, where there are military fort ruins and a famous Jesus de Nazare/Black Christ statue.

With my interest in Christian iconography, a black Jesus statue was the principal draw. You almost never, if ever, see a black Jesus statue so we made a point to go see it. It was very impressive to see the black Jesus in his purple and gold robe, life size and dragging a cross. There is a festival each year where the devoted come in the tens of thousands, wearing purple robes and walking in a procession. The festival sounds like a cross between a medieval Spanish religious procession crossed with Burningman and Carnival. We hope to see the crazy festival one day.

But, not this trip. That's because we head to Brazil tomorrow! We celebrated our last days in Central America by going to do some booty shaking, Jordan and Amie style. We went to a "hip" club where we saw a female dj spinning heavy house beats to a very beautiful crowd of dancers. We called it quits at 4 am knowing that we have plenty of dancing ahead in Brazil. Central America has been fascinating, fun, and exciting and tranquil. Very impressive.

Brazil.... here we come!

Pura Vida

2005-09-21T22:18:00.000-03:00

Amie and I are living the good life. We find ourselves in amazing location after amazing location. Splendid beaches are followed by lush jungles. Fantastic sunsets are followed by rich cultural experiences. Islands, blue water, sunsets, waterfalls, lakes, we have seen it all and we just can't seem to get enough of it. We will arrive at a new location, just as magical as the last, and tell each other "I love you in this jungle" or "I love you on top of this volcano....I love you in these ancient ruins.... I love you in this colonial town." After all, this is our honeymoon!

The good life. Pura vida! "Pura vida" is a Costa Rican expression that means "The good Life." Costa Rican's use it to say hello or goodbye or just to express themselves. Because for them, life here is good indeed. Fantastic scenery all around and magical natural beauty. They have it all.

We are now in "Bocas Del Torro" in Panama, enjoying this new inspiring location. "I love you on this small tropical island surrounded by palm trees and white sand beaches." But before I go into the details of Panama, Let me catch you up on the rest of Costa Rica.

One of the best days we had in Costa Rica was in a place called "La Fortuna" where we had the good fortune to spend some time at a place called "Tabacon," which is a hot springs resort with not just any hot springs. This resplendant little gem of hot springs has piping hot water flowing through a lush green jungle.

The water meanders through this meticulously sculpted jungle landscape from pool to pool down waterfalls where people sit under the cascading hot waters. Jungle stretches its roots into the pools and rocks are sculpted into place providing perfect niches for people to sit and relax. The jungle blooms in color around you as you go from pool to pool, from waterfall to waterfall, enjoying all the different temperatures Tabacon has to offer. The whole time I was there, I was thinking of how much Wavy would love this place. It is literally the perfect hot springs. As if all of this was not enough, you enjoy the waters while in the shadow of an active volvano. For it is the deep heat of volcano "Arenal" that is heating these waters. "I love you in this swim up bar with tropical drink in hand watching a volcano throw up firey rocks that splash down the volcano side, leaving a molten path of red glow in it's wake." Tabacon hot springs comes HIGHLY recommended!

After we had had enough of watching lava flow down the mountain, and after we had spent some time in the jungle there, we moved on. We had a choice to make. Go back to the Pacific or explore the Carribean side of Costa Rica. We decided on the Carribean and headed out for a coastal pueblo called "Cahuita." We did an amazing nature walk there which took you allong a beach and then into the jungle where we saw spider monkeys and white faced monkeys only a few feet away. We arrived around the time of the Independence Day celebration of Costa Rica. We saw a marching band playing through the streets of the town followed by a hoard of smiling children carrying hand crafter paper lanters glowing from the light of candles. Tearing ourselves away, once agin we moved on.

We went south, staying close to the clear blue waters of the Carribean and ended up at a town called "Puerto Viejo." Here we shacked up at a clever hostel called "Rocking J's." We are not sure if it is "rocking" because you are swinging in a hammock, or because of the fun you are having hanging out with the other guests at night. Or, maybe it is the fun attitude of Rocking "J" himslef who has created what is, for sure, the best hostel we have seen. Every surface is covered in art. Sculptures, paintings, installations, and mosaics. Everywhere there are mosaics, crafted with broken tile and a lot of patience. There are 2 huge hammock hotels where for only a few dollars you can sleep for weeks on end and not dent your wallet. There is a sprawling tent city where other budget travellers stay. There is a tree house that is purched up high above looking over the entire place. The stay there was great, and the company was good. We also saw one of the best sunsets of our entire trip just on the beach outside Rocking J's. The sky went from blue to fire red and was reflected in the tide pools below.

When we weren't lounging on the grounds, we were off exploring. We took a guided nature hike with our jovial guide nammed "Riki." He took us the the jungle showing us the healing properties of the plants, what was eddible, what was not, he showed us colorful frogs and Crocodiles and, of course, poisonous snakes. He taught us more in one day than I had learned in an entire semester of biology class.

Soon it was time to move on again. Next up was crossing the boarder into Panama, where I sit now and write this post. There is much to say about this new country we are in... We have seen Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Panama is next in line and it has already been amazing. But that story will have to wait...

Until next time.... Pura Vida!

Jordan

Photo Blogging - Best Of Costa Rica Part 1

2005-09-09T20:39:00.000-03:00

I have tons of great photos of Costa Rica to share and I am sure I will take many more before we get to Panama. I will post the first half of the photos here. Amie and I are in Monteverde right now. We took a wonderful walk through the cloud forest this afternoon. We are also sending good thoughts to the people dealing with the devastation in New Orleans. Its weird to have people in some of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere offering us their best wishes. Our thoughts go out to everyone effected by this disaster.

Now on to the photos!

To start it off, here is Amie reflected in the waters of the Pacific Coast. This was our first time on a beach in Costa Rica as well as our first visit to the Pacific Coast since we began the trip.

Amie walking down the beach in Tamarindo getting ready to watch the sun set.

Sunset over the water in Tamarindo. Can't get that on the carribean!

A tan Amie and Jordan on the Beach in Montezuma.

Here we are on the beach in Montezuma taking only memories and leaving only footprints.

This is the beach at Montezuma, just a short walk from our hotel.

Here is a cool photo I took while wandering through the jungles near Montezuma. Didn't eat any of them, of course!

As Amie mentioned in the previous post, we took a boat ride from Montezuma to do some snorkeling off Isla Tortuga. The snorkeling was not so good but we saw whales on the way there. They dropped us off on this exotic beach. It was white sand and palm trees reaching for the sky or leaning lazily over the sand.

Amie on the deserted beach we took a boat to.

This is the view from the hotel we stayed at while on the pacific coast of Costa Rica in a nice little town called Montezume.

One day at our good friend Chaik and Adinas house, I saw a picture of Chaik zipping through the sky high above the trees in Costa Rica. I wanted very much to try that and that day finally came. We did the Amazing "Sky Trek" adventure. The highest and fastest and longest zip lines to be found. They were easily 3 times longer than any we had done before. They were very high up and the views seen while flying over the canopy were amazing. Here is Amie on the highest zip line that Sky Trek has to offer.

Here is a look at the cloud forest we have been spending our afternoons exploring.

This is Amie on a suspension bridge high above the canopy. This was called a "Sky Walk" and we did it after the Sky Trek.

Took these photos of us in the cloud forest just today (fiday sept 9th). Amie in the cloud forest in Monteverde.

Here I am walking on the trail through the cloud forest in Monteverde

This is Amie and I wandering through the cloud forests in Monteverde. We are on a suspension bridge that takes you through the tree tops so you can see, up close, all the fantastic plant life that exists in this unique environment. Some trees have up to 40 species of orchids growing on them!

That's it for now.... Stay tuned for more!

Jordan

From Nicaragua to Costa Rica

2005-09-06T22:50:00.000-03:00

Amie chimes in....

So, what have we been up to
recently... Quite a lot. I'm not sure when Jordan
updated last, but it may have been from Nicaragua.
While we've been smooth sailing for a while, we hit a
major bump in the road last week. My good camera
broke sometime in Nicaragua or Honduras. I realized
the problem in Granada, Nicaragua and my heart
literally broke. My camera is my baby on these trips.
It is an extension of me in a way. I'm not sure how
far back the problem started, but I'm hoping that I
didn't lose too many important images. To ease my
broken heart, we tried to do something fun and
exciting. We did! We did a zip line tour on the
Volcano Mombacho outside Granada. We sailed through
the air at the tree tops accross the amazing foliage.
We even did a few while upside down just for the super
thrill of it. I am in love with canopy tours now!
Give me a zip line among the tree tops and monkeys and
I'm happy! Literally, to cheer me up after the camera
break realization, it had to be good! We then went up
to the crater of the volcano and hiked around it in
the dense cloud forest. It was just beautiful! And,
the smoke coming from inside the volcano reminds you
that you're on a volcano and not just a mountain!
From the top, you can see down into the lake below
(Lago de Nicaragua) to where dozens of small islands
were formed when molten lava flooded down into the
river. It was absolutely gorgeous and the perfect
antidote to my camera blues.

We ended up leaving Nicaragua early the next day to head for San Jose,
Costa Rica, which is the capital. By finding some
info on the Internet and contacting a few
photographers in Costa Rica that we found on line, I
got a few recommendations of repair shops. There were
no Hasselblad certified shops anywhere in central
America. The closest was Brazil. But, I'm here! So,
we came to San Jose a week ago and I found a shop that
thought they could fix it. Luckily, in these
countries, people really know how to fix things, no
matter what, in most cases. They had a technician who
has been working on these kinds of cameras for years
and he was actually able to fix it for me!!!! So, we
left it with them for a week and hoped for the best.
In the meantime, we headed to the Pacific coast to
Playa Tamarindo to drown my sorrows and wait to hear
some good news. We spent a few days there chilling on
the beach and enjoying the miraculous wet-season
sunsets. Incredible really.

The other fun thing to do was boogie board on the wonderfully rough surf.
The coast down here is a rough Pacific one hosting
black rocky and forested coastlines. Waves crash into
the rocks with amazing power! After a few days there,
we went south to Montezuma, another beach village that
was much smaller and more natural. It was like living
in the jungle with the beach in front of you! The
beaches were gorgeous and the river running into it
has amazing waterfalls and trails. We hiked in the
jungle nearby and along the beaches going from one
amazing cove to another. We took a boat trip to Isla
Tortuga one day on which we saw 2 whales, a huge
mother and her, maybe 2 week old, baby. They were
such an amazing site and only about 50 feet away from
our boat. The mother whale itself was probably about
40-50 feet long! Awe inspiring.

We also had an adorable sea turtle swim along with us for a while.
While on the island, we enjoyed the white sand beach
and calmer surf. Idyllic. Our hotel had a veranda
directly facing the ocean, so we spent a few sunsets
gazing at the water crashing into the rocks below as
the sun made its escape. The good news came when I
called the camera shop yesterday and they said that
their tech was able to fix it and I could come and get
it today! Hence, we dragged our begrudging asses back
onto the buses, ferries, more buses and then taxis to
get back here to San Jose today. I now have been
reunited with my camera/baby and, as Jordan said, we
are a family again! hahaha! So, camera crisis dealt
with, we will head on in Costa Rica to continue to
enjoy the amazing beauty it bestows. What Costa Rica
lacks culturally, it certainly makes up for in natural
beauty. We have a lot to look forward to. Then, it's
on to Panama!

Photo Blogging - Best of Nicaragua

2005-08-27T00:52:00.000-03:00

Wow 2 posts in one day! That is a first! Well you got the best of Honduras and now here is the best of Nicaragua. We are breezing through Nicarague because we are a bit behind schedule. But here is some of what we saw in this country that is rich in culture, politics, volcanoes and more....

Like I said, rich in political history. These people were not very fond of Reagan (think, Iran Contra Affair) and they do not seem to be very fond of bush either. Roughly translated it reads, "Bush is the enemy of all humanity. Death to the imperial invader.

On a lighter note this is a beautiful sculpture on top of a chearch in the city of Leon:

Here is last nights sunset in the city on the lake, Granada:

We also had a blast doing another Canopy Tour. The one we did in Guatemala was a warm up compaired to this one. Just to increase the danger we did it on top of a volcano. Just kidding it is not dangerous. We wore helmets! But the volcano part is true.

Here is a look at the rig that makes this all safe (this is for you mom) It might help to turn your head to one side:

Here is the view from the top of the volcano looking over the lake. You can see Granada the toiwn on the shore.

Be sure to check the best of Hoinduras post as well. Next up is Costa Rica!

Photo Blogging - Best Of Honduras

2005-08-27T00:21:00.000-03:00

Here we are about to cross the boarder into Costa Rica and I still need to post the best of photos from both Honduras and Nicaragua. Well without further ado here are the best photos I took in Honduras, where we were unable to post much online because we were busy doing this:

And some of this:

Whenever we needed a break from that we would do some exploring:

And then it would be back to this:

Of course durring all of that we are missing our friends back home and thinking how right now they must be preparing for burning man, and we would send them good thoughts:

We did all of this from the comfort of our nice home. Complete with a kitchen. Meals eaten out = 326. Meals coocked by us in a kitchen = 4.

Who goes to Honduras?

2005-08-23T16:07:00.000-03:00

Who goes to Honduras?... is the question Amie and I asked ourselves as we entered into unknown territory. We have been on the move in recent days. We had no expectations as to what we would encounter in Honduras, but we were pleasantly surprised. We went to see the Mayan ruins of Copan. They were very interesting and contained many intact carvings and sculptures.

While Tikal was impressive on a macro scale, Copan was impressive on a micro scale. After the ruins, we spent most of our time in the Bay Islands. Where the heck is that, you ask? Exactly. We are in the middle of nowhere and it is beautiful!

Rotan is one of a few islands off the northern coast of Honduras.

We had a nice cabin in Roatan and it came with a kitchen. We were able to cook some of our first meals on the trip, which was nice. The beaches on Roatan are simply amazing. White sand beaches and crystal clear shallow water. The snorkeling was amazing as well. We took a day and rented motor scooters which was great fun and we were able to drive to the other end of the island. There were many great vista points and it was nice to be on the road a bit in something that was not a chicken bus. There is a huge scuba diving comunity here in Roatan because this is the cheapest place in the world to get certified. We stayed on the island and soaked in the sun on the beaches and rested up. Then we hit the road again and had a few 12 hour long days filled with boats, busses, and taxis. We made our way south. The further south we go the fewer tourists we encounter.

We crossed yesterday into Nicarauga. I sit and write this in the city of Leon.

You can see Leon on the map above. We will stay here and see what there is to see. Then, we'll head deeper still into Nicaragua, eventually passing back into the land of tourists and into Costa Rica. You can see a lake on the map south of Leon which is where we will head next, to the city of Granada.

Not many computers here, so posts may be few until we reach Costa Rica, but we are well and having an amazing adventure. Stay tuned for a bunch of great photos which I will post when I get a chance....

Jordan

Photo Blogging - Best of Guatemala Part 2

2005-08-14T00:58:00.000-03:00

We leave for Honduras at 3am this morning and here I sit killing some time. Lets continue with part 2 of my favorite photostaken in Guatemala....

Church ruins in Antigua

Guatemalan ladies selling goods and flowers on the church steps in Chichicastenango (Chichi)

Some of the many colorful crafts on sale on market day in Chichicastenango.

Guatemalan women working on crafts on Marjet day in Chichi.

A Mayan funeral in Chichi

The cemetary at Chichicastenango.

Here we are taking a water taxi to San Pedro on the beautiful Lake Atitlan (Volcano in background)

This is our Hotel room on the lake. Costs us about $6.00 a night to have this amazing view of the lake right out our door. That is my beautiful wife in the doorway there :-)

One more of the lake just for fun.

Thats me making friends with some kids as we often do. Digital cameras are like magic to them. A good way to bring a smile to any mounatin village kid.

Thats all folks! The next batch will be from Honduras....

Jordan

Photo Blogging - Best of Guatemala Part 1

2005-08-13T12:13:00.000-03:00

Lots of great photos from Guatemala that I will post before we start Honduras. Too many to do all at once so here is Part 1

Here is Amie at the lakeshore in El Remate

Here is Amie shooting at Tikal

This is a sunset in the city perched in the middle of a lake - Flores

Here is Amie Relaxing at the Ranch called El Retiro in Lankin

A hard earned view of Samuc Champney

Jordan Enjoying the River of Samuc Champney

A look at a small portion of the hotel grounds where we stayed in AAntugua

From Coban To Lago Atitlan

2005-08-10T21:11:00.000-03:00

Been quite a few days since I was able to post, so let me attempt to catch up....

From Coban we moved on to Lanquin. There we stayed at a nice ranch that was very beautiful, called El Retiro. It was nestled into the jungle covered mountains. Cows and animals meandered around the many little cabanas people were staying in. The view of the river below from our porch was great. Even better is the same view from the hammok on our porch. From El Retiro, we made our journey to see the caves near Samuc Champey, and Samuc Champey itself, which is the beautiful river of pools that we had been hearing such good things about.

The caves at Samuc Champey turned out to be a great adventure. You went in with nothing but your swim trunks and a candle. The experience lasted about an hour and for much of it you were swimming in the dark, candle in hand, through the river running in the cave. It was beautifull inside lit up with all the candles. There was a waterfall deep inside the cave that marked the turn around point of our trip.

From there we walked to the colorful pools of Samuc Champey, where we did some hiking and swam in the various colored pools of the river. It is a beautiful place, with pool after pool of water in various colors from greens, to turquise, to deep blues.

From Lanquin, we made the very long trip (12 hours all told) to Antigua.

Antigua is a cute little colonial town with a massive volcano looming above it.

In Antigua we treated ourselves to a 5 star hotel that will forever be remembered. Built on top of old church ruins, Hotel Casa Santao Domingo is filled with amazing statues and art. Everywhere you look there are candles. Lots of candles. The grounds are perfectly kept, and parrots seemed to be everywhere. The food was fantastic as was the pool. Our rooms were great, one of them having 2 floors with art and religious statues tucked away in the corners. We lounged by day and built a fire in the room at night. We saw the town eventually and wondered through churches and old ruins from earthquakes. We came accross a tender old gentleman named Benjamin, who told us much of the history of the town. He seemed to know everything there was to know about Antigue and we soaked in as much knowledge from him as we could before saying goodbye. He was absolutely adorable!

From Antigua we moved on to Chichicastenango. There is a market in Chichi on Thursdays, and Sundays. We arrived on Saturday and saw a Mayan ritual performed at the temple on the hill that overlooks the village of Chichi. The next day was all market. All the streets were lined with make shift stalls set up the night before and there was everything you could imagine on sale. Jewelery, clothing, art, fabric, crafts of all sorts.

It was eye candy. Things were very cheap and a good haggle is expected. We did our first shopping of the trip in Chichi and made some great purchases. The maket was very colorful and fun to people watch. Amie and I took many photos there of people and various Mayan ceremonies, including a funeral procession.

We left chichi the next day and made our way via 3 busses to Lago Atitlan.

A boat took us to San Pedro where we are now. San Pedro is an extreemly relaxing spot to be. Not much going on so far except for enjoying the amazing view of the various volcanos and rugged mountains that surround the lake. The view from our hotel is simply unbelievable. We sit and stare at it for hours as it goes through its changes each day. People come to the lakes edge to swim, play, wash clothes, take baths and fish. Swimming in the lake is nice and very refreshing. We may do a sunrise hike, and we may even rent a kayak, But for the last few days we have been like Iguanas, basking in the sun enjoying one of the best views in the world.

We will rest in San Pedro and eventually move on. Time to cross a border and head into Honduras....

Guatemala

2005-07-30T20:37:00.000-03:00

We sure have been busy! Today is our 6th day in Guatemala and we have had some amazing times in this beautiful country. The prices are low, the culture is amazing, and the temperature is finally bearable.

We arrived in a small town called El Remate which was about a half an hour from Tikal. We woke at 5.30 am, a challenge for us to be sure, and headed into Tikal.

We wanted to get there early to see some of the amazing wild life that is abundant early in the day. We saw families of monkeys high above the ancient ruins swinging from tree to tree and carrying babies. It was an amazing sight and we had the area mostly to ourselves. All together we spent over 10 hours exploring Tikal. We managed to see just about everything there was to see. The ruins were beautiful. Some of them were excavated while others were covered in jungle with trees, plants and roots coming up and out of the stone structures.

Amie and I took some amazing pictures there. The combination of ruins and jungle was such a sight to behold. Some of the pyramids were very tall and you could climb them and get a fantastic view from the top. You could see the tops of other various pyramids and temples poking up through the jungle canopy.

Both Amie and I were intrigued by the ruins that were unexcavated and had the jungle taking them over. The power of nature has been very present on this trip.

It was a very long day and by the end of it we were spent. But the next day was no less exciting. The next day we planned to do a canopy tour. Part Tarzan and part Indiana Jones. It seems Guatemala has a lot to offer us and we are soaking it all in....

The next day, after some rest, we headed off to check out the canopy tour. In Tikal we saw monkeys swinging from tree to tree and we decided we wanted to play monkey. They put a harness on you and you climb up into the tree tops. They hook you onto a zip line and teach you how to zip from platform to platform. You use thick leather gloves to slow your decent down before you reach the next platform.

It was like a roller coaster, only better, and it all takes place high above the ground within the jungle canopy. It was seriously a lot of fun, and Amie and I were whooping it up high in the air, zipping from platform to platform and literally flying through the jungle. It was amazing and we are sure to try this again. It was a fantastic combination of beauty and exhilaration all in one.

Now we are in the Guatemalan highlands in a town perched in the mountains called Coban. We have several day trips we are going to do from here. Some rivers to see, some caves, lots of exploring. Computers are a bit less frequent here, but I will post more as soon as I can.

We miss you all! Feel free to drop us an Email!

Jordan

Photo Blogging - Best of Belize

2005-07-25T23:43:00.000-03:00

So once again we are about to cross a border, into Guatemala...

But first lets take a look at some of jordan's favorite photos from Belize:

Swimming with sharks

2005-07-24T23:20:00.000-03:00

Today was one of those days that when it was happening you knew you would remember it for the rest of your life. After 2 days of delays because of rain we finally set off on our snorkel trip. A certain guide had been recommended to us and he was well worth the wait. We sailed out to the reef on a small sailboat and enjoyed the beauty of the coast.

When we reached the reef we saw about 7 or so sharks swimming around the boat. These are nurse sharks and are very docile. I had swum with them on my last trip to Belize and had told Amie this was one way to get over any of her fears concerning the ocean. The guide was very good at discussing how to behave with them. They do not have the big teeth of the sharks one sees in movies. These sharks are, for the most part, bottom feeders and totally docile. The family of sharks we swam with ranged from 3 feet to 7+ feet in length.

They would calmly swim up to you an let you feel their rough skin, which was like sandpaper. We felt no fear with these peaceful creatures but rather were overcome by a sense of beauty and calm as our group swam with and was followed by these sharks. It was absolutely a life changing moment. Swimming for an hour with a family of sharks guiding you through the coral reefs was unreal. It was beautiful and at the same time very intense.

We then sailed on to another spot called 'Hol Chan' (stopping along the way to swim with a giant turtle that must have been 4-5 feet accross). Here, there were schools of fish in electric colors, eels lurking, and rays swimming below.

We swam through forests of coral and colored plants that were beyond description. Photos do not do justice to the vast world we were surrounded in. It went on and on.

Instead of scary, the whole experience was peaceful. Much of that had to do with our amazing guide. He was a man who loves nature and explained everything to us in such a way that truly left us in awe.

It was a day we will never forget.

In the morning we will begin our trip to Guatemala, to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. When I get a chance I will post some of my favorite photos from our time in belize. Until then....

Jordan

Chris and Celene - A thank you

2005-07-22T20:30:00.000-03:00

To Chris and Celene we owe more than thanks. These two wonderful people from Switzerland saved us when things were looking grim. When we were frantic and trying not to worry about taking a 2am crowded bus that would hopefuly reach its destination before the hurricane hit, these 2 kind souls offered us everything they had. They helped us to escape in their rented car and together we fled to safety. They helped us turn a hotel room into a fortress and did it all with a smile. So to our new friends Celene and Chris, we thank you and hope to see you again. Our house (when we buy one) is yours to visit. We hope the rest of your travels are safe and full of much deserved peace.

Here they are looking like the hurricane blew them over

Photo Blogging - Mexico

2005-07-22T19:55:00.000-03:00

Since we are now in Belize, I will share some of my favorite photos taken in the Mexico portion of our journey. (Sadly, many of my best photos will look sideways if I post them because of the vertical format. So, I am only posting the horizontal ones... )

Belize

2005-07-22T12:12:00.001-03:00

Well we have crossed our first border. We are now in Belize on a small Caye (key) off the coast known as Caye Caulker, one of Jen Jacksons favorite spots. We're toasting to her at the Lazy Lizard. The island is small and you can walk around it in a short time. Imagine a smaller version of Jamaica but without much of the intense hawking of wares that is found there. This place takes mellow to a whole new level and is just what we needed after that huirracane experience. Swimming, eating, listening to reggae music and trying not to burn to a crisp is about all we are up to. That and snorkeling. We are planning a trip with a charming old fellow who we hear is a bit of a Indiana Jones type. I will be sure to share some of those experiences once we live them.

That's it for now, but there'll be more soon including pics...

Jordan

A long Night

2005-07-18T16:18:00.000-03:00

Well, it was a long and stormy night but here we are. After buying all the water and food that we needed, we set about preparing the hotel room for the worst of it. We taped up all the windows and then closed the curtains over that. Just for good measure, we stacked all our mattresses and bed frames in front of the windows. We organized all our gear and removed all loose items from the room. We had our flashlights and candles at hand. All we could do was wait. And wait we did.

We didn't begin to feel anything until about 1AM or so. We lost power at around that time. We could hear very heavy winds outside but nothing was able to penetrate our fortress. I am sure we were the most prepared people in the hotel. We stayed up most of the night taking turns to watch. In the morning I woke up to calm and the sounds of birds. Life outside was going on as usuall, with the exception of lots of branches etc on the ground. It seems the storm took a turn north which saved us from the worst of it.

We are thinking we will contunue to Belize since the storm hit farther north and Belize seems fine. There we will continue our routine of sun and swimming and relaxation. After that we head inland to Guatamala.

Paz Y Amor

Jordan

Emily

2005-07-17T15:54:00.000-03:00

Amie and I just went to see the mass at the cathedral in Valladolid. We took photos, video, and recorded sound. The room was packed. The sound of the chanting mixed beautifully with the noises of the approaching storm. The people chanted as the storm grew. As the service ended thunderclaps joined in with the applause. I looked to the sky and could see that Emily was here. The rain began just as the priest finished. The worst of the storm hits us tonight at about 1am.

Amie and I and our friends Chris and Celine are going now to take refuge in the hotel. We baught all the calling cards and food and water we need. All we can do now is wait.

Waiting out the storm

2005-07-17T11:17:00.000-03:00

We have made our way to Valladolid with the help of two Swiss cats with a rental car. We decided to skip going to Merida because the bus journey in the middle of the night just had too many unforseeable possibillities. We feel much safer here in Valladolid than on the coast and will wait the storm out from this loocation and then head south to Chiapas or Guatamala.

More when we know more.....

Jordan

More hurracane info

2005-07-16T19:26:00.000-03:00

read the post below this as well.

copy these web addresses into your browser for updated information.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/float-vis-loop.html

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/205315.shtml?3day

Change of Plans

2005-07-16T16:51:00.000-03:00

Looks like the coast we are on is due for some nasty weather. We are going to play it safe and head to Merida.

The storm is due to hit in a day or two but we are heading inland today just to be safe. Merida is a beautiful city and is the capital of the Yucatan and will be a great break from our coastal experience. I will try to post our hotel information as soon as I can.

Storm path information for hurricane Emily:

http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm5/projectedpath_large.html?from=wxcenter_maps/

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/?from=wxcenter_news

The purpose of posting this is to let people know we are aware and taking measures well ahead of the storms arrival. Amie has her cell phone upgraded with global service and Merida is a huge and well protected city. In this case its safety first

Our stay in Tulum has been our best yet. The water couldnt get any clearer and the ruins are right on the beach. We are staying in a cabana on the beach in a place that used to be called Don Armandos but changed its name to something I will not attempt to pronounce. We can actually see the ruins from our beachfront.

Noboby should worry about us. We are in good hands and keeping safe. I will post more when I know more.

Playa De Carmen

2005-07-14T00:25:00.000-03:00

Well, we have left Isla Mujeres and found our way to Playa De Carmen. We have a cute little room in a hotel Named "Hotel Maya Bric". We have just been relaxing and enjoying the beach as well as the plentiful nightlife that Playa has to offer. We have been here 3 nights and have had a fantastic time so far. When we aren't lounging on the beach or at the hotel's pool surrounded by lush jungle gardens, we are enjoying the many wonderfull cafes and resaraunts that are sprinkled throughout this town.

Last night we spent the entire night dancing at a place called the "Blue Parrot" and had a great time of it. It was nice to cut loose and shake it a bit just like we have grown accostomed to doing in San Francisco....

but here we do it surrounded by palm trees in the sand with the sound of the surf mixing with the sound of the music. There were even fire spinners, which reminded me and Amie of Burning Man.

Today we took a day trip to the Island of Cozumel for some spectacular snorkeling. There were fish in all the colors of the rainbow and coral and plants that took our breath away. It was a fantastic day trip. As the sun began to set we made our way back on the boat to our hotel.

Three days here seems to have satisfied us and I believe in the morning we will take a bus an hour or so south to Tulum where we will enjoy yet another white sand beach and turquoise blue waters. The ruins will make for a nice day trip.

Things in paradise are going very well and we are enjoying living this dream.

We will check back in, in 3 days or so....

Paz Y Amor

Jordan

Arrival

2005-07-09T23:36:00.000-03:00

We have arrived! After a long travel day, Amie and I decided not to head off to Playa Del Carmen and decided instead to take the short boat ride to a small island off the coast of Cancun, called Isla Mujeres (island of the women).

We got our room at a hotel in the center of the small town and then headed for our first beach experience. Once my feet touched the clear blue water of the Carribean ocean I was able to finally relax into the moment. We got some sun, did some swimming and managed not to get sunburned on day one. Score one for team Potsic/Romney! We also walked through a colorful cemetery and Amie took some photos.

The weather has been great. Lots of sun and only one quick rain so far. Very warm and muggy. Day 2 (today) has been spent mostly on the beach tanning and swimming in the water that is waist deep for 100 yards. It is sublime. I think, in the morning, we will take a snorkeling trip. When we do decide to move on from this little island we will go to Playa De Carmen which is a short bus ride from Cancun. Once there we plan to stay a number of days before we continue on south, eventually into Belize.

Things are going very well and they are only going to get better!
We will check back in a few days....

Jordan

The Itinerary

2005-06-19T21:45:00.000-03:00

We leave for the Honeymoon on July 7th.

We will return to San Francisco from Brazil on November 16th.

We fly from San Francisco to Philly on Nov. 30th.

We are very excited to get our feet in the sands of Mexico, Panama, Belize, Guatamala, Costa Rica, Brazil, and whatever else comes our way.

Check back here once we leave to see what we are doing with our 4 months away.

Peace

Jordan