Central America

Although I lived in El Salvador in 2011 and traveled through Central America before I had my blog, I found a write-up I emailed to a friend.

Here’s how my girlfriend at the time and I did Central America:

From Santa Tecla, we took Ticabus to Guatemala City and found a taxi that took us to Antigua. He helped us find a hotel and was patient with my sub-par Spanish. Antigua has some American bars and is a bit touristy, but they have an awesome market, and I bought a lot of soccer jerseys for cheap. We were there for some political campaigns - FMLN & others - so it was cool to watch those processions. We stayed in Antigua for a couple of days, then took a minibus directly from our hotel, crossed the border into Honduras and went to Copán Ruinas. We stayed in Copán for a few days, which was nice. They had street fairs with delicious food, and the locals were helpful in directional assistance. The ruins were amazing. Then we took a school bus (not ticabus) from Copán to Tegucigalpa and stayed the night there (the bus didn’t leave until the next morning). Tegucigalpa wasn’t very clean, and we didn’t go out because the locals told us it was too dangerous. From there, we took Ticabus to Managua, met a couple from Australia, and took a taxi from Managua to Granada (it was cheaper than a bus and faster). Granada was awesome. We stayed in a hotel for a couple of days then took a bus from Granada to Rivas, then a taxi directly to San Juan Del Sur. Easily the most beautiful place we visited. We were in San Juan Del Sur, about two blocks from the beach. The ocean was about 60-65 degrees and gorgeous. We stayed for a few days then took Ticabus to San Jose, Costa Rica, to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The day after the concert, we took a 19-hour Ticabus from San Jose back to San Salvador and then a taxi back to Santa Tecla.

Ticabus tickets -$18 or so per person

Hotels - $20-$25 a night average for both people (one bed)

Food - Cheap and delicous

Souvenirs - We bought a lot, street vendors are everywhere with jewelry, toys, etc.

Alcohol - Cheaper than the states

I loved every place we visited, and Ticabus is an affordable and convenient way to get through Central America. I think we took a King quality bus at least once and it was nice as well - tv, toilets, big seats. I loved traveling through Central America. I’ll never forget the trip I had, such an amazing experience.

Verde...

I’ve been in America for 5 days now and I’ve got a job as a host in a local restaurant. Living the dream.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! It’s finally nice to be back in a country where this glorious holiday is not only recognized, but celebrated. 

Of course...

At the Denver airport for the next 7 hours until my flight to Boise hopefully takes off. It’s weird being back in the States and hearing so many people speak ‘good’ English and feeling cold. It’s snowing here in good 'ol Colorado. It’s always weird seeing so many blondes. On one hand, it’s nice to be back in the States and have this thing called 'efficiency’, but on the other, I am going to miss the lack of structure in Peru. For anyone that’s lived anywhere except Miraflores in Lima, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. 

Camana, Peru

These are some fotos taken in Camaná, Peru. It’s always nice to get out of Arequipa, if only for the weekend. I’ve got less than a week left in AQP until I am off to Cuzco and then the States. It’s been an incredible 13 months and I am absolutely going to miss Peru. 

Rainy Season

Just ice it...

It feels like I got hit in the face multiple times, probably because that’s exactly what happened. I had 2 fights this morning, the first of which I won because it was strictly boxing and I had 15 kilos on him, and I lost the 2nd for 2 reasons. One, I haven’t trained to block kicks because I’m a boxer and two, he was the 2 time South American Muay Thai Champion (Joseph Cabello). I didn’t stand a chance. I only learned this after I got thrown around like a rag doll for 5 minutes with my friends laughing and saying, “Don’t take it too hard, he’s the Champ for a reason”. 

Netflix is like a graveyard for movies..

Started class on Friday and I’m teaching all basic classes. After advanced classes for the last 6 months, it’s time to rethink my approach and start talking slower. It’s been awhile since I have taught anyone under the age of 12. Reminds me of when I was back in El Salvador. On a completely unrelated note, I had to throw my Sperry’s away today. Clearly, my Sunday has been exhilarating. 

Sunday in Peru

Highlight of my day: Replacing all the lightbulbs in my house so all the lights match and my bathroom doesn’t look like the flourescent one from the original Saw. Made 3 pounds of real mashed potatoes last night and my Peruvian roommate commented saying, “Oh you’re eating real food tonight? No Chinese takeout?” “Well look who’s talking Miguel, ya hypocrite” to which he responded “Toosh”. Shaking my head, I told him it was pronounced, “Touché”. 

Went out for anticuchos for dinner and was faced with a money / health dilemma. Go get 1 anticucho for S/. 14, or head over to the street vendors and get 7 for S/. 2 a piece. Seeing as how I had to work tomorrow, I went for the S/. 14 because although spending all day in the bathroom sounds fun, what’s a couple more soles? 

You my boy blue! These are the old guys I eat lunch with. They flirt with the waitress, then ask to watch soccer while we eat and then wink at me as if saying, “That’s how it’s done sonny boy”, as the waitress finds us a match. 

I was walking behind this guy for awhile today and no matter how I tried to justify it, I couldn’t find a logical reason for his shirt. “Farmer’s Daughter” is clearly over my head.

As I sit in my living room eating Lomo Saltado and yelling at Germany to “Take it to the hole!” I realize this is exactly where I want to be. Perú is a fantastic country and I’ve met some of the coolest people here. Except for those ‘oh so pleasant’ employees who work at the border and refuse to give me anything longer than a 3 month Visa. Thanks for making my life easier. 

I read a really well written article in the NYT yesterday and I couldn’t help but think, “That dude has a pretty sweet job”. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/magazine/how-a-mexican-drug-cartel-makes-its-billions.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&src=se

After telling students that we’ll be having a party in class (7-9am) next week, the first question is of course “Can we bring alcohol?” “Sorry BRO, but I somewhat prefer my job to you getting liquored up before noon" 

Portuguese classes are going well, despite my accent and complete lack of vocabulary. But for day 2, no complaints. Taught a private lesson today to a girl whose only ambition was to become a flight attendant and that was "the only English I need to learn”. Spent an hour and a half repeating “In case there is a loss in cabin pressure, yellow oxygen masks will deploy from the ceiling compartment located above you." 

 Life in Peru is everything I could have asked for and more.