Previous Pics from Tikal

Here are some pics from Tikal and from Finca Ixobel. The ruins were quite impressive, especially the amount of them. There was a massive town of them, and we didn´t even get to see them all. We busted our ass to find a guide that could get us into the park before it opened, so that we could catch sunrise from the top of one of the pyramids. We managed to pull it off (3am start time!), but unfortunately it was cloudy, so we didn´t get the full show. It was still cool listening to the jungle wake up....especially the howler monkeys.

Finca Ixobel was a great spot. The best part were the giant buffets that they served, all with fresh food grown on the farm. They also had a pingpong table, which got a lot of use from yours truly. Was kind of like a summer camp kind of feel to the place. I also got to play my first game of soccer. No goals to speak of, but definitely an E for effort.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8ab2nqp.c42hd5r5&x=1&y=-jazmk7

Moustaches Are Back!!!

YEEEEYAH!!!!

Semuc Champey

Could be the nicest place that I´ve been yet. Hopefully the pics will show that. Twas a little bit difficult to get to. We drove for a couple of hours north of Coban (nearest decent sized town) through winding mountain roads, and then it was another hour into the jungle on crazy little dirt roads. Scenery was stellar. The jungle has a real deep vegetative smell.....especially when it gets hot. We got in late our first night, and just hit the sack.

Description of a first day in Semuc Champey:
Woke up in the morning and headed for the natural pools that we had heard about. First thing that we got to see is where the river went underground. The power was amazing......incredibly loud too. This massive river just all of the sudden disappeared. The little water that did make it by though, trickled into these amazing torquoise pools. They were unbelievable. It really looked like something out of a fairy tale. We ended up hanging out there for the whole morning, until about 2:00.

Then at 3, we headed for the caves to check out the underground river. The caves were awesome, but definitely not for the faint at heart. We were given candles to use as lights. When we first entered, the water was freezing, and the bats were flipping around in full force. Ha!! It was pretty funny. And then, things got tight. There were literally points where the roof of the cave was only a foot and a half above the water level. We also had to do about a 30m swim...........holding the candle above the water!! We then got to crawl through a crack about 2 feet tall, and ended up at an underground waterfall, about 10 feet high. You usually can crawl up the waterfall, but the water levels are too high right now due to excessive rains (a couple of girls in the group after us got hurt). We also got to find spots where we could jump off a ledge into the water. Whole trip took about an hour and a half.

After the caves, we hiked up to the lookout point, and then it was time for the tubes. The sun was out in full force which was awesome (since we were freezing from the caves). Got to do about a 2 km tube ride down the river, right through the middle of the jungle. The tube ride ended at our hostel, where they had beers waiting for us.

Not too bad of a day, eh! Guatemala is awesome......pretty much on par with Nicaragua. Unfortunately, you can´t get pics of the caves, because it would wreck your cameras. I got lots of pics of the river and the pools though. We spent another day at the pools, and then we also got to do some bridge jumping (probably just under 20 feet). Was pretty stellar. Hostel that we stayed at was pretty cool......little crammed in the loft that we slept in, but the place had one of those old showers that you had to pull the rope to use. The menu options were pretty simple: yes or no...........do you want dinner or not?

Went to check out Tikal yesterday....supposed to be the nicest Mayan Ruins in Central America. Was pretty impressive. Couldn´t believe how much there was. We had busted our ass to find a guy that could get us into the park before it opened so that we could catch the sunrise from the top of the highest temple (3:00 start time, not bad eh Dad). Unfortunately the sun was covered by clouds. Was cool to listen to the jungle waking up.

Anyway, in a place called Finca Ixobel now (close to Poptun). Cool little farm type of place with amazing homecooked food. Will probably be here for a few days.....then may start heading for the Bay Islands in Honduras. Here´s the website for the place:

http://www.fincaixobel.com/

Here are some pics. And oh yeah, I added some pics to the Antigua ones, just of my home stay and my spanish school. Will have to post the pics of the ruins later.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8ab2nqp.9s3o3scx&x=1&y=-ehmi4z

Bye for now.

Ryan

PS Heading to Bay Islands. Going through Rio Dulce, Puerta Barrios through border to Puerto Cortes, San Pedro Sula, and on to La Ceiba. Then its a ferry to the island of Utila. Will probably take a couple of days, so going to see how far we can get today (still travelling with my Aussie buddy Ross). Hoping to make it to the islands for the B day baby!!.


Update
Made it to La Ceiba. Has been a painful couple days of travelling. Didn´t make it to the islands yet, as the locals were smart enough to only have one ferry per day, thereby guaranteeing that we have to stay another night (those Hondurans are sooo smart). You can probably sense my cynicism after a few long days on the bus. Looking forward to getting to the bay islands in the morning. Going to head to Utila.....supposed to be the fun backpacker island. Need to grab a bite to eat, and to sleep. My back is killing me from all the shitty buses. Bound for the beach baby!!!

Bye for now.

Made it to Flores

In Flores now staying at Youth Hostel Los Amigos.

Spent a few days in Semac Champey, just NE of Coban. Probably the nicest spot that Ive hit so far on this trip. Caves were amazing and river was stellar. Will update later when I have more time.

Heading to the ruins in Tikal today and tomorrow. Going to try to stay outside the park, so that we can get in and catch the sunrise in the ruins. They are supposed to be spectacular.

May head back to Flores afterwards, and then will be heading to Livingston. Going to try to get back to Honduras.

Will check in later.

Ryan

UPDATE

Leaving Flores today and heading for Finca Ixobel. May stay there for a few days. I think that it may be a little remote, so I´m not sure if I´ll have access to email. We are going to try to head to Livinston (SEeast Guatemala) after that, and then head for the Bay Islands in Honduras. Will check in when I can!

Heading Northbound

Have finished Spanish school, and have my last night with the family tonight. My buddy Nick has already moved on to Honduras a few days ago, but me and my other buddy Ross are thinking of heading north. Will probably head to Guatemala city in the morning.

Going to try to head up to Flores (in the Peten region), so that we can make our way to Tikal. Tikal is supposed to have some of the best Mayan ruins in Central America. Have heard tons of good things about it.

We may also try to stop at a place called Finca Ixobel on the way though. It is another one of these organic farm type places that is supposed to be super nice. Apparently the woman who runs it makes awesome homecooked buffet dinners at night. I think that we may be able to do some tubing through the underground rivers, which sounds super cool. If we do stop there, I won´t have access to email for a few days.

As for my goings on, I actually went and took some Salsa lessons the other night. Was a little embarrassing at first, however, the math was on our side............probabaly about 15 to 20 women, and then just 4 of us guys. It was pretty hilarious! There is a lot more to the Salsa then what I expected. Will need some major practise in order to get good. I tried a little last night, but after a few near death experiences and a healthy debate about the dance steps, I eventually had to just throw the thumbs up and do the old fashioned bump and grind. I´m sure that I´ll have plenty of opportunity to practise over the next 4 months, when travelling through Central and South America.

Spanish school was quite painful. I am somewhat questioning my tutor's Spanish grammar skills, as whenever I challenged her, she would go look something up and then make a change to the sentence. It made it painful for me......my little mathematical mind was craving charts and tables. After conjugating yet another bizarre verb (that only gets used when the both people are facing southbound, one person knows the other person better than the other, the object on the floor can be picked up, and a small child is running past the door), I finally said, ¨Listen, I will NEVER EVER use this verb when I´m travelling over the next 4 months. How about we get back to catching buses and finding hostels????¨ She eventually caught my drift, but our enthusiasm levels had been somewhat depleted by that point.

Well, with a pack full of clean laundry, some broken Spanish, and a new pair of flashy Puma sneakers, I am ready to depart Antigua. I´m actually pretty enthusiastic to get back on the road again. I´ll be sure to check in when we get to Flores.

Will talk to you all soon.

UPDATE

We actually may head to the underground tubing tunnels in the morning. They are just northeast of Coban. Can´t remember the name of them, but they´re supposed to be nicer than the ones by Finca Ixobel. Hoping to stay at a hostel called Maria´s something. Will be sure to get tons of pics!

What in the hell is a Reflexive Verb??

Hey all,

Things are going well in Antigua. Have now completed a couple of days of tutoring. Not sure if I´m making progress, or if I´m just getting more confused. I spent the majority of the day doing verb conjucations using verbs and nouns that I have no clue what they are. It also doesn´t help that I have absolutely no clue about English grammar. My tutor keeps referring to all these English terms so that it will make it easier to understand the Spanish. I finally had to tell her that I had no clue what the English terms actually meant. She has her work cut out for her.

The tutor is great though. She is super nice, and she speaks fabulous English (unlike the first one). She´s a 28 year old mother of one. She gets about $60 for tutoring me for the week, which is enough to keep her in the middle to upper class range in Guatemala (judging by her Razor cell phone). She has been pretty patient with me. When I was going over my notes this morning though, I think I may be slightly more lost. I may have to just stick with the grunt and point.

Things are great with the family that I´m staying with. The lady keeps trying to speak Spanish to me, but all I keep saying is ´Ci, ci´. Hopefully shes not asking me anything too complicated! First meal at the house: mini potatoes, white rice, and (drumroll)..........a fried egg. Ha! Pretty tastey though actually. Now that I think of it, I haven´t had meat since I got into the house. Last night´s meal was beans, some kind of salad, and fried bananas.

I´m loving the fact that I have my own room. Have been sleeping A LOT over the past couple of days. Naps before class, in between class, and then after class. Kind of reminds me of my first year and UNBSJ (Chris, remember taking those naps out in the old green Celebrity in between classes.....Ha!!).

Loving the fact that I now have my own guitar. I wouldn´t accuse it of being too concerned with staying in tune, but it´s a nice little guitar anyway. Still adjusting to the nylon strings.....definitely a different sound. I´ve already started writing my first song in Spanish, ´Quisiera un Batido de Banano´ (I Would Like a Banana Milkshake).

I´ve posted some pics from Antigua. The volcano pics are included. I realized afterward that I went a little crazy with the camera when I was up there, so I only posted a few. Enjoy.

R

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8ab2nqp.ccq2aj3l&x=1&y=mayj2f

The Rest of the Nicaragua Pics

Thought I´d just post the rest of the Nicaragua pics. Some of these are from that giant crater lake that I went too. Couple others from the giant local market that they have there. I lot of the stuff of the main part of the market was shit, but there were some off the beaten track parts that were pretty cool.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8ab2nqp.6ooyr9v5&x=1&y=-dhay1t

Antigua, Guatemala

Have been in Antigua now for 6 days. As I said before, it´s probably my most favorite little town that I´ve found so far. Cobblestone streets, super small, nice markets, cool shops, friendly people, and decent nightlife. Lots of travellers around as well. I´ve been staying at a hostel called the Blackcat (www.blackcatantigua.com), which is a super social spot. Still running into people that I had met from all over, including in Costa Rica over a month ago. Things have been super chill, which has been nice. We have got to watch a lot of World Cup since we got here. There is a place across the street called Cafe2000 that uses its whole back wall to show the games. Place gets packed everytime.....its pretty exciting. Its also a cool place to grab dinner and watch a movie in the evenings. Watched American History X the other.....what a great flick....can´t believe that I didn´t watch it before. Have been hitting up the markets, but its tough to find stuff in Central America. I have been looking for a cool pair of sneakers, but most places don´t have my size. Lots of awesome T shirts here, but I don´t have room in my pack for them. Have to be picky and choosey.

Went on my first Volcano hike a couple of days ago......Volcan Pacaya. It was absolutely amazing. The hike was only 5 hours in total, but I couldn´t believe how awesome it was when we got to the top of the lookout point. Note that Pacaya is still fully active, so you can´t actually climb to the top. The pics don´t do it justice, but it is actually really intimidating looking. This perfectly conical mountain, that is just dark volcanic rock. Some cool views of it on the way, but when we came over the ridge, it was amazing. We got a full view of this gaint lava field. It looks like it was another planet. There actually were these slow moving lava rivers going right through it. AND, the best part about it is that we actually got to walk out into the middle of it!!!! It was unbelievable. We walked to within 5 feet of the lava flows!!! You´ll get to see it in the pictures. It was absolutely amazing. Crazy hot though, so you could only stand there for a second or two. The soles on our shoes actually started to feel like they were melting. It was super eerie to walk across as well........it sounds like it was almost hollow underneath (some parts more than others!). And there were deep cravasses everywhere, where you could actually see the lava flowing underneath you. And the whole time you´re out there, all you here is the crumbling all around you. Was very impressive.

So I finally found a guitar! The price was right too.........$47 for guitar and travel case. Not too shabby compared to the $150 I was thinking that I was going to have to spend. Its not too bad actually either, although it will take a few weeks of playing it to really know how it holds up. It is actually a classical guitar (nylon strings, wider neck) that is a junior size, with a cut out. Thor, you would get a kick out of it! I will get a picture of it shortly, and be sure to post it.

And so today is my last day at the Blackcat hostel. Yes, I´m actually finally starting Spanish school today!!! Ha! I told Mom and Dad yesterday on the phone....I think they were in shock! I´m going to be staying with a family for the week. I got to meet them yesterday.....super nice people. Absolutely no English. Ha! The woman just wanted to make sure that I was going to be there for lunch today! Ha! There are actually a couple of other students that live in the house too though, but hopefully everything will stay Spanish. God knows I need it. Anyway, that´s all for now. Have a bunch of great pics (of the town this time too). Will try to get them posted sometime soon.

Ryan

Pics from Granada

Hey, just wanted to link in the pics from Granada. As you can see, most of them were taken in bars......or maybe even all of them.

I´m currently still in Antigua, Guatemala. I actually hiked my first volcano. It was phenomenal. Will have to tell you about it later. Back is a little sore today, but not too bad. Was an early night last night though.

Anyway, enjoy the pics. Don´t worry Mom and Dad, I was perfectly sober the whole time........kinda.

Pics

Zedeno Chara in the Hizzo!!!!

Yeah Baby!!!!! The big man has come to Beantown!!! It's a sad day for Sens fans (notably Stinch), but let's all rejoice that the Boston organization has made one giant step (6 foot 9 to be exact) back to becoming the old Big Bad Bruins!!!

Us B's fans are probably the most neglected fans in the league, so it is nice to be able to celebrate any victories that come our way. Nothing wrong with signing the #1 free agent available!!!

Not sure about signing Savard at $4mill, but 1 for 2 ain't that bad.

Too bad about Gill as I actually liked the way he was coming along, but hey, there's a new big man in town (note to hardcore fans: recall Chara rag dolling Gill around like a little girl, one foggy evening in Boston last fall).

Can't wait to see Chara in that B's uniform......brings a tear to my eye.