Nikkie's Travel Blog

Distant Christmas Greetings!

2010-12-24T03:12:00.022Z

Firstly, I want to wish all my friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Secondly, I apologise for waiting so long to update my blog. I can’t believe that 9 months has passed since I last updated it!

So I guess I have a lot to update you on. Well here goes............

After Colombia I went up the The States to visit Jamie, the guy I had been seeing. I went up to Georgia and mainly spent my time in Atlanta, staying with friends and family of Jamie. I met some really nice people and enjoyed getting to know Atlanta a little. My new friend Jenny took me out and about to visit places in and around Atlanta. We visited Stone Mountain, a national park with nice trails to walk and a huge lump of granite in the middle.

We visited Helen, a re-creation of an alpine village in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Helen is nothing like what you would expect to see in America. The buildings, the cobbled streets, the food and drink, everything made to replicate what you would find in Europe.

I visited downtown Atlanta a few times and over-indulged in shopping at the malls after so long in Central America. I visited the Aquarium which was impressive and went out with Jenny and her brother on the lakes in their ski boat.

My mum was visiting America with her camera club so I took the opportunity to go and visit her in Vegas. I went for a week and had a great time seeing her again. Her group stayed in Vegas and then took a road trip to The Grand Canyon so I tagged along for the ride. I’ve seen the Grand Canyon a few times but it never ceases to amaze me. Luckily we took a different route into the park so I saw areas I hadn’t been before.

(Me and My Mum....Ahh)

(The Grand Canyon)

Unfortunately things didn’t work out between Jamie and I found myself in a hostel in downtown Atlanta wondering what I was going to do. I considered returning back to the UK but did not feel ready for that, I considered Australia because I found a cheap flight but in the end, I decided to return to Costa Rica. I was feeling pretty low and needed to go to a place that felt like home with lots of friends so back to Puerto Viejo I went. That was in May and I am still here.

So what have I been doing? A pretty mixed bag of stuff really. I went back to the dive shop and completed my Scuba Diver Leader course and started picking up bits of work when it was available. I moved back into Garibaldi where I was living before but this time in one of the cheaper cabinas. The cold water took a lot of getting used to. No, I take that back, I never got used to the cold water!

I’ve attended a Caribbean wedding on the beach in Punta Uva

(Frank & Gina's wedding)

(Looking over Punta Uva point)

(Tradition is to pin money to the bride)

(The Bull Rodeo)

watched the Bull Rodeo when it came to town, been down to Bocas del Toro a couple of times to renew my visa, finally visited the Del Ray in San Jose followed by a trip to a strip joint (a first for me). There have been beach parties, birthday parties, leaving parties, pool parties and generally a lot of fun had by all. Halloween was a great night!

(Baby howler monkeys at the Animal Rescue Centre)

It has not all been great though. I was house sitting a great place that good friends of mine built in the jungle but unfortunately got robbed twice and lost my computer and things. Got up close and personal with a few of the neighbours I'd have been happy not knowing.

Had a tree fall on my porch.

Around this time work dried up for me at the dive shop and things took a downward slope. With no work I really could see no way of staying here so started looking for dive work in other countries. Unfortunately with little experience, this was a challenge. I was unlucky and missed out on an activities manager role in Mozambique due to my lack of French. I found a job in Vietnam but the wages were so low so I decided instead to accept a professional diving internship followed by my dive instructor course in The British Virgin Islands starting in April 2011.

I had a low couple of months but am lucky to have good friends who helped me back on my feet. Friends helped me find work and I got recommended for a house care-taker role.

I started working as a Poker dealer at a friend’s bar and quickly had to learn the game having never played before. In fact I deal No limits Texas Holdem. I still have a lot to learn but it is fun. The hardest part is standing for up to 7 hours straight but we have a number of regulars who come and it is usually a fun night. I run a game twice a week but we are looking to expand the operation in the New Year with more nights and different games.

The owners of the house I am now living in come and go a lot between here and Canada and were looking for someone to come and stay at the house to look after it while they come and go. It is a super nice house, just across from the beach. I have a couple of work projects on the go which keep me busy as well.

It has certainly been a year of highs and lows though, but I am happy to be ending it on a high. On Christmas Day there will be a big dinner / party here at my house with 20-30 friends. Good food and good company in a great place, what more could I ask for Christmas?

I hope that 2010 has been a good year for all my friends and family back home. If not, then I am sure that 2011 will be your year. Do let me know how you are all doing and I again wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Take care and season’s greetings!

Nikkie

Guerrilla hunting in Colombia

2010-03-02T15:42:00.016Z

Hey everyone, I'm back!

¡Que calor! So I'm hanging out in 32°C and 66% humidity right now and it is too hot to go to the beach so I thought what a perfect time to update you on my travels.

I left Costa Rica on the 1st of February and flew in and out of Venezuela with only a night in the country. I'd originally planned 2 weeks there but I kind of used up the time in Costa Rica. So after a very brief visit I carried on to Bogotá in Colombia.

I checked into a pretty cool hostel in Bogotá and met some good people. I had a couple of days exploring by myself, visiting a number of museums and walking around the old centre of Bogota.

(Plaza Bolívar, Bogota)

(Bogota)

(The Gold Museum)

I also took a couple of day trips with other people in the hostel. 4 of us took a trip to Zipaquiera to visit the Salt Cathedral. The cathedral has been carved out of a mountain 130 metres underground within old salt mines. The place is huge with 14 chapels and the capacity to hold 4500 people. Virtually everything is made of salt, the walls, the floor, seats and crosses. It was really impressive and still holds services every Sunday.

(Plaza in Zipaquiera)

(The Salt Cathedral)

(Mining in the Salt Catedral)

(One of the chapels around 130 metres underground)

The following day I took a trip up to Monserrate with Hau, a Vietnamese – Canadian. You can visit Monserrate by funicular or cable car to visit the church up top and to marvel at the fantastic views.

(Looking out over Bogota from Monserrate)

(Artwork in Bogota)

Hau and I were both destined for Cartagena so we decided to travel together for a while. The flights were not much more expensive than the bus and taking 1.5 hours instead of 18 hours so we opted for the quicker option. For a long time I’ve dreamed of going to Cartagena so I’d built up my expectations without realising it. Although it is a very nice old city, I’ve been spoilt by my other travels and found it very reminiscent of Old Havana in Cuba, New Orleans and Casco Viejo in Panama. It therefore didn’t have the ‘wow’ factor that I was hoping for but I still enjoyed my time there.

(Artwork in Cartagena)

(Treating ourselves to coffee and a slice of pie in a pretty fancy café)

(Colourful goods for sale)

(Fruit for sale)

Hau and I also took a boat trip to Playa Blanca, a remote beach with basic facilities where we stayed overnight in a hammock. It was a beautiful beach with crystal blue waters. I left the following day and headed to Barranquilla.

(Playa Blanca)

(Home on the beach. I'm staying on the left)

(Sunset over Boca Grande in Cartagena)

So what was in store for me in Barranquilla? The carnival of course! The carnival at Barranquilla is said to rival Rio de Janerio and runs for 4 days. I arrived a bit late on the first day to see the opening parade and got stuck behind a crowd of people trying to push through the barriers. It was great fun though and I got covered in shaving foam and flour. I found out that I needed to get down to the main street early to get tickets for the bleachers to get the best view so that is what I did. It wasn’t however as easy as I was expecting. The police wouldn’t let me pass the barrier without a ticket but they couldn’t tell me where to buy a ticket. In the end a street vendor helped me out. He took me in a taxi and went and bought me a ticket at local prices, half that of what tourists are usually charged. How nice was that! Taking time out of his day to help. This wasn’t the first time this happened to me and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

For the next two days I watched the parades from front row seats and it was fantastic. The parade runs for about 70 blocks and goes on for 3 or 4 hours. The outfits are so beautiful and the people are too.

I really enjoyed my time at the carnival and met some really nice Colombians. It would however have been nice to have had some friends to enjoy the evenings with. Barranquilla is very big and there is little information about the night time events, most of the time they were in dodgy areas of town so I didn’t want to travel alone. Next time I’m going with friends.

(Catedral on Plaza del Paz in Barranquilla)

(Tasters of the carnival)

Next was Taganga, a small fishing village 2 hours along the Caribbean coast. It was an idyllic setting in a cove surrounded by hills and the bay filled with fishing boats. On my first evening I went down to the beach just as the fishermen where returning with their catch. There were loads of people on the beach buying the fish.

At the hostel I met a big group of really cool people. We all went to the beach together and then had a big night out in the evening. It had been a few weeks since I’d partied hard and I suffered and wasted the following day.

(New friends in Taganga)

(Taganga cove)

It was in Taganga that I finally decided to do the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) trek. The trek is 6 days, five nights and takes you to a city that is older and larger than Machu Picchu but without the hordes of tourists. You have to take a 4 wheel drive jeep for around 45 minutes to a village at the bottom of the trail. After lunch we started up the trail, a steep climb for about 4 hours. Our first camp was typical of all the places we stayed, pretty basic without electricity, food cooked on wood stoves and hammocks for beds. The food was fantastic and I think I put weight on during the trip. We usually had fruit stops on the trails, soup or sandwiches for lunch and full dinners with meat, rice, salad and dessert.

(Dinner on the Lost City Trek)

(On the trail)

(Our group)

(One of the indigenous villages)

(River crossing)

(I've found paradise)

(Lunch preparations)

(Home for 2 nights below the Lost City)

Our group was small with only 5 people and our guide and cook and appeared to be one of the best groups on the trek. Our guide and cook only spoke Spanish but we have a number of Spanish speakers so we didn’t have any problems communicating. The trekking was not easy but the days were not too long. The trail is 21km to the Lost City with 4 major assents and descents and 9 river crossings. We took 3 days to trek to the city, we had a day at the city and then 2 days to return. We has time to enjoy swimming and relaxing in the river surrounded by beautiful rain forest.

(Only 1350 steps to the city)

(And then a load more steps to tackle)

(View from the top)

(Mixing with the locals)

(Fun with guns)

As is normal with me, I got blisters on the first day so suffered somewhat with the walking and am still suffering now 4 days later but it was all worth it.

The city has 250 plazas of which 170 are accessible. It is a climb up 1350 steps to the bottom of the city and many more to the top. There are loads of staircases covering the mountain side leading to the plazas. The city is guarded by the military to safeguard the tourists. Most are very young, serving a minimum of 2 months in the jungle.

(Still surviving on our last day)

I'd originally planned to stay here for 3 weeks but I loved the country so much I decided to forfeit my flight to Ecuador and stay longer here. The country is so diverse and it is possible to see so much here. Colombia has mountains, Caribbean coast, ancient cities, Amazon rainforest and much more.

I've found the people to be so so nice and friendly as well. On more than one occasion people have gone out of their way to help me. One guy walked me 20 minutes to my hotel when there were no cabs because of the carnival. Another guy took me on a bus to a mall and into a store to enquire about a new camera after mine was dropped. I've been offered rooms in peoples houses to stay and been given emails and phone numbers of people who want to keep in touch.

I can whole-heartedly recommend Colombia as a travel destination but I suggest you learn a bit of Spanish first.

So that brings us about up to date. I'm off the the Amazon tomorrow, flying to a place called Leticia. I will be at the border of Colombia, Brazil and Peru. I hear I can have dinner in Colombia, after dinner drinks in Brazil and go dancing in Peru, all in one night! I'll let you know soon about my jungle adventures.

I hope you are all keeping well and I look forward to any news from you all.

Take care!
Love Nikkie

Saying goodbye to Costa Rica!

2010-01-25T04:03:00.008Z

Yes, finally I am tearing myself away from Central America and heading south so I thought I'd give you a quick update on what I've been up to and what happens next!

(The view from the office, sweet!)

(out on The Reefer for a booze cruise)
I've been keeping myself busy since my last post. I came back to Puerto Viejo for New Year which was a bit of a culture shock. 2 weeks deep in the jungle and then arriving back in the party town of Puerto the day before New Year. The town was packed and spirits were high so a good time was had by all. Needless to say I over-indulged and felt awful the next day but that is what NY eve is all about isn't it?

We have been having lots of barbeques and for my birthday we all went down to Punta Uva and had a great time on the beach. A Mega Supa supermarket has opened in town and they do the best spicy Chorizo sausages. We got through 3lbs of them! Mega Supa must be putting in special orders for the sausages because we certainly are getting through them. Jessica, a friend from the dive shop had her 40th birthday a week after mine so we decided to do something difference so we went to Cocles beach for our barbeque instead.

(The girls on my birthday)

(Back on The Reefer)
A couple of weeks ago there was a revenge attack for a murder that happened six months ago at the end of my road. A guy was shot 5 times in the back at 10am while people were having breakfast. Amazingly the guy survived and is fighting for his life in hospital. I guess the revenge attacks will continue seems they were not successful. A couple of days later we were out diving and got stopped by the Coastguard under suspicion of drug trafficking. It was after a big storm and apparently it is common for drug packets to wash up on the storm so the Coastguard were out checking all boats on the ocean. It all makes for an exciting life in Puerto.

I still haven't completed my Divemaster. I have probably half a day of work to complete it and only 3 days to do it in so I need to get my rear into gear. I think I will be doing my 60th dive tomorrow so that just leaves my exams and my underwater stress test. I have to exchange all my dive equipment underwater with a buddy whilst we share air. Meanwhile my instructor will be doing all sorts of nasty things to try and put me off. My instructor is looking forward to this task a lot!

(Finally proof that I am diving! It is not all partying here you know)

Jamie went back to the states about 10 days ago so I'm missing him a lot. We are still in touch and I'm trying to convince him to join me in Colombia while he is trying to talk me into going to Georgia. I guess we will have to see who gives in first.

(Jamie!! Vas a colombia con migo!)

So what are my plans now? On Thurday I'm going down to Bocas del Toro for a couple of days with a big group of friends from Puerto. I'm really looking foward to it because it will be a good send off for my leaving Costa Rica. I return on Saturday and then head up to San Jose on Sunday ready for my flight to Venezuela on Monday. I'm not spending any time there though, I'll be moving straight on to Colombia the following day. There I have 3 weeks before I go to Ecuador.

I'm planning on coming back to Puerto Viejo so will be able to travel light and leave some stuff here. I'm not sure how long I will be in South America or how long I will come back for, I guess it just depends on how things go. I'm keeping my plans fluid so I can make the most of this trip. I do however have mixed feelings about leaving because I love living here and have made loads of friends but feel it is time to see a bit more of the world. I've had 10 months here, much longer than I ever expected to stay and have enjoyed the experience of living in a latin country.

I'm hoping to make a friends birthday in Vegas in June but I will have to see how the travel plans pan out. North or South, decisions...decisions.

So that about brings you up to date. I hope everyone is well and enjoying life wherever you are. Do let me know what you are up to.

Take care all!
Nikkie

Season greetings!

2009-12-24T16:03:00.005Z

I know that I am more than overdue for a blog update so let me bring you up to date with what I’ve been up to over the past couple of months.
I am still in Costa Rica and have been enjoying the ever present Puerto Viejo party scene. I have progressed with my Dive Master although not as quickly as I could have. At the end of August I went to San José and completed my Emergency First Response course in Spanish. I have also since completed my Rescue Diver course. I am on the last course now and have completed some of the Dive Master course but am waiting for better diving conditions and the shop to fix the boat engine before I can complete the course. I hope to get the completed in January.

My house as an island in all the rain.

October saw me take a trip to Panama to renew my visa again. My friend Karen from the states joined me and we spent 10 days in Panama. It took us a full day of bus trips (3 buses) to get to Boquette which is up in the mountains. The region is famous for its coffee and we took a tour of a coffee finca (farm) and stocked up on good coffee. The town is also popular with retirees from the States so the level of English spoken was really good. The region looked beautiful and we had high hopes to go trekking but unfortunately the weather was against us. We had originally planned to stay 3 nights but it rained constantly for 2 days so we decided to leave early and head down to Panama City.

Panama City was an 8 hour bus journey and we arrived quite late into the biggest bus terminal I have ever seen! Backing onto a huge mall the terminal has nearly 70 platforms. It certainly felt more USA than Central America. We stayed in Casco Viejo, the old town, an area they are slowly renovating. With narrow streets and tall, balcony lined buildings the area was very reminiscent of Old Havana in Cuba. Travelling in and out of the old town we passed by some very poor and dangerous neighbourhoods. With armed guards on the streets it was not an area you would want to look around. The shame of it is that only a few miles away the neighbourhoods are rich, elegant and very American.

We ended up spending a week in and around Panama City taking day trips, usually beginning or ending with a trip to the mall to stock up on cheaper goods than Costa Rica. It was way too easy to go shopping at the mall given its proximity to the bus terminal. One day we took a ferry across to an island to get a bit of beach time. Another day we took the passenger train to Colón. Panama City is on the Pacific Coast and is the Pacific entrance for the Panama Canal. Colón is the Caribbean canal entrance and the train line follows the route of the canal. The train trip was only an hour but it went through rain forest along the lakes and trenches of the canal. Colón unfortunately is not a nice city and has got a bad reputation for being very dangerous. This was impressed on us by our taxi driver who pulls out his revolver which he says is for his, and his passengers’ protection. So we got straight on a bus back to Panama City and then took another bus to see Miraflores locks. Wow, what an impressive operation! As most of you know, I have a timeshare on a canal boat and what is so interesting is that the logic is all the same, it is just scale that separates the two. There was a great museum to walk through but watching these huge tankers pass through the double locks was awesome. We ended up ordering beers and sat down to watch 5 tankers pass through. Each one takes about 30 minutes to pass through the locks. Tug boats manoeuvre the ships into the lock entrance and then little trains pull the ships through the locks.
Another trip was to Barro Colorado, an island in the canal basin that is a research site for the Smithsonian. We went on a guided tour that included a boat trip to the island, presentations on the function of The Smithsonian on the island and 2 walking tours. We finished the Panama trip with an overnight bus ride to San José, not a trip I care to repeat. Leaving at 11pm we wasted 4 hours at the border crossing and finally made it into San José at 4pm.

That is not the only trip I’ve done. At the moment I am writing to you from the Osa Peninsula on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Finally I’ve travelled to see a bit more of Costa Rica other than just the Caribbean. Right now it is the wet season on the Caribbean and diving conditions are pretty bad so what better time to visit the Pacific, especially seems it is the dry season here.
This is actually my second trip here. I first came on 1st December with Jamie, an American diving instructor from Georgia who I met at the dive shop. It is a pretty long journey. Although Puerto Viejo and the Osa Peninsula are only about 100 miles from each other as the crow flies, you can only make the journey via San José. The journey takes 2 days and consists of a 4.5hr bus trip to San José, a 6hr bus journey to Palmer Norte, 30 minutes in a taxi or colectivo and then a 1.5hr boat trip. As a result, the Osa is visited only by the determined or the rich who fly in from San José. National Geographic highly rates the Osa Peninsula claiming it is one of the most highly diverse places on the planet.

Jamie and I know a family who live on the Osa and we were invited to stay with them. Shawn explained where we should meet him, at a boat dock at the end of the beach. Here he had two kayaks which we were to take to travel up the river to their home.
(The river we kayak)

(Views from the Ocean)

(Our little house in the Jungle)

(view from the main house to the house where we were staying)
The journey was beautiful, surrounded by rainforest with crystal clear waters. The river is tidal up to the point where we pull out so you need to know when the high tides are to time your journey in and out with water deep enough to pass the rapids. After the river trip is a short hike to the top of a knoll where Shawn, Vanessa and their daughter Star live very simply. The views are great and so are the sounds of the jungle. They have lived here for 6 years and only got electricity on the last day of our first visit. We collect water from one of two creeks in 5 gallon containers for the bathrooms, cooking and drinking. We shower in the creeks or the river and pretty much live by candlelight at night. Sitting on a knoll between the river and the ocean means there is plenty of opportunity for fishing, swimming, walking and whatever else takes your fancy. You certainly get plenty of exercise with all the water hauling, walking up and down the knoll and kayaking into town. As we have no refrigeration we need to take a trip into the village at least every day or two for food. As it is around a 2 hour trip you have to make sure you remember to take everything you need. There is also the opportunity to fish or go shrimping in the creeks at night. Jamie and I haven’t quite got the hang of this yet but I’m still waiting for the pounds of fish he keeps promising me. At least we managed to catch 2 shrimp last night for dinner.

So why are we back? Well we were not really geared up for the place first time round and Jamie was trying to decide whether or not to make his planned return to the States so after a week we headed back to Puerto Viejo. We spent nearly a week there catching up with friends, washing, birthdays and stuff and came back a couple of days ago. I’m not sure how long we are going to stay but I would like to be back in Puerto for New Year.

Right now I am on a trip to the village to get more cooking gas and rum for Christmas. I loaded the empty gas cylinder onto the kayak and took it down the river and into the sea, across the bay and up onto the beach where the pulperia is. I did a bit of shopping and then travelled back with the new gas cylinder. I’ve just stopped off to post this blog and then I will travel back up the river. It is going to be a bit more difficult going back because the tide is going out. I may have to portage round the rapids. Yesterday the family we are staying with returned from the Caribbean. We helped them carry all of their stuff up to the house. Now that they have electricity they had bought a fridge and a washing machine. Both of them came up the river on kayaks!

(Jamie going spear fishing in the river)
Back in Puerto is has been live as normal with plenty of parties, nice sunshine, rain and flooding, diving eating and drinking so here are a few more photos.

Right now I’m living a very simple life in Paradise. The monkeys wake us up every morning eating from the tree above our house. Sometimes it is the Spider Monkeys and sometimes it is the Howlers. The Howlers usually wake us up at 5am and announce dusk at around 5pm. The call of the Scarlet Macaws is noisy and raucous but their size and colour is impressive.

(Success on the fishing front)

(Views from the beach)
I have a flight to Venezuela on the 19th January so I really need to decide what I am going to do next. I cannot push my flights back any further without cutting down my time in each country. I know it is not going to be easy for me to leave Costa Rica. I have so many friends here and have been enjoying life to the full. I need to finish my divemaster for sure so January is decision time for me. Should I stay or should I go? I’ll let you know what I decide.

Happy holidays everyone! I hope this update finds you all well. Season greetings and a Happy New Year to you all! Enjoy the festivities.

P.S. If there are no photos, I will post them up later. Internet connection here is variable.

Y en Español!

Hola todos. Espero todos están bien con ustedes.

Todavía, estoy en Costa Rica en Puerto Viejo. Casi he terminado mis cursos de buceo pero los condiciones en Puerto ahora no están bien para buceando. Hay mucha lluvia y las olas son muy grandes. También, la tiende tiene problemas con el motor del barco y no podemos ir para bucear.

Sin embargo, me gusta viviendo aquí porque muchos amigos y la vida es muy divertido. Me gusta la playa, la gente, la vía de la vida y la selva.

He tomando viajes afuera a Costa Rica a Panamá y finalmente he estado a visitar otros lugares en Costa Rica y recentemente, estaba en la península de Osá en el pacifico. Me quedaba con una familia yo conozco cerca de Drake. Ellos tienen tierra en la selva y viven en un vía muy básicos. Tienen 3 casitas rusticas sin agua corriendo. Han vivido en la Osa para 6 años y solamente recibieron electricidad, hace 2 semanas. Allí, me bañaba en el arroyo o el río y necesitamos traer agua para el baño, la cocina y beber del rio o el arroyo.

He visitado la peninsul 2 veces. Estaba allí la premira vez hace 2 semanas con Jamie, un hombre de Estados Unidos quien es un instructor de busco. El segunda vez estamos preparando mejor para los condiciones. Estaba allí para navidad pero regresé a Puerto Viejo para el año nuevo. Es muy tranquilo en la Osa y me gusto mucho pero queré estar con todos de mis amigos para el año nuevo.
Para el día de navidad, estaba en la playa buscando cosas para cocinar para almuerzo. Estaba muy caliente con mucho sol pero hay mucha lluvia en las noches. En el dia de navidad me bañé en el arroyo con los monos, dos tipos arriba en los arboles. Hay muchos aves allí también, me favorito son los guacamayas. El cielo en la noche es muy obscuro y las estrellas son muy bonitas. Me gusta a pasar tiempo aquí pero la vida es muy duro también. Cuando necesita viajar al pueblo o las casa, la vía más rápida es por kayak en el río y caminando arriba a las casa. Un día fui al pueblo por gas para cocinar. Tomé la botilla vacía abajo de la colina, después por kayak en el río y el mar a la playa y la pulpería para una nueva botilla. Para regresar, estaba más fuerte porque la marea estaba baja y el río tiene rápidos en este tiempo. El viaje, sin embargo es muy bonita. La selva aquí en la península es bosque principal, bastante raro en el mundo.

El lugar es perfecto para caminando en la selva, para nadar y pescar en el rio y el mar. Un día, Jamie atrapó un pescado grande, el tipo guacamaya azul y tuvimos este como ceviche. Tuvimos mariscos de la playa también. Hay muchas cosas para comer incluidos cocos, piñas, naranjas, limones, bananos, pecados, mariscos y camarones. Todo el tiempo oye el sonido del bosque con muchos insectos, aves y mamíferos. En el área no hay muchos carros y el vía típica para viaje es en un bote y a pie, entonces necesita hacer muchos ejercicios aquí.

Me gusta el tiempo allí y quisiera quedarme aquí otra vez pero tengo un vuelo a Venezuela el 19 de enero. No quiero salir porque tengo muchos amigos aquí y estoy comedor aquí pero tampoco, no quiero pedir mis vuelos. No quiero decidir pero debo que pronto. Tengo un oportunidad a trabajar en la Osa con la misma familia y creo que iré al fin de enero.

A todos, feliz año nuevo!!

Un abrazo,
Nikkie

Life in the Caribbean

2009-09-28T18:30:00.006+01:00

Hi All!!

Sorry because it has been a while again since my last blog update. I’ve kind of got into a rhythm of living here and sometimes forget that I am still travelling.

I can’t believe that September is nearly over, almost a year since I started my travels. The time has gone by so quickly and I have no desire to return to ‘normal life’, whatever that means. My plans have changed somewhat over the months. I originally planned to spend 7 weeks in Costa Rica and I have been here 6 months now. I have a flight back to the UK in November from Chile but I’ve already decided to forfeit the flight and make my way back when I’m ready. I have the rest of my airpass flights to use and have pushed them back as far as I am able to without losing them so I fly to Venezula mid January for two weeks, then onto Colombia for about 3 weeks before flying to Ecuador. That means I will get to stay here for Christmas and my Birthday. January is still 4 months away so all sorts of things could change my plans between now and then but that is where things stand at the moment.

I thought that it would be a good idea to give you a feel for what life is like for me here.

Puerto Viejo is situated on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and is fairly close to the Panama border which is about 2 hours away. It seems to be a place that people love or hate but most love it. One of the best things about PV is that it has escaped major tourism exploitation in that it is not really built up. There are no large hotels, you still have access to all the beaches, the businesses are all still local businesses and everyone seems to know everybody. Most of the roads are still dirt tracks so there isn’t really a right or wrong side for driving, it is just the best route to avoid the potholes. There is a bank but that only arrived about a year ago. There are a couple of grocery stores and the usual tourist shops so it is always difficult and expensive to buy anything here. We therefore take advantage of anyone making the 4 hour trip to San José to stock up on things.

The Caribbean coast is a real melting pot of cultural differences. There are the tico’s or Costa Ricans first, then there are those of Indian decent and then you have the black descendants from the Caribbean. There is a mix of Rastafarians and surfers, jocks and babes, locals, foreigners living here and tourists. Bob Marley, reggae and reggae roots are everywhere but you can still find good salsa, calypso and meringue.

I live in Cocles, about 2kms from Puerto Viejo. I live opposite one of the best beaches on this stretch which is great, only about 20 meters away. I have a little rustic wooden house consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and large outside deck area. The house is up on stilts which are needed when we are in the rainy season. I had a moat around the house once and I’ve heard that it can become an island. I can hear the ocean from my house but I am also on the edge of the jungle so I am surrounded by banana, coconut, orange and lime trees. The sound of the jungle is amazing, especially at night. Usually I wake to hear the howler monkeys and the dawn chorus at around 5am. It always sounds so great that I’m rarely upset that I’ve been woken up so early.

Usually I’m leaving the house around 7.30 and I bike into Puerto Viejo. I’m in the dive shop most days either going out on a dive, working or just hanging. The dive shop is right on the beach so it is a pretty nice place to hang out and gaze across the ocean.

We get all sorts of people coming by. Next door is Chino’s, a little grocery store that sells just about everything. Most mornings there is a drunk or 2 sleeping on the benches outside. As soon as the store opens they are in getting their small bottles of Guaro, really nasty cheap vodka. By 10.30 most of them are drunk again. Normally the mornings are busy and we are taking out divers and snorkelers on the boat. We usually get back by 2pm and after washing all the gear and filling the tanks we settle down for a few beers to watch the sunset.

We shut up shop at 6pm and sometimes go to sit outside one of the liquoreria for another drink or two before heading back. It is strange because it is the equivalent of sitting outside the off licence at home but here they have put out tables and they are more like bars except the beer is much cheaper.

For nights out I usually visit Mango, a bar restaurant near my house run by a guy from Guernsey or I get a taxi into town. The town doesn’t really get going until around 10pm. Everyone usually starts of in Tex Mex, a open air bar in the center that usually has live music or a DJ. For dancing there is the choice of Johnny’s, Baba Yaga or Bar Maritza. Bar Maritza is more traditional music and is popular with the locals. I love to visit and watch them dancing salsa, merengue and soco. I guess before long I’ll be up giving it a go too. Johnny’s and Baba Yaga are more reggae, reggae roots and sometimes a bit of dance.

There are some good places to visit in the area. There is a national park 13km down the coast. About 1 hour away is Bribri where there are some great waterfalls and recently the office staff took a trip to the Pacuare river and spent the day white water rafting which was great fun.

Nearly all of my time has been spent on the Caribbean coast in Cahuita and Puerto Viejo so I really must take a couple of trips to see some of the rest of the country. I want to visit the Pacific coast, the mountains and get down to the Osa Peninsula when I can motivate myself to leave. It is so easy just to relax into the way of life here.

Hopefully the pictures will give you an idea of what I’m talking about here.

Well I hope that everyone back home and around the world are safe and well. Best wishes to everyone and drop me a line to let me know what you are doing.

La próxima vez voy a escribir en español.

Nikkie

Still alive and living in Costa Rica

2009-06-30T22:42:00.007+01:00

Ooops, been a bit lax lately with the blog updates. Thanks to Mindi for the nudge and here goes for another update.

The last time I wrote I'd just arrived in Costa Rica. Well guess what? I'm still here! I kind of fell in love with the place and decided to stay. So what happened to bring about this decision? Well......

I spent about 3 weeks volunteering at the Sloth Sanctuary and then took off for a few days 'vacation' in Puerto Viejo, the local town. I kind of fell in love with the place. It has a great vibe, is right on the Caribbean coast and is quite the party town. I stayed a few days and went out on a snorkeling trip. It was on this trip that I met a guy training to become a Dive Master. That is the first professional level of diving and means that you can work in a dive shop and earn money working in the shop and leading dives. Well I have no desire to go back to working in an office so I thought this would be a great idea for a new career and something that would enable me to start making money on my travels. So that gave me a lot to think about and look into but in the meantime I returned to the Sloth Sanctuary for another couple of weeks volunteer work.

So it was around the beginning of May that I finished with working the sloths, all except for 1 day a week. I packed up my stuff and moved into an apartment in downtown Puerto Viejo and started my Open Water Dive training. Trying to sum up what has happened over the past 8 weeks is going to be a challenge so here goes:

Sloth Sanctuary: I still visit the Sloth Sanctuary around once a week or every 10 days to check how they are doing with the database I built. I've kept in touch with a number of the volunteers, all of who have left now. I also keep in touch with a number of Costa Rica (Tico) friends that I have made.

My leaving night from the Sloth Sanctuary.

Another leaving party.

Diving: I've passed my Open Water certification and only have one dive to complete my Advanced. Next month I will start my Rescue training. I've now got 20 dives under my belt and need 60 in total to become a Dive Master. I've started picking up shifts in the shop so am now starting to earn some money. I've made some really good friends at the shop and am having a blast!

Working the barb-be-que at the dive shop.

After the food.

Friend's birthday party.

Living: My first place in Puerto Viejo was a really nice 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Puerto. It was pretty new and pretty fancy for here but it was costing an arm and a leg. As I was only really using the 2nd bedroom as a drying room I figured I should find somewhere a bit cheaper. So 3 weeks ago I moved into a shared house in Cocles, down the coast from Puerto. I bought a bike so the journey into town takes about 15 minutes. The house is right on the beach so I hear the ocean when I go to bed and wake up. Cocles is more laid back than Puerto and has a great beach. The waves are perfect for surfing so maybe that will be something else I try. Although I like the house and the people, it has been too long since I have shared living space and I really prefer my own space so this weekend I am hopefully moving into a small 1 bedroom house. It is still in Cocles and opposite the ocean so I'm hoping to stay there for a while.

Trips: I've not gone very far really. I had an overnight trip to San Jose where I purchased some dive equipment.

The chinese food got the better of us!

The dive shop had a day out to Bribri waterfalls which was great fun. We climbed the waterfalls and took turns diving into clear cool pools.

Most recently I went to Bocas del Toro in Panama, just 10 days ago. My visa was running out so I had to leave the country for 3 days in order to renew it on my return. I went to Bocas with a guy I met at the Sloth Sanctuary, his name is Jader. Bocas is a collection of islands on the Caribbean ocean. We spent 3 days drinking, travelling around on motor launches, visiting beautiful beaches, dolphin spotting and snorkeling. It was a good few days.

Out on the motor launch.

Beautiful Red Frog Beach. And yes, we did see a red frog.

Back on the launch.

Red frog beach turtle.

The boarder crossing, Panama to Costa Rica.

Plans: Well I kind of don't have anything firm planned, I'm just seeing what happens. I think I am going to stay here for at least another 3 months and then maybe will see about going to South America. I want to finish my Dive Master but I'm in no hurry to do so. I'm too busy enjoying myself at the same time so I guess it is a 'Watch this space'!
I do know that I am going to Nicaragua next week for 2 weeks. Jader is going to visit his family in the north of the country and he invited me to go. It should be a great cultural experience as I will be staying in different villages with different members of his family. It will be another intensive Spanish learning experience as well as there will be little or no English spoken. Kind of scary really but what an experience!!

Anyway, I think that brings you all up to date. I'll try not to leave it so long next time.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying life. Do let me know what you are up to. I haven't heard much in the way of news from home recently.

Take care!
Nikkie

Goodbye Guatemala.....Hello Costa Rica!

2009-03-30T00:24:00.011+01:00

Hi friends and family,

Another stamp in my passport and I've spent a couple of weeks in Costa Rica!

Before I get onto here, let me update you on my week travelling in Guatemala.

I left San Andres and Spanish School on a Saturday and got a bus down to Lanquin. The bus ride was long, about 7 hours. We stopped off at Coban for lunch and I got sooo excited when I saw the Chinese takeaway. After 3 weeks of pretty bland food, the chicken fried rice I had tasted out of this world! I arrived at Lanquin in late afternoon and checked into this really cool hostel called El Retiro, right on the river with little thatched cabanas for rooms. Lanquin is 10kms away from Semuc Champey, which is in a valley with steep walls, surrounded by tropical humid forest. There is a 300m long limestone bridge, on top of which there are several natural pools of different sizes, filled with crystalline mountain spring water. The pools are 3-14 ft. deep. Underneath the bridge is the Cahabón River. At the end of the bridge, the water from the pools falls rejoining the river, forming a 40ft waterfall. At Semuc Champey we went caving by candlelight, went tubing down the river and then went and visited the pools. First a few of us climbed to the viewpoint which was well worth the sweat as you can see.

(El Retiro)

(The ride to Semuc Champey)

(Semuc Champey)

ter we went and kicked back in the pools before climbing down under the pools at the point where the waterfall is and jumped into the river. The power of the water was amazing and we had to swim really hard to break free of the current.

(Relaxing in the pools)

I really liked Semuc Champey and Lanquin and El Retiro hostel so much that when the manager of the bar at the hostel said he was looking for a girl to work the bar for a month I was extremely tempted. I stayed on another day to see if I could move around my plans to stay but it meant missing out of the Sloth experience so instead I spent a relaxing day sunbathing, tubing on the river and visiting the local caves before leaving the following day. If I get the opportunity I will definately return and have the guys email address to see if a job is waiting for me.

Next on my list was Lake Atitlan but the journey was long so I broke it up with a night in Antigua. Lake Atitlan is surrounded by 3 volcanos so was the perfect setting for a bit of R&R. After the bus I took the river boat and headed over to San Pedro, a village on the lakeside. It certainly lived up to it's hippy reputation and the vibe was chilled during the day and party at night. I relaxed here and visited San Marco, took a horse trek around the lake and enjoyed the tranquility.

(The boat taxi to San Pedro on Lake Atitlan)

Back in Antigua I booked onto a Volcano hike to visit Volcan Pacaya, the most active volcano in Guatemala. I chose the evening trek to get the best view of the lava. The hike took about 1.5 hours and was mainly up through volcanic ash. The last 15 minutes was across sharp jagged rocks and volcanic ash, all the colour of slate. We were able to walk right up to the lava flow which was very slow and rocky. Every now and then there would be shouts of warning when glowing rocks tumbled down the leading edge. It was amazing to get so close, although I was one of the ones who got a warning and moved out of the way of a rolling rock just in time. If you look behind me you can see it falling.

(Volcano Pacaya)

What a way to finish Guatemala! The next day I travelled to the airport and flew into San Jose in Costa Rica. I didn't stay there long, instead getting straight on the bus to Cahuita on the Caribean cost to spend a couple of days before starting at the Sloth Sanctuary.

(The kittens, Hero and Tiger)

Cahuita was not what I was expecting. The vibe was very Carribean and Reggie and dreadlocks are very popular. There is a mix of indigenous people and people from the Carribean. The food here is really good, I especially like the spicy coconut shrimp dishes. I stayed a few days and caught up with emails, washing but not enough sun unfortunately.

(The Beach at Cahuita)

(Me and Taz the Sloth)

Two weeks ago I started at the Sloth Sanctuary. The place is much bigger than I was expecting and has a really nice setting next to a lagoon. I am staying in a house for volunteers which is pretty good but is unfortunately very close to a busy road. My day starts pretty early and if the cockerel doesn't wake me at around 3am then the Howler monkeys do at around 5am. I start work at 6am mucking out the adult sloths and preparing their breakfast. At 8am I return to the house and have an hour for breakfast myself. I do a variety of things during the rest of the day including raking leaves, preparing vegetables for the afternoon feed, helping with the tours, exercising the babies etc. I am also building a database to store information about all of the sloths. After the afternoon feed we finish about 3pm so we still have time to go into Cahuita for a bit of sunbathing and dinner. Yesterday we took canoes out on the lagoon which was fun and we paddled down to the beach.

(Home for the time being)

(Luigi)

(Brian in pyjamas because we had to shave him due to a skin infection)

Tomorrow I'm going off to see a bit of Costa Rica for a week and am then going to come back for another week or two.

Well I think that brings us up to date for now! I hope that everyone back home is well, let me know what is going on in your lives.

Nikkie

Y ahora, en español.

2009-03-10T18:39:00.007Z

Here goes, my first update in Spanish.

Hola mis amigos,
Llegué a San Andres por dos semanas pasadas y me uní la escuela, EcoEscuela aprender español. En total, tengo tres semanas aquí y ahora esta es la ultima semana. Por la primera semana practicaba los tiempos del verbos presente, pretérito y futuro. Aprendía muchas palabras nuevas y mejoraba mi confianza en el idioma.
Hubo muchas estudiantes en la primera semana y hubo muchas actividades para nosotros. Visitamos ARCAS, una organización para la protección de animales. En otro dia fuimos a algunas cuevas cerca de Santa Elena. Estoy viviendo en las casa de Cándida. Ahora esta solomente Cándida y yo pero por la primera semana hubo otra estudiante, se llama Molly. Me gustaba Molly pero prefiero vivir sin otras estudiantes porque practico más español.
He probado muchos tipos de comida aquí y ayundaba hacer las empanadas y los tamalitos. Hay muchas tipos de las frutas aquí, y me gustan los mangos y los aguacates muchos.
La semana pasada fue más tranquilo porque hubo menos estudiantes. Tuve nueva maestra para mis classes y me enseño muchas nuevas palabras y un otro tiempo del verbos, el pasado imperfecto.
Este fin de semana fui a El Remate y Timal con Emily, otra estudiante. A sábado tomamos el autobus de Santa Elena a las nueve de la manaña, después tomamos otro autobus para El Ramate. Fuimos al Biotopo Cerro Cahui y caminamos por tres horas. Después fuimos a El Ramate para almuerzo y encontrar un hotel por la noche. En la mañana nos lavantamos a las cinco y tomamos el autobús a Tikal. Llegamos a las seis y media y por siete horas caminabamos mucho para ver los templos y otras ruinas. Subimos templo cuatro y cinco y tuvimos vistas fabulosos del sitio y la selva. Vimos los monos, anaña y howler.

Esta es mi ultima semana en San Andres. Mañana, voy a Santa Elena con mi maestra, Lizbet, praticar español a la terminal de autobus y al mercado. Espero comprar pescado del largo para la cena mañana.

Mi ultimo dia es el Sábado cuando llegaré para Lanquín. Visitaré las cuevas en Lanquín y Semuc Champey. Después vijaré a Panajachel y visitaré los pueblos alrededor del lago Atitlan. Quiero subir un volcán y rentar un kayak en el lago. Iré a Antigua por un dia antes Domingo, tengo un vuelo a Costa Rica.
Tengo ocho meses más en las Americas. En Costa Rica voy a trabajar para un refugio para perezosos. Encontraré mi amiga Karen y trabajaré con ella en el refugio. Nos divertiremos juntas, trabajando en la selva y visitaremos lugares en el área.
En Mayo saldré al Centro de America por cinco meses y medio en el Sur de America.
Hoy, hay un fiesta a la playa con una forgata por la luna llena y por la ultima dia de Todd, otro estudiante. Disfrutaré algunas cervesas y tiempo con los amigos nuevos.
Estoy muy contenta y me estoy divirtiendo mucho. Me gusta encontrar la gente y aprender acerca de la cúltura. El estilo de vida es muy diferente, más sencilla, y me gusta mucho. Ahora mismo, no tengo deseo de regresar a Inglaterra. Quisiera viajar para siempre. Sin embago, extraño mis amigos y espero con placer anticipado oir de ustedes.

Un abrazo,
Nikkie

Back to school in Guatemala

2009-03-01T20:42:00.005Z

Hola Amigos!

So I´ve been back to school for a week or so and my confidence in speaking Spanish is improving all of the time. I am staying in a small village called San Andres which is on the edge of Lake Peten Itza.

(View of San Andres from the launch)
The village runs from the lake side and up the hillside. Pretty much everything is arriba, or in English, up the hill. You would be amazed to see some of the roads here, they are so steep they defy gravity! Some I´ve been unable to descend in the wet because I´d end up on my ass.
I am living in the home of an older lady called Cándida which is just across from the school and not far from the lakeside. My room is a concrete shell on the hillside with a door that opens up onto a balcony that overlooks the lake.

(My room)

(Views from my balcony)
Living is pretty basic here and there are few luxuries to be had. We have water from 6am till about 1pm which is pumped from the lake. Food is quite varied and I´ve had everything from pasta to beans and rice to chicken and vegetable fritters. Everything comes with tortillas and habenero chillies are in a jar on the table. Cándida has some chicks which are really cute though look quite strange as they are brightly coloured.

Another student was staying at Cándida´s house when I arrived so I had company and someone to speak some english to, well when were not trying to speak Spanish. Molly has left now so it is just the two of us. This is better for my learning because it means that I have to speak Spanish all of the time. Cándida´s house is very quite and quite modern compared to some of the others. She has an oven and all of the living quarters are covered, although some are still open to the outside. Some of the other students live in houses that are a mix of inside and outside accommodation, some are businesses (one is a butcher) and a lot have solid fuel fires.
I´ve been getting into a Spanish soap opera and really love relaxing in the hammock. Cándida has two of them in the living room.
My classes run from 8am till 12 noon and most afternoons there are activities arranged for us. I´ve been to visit some local caves, attended a talk on the local Mayan culture (all in Spanish of course), visited an animal rescue sanctuary and visited a woman´s co'operative that makes beauty products from natural, local ingredients. I even helped make soap and body lotion which I was able to buy.

(Jackie and I comparing methods of caving)

(A scarlet macaw at ARCAS, the animal rescue centre. This bird is endangered)

(Helping to make soap)

(Helping to make body lotion)

There is internet in the village but it is really slow so when I get the opportunity I visit Flores or Santa Elena. There is a boat that travels to Flores at 7.30 which is by far the best way to travel. The journey takes about 30 minutes and is so peaceful. The bus doesn´t take much longer. A small minibus comes by San Andres about every 20 minutes. You know it is coming because they sound the horn and shout 'Santa Ellaaanna' as they approach.

(The launch we take to Flores)

(Sunset from Flores)

(Cush, the boatman)
I´d say that 85% of the time I am speaking in Spanish. All lessons are conducted in Spanish, most of the people in the village only speak Spanish, as students we try to speak in Spanish most of the time so this really is an intensive experience. I suppose I shouldn´t be surprised by how tired I´ve been because it is mentally exausting.
We have had a bit of everything weather wise but mainly it is hot during the day but comfortable at night. When the rain comes, it really comes!

(Racing the rain back to San Andres, unfortunately we lost)
There is usually a nice breeze but on days like today, it is just damm hot.

There is not a lot to do here so sometimes I take a walk, or go and hang out at Gringo beach with some of the other students. We swim at the beach and have bonfires there at night.

(Bonfire on an abandoned resturant on the edge of Gringo beach)

Today I´ve been researching my next trip. Next weekend I want to go to Tikal and maybe another Mayan site if I get the opportunity. I´ve also been planning my trip to Guatemala city after school finishes and think I´ll go caving in Cobán before going into the mountains to visit Chichitenango which is famous for its market and Lake Atitlan surrounded by volcanos. Then a quick call into Antigua which is also ringed by 3 volcanos before going to Guatemala City and my flight to Costa Rica.

Well that will do for now. I´ll let you know how I get on at Tikal.

Best wishes to everyone, I hope you are all well!!

Hasta luego.
Nikkie

Mexico Madness

2009-02-19T00:13:00.013Z

Hello everyone!

Just checking in to give you an update on my travels. I'm doing this update for the first time in an internet cafe which is a bit different.

Well it has been nearly 3 weeks since I arrived in The Yucatan, Mexico and I'm loving the warm weather. I spent the first couple of days waiting for my mum to arrive because she had problems getting out of the UK due to the snow and then got held up in Miami overnight. That gave me the time however to complete my visa application, well the first part anyway. Once mum arrived we traveled by bus to Merida and spent a couple of days in the city. We took a day trip to Uxmal, one of the Mayan sites which was really impressive.

On Saturday 7th we traveled back to Cancun and met up with my friend Karen from Nebraska and headed out to my timeshare resort. The place was pretty impressive. There were staff everywhere to cater to your every need from the bell boys to shuttle bus drivers and room service to chambermaids. The first night we went out to get some shopping. When we arrived back the bell boy took our bags and loaded us and them into a shuttle bus and took us to our room. When we got inside we found that the night chambermaid had been in to turn down our beds and left us chocolates on the cover!

We took it easy on the first day and chilled by the pool and treated ourselves to massage and reflexology at the spa. It was pretty easy to get into Playa del Carmen so we checked out the town and had dinner. On Monday we took a trip over to the island of Cozumel and rented scooters and snorkling gear.
We were busy bird spotting as well but there wasn´t much to see out to sea.

We had a few too many Margaritas on the way back and had great fun on the ferry. We had another chill day on Tuesday and then on Wednesday we left early to visit Tulum. Tulum is a real beach bum destination and we stayed the night in a cabana on the beach. We visited the Mayan ruins and took a Sunset Birding boat tour into the Sian Ka'an reserve.
(Our Cabaña on the beach)

(Sunrise over the ocean)

On Friday we took another tour to more ruins at Coba and had fun zip-lining and rappelling.

(getting ready for our zipline and then we rappelled into a cenote)

(Photos from Cobá)

The week went by so quickly and Mum left on Saturday to return to England. Karen however didnºt want to leave so moved her flight so she could stay another week.

At the beginning of this week we came back to Tulum to an eco-resort in the Sian Ka'an reserve. When we visited here last week we befriended our tour guide, Rene. He offered to take us out kayaking so we booked into one of their Cabanas. The kayak trip was amazing. There were only 4 of us on a private tour (it was actually René's day off). We paddled around the lagoon visiting bird nesting sites. We went right up to an Osprey nest that had 2 chicks. We saw Rosette Spoonbills, egrets, herons, all sorts of species.

(Paddling up to the Osprey nest)
Both Karen and I both felt really comfortable at the resort and decided to book in for another night. The resort is right on the ocean and our cabana looks onto the beach.
(Photo from the deck of our first Cabaña on the Sian Ka'an Reserve)

(An alternative view from my hammock)

(The view from the Main building - where we ate)

There is only salt water at the reserve so we are getting used to showering and brushing our teeth in the stuff. That extra night also got extended and we are actually still here! We loved the place so much that we are staying the whole week. We hired a car yesterday and have been out visiting cenotes and biological reserves where there is some great birding. The beaches here are beautiful, fine white sand, turquoise blue ocean, what more can one ask for? Iºve had some days relaxing in the sun and the tan is nice and established now. Iºm kind of living in my bikini which seems the way here. We were out partying last night with Rene so are all feeling a bit delicate today. We were flying last night though and dancing in a roof top bar!

(How could you not be happy here?)

We hired a car for a few days and visited Punta Laguna, a great place for birding and seeing spider monkeys.

(Can you guess why this is called the fertility tree?)

Only another 2 days until Karen leaves and I head down into Guatemala. Iºve booked into a Spanish language school there and will be spending 3 weeks brushing up my Spanish.

(Karen and I with René, one of the guides)

(Our second cabaña overlooking the beach)

(Karen and I with Miguel, another of the reserve guides)

(Karen and I with Orlando, one of the waiters who looked after us)

I hope you are all well wherever you are. Drop me a line and let me know what you are up to or leave a comment on my blog. I always enjoy hearing from people at home.

Take care everyone and I will be in touch soon.
Nikkie

........
Three days on and how things have changed! I have left the ocean behind and spent the day country hopping. I left Mexico at 5am this morning and slept through most of Belize before entering Guatemala. I arrived in Flores, deep in the jungle and on the edge of a large lake at about 2pm after a 9 hour bus ride. I´m doing my chores this afternoon before meeting up with a Spanish school in the morning. I will meet the Guatemalan family I will be spending the next 3 weeks with and am preparing to get brain ache from 4 hours spanish lessons a day.

I´ll post you another update soon to let you know how I´m getting on.

Nikkie

Goodbye US of A, hello sunshine!

2009-01-23T16:06:00.016Z

Nearly February already! Where has the time gone?

It has been a while since I've posted an update, mainly because been so busy enjoying myself :-). So where did I leave you last? Oh yes, on my way to Vegas.

Well what a trip that was! I had a fantastic time as my fellow Facebooker's will already have seen. The group I traveled with were fantastic, I couldn't have asked for better! In fact there were two tours running parallel to each other so we would do our own thing during the day and usually meet up in the evening for some form of partying.

We headed out of Vegas the first morning after stops for alcohol and snacks and had a full day on the road, arriving at The Grand Canyon just as it was getting dark. Still time to toast Christmas Eve with Champagne and get a few photo shots at the rim. The evening kind of set the standard for the whole trip and the evening events (mainly drinking games) ensured we all got to know each other quickly. On most other trips I've been on it usually takes a few days to get to know everyone. By the next day however, I felt like I'd known the group for ages. The AMP (Art's Magic Potion) certainly helped with that.

There was plenty of snow at The Grand Canyon, in fact we got caught up in a snow blizzard and were worried about getting snowed in! It wasn't until the 3rd day we were there that we actually saw the Canyon in all it's glory. Although I've visited before, the view still blew me away, and looked even prettier with the snow.

Well snow and the cold were set to stay with us for the entire trip which was kind of strange seems we were traveling through desert. Everywhere we visited just built on the previous day. Monument Valley was spectacular and our Navajo guides helped us tune in to the magic of the place.

The highlight was when we were under one of the rock formations and our guides started playing traditional instruments and singing in the Navajo way.

Remember the road that Forrest Gump ran in the film? Well how about our version?

I loved Arches because we got the chance to get out and do a bit of walking. Again, fantastic scenery and somewhat of a challenge walking on the icy trails. Our bums came in very handy on the way down!

We spent a couple of nights at Moab and enjoyed very large Margaritas and Karaoke humiliation. Next we visited Boulder Mountain where we went horse riding and stayed in a mountain lodge with roaring fires.

On our way to Zion NP we visited Bryce Canyon. This was not on the itinerary but for me was the highlight. The view was awe-inspiring and with crystal blue skies and a warm sun, what more could one ask for? We trekked between two of the viewpoints and found ourselves in snow up to our thighs in places. It was great fun!

As we made our way back to Vegas the snow slowly disappeared and the layers slowly got shed. We arrived at lunchtime on New Years Eve and had time to try out Korean food for lunch and stock up on drinks for the evenings partying. A third Trek America group joined us at Vegas and we all started the evening together in the hotel. We headed down to the strip about 10.30 and joined the throng of people enjoying the celebrations. It was a great night with partying in the streets and kissing strangers. Unfortunately we seemed to miss the fireworks completely but still had a great time.

You would have thought that NY eve would be the highlight but we had one more treat in store. The following night we were picked up by the World's biggest limousine. All 3 tour groups loaded up, about 35 of us in total! You could even stand up in the limousine. As you can imagine, we caused quite a stir on the streets of Vegas. We headed to downtown Vegas where everything was a bit seedier. Here we picked up our footballs, an essential for limo traveling though be careful, they are dangerous! We finished the evening at a rooftop nightclub overlooking the lights of Vegas.

Yes this is in the back of the limo!

The trip was not quite yet over. What better way to see in the New Year than to go skydiving? Five of us were up for the adventure and headed just outside Vegas to a small airfield. 15,000ft, 3 miles and 120 miles an hour! Whoa!!!!!!

Again I say, 'What a fantastic trip!'. Not only for the 10 days there, but for all the new friends I now have.

Nebraska took a bit of getting used to again. My trailer in the middle of a field was quite a way from the bright lights of Sin City. Even so I've continued to enjoy myself with my new friends here. On my birthday a few of us had a party with mojitos and a mexican dish cooked in a ploughing disc over an open fire!?!

I've been busy planning my next few months and am looking forward to new adventures. On 1st Feb I'm going to Cancun and will meet my mum there on the 2nd. We will travel around for a few days visiting Mayan ruins before checking into a fancy resort for a week. My friend Karen from Nebraska will be joining us so I really looking forward to some fun in the sun!

After that I'm going to Cuba for a week where I will visit the Isle of Youth again. I'm going with a church mission who are doing restoration work following the hurricanes. We will be restoring nesting sites for the Cuban Parrot, an endangered species in Cuba. I should get to visit some of the technicians I met 4.5 years ago which will be fun.

From Cuba I've got about 4 weeks to travel around Central America before heading down to Costa Rica where I will be spending 4 weeks volunteering with the Sloth Rescue Sanctuary.

Although I have all the above to look forward to, I am going to be very sad to leave. I have met some really good people here and formed what I hope to be long and lasting friendships. I am going to miss my new friends so much :-(

Only a week left in Nebraska so I'm going to make the most of my last full weekend here and am going off to spend the weekend with Karen in Lincoln shortly. One final party is planned for next Friday for Karen and Dan's birthday so I'll get to spend some time celebrating with my friends before leaving.

Wishing you all well, wherever you are. I'd love to hear what you are up to.

Nikkie

Traveling is the experience but friendship is what makes it matter.

Vegas, here I come!

2008-12-22T23:29:00.010Z

Hey everybody,

It is the eve before I head off to Las Vegas and Canyon country for Christmas and New Year so I thought I'd get a quick blog update completed before heading off.

I've had a good few weeks working at the Crane Trust trying to standardise Whooping Crane data for a new database and establishing some basic business process to introduce in the New Year. There is so much I could do here but time is rushing by so quickly so I'll need to come back to do even half the stuff I'd like to.

The weather has been really cold over here, falling as low as -23C and even colder with the wind chill. We have had about 8 inches of snow this week but by far the worst is the wind, it is sooo cold! When the temperature plummeted last weekend the pipes in my trailer froze and I was without hot water. Luckily Travis the maintenance guy was able to get the water back by running a blow heater under the trailer for a few hours. He has also been a star keeping the drive clear for us with the snow plough. With a 2 1/2 mile drive, we could easily get snowed in. He even shovels the path right up to my trailer, what a sweetie!

I've spent the weekend with Karen, someone who has been working at the trust and studying for her masters. Karen has just graduated and is now looking for a job in conservation. We went out to Omaha yesterday to visit the zoo and take in an IMAX movie on the oceans. I bet you dig the look we are wearing!

Karen has a Hi-Lux Surf, almost identical to the one I used to own. It is so cold that it seems permanently encased in ice, despite us using it regularly over the weekend. On the way to Omaha yesterday we had to stop off after about 20 minutes to chip the ice off the hood because it was coming of in chunks on the interstate and the people behind were dodging ice bombs. Look closely at the front and you can see icicles hanging off the bumper!

Today Karen and I have been really lazy and have been chilling out on the sofa planning what we are going to do over the coming months. Back in the UK I came across a Sloth Rescue Center in Costa Rica and have been thinking about approaching them to see it I can volunteer with them starting in April. Our trip to the zoo yesterday has prompted me to get in touch with them after seeing the sloths there. Check out the picture, don't you think there are just soooo cute?

So what does the next week have in store for me? I fly into Las Vegas tomorrow and head out to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday for Christmas and a couple of days trekking. We then head out to Monument Valley and Arches National Park for more trekking and maybe a Hummer Jeep tour. Next is a stay on a ranch and the chance to try my hand at cattle roping. We complete out journey around canyon lands with a visit to Zion NP and then head back to Las Vegas to party the year out and see in 2009. I can't wait!

I'll post an update on my adventures in the New Year so in the meantime, Merry Christmas everybody and let me wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoy the holidays.

Nikkie

Settling into Nebraska

2008-11-24T22:41:00.005Z

10 days ago I arrived in Nebraska and am slowly settling into life in the slow lane.

I am staying at the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, where I am volunteering over the next 10 weeks. The trust is quite remote and situated at the end of a 2 ½ mile drive about 16 miles from the nearest big town, Grand Island. I have been provided accommodation and have a 3 bedroom trailer that overlooks fields and is positioned perfectly for the impressive sunrises that occur here. I’ve also been provided with a car, which is a necessity here, so can get out and about to explore the area. The ‘office’ is about 50 metres from my trailer so you can imagine the trouble I have getting into work!

The people here are great and have made me feel really welcome. There are a mix of nationalities, predominately Latin American so there is no excuse for me not to improve my Spanish. I’ve already established a drinking partner, Luis a guy from Mexico so safe to say I have my priorities sorted.

Unfortunately I’ve been sick with another cold, what are the chances of that! Pretty unfair I think, 2 colds in two weeks so let’s just hope I’ve had my quota for the next year. As a result I’ve not been up to much except settling into my trailer and starting to understand how I can help out the trust on the work front. There appears to be a lot that I can help out with that will make a big difference to the way in which they work here which is good news.

I’m certainly getting into the rural life and have been treated to food from the land. Luis has been hunting the past two Sundays and has shot a deer each time so I’ve been treated to venison. Yesterday I helped skin and prepare the deer which took quite a few hours but the hard work was rewarded with barbeque ribs and wine. I don’t think I’ll be needing to buy meat for while and will have to test me venison culinary skills. For those of you surprised about me skinning a deer, I figure that if I’m happy to eat meat then I should be able to appreciate where it comes from. I agree with Luis’ motto, if you shoot it then eat it, so he shot it and I'm helping to eat it. I should have been more careful however because I was a bit careless with the knife and will now have a permanent reminder of my first deer skinning experience!

I hope you like the photos, I hope they give you a feel for the place. The temperature highs are not dissimilar to the UK but the lows are down to about -9C at the moment. The good thing however is that there is rarely a cloud in the sky so we just need to wrap up warm and enjoy the sunshine.

(sunrise from my trailer and sunset up the drive)

Later this week I’m going to experience a typical American holiday, Thanksgiving so am looking forward to more food, drinking and socialising.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Back on track.

2008-11-10T00:48:00.003Z

I'm feeling much better now and have out and about in Washington admiring the sites. The weather has been cracking, shorts and vesties have been the order of the day which means I've been trying to do outdoor things. It has been great being able to top up on the tan, something that I really wasn't expecting for this time of the year, however my feet are complaining a bit because I have been walking for miles!

My first trip out after being stuck in the hostel for a few days was down to the National Mall, host to all the key sites of Washington and many museums. I didn't do too much, getting oriented really and checking out the Smithsonian Institute. An English guy (James Smithson) left his estate to Washington to found an institute for the 'increase and diffusion of knowledge' so the Smithsonian Institute was established. Now there are 19 museums, 9 research centers and a zoo, all of which are free.

In the evening I went on a walking tour of Georgetown, the trendy side of Washington, which ended up in a bar for a few beers which was good. Friday I headed out into the sunshine and walked up and down the National Mall visiting the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The White House, finishing the day at the National Museum of African Art. They had an exhibit on North African jewellery which was really interesting since most of it was from Morocco, areas and tribes that I've just visited. I covered a fair few miles today!

Saturday was nearly as good weather wise so I thought a trip to the zoo was in order. As zoos go, this one was pretty good, with much time and investment into breeding programs to help endangered species. It was another 10+ miles on the feet and a full day out so I was knackered by the time I got back to the hostel.

Today I've been back down the National Mall visiting more of the sites. Optimistic for another warm day I headed out in shorts and t-shirt but it wasn't quite as warm. I think the weather is finally turning so after making the most of the sun in the morning, I escaped into the National Museum of Air and Space this afternoon. I was freezing by the time I got back to the hostel so I think the shorts will have to be packed up now until I reach Cancun.

I have 4 days left which I intend to fill with more museum visits. I plan to tick off the Natural History Museum, Newseum (news museum), Holocaust museum and Museum of the American Indian. I also still want to see the National Archives, US Capitol and Union Station so I'm definitely going to be busy.

Catch up again once I've settled into Nebraska!

Sick in Washington!

2008-11-05T19:17:00.003Z

Well it has not been a great start to my trip as I came down with a stinker of a cold on my last day in Morocco and it has settled in good and proper now. They took care of me on the BA flight with honey and lemon and luckily the flight was only about 30 mins late, landing at 3pm. Unfortunately there were delays in getting us to the terminal so I ended up right at the back of the queue at immigration. I had no problems getting through immigration and finally made it to the youth hostel at about 5.30.
After settling into my room (or should I say bed - bottom bunk in a 10 bed mixed dorm) I popped out to get some food to keep me going till morning. The place was buzzing with the election news and many people were lined up in the TV room watching all the action. I however was feeling pretty rough and after a sandwich, a few chapters of my book, a sprinking of olbas oil and a couple of tylanol I packed myself off to bed.
Today I'm still deeply wrapped in the arms of 'Mr Cold' so I am having a quiet day at the youth hostel catching up on my email. It is a real shame I wasn't up to doing anything last night because the talk at breakfast was about the partying that was going on until late on the streets of Washington last night.
I'm going to pop out shortly to stock up on provisions and right this day off. I'm really glad I'm in Washington for a while because it means I don't feel under pressure to get out and about until I'm feeling better.

Catch up again soon when I've actually done something!

The travelling starts!

2008-10-27T18:31:00.002Z

As Salam alaykum! Greetings from Morocco.
Well finally the talking has stopped and I have started my travels, beginning in Morocco with a reunion trip. 6 years ago I went to Kenya and Tanzania for my 30th birthday and was lucky enough to travel with a great group of people. A number of us have kept in touch and last year we agreed to meet up in Morocco on an Explore trip. 8 of the original group were able to make the trip and we made the numbers up to 12 with friends. It has been great meeting up with everyone again and our adventures started in Casablanca on Friday 17th October.

I am having a lovely time here and even after only a couple of days in the country, we all felt like we had been here a while. We are constantly on the go and visiting so many different places, spending only a night or 2 in each place. We chose to stay in traditional accommodations and have really been enjoying staying in Riad's and Kasbah's. Riad's are old town houses that are located in medinas, the old towns, and are centred around a courtyard. Each room is different and every place is unique, often richly decorated with mosaic and carvings. Kasbah's are fortified dwellings, often housing several families. Many have been converted into hotels and at this moment I'm siting in front of a fire in Kasbah du Toubkal high in the Atlas mountains below the highest mountain in North Africa, Toubkal.

Today I've been on a 6 hour walk up into the mountains and have had a fantastic day. The weather is quite cool up here and there is snow on the tops of the mountains. Autumn is really setting in and the leaves are all turning so the colours are great.

The weather has been mainly sunny but we have also had thunderstorms whilst driving through the High Atlas mountains that then flooded the roads and washed away bridges. We were stuck in a village along with many other vehicles for a while waiting for the flood waters to subside enough for us to cross the river. Standing around with all the locals, watching the brave attempt to drive across the bridge was great fun.

Fez was a great place and I loved walking around the medina. There are around 12000 alleyways in the medina and the only transport accessible to the area is donkey, mule and horse. The sights and smells were great with markets dotted around the medina.
The camel ride into the sahara was good and we climbed up on top of the dunes to watch the sunset.

Next we are off to Essaouira and the beach for a couple of days before our final two days in Marrakech.

I'll post some pictures when I get a chance. Next stop Washington DC!

Lady of Leisure

2008-08-04T21:24:00.003+01:00

Last Thursday was my last day at work where I received a lovely leaving present and enjoyed a great evening with friends at a local pub. This means that I’m now officially unemployed and enjoying a life of leisure. This does however mean that I need to get on my bike if I need to go anywhere (as they took back the company car) and have realised that I’m really not very fit. Fortunately only something positive can come out of this.

I’m having fun sorting out my American visa with the embassy as we don’t seem able to agree on what visa I need so I’m not free of the joys of ‘administration’ yet. I’ve been pretty successful in convincing friends and family that they need to buy my belongings and contribute to my travelling fund. All the stuff that I failed to convince people was useful or desirable have taken a trip to the charity shop or the tip so I’m only left with things that people are yet to collect or stuff that I’m going to store. This weekend Jen is coming to take all that she has staked a claim to so come Sunday she takes off with my sofas and most of my garden furniture so I’ve nothing to sit on and more importantly, nothing to sunbathe on!

I’ve booked my international flights and will fly out to America on 4th November. I’m flying into Washington DC where I plan to spend a week sightseeing before travelling to Nebraska and starting work with the trust. My return flight is booked from Santiago in Chile. Before long I will book my airpass for internal flights in The Americas and will book an organised trip through Columbia that I’m interested in and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. I’ve also got a week to take from my timeshare and am considering a week in Cancun in February before going out to Cuba.

As always, there is a still lot to do so I won’t bore you with the details. Needless to say I’ll be busy over the next few weeks so will update you soon on progress!