Here we come 2010

Spending the remainder of the day on the beach, writing my personal mission statement and finalizing my 2010 goals.

Happy New Year to you all. Feliz Ano Nuevo!

'Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a CHANCE, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be easy; they just promised it'd be worth it.'

'Give into your deepest desires and set this whole damn world on FIRE.'

'Some pursue happiness, others create it.'

Videos and ideas....

New friend Sharon, South African teaching English in Cozumel, Mexico, shared two videos with me yesterday. Both can be life changing.

Matt. A dancing man who traveled the world to get it on video. Spreading more than just smiles.
Video
Matt's website

Sharon's volunteer project with turtles. If this doesn't make you want to go save a turtle or the world, you have problems!

After seeing these videos, I'm inspired to make some as well. So tell me what YOU want to see and I'll go out and see what I can put on film. Here's your chance....what should I catch on video?

I'll acquire a list, get back to all of you and then we'll vote and see what I'll be videoing.

Leaving you with a fun fact of the day: Israelis read right to left. In their words "Americans read backwards!"

Can you answer my question?

After many discussions with other travelers, I gave up and started Googling today. Wanting to know this:

Which country's citizens travel the most per capita?

I ask because since I've been on the road I've met a variety of people from all over the world. Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Israel, South Africa, England, Canada, Australia, Wales, France, Netherlands and hardly a handful from the US.

If I were to guess populations by the travelers I'd say that Israel, Canada and Australia are the most populated countries, but that's far from true!

1 China[5] 1,334,940,000 ppl 19.65%

Chinese Official Population Clock

2 India 1,174,410,000 ppl 17.29%

Indian Official Population Clock

3 United States 308,243,000 ppl 4.54%

United States Official Population clock

4 Indonesia 231,369,500 ppl 3.41%

Statistics Indonesia

5 Brazil 192,252,000 ppl 2.83%

Brazilian Official Population Clock

Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population>

Most statistics say 20-30% of US citizens hold passports. This is a hot topic and comes up quite often in hotel/hostel conversations. However, after my Google rampage this morning, I've come up with 0 hard facts. Some bloggers reporting false facts but no credible sites. Why is this? Why won't governments post facts on their citizens holding passports?

This search does produce interesting results:
country with most millionaires: US, Japan, Britain
happiest country: Costa Rica
most visited country: France
country that makes the most off of tourism: USA

So do you know anything about this? I'm curious!

PS check out this site, maybe you'll find it as facinating as I did: US & World Population Clock

Christmas in El Salvador

Black sand beach. Endless fireworks, really, endless. The big meal on the 24th, the party on the 25th. And by that, they weren't lying when they said everyone goes to the beach. All day.

When in Rome. I spent last night on the beach, throwing fireworks in the air, dancing the kumbia y merengue and singing Feliz Navidad.

Saved 3 packs of Swedish fish that my mom sent me for Halloween, that was my Christmas present along with a card from a friend. Thank you friend. Best Christmas presents I've ever had. After I fell out of my bed, I was practically running to the beach this morning excited to open them there.

'The best things in life aren't things.'

The beach. People watching mostly. The families tote in coolers for picnics. Every surfer hit the waves. And I did cartwheels with a Swiss guy and Slovenian guy!

And just in case you wanted to be jealous....I ate rice and veggies. Something I'm good at concocting now!

Merry Christmas!

The El Salvadorian public transportation

So I went from North Eastern (Perquin) El Salvador to South Western (Playa El Tunco) today in a variety of buses (8 hours in total.)

Would like to take this time to paint you a picture of what traveling here in El Salvador is like!

By variety of buses I mean, truck......pick-up truck where they pile NO JOKE 35 people in the back, its covered with tarp and has bars to hold onto. Was the first one on in the morning so got the front seat overlooking the cab. I had a lovely conversation with a 9 year old that was sharing my personal space, aka standing in-between my legs. She explained the country in the most beautiful words, simple ones that I could understand.

The next bus might re-visit me in my nightmares. Live and learn type of thing. NEVER sit in the first seat if you have a HUGE backpack. I did. Let me revisit this personal space thing. IT DOESN'T exist here in Central America. Since my backpack took up my leg room in this lovely first seat, my legs shared the isle with 500 other people and 2 chickens. At one point I was being pinned down on my backpack. My back was being attacked by a women's DD boobs, my hand that was gripping the bar for leverage was conveniently covered by a mans armpit and my head was bumping into a stomach of a woman, maybe pregnant, as my seatmate, was breast feeding. This went on constantly for an hour. The people across the isle were laughing at me, yes, the locals laughing at me. What a sight.

I was giddy as ever to get off that bus. Merry Christmas to me that bus ride is over! And I won't EVER sit in the front again. Lesson learned.

Walked the border crossing to El Salvador!

First and foremost: Happy Birthday to my sis Angie on Dec 17, the big 30 baby!! And today, to my Aunt Joan, the big 30 for another year!!!!

In El Salvador. To all those people who said it's too dangerous to enter, I must send my condolences to you, because this place is breathtaking. And the best part - the people.

(got biked across the NI-Honduras border)

Left Nicaragua, crossed Honduras in 2 hours to get to El Salvador. Walked my first border to El Salvador. And after 8 different buses in one day, I landed in Alegria El Salvador. Only fitting, I slept in Casa de Alegre (Happy House!) And that place was happy. Christmas trees in the park, pupusas (new food for me) to feed a small army and so many smiles by everyone.

(kids celebrating the Christmas story)

Went up to Laguna de Alegria (a crater lake formed from the Volcano Tecapa.) They say you can swim, after taking in lungs full of sulfur I decided just to play in the mud. And after feeling the hot water from one of the springs, I think it might have been the best decision of the day!


El Salvador new food for me. Pupusoas: corn meal and inside is cheese and beans, sometimes pig rhines. Sooo good. And again, fried!



Few days spent in Alegria, now in Perquin. North-Easter El Salvador. Small quaint town with lots of history. I don't want to dive deeply into something I'm still uneducated about but long story short....

El Salvador's civil war led to relations with Ronald Regan in the 1980's. Who, we the U.S.A, helped fund the army, who then started cleansing by mascaraing thousands of people. Today I visited the small town of El Mozoto, where over 800 people were killed in the 3 day period.

800 people. Separated from their families and executed. In 1981. Think about that for a minute.

Men, women, and kids. Even saw a name of a baby 3 days old. Then proceeded to look at all the faces of those killed in the museum. Shook hands with a guerrilla turned museum guide, who said he didn't hold regrets toward the US and welcomed me to ask any questions. I stood in awe, breath taken away, goose bumps on my arms as my body ran chills up and down my spine.

Really interested, you can read this. El Mozote!

Then spent a few hours playing in Rio Sapo. All in a good days work!

Jumping........some of you need to be doing this soon. you know who you are!

Will be here for awhile. It's just that good!~

Peace, love and Happy Holidays!

A man making a difference....

Would like to introduce you to a former ISU classmate and current inspiration. Mr. Wes Meier, Peace Corps volunteer in El Sauce...aka, San Jose, Nicaragua.

Somehow luck worked its way again and I was able to cross paths with him and had the opportunity to spend the day with Wes yesterday. I was checking out his site (community of 400 people) and projects, curious to know what life is like for a Peace Corps Volunteer.

So quick background:
-Wes studied Mechanical Engineering at ISU (smart chap!)
-He's a co-founder of EOS (Emerging Opportunities for Sustainability) and long story short, he and some good peeps want to change the world by helping pull people out of poverty by implementing appropriate and sustainable technologies that serve their needs.
-And to top that, he's also a Peace Corps Volunteer working in the agriculture sector.
-Oh wait there's more: He's already met the director of the Peace Corps and had Thanksgiving dinner with the US Ambassador in Nicaragua!

That's not even half of it. After spending 24 hours with the guy, I'm motivated beyond words, seeing what he's implemented this far, hearing his stories about what he's teaching the people and how, not only the Peace Corps, but EOS is providing support.


In the last 6 months Wes has installed 23 improved ovens for his community (once 5 in a week!) and due to popularity, he's now being contacted from other small communities in the mountains around other Peace Corp Volunteer communities to install more improved ovens. Because of the oven he installed in the store near his house, they've been able to turn it into a bakery, making breads twice weekly. (more profit and food for the people)

Made with old oil barrel, re-bar, bricks, mud and chimney. Brilliant!

(Can be done with or without a well or electricity) Pictured is a well with a manual pump, hose runs the water to a raised up water can for it to then be spread to the drip tape and to the plants.

He's also implemented a few drip irrigation systems for local farmers. Usually farmers are only able to grow anything during the rainy season, no rain in the dry season (hence the name!). Having drip system gives the people the opportunity to have another harvest, potentially doubling intake for crops in a year and finally giving the local people the opportunity to purchase and eat vegetables that are local and affordable during the dry season. THE PEOPLE CAN EAT!

WOW, huh? And the best parts, he make, installs these projects with the people, helping them take loans out and sets them up on repayment plans that work for the people. All this annnnnnd at the same time he's teaching them how to do it themselves. His goal, for them to sustain a better life after he leaves.

There's more on his story. Check Wes's blog. Check out EOS. Donate to EOS, it's the giving season. Help pull people from poverty. After seeing it first hand, I see the potential. And Wes, if you ever read this, thanks for the hospitality, motivation and inspiration! Keep it up!

Wes headed off to the states for some holiday family time, good food and in his words "a good stretch on some carpet," ha....enjoy that carpet with your suitcase. Wes, you'd think by now you'd know that backpacks are the only way to go!

Any questions, email Wes at wlmeier@gmail.com or check out the these sites:
EOS
Wes's Blog
Peace Corps

Market style..

In Leon. Exploring. And learning the markets and words for items at the markets.

Went for an excursion with my new friend Kim. Who also just took Spanish classes and is a bit more out of control than I.

Now I've sifted through many markets here in Nicaragua but haven't experienced anything compared to that day. This is why.

WHY? The locals feel its a must to use every part of the cow....hmmm.

This vendor wanted us to hold the liver, kidneys and I think what might have been the pancreas.

Yes, that is an eye ball.....they say they're great in soup.

Normal. I know, you're asking why a normal photo? Well this is how all the women sell their goods, strap em' on to their apron and walk, screaming "tomates, cebolla."

Ahhhhhh love this place!

Volcano boarding is real.

Usually when volcano boarding you leave early enough so you catch the sunset on the drive back. Well we tried that, and after a 2 hour broken truck on side of dirt road, we managed to get ourselves pumped again and take on the volcano boarding in the dark, who really needs to see the path down anyways!??


Who ever thought of volcano boarding is now the coolest person I know.

An hour pick up ride in the country to the volcano.

A 45 minute hike up with your board, prison suit and goggles.



Group Awesome!

Wind....100.6mph on top of active volcano=holy please don't fly away!

A 2 minute spiel about 'how to go down'

and a 1 minute ride down........some reach 80kpm.

Darren and I......we were the guinea pigs...we went first. Talk about adrenaline!

This is my description of how I felt afterwards!

The NI family vehicles!

The family sedan.
A comforting two-wheeler that never needs a gas station. Won't go as far to call them bucket seats but this fine pedaling machine can hold three comfortably, and four if they use the back pegs.


The family mini-van
The entire family is on here....4 in total. Very luxurious for a Sunday ride.
For safety precautions it's recommended to have the littlest is in front, then dad driving, then big brother, and mom bringing it home in that back.


Great for family trips to the store, stunning for first dates, and still working on the prom shot. Stay tuned.

Hard to capture discretely, but you get the point!

Light Cake...aka addicting, delicious, rum cake from Little Corn Island

On Little Corn I became addicted to this cake, ate it every day for breaky, sometimes lunch too!
The recipe is hilarious, enjoy!

Ingredients:
2lbs sugar
1lb butter
2lbs flour
1 big can carnation milk
using same can, 1 of water
3 eggs (take the eye out...white spot on yolk?)
1tsp baking powder
nutmeg - to taste (probably a tsp)
vanilla - to taste again! (tsp?)
a little rum (ha, I asked how much and she gestured a shot measurement)
and if you like, Raisins! (mix raisins with a little flour first so they don't sink to bottom)

Directions: (all done by hand in huge bucket!)
Mix sugar and butter together until almost like icing,
then eggs,
then a bit of flour,
then milk,
more flour,
water,
more flour,
vanilla, nutmeg and rum,
more flour,
then baking powder.

Grease the pan, then shake with flour, dumping remainder out
heat pan in oven for a bit then add batter
Oven temp: she didn't know....her guess was between 350-400!

*Sometimes she changes it up a bit and adds OJ instead of milk

The cake was always moist, made in pan where cake came out 2-3inches think.

Corn Islands Nicaragua

Paradise that's untouched and I'll tell you why..............at times it feels as if its impossible to reach and even more impossible to leave. Patiently waited 36 hours on Big Corn Island for a boat, any boat, to take our group back to the main land. 2 Sweds, 4 Canadians, 1 Aussie and 2 Americans. Talk about a group!


(Patiently waiting)

NOTE: The Sweds opted for an expensive flight instead of the adventure, after 24 hours of waiting.



To pass time we bought Flor de Cana, we went snorkeling, we ate too much bread....again. The water was crystal blue, a big bath tub. As I was on a snorkel trip with one of my groupies, we spotted what we identified as a 7 ft Eagle ray being followed by 3 white tip reef sharks. THEE highlight of being on Big Corn. I bout drown by taking in too much water when we spotted the group gliding on the bottom of the ocean about 10 feet below us.

(this is why I was safe, traveling with fellow backpackers!)

After camping on the dock all day Friday we found a captain of a broke down lobster boat that would take us back. We were going to be towed to Bluefields. Trip time: 8 or more hours.
Left port at 11pm and swayed our way to mainland. I slept on the back boards under the stars for a few of those hours. And after being off the boat now for a day, I'm still rocking.


Our hotel room for the night was a broke down lobster boat!

Boat-Boat-Boat-Bus-Bus-Taxi-Bus in 24 hours and I'm here in Leon. This is what I'm feeling:

-I'm addicted to bread. Coconut bread to be exact, the coconut bread kids on Little Corn have ruined me.

-Also addicted to rum cake. If you want to try to make it, email me, but prepare yourself for a shock. Its worth it. I dream about it now.

-I never want to go back to Bluefields. If I decided to visit the corn islands again, I'll fly. It's tiring playing the local game of 'tell the tourists the wrong info and send them in the opposite direction that they need.' If someone wanted to make some money all they'd have to do is set up a schedule for boats coming and going from the islands. It's so random its impossible for travelers to get there. And that my friends is why they do it, preserving paradise!!!
-The shower last night was the best early Christmas present ever. 3-4 days of not showering had me feeling bad for my seatmates on the buses.
-the vendors that come onto the bus are my favorite entrepreneurs ever. Tacos, empanadas, salad in a bag, peanut brittle, bread, pudding, or fried chicken. You can get it all without having to leave your seat, why other countries don't do this is beyond me.

("pollo frito, ensalada, chile, diez cordobas" "chicharones, ensalda, chile" "tortillas con queso y ensalda" " naranja" "jugo, gaseosa's"....this is what they say when they walk down the bus isle!~)

-Bargaining for everything keeps my entertained. Yesterday I helped one of my groupies by a hammock and rope for $10. Then spent time talking the ice cream man down 15cents. Its not about the money, its about the game!

Normal thing....cleaver in one hand, sugar cane in the other!

After 2 weeks on the Caribbean, I'm now 15k's away from the Pacific Ocean. Thinking about going Volcano sledding in the near future....no snow, but volcano's?--When in Rome!

Paradise....Little Corn Island!

Playing....

The girl that always sells me coconut bread.......I'm a sucker. Everyday a loaf!

The island in a nut shell!

My daily routine here


Yoga with Jocelyn....she's slowly teaching me. Not a bad thing to do at sunset!


Breaking away from the books a bit today....

Up at 5am. Sunrise. Addictive cake for breaky. The beach. A swim. Sandy paths. And now the computer.

Thanks to all of you that have sent me emails with details on your time, I enjoy every word!

Tomorrow I step away from the movie scene's of Little Corn Island and am trekking it back to Managua and jumping a bus north to Leon for a few days.

Movie scene's of Little Corn because of what happens here after dark. Paradise at day and port for drug transportation at night. Not joking, helicopters have chased a boat up on shore and someone found over $40k of coke on the beach, floated up after an emergency 'drop' from the Colombians. Didn't believe it was true until I spent time here.

I laugh because it's real and I'm too naive to have ever believed how it all works. Now I know. With all 'that' work for the locals, I've found the beaches to be empty. I've filled them with my time, book in hand.

Climbed a tree yesterday for coconuts. Bought 8 lobster tails for $10 (not small either) and been through 6 books. I call this a successful visit to Little Corn. Tack that along with a nurse shark sighting while snorkeling and ginger tea for almost every sunrise and you might understand why I feel like I own the world!

Much love!

Granada!