Hello blog,
I'm sorry i've been neglecting you.
Actually the past week and a bit has been great. It was amazing having three weeks of constantly giving tours around San Jose, walking the tightrope of showing people the particular places at the particular times to make them say "its not as bad as i thought, " and eating fabulous ritzy dinners all the time. But now we are back to are old diet of beans and pineapple/ beans with pineapple. Also American Idol. The weeks of constantly taking people around central america made us lose track of Paris, grey hair guy and chicken little... but glad to be back on track. Acutally its not as entertaining anymore that the people are talented or whatever.
Mostly what we do these days is get up, go to a computer lab and seach for cheap ways to travel/sleep in europe. europe seemed cheap. unfortunatly we were thinking in colones. when we changed it it was expensive.
Last week we did see a cool dance/theatre show though... well sort of cool. it was called "today is a bad day to go to heaven(the sky)" it started with a guy in the middle who looked dead, then there were some nice people in white who tried to take him away to heaven, but some punk rockers in red tried to beat them all up. it was thrilling. i liked the colour choices because it made it easy to tell who was good and bad. also it was way symbolic. in the end the devils won. the lead devil looked like the guy from sum41 who is engaged to avril.
we also saw a sloth. it was in a tree about 100m from our front door, hanging out in the open at eye level. it was amazing how blind, deaf and dumb they are. seriously it had no idea we were there. These other people started petting it and it didnt notice. I wrote a song about it. naturally it's a ballad.
anyways back to planning europe stuff.
yay
PELEZOZO (SLOTH IN SPANISH)
So besides doing the
March 28, 2006
March 24, 2006
PICTURES!!!
So...here´s some photos from Panama and the Carribean coast of Costa Rica:
This is the town of Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama where we stayed for 3 days
and this is Dave reading in a hammock at the hotel
we walked between two beaches on the island...it was pretty
To cross the border from Costa Rica into Panama we had to cross a foot/car but originally a train bridge (it was wet and slippery and there were definitely a few holes between the wooden planks we walked on)
We went to the beach in Costa Rica with my parents...again, it was pretty
I think Dave is going to update more about our trip/this week and all the photographers, modern dance, sloths, and strange Panamanian men that it involved. Maybe he will even write it in Spanish cause he sure loves practicing it aka getting me to translate for him.
This is the town of Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama where we stayed for 3 days
and this is Dave reading in a hammock at the hotel
we walked between two beaches on the island...it was pretty
To cross the border from Costa Rica into Panama we had to cross a foot/car but originally a train bridge (it was wet and slippery and there were definitely a few holes between the wooden planks we walked on)
We went to the beach in Costa Rica with my parents...again, it was pretty
I think Dave is going to update more about our trip/this week and all the photographers, modern dance, sloths, and strange Panamanian men that it involved. Maybe he will even write it in Spanish cause he sure loves practicing it aka getting me to translate for him.
March 18, 2006
GERMANS LOVE TUNA SAUCE
Well it has been a while friends, or at least it feels that way to me. If days were marked in miles i have lived several hundred of them this week. Anyways, on Friday my sister laura and kim and i left San Jose to go to Bocas Del Toro in Panama because we heard it was cool AND to renew our 90 day tourist visas. So the 5 hour bus ride was fun, as was the border crossing, where we had to walk across an old railway bridge with 2 foot gaps between some of the beams. After crossing the border we took a cab to the water taxi that would take us to bocas. bocas is a series of islands.
Upon arrival at the main island we realized that our 5 or 6 year old lonely planet photocopies were a little outdated, because the place had gone from rooms for 14 bucks to rooms for 70. fortunatly we found one for 30. The first day we were pretty disapointed with things, because we thought it would all be cool and not too touristy and dirt cheap. it was not. So the second morning we decided to go and check out some of the smaller islands. We took a cab to the second biggest island of bastimentos, and wow... it was totaly different. very laid back, nobody wearing shoes and roosters running around everwhere. it reminded me a lot of hemmingways jamaca, for the bibliophiles out there. We found an awesome hotel there which was on stilts over the water run by really realy nice germans. there were only 5 rooms. about 80% of the hotel was filled up with really really nice germans. we at pasta with tuna sauce. it was delicious.
Actually it was one of the nicest places we´d stayed because every night they had 'family dinners' where eveyone in the hotel would eat (ocassionally pasta with tuna sauce) and drink all night. we met a lot of cool people there. mostly german or swiss german.
larua wanted me to include a story of our hikes into the jungle, so i shall. On our first day in bastimentos we decided to go to the beach, which is about 20 mins from the town. you cant swim right out front of the hotel for reasons you will discover in the next paragraph. so we heard from some girls that the trail was a little muddy, but basically just go through the graveyard and follow the path. so we get the the graveyard and there is a clear sign with an arrow saying wizard beach, so we followed it. the paved road quickly turned into a mud path which quickly tuned into mud above our knees. it was a long smelly and dirty hike. it was that sort of red volcanic clay that just covers your body so that you feel like you were in a spa, but its not as cool when you want to just go to the beach. so eventually the trail got to a road, although there were no signs to say which way to go. so on a hunch we went right, and ended up at the water on the bay which we shouldn't swim in (see next paragraph). So we turned around and went the other way. the road was long and we were muddy, but kim's medium-esque vibes told her the beach was close. finally we saw the water, but unfortunatly it was the same water we saw earlier. we had gone in a complete circle. i suggested we eat some bananas to celebrate our second time ever getting completly lost. laura and kim didnt thing potasium would make things better, so we charged on. we walked back on the mud path (somehow even getting lost on this, so that we ended up in a different spot) and decided to retrace our steps in the graveyard to see if we had missed anything. it is here god sent us an angle in the form of a balding, flea ridden, growth coverd dog, who i soon christened- blackey. apparetnly in the grave yard you need to get off the well paved path and go on another dirt one with no signs at all. blackey ran ahead and showed us all the right unmmarked turns. after about twenty minutes we arrived at the beach. when we got there i saw that there was another official sign saying that it was infact wizard beach. So one sign at the start of the trail, and one at the very end. way to go panama tourism board. we were muddy and went swimming. most of the mud came off. we also got muddy on the way back, although perhaps not as muddy as we could have been thanks to another angel, but that is a yarn for another day.
after three days in a paradise of snorkling, pristine and empty beaches and watching through the floorboards the things you flush down the toilet land in the ocean, it was time to say goodbye. (NOW YOU GET WHY WE COULDN'T SWIM THERE!!- although one swiss guy did. i would never let that guy near my alphorn if i were you.)
We ended up traveling with two german girls and a brit from Bocas back to Puerto Viejho that day to stay in the hammock hostel where we did the night before. Kims parents happened to also be in town, and we went out to dinner together. we ate argentinian food. it involved meat being eaten by all. The next day we went with kims parents to the beach and then spent the night spinning yarns together over tequilia sunrises and 'rolly specials.'
a great time was had by all.
today we will read and buy gifts. Talk to you soon.
LOVE LIFE
dave (and kim and laura)
Upon arrival at the main island we realized that our 5 or 6 year old lonely planet photocopies were a little outdated, because the place had gone from rooms for 14 bucks to rooms for 70. fortunatly we found one for 30. The first day we were pretty disapointed with things, because we thought it would all be cool and not too touristy and dirt cheap. it was not. So the second morning we decided to go and check out some of the smaller islands. We took a cab to the second biggest island of bastimentos, and wow... it was totaly different. very laid back, nobody wearing shoes and roosters running around everwhere. it reminded me a lot of hemmingways jamaca, for the bibliophiles out there. We found an awesome hotel there which was on stilts over the water run by really realy nice germans. there were only 5 rooms. about 80% of the hotel was filled up with really really nice germans. we at pasta with tuna sauce. it was delicious.
Actually it was one of the nicest places we´d stayed because every night they had 'family dinners' where eveyone in the hotel would eat (ocassionally pasta with tuna sauce) and drink all night. we met a lot of cool people there. mostly german or swiss german.
larua wanted me to include a story of our hikes into the jungle, so i shall. On our first day in bastimentos we decided to go to the beach, which is about 20 mins from the town. you cant swim right out front of the hotel for reasons you will discover in the next paragraph. so we heard from some girls that the trail was a little muddy, but basically just go through the graveyard and follow the path. so we get the the graveyard and there is a clear sign with an arrow saying wizard beach, so we followed it. the paved road quickly turned into a mud path which quickly tuned into mud above our knees. it was a long smelly and dirty hike. it was that sort of red volcanic clay that just covers your body so that you feel like you were in a spa, but its not as cool when you want to just go to the beach. so eventually the trail got to a road, although there were no signs to say which way to go. so on a hunch we went right, and ended up at the water on the bay which we shouldn't swim in (see next paragraph). So we turned around and went the other way. the road was long and we were muddy, but kim's medium-esque vibes told her the beach was close. finally we saw the water, but unfortunatly it was the same water we saw earlier. we had gone in a complete circle. i suggested we eat some bananas to celebrate our second time ever getting completly lost. laura and kim didnt thing potasium would make things better, so we charged on. we walked back on the mud path (somehow even getting lost on this, so that we ended up in a different spot) and decided to retrace our steps in the graveyard to see if we had missed anything. it is here god sent us an angle in the form of a balding, flea ridden, growth coverd dog, who i soon christened- blackey. apparetnly in the grave yard you need to get off the well paved path and go on another dirt one with no signs at all. blackey ran ahead and showed us all the right unmmarked turns. after about twenty minutes we arrived at the beach. when we got there i saw that there was another official sign saying that it was infact wizard beach. So one sign at the start of the trail, and one at the very end. way to go panama tourism board. we were muddy and went swimming. most of the mud came off. we also got muddy on the way back, although perhaps not as muddy as we could have been thanks to another angel, but that is a yarn for another day.
after three days in a paradise of snorkling, pristine and empty beaches and watching through the floorboards the things you flush down the toilet land in the ocean, it was time to say goodbye. (NOW YOU GET WHY WE COULDN'T SWIM THERE!!- although one swiss guy did. i would never let that guy near my alphorn if i were you.)
We ended up traveling with two german girls and a brit from Bocas back to Puerto Viejho that day to stay in the hammock hostel where we did the night before. Kims parents happened to also be in town, and we went out to dinner together. we ate argentinian food. it involved meat being eaten by all. The next day we went with kims parents to the beach and then spent the night spinning yarns together over tequilia sunrises and 'rolly specials.'
a great time was had by all.
today we will read and buy gifts. Talk to you soon.
LOVE LIFE
dave (and kim and laura)
March 10, 2006
Costa Rica is so last week....
So kim and I are now mere days from being in Costa Rica longer than our visa allows which means we're now both itching to check out PANAMA to relax/ hide from the authorities.
So we leave tomorow at 6am to go to Bocas Del Toro. It will be fun. Kim looks lovely in the morning.
Also my sister arrived here yesterday. We went out and ate pickled fish and then she came to witness me enlighten minds. She actually participated in my converstaion class.... her grammar and prounciation are terrible. Today we showed her around San Jose, and are now finishing our term at work/ itching to hit a patio.
Be well
So we leave tomorow at 6am to go to Bocas Del Toro. It will be fun. Kim looks lovely in the morning.
Also my sister arrived here yesterday. We went out and ate pickled fish and then she came to witness me enlighten minds. She actually participated in my converstaion class.... her grammar and prounciation are terrible. Today we showed her around San Jose, and are now finishing our term at work/ itching to hit a patio.
Be well
March 6, 2006
gratsi
sorry about the last post. i got frustrated. it was wrong. i'm sorry. i'll try to talk about my feelings and not bottle them up inside.
anyways... we had a great 3 days with kims parents last week. we saw an amazing gold museum where we learned how to smelt gold... INDIAN STYLE!! We visited the national theatre of Costa Rica where we learned that all good theatres have to have a ghost to be good. So thats whats holding back the Toronto theatre scene... not enough fatalities. We also visited McDonalds where we learned that twist cones are delicious.
then kims parents went to the osa peninsula and we think they had a great time. kim gets vibes. Shes like medium that way. Also cause shes blond and beautiful. Ohhh Medium/kim.....
my parents arrived on thursday. we met them at their hotel and then showed them where we live and work. within 5 minutes of us leaving them my mom lost her ATM card in a bank machine. luckly there were some students from ulatina around them to make a call to the bank. So they went back to thier hotel and tried to rectify things. kim and i went by after class. we were promised beer but they never bought any. something about being distraught. the holiday was ruined
or was it.
the next day at 9 we went down to the central bank downtown and luckly got my mom´s card back. she was very happy and went around saying "gratsi" to everyone in the office. unfortunatly in Costa Rica people speak spanish.
With teh card back we toured San Jose for a while and then picked up their rental car and drove to La Fortuna, which is a town right below Volcan Arenal... the biggest volcano in CR. It was cloudy. in three days we never really saw the top. I think it was because there being too much lava and fire. kim thinks i already made that joke, but laughs none the less.
it was nice to get away from our shanty dwelling in the city and into the lush fatcat lifestyle of a swinging north american tourist. i only spoke english, and if people didn't speak it, i'd just speak english louder to them. we went to some amazing hot springs. it was like they were hot rivers running through the rainforest. it was crazy. so were the mai tais. the next day we went walking in the cloud forest and saw three different kinds of monkeys. i like the orange ones.... kim liked the black ones with white faces. i think its cause they're the ones in friends. i swear if there was a worm named Chandler it would become her favourite animal in the world. Dont get me started on smelly cats.....
so then yestday with many tears we left my parents and took a....sigh.... bus back to San Jose. Walking up the street we heard the familiar sound of our neighbours tattoo artist friend doing some more touch ups. it was good to be home.
this week should be crazy. We have to give exams for our classes on wednesday and thursday adn then on thursday my sister arrives. We have next week off and the three of us are planning to go to Bocas Del Toro.. this string of islands on the carribian side of panama. this lady we work wth just told us she ate lobster there every night. hopefully it will be good... if kim doesnt get too crabby....
little shellfish humour for you there.
anyways... we had a great 3 days with kims parents last week. we saw an amazing gold museum where we learned how to smelt gold... INDIAN STYLE!! We visited the national theatre of Costa Rica where we learned that all good theatres have to have a ghost to be good. So thats whats holding back the Toronto theatre scene... not enough fatalities. We also visited McDonalds where we learned that twist cones are delicious.
then kims parents went to the osa peninsula and we think they had a great time. kim gets vibes. Shes like medium that way. Also cause shes blond and beautiful. Ohhh Medium/kim.....
my parents arrived on thursday. we met them at their hotel and then showed them where we live and work. within 5 minutes of us leaving them my mom lost her ATM card in a bank machine. luckly there were some students from ulatina around them to make a call to the bank. So they went back to thier hotel and tried to rectify things. kim and i went by after class. we were promised beer but they never bought any. something about being distraught. the holiday was ruined
or was it.
the next day at 9 we went down to the central bank downtown and luckly got my mom´s card back. she was very happy and went around saying "gratsi" to everyone in the office. unfortunatly in Costa Rica people speak spanish.
With teh card back we toured San Jose for a while and then picked up their rental car and drove to La Fortuna, which is a town right below Volcan Arenal... the biggest volcano in CR. It was cloudy. in three days we never really saw the top. I think it was because there being too much lava and fire. kim thinks i already made that joke, but laughs none the less.
it was nice to get away from our shanty dwelling in the city and into the lush fatcat lifestyle of a swinging north american tourist. i only spoke english, and if people didn't speak it, i'd just speak english louder to them. we went to some amazing hot springs. it was like they were hot rivers running through the rainforest. it was crazy. so were the mai tais. the next day we went walking in the cloud forest and saw three different kinds of monkeys. i like the orange ones.... kim liked the black ones with white faces. i think its cause they're the ones in friends. i swear if there was a worm named Chandler it would become her favourite animal in the world. Dont get me started on smelly cats.....
so then yestday with many tears we left my parents and took a....sigh.... bus back to San Jose. Walking up the street we heard the familiar sound of our neighbours tattoo artist friend doing some more touch ups. it was good to be home.
this week should be crazy. We have to give exams for our classes on wednesday and thursday adn then on thursday my sister arrives. We have next week off and the three of us are planning to go to Bocas Del Toro.. this string of islands on the carribian side of panama. this lady we work wth just told us she ate lobster there every night. hopefully it will be good... if kim doesnt get too crabby....
little shellfish humour for you there.
March 1, 2006
PHILISTINES...
ok i wrote two extremely funny posts but the computer crashed and i lost bothafter writing them.
long story short. kims parents were here. we saw museums and ate mcdonalds twist cones. it was great. my parents arrive tomorow. hopefully we'll have more ice cream.
the title would make sense if you read the whole blog but i lost it.
i dont need to impress you.
long story short. kims parents were here. we saw museums and ate mcdonalds twist cones. it was great. my parents arrive tomorow. hopefully we'll have more ice cream.
the title would make sense if you read the whole blog but i lost it.
i dont need to impress you.
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