It's hard to believe we spent three months in Central America, traveling from Mexico down to Costa Rica. How the times flies. Although the riding was a bit rough at times, our experiences have opened our eyes to different ways of life and have given us memories that will stick with us forever. Reading through past blogs, I realize I often leave out specific stories that happen to us along our travels. If you are reading this and have any questions or curiosities about our everyday life, please pass those questions along (there is an email link on here) because to be honest, I have no idea what people are curious about or want to know regarding our travels. So, I will share a few stories I skipped over in the past.
While traveling with Russ and Debbie along the Mexican coast, we followed signs to a beach where we ended up staying for 3 nights under a palapa and more or less on our own beach. The only visitors were the fisherman who launched their boats early in the morning and the occasional local stopping in to watch the sunset. This spot was one of the most southern spots in Mexico, allowing us to see the sun rise and set over the ocean. Stunning place to spend some days. Each morning we would enjoy breakfast under the palapa. This particular morning we had yogurt and papaya with lime (papaya is so delicious down here because it is so fresh and picked only when ripe). I went to toss the used lime peels in the bush and on my way back, as I ducked under the palm frond roof, my head brushed the fronds that triggered a wasp nest. The next thing I know, I am swarmed by wasps. These are not wasps that we are accustomed to back in the US. These are Jurassic Park wasps, dangling legs from inch sized bodies. As I was attacked, I froze thinking that if I did not move, they would fly away. Definitely wrong. I hear Debbie hell, "Run! Run! Run!" So I ran off but the wasps held tight, one on my shoulder and one on my neck, stuck under my hair. Ouch! Debbie came over and grabbed both wasps with her fingers to remove them. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch. At least four bites. Two on my skull, one on the right side of my neck and the biggest bite taken from my left shoulder blade.
Debbie quickly turned on her nursing skills (thankfully she is actually a nurse and was in nurse mode right away) and filled a bag with ice. These wasps did sting but also took chunks of skin as a true bite. The one on my shoulder was the biggest from what Ryan said, but I barely noticed it as my head and neck felt like they were on fire. Debbie filled me with juice to replace some sugars since my body was in fight mode and out of all things, covered my bites with preparation h. The greatest lessons we learned in this experience are 1. if you are getting attacked by wasps, run like hell, and 2. preparation h is a handy addition to any medical kit because it's an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic cream. 2 1/2 months later, I still have marks.
The Spanish school in San Pedro offered after school activities. One evening we watching the film El Norte, a movie about a brother and sister forced to leave their small Guatemalan town. With nowhere to go and fearing for their life, they decided to make the trek to North America. I know many people are turned off by illegal immigrants in the United States, but I believe if you had the opportunity to talk with these people, your heart might open a bit and could understand why people fight so hard to work and live in America. The journey to get there is extremely difficult, especially the further south you come from because that means you have more countries to travel through illegally. While at this school, I also learned that Guatemalans do not have the luxury to travel to the US like we do. Although many would love the opportunity, the US government requires them to have something like $100,000 dollars in their bank account. What??? Americans and other travels do not have the same traveling requirements, which is not fair. If we were treated this way by other countries, I believe we would probably throw tantrums and refuse to travel there. My eyes have opened up so much and thankfully my Spanish improved enough to have these conversations and I have learned a great deal.
Ok, back to my original point. In the evenings, we could watch movies, salsa dance, learn about Mayan mathematics, etc. San Pedro Spanish School spends 10% of all earnings on a primary school they set up for children who cannot afford school because it costs 5Q a day to attend (about 75 cents) and many families do not have that to give. One day a month they surprise eight families with food. Our teachers gave out lists to the students with food options to buy for these families; 15Q for beans, 10Q for rice, 15Q for eggs, etc. One list totaled 98Q (about $14), so Ryan and I each bought a list, not quite sure how much that would feed. Come to find out, this list of food feeds up to a family of 6 for 15 days. What??? We carried all the food in one bag, along with two dozen eggs. My heart sank when I heard this. How and why are we so fortunate to not have to worry about such things? We traveled in groups through the town, walking down small, dirt allies that led to cinder block homes. These homes are a room or two that house the entire family. One room is for the kitchen and has maybe a single plastic chair, a few plastic bowls and a wood burning stove. The other room held two beds that slept the entire family. Each room is about 8x10 and the floors are dirt. All family members live together in this tiny space. The women often took the food from us, telling us their story in Mayan to then be translated into Spanish by one of the teachers. They thanked us and gave us hugs for what we brought, often tears in their eyes because they could now eat for at least two weeks. My heart breaks and my stomach turns just reliving this experience in my head. I am so thankful for these times because it has put life into perspective. We now have a completely different idea about poverty, and I will remember these times when I get bothered by my "tough" life. Life really is about the little things and I am so thankful to be more appreciative.
What we loved about Central America: We absolutely loved the people, first and foremost. Learning about the cultures, from Mayan to Spanish colonialism, we soaked up all we could. The countries are so beautiful, volcanoes popping out everywhere, often surrounding enormous lakes or rivers. The jungle hosts environments for howler monkeys that serenade at dusk and dawn. Lizards scurry along the roads and the birds are just beautiful, often bright colors or if dark, speckled with off white spots. The food is always one of our favorite aspects and tells so much about a culture. In Mexico, we enjoyed trying everyone's own rendition of mole, a sauce with over 30 ingredients that is often served over chicken.The street vendors are run by multiple generations of families. The family dynamic in Central America is so beautiful. Family means everything and generations live together, helping one another through the different phases in life. We would see grandmother, mother, and daughter walking the street with different sized bundles of wood strapped to their backs and supported on their heads. The Mayan women take great pride in their bright colored clothes and are constantly weaving to make new pieces for the family.
With the ups, there are often downs. The two most difficult parts of traveling here were the crappy roads and constant sickness between the two of us. Food is wonderful but occasionally you get something bad when playing culinary roulette. Ryan and I are not ones to take pills, but I believe we spent three weeks on antibiotics. Lovers of tortillas, rice, beans, salsa and meat, we could not have found a better place to explore the delicious combinations of foods these countries provide. The roads were definitely tough, often not paved and not even just dirt. Instead the roads consist of big rocks and loose dirt that make for dusty roads. Crazy ass drivers would fly by us, kick up the dust and release clouds of black diesel fumes. If you are thinking of taking a long bicycle tour in different parts of the world, I would recommend traveling through the less developed countries first. This way your expectations are low and you are just thrilled to be away from a desk and on the road. I would assume you will not mind this shitty roads. I have spent many hours trying to figure out why I loathe these roads and find myself more frustrated at these moments than any other time in life. No definitive answer, I have chalked it up to being on the road for two years and being spoiled in our first 15 countries. Although there were tough times and trying days, we learned a great deal from our time in Central America and cannot wait to return one day. Maybe next time it will be via motorcycle.
I write this as I watch Ryan build our bikes in the Minneapolis, MN airport. Flying on Frontier because of their bike policy and the fact that Ryan had a free flight, Ryan is able to put the bikes together in the airport. Rather than disassembling them via the couplers and therefore taking apart everything, he simply broke down the basics and placed the bikes in bike boxes. Thank you Frontier! We arrived late last night, rolled out our sleeping pads and spent the night in the noisy, safe confines of the airport. It actually wasn't too bad. Once we pack up, we will make our usual stops of hitting up REI in hopes of finding an Adventure Cycling map and stocking up on food. Back to cooking our meals, sleeping in a tent, and spending a good 6-8 hours a day on the bikes. Tired legs and hungry bellies. We have about 1,300 miles of riding to Buffalo. We will ride our way in the UP, along the Great Lakes, part of the time in the US and part of the time in Canada. 3 1/2 weeks to Buffalo where we will meet up with a friend and hitch a ride to Chicago for a wedding. More time with family and friends. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Now off to ride!
While traveling with Russ and Debbie along the Mexican coast, we followed signs to a beach where we ended up staying for 3 nights under a palapa and more or less on our own beach. The only visitors were the fisherman who launched their boats early in the morning and the occasional local stopping in to watch the sunset. This spot was one of the most southern spots in Mexico, allowing us to see the sun rise and set over the ocean. Stunning place to spend some days. Each morning we would enjoy breakfast under the palapa. This particular morning we had yogurt and papaya with lime (papaya is so delicious down here because it is so fresh and picked only when ripe). I went to toss the used lime peels in the bush and on my way back, as I ducked under the palm frond roof, my head brushed the fronds that triggered a wasp nest. The next thing I know, I am swarmed by wasps. These are not wasps that we are accustomed to back in the US. These are Jurassic Park wasps, dangling legs from inch sized bodies. As I was attacked, I froze thinking that if I did not move, they would fly away. Definitely wrong. I hear Debbie hell, "Run! Run! Run!" So I ran off but the wasps held tight, one on my shoulder and one on my neck, stuck under my hair. Ouch! Debbie came over and grabbed both wasps with her fingers to remove them. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch. At least four bites. Two on my skull, one on the right side of my neck and the biggest bite taken from my left shoulder blade.
Debbie quickly turned on her nursing skills (thankfully she is actually a nurse and was in nurse mode right away) and filled a bag with ice. These wasps did sting but also took chunks of skin as a true bite. The one on my shoulder was the biggest from what Ryan said, but I barely noticed it as my head and neck felt like they were on fire. Debbie filled me with juice to replace some sugars since my body was in fight mode and out of all things, covered my bites with preparation h. The greatest lessons we learned in this experience are 1. if you are getting attacked by wasps, run like hell, and 2. preparation h is a handy addition to any medical kit because it's an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic cream. 2 1/2 months later, I still have marks.
The Spanish school in San Pedro offered after school activities. One evening we watching the film El Norte, a movie about a brother and sister forced to leave their small Guatemalan town. With nowhere to go and fearing for their life, they decided to make the trek to North America. I know many people are turned off by illegal immigrants in the United States, but I believe if you had the opportunity to talk with these people, your heart might open a bit and could understand why people fight so hard to work and live in America. The journey to get there is extremely difficult, especially the further south you come from because that means you have more countries to travel through illegally. While at this school, I also learned that Guatemalans do not have the luxury to travel to the US like we do. Although many would love the opportunity, the US government requires them to have something like $100,000 dollars in their bank account. What??? Americans and other travels do not have the same traveling requirements, which is not fair. If we were treated this way by other countries, I believe we would probably throw tantrums and refuse to travel there. My eyes have opened up so much and thankfully my Spanish improved enough to have these conversations and I have learned a great deal.
Ok, back to my original point. In the evenings, we could watch movies, salsa dance, learn about Mayan mathematics, etc. San Pedro Spanish School spends 10% of all earnings on a primary school they set up for children who cannot afford school because it costs 5Q a day to attend (about 75 cents) and many families do not have that to give. One day a month they surprise eight families with food. Our teachers gave out lists to the students with food options to buy for these families; 15Q for beans, 10Q for rice, 15Q for eggs, etc. One list totaled 98Q (about $14), so Ryan and I each bought a list, not quite sure how much that would feed. Come to find out, this list of food feeds up to a family of 6 for 15 days. What??? We carried all the food in one bag, along with two dozen eggs. My heart sank when I heard this. How and why are we so fortunate to not have to worry about such things? We traveled in groups through the town, walking down small, dirt allies that led to cinder block homes. These homes are a room or two that house the entire family. One room is for the kitchen and has maybe a single plastic chair, a few plastic bowls and a wood burning stove. The other room held two beds that slept the entire family. Each room is about 8x10 and the floors are dirt. All family members live together in this tiny space. The women often took the food from us, telling us their story in Mayan to then be translated into Spanish by one of the teachers. They thanked us and gave us hugs for what we brought, often tears in their eyes because they could now eat for at least two weeks. My heart breaks and my stomach turns just reliving this experience in my head. I am so thankful for these times because it has put life into perspective. We now have a completely different idea about poverty, and I will remember these times when I get bothered by my "tough" life. Life really is about the little things and I am so thankful to be more appreciative.
What we loved about Central America: We absolutely loved the people, first and foremost. Learning about the cultures, from Mayan to Spanish colonialism, we soaked up all we could. The countries are so beautiful, volcanoes popping out everywhere, often surrounding enormous lakes or rivers. The jungle hosts environments for howler monkeys that serenade at dusk and dawn. Lizards scurry along the roads and the birds are just beautiful, often bright colors or if dark, speckled with off white spots. The food is always one of our favorite aspects and tells so much about a culture. In Mexico, we enjoyed trying everyone's own rendition of mole, a sauce with over 30 ingredients that is often served over chicken.The street vendors are run by multiple generations of families. The family dynamic in Central America is so beautiful. Family means everything and generations live together, helping one another through the different phases in life. We would see grandmother, mother, and daughter walking the street with different sized bundles of wood strapped to their backs and supported on their heads. The Mayan women take great pride in their bright colored clothes and are constantly weaving to make new pieces for the family.
With the ups, there are often downs. The two most difficult parts of traveling here were the crappy roads and constant sickness between the two of us. Food is wonderful but occasionally you get something bad when playing culinary roulette. Ryan and I are not ones to take pills, but I believe we spent three weeks on antibiotics. Lovers of tortillas, rice, beans, salsa and meat, we could not have found a better place to explore the delicious combinations of foods these countries provide. The roads were definitely tough, often not paved and not even just dirt. Instead the roads consist of big rocks and loose dirt that make for dusty roads. Crazy ass drivers would fly by us, kick up the dust and release clouds of black diesel fumes. If you are thinking of taking a long bicycle tour in different parts of the world, I would recommend traveling through the less developed countries first. This way your expectations are low and you are just thrilled to be away from a desk and on the road. I would assume you will not mind this shitty roads. I have spent many hours trying to figure out why I loathe these roads and find myself more frustrated at these moments than any other time in life. No definitive answer, I have chalked it up to being on the road for two years and being spoiled in our first 15 countries. Although there were tough times and trying days, we learned a great deal from our time in Central America and cannot wait to return one day. Maybe next time it will be via motorcycle.
I write this as I watch Ryan build our bikes in the Minneapolis, MN airport. Flying on Frontier because of their bike policy and the fact that Ryan had a free flight, Ryan is able to put the bikes together in the airport. Rather than disassembling them via the couplers and therefore taking apart everything, he simply broke down the basics and placed the bikes in bike boxes. Thank you Frontier! We arrived late last night, rolled out our sleeping pads and spent the night in the noisy, safe confines of the airport. It actually wasn't too bad. Once we pack up, we will make our usual stops of hitting up REI in hopes of finding an Adventure Cycling map and stocking up on food. Back to cooking our meals, sleeping in a tent, and spending a good 6-8 hours a day on the bikes. Tired legs and hungry bellies. We have about 1,300 miles of riding to Buffalo. We will ride our way in the UP, along the Great Lakes, part of the time in the US and part of the time in Canada. 3 1/2 weeks to Buffalo where we will meet up with a friend and hitch a ride to Chicago for a wedding. More time with family and friends. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Now off to ride!
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