Costa Rica

Costa Rica seems to be the country that everyone thinks of when Central America comes up in a conversation. It has been more stable than its neighbors with a long history of free elections and also has the highest rate of literacy and life expectancy in Central America. But more than that, its popularity is probably due to its many national parks and wildlife refuges and the eco-tourism and adventure-tourism industries that these places make possible.

When we crossed the border from Panama, we got a bus to San Jose. This was the first time that we found ourselves with no other option other than using an 80´s era Canada Blue Bird bus. If you already know what I´m talking about, you know how awesome these are. They´re more commonly known as ¨chicken buses¨, although they usually don´t have too many chickens on them. Anyway, the ride from the far eastern border of Panama to San Jose was not too bad. We got to the capital and headed northwest directly to a little town about 30 minutes further down the road. Apparently, although it is supposed to have some nice points of interest, most travelers just pass on through and never spend much time there. We stopped in a town called Alejuela to hang out for a day and visit a coffee plantation that Jane had looked into. It was fun with explanations of the history of coffee, as well as, their growth and production processes. And just like any tour of that kind, you get fed way too much of whatever the product is. So we left pretty loaded on caffeine and very enthusiastic about wherever our next stop was- which was probably just the hostel. At some point during this time, I started having some skin problems under my arm and we had no idea what it could be. After becoming somewhat painful I went to a clinic and talked to a doctor. He said that the lymphnodes were swollen and it was nothing serious, and thereby squashed all talk of armpit cancer.

Our next destination was the Arenal volcano, which is supposed to be the most active in Central America. It is in the middle of the jungle and attracts enough tourists to support a nice town. Of course, the jungle itself attracts tourists as well that come to take wildlife viewing walks, raft and horseback ride. Arenal smokes a lot during the day and when the fog lifts you´re able to see lava come down the side at night. We took a tour that included a jungle hike and a chance to watch the lava. On the hike, they split us up into English and Spanish groups and we got a few awkward looks of betrayal as we chose the Spanish group because it was smaller. The walk was really interesting and we were able to see howler monkeys and many species of birds. Watching the lava come down the volcano was great as well, but it only lasted a few minutes before they herded everyone into the bus to head off to an area of hot springs created by the underground activity of the volcano. A local hotel has a huge hot springs park where you go and try out tubs of varying degrees. They ranged from something like 95 to 156 Fahrenheit. Yeah 156. We were happy in the 105 and hit a few other pools. We tried the 113 and it was way too hot. The 156 must just be a sick joke.

From Arenal we went by boat and jeep to the Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve that protects the last sizeable tracts of primary cloudforest in Mesoamerica. Other than taking a guided jungle walk and seeing the legendary quetzal (long tailed bird in the pictures), we did a canopy tour. These are made up of a network of suspension bridges streching from the ground to different hights up in the tree tops. From up there you´re able to get really good views and see many species that only live higher up in the trees. The agency that we went with also had a zip line course that allowed you to harness up and slide down cables from platform to platform in the canopy. It was a real experience and I think the pictures are able to capture it to some degree.

While we enjoyed Costa Rica a lot, it definitely put a dent in ole budget. The exchange rate from dollars is around 500 colones, but you´re still usually paying 4000 colones for lunch. Also, Costa Ricans seemed to have much more drive and vision than we ever saw in Peru and that was really refreshing. I have been able to upload a few photos, so go to ofoto.com and sign in with my gmail address and then the password is legrand01. Hope you enjoy them.



Total bus hours- 32.3

Panama

Initially I didn't think Panama would be one the highlights of our trip and while that remains to be seen, we definitely underestimated it. In the six days we were there we planned to see Panama City, take a train to the Atlantic coast and tour the main locks of the Panama Canal and spend three days at the Caribbean town of Bocas del Toro to snorkel and scuba dive.

Panama City was a lively, diverse area of about a million people who are supposed to be among the sharpest and most sophisticated in Central America. Located on one of the greatest crossroads in the world, it resembles a booming industrial area of south east Asia more than the typical, traditional urban centers in the rest of Central America. With scores of cranes and half constructed skyscrapers, its skyline looks more like Hong Kong´s probably does. Next to the city we were able to visit the remains of Panama viejo, the original town founded in 1519, and explore the city grid as well as a few ruins. It was very interesting to be able to take pictures of an ancient cathedral with so much modern construction in the background.

From Panama City we took a train ride next to the canal to the Caribbean coastal town of Colon to watch the mega container ships pass through the stages of the Gatun Locks. The best way to view the canal is supposed to be by boat, but tours are expensive and are only offered a few times a month. It would be much easier to let pictures describe what this process looks like, but basically the ships are brought up from sea level in three stages where they are able to continue on to the locks on the pacific side through the man-made Gatun Lake. Many of these ships are able to carry up to 5,000 containers and pay according to type of cargo. The ship we saw go through was hauling cars from Korea and was charged about $190,000. It was a very cool experience. The town of Colon hosts the second biggest duty-free zone in the world after Hong Kong. Otherwise it's a dump. It has a reputation for violent crime and even broad-daylight muggings are not uncommon. After seeing the canal, we took a tour of the city and as our tour guide was telling us how Colon gets a bad rap, he instictively pulled out a nine-millimeter and set it on the dash.

Bocas del Toro is a very relaxing spot on the Caribbean next to the border of Costa Rica. We hung out for three days while snorkeling and drinking the local beer called ¨Soberana¨. I got to scuba for the first time in salt water and really enjoyed it. Amongst the coral, we saw a nurse shark, lobsters and an eel.

So far everything is going really well and when I get a chance I want to post a few pics. We´re looking forward to Costa Rica for an active volcano, a coffee plantation and a jungle canopy walk.

Total bus hours: 11.0

Why Peru might always be poor

Wow, I just tried to leave the internet and once again ran into a huge protest with flying rocks and clouds of tear gas, so I came back inside. Since Peru has the second worst school system in the Americas behind Haiti, the president has issued standardized tests for all teachers. Obviously they don't like it.
Let me explain a little bit about the teachers in Peru because it's very sad. The situation is pretty much the opposite of the states. Teaching is very well respected and brings a nice salary as well. This seems very illogical to me because in most of my experience observing the local teachers here, I have always been very disappointed. Generally, they don't take their professions seriously at all. This is apparent through skipping school days, heavy drinking and constant protests and strikes demanding more money and more holidays.
Now on top of that, these bums have a huge problem taking a test that insures they know the material they're supposed to be teaching. I feel like the state of the educational system here might be the saddest part of the local culture. Sometimes these protests seem reasonable, but this is ridiculous.
Anyway, I getting back to Austin on the morning of the 4th of August and am more than ready.

Low Point of Peace Corps

The other day Jane and I were coming back from her site, Chavin, which is a small community situated next to some of the best-reserved and most mysterious ruins in Peru. They are 2500-3000 years old and are interesting because there is no evidence of fortifications of any kind. The Stanford scholars who come down every year report that they believe it had no use for any defensive structures because any would be attackers were kept at bay by the enormous respect they must have had for the religious rituals that went on there. According to the Stanford researchers, Chavin priests controlled the people by giving them a strong hallucinogen soup called San Pedro which is a cactus that still grows all over the mountains today. While under the influence of the mind-bending chemicals, the priests guided their subjects through a series of corridors and staircases in complete darkness while the sound of rushing water echoed all around from the underground canals they had constructed within the foundation of the four story temple. With the help of the San Pedro, the villagers were said to be able to see clearly in the light stricken halls and were overwhelmed by euphoria created by the ubiquitous echoes of water. This procession ultimately led to a room where a solitary stone idol stood illuminated by a single beam of moonlight. The statue was carved with various animals, almost like a totem pole in disarray, and was highlighted by a cat-like bust with bulging eyes, exaggerated fangs and copious amounts of mucus draining from nose to mouth. It is thought that because of the spiritual power of this temple, the civilization never had a need for defense or military. This is an interesting place to see if you’re in to archaeology.
Anyway… this is where my lowest point in Peace Corps started. Chavin is in the middle of nowhere and on the other side of highest area of the Peruvian Andes. We left one morning, about two weeks ago, in a Toyota Camary staion wagon on our way to Huaraz, the departmental capital. We were in the back seat with a lady from Chavin and her two young kids. Behind us were two campesinos- peasants that are from remote areas and live very traditionally.
As we started up the hills toward the tunnel that sits on a saddle at about 16,000 ft, the campesina lady behind us started yaking in a plastic bag. This happens all the time with the Peruvians, but normally we take a bus converted from an old Mac truck that has a fake Mercedes emblem on it. On the bus, there is plenty of interior space so that when someone gets sick, you can open your window and it’s not a very big deal. You just have to pick up your backpack off the floor so the half-digested sheep-head stew doesn’t get all over it. In the station wagon, especially as you get closer to the snow and an open window is no longer an option, the odor is a bit more pungent.
So right as the campesina seemed to slow down, the kid to our left starts to barf everywhere. Even though she did manage to get her head out the window almost in time, some of the spill ended up on the armrest and her shoes. Even a small amount of campesino up chuck begins to fester before long in a confined space, so at this point, we were ready to get over the pass as soon as possible. Well, right as the tunnel was in sight the lady starts up again and as I look back, I notice that her plastic bag was starting to look like a large breast implant as she held the top together.
This is when the fateful decision occurred. Instead of letting her not realize that her meal was about to overflow soil everything in the back, including our bags, I handed her another plastic bag and told her to give me her vomit. Intending to make a quick grab and eject it out the window, I torque myself 180 degrees and grasp the bag with one hand. This is when I found out just how full it really was. With what I think is a firm grip, I didn’t feel like we were going to have to stop the cab to do this thing. Right as I’m passing the bag over the seat we are sitting in, it began to feel slightly unsteady. Carefully, getting a better grip on the top of the bag, I felt something moist. In hindsight, I’m guessing it was puke. Just then, that very part of the bag slipped down and like an opening floodgate, the lumpy contents spilled absolutely all over us and in our worst-nightmare-like panic, it went all over everyone else as well. At that point you can imagine the rest. Drenched in other-end sewage, we had no choice but to roll down the windows and shiver for 90 more minutes all the way to Huaraz.

Day after Mother's Day

The rain, after four months, has stopped. The rainy season usually runs from Dec. to Apr. and when it finally clears up the weather is amazing. I’ve got a buddy staying with me who came up from the coast (Trujillo) that is going on the Huaywash trek, which is supposed to be in the top three extended hiking trips in the world. I haven’t done it yet and regretfully I can’t go this time. As much as I feel like I should take the opportunity to go on such an incredible excursion, at this point I’ve only got three months left. I think I’ll leave Peru with a much better sense of accomplishment if I keep doing everything I can with the association before I leave on August 5th.
Fortunately, I was fated to become that rare volunteer that had the opportunity to change sites during mid service because of a serious work problem in their original site. And the site change was a god-send because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here if it were not for a change of community/project. It wasn’t that I had work problems in my first site, I just didn’t have any work. What this means, however, is that I have only been working with my current job for less than a year and am still playing catch up.
My current project is small business development with a group of local pottery makers. I have been helping them with basic organizational development, marketing and many random other things. They are a group of 16 and on any given day about half of them show up. The association is a secondary source of income for just about the entire group, so keeping all of them focused and motivated is half the job by itself.
Today, I am in Huaraz, which is the departmental capital and I am looking into a phone connection for the center that we work in. Until now we have depended on the cell phone of the president of the association for orders, questions from clients, ect. Yeah well, usually he’s working potatoes in the field, or getting drunk, or just doing his own thing. So that’s my job today…

hamburger juice stinks

In Peru many strange/entertaining/annoying things happen on the buses. Stories road blocks and armed robberies, wheels coming off the axles, and even people taking too many sleeping pills and getting their shoes stolen straight off their feet are not surprising anymore. I arrived in Lima this morning to find my backpack soaked with juice from a lady's ground beef that had leaked all over the floor for a three seat radius. This stuff smells really bad. So while I'm waiting for the backpack to get washed I'm carrying everything in big plastic bag. Good times.

For Easter we have four days of vacation I'm going south of Lima to a coastal national park and to an area famous for their vineyards and grape stomping. More on this soon...