Earth 2010

Costa Rica, why?

245 days since selling up. David Jones recording.

That is the question why did we decide to come to Costa Rica.  It seemed like a good idea at the time!

We imagined a wonderful tropical beach, sunshine, wildlife and the excitement of an active volcano with lava flow. We also thought we could save some money.  I think it is sometimes best not to have too grand an expectation for a country because it might let you down.

Costa Rica has all of the above, (apart from saving money!) but not quite how I imagined.  The beaches are tropical palm trees etc, the beach near us had a funny grey sort of sand and looked a bit like Morecambe on a cloudy day with the tide out.  It was quite busy because it was Christmas, but also didn't appear very clean.  We found out later on the internet that the beach wasn't very clean and there was a warning about untreated sewage found in the water - swim at your own peril.  We only went to the beach twice because of the sewage but also it was too far to walk from our house and chaos if you drove: strange unofficial men asking for money to park on the street, people and cars everywhere.  Not quite the vision of peace and tranquillity I had hoped for.

There has been a lot of wildlife and considering we have been to the Amazon rainforest in Peru we have seen more wildlife here, just by the villa.  Every morning and late afternoon the house is surrounded by monkeys swinging from the trees.  They seem to be having "such fun".

 

We have also seen a variety of birds including toucans.  That has been the nice thing about the house: you can just sit by the pool and watch the animals.

 

 

Obviously it has been Christmas while we have been here.  I think we spent Christmas day like everyone else, sitting around eating food and watching telly.  Ok, and the occasional dip in the pool.  We both missed the traditional Christmas turkey.  Though we did have our own version of a roast dinner and yorkshire puddings too.  How very British!

 

Whilst in Costa Rica we stayed in a lodge opposite one of the country's most active volcanoes.  The idea was to be able to see a spectacular show of lava flow coming down the volcano at night.  Unfortunately for us, despite sitting longingly staring at the volcano for 3 nights nothing happened. 

 It reminded me of late August nights staring into the sky looking for shooting stars and going to bed late sad that none had appeared. So the volcano was a bit of a damp squib.

We also travelled across the country using a Jeep-Boat-Jeep transfer to see the "cloud forest": the Costa Rican rain forest, high on a mountain.  We stayed in a hotel that looked like a Swiss chalet and travelled through scenery that was like going to the lakes in Cumbria with the odd palm tree doted here and there.

We spent one morning exploring the high canopy of the forest using a succession of suspended rope bridges.  Well actually they were made out of steel so not as scary as it sounds.  The other option to explore the canopy was by zip-wire sliding through the trees.  I had decided against this option.  But as we wandered through the trees you heard the occasional cry of someone sliding through the forest.

We were looking for the elusive Quetzal bird. After several hours looking at the trees we think we saw one!  (I have included a picture in the Costa Rica album, see if you can spot the bird!)

The cloud forest certainly lived up to its name it was like walking through a cloud, most of the time we were walking through the mist and rain.  Luckily we were equipped with our trusty "pac-o-macs".  Paul in his bright red mac seemed to draw the attention of a local hummingbird who chased him across one of the bridges, obviously thinking he was a giant red flower.  After so much effort and with no joy the hummingbird, exhausted, sat and rested on my finger to catch its breath.  Unfortunately "David Bailey" was too slow with the camera, so no pictures I'm afraid. (David Bailey thought a big bee was attacking him - not a pretty hummingbird!)

 

Well its New Years Eve about 1pm here so everyone back home will probably be getting ready to start there New Year's parties. I know you want be reading this until after New Year but we would both like to wish every body a peaceful and Happy New Year. XXX

I leave you with a souvenir of Costa Rica, such fun!    

 

 

 

 

 

Listen very carefully – we ‘ave found the fallen Madonnas with the spraying boobies

229 days since selling up. The two British airmen recording.

Hello! Listen very carefully, we shall say this only once. The British airmen have ended up in Guatemala following a lead from Réné about the whereabouts of the fallen Madonna with the big boobies. Having arrived in Antigua, the airmen disguised themselves as British tourists and holed up in a lovely colonial hotel with a courtyard filled with a fountain, flowers and a resident hummingbird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because they love French cuisine so much since their extended stay in Nouvions, they have been frequenting the only French restaurant in Antigua, Le Bistro Cinq; and have eaten their first full meals for days!

The airmen have been trekking up and down the streets of Antigua looking for the painting, but instead have just been enjoying the great views: there’s a volcano at the end of every street!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally they came across the fallen Madonnas with the spraying boobies in the main square of Antigua, but still no sight of the great painting by Van Clomp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Undaunted the airmen set off to search other parts of Guatemala to find it. They woke up at 4am to get on a little plane to the lost Mayan jungle city of Tikal. Trekking through the jungle with their tour party they saw spider monkeys, toucans and heard the growl of the howler monkeys from the tops of the ruined Mayan pyramids. It was spectacular – but no painting by Van Clomp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of the humiliation of not discovering the real fallen Madonna, the two airmen have decided to hide out by Lake Atitlan in an out of the way hotel with stunning views of yet more volcanoes. It’s like they’ve gone to a Greek island! Just two nights here and then they’ll be whisked away to Costa Rica! Such fun!

 

It's a long way to Merida!

222 days since selling up. David Jones recording. 

We are on our final days in Mexico and I am writing this blog sitting on the balcony of what I can only describe as a docklands flat over looking a marina, but on the Caribbean Sea.  The story of how we got here involves a total of 10 hours driving, a visit to a outdoor market disguised as an ancient ruin, a dog eared lively colonial city and a ruined jungle city with the ghostly echoes of the Mayans.

We set out from Akumal on the Caribbean coast of Mexico to head towards Merida, the capital city of the Yucatan, inland. We were planning to spend four nights there.  On the way to Merida we planned to stop at Chichen Itza, the half way point.

Chitzen Itza is the jewel of the Mayan ruins crown in Mexico.  Or so the tourist information would have you believe.

We arrived with all the other tourists. Guides were excited to tell us all about the secrets of Chichen Itza. Oh yes, and I also need to mention the clapping. You see groups of tourists at the foot of the pyramids clapping, trying to achieve the echo of a Quetzal bird. The Mayans believed it was the messenger of the Gods and some say the pyramids were designed to create an echo to sound like them.  Anyway it gives something for the guides to pass on and earn their dollars.  Speaking of dollars, also at Chichen Itza there are hundreds of market stalls selling every Mayan touristy nik-nak you could imagine and most "for good price, one dollar".  The main structure is very impressive and I'm sure if you stayed for the laser light show at night it would shine. But with all the markets stalls, too many clappers and some over-restoration it didn't seem like the jewel in the crown to us.

Anyway we were on a schedule and needed to be in Merida before it got dark, mainly because we had no map and I didn't want to get lost.  Thankfully we got to our hotel before sunset, well only just.  The hotel was cheap and clean.  The first room we had was near the lift shaft, in fact it sounded like you were in the lift, so we asked to be moved.  The second room was great; despite not having a wardrobe it overlooked the pool. 

We had a wander around Merida. There were a few nice colonial buildings, some art deco ones a little worse for wear, and a lively vibe - all the Meridans go out on a Sunday afternoon/evening. But it only took us an hour and we'd seen the whole thing, and weren't too impressed with dinner.

We got back to our room in the evening and turned on the tap which promptly fell off flooding the room with water.  So we packed up and left that room and were moved to another room on the ground floor.  We decided at that point Merida was not for us, so searched on the internet for a last minute deal back on the Caribbean coast.  We found a great deal and decided we would drive back another 5 hours the next day.

On the way back we wanted to visit another ruin (the reason for going to Merida in the first place) called Uxmal. We didn't have high expectations especially after our experience at Chichen Itza. But all you travellers out there need to hear this. If you go to see the ruins in Mexico and you can only go to one place, you must, YOU MUST go to Uxmal.

We arrived there early so that the place was virtually empty apart from iguanas soaking up the early morning sun. Uxmal is beautiful and mysterious and is just how we imagined a Mayan ruin to be. You could feel and see how the Mayans lived, with their ornate carvings everywhere and large palaces, pyramids and plazas.

Also at Uxmal you can really get up close to these monuments (elsewhere they are often roped off). I'm sure that will change in the future, so go now.

Having enjoyed Uxmal we made the long drive back to the Caribbean coast, or the Riviera Maya as the Mexicans like to call it, to stay in this luxury condo, which I'm sure will spoil us before we get to Guatemala. Hola Guatemala! Such fun!

 

 

 

 

Mexico and the Mayans

219 days since selling up. David Jones recording.

We are here in Mexico. Arriba! Arriba! For the last six days we've been relaxing in our condo overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

We've been sitting in the heat, listening to all the stories about snow in the UK.

We arrived in Mexico late in afternoon, and because all the world's environment ministers decided to choose the same week to have a climate change conference in Cancun, it took us two hours to get through the airport, past sniffer dogs and into a rental car, by which time it was pitch black. So the drive down the highway, through dozens of police and army check points was a bit hairy, but as soon as we got the condo we could breathe a sigh of relief. Lovely views, nice little beach resort, quiet, only the sound of the waves to lull us to sleep.

And the good thing about being in a touristy area is that there's always an English speaking doctor nearby. Having spent two weeks hoping the diarrhoea would go away Paul finally agreed to see a doctor, and has been on a nice course of anti-biotics for four days now. His only regret is that he can't put any milk in his tea for a week.

Anyway - digestive system sorted, we set out to see our first Mayan ruins. Just down the road are the picturesque remains of Tulum, an old port city, crumbling into the Caribbean sea.  

 

 

It's all very pretty and evocative, but it's a shame that the main ruins are well fenced off, so you don't feel like you can really touch or get up close to what's left.

They are, however, very popular. We got there early and by 10:30am all the tour groups were invading so we took off for the road into the jungle to see the lost city of Coba.

From the guide book's description we thought we might have Coba to ourselves - little bit off the beaten track, well inland and not the most spectacular ruin in the Yucatan. But we hadn't counted on the tenacious tour operators and their buses, which were all there lined up when we arrived.

Fortunately, Coba was a big city. And although only a fraction of the buildings remain they are well spaced out over a few kilometres, so it never felt that busy.

 

 

We shunned the official guides hawking at the entrance in favour of our own interpretation and stories, and enjoyed a good few hours walking along the jungle paths from ruin to ruin.

The great thing about Coba is that you can climb the big Pyramid - Nohoch Mul - which is the tallest pyramid in this part of Mexico.

The bad thing about Coba is that everybody else wants to climb the big Pyramid, and not all of them seem all that confident about it. Strewn all the way up are people sitting, crouching or crawling, hanging on for dear life, convinced they are going to throw themselves off like lemmings.

Thanks to the altitude training in Peru, we had no problems hiking up and down - here we are at the top!

It's been really nice to have our own place for a week, more than just a hotel room, swinging in a hammock, reading, with the Caribbean lapping away. We're going to be sad to leave tomorrow. BUT onwards: Arriba! Arriba! Next stop Merida - the white city - and capital of the Yucatan; plus more Mayan pyramids to climb! Such fun!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a celebrity get me out of here

216 days since selling up. David Jones recording.

We arrived in Iquitos, the jungle city, last Thursday. The unique thing about Iquitos is that everyone, and I mean everyone, owns a motorcycle or a motorcar, which is like a rickshaw but instead of a bicycle to drive it there’s a man revving on a motorbike. They seem to race each other, five a-breast, around the city like they’re in wacky races.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the first night we stayed in a B+B run by an ex-movie producer, called Walter Saxer. His big film was in the early 80s, a German-backed movie called Fiztcarraldo. Ever heard of it? We hadn’t.  But there were pics up in the open air bar of him with Mick Jagger and a clutch of actors we didn’t recognise. The film was set in Iquitos, and he obviously loved the frontier-town jungle so much he decided never to leave!

After a sweltering night in our 1970s/early 80s bedroom (and a decent Argentinian steak BBQ’d by Walter) we were picked up in the morning to go on our jungle trek up the Amazon! By trek I mean a two-hour speedboat ride, though it was like no speed boat we’d ever been in before. We had a short stop on the way to meet a local Amazonian tribe who decided they wanted to dance with us and then sell us their wares…

The Amazon lodge we stayed in 50 miles down river was very comfortable, and to our surprise had a swimming pool; though no electricity except between 6 and 10 at night. Our room had mosquito nets for windows, which allowed us to sleep hearing the noises of the jungle. Except in our case it was a party of marauding Peruvian school children on some kind of summer camp. We’ve heard more animal noises in our old house in Goring; normally a fox in the garden and the cat next door.

Speaking of comparisons to England; the jungle trek which promised much, turned out to be like any old walk in an English woods, except they have bigger, nastier ants in the Amazon, mosquitoes and admittedly impressively tall trees. We didn’t see one Anaconda (thankfully!) and only a distant monkey. But we did hear the distant noise, laughter and music of the Amazon tribes - or was it just the group of Peruvian school kids going on their trek in the opposite direction?

The next morning we were back on our boat on the Amazon, which has quite a romantic sound to it, but spent the morning fishing for piranhas in the heat of the sun and spotting Pink Dolphins native to the Amazon. Unfortunately luck was against us. The piranhas didn’t bite despite the large lumps of beef at the end of our hooks, and the dolphins shied away.

To wrap up our overnight adventure in the jungle, we were then speeded back to Iquitos on a tiny speed boat this time driven by the Evil Knievel of Amazon speedboat drivers, who delighted in dodging the floating logs and other debris coming down the river with the narrowest of margins. To make things even scarier we were accompanied on this journey by the ‘Mervyn’ of jungle guides (i.e. Mervyn the depressed robot from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy). At the half way point of the journey he turned around, all of a sudden, and asked me if I was ‘happy’. I said, ‘yes’, thinking he was enquiring about how comfortable I was on the journey back (although it was the most uncomfortable journey ever). He replied that he wasn’t happy, and asked did I want to know why. Of course my counselling training came into its own and stupidly I said, ‘yes’. He told me the love of his life, a girl in the village, was marrying another man and he had had to cry himself to sleep last night. He then turned around with his back to us and didn’t say another word for the rest of the journey. Anyhoo we made it back safely.

 

 

We stayed one more night at the jungle B+B, and then left for our last night in Peru back in Lima, for which we had arranged a special treat in a five star hotel – it was so worth it. We had cancelled our hostel room; we thought we needed some pampering after our jungle experience. Next stop, Mexico! Such fun!