We are but dust walking...

Aug 13, 2009
Miraflora, Nicaragua

*This entry is being posted out of sync with linear time....

A bus ride from leon to estlie, a former strong hold for contras and sandinistas but only to be disappointed by how boring the town really is and how there is not much at all that echoes the sense of revolution. I guess I was somewhat serious when I said that I be doing a tour of leftist revolutionaries. I wonder what it is about revolution that really draws me in? Maybe its because they wish for something better, maybe because they stand for change and they fight for the little people?!

Another nearly 2 hour bus ride out to the reserva miraflora the next morning. Chicken bus packed to the rim, just when you think that they can't fit anymore onto the bus, they squeeze a little tighter and another comes on board. The road out to the reserva is a dirt road with rocks and GIANT pot holes filled with rain water. We get dropped off at what I assume is the start of the reserve and we attempt to trek 2km through mud to get to the place where we are supposed to stay. About a km in, we see this finca that I had seen a flyer for in town, we inquire about prices and etc, one finca is just as good as another, why trek another km with packs through mud? We get ourselves into this really cute finca, run by a German wife, a Nicaraguan husband, their baby nero and two fantastic dogs, fiona and snoopy. I was rather smitten with the dogs and really wanted to take one of them home with me.

There are 6 americans here already at the finca. All from northern Cali and here to do some volunteer work for a NGO. 3 of them are in their 60's, old hippies who have found god but are still a bit crunchy and still have a lust for the road. The other 3 are this one guy Mike's daughter, her fiancée and his nephew who has never been outside of California before. They are nice, they are friendly, we make friends and have a nice chat. All the while, I can't help but wonder how did I end up on a finca in nicaragua with a bunch of americans. Then again, 3 nights later, I am sitting lake side drinking rum and coke with a room full of brits.

We opt to ride horses through the reserva. We originally had wanted to trek, but my hiking shoes are nearly dead, tread less and not doing me much good on slippery trails. With the rock filled dirt road and giant water filled pot hole, a horse seems like a much better idea. Ernesto tries to find two more horses for us and in the meantime, we gulf down another plate of rice and beans for breakfast.

8 gringos and 1 guide sets off on horseback. I some how end up with the lead horse, she doesn't like it when there are other horses in front of her and if she sees another approaching, she will pick up pace and get ahead of them. Ian is on a horse that does not like to walk next to other horses, it seems to have trouble with personal space. Several different occasions something would set my horse off, whether because another has come from behind at a full gallop or she felt her position as the lead horse is threatened, she would break out into a full run and I would dig my heels in and hold on for dear life.

The ride through the reserva is beautiful. Gradual green hills dotted with small farms sets in between mountain ranges, just at the height of the clouds. There is green green and more green, all in different shades and textures. We finally get to a waterfall, tie up our horses and sit by the water for a bit. I have been under the weather since El Salvador. Today, I feel like shit. After the waterfall, the guide gave me a different horse for the ride back. This new horse does not like to have its reign pulled at all. You could barley touch reigns as it freaks out when you do. At first she just wanted to walk very very slowly. Feeling like death warmed over by this point, I am rather fine with just sitting on a horse instead of doing any kind of riding. In the meantime, the nephew gets thrown off the horse I was on previously and I am slightly glad that I am not on her anymore. About half way home, my horse freaks out and starts into a full gallop. Can't pull the reigns as that makes her even more crazy, verbal commands don't work, hanging on for dear life is the only thing to do. I can't sit up and ride with her cause there is nothing to hold on to, I would only want to pull on the reigns at least a little if I were to sit up. So now I am leaning closer and closer down to her neck and all of sudden she jerks her head back and head butts me. Once, twice, FUCK! I some how get her to stop running and I get the fuck off of this crazy horse. My face is a little bashed up and I have cut my lip open. I hand the reigns back to the guide and I start my walk home. Enough riding for one day. Ian runs his horse back to the finca and walks back down to meet me. As we both make our way back to the finca, the guide tells us that ian's horse, the one with the personal space issue is crazy as well that is why they named it Satan.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cuddle up in a hammock. Me with as much clothes as I can manage to put on, dozing in the hammock while Ian plows his way through war and peace.

Night comes and we stand out in the middle of the field and look up. There are so many stars out, there are no city lights, there are nothing for miles around. The last time I had seen a sky with as many stars, I was 100KM from MT Everest in a no name town with someone who I thought I was going to marry. 18 months later, I am in Nicaragua, wrapped up in another man's arms and once again amazed at the beauty that I am being offered, amazed at the twists and turns life has in store for us all. The fire flies are out. They blink on and off through out the finca and it is as if we are surrounded by stars above and below. We maybe but dust walking but do you think that we were able to appreciate this much beauty when we were stars?

Sierra Norte Trek

July 14, 2009
Sierra Norte, Oaxaca Mexico

*This post is being posted out of sync with linear time...

I take a bus into sierra norte to a town called cuajimoloyas at elevation 3180m. I am surprised by the cold as the temp just drop at least 15 degrees from Oaxaca. I throw on another tank top, a t-shirt and zips my light water proof shell tight. I did not pack very well for this journey, I packed for the tropics and heat and where I am headed will be cold. My trekking partner is a 26 year old french Canadian idealist named felix who came to mexico to monitor the election for the OAS. We set off around 10:30 with our local guide (whose name I didn't catch). It is so beautiful here, so lush, so green, the sky so blue. Never in my life would I think that this is what Mexico looks like. There are green meadows with wildflowers everywhere, alpine trees and streams. We stay more or less at this altitude for the next couple of hours. Our guide tells us that there are 8 remote zapotec villages here and they are self sustaining as they grow everything they need. they have collectively pooled their resources and share the revenue from the logging and eco-tourism program. Each person has to do something to contribute and so some volunteer as guides and other work once in a while in logging and etc. They are not paid individually, the money is shared by all the villages.

Our guide walks us by this three pools (about 15 feet in diameter each) and tells us that his brother is farming some kind of fish in there, using the water from the near by stream. I ask what the sling shot hanging on the fence is for? To shoot at the hawks that come for the fish.

We reach a look out point and peer into the valley down below, there is a guy waiting for us, we are switching guides. Our new guide's name is Salvador. He points to the base of the valley and tells us that is where he lives and where we will have lunch. Half way up the opposite side of the mountain is a town called Latuvi and that is where we will spend the night.

We now start our descend, its steep and slippery but we are in the middle of alpines and I just couldn't be happier. By 3 we make it to Salvador's house where felix and I watch them catch fish out of their ponds for us for lunch. Meanwhile, felix and I fall asleep on the table waiting for lunch. This is me and felix's first fish here in mexico, a nice change from the non-stop parade of meat.

We ask salvador how much more do we have to go and he looks at me and says maybe an hour. We set off and starts climbing up. Felix and I covered the ascend to 2400m in 35 min. I don't know the altitude of salvador's house but its a bit ways down. I haven't had any trouble all these days here in the higher elevation but I could really feel it on the ascend. As we climb, we stop at one point and salvador points out where the look out is where we meet him. Wow, we have covered quiet a bit of distance here. An elder lady w a burro carrying vegetables comes along side of us and we chat with her as we climb. She asks where we are headed tomorrow and felix tells her that he will be turning around to head south while I continue north. She says why are you leaving your girlfriend? No, no, we are just friends.

We finally arrive and gets all the logistical details settled. Felix and I are sharing a cabin as we both only paid for a shared room. The cabin is super nice, better than any hostel I have been in.

As I write, I am swinging in a hammock watching the cloud formation change a top the mountain range, the goats are settling their unfinished business in the background as the day is about to end. I could not be happier.

---

We watch the sunset, share a great meal made for us by the lady running the store. We share a beer and a smoke and talk about the 14km that we covered today. Its been a great day, its been fucking perfect!

Oh, before I forget, sierra norte does not observe day light savings, so there was much discussion as to when we will head out tomorrow, 8am Oaxaca time? 8am sierra norte time? What the hell? I don't understand!

Day 2, I have another 14km ahead of me and I need to cover that distance by mid day as I have a bus tonight. We poke our heads out of our room and everything is shrouded in white. We are in midst of clouds and its beautiful. Another great meal, another smoke, a handful of advil, before felix heads south and I north.

My guide is salvador again and he really likes to stop to tell you about the local flora and faunas. Both days we see what is left of where the villages used to be as they shift and relocate with the moving river. I think salvador really enjoys being a guide. The scenery is different today, different vegetation and a different vibe.

For part of the trek we are down by the river and parts of it we are along the side of the mountains. Its up and down all 14kms. Every now and the, we stop and my guide points to where we are headed or to where we have been. Its quiet a bit of mountain range I have trekked. Felix and I both agree that there is no way we could have done is by ourselves as the trails are poorly marked. I switch guides again and he is young and not very talkative.

I arrive at my final village Amatlan just before 1pm, 14km in 4 hours, not too bad. Now I am just waiting for a collectivio so I can get to a bigger town where I can then find my way back to Oaxaca.

I could easily do another day of this, but at last, there is a bus with my name on it tonight. So I must leave this very simple life, this very amazing scenery, walk out of the woods and reclaim my camera, film and the best of my belongings and keep heading south.

*PS. No jaguar sightings, so sad...

Pacayn

July 25, 2009
Antigua, Guatemala
Elevation 1500m

Trekking up and camping overnight on Volcano Pacayn is by far the craziest thing I have ever done, even more so than jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

A good friend of mine was here in Antigua earlier this year and she had recommended an overnight camp/trek with a group called OX Expeditions. Every tour agency in town can arrange for a day trip out to Pacayn which is what most people do. OX is the only one who does an overnight camp.

We leave Antigua early friday afternoon with everyone carrying a bit of the camping gear in their packs. There is 9 of us in the group plus our guide. 3 young Spanish girls and their sidekick, a lost girl from Portland, OR. A very nice couple from Washington DC, she is in the non-profit sector and he is an earth science teacher. A young Dutchman, an Englishman born in Hong Kong who is also friends with my friend and me. We reach Pacayn in about an hour and starts out ascend. We hike though amazingly dense forsts with an occasional grassy green fields on the opposite side. There are random stray cows munching in the woods and a curious dog or two. There is a bit of elevation gain, challenging but not severe.

We start at about 2000m and we reach base camp in about an hour and half. We have a fantastic view of Volcano Agua from our camp site. Oh, oh, there is a bit of trouble. The spot OX normally camp at is on a road, but there is usually no cars on it, today, there are two trucks. Our guide goes over to see what is what. They are doing some work and wont be leaving until much later, which would mean that we have to camp at a different site and only be able to set up 2 tents or we have to camp in the dark. The lost girl actually came up with a brilliant idea, she suggest that they move the trucks out now, further down the road so we could camp. The 4 girls goes over with our guide to see if they could work their magic a little. At first it doesn´t seem to be working, the Englishman and I actually joke that perhaps we could trade the girls in for our camp site as neither of us cares much for them. Nevertheless, the girls do their job, the trucks are moved and we set up camp.

Around 6:30pm, we start out ascend up an active volcano, Pacayn. At first its full of soft sandy volcanic ash and pebbles, then it changes to larger loose volcanic rocks. The footing is loose and you are always uncertain if what you are standing on will hold. You look up and see all the groups that are now making their descend and you think ¨FUCK! That is Steep!¨ The way up is treacherous to say the least, is it a trail that we are hiking on? Or are we just climbing up the side of an volcano? The volcanic rocks are sharp, there are many who are coming down with cuts on their legs and hands.

After about an hour of tough climbing, its nearly dark and we have reached the lava at 2379m. We are now standing next to a flow of lava that is about 6 foot wide and moving fast. The earth science teacher could not be happier. He even brought a rock hammer so he could stick it in the moving lava to collect some samples. The wind picks up and you can feel the heat coming off the lava. OMG! This is fucking incredible and yet very kinda scary at the same time.

We are standing on crusts, here and there, there are pockets where you can see the red glow of the lava flowing beneath. The earth is alive, the earth is moving underneath you. This particular natural phenomenon is one which I have had very little experience with. I am a little in awe, I am not sure what to think.

Some in the group are super excited, they are trying to roast marshmallows on the lava, collecting samples, getting way too close to the lava as if they are immune to heat. I find a spot to sit and I watch. The lava flow is hypnotic. Our guides points out how the Guatemalans have such a different approach to these kinds of natural wonders than Westerners do. While they are hooting, hollering and whistling, all of us are quiet, beholden by the raw intensity of what we are witnessing. Irrespective to which forms of celebration you prefer, I believe that we are all paying respect in our own ways to the beauty that is before us.

Its time to make our way down. Its pitch black out, all we have is our head lamps and the wind just picked up intensity. The footing is uneasy and uncertain, that plus the gusty wind, I am now having a hard time not getting blown over. We gingerly make our way down and I am a little scared. FUCK! God I pray that I can make it down in one piece and not sustain serious injury. Everything is lose underfoot and you can hardly see. The wind keeps on blowing my bangs over my lamp, impairing what little visibility I have already. But this is no time to stop to put on a hat or anything as I am third in the line on the descent and there are many right behind.

35-45 sketchy scary minutes later, stumbling in the dark, never really sure if I am heading the right way, we finally reach base camp. THANK GOD! We make dinner with stars overhead and the lights of Guatemala city stretched out to our right. We watch the lava flow down the side of the volcano and the volcanic rocks breaking off, flying into the night. I change into dry warm clothes, snuggle down into my sleeping bad, snug as a bug and exclaim, ¨Öh I am so fucking happy right now!¨ ¨That is enough out of your tent!¨The Englishman shouts back at me!

This is by far the craziest thing I have ever done and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure. It is not for the faint of heart but it is FUCKING AMAZING!