Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011--Chicago
It was windy with a threat of rain, but I wanted to get out and enjoy at least part of the day. I took the train down to China Town. Many people where there. Apparently, it is traditional for families to go to the restaurants there on Sundays. I stopped at a Vietnamese place and had a traditional Vietnamese sandwich for lunch.
From there I walked to Prairie Avenue. It and surrounding streets once made up a neighborhood similar to the King William District in San Antonio. The richest people in the city built their homes there. But unlike King William, the Prairie Avenue neighborhood redeveloped with factories, warehouses, etc., in the early 1900s so that only about 5 of the old mansions still remain. How sad. Today, the factories and warehouses are being replaced by new condo developments. They are nice, but they cannot compare to the old mansions that used to be there.
I explored one more neighborhood before calling it quits for the day. Just north of where I am staying is the Bryn Mawr neighborhood. It has some very nice buildings from the 1930s with art deco features. It's a hub for nice restaurants which were filled with people having afternoon brunch today.
Because of the rain forecast, I knew I would have to return home. Clouds covers were developing, and the winds were getting stronger. I went to a nearby supermarket and bought a slice of quiche and a bottle of white wine to take home with me. As I neared the apartment around 4 p.m., sprinkles began to fall. I spent the rest of the evening inside on the computer and watching Masterpiece Theater on PBS.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Infrequent Bus Service on Saturdays
Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011--Chicago
I bought a weekly pass to use on the CTA, the buses and trains of the city. When Andre brought me home yesterday morning, I commented about how easy it seemed to be to move around town in a car. His comment was that weekends seem worse--that people seem to use public transport to go to/from work and then use their cars on weekends. Now I can see why.
I got to nearby Lawrence this morning, and a bus was coming. But when I stopped at Damon Street to transfer, I waited and waited. I heard a man say that Saturday buses were sometimes up to 50 minutes apart. After 35 minutes no bus had come going north, but a southbound one (toward town) was arriving, so I quickly decided to take it. (North would have taken me to Andre's apartment where I had volunteered to help him put up some blinds if I could get there. Southbound would take me directly to a Costco I had scoped out on the Internet.)
I'm very glad that our Costco at home is not as successful as the one here on Clybourn. It was jam packed. People couldn't easily move their carts. The employees handing out snacks hardly ever had anything to offer, because if they put out a tray, everything on it disappeared immediately. My only reason for stopping, however, was just to see if they had anything interesting for sale that is not at my local store. I found a few chocolate items, a box of glass Christmas ornaments with a set of glass beads, Hanukkah wrapping paper, heavy wool winter coats for men, special cheeses from Chihuahua, etc. While there, I ate a hot dog for lunch. Then I found the ONE THING I WISH THEY HAD IN SAN ANTONIO--a Kirland Homemade Gelato Bar from which they sold 3-dip servings in waffle cones for $1.50 or hand-packed quarts to go for a little less than $5. I bought a cone. They had only 3 flavors available by the time I was there and bought it. All three were fantastic--a berry flavor, a flavor that had chocolate chunks in it, and a nutty flavor.
The Costco was near Lincoln Heights, one of the well-known neighborhoods of Chicago, so I started walking through it. It's commercial district goes for blocks with all kinds of stores. I passed an Aldi and noticed a sign that said that seasonal items were in. Every Christmas, Arne and I used to buy their German stollen stuffed with marzipan. I went inside, and they had it. I bought one to have as a snack during my final days here in Chicago.
From Lincoln Heights, I crossed the river and an expressway to take me to Wicker Heights. This area is supposedly the one that has most recently been redeveloping after years of hard times. I saw the local Flatiron Building (an early skyscraper using steel framing that is triangular in shape), two Polish Churches (including one with a wedding party standing outside), two Ukrainian churches (including one with everyone leaving a Saturday mass that had ended), a street party for local children in their Halloween costumes, etc.
I thought there might be adults heading out to parties in Halloween costumes this evening. Last year, they were all over New York. And I figured the best bet for finding this would be Boystown, an area along Halsted St. Sure enough, there were a few people in costumes, but nothing like what I expected. My guess is that they were going out later or that the parties will all be on Monday night. Boystown is a nice part of town, anyway. It's to the east of Wrigley Field and, like most gay neighborhood, has lots of nice restaurants and trendy shops.
Unfortunately, one of my neighbors had a party last night. It was someone in back. There is a sidewalk that walks around the side of the building (past my bedroom) to another entrance to a back portion of the building. The people who attended got drunk and loud and moved the party into the outdoor walkway and courtyard. They kept waking me up throughout much of the night. It must have lasted until 3 or 4 a.m.!
I bought a weekly pass to use on the CTA, the buses and trains of the city. When Andre brought me home yesterday morning, I commented about how easy it seemed to be to move around town in a car. His comment was that weekends seem worse--that people seem to use public transport to go to/from work and then use their cars on weekends. Now I can see why.
I got to nearby Lawrence this morning, and a bus was coming. But when I stopped at Damon Street to transfer, I waited and waited. I heard a man say that Saturday buses were sometimes up to 50 minutes apart. After 35 minutes no bus had come going north, but a southbound one (toward town) was arriving, so I quickly decided to take it. (North would have taken me to Andre's apartment where I had volunteered to help him put up some blinds if I could get there. Southbound would take me directly to a Costco I had scoped out on the Internet.)
I'm very glad that our Costco at home is not as successful as the one here on Clybourn. It was jam packed. People couldn't easily move their carts. The employees handing out snacks hardly ever had anything to offer, because if they put out a tray, everything on it disappeared immediately. My only reason for stopping, however, was just to see if they had anything interesting for sale that is not at my local store. I found a few chocolate items, a box of glass Christmas ornaments with a set of glass beads, Hanukkah wrapping paper, heavy wool winter coats for men, special cheeses from Chihuahua, etc. While there, I ate a hot dog for lunch. Then I found the ONE THING I WISH THEY HAD IN SAN ANTONIO--a Kirland Homemade Gelato Bar from which they sold 3-dip servings in waffle cones for $1.50 or hand-packed quarts to go for a little less than $5. I bought a cone. They had only 3 flavors available by the time I was there and bought it. All three were fantastic--a berry flavor, a flavor that had chocolate chunks in it, and a nutty flavor.
The Costco was near Lincoln Heights, one of the well-known neighborhoods of Chicago, so I started walking through it. It's commercial district goes for blocks with all kinds of stores. I passed an Aldi and noticed a sign that said that seasonal items were in. Every Christmas, Arne and I used to buy their German stollen stuffed with marzipan. I went inside, and they had it. I bought one to have as a snack during my final days here in Chicago.
From Lincoln Heights, I crossed the river and an expressway to take me to Wicker Heights. This area is supposedly the one that has most recently been redeveloping after years of hard times. I saw the local Flatiron Building (an early skyscraper using steel framing that is triangular in shape), two Polish Churches (including one with a wedding party standing outside), two Ukrainian churches (including one with everyone leaving a Saturday mass that had ended), a street party for local children in their Halloween costumes, etc.
I thought there might be adults heading out to parties in Halloween costumes this evening. Last year, they were all over New York. And I figured the best bet for finding this would be Boystown, an area along Halsted St. Sure enough, there were a few people in costumes, but nothing like what I expected. My guess is that they were going out later or that the parties will all be on Monday night. Boystown is a nice part of town, anyway. It's to the east of Wrigley Field and, like most gay neighborhood, has lots of nice restaurants and trendy shops.
Unfortunately, one of my neighbors had a party last night. It was someone in back. There is a sidewalk that walks around the side of the building (past my bedroom) to another entrance to a back portion of the building. The people who attended got drunk and loud and moved the party into the outdoor walkway and courtyard. They kept waking me up throughout much of the night. It must have lasted until 3 or 4 a.m.!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Sun, Friends, and Universities
Thursday and Friday, Oct. 28 & 29, 2011--Chicago and Suburbs
The sun came out just before noon on Thursday. I stayed inside doing things until then. The sun makes such a big difference. Although the temperature was still in the low 50s, it felt comfortable. The lack of wind helped there, too.
I took the train to Evanston. I wandered looking for a place to eat. I couldn't find anything interesting that was local and family-owned, so I stopped at Five Guys Burgers which I have heard so many people rave about. They serve a burger with all items free. It comes with patties that look hand-pressed, but I have toured a meat packing plant in Corpus Christi where they had "free-form" metal outlines for making "hand-pressed" patties for Dairy Queen!! The burger was good, and it was a decent price for it--two patties, grilled onions, tomato, pickle, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, jalepenos, mayonnaise, and mustard--at $5.49. Where they get you is their drinks which are all priced at $2.09 and are smaller than a "medium" would be in Texas. Fries adds even more onto the price, but I didn't need the calories and, therefore, saved that additional money.
I went to the Mather Pavilion, a nursing home, first after eating to visit Jean Petty. I know her because of being a friend of the family. Her son Wes is one of my best friends. I am also a friend with her other son Andre and have met two of her daughters. I know Jean from visits to Texas and from a visit I made to their home in Chattanooga. She was sleeping when I arrived and was quite unsure of everything at first. I told her I was Randy from Texas and that Wes and I were good friends. I tried to remind her that we had met in Texas and in Tennessee. Because I mentioned Wes' name several times while telling her all of this, I think she may have trought I was Wes. I wrote him later telling him that he probably got a "freebie" with her thinking he had come to visit her. I took her a box of chocolates which she enjoyed. That was part of what helped perk her up. By the time I left 20 minutes later, her eyes were wide open and she seemed happy. Her caregiver had arrived and was facilitating the conversation.
From the nursing home I walked a few blocks to Northwestern University which I had never visited before. It is a beautiful lakeside campus. There are lots of limestone buildings, a few modern ones, and, unfortunately, a few concrete bunker style ones from the 1960s with designs that make me think of Communist architecture. It's a huge and impressive campus. There are many church buildings on campus.
After that, I explored more of Evanston. I kept thinking about the fact that there was little there that would be low-cost. That made me wonder how much of student loans is wasted on living the good life while being a student. Restaurants where it is common to spend $20 per person or more were filled with students. And there were lots of $4 drinks being consumed by students at Starbucks. I don't guess there are many American students anymore who cook their own meals, live 2-to-a-bedroom in apartments, etc., (other than Indians and other foreign students).
One nice thing I discovered in Evanston was a news stand. They hardly exist anymore. My favorite store in Commerce when I was growing up was the news stand. I loved to see the newspapers from various cities and the magazines covering all kinds of topics. Even today I remain a news junkie with about 10 websites for newspapers posted on my instant tab bar of my computer.
I was supposed to meet Andre, Jean's son, at 6:00 p.m., so I just slowly walked back toward Chicago exploring along the way down Chicago Avenue and Ashland St. It started sprinkling just a block before I got to the Heartland Cafe where we were to meet, and I was still an hour early. Rather than walk further or go inside and wait so long, I just got on the train and took a 30 minute ride, then got on a return train. As I walked up to the door of the restaurant, a man with an umbrella was standing there to close it before entering. It was Andre. Rather than go inside, we just got in his car and left.
We drove to Wilmette which is further north from Evanston. On the way, we passed by the Baha'i Temple, a well-known landmark of suburban northern Chicago which is a beautiful, large structure. Andre runs a community service for the elderly, and he is presently staying with one of his volunteers who has had foot surgery and needs assistance cleaning and re-bandaging the wound daily. Jim is elderly himself and used to be a professional photographer for TWA Airlines. He had lots of stories to tell about his photography and his life. And Andre and I who had not seen each other for about 5 years had lots of stories to tell in catching up on our friendship. The three of us had dinner there at the house. And because of the late hour and the distance back into town, I just stayed out there for the evening.
_______
Friday morning, Andre drove me back to my apartment before heading to his office. I cleaned up and went out for a day in Chicago. I headed downtown to the Fourth Presbyterian Church for an organ concert I had seen advertised on a poster outside the church as I was walking on Wednesday. I didn't realize at the time that this church is rather famous for its concerts and has been recognized in print and on TV for them. It was the church organist playing, and he had planned a concert of ghoulish music to go with the Halloween weekend. He started with the piece that was used as the theme song for The Phantom of the Opera. Of course, it sounded much better on the big church organ and inside the big church than it does on that YouTube link! It was an hour-long concert with an encore of The Addams Family theme song in which we were asked to do the finger snapping.
From there I headed to Millenium Park. It has opened since the last time I was in Chicago, and there have been rave reviews of it. I can see why. The park is a wonder to see. A small park, they have taken advantage of design plans such as amusement parks use to avoid wasting space. And the features they have all have a wow-factor that makes a visitor feel he has seen something special.
Next stop was the Union Station area to wander around. Immediately, I saw a restaurant with a sign showing a luncheon special of an Italian Beef Sandwich including cola and chips for $6.00. Since that is one of Chicago's specialties that I had been told to try, I had it. UMMM. It was a big bun first filled with lots of grated mozzarella cheese, then layered with steaming, thinly sliced beef, and finally topped with pickled jalepenos. It was great. The steaming beef melted the cheese and all the flavors mixed nicely.
I decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the University of Chicago and the area around it. It and Northwestern are the two great universities of this area. UC has an ivy-covered campus for the most part. There weren't many students around because it was late Friday afternoon, but I walked the campus enjoying the atmosphere.
From there, I wandered the neighborhood seeing the nice Hyde Park neighborhood houses. Built in the 1920s and 1930s, they are impressive homes. I was able to see the Obama home which can be viewed from the end of the block which is closed by the Secret Service. Two Frank Lloyd Wright homes were among the buildings I saw on and off the campus in that area.
It was 5:30 and starting to get dark by the time I caught the bus to return to town. I sat beside a young man who was maybe 16. He turned to me and asked, "Are you afraid?" That's because the university is in a section of town populated mostly by Blacks and the bus had only a couple of Chinese students and me with the rest being Black. My response was, "No, why?" He didn't reply. I just think he thought it unusual and funny for a white guy to be on a bus in that part of town at that time of day.
I was exhausted by then. I just returned home by train after getting off the bus downtown. My feet were sore and tired, and my body felt like it needed sleep. I spent time on the computer and went to bed around 9:00 and slept for 12 hours!!
The sun came out just before noon on Thursday. I stayed inside doing things until then. The sun makes such a big difference. Although the temperature was still in the low 50s, it felt comfortable. The lack of wind helped there, too.
I took the train to Evanston. I wandered looking for a place to eat. I couldn't find anything interesting that was local and family-owned, so I stopped at Five Guys Burgers which I have heard so many people rave about. They serve a burger with all items free. It comes with patties that look hand-pressed, but I have toured a meat packing plant in Corpus Christi where they had "free-form" metal outlines for making "hand-pressed" patties for Dairy Queen!! The burger was good, and it was a decent price for it--two patties, grilled onions, tomato, pickle, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, jalepenos, mayonnaise, and mustard--at $5.49. Where they get you is their drinks which are all priced at $2.09 and are smaller than a "medium" would be in Texas. Fries adds even more onto the price, but I didn't need the calories and, therefore, saved that additional money.
I went to the Mather Pavilion, a nursing home, first after eating to visit Jean Petty. I know her because of being a friend of the family. Her son Wes is one of my best friends. I am also a friend with her other son Andre and have met two of her daughters. I know Jean from visits to Texas and from a visit I made to their home in Chattanooga. She was sleeping when I arrived and was quite unsure of everything at first. I told her I was Randy from Texas and that Wes and I were good friends. I tried to remind her that we had met in Texas and in Tennessee. Because I mentioned Wes' name several times while telling her all of this, I think she may have trought I was Wes. I wrote him later telling him that he probably got a "freebie" with her thinking he had come to visit her. I took her a box of chocolates which she enjoyed. That was part of what helped perk her up. By the time I left 20 minutes later, her eyes were wide open and she seemed happy. Her caregiver had arrived and was facilitating the conversation.
From the nursing home I walked a few blocks to Northwestern University which I had never visited before. It is a beautiful lakeside campus. There are lots of limestone buildings, a few modern ones, and, unfortunately, a few concrete bunker style ones from the 1960s with designs that make me think of Communist architecture. It's a huge and impressive campus. There are many church buildings on campus.
After that, I explored more of Evanston. I kept thinking about the fact that there was little there that would be low-cost. That made me wonder how much of student loans is wasted on living the good life while being a student. Restaurants where it is common to spend $20 per person or more were filled with students. And there were lots of $4 drinks being consumed by students at Starbucks. I don't guess there are many American students anymore who cook their own meals, live 2-to-a-bedroom in apartments, etc., (other than Indians and other foreign students).
One nice thing I discovered in Evanston was a news stand. They hardly exist anymore. My favorite store in Commerce when I was growing up was the news stand. I loved to see the newspapers from various cities and the magazines covering all kinds of topics. Even today I remain a news junkie with about 10 websites for newspapers posted on my instant tab bar of my computer.
I was supposed to meet Andre, Jean's son, at 6:00 p.m., so I just slowly walked back toward Chicago exploring along the way down Chicago Avenue and Ashland St. It started sprinkling just a block before I got to the Heartland Cafe where we were to meet, and I was still an hour early. Rather than walk further or go inside and wait so long, I just got on the train and took a 30 minute ride, then got on a return train. As I walked up to the door of the restaurant, a man with an umbrella was standing there to close it before entering. It was Andre. Rather than go inside, we just got in his car and left.
We drove to Wilmette which is further north from Evanston. On the way, we passed by the Baha'i Temple, a well-known landmark of suburban northern Chicago which is a beautiful, large structure. Andre runs a community service for the elderly, and he is presently staying with one of his volunteers who has had foot surgery and needs assistance cleaning and re-bandaging the wound daily. Jim is elderly himself and used to be a professional photographer for TWA Airlines. He had lots of stories to tell about his photography and his life. And Andre and I who had not seen each other for about 5 years had lots of stories to tell in catching up on our friendship. The three of us had dinner there at the house. And because of the late hour and the distance back into town, I just stayed out there for the evening.
_______
Friday morning, Andre drove me back to my apartment before heading to his office. I cleaned up and went out for a day in Chicago. I headed downtown to the Fourth Presbyterian Church for an organ concert I had seen advertised on a poster outside the church as I was walking on Wednesday. I didn't realize at the time that this church is rather famous for its concerts and has been recognized in print and on TV for them. It was the church organist playing, and he had planned a concert of ghoulish music to go with the Halloween weekend. He started with the piece that was used as the theme song for The Phantom of the Opera. Of course, it sounded much better on the big church organ and inside the big church than it does on that YouTube link! It was an hour-long concert with an encore of The Addams Family theme song in which we were asked to do the finger snapping.
From there I headed to Millenium Park. It has opened since the last time I was in Chicago, and there have been rave reviews of it. I can see why. The park is a wonder to see. A small park, they have taken advantage of design plans such as amusement parks use to avoid wasting space. And the features they have all have a wow-factor that makes a visitor feel he has seen something special.
Next stop was the Union Station area to wander around. Immediately, I saw a restaurant with a sign showing a luncheon special of an Italian Beef Sandwich including cola and chips for $6.00. Since that is one of Chicago's specialties that I had been told to try, I had it. UMMM. It was a big bun first filled with lots of grated mozzarella cheese, then layered with steaming, thinly sliced beef, and finally topped with pickled jalepenos. It was great. The steaming beef melted the cheese and all the flavors mixed nicely.
I decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the University of Chicago and the area around it. It and Northwestern are the two great universities of this area. UC has an ivy-covered campus for the most part. There weren't many students around because it was late Friday afternoon, but I walked the campus enjoying the atmosphere.
From there, I wandered the neighborhood seeing the nice Hyde Park neighborhood houses. Built in the 1920s and 1930s, they are impressive homes. I was able to see the Obama home which can be viewed from the end of the block which is closed by the Secret Service. Two Frank Lloyd Wright homes were among the buildings I saw on and off the campus in that area.
It was 5:30 and starting to get dark by the time I caught the bus to return to town. I sat beside a young man who was maybe 16. He turned to me and asked, "Are you afraid?" That's because the university is in a section of town populated mostly by Blacks and the bus had only a couple of Chinese students and me with the rest being Black. My response was, "No, why?" He didn't reply. I just think he thought it unusual and funny for a white guy to be on a bus in that part of town at that time of day.
I was exhausted by then. I just returned home by train after getting off the bus downtown. My feet were sore and tired, and my body felt like it needed sleep. I spent time on the computer and went to bed around 9:00 and slept for 12 hours!!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
COLD Chicago!
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011--San Antonio to Chicago
The trip went fine today. The guy sitting next to me was of the giant economy size, but we managed okay. The flight actually arrived about 20 minutes early. I managed to get my luggage, buy my train/bus pass, take the train and bus, and arrive here at the apartment before the owner! Fortunately, I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for her, but that is one of the problems with using airbnb.com. Last year in New York, the woman who was to let me inside the apartment arrived about 40 minutes late.
One interesting thing about O'Hare Airport is that they have Go Shuttle, the same company that the airport in San Antonio has. I knew that the old Airport Express company was behind on their payments to SAT. I just figured they declared bankruptcy and changed their name. I may be right about the bankruptcy and the change of names, because the sign here in Chicago says, "Go Airport Express." Using both the old name used in San Antonio and the new one. Maybe it was a national company all along like Super Shuttle. Anyway, I'm glad to know it isn't just a small-time local contractor in San Antonio.
The apartment is much bigger than I expected. It's actually two floors. The kitchen, living room, dining room and a half-bath are upstairs. Downstairs is the bedroom, another half bath, and a huge bathroom with tub. It looks just like it does at the website: http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/220566
The bad news is the weather. It is cold and windy here. It feels especially bad when near the water. Since my apartment is only half a block off Marine Dr. (Lake Michigan), the weather feels severe in this neighborhood. The temperature was 51 when we landed. Every sign I saw for the rest of the day showed that temperature or lower. It's going to stay about the same through the time I am here. There will be some sunshine some days, but there is a chance of showers 3 of the days.
Due to the weather, I am re-thinking my plans. I had thought I would take the architecture boat tour which I have never done here and everyone says is so great. But I don't want to do it in weather like this. I need to search for indoor activities. I'm going to check what is showing at the cinemas, what plays are in town, what exhibits are at the museums, etc. It's going to have to be an indoor vacation.
Today, I explored the neighborhood. The block I am in and the ones nearby are really quite nice. In fact, the street just next to this one is in the National Historic Register. But go westward a couple of blocks or southward, and the neighborhood is decaying. Westward, however, it is being revived by an influx of Asians, mostly Vietnamese.
I searched for a place to have a Vietnamese sandwich for a late lunch. Most of the restaurants looked like full-service places rather than sandwich places, and they had no customers at that time of the day. I ended up buying a sandwich at a Subway two blocks away and bringing it back to the apartment.
After eating, I took the train to the northern part of downtown and walked around. I mainly explored the northern part of Michigan Avenue which is known for its fancy shops and department stores. Then I walked along Rush Street which feels quaint and has lots of restaurants and bars. Finally, I was so tired from getting up early, that I returned to the apartment for the evening.
The trip went fine today. The guy sitting next to me was of the giant economy size, but we managed okay. The flight actually arrived about 20 minutes early. I managed to get my luggage, buy my train/bus pass, take the train and bus, and arrive here at the apartment before the owner! Fortunately, I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for her, but that is one of the problems with using airbnb.com. Last year in New York, the woman who was to let me inside the apartment arrived about 40 minutes late.
One interesting thing about O'Hare Airport is that they have Go Shuttle, the same company that the airport in San Antonio has. I knew that the old Airport Express company was behind on their payments to SAT. I just figured they declared bankruptcy and changed their name. I may be right about the bankruptcy and the change of names, because the sign here in Chicago says, "Go Airport Express." Using both the old name used in San Antonio and the new one. Maybe it was a national company all along like Super Shuttle. Anyway, I'm glad to know it isn't just a small-time local contractor in San Antonio.
The apartment is much bigger than I expected. It's actually two floors. The kitchen, living room, dining room and a half-bath are upstairs. Downstairs is the bedroom, another half bath, and a huge bathroom with tub. It looks just like it does at the website: http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/220566
The bad news is the weather. It is cold and windy here. It feels especially bad when near the water. Since my apartment is only half a block off Marine Dr. (Lake Michigan), the weather feels severe in this neighborhood. The temperature was 51 when we landed. Every sign I saw for the rest of the day showed that temperature or lower. It's going to stay about the same through the time I am here. There will be some sunshine some days, but there is a chance of showers 3 of the days.
Due to the weather, I am re-thinking my plans. I had thought I would take the architecture boat tour which I have never done here and everyone says is so great. But I don't want to do it in weather like this. I need to search for indoor activities. I'm going to check what is showing at the cinemas, what plays are in town, what exhibits are at the museums, etc. It's going to have to be an indoor vacation.
Today, I explored the neighborhood. The block I am in and the ones nearby are really quite nice. In fact, the street just next to this one is in the National Historic Register. But go westward a couple of blocks or southward, and the neighborhood is decaying. Westward, however, it is being revived by an influx of Asians, mostly Vietnamese.
I searched for a place to have a Vietnamese sandwich for a late lunch. Most of the restaurants looked like full-service places rather than sandwich places, and they had no customers at that time of the day. I ended up buying a sandwich at a Subway two blocks away and bringing it back to the apartment.
After eating, I took the train to the northern part of downtown and walked around. I mainly explored the northern part of Michigan Avenue which is known for its fancy shops and department stores. Then I walked along Rush Street which feels quaint and has lots of restaurants and bars. Finally, I was so tired from getting up early, that I returned to the apartment for the evening.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Books I'm Reading between Travels
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan--Surprisingly well written novel about a farm in Mississippi after WWII. It would have been better if the last chapter had been left off completely, however. 3 1/2 stars out of 4
Beasts of No Nation: A Novel by Uzodinma Iweala--Follows the life and thoughts of a young boy who gets conscripted into fighting in an African civil war. Interesting pidgin English language construction meant to represent the style of speaking in the boy's native language. 3 stars out of 4
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro--A plausible science-fiction novel set in England that will shock and sadden the reader. 3 1/2 stars out of 4. I highly recommend seeing the DVD with the same title after having read the book.
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell--A set of gritty short stories about hard times in contemporary life. Very well written. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
Beasts of No Nation: A Novel by Uzodinma Iweala--Follows the life and thoughts of a young boy who gets conscripted into fighting in an African civil war. Interesting pidgin English language construction meant to represent the style of speaking in the boy's native language. 3 stars out of 4
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro--A plausible science-fiction novel set in England that will shock and sadden the reader. 3 1/2 stars out of 4. I highly recommend seeing the DVD with the same title after having read the book.
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell--A set of gritty short stories about hard times in contemporary life. Very well written. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Spending Update for Second Mexico Portion and for All of Trip
During this second portion of my trip in Mexico, my portion of our expenses was $205.45 over 4 days for an average of $51.36 per day. During the entire trip, I have spent a total of $2452.09 over 64 days for an average of $38.31 per day.
Returning Home
Saturday, May 28, 2011--Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas
The alarm was needed to get us up early enough to be ready for our 7:20 bus to the Cancun airport. I had bought pastries last night, so we each had a muffin while waiting for the bus.
Check-in and customs/immigration procedures at the airport when faster and smoother than expected. We probably could have taken the 8:00 bus, but my flight was at 10:56 and I didn't want to have to worry about being in a rush or possibly missing the flight.
Wes' flight wasn't until 12:05, although there was also a Houston-bound flight also leaving at 10:56. I suggested that he go to see if they would put him on it, since he only had an hour between flights in Houston to go through customs/immigration there and change terminals. I don't know if he did it or not.
Another dilemma he faced is that he had 113 pesos left to spend, yet what he wanted for a lunch was a slice of pizza and a drink for 115 pesos! He could get a burger and half fries/half onion rings at another place for 110 pesos, but that wouldn't include a drink. He was already behind security, so he had thrown away his water; that made the first offer sound better considering that only purchased water is potable within the airport. I encouraged him just to ask someone in line if they had an extra 2 pesos (about 18 cents US).
I was the only passenger in first class on my flight. It seemed strange being up there all alone. I was happy to get the warm meal, however--shrimp bisque, burrito, fruit salad, and chocolate candy. We zoomed along and got to San Antonio about 20 minutes early. Fortunately, everyone from the AeroMexico flight that had recently arrived was already cleared out of customs/immigration, so it took only a few minutes to get my bag and get checked out of there. It's so much easier to go through San Antonio than Houston. I heard some fellow passengers who had purposely booked themselves through here commenting about that.
Having been gone for nine weeks, I was ready to return home. It will be my first summer in Texas in 7 years, and I had been gone for summers the previous 4 years before that. I know it will be hot, but I will have a chance to do some of those things I haven't done in all these years. For instance, I am looking forward to going swimming at the pool at San Pedro Springs. Also, the Texas Folklife Festival in June is one of my favorite San Antonio festivals, and I have been missing it all these years.
The alarm was needed to get us up early enough to be ready for our 7:20 bus to the Cancun airport. I had bought pastries last night, so we each had a muffin while waiting for the bus.
Check-in and customs/immigration procedures at the airport when faster and smoother than expected. We probably could have taken the 8:00 bus, but my flight was at 10:56 and I didn't want to have to worry about being in a rush or possibly missing the flight.
Wes' flight wasn't until 12:05, although there was also a Houston-bound flight also leaving at 10:56. I suggested that he go to see if they would put him on it, since he only had an hour between flights in Houston to go through customs/immigration there and change terminals. I don't know if he did it or not.
Another dilemma he faced is that he had 113 pesos left to spend, yet what he wanted for a lunch was a slice of pizza and a drink for 115 pesos! He could get a burger and half fries/half onion rings at another place for 110 pesos, but that wouldn't include a drink. He was already behind security, so he had thrown away his water; that made the first offer sound better considering that only purchased water is potable within the airport. I encouraged him just to ask someone in line if they had an extra 2 pesos (about 18 cents US).
I was the only passenger in first class on my flight. It seemed strange being up there all alone. I was happy to get the warm meal, however--shrimp bisque, burrito, fruit salad, and chocolate candy. We zoomed along and got to San Antonio about 20 minutes early. Fortunately, everyone from the AeroMexico flight that had recently arrived was already cleared out of customs/immigration, so it took only a few minutes to get my bag and get checked out of there. It's so much easier to go through San Antonio than Houston. I heard some fellow passengers who had purposely booked themselves through here commenting about that.
Having been gone for nine weeks, I was ready to return home. It will be my first summer in Texas in 7 years, and I had been gone for summers the previous 4 years before that. I know it will be hot, but I will have a chance to do some of those things I haven't done in all these years. For instance, I am looking forward to going swimming at the pool at San Pedro Springs. Also, the Texas Folklife Festival in June is one of my favorite San Antonio festivals, and I have been missing it all these years.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Lazy Last Day
Friday, May 27, 2011--Playa del Carmen, Mexico
With no specific plans for today, we made it a lazy day. We went to the beach at 8:30 and swam for an hour. Then we returned to the hotel for the continental breakfast that was included with our room rate--toast, jam, coffee, tea, juice, and Mexican sweetbreads.
Back in the room, I trimmed my hair and then cut Wes' hair. We watched a film on TV. Then we went out in the late afternoon to watch people on the pedestrian street. We eventually walked to a restaurant for a light meal before returning to the walking street again. We were back in the hotel around 20:30 to pack and organize for our early departure tomorrow morning.
With no specific plans for today, we made it a lazy day. We went to the beach at 8:30 and swam for an hour. Then we returned to the hotel for the continental breakfast that was included with our room rate--toast, jam, coffee, tea, juice, and Mexican sweetbreads.
Back in the room, I trimmed my hair and then cut Wes' hair. We watched a film on TV. Then we went out in the late afternoon to watch people on the pedestrian street. We eventually walked to a restaurant for a light meal before returning to the walking street again. We were back in the hotel around 20:30 to pack and organize for our early departure tomorrow morning.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Barbacoa (Head Meat) Tacos
Thursday, May 26, 2011--Tulum to Playa del Carmen, Mexico
We were up early today to go to the Tulum Ruins, the Mayan settlement beside the Caribbean Sea. Before going to bed last night, we made arrangements to take the bicycles from our hotel. We rode the 6 km out there arriving by opening time at 8:00. We had the ruins mostly to ourselves for almost an hour. Then by 9:00, it was one tour group after another entering. The ruins themselves are not very impressive. They are small, rather crude buildings. But the setting is fantastic with the turquoise sea just behind them.
Back at our hotel by 9:30, we showered, checked out, and made it to the bus station in time to catch the 10:08 bus to Playa del Carmen an hour away. I was in Playa del Carmen once before about 1975 or '76. At that time, there was one palapa-style restaurant on the beach near the ferry to Cozumel. Whatever there was of a town could not be seen from the beach. I remember that the bus let me off there at the beach and I waited for the ferry. Today, it is a major tourist resort with more hotels than Cancun (but probably no as many mega hotels as Cancun).
We are staying at the Aventura Mexicana Hotel. As usual, our room was not ready when we arrived. We left our luggage and went in search of a place to eat. We took the easy way out when we saw a Mega Supermarket. We got a couple of dishes from the deli (spaghetti with cream, ham, and pineapple and a spicy chicken dish with peppers and carrots in a broth. We got a diet cola and sat at a table inside the store to eat.
The room was ready when we returned. It is nice with a balcony, flat panel TV, refrigerator, a/c, etc. The hotel is very nice overall. Since it was after 14:00, we stayed inside and watched a film during the heat of the day.
When we eventually went out at 16:30, it was still 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees F). We explored Avenida 5 which is a long pedestrian street which serves as the spine of the tourist district. It's long enough that it has 3 Starbucks, 4 Haagen Daz ice cream stores, and gobs of restaurants and bars. A couple of times, we went out to the beach to see the white sands and the turquoise water. It's a gorgeous setting.
As the evening came, we saw a crowd at a small mobile cart. They were selling tacos made from barbacoa--the cooked meat from the head of the calf. In fact, as we walked up, the man was holding a head picking the meat off it. His fingers were going into and out of the eye holes, along the cheeks, etc. Two others were chopping up the meat for making the tacos. We asked the price of a man standing there. He seemed excited that we were interested. At only 10 pesos each, we ordered two tacos each. There was a nice condiment bar with pico de gallo, green salsa, red salsa, etc. We added our toppings and sat on the sidewalk to eat them. They were great and just what we needed for our appetites.
Returning to Avenida 5, we walked part of the way down the street watching people. Then we sat on a bench and continued to watch people, listen to mariachis, etc. It was fun just to see the various types of people, see how they were dressed, listen for the different languages, etc. Eventually, we returned to our hotel around 22:00.
We were up early today to go to the Tulum Ruins, the Mayan settlement beside the Caribbean Sea. Before going to bed last night, we made arrangements to take the bicycles from our hotel. We rode the 6 km out there arriving by opening time at 8:00. We had the ruins mostly to ourselves for almost an hour. Then by 9:00, it was one tour group after another entering. The ruins themselves are not very impressive. They are small, rather crude buildings. But the setting is fantastic with the turquoise sea just behind them.
Back at our hotel by 9:30, we showered, checked out, and made it to the bus station in time to catch the 10:08 bus to Playa del Carmen an hour away. I was in Playa del Carmen once before about 1975 or '76. At that time, there was one palapa-style restaurant on the beach near the ferry to Cozumel. Whatever there was of a town could not be seen from the beach. I remember that the bus let me off there at the beach and I waited for the ferry. Today, it is a major tourist resort with more hotels than Cancun (but probably no as many mega hotels as Cancun).
We are staying at the Aventura Mexicana Hotel. As usual, our room was not ready when we arrived. We left our luggage and went in search of a place to eat. We took the easy way out when we saw a Mega Supermarket. We got a couple of dishes from the deli (spaghetti with cream, ham, and pineapple and a spicy chicken dish with peppers and carrots in a broth. We got a diet cola and sat at a table inside the store to eat.
The room was ready when we returned. It is nice with a balcony, flat panel TV, refrigerator, a/c, etc. The hotel is very nice overall. Since it was after 14:00, we stayed inside and watched a film during the heat of the day.
When we eventually went out at 16:30, it was still 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees F). We explored Avenida 5 which is a long pedestrian street which serves as the spine of the tourist district. It's long enough that it has 3 Starbucks, 4 Haagen Daz ice cream stores, and gobs of restaurants and bars. A couple of times, we went out to the beach to see the white sands and the turquoise water. It's a gorgeous setting.
As the evening came, we saw a crowd at a small mobile cart. They were selling tacos made from barbacoa--the cooked meat from the head of the calf. In fact, as we walked up, the man was holding a head picking the meat off it. His fingers were going into and out of the eye holes, along the cheeks, etc. Two others were chopping up the meat for making the tacos. We asked the price of a man standing there. He seemed excited that we were interested. At only 10 pesos each, we ordered two tacos each. There was a nice condiment bar with pico de gallo, green salsa, red salsa, etc. We added our toppings and sat on the sidewalk to eat them. They were great and just what we needed for our appetites.
Returning to Avenida 5, we walked part of the way down the street watching people. Then we sat on a bench and continued to watch people, listen to mariachis, etc. It was fun just to see the various types of people, see how they were dressed, listen for the different languages, etc. Eventually, we returned to our hotel around 22:00.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Moving Northward
Wednesday, May 25, 2011--Chetumal to Tulum Pueblo, Mexico
Today was our last long bus ride. Knowing it would be about 4 hours long, we were up early. Buses in Mexico are expensive anyway, so we chose to take one at 9:00 that was $5 cheaper than the one at 8:30.
Tulum Pueblo is a big tourist city because of the Mayan ruins beside the sea. We will see those tomorrow. It being 13:00 when we arrived, we first searched for a hotel. Fortunately, our first choice had a room for us--The Posada Luna del Sur. It's a mini-suite with a kitchenette, living area, sleeping area, bath, and balcony. It's really a beautiful place well designed and well maintained.
We immediately went out to find a local place for lunch. We found a small restaurant with a luncheon special--soup, beans, rice, slaw, meat, and drink. I had pork and Wes had chicken as the meat; we both had watermelon juice as our drink.
Back at the room, we rested and watched TV while keeping cool during the heat of the afternoon. Then at 16:30, we went walking to the beach. It was further than we expected because the map was not to scale. But it was a pleasant walk. It took us 4 hours round-trip. The beach was nice and the water was pretty.
Back in town, we found a performance occurring on a stage in the center of town. We watched two women do a performance on a trapeze and on a hanging fabric. We watched two men and two women do various acts involving swords, fire batons, etc. Then there was a group of young boys performing Mayan dances and drumming.
It was a nice day, but we were both tired at the end.
Today was our last long bus ride. Knowing it would be about 4 hours long, we were up early. Buses in Mexico are expensive anyway, so we chose to take one at 9:00 that was $5 cheaper than the one at 8:30.
Tulum Pueblo is a big tourist city because of the Mayan ruins beside the sea. We will see those tomorrow. It being 13:00 when we arrived, we first searched for a hotel. Fortunately, our first choice had a room for us--The Posada Luna del Sur. It's a mini-suite with a kitchenette, living area, sleeping area, bath, and balcony. It's really a beautiful place well designed and well maintained.
We immediately went out to find a local place for lunch. We found a small restaurant with a luncheon special--soup, beans, rice, slaw, meat, and drink. I had pork and Wes had chicken as the meat; we both had watermelon juice as our drink.
Back at the room, we rested and watched TV while keeping cool during the heat of the afternoon. Then at 16:30, we went walking to the beach. It was further than we expected because the map was not to scale. But it was a pleasant walk. It took us 4 hours round-trip. The beach was nice and the water was pretty.
Back in town, we found a performance occurring on a stage in the center of town. We watched two women do a performance on a trapeze and on a hanging fabric. We watched two men and two women do various acts involving swords, fire batons, etc. Then there was a group of young boys performing Mayan dances and drumming.
It was a nice day, but we were both tired at the end.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Belize to Mexico
May 24, 2011--Orange Walk, Belize to Chetumal, Mexico
The Internet was down at the hotel this morning. And when we went to the bakery, there was nothing Wes wanted to have. We saw a bus for Chetumal at the station across the street from the hotel, so we rushed to catch it. We left at 8:30.
The bus was a local one meaning it stopped anywhere and everywhere, sometimes just half a block apart. The people were a mixture of types. There were two more tourists speaking French. There were two Mennonite men. There was an elderly white couple. There were some Chinese Belizeans. Etc.
The border crossing was longer than most of the others that I have made. In Belize, we had to line up to pay $18.75 US in exit taxes and fees. Then they just stamped our passports. On the Mexican side, however, we had to stand in line to get forms, fill them out, and then stand in line to have them checked and stamped. It took quite a while.
I felt sorry for the elderly couple. They were the last of our bus group in line just behind the young French tourists. Just before the French tourists arrived at the bus, the driver started to pull off. Some of us mentioned the French tourists and the elderly couple. He waited a moment, and the French couple came into view. After they were on the bus, he started to pull out, and the French couple and I both mentioned the elderly couple. But he was in a hurry and we left without them. I hope they didn't have to wait too long or pay too much to get a bus to take them further. The border is 10 km (6 miles) outside of Chetumal.
I had a hand-drawn map I had made from the Internet since my guidebook did not include a map. We followed it as we left the bus station, but everything seemed confusing. We passed the Hotel Principe that looked rather nice, so we stopped to ask about their rates. It proved to be a better deal than the Hotel Los Cocos where we had planned to stay. It was hot, so we checked in rather than continuing further with our luggage.
We had three goals for the day--for me to find a dentist and have my teeth cleaned, for us to see the Museo de la Cultura Maya (considered to be a very good museum telling and illustrating the history of the Mayans), and to go to the local Sam's Club to see what it is like.
Our timing couldn't have been better. We left the hotel asking directions for a dentist and came to an office within a few minutes. He was free and cleaned my teeth immediately. He did a good job, although the experience was not as professional as I get in Thailand--no chest cover, no facial mask cover, no mask on the dentist, etc. But his tools were clean and he wore latex gloves. He used a topical anesthetic which I was not used to having. Also, between the cleaning and the polishing, he used a bitter tasting spray (a bit like liquid Alka Seltzer) on the surfaces and between the teeth. The price was higher than I expected--about 150% of what I pay in Thailand, but only about 2/3 of what I would pay in the US.
From his office, it was only about four blocks to the museum. Before entering, we ate chicken soup at a food stall nearby. We were the only ones inside the museum while we were there and were able to take our time reading and discussing the exhibits. We were both amused that Lamanai was not mentioned at all, although our guide yesterday seemed to think it was so important and considered it to be the only great Mayan city still in existence when the Spaniards arrived.
We returned to our hotel to rest during the heat of the day. Later, we went downstairs to swim in the pool. Then we headed out for Sam's Club. On the way, we discovered it was an hour later than we had thought. Fortunately, when we got to the store at 19:30, the posted hours indicated it would be open until 22:00.
Wes had been wanting to get a hot dog to eat at Sam's Club since he knew we would be near there. They had them on the menu, but they aren't the bargain here that they are in the US. They cost $1.75 US and do not include a free drink. We each ordered a "meal deal" which gave us a hot dog, a drink, and a choice of either fries or nachos for $3.55 US. The condiment choices were different here, too--tomatoes, onions, ketchup, and sliced jalepenos. It was a tasty hot dog.
Inside the store, we walked the aisles just to see how the merchandise and the prices compared to the US. In all the cases where I knew prices, they were slightly higher here in the Mexico store. As is the case with all their stores, it was interesting to find the local products that they carry. We would have bought some cookies or pastries if there had been an easy way for us to carry them as we continue traveling.
Sam's Club is on the western edge of downtown by the waterfront. From there, we walked all the way along the waterfront to the eastern edge of town and part of the way northward on the waterfront from there. Then we walked beside a huge sports complex with very modern facilities for swimming, biking, football, baseball, volleyball, etc. That brought us to down town which was beginning to close up at 21:00. We walked from there back to our hotel with an overall impression that Chetumal is a clean town with a very nice waterfront lined with restaurants and clubs.
The Internet was down at the hotel this morning. And when we went to the bakery, there was nothing Wes wanted to have. We saw a bus for Chetumal at the station across the street from the hotel, so we rushed to catch it. We left at 8:30.
The bus was a local one meaning it stopped anywhere and everywhere, sometimes just half a block apart. The people were a mixture of types. There were two more tourists speaking French. There were two Mennonite men. There was an elderly white couple. There were some Chinese Belizeans. Etc.
The border crossing was longer than most of the others that I have made. In Belize, we had to line up to pay $18.75 US in exit taxes and fees. Then they just stamped our passports. On the Mexican side, however, we had to stand in line to get forms, fill them out, and then stand in line to have them checked and stamped. It took quite a while.
I felt sorry for the elderly couple. They were the last of our bus group in line just behind the young French tourists. Just before the French tourists arrived at the bus, the driver started to pull off. Some of us mentioned the French tourists and the elderly couple. He waited a moment, and the French couple came into view. After they were on the bus, he started to pull out, and the French couple and I both mentioned the elderly couple. But he was in a hurry and we left without them. I hope they didn't have to wait too long or pay too much to get a bus to take them further. The border is 10 km (6 miles) outside of Chetumal.
I had a hand-drawn map I had made from the Internet since my guidebook did not include a map. We followed it as we left the bus station, but everything seemed confusing. We passed the Hotel Principe that looked rather nice, so we stopped to ask about their rates. It proved to be a better deal than the Hotel Los Cocos where we had planned to stay. It was hot, so we checked in rather than continuing further with our luggage.
We had three goals for the day--for me to find a dentist and have my teeth cleaned, for us to see the Museo de la Cultura Maya (considered to be a very good museum telling and illustrating the history of the Mayans), and to go to the local Sam's Club to see what it is like.
Our timing couldn't have been better. We left the hotel asking directions for a dentist and came to an office within a few minutes. He was free and cleaned my teeth immediately. He did a good job, although the experience was not as professional as I get in Thailand--no chest cover, no facial mask cover, no mask on the dentist, etc. But his tools were clean and he wore latex gloves. He used a topical anesthetic which I was not used to having. Also, between the cleaning and the polishing, he used a bitter tasting spray (a bit like liquid Alka Seltzer) on the surfaces and between the teeth. The price was higher than I expected--about 150% of what I pay in Thailand, but only about 2/3 of what I would pay in the US.
From his office, it was only about four blocks to the museum. Before entering, we ate chicken soup at a food stall nearby. We were the only ones inside the museum while we were there and were able to take our time reading and discussing the exhibits. We were both amused that Lamanai was not mentioned at all, although our guide yesterday seemed to think it was so important and considered it to be the only great Mayan city still in existence when the Spaniards arrived.
We returned to our hotel to rest during the heat of the day. Later, we went downstairs to swim in the pool. Then we headed out for Sam's Club. On the way, we discovered it was an hour later than we had thought. Fortunately, when we got to the store at 19:30, the posted hours indicated it would be open until 22:00.
Wes had been wanting to get a hot dog to eat at Sam's Club since he knew we would be near there. They had them on the menu, but they aren't the bargain here that they are in the US. They cost $1.75 US and do not include a free drink. We each ordered a "meal deal" which gave us a hot dog, a drink, and a choice of either fries or nachos for $3.55 US. The condiment choices were different here, too--tomatoes, onions, ketchup, and sliced jalepenos. It was a tasty hot dog.
Inside the store, we walked the aisles just to see how the merchandise and the prices compared to the US. In all the cases where I knew prices, they were slightly higher here in the Mexico store. As is the case with all their stores, it was interesting to find the local products that they carry. We would have bought some cookies or pastries if there had been an easy way for us to carry them as we continue traveling.
Sam's Club is on the western edge of downtown by the waterfront. From there, we walked all the way along the waterfront to the eastern edge of town and part of the way northward on the waterfront from there. Then we walked beside a huge sports complex with very modern facilities for swimming, biking, football, baseball, volleyball, etc. That brought us to down town which was beginning to close up at 21:00. We walked from there back to our hotel with an overall impression that Chetumal is a clean town with a very nice waterfront lined with restaurants and clubs.
Spending Update for Belize
Belize is a more expensive country than the others that I have visited on this trip. Having Wes along has helped keep the prices down due to the fact that single rooms in hotels are often the same price as double rooms, but I still spent much more per day as my half of our expenses than I in Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras. Over 10 days in Belize, I spent $497.83 for an average of $49.78 per day. Since leaving Texas on March 26, I have spent $2246.64 over 60 days for an average of $37.44 per day.
Monday, May 23, 2011
An Outing Down the New River to Lamanai
Monday, May 23, 2011 (Commonwealth Day)--Orange Walk, Belize
Our purpose in stopping in Orange Walk was to take the tour down the New River to see the ruins at Lamanai. We scheduled ourselves for it yesterday and were up early to be ready. We stopped at the bakery. Then we waited to be picked up at 8:45.
We departed from a pier two blocks from the hotel--the two of us and a woman from Germany. We went part of the way down the river where we stopped to pick up the food for the outing and a group of others who had come from Ambergris Caye for the trip today.
The New River is a beautiful, still waterway with various branches that makes it seem a bit like a bayou system. As we progressed up the river, we stopped to see birds, animals, etc. We saw at least 12 kinds of birds I had never seen before. A group of fishermen held up a group of bass with red stripes. A couple of spider monkeys actually came onto the boat trying to poach from us. The only thing we missed seeing that is normally encountered on the trip was a crocodile.
The ruins in Lamanai are interesting, because the settlement there did not die out before the arrival of the Spaniards. This was one place where the invaders found active temples and a large city of people. The pyramids were more impressive than I expected, and the sight was well worth visiting.
We had a guide who probably would love to be a professor. He has immersed himself in Mayan history, language, etc. He studied in Moscow and in Cuba, and he has worked with Pendergast, the scientist who has explored and helped restore the ruins at Laminai. He knew the name of every bird and animal along the river.
The tour included a nice lunch under a palapa at the ruints--rice and beans, chicken, potato salad, vegetable salad, and colas. As we left to return to town, it also included a glass of rum punch.
Normally, I do not care for tours. This one was quite nice. The people were friendly, everyone participated and kept up, including climbing to the top of the highest pyramid which involved holding a rope due to the steepness.
Returning to town, the boat driver went fast! It was fun making the curves on the river. He slowed down only when we encountered other boats or people in the river. We passed a Mennonite extended family swimming and fishing. We passed several boats of fishermen. And as we got closer to town, we passed many groups of young people swimming in the river as a part of their plans for enjoying the holiday.
Our purpose in stopping in Orange Walk was to take the tour down the New River to see the ruins at Lamanai. We scheduled ourselves for it yesterday and were up early to be ready. We stopped at the bakery. Then we waited to be picked up at 8:45.
We departed from a pier two blocks from the hotel--the two of us and a woman from Germany. We went part of the way down the river where we stopped to pick up the food for the outing and a group of others who had come from Ambergris Caye for the trip today.
The New River is a beautiful, still waterway with various branches that makes it seem a bit like a bayou system. As we progressed up the river, we stopped to see birds, animals, etc. We saw at least 12 kinds of birds I had never seen before. A group of fishermen held up a group of bass with red stripes. A couple of spider monkeys actually came onto the boat trying to poach from us. The only thing we missed seeing that is normally encountered on the trip was a crocodile.
The ruins in Lamanai are interesting, because the settlement there did not die out before the arrival of the Spaniards. This was one place where the invaders found active temples and a large city of people. The pyramids were more impressive than I expected, and the sight was well worth visiting.
We had a guide who probably would love to be a professor. He has immersed himself in Mayan history, language, etc. He studied in Moscow and in Cuba, and he has worked with Pendergast, the scientist who has explored and helped restore the ruins at Laminai. He knew the name of every bird and animal along the river.
The tour included a nice lunch under a palapa at the ruints--rice and beans, chicken, potato salad, vegetable salad, and colas. As we left to return to town, it also included a glass of rum punch.
Normally, I do not care for tours. This one was quite nice. The people were friendly, everyone participated and kept up, including climbing to the top of the highest pyramid which involved holding a rope due to the steepness.
Returning to town, the boat driver went fast! It was fun making the curves on the river. He slowed down only when we encountered other boats or people in the river. We passed a Mennonite extended family swimming and fishing. We passed several boats of fishermen. And as we got closer to town, we passed many groups of young people swimming in the river as a part of their plans for enjoying the holiday.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Leaving the Cayes
Sunday, May 22, 2011--San Pedro, Ambergris Caye to Orange Walk, Belize
We set the alarm and were up early trying to have breakfast at 7:00 and catch the boat at 8:00. Breakfast was great--French toast with rum-flavored syrup they make there at the B&B along with coffee, juice, and a bowl of mixed fruits.
The run involved doing the credit card transaction for our payment. As we got to the boat, I looked at it and thought about it. We had been charged about double what we should have been. The woman at the boat office let me call to tell them. They said they would reverse it and charge the correct amount. Unfortunately, they still haven't done it. Later in the afternoon I wrote an e-mail and got a response that they will look at it tomorrow.
There was a bit of a problem in Belize City. Too many people were waiting for the same bus that we needed. There is a law here that everyone must be seated. Therefore, they can't squeeze people into the aisles. When the seats are filled, the others must wait. Wes and I decided that he should rush ahead to get on the bus while I dealt with the luggage. Fortunately, one of the workers talked with us and said he would make sure we got one. He was true to his word. He encouraged Wes to get to the front by the gate. And then he took our luggage from me as I went through the gate so I could rush and join Wes. We got seats. The rush wasn't as bad as it could have been, because the bus that arrived was an express bus making only 3 stops on the way to Mexico. Orange Walk was one of the stops, so it worked for us. Many of the people waiting needed a local bus that would let them off in smaller towns and villages. Still, however, some people who did not get seats were forced to get off before we could depart.
The hotel where we had planned to stay was full. However, I had backup choices. We are at the Orchid Palm Inn with air conditioning, tv, etc. Wes was disappointed, however, because the other hotel would have also had a refrigerator to hold his colas he can't live without.
We went searching for lunch while the staff prepared our room. At the park in the center of town, we found a woman serving barbecued chicken with potato salad and cole slaw. We each got one and sat at a picnic table to eat it. UMMM. It was such good value compared to what we had found on the cayes, and it was so tasty.
In the room to avoid the heat of the day, Wes watched TV. I tried to connect to wifi and had problems. I used the computer in the office and asked them to reboot their modem and their router. Later, after they had done that, I had no problems connecting with my own computer.
We went exploring around 16:30. The town was mostly closed for Sunday. But there was a lot of activity at a football field--games, music, rum tasting, etc. Eventually, we ate a torta for dinner from a roadside stand, drank a bottle of fresh muskmelon juice with it, and had bear claws from a bakery for dessert. It was all great.
We were tired from traveling and watched a film in the room in the evening. Our purpose for being here is to make an outing tomorrow that will last all day, unfortunately. I add that latter word because it means we will be out in the heat of the day. We're hoping it will be a nice experience, though.
We set the alarm and were up early trying to have breakfast at 7:00 and catch the boat at 8:00. Breakfast was great--French toast with rum-flavored syrup they make there at the B&B along with coffee, juice, and a bowl of mixed fruits.
The run involved doing the credit card transaction for our payment. As we got to the boat, I looked at it and thought about it. We had been charged about double what we should have been. The woman at the boat office let me call to tell them. They said they would reverse it and charge the correct amount. Unfortunately, they still haven't done it. Later in the afternoon I wrote an e-mail and got a response that they will look at it tomorrow.
There was a bit of a problem in Belize City. Too many people were waiting for the same bus that we needed. There is a law here that everyone must be seated. Therefore, they can't squeeze people into the aisles. When the seats are filled, the others must wait. Wes and I decided that he should rush ahead to get on the bus while I dealt with the luggage. Fortunately, one of the workers talked with us and said he would make sure we got one. He was true to his word. He encouraged Wes to get to the front by the gate. And then he took our luggage from me as I went through the gate so I could rush and join Wes. We got seats. The rush wasn't as bad as it could have been, because the bus that arrived was an express bus making only 3 stops on the way to Mexico. Orange Walk was one of the stops, so it worked for us. Many of the people waiting needed a local bus that would let them off in smaller towns and villages. Still, however, some people who did not get seats were forced to get off before we could depart.
The hotel where we had planned to stay was full. However, I had backup choices. We are at the Orchid Palm Inn with air conditioning, tv, etc. Wes was disappointed, however, because the other hotel would have also had a refrigerator to hold his colas he can't live without.
We went searching for lunch while the staff prepared our room. At the park in the center of town, we found a woman serving barbecued chicken with potato salad and cole slaw. We each got one and sat at a picnic table to eat it. UMMM. It was such good value compared to what we had found on the cayes, and it was so tasty.
In the room to avoid the heat of the day, Wes watched TV. I tried to connect to wifi and had problems. I used the computer in the office and asked them to reboot their modem and their router. Later, after they had done that, I had no problems connecting with my own computer.
We went exploring around 16:30. The town was mostly closed for Sunday. But there was a lot of activity at a football field--games, music, rum tasting, etc. Eventually, we ate a torta for dinner from a roadside stand, drank a bottle of fresh muskmelon juice with it, and had bear claws from a bakery for dessert. It was all great.
We were tired from traveling and watched a film in the room in the evening. Our purpose for being here is to make an outing tomorrow that will last all day, unfortunately. I add that latter word because it means we will be out in the heat of the day. We're hoping it will be a nice experience, though.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Ambergris Caye
Friday and Saturday, May 20 & 21, 2011--Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye
Our hotel at Caye Caulker had a checkout time of 10:00. The boat wasn't until 10:45, so we stopped at a bakery and had a cinnamon roll as a snack until we could get to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye for lunch.
Winds were heavily blowing against the route of the boat which was coming from Belize City. It arrived about 15 minutes late. Then just a short time after we left, it died in the water. It was obvious that the two employees on the boat had no idea what the problem was. Fortunately, a boat with the same company going in the opposite direction saw us and pulled up. One of the men there immediately diagnosed the problem as a dead battery. He attached a new battery, and we were on our way.
Ambergris Caye is a bigger island and more developed island than Caye Caulker. The main streets are paved. There are condos and large resorts. There are many more tourists. And the prices are MUCH higher. However, the main town of San Pedro is still essentially a small village only three blocks wide and about 8 blocks long. The condos and private homes that people have built here extend along the roadway that goes further up or down the island from the main village.
After checking in at the Changes in Latitudes B&B just south of town, we headed into the village to find lunch. A place recommended by one of the owners of our hotel seemed way too pricey. A burrito was $12 US! As we explored, we realized that very few places post prices. Apparently the town operates on a two-price system: They list the items they sell; if you are a tourist, you pay inflated prices and if you are local you pay lower ones. We ended up eating at a taco place where 4 small tacos cost $5 US, but there were too many tacos going out of that place wrapped in foil for local people to be ordering them at those prices.
The town has a nice, quaint feel to it. The airport is right in town with two airlines serving it. The terminal for Tropic Air is small, bright, and new. It would be romantic to arrive and depart here via it. The sand is very white and powdery everywhere. The waters are warm and green. Apparently beaches up to the high tide line belong to the public so that one can walk up the island along them. That's the best way to go, because the breezes hit you and keep you cool.
Our place has an agreement with the Belize Yacht Club next door to use their pool, so we went there around 16:30 to relax and cool down. Then we went back into town to explore. For dinner we went to a small, local place that does not have the two-tiered price system and ate a combination of a fish burrito, two empanadas (chicken and beef), and a salbute (a puffy taco topped with cheese and chicken). Town at night seemed a bit dead just like it did at Caye Caulker. We were told that there are a few "in" spots that are very popular. Unfortunately, that means there are many places here that open and just hope for customers. Wes enjoys finding misspellings and oddities when we travel. While wandering through the village, he was impressed by the banners promoting Child Stimulation Month.
The B&B serves great breakfasts. We had coffee, a bowl of fresh fruit, a plate of eggs and black beans, and two fry jacks with jam. Fry jacks are made like flour tortillas and are deep fried and sprinkled with powered sugar. They had the texture of a sweet pie dough--nice and flaky. They were great with the pineapple and the mango jams we were served.
There are free bicycles for the use of the guests at the B&B, so we took two and went northward to see the development out that way. I wasn't impressed. The roadway is unpaved and quite ugly. The condo situation is one of over development so that some seem to be abandoned. There are some wonderful private homes that way, but many are for sale. My guess is that this is a paradise that doesn't prove to be so wonderful with time.
Coming back in town, we went further south to find the Victoria House Resort where Merryl stayed when she was here. It supposedly is one of the original places for high-end tourism on the island. It's a beautiful white stucco and wood complex with multiple buildings, multiple pools, great beach front, and nice pier.
After swimming in the late afternoon, we returned to town for an early dinner since we hadn't eaten anything after breakfast. On the way, we bought meat pies from a man on a bicycle that were quite delicious. We returned to the same place as last night for more burritos (one chicken and one ground beef each). We searched for the dock for boats to take tomorrow and confirmed the times. We sat in the local park and watched people for a while. We returned to the hotel and visited in the outdoor seating area after that.
Monday is Commonwealth Day here. We saw a sign referring to it as Kama Mama Day in Creole slang. I guess Queen Elizabeth is the Kama Mama!
I gave up reading one of my books. It was Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coatzee. Even though the book won the Nobel Prize, it was pitiful as a novel. What it actually was is a type of book I have noticed that many authors eventually write--one that pieces together all their philosophical thoughts and writings they have had over the years without a format that tries to tie them together inside a story. In this case, Coatzee who has written some very good novels has created a character who is a well-known author. She is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate. He follows her from speaking engagement to speaking engagement reporting her speeches which are really his own musings on these topics. BORING!!! I gave it 1 star out of 4 and considered the purchase a waste of money.
Our hotel at Caye Caulker had a checkout time of 10:00. The boat wasn't until 10:45, so we stopped at a bakery and had a cinnamon roll as a snack until we could get to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye for lunch.
Winds were heavily blowing against the route of the boat which was coming from Belize City. It arrived about 15 minutes late. Then just a short time after we left, it died in the water. It was obvious that the two employees on the boat had no idea what the problem was. Fortunately, a boat with the same company going in the opposite direction saw us and pulled up. One of the men there immediately diagnosed the problem as a dead battery. He attached a new battery, and we were on our way.
Ambergris Caye is a bigger island and more developed island than Caye Caulker. The main streets are paved. There are condos and large resorts. There are many more tourists. And the prices are MUCH higher. However, the main town of San Pedro is still essentially a small village only three blocks wide and about 8 blocks long. The condos and private homes that people have built here extend along the roadway that goes further up or down the island from the main village.
After checking in at the Changes in Latitudes B&B just south of town, we headed into the village to find lunch. A place recommended by one of the owners of our hotel seemed way too pricey. A burrito was $12 US! As we explored, we realized that very few places post prices. Apparently the town operates on a two-price system: They list the items they sell; if you are a tourist, you pay inflated prices and if you are local you pay lower ones. We ended up eating at a taco place where 4 small tacos cost $5 US, but there were too many tacos going out of that place wrapped in foil for local people to be ordering them at those prices.
The town has a nice, quaint feel to it. The airport is right in town with two airlines serving it. The terminal for Tropic Air is small, bright, and new. It would be romantic to arrive and depart here via it. The sand is very white and powdery everywhere. The waters are warm and green. Apparently beaches up to the high tide line belong to the public so that one can walk up the island along them. That's the best way to go, because the breezes hit you and keep you cool.
Our place has an agreement with the Belize Yacht Club next door to use their pool, so we went there around 16:30 to relax and cool down. Then we went back into town to explore. For dinner we went to a small, local place that does not have the two-tiered price system and ate a combination of a fish burrito, two empanadas (chicken and beef), and a salbute (a puffy taco topped with cheese and chicken). Town at night seemed a bit dead just like it did at Caye Caulker. We were told that there are a few "in" spots that are very popular. Unfortunately, that means there are many places here that open and just hope for customers. Wes enjoys finding misspellings and oddities when we travel. While wandering through the village, he was impressed by the banners promoting Child Stimulation Month.
The B&B serves great breakfasts. We had coffee, a bowl of fresh fruit, a plate of eggs and black beans, and two fry jacks with jam. Fry jacks are made like flour tortillas and are deep fried and sprinkled with powered sugar. They had the texture of a sweet pie dough--nice and flaky. They were great with the pineapple and the mango jams we were served.
There are free bicycles for the use of the guests at the B&B, so we took two and went northward to see the development out that way. I wasn't impressed. The roadway is unpaved and quite ugly. The condo situation is one of over development so that some seem to be abandoned. There are some wonderful private homes that way, but many are for sale. My guess is that this is a paradise that doesn't prove to be so wonderful with time.
Coming back in town, we went further south to find the Victoria House Resort where Merryl stayed when she was here. It supposedly is one of the original places for high-end tourism on the island. It's a beautiful white stucco and wood complex with multiple buildings, multiple pools, great beach front, and nice pier.
After swimming in the late afternoon, we returned to town for an early dinner since we hadn't eaten anything after breakfast. On the way, we bought meat pies from a man on a bicycle that were quite delicious. We returned to the same place as last night for more burritos (one chicken and one ground beef each). We searched for the dock for boats to take tomorrow and confirmed the times. We sat in the local park and watched people for a while. We returned to the hotel and visited in the outdoor seating area after that.
Monday is Commonwealth Day here. We saw a sign referring to it as Kama Mama Day in Creole slang. I guess Queen Elizabeth is the Kama Mama!
I gave up reading one of my books. It was Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coatzee. Even though the book won the Nobel Prize, it was pitiful as a novel. What it actually was is a type of book I have noticed that many authors eventually write--one that pieces together all their philosophical thoughts and writings they have had over the years without a format that tries to tie them together inside a story. In this case, Coatzee who has written some very good novels has created a character who is a well-known author. She is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate. He follows her from speaking engagement to speaking engagement reporting her speeches which are really his own musings on these topics. BORING!!! I gave it 1 star out of 4 and considered the purchase a waste of money.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Caye Caulker
Thursday, May 19, 2011--Belize City to Caye Caulker, Belize
There was no rush to get up. We just enjoyed having air conditioning to sleep well for a change. When we did get up, all we had to do after getting ready was walk two blocks south from our hotel to get to the water taxi for Caye Caulker. Fortunately, we had discovered this boat service last night. It tends to serve more local people and allowed us to avoid the hassles of the hustlers downtown at the main point for water taxis to the islands.
After a rough 45-minute ride, we arrived at Caye Caulker. It's a small island without paved streets. Every street is a sandy, dusty white--probably old shell. We walked to the Ocean Pearle Royale Hotel where we had a reservation, and were already hot by the time we got there. Being hungry, however, we had to go out again. We walked the length of the village--a rather quaint and attractive place that has been popular with backpackers for several years now. During this walk, we saw more tourists than I have seen at any other stop on this trip. Caulker is a nice place with plenty of bars, restaurants, boat trips, etc., and with beautiful green water and white sand.
For lunch, we had local food--rice and beans with chicken. Then walked back to the room where we spent the heat of the afternoon in the room under cool air watching films on TV.
Around 16:30, we went swimming. The water was warm, clean, and clear. The sand was soft. There were crowds of tourists sunbathing on a nearby pier. Wind surfers and kite surfers were a little further out in the water. I imagine that the Europeans think they are in paradise here with the temperatures and the sunshine. It is a nice place to visit. My only complaint is that it is impossible to get away from the sand, since the streets are not paved.
We wandered the village more after swimming and returned to the same restaurant to have a fish burger for dinner. We had seen one that another man had when we were there for lunch. It was grilled and delicious. We also shared half a beef burger to test it, and it, too, was nice with a charcoal taste from grilling.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Belize City
Wednesday, May 18, 2011--Placencia to Belize City
We were so far south, we knew it would be a long and difficult ride to get anywhere else. We caught the 6:15 bus from Placencia and suffered through the bad brakes, the many rumble strips in the roadways, the many stops to pick up/let off passengers, etc. We arrived in Belize City at 10:30.
After getting our orientation, we walked to the Mopan Hotel where we had reserved a room. Most of the places where I have stayed on the trip have had a 15:00 check-in time, but they have had rooms available when I arrived. Today, we had to wait. There had been a big group here that had just checked out. We dropped our luggage off in the storage room and left knowing that the room probably wouldn't be ready until 13:00.
Since we had eaten nothing, we headed to a restaurant that was supposed to have cafeteria-style service starting at 11:00. There was still no food there. The lady said that it is cooked away from the place and brought in a car. So we waited outside while one particular beggar bothered us in hopes we would give him money. It wasn't until 11:40 that the food was there and set up. We had chicken, beans, scalloped potatoes, etc. It was good. The potatoes were especially nice as a change.
Fortunately, the room was ready when we returned at 12:45. We turned on the air conditioner and spent the afternoon inside. Wes napped. I watched CNN and read newspapers on the computer. It was so nice NOT to be uncomfortable!!
Around 16:30, we went out again to explore. Belize City is not a pretty town, nor is it a nice town. We took photos in the area and downtown. We got information about the ferries to the islands tomorrow. We bought ice cream cones and ate them. We wandered the streets looking at the shops (many owned by Indians) and went inside the big, old-fashioned department store called Brodies. My first impression of Belize City was that it was like a city in India (not just because of the Indian shop owners, but because of the oldness and the dirtiness of the place). Then later, I realized that it reminds me somewhat of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a small place with very old stores that are not well maintained.
Eventually, we went to find Bird's Isle Restaurant just south of our hotel on a small island. What a find! It has the atmosphere of Snoopy's in Corpus Christi with it's outdoor seating beside the water. They had their burgers for half-price, so we ordered 1 1/2 burgers each along with liter-size drinks of fresh watermelon juice. It was so nice and relaxing sitting on the deck with the sun setting and the cool breezes off the water. It was humid and warm, though, so it was a relief to return to the room afterward and watch a film on TV with the a/c running!
We were so far south, we knew it would be a long and difficult ride to get anywhere else. We caught the 6:15 bus from Placencia and suffered through the bad brakes, the many rumble strips in the roadways, the many stops to pick up/let off passengers, etc. We arrived in Belize City at 10:30.
After getting our orientation, we walked to the Mopan Hotel where we had reserved a room. Most of the places where I have stayed on the trip have had a 15:00 check-in time, but they have had rooms available when I arrived. Today, we had to wait. There had been a big group here that had just checked out. We dropped our luggage off in the storage room and left knowing that the room probably wouldn't be ready until 13:00.
Since we had eaten nothing, we headed to a restaurant that was supposed to have cafeteria-style service starting at 11:00. There was still no food there. The lady said that it is cooked away from the place and brought in a car. So we waited outside while one particular beggar bothered us in hopes we would give him money. It wasn't until 11:40 that the food was there and set up. We had chicken, beans, scalloped potatoes, etc. It was good. The potatoes were especially nice as a change.
Fortunately, the room was ready when we returned at 12:45. We turned on the air conditioner and spent the afternoon inside. Wes napped. I watched CNN and read newspapers on the computer. It was so nice NOT to be uncomfortable!!
Around 16:30, we went out again to explore. Belize City is not a pretty town, nor is it a nice town. We took photos in the area and downtown. We got information about the ferries to the islands tomorrow. We bought ice cream cones and ate them. We wandered the streets looking at the shops (many owned by Indians) and went inside the big, old-fashioned department store called Brodies. My first impression of Belize City was that it was like a city in India (not just because of the Indian shop owners, but because of the oldness and the dirtiness of the place). Then later, I realized that it reminds me somewhat of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a small place with very old stores that are not well maintained.
Eventually, we went to find Bird's Isle Restaurant just south of our hotel on a small island. What a find! It has the atmosphere of Snoopy's in Corpus Christi with it's outdoor seating beside the water. They had their burgers for half-price, so we ordered 1 1/2 burgers each along with liter-size drinks of fresh watermelon juice. It was so nice and relaxing sitting on the deck with the sun setting and the cool breezes off the water. It was humid and warm, though, so it was a relief to return to the room afterward and watch a film on TV with the a/c running!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Quaint Placencia
Monday and Tuesday, May 16-17--Dangriga to Placencia, Belize
The bus didn't leave Dangriga until 11:00, so we took our time getting up and away in the morning. Fortunately, there was room on the bus when it loaded, since they do not allow people to squeeze into seats or to stand on buses in Belize. We observed people being kicked off the bus the other day because the seats were full by the time they got inside.
The trip was breezy and faster than expected, but it was obviously hot outside. Because we had a reservation at the Manatee Inn toward the northern edge of town, we watched for its sign so we could get off the bus without going all the way to the end of the peninsula and walking back in the heat. The room was available, clean, and nice, but it does not have air conditioning. We'll have to suffer a bit these two days here.
Not having eaten and wanting to explore Palencia, we went out about 13:00. The town really just has oneemain street and then a sidewalk street, but it is so quaint. It reminds me a bit of Port Aransas. We made the loop looking at everything and considering where to eat. We finally decided on De Tatch which is an outdoor palapa on the beach near our hotel. We ordered burgers and fries. The burgers were great, but the fries were sweet and strange tasting even with lots of salt added.
This is too hot a place to be out in the afternoons, so we returned to the room to rest under the fan until about 17:30 when we put on our swimsuits and went to the beach. There was lots of ruffage where the water was lapping the beach, but just two beyond, the water was clear. And it was like it was HEATED--like being in a warm bath! Fortunately, it made us feel a bit cooler, however, when we came out 30 minutes later.
My stomach has been feeling awkward for a few days. I don't feel an appetite, and I have been burping a lot. Since lunch was late, we decided just to get some juice and some blueberry Newtons to eat. We brought them to the hotel and ate them on the porch and visited until bedtime.
It was still warm when we went to bed around 22:00. Sometime after midnight, it started to feel a bit cooler when the oscillating fan would hit us. It wasn't easy to sleep, though. It reminded me of the summer nights in Texas before we had air conditioning.
We returned to the beach this morning after getting up. The water was refreshingly cool and still with no leaves or seaweed. We floated, walked, etc., in the area and interacted with a small boy whose mother sells souvenirs while he swims.
We decided to have a late breakfast, but when we looked for the local place recommended to us, it was closed. Instead, we found two ladies making burritos from homemade tortillas from a cart under a tree. We each ordered one. They were so good that we each ordered one more! From there, we went to an ice cream shop where Wes had a mango cone and I had a sour sop cone. UMMMM!
By the time we reached the hotel around 12:30, it was HOT again. We napped and rested inside during the afternoon.
We returned to the water around 17:30 and watched the very orange sun setting as we floated and relaxed. Again, the water was cooler than it had been yesterday afternoon. And the salt content is so high that it makes it very easy to float. There's no problem breathing while floating.
Searching for a place to eat dinner, we passed Grill n' Go (scroll down to page 14 at the link to read about it). Two different parties leaving there told us it was great and that we should try it. We had the grilled red snapper (although I don't believe the fish was firm enough to truly have been red snapper) with salad, coconut rice, beans, and beer. It was good, but it cost about the same as to eat at the Yardarm in Corpus Christi.
Back at the room, we prepared everything for an early departure tomorrow. We need to catch a bus at 7:00 for Belize City.
The bus didn't leave Dangriga until 11:00, so we took our time getting up and away in the morning. Fortunately, there was room on the bus when it loaded, since they do not allow people to squeeze into seats or to stand on buses in Belize. We observed people being kicked off the bus the other day because the seats were full by the time they got inside.
The trip was breezy and faster than expected, but it was obviously hot outside. Because we had a reservation at the Manatee Inn toward the northern edge of town, we watched for its sign so we could get off the bus without going all the way to the end of the peninsula and walking back in the heat. The room was available, clean, and nice, but it does not have air conditioning. We'll have to suffer a bit these two days here.
Not having eaten and wanting to explore Palencia, we went out about 13:00. The town really just has oneemain street and then a sidewalk street, but it is so quaint. It reminds me a bit of Port Aransas. We made the loop looking at everything and considering where to eat. We finally decided on De Tatch which is an outdoor palapa on the beach near our hotel. We ordered burgers and fries. The burgers were great, but the fries were sweet and strange tasting even with lots of salt added.
This is too hot a place to be out in the afternoons, so we returned to the room to rest under the fan until about 17:30 when we put on our swimsuits and went to the beach. There was lots of ruffage where the water was lapping the beach, but just two beyond, the water was clear. And it was like it was HEATED--like being in a warm bath! Fortunately, it made us feel a bit cooler, however, when we came out 30 minutes later.
My stomach has been feeling awkward for a few days. I don't feel an appetite, and I have been burping a lot. Since lunch was late, we decided just to get some juice and some blueberry Newtons to eat. We brought them to the hotel and ate them on the porch and visited until bedtime.
It was still warm when we went to bed around 22:00. Sometime after midnight, it started to feel a bit cooler when the oscillating fan would hit us. It wasn't easy to sleep, though. It reminded me of the summer nights in Texas before we had air conditioning.
We returned to the beach this morning after getting up. The water was refreshingly cool and still with no leaves or seaweed. We floated, walked, etc., in the area and interacted with a small boy whose mother sells souvenirs while he swims.
We decided to have a late breakfast, but when we looked for the local place recommended to us, it was closed. Instead, we found two ladies making burritos from homemade tortillas from a cart under a tree. We each ordered one. They were so good that we each ordered one more! From there, we went to an ice cream shop where Wes had a mango cone and I had a sour sop cone. UMMMM!
By the time we reached the hotel around 12:30, it was HOT again. We napped and rested inside during the afternoon.
We returned to the water around 17:30 and watched the very orange sun setting as we floated and relaxed. Again, the water was cooler than it had been yesterday afternoon. And the salt content is so high that it makes it very easy to float. There's no problem breathing while floating.
Searching for a place to eat dinner, we passed Grill n' Go (scroll down to page 14 at the link to read about it). Two different parties leaving there told us it was great and that we should try it. We had the grilled red snapper (although I don't believe the fish was firm enough to truly have been red snapper) with salad, coconut rice, beans, and beer. It was good, but it cost about the same as to eat at the Yardarm in Corpus Christi.
Back at the room, we prepared everything for an early departure tomorrow. We need to catch a bus at 7:00 for Belize City.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Lazy, Hot Dangriga
Sunday, May 15, 2011--Dangriga, Belize
Without the need to get anywhere early, we slept later than usual on Sunday. Then the hotel owner had coffee and fresh mangoes for us. We had hoped to take a bus to Hopkins, another small Garifuna community near here, for the day, but the schedule is cut back too much on Sundays to make a day trip feasible.
During the morning, we walked and explored. We went to the beaches. We went by the parks. Eventually, we withdrew money from an ATM and just sat in front of the bank in the shade watching people for about an hour. We bought delicious, huge tamales stuffed with chicken and spices from a woman on the street and ate them. Then we got homemade fruit cocktail ice cream from a street vendor.
By afternoon, it was too hot to be out. We returned to the room. We relaxed. We did some travel research on the computer, we adjusted our travel plans some, etc. Then we were back out around 17:30 as the sun started getting lower and the air cooler. We wandered town again, this time looking for a place to eat. This city is filled with Chinese people who own most of the food stores and the restaurants. We finally settled on the Sun Light Restaurant where we ordered the large plate of the Special Fried Rice. It was HUGE--really too much even for two people. It included chicken, pork, beef, fish, shrimp, and conch stir-fried with the rice. Afterwards, we each had a fresh watermelon slushie-type drink to refresh ourselves and to serve as dessert.
We spent time on the computer and reading in the evening. It was a nice, relaxing day.
Without the need to get anywhere early, we slept later than usual on Sunday. Then the hotel owner had coffee and fresh mangoes for us. We had hoped to take a bus to Hopkins, another small Garifuna community near here, for the day, but the schedule is cut back too much on Sundays to make a day trip feasible.
During the morning, we walked and explored. We went to the beaches. We went by the parks. Eventually, we withdrew money from an ATM and just sat in front of the bank in the shade watching people for about an hour. We bought delicious, huge tamales stuffed with chicken and spices from a woman on the street and ate them. Then we got homemade fruit cocktail ice cream from a street vendor.
By afternoon, it was too hot to be out. We returned to the room. We relaxed. We did some travel research on the computer, we adjusted our travel plans some, etc. Then we were back out around 17:30 as the sun started getting lower and the air cooler. We wandered town again, this time looking for a place to eat. This city is filled with Chinese people who own most of the food stores and the restaurants. We finally settled on the Sun Light Restaurant where we ordered the large plate of the Special Fried Rice. It was HUGE--really too much even for two people. It included chicken, pork, beef, fish, shrimp, and conch stir-fried with the rice. Afterwards, we each had a fresh watermelon slushie-type drink to refresh ourselves and to serve as dessert.
We spent time on the computer and reading in the evening. It was a nice, relaxing day.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Tikal and Dangriga
Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14, 2011--Flores, Guatemala, and Dangriga, Belize
We've had two days of getting up early and traveling. On Friday, we had our cereal, yogurt, and banana breakfast at our hotel and arrived at the bus station at 6:55 to go to the ruins at Tikal. Our bus picked us up at 7:20 and got us there at 8:30. We spent 4 hours going around the ruins in the HOT weather. Fortunately, the ruins are in the jungle, so there was often shade to cover us. Seldom, however, was there a breeze.
Tikal is a place I have dreamed of visiting since I was maybe 12 years old. The pictures always have looked so dramatic. I didn't realize until I was here how many of them were aerial photos. I found myself disappointed that it isn't easy to see much from the ground, since the jungle has been left between the buildings rather than having been cleared away. The Grand Plaza is quite nice. But most of the other buildings are only slightly restored so that 2/3 of the structures are often rubble and 1/3 restored. Also, the sandstone in the area must be a very poor quality one. All the stelae that are placed throughout the ruins are mostly in such poor shape that it is difficult to see what carvings had originally been there. Tikal is a wonderful place, but it isn't as great as I expected. It was not nearly as nice as Palenque is, and it may not be any better than Copan is.
The bus that was supposed to take us back to town at 12:30 wasn't there. A group of Israeli tourists who had hired their own bus gave us a ride back into town with them, since two of their members had missed the departure that morning leaving two empty seats. I visited with one of the young couples seated near me on the way back. They were nice kids who had just finished their military service and were about to start to university this fall. They were headed toward Honduras, so I gave them my guidebook pages for there. I was finished with them, and they were more up-to-date than theirs.
Wes and I stayed inside under the air conditioner and relaxed in the afternoon. We bought some rum and Coca Cola and had a happy hour in our room while we looked out of the windows at the sunset and the people swimming off the pier below us. About the time we were ready for dinner, it began to rain. I finally ended around 19:30. We went to a small, local place called Mamalina's where the woman cooks in her kitchen and serves out the front door. We each got three tostados with guacamole and carne. Then we shared two pieces of cake--one chocolate and the other a nut cake. On the way back to the room, we each got a coconut liquado, but it was too watery and not a good one.
Bedtime was early for us, because we were tired and because we knew we had to get up early again on Saturday. I was up at 5:45, and Wes soon afterwards. We ate our hotel breakfast again. Then we checked out at 6:30 and made it to the bus station just 5 minutes before the 7:00 bus to the border with Belize. We quickly processed through the border and had to walk 3 km (1.8 miles) into the next town to catch a bus onward to Belmopan, the capital of the country. There, we changed to another bus leaving 15 minutes after that to get us to our destination of Dangriga at 13:30.
Dangriga is a bit of a surprise. It is a Garifuna town on the coast. That I expected. But it is very spread out. And the houses are not as colorful as I had expected. The HEAT is unbelievable.
As soon as we were off the bus and had walked a block, a group of young people asked us if we were Americans. They were so happy when we said we were. They are college students here on a study tour learning about the culture of the Garifuna. They excitedly told us about a Garifuna music festival that is occurring here tonight.
We looked at the place where the students were staying which was on the beach and quite nice. However, it had no air conditioning, and the owner was no where to be found. So Wes and I continued to the Jungle Huts which we had decided would probably be the best place to stay. They had a room for us with air conditioning, so we checked in there. We were too hot to look elsewhere.
We went to a nearby restaurant that had been recommended only to find it was closed at that time of the day. We searched for two more restaurants our guidebook showed on the map, and neither was located where the map said it would be. We returned to a place we had seen as we were searching and had beans and rice with chicken, salad, and tamarind juice. It was filling and refreshing with a special hot sauce made there in the restaurant.
Again, we were HOT and tired. We returned to the room, turned on the air conditioner, and stayed inside until evening.
It's amazing what the sun going down does to the temperatures here. It was pleasant outside in the evening. We walked down the main street, up the street near the beach, into parts of town we had not seen. People were out everywhere and were very friendly. We weren't hungry so we didn't eat again. But we sat and listened to some of the music from the festival. We were too tired and knew it would be a waste of money to pay for the festival which was really just beginning at 21:00. We were in bed by 22:00.
We've had two days of getting up early and traveling. On Friday, we had our cereal, yogurt, and banana breakfast at our hotel and arrived at the bus station at 6:55 to go to the ruins at Tikal. Our bus picked us up at 7:20 and got us there at 8:30. We spent 4 hours going around the ruins in the HOT weather. Fortunately, the ruins are in the jungle, so there was often shade to cover us. Seldom, however, was there a breeze.
Tikal is a place I have dreamed of visiting since I was maybe 12 years old. The pictures always have looked so dramatic. I didn't realize until I was here how many of them were aerial photos. I found myself disappointed that it isn't easy to see much from the ground, since the jungle has been left between the buildings rather than having been cleared away. The Grand Plaza is quite nice. But most of the other buildings are only slightly restored so that 2/3 of the structures are often rubble and 1/3 restored. Also, the sandstone in the area must be a very poor quality one. All the stelae that are placed throughout the ruins are mostly in such poor shape that it is difficult to see what carvings had originally been there. Tikal is a wonderful place, but it isn't as great as I expected. It was not nearly as nice as Palenque is, and it may not be any better than Copan is.
The bus that was supposed to take us back to town at 12:30 wasn't there. A group of Israeli tourists who had hired their own bus gave us a ride back into town with them, since two of their members had missed the departure that morning leaving two empty seats. I visited with one of the young couples seated near me on the way back. They were nice kids who had just finished their military service and were about to start to university this fall. They were headed toward Honduras, so I gave them my guidebook pages for there. I was finished with them, and they were more up-to-date than theirs.
Wes and I stayed inside under the air conditioner and relaxed in the afternoon. We bought some rum and Coca Cola and had a happy hour in our room while we looked out of the windows at the sunset and the people swimming off the pier below us. About the time we were ready for dinner, it began to rain. I finally ended around 19:30. We went to a small, local place called Mamalina's where the woman cooks in her kitchen and serves out the front door. We each got three tostados with guacamole and carne. Then we shared two pieces of cake--one chocolate and the other a nut cake. On the way back to the room, we each got a coconut liquado, but it was too watery and not a good one.
Bedtime was early for us, because we were tired and because we knew we had to get up early again on Saturday. I was up at 5:45, and Wes soon afterwards. We ate our hotel breakfast again. Then we checked out at 6:30 and made it to the bus station just 5 minutes before the 7:00 bus to the border with Belize. We quickly processed through the border and had to walk 3 km (1.8 miles) into the next town to catch a bus onward to Belmopan, the capital of the country. There, we changed to another bus leaving 15 minutes after that to get us to our destination of Dangriga at 13:30.
Dangriga is a bit of a surprise. It is a Garifuna town on the coast. That I expected. But it is very spread out. And the houses are not as colorful as I had expected. The HEAT is unbelievable.
As soon as we were off the bus and had walked a block, a group of young people asked us if we were Americans. They were so happy when we said we were. They are college students here on a study tour learning about the culture of the Garifuna. They excitedly told us about a Garifuna music festival that is occurring here tonight.
We looked at the place where the students were staying which was on the beach and quite nice. However, it had no air conditioning, and the owner was no where to be found. So Wes and I continued to the Jungle Huts which we had decided would probably be the best place to stay. They had a room for us with air conditioning, so we checked in there. We were too hot to look elsewhere.
We went to a nearby restaurant that had been recommended only to find it was closed at that time of the day. We searched for two more restaurants our guidebook showed on the map, and neither was located where the map said it would be. We returned to a place we had seen as we were searching and had beans and rice with chicken, salad, and tamarind juice. It was filling and refreshing with a special hot sauce made there in the restaurant.
Again, we were HOT and tired. We returned to the room, turned on the air conditioner, and stayed inside until evening.
It's amazing what the sun going down does to the temperatures here. It was pleasant outside in the evening. We walked down the main street, up the street near the beach, into parts of town we had not seen. People were out everywhere and were very friendly. We weren't hungry so we didn't eat again. But we sat and listened to some of the music from the festival. We were too tired and knew it would be a waste of money to pay for the festival which was really just beginning at 21:00. We were in bed by 22:00.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Spending Update for Second Guatemala Portion of Trip and for the Trip As A Whole
During this second period of time in Guatemala, I spent more than usual because of the high price of admission to Tikal and the expensive transportation I took on rivers and special buses. Over 7 days, I spent $292.12 for an average of $41.73 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have now traveled 50 days spending $1748.81 for an average of $34.98 per day.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Exotic River Trip and Nice Island Hotel
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Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hot and HUMID!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011--Livingston, Guatemala
There were thunderstorms that started in the early morning hours and continued until about 9:30. The air remained muggy and hot for the rest of the day.
I went out exploring for about two hours near noon. I stopped at a small restaurant and had a nice plate of rice and beans with a chicken leg and cole slaw. Then I stopped at a bakery for a sweet roll. The air was just too miserable for me to want to wander anywhere, though, so I returned to the room for the afternoon.
When I went back out in the evening, the town was alive again. Today is Mother's Day in Guatemala. Two large restaurants were both full of mothers having a night out together--no fathers or children other than infants, just the mothers. It was nice to see. There is also a big event tonight at a gymnasium. I'm not sure if it is related to Mother's Day or what. But the building is full of people, and there is a live band playing. There are also more tourists wandering about town tonight than there were yesterday.
This would be a good place to have a fellow traveler. Most of the things to do here would be more enjoyable with another person. But it has great atmosphere for tourists. It is a bit like a Caribbean Port Aransas.
There were thunderstorms that started in the early morning hours and continued until about 9:30. The air remained muggy and hot for the rest of the day.
I went out exploring for about two hours near noon. I stopped at a small restaurant and had a nice plate of rice and beans with a chicken leg and cole slaw. Then I stopped at a bakery for a sweet roll. The air was just too miserable for me to want to wander anywhere, though, so I returned to the room for the afternoon.
When I went back out in the evening, the town was alive again. Today is Mother's Day in Guatemala. Two large restaurants were both full of mothers having a night out together--no fathers or children other than infants, just the mothers. It was nice to see. There is also a big event tonight at a gymnasium. I'm not sure if it is related to Mother's Day or what. But the building is full of people, and there is a live band playing. There are also more tourists wandering about town tonight than there were yesterday.
This would be a good place to have a fellow traveler. Most of the things to do here would be more enjoyable with another person. But it has great atmosphere for tourists. It is a bit like a Caribbean Port Aransas.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Garifuna Culture
Monday, May 9, 2011--Puerto Barrios to Livingston, Guatemala
I left the hotel planning to stop at a restaurant recommended for breakfast by my guidebook. When I got there, it wasn't the restaurant they had said; it was the Cuban one which I had tried to find yesterday. Apparently the guidebook has an error. This one was closed for Monday, and I had no idea where the other would be. I went ahead to the docks and bought my ticket 1 1/2 hours early for the trip to Livingston. The lady there suggested I have breakfast across the street at a small stall where several other people were. I had scrambled eggs, refried beans, picante sauce, and orange juice.
There were storms in the forecast for today. And 2/3 of the way through the boat trip, one hit us. We had to hold plastic sheeting over ourselves to keep dry. The young lady next to me lost track of her telephone and found it in the standing water on the floor when the rain stopped. She was frantically trying to dry it and get it to work again.
Livingston is a wonderful town. It is poor, but it is clean and attractive. Lush greenery is everywhere. There are hills, and there is a small beach. The town was settled in the early 1800s by slaves who were shipped out of St. Vincent Island after they had rebelled. The local culture is known as Garifuna. The people are a mixture of Caribbean blacks and Hispanics.
I'm staying at the Garden Gate which has only two rooms. They are new and nice with the walls and ceilings covered in tatami mats. There is a huge window looking out over the tops of the tropical trees. The only disadvantage is that there is no private bathroom. I have to go downstairs where there are two shared bathrooms.
This afternoon, I walked up and down the streets exploring the town. Everyone was friendly. One black man walked up to me and started talking. He is a teacher and a musician named Polo Martinez. Apparently everyone in the community knows him. He talked to me about the Garifuna culture and walked me through the neighborhoods. I don't know how much to believe of what he told me. For instance, he said that Jerry Garcia used to have a house here and that he worked for him and was eventually sent to university in the US by him. He said he had been to San Antonio, Austin, Waco, and Dallas touring and playing music.
I was a bit disappointed in my dinner. I went to what is supposedly the best restaurant in town. I had garlic spaghetti with salad and garlic bread. It was okay, but nothing special. Tomorrow, I will find a Garifuna place and have rice and beans, I think.
Town was alive with people as the sun was setting tonight. Everyone seemed to be in the streets visiting with each other. It would be a great place to hide if someone wanted to get away from it all in a quiet, pretty, relaxing place.
I left the hotel planning to stop at a restaurant recommended for breakfast by my guidebook. When I got there, it wasn't the restaurant they had said; it was the Cuban one which I had tried to find yesterday. Apparently the guidebook has an error. This one was closed for Monday, and I had no idea where the other would be. I went ahead to the docks and bought my ticket 1 1/2 hours early for the trip to Livingston. The lady there suggested I have breakfast across the street at a small stall where several other people were. I had scrambled eggs, refried beans, picante sauce, and orange juice.
There were storms in the forecast for today. And 2/3 of the way through the boat trip, one hit us. We had to hold plastic sheeting over ourselves to keep dry. The young lady next to me lost track of her telephone and found it in the standing water on the floor when the rain stopped. She was frantically trying to dry it and get it to work again.
Livingston is a wonderful town. It is poor, but it is clean and attractive. Lush greenery is everywhere. There are hills, and there is a small beach. The town was settled in the early 1800s by slaves who were shipped out of St. Vincent Island after they had rebelled. The local culture is known as Garifuna. The people are a mixture of Caribbean blacks and Hispanics.
I'm staying at the Garden Gate which has only two rooms. They are new and nice with the walls and ceilings covered in tatami mats. There is a huge window looking out over the tops of the tropical trees. The only disadvantage is that there is no private bathroom. I have to go downstairs where there are two shared bathrooms.
This afternoon, I walked up and down the streets exploring the town. Everyone was friendly. One black man walked up to me and started talking. He is a teacher and a musician named Polo Martinez. Apparently everyone in the community knows him. He talked to me about the Garifuna culture and walked me through the neighborhoods. I don't know how much to believe of what he told me. For instance, he said that Jerry Garcia used to have a house here and that he worked for him and was eventually sent to university in the US by him. He said he had been to San Antonio, Austin, Waco, and Dallas touring and playing music.
I was a bit disappointed in my dinner. I went to what is supposedly the best restaurant in town. I had garlic spaghetti with salad and garlic bread. It was okay, but nothing special. Tomorrow, I will find a Garifuna place and have rice and beans, I think.
Town was alive with people as the sun was setting tonight. Everyone seemed to be in the streets visiting with each other. It would be a great place to hide if someone wanted to get away from it all in a quiet, pretty, relaxing place.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
From the Mountains to the HOT Caribbean
Sunday, May 8, 2011--Chiquimula to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala
What a bus ride I had today! I left the hotel at 7:40 and caught a bus to Puerto Barrios. It was a mini-bus, and they were trying to completely load it before taking off. That meant pushing everyone into tight seating. Just before it was full, there was a mini-rebellion with a few people getting off and refusing to ride in such tight quarters. A few minutes later, we were full again and took off. As we drove, they kept putting more and more people standing in the open space near the door. At one time, there were at least 10=12 adults standing and 54 people seated (6-7 to a row including about 6 children standing near their parents, since children are not allowed to take a seat due to the ride being free for them)!
About 1/3 of the way through the 4 1/2 hour trip, there was a pop and a flutter. We had blown a tire! I was amazed that they were able to hop off and change that tire within 6 minutes! Something else slowing us down was the appetite of the driver! He had a huge, round belly, and he stopped 3 times to get food to eat on the trip. It was like he was making a tour of his favorite snack spots between the two cities.
About 2/3 of the way through the trip, there was a sudden squirt. A little boy standing right behind me had gotten car sickness and was throwing up. It hit my ear, my neck, the shoulder of my shirt, and left a few spots on my pants. Fortunately, the parents spun him around fast, or I would have been soaked. I had some tissues in my pocket, so I wiped up what I could including what was on the back of my seat.
It was a relief to finally arrive in Puerto Barrios at 12:30 and get out of the crowded bus which had also become hot as we got closer to the coast. I grabbed my things and headed straight for the hotel I had chosen. Fortunately, they had a room that was fine and at a reasonable rate.
I was hungry, so I immediately headed out to find a Cuban restaurant I had read about. It was about 9 HOT and HUMID blocks from my hotel. And when I got there, it no longer existed. I lucked out, however. I had passed a very clean looking place with what looked like the owner and her family sitting at a table eating. I returned to there and they were just finishing. My only choices were fried chicken or a pork chop. I went with the pork chop even though the one they had been eating looked as if it was very dry. I couldn't have been luckier. My pork chop was nice with a sauce of tomatoes and onions on it. It came with tasty rice that seemed to have shredded pumpkin or something similar in it. And best of all, it came with a huge fresh salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. I wolfed everything down while drinking a Sprite. UMMM. It was the closest thing to a nice, homemade meal that I have had since I left home 6 weeks ago. And the surprise was that it only cost $3.90 including the drink.
Coming back toward the hotel, I explored more of Puerto Barrios. Unfortunately, it is an UGLY town. It was founded as a company town for the U.S. banana trade. Today, there is still a port area just for Dole and lots of Dole trucks on the roads. The only other Caribbean coastal town in Central America that I have visited is Limon in Costa Rica. Although poor, it is a cute town with brightly painted houses. Here, everything is drab and just a hodge-podge of ugly buildings. I found the one tourist site to see--a statue of a black man carrying a bunch of bananas--and even the statue was poorly made and ugly (and no photo of it could be found on the Internet). I returned to my hotel and stayed inside with the air conditioning the rest of the day.
My main purpose for coming here was that I can catch a boat from here to my next stop (which can be accessed only by boat). Tomorrow morning, I will head out and not miss Puerto Barrios.
What a bus ride I had today! I left the hotel at 7:40 and caught a bus to Puerto Barrios. It was a mini-bus, and they were trying to completely load it before taking off. That meant pushing everyone into tight seating. Just before it was full, there was a mini-rebellion with a few people getting off and refusing to ride in such tight quarters. A few minutes later, we were full again and took off. As we drove, they kept putting more and more people standing in the open space near the door. At one time, there were at least 10=12 adults standing and 54 people seated (6-7 to a row including about 6 children standing near their parents, since children are not allowed to take a seat due to the ride being free for them)!
About 1/3 of the way through the 4 1/2 hour trip, there was a pop and a flutter. We had blown a tire! I was amazed that they were able to hop off and change that tire within 6 minutes! Something else slowing us down was the appetite of the driver! He had a huge, round belly, and he stopped 3 times to get food to eat on the trip. It was like he was making a tour of his favorite snack spots between the two cities.
About 2/3 of the way through the trip, there was a sudden squirt. A little boy standing right behind me had gotten car sickness and was throwing up. It hit my ear, my neck, the shoulder of my shirt, and left a few spots on my pants. Fortunately, the parents spun him around fast, or I would have been soaked. I had some tissues in my pocket, so I wiped up what I could including what was on the back of my seat.
It was a relief to finally arrive in Puerto Barrios at 12:30 and get out of the crowded bus which had also become hot as we got closer to the coast. I grabbed my things and headed straight for the hotel I had chosen. Fortunately, they had a room that was fine and at a reasonable rate.
I was hungry, so I immediately headed out to find a Cuban restaurant I had read about. It was about 9 HOT and HUMID blocks from my hotel. And when I got there, it no longer existed. I lucked out, however. I had passed a very clean looking place with what looked like the owner and her family sitting at a table eating. I returned to there and they were just finishing. My only choices were fried chicken or a pork chop. I went with the pork chop even though the one they had been eating looked as if it was very dry. I couldn't have been luckier. My pork chop was nice with a sauce of tomatoes and onions on it. It came with tasty rice that seemed to have shredded pumpkin or something similar in it. And best of all, it came with a huge fresh salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. I wolfed everything down while drinking a Sprite. UMMM. It was the closest thing to a nice, homemade meal that I have had since I left home 6 weeks ago. And the surprise was that it only cost $3.90 including the drink.
Coming back toward the hotel, I explored more of Puerto Barrios. Unfortunately, it is an UGLY town. It was founded as a company town for the U.S. banana trade. Today, there is still a port area just for Dole and lots of Dole trucks on the roads. The only other Caribbean coastal town in Central America that I have visited is Limon in Costa Rica. Although poor, it is a cute town with brightly painted houses. Here, everything is drab and just a hodge-podge of ugly buildings. I found the one tourist site to see--a statue of a black man carrying a bunch of bananas--and even the statue was poorly made and ugly (and no photo of it could be found on the Internet). I returned to my hotel and stayed inside with the air conditioning the rest of the day.
My main purpose for coming here was that I can catch a boat from here to my next stop (which can be accessed only by boat). Tomorrow morning, I will head out and not miss Puerto Barrios.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Back in Guatemala
Saturday, May 7, 2011--Copan Ruinas, Honduras, to Chiquimula, Guatemala
Copan Ruinas is only 10 km (6 miles) from the border to Guatemala. So all I had to do this morning was take a short bus trip to the border, process myself across it, and then catch another bus. The timing couldn't have been better. I waited only about 15 minutes before the bus to depart Copan Ruinas. At the border, there were no lines, so I was processed on both sides quickly. No questions were asked and no money requested, although the guidebook warned that the Honduras side might try to get a dollar and that the Guatemala side usually charges $2. The bus was ready to pull out on the Guatemala side as soon as I reached it. It took another 1 1/2 hours on that one to reach Chiquimula.
Chiquimula is not a tourist city. However, my next stop is 4 1/2 hours north of here. After already traveling about 2 1/2 hours this morning, I didn't want to catch another bus. I followed my map as the bus drove through town and got off just 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel I had chosen--the Posada Perla de Oriente (this is EASTERN Guatemala, hence the name). I'm sitting beside the pool as I write this entry.
Chiquimula is a market town for this section of the country, and it was filled today with people who had come to town to shop, get haircuts, etc. I asked a local man who visited with me at the hotel about places to eat. When I asked about breakfast that wasn't the typical one, he suggested Pollo Compero, the Guatemalan chain restaurant that is in every town. I didn't realize they had breakfast. I went to the nearest outlet and ordered their "pancake menu" which gave me 3 pancakes, a choice of either hash browns or beans (strange choice to go with pancakes, but I took hash browns which were great with a combination of green salsa and ketchup on them), and a choice of orange juice or coffee (I took orange juice). It was a decent breakfast. Then I stopped at an ice cream place and bought a coconut paleta.
My room at the hotel is nice, but the air conditioning is too strong. I can control the fan a little bit, but not the temperature. When I am on the bed, I can feel the cold air flow over my body. So after a while reading in my room, I went back out to explore town. I looked in shops, walked through the central plaza, stopped at a supermarket and bought a 2 liter Pepsi Light, and sat at a small neighborhood park for a little over an hour watching the local teens practice their balancing for hip hop performances and others practicing their hops, wheelies, and jumps on their bicycles.
When a taco truck which had also been recommended by the man this morning opened beside the park, I ordered three Tacos Mexicanos. They were small and so good. So I ordered three more! To be honest, they were far better than the ones served by the Datapoint Taco Truck at home.
An added comment I don't want to forget: I discovered one of the ways that the evangelical churches have been able to appeal to so many people here in Central America. Apparently, they have times when they give everyone a plate of food. Last night as I was wandering through Copan Ruinas, I saw a number of people passing me with plates covered with napkins. Then when I passed a church, people were inside eating and others outside eating the same plates of fried rice and a tortilla.
Copan Ruinas is only 10 km (6 miles) from the border to Guatemala. So all I had to do this morning was take a short bus trip to the border, process myself across it, and then catch another bus. The timing couldn't have been better. I waited only about 15 minutes before the bus to depart Copan Ruinas. At the border, there were no lines, so I was processed on both sides quickly. No questions were asked and no money requested, although the guidebook warned that the Honduras side might try to get a dollar and that the Guatemala side usually charges $2. The bus was ready to pull out on the Guatemala side as soon as I reached it. It took another 1 1/2 hours on that one to reach Chiquimula.
Chiquimula is not a tourist city. However, my next stop is 4 1/2 hours north of here. After already traveling about 2 1/2 hours this morning, I didn't want to catch another bus. I followed my map as the bus drove through town and got off just 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel I had chosen--the Posada Perla de Oriente (this is EASTERN Guatemala, hence the name). I'm sitting beside the pool as I write this entry.
Chiquimula is a market town for this section of the country, and it was filled today with people who had come to town to shop, get haircuts, etc. I asked a local man who visited with me at the hotel about places to eat. When I asked about breakfast that wasn't the typical one, he suggested Pollo Compero, the Guatemalan chain restaurant that is in every town. I didn't realize they had breakfast. I went to the nearest outlet and ordered their "pancake menu" which gave me 3 pancakes, a choice of either hash browns or beans (strange choice to go with pancakes, but I took hash browns which were great with a combination of green salsa and ketchup on them), and a choice of orange juice or coffee (I took orange juice). It was a decent breakfast. Then I stopped at an ice cream place and bought a coconut paleta.
My room at the hotel is nice, but the air conditioning is too strong. I can control the fan a little bit, but not the temperature. When I am on the bed, I can feel the cold air flow over my body. So after a while reading in my room, I went back out to explore town. I looked in shops, walked through the central plaza, stopped at a supermarket and bought a 2 liter Pepsi Light, and sat at a small neighborhood park for a little over an hour watching the local teens practice their balancing for hip hop performances and others practicing their hops, wheelies, and jumps on their bicycles.
When a taco truck which had also been recommended by the man this morning opened beside the park, I ordered three Tacos Mexicanos. They were small and so good. So I ordered three more! To be honest, they were far better than the ones served by the Datapoint Taco Truck at home.
An added comment I don't want to forget: I discovered one of the ways that the evangelical churches have been able to appeal to so many people here in Central America. Apparently, they have times when they give everyone a plate of food. Last night as I was wandering through Copan Ruinas, I saw a number of people passing me with plates covered with napkins. Then when I passed a church, people were inside eating and others outside eating the same plates of fried rice and a tortilla.
Spending Update for Honduras
I spent a total of $262.49 over 8 days while visiting Honduras for an average of $32.81 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have traveled for 43 days and spent $1456.69 for an average of $33.88 per day.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Real Chicken Bus
Friday, May 6, 2011--Copan Ruinas, Honduras
I forgot to mention yesterday that one of the buses I took was a real chicken bus. A lady got on with a live chicken in your hands with its feet tied together with a ribbon. She sat beside me and put the chicken on the floor. When she got off the bus a little later, they had to search for the chicken. It had flopped around until it was located under a seat two seats up.
Today, I was up early to go to the Copan Mayan ruins. I got there at 7:50 and was the first person inside at 8:00 when they opened. I was able to get some good photos. Copan is not nearly as nice a site as Palenque in Mexico was. Most of the buildings are not completely restored. What makes Copan special is that it has the best 3-D sculptures of all the Mayan sites. Palenque is known for its relief sculptures. And Tikal is known for the completeness and size of its buildings. So each site has something special to offer.
It didn't take long to see everything here at Copan--much less time than it took in Palenque. By 9:10, I was headed into the museum. That's something else nice about Copan. The special items from the sites in Mexico have been sent to the museum in Mexico City and the special items in El Salvador and Guatemala have also been sent to museums in their capitals. Here, the museum with the special items they found is on-site.
There is little else to do here but go to the ruins, so I ate breakfast when I returned to my hotel at 10:30 and then spent the afternoon inside reading, napping, and on the computer. Then I went back out in the late afternoon exploring town. Eventually, I stopped at a local place and ate another bland dinner--flattened chicken breast with the usual black beans, goat cheese, sour cream, and fried plantain bananas. I'm tired of what they serve in restaurants here in Central America!
Now that I have been in both El Salvador and Honduras, I would suggest that travelers only make brief trips just inside the borders from Guatemala--to Ataco and Juayua in El Salvador and to Copan in Honduras and forget trying to see anything else in the two countries. It really isn't worth the effort. Tomorrow, I return to Guatemala.
I forgot to mention yesterday that one of the buses I took was a real chicken bus. A lady got on with a live chicken in your hands with its feet tied together with a ribbon. She sat beside me and put the chicken on the floor. When she got off the bus a little later, they had to search for the chicken. It had flopped around until it was located under a seat two seats up.
Today, I was up early to go to the Copan Mayan ruins. I got there at 7:50 and was the first person inside at 8:00 when they opened. I was able to get some good photos. Copan is not nearly as nice a site as Palenque in Mexico was. Most of the buildings are not completely restored. What makes Copan special is that it has the best 3-D sculptures of all the Mayan sites. Palenque is known for its relief sculptures. And Tikal is known for the completeness and size of its buildings. So each site has something special to offer.
It didn't take long to see everything here at Copan--much less time than it took in Palenque. By 9:10, I was headed into the museum. That's something else nice about Copan. The special items from the sites in Mexico have been sent to the museum in Mexico City and the special items in El Salvador and Guatemala have also been sent to museums in their capitals. Here, the museum with the special items they found is on-site.
There is little else to do here but go to the ruins, so I ate breakfast when I returned to my hotel at 10:30 and then spent the afternoon inside reading, napping, and on the computer. Then I went back out in the late afternoon exploring town. Eventually, I stopped at a local place and ate another bland dinner--flattened chicken breast with the usual black beans, goat cheese, sour cream, and fried plantain bananas. I'm tired of what they serve in restaurants here in Central America!
Now that I have been in both El Salvador and Honduras, I would suggest that travelers only make brief trips just inside the borders from Guatemala--to Ataco and Juayua in El Salvador and to Copan in Honduras and forget trying to see anything else in the two countries. It really isn't worth the effort. Tomorrow, I return to Guatemala.
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