Kind of an ominous title to this post, considering the actual content.
In about 2002, I received a bookbag from work. Of all the gifts/freebies from work, this one item has worked the hardest. I have used it as a lunch bag, carry all and notebook carrier. The many many pockets, the interior dividers have all meant both joy and pain. The joy of being able to separate items into discrete compartments, the pain of searching through them all when I forgot exactly which one it was in.
But, as the title hints, not everything lasts forever. The zipper on the main compartment has been giving me trouble, and popped open at an un-opportune time. I went shopping in downtown Panama City, and found a replacement.
In the 'They just don't make them like they used to' news, my North Face carry on soft sided luggage is still doing fine. I bought it in 1981, and it has made it to Europe 3 more times than I have. It is starting to show it's age, but is still my go to piece of luggage. And no, they do not make them anymore.
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Monday, 10 February 2014
Traveling Lessons Learned.... so far
1 the less luggage the better
- I am traveling with 32#, (15 kilos) and that is a little too much. My laptop is wonderful, but in the long term it has turned out to be a little too big and too heavy. Replacing it with something lighter may be too expensive though. Fewer shirts, and a light rain jacket in trade for them.
2 talk to everyone
- I am at times reluctant to talk to strangers, and this means I do not see some of the local attractions, and miss out on some alternative and cheaper transport.
3 learn the language.
- take a language course. Computer or classroom, it will help a lot.
4 Border crossings vary.
- some countries have odd entry requirements. Both Costa Rica and Panama require you to have an exit ticket. Panama requires this to be an airplane ticket.
5 being patient helps
- Even if you are first off the plane/bus/shuttle, you will still need to wait for your luggage. Smile, wait your turn, and talk to the person next to you. The friendlier you are to strangers, the nicer they are to you.
6 find out if you need to book tickets/rooms
- buses sell out on some runs, finding out if the one you want to take sells out in advance can mean not waiting an extra day or two. Booking rooms in advance means you have a place to stay when you get to a new locale, but frequently the cheapest places do not use any booking site but their own. Hostelworld, and others do not cover every hostel.
7 local food
- do not follow the tourists into cafes, wait until the locals get off work and follow them. Chances are the food is as good and usually cheaper.
8 cooking
- if the place you are staying has a kitchen, try and team up with others to have meals. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but usually a bonding moment with fellow travelers.
9 feet
- pay attention to your feet. Giving them a rest, frequent washing, peppermint lotion, changing socks, can all help keep your feet happier, and you paying attention to your surroundings instead of your aches.
10 rest
- find out how well you sleep in strange beds, in dorms, in hot and humid places. You may need more sack time than usual, and nobody likes a grumpy stranger. Occaisionaly booking a private room or hotel can work wonders on your rest and mood.
11 wi-fi is everywhere.
- or dang near, at least in central and north America.
- I am traveling with 32#, (15 kilos) and that is a little too much. My laptop is wonderful, but in the long term it has turned out to be a little too big and too heavy. Replacing it with something lighter may be too expensive though. Fewer shirts, and a light rain jacket in trade for them.
2 talk to everyone
- I am at times reluctant to talk to strangers, and this means I do not see some of the local attractions, and miss out on some alternative and cheaper transport.
3 learn the language.
- take a language course. Computer or classroom, it will help a lot.
4 Border crossings vary.
- some countries have odd entry requirements. Both Costa Rica and Panama require you to have an exit ticket. Panama requires this to be an airplane ticket.
5 being patient helps
- Even if you are first off the plane/bus/shuttle, you will still need to wait for your luggage. Smile, wait your turn, and talk to the person next to you. The friendlier you are to strangers, the nicer they are to you.
6 find out if you need to book tickets/rooms
- buses sell out on some runs, finding out if the one you want to take sells out in advance can mean not waiting an extra day or two. Booking rooms in advance means you have a place to stay when you get to a new locale, but frequently the cheapest places do not use any booking site but their own. Hostelworld, and others do not cover every hostel.
7 local food
- do not follow the tourists into cafes, wait until the locals get off work and follow them. Chances are the food is as good and usually cheaper.
8 cooking
- if the place you are staying has a kitchen, try and team up with others to have meals. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but usually a bonding moment with fellow travelers.
9 feet
- pay attention to your feet. Giving them a rest, frequent washing, peppermint lotion, changing socks, can all help keep your feet happier, and you paying attention to your surroundings instead of your aches.
10 rest
- find out how well you sleep in strange beds, in dorms, in hot and humid places. You may need more sack time than usual, and nobody likes a grumpy stranger. Occaisionaly booking a private room or hotel can work wonders on your rest and mood.
11 wi-fi is everywhere.
- or dang near, at least in central and north America.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Boquete, Panama.
The trip from Ometempe Island to David went very smooth. After I got to the bus depot I found out that it was usually booked full, and most had needed to reserve seats two days in advance. I had made my way with two other travelers, and they killed time with me in the ticket office until it opened at eight. The bus was due through at nine, and I got a ticket, the only spot left on the bus.
There are a few things traveling in Central America which have me puzzled. I really understand that as part of immigration control, the need is there for visas or other means of controlling foreign visitors and their length of stay. But both Costa Rica and Panama require you to have a reserved exit ticket, with Panama requiring it to be a plane ticket. Costa Rica, boat bus or plane. Panama, only a plane will do. Seems a real silly requirement when a visa will give the same result.
David, the second largest city in Panama is not very interesting from a tourist point of view. It is not right on the coast and far from the jungle areas. It has a strong commercial and agricultural base and is well set up for traffic. So far Panama wins the highest rating for infrastructure, with Costa Rica a close second. Costa Rica has better access to potable water, but Panama has better roads.
David, located in the coastal plain was warm and humid, but the short bus ride up into the hills to Boquete was cheap, $1.75 and the temperature dropped a little and the humidity dropped a lot. Boquete at this time of year tends to have a light sprinkle of rain/mist every afternoon. I sat in the central square reading a book in the sun and being hit by the occasional bit of falling mist. There was a light breeze as well, and the moisture dried as fast as it fell. There was blue sky above me, but the nearby peaks were wrapped in cloud that varied from wispy to grey and threatening. It never really strayed far from the peaks, but the peaks were so close that the winds were sending us some scattered spray.
The whole place is green and lovely, but not nearly as warm as I was expecting. I have even been tempted to put on a long sleeve shirt in the evening, and the nights are cool enough I could use a light jacket.
Pictures to follow, as I have not yet pulled out my camera.
There are a few things traveling in Central America which have me puzzled. I really understand that as part of immigration control, the need is there for visas or other means of controlling foreign visitors and their length of stay. But both Costa Rica and Panama require you to have a reserved exit ticket, with Panama requiring it to be a plane ticket. Costa Rica, boat bus or plane. Panama, only a plane will do. Seems a real silly requirement when a visa will give the same result.
David, the second largest city in Panama is not very interesting from a tourist point of view. It is not right on the coast and far from the jungle areas. It has a strong commercial and agricultural base and is well set up for traffic. So far Panama wins the highest rating for infrastructure, with Costa Rica a close second. Costa Rica has better access to potable water, but Panama has better roads.
David, located in the coastal plain was warm and humid, but the short bus ride up into the hills to Boquete was cheap, $1.75 and the temperature dropped a little and the humidity dropped a lot. Boquete at this time of year tends to have a light sprinkle of rain/mist every afternoon. I sat in the central square reading a book in the sun and being hit by the occasional bit of falling mist. There was a light breeze as well, and the moisture dried as fast as it fell. There was blue sky above me, but the nearby peaks were wrapped in cloud that varied from wispy to grey and threatening. It never really strayed far from the peaks, but the peaks were so close that the winds were sending us some scattered spray.
The whole place is green and lovely, but not nearly as warm as I was expecting. I have even been tempted to put on a long sleeve shirt in the evening, and the nights are cool enough I could use a light jacket.
Pictures to follow, as I have not yet pulled out my camera.
Friday, 24 January 2014
Ometempe Island, Nicaragua
The island is in Lake Nicaragua, the 9th largest lake in the Americas. The island was formed by two volcanoes which are linked by a piece of land. There are a few stretches of beach, with dark volcanic sand and rock dominating the shorelines. Although the water is warm, to my eyes it does not look inviting because of the suspended silt, which gives the water an angry cast. the sheer size of the lake and the gentle slope leading up to the island means the waves can be quite impressive. When I leave the island I will try to remember to take a few pictures of the wind farm on the west edge of the lake.
One of the differences between the wind farms in Alberta Canada and here, is the wind is never cold.
The vegetation change with altitude on the sides of the volcano. As you can see in the above photo, the top is usually shrouded by cloud. My lack of fitness prevented me from climbing all the way up, but I did get a few pictures of the stuff along the trail. A few delicate flowers, which were only seen at the start of the trail.
The trio of small flowers were about the size of strawberry blossoms, and the single in the close up was roughly the diameter of a dime.
The thorns in the picture were slightly shorter than my thumb. That makes the insects ( I am unsure if they are ants or termites ) truly tiny.
I did not adjust the exposure in the top picture, so the Howler Monkeys are dark silhouettes against the morning sky. The lower picture shows them better. There are 6 of them in the top picture, though they do not all show.
For all of you coffee addicts out there, this is what an organic coffee plantation looks like. At this point, the beans were harvested about a month ago, and it is still months to go until they bloom again.
As we climbed the slope of the volcano it became both cooler and more humid. According to the guys who made it all the way to the top, it was a wet muddy mess at the top with a misty view of the lake in the caldera. Over half of the climbers to the top had slid in the mud at least once and I am glad I did not try to get far enough up slope that the footing became slippery. The view of the lake through the trees was very nice, and the pictures did not do it justice, so I will not post those.
One last shot, the Capuchin Monkeys that cluster close to the road for feeding time. The pic is a little fuzzy, but the bump on the back of one of them is her baby.
One of the differences between the wind farms in Alberta Canada and here, is the wind is never cold.
The vegetation change with altitude on the sides of the volcano. As you can see in the above photo, the top is usually shrouded by cloud. My lack of fitness prevented me from climbing all the way up, but I did get a few pictures of the stuff along the trail. A few delicate flowers, which were only seen at the start of the trail.
I did not adjust the exposure in the top picture, so the Howler Monkeys are dark silhouettes against the morning sky. The lower picture shows them better. There are 6 of them in the top picture, though they do not all show.
As we climbed the slope of the volcano it became both cooler and more humid. According to the guys who made it all the way to the top, it was a wet muddy mess at the top with a misty view of the lake in the caldera. Over half of the climbers to the top had slid in the mud at least once and I am glad I did not try to get far enough up slope that the footing became slippery. The view of the lake through the trees was very nice, and the pictures did not do it justice, so I will not post those.
One last shot, the Capuchin Monkeys that cluster close to the road for feeding time. The pic is a little fuzzy, but the bump on the back of one of them is her baby.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Comparing
Comparing the tourist side and local side of Granada.
Tourist first.
And one of the cross streets. Leading away from the tourist zone.
And the local market streets.
There is a bow wave of pedestrians getting out of the way followed by a vacuum as it passes. And no one on that bus looked comfortable. Even the driver with a fan pointing at him looked sweaty and irritated.
Tourist first.
The top one is the side street. Truly crowded with people and only foot or bicycle traffic seen. The next is a main street (one way), with lots of vehicle traffic including buses.
There is a bow wave of pedestrians getting out of the way followed by a vacuum as it passes. And no one on that bus looked comfortable. Even the driver with a fan pointing at him looked sweaty and irritated.
Monday, 13 January 2014
Granada Pictures
Established and registered with the Spanish crown in 1524, Granada claims it is the oldest European settlement on the American continent. Situated on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, it is both warm and humid. The city is a nice size, and the tourist area is clean and the locals are very friendly.
The main square is full of small vendors waiting to do business, and has a plentitude of benches and shade trees.
The cobblestone streets make for a quaint and old world look, but I suspect they are labour intensive to maintain and not the best for traffic. Many of the streets have been upgraded to either interlocking brick or paved.
More pictures later.
As is common in the construction of the area, courtyards are a feature of almost every building. I ate in a restaurant where four different cafes shared the same courtyard, allowing all the customers to mingle and enjoy the calm setting.
Saturday, 11 January 2014
Old and New
Going through both Antigua and Managua in one day lead to thoughts of the difference between the old and the new.
In most areas of North America and Western Europe, architecture has altered and changed as the society around it has changed. Not only did it change to suit the needs of the world around it, but the society around it also allowed those changes to be made. There are large portions of the world where homes are designed as much to safeguard as to live in, an it seems the lower the income of the area, the more important it is to be able safeguard the few things you have. The building design of Antigua and Granada both speak to me of times when the rule of law was very thin. The walls of the houses, the public face as it were are bleak and have little ostentation. The face they present totally mask the inside, as much as the trunk of a car masks the contents. There are more than a few places where the detail on the outside hints at if not wealth, at least pride in appearance, but it is when the doors are opened that the true spirit is revealed. All of the places I have entered have had a courtyard in the middle, a calm and quiet refuge from the noise and business of the world beyond the front wall.
The contrast between that of the old and the new as typified by Managua is strong. the newer places echo that of the USA and yet instead of each house having it's own private wall, there are now gated communities banding together to give security.
Any of the places in towns where there has been a compromise between the old secure style and either cheaper or more modern design it appears the security lost. And it followed in my feelings of insecurity and disconnection with those areas.
As difficult as it is to warm to a neighbourhood where the houses all present a blank plastered cement wall to the public, it is much colder to see one where the dominant feature is barb wire, steel and bars.
At this point I have not searched to find information to see if there is a difference in crime figures between the various places, but it is an idea that does spring up, both if there is a difference in the crime rate, and the type of crime between say Granada and Managua. It truly makes me wonder if too much has been lost in imitating the 'modern' and losing touch with what may have been a more effective system from the past.
One of the rules from modern security is to not just lock up you valuables but to hide them. Casual thieves do not steal what they cannot see, and the blank wall very effectively hides all.
Poverty also plays a large role in what I see traveling through, for it is not cheap to build a place that is truly secure, but it could be a part of the cycle, for it is hard to accumulate wealth without security.
In most areas of North America and Western Europe, architecture has altered and changed as the society around it has changed. Not only did it change to suit the needs of the world around it, but the society around it also allowed those changes to be made. There are large portions of the world where homes are designed as much to safeguard as to live in, an it seems the lower the income of the area, the more important it is to be able safeguard the few things you have. The building design of Antigua and Granada both speak to me of times when the rule of law was very thin. The walls of the houses, the public face as it were are bleak and have little ostentation. The face they present totally mask the inside, as much as the trunk of a car masks the contents. There are more than a few places where the detail on the outside hints at if not wealth, at least pride in appearance, but it is when the doors are opened that the true spirit is revealed. All of the places I have entered have had a courtyard in the middle, a calm and quiet refuge from the noise and business of the world beyond the front wall.
The contrast between that of the old and the new as typified by Managua is strong. the newer places echo that of the USA and yet instead of each house having it's own private wall, there are now gated communities banding together to give security.
Any of the places in towns where there has been a compromise between the old secure style and either cheaper or more modern design it appears the security lost. And it followed in my feelings of insecurity and disconnection with those areas.
As difficult as it is to warm to a neighbourhood where the houses all present a blank plastered cement wall to the public, it is much colder to see one where the dominant feature is barb wire, steel and bars.
At this point I have not searched to find information to see if there is a difference in crime figures between the various places, but it is an idea that does spring up, both if there is a difference in the crime rate, and the type of crime between say Granada and Managua. It truly makes me wonder if too much has been lost in imitating the 'modern' and losing touch with what may have been a more effective system from the past.
One of the rules from modern security is to not just lock up you valuables but to hide them. Casual thieves do not steal what they cannot see, and the blank wall very effectively hides all.
Poverty also plays a large role in what I see traveling through, for it is not cheap to build a place that is truly secure, but it could be a part of the cycle, for it is hard to accumulate wealth without security.
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