Mexico, Central & South America 2005

New Blog

2005-11-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

If your into keeping up with the next blog check out:
New Zealand 2006
or go back to the main page:
Mikkel Thorup

Thank You for all the saport threw my Latin American trip.

Been A Good Trip

2005-11-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

well its all over now. i left colombia yesterday. but i guess i will tell you about that after, first i should write what i did for the last week or so of my trip. last i left you i think i was heading back or already back in bogota. it was a stressfull bit of time there, new passports, visas, plain tickets, banks, gerneraly just a lot of running around a huge city trying to get stuff done. once i had a bit of handle on it and while things where in the works, i headed down to popayan12 hours away, a very pretty colonel town, about my hundredth, very nice of course though. spent a cuple of days walking the streets, talking to locals and pretty much just relaxing. i wanted to head to at boarder town one of the morings, they have aperatly a very impressive church thats right ontop of a bridge, with mountains as the back drop. got up at 6 and headed to the bus stop with all of my stuff, had checked the times the night before and there shouldnt have been any thing to worrie about. start talking to the guy at the desk and he tells me that theres no busses going threw there, the gorilias are sweeping by or some thing. guess im glad it happened while i was on this side of the road, thats all i need is to be on the wrong side of the war, not be able to get back. started checking around, there was a bus heading to san agestin, sounded like a pretty place, after sitting in the bus stop for a few hours we set out, im right at the back of this little white bus, my seet is a foot higher then the rest, for six hours we travel threw the worst mountain road of my life. slaming threw pot holes over the unkept dirt road. smacking my head on the roof the hole way. at about three hours in, we have our expected drug checks by the milatery, after i go and sit on a bench, where out literly in the midle of no where, the solders are so board, i dont think they see many foreners, they wanted to know every thing, i had about 15 of them crowding around me, and then the hole bus who didnt realize i was a tourest behind them too. i got a picture with all the army guys, me a little white kid and 15 big dark colombian solders, one of the guys even let me hold his M16 for the photo. good times, good times.
i was so sick and disorentated from the rest of the bus ride when i got to the town i just paid some guy in a jeep to take me to a hotle. after a lie down i met who was staying there. there was two canadians at the begining of there trip and a danish girl and her kewi boyfriend who have been living in colombia for 6 months. asked lots of questions about new zealand. had a great time hanging out whith the other travelers, went and saw lots of arciological sites, hundreds of mysterious monnolithic statues scatered threw the mountains. took a jeep tour and saw waterfalls and the river, one of the waterfals was over 400m, very impresive. the rest of my week there was spent talking photography with the kewi, scuba diving with the danish, philosaphy with one of the canadians and lititure with the other. and of course travel with all, pretty much my faverate topics. spendeding a week in the garden like this was a perfect way to finish my trip.
i headed back to bogota on a night bus, 11 hours of hell as usual, the bus it self is nice but being wake up in the midle of the night to be searched for drugs or wepons by the military AGAIN! was unpleasent as ever. hapens at least once every trip and these guys wernt very nice like the last group. at about two oclock they turn on the lights so the guy can wake every one up to give them there complametery bag of chips and a pop. i think i had just fallen asleep five min before, you want to just yell at them for the obsertaty of it. but of course to put icying on the anoying ass cake they turn a movie on, full blast, i look around and theres not one person on the bus whos watching the tv. argg... defenatly a love hate relationship with latin america...
i show up in bogota at about 5 in the morning, got to my hotel, theres no rooms open dispite my reserving one, o well, the guy asures me that by check out at noon there should be some thing. fine, i just need to sleep, im dieing here, he lets me curl up on the floor and i pass out.
a cuple of hours later im woken by the hostle starting its day. only need to sit around for 4 hours till my rooms ready now... anyways you get the point wasent happy. its sunday and theres nothing open, its siting in the hostle with a book for me, dont mind at allstill exosted from the bus trip. monday i have all planed out so i can get every thing ready for my flight the next morning. im up with first light, showered and ready to go. say hello to the owner of the place, he tells me that its a holiday, nothings open, the consulet is defently closed. shit. what the hell am i saposed to do now...
i get a hold of a friend of mine back home and she finds me the number for the canadian goverment, call them up and explain, they get a hold of the canadian consulet on an emergancy number. the canadians in the office dont get a holiday, only the colombians so hes says he will try and find my passport and see what he can do. after a bit of waiting he calls back that its ready and he will be around if i wanna pick it up. so lucky, i take the hour bus ride across town and head into the bilding, the seceraty gard wont let me in, never heard of the guy that im saposed to meet, doesnt have any way of checking eather, wont even go up the few floors in the elavator to see, basterd. i leave in surch of a phone lucky i had brought the guys number with me. eventualty i got a hold of him and he came down stairs to get me. every thing worked out in the end just a lot more work then i though it would have to be. i have my canadian passport stating it was isued in colombia, and on halloween at that, coolest p;assport around i bet. finnished the rest of stuff i needed done that day and spent the night with friends and relaxing.
my flights yesterday where long and anyoing, over 15 hours of travel before i made it. called my friend im saposed to be staying with but shes not home, i dont care and i take a 25 doller taxi to her house anyways, i call her on the drivers cell phone but still no awser, o well its only 12 oclock at night i will just start knocking on random apartment doors to ask where she lives. took a bit of work but i found her place. she was asleep, has to work early the next moring, didnt hear the phone. no worries im here now and i need to sleep my self.
so that pretty much catches you all up to whats been going on. ive spent the morning ejoying the internet and relaxing in her awsome apartment while shes at work, eating lots of random food i havent had in a year, pickels, good cheese, sour cream. had a hot shower, able to throw the toilet paper in the toilet, great things these. the first world rocks.
im about 15 min from the beach, but its been raining for hours, mabey tommrow.
so im here for another 3 nights visiting frineds before my flight to auckland new zealand, very excied on this. so the jerney continues!
lots of love
mikkel

Urban Life

2005-10-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

well its been a while again since i wrote.
been in bogota most of the last cuple weeks, enjoying city life. the hostle i was at was great, so many ppl partying most every night, we went a disk called cha chas a few times, its on the 41st floor of a hotle, awsome vuie of the city.
had a hole crew of ppl that would go out, 3 or 4 taxis worth. anywhere we went was the party.
i spent canadian thanks giving with a cuple of canadians and americans, went out for a nice dinner. no turkey but it was still good.
visited a town called villa de lava, colonial town, looks the same as it did hundreds of years ago, mountains in the backgrounds. took tons of great photos.
not a lot to tell about bogota, visited lots of musems witch where world class.
urban life is fun again, after being on the beach and doing trecks. less to wright about though...
anyways just thought i should let every one know im alright.
mikkel

Lost City

2005-10-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

well im back in taganga. third time here now. stayed here for a few days, did some diving and hanging out on the beach. left to visit a national park. it was pretty there. did some more camping, reading and hanging out on the beach. good fun for sure. when i got back to tarange i relaxed and was getting ready to head to bogata. told my friend one moring i was leaving, eliya wanted to head to another beach, had decided that she didnt want to do the lost city trek, to expensive or some thing. fine then im not doing it eather. im going to the capital. gave her a hug and she went off to run arends in santa marta, the next town over. this is first thing in the morning. its an amazingly hot day, i cant be bothered to leave yet, im going to sit in the hamack for a cuple hours and read. i pack my bags and am thinging about heading to santa marta to catch a bus. but its 17 hours and if i left at that time of the day i would end up getting in to town in the middle of the night. not a something you want to do in colombia, even more so that theres 9 million ppl in bogata. alright ill go sit in the hammack for a cuple more hours, still to hot anyways to be draging my backpack around. at 5 oclock i decided its time to stop putting it off and get on a all night bus. im wrighting my friend and good bye, backpack on when she comes running in. listen, i talked to some ppl they said the trek was amazing, i wanna do it. alright, then we go. i drop my bags head in to santa marta, find the ppl who are running the tour and pay them. we left early the next morning.

what an experence, 6 days hiking in paramilitary jungle, up and down mountains, crossing rivers, running away from huge snakes and meeting amazing indigenus ppl. first day our jeep broke down 6 or 7 times. not a great start, it took us as far as the road goes. the only way to get to the ruins is by hiking. we met some of the paramilitary within the first hour of the trek. rodrigo our guid and his brothers are the only ones who run this tour. they used to do drug running for the paramilitary. bringing all the coke down from the mountains to the ocean where its sent of to god knows where. very dodgy, very dangerus. hes still friends with them and pays them off to let him bring ppl back to see the ruins. me and a guy named chris from belgum stop to talk to them. they want to sells us drugs, we dont want any. there nice enuff. ask us where we are from. belgum! thats where my guns from. he started showing it off to us. he was very excited to meet some one from there. thanked him and all. we didnt make it to first our first camp the first night because of the death trap of a jeep, so we stayed with some farmers.
ate well, and we where up early the next morning to start hiking again. we head to where we where saposed to spend the first night, theres a bunch of guys standing around a pool table. they look like farmers. very random, a pool table a days march in from the closest. even more so becasue they all have granades straped to there belts. i find out there not farmers. they work at a cokecane factory thats close by. makes more sence..
we went swimming in the waterfalls close by, was about to climb out and almost put my hand on a spider the same as it. from a cuple feet away you can see the fangs. scary stuff. we made it to the next nights camp with no major problems. been a full day though and every ones beet. we all head to our hamacks our beds for the week. not very plesent considering i always sleep on my stomak, somthing i now know is imposable, the body just isnt ment to bend like that.
the next day was an ass kicker, up and down mountains as usual but this time in the rain. plus we did 8 river crossings. almost fell so many time, you would get washed right down river. at the final river crossing we came to the first steps of the lost city. its over 2000 of them, relativly strait up and at an insanly dificult angle. it took a good 45 min to get to the top. i was so excited i didnt let fatige get then way, all but ran those stairs. the ruins where excelent. much better then anything i had in mind. steps and stone teraces where huts used to be, and it was huge, just kept going up and up. amazing vuies, your right in the mountains, jungle creeping in right on you. felt like indian jones.

the ruins where first found in 1973 by tresure hunters but didnt discover anything of value there. word got out about the discovery, one of the most important finds of pre colombian ruins in the americas. grave diggers and tresure hunters returned and pilfered the place. found gold that is now spread across the world, a lot of it in private colections. the paramilitarys and the gorillas fought over the teratory. there where conflicts for years. in as resent as 2003 the gorillas swept across the regon and kidnaped a group of tourests. a german girl was kept for over 70 days, some astrailians for over 90. all where eventualy releast. it was rodrigos brother who had run that tour. they let him go no problem, no one was going to pay a randsom for him.

we wondered the ruins that night and the next morning before heading out. we new the way back now so me the belgum guy and an astralian guy decided to just hike it our selfs. we where sick of waiting for other ppl. we hiked all day, did all the river crossings and made it to the last section before camp hours ahead of the group. it had been raining all day and the river was allready really high and moving fast. i fell during the moring and had to hold on to a rock for every thing i was worth so i didnt get sucked into the white water. later on at the end of the days hiking, where siting on some rocks next to the river waiting for one of us to catch up. i want to just go ahead and meet him on the other side, alright but let me finish my smoke first says chris. not thirty seconds later the river starts to rise, and i mean at an insane rate. within 1 min the river has covered the rock i was siting on. about 3 feet. it goes up another foot in the minite that follows that. its imposable to cross now. absalutly suicide. and we whould have been screwed had we been half way across when it started to go up.
further back on the trail is a little baskit used to cross the river. its the shadiest thing ive ever seen. this little metal cage running along a cable 15 m above the river. its pouring rain, tunder lighting and all. we dont know how to use this thing, actualy scared to death. one of the cooks catch up to us, says its safe and its the only way across. fine. we go across one at a time. its amazing how much speed you pick up on this thing till you hit the middle where the wire bends and you start to come back. you have to pull your self the rest of the way with a rope thats tied to the ajacent cliff. i make it alright, but the when the guy behind me goes to get on theres a land slide and the cliff comes out from underneather him, he drops a few meaters, catchs on and pulls him self up, when he takes the cage across hes shaking so much he slips and almost comes of this cliff too. had grab him before he fell.
the path that we took on the way to the lost city was along the river, witch is totaly under water now. and this is thick jungle you cant go anyway but on a path. we find a trail leading up and decided to try are luck. its not well worn and its all mud, after an hour of climbing we decided we have defenatly gone the wrong way. we have no idea where we are and its getting dark. we try and retrace our steps but its hard going. its steep on the edge, not much can be done if you fall. and the slippery mud makes this a very likely posability. we found the trail we came up on and take it back to the crossroads with out anyone getting killed.
we ended up making it back to camp last, we had been lost for a cuple hours. at least supper was ready when we got there.

the next days hiking was farily univentful. it was a nice day and i enjoyed it a lot but not much to tell. at night the guides showed us some flowers the picked in the jungle, its used by the indeans to get closer to god. they made a tea with it and some of the group drank this hallucinogenic mix. never have i seen some one have less idea of whats was going on in reality. my friend took her shoe off her foot, put it on the table, ask for a spoon witch we didnt have, gave her a fork and she went on to try and eat her shoe. you should have seen the look of saprise on her face when she realised it was too tuff to eat. she couldnt understand it at all.
we had to look after them all night long. i got up a dozen times to make sure they where still in there hamacks. we didnt lose any one during the night. got to have a good lafe at them the next moring too.

are last day of hiking went quick and we where back at the vilage before we new it. the ride back to santa marta was no less eventful then the one to the jungle. the jeep staled at one point and started rolling backwards across the road into oncoming trafic. the breaks didnt works so great. we all had to jump out, some ppl grabed rocks to stick under the wheels. made quite a site. 14 ppl jumping out of this over crouded jeep in the midle of the highway trying to dodge cars. one last adventure to top off the week.

well im just relaxing at the hostle for a few days now. letting my legs recover and enjoying not moving. loved my week in the jungle but its nice to be back to the real world.
mikkel

Having a great time

2005-09-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well my week in Cartagena is over. had a great time with my friends from the boat trip, partyed lots, great discos there. saw a bunch of museums and toured the city every day. went to a 15m high volcano that shot out mud, went swimming in it. so bazare, you cant touch the bottem becasue more mud just keeps coming up so you just kinda hover in it. my friends going to email me a picture and i will try to get it on the blog. you have to see it, its just one of the weirdest things ive ever done.
was really hung over yesterday so i didnt end up catching the bus to santa marta till mid day. i took the bus with an american girl and we where to meet my isrealie traveling parter in the town next to santa marta, well the bus ended up taking 6 hours not 4. by the time we found a taxi in the rain and got to the hostle it was late. Eliya almost killed me. she bitched me out infront of about 20 ppl, Where the hell where you, i was so worried, i called the other hotel, no one new where you where. i couldnt help but smile at her. of course that just made her twice as mad. then she noticed my hair, i had been wanting to cut it for the last month and she wouldnt let me, hadent had a hair cut since i started this trip in january. it was so scruffy. Eliya left Cartagena the day before me so i had the american girl give me a trim while Eliya was awayand couldnt stop it. if i thought i had made her made with coming late, that was nothing compared to this. she told me to give me my passport, she would get me checked in, go put bags down, she doesnt even want to talk to me. basicley she sent me to my room.
she calmed down after a little while, but just so every one knows back home. i defentatly do have ppl looking out for me here.
So far we havent had any problems in colombia, but we are taking more care here then anywhere else ive been. just not a countrey you wanna make a mistake in.

slept in nice and late today. looking to just relaxe away from the citys for a bit. we are on the carabean, its a nice little fishing village, and theres a oportunity to do some diving here. there some really nice beaches just out side of the town, about a 10 or so min walk, where im about to head to when this entrey is done.
dont know how long i will be here. i will be heading to Parque Nacional Tayrona next, witch is saposed to be amazing, diserted beaches where we can camp and tos of hard core jungle behind you. pretty stoked about it.

anyways could be out of email for the next week, so
dont worrie, im safe and with good ppl. just so you have it, eliyas email is eliya_hassidi@walla.com. im probley going to be with her for the next two months at least. you can email her and tell her to keep up the good work making sure im safe, haha.

mikkel

Trying to catch up on blog duties

2005-09-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well..
so much to catch up on. i defenatly should have wrote lots as soon as i got back to the real world, a bunch happened and i didnt get a chance. im going to put off telling you about the darien because it needs some good thought to wright it out well. ill just say for now, that it was an amzing adventure and probley one of the coolest experenceses ive ever had in my life.
when we got back from the darien we spent the rest of the day running some arends and relaxing, first thing the next morning a german guy came and intraduced himself to me. he new a friend of mine and was told that i needed to head to columbia. i had been planing to fly to columbia in just under a week. he told me that in 45 min hes taking a few travelers to colon where there going to sail to columbia. if i can get my shit togeather and im intrested im welcome to come a long, have to pay of coarse but its not much more then a flight and i get to have a cool experence. alright, im in. cram the rest of my breakfast down my throat, run up stairs to pack, hand a bunch of stuff i need to mail home to my traveling parner. she doesnt want to come, no worries i will meet her in south america. gave her a list of things i need done while im gone. things that where going to take a few days of running around. a bunch of it i was able to put off till columbia. but she helped me out a ton.
came down stairs, met the other 5 ppl who i would be sailing with. 3 ozzys an american and a swiss. all good ppl. took a taxi to the bus station, jumped on a duble decker bus that was just pulling out. of coarse theres seets on there, get on. ok. we pull out, the thing is full to the brim, no problem u can sit up with the driver. he shoves into this alice in wonderland door and we crawl forwords into pitch black, and then theres no more to crawl. a cuple of the ppl made into the drivers caben, the rest of us are stuck on our hands and knees. setle in, its a two hour ride. great. after about 20 closterphobic minites the bus breaks down, we are the first ones out. another bus comes saprisingly quickly and we get the best seets this time.
we make it the coast and meet guidos (our captain) wife silvia. they are some crazy ass germans. they where in a biker gang for like 15 years till some thing happened and they had to get ouf the countrey. they moved to greece and opened a biker bar till some thing else happend and they had to leave again. they have been on the boat for 11 years. i dont think they can ever go back. nice enuff ppl though. we do some running around town grabing beer and food. we set sail and run into a small storm first night. three ppl throw up, im so happy im not one of them. next day was incredable, we have arived in the sun blas islands. theres a very small town where we get our exit stamp before heading on, we sail all afternoon, drinkiong beer and enjoying the sun. around mid day we arive at a bunch of tiny diserted islands. straight out of the movies, palm trees and white sand. theres a cuple other boats ankered here, friends of the germans. we spent the next cuple days drinking beer, snorkeling, watching the dolphins play and reading. we decided to leave and head to columbia, winds good and we shouldnt have any problems. middle of the night we hit another storm. the boat is swaying so much u cant lay in bed with out falling. theres more lighting out side then there is dark. worst storm they had been in for a few years. next day i slept almost none stop, didnt get any sleep cause i was was all over the cabin the nigh before. the next night we hit yet another storm. used to it by now, nothing new. nothing much to say about it.
we got into cartagenn columbia mid day. checked my email and found out my traveling parner eliya is here waiting for me. met her at the hostle and did a wonder of the town. really nice place here. really big. where staying in the old walled colonial part of town. this place used to get atacked by pirates all the time, it was the last stop the gold made before heading across the ocean to spain. very nice target. tons of history here.
anyways going to go explore
lots of love
mikkel

Panama

2005-09-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

dont have lots to tell, but i wanted to come on and let every one im doing well, and that i might be out of email and bloging duties for a half week or so.
im in panama city right now, its amazing here, such a nice city. took a bus in from san jose costa rica, 20 hours it took. what a night mare. im staying at a fun little hostle, its in an apartment bilding right down town in the banking districkt. its the second largest banking district in the world, after switserland. there is some serious money on the street. nice cars all over the place. but its still resonabley cheep to travel threw here, doesnt make sence to me but im not going to argue.
im heading off to the jungle tomorow moring, im going with a isralie girl, ive met up and traveled with her a few times in the last few countreys ive been too. where heanding down to the darien provence, its next to the columbian boarder. where going treking and canoing for probley three or four days, camping and going deeper every day. its some of the most hard core jungle on the planet. aparently your hard pressd to find much in the amazon thats this remote. we have to take a small prop plan into the jungle and then a boat before we even start the trek.
it took a cuple days of running around and planing to get all this ready, we had to head to a dozen different spots, like topigraphical map places and a visit the orginzation that manages the reserve.
this will be good experence to get me ready for a a bunch of stuff i have planed in the future. south america is going to be awsome. i hope to be in columbia in a week.
im really stoked.
lots of love every one
and ill talk to you again soon
mikkel

Down by da beach man!

2005-08-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

hit another beach, this one was called samara. pacific cost of costa rica. wow. so pretty there, and no ppl. always love that. got a nice little hotel rght next to the beach, private bath and all for 6 bucks. the beach was almost completly at sea level, when tide came in there was no beach. perfect white sand. after the tide there would be a thin layer of water on the sand. looked like a mirror. sky all around. went for lots of walks on my empty beach. found a little river one of the times. started spashing threw the river. nice and clear for the first foot, then it got deep and cant see anything. nice sunny day, im a few hundred metters back away from the beach, doing some exploring. i start wondering, are there crocodiles in costa rica? and i thought what your probley thinking. dont be silly. as this is going threw my head, i look up. a crocodile considerabley larger then me turns its head, and comes into the water, not15 feet from me. saw the thing perfectly. so amazing. of course i wasnt appreating at the time, i was literly running for my life.
plz dont tell me to be carful, getting so sick of it.
mikkel

Stupid Dogs!

2005-08-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

im in Tamarindo Costa Rica, got here last night, found a camp site, nice and cheap. a bit to rustic for my dutch friend im traveling with. she left. got every thing set up, theres a cuple dogs running around the grounds, to gard i guess. out of no where one attacks me from behind. tore up my legs pretty good. cuple holes. women owner told me thats its not sick, not to worrie. i worried anyways. read all i could on the net. decided to go see a doctor. wow am i ever poor now.
dont need and stitchs or rabies shots. feww..
dont like this place, im leaving tomorow.
stupid dogs.
mikkel

Another update

2005-08-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

just thought i would pop on and give another quick update as to where i am and what ive been up too.
Granada was a great city spent a cuple nights there exploring the town and relaxing by the lake. i met a canadian girl while i was on the internet and we decided to head to ometepe, its a island of two gient volcanoes in the middle of lake nicaragua. it was gourgus there, and there was hardly any tourests becasue one of the volcanoes exploded last week so i guess ppl where a bit scared. we went hiking and kiaking every day for a few nights. im defenatly on the travelers serkit right now, i keep meeting up with the same ppl every place i go, its so different from the way i was traveling witch was a lot slower. but its good becasue im trying to bang off the last few central american countreys before heading to columbia. im traveling with a dutch girl right now, where on the pacific right by the costa rican border, called san juan del sol. its a really pretty beach town with cliffs on each side of the water. where going to head to another beach thats not to far away today for a day trip and mabey get some surffing in. and then i hope to be off to costa rica tomorow!
so not a lot really new and interesting, just lots of busses and waiting, reading and relaxing, and generaly just hanging out.
lots of love
mikkel

Nicarauga

2005-08-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

after a 15 hour bus trip and a 12 hour bus trip i got into Nicaragua.
I came into leon and used it as a base to go explore the beach thats really close. when i was on the pacif we ran into the owner of the hostle i was staying at invited me and my friends to a hotle there bilding there. its just the fram right now but its a gorgus pice of diserted beach and we had a sterio and lots of booze so needless to say we had a good time. they had a car so i got a ride back with them into town and hung out for another night. we watched a title fight last night on the tv. it was a nicaraugan fighter verses an italian guy. the bar went crazy when it was a unanamis dission for managua the nicarauagan guy. we selabrated really well last night.
today i slept in a bit before heading to granada witch is a cuple hours away. i cant really coment on it becasue it started to rain as soon as i got here and just stoped a few min ago. but its saposed to be a really nice place, right on a really nice lake with a cuple of volcanoes in the middle. i never thought i would see this many volcanoes in my life, every bus trip i take i see a cuple of them. todays where spectacular.
anyways got to grab some food.
take care
mikkel

Honduras

2005-08-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

so the plan prett much went how i thought. went to copan, saw the ruins, took another bus the next morning traveled for 14 hours and made it to the islands.
wasnt able to get an apartment with my friends though, pretty much ended up spliting as soon as we got here. me and two of my friend went to another island close by and dived with a shop there and the rest stayed on the main island and dove with a different shop. worked out alright though. all ive done for the last week is dive and sleep. it totaly takes it out of me, one day i dove tree times, had lunch and slept litterly every other min of the day. slept all night, 12 hours, dove for three hourse, went back to bed for 3 hours, had lunch, went back to bed for 3 hours, dove for an hour and a half then went to sleep for 12 hours. and so on.
did my advanced diving course, did a wreck dive at a hundred feet witch was really cool, went deep diving at 125 feet where you get nitrgen narcoses, its like your really drunk, very bizare, just stare at the fish and smile.
the island was nice, no beach unfortunatley but it wouldnt have mattered i was to bisy sleeping and probley wouldnt have used it had it been there.
tomorow im leaving, dont know where im going yet but that doesnt matter, as long as its in the general direction of south then i will be happy. looking forword to getting to south america, very excited about columbia.
anyways hope every one is doing well.
ill wright again soon
mikkel

Shorter stop then i thought

2005-07-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

well i relaxed on the lake for a week and a half. it was very nice to be back and see all my friends here. i was planing on staying a little while longer but we have now gathered a hole group of ppl and where heading to hundorus tomorow, well the fist part on our way at least.
we go to antigua for the day and then catch a night bus from there to copan ruins just over the boarder in hundorus spend a bit of time there and then head to the islands to go diving for a cuple weeks. theres enuff of us that we should be getting a house togeather for a little bit.
im really looking forword to it.
I just did a short cuple day trip with an isrealie friend of mine. we went into antigua for the night. stayed at a isrealie hostle, it was funny how many ppl my friend new walking in there. we joined up with 4 isrealie girls and took a few different busses to make our way to the town near coban (witch i cant rember the name of) met up with two more isrealie guys to make the rest of the jerney with. when we had finsaly got to our hotel it had been a good 11 hours of travel. we ate and went out and partied all night and where up first thing the next moring to go caving. we went swiming threw these caves for a cuple hours with a guid. it was really bazare climbing rope latters and swimming in freezing cold water with only a candle each for light. it was even more difficult for me becasue i sprained my wrist last week falling down a small cliff in the dark so it was imposable for me to use it at all.
after we climbed a small mountain to see the vuies over Semuc Champey. there these gourgus cascading blue green pools and water falls. when we got to the top me and team isreal had our lunch in the rain. it took us over an hour to get down this mountain in the pooring rain. by far the most dangerus thing ive done on this hole trip. bare foot with one screwed arm going down slipppery mud in between sharp rocks. im so saprised that no one got seriously hurt. and please, i dont one to hear one coment on being carfull.
swimming in the pools was amazing. just so pretty.
heres a web site if you wanna see some pictures.
we missed our ride back to the town where our hotel was so me and the five israels i was traveling with started talking to a cuple of canadian girls and figured out a plan for another way to get back, when our mini bus pulls up, he came back to look for us after he took the other ppl home. we had dinner with the 3 canadian girls and met and talked to some more isrealies. after cleaning up a bit we went out and partied. we where our drinking till late, it was after 2am when i got to bed. and my alarm went off at 4am to get up and catch my bus back to te lake. well my first chicken bus of the day anyways.
it took about 15 hours of cramed busses and and boat rides to get back to the lake but we did it all it one go.
today i relaxe, tonight i part and tomorow i travel again.
i love life
mikkel

Back at the lake

2005-07-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

hey every one
im sorry to disapont anyone who reads this but my blogs will most likly be boaring again for a while. im back on lake atitlan and i think i will be here for a little while at least. im cooking dinner for a small hotel / house that my friend owns, so hes letting me stay and eat for free. its a nice oprtunity to read the library he has and to enjoy the nice vuie that i never seem to get sick of. so this is just to let every one know that the blog entires will be less frequent again but not to worrie im safe and sound. and ill let every one know when im on the move again.
lots of love
mikkel

Diving

2005-07-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

hey every one
life has been good here. im still in san salvador. im trying to get a hold of some family here. i want to see them for a cuple of days before heading back to guatemala for a little bit. ive decided theres a few things that i want to do back at the lake, plus one other place i want to visit in the countrey before making my way to hundourus. i dont think i will be at the lake for too long though. the girl im kinda with is there too so i need to pick her up and her friend so we can all travel togeather for a bit. the only have another 3 or 4 weeks in central america, so im really looking forword to seeing them soon.

im so stoked to get to hundourus, i want to go diving again. we went yesterday in a huge lake thats on the inside of an active volcano. it was just me and british friend of mine and our guide.
the first dive was incredable we went down 91 feet, thats a dam deep dive. the first probley 50 feet or so is so muddy you cant see anything, its really scary cause youy can loss your parner so easly, the visability in that part is only a few feet. but as soon as you hit the hidro cline it totaly opens up. we went to this underwater cliff, its sheer down for close to 500 feet. its like your actually looking into the abyss. it feels like your on the side of a mountain exept your flying next to it instead of climbing it. we saw all these gass jets shouting out boiling hot water from the volcano and theres all this weird stuff that grows around them. its looks like the serface of the moon there. our second dive was very cool too a lot more fish and not as dep so the visability was really tricky, you stray for a min and your lost.

i was so absalutly nackered after diving yesterday, doing two dives back to back with only a half hour serface time kicked my ass. i slept for close to 14 hours yesterday.

anyways the rest of my tiem here in san salvador has mostly just been drinking and walking around. i did go to a botanicle garden yesterday (spelling?) it was really pretty.
san salvador has been fun but its time to leave. im excited about moving on again.

well got to be going
lots of love
mikkel

The beach was great

2005-07-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

hey every one, i just got back to san salvador after spending nearly a week siting around on the pacific.
finding the palce turned out to be a lot more dificult then i thought, but no worries i made it safe and sound.
i spent the week with two gorgus american girls. we went swimming and surfing. we atelots of great food, drinking tons of cheap beers, did some yoga, and i took a great boat ride. it was so amazingly quite there i couldnt belive it, for as far as you could see in eather direction the beach was diserted. we pretty much had it to our selfs. we watched killer lighting storms off the coast a cuple of the nights and had a big bond fire once too.
i didnt have any exciting dangerus storys to tell this week, things where very calm and peacful. im sure its not as entertaning but what can you do eh.
i just got back to san salvador today, i havent figured out excatly what im doing this week. im just hanging out in a mall, its just like any in canada, except a lot mose shoe stores, for some weird reson litterly every other store sells shoes. and this place is huge. crazy obsecive feet culture..
anyways i will write and let every one know what im up too when some thing interesting happns.
lots of love mikkel

San Salvador

2005-07-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

i was pretty scared coming to san salvador. i had heard so many awfull things about it. but i dont know if its just the part of time im staying in but its a paradice compared to guatemala city. totaly night and day. so far it looks like any normal major city in a first world countrey. just with more guns. i know theres saposed to be huge getos lots of ruff areas, i guess i just lucked out and picked a good hotel to stay at. a wopping 8 dollers, what a treat lol.
im going to try again today to get a hold of some family of my brothers wife. i hope to spend some time with them, see san salvador from the perspective of some one who lives here. im really interested in some history about the war. the war kinda smaked me in the face pretty quickly, the woman who runs my hotel only has one arm, i dont think its too much to asume she lost it in the 80s.
the amount of guns i have seen here so far is insane. i think the best way to give derections would be, go down two blocks, hang a right at the guy with the shotgun, then a left at the prepubecent with the asult rifel and then to the end of the street where the dude has the 4 german sheperds and a well used atomatic rifel with an extra clip duck taped to the first.
honestly there are guys with guns every where. they drive around with all the delvery trucks, even some thing like a pepsi truck has at least one guy with a shotgun.
and the really weird thing is im already getting pretty used to it after traveling threw mexico and central america for the last 6 months.

so i spent an extra cuple nights in antigua visiting my old family i stayed with and i took there nebours out for dinner. there so poor, and i just love the two little girls, there so cute. it was so nice to take them out to a really nice restrant, hand them the menu and tell them they can order any thing they want. i took them out for ice cream too, you should have see the little girls eyes light up when she got a duble cone as big as her head. it makes me smile just thinking of that look.

even in antigua theres still violence though. for some reson i felt so safe there. its argubley one of the three nicest citys in all of the americas. theres hundreds of tourests every where. ppl come from all over the world to vacation there. but when my friend was out drinking three ppl got merdered right by the bar they where at. about two min from our hotel.
when i left the night before last i was a little nervus. my shutle bus was saposed to come and take me to guatemala city at 4 am. i was up well in time with a cuple friends who where catching simular busses to other places. theres where there right on time but after 30 min mine still wasent around. im standing outside with a few thousand dollors worth of gear and some drunk guy comes around the corner, he walks past, im just thinking how lucky i am becasue i dont want to deel with anything stupid tonight, and he turns around and of course asks me for money. i tell him no and we get into a big argument. using my broken spanish i try and dismiss him like we did the dogs around the lake. he doesnt like that very much but i dont give a dam. hes starting to piss me off. im not overly worried about him, hes so drunk i could have knocked him down really dam easly. then he says hes going to go get his gang. his friends live around the corner. great. its almost 5 in the morning and my bus still isnt around. and this guy is swearing at me and threating me becasue i wont give him a dollor. he stumbles off to go find some friends. im pretty sure he was so drunk he forgot i was there as soon as he turned around. but i was still releaved when my shutle pulled up.
i missed my bus from guatemala city to san salvador so i had to wait for the next one. crossing the border was fun as i new it would be. i seem to always be the last one in any line up and take the longest when it comes to this type of thing. i guess hardly speaking the language and not underestanding any of the derections probley has a part to play in it but what ever.
ive even learned to ignore all the dirty looks from every one when i get back on the bus. well at least they waited for me, which i really wasnt sure they would do the second time. between the two borders i probley made every one wait an exrta half our. not a good start to a new countrey.

its been an exciting cuple of days since i left the lake. but if my visa hadnt expired i would have stayed in san marcos la laguna for a cuple more months. its was so peacfull and calm there it almost felt like you could just forget about the out side world and setle there. almost.
i know setling is not for me, not yet at least. i am happy to be back on the road. i met a pretty girl from irland who i might be doing some traveling with, where heading in pretty much the same derection, witch is kinda unusual. most ppl i have met are eather doing a little circle threw guatemala and hundrus or going south to north threw the americas. the opasite derection. at least i have lots of good inside information on the palces i will be visiting.

well i best be going. i hope every is doing really well.
lots of love
mikkel

The retreat is over!!

2005-06-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

hey every one, sorry, you guys are wright i have been slacking on the blog. but with good reson.
i just finished my month long meditation course here on lake atilan. and i have moved up to my friends house on the top of a huge hill over looking the lake. its such a beautiful place.
the course was an aazing experence. im so glad i did it, and stuck with it threw all the tuff times. my last 8 days of the course we did a retreat. so 8 days of silence, and 7 days of no food, just tea. most other ppl only did the 5 days that you where saposed to but i decided to do extra.
by the 7th day of not eating i could hardly walk, i was so weak and dizy. my friend racel the swiss girl i spent my month with was getting really mad at me becasue i wouldnt break the fast and eat, but i made a promis to my self and i kept it.
its incredable all i learned in this month. so many new things, so many new doors have opened to me.
i made a lot of good friendships, shared so much with a fw great ppl. and met racel, after 4 weeks of spending most me time with her while she was in silence, not hearing her speak once, was an crazy begining to a friendship. its so bizare to finaly be able to talk to her and listen to her voice. which is absultly beautiful.
so my three month visa in guatemala is almost finished, but ive thougt of coming back here to the lake, theres a cuple of small job opertunites for me, enuff to pay for my food and a place to sleep. but we will see what happens. i will probley be in el salvadore next week, it will be interesting to really start traveling again after close to three months in just two places.
so I highly recomend guatemala to anyone who is thinking of traveling. you wont be disaponed.
so lots of love to every one out there and i will try to wright more often.
mikkel

hello again

2005-05-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

hello again every one. been a week or so and i thought it time to let every one know how ive been.
im doing really great.
im staying at a meditation center here in saint marcos. the same village i was at before. im doing a four week course here in metation and other cool things. learning lots and making lots of good friends. even been hang out with a really pretty swiss girl, im such a sucker for the swiss german.
ill give u a little break down of my day, let you see what my looks like these days.
im up around 4 am to have a cup of herbal tea; im off cafean, meat and alchol for the next month to purafi my body of all the toxins. then me and Racel (pretty swiss girl) climb the hill to watch the sunrise as it comes over the volcanos.
im doing the moon course, it runs threw the full moon, four weeks in total, shes already done that course and now is on to the sun course, witch runs threw the ekinox, 3 months in total. for 40 days shes in silence, shes not saposed to comunicate or interact with ppl. so we watch the sunrise in silence. both our courses finish at the same time, so for the first month of knowing her i wont ever hear her speak. when shes done the course shes leaving. but she writes me little notes or we comunicate in other ways. she said she has a canadian acent because she learned how to speak english in edmontan. but she also speaks perfect french and spanish and of course swiss german. plus a good amount of portugeas and italian. she blows me away.
after watching the sunrise we walk down to the dock and swim out to the middle of the lake to watch the sunrise again, since where so much lower, and it hasent come up over the mountains yet. its gourgus, theres hardly any one up at that time and it feels like we have the hole lake to our selves, its so calm and quite.
after i grab a quick shower, have a quick snack and another cup of tea to warm up I get to yoga for 7 am. we do an hour and a half of yoga then go and grab breakfast. at 10 oclock we have lecture, the woman who runs the temple is named Chatie. shes gutemalan and is really cool. we learn about metaphisics and lucid dreaming, and other really cool things. it has nothing to do with religun but lots to do with spirtuality.
from 11 30 to 5 oclock i have off, so we might go swiming again or chill in the hamick and read or take a nap. theres a kitchen here for us to use so ive set up a little restrant. i cook dinner for every one at 4 oclock and it gives me enuff money usually to pay for all my food for the hole day. at 5 oclock we have an hour of guided meditation and a half hour of silent meditation. witch is an amzing part of the day. you come out felling so at ease and peaceful. they have a really nice tradishonal mayan sona here, so if i have time doring the day i set all the wood up for it and when i get out of meditation its ready to light. we go in and out of the sona for a cuple hours, run down to the lake for a night swim or just stand in the rain to cool off. it rains almost every day, but its not a big deal casue its always sunny in the mornings and it makes every thing so green and pretty. plus every one groups togeather so theres lots of ppl around to share time with.
by 8 oclock or so im back in my room doing a bit of meditation and getting ready for a night of lucid dreaming, wich i havent had yet lol, its really hard, but im already rembering a lot more of what happens. so mabey tonight, who knows..
ive been sleeping great here, best i think ive ever slept.
some days i get free massages from friends who are learning here in town or go and hang out at a friends house who lives on the top of a big hill over looking the lake. such a hippy comune up there, its great. i did have a cuple of girls i was spending a lot of time with but they left the other day after being with them for two weeks. it was sad to see my friends karis and Gemma leave, but i should be meeting up with Karis again in houndurs if things go acording to plans.
so thats a little break down of my life. im learning lots about myself and an alternative vuie of the world, wich if nothing else is interesting.
lots of love, take care
mikkel

Quick Discription

2005-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

ive moved to another small village on lake atilan. this one is for sure my faverate. its very quite and relaxed, theres all these small dirt paths threw the forest along the lake that lead to the most amazing litttle restrants set up by x-pats. theres so many hippys hanging out here its loco. every other place has courses on raki or hypnoses. theres a bunch of wood burning sonna´s that are so nice. and ive been doing yoga in the mornings. the locals are so sweet here, probley thing all these ppl with dreds and colerful clothing are crazy, but they seem to take it with good humor.
right now its the riany seson but i dont mind. pretty much every day it rains here from mabey two or three in the afternoon till well after every one is in bed. wich seems to be about eight o´clock. the mornings are so gorgus here though. im up with the sun, after having some breakfast i do yoga for an hour and a half then head down to the lake where theres a huge rock that you have to climb up to, from there you can see the hole lake and theres no one else around. i spend most the morning reading and writing there before finding some one different for lunch. almost all the restrants here are vegitarian places, and i thought i would mind but i dont. every thing is grown in the volcanic soil by the ppl who have the resterants or the farms that are close by so every thing is so fresh and tastes amazing.
after lunch its just starting to rain so i head back to the hotel that has a really nice cafe restrant kinda place theres no walls only a grass roof so its fun to watch the storm. every one seems to gather here and we just relax and talk the night away. ive met the most amazing ppl here.
theres other things to do when its not raining too, ive done a bit of hiking around the vilage and taken so many good photos and this week im going to get a massage, theres a bunch of different types here. theres deep tissues massages or swedish massages. theres shiatsu massage that are saposed to be unbelivable and they have indian head massages that are wright out there too. so many interesting options here, i love it. the hole town is set up as the alternative to western medicine, using energy and natural healing.
the other day i went to the nateralistic medical center and explained to them in broken spanish about how sore my joints are, they gave me a bunch of different types of plants to make a tea with, it doesnt taste very good haha. but i think it could help me a lot.
theres so many things i want to explain to u all. so many things i wish i could show u.
im taking this place with a very open mind and im not going to doubt anything, its a learning experence like ive never had before. and im so happy to be here. at the end of my time here i can make my own choices about what i belive, if nothing else its interesting to understand a bit about how other ppl vuie the world.
ill write again soon, to tell about all ive learned.
i got to go, theres a heracane coming.
mikkel

Back on the move

2005-05-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

hello every one ive fianly left antigua.
after 5 weeks of studing spanish for 5 hours a day my spanish is... horable.
im so bad at learning languges. but at least i can take care of my self now. i can order my food and get derections, ask questions and understand most of what ppl say to me as long as they dont speak to fast. i can chat to the locals and flirt with the girls if they have patence.
so all and all im happy. im going to try to study every night and practice as much as i can so in the next few months of central and south america so i should be pretty good when i leave. what a bissy week it has been, lets see if i can rember enuff of it to tell you.
last wensday it rained in the middle of the night so when i got up in the morning the sky was so clear you could see all three of the volcanos around antigua perfectly. i didnt feel like doing school the regular way so i asked my teacher if we could get out and practice my spanish. we went to the tourest poilce office and checked what they had going on for the day. we decided to hike up this hill where theres a gient cross and you get a killer vuie of the hole city.
it was a great day, i met a bunch of french canadians and practiced my spanish with them. after it was market day so we headed down to get me some stuff i was in need of and of course to practice my spanish. i had met a gorgus swiss girl the night before and had a dinner date with her that night so need a new shirt. wering the same three shirts for 4 months kinda destroys them especialy with all the hard stuff ive been doing.
so it was time anyways. i got some really cool hand made mayan cloths for myself and presents for the fam. dinner with the swiss girl that night went all right. not much to tell there.
the next day i didnt feel like studing again so we and my teacher hiked over to the next town and visited a coffee plantation witch was awsome and a museum of myana music and retuals that was really good as well.
friday i once again didnt feel like studing in school so me and my teacher walked around town and chated all day. we visited all the ruins of the city thats left from the earth quakes a few hundred years ago. we visited all the big cherches that are really pretty from the outside but have nothing inside. very disaponting. we visited a cuple of 5 start hotels that where just amazig, there in bildings that are hundreds of years old. the one that i really liked had an art gallery with paintings in it and a art gallery of glass work that was really intersting. they had an exebit of clasic cars at the hotel too witch was really weird to see in central america. at the same hotle there where ruins of an old cherch and we got to go down to the tombs underneath and see lots of human remains wich was werid as always. this place was so amazing and get this to stay here in this hotel was like 70 dollers a night. haha back home it would be a small forturne to stay there. i love how far your doller can strech.
saterday i was saposed to climb volcano agua wich looks down onto antigua. its about a 10 hour hike total. but i got food poinsing and was throwing up for about 50 hours. not fun. i had a fever and was just so sick i wanted to die. on sunday i was saposed to go to a music festavil that my freind was playing at but of course do to the being sick thing i had to lay in bed and listen to the family yell at eachother all day.
monday i was felling much better and of course didnt feel like studing so i got my teacher to help me send a package home. we checked a bunch of different company in town and by the time we found the best one and the package was on its way my 5 hours of class was done. o well we chated the hole time so its all the same. that was my last day of class. my teacher was saposed to come have beers with me that night but didnt show up so i didnt get tosay good by. o well.
tuesday i climbed a volcano, an active volcano. it was great. it took a few hours but what a vuie from the top. i got tons of cool lava pictures. i couldnt belive how close we got to the thing, its spiting lava mabey 15 feet from where i was taking pictures. well most the other ppl where a good distence more back but me and this other guy wanted to get some really good shots. wensday we took a bus out of antigua to lake atilan. the lake here is amazing. just the most best place i have ever been, its pretty like i have never seen before. im not exagerating i think it must be one of the nicest place on the hole planet. the town we arived at (me and my isralie friend bar) wasent to great. we wondered the town the rest of the first night and had a great lunch of chicken, soup, salada, rice, vegtables, bread and a drink for 2 and a half dollers. the next day we went to this nature park and hiked around all day, we saw a really cool waterfall and lots of monkeys there. after we grabed out gear and headed to the dock to take a boat to the next town. we met a guy on near the beach who told us it would cost 200 Q per person. after saying no a few times he droped the price to 25 Q per person for a private boat across the lake. less then four dollers. but bar didnt like the guy so we found a big boat that was going across for 15 Q, about two dollers. it takes twice as long though. anyways we show up at this town and its a shit hole. u can see before you even get off the boat. but theres not much we can do about it now. that was that last boat coming or going for the day. so we set off to find a holtel. we walk around with our big ass packs. past the first and second place we see they both look like hell. we dont see anymore so we check our guid books, sure enuff it says theres only two in town, alright, so we go back and take a look. both are full. crap, they tell us that theres some big cherch thing in town and every where is full. we head back down to the beach to see if theres a private boat we can find. nothing. some kids tell us they know a place we can stay. so we follow them. and more ppl start following us. its dark now and where walking around with thousands of dollers worth of gear here. where the yearly income for some one is 250 dollers. so basickle we look like big bulls eyes. we check this place the kids where talking about but its full aswell. we ask around and they tell us theres a hotel in the next town thats really nice but probley really expencive. it totaly dark there tons of ppl crowding us and its now raining. all right screw the money lets go. we jump in a cab and head to the next town. the hotel is full also. they say down the road is a place, we check it its full to. dammit.... running out options here, our taxis gone theres no where to stay in the town vilages and we cant leave. thank god for my tent. we went back to the really nce hotel and begged them to let us camp on there property. they said it was fine and didnt even charge us anything. i had a can of tuna left over in my backpack from before antigua witch we share for dinner and set up the tent in a thunderstorm but at least we where safe. we left that crapy little town very early in the morning and came to san padro where i am now writing u from. its a much nicer place. a lot more younge travelers and we found a nice cheap hotel for 2 and a half dollers for a prive room with a bathroom and a vuie of the lake. well that pretty much catches u up to what ive been doing. i should have lots more interesting stuff to write soon becasue im back on the move.
take care and i love every one lots
mikkel

spanish is hard

2005-05-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

spanish is really dam hard. im just finishing up my forth week studing here. i think i might do one more week before moving to my next destination. im able to talk to ppl and understand a lot of what is said but its a lot of work. english is set up totaly different then spanish, we dont conjucate words liek they do, so its hard to get in the mind set of this.
to say you are somthing can change depending if its a perment thing or if its a temperary thing. if its in the future, past or present and if its only a posability. in english u would just say - i am hungrey, or you where hungrey or they will be hungrey. it dosent change much. to be somthing in spanish looks like this. its not perfect casue i skiped all the acents that fall in different spots but u get the idea.

estar - to be, temperary, present
estoy - to be, temperary, present, I
estas - to be, temperary, present, you
esta - - to be, temperary, present, he or she
estamos - to be, temperary, present, we
estan - to be, temperary, present, they
ser - to be, perment, present
soy - to be, perment, present, I
eres - to be, perment, present, you
es - to be, perment, present, he or she
somos - to be, perment, present, they
fui - to be, perment, past, I
fuiste - to be, perment, past, you
fue - to be, perment, past, he or she
fuimos - to be, perment, past, we
fueron - to be, perment, past, they
estuve - to be, temperary, past, I
estuviste - to be, temperary, past, you
estuvo - to be, temperary, past, he or she
estuvimos - to be, temperary, past, we
estuvieron - to be, temperary, past, they
sere - to be, perment, future, I
seras - to be, perment, future, you
sera - to be, perment, future, he or she
seremos - to be, perment, future, we
seran - to be, perment, future, they
estare - to be, temperary, future, I
estaras - to be, temperary, future, you
estaremos - to be, temperary, future, we
estaran - to be, temperary, future, they
seria - to be, perment, posability, I
serias - to be, perment, posability, you
seria - to be, perment, posability, he or she
seriamos - to be, perment, posability, we
serian - to be, perment, posability, they
estaria - to be, temperary, posability, I
estarias - to be, temperary, posability, you
estaria - to be, temperary, posability, he or she
estariamos - to be, temperary, posability, we
estarian - to be, temperary, posability, they

fun eh.....

but anyways im having fun and lerning lots. i have been going out lots here, theres a really good bar sence here and me and my adopted brothers from my home stay have been out most nights in last few weeks. its really cheap especialy they way we drink. but two of my brothers and another of our friends left today to go to hunderus. so its going to be a bit slower for me but thats good because i need time to studie and read the small liberary ive bilt up here. if i had the money i would stay here for a few more months though. ive thought of trying to get some work in a tourest bar but i need to get my spanish a bit better so i dont embaress myself. it wouldnt pay much but mabey i could cover my school costs. one of the guys im living with is from isreal and were getting along good so i think im going to go traveling with him for a little bit around the lake thats near by and make up my mind after on what i wanna do. also one of my bestfriends, justin might be coming down this way for a few weeks so every thing will change if that happens.

anyways i just thought i would post and let every know im still around, and im sorry there hasent been more exciting stuff for you to read but the adventure will begin again soon.

lots of love

mikkel

Two chicken stories

2005-04-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm still in atigua gutemala. i really love it here. I'm still in school, witch is really dam hard, but I'm learning. the other day we did a little class feild trip. three students and our three instructors took a chicken bus (what they call the really cheap schools busses all the locals use) to the next town, about a half hour away. i couldnt stop lafing the hole way there. It was insane how many ppl they fit on that bus. They had at least 2 or 3 times as many ppl on there as there where seats. Every one was sitting on eachother and squeezed up next to next person. And of course there was a bunch of ppl carrying there chickens to market. It was like a university stunt where u see how many ppl you can fit in a telephone booth. we walked up to the top of a hill to this little mayan ritual site. They had all these different pagan ceremonies they where doing and they couldnt care less if we took a look in. As long as we where really discreet about taking photos (witch i got in shit a few times for). they had fires going and they where throwing cigerets and alcohol into the fire. And a bunch of other things like candles and eggs. It was very different. i was sitting talking with my teacher when we see them grab a chicken and start waving it over the fire. the things freaking out, wings flapping every where. I'm taking some photos, trying not to get caught when the dude grabs a knife and cuts the birds head off and drained its blood all over the fire. haha and the dam bird with no head is still flapping away until the two guys each grab a end of the bird and start ripping him in half. There was blood every where, then they just threw the hole bird in the fire to burn. i took probley a hole roll of this bizarre sacrifice while my teachers and the other girls where freaking out. after we left we walked down threw the market and one of the other students from the states decided he wanted to buy a chicken for the bus ride back. Just to get a reaction out of the locals. we went and found these mayan women selling a live rooster in the market and he starts bardering with them in Spanish over the price. We gathered a hole crowd of ppl around us lafing casue he's making jokes the hole time, naming the bird and all. he got them down to about 3 dollars for the rooster. i got a bunch of great photos. well our plan kinda backfired. We got on the bus and it filled up with tons of ppl but nobody looked twice at this huge gringo carrying a chicken. But we all and a lafe anyway. I'm not sure what he did with the chicken. i think he said he was going to give it to the family he was staying with as a present. anyways i hope every one enjoyed my chicken stories lots of love mikkel

School

2005-04-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

I had it to Atigua Guatemala. Its so amazing here. I think this is one of the prettiest city's I've ever been. Its all coble stone streets and old Spanish architecture. And its right in the middle of three huge volcanoes. I highly recommend Guatemala for a trip anyone is thinking of taking, there's so many amazing places here and its has the best of central America squeezed all into one country.
I started school the other day. I'm studying Spanish 6 hours a day. Its really hard but I'm learning lots. To speak is still extremely difficult but my listening skills are getting pretty good. I can make out a lot of what ppl say to me if they talk slow. My teacher is a little hottie. She's 22 and very Latino, id ask her out for sure but I haven't gotten that far in Spanish yet lol.
I'm staying with a local family. Its a really good deal, I have my own room and the house is really clean. They feed me three times a day and I get to practice my Spanish with them. And its only costing me 60 bucks American a week.

after school ever day I go to the central square and sit around and read, it feels like I'm back in Portugal. Its really safe here and there's lots of other travelers to meet.
I'm getting into a bit of a normal routine of life here and its kinda nice after moving so much for the last few months. I'm not sure how long I will stay here, I really want to get my Spanish up to par so I can really take care of myself for the next few months. I don't want to be going to places like el Salvador or Columbia with out knowing how to speak the laguage at least a little bit.

so life here is good. Nice and calm and relaxing.
I hope every one is doing well where ever you are.
mikkel

I'm not alone anymore!

2005-04-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Finally I met some ppl!
I was alone for 2 weeks. Do u know how much that sux. Not to have anyone to talk to for 2 weeks. ahh I'm very excited.
a few days ago I took a bus from Belize to tikal in Guatemala. The bus left at 7 in the morning so I was there early enuff to see all the ruins in one day. god that's one of the most amazing places I've been. It was so incredible, much nicer then any other ruins ve seen. In the guide book it talks about monkeys swinging over head and parrots, tucans and other exotic birds fling threw the ruins, I thought it was just being romantic. Was I ever wrong, the place had so much wildlife I couldn't believe it.
so after a full day of walking the ruins I went back to the camp grounds where I had my stuff and relaxed, had some dinner and was asleep by 8 o'clock so I could get up the next morning for the sunrise. It was nice, the jungles going crazy at 5 in the morning, so many animals around. I saw some fox and deer, and one snake went right across the path when I was walking.
after I had some breakfast I noticed that a couple I had seen the night before where packing up there landrover so I went to talk to them. There where such an amazing couple, they've been on the road for two and a half years with there 4x4. And they've got another 9 months to go. I asked if I could hitch a ride with them and they said it was no problem. We talked the hole way to Rio Dulce witch is half way on the way to Antigwa where I want to be. We camped last night in a farmers field. We asked the guy and he said its no problem we gave him 2 bucks each. There land rover is so cool, they have a tent thing set up on top of it where they sleep and a little kitchen inside. So its like an RV but the things a tank.
the place I'm at now is really pretty, its right on the lake. I met a guy from France this morning and left my two Dutch friends to take a boat across the rive and hop on a bus for Guatemala city. From there we should be able to get to antiga. The bus doesn't leave for another 45 min so I thought I would pop in and say hello to every one.
not the typical adventure you've come to know in the last few entries but still a good few days.

mikkel
this morning I packed up and took a boat across the river

Crack Head

2005-03-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

i set up my tent when i first got into town in a nice little camp ground. when i had every thing organized i was relaxing on the hamick when some random dude came over to talk to me. im the only one staying in the hole place so i have no idea what this guys about. he goes on to tell me thats hes from texas and him and his wife are staying at a place up the street. but i know this guys obveasly from belize. hes whereing dress cloths but hes cut these nice pants into shorts and hes whereing a collerd shirt unbottened. i reckon hes stole some ones luggage.
this guys dam weird. one of the guys who works there comes over and chaces him away. i ask the guy frank who takes care of the places what happened, and he goes on to tell me that its his cousin whos a crack head and who always hangs around here. he just steals oranges and coconuts from the trees and never has a job.
so im pretty hesatent about leaving my stuff alone in the grounds while i go out exploring. the owner comes back that night and i tell him the hole story. and hes nice enuff to give me a key to the washroom and told me i can lock my stuff in there and it will be safe.
the next day im siting in the hamack, and the dude comes buy, im not worried about my stuff any more but i dont want to talk to this fool. but he proceds to pull up a chair next to me and talk, while i ignore him and try to make it clear i want to be left alone. after mabey TWO HOURS he gets the picture and goes to get a coconut. i can see him out the corner of my eye climbing a tree when i hear him hit the ground and start yelling some inodabel shit in croel. i finaly figure out hes yelling "snake".
im not a big fan of snakes, but this dude wants me to get a bag to put it in, so i grab a grocery bag and my camera.
he has a big stick in his hand and starts smashing the snake into the ground, its pissed.
finaly he pins the thing with the stick right on the head and we cheak for teath, the things got them all right. this thing would mess us up good.he said its a Fer de Lance. the snake stops moving after a few min and he gets it in the bag. the crack head tells me hes going to give it to the museam, i know hes going to eat it.
after all the exitment he smashes me open a fresh coconut and i go back to reading. of course he follows ,with the bag. hes taking about somthing stupid and im not paying attention ,when the bag comes untied on the ground and that dam snake comes out right under my hamack, and not two feet from dudes feet.
i start screaming and swearing at this guy whiles its right underneath me. all he can say is "dont move..."
out of no where the dude jumps up in the air and come crashing down on the snakes head with just sandels on his feet. after another half dozen stomps to the head the snakes dead. and where alive and unbit.
i wasent quite as polite to the guy after this and he left with his dinner in a plastic bag.

yesterday i headed to the ancient myan ruins of Xunantunich. i took a bus to the fairy then hich hiked the few km to grounds. i got picked up in a big army truck by six guys all in fatiges and carring automatic rifels. no joke. the guys where hilarious, they told jokes the hole ride up. once i got there i wondered the place by myself. its a popular spot, and i met a nice cuple from the states. they turned out to be jahova witnesses and started talking religan, so i ran away. there much scarier then snakes.
the place was amazing though. its right in the middle of the jungle so u get a huge vuie from the top of the main temple.
i hitch hiked back to town with a nice family and spent the rest of the day reading and hanging out in the bar trying to meet some body to talk with, didnt have much luck, its very different then my trips to europe.

today i went and saw another ruins called cahal pech that was close by, its much smaller then the ones i was at yesterday but i got there so early i had the hole place to myself. even though its pretty small compared to the other places ive seen on this trip i think its the one i enjoyed the most. theres tons of trees inside the ruins and the jungle is very close to the sides of it, with no one else around it really felt like some thing out of a movie. mabey indiana jones.
i got some killer pan oramic shots of the hole place that ill past togeather when i get home so u can get a real fealing for the place.

i was saposed to go exploring some caves today with a local guid but i needed 2 other ppl to do it to split the cost, another guy sighned up but not a third so i had to put it off for another day. i hope tomorow more ppl sighn up and i can go.
i went to an egwanna park today to kill some time, it was very lame, the oldest one was only a few years old and not very big. i saw a orangish green egwana the other day in the wild that was about 4-5 feet long, head to tail. there having problems down here with ppl eating the egwanas. its not aganst the law to hunt them so ppl dont even care when its mateing season like it is now. the kill femals with 40 eges in them and dont care.
its written as bamboo chicken on menus.

well thats whats new and exciting in my life.
mikkel

It all works out in the end

2005-03-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

thersday im going threw my guid book and i decide i want to leave the island early next morning and head inland, i check the board for water taxis, i write down the times. i told the women that owns the hotel that im going in the morning. she thanks me becasue now she can rent it out for tomorow night.
im having dinner and she comes and finds me and lets me know that tomorow is good friday. shit... nothing runs on holidays here. nothings going to be open, the boats arnt going to be running normal neather will the busses. and shes already given away my room. i finish up dinner and check all the other hotels, nothings left, boats of ppl have had to go back to the manland casue the island cant acomadate any more ppl. i beg the woman to let me stay another night, shes a moher and like a dozen other women on this trip she feels the need to take care of me and be my adoped mother for the few days. she gets a hold of the other ppl and tells them sorry.
i spent the all of friday like i did most of my other days, just reading on the beach and walkin the small strip. i liked watching all the locals driving up and down the main drag in golf carts. theres only a few cars aloud on the island so every one has a golf cart, its pretty neat.

saterday morning i get up early and take the water taxi to belize city and jump in a cab to the community baboon sanctuary, its about an hour away. i had the guy stop some where so can i could bye some film. its funny even here in belize most of the ppl who run verity stores are asian. i asked them how much film they had, they didnt understand, they told me roll 36, im like no, how many do u have, they tell me speed 100, im like no, how many do u have. finaly i just tell them i want them all, what ever they have, give it to me, i cleaned out the store off all its film haha. they where in total shock.
i also had him stop at the cash machine to get some more money, it doesnt work, o well im sure ill be fine and theres got to be a machine at this place.

after paying the cabbie i check in at the park and find out theres no machine in town and no bank, i have to go back to belize city to get money and i better do it quick casue in 4 hours every thing will be closed till tusday. i check my wallet and i have pretty much nothing.
and theres no busses running casue its easter weekend. so i try to hitchhike back but nobodys going back that way.
i get the girl to try and find some one that will take me back to town so i can hit a bank and drive me back, but its going to cost a fortune and im really pissed at myself for making such a stupid newbie mistake.
i decide that if i buy a cuple of loafs of bread and some peanut butter i should be able to make it the three nights. im not going to ba able to do anything but sit around. its not even a proper camp site im just putting my tent up behind the main building. so ill just sit on the ground for days next to my tent, sounds fun eh.
i head to the little asian grocery story thats almost barren. when in walks a american cuple who are living in mexico. the first travelers ive met in a week!
i tell them the situation and they let me trade them the last of my mexican money for american cash. im so stoked!! now i got over 50 bucks american, that can defenatly let me have a good few days.

the baboon sanctuary was very cool. there are thousand of black howler monkeys in the jungle there. theres also jugwars, panthers, boa constricters, egwonas, and tons of other dangerus things.
i got probley 60 or 70 photos of the monkeys. they where so cool.
and i saw a big ass teranchila get its ass kicked by a huge hornet called a teranchila hornet. if u get stung by mabey 10 or 20 or these, like a nest your probley dead. there about 2 inchs long.
it was really crazy though, the hornet dug a big ass grave for the spider and buried it.
i went swiming in the river lots with all the locals. it was funny i was the only white person and im playing with all these black children. ever one baths and brushs there teath in the river its very different. i wasent worried about the crocadils there though casue there was tons of locals around.
i went for a bunch of hikes in the jungle, it was so amazing. i got lost a few times. good thing dad gave me that cumpuss for xmas other wise i would ahve been screwed. lol, good times.
yesterday i decided it was time to leave if i can, i packed up my stuff and i tried to hitch hike into belize city so i could take a bus west today. i asked a few ppl but no one wanted to help me out, then i found a truck that was go straight out west. so i jumped in the back and did the 2 hour ride in the back of a pickup. lol went right threw the police check points in the back and every thing.
so yea now im in san ignacia (spelt wrong, ill fix it later). its right next to the gutamalan border, theres some myan ruins here that im going to check out before heading across the border.

well thats the update
ill try to write again soon
lots of love
mikkel

Island hoping in Belize

2005-03-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hey every one
I'm in caye caulker right now, its an island off the coast of Belize. I just spent 5 nights in san padro, another island close to the reef.
this place is gorgeous, there tiny islands that you can see from one beach pretty much to the one on the other side. So cool. On this island there's 800 ppl. Its so laid back its amazing.

mark left yesterday to go to cancun so he could catch a flight to Cuba, its to expensive for me and it didn't intrest me to much so I'm going with my original plan of traveling threw central America to south America. I checked out a yacht club today in san padro, but it was so small there was no job listings. But I'm going to keep my eyes open while I'm on the coast. If I don't find anything I wont be to disappointed. I got really sea sick the other day...

when I was in cancun I accident's put scuba diving, when I ment snorkeling.
but in san padro I actually went scuba diving, it was killer. I got my open water certification. So now I can scuba anywhere in the world for a lot cheaper and with out a guide. It took four days with a dive each day and tons to study, but I got 48 out of 50 on my finale exam. I was very stoked about that.
on our third dive we went out side of the reef, it was insane, our first two dives where all to like 20 feet, not much at all. But out side the reef we where going down to 60 feet, enuff so you cant see the top. When mark, our instructor Sara, and me jumped off the boat we checked our gear and then started to go down, no problem. I'm going down, down, down, till I turn around and there's no one else. I'm 60 feet down, cant see the top and I'm all alone. I freaked out. I tried to stay calm but I just couldnt, I wated as long as I could be fore I bee lined it for the serface. I guess marks mask our some thing wasnt working right.
it took the Sara a good ten min to calm me down enuff so we could dive again.

but once I got down there it was killer, its so relaxing but so intence and amazing. I didn't have one thought I think while I was down there, its just all feeling. we saw so much killer stuff.
I also did a snorkel tour in shark ray alley. we saw tons of sharks, all probley a good 6 or so feet long. And a ton of sting rays. Plus we saw 2 moray ells, that are really dangerous I guess. They look just like they do in cartoons.

well yea so ive been having a great time chilling on the beach, my tan is coming on good. The weather has been perfect every single day, hot and sunny always.
I took a charter flight from the first island to this one, I was the only one in the plane. I got a killer view of the islands, saw a pack of sharks in the water while we where flying. So many cool pictures from up there. And it was really cheap too, like 30 bucks for the flight.

well best be going, I want to try to finish my book on the beach before sunset
lots of love friends and family
mikkel

Cancun

2005-03-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

well cancun has been fun but its time to go.

tomorow mark and meare heading to belize, we might still do jamaca and cuba but the flights are going to cost about 650 canadan. totaly more then my budget alows. i wanted to try to get a boat but it doesnt seem to be posable. so right now im not really planing more then a day ahead. just the way i like it.

when we got into cancun we found the hostle no problem. met some cool ppl and just relaxed for the night. the next morning we where up early, it was a gorgus day (every day has been here), we met up with a cute little indean\english girl who we chilled with for the few days she was here. the way it works here is that you can go on any beach in mexico as long as its not militery. but the hotels basicle line the beach for miles and miles. so with out going threw the lobby its hard to actualy reach them.
we started at the sheriton hotel. got stoped by secerity almost imedatly and just lied our way threw past them and front desk. the beach, well what can i say, its ummm perfect, yea thats the word, perfect.
the water is so clear, its just like on the posters you always see. thesand is an amazing white, with no stonesor anything else in it. its so clean.
we spent the day swiming and taning. had lunch at the outdoor hotel restrant. drank some margarets and all. it was fun playing rich tourst for a day.

the next day we went to chitizen itza, its some really killer mayan ruins. so we sit down on the bus and we start to drive, no problem where on our way its nice and early and we have a full day ahead of us. "so pyria (the english indean girl), how longs this bus?" i ask.
she checks her book and tells me '''hmmm... 5-6 hours, each way...'' fuck.
it took us all day to get there, we looked around for an hour and had to leave.
what we did see was killer though, and i am glad i went, too long to travel though. and dont worrie, i took lots of pictures. every one keeps telling me that, as if i dont take enuff pictures on my own.
after we got back we ate and drank the rest of the night away, what else is new eh.

the next day with the adition of pyrias friand seline, who came in the night before went and grabed a bus to the port, we wanted to check out the isla of mujeres. for mabey 30 canadian each we rented a private boat. it was a riet going across the sea. we where flying, got totaly soked, and lafed the hole way. we went and shoped for a little bit and grabed some lunch. after the dude had our scuba gear all set and we went out to the reaf. i saw so much amazing stuff, it was just like i always imagined. the water was a bit chopy so we had to whear life jackets. when i was swiming around i saw money at the bottem of the sea, pretty far down. ok well, here hold my life jacket. i swim back, every wave that hit sent you back 10 feet if not more. it was a pain in the ass, and defenatly a tad dangerus (dont give me shit, or im going to stop writing), but after 3 or 4 dives to the bottem (witch where very fun) i had 25 bucks canadain and 50 pesos, so another 7 or 8 bucks canadian. haha free day.
after diving our driver picked us up on the other side of the small reef and took us to a nice little beach with almost no one on it.
the had a shark in the sea but kinda caged in so it couldnt get away, the four of us got some one to hold the camera while we went in the water to try and catch it. it wasent easy. this fat kid jumped in who works there and it took him a good two min to rangle it while we blocked.
this thing was huge, probley 7 feet. actualy no joke. we got pictures with the four of us holding it. it felt like sand. it was very cool.
after that we did a walk around the beach, saw some sea tertels, before heading back to the boat to feed some other fish. they went nuts by the side of the boat. i defenatly got some funny pictures of that. after we took the boat back to the mainland we bused it home, had some food and drank the night away. good times.

the girls left this morning.
me and mark did a market and bought a few things before heading tothe beach to relaxe and read all afternoon.

well where going to go chill and have a drink. o and dont worrie im not breaking my budget. we get a 60 of rum (60 drinks) for 6 dollers american, about 10 drinks for a doller. got ot love mexico.

o and when of the days we where out partying we got in a 50 cent video. my friends more then me, i didnt care much but they where all very excited, and drunk. mark says he got at least 4 min of filming on him, we' ll see...

anwyas take care every one
mikkel

spell check isnt working..

Met up with Mark

2005-03-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

I finely got an email the other day from Mark saying he got into Mexico. I wanted him to come to the camp grounds near the pyramids where I was staying, but he had already booked in for four nights in Mexico city, so I packed up my stuff and told the ppl I was staying with that I had to leave. They had to come to Mexico city anyways so she gave me a ride all the way to the hostel. It worked out really well and saved me some money.
the part of Mexico city where I'm staying is really nice, its right down town in the rich kinda area.
we did take a bus back to the pyramids the next day and they where definitely worth coming to see. I thought we would need at least a full day to see it all but we got it done in half a day.
today we just walked the city and relaxed, the last few nights we have been drinking at the bar in the hostel with 2 really cool guys from the Netherlands. There doing a big tour around the world too.
I'm not a big fan of hostels, kinda sick of them, especially HI hostels but this is probley the nicest one I have stayed at, they have most every thing you need there.

today we sorted out our plain tickets, were flying to cancune tomorrow mid day. Where going to spend a few days on the beach and exploring the ruins in state. Then its off to do a quick 3 week or so tour of the Caribbean. I'm super stoked about getting to the beach. My tan is already coming along really well but I wanna get dark enuff to blend in.

well got to run
mikkel

Lots to tell

2005-03-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well lets see..
so much has happened in there last week, I cant figure to where to start.
I think maybe last Tuesday was the last day, ill start there and see.

Me Kevin and mike drank a lot of tequila the night before so we had a bit of a late start getting up, Kevin passed out at our ranch, so after something to eat we hiked back to the campgrounds where hes staying, its Tuesday and that means market day.
Kevin road his motorcycle down from Vancouver too meet up with his friend Chris who also road down but from Toronto.
I'm super stoked cause we get to ride down to the town on his bike, its my first time on one. So we jump on, both of us are wearing shorts, sandals and t shirts. O yea and no helmets (danger's I know, but wait it gets better haha) so we go around the corner and he opens it up, we go to about a 120km in no time flying down the road. I can barley see because the wind is so strong, where yelling and screaming and laughin our ass off. So much fun. When we park in town he says he didn't want to go to fast because hes pretty stoned, great eh.
the market was lots of fun, we both got a big backpack full of food for less then ten bucks, almost all of it fresh fruit and vegetable. We grab some lunch and meet up with Chris, he didn't take his bike down so we all pile on the one bike, 3 guys and two big bags of food. Such a crazy ride causes hes bottoming out. But the suns shining and where all loving life.

after we get back we go for a hike to an old oak tree and some waterfalls, we had a great afternoon exploring and swimming.
I broke my sandal, so I jumped on the back of chrisis bike who met us there.
hes got a Yamaha but it looks like a Harley, like that style. So with his video camera in my hand we go flying down this old dirt road, up and down hills, just killing his bike, filming the hole thing, going so fast. we go barreling into a hole heard of cows hahaha. We start screaming and swearing at them while driving in to the middle, there freaking out and running.
I was yelling and laffing so hard, my face hurt after I couldn't believe it.
I have to get a bike.

the next day we woke up early and got ready to hike to the top of mount toro. Chris, Kevin, mike, and me (all of us from Ontario) found the start of the trail no problem and started on our way. It was hiking straight up the mountain, no switch backs, so kind steep but not a big deal. We get maybe an hour or two up and the trail runs out.. Well no big deal, just head up and we will get there right, sure that works except where hiking threw a cactus patch, well not a patch, the hole mountain is covered in cactuses and other spiky things. Kevin who's leading the pack has on little yellow shorts and his boots, nothing else. After maybe 20 painful min, we stop for a min, his legs are scrached and bloody, well all of ours where but not like his. He decides to try another root and we continue up, were talking and joking around back and forth, making fun of how stupid this is when we hear a rock fall and then a hole rock slide where Kevin was hiking, none of us say anything, just look at eachother, we all think hes probley dead. It sounded like a avalanche of rocks that just kept echoing. Then we hear him lafing in the background and a DID YOU SEE THAT!
after struggling up threw the thousads of cactuses we summit. And what a view. We could see the hole valley plus the town of hidalgo and into the next valley.
we relax for a little bit, had some lunch, push some boulders over there edge to scare the climbers on the other side, when the clouds start coming in, and where like shit, we got to get out of here. So they plow on a head down the mountain in there hiking boots, I take much longer in my running shoes. I fell so many times, I slipped once, my legs shot out from underneath me and I landed on a cactus. Getting down was so painful and so frustrating. And when it couldn't get any worse it started raining, and then I got lost... The others are no where in sight, probley at the bottom by now and I'm a mess. Its almost dinner by now and I remember, hey, I think its my birthday today. I finely get down with out dieing and get back to the ranch, sure enuff the other three are there, looking a mess too. I don't get too mad cause mike lost the trail coming down too.
after washing and sanatizing my legs and arms we head to the camp grounds for dinner. After a few beers where all lafing about the day and trading stories of our falls. We spent a good night drinking and eating with a bunch of other climbers. im 22 and im having a ball in mexico.

all of Thursday was spent recouping and just relaxing in the sun. I moved camp from the ranch in the valley into the camp grounds my boss owned cause I decided to leave soon and wanted every thing to be ready.

Friday I pack up, have some food, witch was very hard to order because my Spanish is awful. And run some last min errands. tammey an American women who owns the cafe I hung out so much at drove us to town so we could grab a bus. Kevin, Chris and me are going to Monterrey to part and drink with some Mexicans before I catch my bus late that night. We met one of the Mexicans at the station and go. They need to get some parts for there bikes so me and Milton (the Mexican dude) leave them and go to run some errands. I get a bus ticket for 3 am. We have some lunch. He has to do a small meeting with an American women who will be coming to the mountains to climb. And the boys still haven't called miltons cell, very weird there where supposed to call maybe 2 hours ago or so. O yea Milton rembers I didn't give them the long distance area coad. Crap.
well he has to go back to hidalgo to grab some more ppl for the partying, ok another hour and a half on the bus back, we grab a shower and his cousin drives us back to the campgrounds, we grab two guys and start going when I see a friend, and ask him if he wants to come drink so he comes running and jumps in the back of the pick up with us. So there's six of us heading back to the bus station to party and the only one who's had anything to drink is the driver, hes got a big forty of beer in his lap. Now I wouldn't normally get in the car with some one who's been drinking but where out on old dirt roads and there's nothing around. O and every one drinks and drives here in the country.
jay the last min guy changes his mind at the bus station and decides to head back to the camp grounds, have fun on the hour walk back.
we jump on the bus again, for the third time today and do the hour and a half ride to Monterrey, good thing it only costs 2.50. we still haven't heard anything from the boys and its about 10pm. O well there loss if they cant figure out how to ask some one for help.
where off to the rippers.
the first bar we go to is a dive, so nasty, we leave after one drink.
the next place we head is a total 180. Its probley one of the classiest places I've been, well classy for what it is.
the clientele is all like Japanese biasness men and every one has suits on. O well, where white so its assumed we have money.
we by different girls drinks and party the night away, at about 2am we finely get a call from the guys, we give them directions. About ten min before I have to leave they show up. I say my farewells and cab it back to the bus station totally cut. I get on and my bags there waiting for me, perfect.

I sleep for the first half of the 11 hour ride to qintaro. Find another bus company and jump on another bus to pachuca. That takes maybe four hours and is bumpy and hot. I was going to stay here and meet up with my friend Marc so we could head to the pyramids together but I change my mind and decide to head right there and have him meet me there. So after waiting a few hours I catch another bus, its well dark now and maybe just under another 2 hour ride. Well I miss my stop and go right by to the The next city. The drivers not happy, hes getting mad at me because I don't understand him, so he decides if he talks louder maybe I will get it. Finally I just get off and jump in a cab, ok now back to the other town. More driving. after a very broken explanation and lots of sherades I get them to take me to a trailer park where I can camp. We ring the bell and the nicest man comes down, and o my god, he speaks some English!!! I'm so happy, he tells me, camp any where you want the place is empty, pay me tomorrow, no problem. We will figure every thing out in the morning.
I set up my tent and pass out with a huge grin on my face. I cant believe I finely made it. Over 24 hours on the bus and travel by my self with no help and no English.

I woke to a gorges day, sun shining and every thing. After having a quick shower I pop into an internet cafe to email mark and tell him of another change to the plans. First I was supposed to meet him in canucne, then Mexico city, then Pachuac, now right in san Juan teotihuacan. Hes flight gets in tomorrow mid day in Mexico city and he has to take the hour bus ride here.
I didn't want to go to Mexico city, I just didn't have a good feeling about showing up there by myself with no Spanish trying to find some where to stay.

today I just wandered the town and explored a little bit, I'm going to wait for Marc to go see the pyramids. I grabbed some breakfast and did some exploring this morning before taking a little ceasta and studying some Spanish. I walked around a bit more till it started to rain, so I figured this is a perfect time to catch up on blog duty and let every one know what's been happening.

well that took a little while eh
hope you enjoyed if I didn't loose you a long time ago.
ill write again soon
cya every one
mikkel

Work

2005-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

last week when me moved to the canion, we had no idea whos land we where camping on. i new it belonged to some one because theres an abandend house we are using for a kitchen. we asked around and the place belongs to the owner of one of the camp grounds/restrants just out side the mountains entrance. we asked if there was anything we could do to help him out if he let us stay. he gave us a job in his restrant serving tables. its so much fun, his wife and there nabour cook the food. they take such good care of us. every night i work i walk out totaly stuffed. they just keep feeding me haha, they think im too thin. his wife is the most motherly person i have ever met. she doesnt speak any english so we talk threw sherades and the few little bit of spanish i know.
so where working for food, tips, and and to stay on his land. the tips are pretty funny, like less then two bucks a night, at least so far. but it helps, its cut my cost of living down to about 2-3 bucks a day.
there teaching me some spanish as well so that will help me for the rest of the trip.

the weather has been so crazy here. it goes back and forth from storming to hot and sunny. the temp can change 30 degrees in a day. its bizare.

anyways ive got to get going
lots of love every one
mikkel

camping

2005-02-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

i woke today feeling so good, knowing that im leading my life exactly the way i want to. what a feeling. it makes all the hard work ive done getting here so worth it.
i love life.

so me and my friend mike have moved into the valley. we found a nice little bit of flat land next to an abanded house. ive been camping for the last week or since i got to mexico but that was at a proper camp grounds. now where actualy away from ppl and the noice.
we had a thunder storm last night. it came in so quick and where im camping theres no light polution so the lighting was like nothing ive ever seen. it was such an intence storm, flashes and forks every cuple of seconds.
i sat there by my self for the hour or two while it was going on under the oning with no thought, just a feeling of amazment. its so hard to explain but for the rest of my life i think i will keep that memery with me.

i climbed again all of yesterday. im so sore right now haha.
ive spent a few hours to day on the internet putting pictures from the last month or so of traveling. mabey only a dozen or so pictures but it took probley 3 hours.

i think im going to stay here for a few more weeks. keep climbing and relaxing.
then meet up with my friend mark i did the road trip with and travel to cuba and jamica.

well im dying of hunger and sweating just siting here (the sun is just scorching today)
mikkel

the spires

2005-02-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

yesterday we climed the spires, about 250 feet of climing plus that again for the scrambel up. my parner mike climed up, tied into the anker then i climber while he belayed from there, no problem. i belayed him as he climed to the next anker. now hes out of site and im a hundred feet up. this pitch is rated at a 5'9, every one agrees though it should be scored much harder. so yea, im all alone, there no one on the ground i can see and i cant see my parner, the wind is blowingand and im freezing, i get half way threw the pitch and get stuck, my legs are shaking and my breathing is going crazy. its all crack climbing and ive never done any thing like this, and no ones explained to me how to do it. im kinda freaking out.
im holding onto the side of this mountain for dear life, i have no idea where to move. im at this part for mabey ten min trying to work it out. i cant really make out what mikes yelling to me beacuse of the eko and the wind howeling. i finaly work up the coruage and just go for it, cersing myself the hole time. when i finaly get over the ridge with out falling i see mike. relife is an understatment to what i felt. but you should have seen the grin across my face.
we dubled rapeled down the mountain witch was spokey but really fun.
mike told me that he got way off rout when he was leading andwe wherent saposed to go that way. we where both shaking uncontrolabley when we got down, for two pitches it took us three hours, witch is a stupid long time for that amount of climbing.
i cant wait to go out again.

heres a web page for what i climbed.

Hello Mexico

2005-02-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

Well I left Las Vegas.
I floe out of the states a few days ago, I'm in Mexico now :)
when I floe into Monterey it was just getting dark, I grabbed a taxi to a hotel (very dodge place) and went right to bed I was whooped. I don't know what time it was but it wasn't to late (my watch isn't working). I kept waking up all night, there where cats fighting right out side my window. Bad night..
when I woke up I get my stuff together and left the hotel. its dark out side again, I think Jesus I slept a long time. I grab a taxi to el potrero chico, near hidalgo. Its in the mountains and its heaven for climbers (jealous marisa??)
the ride takes about an hour and a half, my driver is so sketchy and doesn't speak a work of English. I get him to take me to a campgrounds, threes no one around. We start honking the horn cause threes a big dog walking around. No one comes.. We open the window and start yelling. No one comes.. My cabbie is getting pissed. he wants to leave. We find a door with office written on it (in Spanish of course). I don't understand, some one should be up and about, it should be only 9 at night.. I start banging on the door, some dude comes to the door, his wife is hundeled in the corner of a bed, neather looks pleased. neather speaks English, basically I figure out hes telling me to put my tent any where. I cant understand why he so mad.
I grab my flashlight pitch my tent and lie down. Then I hear a rooster crow.
I didn't sleep a really long time at the hotel, I only took a nap and didn't know it. Its before sunrise and I've just woke up every one in probley every camp site for a mile.
I had to apologies to a lot of ppl the next morning haha.

this place is amazing though. I've been climbing every day for the last 3 days. Its all lime stone mountains all around us. there a small community of avide climbers living here and camping here. One guy who lives here is letting me borrow all the gear I need and has taken me out a few times for nothing. Its so cheap right now, I think I might stay a while lol.
I've been doing single pitches (about a hundred feet up). On Friday where doing some multie pitches, (probley 300 feet up). should be interesting.

the weather here has been amazing here, at least 30 every afternoon and no clouds.
life is great. I'm having a ton of fun, and I'm staying safe.
ill right again soon.
mikkel

aliens

2005-02-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

so when we where leaving austin we met a guy in the hostel who told us about aliens, how he met them and had contact with them for 7 years now, he was extreamly crazy.
so when we got to roswell new mexico me and one of my traveling companions camped out in a grave yard looking to be obducted. it was a good night but we didnt see any aliens...
we where disaponed.
we had to run away the next morning becuase the grave diggers where starting work.

we went and saw carlsbad caverns, saposed to be one of the natural wonders of the world. it was very impresive. took tons of pictures, so every one will have to check them out when i get time to post them and get it all sorted out.

carlsbad cannion

we went to the grand canion too. it was very cool, not what i expected but very cool. i was saprised how cold it was there. there was snow on the ground and every thing.

we spent a night in alberquecue new mexico but we left early the next morning so i didnt see any thing.

after days of driving we made it to vegas last night. iteresting place...
its what i expected but much much larger.
after we checked in to the circus circus hotel we went gambeling, our mane gole was to get as many free drinks as posable, we secceded.
i ended up spending one doller geting a half dozen really strong drinks, my food for the night and lots of entertanment. not a bad deal i reckon.
today we moved to a motel and spent the afternoon wondering threw the casinos.
night i think we are going to party again and try to see some of the free shows.

ive got to get going, but i just want to say thank you to anyone who rights a coment after my posts, it lets me know some ones out there iteresnted in what im doing.

lots of love
mikkel

p.s. spell checlk isnt working, sorry..

Bye Austin

2005-02-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

2 days ago we went out drinking on 6th street. it was crazy, the streets where packed for marti gras. we drank the night away listening to some really good local music.

the next day we where up a bit late with a bit of a hang over, we went shopping, grabed some mexican food and played dress up in a cowboy store.

we watched the sunset over austin on the highest point in town, it was amazing.

today was a long day but a good one.
we where up at early after only getting a few hours sleep to go pick up my road trip friends. we headed a cuple hours out of town to a place called enchaned rock. its a huge granet batholith. we hiked the parkall day and got nice and sunburnt.
after a long drive home we showered and and got ready to go out again to pick up our friends. the bar we wanted to go to was closed but we found a good place to have dinner. the food was killer but it wasent a place to chill and drink, witch was actualy fine because every one was wopped from a long day.

tomorow i will be so sore from hiking all day; im still really sore from rockclimbing too. that was a ton of fun. i think when i get home if i can find some ppl to get into it with it could be some thing i would take up.

well im just beat and we have to drive for 12 hours tomorow.
so i will try to write again when i can but it might not be for a few days.
take care
mikkel

Road Trip!!

2005-02-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

hey every one
new orleans was killer but im glad to be moving again. i had a lot of fun there we partyed lots and ate a ton of oysters.
so me an my friend ben convinced a few more ppl to come to austin with us. we got mark from england, pierre from montreal, and gary and julie from scotland. it was a 10 hour ride from new orleans to ausitn but it was fun, i fell asleep mabey 5 or so times, they loved bugging me about that..
there staying in the hostel here in austin witch is really nice and im staying with my friend marisa and her boyfriend. we went out for sushi last night then went and watched her friends band play. today where going to go out climbing and then party down on 6th street.

its awsome to see my friend, and where having a great time.
where taking her digital camera out so i will try to put some pics up as soon as i can.

i will spending 4 nights here with marisa and then where continuing are road trip. where going to rosswell new mexico, las vegas (jelus there zak?) and a few other places i will tell you about when it gets closer.

well i miss every one lots and hope u all are doing well.
i will post again real soon.
mikkel

mardi gras has started

2005-01-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

Hello hello just thought I would say hello again, let every one know that I'm ding well. Its been a good few days. Been relaxing a bit more , since the weather hasn't been the nicest. The parades started on Friday, they where fun. Lots of beads, lots of ppl every where. I've been to the parades for the children during the days and some of the more adult oriented parades at night. I've met a ton of really cool ppl in the last few days. The hostel is really filling up for Mardi gras. a guy I met from middle America is going to let me hitch a ride with him to Austin so I can visit my friend. Before going to Mexico. Its a long trip though, maybe 12 hours... Should be interesting. I've been eating so much great food here in new Orleans. Lots of raw oysters and lots of crayfish. I cant right much now but I will give u a much more full count of what I think of this place soon. take care every one mikkel

The Frenchmen is gone

2005-01-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Sebastian is gone, I had been hanging out with him every day since I arrived. So I'm a lone again, I've already met a bunch of ppl that I had drinks with last night but there all in town for only another day or so. I couple of nights ago went to the pub and ended up staying there till after 2am and we had to get up for a plantation tour the next morning for 6:30 am, made for an interesting day..
the plantations where amazing though, the guides where a little annoying but what ever.

the trees at oak ally are more than 300 years old, there's 28 of them evenly spaced leading up to the plantation home, its breath taking.

the day before last me and the Frenchmen got us a cabby to drive us around for close to three hours. We got him to take us to a bunch of cemetery's we couldn't reach on the street car. They where beautiful. Its weird because there all mausoleums, nothing can be berried underground because we are below see level.

we have done a bunch more things in the last few days that I cant really remember about. The days have just been so packed.

I'm loving new Orleans, but I'm excited to move on and see my friend marisa in Texas. besideds the parades for Mardi Gras I've seen every thing I want to, but ill still be in town for another week.
I know that every thing will work out fun and ill still have a ton of fun this week. I always feel the need to move as much as possible at the beginning of a trip.

well, I hope every one is doing well back home.
ill talk to you again soon.
mikkel

Great week

2005-01-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well I'm on day 7, life is going well in new Orleans.
been eating lots of great food, and drinking lots of beer. I did a swamp tour the other day with my French friend. It was a great day, we did 15 min on a air boat, thing gets up to 70 mph the say. All I know is my heart was racing. Then we did two hours on a normal boat threw the swamps. What a bazaar place.
I've walked all the French quarter a bunch of times, the other day when we went out doing that we sawa couple of cemetery's and a couple of voodoo museums.

The cemetery's where amazing, the museums not so much. O well take the good with the bad eh.

I found an amazing record store that specializes in music from the south. I bought a few CD's as souvenirs, when I get back I will have to show every one, such a different music then where used too. Especial the Cajun and zydako music.
Mardi grasa is defiantly starting to get in swing, they had a parade the other day. With many more promised. The town is filling up too. U can see the difference on the streets.

the street performers are crazy here

I've noticed some huge differences between Americans and Canadians, and there things I didn't except to be different.
I find in Canada ppl are more polite but a bit more scared, ppl don't say hello to eachother on the street. There more closed off. Americans say hello to every one, but there defiantly not as polite or proper haha. Another thing, and I hope I don't offend my American friends with this but there are so many fat ppl down here... Like tons of obese papal, I've never heard of anything like this in my like, I just didn't imagine. Now I understand why papal say Canada has some of the most gorgeous girls around.
I'm having a lot of fun down here though, every one has been super nice to me, I've made lots of friends and I'm happy.
today where going to take a faery across the Mississippi and check out the other side of town. And tomorrow where probley going to go see the plantation, I'm very excited about that.
o I rember what else we did the other day! We went to see a NBA game at the super dome, we say the hornets verses the clippers, we won by like 3 points, it was a close game. That place is huge. My friend from France is a big basketball fan so I went casue he wanted to, tickets where only 7 bucks and I ended up having a lot of fun.
well take care every one
ill write again in a few days (don't worry about me mom, u will hear from me soon, love you)
mikkel

just a quick hello

2005-01-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

had a great night yesterday. went down to berban street and drank all night long, and saw tons of amazing live music.

albino

today we went to the zoo and the aquarum. very cool, the zoo is saposed to be one of the best in the contrey. we must have walked for 12 hours today. where just going to relaxe tonight and get ready for another long day tomorow.
i just thought i would pop on and say hi. i will post more later.
mikkel

first day went great

2005-01-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

all right so every one can rest easy i made it here in one peace :)
on the plain i met a women from toronto who was down in new orleans for a confrence. we chated on the plain and when we landed she asked me if i wanted a ride to my hostle. she intraduced me to a bunch of her friends and they rented a SUV.
this ladie was so sweet, we went to her hotel to drop her friends off before she was going to drive me to where i had to go, well it was a pain in the ass driving here so she got me a cab. and gave me 20 bucks, she absalutly would not let me pay for it, i kept fighting with her in a playing way but she wouldnt hear of it. she gave me her cell number and told me if anything happened to give her a call, she would take care of me lol. she was my mom for the day.

at the hostle ive already met 3 or 4 ppl, where about to go grab drinkis.
lots of love
mikkel

Itinerary

2005-01-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

My itinerary is pretty vague, just the way I like it.
I fly into New Orleans and I want to be there for 2-3 weeks, maybe do some day trips out of the city, go see the swamps and all that. I will stay for Mardi Gras if I can find a cheap place to crash if not I will move on.

Next I'm going to Texas to chill for a few days before going into Mexico I think I will stay to the east cost most of the time and probably skip the big city's. After three weeks or so I will move into Belize to get my dive masters certificate and just snorkel and dive in there reef there.

In Guatemala or Honduras ill take some language courses, see how much Spanish I can learn.
In El Salvador I will visit my brothers wives family who lives there.
In Central America I hope to just chill and do a lot of camping and hiking.
From Central America I will either try to find some work and crew on a yacht, and do some sailing in the Caribbean.
Or I will head from Panama to Columbia if I can get across over land and head into Ecuador and fly to the Galapagos islands for a weeks or so.
pretty much if I end up in South America I'm just going to play it by ear.
I need to come home for my Mothers wedding witch is the third week in august. So it the trip could last 7-8 months if I use my money well.
The best thing of just getting a one way ticket is I can just come home when my money runs out.
there's tons of other thing I know I want to do on my trip but I wont bore you with that.
Well it will be interesting to see if end up following this lose itinerary at all.
Take care
Mikkel

Getting Ready

2005-01-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

Well I am pretty lucky when deciding to push the date of this trip up so much, o yea I guess I should start there, I'm leaving in just over 2 weeks!!!
I originally planed to be leaving after my moms wedding in August. But got totally fed up with London after only being home for a few months and decided I have to get back on the road. It's the only thing that I really want to do and so I decided to leave after the holidays. I'm lucky because have been planing this trip sense about half way threw my last trip in Europe haha, so I already have almost all my research ready.

I bought my ticket a couple of days ago, it was a great deal, 175 Canadian bucks to fly one way from Toronto to new Orleans. I fly out on the 18th mid day so if any one wants to get together for a beer before I go you better give me a call now :)

New Orleans has Mardi Gras in the beginning of February so I if I can find a cheap place to sleep I will stay for the party if not I will leave just before and head into Texas but I'll tell you about that in my planed itenerary in the next post.

2 days ago I got my immunizations for traveling, I wasn't prepared for the amount of cash that was going to set me back. Well first of all I thought insurance would cover it, but since I don't need the stuff to live in Canada they wont touch it. Well 1500 bucks later I have all my shots, pills, meds, and every thing I will need to stay healthy on the road.
the next thing I have to organize is my health insurance, ouch I know this ones going to hurt the wallet, but there's no question, I have to have it so I don't know why I freak out so much about it. I just know its going to be a very tight budget for this trip, will if I go for as long as I'm planing.
I bought all my camping gear maybe a month or so ago so I have that all ready to go as well.
Getting ready for this trip has been pretty non stressful.
Well two weeks and I'm gone
Take care
Mikkel

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2004-12-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

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