Another blog another adventure. This time we're in Central America! We only have a 'limited' time in Central and South America so we were smart and picked the few countries we wanted to spend the most time in. In Central America we chose Guatemala and Nicaragua. Our first stop in Guatemala is the beautiful Flores an island in the middle of a lake packed with colourful, colonial buildings. We found a favourite food joint almost immediately and spent our breakfasts and lunches sitting by the water and watching the cruisey locals get around in boats. We hit the jackpot at dinner with lake side food stalls. These ladies made the BEST vegetarian tostadas ever! So much flavour and so little fuss. We would watch the sun set over the lake, sip beer and eat our street food feast. Can't get much better! One morning we even hired a kayak and went for an adventure on the lake. Talk about outRAGEOUS!!
Tikal is yet another ancient ruin about an hours bus ride from Flores. We booked our tickets and got going. When we got there we were told we had to go with this bunch of people. There was about 20 of us and they all seemed to know each other. They were only about our age but my god! They were the most annoying bunch of people ever! I don't know how people talk about themselves so much and so loudly without caring (She says as she writes a blog about herself) Anyway, we didn't realise but it turns out we booked a proper sunset tour so had to stay in our group the whole time. Our tour guide was a pretty cool old fella who loved dropping big such as Mel Gibson's who he helped find locations for the filming of Apocalypto. "What? One of the worst movies ever made?" I yelled. Nah, I didn't he was so proud and just a little bit cutie pie.
We climbed to the top of a ruin to watch a pretty impressive sunset, spot some jungle birds and listen to the running commentary made by on old American bird watching fella. "Oh it's getting lower and lower. Just about to go behind the cloud and now it's behind the cloud. Can you see that Betty? Did you get, are you getting the photos? You got the photos? Wow look at that sunset. It's purple and pink and I can even see some orange in there" And so on and so forth. He was pretty cute and it was oddly soothing. "It's just about to go down. I can only see a tiny bit of it now. Here it goes. Almost. Almost. And it's gone. Can we get off this thing now?" Classic!
Oh, and we got to see a real woody woodpecker! It was a mad surprise! He even had a bright red head and was tippity tapping away.
Our next stop was Semuc Champey for some more jungle time and swims in bright blue pools surrounded by howler monkeys. We also met two of the coolest people from Australia. Their names were Phil and Coleen aka Phil Collins. We went on adventures during the day and met up with them for evening dinners which was great. We had really similar interests and they were so relaxed and easy going. You really get sick of talking to people on your travles that speak loudly about themselves and then get a glazed look when you open your mouth to reply. Then give the totally disinterested "hmph" and "oh, yeh" replies. God, Frosty is so full of himself! Jokes mums!!
Tikal is yet another ancient ruin about an hours bus ride from Flores. We booked our tickets and got going. When we got there we were told we had to go with this bunch of people. There was about 20 of us and they all seemed to know each other. They were only about our age but my god! They were the most annoying bunch of people ever! I don't know how people talk about themselves so much and so loudly without caring (She says as she writes a blog about herself) Anyway, we didn't realise but it turns out we booked a proper sunset tour so had to stay in our group the whole time. Our tour guide was a pretty cool old fella who loved dropping big such as Mel Gibson's who he helped find locations for the filming of Apocalypto. "What? One of the worst movies ever made?" I yelled. Nah, I didn't he was so proud and just a little bit cutie pie.
We climbed to the top of a ruin to watch a pretty impressive sunset, spot some jungle birds and listen to the running commentary made by on old American bird watching fella. "Oh it's getting lower and lower. Just about to go behind the cloud and now it's behind the cloud. Can you see that Betty? Did you get, are you getting the photos? You got the photos? Wow look at that sunset. It's purple and pink and I can even see some orange in there" And so on and so forth. He was pretty cute and it was oddly soothing. "It's just about to go down. I can only see a tiny bit of it now. Here it goes. Almost. Almost. And it's gone. Can we get off this thing now?" Classic!
Oh, and we got to see a real woody woodpecker! It was a mad surprise! He even had a bright red head and was tippity tapping away.
Our next stop was Semuc Champey for some more jungle time and swims in bright blue pools surrounded by howler monkeys. We also met two of the coolest people from Australia. Their names were Phil and Coleen aka Phil Collins. We went on adventures during the day and met up with them for evening dinners which was great. We had really similar interests and they were so relaxed and easy going. You really get sick of talking to people on your travles that speak loudly about themselves and then get a glazed look when you open your mouth to reply. Then give the totally disinterested "hmph" and "oh, yeh" replies. God, Frosty is so full of himself! Jokes mums!!
Antigua! We stayed here a for a week getting Spanish lessons with the lovely Rosario. Our lessons were held in a really nice garden where we could buy delicious food from the neighbours. Food is our main priority ALL THE TIME! Unless it's beer o'clock which is also all the time. While we were here we stayed with a family around the corner from the school. There was our hosts (Matiz and Francesco) their daughter and her husband and their daughter. Good sentence. There were also a few other ring-ins from the school. Particularly the lovely Annie from the US who was super duper lovely and had been on some pretty amazing and inspiring adventures for such a young lass. There was also another, young German couple but my brain is melting and I can't remember their names! Eep!
Anyway, our lovely hosts made us three (big!) meals a day, then we would have school in the morning and go to a cafe or bar to do our homework in the arvo. So productive! I managed to get some time off (from the Frost Boss) to do a chocolate making course! Made the traditional Mayan way and drank in tea form, traditional mayan hot chocolate and spanish hot chocolate. I won the who-can-grind-the-beans-the-quickest comp so scored some bonus coco husks for tea and a chocolate of my choice! We also made a whole heap of chocolates for eating and we chose our ingredients. I shared mine with everyone at home for dessert because I am just that nice. I was also already on a major chocolate high and didn't want to overdose.
In the weeks leading up to Easter they have major processions every Sunday in Antigua with massive wooden floats carried by men and women. It was another lovely surprise for us as we were walking down the street. Really impressive. The men carry a huge float while wearing purple garments similar to klu klux klan. The floats are so big and heavy that they have regular change over spots around the block. So while the float is being carried there are hundreds of other men in purple garments waiting until their checkpoint to change over. The way they walk is side to side in a swaying motion. Even when they are changing over they keep the swaying motion. Reminded me of those big dudes in the Mario Brothers movie. You know? With the tiny heads and they make them sway and dance in the elevator? Get a life guys! They were then followed by a big band playing solemn music on a whole range of instruments. The women's was similar, just smaller and they wore black. Typical attention seeking men!
Oh, and there was an earthquake while we were there. Frosty felt it but I was in the shower and didn't feel it. Did it really happen? The answer is yes.
Anyway, our lovely hosts made us three (big!) meals a day, then we would have school in the morning and go to a cafe or bar to do our homework in the arvo. So productive! I managed to get some time off (from the Frost Boss) to do a chocolate making course! Made the traditional Mayan way and drank in tea form, traditional mayan hot chocolate and spanish hot chocolate. I won the who-can-grind-the-beans-the-quickest comp so scored some bonus coco husks for tea and a chocolate of my choice! We also made a whole heap of chocolates for eating and we chose our ingredients. I shared mine with everyone at home for dessert because I am just that nice. I was also already on a major chocolate high and didn't want to overdose.
In the weeks leading up to Easter they have major processions every Sunday in Antigua with massive wooden floats carried by men and women. It was another lovely surprise for us as we were walking down the street. Really impressive. The men carry a huge float while wearing purple garments similar to klu klux klan. The floats are so big and heavy that they have regular change over spots around the block. So while the float is being carried there are hundreds of other men in purple garments waiting until their checkpoint to change over. The way they walk is side to side in a swaying motion. Even when they are changing over they keep the swaying motion. Reminded me of those big dudes in the Mario Brothers movie. You know? With the tiny heads and they make them sway and dance in the elevator? Get a life guys! They were then followed by a big band playing solemn music on a whole range of instruments. The women's was similar, just smaller and they wore black. Typical attention seeking men!
Oh, and there was an earthquake while we were there. Frosty felt it but I was in the shower and didn't feel it. Did it really happen? The answer is yes.
A whole slideshow dedicated to my chocolate course? Oh ploise, get over yourself! Oh, go on you fabulous minx!
Our next destination of choice was Nicuragua. We spent one night in San Salvadore, straight through Honduras and into Nicuragua. First stop, Leon. Boring place. Next stop, Granada. Another lovely Colonial town. We stayed in an Air bnb place, ate delicious street food from the neighbours and saw a guy on a bike steal a ladies hat. It was night time. She didn't need it.
From here we catch a ferry to Omotepe Island for some relaxing beach time and volcano climbing! Or so we thought! Volcano climbs were cancelled to unseasonably strong winds so we decide to go to the beach for dinner. It's only half an hour drive. The bus breaks down. Our minibus saviour drives down the road before pulling up out front of some guys house, jumps on a scooter and disappears into the darkness for an hour. We finally get back on the road and three hours later the bus flies past our stop so we end up further away in a place no taxis are willing to take us home for less than $40! We find a hilarious old lady's hostel and settle for the night. We only bought a little bit off cash with us because we weren't expecting to pay for another room. We manage to scrape some money together for dinner and beers. haha, always money for beer.
The next morning we split a fruit salad and walk 5kms to the bus stop. It's out the front of a pretty cool looking cafe but we only juuuust have enough for a bus ride home. So we wait out the front looking like idiots for a couple of hours. It's a pretty lovely spot to be lost in and even though it's a waste of our day, it's still enjoyable. We see beautiful blue birds flying around, make a doggy friend, and watch a white bird in love with the ocean. We see the Irish lady we met at our old hostel and have a chat about the crazy winds that don't appear to be about. All in all, we're doing pretty good. We've got this. It's a good story, the weather is beautiful Frosty got to have a swim and we're seeing the island! We're so pleased with ourselves that we decide to hug in celebration. Our hug is barely complete when Frosty starts running in circles yelling. He got stung by a wasp that was on my back and I'm struggling to ask if he's OK because I want to laugh at the ridiculousness of our situation. A massive wind starts blowing and it instantly starts pouring with rain. I think the wasp was a sacred one perhaps? It's too funny! We're laughing as we are getting drenched and Frosty's hand starts to swell.
Our bus finally arrives and the guy takes our money (enough to get us all the way home) but only drops us at the end of the street where we have to wait for another bus. This bus driver takes the rest of our money and we eventually make it back 23 hours after we left for dinner. Celebratory beers and pizza. Hold the hugs.
We head through Costa Rica and Panama by bus. The Panama border was possibly the funniest one yet. Our passports were stamped easy enough but when they check your luggage they don't know what they're doing. We all pile into a room while an official reads out every question on the form about three times in Spanish. He won't start checking any bags until everybody has filled it in and is ready. It seriously took about an hour. We finally make it to an official. He sees we've made a mistake, makes a low whistle, scrunches up our forms, gives us a wink and tells us to go. He didn't even look at our bags! We stopped in at David (catchy name!) after a long bus ride and scored ourselves some late night beers and fresh ceviche before swimming in the pool. Ooh la bloody la!! We never realised, however, that there was a time change. Almost missed our flights to Colombia. One frantic (yet not surprising) day later and we finally make it safe and sound to Bogota, Colombia. South America baby!!! That's coming up on the next episode of 'Kat an Frosty get lost and waste their money, 2015!'. Will Frosty beat nature? Does Kat join the Colombian luchador team? You'll just have to wait...
From here we catch a ferry to Omotepe Island for some relaxing beach time and volcano climbing! Or so we thought! Volcano climbs were cancelled to unseasonably strong winds so we decide to go to the beach for dinner. It's only half an hour drive. The bus breaks down. Our minibus saviour drives down the road before pulling up out front of some guys house, jumps on a scooter and disappears into the darkness for an hour. We finally get back on the road and three hours later the bus flies past our stop so we end up further away in a place no taxis are willing to take us home for less than $40! We find a hilarious old lady's hostel and settle for the night. We only bought a little bit off cash with us because we weren't expecting to pay for another room. We manage to scrape some money together for dinner and beers. haha, always money for beer.
The next morning we split a fruit salad and walk 5kms to the bus stop. It's out the front of a pretty cool looking cafe but we only juuuust have enough for a bus ride home. So we wait out the front looking like idiots for a couple of hours. It's a pretty lovely spot to be lost in and even though it's a waste of our day, it's still enjoyable. We see beautiful blue birds flying around, make a doggy friend, and watch a white bird in love with the ocean. We see the Irish lady we met at our old hostel and have a chat about the crazy winds that don't appear to be about. All in all, we're doing pretty good. We've got this. It's a good story, the weather is beautiful Frosty got to have a swim and we're seeing the island! We're so pleased with ourselves that we decide to hug in celebration. Our hug is barely complete when Frosty starts running in circles yelling. He got stung by a wasp that was on my back and I'm struggling to ask if he's OK because I want to laugh at the ridiculousness of our situation. A massive wind starts blowing and it instantly starts pouring with rain. I think the wasp was a sacred one perhaps? It's too funny! We're laughing as we are getting drenched and Frosty's hand starts to swell.
Our bus finally arrives and the guy takes our money (enough to get us all the way home) but only drops us at the end of the street where we have to wait for another bus. This bus driver takes the rest of our money and we eventually make it back 23 hours after we left for dinner. Celebratory beers and pizza. Hold the hugs.
We head through Costa Rica and Panama by bus. The Panama border was possibly the funniest one yet. Our passports were stamped easy enough but when they check your luggage they don't know what they're doing. We all pile into a room while an official reads out every question on the form about three times in Spanish. He won't start checking any bags until everybody has filled it in and is ready. It seriously took about an hour. We finally make it to an official. He sees we've made a mistake, makes a low whistle, scrunches up our forms, gives us a wink and tells us to go. He didn't even look at our bags! We stopped in at David (catchy name!) after a long bus ride and scored ourselves some late night beers and fresh ceviche before swimming in the pool. Ooh la bloody la!! We never realised, however, that there was a time change. Almost missed our flights to Colombia. One frantic (yet not surprising) day later and we finally make it safe and sound to Bogota, Colombia. South America baby!!! That's coming up on the next episode of 'Kat an Frosty get lost and waste their money, 2015!'. Will Frosty beat nature? Does Kat join the Colombian luchador team? You'll just have to wait...