"Six days, 228 miles, a close grizzly encounter, way too much sun, an incredible thunderstorm, and a constant feeling of awe - this was a trip we'll both remember for a lifetime."
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We have finished another CHAM Studios Original Film. I have been so excited to finish this one! This past summer before leaving on our trip I talked Oma into teaching me her secret apple strudel recipe. It was a lot of work and well worth it! I have since made it twice and have improved each time. When I am home I would like to make one for Oma using some tropical ingredients, which is what I've had to do here due to a lack of many of the ingredients in the recipe. Turns out it works well with almost any fruit (well maybe not banana, yuck). THANK YOU OMA!!!! Love, Chelsea To open in another window click here
The last couple weeks with my parents have been a blast, trying to make the most of their time in Costa Rica. While we had a great time showing them around and going on a variety of day adventures, their visit also came with some new challenges for Chelsea and I – namely finding the best cheap red wine for my mom and an appropriate substitute for my dad’s usual “blue drinks” (VEX electric lemonade vodka coolers). Their visit also meant a nice change for us – a couple weeks of eating better food, staying in fancy-schmancy rental properties (with hot showers, hooray!), and the experience of Costa Rican driving with our rental car. The first week we stayed at a condo in Playas Del Coco, about an hours’ drive south of Tamarindo. The guy who drove us into town introduced the place as “a drinking town with a fishing problem” and we quickly saw why. The main part of town was a stretch of road packed with restaurants and bars, each with large signs boasting their “happy hour” deals. One bar on the far end of the beach had a “wall of fame”, showcasing their current record-holders for the most beers drank in a single day – one of whom we were told was a ninety pound Canadian chica who slammed back 30 or more beers and still managed to head out to go dancing afterward. Way to represent! The main beach at Coco was packed with fishermen and their rigs, as well as local kids playing football (soccer) and random dogs running amuck. We spent a few days relaxing at Playa del Coco and a couple of the neighboring beaches, at each new location sampling their Pina Colada in Chelsea’s extensive search for the very best. My dad and I also managed to pack in a morning of ocean fishing, which was a nice treat. Our boat was followed by a couple pods of spotted dolphins, and we managed to catch (although we did very little of the actual fishing part) a beautiful mahi-mahi, which took us a few meals to eat our share of. We also spent an afternoon relaxing and surfing at Playa Grande (thanks Christie & Sebsters for the recommendation!) which was by far the highlight of the week for us. The waves were perfect for learning and we all (except for the mimsy) had some success catching some gnarly surf (but limited success in picking up on the surfer lingo). Although Playas del Coco was not exactly the nicest beach or town we’ve seen so far, it was great to spend the week relaxing, eating, drinking, playing cards and catching up with the parents. The next week we spent at an awesome rental house in Neuvo Arenal, which was recommended to us by April’s parents (thanks Janice & Gord!). The house was gorgeous, complete with two king-size beds, an extra bedroom, four washrooms, a swimming pool, beautiful garden & terrace, and fully-stocked kitchen (with a blender for mastering our Pina Colada skills). We did a lot of driving around to check out the sights, which were incredible. We spent an afternoon hiking around Arenal Volcano, during which my mom impressed us all with her rock-hopping skills. We awoke every morning to howling monkeys (which to us sound more like pissed-off dinosaurs than monkeys), though we didn’t see any until our drive back to the airport on the final day. The two weeks flew right by, and we were sad to see my parents off. We also can’t believe it’s already December – it will be tough for us to be away from our families over Christmas. Some of the highlights of the last couple weeks: - exploring random dirt roads in our rental golf cart - feeding the mocking-jays at Playa Ocotal - Scuba diving at Playas del Coco and experiencing the intense chill of the thermoclines - catching mad curls at Playa Grande in Tamarindo - fishing for mahi-mahi at Playas del Coco - searching for the best pina colada, and finally achieving perfection for ourselves - hiking through the jungle around Arenal Volcano - relaxing in the hot springs river near La Fortuna - driving along a random gravel road and spotting spider monkeys - playing lots of card games and learning a new game together (All Fours) - horseback riding around the hills near Nuevo Arenal Thanks again, Mimsy & Pimsy, for coming to see us! Hope to see you in Africa next year! =) Pura Vida, Mandrew & Chelsea Week 1 - Playas Del Coco To open in a new window click here Week 2 - NuevO Arenal To open in a new window click here
When we arrived at La Biosfera late Saturday night, we walked up the steep muddy driveway to the lodge area and met Suzanne, the owner who immediately poured us some mugs of the most delicious home brewed herbal tea. She is a VERY interesting character (check our her "Curious Character" profile). Originally from Buffalo, NY, Suzanne's an ex-marine now in her early 50’s, living on a piece of land she owns just outside of Jinotega. Although she lives alone, she has lots of visitors like us coming through all the time (though maybe not as many as she would like). In a few words I guess I would describe her as eccentric, tough and very generous! There was also an Argentine family staying there (Rafi, Flor and their 3 year old son, Fidel) when we arrived who were equally as interesting and mystical, but unfortunately they had to leave the next day. Rafi spoke the most English of them though we tried our best to speak in Spanish as much as possible (and then Andrew and I both had dreams in Spanish, FINALLY!). We talked about just about everything including the meaning of life, water vibrations, UFO's, herbal remedies, etc… Later, when we were getting ready for bed I told Andrew that I felt like we had stepped into – Andrew cut me off and finished my sentence perfectly – another universe… In the morning we got ready to start some work and said our goodbyes to Rafi, Flor and Fidel – we hadn’t known them for long but for some reason it felt like years. We took a tour of the property with Suzanne, which is huge and so green! There is a waterfall and small river, the bat cave is wicked cool, and the potential for forest preservation and education is enormous! There isn’t too much infrastructure there right now, and lots to do to get some more in there. We did some high priority work for the day including scrubbing the algae off of the walkway so no one would slip and fall. The next day we did some more manual work, as well as put our engineering skills to the test with the design of a lightweight, mobile chicken coop (which we chose to make out of PVC pipe, inspired by the photo booth structure Kim and Nate made for our wedding) as well as a support structure for the squash greenhouse. The chicken coop became our pet project for the next few days, and it turned out very well, we think. Assuming she can be caught, the pet chicken (originally known as "cena", meaning "dinner", but after many battles with the pet dog now known as "cena the warrior chicken") can chill in there now, along with some egg-laying hens Suzanne plans to buy from a neighbour. It was a really fun project even though Andrew and I had some trouble working together as we both like to take the lead on designs, lol. After a few more days we got some new visitors! Michael and Amanda are in their early 20's and are basically searching for the meaning of life. They were kind of funny to talk to, and in a weird way, reminded me a bit of Andrew and I when we were their age travelling in Australia (oh so long ago now!). They were very enthusiastic about everything, and really seemed to take what we said, and anyone else said, to heart. We talked about all kinds of wacky, fun things such as, again, the meaning of life, vibrations, water, mermaids, fractals (patterns that repeat on all scales, for example the Fibonacci Spiral found in nature; snail shells; broccoli), free energy, the Bermuda Triangle (which by the way it looks like it could be the location of Atlantis based on some underground quartz pyramids! Seriously! Check Youtube!), pyramid power, DMT, etc. From what I gathered, Amanda grew up in a very religious family and had, only in the last couple of years, begun to question her beliefs. It must have been a very stressful and scary time for her, but now she says she is re-discovering the meaning in her life, and determining what is really important to her. Michael is a free spirit who appreciates nature more than most 20-year-old guys I've known. He thinks outside the box and is in search of new experiences. They make a very good couple, finishing each-other's sentences, sharing the same open-minded philosophies, and they are very supportive of each other. We had a really good time getting to know them over a few days. We even spent one evening making German Strudel with a Nica twist! I used the recipe that Oma taught me before we left the Yukon, but we had to substitute some of the ingredients (instead of apple and raisin filling, we used guava, passionfruit, raspberry extract & coconut oil), and we baked it in a wood-fired cobb oven so it tasted a little smokey which wasn't the best, lol. But it was still fun and turned out pretty well. When the time came to leave, we were very sad to say goodbye. In a very short amount of time we came to know Suzanne, Michael and Amanda surprisingly well. I would say the highlight of La Biosfera for me was the people, and the bonus was the place; nestled in the mountains and full of life. We made some possible plans to meet up with Michael and Amanda in a few months in Peru as they will be heading down there after a short stint back home - I hope we do see them again! We hope you enjoy our pictures, Andrew says that I post too many, but I really have a hard time cutting out any because I think that if they are good they should stay. He thinks that no one will look at them if we keep putting this many, but I guess I don't really mind if you don't, lol. What do you all think? Should we be putting limits on them? Or just keep going as we are so that in the future we can look back at this website and have all our photos on hand? That's my logic anyway... Sorry that we have been running behind on posting, the internet has been pretty terrible these last few weeks, but we are catching up now! Adios Amigos! -Chelsea To open in a new window click here.
We spent five nights in Leon (including one night camping on an active volcano!) and loved every minute of it! After spending lots of time in the rainforest and on a beach, we thought it was time to see a little culture. Leon is pretty small but has a great market and a ton of history. It isn’t as touristy as other cities either, which made it attractive for us. We stayed at Sonati, an interesting hostel run by a volunteer organization that gives environmental tours to backpackers and educates the local children in Leon. On our first day we split up and explored the city by ourselves. I was so stinkin' hot I decided to buy a dress that was much much cooler than my yoga pants and t-shirt. Andrew explored the markets and churches. It was a nice relaxing day. The next day we decided to take a tour with the Sonati group. Johnny, a German dude who just so happened to turn 20 that day, was our tour guide on a daylong kayak trip through the mangrove forest! Two other volunteers from the hostel joined in the fun for the day, Simon, another Sonati guide, and Emma the awesome receptionist, which made the trip extra fun. We left around 7:00am on foot from the hostel and walked a block or so before catching a local... truck-thing… It was supposed to be a bus but apparently when they are short on busses they use pick-up trucks with canopies on the back and jam a TON of people in. So we jumped on while it was basically still moving and I nearly fell out when they gunned it, thinking we were all secure (though they do this ALL THE TIME). From there we switched to a real bus that was a little less crowded (but not by much) and had a bunch of people wandering through the aisle selling food and drinks. You can buy just about anything from your seat on any bus in Nicaragua, it seems. At bus stops sometimes people will board the bus from the front with a basket of baked goods or other treats and walk to the back trying to sell, advertising their goods quickly and loudly kind of like an auctioneer. Then when they get to the back they hang out until the next stop and get off. It is very interesting! We’ve seen them sell everything from baked things, ice-cream, corn-on-the-cob, little plastic bags of juice, razors, nail clippers, hammocks, DVD’s, SIM cards, and even pharmaceuticals. Anyways, I digress, so we get to the kayak place around nine, get in our kayaks and off we go! It was so gorgeous! But after an hour or so we started thinking it might be fun to check out some of the little channels that branch off of the main river, something Johnny had never done before, and it turned out to be super awesome! We dragged ourselves through the narrow mangrove channels by pulling on the roots ahead of ourselves and came out into some neat ponds with birds, bugs, crabs and even a raccoon in one spot. At lunchtime we made it back to the main channel and stopped off at a beach spot to chillax, eat a bunch, and swim in the ocean. It was an awesome day! And to top it off, when we got back to the hostel, everyone that was staying there, and more (probably 20 people or more!) decided to throw Johnny a surprise birthday party! Emma and I made up a delicious chickpea salad thing, and Andrew did a couple of beer runs to contribute (20 cordobas, about $0.80 for a LITRE of beer!). The dinner was great, and the company was even greater! After dinner and a bunch of drinks I decided to call it a night but Andrew stayed out and played Flinky-Ball, a German drinking game that sounds a lot like dodgeball. The next morning we got up and packed our bags for a two-day trek up Telica, an active volcano in the area. People were a bit hung over so we got a later start than we had planned, but we picked up a few more hikers, which was great! We had Johnny and Simon again, our friend Devon who we had hiked La Conception with on Isla de Ometepe a few weeks earlier, and a girl named Anna who arrived at the hostel the night before and after some consideration we had convinced to come along. It was a 15min walk to the bus station, then an hour-long bus ride to the starting trail. The hike was incredible! We started out at some boiling mud pots that smelled like sulfur then headed up a dried riverbed/ cattle trail and up over some farmland. It wasn’t until after lunch that we started the climb. I made a bad decision to eat two peanut butter sandwiches even though I don’t like peanut butter, because I was so hungry by the time we stopped for lunch. Unfortunately the steep hill with a nasty peanut butter filled stomach was not so pleasant. I managed to keep it all down but couldn’t stand the sight of peanut butter for the rest of the trip, and that’s almost the only thing we brought… (I traded for other things). Once we made it to the cone, the view was surreal! A massive smoking cone sprouting out of the hillside and a frozen lava river spilled over the top. We quickly set up our tents as we had less than an hour before sundown, and then headed up to check out the cone! It was loud, like a jet engine but muted. The cone was about 1km across and maybe that deep. We stood and crouched on the edge, literally where the ground cuts deep into the engine below. Yes we did acknowledge how dangerous it was there, but how could you resist! Deep in the center of the pit was a fiery glowing red hole with smoke spewing out. After staring at the lava hole for some time, mesmerized, we got up and walked to the other side of the cone to watch the sunset before heading back for dinner (a delicious homemade Dutch veggie mush dish made by Simon and Johnny) and topped it off with some roasted marshmallows at the campfire. The next morning was equally awesome, we woke up early to see the sun rise (4:30) then hiked back up to the cone for another look before cruising around to a bat cave that Simon found one time when he was guiding another group up there. It was neat-o! And then we headed back down the volcano. The hike back was fun and quick, but everyone’s legs were happy for the break by the time we got on the bus to go home. So while our cultural visit to Leon itself was a little short, we got to see some super neat things, meet some new friends, as well as an “old” friend, Devon. After Leon we hoped back on the Chicken Bus and headed to Jinotega to stay on a finca/ nature retreat called La Biosfera, about two and a half hours north of Leon. We found La Biosfera on helpx.org while looking for another place to do some volunteering, and chose it partly because there is a bat cave there, and partly because it sounds very unique! Hope everyone is well at home! I would like to congratulate my Dad and Carolyn on a successful hunting and fishing year! They finally got two moose and 27 Coho salmon! Of course it isn't all for them as there were others in the group to split with, but the freezer is full this winter which is awesome! We are also getting excited to spend two weeks with Donna and Jim (Mandrew's parents) who will be heading to Costa Rica on Nov 11th! Can't wait to see you!! Love, Chelsea To open in a new window click here
For our first “people of interest” profile, detailing a select few of the interesting people we meet during our travels, we are featuring Marcos Garcia, a Costa Rica born-and-raised eco-farmer/ nature guide / football (soccer) player / language professor/ avid birder – you can see why we thought he was interesting. Chelsea and I had the pleasure of spending two weeks with Marcos while volunteering at his farm in Mastatal. Introduction Marcos is a 29-year-old entrepreneur from the small farming town of Mastatal. While the majority of his peers and family have relocated to the city of San Jose after high school in order to find jobs, Marcos has fought to stay in his home town. After a few unsuccessful career attempts (where he gained valuable trade and language skills) he believes he has finally found his calling in the eco-tourism business, working right out of his own home on his parents’ farm. He spends most of his time doing things he loves including bird-watching, meeting volunteers and guests from around the world who come to stay on his farm (we were some of those), building and landscaping, farming, and guiding tour groups around Mastatal and other regions of Costa Rica. Background Marcos grew up on his parents’ farm in the small town of Mastatal, consisting of four or five locally-owned farms and, including a few of the smaller neighbouring communities, about 150 people. He spent most of his adolescent life helping his parents on the farm, milking and herding cows, managing a few horses and chickens, and growing produce including corn, beans and rice. Costa Rica is an amazing place to live in such a way – it seems that everything grows ridiculously fast, and cows and chickens are seen wandering pretty much everywhere. One of the coolest things we learned during our short visit to Mastatal was that all of the farmers in the country plant crops according to the lunar cycle. I’m not sure if they do this at home but it was the first time we’d heard about it. Because Mastatal didn’t have a secondary school while Marcos was growing up, each day he and the other kids rode the bus for about 45 minutes to La Glora High School in a neighbouring town. Once finished high school, many of Marcos’ friends moved away to look for work, the majority finding themselves in the capital city of San Jose. This was not the life Marcos wanted for himself (fair enough, San Jose is a crazy place, interesting, but crazy). Soon after Marcos finished high school, a professional carpenter came to Mastatal and trained Marcos and ten other students during a one-year carpentry internship. The group received on-the-job instruction while building the local community center. Although the training was valuable, Marcos soon found that in Mastatal he could not make a living at carpentry alone. Growing up, Marcos was always fascinated with the English language. His first exposure was through music (we were quite surprised to find that much of the local popular music was stuff we knew from home – lots of Bob Marley, Green Day, Celine Dion, Creed, etc.). Marcos quickly fell in love with the language, devouring any books he could get his hands on and eventually teaching himself enough to become almost completely fluent. After speaking with Marcos for a few days, we were amazed to find that he had learned English independently in this way. After working for a couple years as a carpenter, Marcos worked teaching English in the local grade school. Although he enjoyed working with the kids, he often found that their parents were a bit too much to handle. In 2002, La Cangreja National Park was created near Mastatal. This led to a local boost in eco-tourism, and around this time, a few local farms began offering volunteering and internship positions for travelers. Marcos saw an opportunity in this and started “Finca Siempre Verde” on part of his parents’ land. Starting with just a couple small cabins in the middle of the rainforest, Marcos and his volunteers have now built a two-story building including a large classroom / yoga studio, two large dormitories each with beds to sleep about fifteen, a private room (the “honeymoon suite” during our stay), and an area below for relaxing in hammocks. Pretty sweet place to stay! As part of his eco-tourism offering, Marcos also recognized an opportunity to teach Spanish to English-speaking travellers. He received training and became a certified Spanish instructor, and has been teaching his guests (which included us for two weeks) for the past nine years. To further supplement his income from the farm, Marcos also works as a tour guide for groups of students from a few different Universities in Washington state, leading them on multi-week trips around the country and sharing with them his knowledge of the local culture and ecology. Interests and hobbies Marcos’ passion for birding was quickly evident from his habit of stopping mid-conversation to eagerly point out some rare species of bird that happened to sing, fly by or stop to rest on a distant treetop. Apparently, his passion for bird-watching is not uncommon in the area: Mastatal is in a region of Costa Rica which boasts some of the best birding worldwide. On a three-week trip guiding a group up and down the Pacific coast, Marcos claimed to have seen over 300 species of birds! Horseback riding is also among Marcos’ favourite activities, having ridden since he was a small child. In town, he often competes in a game called “carrera de cintas” where riders gallop under a tiny hanging ring and catch it on the end of a pencil-sized stick. Marcos also enjoys playing football (soccer) on the local team and watching the regional games twice a week on TV with his father. Interview with Marcos Note: the translations below might not be 100% correct. We did our best, any mistakes can be blamed on Marcos, our spanish teacher. =) What do you think is the meaning of life? DESPERTARSE CADA PODER ABRIR LOS OJOS Y PODER REALIZAR LAS COSAS QUE LE HARAN FELIZ - “To wake up, open your eyes and do what makes you happy” VIDA ES PODER VER LO LINDO DE CADA DIA Y PODER DISFRUTAR CADA MINUTO DE EL DIA INDEPENDIENTEMENTE DE LO QUE SE ESTE HACIENDO - “Life is to be able to see the beauty of every day and be able to enjoy every minute regardless of what you are doing” Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? POR SUPUESTO EN EL LINDO PUEBLO DE MASTATAL CONTINUANDO EN LA FINCA GRECIENDO Y TENIENDO LA OPORTUNIDAD DE MOSTRAR A OTROS UNA MANERA DIFERENTE Y SOSTENIBLE DE VIVIR EN ESTE MUNDO. – “Of course, living in the beautiful town of Mastatal continuing to grow the farm and showing others an alternative and sustainable way of living in this world” What do you love about Mastatal? LA PAZ -LA TRANQUILIDAD -LOPURA VIDA DE LA GENTE – “The peace, the tranquility, and the pure life of the people” What do you see as the biggest problem in Mastatal? LA NECESIDAD DE TRABAJOS PARA QUE LA POBLACION NO TENGA QUE SALIR DE MASTATAL A OTROS LUGARES Y ASI CONTINUEN EN SU TIERRA – “The lack of jobs, forcing people to leave Mastatal instead of continuing to work on their own land.” What would you do with yourself if your parents were to sell the farm? MOVERME A LA CIUDAD TRABAJAR COMO POLICIA O CARPINTERO Y TENER UN GRAN NECESIDAD PERDIDA POR NO PODER REALIZAR UN SUEÑO – “Move to the city and work as a policeman or carpenter, and miss out on being able to realize my dreams.” If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go and why? ME GUSTARIA IR A CUBA PARA PODER TENER UN EJEMPLO DE COMO ERA LA VIDA CUANDO IS PAPAS CRECIERO. TAMBIEN VIAJARIA AL AMAZONAS EN BRAZIL PARA PODER VER LA NATURALEZA ALLA. – “I would like to go to Cuba in order to see an example of how life was when potatoes/the pope was growing. Also travel to the Amazon in Brazil in order to see the nature there.” What is your opinion of the growing tourism industry in Costa Rica? ES BUENO SIMPRE QUE SEA EN FORMA SOSTENIBLE CON SEGURAS FORMAS DE CONTROL Y QUE SEAN FUENTES DE INGREASOS PARA LA POBLACION COSTARRICENSE. – “It’s good as long as it’s done in a controlled and sustainable manner and is bringing income for the Costa Rican people.” Who were the coolest Canadians you have met? COOLEST: YOU PLURAL (the two of us, of course) COOL: A FRIEND COOL AARON & A FREIND 67 BETTY FROM CALGARY Do you have any regrets? NO SIMPLEMENTE EL NO PODER TENER LA FACILIDAD DE VIAJAR POR EL MUNDO PARA PODER VER NUEVAS COSAS PARA APRENDER Y PODER APLICARLAS EN MI VIDA Y PROYECTOS PERSONALES. – “Only that I haven’t the opportunity to travel the world, see and learn new things and be able to apply them to my life and personal projects.” Thanks, Marcos, for the great experience & we wish you the best of luck in realizing your dreams! Pura Vida, Mandrew & Chelsea Isla de Ometepe is very interesting so far! We are staying at a place called Yogi's Hostel which was recommended on wikitravel.org. When we got off the boat on the island, we were bombarded (as usual) by a bunch of people trying to get us to stay at their hostel or take their cab or buy their snacks, etc. And one hippie guy in particular tried to convince us to stay at his hostel, making it sound pretty awesome and much cheaper than the rest. The name of it was Hospedaje Central which rang a bell for us. During our research into where to stay (really just reading the wikitravel.org page for 5 minutes) we read about the Hospedage Central thinking it was a joke. Word for word the blurb on wikitravel.org was this: "Hospedaje Central, From Procredit Bank, 1 block south, ☎ 2569-4262. Very colorful and friendly atmosphere with free parking lot, internet service, dvd movies, laundry, volunteering opportunities, a restaurant and a bar. Unfortunately the owner is wanted by INTERPOL for Fraud, Kidnapping, etc. Dormitory is basic with bunk beds, its own toilet and shower, lockers and a safe available at reception. Rooms are clean, large, with new beds, fan or AC and private bathroom. However, some travellers report that, despite Lonely Planet's endorsement, theft is a problem, especially in the dormitory rooms where random locals wander in and out through three doors. And the bar/restaurant shares a filthy bathroom with guests and plays loud music until late at night. $2.50 hammock-$3.50 dorm-$5.50 to 9.50 for room." I admit I almost fell for the hippie's recommendation but Andrew insisted on sticking to our guns and heading to Yogi's Hostel. At Yogi's we met some other travellers and they brought up the topic of the criminals down the street. None of us really thought too much of it, thinking maybe it was just a rumour, or blown out of proportion. We actually ended up having dinner there the night before last because the food sounded so good. And it was! We were served by a SUPER creepy man, an equally creepy woman lit our candle when it got dark, and a bunch of other creepy people hung around at nearby tables having very deep conversations. The place was actually nicely decorated, very colourful and kind of reggae-ish. It did seem like a nice place to stay, if it weren't for the creepy people. When we got back to Yogi's we were chatting with Robinson, the owner, who sent us a link to a woman's blog. Apparently this woman stayed at Hospedaje Central a while back and started hearing rumours, so she began to look into it. She found out a ton of crazy things about these people and wrote this blog post about it, hoping to get them kicked off the island and hopefully Nicaragua altogether. They are hiding here because the Nicaraguan police are very understaffed and are unlikely to do anything about them. It is a very interesting read if you have a few minutes. These people (the ones that served us and the old guy sat beside us when we had dinner) basically are involved in a horrible cult, starving people to death and causing children to die of malnutrition and lack of medical care when they got sick. They also created false names and companies in order to get investor money so they could live lavishly. Very evil people. And now they are here in Nicaragua, trying to get travellers like us to stay at their nature retreat on the other side of this island, where you can "live like the natives", which is basically how they got people to enter their previous cults. Creeeeeeepy!!! Can't believe we met them and they are literally right down the street, four houses down. THANK YOU Wikitravel.org for giving us the heads up on this! We will continue to read you :) On another note, we have been doing well. Yesterday was our first full day on the island and we made good use of it, hiking Volcan Concepcion with Devon, a fellow backpacker from Yogi's. We hired a guide (Walter) who accompanied us and lead us to the top of the volcano. It was a pretty insane hike! Very very steep. It took us from 7:30 to 11:00 to reach the top, where the rocks we stood on were warm, and sulphur gasses were strong. We only stayed up there for a couple of minutes because the gasses could be dangerous, but it was so neat! It was very cloudy, of course, so we couldn't see too well, but that in itself was really cool. The hike back down was maybe even more difficult as we were literally sliding and surfing down loose basalt gravel and trying to avoid tumbling down the steep incline. It was definitely the most challenging hike we have done so far, in that it was the most dangerous! And totally worth it :) Today we will probably relax a bit, as our legs and knees in particular need some TLC. We may even rent a motorbike and check out the rest of the island! Ne neither of us has ever driven a motorbike, but you gotta start somewhere, right? Pura Vida everyone! -Chelsea :) To open the slideshow in another window click here
Having grown up in the Territories, there are things that I'd accepted as "normal" all my life and would never have given a second thought to, until I met the world.
When I moved to Toronto to attend university in 2003, the first time I was really able to step out of my own comfort zone and immerse myself in a new environment, I began to learn many new things. And I found out that most of the things I had previously experienced on a regular basis while living in the north, were considered "once in a lifetime events" or things that may never happen to most people. In fact, most people I met in Toronto had never even considered any of my experiences to be a possibility. Things like; having to watch out for grizzly bears (literally like a dozen one time) while walking around the neighbourhood on the way home from school, or having to fend off bears by yelling and waving your arms while hiking or canoeing, pulling a frozen icicle from your tongue and having a pack of wolves follow you home in the winter because of the blood trail, being snowed in for several days during a blizzard and having people come and dig you out, singing and whistling to the northern lights and having them surround and shoot down at you (which was very terrifying I have to admit), spending time out fishing on a lake in the summer and not knowing whether it is 2:00am or 2:00pm, catching a 20lb Arctic Char and having groups of children begging you for the guts and fish eyes because they taste like candy, having a special room in your house for canned and dried food that could last 2 years just in case the grocery barge couldn't make it during the only 2-3 week window in the summer that it could dock, hopping on floating ice chunks in the ocean during break-up and laughing when someone falls in, never really having to "meet" anyone because you already know pretty much everyone in town, spending nights partying by bon fires in the bush with all your friends. The experiences were one thing, and the opportunities were even more impressive. Opportunities like; being able to play competitive sports and travel to national events and tournaments, spending 2 semesters of high school on field trips around the Yukon and BC to learn astronomy, biology, forestry and more first hand rather than through text books, learning how to live off the land as part of the regular elementary school curriculum, filling your freezer with hunted meat and fish, and picking berries and mushrooms in the summer and knowing first hand where all of your food comes from. All of this let alone the scholarships and bursaries offered to students attending university programs in the provinces. But rather than continuing to outline many examples of this (and believe me I have many more) and you taking my word for it, I have gathered a few news headlines, from here in Whitehorse, that I think will help colour the picture for you. These are headlines from just the past month and a half while we have been up here.
Of all the crazy things that Andrew and I can continue to be amused at, it is the differences in the ways we've grown up that keep us surprised by each other. We view the world through very separate lenses and enjoy hearing our stories from our different perspectives. What are some other crazy news headlines from around the world? We would love to hear 'em!
Mom2 & Mandrew enjoying the sun at Snafu Lake
The last couple weeks have been nice and relaxing. We've been doing our best to spend some quality time with the Yukon family and enjoy the outdoors while the summer sun's still shining. Chelsea's family is full of interesting characters, and it's been great to be around for long enough to spend some real time with them. We spent about a week camping at Snafu Lake with Mom2 (Carolyn), Alyssa & the dogs, followed soon after by a long weekend at Fox Lake with Momette (Karen), Jock & Shawn. To view the above slideshow in another window, click here.
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