Flights Booked!

Just under two months until the next out of country run - couldn't be more excited! A chance to replace more photos lost to the dreaded hard-drive crash of 2008, yeah, this is a good thing. And on top of it all, its a group trip, so it will of course be way more interesting. LoL! At this point, the plan is mostly within the city with an excursion to Teotihuacan, but we are also discussing the likelihood of a day trip to the coast at Veracruz, which is awesome too - this is a place I've never been and I always like to add a dot on my mental travel map! :)

After this, I'll only need to hit up Oaxaca and Palenque to be able to replace all of my lost Mexico photos. So many lost photos... shitty. But, it is what it is and technology is what it is. Since then, I've learned to make triple backups of all travel photos - perhaps a little excessive, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and lose them all again.

One week, five friends and a wedding. And of course, all the food and tequila I can handle (which is quite a lot) ~ yeah, going to be epic! And it's really cool that some of our number haven't traveled before, so I get to play guide and mentor - the bride and groom are coming in separately, so it's me and two others who will be on our own devices until they arrive.

This is the thing I love most about traveling - the excitement, the sheer joy it gives to be doing something other than the daily usual routine. And of course, the chance to share that with others who may not have ever done such likewise. What makes it even more awesome is that this trip is a homestay more or less, so its more of a cultural based trip than it is an all inclusive sort of thing; very good exposure for the guys coming with ... it'll give them a taste of what it really means to travel and not simply being a tourist. :)

We've got our flights booked now - $557 return with one layover in Chicago - here's to hoping the weather is on our side that day! They don't call her the windy city for nothing...

58 short little days and counting - yes all you little taquerias, I hear you calling me! :)

Surprise outing for 2014 - Mexico Redux

So my best friend is getting married in Mexico City in January and I've found both the money and the time off to be able to go for the occasion and of course to eat and drink myself crazy for a week. A return to Mexico certainly wasn't in the cards in the foreseeable future and I am exhilarated to once again walk those crazy streets! I had the idea of possibly taking a bus to Oaxaca for an over-nighter to walk those crazy streets again as well, but the 8-10 hour bus ride there and then back again make it prohibitive within the time constraints. Another time, for sure... the mushrooms can wait. LoL!

At least there are a bunch of us going this time around, so there will be plenty to keep us occupied - markets, tequila induced levels of self loathing, Teotihuacan and lots more. Best part is that its a flight only affair - accommodations are with the family of my best friend, so really, a cheap week away, all things considered and certainly feeds into my annual need to be up and away.

But the plan is still on Morocco for later in the year following Ramadan...

Destination 2014 Selected - Morocco

After some careful thought and input from fellow trail-heads, I've decided that Morocco will be the destination of choice for the 2014 excursion out into the world. I had been toying with either going to Egypt or returning to Turkey this year, but in the end got sold on Morocco, the destination that lost out to Costa Rica this year.I'm more or less done with Latin America and the Caribbean Sea these days and am craving the solitude of a desert somewhere and what better than the Sahara, I ask myself? Been a few years since I've watched a sunset or sunrise over the desert dunes and next year seems as good a time as any to renew my acquaintance with it

So, it looks like it will be Africa after all - and I am quite jazzed over that! :)

Review: Kaya's Place, Puerto Viejo

I'm not usually one to do these sorts of things, but for Kaya's, I feel they deserve a round of rave review from me. This is a most excellent hostel, more akin to an eco-lodge than most hostels I happened to see while in Puerto Viejo. The only drawback to my stay at this place was the lack of computers to use to get online to update my blog, but with ATEC just five minutes down the road, and very cheap, this was NOT a large drawback at all.

The staff at Kaya's are very friendly and very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and are more than willing to offer all sorts of advice on things to do and alternates. From the best sodas to eat at, to the best places to go snorkeling, they have the lowdown and can help you get the most out of you stay.

There is an amazing array of food available in the kitchens, including wood fired pizzas - the Hawaiian Pizza was to die for, as was the bacon and egg sandwich. All reasonably and competitively priced. And let's not forget that there are ten available types of beer on tap, including craft beer, made by the proprietor, JT. The honey mango beer is to die for! :)

It is a short walk on the outskirts of the main town, just a few minutes to be precise, and the road at that point is lit enough and fenced on one side, so there is little concern of any shenanigans from locals who want to  help part you from your valuables. Truth be told, in a whole week, I never once felt worried about being robbed or otherwise. I am certain there are stories you will hear, some of them very true, but for Kaya's and its distance from town, there is little cause for concern if you take proper care to your environment. And you know, if you are worried about it, a cab will only cost at most 1000 colones (2 dollars) to get there from some of the bars on the far side of Puerto.

As for the rooms, they are clean, freshly laundered and cleaned every day should you wish it. Most importantly, they are bug free. The odd stray mosquito may get in if you leave your door open for any reason, but the window frames are netted to keep the critters out. My only bug related issues stemmed from sand fleas at the beach across the road, and this is not really a big issue. That being said, lol, I did hang my mozzy net over my bed nightly just to be sure - dengue is nothing to laugh at and take chances with.

All in all, I would totally recommend Kaya'\s to anyone who would be visiting Puerto Viejo... cost competitive and all the amenities you  would expect, minus the computers. Free wifi, water is safe (and backup systems in place should the mains be shut off by the city), even a pool table and common area to accomodate many visitors. Well worth the thought of a stay, especially if you choose to not be in the thick of the drunken mayhem of the village.

Trust me - if you want a nice relaxing place to spend your time, with easy access to the village and all of the beaches, Kaya's Place is the one place you need to consider...

Lizano Salsa - it didn't take me long at all!

You know, when in Costa Rica, there is Lizano salsa on every table in every restaurant and in every soda. You learn to love it and at the same time hate it, as the food just doesn't taste the same without it. It took me all of three days to cave in and go on the hunt for a bottle here in Quebec City. And i found it ~ costly at $9 for the bottle (700 ml), but hell, it is an import from Costa Rica after all. I had found a recipe to do a homemade version and one day I will try it, but for now, I sense a casado at home tonight! :)

Love and hate and rolled into one little bottle!

For those who would rather try to do it at home without all of the preservatives and such, here is the recipe and instructions to make it.

1-2 dried chiles, such as guajillo
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 small yellow onion
1 4-inch piece thick carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon unflavored vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons all-natural powdered vegetable broth base, optional

Remove the stems of the chiles and then slice the chiles in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and fibrous connective material attaching the seeds to the chiles. Pre-heat a 6-8-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Lay the chile pieces in the pan and toast, turning after about 2 minutes. Add the water and lower the heat to bring the water to a simmer. Simmer for about five minutes. Remove the chile pieces from the pan and place in blender. Measure out 1 cup of the chile-infused water and add this to the blender with the chiles.

Add the onion, carrot, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, molasses, bouillon if using. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

Sauce will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Home, safe and sound...

... as sound as can be, after a nearly 26 hour travel time to get from San Jose to home again. Its a long and tedious story of flight delays due to weather, waiting around in airports for connections and buses all over the place. Regardless of it all, yes, I am home and doing all of my laundry to be sure no sand fleas followed me home - in fact doing the load twice just to be sure, as the little bastards can live underwater for a time.

But yes, home and exhausted. At least I can say I am clean and shaved. And all of my photos (930 of them) have been backed up three times. Now comes to process of sorting them, discarding the out of focus ones and getting a small library of the best assembled for processing in Lightroom and uploading to a Facebook library. That should take, oh, a week or two, lol...

Noticed on returning that there is a LOT of TV shows that started while I was away, so at least I will have something to fill those boring moments here at home when my brain will be thinking that' it's time to head to the beach for a swim or to go reefing.

I've noticed a real attitude switch since the incident with the bus and the tree and the truck - I really just don't feel like I care (to an extent) about not saying something to spare someone an uncomfortable moment. I really see how easy shit can happen now and I plan to take every advantage that comes my way now ... if I want something I will ask for it. If I don't want something, the person asking will know. No more fucking around with word games and spared feelings, they suck. Again, within reason, but yeah... life is too fucking short.

Really wish I was back in the jungle sweating my ass off and trying to avoid killer spiders and snakes though... this being home shit is tedious and prosaic. Come on 2014!!!

Signing off from Costa Rica

Thirty minutes until the shuttle takes me, once again, to the airport. This could be the story of my life in some senses, coming and going from airports. Not a bad story and definitely not a bad life! But yes, sadly, troubles aside that this trip has sprung upon me, the 2013 excursion has come to a close. Woke up way too early, due to falling asleep way too early, but at least I got to enjoy a nice last view of the mountains around the Central Valley and see some of the coffee plantations lining them, all while sipping on nice Costa Rican coffee on the rooftop of Pangea.

The mountains on the edge of town

And of course, a nice shot of the coffee!

Also, spent an hour outside talking to a fellow backbacker from Ireland, both sitting curb-side. The dude was completely wiredç on cocaine, self confessed, and man, what a riot! Every time a car or bus zipped past too close for his addled brain, he would recoil quickly to avoid being hit - me I didnt move, because, yeah, they never came that close, lol! 

Also, they forgot to mention last night in their logs that I had paid for the shuttle and when I went to get my ticket for it this morning, no-one knew anything about it and they had to phone the girl who worked last night and wake her up to confirm. The never ending saga of central american in-efficiency continues ... lets hope that is an end to it, and the airport adventure is smooth sailing...

So, with sadness, I sign off from the rooftop of Hostel Pangea, in San Jose, Costa Rica. There will be other updates, reviewing the places I´ve stayed and the places I went along the way, for those who stumble upon this blog around the globe, looking for travel advice. 

Adios from Costa Rica!