Monday 26 May 2008

The land of drugs and rebellion

Señores y señoritas,


welcome in the land of white coffee! A shabby Dash5-propellor-airplane took us from Panama City, over the Carribean, into Colombian territories; the colonial city of Cartagena de Indias to be precise.

It has been a haunting but interesting experience so far. We hadn't left the Airport for 2 hours, or already had little bagglets of "snow" in our hands... TWICE! Which we kindly refused.

Colombia is an exhausting country. Not yet the touristy spot that Costa Rica is and not by far the alienated little country that El Salvador was. The people in the streets seek constant interaction. One can't walk through a street without hearing "¿hola amigo, de donde eres?" or "¿quieres drogas, my friend?" repetitively.

This however, doesn´t bother us the least. We know perfectly how to handle these little akward situations. And there is a big plus: Colombian women are among the finest on the face of this planet. And, even though less attractive, the men are among the friendliest we´ve met so far.

According to the 'Lonely Planet' guidebook, Cartagena might be the best looking colonial town on the continent. For once, they might be spot on!









Sharpening our knives, lighting a fine-ass Cuban cigar. Bring it on, South America, we´re ready to go down in style!

Sunday 25 May 2008

The Continental Divide

Boys and girls,

After a seven weeks race through the North- and Central-American subcontinents, we finally arrived in Panamá, La Ciudad.

Burnt by pirates, bombed by the US (during the Noriega-era) Panamá always provails. It's a modern-day metropolis with skyscrapers, highways, musea, clubs and an enchanting 'Casco Viejo' (old town) that takes you back to the Panamá of the 50's.

And last but not least, Panamá has one great asset: The continental divide, also known as "The Panama-Canal". An 80km long artificial waterway, connecting the pacific ocean to the Gatún Lake and from there into the Carribean. Constructed by France and the United States, Panamá finally gained control over the canal-zone in 1999. Taking into account that ships have to pay as much as up to $200.000 to use this waterway, Panamá is now well underway to become the economic and financial heart of Centro America.

Everyone should see this magical place. Now we're off to the land of sugar; Colombia!


Tuesday 20 May 2008

Panama Pimps

Hey dudes! It's been two weeks, time for an update! We left Granada, raced through thus skipped Costa Rica and ended up in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Soon, we discovered that life on these Caribbean islands is awesome. That's why we've been here for ten days now. Deserted Islands, 50 cent beers, gorgeous girls from around the globe. No complaining here. We've been horse riding - jihaaa - and scuba diving - blublub. Bocas so rocks!













Tuesday 6 May 2008

Managua Mayhem

Hello earthlings,

it's been a couple of interesting days. Yesterday, we swapped some weird-looking black-sand beaches in El Salvador for the capital of Nicaragua aka Managua. A legal agreement between Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua states one only has to pay once entering the region and once leaving it. But entering Nicaragua, a boarder patrol policeman charged 8 dollars on both of us. Locals were asked only 1.

We were told this money is for the benefit of the local community, but locals made it perfectly clear to us the money was going to disappear in the policeman's pocket. We resisted to pay the 16 dollars for a while. Sadly, it was clear the busdriver and the policeman had made an agreement: not to pay the money would've ment the bus was going to leave without us. The busdriver and the policeguy surely divided the money. Viva la corrupcion! These illegal practices are truly sad; the money doesn't go to those in need.

In the bus, a Nicaraguan told us about the situation his country is in. Prices for food and gas are going up, but wages stay the same. Poverty is rising, people are sad and angry. Disputes are solved with sticks and guns. Nicaraguans have no belief in a good future anymore. The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. The president and his regime are responsible.

The highway into Managua was blocked by demonstrants demanding changes. Angry people and fires all around us. When we finally arrived in Managua, a security officer holding a shotgun escorted us into a cab; Managua wasn't safe to stay. That's how we ended up in small and tranquil Granada.





Sunday 4 May 2008

People Power!

El Salvador, yes kids, El Salvador!

A place not well known by us, westerners. A country that had its difficulties. A country with people that never give up. The Salvadorians have had much to endure. A 12-year-long civil war in which the army slaughtered thousands of people (a massacre funded with over $6 billion by the US), Hurricane Stan in 2005 that killed many and earthquakes gallore. To top it all, the government cancelled the local currency in 2001 and replaced it with the US dollar, rendering the economy totally dependant on Salvadorians working in the United States and sending money back home.

And yet. What strikes us most is the grace with which people seem to carry their suffering. They seem so happy that finally some travellers are taking the risk to visit their country and gladly assist us with any questions we might have.





























A country that has had so much to endure. And yet. El Salvador's greatest asset is its people.

Thursday 1 May 2008

Lava Lovers

YES Babies,

PACAYA is the name. The Guatemaltec city of Antigua is situated between 3 Volcanos, of which one really active. Last eruption: August 2006. But that obviously doesn't withhold the locals from organising hikes.

We don't know about you guys, but standig close to actual 1000ºC hot lava was something on our list. Even when standing meters away, the heat is nearly unbearable. And not without risk, because you could actually see the streams of lava underneath the very rocks we were standing on!



We concluded the day by enjoying a free performance of the world famous Buena Vista Social Club in Antigua's Estudio 35.