Sights, sounds, and smells of Nicaragua.

Almost there. Few more hours and I am boarding to the plane that will take me back home. I would stop right at this moment because the sad feels definitely has room when I get back to Winnipeg.

Anyhow, so after a day of travelling last Wednesday, I finally got to San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua where I met a Norwegian friend that I made during my Colombia-Panama boat trip. If you want to party with backpackers all over the world, San Juan Del Sur is the place to be. It is also a great starting point to go to surfing points. There is also a taco chain in every corner which will definitely make you want five every time you encounter one. One day I am bungee jumping in Costa Rica, the next day I am surfing in Nicaragua. Life could never be any better. Going out every single night is very tiring though, I must say, but definitely worth it.

Friday was travel day where me and my Norwegian friend went to Granada on an adventure. You can pay taxistas to get you around the country for a very expensive price but of course, as travellers, we wanted to get there the hard way. We took chicken buses from chicken buses to get to the next destination. The buses were literally school buses made to a public transporting vehicle. Imagine the yellow school buses we use to take in school, but occupied with travellers, vendors, families and all sorts of people trying to get around Nicaragua. The scorching sun was not helping either. I sweat buckets just sitting down with the feeling of being in a Bikram Yoga session.

Granada is very special. It looked like a colonial Divisoria in the Philippines. Our hostel was near a wet market and lots and lots of churches. Me and my Norwegian friend went to Laguna de Apoyo, which is an idle volcano where there is a lake nearby where people could swim. Definitely beautiful.

Granada was not a party place though, we found ourselves stuck binging on restaurants because we could not find a decent bar that would play music. My last night, we went to a karaoke place where no one was singing. They were playing reggaeton music with lyrics on screens but no one seemed to be performing. It later turned to be a salsa-slash-bachata club.

Before I left to San Jose today to catch my flight, me and Marie went on a chocolate making class. Our teacher Ismael taught us how to make three different chocolate drinks and a chocolate bar. We went through the whole process of chocolate making from scratch and even got a certficiate at the end. So cocoa tree grows, then harvest season comes from September to December twice a year. Cacao beans are harvested, fermented, then roasted. After being roasted they are grinded until they become very pasty. From then chocolate is ready to be made to a drink. We made Mayan, Aztec and European chocolate drinks and a chocolate bar.

Two major things I missed in Nicaragua: Sunday fun day in San Juan del Sure, and Isla de Omatepe. My plans changed a lot and I was able to miss these two events to see. Oh wells, I for sure would be back though.

On a different note, less good things are always expected to happen when travelling. Yes folks, thieves seemed to be on the loose when me and Marie were in San Juan del Sure. Thursday night, Marie lost her Ipad and Iphone through this thief who pretended to be the hostel owner's nephew. Friday night, I lost almost $200 while I was out having drinks. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT LET THINGS LIKE THESE SCARE YOU. I put this on my blog to serve as a reminder that we always have to be careful. No one wants things like these to happen and it just was me and my travel bud's moment. Those people probably needed the money at this point in their life and hopefully we were able to help them. Also, karma is an itchy bitch so I would let karma do its work. All in all, Nicaragua was still a very positive country with nice people.

Modern coloured Catholic church. 

San Juan del Sur sunset. 

Jumping shot. 

Sweating. 

Mexican roller coaster bus rides part 2.

Yep. Bus people. 

Laguna de Apoyo. 

-Chocolate making pictures are yet to come.- 

Much love!

Pura Vida Costa Rica!

Costa Rica is the second to the last country that I am supposed to visit and it definitely did not disappoint. Although I only had Four days in a huge country, I definitely picked the cities to visit and went on an adventure for sure to remember.

I left Bocas Del Toro, Panama on June 24th and took a day of travelling to San Jose, Costa Rica. I heard a lot of things about San Jose and I decided to just stay one night to recupérate and prepare myself for an adventure. Right the next day, I went to the mountains and explored Monte Verde. There are so much things you can do in Monte Verde including hikes, coffee and cheese tours, canyoning, horse back riding, canopying, and my most favourite, bungee jumping. Oh boy would I ever miss that opportunity to bungee jump. NOPE! I did it with five other brave people which made the whole jump much more easy. The company that we did the bungee jump with held the highest point where we could jump across Latin America, and yes I completed it. It definitely made up for the adrenaline that I have been looking for. I can still feel the rush that I felt thinking what if the cord broke, or the instructors forgot to tie something. All in all, I definitely recommend doing the jump. Scared or not scared of heights, try it for the sake of trying.

From the jump, I met these Americans and travelled with three of them to Manuel Antonio. I was not really planning to go to Manuel Antonio as I do not know what to see there but heck, I needed to take a 6am bus to get to my next destination in Nicaragua. So I chose to drive with them to Manuel Antonio because why not? I spent a night there but still had to take a 6am bus to Nicaragua. Manuel Antonio is where you go to really explore nature. We saw small monkeys within ten minutes of landing into our destination. It was quite expensive though. Costa Rica in general was quite expensive.

It was quite a stretch crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. You can pay $27 USD for a convenient ride from San Jose to Managua, or take chicken buses from San Jose to Liberia, then to the Nicaraguan Frontera, then take a taxi or bus to your next destination. Everything is pretty close to each other and you can probably go around with a taxi for $25 per hour. I took the easier route.

I am currently in Nicaragua but this is a whole different story. I will write about it when I get to Costa Rica and wait for my flight back to graduate.

Canopying before jumping.

Ziplines!

 

Serious canopying face.

Rapelling down.

Another serious face?

Tándem zip line!

 

The parrot we were playing with while waiting for our jumping instructor. WILD!

The Americans I travelled with the next day after jumping. <3 br="">

Waiting for my turn. That cable car right there is where I jumped from.

 

Video with my face on. 470 Feet. Pardon for my language. #sorrynotsorry
 

From afar.



 

 

 

Much love.



Let's get sea sick to Panama!

Imagine getting stuck in a small boat with twenty five other people, including the captains, for a few hours. Can you say amazing? I felt like I was in an amusement park during my five day trip in San Blas islands in Panama. Picture yourself in those crazy rivers and roller coasters. Yes, I did them for five hours straight, with splashing waves all over my face the whole time. I must say, it is definitely an experience to remember and I cannot help but cherish every single moment of it.

The group's itinerary was from Capurgana-Sapzurro-La Miel-Calidonia-Isla Coco Banderra- Isla Pelicano. The whole time I was just really tagging along with the group, with the only major thing in mind is if my clothes are safe and dry. I did not have to mind about the time, except when we had to leave.

The boat transfers were pretty rough and take into consideration that the weather is not cooperating as well. But for five days, I have spent cool and chill moments. I definitely had my zen on, relax and get my city mindset out of the way. A total therapy. 

The group also experienced the birth of cute leatherback turtles. Their gigantic mothers lay their eggs in one of the islands we went on for the whole month of May and I got to experience it all. I even got a picture holding one of the turtle eggs. It was very hard to take one though because the mother turtles are very sensitive to lighting therefore we had to be very careful. The experience was rather magical.

Apart from the turtles, I also got to learn more about the Kuna Yala tribe of Panama. I know that they have a unique way of celebrating marriages. I know that like Canada's First Nations, they also celebrate two spirit people. I also know that they base their wealth according to the number of coconut trees planted on their island. Oh, they are also very passionate about hammocks.

After getting to know the Kunas, we finally got to experience deserted paradise. Did some yoga poses here and there and layed on the beach for the looooongest time. We had a seafood feast with pounds and pounds of lobster cooked on garlic. Got to experience sunset and sunrise one after the other sitting on hammocks. Life could never be any more difficult. Ahhh, except for the fact that I really contemplated leaving everything behind and live with the Kunas and their simple, yet ecstatic life. Maybe learn how to drive a boat or two?

I am currently in Panama City. I do not really like cities at all but this is a good break of just staying in the hostel and sleeping in. Tomorrow, I plan to visit the Panamanian Canal and take a night bus to Bocas del Toros. I am very excited to see yet another paradise.

Another exciting thing, I also received my grad confirmation email so it is freaking official. I have my Bachelor of Commerce Degree. I also got a couple of interviews when I get back home so hopefully, I settle when I get back. Life is really good right now. My heart is very happy.

Tegete Nuigambi!

 Isla Pelicano

 Isla Coco Banderras

 Kuna hut. Imagine living in one.

 I think this is in Isla Pelicano too. Beaches sort of starts to look the same in pictures. 

 Some Kunas making it rain with coconuts. 

 Sapzurro. 

 Isla Coco Banderras waves. Did some yoga right at this very spot. 

Isla Coco Banderra Sunset.

Much Love.

Eat, Pray, Love and Sippin Jugo de Mango de Leche

I am off to my last few days in Colombia as I prepare to go on a boat to Panama. I am going with this tour group and stay a couple of days in deserted islands somewhere in between Colombia and Panama. From Medellin to Santa Marta to Cartagena, a lot has definitely happened as I learn so much more about my self, other people, and the country I have been wanting to go to since who knows when.

I finally got to see the beach! YES! I saw and felt paradise as I hiked for two hours to see a land that came straight out of a screen saver. I also spent a night on top of a cliff, swinging on a hammock on a cold windy night. IT WAS AMAZING. I also went out to surf in Palomino but other than that, the city is very relaxed and is very easy to get addicted to. This was in Parque Tayrona which was an hour bus ride from Santa Marta. After a night there, I went to Palomino as well and stayed a night. It was like an English village! I was not even able to say bye to people I met there since I had to catch a bus and they were all still sleeping.

I am currently in Cartagena where I divulged into the colonial culture of Colombia. Last night we were partying through a reggaeton concert in the city square with locals, and the next morning I found out that the city square is actually a market place for rich people to buy slaves during the 1600's. Cartagena definitely made me want to download a lot of reggaeton music to drive to.

Definitely met a lot of people so that means more goodbye-s. The non-cold person in me definitely wanted everyone to stay. I have got so much more things to share and I am pretty sure I have got so much more things to learn from these people too but next thing I know, everyone, even I, is leaving. I have got a lot of things going on in my head right now that I wish I could have said to people that already left, but maybe sometime soon. Who knows?

Three years in a row I have not celebrated mother's day back home. All I have done is called my mom but hey mom, happy mothers day, your greeting is in my blog now! I know you like those cheesy poem things I used to make when I was a kid and I know I am still good at it but I am not going to do it just because. ;) <3 nbsp="" p="">

#Eat

#Pray

 #Love 

 Palomino.

 After an hour of hiking, I can really feel the beach!

 Florien and Suzanne. Girls I met from exchange in Mexico 2 years ago. 

#Makememylatinababy

 #Hamacas

#SippinMangodeleche

Much love!

To Colombia and back.

Wow! It has been such a long time since I wrote on this blog. A lot has definitely happened already and I am off to a good start on a great adventure.

To my Israel buddies, I intetionally did not blog about our trip because my words would not be enough to discuss the magic we all experienced there. To everyone interested going there though, do not ever think twice. Like I have said, it is magical!

So what now? I graduated uni and in a mission/trip in various countries in Latin America. I decided to write because I am off to a deserted beach paradise tomorrow and I would not have access to internet.

I have finished my trip in Medellin and I am currently in Santa Marta. Still too early on the whole trip and I am very much excited to see more.

Travelling alone is definitely a score. Makes you give yourself so much time to think about things. Things that could someday come true or things you would rather keep as thoughts. Either way, I am thankful and all to the forces that made this whole trip happen.

#OOTD Confidence, Spanish, a little bit of charm and a whole lot of open mindedness.

Ciao for now!

Much love!

Prisa! Prisa!

"On the run" is an understatement if you were to describe my past few days.

Jeebuz I think I only have been sleeping for 5 hours every day.

From what? Exams, parties, projects, frolicking my last few days in Mexico.

Beware of a cliche...

I figured I do not want to spend my last few days in Mexico sleeping.

I am sort of in a euphoria where reality is definitely better than dreams.

Anyway, I only have one more month left in Latin America.

And as I have always said, Mexico has its ups and downs, but on a simple note..

It is simply LOVE.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been everywhere.

And since I just came back from another trip and I am very tired.

I am just going to give you a run down of where I have been and a little of what we did.

Well I told you I cooked for friends for my birthday right?

It was a success!

First time cooking the famous Chicken and Pork Adobo and

it did tasted like Adobo! LOL

April 14 (Thanks Maria Ruiz for the photo)

And then the Wednesday after that.

Me, Emelie and Joe went to Tequila.

You have not found Mexico when you havent took a shot of Tequila in Tequila!

Bummer though, I felt so tired already that day, the Asian curse was in full effect.

After the Tequila tour that we made, we sat on a pub where I slept! LOL

Emelie lost her wallet and I bought a Tequila barrel that I do know how I am going to bring it to Canada. 

April 18 (Thanks Emelie Glaser for the photo and for the tour guide who took it.)

The next day I stayed up til the morning.

For some reason, one of my professors really liked having a relaxed gathering at the end of the semester.

It did happen and as awkward as it seems, the Prof actually was the one who brought beer. LOL

After that dinner, we went to an international pain party. Really, really cool. 

Which gives me an idea of incorporating this party to Winnipeg.

April 19 (Thanks Angela Vaquiero for the picture)

Friday comes and I am still partying. 

This time, it was for a farewell party arranged by the school.

Nothing really eventful happening.

I dont really want to talk about farewell parties.

I hate goodbyes.

I sort of erased that term in my life.

April 20 (Thanks Caroline for the picture)

(And no need to thank me for this very flattering facial expression Joe. LOL)

The next morning.

I went to the beach with a bunch of friends.

I have been hearing Sayulita, Nayarit since I came here.

It was very beautiful!

And if you are reading this, you probably know that I dont like camping.

Hence, I learned to love it this time since the campsite is just 5 mins walk from the comforts of a bathroom.

YES! A Bathroom. 

Laying by the beach is always great. I am so tanned and I love it!

There was a dinner arranged by the school but we figured staying at the beach is way better.

And we were right! No dinner happened. Just a ceremonial thing to give our diplomas from here.

April 21-April 23 (Thank you Regan Longfield for the photo)

After April 23.

Stress comes. I had 3 presentations this week but I delivered all of them with grace and a more than decent job. Final projects and presentations are finally done! I am now dreading final exams which should not be very stressful. let us see how this goes though.

I told you I just came back from a trip right?

I went to Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes for La Feria de San Marcos.

A huuuuuge festival in Aguascalientes.

And I am not lying when I say huge!!!!

There are so much people!

Very very cool though.

Cultural.

Me and Ida went to a bullfight.

Im not going to go any further as to not disappoint animal lovers.

But here's a picture.

April 28-April 30 (Thanks Emelie for lending us your camera)

Yes. The matador kills the bull.

And people shout "Ole!" when the matador tries to aggravate the bull.

I thought it was cool.

Made me think of being a vegetarian for a second though. LOL

Me and my friends went to Aguascalientes with our eyes closed.

But hey, we met the coolest Mexicans ever.

Offering their house to us for the whole duration! (Thanks again Marcos and friends)

After all of this. 

I am now just going to publish this post.

The countdown to 31 days begins tommorrow. :(

I have 4 more exams to write. 

Much Love

Chasing Waves

Mazatlan, Sinaloa

If there is one thing that I wanted to do in every minute of my life, it's chasing waves.

I could not express more how I love the beach and how I wanted to live by the beach.

Chasing waves just gives me the thrill that I needed.

I wish i knew how to surf, but what I mean by chasing waves is jumping when it comes or diving when it is about to fold.

The beach is definitely perfect.

When you are hungry, the food is there.

Thirsty, water all over the place.

Needed to pee, you save time washing your hands too.

I wish I could just quit everything that I am committed to now and live by the beach.

But I am for sure more than that.

I wanted to make a difference and with that idea comes these things that I will be doing.

We got a week of no classes to give way for the Easter Week.

Here's a round up of my schedule.

March 31: Leaves to Mazatlan

April 1: Beach

April 2: Arts Museum, Brother's Birthday

April 3: Beach

April 4: Beach

April 5: Beach, Getting drunk, getting in an anthro for free @ 4am, going home @ 7am.

April 6: Beach, Getting drunk. 

April 7: Beach

April 8: Back in GDL.

Can you imagine how dark I am?

I love it!

Nothing really crazy happened though.

Just how I wanted it to be.

I felt very refreshed. But no not really. LOL

This trip was very much tiring.

Although a lot of it includes the beach, we went home just to sleep and eat and then go out again.

It was really fun though.

Not as I was used to during the Easter break, which includes textbooks and final exams.

I would definitely go back to Mazatlan with the family.

Such a perfect place to go with the bloodline.

We also went to Puerto Vallarta.

There were so much people by the beach and the nightlife is so alive!

I felt like the town is so busy that life where everyone is just wasted is existent.

One of the reasons why I went on this trip is to practice my Spanish.

I went with 2 girls, which only one speaks English.

I was so glad as I got all the Spanish practice that I could get.

We were speaking the language all of the trip which I must say, helped me a lot.

Which makes me think, I have never spoken Tagalog for quite a while now.

I even forgot the Tagalog word for beach. Dagat?

If there is one thing I regret doing on this trip, is that

on Wednesday, I brought my Ipod to the beach.

Suddenly, a really big wave sprung out and watered all of our things, including my Ipod.

Sadly, it would not turn on again. :(

I had so much fun this one whole week though.

May not seem to be a lot but I had a lot of reflection done.

These reflections just made my personality more defined and bolder.

While all others are flickering over alcohol or their own puke.

I am definitely satisfied with my quiet week.

Happy Easter!

Much Love

Vive el Momento!

Life could not be better in Mexico.
I have never felt the student blood since when I can remember.
I mean back in my base country, Im not forced to work or anything but
I believe I do need to. I need my independence in that part,
but Mexico has again made me feel like a student.
Not worrying about anything but school and how to make that A an A+.

Anyways, I wanted to talk about how I spent my weekend.
We had no classes on Monday, March 19 so the school planned another trip.
This time to Huasteca Potosina. It's close to the gulf and that is pretty much
all I know about where that place is located.
We did so much things that weekend.
A lot of it unsafe but heck,
I think I am being that paranoid Canadian I am talking about with my last post.

Anyways, we just visited a total of 2 waterfalls and this
pothole thing that is sooooo beautiful... here's a picture.

No biggie at all. 

I just jumped a mountain cliff straight to the water.

It was awesome. 

I would like to think it has made me more brave in some way. LOL

Oh the things that Mexico teaches me.

But you know, It is starting to sink in that this trip is close to an end.

The best way to deal with it is not to talk about it.

Tommorow is the opening for Hunger Games.

I cannot express how excited I am!

I will be watching it on Sunday though.

And in a week, it's the Holy week!

We get a week of break.  

Right now, I emailed a bunch of organizations but no one has

responded yet. Worse comes to worse, I am going to Mazatlan.

A quiet beach area. Away from springbreakers, away from commercialism.

Maybe I could build my hut now?

So much things to be excited for.

But then, time passes by sooooo fast. :(

Much love.

Nuestro motor eres tu!

You can accuse me of patronizing Mexico if another post will be talking about how I love this country so much.

Well you can do that because I am for sure slowly being nationalized, not by the Mexican government but by the Mexican people.

This post would have an ugly part. If you're from Canada and your paranoia would not calm down, I suggest you stop reading from this point.

The first picture up is the remnant of how busy PrimeraPlus was. Why?

A drug group's leader was caught in Mexico and his followers were on the street burning buses.

No, that was not very drastic but it is the truth. 

Buses were being delayed in traffic since some roads were blocked.

It has calmed down now and I wanted to believe it is under control.

So let us leave it at that.

And hey, if I die, at least I am in Mexico, under the sun, close to the beach, just where I want my ashes to be spread. 

Every international student in Guadalajara was freaked out.

But we would not let this fact ruin our trip.

Rebels do not scare me as I am a rebel myself(I just do not go out and burn buses).

Instead, me and my friends still ended up going to Guanajuato.

Four hours drive from Guadalajara.

One of the best things I love about Mexico is the cheap travel.
Aside from the bus fare being cheap, I did not need to spend 32 hours sitting just to go to another province.
Guanajuato is beautiful.
A lot of friends definitely recommended to visit this city.
As I have heard from my host mom, it is where the film "El Estudiante" was video taped.
I felt like I was in a different world.
We did not visit any museums but that was alright.
Walking around Guanajuato felt very light and self-fulfilling.
I felt I learned so much just walking around its streets.
There were houses, restaurants, commercial buildings, and vendors in the street.
Quite normal it may seem but there is something very different.
I am not sure what it is but I know there is something different.

I have not told you but it was my first time staying at a hostel as well.

For those of you who have not heard of a hostel yet(like me, just right before I came to this trip),

hostels are places where they give you a bed, sometimes something extra like breakfasts and internet use,

and you can sleep there, take a shower and leave your things while you go out and explore the city.

Since I said just bed, you probably will be staying with 8 other people in the same room as well.

It is fairly cheap to stay at hostels rather than stay in hotels. 

Very very practical. 

Group picture!

Travelling by five is such a great number.

Not to small and not too big.

Very easy to move around.

Look, all I am saying is,

Mexico is a beautiful city.

Sure there are bus-burning freaks but I have heard they have made the passengers go down the bus

first before burning it. 

At the end of the day, Mexico is a country you should visit not only to play by the beach,

but also learn the culture itself.

Stop being such a tourist. 

Much love.

Dos Partes de Mexico en Una Semana

De Efe y Tlaquepaque

(Gracias Emelie Glaser por la foto de Tlaquepaque)

A week ago I was in Mexico City or as popularly called "De Efe(DF)."

It is where the Mexican president's office stands.

Just like where the Malacanang Palace in the Philippines is.

It was a long weekend here in Mexico, we had no classes Feb 6,

The trip was from Feb 3 to Feb 6 and was arranged by the International Students

Center from ITESM.

The trip was composed of visiting churches, Palacio Federal,

a lot of museums containing information about the Mexican Indegenous People like

the Mayans, Teothiuacans, Aztecs and etc. 

We also visited 2 pyramid sites and the house of Frida Kahlo, a female Mexican renegade,

like Gabriela Silang. 

It was a fun trip, if Guadalajara is more of Cavite in the Philippines,

Mexico city is more of Toronto in Canada, with older buildings and more classic

architecture, of course, Spanish speaking people. 

And from this trip, I realized how there are so much I can do here in Mexico.

I am actually thinking of moving here.

Well I have to master my Spanish speaking first. 

And that is a wayyyy long wayyyy to go.

After Mexico City, the same week I visited Tlaquepaque,

which is a much closer destination from Guadalajara.

I could not describe how overwhelmed I was seeing how

beautiful this small town is.

It is 30 mins bus ride from the center of Guadalajara and it is very accessible.

There is so much stores and a lot of people but I felt very Mexican once

I stepped into its roads and parks.

It is beautiful. I even bought some of my souvenirs for friends back in

Winnipeg there. Just some, I'm not done with my shopping list yet.

But if ever anyone of you is visiting GDL, Tlaquepaque is a must.

Well that is if you like traditional Mexican Tiangges and artisans.

Or there are restaurants and coffee shops as well if you would just like to sit

down with a friend and talk. Tlaquepaque is a perfect place to bond with family

and friends just to walk around and feel Mexican.

With the trip to Tlaquepaque, I have never felt so divulged into the Mexican culture.

I just went with a friend and we found our way there with the help of Lonely Planet

and I felt like such a student/tourist.

I learned so much just from the trip itself and I felt so accomplished.

There are so much trips planned for International Students here in Mexico.

I just have to pick the ones I am really interested in. 

So far so good. I am really getting the most out of this trip.

Everything is cheaper than that of Canada, even these planned trips by the International Center.

I could never imagine myself doing all of these in Canada,

financial wise and destination wise.

Apart from everything in Canada is expensive,

there's nothing really that I can visit in my base country.

Makes me miss my home country more.

Although this trip is going way tooooo fast.

I miss my friends and family from Winnipeg.

See you in 3.5mos. 

Much Love