Onto Nicaragua...well, actually already here. We made it from Roatan to Tegucigapla yesterday (long travel day starting at 5:30 am). Stayed with my friend Lauren overnight. Today, we traveled from Teguci to Granada, Nicaragua. This town reminds us both of Antiqua, Guatemala. Another colonial town. There is a HUGE lake located somewhere, but since we arrived at night, we will explore this town tomorrow. I believe we will be here until around Feb. 11th (Hana´s birthday).
Not much else really to post, or to say. Our trip is coming to an end, I can almost see it. Feb. 14th is our return flight from San Jose, Costa Rica. Which gives us...8 more days. I can´t believe that 7 weeks has come and gone. Now it seems like Roatan was so long ago. Man-o-man. We took a safe route to get to Granada this time, instead of the Chicken buses at night. We shared a taxi with two Danish girls from the capital, a 1 hour ride. They turned out to be 23 and 24 years old, with only brothers as well. Weird the similarities.
In Granada, we are expecting to head to the lake, maybe climb a volcano, maybe do a canopy tour, maybe go to the island in the middle of the lake...well, those are some options.
Kristen
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Los Fotos Finalemente :)
(KK and I reached the coast of Northern Honduras, ready to head out to the Bay Islands)West End, Roatan, Bay ISlands, Honduras
A quick peak at what turned out to be a TWO WEEK venture...
(Meandering down the seaside from West End to West Bay - Johnny G, KK, Devin)
(Devin posing during his modeling shoot on the Caribbean Sea)
(Kristen and Chelsie RANDOMLY reunited after ten years. Turns out they used to be in band together at Sacajawea middle school in Spokane!)
(Lazy morning breakfasts on the front porch of JD and D's island cabin)
(Devin's ridiculously crazy (or as he and Johnny would say "ugly") hair . . . one of many styles these past few weeks)
(The Open Water Diving Class of February 2007!! JD, Devo, Hana, Chelsie and Dive Instructor Extraordinaire, Adolfo "Adi" Hirzer.)
(Captain Marcos and Jack "Adi" Sparrow taking us out to sea).
(D is all suited up for a backwards entry, while Adi waves at me to stop being a photographer and focus on my diving! :)
(D entering da wata. As Adi said, "so that's where all your oxygen goes!")
(Johnny G scores a 10 on his backwards entry! Good form!)
(The posse upon completion of our open water course!)
(Celebrating our certification by watching the sun set over our beloved reef)
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Under da Sea
A quick shout out to everyone!!
I am alive and well, though I have been in class nearly 24/7... I feel like I'm back at the University, with 75 page chapters to read, exams, and in-class sessions. SCUBA diving school is a blast! I cannot believe I'm getting certified in the Bay Islands. In between class sessions we play SCRABBLE out on the dive shop's front deck, watching the funny tourists walk by in their fanny packs, goofy hats and even an old man with a GIANT fish purse. Kristen and I are meeting all sorts of peeps through Johnny (JD) and Devin (Devo). They have become our family here, and we have family breakfasts every morning and either cook or go out to the local BBQ stands in the evening. Kristen is reading books like a madwoman cuz she has so much downtime while we are at school. SHe recommends reading "The Kite Runner" and "Eleven Minutes". (Auntie Carla, KK suggests this book to you especially. She thinks you'd really enjoy it!!!! Then you can chitchat about it!)
A theme that keeps arising during our time in Roatan is BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT. JD and Devo are both reading The Power of Now and other similar books. It was a theme in Kristen's latest book. And for me, it has been my personal diving ethic . . . to be present in the now. My mom's biofeedback/relaxation techniques have been VERY useful while learning to dive....deep breathing, relaxing, and thus, I am turning out to be resourceful with my air. KK is excited that I am not an "AIR SUCKER" so that when we go diving together, our tanks will last for longer!!! And YES, Jim, the dive company I'm with is very reputable . .. its the oldest dive shop in Roatan with the least amount of drama. My instructor is VERY excellent - knowledgeable, patient, thorough and quite handsome. :)
Everyday we have power outages for extended and unforeseen amounts of time, which has limited our internet usage and made the logistics of living here quite interesting. What I'm trying to say is that PICTURES are COMING . . . but we don't have the camera with us today. So . . . keep checking back :).
Love you more,
Hana T.
I am alive and well, though I have been in class nearly 24/7... I feel like I'm back at the University, with 75 page chapters to read, exams, and in-class sessions. SCUBA diving school is a blast! I cannot believe I'm getting certified in the Bay Islands. In between class sessions we play SCRABBLE out on the dive shop's front deck, watching the funny tourists walk by in their fanny packs, goofy hats and even an old man with a GIANT fish purse. Kristen and I are meeting all sorts of peeps through Johnny (JD) and Devin (Devo). They have become our family here, and we have family breakfasts every morning and either cook or go out to the local BBQ stands in the evening. Kristen is reading books like a madwoman cuz she has so much downtime while we are at school. SHe recommends reading "The Kite Runner" and "Eleven Minutes". (Auntie Carla, KK suggests this book to you especially. She thinks you'd really enjoy it!!!! Then you can chitchat about it!)
A theme that keeps arising during our time in Roatan is BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT. JD and Devo are both reading The Power of Now and other similar books. It was a theme in Kristen's latest book. And for me, it has been my personal diving ethic . . . to be present in the now. My mom's biofeedback/relaxation techniques have been VERY useful while learning to dive....deep breathing, relaxing, and thus, I am turning out to be resourceful with my air. KK is excited that I am not an "AIR SUCKER" so that when we go diving together, our tanks will last for longer!!! And YES, Jim, the dive company I'm with is very reputable . .. its the oldest dive shop in Roatan with the least amount of drama. My instructor is VERY excellent - knowledgeable, patient, thorough and quite handsome. :)
Everyday we have power outages for extended and unforeseen amounts of time, which has limited our internet usage and made the logistics of living here quite interesting. What I'm trying to say is that PICTURES are COMING . . . but we don't have the camera with us today. So . . . keep checking back :).
Love you more,
Hana T.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sea Turtles ROCK!
Still in Roatan, still stormy, but had a few breaks in the weather, where yesterday and today I got to go diving! Yesterday, went down 66 ft for 51 minutes, and saw a SEA TURTLE! It was so exciting! Today went down 90 ft for 63 minutes, and saw huge crab, lobsters, and shrimp. Too bad I didn't have a net! I also found out about sea lice...and got eatin up pretty good on my legs. It stings! Also, the boat ride back we got to swim with dolphins! They were right up next to our boat so we jumped in! It was cool. This afternoon the weather is cloudy and raining hard!
Hana is in the process of getting her diving certificate and I am sooo excited for her! Now I will have a diving buddy in Idaho and we can go exploring the lake! I am planning on going on her last dive in a few days...so I can see how she is under the water!
So, we are still planning on being on Roatan for at least a few more days, becuase Hana has 3 more dives to complete before she is done! Life is great on the island!
Kristen
Hana is in the process of getting her diving certificate and I am sooo excited for her! Now I will have a diving buddy in Idaho and we can go exploring the lake! I am planning on going on her last dive in a few days...so I can see how she is under the water!
So, we are still planning on being on Roatan for at least a few more days, becuase Hana has 3 more dives to complete before she is done! Life is great on the island!
Kristen
Friday, January 26, 2007
Did we mention that it's a SMALL WORLD?
A shout out to everyone saying i'm alive. it's been awhile since i've posted.
Thanks to all for the RESOUNDING responses to my request for notes of lovin' for KK's bday. She was surprised and delighted by the compiled card that Devin and I presented her last night during our Mexican dinner. KK and I headed home for a nap at 8:30pm and ended up sleeping the night away. No fire dancers or fiestas for us.
To go along with the whole theme of "SMALL WORLD" that seems to be a large part of our travels thus far . . . upon arriving in Roatan, Kristen and I were supposed to meet up with Johnny G, a buddy of mine from college who is out here working and living. Roatan is a very LARGE island with lots of little towns. We had no idea where Johnny was living and he didn't have a phone and we hadn't yet connected via email, SO . . . from the boatdock, Kk and I caught a taxi to the main tourist town of Roatan called "West End". We talked with other travelers on the boat ride over and decided on a place to stay. As we were checking in to "Milka's Rooms", I saw a strikingly familiar face walk by with ridiculous looking hair. The guy looked a lot like Devin Biviano, who was also a Seattle U acquaintance that I lost touch with. I was too shocked by the out of context possibility that he would also be living in Roatan (and by the hair) that I didn't say anything except to whisper his name under my breath.
A few minutes later, I saw Johnny G walking by. Turns out the two of them are roomates here. It also turns out that they live about 20 ft from our guesthouse! Talk about small world selection of a guesthouse. We did good.
So now, the four of us have been cooking daily breakfasts together at J and D's house and sitting out on their porch for long, lazy mornings. Feels like we've known them forever. Devin, Johnny and I have begun our diving certification process. We're watching the videos and waiting for the storm to pass until we go explore the underwater world. Might not be until Monday that we get our first dive in.
Oh yeah, another small world connection . . . Johnny introduced us to some of his buddies on the island. It turns out that one of them (Chelsea) was in middle school band with Kristen in SPokane and they both marched in the Lilac Parade together back in the day. What can we say.
Photos to come.
Love you more,
Hana T.
Thanks to all for the RESOUNDING responses to my request for notes of lovin' for KK's bday. She was surprised and delighted by the compiled card that Devin and I presented her last night during our Mexican dinner. KK and I headed home for a nap at 8:30pm and ended up sleeping the night away. No fire dancers or fiestas for us.
To go along with the whole theme of "SMALL WORLD" that seems to be a large part of our travels thus far . . . upon arriving in Roatan, Kristen and I were supposed to meet up with Johnny G, a buddy of mine from college who is out here working and living. Roatan is a very LARGE island with lots of little towns. We had no idea where Johnny was living and he didn't have a phone and we hadn't yet connected via email, SO . . . from the boatdock, Kk and I caught a taxi to the main tourist town of Roatan called "West End". We talked with other travelers on the boat ride over and decided on a place to stay. As we were checking in to "Milka's Rooms", I saw a strikingly familiar face walk by with ridiculous looking hair. The guy looked a lot like Devin Biviano, who was also a Seattle U acquaintance that I lost touch with. I was too shocked by the out of context possibility that he would also be living in Roatan (and by the hair) that I didn't say anything except to whisper his name under my breath.
A few minutes later, I saw Johnny G walking by. Turns out the two of them are roomates here. It also turns out that they live about 20 ft from our guesthouse! Talk about small world selection of a guesthouse. We did good.
So now, the four of us have been cooking daily breakfasts together at J and D's house and sitting out on their porch for long, lazy mornings. Feels like we've known them forever. Devin, Johnny and I have begun our diving certification process. We're watching the videos and waiting for the storm to pass until we go explore the underwater world. Might not be until Monday that we get our first dive in.
Oh yeah, another small world connection . . . Johnny introduced us to some of his buddies on the island. It turns out that one of them (Chelsea) was in middle school band with Kristen in SPokane and they both marched in the Lilac Parade together back in the day. What can we say.
Photos to come.
Love you more,
Hana T.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Birthday in Roatan
Today is my birthday, and I am in Honduras turning 24! Amazing.
Right now I am sitting at an internet cafe, watching as a storm comes in over the Caribbean sea. Looks like it is going to be a good Northerly storm.
This morning Hana and I awoke, went swimming in the Caribbean, went back to her friends house and they cooked me french toast and an egg scramble! It was so good! So far my birthday has started off right. Tonight there is a huge birthday bash for another girl on the island, with flame twirlers and the bar is staying open until 5 am, so we are celebrating my birthday along with the other girls. Crazy timing.
Oh yeah, and when Hana and I were walking to go swimming this morning, I found cash on the ground! Happy Birthday to me!
So far I am loving Roatan...There isn't much else to say, except that I am planning on doing several dives after this storm passes and Hana is going to try to get her diving certificate (since we are in the cheapest place in the whole world to get diving), which means we will be on the Island for at least 4 more days.
Just wanted to give a shout out to everyone, I am thinking about you all on my birthday!
Kristen
Right now I am sitting at an internet cafe, watching as a storm comes in over the Caribbean sea. Looks like it is going to be a good Northerly storm.
This morning Hana and I awoke, went swimming in the Caribbean, went back to her friends house and they cooked me french toast and an egg scramble! It was so good! So far my birthday has started off right. Tonight there is a huge birthday bash for another girl on the island, with flame twirlers and the bar is staying open until 5 am, so we are celebrating my birthday along with the other girls. Crazy timing.
Oh yeah, and when Hana and I were walking to go swimming this morning, I found cash on the ground! Happy Birthday to me!
So far I am loving Roatan...There isn't much else to say, except that I am planning on doing several dives after this storm passes and Hana is going to try to get her diving certificate (since we are in the cheapest place in the whole world to get diving), which means we will be on the Island for at least 4 more days.
Just wanted to give a shout out to everyone, I am thinking about you all on my birthday!
Kristen
Sunday, January 21, 2007
A look into the past and future...
Said Adios to El Salvador, and Hola to Honduras...
This weekend we spent it with my friend Lauren from camp. It was a bit of an adventure finding her, but with a bit of time with the spanish speaking pay phone, we got ahold of her. Here we are in Tegucialpa. The first night we went to this local bar called the Jaguar, where we all got our palms read by a local man. It was hilarious becuase Lauren and her friends had to translate Hana and I's reading. Amazingly, he was pretty accurate on my reading, knowing about two past relationships, the second one being more important than the first, a falling out with a good female friend, a past family tradegy...but he also read a bit into the future...and you will be happy to know mom, that I am going to have "un Hijo" (meaning one boy), as well as a good husband...but in my life, I will have mental problems. Hana's reading was a bit more fuzzy. It was said that she had 2.5 past relationships, her lifeline is long but very thin...also, that she will have one child as well. Lauren also said that her palm reading was pretty accurate.
(Hana getting her palm read)
It was nice to have a home to be in this weekend to chill. We didn't have to worry about getting around, because Lauren was an awesome tour guide with car and could translate for us. We met many of her friends down here and saw the local sites and towns surrouding the capital.
(Lauren, Hana and I at the flag memorial)
We have had a bit of plans changing. We are not able to do the rafting trip in Costa Rica (due to the company filling up their trip), so we don't have a time crunch anymore. Hana and I decided to head back out to the Caribbean sea! Roatan Island, a Bay Island off the north coast of Honduras. This island is the cheapest place in the world to go diving...so it will be more time of sun, snorkeling, diving, and hopefully meeting a friend of Hanas.
Kristen P.S. I fixed the pictures on the Model Gallo Post...Check them out!
This weekend we spent it with my friend Lauren from camp. It was a bit of an adventure finding her, but with a bit of time with the spanish speaking pay phone, we got ahold of her. Here we are in Tegucialpa. The first night we went to this local bar called the Jaguar, where we all got our palms read by a local man. It was hilarious becuase Lauren and her friends had to translate Hana and I's reading. Amazingly, he was pretty accurate on my reading, knowing about two past relationships, the second one being more important than the first, a falling out with a good female friend, a past family tradegy...but he also read a bit into the future...and you will be happy to know mom, that I am going to have "un Hijo" (meaning one boy), as well as a good husband...but in my life, I will have mental problems. Hana's reading was a bit more fuzzy. It was said that she had 2.5 past relationships, her lifeline is long but very thin...also, that she will have one child as well. Lauren also said that her palm reading was pretty accurate.
(Hana getting her palm read)
It was nice to have a home to be in this weekend to chill. We didn't have to worry about getting around, because Lauren was an awesome tour guide with car and could translate for us. We met many of her friends down here and saw the local sites and towns surrouding the capital.
(Lauren, Hana and I at the flag memorial)
We have had a bit of plans changing. We are not able to do the rafting trip in Costa Rica (due to the company filling up their trip), so we don't have a time crunch anymore. Hana and I decided to head back out to the Caribbean sea! Roatan Island, a Bay Island off the north coast of Honduras. This island is the cheapest place in the world to go diving...so it will be more time of sun, snorkeling, diving, and hopefully meeting a friend of Hanas.
Kristen P.S. I fixed the pictures on the Model Gallo Post...Check them out!
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