Over a Year in Tucson

Hey All,

If there is anyone still following our page :)
We have been in Tucson for over a year now and life is good! It is so tempting to just hit the road again, but we are having a great time here with family and making friends. I do think a lot about the people who we have met along our traveling way and I do miss them all dearly.

ciao for now. Kindra

The Last Leg!

Well Hello All,

For those of you who do not know already, we are back in the U.S. , but first I will take you back a step.

Back in October we made one of two choices:

A. Stay in Guatemala for another month (thus working and saving money so we could return with some still in the bank) or

B. Drive down to Panama and back in a month and start selling our organs in order to make it home for the holidays.

We opted for choice B!

To start off with where we left in Hondurus…

On Monday, after the long weekend of hyped up elections, we crossed the border of Honduras into Nicaragua. We were amazed to see how different the fauna was in this part of Guatemala versus were we had been living in the mountains. So, we drove through the arid hillside of an almost high desert like landscape and wound our way back toward Xela, but not before stopping in Panajachel to do some last minute souvenir shopping.

We made sure to stop and get an ear of corn each just off the side of the road where there are about 10-15 stands spread out along the highway, just in case you passed the first 5 and then changed your mind and wanted some last minute. (We always ended up at the last stall because it would always take us a minute or two to decide). Not this time… we knew exactly where on the highway they were because we had driven it so many times before and we finally gave business to the ladies in the front. The corn isn’t the crunchiest or the sweetest, it is more similar to the corn you would feed to animals, but for some reason you just can’t wait to eat some more, especially once you squeeze fresh lime juice and salt on top! We made our way back into town just before sundown. Josh went back to the house we were living in and stayed with our roommates and we decided to go to the parking lot where our camper was being stored and slept there for the night.

The next morning was the big challenge (especially for just the two of us). We had to figure out a way to get the camper off of the ground and back onto the truck. Now normally the camper would be an 3 leg stands, but during a routine procedure of trying to get the camper back on the truck bed a few months before the legs got knocked off. So, it took us an entire day pilling bricks and rocks under the corners of the camper one by one and using a jack each time to raise it just a little more. There were defiantly a few rocky moments where we thought it might keel over… luckily for us it didn’t! The next few days we said goodbye to our friends, did some last minute shopping. My shopping list consisted of local dried chilies, textiles and Maya- Ik hotsauce.

So there we were: Josh, John, Kindra, Hippie and Wallace crammed yet again in The Colonel (the truck). Our goal was to make it back to the U.S. by Dec. 17^th.

We made it across the border into Mexico the same day we left Guatemala. It was any easy crossing and we opted this time not to get car insurance. They say it is mandatory, but at this point we were low on cash and in a hurry. We got a bit turned around at the border town. We headed out to find a place were we could park the camper and sleep. Some cops tried to lead us to an area they said we could sleep, but it looked a bit sketchy to us. We found a Pemex (gas station) instead that was off of the side of the main highway and crashed there.

In the morning we decided to take the coastal route as it would be cheaper and we wouldn’t have to worry about the mountainous roads that were more central. We didn’t realize that they were mainly one lane roads and speed humps almost the whole way. It took us a whole day to drive a distance that would have taken 3-4 hours on a highway. It was worth it though. It was starting to get dark and we found a turnoff that was in the direction of the ocean. We were not sure were it would lead us and this particular area was fairly deserted, so we had no one to ask if it was safe. Before long, about 5 minutes down the road, were some military guys that stopped us. This was either a good sign or a bad sign. When we stopped to talk to them they reassured us it was a safe place to camp and that they were only there to stop poachers from taking the turtle eggs. What a relief! Once we got to the end of the road we saw a few parking spots near the beach and some other locals enjoying the nice weather. We jumped out and stretched our legs and took a long walk down the beach to get a good look at the sun going down. Oh, and it was freeeeeee!

The next morning our intention was to get up early and hit the road, but of course a surprise to no one we got stuck in the sand. Just before this I had given one of the young local boys my boogie board because his older brothers had surf boards and he had nothing. With the little amount of space we had I figured it was a win/win situation. This worked out nicely because when they noticed we were stuck they were very happy to help dig us out. Thank goodness there were locals living near by. We had about 10 local guys pushing on the back of the truck to get us out. What a great site! We said our thanks you and hit the “not so great” road. My plan, as co-pilot- was to find the next toll road no matter what the cost and get us home. If we stayed on this route it would have taken us another two weeks to get back. We passed through Puerto Escondido, which is a very popular vacation spot and the roads widened for about 10 miles and then went back to normal. What a teaser. We didn’t want to go to Oaxaca because we read that the road from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca is very windy and dangerous. If you ever are in the region though, you have to try the cheese… Oaxaca cheese is amazing! Once we hit the main highway and toll road we knew we would make it to Mexico City within the next few hours. We got a bit turned around in Mexico City and it detoured us to all sorts of city streets that were ‘one way’ or too small for vehicles like ours. It was a stressful excursion, especially because it was getting dark and we were hungry. It got dark and we were still in the city driving around in traffic. Finally we hit a street that was loaded with food vendors and restaurants. We opted to stop and eat. The boys stayed in the truck while I ordered some food because we were parked in front of a driveway since there were no open spots on the street. Yum yum, hot and delicious Mexican food and cold sodas! We were in heaven. We made our way a bit out of town and found a place to sleep for the night.

We hit the toll roads, cha-ching cha-ching $$$. With less in our wallets and made our way north. We mainly slept at Penmex gas stations because they were easy to find, free and reasonably safe. We stopped by Guadalajra to visit our friends that we stayed with many months before when we first started the trip. We also met our friend Frankie, who John had worked with in Xela at the same café. We hadn’t seen her smiley face in a few months so it was great to see her again! It was great to hang out with our friends again (this is the family of Luis, who works for my dad). Now that we spoke more Spanish and understood more it was a much smoother visit. We were able to chit-chat without the glazed over eyes. We stayed the night and had some ice cream in town before we hit the hay. Getting all of us and then Frankie and her stuff into the camper was a challenge, but we did it. Frankie and I set up a little area in the back, behind the front seats, where we could interlock our legs and lean our back against the outside walls of the truck. Sometimes Wallace would squeeze in with us and Hippie would be at Josh’s feet in the front. We were packed like sardines and starting to smell like them too. We weren’t sure when our next shower would be and it was starting to get hot!

On the GPS I had seen a town near the beach that looked like a good overnight spot so headed that way and tried to get there before sundown. We drove around the small peninsula town looking for a spot, but all of the beach areas were covered with fishing boats We headed out of town worried we wouldn’t find anything before dark, but we saw a security guard and asked him if he knew of a place. We were in luck, he said it was safe to park right between the road and the water. It was an area about the size of a football field, mainly just dirt and some grass. As we pulled up toward the edge of the water we realized that the dirt was wet. We figured that the tide must come in at night and so we jumped back in the truck to move back about 40 meters back. Oh man…. not again! Yep that’s right folks we got stuck AGAIN! With the camper on the back and all that weight in it, we were quite sure it was going to just sink into the ground and we’d be there for good. The back wheels had evidently hit a soft spot in the dirt or “water pocket” and the back tires just kind of sank in the mud like quick sand. The locals started to notice that we were having trouble and all came around to check us out. They could see we were having trouble and without hesitation all started collecting pieces of wood and rocks to wedge under the tires. I’d say there were at least 15 adults and 10 kids around the truck. A few of the kids started poking the dirt near the truck and water just started pouring out of this whole one of the kids poked… I had to tell them to stop because we were worried that they would just make things worse than they already were. Just watching water come out of the ground like that was unreal. This whole area of dirt we were on top of was like being on a frozen pond with just a thin layer separating you from the water below. I was a bit peeved that the security guy hadn’t warned us about this. After about 30 mins and a lot of man power we got the truck out. Forget what negative people say about humanity… there are defiantly more people in this world that are good than they may think.

The next day we knew we just needed one more spot to find to sleep at and a Pemex station sounded fine to me, especially since we were heading toward a very uninhabited area. We passed through an area where we had heard it gets very windy, to the point where the recommend that you avoid parking in the area overnight because you may wake up with your car entirely sand blasted. Funny enough we saw some cars like that... okay maybe not so funny for them. We found a Pemex just as the sun was going down and we got to see a beautiful sunset at the top of some rocks just next to the station that had a Guadalupe statue at the top. It was very peaceful. I did notice though when we were back down at the gas station desperately trying to use their bathroom (which they had locked and didn’t have a key) that things were different. People were looking at us differently and treating us differently. We were officially in the “gringos who just come to Mexico to party” zone. Funny enough we did buy a beer with our last few pesos and Frankie and I enjoyed it despite the judgment. We didn’t sleep that well that night because unknown to us we were in the center of a “sex” parking lot. All night there were cars that would park really close to us or even behind us and sit there for about 30 minutes and then leave. There were probably 6 different cars that night. The next morning we braved the sight of the graveyard of used condoms surrounding where we parked… I guess we were admiring the sunset so much that we never thought to scan the ground when picking the spot.

Last day in Mexico, wow, it is really hard to believe. I was a bit worried that they would have to quarantine the dogs at the border, but to our luck it was one of the easiest border crossings. They scanned us over, asked a few questions and that was about it. We were back in the good ol’ US of A. One tip we would suggest (yes because it happened to us) is to get insurance put back on to your vehicle right away! You should be able to just make a quick phone call and then get the information printed out or faxed somewhere. We got in to Tucson that night and stayed the night at Alexis and Matt’s place. I stayed there and John, Frankie and Josh went to Colorado. And we are all continuing to live happily ever after!

Week 3: Coming back North

Week 3: To Panama and Back

Hola friends and family, another week has past and we are still alive and well! After leaving the islands we drove that afternoon back towards Panama City. Just as we were leaving the old airport that now serves as a boat dock, John spotted a large jungle cat crossing the road, unfortunately there was not enough time to get out the camera and he was the only one who saw the animal, so you will have to take his word for it. The road away from the islands was rough and rocky and we had to deal with another flat tire, no big deal though. Beautiful scenery on this road, lots of jungle and amazing flora and fauna. We got a recommendation from one of the tour guides on the islands for a place to stay in town called Zuly’s Backpackers Hostel.

After driving around in the city semi-aimlessly for a few hours we parked close to where we thought the hostel might be. Josh and Kindra got out to walk over and check out prices and whether or not we could have the dogs. It was all good so we parked the truck, unloaded our things and checked in. This place was nice after the excursion we had just been on, shower, laundry, internet etc. The only unpleasant things were the hostess was kind of snooty. It was nice to have a break and have some clean dry clothes for the second half of the trip. I don’t know if I mentioned it or not but on our way to the islands we picked up a hitchhiker who was on a 2 year long bike trip from Argentina to Alaska! This fellow was on his way into Panama City for a bike part that had broken on his bike and we gave him a lift. Well as luck should have it the morning we were leaving the hostel in Panama City to get back on the highway north, who do we see but the very same guy on his way back north to his bike, we signaled to him to hop in the back and gave him ride (small world eh?).



As we drove up the highway we noticed a lot of police speed traps going through the little towns so we were pretty carful not to exceed the marked limits. At one specific crossing though a traffic cop, w/ no speed gun mind you, waved us over to the side of the road. When he came up to the truck window he told John he was speeding and that it was illegal to drive with someone in the back of the truck. Now remember we have been picking up hitchhikers all over Central America now for the last two weeks and even going through a few police check points with these people in the back and no one has said ANYTHING up until now and we definitely were not speeding. These guys were looking for a bribe and once again Josh really saved us. John and Josh were called into a small side office where they told them we would have to pay a $200 fine, after a bit of convincing it went down to $50 then down to whatever we thought was fair. Of course once again we felt $0 was the fairest and managed to get out of there by having our hitchhiking friend get out there and not paying a cent! This is just another example of the prejudice that all tourists have money and will pay to get out of sticky situations and another example of how if you can speak enough Spanish to talk to these guys, they will get frustrated and give up (stickn it to the man!). So after this bit of excitement we were ready to find a place to camp. A few hours down the road and we saw a sign for an Evangelical Camp and thought what the heck lets check it out. Turns out it was a beautiful piece of property run by some nice Swiss folks who used the land for summer camps and things of that nature during the high season.

They were super friendly and said we could camp for free, use their, showers, bathrooms, lake for swimming and covered camping area! What a find! We still had some daylight so we had an early dinner then set up camp, Josh and John slept in hammocks over the concrete floor. The next morning, still in Panama, we drove to a nice spot with a waterfall and a roofed area to set up the tents and hammocks. It has been nice to camp because it gives us the opportunity to be outside more and the dogs love it. Wallace and hippy are such great travelers and they love being able to run free after a long day of traveling cooped up in the truck.

The next day we drove towards the border and Costa Rica. Once we crossed into Costa Rica we drove a ways until finding a cool hostel/hotel with a communal kitchen and area with hammocks. Kindra was typing on the labtop at a table at the hostal and felt something on her leg... after swating it a few times she realized it was a giant stick bug. See picture to check out the size of this thing! Since Costa Rica is rather expensive we decided to high tail it, in and out in 2 days. On the way through we stopped at a bridge where you can see 30 to 50 large Crocodiles below, pretty cool.

That evening we found a free beach to camp on in a beautiful bay just outside of La Cruz. We would have stayed more days here but it is apparently one of the 7 windiest spots in the world! We met some guys who do kite surfing there one fellow who teaches lessons that is 60 years old!

Some border crossings have been easier and quicker than others and by this point we have pretty much gotten the system down, but there are always annoyances and little bumps that get in the way. For instance after Kindra and John waited in an hour long line to have our passports stamped to exit Costa Rica, the official made Josh wait in the line all over again because he didn’t wait with us the first time because he was watching the truck. In Costa Rica the most commonly use phrase is “pura vida”, but due to the cost of things, over tourism of the country, and general lameness (aside from the natural beauty) we feel saying “pura mierda” is a bit more fitting! And on top of it all Kindra got stung by a bee on her foot while waiting for John to do the truck paper work.

Next, back into Nicaragua, all of us really enjoyed this country on the way down; cheap food, nice people, beautiful beaches, and clean accommodations. Our first night we stayed in quaint town called Granada and found our own little private room w/ a bathroom, shower, TV and air-conditioning (for and extra $10 a night we opted for without). Granada is a cute little town with cobblestone streets and a parque central that reminded us a little bit of Italy or France. The next day we spent lounging around in the fan aerated room until around noon. John went to the local market for some fresh cheese, fruits and veggies for the next couple of days. The markets in Nicaragua are very similar to those in Guatemala, lots of small maze like dirt alleyways where every type of fresh, dried, raw, cooked, smelly, beautiful and ugly thing can be bought or sold.

After leaving our room we drove to Apoyo Lake for the afternoon to swim and then camp that night. Apoyo is apparently a one of a kind lake in Nicaragua it’s very clean and full of minerals, people come from all over the country with different ailments to soak and rejuvenate themselves in it. We talked with the owner of the restaurant where we camped about the lake, he seemed very interested in the preservation and upkeep of the lake and surrounding area, it was refreshing to talk to an environmentally conscious local. At the lake we saw quit a few really nice hammocks hanging at the different restaurants and asked where we could buy them.






Just a little drive away in a little town called Masaya they specialize in the production of hand made cotton hammocks in all sizes. We stopped there and checked out the 20 or so hammock shops and bought a few at just under $10 a piece, now remember these are beautifully made hammocks that easily would go for at least $40 or $50 in the states. And before heading out a bit of fresh Nicaraguan street cheese and fresh tortillas for lunch.



Our last night in Nicaragua we went out on a limb and camped off a county road in a protected reserve. Just us, the sunset, mosquitoes, and a large heard of cattle sniffing around our tents all night…NICE. John and Josh were hearing some strange sounds from the front of the truck the day before and in the morning before leaving after and inspection of the front end noticed a rather essential bolt missing from the driver’s side leaf spring bushing. After jacking the truck up and resetting the bolt that had inched its way out of the leaf spring, we headed back into the closest large town to find a replacement. We had no problem finding the nut, and we were on our way to the Nicaraguan/Honduran boarder.

This was a stressful border crossing with grossly inefficient processes, down computer systems and on the Honduran side a fascist police check point where they confiscated Kindra’s bottle of pepper spray, even after we explained to them how it was important because it was forher safety and our only form of protection against thieves and animals alike. It was disappointing to have the police be unwilling to understand our position and consider our defenses a weapon, we surmised the crooked police just wanted the pepper spray and were on a power trip, we had to let it go. Kindra was teary eyed because it was the last thing her grandpa had civen her before he died, but the could care less. Plus she was getting eaten alive by the red fighter ants that we had parked right next to. Its so hard to avoid them... they are everywhere!!! We found a cheap hotel for the night and relaxed a bit by watching a movie on John’s laptop.

The next day we noticed a lot of police check points along the way and came to find out it was election week and apparently the extra security was for the possibility of an uprising. We have been in Honduras now for days, elections are over and have seen no such activity, just to put you all at ease.

We rolled into our next camping spot the next evening around dark at a place called Pulhapanzak, where there are some unexcavated ruins, possibly Mayan, and a 120ft. waterfall. Needless to say we all had some crazy dreams this night! The next day we wanted to check out the Caribbean side of the country, but after arriving we realized it was the middle of their rainy season and we had nothing but grey skies and heavy rain, to top it off the beaches in the town of Omoa were kind of crappy. Not to fear though we made the most of the detour and found a place that was selling super cheap Havaiana flip flops (Kindra’s favorite shoe of choice) and we all bought a few pairs.

With our new sandals we drove toward the northern part of Honduras and the Copan Mayan ruins site. We arrived in the little town of Copan Ruinas and found a really nice place to stay for the next three days before crossing back into Guatemala. John and Kindra visited the Ruins the next day, Josh had already been so he stayed behind with the dogs. Each of these sites is different from the next. We found that the most amazing part of the site was not the reconstructed pieces or the estelas (Mayan sculptures specific to this site), but the way the earth had taken over the deserted site, and the trees that grow up around and out of the temples and become part of the buildings. Don’t misunderstand us, the grandeur of these sites is amazing, but the nature really touched us. Also, imagining what it must have been like in it's day is impressive, but there is something very magical about the serenity and peacefulness of the overgrown earth that is now the master where man used to be. A really special once in a lifetime experience for sure. So, we are here in Copan Ruinas and will be heading towards the Guatemala boarder tomorrow. As we sit here on the roof of our hoster we can here the local supporters of the man who won the election, in addition to all the fireworks the are letting off. I guess some people are hapy with the results of the election.

Week three has been great and are looking forward to Guatemala again! Here we come. John, Kindra, Josh, Wallace, and Hippy signing off, love ya.