San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Got into San Juan yesterday afternoon (very hungry) at about 5:30pm after about a 6 hour bus ride from Managua, the "capitol" of Nicaragua.

(i'll start from the bottom and work up): apparently it's a cultural "practice" of the folks of Mexico, and Central America to publicly discard of their trash, refuse, aluminum cans, & plastic bottles by tossing them on the ground (for a stateside example of this, check out San Francisco's Mission District). Nicaragua takes it to a whole new level.

The people in Nicaragua are a lively bunch. And from empirical observations, it appears the majority of the population here are youth. i´ve been told Nicaragua is considered one the poorer countries in Central America. An example of this is, there is a rotating time shift of hours shared by each region when the electricity is shut off. Apparently, there is not enough energy provided by the country to provide electricity everywhere 24/7. However, Nicaraguans are not poor in spirit!

I do not recommend visiting Managua (if u do find yourself in that unfortunate predicament, and need a place to rest your poor, weary head, i highly recommend the Hotel Don Quixote - a beautiful hotel of traditional elegance, at a reasonable price). To put it quite bluntly, though the people are beautiful, the city itself is ugly & dirty.

A Nicaraguan bus terminal - now, that´s something to see! Swarming with parked & moving honking buses, venders everywhere - many on foot pitching their wares - snacks, sodas (they call them "gaseosas"), newspapers, fruit. Mini restaurants set up right in the same area where the buses enter & exit, and booths selling all sorts of commodities, and did i already mention the litter?! Saw a woman in a walker carrying a huge bag of stuff on her head (after traveling south of El Salvador, i began to see women carrying loads on their head). One of the venders selling cooked food (there were chicken legs cooking on a grill), had live chickens running around her area! these words are not even a distant approximation of the scene. u gotta see it to believe it.

Looking out the window from Managua i saw goats, big, fat pigs, steers. A young girl sitting next to me was listening to her iPod (her's was fancier than mine). The bus was very crowded. Ever see a woman carrying, raised high in her right hand like a waitress, a huge pile of pastries walk from the front of a crowded bus, people standing jammed together in the aisles, to the back announcing "Pasteles! Pasteles!"? There was another woman peddling facial cremes.

Yesterday late afternoon, after getting off the bus, i inquired to a fellow selling jewelry how i could rent a water taxi to go to Bahia Majagual (internet research recommended this place over San Juan). He said a car taxi was cheaper, and even cheaper than that was a collectivo truck that left in the mornings around 8 to 9am. however, he said rooms were cheaper in San Juan & referred me to the Hospedaje Don Wilfredo. It's definitely nothing fancy, but it's just across the street from the beach, has 2 queen size beds, private bath - $100 Cordobas por noche ($5US!). After checking in, i had a wonderful dinner of fish & salad. By the way, San Juan does not have a litter problem.

Turned out my timing for arriving here yesterday was good being the boxing affionado that i am, i was able last night, to watch Nicargua's native son Ricardo Mayargo fight Fernando Vargas, on TV in a bar with a bunch of drunk Nicaraguenses hooting & hollering & chanting & singing in support of their fighter. The place went crazy the 2 times Ricardo knocked Fernando down. It went berserk when Mayorga was announced the victor.

This morning, had a breakfast of a large fruit salad - fresh papaya, pineapple & bananas, and a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

On my way to the beach to take a walk.

San Salvador, El Salvador
I´m in San Salvador. Just booked a room at the Hotel Meson de Maria. And what a trip it has been to get here! I can chuckle now...
It goes a little somethin' like this:
I took the bus from Juchitan and arrived in Talisman, Tapachula at about midnight. Before I could leave the bus depot, a pleasant young man, a taxi driver, approaches me all excited with an offer in superfast Spanish to take me to the border. Let me just say quickly here, that his Spanish made all Mexicanos sound like they learned their diction from whatever Mexico´s equivalent is of Oxford. Mexicanos speak fast, but in general, have excellent enunciation. but this Talisman chap...

I usually prefer to walk around a bit once i arrive someplace, if, for no other reason than to exercise my legs and move my body a bit. So after this fellows long, very convincing spiel, I kindly took leave, told him as best I could that I wanted to take a short walk, and if i decided to take a taxi to the border with him, I would be back. So I pardoned myself to take a walk around the block.

Turns out this one block area is the dirtiest, nastiest section of street I think I ever seen in all my travels. Nasty, muddy, garbage infested puddles. Litter everywhere. Black, ashen filthy sides of buildings. Saw a deformed guy crawling along the sidewalk like a crippled spider. I couldn´t rush back to this guy fast enough to tell him to get me the hell out of here!

Now the real fun begins:
About a 20 minute drive later, we arrive at the top of a descending driveway that leads to the Guatemalan immigration office (aka "The Pit of Hell" (i didn´t know that yet) (i´m thinkin´i should probably stop here because i don´t want to worry some particular dear loved ones)...so, to make a dark short story, shorter, let´s just say, i got my documentation authorized, exchanged some money (too much), and then took another taxi to the bus terminal. Took an 8 hour bus ride to Guate! Guate! (Guatemala City). It sounds to me that Guatemalans don´t speak the same Spanish that is spoken in Mexico. I would speak as clearly as I possibly could to a Guatemalan, something that would render a quick return in Mexico, but the Guatemalan would look at me like I just said something in Cantonese.

Now, as i´m typing this, I don´t remember what the bus station in Guate looked like, but i do remember inquiring about Ticabus. The guy at the counter told me it was in another section of town, muy lejos, and I should probably take a taxi, about 30 quetzales (quick money update: $1US = 10 pesos = 7 quetzales). I communicate to the taxi cab driver I want to go to the Ticabus station, he says a whole lot of Guatemalan spanish that sounds like verbal mumbo jumbo gumbo to me, and says he can take me there for 40 quetzales. We´re off. We arrive at the terminal. There are a group of people huddled on the front porch of the office. It's a bit chilly. I pay the cabby, and sit and wait with the other people. About 10 minutes later, a young man in a white shirt and navy blue slacks arrives, opens the door, and let´s everyone in. Once inside, this group of about 15 are quite cheerful, talking and laughing. After about another 10 minutes, more staff arrive, begin turning on the lights and computer equipment, then processing for folks who have tickets, and also selling tickets to those of us that don't. My turn comes in line , and I inquire about the Ticabus bus pass. The fellow informs he knows nothing about such a thing, and that this is not the Ticabus station, it´s in another section of town muy lejos. I´m a bit perturbed (I´m thinking, "why did i ever leave mi gente que bonito en Mexico?"). I walk outside, see a taxi is just dropping off a woman, and i flag him just as he´s backing out, and ask him to take me to the Ticabus station. He say´s something about busses only leaving twice in the afternoon and other stuff I couldn´t comprehend, and drives me to the Ticabus terminal about 10 minutes away.We get there. It´s closed. No hours posted anywhere! However, across the parking lot there appears to be a homeless(?) man, and the cabbie asks this fellow if he knows when the station opens. It opens at noon. It´s now about 6:05 am. Time to make a decision. The cabbie seems a bit antsy to get back in his car and go make some money. So I decide to return to the other terminal, King Quality. We return. Inside, I approach the ticket agent about a bus to Costa Rico (for some reason I thought the people waiting in the lobby were Costariquennos). Turns out the next bus out is in 10 minutes to San Salvador. I pay, present my passport, and board the bus.

The Bus Ride from Guate! to San Salvador, El Salvador: King Quality
This was definately one of the most pleasant rides so far. Seating was upstairs. Two quite lovely stewerdesses/models (i´m not joking) done up to the 9´s - hair, make-up, nails, wearing cute, spiffy uniforms and high heels (on a bus!) offered us blankets, pillows, juice, breakfast, coffee and two movies w/headphones. Arrived in San Salvador about 10:30 am.
One quick aside: El Salvadoraneo spanish seems to be a bit different than espanol de Mexico. Their pronunciation is different. And whatever I said in Mexico that seemed comprehensible, renders essentially a blank stare here.

Juchitan

I´m in a little internet shop down the street from the bus terminal in Juchitan pronounced Hoochie Tahn this keyboard is a bit defective so pardon the clumsy grammar

Just had a satisfying breakfast, Omelette A La Mexicana y dos vasos de jugo de naranja at the Cafe Santa Fe. This restaurant is on the side of a gas station. It is immaculate. The waiters wear white jackets. They had piped in on their sound system, instrumental North American 60´s muzak, the kind with the soaring strings.

My spanish has improved, i have become more confident in speaking it.

Got a bus to catch at 3 45. to Tapachula. according to my internet research there is a bus company there, Ticabus, that sells a one year bus pass for travel from Tapachula to Panama City.

Acapulco, MexicoI'm staying at the K3 International Hostel directly across the street from the Americana Fiesta, and the beach. First thing I did after settling into my room, was put on my speedos and head to the beach. Splashed around for awhile, then returned to the hostel and took a well deserved shower (it was an 18 hour bus ride from Puerto Vallarta).

The bus ride was smooth. The bus (compania "La Futura") was very modern, with an interior very much like that of a commercial airplane. Movie specials were "Tombstone" (I listened was on my iPod through that one), and "El Padrecito" starring Cantinflas. We stopped in Guadalajara. The bus terminal there is immaculate. Huge automatic sliding glass doors, and were those shining, polished floors marble?

Had an excellent lunch after getting off the bus and made sure to tell los tres mujeres en la cocina "La comida estaba muy bien, muchas gracias." I have been making it a point to leave compliments for my meals (in Spanish) when appropriate, as well as "Tiene un buen dia", particularly to practice my espanol. Had an excellent dinner at Ika Taco, and boogie oogie oogied at the club Paradise.

Maybe this could not be said 20 years ago, but I'm beginning to get the impression that overall Mexico is a wealthier, safer and more sophisticated country than the states. Materially speaking, the cars, electronics, and chainstores you see in the US, you see here. At least in the cities.

The bus system is extraordinary. The busses are modern and there appears to be at least 10 different companies.

Another interesting observation is that, at least here in Acapulco, it's common to see women walking casually alone, after dark, even on poorly lit or even unlit streets.

Another observation, is that it appears the people here are not afraid of each other. The mass populace seems at peace with each other. Generally, people are respectful to each other, are courteous in verbal exchanges and walk around casually all times of the day and night.

So far not a single person has offered to sell me any drugs, nor have I seen anyone on drugs.

Free EnterpriseSeems like Mexico practices true free enterprise. People are allowed to sell their wares virtually anywhere. Even on these fancy busses the drivers allow street merchants on board to sell foods and beverage.

Puerto Vallara, Mexico

I am in Puerto Vallara. Booked a room at the Motel Los Angeles (not by the beach). Presently, I am across the street at a little shop with a section in the back for renting computer usage. Twelve pesos por hora for internet access.

I´ve somewhat lost track of the days, but I´ll do my best:

From Ensenada, I took a bus to El Rosario. Arrived at night, walked down a dusty, muddy, dark, two lane road being careful to stay out of the way of large, speeding trucks. I booked a ("modest" is being too generous) room at the Cactus Motel. Not much night life in ol´El Rosario, so i showered, did a bit of journaling, and got some sleep in a real bed (instead of a cramped bus seat). The next morning I was awakened by the loud (extremely loud) revving of an automobile engine. Ever heard of the Baja 1000? Well, turns out it was the weekend of my stay, and the participating drivers and crew were booked at the Cactus Motel.

After returning to the bus station to check on the schedule of the next bus out of town, I ventured into Mama Espinoza´s, a restaurant just down the way from the Cactus, for a wonderful, hot, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet - potatoes w/chorizo, scrambled eggs w/veggies, cactus, tortillas and fresh squeezed orange juice. I feasted.

Checked out of my room just before 1, then walked about three-quarters of a mile to the bus terminal to wait for the 3 o´clock bus. The "terminal" was actually a restaurant with a front parking lot big enough to accomodate busses and allow them enough space to adequately park and back out without difficulty. My plan was to take a bus to Santa Rosalita, but at about 2pm, a gigantic, shiny, metallic, caterpillar-like NASA spaceship on four fat tires, arrived bearing a big sign in the window that said "La Paz". I inquired to the driver (oh, did i mention that the folks of Baja speak a rapid-fire, rat-a-tat-tat speed of light staccato spanish? Did I not also mention that the cheerful inhabitants of Baja can utter the word "si", with such speed and agression, that you´re left standing there looking dumb, scratching your head, and asking yourself "what did he just say?), and guessed that he said the bus was leaving at 3pm, and they were now stopping for lunch. So I decide to wait for this bus, and while i´m waiting, an elderly gentleman delicately and carefully walks up to the porch where I'm sitting, carrying a bag of pastries, a small luggage bag, and a box wrapped with twine. He sat next to me, gesticulating and mumbling to me, softly, in superfast spanish. I didn't understood a single, solidary thing he said, but, i nodded politely, and chuckled where it seemed appropriate.

The bus ride to La Paz

This bus was cool, as in air conditioning cool. It was not crowded (I had both an aisle and window seat to myself), and the distance between my seat and the one in front of me allowed sufficient room to stretch and extend my legs Speaking of "stretch", one of the challenges I´m finding in traveling, is trying to get the exercise in. Days on busses does not allow for long walks, jogging, or the turning on of one´s home stereo to do a bit of boogalooing and shingalinging. So, during stops for a potty break or refueling, I´ve been inquiring into the length of the stop, to allow myself some timed walking and stretching.

The follow-up film on this long ride was called "Bobby", a docudrama about Robert "Bobby" Kennedy. All footage of him in the film was actual. Looks like that was the last time in America we ever heard a man running for president say the things he said. I still remember as a child, witnessing his assasination on TV and running up the stairs of our duplex to report it to my mom.

TV and Mexico by Bus

The last time I traveled through Mexico by public transportation, the cutting edge was bus stereos playing the latest USA pop hits. Now it seems, the big thing is onboard television (boo hoo), and DVD players featuring extremely violent Hollywood movies, in english(!) with Spanish subtitles. So imagine this, you have a comfy window seat on a large elegant tourist bus, it's a lovely sunny day, you´re daydreaming and gazing out of the window in awe of the beautiful Mexican countyside, as you hear a frantic woman's loud, distressed voice from the speaker just above your head, shrieking (in english) "No! No! No!", followed by a man shouting angrily "Put your hands where I can seem them!". Next you hear the sound of broken glass, machine gun fire, then the crash and crunch of furniture breaking, sirens blaring, a man barking "do you remember what you did to his family? I should blow your fucking brains out right now!", while out your window you can see a caballero riding his horse slowly up a dirt path, acres of prospering sugar cane, and a truck transporting cages of big, fat, white pigs.

La Paz

La Paz, from the little I saw, is beautiful. There is a lovely area that extends along the waterfront for walking. The people seem, generally, content. However, i didn´t stay in La Paz long. Soonafter my arrival, I took a bus to the ferry station to catch a boat to Mazatlan. But the boat wasn´t scheduled to depart until the next day, so I took the 3 o´clock to Topolobango.

La Paz to Topolobango by Ferry

It was a 5-hour ride. Maybe 200 to 300 people on board total. Everyone seemed in quite a festive mood.

A few cultural observations of the folks in this region:

1. People appear to enjoy conversation (though I´ve no idea what they´re talking about because they speak so very fast). It is common to see men talking to one another, and engaged in long, enthusiastic conversations.

2. It appears women don´t smoke much here (perhaps that is why they are so attractive, regardless of age or economic status). I´ve seen a lot of men smoking this past week, but only one young lady.

At 12:30 am this morning, took a 3 hour bus ride from Topolobango to Tempic. Followed by a ten hour bus ride from Tempic to Puerto Vallarta.

Hung out at the beach for a while, and a restaurant worker referred me to the Motel Los Angeles.

"Riches through knowledge. Knowledge through travel."

Ensenada
Reporting to u from Ensenada (Baja CA) in a computer shop across the street from the bus terminal. the proprieter asked me for $1US for one hour of internet access.

On the train last night a young fellow boarded at the Stockton(?) station and sat in the seat in front of me. He wore a Harvard hooded sweatshirt & was typing on a laptop. a few stations up the road he struck up a conversation with me. told me he was a Religious Studies and Political Science major at Cal State Bakersfield (graduating this quarter) and was doing a little homework on the train. He said he had recently attended a Peace Conference where he met family members of Mahatma Karamchand Gandhī; Yolanda King, the late daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. We introduced ourselves. His name was Anthony. Anthony Chavez. He is a grandson of César Estrada Chávez, the great National Farm Workers Association founder and organizer.

Boarding the Amtrak in Martinez California

Comenzo viajar a Brasil

At 6:39pm this evening, I am scheduled to board an Amtrak train in Martinez, CA bound for Bakersfield. In Bakersfield, I will transfer to a bus scheduled to arrive in San Diego at 5:35am tomorrow morning. From there I take the Greyhound into Tijuana Mexico.

A little background:

Since childhood, I dreamed attending Carnaval in Brazil. Perhaps it was a result of watching the film “Black Orpheus". Beautiful music, wild rhythms, non-stop dancing, beautiful women - what a party!

Of course, movies are not reality. However, as the years passed, my desire to experience the Brazilian Carnaval never waned.

In March, I was considering moving and contemplating a new destination. My friend Tchiya was visiting me one day, and began telling me about her travels to Mexico and Brazil. She told me how much fun she had in Brazil (coincidentally, while telling me her story, I had a CD on my boom box by Sergio Mendez!), and that I would probably enjoy it there too. Our conversation rekindled my memories of the movie and my childhood desire to visit Rio. And so, on that day, I began my plans to take a trip to Brazil.

Years ago, after leaving college, I had considered traveling to Rio de Janeiro by foot. For this excursion however, I have decided to travel exclusively over land and sea. I will attempt to travel to Brazil (via Mexico, Central and South America), and attend Carnaval de Bahia 2008 without stepping foot inside of an airplane.

I would like to thank the following people for their support, encouragement, help and inspiration in this endeavor:
Deborah Tannenbaum, Tchiya Amet, the Ramey family, Suzie Bridwell, Troyle Tognoli, Katrin & Peter, Miles, Alexa Armenta, Cynthia Whitfield, Esmeralda, YoLizzy & Yoli,T Dog, Lynne McGuire, my co-workers at the Mendocino County Department of Public Health, Celeste, Christian, Lorenzo, Dr. (DJ Mike) Taylor, Kirsten, Lilia Albuquerque, Mr. Phil Cool, my Pilates instructors Susan & Lynlee, Master’s swim coach Mike, Donna & Alfred, Jessica Yamamoto, Volker Poelzl, Antonio Dionisio, Alex Bricken, and my family.

Stay tuned.

John C. Fremont High School 30th Reunion Dinner

Attended the John C. Fremont High School 30th Reunion Dinner this evening at the Marriott in Fremont CA.

About 50 alumni attended. Probably some of the best dressed & best looking men & women u were going to see anywhere on that Saturday night. In particular the women. I had a crush on many, many girls in high school. And many of them showed up this evening, 30 years later, looking as good as they did in high school, and some were looking even better! ("late bloomers"). The food was excellent & the gathering was fun.

"What the 60's showed us is the possibility & responsibility we all have." - John Lennon

The Four Agreements

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say what you mean.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally

3. Don't Make Assumptions
Communicate with others as clearly as you can.

4. Always Do Your Best
Under any circumstance, do your best.

What will I do

to change or improve a situation

I consider

needing change or improvement?

Words of the Day

dignity: the quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect.

esteem: to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration.

respect: 1. The state of being regarded with honor or esteem. 2. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

positive: emphasizing what is laudable, hopeful, or to the good; constructive: "a positive attitude" ;"positive things to say".

laudable: deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable.

constructive: helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement.

(This post is dedicated to the 4 boys (and baseball players) whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making on the Bay Area Rapid Transit train this afternoon.)

"It's amazing how nice people are to you when they know you're leaving." - Michael Arlen