Adios Costa Rica

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After the heat of Nicaragua I was ready for refreshment so the mountains of Costa Rica were just what I needed. I entered Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas. The border crossing was extremely busy and marked by a line of at least 5km of trucks awaiting entry. Fortunately as a backpacker I did not have to worry about waiting in line. I proceeded along the Pan-Americana via Liberia and Cañas to the small mountain town of Tilaran. From there I ventured around the scenic Logo Arenal to La Fortuna. Towering over the town is Volcano Arenal, the 3rd most active volcano on the planet, lava constantly running down its side. There I spent a few days exploring the volcano and its beautiful jungle vicinity including a night at the natural hot springs, soaking I one of 16 pools of hot water watching lava run down the mountain. The capital San Jose was the next stop. While still loud, dirty and somewhat dangerous San Jose is much more developed and surprisingly pleasant (compared to other Central American capitals). From there I was once again drawn to the Caribbean beaches passing through Limon visiting the ocean towns Cahuita and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. While the pacific is just as beautiful, the Caribbean has a special atmosphere (Reggae, hammocks, Rasta, rum and coke and a very slow pace of life) that makes Costa Rica’s east coast a very enjoyable place to visit. One day in particular comes to mind when I rented a bicycle and with a few friends rode along the beach road passing by jungle and palm trees (howler monkeys screaming in the background and butterflies playing in the air) along the many virgin and pristine beaches, taking a swim in many of them. And so I spent time "sittin' on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away…" Because the time there was so nice I continued my trip south crossing the border at Sixaola into Panama traveling to Bocas del Toro for more Caribbean fun and sun.

On the Road to Development or the Loss of a National Soul

Costa Rica has a reputation well beyond its borders in all of Central America as an example in economic development, a well functioning infrastructure, a strong tourism industry and as a result a level of wealth or standard of living envied in the entire region. One terrific decision was taken over 50 years ago to abolish the military and spend heavily on education instead. This has left the country very peaceful (free from cold war civil wars) and well educated. Costa Rica is also on the forefront of eco-tourism and environmental protection as part of its plentiful national park system. As such, Costa Rica offers its tourists many things: pristine nature (beaches, mountains, volcanoes and jungle), good roads and transportation, relative safety and an economy set up to fulfill all of the tourists’ desires. This recipe has worked well and the tourism industry has become one of the strongest in the country.

This massive influx of foreigners, however, has changed Costa Rica’s face, its culture and soul so drastically that the country is at risk of losing its own national identity. Stepping out of the bus immediately I am approached by tour sales people speaking English. But even away from tourist spots people answer me in English (almost automatically) even though I had addressed them in Spanish, almost as if they have been accustomed to only speak English to every white person. Driving down the streets of any city looks scarily familiar to U.S. suburbia: U.S. stores and chains line the streets and even the local Costa Rica stores carry predominantly U.S. merchandise. Local kids act and dress as if they were from the U.S. and even when speaking among themselves many English words have found their way into the slang.

With foreigners buying up property left and right this is of little surprise. The presence of foreigners (North Americans and Europeans vacationing, operating business or retired and Central American neighbors – largely Nicaraguans – entering Costa Rica looking for work) entail a strong foreign influence. One tourist guide estimated that in addition to 5 million Costa Ricans there are an additional 1 million foreigners living in Costa Rica. Another acquaintance complained to me that his country has lost its national identity, its unique culture but rather is turning itself into a conglomerate of foreign cultures. I cannot help but feel a strong resemblance to other global tourist hotspots that have left little genuine culture: e.g. Plama de Mallorca, Spain or Cancun, Mexico.

For better or for worse the foreigners have fallen in love with Costa Rica and are here to stay, so it is up to the Costa Ricans in general and their government in particular to find a balance between opening itself to tourism and preserving a national identity.

Snowball Fights in the Tropics (Christmas in San Jose, Costa Rica)

Although the temperature has dropped from its high and a cool evening breeze fills the streets of San Jose, Costa Rica it is still comfortably warm, definitely too warm for snow. But yet the entire ground is covered in white. Especially children, but people of all ages, are throwing and playing with the while substance, which turns out to be paper confetti. Since Costa Rica does not receive any snow and in an effort to bring the sensation of a ”White Christmas” a bit closer to this tropical country, there is a tradition during December (leading up to Christmas) of bags of white paper confetti being sold on every corner of downtown San Jose. With a bag in hand everybody walks through the plazas or shopping district throwing confetti at anything and anybody they feel like. Much like our tradition of snowball fights, confetti fights can be witnessed (and participated in) every few steps. Little children hiding behind posts scheming their net victim, teenagers throwing confetti at each other and even adults and old people seem unable to contain the child inside themselves and are throwing confetti at each other. Certainly being as tall and white as I am, I stood out like a tree in the desert and accordingly received plenty of attention in the form of a confetti attack every few seconds.

By the time I made it back to the hostel my entire body, all the way to my underwear, was covered with confetti and it took three days of showers to get all the pieces of paper out of my hair.

Most impressive about the entire experience was the ubiquitous display of fun, mischief and excitement in the faces of Ticos (slang for Costa Ricans) of all ages. What a fun tradition! Merry Christmas Costa Rica!

Adios Nicaragua

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I came to Nicaragua with mixed feelings: not sure what to expect and somewhat nervous about the propaganda regarding poverty and violence. Fortunately, I am leaving 3 weeks later with a completely revised impression during which Nicaragua has ascended to one of my favorite countries in the region.

In review, I entered the country at dusty Guasaule via Chinandego to Leon, a fun and young university city, where I spend a week enjoying friendly conversations, visiting the colonial town, going volcano boarding on Cerro Negro or escaping to the empty beaches of Poneloyta. Transiting though the loud and dirty capital Managua I visited the even older colonial city of Granada followed by a few peaceful and quiet days on Laguna Apoyo then on the Masaya city and up Volcano Masaya. From there the road led me to “the oasis of peace” island Ometepe and was captured for a good week by its magic. Before proceeding on to Costa Rica, I decided to spend a few days on the beach (Playa Madera) just north of San Juan del Sur resting, surfing and enjoying spectacular sunsets.

Although I have seen quite a few places of Nicaragua over the past weeks, I leave with an even longer list of things I would like to see on my next trip. This, I suppose, is a sign that I really enjoyed my stay and am sure the next one will be just as good.

Tourism and some of its (unintended) Consequences

With the relative economic and political stability of the Central American region, tourism has seen strong growth in recent years. Most of these tourists after visiting return to their home countries. Others however fall in love with the places they see and decide to stay and build a house. This increasing demand in land by people with lots of wealth (certainly compared to locals) has led to a massive rise in real estate prices in many regions. Several time I heard stories of a piece of land purchased for $5000-10000 USD and sold for $50000-100000 5 years later. This phenomenon has several unfortunate consequences. Many families attracted by the huge increase in value of their property are tempted to cash in and sell their family farm, take their profits and move to the city with the promise of a better and easier life (leaving the farm workers behind without a job). But without a job in the city, nor marketable skills or the family support this money is quickly spent and the family is left with nothing, not even the option to return as prices have risen further yet. This trend has gone so far that in some regions or towns it is practically impossible to find locally owned property. Locals have been completely priced out of the market because once sold they could never afford to buy it back. As such many regions, cities and beaches are at risk of losing their original identity and culture, a price the region is paying in return of the influx of foreign capital.

Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua

Located in the middle of the gigantic Lake Nicaragua the island Ometepe is formed by two volcanoes (one active, the other inactive). Both of these volcanoes join each other on the edge forming one island, but with two distinct micro-climates: the island of the inactive volcano is subtropical, wet and very green while the other part of the island is hot and dry and due to the fumes and dust emitted by the active volcano.

Ometepe´s nickname is “Oasis of peace” due to the tranquil atmosphere and history of the island relative to the mainland Nicaragua. Shortly after arriving a local store owner (Santos) proudly told me that I could safely leave my backpack on the side of the street and come back a day later and it would still be there. While this might be a bit exaggerated (or naïve) the island does seem extremely safe and friendly. With only 35000 inhabitants, everybody knows everybody and a thief has nowhere to run.

There is more (in addition to beautiful nature and security) that makes Ometepe an absolutely spectacular place and definitely a highlight on this trip: The people make you feel welcome, are open and warm, easy to meet and to involve in a conversation and more interestingly it is easy to stay at one of several local hostels giving you a unique perspective into life and culture of the locals. One of the things that particularly impressed me about the island was the feeling of a unique unspoiled genuine place. Certainly growing number of tourist has changed the face of the island over the past 10 years but nevertheless I found the people very genuine and unspoiled.

Ometepe also offers a wide spectrum of activities. I spent almost my entire time on the less populated southern part of the island: Merida at Volcan Playa (http://www.playavolcan.tk ) and Socorro at the organic farm Zopilote (http://www.ometepezopilote.com ). From Merida I took some spectacular excursions: hike to the 60m waterfalls of San Ramon, a kayak trip to two monkey islands and Rio Istian separating the two parts of the island. From El Socorro I toured the organic Farm Magdalena, visited the beautiful and deserted beach Santo Domingo, went on a bicycle trip half around the island to another beach, Charco Verde, and climbed Volcan Maderas (1400m elevation). Although I have climbed a lot of volcanoes by now, never have I seen or climbed one like Maderas because it is subtropical, wet and full of vegetation. The peak is almost always wrapped in a layer of clouds dropping rain daily. The higher we climbed the wetter the environment became until or path converted itself into a small river and to proceed we had to climb over small rocks or trunks sticking out of the ground.

It is with good reason that I met several travelers who decided to settle down on Ometepe after traveling extensively in Nicaragua or the whole world for that matter. I found it to be a charming and beautiful oasis and hope to return someday (soon).

De-bugging the Nicaragua Myth

Myth #1: Nicaragua is dangerous.
Myth #2: Nicaragua is extremely poor (second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere according to official statistics).

Debugging Myth #1: The bad security reputation that Nicaragua seems to be condemned to stems from the years of Civil War against the CIA sponsored Contras), which finished about 15 years ago. Today Nicaragua is very peaceful country, much more so that most Central American countries.
1) “Official“ crime and violence statistics suggest that Nicaragua is the safest country in the region.
2) My personal anecdotal evidence confirms this. Nowhere have people told me so frequently that their town is completely safe (day and night) and nowhere have I had such a feeling of safety (even late at night). One (very late) night a hot dog lady and taxi driver insisted on walking me home (after a long philosophical discussion), paradoxically despite their assurances of the town being completely safe. Of course nothing happened and I reached my hammock safely.
3) No Civil War is ever pleasant but Nicaragua’s was shorter and less bloody than other countries´ (e.g. Guatemala) and largely confined to the north so it seems unfair that Nicaragua tends to be the country in the region most associated with crime and violence.

De-bugging Myth #2: After speaking with several educated Nicaraguans about the subject of poverty and keeping my yes open during 3 weeks of travels through Nicaragua I have to conclude that, yes it is a poor country but by no means as poor as official statistics suggest (e.g. 40% of the population allegedly do not have enough to eat). This is simply not true and Nicaragua is certainly not poorer than other Latin American Countries. But these statistics are issued by the government, so why would it make itself look poorer than it really is? I have been asking myself and others the same question and (sadly) have come to the conclusion that Nicaragua makes itself look poorer than it really is to attract international aid (successfully so since is comprises 25% of national expenditures).

In summary, Nicaragua is both safer than and at worst as poor as the average Central American country. The people are absolutely amazing and will make your trip unforgettable. In hopes of ridding Nicaragua from its bad prejudices, please come and see for yourself.

An Excursion to a Virgin Community (Merida, Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua)

It is Saturday night in Merida (a small town in the southern part of Island Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua). On any ordinary Saturday night the town at night would remain as tranquil as it is all week long. But tonight is different because it is the end of the school year and all the children (or at least the ones that go to school) have been handed their report cards. This is cause for a celebration, a big dance to be held on the school premises in honor of the 6th grade graduates who will now go on to secondary school.

It is about 9pm and together with some friends we leave our hammocks and make our way along the muddy dirt road through the jungle to the school. Although is pitch black (and we do not have a light) we let the music guide us. We finally arrive and what awaits me is a party I will never forget. The entire town (or so it seems) is gathered on the football field outside of the school, half of them dancing the other half talking and drinking. One of the elementary school class rooms has been converted into a bar for the night (only selling Toña beer and Coca Cola). We order a beer, which one of the school employees retrieves out of a fridge behind the poster of the alphabet. After another beer or two we hit the dance floor. Although there are primarily teenagers gathered, all age groups are well represented: young children playing football in the background, other kids practicing dance moves, teachers and other men from town (after a generous serving of beer) also start dancing and then there are the farmers and 50 year plus old (some with teeth, some without) who also seize the opportunity to party.

What made this night unforgettable was not the music or the dancing but the setting (inside the school yard), the excuse for the entire town tot party (6th grade graduation), and the colorful mix of people participating (from 6yr old kids to the 70 year old grandpa and the occasional dog or pig leisurely crossing the dance floor).

To Katarina and Back

From the Monkey Hut on the Laguna de Apoyo I decide to take a two hour hike with the goal of reaching the highly recommended outlook overseeing not only the lake but the entire area (all the way to Costa Rica). But getting there was a bit tricky because of course there are no signs and as it turns out no road – just a few simple dirt foot paths, intertwining and going off each in its own direction. But getting to where you want to go is easy because there are houses everywhere with friendly people happy to point you in the right direction. My favorite aspect of the journey was exactly these encounters with the local people: their simplicity and genuineness. It is always special to obtain a glimpse into one of the houses along the way. Although, since I left southern Mexico many things have changed (skin color, languages, foods and cultures), I find the content of these small houses surprisingly similar. It also always reminds me how privileged we are to lead our luxurious life styles: the kitchen stove is heated by a wood fire (it can take women hours daily to collect firewood), a fridge is huge luxury and the toilet is generally located in an outhouse. Most regions have electricity (although outages are a daily occurrence) making a television a staple even for poor families. Houses also tend to be connected to the water grid but most of the time it only works a few hours per day and is definitely not drinkable.

After a steep two hour ascend through a forest passing countless of these houses and meeting many of its inhabitants, I finally reach the town of Katarina and its spectacular outlook. My reward is generous because the view is indeed amazing and I meet a group of university student who are on a day trip. They tell me about their lives and Nicaragua. But then again no reward for the steep and sweaty hike was necessary because the journey itself was my favorite part of the whole trip.

Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua

I arrive at the Monkey Hut (http://www.thebeardedmonkey.com/monkeyhut.htm )
on Laguna de Apoyo, which is a charming cottage on the shores of a beautiful lake outside of Granada, Nicaragua and close to the much bigger Lake Nicaragua. When I arrive there must have been over 20 people here but surprisingly they all left a few hours later leaving me behind along (for the next days) with Tobi (the manager – a German who is married to a Nicaraguan and has lived here for 2 ½ years) and the local staff.

I feel privileged and lucky to have such a spectacular place all to myself: swimming and kayaking in the lake, swinging in the hammock, practicing yoga and meditation on the soft lawn, sipping delicious Nicaraguan coffee, talking with the locals and watching an amazing sunset followed by a spectacular full moon rising on the horizon a few hours later. The night is so still, peaceful and beautiful and definitely too short to miss even a moment, that I decide to spend the night outside sleeping directly under the stars. Could life be any better? ¡Gracias a la vida, que me a dado tanto!

Traveling Without Traveling (The Importance of Having Intention)

Going from hostel to hostel you invariably run into loads of other travelers who tend to be easy to meet, friendly and sociable but most likely only at the hostel for one night (or at most a few). Social beings that we are, we tend to strike conversations and the first topic is generally the one we all have in common – traveling. I must have been asked at least 100 times: “Where do you come from? Where are you going? When / where did you start your trip and when will you go back home?” Although these conversations tend to be superficial, they serve their purpose well: exchanging interesting and important travel advice with fellow travelers and hearing fun travel stories (and occasionally making a new friend).

From all these countless discussions I would like to offer some observations: the majority of backpackers travels in groups, spends the night in backpacker oriented hostels (where few or no locals can be found) and spends the evenings talking with other foreigners, conversing in their native language or English and ordering international cuisine (e.g. hamburger and fries) from the menu. My point is that the only genuinely local experience most of my fellow backpackers have (or seek?) on any given night, is a bottle (or many) of the locally brewed beer.

The next day they enjoy a (frequently free) breakfast provided by the hostel while enjoying their favorite U.S. TV show on cable television. Then the adventure starts, the day before they probably booked an excursion (generally at the same hostel or the travel agency down the street). The minivan picks them up punctually directly outside the door and takes them to: the beach, up a volcano, through a jungle, a sightseeing tour through town or an archeological site. The tour of course is hosted in English and shared with the new friends from the prior night. The trip concludes in time for happy hour at the hostel and after a long day on the dusty roads the travelers` throats tend to be thirsty. This schedule repeats itself for a few days until all major sights have been seen and photographed and the travelers are off to their next destination (where they are frequently greeted by fellow travelers they had previously met along the way). Again, the point I am trying to make is that this way of traveling strikes me as quite trivial and does not allow for a profound culture submersion. It explains whey I meet so many people who have been traveling through Latin America for months or years and still do not speak a word (maybe a few) of Spanish. They will go home not having had a real conversation with local people, will stay oblivious to the hardships, passions, interests and characteristics of the people visited. In other words, they will have learned little to nothing about the foreign culture (but will return home with a notebook filled with addresses form the people met from all around the world and the impression that they are now quite worldly). Hence, the tile of the article: Most Travelers actually travel without traveling!

Please be clear, I am not condemning this style for traveling (to each their own), hence the 2nd part of the title. I find that most travelers have given little thought to why it is they are traveling or what it is they hope to learn / accomplish. I like to ask the question of other travelers and generally only receive a blank glance in response. There are so many things one can learn and experience while traveling and my advice to other travelers (or anybody for that matter) would be to think about (before hand) what it is you want to get out of an experience. If your goal is drink a lot of beer with other westerners and have a cheap and fun vacation, you should follow the crowd. However, if you are interested in actually getting to know the local culture, an experience of cultural emersion (which I personally find one of the most interesting aspects of traveling), let along contribute to it, your manner of travel should be distinct. Which leaves me with the same conclusion as a prior entry: every traveler will receive from his / her travels the experience they are open to and seek.

One Year down the Road or Thanks to Life

It is hard to believe that it has been one year but it was on the 22nd of December 2005 that I left the American Century building behind in Kansas City, USA as an employee and headed straight to the airport to spend Christmas with my family in Germany (as a free man). Since then I have done and seen so many things that it would be impossible for me to summarize even the highlights (but you are welcome to re-read some of the past entries on this website or perhaps send me an email telling me which posting was your favorite).

Life continues to surprise me every day with new magical experiences, sometime so special that they are hard to comprehend. I feel extremely fortunate and thankful for every single one of these experiences which have made this a truly outstanding and unforgettable experience.

Paulo Coelho once wrote that “the universe always conspires in favor of the person following their dreams.” This past year has been amazingly beautiful, educational, emotional, thought provoking, spiritual, fun filled and most of all happy that I could not have asked the universe for a better experience. As the New Year breaks and I embark on new journeys I like to recall another frequently quoted saying: “The best is yet to come.”

Volcano Boarding on Cerro Negro (Nicaragua)

El Cerro Negro in northern Nicaragua offers its visitors a special attraction. Yes, it is active and emits streams of sulfur smoke, but I am referring to the fact that you can race down its steep face on a volcano board (a peace of wood equipped with a plastic sheet underneath for speed and two handles to hold on). The surface of the 500m descend is black volcano gravel stone and lets you accelerate on the board up to 40-50 km/h.

After a quick 30 minute ascend, enjoying the scenery and a quick sprint down into the crater (the inactive part), we watch a beautiful sunset on the horizon. A golden sky in the background, we dress in bright orange suits, mount our wooden boards and let the fun begin…

Deakachimba (Nica Spanish for: Cool)

As the 2nd poorest country (economically) in the Western hemisphere (after Haiti) Nicaragua often suffers a bad reputation for poverty, crime and violence. While there are several striking differences between Nicaragua and its neighboring countries I would argue that poverty, crime and violence are not among them (in fact a university tourism student I met claimed that it was the safest country in Central America – a claim I will not contest). If anything Nicaragua seems safer than its northern neighbors. In Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala it is hard to find much life in the streets past sunset (always a telling sign) due to crime, curfews or police discouragement. In Nicaragua, however, people are out & about and mingle in the streets well into the early morning (reminiscent of Mexico) and the threat of crime seems a lower concern. Of course I would be lying if I described Central America (as a whole) as safe. I simply mean to imply that relatively Nicaragua is similar if not safer than its neighbors.

Unfortunately begging is a lot more common in Nicaragua but I am not sure whether that is due to more extreme poverty but rather due to a more open and outgoing culture. The Nicas are not shy about approaching you whether to strike a friendly conversation or to ask for a dollar (sounds a bit like Cuba). It is precisely this open and friendliness that gives Nicaragua its charm and has made my first week here a lot of fun. (Unfortunately) this charm has not gone unnoticed and Nicaragua appears a lot more touristy than I had expected (certainly more so than El Salvador or mainland Honduras).

The more I travel, the more I find that it is the encounters and conversation with people that make an experience special. Activities (such as another colonial church, pretty scenery, dusty bus station or mountain top) certainly have their charm but the thing that remains more memorable and shapes my perception of a place is increasingly determined by its people and my encounters with them.

In the Search for a New Way of Life

In the search for a new way of life, what better way than study the ways of other cultures, people with completely different backgrounds, ideas and values. But in order to understand these foreign perspectives it is necessary that we defer our (usually immediate) judgement and observe with an empty and open mind (like a child seeing the world for the “first” time).

However, contact and conversations with these “foreign” people tends to be much more difficult to initiate than a conversation with a fellow European who shares vastly the same values and background, but if one is to truly learn about other cultures one ought to resist this temptation. The beauty about travelling is that one will receive exactly the kind of experience one is open to receive. The person looking for a “trivial” experience will close himself to everything else. Likewise a person in search for an in depth cultural interchange will close herself to trivial encounters.

In this plethora of stimuli how is one to decide which aspects of a certain culture one would like to embrace and adopt into one’s life? In theory this sounds like a simple pick and chose among global cultures but it is the hardest thing in the world to let go of one of your cherished (deeply engrained) traits in exchange for another. But it is well worth the effort.