Adios 2009...you and i didn't get along anyways.

The trek started at 7am today for a 5hour drive to Antigua - Today's New Years Eve!

Antigua has more than just a "gringo street"... it's a full on "gringo town"! Unlike Granada (Nicaragua) it's harder to find where the locals hang out here. Everywhere i turned was a white face. Everywhere i turned was a store or a restaurant to satisfy these white faces. Crepes didn't originate in Central America did they? hmmmyyyeah, i didn't think so.

All of the locals seemed to be bustling around town in preparation for the big NYE celebration later tonight, as I wandered around. I booked a hike for Jan 1st at the nearby tour company - I plan on doing Volcano Pacaya. It would be cool to start the year off hiking up 2 hours to see flowing lava up close. On top of that, I haven't done much activities as of late so my ass is kind of begging for this.
















I headed back to the hotel to rest and possibly have a nap. Instead, I ended up drinking more coffee and watching music channels on TV. When it came time, i started to get ready in attempt to look like a girl. I threw on my $8 dress that i had bought in Juayua and belted it with a $3 sash/scarf i had got in Suchitoto. I joined the others downstairs for a couple drinks. If this trip had a mascot, it would be a giant bottle of Flor de Cana. Thank-you for this, Nicaragua! A new group of tourists joined us and we all walked over to a restaurant called Fusion near the La Merced plaza. We had dinner and more drinks. Our new tour leader came by to join us for drinks. By this time, we are already buzz-happy and were insisting on keeping it going.
After dinner, we all headed back to the hotel to grab more booze. As the others filled their water bottles with rum and coke...I filled mine with rum and a splash of water. Just the way I like it. We strolled over to the main plaza where the stages were set up and it was bumping! It was almost as shoulder-to-shoulder, as it was in Nicaragua's public transit system during Christmas. We weaved in and around the crowds until we found a spot to call ours. Mereki and I decided to do some crowd wandering. We managed to meet Stef, her brother Pancho, her boyfriend, and her guy friend. They live in Guatemala City and were in Antigua to bring in 2010. Their English was impeccable! They thank their American-type school system for this. They told us to join them for the after party which was being hosted by XL and we all decided we would meet up at the same spot right after 12am. Excited, we headed back to where the rest of the group was to do the countdown. The 'inebriated girls' in us went around hugging and greeting everyone a happy new years prematurely, but that didn't matter. Soon it was official, and soon the fireworks would go insane for the next 4 days. The illuminated 2009 sign was shut off which left 2010 shining brightly for everyone in the plaza to see. People were dancing/performing, drinking, hugging, setting off firecrackers...this city was no where near ready to go to bed.

In true drunk-girl fashion, Mereki accidentally spilled Sid's (the new tour leader) beer. In a panic, she grabbed me by the arm and ran away - done like a pro.
She was embarrassed, so she took me with her to hide in the crowd. We found solace sitting on a curb with a Guatemalan family who's children were setting off firecrackers. Mereki and I picked some off the ground to try and set them off. In my current state, I wasn't able to work matches on my first try so i had a young boy light my firecracker for me. However, he failed to light the end of the wick...he lit the middle. This gave me very little time to throw the little red dynamite stick far from me and soon...it exploded in my hand, right near my ear. It didn't hurt by any means. It was just a shock. I laughed because what else is a drunk girl to do? Immediately, there was a ringing in my right ear. This semi-sobered me up - I knew this ringing in my ear wasn't right. We walked through the crowd to see what else there was to do. A young local guy and his friends invited us to an after-party. It's house music, he tells us. Mereki asked him if it was far and he tells us that we would all need to drive over there. *this is when i have to applaud Mereki in her drunk state* Mereki refused to go to the party and wouldn't let me go. I wouldn't go alone anyhow, but the fact that she was refusing to go (because we're not familiar with the town and we don't know these people) automatically defaults me to staying in Antigua as well.

We decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel, where everyone else had already been off to dream sweet 2010 dreams.

Juayua bought a dress para mi?

We got into the town of Juayua (pronounced hu-why-you-a) today. I took the opportunity to relax and updated the blog on the hotel's computer while everyone else wandered town in the heat. This hotel is probably one of the cutest ones we have been in so far. Everyone ran around the place checking each other's room out. Oohs-and-aahs were all you heard within minutes of putting our bags down.


I decided to do some solo wandering afterwards so i headed towards the plaza. While aimlessly loitering, I realized that New Years Eve was coming up and I had no dress to wear. I personally don't consider myself a girly-girl...but i do enjoy getting dressed up for occasions. For the A-gamers back home in Vancouver, the only question we ever really asked before a party was, "is it a dress night?". NYE definitely calls for a dress, regardless of the fact that I'm not back at home with the other A-gamers. With no particular style, color, or cut in mind, i walked through the market lightly. That's when a yellow dress caught my eye. The top part was black, and the bottom was yellow. It wasn't anything fancy, but it fit right, it was $8usd, and i decided it would be the dress to ring in 2010.


I walked back to the hotel with my new dress in hand. I showed the other girls and did a fashion show. They gave me the thumbs up - they liked it too.


We headed to the nearby waterhole in El Churro via tuk-tuk with the rest of the group. I went but decided to just chill and take photos as opposed to getting in the cold water. There were only local children swimming around when we got there and military men armed with guns protecting the area. Were the guns really necessary? Probably not. But did it add drama to our photographs? You better believe it.



After the waterhole, we went back into town to learn how to make pupusas. A cute little old lady opened her doors to us and set up a little station where she would teach us how to make this El Salvadoran dish. We all decided that this would be our last affair with pupusas...what better place to be pupusa'd out, than El Salvador?


Deborah, Mereki, and I walked around town afterwards in search of snacks. We were planning nachos and guacamole night.

Once we got back to the hotel, we made guacamole (knowing that it was probably cheaper to just go to a restaurant and eat there) and stuffed our faces. It turned to be somewhat of a girls night as I ended up coloring Mereki's hair. We had cheese and crackers, guacamole and chips, and rum/soda's as the smell of chemical dye filled the air. We stayed up and chatted amongst the group knowing that tomorrow would be a big celebration, and a big farewell.

I've been looking forward to this farewell as I was needing a change of pace. For some reason, I was feeling apprehensive yet excited about it all. Goodbye's are sad, yes...but with every goodbye is a hello.

1up

Even though there's 20 days left on this tour, it feels like it's coming to an end. 2009 is going to be a thing of the past soon, and so is this trip shortly after.
Today is another early start, I made it a goal to wander the town and absorb what El Salvador is about. I managed to do some productive aimless loitering in and around the plaza. I can people-watch here all day.


During breakfast, Deborah and I had an interesting conversation. We spoke about our lifestyles back home. Trying to control ourselves and our surroundings is a lot of work, it's enough to stress about for days. With so many external factors coming in to play in our life, who can actually successfully control things as planned? It's a map with several road blocks and closures. Sometimes, you just have to look at that map and say, "fuck it! i'ma just have to be me and be where i'm at". In my aimless wandering, i ended up buying an old super nintendo controller from a cute old man in a cowboy hat. He initially tells me it's for a dollar...then he lowers the price to 50 cents. I pull out lose change and show him i've only got 35 cents. He sells it to me for 35 cents as he says sweet nothings. As I sit in front of the water fountain by the church listening to a CD vendor blast different genres of music, i reflect. I just bought a controller that I no longer have the machine for. The buttons are stuck and it's actually pretty much useless. It's either I have a shopping problem.......or I just bought a metaphor.
God will do with us as he wishes to do with us. I bought a controller that I can't control. With this, I give up trying to have everything go as "planned". This yearning to control certain aspects of my life has somewhat made me emotionless for the past couple of years. By having this control, I've been protected from what could potentially hurt me. But where's the excitement in that? Being vulnerable is not always a weakness and I realize that now. In the movie, 'Monsoon Wedding' a girl says an inspiring quote. "How can a kneeling coward ever know what it's like to fall if they never get on their horse?", she says.
As I reflected, sitting on that plaza bench, the 'Minuto' man came up to make conversation. Today was hot and he joined me in the shade. We talk for a while until he realizes the others in the plaza would probably enjoy a nice cold 'minuto' from him in the hot sun. I said goodbye and headed to where I was supposed to meet the others from the group. We're off to roll cigars.
We used Honduran tobacco leaves. As a non-smoker, i wouldn't have been able to tell a Cuban cohiba from a Honduran so it was all the same to me. I was the first one up and a little old woman teaches me how to do it. She's impressed with how quickly I learned and how well I rolled. I bought a roll of 20 cigars which she has rolled up earlier and we head over to Don Alejandro's house. Don Alejandro is a diplomat who runs his house like a museum. An old movie producer/director and a collector of art, his house sits on a cliff that overlooks the lake. I was more impressed with his panoramic view and home than his collections but i stay awake.


After the tour and dinner, i head back to the hotel and pack my cigars and controller into my backpack. It's over to the next level tomorrow.

Do you like kung fu movies?

I woke up almost suffocating. The air was thick and humid and the smell inside the room was strong and uncomfortable. It was unbearable to the point where i picked up my sleeping-bag liner and decided sleeping outside would be cleaner. I lasted by the beach for about 45 min until my pansy ass got scared by the rustling noises from critters. Not knowing anything about my surroundings, i realized that it wasn't smart for me to just pull out of my shelter and sleep in the open. Thoughts of the movie 'Touristas' just kept popping in my mind. I'd like to come back home with all my organs, so it was back to the gross room for me. I put on the air conditioner and tried to sleep again.

I woke up early to catch the sunrise, though my main reason for waking up early was to get out of the room. I soaked in the sun and swam in the ocean. After getting darker, i found shelter back in the room (with my door wide open) and watched HTV. This was like the Hispanic version of MTV...except they actually played music.

By the early afternoon, we headed out of El Cuco and were on the road to Suchitoto. Our van stopped in the town of San Jose to go to the bank which was inside the mall. We were given 45 minutes to wander around the mall and do what we needed to do. On my way to the van, I was distracted by a jewellery kiosk. The young guy working behind the counter struck up a conversation with my very fast. He asked what other languages i spoke which, i assume, is his way of asking where I'm from. We talked about everything from kung fu movies, views on heaven, reincarnation, relationships, and homosexuality. I wish I could have stayed and continued to see what else we would talk about but i eventually did have to go back to the van and continue the drive.

We get into Suchitoto and it's very cute! It's like Granada but not nearly as much tourists or people. The people here are extremely nice and i already know that my free day tomorrow will be filled wandering the plaza doing a whole lot of nothing.

Don't eat my friend, we still have some karaoke to do. Thanks!

It's time to say good-bye to Nicaragua today. We drive 8 hours through Honduras and over to El Cuco, El Salvador.


Nicaragua really surprised me, I really like this place. In the beginning, i was told that it's the 2nd poorest country in all of Central America and that I would be seeing a lot of things i may be uncomfortable with. The history in the towns, the warmth of the people...I didn't see an unfortunate country at all.


We get into our beach side hotel at El Cuco and it sure is "rustic". I'm not the type to complain about hotel rooms but the stench in our little cement hut was pungent. The bed had little ants crawling on them. It just didn't feel clean. I dropped my bags and immediately headed for the beach. At least I could try and stay fresh out there by the sea. Soon, the others had followed behind me in their swim gear. I was easily tempted and rushed back to my room to change into swimmers. When i got back to the shore, it looked like Deborah, Otto, and Roger were playing some kind of water game. Mereki was heading towards me and so i figured she wasn't into the reindeer games. As she gets closer, i notice there's a look of panic and worry in her face. That's when i realized that Deborah, Otto, and Roger weren't playing any kind of game - someone was being saved from the ocean. As it turns out, Deborah had got caught in a riptide which pulled her farther and farther from the shore. She was getting tired in her attempts to get to the sand and was starting to drown. Mereki tried to help get her out but wasn't able to and that's when Roger had gone in to pull her out.

Mereki admits to me that she's never been so close to dying. Once Deborah hit the shore, i notice how opaque she was. She swallowed a lot of the sea. The two girls sat on the shore and shared some tears at their near-death experience. I didn't know how to handle it...i was still in shock. The sea is so much larger than us and it almost ate one of our travel friends. It's a scary yet realistic thought. For the remainder of sunset, i chose to sit along the shore and watch the power of the waves crashing knowing that I am but a spec on this earth. Something as simple as water can destroy me; that could've been me in that riptide.

We went into town for dinner. El Cuco is a very small place, and I'm afraid that by the afternoon the next day, we will be on our way to Suchitoto. With the poor hotel conditions, the group made an executive decision to go to the next town a day early. Aside from the powerful beach, I will not be getting a chance to understand this town or the people who inhabit it. For dinner, we went to a place that also had a karaoke machine which was begging to be used...or so the travel leader thought so. He was very much into it and he tried to lighten the mood using song. I tried as well. For those who know me, you know that i refuse a microphone at all costs. I picked it up in spirit of challenging myself and getting out of my comfort zone. I sang Bob Marley - Could you be Love. The tour leader and I seemed to be the only ones not too worn out from the day to give our go on the microphone. Shortly after paying for dinner, the spontaneous dancing started. It was entertaining to say the least.
In all honesty, i think i found the energy to stay up and keep going because i was dreading having to go back to our little cement cage cells (otherwise known as, 'our hotel'). I would have rather past out from exhaustion on the dance floor than sleep in that room. However, nobody else seemed to have shared this enthusiasm and we headed back to the hotel to face an uncomfortable night's sleep.

Leon, it's like a never knew you...

As mentioned in the previous post, there's a certain je ne sais quoi about this town of Leon...so today, i made it my mission to get acquainted with him.

While the rest of the group went off to the beach, Deborah and I stayed behind to wander. We walked through the streets and ended up going to the cathedral at the plaza. There was a big mass happening so we went in. From what I understood, it was the bishop who was giving the mass so there were cameras rolling and people dressed to the nines. During mass, a girl approaches me. Her name is Christina and from what she tells me, she lives a tragic life.


Her baby Olivia is in the hospital with brain cancer. Olivia is in the hospital and Christina travels every weekend for an hour into town to visit her baby. To add to this, her mother had died not too long ago. She goes into the church every weekend to pray. She walks with Deborah and I outside of the church and it seems like she's giving us somewhat a tour of the town. Christina points out the location of where the four 'Sandinista' college students were shot and killed. I knew something was up...she wanted more than just to show us around town. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and carried on around walking with her anyhow. Eventually, i told her that we would need to go separate ways because Deborah and I have a schedule to keep up. That's when she said it. I knew it was coming; she asked me to help buy special milk for her baby. I didn't think much of it, how much could milk cost? Christina takes us to the Pharmacia to buy special milk and the guy behind the counter tells us it'll cost 365 Cordobas ($18.25USD). I didn't even have that much for myself as I was starting to run out of money at this point. She begged, but there was nothing i could do...i didn't have it. I explained that I couldn't ask my friends for money, it's not right. I gave her 20 Cordobas and walked away. Whether her stories were true or not, it felt bad to walk away. She's still a person with human emotions, as am I.

Deborah and I headed back towards the plaza for brunch after some light shopping. The day was getting hotter, and I was getting darker. Walking through what looked to be endless street vendors, we see a walkway that led through a building...this was their food court. If outside was their shopping mall, this not-so-little building housed people as they re-fill their bellies and socialize with their neighbors. Just like a North American food court there were babies crying, people casually meeting up for lunch, and families in conversation during a meal. Food vendors however had all of their food laid out in the open. These women (usually larger women who wore frilly pastel colored aprons) would call 'mi amore' and tell them to have some food. They would announce what kind of food they have available to entice you while they throw flattery your way. Everyone was beautiful...everyone was 'mi amore'. Soup looked to be the big seller for lunch, even on a hot day.
After lunch, we were in search of fresh pineapple juice. We walked through the food court and over to the other side of the building where they were selling produce. Along the side of the building were juice vendors. After asking and searching for a vendor who would make us fresh pineapple juice, we meet the cutest little lady who was more than happy to add pineapple juice to her list of available juices. She walked over to a produce vendor to buy a pineapple just for us. We make conversation, and as most previous conversations...she doesn't speak English so i do my best at Spanish. She tells me that she has two sons. One is married, and the other is a 40yr old single man living with her still. She laughs in embarrassment. We talk about our lives and enjoy her company; 45 min must have passed and we were still in conversation. Deb and I bid farewell, and we decide to face the heat outside.

(below is an image of the foodcourt)

After 10 minutes outside, we decide that it is no longer bearable and a siesta is needed. Refuge was found in our A/C rooms which was rare for the both of us because we both shared a strong dislike for A/C. I wrote in my book and updated earlier parts of this blog. When we decided to stop being lazy North Americans, we headed back outside for a stroll. On our walk back to the hotel with our fudgesticles, we see the rest of the group unloading a van and heading back to their rooms - perfect timing. We find out that it is Roare and Hanne's last night with us so we all decide that we would go for a nice group dinner. After eats at what was similar to "The Cambie" the group split up. Some went for more drinks, some went home to rest for the next day's trek.

We lose two more A-gamers. Those two were Norwegians who were down for anything at anytime. It gets quieter...

How many parts to a broken heart

I got up early in hopes to find some kids awake so I can unload my gifts. I strolled around the quiet town to breathe it all in for one last time. The streets were covered in what remained of terminated firecrackers. It looked like paper confetti had been heavily poured over the walkways - this is no exaggeration. My ringing ears prove that it wasn't all just a noisy dream.
I managed to find some kids up and about...my Christmas presents went to these early birds.

After going to the back local market in search of street-breakfast, i headed back to the hotel to find the private van waiting to get loaded up. I brought my bag over and tossed it in the back. As dark as I have already gotten, I found a patch of sun to sit in so i can write in my book. From across the street, I see a guy with his dog staring at me. I give a polite wave and he begins to walk over.
His name is Roger Jr. and he's 23 years old. He was taking his dog for a walk when he saw me and he says he needed to come over to talk. We only had half an hour before my van was leaving so we managed to have a conversation without pauses. He spoke English with some Spanish. We talked about how our Christmas celebrations were. I explained to him what i did...and what i would rather have been doing. His celebrations were none too exciting either as he spent it with people he didn't care much for. I wish I met you earlier, he says...then I can show you what a real Christmas celebration is like.
Like most Nicaraguans, he had a lot of lines. He asks a question that strikes me, "how many hearts have you broken?".
I pause to think but mainly because i was shocked he was asking. "Nada", I replied. He snaps back immediately, "none that you know about".
He was right. I explained that the heart is protected with what it doesn't know - ignorance is bliss.
We said goodbye and I got in the van. I put my bachata Cd's in the player and we rolled over to Leon, Nicaragua. I slept most of the way there and when i woke up, Leon surrounded me. This town is same-same but different from Granada. The vibe is different. The people are different. Granada was charming and cute...Leon is real. It's still a colonial town, but there's an air of attitude in the walls and it was evident in the faces of the people. Graffiti of a revolution and 'viva Daniel' were written throughout the town.

We got to the hotel and only had time to put our bags down before heading to Volcano Cerro Negro. Today, on Christmas day, we would sand board down an active volcano. We were given two options...you can choose to sit (sled down) or stand (snowboard). I could have easily taken the easy way and sit, but i wanted to challenge myself. I know how to snowboard, so how much harder would it be on sand, right?? The tour guide, David, says it's slightly harder that snowboarding but it's still very easy. You won't fall, he says.

After picking up our boards and driving to the base of Cerro Negro, we start a 45 min hike - straight ascent on lightweight volcano rock. There were no ski lifts, i didn't expect there to be. With every step, I get more nervous. Once we reach the top, everyone took photos of the 13 volcanoes that cut across the country. Smoke comes up from the volcano we are standing on.

I was expecting to see sand as it was marketed as "sand boarding"...i was mistaken. It was like snowboarding on gravel. Upon the advice of David, I decided to go down the 40 degree slope facing the volcano...even though I'm more comfortable the other way. My gear slipped off me about two to three times as i was going down. I had to readjust in the middle of the slope because my foot kept sliding out. It was difficult but i didn't say no; i kept going. My foot slipped out again and i decided that going down the hill was no longer safe. I took the board off and slid it down. I ran the rest of the way down. The gravel left a nice mark on my left knee (on one of the occasions my gear slipped off). Blood oozed and i quickly put disinfectant on it to try and clean it up. I was dusty, bruised, and bleeding. But at least i knew that i accepted the challenge and gave it what i got.

We got back to the hotel and i took a shower. I had some dinner and had some much deserved rum. It was my second chance/attempt to go to Christmas mass. Roger and Mereki decide to join me. We headed to the nearby cathedral (there are 17 churches in the city of Leon) and caught the tail end of mass. I tried...
This heart can only be broken so many times.

While we're already in town, we decided to wander around. The plaza was bumping! It seemed like the entire city was in this one corner of town. Street vendors lined up and everyone was with their families. Photo-shoot stations were set to make it look like children were in a snowy North Pole...families lined up to create such an illusion for their child. People crowded around the Nativity set near the water fountain. After strolling, we headed back to the hotel. I stayed up to write in my book in the open courtyard. The boy who was manning the front door (son of the hotel owner) came by to talk. He didn't speak a lick of English. I did my best at Spanish. Mereki came over to chill in the open air with us for a while.
I look up and notice the stars as i have been doing almost every night since I have gotten in Central America. The moon is glowing and almost full.
I think. I write. I read. I go to sleep.

the sacrifice to the Gods

Its an honor to be thrown into an active volcano and sacrificed to the Gods...so they say.

It is Christmas eve and today is the day people actually celebrate Christmas here in Nicaragua. It's hard to believe that though as everyone around town appear to be very much "business as usual". Business doors swing open, local market vendors are setting up for the day, and tour companies are still taking us foreigners around.

I woke up early so i can stroll around town. Got myself up to the church bell towers to have an overlook of this beautiful city of Granada. I'm so in awe of this place - i can't even find the words. The view from the tower was amazing...saw right up to Lago Nicaragua. I must have taken about 50 pictures from up there alone. All of the churches around town were gearing up for night masses and I was so excited to see what it was all going to be like. Though, the moment I step out of any of the many church doors I entered, I was still baffled; it seemed like Christmas was just a preparation but was starting to look like it was going to be just that - preparation. It looked like it was going to be anti-climactic and the next day would be any ho-hum day. Maybe it was just another night for people to get drunk and be merry.

I went off to do a tour of Volcan Masaya. A bus took us up to the site where we saw the active volcano steaming and hear it roaring. The sun was starting to set and pretty soon we saw the lava glowing. We peered down it carefully making sure not to fall in. We tried to capture the whole experience on our cameras...but there was no doing it justice.
Before the sun completely disappeared on us we went into some caves to see, hear, and be ricocheted by bats. All cameras and flashlights were turned off and everyone was asked to be quiet. The bats were alive and they were fluttering around us. We went further into the save until we could not go any more.
Our ranger guide's name was Joel. He tells us that back in the Mayan days, people were chosen to be sacrificed and thrown into the live volcano. This was apparently an honor to be sacrificed. A child would be chosen at a very young age and prepared throughout the years to fulfill this tradition. They had to be in the right mindset and of course, willing to be the human sacrifice for the sake of the rest of the people of the town and it's God. A ceremony would be held, and the child (at about 12-14 years old) would gladly go in to their happy ending. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be prepped and know that on a specific date, all things that i know, all things that I Love, everything...would be no more. Of course, the Mayans believed in the afterlife and that the Gods would reincarnate the chosen to something (usually an animal) and give them a pleasant life. But I'm not Mayan...I believe in heaven. How timely that on Christmas eve, we learn about the human sacrifice to please the rest man kind, much as God did with Jesus.

We got back into town and i got ready right away so i can make it to mass after dinner. With the Christmas gifts i had in my hand, we walked to a restaurant called Fusion (obviously geared for gringos). On the way there, firecrackers were going off like crazy. I looked over at one barrio along the way and saw there was a huge street party happening - that's where i wanted to be. As soon as we got to Fusion, i dropped my things and told someone to order for me. I grabbed my camera and headed back to that barrio. People were drinking like they were dehydrated. Girls here, very much like some girls that i've seen back home, were pounding large bottles of alcohol while wearing their pretty dresses. Children were swinging for the massive pinata that were being controlled by one of the odler neighborhood kids. Old 'good-times' neighbors were making juices for all the kids and handing out little presents as well. Everyone was tuned in. Everyone was alive. Everyone was partaking. I, on the other hand, was observing. I strolled around a bit more until i knew i had to head back to Fusion with the others. I felt like Ritchie Rich; I had just seen something so cool yet i'm sitting here in a ritzy frou frou made-for-foreigner-restaurant listening to conversations i couldn't care about...i just want to play baseball! I realize that this year, I am not partaking in Christmas but merely taking notes of it. I was in a bit of a funk when i got back into the resto so i just sat there and ate ceviche and drank sangria. At least I can still make it to mass.
I left Fusion and bee-lined for the cathedral. I got there and the gates were being closed up. I missed it. I was told the wrong time. I sat on the steps and watched everyone else (foreigners and locals alike) celebrate. My mood was tired and easily irritable. The group saw me on the steps and came over all equally disappointed. More so disappointed that i was disappointed, it seemed like. We headed back to the hotel. The others opted to go to the bar across the street to play poker and drink. I didn't feel like it. I headed down the street to watch some more. I took my notes, I observed the festivities that surrounded. I sat and wrote in my book knowing that this Christmas, I am alone. I got back into my room and packed my bags to get ready for the next town tomorrow. This was a sacrifice i threw in the volcanoes when i signed up for this vacation. This, I knew.
Feliz Navidad.

una mas por favor

The last sunrise in Ometepe was perfect. I grabbed a fresh fruit shake and soaked it in before loading up my bag and heading to Granada.

Yesterday we were asked if we wanted to take a private van or public transport to the next town. The others seemed to want the private van but i was definate on wanting to take public transport. We already got through the borders (which is the hard part during Christmas time) so lets complete this bad boy and take the bus all the way to Granada.
The bus station was filled with people waiting for the next ride to their Loved ones. Street vendors helped crowd platforms and relieved the hungry with food, the thirsty with drinks, the bored kids with useless plastic toys. The ride on the bus was about an hour and a half. We all got on and more that just shoulder to shoulder with the person next to us; the bus was filled to more than capacity. There were people napping, making conversation, and children playing in the little space they had. The closer we got to our destination, more and more people would step off which made the rest of the ride a bit more airy.

As soon as i unloaded myt bags at the hotel, we headed for the bar across the street called Coyote. After having some drinks at the bar, the market was where we were destined to try and bargain. We were warned that Nicaraguans were not shy about making cat calls and maybe even go as far as grabbing certain body parts so the girls were asked to keep their guards up.
A lot of people were calling me Chinita...which is their term for an Asian girl...im guessing. When i would correct them that im not Chinese, they would then ask me (en espagnol) where im from. The first guy that i had told that i was from the Philippines, he got really excited. He said a bunch of things, then thats when i heard it...Manny Pacuqiao. He tells me that Nicaraguans Love boxing and really like Manny. These comments would continue to pour throughout the day as other people find out that im Philippina.
Immediately, im drawn to this town. Its a colonial place with colorful old buildings and charming people. Its easy to get lost in the market but finding a way around town was as simple as asking a local where the Cathedral was. The people, like its buildings, are "unica". The colors are bold and the structures are striking. Put these buildings all together and i can walk for days for days for days.
While on the adventure on looking for new dresses in the market, i also opted for a street food dinner night. I tried a pollo pupusa y frioles pupusas to see what the rage was all about. I felt what all the rage was about the moment i had a bite. Wow.
I managed to help Deborah and Mereki get good deals for dresses but i didnt get anything. Convos with the locals were good enough for me.

After going for more drinks, we headed for a place called Cafe Nuit. This place was straight up salsa club. Intimidating as the locals were all very pro at this so we just watched and drank some more. They offered to teach me but at this point I couldnt challenge myself enough to dance in front of eveyone else. I told him maybe tomorrow.
After we left the club, we grabbed a hot dog and decided to call it a night. Another day, another party.
Una mas por favor.

Beach bum

Whatta a lazy day. I woke up to monkey noises, cows, and birds...who needs alarm clocks when animals insist i wake up at 4am?
My will to sleep in was stronger, i managed to shut life out a little bit longer.
Isl de Ometepe is alive - rough around the edges, but theres no denying that we are not alone at any given moment.

I headed straight for Lago Nicaragua in the morning to bake in vitamin D. This is the 2nd largest lake in all of central america so it actually looks more like a beach complete with sand.
I was planning on doing the hike on Volcan Maderas or Concepcion but those hikes are about 5-8 hours long depending on which Volcan i choose. According to others, the trek is just that...a trek. Not much to see or do once you get up so i opted to just chill out on the shore and go to Ojo de agua (the natural springs).

After lazying around and walking along the shores of the lake, i layed out a towel to sit and catch sunset. This is when a local came up and struck up a convo that would last for about 2 hours. My Spanish still could use some work and his English was almost non-existent but we managed to have a really good conversation. Drawing on the sand for explanation, pulling out the back of a frommers book (vocab section), and writing things down in my book definately helped.

His name is Harold and he lives in Balgue which is on the island. A 26 year old who works giving volcano trek guides with the occasional horse back riding guides as well. He never went to college but wants to learn how to speak English. Hes a painter...a poet...an artist. One of 7 brothers and sisters, he also ferments his own alcohol. One thing i learned in Nicaragua is that these people seem to ferment anything. Anything!
A farewell was inevitable as the shore became dark and cold. We said goodbye and went our seperate ways. I met up the group for dinner and a bonfire afterwards.

The next day, its off to Granada.

I wonder if Santa has to deal with Customs

This was one of the craziest days thus far. It started at 6am and it was supposed to be simple enough. A twelve hour commute to Nicaragua (isle de Ometepe) was what was in store for us...so we thought.
We had under estimated the Nicaraguan border during Christmas time.

On the way to the border, we had stopped at the last Mercado we can to do some last minute purchases. I bought a bunch of crayons, felts, and coloring books to hand out to less fortunate kids in Nicaragua during Christmas. I was stoked and couoldnt wait to get into Ometepe so i can wrap presents. I know I wouldnt be getting any this year on Christmas day, but at least i will be able to hand some out. On a long winding highway, there were cops doing stops every now and then. Nobody was telling us why. We tried to go around some of the cars, but the cops had told us we could not pass. It turns out that one of the semi-trucks (and there were about hundreds there) was pissed off and blocked the roads and stopped allowing people to get through to the border. It was a rainy and wet morning but we knew what we had to do. We unloaded the private van, strapped on our massive backpacks, took our plastic bag of presents and went off towards the border. As I mentioned, it was wet and rainy so this was def not flip flop weather. How convenient, as that is what i was wearing. I rolled up my sweats and tried not to slip and die through the mud. There were some close calls, but i made it out ok.
We walked about a kilometer and had option to grab a taxi to take us the rest of the way to immigration. Everyone wanted to do that so we split up and took cabs $2 a head. After the short ride, our cab (me, deb, mereki) got there first. There were LOADS of people waiting to cross. Almost refugee camp like. We were in the mud, bags sopping wet and confused with what was going on and what to do next. As soon as the three of us had gotten out of the cab and paid, a local with a notepad asked for my passport. I gave it to him not thinking twice about it. I realized that he was filling out a customs form for me that i would later need to do so he can charge me for it. I took my passport back and decided that i need to stop being so naive - i told him to go away.
We waited and waited yet the rest of the group hadnt arrived. We were starting to get scared. I walked up to a group of people who were formed in a massive line to ask what was going on. I was told that the border line has been crazy for the past few days...some people have been in line since last night. They advised the three of us to wait for our group while we are in line so we at least have a spot.
We did what we were told and followed what seemed to be a never ending zig-zagging line. The rest of the group eventually came after some time. They got dropped off early and had to walk the rest of the way. The tour leader was furious that this was happening. I wasnt expecting an easy border so i was just chillen talking to the people in front of us in the line. It was a family of 5 and their cousin in front. They shared an assortment of m&ms with me and taught me some spanish. Lo que sea (low kay seya) which means Whatever was one of the terms i remember and use until today.
The group decided that we would bribe our way past the lineup so soon enough, we followed a man in uniform discretely and i never got to say goodbye to this family. We trudged on in the mud doing as we were told. My Christmas presents were protected by nothing but a mere plastic bag. We kept walking, following, taking turns, going in and around semi trucks parked in mud fields, crossing lines we had no idea what they were for.
Eventually, we came up to a bldg where we put all our backpacks down. The tour leader grabbed our passports and took them inside a secret customs bldg that not a lot of people know about. Slowly, we were asked to follow inside the bldg to collect our stamped passports. All of this was supposedly the easy part...the hardest part would be crossing The Gate. We had been warned about this gate. Sometimes it is easy, and sometimes it takes 4 hours.
We walked up to an iron gate protected by 4 police officers. They looked at each of our passports, then at each one of us. The one man nodded and past us through. We crossed the gate and immediately, we were surrounded by street vendors, bus companies, and taxi drivers. It was almost pretty festive the moment we had crossed. People were in a rush, yes. But there was a joyful feeling that lingered in the air. Almost a relief.
We hopped into a cab and off to the ferries we went. This days trek is coming to a close. The drive to the ferries was long as traffic had built up nicely. Going the opposite direction were truck drivers who seem to have been stopped for quite some time. Many had hammocks hung below their trailers so they were resting underneath their trucks and away from the heat. Many people were trekking it by foot down the highway as there were not alot of available taxis or buses or whatnot. With our legs covered in mud, we sat in a taxi. I spoke to the cab driver and asked to listen to reggaeton. At one point, we were sitting in traffic in Nicaragua listening to Souljahboys Kiss me through the Phone. It was somewhat unreal. Laughable really.

Once traffic loosened up the ride was manageable. To our right side was a view of Lago Nicaragua with Volcane Maderas y Volcane Concepcion next to each other. I noticed already that people in Nica really like their bachata as i heard Aventura get quite the airplay on the radio. This is my kind of town. On the ride, i also noticed that Nica had set up large windmills as a source of energy. This was quite a surprise as Nica is dubbed the second poorest country in all of central america.

(below is a pic of the ferry getting loaded with an import of pinatas for Christmas)

We got to San Jorge where we would wait for a ferry to take us across the lake Nicaragua and over to Matagalpa. This boat ride was about an hour. As we got closer and closer to the two standing volcanoes i couldnt help but cry. Not because of the trek that we had endured, but it was the memory flashes of the fights i had before leaving vancouver. They all came rushing back. As much as i had tried to supress them, it was clear that this was something that i will not forget. Yes, it is unfortunate to say goodbye in such a way...but i said goodbye standing up for what i believed in. Things will not be the same when i get back home, it could be worst...it could be better...only God knows. Only God knows why i am even here to begin with.
I wiped my tears knowing i am here for a bigger reason.
We got off the boat and jumped into a van that would take us to the hotel. It was a 45 minute bumpy road.
Compared to Costa Rica, i find Nicaragua to be very similar to the Philippines. The bugs, the people, the way some just hang outside relaxing on rocking chairs. It was comfortable.

Once we got to the hotel, we dropped our bags and headed straight for the hotel restaurant as all of us were huuuungry. I ordered a pescado en salsa thinking it was just a small meal. Out came a giant whole tilpia fresh from Lake Nicaragua. I haven{t given up so far this day so i decided to not let a fish kick my ass...i ate that entire thing! booyakasha!

After dinner, i wasnt ready to sleep. I went bak to my room and hung out with the Norwegians wrapping Christmas presents which i managed to keep dry and safe, away from Customs officers.

I wonder if Santa Clause has to deal with Customs...man oh man what a long list of questions they would have for him! All those houses in one night??? i dont think so!

... Lo que sea.

I have no words for this day...

Today Mereki and i did the butterfly/hummingbird/reptil tour. It was interesting and a lot slower paced than the last options we had taken but i needed to slow it down a bit. Too much all at one go wouldnt be much of a vacation. Me and adventure needed a break from each other for a bit so i can appreciate him more. Thats just the way it is.
While we were at Salvetura waiting for the tour to start, in walks in the other tour group...the one we had partied with previously. Mereki and I just kind of hid from them. There was no need to exchange greetings sober. If i see them again, it will most likely be in vancouver. If ever.

I managed to get some pretty amazing photos. One of the Jesus Christ lizard (the one that walks on water). The tour guide was on the ball with everything...he had answers to all my questions and we had a good well-rounded tour. Obviously, we forgot to tip :(
After the tour we got dropped off on the main town so we can go for lunch and pick up some things. Of course I couldnt leave Costa Rica without Cacique, salsa, and coffee so expect to see me with those in hand. Cacique isnt the best tasting alcohol (in fact itss pretty gross...like rubbing alcohol) but its true Costa Rican and hopefully it will go appreciated.

Once we got back to the hotel, the rest of the group had already started the wine and cheese dinner up on the terrace. With the sunset in place, the permanent mist in the sky...how could things be wrong?
One of the girls in the group (i wont mention names) may have had a bit too much to drink. In fact, we all had quite a bit. To sum it up, i heard a convo that i wish i had earmuffs for. Sad, but oh so very true. There were talks of massages and dirty talk en espagnol. This was about the time that i decided focus elsewhere. This girl swears nothing happened, but she didnt get back into the room until about an hour or so after the rest of the group took off from the little shindig on the terrace.

It seems that even though i may not understand tv novellas en espagnol...we are amongst one...in plain old english. Unfortunately.
Like a car crash, i still very much want to see where this develops. Stay tuned until the next episode!

Soaking it up and breaking it down

I got up at 6am today...packed some more...still kind of ringing from the night before. Instead of hanging around the hotel room any longer, i opted to go to the plaza across the street and write in my book. It was my last chance to soak in La Fortuna and i didnt want to blink.


It was maybe 2 minutes into my wandering when a huge unexpected rain shower came crashing. It was worthy of monsoon weather. I took refuge in an undercover gazeebo in the plaza where the other locals had ran to as well. I stayed under there waiting for the rain to let up - i stayed under there for about 45 min to an hour. I didnt mind though, i got up early enough and was packed up ready to hit Monteverde anyhow. Im going to miss La Fortuna. I barely got to know this town and its people yet i feel attached.

As i sit undercover and watched the rain, the dark horse from yesterdays water hole came by as well. We missed each others glances just enough to half miss it. We knew each other. I didnt make any notion and just continued to write. Half an hour or so passes, more locals gather under the gazeebo as more leave to get on the bus/rides. He walked past me but this time made sure not to miss a look. I said ola and so did he as he continued to go under a covered area in front of me. Immediately after, another local came up to me and started a make-shift convo. Spanglish as best we could. His name is Juan. He started convo by trying to guess what nationality i am (as most of them do). His guess started with Chinita, then Japonaise. We talked for a bit as far as what i did in town, how long i stayed, when im going, and where im going to next. All in Spanglish and hand motions. 85% of communication is non-verbal. fact.

There was a lot of things that he was saying at the time that i didnt know what meant, i know what it means now though and it was fair for me to have been creeped out a bit at that moment. I said goodbye and headed for the hotel as we were leaving shortly.



The private van was loaded and a hungover group was ready for the next. I saw the vancouver guys from the night before and peaced out with them as well (not knowing that i would see them again in Monteverde).


The road to Monteverde was long and bumpy. This trek also includeda boat ride as well which was kind of nice.

This town is much colder that La Fortuna as its got a higher elevation. It was almost like living in a cloud sometimes because we were constantly in a mist. I didnt feel like doing anything in this town, so while the other went on a tour i decided to find whatever patch of sun i could and write some more. I looked at the options of tours available and even though i was kind of set on a cloud walk or some kind of nature hike, i signed up for the butterfly/hummingbird/reptile tour. This was so i could be guaranteed to get some good photos, I didnt want to risk not seeing anything on a regular old hike or walk.


Once everyone got back from the tour, i was just starting to nap. I told them all that i wouldnt be joining them for dinner. The tour leader is a gringo and i can tell he misses home. I know this because every restaurant he recommends we all go to serves gringo food or some kind of fusion. Im trying to be a team player...but i didnt venture out to costa rica to eat pizza if you know what i mean.

As everyone left, i too went off to venture on my own. You make yourself so much more vulnerable when youre on your own not knowing where to go or what to do.
I got to a camida tipica place (soda type place) and got distracted right away. From a distance, i heard RHCPs Danny California being played...live. I put the menu down, picked up my bag and followed my ears. I went up a hill and found a longe/club where a band was playing. Nobody else was there and the band was just doing sound checks preparing for the night. I was in there with some of their friends and workers just watching. Instrumentally, they were pretty top notch...vocally, not so much. After a couple of songs, i headed back to the soda to have dinner.


The decision to go at it alone for the night was nice. I was kind of tired of walking around with a bunch of gringos. Not to be mean, but it made us a walking target almost. We would stick out of a crowd. And when youre so well protected in a group such as that, it makes you less approachable. You dont meet locals, and i cant practice my basic spanish. hahaha.
I purposely made myself vulnerable and as tired and apprehensive as i was at first, i knew i made the right decision.
To start building something up, you have to start at the base...at the beginning.

somewhere...beyond the sea (in a place called La Fortuna)

This day was a nice long and active day!
The activities started at 10am where we got picked up from the hotel and shuttled off for an adventure going rappelling. I was excited and a bit anxious at the same time. It didn´t help that the guide was extremely good looking. Extremely.
En route, we were stopped because there´s a bike tour happening in La Fortuna (like a toure de Costa Rica type deal) and it was really neat. Got a lot of photos from that.
Rappelling was a lot of fun. Went down 4 waterfalls with the last one being the biggest. It was pretty much a steady glide down. In between waterfalls we would hike through river drops and the forest as well. Well worth it!
After the 2 hour trek, we headed to what was similar to a tree house for camido tipico...typical food...casada.
We got back to the hotel just to drop off some things and off i went again to another personal trek. We rented bikes from a nearby place to tour the town a bit...and to head to the nearby water hole. Under a bridge was a little pathway which led to 2 little waterfalls, a rope swing, and a big river pool. Exciting! There were a few tourists there but there were also a good handful of locals as well. Tourists would do their best, jump and swim around the pool. Locals sat back and every now and then, they would do a jump to show the rest of us how it´s really done. La Fortuna style. They were like fish so comfortable diving around whirlpools and behind the waterfalls.

We dropped our bikes and everyone headed straight for the Tarzan rope swing. I watched one, two, three, four go ahead of me. Once it was my turn, a local boy handed the rope to me. Everyone was looking...the locals, mi amigas y amigos in the pool...eyes were on me. I´ve never done this before and in the opportunities in the past i´ve had to do this, i obv chose not to for good reasons. I don´t want to die!
I was up there on that cliff edge for some time, i´m not going to lie. Words of encouragement were thrown at me from everyone, locals included. I must have had the rope in my hands three separate times...and let go of it...three separate times. In the end, i opted for a baby cliff. No rope swing included. I just couldn´t do it!!
I´ve managed to challenge myself in the past few days and conquered class 3/4 rafting, rappelling down waterfalls, being a place i don´t know anyone or speak the language...yet this rope swing and water pool totally owned me. Perhaps another time :(

We hung about the pool for a bit then headed for a ride around town some more. Stopped for a drink at a soda then back to the hotel we went to get ready for dinner. While we were getting drinks, i had asked the server where to go to party that night. He advised a place called Volcano Look. A shuttle goes around to collect people in the town and takes them to the club which is about 4km away. I knew i had to do this!
We went to Lava Lounge for dinner. If it were up to me, i would have went somewhere for camida tipica...but i decided to be part of a group and went. After the dinner, a few of us relocated to the bar at the restaurant. My bartender was Nicaraguan...a Nica. He works in La fortuna because the money here is better. We asked him if he misses his family and he says of course, he´s got 3 niños, two of them both 5 years old. Merekay says, oh cute you have twins! He says...no, two baby mamas! hahahaha And he´s not married to either one of them. Hilarious. He was very suave but we managed to walk away. Off we went to the hotel to get ready for the shuttle service. On the way there, there were a couple of tourists hanging out on the street drinking. After talking to them for some time, i find out that all three of them are my neighbors...these three boys are from Kits! About 6 blocks at most away from my apartment back home. It was nuts. I chilled drinking on the street with them while the others went to get ready. Met some other cats from LA too...one which had almost got me killed earlier while i was on the bike. We had a good laugh about that one. I ran back to the hotel, changed into a dress, and off to the club we went. The neighbors and their friends all came along too.
We got in and the music was bumping (obv). I was pretty sauced...no, i was salsa´d. We all were...but not to worry, we were safe. I danced the entiiiiire night.
We got home pretty early as my group wanted to leave already. It was only half past one...but i didn´t want to be left behind so i went. Once we were back at the hotel, the idea of jumping in the pool got brought up...the idea of jumping in the pool was executed. Swimming around, the security was telling us it´s ceraddo. But i managed to talk to him (en espagnol) to let us just swim for an hour.
The night inevitably came to an end...the next day would start early and off to Monteverde we would go.

Finding something to Stick

It took my about half an hour to walk from the hostel to the next hotel. I was walking rather slow and stopping every now and then to ask "donde esta aqui?". I must have asked at least about 7-9 people that i had passed. I thought it would be fairly easy to find the place, and it would have been, but there were lack of street signs. Having a map was not enough...even locals couldn't find me on the map.


An important thing i've learned from Japa and Queens, it's to be fearless in my environment. Those two walked around town like they knew where they were going and what they were doing. The fact that they spoke a bit of the language was enough to get them by but there was an air of confidence about them too. Strolling through Yoses to get to Aranujez, i noticed i had adapted a bit of that from them. I had only an inkling of an idea of where i was and where i was going, but my swag was as if i was positive of my destination. Me and my giant backpack.


I got to my hotel and it turns out my roomie was already checked in. I went to the room excited to meet her but she was out at the time. So I chilled and watched spanish comedies on tv to wait for her and the rest of the others on the group.


Her name is Ashley and she's from Nelson, BC. A 29 year old girl who admits to never having travelled anywhere foreign before (the farthest and most foreign she's gone is Hawaii). She's very nice and seems very innocent. We chatted for about an hour and i find out that she too is a twin. What a coincidence...even though my twin isn't here with me...i'm with another half.


We're in a small group of eight. Three canadians, two norwegiens, one american, one aussie, and one swede. I was expecting a tour leader to be from central america, but to my surprise he's originally from toronto. He's a gringo! A 29 year old who's been living in central america for the past 4 years. After the welcome-meeting, we all went out to dinner.


During dinner, i found out that the gringo's aunt and uncle back in toronto have a restaurant called Rain. The interesting bit about this restaurant is that they only employ at-risk youth so these kids could have working skills/experience. I explained Aissa's job and how we had brainstormed before things that we could do to help keep kids off Vancouver streets...something like this seems very possible. I bet there's already something like it back home but we just don't know about it.


Nothing in this tour is included except for accomodations and some transportation so i'm in for quite an expensive time. Esp in Costa Rica and Belize. Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico should be fairly ok.


Costa Rica ia a real nature Lover's dream. Today we woke up early to head to La Fortuna to white water raft the Rio Toro which is level 3-4 (highest being 6). The drive there was long and windy and the thing that sucked about it the most...was that i got the bitch seat. I got the middle so i only managed to get a few photos driving through clouds and small towns.


I was nervous at first about rafting, never having done it, but it was a lot of fun. Nobody on my raft fell out and we didn't capsize (there were 6 of us in there including the guide). One of the other rafts capsized and there were some injuries that needed stitches. That got us nervous (because that happened near the beginning of the river) but it was exhilerating at the same time.
Every now and then when we were at a calm i would look up and see that we're encaved around diff trees, white herons, black vultures, and remember, "holy shit, i'm fucking rafting a level 3-4 in costa fuckin rica"'. It was a beautiful day for rafting and what a better place to do it than in La Fortuna. That adventure lasted for about an hour and a half.


Afterwards, we headed for a lunch that overlooked the river. Everything was prepared by the Desafio tour guides. We had Casada which is the typical Costa Rican lunch...rice, beans, meat, veg.


On our way from the lunch spot to our hotel, we spotted a sloth sleeping in the trees. We pulled over so i had a chance to take a couple photos even though it's back was towards us.


We checked into our hotels and went straight to the adventure guides to pay and find an activity for the next day. Four of us opted to rapell down the waterfalls for the afternoon. The aussie and i are also planning on renting bikes afterwards to tour around this small town and find the local watering hole to swim in.


I decided earlier on in the night that i wouldn't eat where the rest were planning on going to; I wanted to eat at a Soda and have costa rican food. Before dinner, a few of us strolled around to wander. I stopped by at a church which seemed to just be starting mass as i had entered. Seemed almost perfect. I couldn't stay long as i had to meet the others though so off i went after doing a short prayer to do a bit more wandering. I was speaking to the other canadian about religion as we strolled. I know i've fallen off the wagon for quite some time now waiting to find something to draw me back in...waiting for "my terms" as far as getting back into the church...but it's been a few years, and i realized i haven't even looked. This break of mine has been extended and extended. I know that everytime i'm on vacation, i find something to momentarily bring me back...but i'm looking for something to make me stay. Something that will stick.


When the group all met up to take off for dinner, i had expressed that i didn't want to go to the resto that they were planning on going to because i wanted to go to a soda. As it turns out, so did everyone else. So we ate at a nearby Soda (not the one i wanted to go to but i didn't speak up...i was just happy to be going to any Soda) and drank.


So far I've been brushing up on my Spanish, asking a lot of questions as far as how to say what, and talking to whoever i can. In this town though, eveyone speaks really good english. They want to practice their english on me, but i want to practice my spanish on them. Every day i learn something new. Some phrase, some word...and every day i find some way to use it. Que bien.