Flashback — Page 3

Flashback: The Road Thru Mexico

May 6, 2011 By Danny

Heading south and out of Northern Mexico we stopped in the colonial town of Zacatecas. It was an old silver town and we went because we’d read in a magazine that you could buy some kind of cool home made shoe there but when we got there we couldn’t find any of the frigging shoes. We toured the sites ranging from the old silver mine to the historic bull ring that had been recently transformed into the fanciest hotel in the city. Looking back on it, we did all the things that by the end of the trip we tried to avoid because they simply bore us.

On the other hand, this was also a region that helped to shape how we would travel long into the future. With a group from the hostel we set off on our own to hike in the nearby mountains and check out the random street festivals we happened upon in the lead-up to Semana Santa. We started to shop for our meals in the actual markets rather than in tourist centers and we enjoyed cooking with ‘authentic’ ingredients; one night we enjoyed a cactus salad at our hostel with some other travelers. (Just for the record, it was kinda weird.) Mostly though, we started to get into the rhythm of passing our days by enjoying the city parks and public spaces and watching as local life passed by right in front of us.

Those were the good parts.

This was also the time where we really started to appreciate just how difficult our lives were about to become. We spent an entire day trying to contact an outfitter that we’d be able to go kayaking with and then working to figure out the rest of our time in Mexico so that we could book our start date for our Spanish classes in Guatemala…we needed to choose a start date to make a reservation. If that sounds like a run-on sentence its because that’s how we felt…we weren’t used to dealing with all these planning factors and stressors all at once yet and it wasn’t so easy. Oh, and Semana Santa was due to start in a week…no bus tickets available then….

Things weren’t all bad though, once we worked it all out and left Zacatecas we were with two other traveling souls who wound up in kayaks going over a few waterfalls with us, an incredibly fun day and one of the best of the entire trip and had the added benefit of introducing us to another region’s cuisine. After the ride down the falls we visited the strange yet beautiful site of Xilitla before continuing onto the urban feel of Jalapa where we did some more kayaking and exploring of archaeological sites. These parts of Mexico are some of the reasons we loved the country so much, one day in a kayak (Jill got destroyed on a some pretty large rocks) and the next day touring an archaeological site. Jalapa itself was a university town and we enjoyed a meal of falafel and shwarma for dinner one night….quite a change from the Mexico we’d come to know so far and a world away from the one portrayed on the nightly news back in the USA.

One of those two with us at the waterfalls was the same Swiss girl was who had been with us in the Copper Canyon and had been with us ever since we left Baja. She was our first ‘backpacking’ friend, most of whom we’ve completely lost touch with. We stayed in our first two hostels with her and shared a great many laughs and memories. Suddenly, just as soon as we’d met, it was time to part ways. Like I said, we’d only been hanging out a few weeks but as we said our goodbyes the road suddenly seemed so much more lonely. Sure Jill and I were still together but the realities of the road really started to settle with us and began to make us very uncomfortable. We knew we’d meet people along the way, but suddenly I felt far more lonely and homesick than I did even on that first day of the trip….but stay tuned, it wasn’t long before we found our mojo.

Flashback: Northern Mexico

April 12, 2011 By Jillian

For a moment I feel nothing.

The Swiss girl we’re riding with shouts out and points at my leg. It’s at that moment I look down and see the gash my bike gear has sliced into my calf. It doesn’t hurt and it’s not bleeding badly but it’s in a position that’s hard for me to see. I want to press on but Danny and the Swiss girl basically refuse. She insists we go back to town to have it looked at.

I curse myself for not bringing our first aid kit, for surely a band-aid would do the trick.

She wraps my leg in a bandana and we cycle the few miles back to town. Our first stop is a pharmacy, where they tell me I have to go to see the doctor for stitches. I learn a new Spanish word- profundo– deep. Off we go, down the muddy street until we find the clinic, which incidentally is right behind our hostel. I open the door and silence.

The entire clinic goes quiet.

I see a waiting room full of local women and children, literally covering every surface. Babies are crying, kids are coughing and the whole scene looks directly out of a world health documentary.

The receptionist addresses me in Spanish and Danny steps in to explain what happened. I’m whisked away to the backroom where a nun cleans out the gash with a bar of soap (locked in a cabinet) and some tap water. She keeps telling me it’s not deep. It’s clear this clinic survives on donations only, their supplies are extremely limited. The doctor comes in, prescribes me antibiotics, bandages it up and we’re on our way. I pay and pass through the waiting room ashamed that my leg took priority over them. Weeks later I meet an American emergency room doctor in Guatemala. The cut hasn’t fully healed and he tells me I definitely should have had stitches – muy profundo.

We had taken the railroad from the coast through to Creel, and while the views and vistas were amazing, I couldn’t help but compare it to our own Grand Canyon, which in my opinion is much more awe inspiring. Not that the Copper Canyon is something to sneeze at, it’s certainly gorgeous! The area is inhabited by the Tarahumara people, famous for their ability to run long distances. They survived the Spanish conquistadors by hiding in the canyon. The history of the area and it’s landscape gives the main town, Creel, a certain Wild West boom town feel. Without the cut we would have spent more time in the canyon, but with hiking and mountain biking now off the list, we were left with little to do and Creel is not a village you want to linger in.

Looking back, I can’t say that I loved the Copper Canyon, but I’ll always remember it. The scar continues to fade, but the memory of that waiting room will stay with me forever.

It was the first time on our trip that I realize we’d be treated differently.

I quickly learned that the Gringo, who it is assumed has money, is King. Ask and ye shall receive, no matter how many people are waiting or have waited for that item. It was a shocking revelation.

Leaving the Copper Canyon, we went to our second couchsurfing host of the trip, Martha in Chihuahua. Her father, unsure about this whole “couch surfing” thing, had taken a week off of his ranch work to stay with the family. Fortunately our visit coincided with his birthday, so we gave him a good excuse to come home and celebrate with the family. We were simply humbled by their generosity, hospitality and friendship and immediately we were grateful to get to know them. Her father insisted we use Spanish as much as possible, which made for some rather awkward dinner conversations when I dropped in French or Italian words, but helped us forge a bond.

Chihuahua has been affected by the ongoing drug and cartel violence that plagues the U.S. border with Mexico. Our host told us a bit about how life had changed since the violence started, but besides her stories, we didn’t feel the tension or fear. To this day staying with them was one of the best couch surfing experiences we’ve ever had.

IF YOU GO: The Copper Canyon Railway runs from Los Mochis to Chihuahua, but you’re better off taking a bus from Creel to Chihuahua. Read our Copper Canyon Railway Review before you go for train tips. The best scenery is West of Creel, so don’t skip that part! There are many hiking and biking opportunities throughout the Canyon and we’ve heard really good things about visiting smaller villages inside the canyon. Creel is considered the market center of the Canyon, so it’s the best place to find other travelers and tours. Plenty of hotel and hostel owners will meet the train.

Chihuahua is a great place to visit and has a real “Western” feel. It’s not exactly a tourist center, but there’s plenty to fill a few days. Soak in the history of Pancho Villa at the local history museum downtown. Take a walking tour of the historic areas and don’t miss the interesting cowboy boots in the market!

This post was sponsored by LowCostHolidays.com. With a great range of flights, accomodation and transfers you can be sure to find your perfect Mexican Holiday.

Flashback: Baja, Mexico

April 7, 2011 By Danny

It was about noon when we walked across the border into Mexico. Although we didn’t want a trip itinerary, we had planned ourselves a little bit of a route through Baja to help get us started. It was literally our first day of a two year journey and once we figured out where we had to go to get our passports processed (most people didn’t actually need to do even that) we began the trip south. We were filled with anxiety, excitement and fear and we didn’t know how to do a single thing.

After heading a few hours south from the border we arrived at the little town of San Quintin and realized two things. The first was that spending the night was silly because all the buses heading south only ran through the night. The second thing we learned was that Jill’s rule of ‘never sleeping on a bus’ was to be broken very quickly. We purchased tickets south, found some excellent Mexican food, ate dinner, and then boarded the 3^rd bus that came through. The ones prior to that would have gotten us to our destination too early, a 5am arrival was as early as we were willing to push it despite the desires of several drivers who wanted to take us onto their bus so they could keep our fare for themselves.

We arrived in Guerrero Negro while it was still dark and hung out with a couple of Mexican tourists who also wanted to visit the whales. Our only memories from the bus are a vague recollection of policemen walking up and down the aisle at a checkpoint; otherwise we slept the whole time. As dawn broke, we headed to book what was one of the most amazing activities of our entire trip.

We drifted in our boat for close to 20 minutes before the whales were spotted. Each time a white cap crested in the horizon I gasped thinking it was a whale. Just as I was about to call the trip a bust, a huge burst of water exploded from in front of us. As we drifted closer, the entire boat listed to one side as all eight of us clamored to get a better view of the passing animal. To say these animals are huge is an understatement. To say they are friendly is the understatement of the century. These whales were like puppies. They came up to our boat, nudged the boat, rolled onto their backs for a tummy scratch, waved their fins, and even seemed to mug for the camera. We actually got to touch the whales, several times, as they swam next to our boat. Click here to read more…

Our adventures in Baja didn’t stop there. After the ride we were approached by a Canadian couple who were heading the same way as us to celebrate their retirement. They didn’t have space for us in their car but invited us to stay with them once we all arrived in La Paz. We accepted and together we spent several days together. Some of that time was spent on the beach but we took another boat trip together where we were attacked by pilot whales, clearly not as enjoyable company as the gray whales, but swimming with the sea lions around the island of Espiritu Santu was awesome.

At the northern most tip of the island we stopped to snorkel… at a sea lion rookery…with sea lions. Yes, with sea lions. A surreal sea-world experience, snorkeling with the sea lions was as exhilarating as it was frightening. Click here to read more…

IF YOU GO: The Baja peninsula is a marine biologist’s dream. If traveling the length of the peninsula on public transport, as we did, you should plan to travel via bus at night. There are also tons of vacation packages available that will cover lodging, transportation and even food. We chose to visit the gray whales in Guerrero Negro rather than San Ignacio simply because San Ignacio is not easily accessible via public transport. Once in La Paz, Espirtu Santu trips can be booked from in town or the beach where the tours depart from one day in advance. In La Paz you can also book yourself on the ferry to take you to mainland Mexico.

Gear: Start to Finish

March 15, 2011 By Danny

After 21 months backpacking around the world, through the Sahara, overlanding the silk road and climbing mountains, what gear survived?

These are the items that were with us when we walked across the border into Tiujana, Mexico and were still with us when our plane from Asia touched down in North America. All of these items were with us every step of the way….and survived. If you read any product review we write, make it this one!

Asus EEE PC – Our netbook computer (codename: Evelyn) has survived against all odds and I’m typing on it even now. It has survived sand and sun and even the occasional drop out of the back of a certain Land Rover onto the concrete below. The battery still gives us about 6 hours of use per charge and we have no problems with a single key and the screen is still perfect, albeit dusty. The version of windows that came pre-loaded eventually developed insomnia and the ensuing overheating forced us to switch to Linux and that has worked ever since. Now that we’re home, the power-cord is showing some wear, which I fixed, but we were able to order a replacement for $6. The computer shows its age but I have no reservations in recommending an Asus EEE PC to anyone. We picked ours up at Amazon.

Pentax DSLR K200D – Our big and heavy Pentax DSLR (codename Peter) is still shooting. We traded in our Canon before the trip because the Pentax is not only cheaper, but has a water-resistant and rugged body…which no doubt helped it to survive given that we only had it in a tiny Zing camera case. The full range zoom lens we purchased to go along with it isn’t ‘rugged’ rated and still works just fine. This camera still gives us better color saturation than any other DSLR we’ve come across and the only way it shows its age is that the sound it makes when you take a picture is different than it was at the start. This is a phenomenal camera (read our initial review) and I will not depart from Pentax DSLR cameras. Although our model is no longer being produced the value offered by Pentax over the more common Canon and Nikon brands is simply too good to pass up.

Pentax Optio W60 – This Pentax (codename Optio) point and shoot has never been quite as good as its big brother. When we purchased it, only one other water-proof camera was on the market. There are a few others out there now so I’m not entirely sure how the newer Optio models compare. This is a great camera for water sports, and that is the reason we purchased it, but if you’re looking for an every day point and shoot camera I’d recommend staying away from this water-proof variety. For our money though, this camera still works just as good as it did on day one and I bet that of the water-proof camera’s, the Pentax models are still top notch.

Eneloop Batteries – These are rechargeable batteries that hold their charge, unlike most rechargeables out there. When you buy them they are already charged which means they will work just find for your emergency kit as well as your travel kit. If you haven’t switched to these yet, you are about 2 years behind the curve. Batteries are expensive, just order some today, and you’ll never need any more batteries ever again. The full set of batteries we started this trip with is still with us and powering the same electronic devices two years later!

ExOfficio Give’N Go Undies – Although I enjoy the fact that I can again wear cotton underwear (aren’t you glad you asked) I have several pairs of these that have actually survived the entire trip. I cannot say the same for any other article of clothing. We’ve taken our clothes through some serious torture on our bodies and against the washboard and the fact that my underwear is the only thing that lasted two years is pretty remarkable. A few pairs bit the bullet and had to be cycled out, but seriously…this is quality material. If you do any level of exercise you would do well to pick up some of these.

Swiss Army Knife – There is only one option. Used mostly for opening canned food and beer and wine bottles it also does a pretty nice job at spreading peanut butter and emergency maintenance on eyeglasses and whatever else might need help.

Chacos – There is only one sandal I will ever wear. My pair of Chacos were new at the start of the trip and lasted until the final month…but not through that month. In the end the straps were finally torn by grit and dirt that had worked their way between the straps and the sandals. I had given myself a few extra weeks with a creative application of super glue but I can think of no other footwear that could have survived volcanoes, mountains, beaches, showers, swamps, jungles and deserts better than those Chacos. I already have a new pair.

So, wondering what those code names are all about? We named our electronics so that we wouldn’t stand in the middle of a busy market asking if the other person grabbed the computer or camera. Remarkably, thieves understand those words no matter what language they speak…better to be looking for lost “children.” Interested in more travel tips? Click here.

Two Years Ago

March 14, 2011 By Danny

Two years ago….

Barack Obama had been president for 2 months. There was a lot of snow on the ground over the prior weeks as we said goodbye to friends and family. You had never heard of Justin Bieber and Snookie was not someone you watched on TV.

On Friday, March 13, 2009, we set foot into Mexico with no itinerary and only a vague idea what we would do. The border was the busiest in the world and we nearly missed getting our passports stamped. We knew we were at the start of an adventure, but were really quite unsure as to what exactly it would be.

Over the ensuing weeks we survived a 7.1 earthquake and missed a coup d’etat in Honduras by 3 weeks. Local events, overtime, led way to bigger events like the earthquake in Haiti (and now Japan) and a near revolution in Iran. Sudan was one country when we were there, now it is two.

Two years ago it was time for us to begin making lots of decisions. Lebron had not yet made his. We made lots of mistakes, who doesn’t, and with time got better at the whole travel thing. Now we look back and realize how much we did and how little we actually even wrote about. I have 5 handwritten journals and 7 days a week I wrote more there than in any blog post.

For the next two years we’re going to re-live the last two. We aim to flashback to where we were two years ago about once per week and focus on what we remember now, what stood out in our mind. Looking back on our posts it is sometimes shocking to us to read about how we viewed an experience then as opposed to how we view it now. We’ve changed and so has our perspective.

Now it is time to retell our story.

Flashback: The Road Thru Mexico

Flashback: Northern Mexico

Flashback: Baja, Mexico

Gear: Start to Finish

Two Years Ago

Two years ago….

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