Tag: Travel Preparation

anticipation & preparation: family time in nicaragua & a return to mexico

wanderessence1025's avatar February 6, 2025

February 2025: It’s that time for us to be on the move again. We’re heading out for a month: we’ll spend a little over a week in Ometepe, Nicaragua and nearly three weeks in the highlands of Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Querétaro.

Isla de Ometepe

Anticipation: Ometepe, Nicaragua

We’re heading to Nicaragua for about a week to visit our youngest son Adam, who currently makes Ometepe Island in Nicaragua his home. He got married in May of 2023 to María, a Nicaraguan woman who already had 4 children: three girls – Cristy (13), Andrea (11) and Mia (8) – and one an adult young man (Johnny), who I’ve never met. María and Adam had a baby boy, Michael Christopher, on May 15 of 2024, but when we visited last March, he hadn’t yet been born. When we visited last year, we wanted a chance to meet María and the girls BEFORE the baby arrived. Now we’ll be meeting little Mike when he is almost 9 months old; hopefully he’ll be able to interact with us more than he would have if we had gone in May.

Little Michael Christopher soon after he was born on May 15, 2024
Mike and Adam
Little Mike
María and Mike
Mike
Mike
Adam holding Mike and Mia
Maria holding Mike
Mike
Little Man
Mike with Cristy’s hair over him
Mia and Mike
Maria and Mike
Adam’s new cows
Adam and Mike
Maria and Mike with the chickens
little Mike
Andrea, Mia and Cristy
Mike
the whole family
Andrea and Mike
Mike eats a watermelon

We plan to stay at Totoco Eco Resort, the same place we stayed last March when we visited. It is one of the few places on Ometepe that has a swimming pool. The only drawback is that some of the rooms only have compost toilets, and because we waited until the end of December to reserve the room, only one room was available: one with a compost toilet. I’m not sure how I’ll handle that. It seems most every place we’ve gone in Latin America requires one to put toilet paper in a waste basket strategically placed near the toilet. I hate all of that, but I guess I have to face the fact I’ll be roughing it a bit. It will be especially rough after having spent a month in Japan in September and October of 2024, where toilets are aplenty and most of them are modern and squeaky clean bidets.

March of 2024 with the whole family
our lodge at Totoco in 2024
pool at Totoco
Volcán Concepcion
the girls do a folkloric dance
our visit in March 2024
Maria & Mia at Ojo de Agua
Christy, Maria, Andrea, Adam and Mia at Ojo de Agua
Ojo de Agua in March 2024
Volcan Concepcion
Mia, Maria, Cristy and Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria
me with Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria
Mia at Punta de Jesús Maria
Punta de Jesús Maria
Mia, Andrea, Cristy, Adam and Maria at Punta de Jesús Maria
Adam and Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria
Adam and me at Finca de Magdalena
Maria, Mia, Andrea and Cristy

The little girls will be in school during the week we’re there, so it will be a disruption for the family as they’ll want to skip school. Adam assures us they won’t be missing anything because the education system is so bad. The family will also be busy with their various businesses. I hope we’ll have time to go to Ojo de Agua, a public swimming pool. The waters come from the volcanoes and are supposedly rich in minerals. We’ll also be celebrating María’s birthday while we’re there on February 12.

Anticipation: Mexico

I went to Mexico for a study-abroad program in 2007 while I was enrolled in my courses for a Master’s in International Commerce & Policy through George Mason University. The group went to Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Teotihuacan, and Taxco. Sadly, we didn’t have much time for sightseeing or relaxing as we were in lectures most of the time.

performance at the Zócolo in Mexico City
Zócolo
me with classmates at the Zócolo in Mexico City
Zócolo in Mexico City
one of many murals in Mexico
my class at Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán in 2007
me at Teotihuacán in 2007
me at Teotihuacán in 2007
me with a mariachi band
Taxco
Julia and me in Cuernavaca May, 2007
me in Cuernavaca with my young classmates

Thus I’m looking forward to exploring more around Mexico City and then venturing into some places in the highlands: Guanajuato (a colorful and vibrant university town and the capital of Guanajuato State with a population of about 195,000), San Miguel de Allende (a small colonial town – about 175,000 people – known for its charming atmosphere and arty expatriate community), and Querétaro (a larger city – about 2 million people – that was one of the first settlements in New Spain).

Our main goal in Mexico is to settle in to each place and explore in a leisurely fashion, with an eye to possibly moving there for a year or so during the next four years. It’s basically a scoping-out expedition.

Spanish studies

I’ve continued studying Spanish on Duolingo, accumulating 275,000 XP in Spanish, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually able to speak Spanish. I hope more Spanish has sunk in over the last two years of studying, as María and the girls only speak Spanish, and it was really a struggle for me last year.  I hope our language studies will help us navigate Mexico and other Latin American countries in the years ahead.

Music

I’ve created a playlist of Latin American music on Spotify, including famous Colombian singers Juanes, Karol G, and Fanny Lu; Mexican singers Julieta Venegas & Lhasa de Sela; and French-Spanish singer Manu Chao: Latin American & Spanish beats.

Books

Of course, I always try to read books set in my destination countries. I’ve been currently reading about Mexico since I read a lot last year to learn about Nicaragua. The books I’ve read are indicated with stars and ratings. I own the books in green and will try to read them sometime during the year.

Mexico ↓

  1. Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis
  2. Night of the Radishes by Sandra Benítez ***
  3. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
  4. A Stranger at My Door: Finding My Humanity on the U.S. Mexico Border by Peg Bowden
  5. The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú
  6. Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
  7. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros *****
  8. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros ***
  9. Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
  10. Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent into Darkness by Alfredo Corchado
  11. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins *****
  12. In the Casa Azul: A Novel of Revolution and Betrayal by Meaghan Delahunt ***
  13. Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
  14. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel ****
  15. Feathered Serpent by Colin Falconer
  16. The Years with Laura Díaz by Carlos Fuentes (currently reading)
  17. The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes
  18. God’s Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant
  19. The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo by F. G. Haghenbeck
  20. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez ****
  21. Several Ways to Die in Mexico City: An Autobiography of Death in Mexico City by Kurt Hollander
  22. Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico, Photos by Melba Levick, Text by Gina Hyams
  23. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (also North Carolina and D.C.)
  24. To Find – The Search for Meaning in Life on the Gringo Trail by J.R. Klein
  25. The Happy Hammock: How to Escape the Cold and Live in Mexico by Kathrin Lake
  26. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
  27. Loop by Brenda Lozano
  28. The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli
  29. Costalegre by Courtney Maum
  30. All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy #1) by Cormac McCarthy ****
  31. The Crossing (The Border Trilogy #2) by Cormac McCarthy
  32. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
  33. Lost in Oaxaca by Jessica Winters Mireles ****
  34. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  35. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  36. Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone by Mary Morris
  37. Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez
  38. The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz
  39. Capirotada: A Nogales Memoir by Alberto Alvaro Rio
  40. Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
  41. The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia
  42. Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
  43. Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together by Andrew Selee
  44. Landing in the Heart of Mexico: A Gringa’s Story by Collette Sommers
  45. Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester
  46. On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey by Paul Theroux
  47. Mexican: A Journey Through Design by Newell Turner
  48. The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
  49. The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
  50. Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos
  51. Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos
  52. Bad Karma: The True Story of a Mexican Surf Trip from Hell by Paul Wilson
  53. Lotería by Mario Alberto Zambrano
  54. Lonely Planet Mexico
  55. Lonely Planet San Miguel de Allende with Guanajuato & Querétaro by Julie Meade (currently reading)
  56. Moon Oaxaca by Cody Copeland
Movies set in Mexico

Here are some movies set in Mexico. The latest one we just saw was Emilia Pérez, which was fabulous.

Mexico

  1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
  2. Touch of Evil (1958)
  3. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
  4. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
  5. The Professionals (1966)
  6. The Wild Bunch (1969)
  7. Up in Smoke (1978)
  8. El Norte (1983)
  9. Three Amigos (1986)
  10. El Mariachi (1992)
  11. From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
  12. Solo Con Tu Pareja (1991)
  13. Traffic (2000)
  14. Amores Perros (2000)
  15. Y tu mamá también (2001)
  16. Frida (2002)
  17. And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
  18. Nacho Libre (2006)
  19. Apocalypto (2006)
  20. Sin Nombre (2009)
  21. Alamar (To the Sea) (2009)
  22. Monsters (2010)
  23. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
  24. Güeros (2014)
  25. Sicario (2015)
  26. Roma (2018) (Netflix) ***
  27. The House of Flowers (TV series) 2020
  28. Noise (2022)
  29. Radical (2023)
  30. Thursday’s Widows (Limited TV series) (2023)
  31. Triptych (TV series (2023)
  32. All the Places (2023)
  33. Familia. (2023)
  34. Griselda (Limited Series) (2024)
  35. Lucca’s World (2024)
  36. The Manny (TV series) (2024)
  37. The Secret of the River (TV series) (2024)
  38. Emilia Pérez (2024) *****
  39. Celda 211 (Prison Cell 211) (TV Mini Series) (2025)
Travel Journal

I’ve prepared a travel journal for both Nicaragua and Mexico.

Nicaragua journal & Mexico journal

Warnings

After signing up for the Smart Traveler notifications with the State Department, we got the following travel warning.

In Mexico City:

Exercise increased caution due to crime.

Both violent and non-violent crime occur throughout Mexico City. Use additional caution, particularly at night, outside of the frequented tourist areas where police and security patrol more routinely. Petty crime occurs frequently in both tourist and non-tourist areas.

In Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro:

Reconsider travel due to crime.

Gang violence, often associated with the theft of petroleum and natural gas from the state oil company and other suppliers, occurs in Guanajuato, primarily in the south and central areas of the state. Of particular concern is the high number of murders in the southern region of the state associated with cartel-related violence. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.

There are no other restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Guanajuato state, which includes tourist areas in: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato City, and surrounding areas.

As with anything, it’s just bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we will have to be vigilant, especially in Mexico City.

Our Itinerary
Nicaragua (9 nights)

Our main goal in Nicaragua is to visit Adam and his family on Ometepe Island. We’ll be on Ometepe for 7 nights, with an additional 2 nights in Managua after flying in and before flying out. There, we plan to mostly hang out with the family, although I hope we can go to Punta Jesus María and Ojo de Agua with the family. I also wouldn’t mind kayaking again down the Río Istian, or hiking on one of the two volcanoes, Volcán Concepción or Volcán Maderas.

Mexico (18 nights)
  1. Mexico City: 6 nights
    1. Centro Histórico:
      1. Zócolo
      2. Templo Mayor
      3. Museo Nacional de Arte
      4. Catedral Metroplitana
      5. Palacio Nacional: Diego Rivera murals
    2. Alameda Central
      1. Monumento a la Revolución
      2. Palacio de Bellas Artas
      3. Museo Mural Diego Rivera
    3. Roma
      1. Museo del Objeto de Objeto
      2. Mercado Roma: gourmet food hall (weekends)
      3. Plaza La Romita
    4. Condesa
      1. Parque México: Trendy restaurants, hip boutiques
    5. Polanco & Bosque de Chapultepec
      1. Museo Tamayo
      2. Castillo de Chapultepec
      3. Museo Nacional de Antropologia
      4. Museo Soumaya
      5. Museo Jumex
    6. San Ángel
      1. Templo & Museo de El Carmen (monastery)
      2. Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo
    7. Coyoacán
      1. Museo Frida Kahlo
      2. Museo Casa de León Trotsky
      3. Mercado de Coyoacán
      4. Xochimilco (Canals and floating gardens 19km south of Coyoacán)
    8. AROUND MEXICO CITY:
      1. Teotihuacán (once the largest city in Ancient Mexico)
      2. Cuernavaca: “City of Eternal Spring” & colonial town center & Ancient Xochicalco; also Taxco
      3. Puebla (walking tour p. 152) & Cholula (Pirámide Tepanapa)
      4. Malinalco (small Aztec temple complex)
  2. Guanajuato: 4 nights
    1. Centro Histórico:
      1. Teatro Juárez
      2. Templo de San Diego Alcantará
      3. Universidad de Guanajuato
      4. Mercado Hidalgo
      5. Alhóndiga de Granaditas
      6. Museo Casa Diego Rivera
      7. El Pípila and the Funicular Panorámico
    2. North of the Centro
      1. Templo de San Cayetano
    3. Vicinity of Guanajuato
      1. Santa Rosa
  3. San Miguel de Allende (5 nights)
    1. Centro Histórico:
      1. Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel
      2. Iglesia de San Rafael
      3. El Jardín
      4. Casa de Allende
      5. Casa del Mayorazgo de la Canal
      6. Oratorio San Filipe Neri
      7. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Salud
      8. More….
    2. North of the Centro
      1. Fábrica La Aurora
    3. East of the Centro
      1. El Mirador
      2. El Charco del Ingenio (botanical garden)
    4. Vicinity of San Miguel de Allende
      1. Atotonilco
        1. Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
      2. La Gruta Hot Springs
      3. Cañada de la Virgen
      4. Mineral de Pozos
      5. Delores Hidalgo
        1. Wineries
  4. Querétaro (3 nights)
    1. Plaza de Armas
    2. Museo de Arte de Querétaro (housed in former Argentinian convent)
    3. Temple y Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa de Viterbo (unique former convent & temple)
    4. Mercado de la Cruz
    5. Peña de Bernal
    6. northeast of town: Jalpan de Serra (tiny mountain town)

See you again in mid-March. 🙂 At that time we’ll be looking into moving to Costa Rica for a year, hopefully beginning in June.

anticipation & preparation: nicaragua & costa rica

wanderessence1025's avatar December 21, 2022

We are going to Nicaragua and Costa Rica after the Christmas holidays. This will be our first time to Central America, and I feel good that this year we’re giving some love to the Americas outside of the U.S. Our primary reason for going to Nicaragua is to visit our youngest son who has been staying on Ometepe Island in that country almost since the start of the pandemic. We’ve seen him on FaceTime and Zoom, and talked with him frequently, but we haven’t seen him in person since early 2020.

Mike was the driving force behind going to Costa Rica, which adjoins the southern border of Nicaragua; to be honest I wasn’t originally all that thrilled about it. Heat and humidity are not things I enjoy; neither are bugs, poisonous snakes, bullet ants, and other unpredictable wildlife. Plus, Costa Rica is a different ballgame altogether with all of its adventure sports and active volcanoes. However, after reading a lot about it, I’m now fully onboard and have even opted to try numerous adventure sports such as ziplining, tubing, rafting and superman ziplining, as well as walks over hanging bridges and guided wildlife walks.

Spanish studies

I’ve continued my Spanish studies with The Great Courses and with Duolingo; so far I have a 212 day streak and I’m determined to meet daily goals and to keep practicing.

Duolingo stats 2022
Duolingo stats 2022
Duolingo stats 2022
Duolingo stats 2022
Duolingo stats 2022
Duolingo stats 2022

Books

Of course, I always love to read books set in my destination, so I read some of the books below (indicated with stars and ratings). I own the books in green and will read them sometime during the year.

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books set in Nicaragua

Nicaragua

  1. The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love & War by Gioconda Belli *****
  2. The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey by Salman Rushdie ***
  3. Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle by Thomas W. Walker
  4. Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer (currently reading)
  5. The Ladies of Managua by Eleni N. Gage (Kindle) ***
  6. Lonely Planet Nicaragua ****
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books set in or partly in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

  1. Moon Costa Rica by Nikki Solano ****
  2. Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion, Ed. by Barbara Ras
  3. The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica by Mavis Hiltunen Biesanz & Richard Biesanz
  4. Monkeys are Made of Chocolate: Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica by Jack Ewing
  5. Happier Than a Billionaire: Quitting My Job, Moving to Costa Rica, & Living the Zero Hour Work Week by Nadine Hays Pisani (currently reading)
  6. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
  7. The Lost World by Michael Crichton
  8. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond (& San Francisco, CA) ****
  9. The Best Short Stories of Quince Duncan by Quince Duncan
  10. A Beach House to Die For by K.C. Ames
  11. See Before You Die: Costa Rica by J.E. Leigh
  12. The Scent of Jade by Dee DeTarsio
  13. It’s Every Monkey for Themselves: A True Story of Sex, Love and Lies in the Jungle by Vanessa Woods

Movies

I found movies set in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but sadly I haven’t seen any of them. Hopefully, I can find some of these in the coming months.

Nicaragua

  1. Alsino and the Condor (1982)
  2. Under Fire (1983)
  3. Latino (1985)
  4. Walker (1987)
  5. Clinton and Nadine (1988)
  6. Sandino (1990)
  7. Carla’s Song (1997)
  8. La Yuma (2010)
  9. Now & Later (2011)
  10. Kill the Messenger (2014)
  11. The Naked Screen (La Pantalla Desnuda) (2014)
  12. Drunk Wedding (2015)

Costa Rica

  1. Caribe (1987)
  2. Jurassic Park (1993)
  3. Jurassic Park & The Lost World (1997)
  4. Jurassic Park III (2001)
  5. Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
  6. The Blue Butterfly (2004)
  7. The Red Sky (El Cielo Rojo) (2008)
  8. The Path (El camino) (2008)
  9. Cold Water of the Sea (Agua fría de mar) (2010)
  10. Costa Rican Summer (2010)
  11. Runner Runner (2013)
  12. After Earth (2013) – in La Fortuna
  13. The Happiest Place in the World (El lugar más feliz del mundo) (2015)
  14. Journey (Viaje) (2015)
  15. After Words (2015)
  16. Imprisoned (Presos) (2015)
  17. About Us (Entonces nosotros) (2016)
  18. The Heat After the Rain (El calor después de la lluvia) (2016)
  19. Paths of Love (Los caminos del amor) (2019)
  20. Land of Ashes (Ceniza negra) (2019)
  21. The Last Thing He Wanted (2020)
  22. One Step from Me (A un paso de mí) (2021)

Our Itinerary

It seems our time in Nicaragua will be more laid back than our time in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a real tourist destination with so many activities to choose from that it boggles the mind. Below is our itinerary. The Costa Rica part includes numerous options, some of which we haven’t yet narrowed down. I hope to wait until we’re in country and can get recommendations from our hotels or tour guides.

Nicaragua

Our entire trip encompasses 22 days, including the travel to Nicaragua and from Costa Rica.

1) Tuesday: Fly into Managua, Nicaragua. Pick up rental car and drive to Matagalpa. (2 hr 12 min):

  • Hotel San Jose, Matagalpa

2) Wednesday: Overnight in Matagalpa

  • Hiking opportunities abound. Boulder, fields and red rock faces of El Ocote
  • Cafetín Girasol: Sells detailed leaflets for self-guided walks
  • Esteli: (1 hr 34 min): Reserva Natural Miraflor (???) (too far and too much time?)
    • Stunning cloud forest with rivers and waterfalls
    • One-day trek 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. and cost around $20/person (inc. 2 meals and mandatory guide). All money goes to supporting community and farmers.

3) Thursday: Overnight in Matagalpa

  • Reserva Natural Cerro Apante: Cloud Forest Reserve and shade-grown coffee plantations, pleasant cool climate (2 hour round trip hike to mirador)
  • Selva Negra – hike any of 20 km of trails

4) Friday: Matagalpa to León (2 hr 36 min)

  • Hotel La Posada del Doctor
  • Leon City Walk, p. 145 guidebook (Revolutionary and Cultural Leon)
    • Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián (contemporary art, $2, way to escape the heat)
    • Iglesia de la Recolección – most beautiful church in city
    • Museo Histórico de la Revolución (Museum of the Revolution – $2)
    • Catedral de León 8 a.m. to 12 OR 2-4 pm Monday-Saturday (Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
      • Largest in Central America, Tomb of Rubén Darío (poet)
      • Climb to top for views ($2)
    • Street Art of the Revolution
    • Dine at Al Mirador for views and sunset
    • Explore local markets: Mercado Central most popular and renovated, across street from Cathedral

5) Saturday: Overnight in León

  • La Peñitas – white sand paradise
  • Poneloya
  • Mas Adventures – hiking trips to Telica, El Hoyo, Cosigüina * Asosasca Volcanoes
  • Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado (not sure)

6) Sunday: León to Granada (2 hr 25 min)

  • Granada Airbnb
  • Motorbiking is a good way to get around in Granada; NO UBER. Get around by Tuk-tuk, taxi or foot.
  • Drive by Masaya volcano (stop at Mirador Catarina) – if you go at night from Granada you can see the magma lit up
  • Fortaleza La Polvora – best views in town to Lago Nicaragua
  • La Capilla María Auxiliadora – beautiful interior
  • Cemeterioide Granada – outskirts of town

7) Monday: Overnight in Granada

  • City Walk: p. 88 guidebook
    • Explore main plaza: Parque Central, Catedral de Granada
    • Go to Iglesia La Merced (near Cathedral) and climb bell tower ($1): stunning views of Cathedral and the city in general (great sunset location as well)
    • Convento y Museo San Francisco
  • Iglesia de Merced – Sunset Views from bell tower

8) Tuesday: Overnight in Granada

  • Volcan Mombacho – hikes. Open with regular hours (Fri, Sat, Sun only??)
  • Reserva Natural Laguna de Apoyo – Crater Lake
    • Go to Paradiso hostel; message them on Facebook and book direct for free access to tubes, sun loungers and kayaks, small fee for paddle boards ($10/person if book with them directly)
  • Isletas de Oranada

9) Wednesday: Granada > Rivas (1 hr 13 min) > to Santa Cruz, Ometepe (2 hr 12 min – cross ferry)

  • El Encanto Garden Hotel, Santa Cruz
  • Punta Jesus Maria
  • Ojo de Agua (The Eye of Water) Ometepe – natural spring. (Carol & Carlos recommended)

10) Thursday: Overnight in Santa Cruz, Ometepe

  • Motorbikes? Or bicycles?
  • Hike to Cascada San Ramón
  • Horseback ride to Volcán Maderas
  • More of our son’s life

11) Friday: Santa Cruz, Ometepe (cross ferry) > San Juan del Sur (2 hr 40 min)

  • HC Liri Hotel
  • Explore San Juan del Sur: Clapboard Victorian houses, pretty beach for sunset stroll, statue of Christ: Cristo de la Misericordia (1 hr hike up and 1 hr down)
  • Eat dinner at El Timon San Juan del Sur – Nicaraguan beach restaurant with thatched roof – Latin live music J (Recommended by Carol & Carlos)

Costa Rica

12) Saturday: LEAVE NICARAGUA. San Juan del Sur > Peñas Blancas > Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica (2 hr 26 min)

  • (Trade in rental car and get new one at the border in Peñas Blancas)
  • Our son returns to Ometepe and we travel onward.
  • Hotel El Velero
  • Laid back vibe, Relax on the beach, stroll 4-block boardwalk

13) Sunday: Overnight in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

  • Diamante Eco Adventure Park
    • Zip line and Aerial Adventure + 30 foot free fall Quick jump. Scheduled for 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • Relax on the beach

14) Monday: Playa Hermosa > Airport (29 min) > Liberia (19 min) > Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin (32 min)

  • Take Alex to Guanacaste Airport near Liberia by 10:00 AM. (32 minutes)
  • Liberia:
    • Iglesia La Agonía
    • Giant El Toro Statue
    • Parque Mario Cañas Ruiz & Central Church of Liberia
    • Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin, Rincon de la Vieja National Park
    • (Massages??)

15) Tuesday: Overnight at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin

  • 2x 1 day Adventure Pass 8:30 a.m.
    • Canopy (zipline tour), rapelling through the Rio Blanco Canyon, a tubing adventure on the Rio Negro River with class III rapids, horseback riding expedition to nearby waterfalls, relax with volcano heated thermal waters, steam and mud bath.

16) Wednesday: Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin > Catarata Llanos del Cortes (47 min) > Bijagua, Costa Rica (55 min)

  • (TOTAL drive 1 hr 33 min)
  • Catarata Llanos del Cortes (quick stop at waterfall)
  • Celeste Mountain Lodge
  • Volcán Tenorio: Rio Celeste: hiking: Sendero Principal 3km 1 way 1.5-2 hours last entry 2 pm.
  • Rio Celeste: $2 to park by trailhead and $12/person to hike the trail (8 am – 4 pm)
    • Along bright blue river
    • Enter park through El Pilón Ranger Station
    • Catarata Rio Celeste (waterfall)
    • Mountain Mirador
    • Laguna Azul
    • Borbollones & Los Teñideros
  • Also: Frog Paradise and Wildlife Sanctuary nearby (night tour?)

17) Thursday: Bijagua > Tilaran (1 hr 7 min) > Monteverde (1 hour 41 min) Take route 145 and 606.

  • Hotel Claro de Luna
  • Monteverde Rain Forest Night Walk $34 (@ 2 hours) (5:30 or 8 pm)
    • Meeting point: Wildlife Refuge Monteverde: C. Los Camachos, Provincia de Puntarenas, Monteverde, Costa Rica Drive to Cañitas in the 606 nort 1K out of the town to Refugio de vida silvestre in calle Camachos or add in your GPS 85HC+FV Monterverde de Puntarenas when you are there please ask for Johnny Villegas in the front desk of Refugio de Vida Silvestre
    • RSVP to the biggest party in Monteverde with this nocturnal tour of the area’s famed wildlife by moonlight, when nearly 80 percent of Monteverde’s mammalian residents come out to play. Join a guide who will help you spot animals such as gray foxes, reptiles, and more as they come out after dark. Guided night walk of Monteverde’s wildlife Spot the animals that only come out at night, including gray foxes and more Nocturnal tour lets you see more of Monteverde’s famed animal life, as nearly 80 percent of its mammals are nocturnal. Read more about Monteverde Rain Forest Night Walk – https://www.viator.com/tours/Puntarenas/Monteverde-Night-Walk/d4506-23968P2?mcid=56757

18) Friday: Overnight in Monteverde. OPTIONS:

  • Monteverde Sky Adventures Park:
    • Sky Walk &Tram @ Monteverde 9:35 pick up at hotel.  Adventure from 10:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
  • Monteverde Orchid Garden (9 am – 5 pm daily, $14/adult)
    • Complimentary guided tour (departs every 15 minutes 9am-4:15pm, 35-45 min) is optional but wows everyone.
  • Shopping in Santa Elena:
    • Woods Art Gallery – Costa Rican souvenirs
    • Foresta Arte Local – jewelry, clothing and items made with batik fabrics
    • Luna Azul – handcrafted jewelry and clothing designed by Costa Ricans

19) Saturday: Overnight in Monteverde. OPTIONS:

  • Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena – cloud forest immersion (7am-4pm daily, last entry 2:30pm, $16/adult). Significantly smaller, slightly higher in elevation, and noticeably less busy than the Monteverde cloud forest reserve (see below). More intimate and peaceful experience. 12km of well-maintained hiking trails.
    • Tour guide in visitor center: natural history walk (7:30am, 9:15am, 11:30am, 1pm daily, 2.5 hours, $33/adult) All guided bookings require 2 days notice. By phone or website.
    • Guided Sunrise Tour: (4:50 am daily, 1.5-2 hours, $25pp, includes reserve entrance fee). Tour provides access to park before reserve opens; when sunrise tour wraps up, can spend the rest of the day exploring the network of on-site trails at your own pace, at no extra cost.
    • Hiking:
      • Sendero Encantado, 3.5km loop, 2-3 hours, moderate)
      • Sendero del Bajjo (2.5km loop, 1.5 hours, moderate) (don’t have to work too hard on either of the above trails)
      • Sendero Caño Negro: (5km one-way, 3-4 hours, moderate-difficult) – roughest, most adventurous trek of reserve’s five trails.
  • OR Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso de Monteverde (12 min drive from Santa Elena. 4×4 recommended but not required) – Park fee $25/person. Most popular cloud forest. Over 4,000 hectares. 11 trails of varying length. Well maintained and easy to follow.
    • 7am-4pm daily, last entry 2pm, $25/adult
    • Region’s most visited cloud forest reserve
    • Guided tours:
      • Early morning bird-watching tour (6am, 3 hours, $65pp.)
        • Resplendent quetzal
        • Three wattled bellbird
      • Daytime natural history walk (7:30am, 11:30am, 1:30 pm – 2 hours, $23/pp)
      • Can arrange tours through the reserve or through tour operators in town – advance reservation for tours are required
      • Park’s trails can also be explored without a guide. Advance reservations recommended but not required, esp. in morning when park is busiest.
      • Hiking: 13km trail system beyond the main visitors center.
        • Sendero Bosque Nuboso, 2km one way, 45 min, moderate)
          • “cloud forest” – dense forest where air is moist and cluttered with clouds. Prettiest trail in park
        • Sendero Camino, 2km one way, 30-45 min, easy-moderate) – less rugged terrain, a wider track and an easier hike, but a less scenic experience.
          • Both of above most frequented, end near La Ventana (The Window) a lookout point over the Continental Divide
  • Hummingbird Garden (just outside Monteverde Cloud Forest)
  • Horse Trek Monteverde – choose from mountain and farm rides, during the day or sunset, rides along the Continental Divide and more.
    • Half-day ($49-65 pp)
    • Full-day ($85 pp)
  • El Tigre waterfalls:
    • 2 trails, both intermediate level, showcasing 4 stunning waterfalls and 9 bridges. $29 entry. 7:30am-2pm.
  • Selvatura Park (wildlife – hummingbirds, snakes, butterflies, and other species) – Caters to busloads of visitors daily.
    • Guided exhibit tours every 15 min (8:30 am – 2:30 pm daily)
      • Hummingbird garden ($6/person)
      • Butterfly Garden ($17/person)
      • Reptile and Amphibian Exhibition ($17/person)
      • Sloth Sanctuary (45 min, $35/adult)
    • Adventure tours:
      • Zip-lining canopy tour ($55/adult – 8:30 am, 11am, 1pm, 2:30 pm. 2.5 hours)
      • Treetop Walkways hanging bridges tour (8:30 am, 11am, 1pm, 2:30pm. 2-2.5 hours guided tour – $33/person) A moderate hike through 90% virgin forest. 1.9km of trails over 8 bridges ranging from 170 feet to an amazing 560ft. in length.
  • Monteverde Adventure Company
    • Whitewater rafting
    • Safari float excursion on Río Tenorio
    • Horsebackriding tour
    • Mountain biking tour
    • Kayaking tour
    • Stand-up paddleboarding tour on or around Lago Arenal
  • Find the ficus tree bridge hidden in the jungle of Santa Elena
    1. Located in downtown Santa Elena, should only take about 30 minutes. Walk from the start of the trail takes only 5 minutes. Try climbing down to the river and get an angle from below.
  • Finca Don Juan (8am-5pm daily)
    • Coffee, Chocolate and Sugarcane Tour (8am, 10am, 1pm, 3pm daily. $37/adult)

20) Sunday: Monteverde > Juan Santamaría International Airport (2 hr 46 min) – drop off rental car) > San Jose (45 min)

  • Birdwatching Morning Tour 6am-8am. See up to 480 bird species – pickup included. $65.76/person

    • Read more about Bird Watching Tour in Monteverde – https://www.viator.com/tours/Monteverde/Birdwatching-Tour-in-Monteverde-Cloud-Forest/d24783-9102P1?mcid=56757 Immerse yourself in the bird lover’s paradise of Monteverde cloud forest on this 2.5-hour early-morning bird-watching tour. With up to 450 species of birds, including the rare Resplendent Quetzal, Monteverde is a natural playground for wildlife enthusiasts and your expert guide will ensure you tick off as many as possible. Don’t just train your binoculars on the treetops either – white-throated capuchin monkeys, coatis, agoutis and deer are also common sightings. 2.5-hour bird-watching tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Maximise your chances of spotting birds with an early-morning walking tour Be in with a chance of seeing 450 different bird species, including the Resplendent Quetzal Spot wildlife like coatis, capuchin monkeys and deer No experience necessary: suitable for all abilities Free hotel pickup and drop-off included Small-group tour ensures a personalized experience.

  • Hotel Santo Tomas/Historical Property 

21) Monday: Overnight in San Jose

  • Can take a San José Free Walking Tour 9 am and 1 pm daily, 3 hours, donations accepted). Covers downtown core. Just meet in front of Aurora Holiday Inn on north side of Parque Morazán.
  • Sights:
    • Cathedral Metropolitana (6am-7:30pm Mon-Sat; 6am-9pm Sun) 4 masses throughout day Mon-Sat.; 7 services on Sunday.
    • Plaza de la Cultura (park)
    • Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (can visit for free to see inside) – can see theater on guided tour 9am-4pm daily, 45 min, $11/person)
    • Museo del Jade (pre-Columbian history) (See the Night exhibit & the colorful Day exhibit) (9am-5pm daily, $16/person)
    • Museo del Oro Precolombino: Gold Museum (9:15am-5pm daily) $14/person)

22) Tuesday: Fly home to U.S.

Travel Journal

Finally, here are some bits of my journal that I’ll be taking along.

a slothy journal
cover page and maps
some cool wildlife to look forward to
Nicaragua (from Lonely Planet)
Costa Rica (from Lonely Planet)

See you again in January. Happy New Year, everyone!

 

anticipation & preparation: canada’s maritimes

wanderessence1025's avatar September 21, 2022

Our final road trip for 2022 will be to The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, of Eastern Canada. This region consists of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The biggest draw for me is to see my dear friend, Lisa, who I met in Egypt in 2007.  She moved to Prince Edward Island soon after Trump was elected and then invited me to visit her in 2018; at that time, I’d already made plans to walk the Camino de Santiago. I couldn’t make it north in 2019, and then of course COVID hit in 2020 and 2021 (and is still here!). Finally, I determined this year to visit Lisa in PEI, to visit the Halifax area and Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia, and to visit St. John and the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

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One of my happiest times: Left to Right: Lisa, me, & Shannon at the Grand Cafe in Cairo in July 2007

Somehow an article online came to my attention that further cemented my desire to visit The Maritimes: “12 Top-Rated Hiking Trails in Nova Scotia.” The photos and trail descriptions in this article lured me with promises of wide open views of the sea. I have made a hike-heavy itinerary, with visits to the towns of Halifax, Charlottetown, and Saint John, as well as to Kejimkujik National Park, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and Fundy National Park. We’ll also spend time exploring smaller villages such as Lunenburg, Cape d’Or, Ingonish (all Nova Scotia); Summerside and Victoria by the Sea (PEI); and finally Alma and St. Andrews by the Sea (New Brunswick).

Mostly, I look forward to spending some time with my hilarious friend, Lisa; walking outdoors near the sea; and eating a lot of seafood.

To prepare, I read Fodor’s Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada.  I have also purchased a book to bring along: Trails of Prince Edward Island by Michael Haynes. I wrote to Prince Edward Island Tourism to get more information, and from these sources and the article I found (mentioned above), I fashioned a road trip which will take, including driving time there and back, nineteen days (including four+ days of driving there and back).

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Travel preparation for The Maritimes

Music

Lisa sent me some YouTube videos of Canadian music that she loves, including the following:

  1. Meaghan Blanchard Sings Waltzing with You
  2. The East Pointers Live at Celtic Colours International Festival 2015
  3. Richard Wood – Kitchen Party
  4. Spirit of the West “Home for a Rest” – Official Music Video
  5. Vishtèn TERRE ROUGE
  6. The Islander – Shanneyganock (Newfoundland)

Besides these songs, I discovered a Canadian-Mexican musician I love: Lhasa De Sela.  She sings in English, French and Spanish.  Here is one of her songs: J’arrive à la ville.

And I made up my own playlist on Spotify: Canadian tunes.

Books

Of course, I always love to read books set in my destination, so I read some of the books below (indicated with stars and ratings). I own the books in green and will read them sometime during the year.

  1. New Brunswick
    1. The Birthday Lunch by Joan Clark ***
  2. Nova Scotia
    1. When the Saints by Sarah Mian ****
    2. In the Field by Claire Tacon *****
    3. Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
    4. The Museum Guard by Howard Norman
    5. My Famous Evening by Howard Norman
    6. The Birth House by Ami McKay
    7. Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada Fodor’s Travel ****
  3. Prince Edward Island
    1. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery (Kindle) ****
    2. Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables #2) by L.M. Montgomery
    3. Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables #3) by L.M. Montgomery
    4. The Blue Moth Motel by Olivia Robinson

For more international books, see my page: books | international a-z |.

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Books I’ve read or am reading

Movies

I found movies and T.V. shows set in Canada, but not all of them are set in The Maritimes. Hopefully, I can find some of these in the coming months.

  1. Johnny Belinda (1948) (Cape Breton Island)
  2. Anne of Green Gables (1985) (TV Mini-series) (Prince Edward Island)
  3. Anne of Avonlea (1987)
  4. Titanic (1997) *****
  5. The Shipping News (2001) (Newfoundland)
  6. Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018)
  7. Monsieur Lazhar (2011) ****
  8. Schitt’s Creek (TV series 2015-2020) *****
  9. Anne of Green Gables (2016) ****
  10. The Sinner (2017-2021)
  11. The Lighthouse (2019)
  12. Firefly Lane (TV series 2021- ) ***
  13. Workin’ Moms (TV series 2017-2023) **** (early seasons are best)

I prepared a journal, but it’s nothing fancy.

My journal for this trip
The Maritimes
Some things to do
a drawing of Peggy’s Cove lighthouse in Nova Scotia

The biggest obstacle we face at this point is my father’s health. He has been bedridden for the last eight months or so, and at any point things could change with him, causing us to have to cancel our plans. We are prepared to do whatever is necessary.

anticipation & preparation: ecuador

wanderessence1025's avatar June 16, 2022

I began 2020 with hopes of going to Ecuador that July, but sadly coronavirus put a stop to that. I still held on to my dreams of exploring this South American country, so this year (2022), I finished reading Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands and another little brochure (This is Ecuador: The Most Complete Guide to Ecuador Since 1968, dated December 2018) that somehow made its way to me. I started researching online things to do and see in Ecuador.

I found an article that I also read for ideas: culture trip: 12 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know About Ecuador.

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Lonely Planet guide to Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands, along with two journals

Spanish studies

My original intent was to “live like a local,” staying in Cuenca and Quito, possibly taking a Spanish immersion class and spending time wandering aimlessly and writing. In 2020, I started a Spanish class at the end of January.  I’m embarrassed to say that I studied Spanish for four years in high school, but I didn’t remember much of anything. Thus I started all over at the beginning, at level 100. We started in-person classes, but due to the pandemic, we had to meet online for the remaining courses. The virtual classes weren’t much fun, and I eventually dropped them because I wasn’t consistently studying. This year I started again, this time with The Great Courses.  I still have been inconsistent with studying. Finally, in mid-May, I started with Duolingo, and now I seem to be determined to meet daily goals and to practice more. This is the first language learning course I’ve done that is actually fun.

Music

For my class in 2020, I had to do a Power Point presentation about “Music of Ecuador,” so I learned about the country’s traditional music including pasillo, pasacalle, yarabi, marimba, bomba, and Sanjuanito.  I also learned about some Indie rock groups, including Da Pawn and La Máquina Camaleön, both of which I love. I created a short playlist on Spotify: ecuadorian music, which I’ll add to over the coming months.

Books

Of course, I always love to read books set in my destination, so I read some of the books below (indicated with stars and ratings). I own the books in green and will read them sometime during the year.

  1. the queen of water: a novel based on a true story by Laura Resau and María Virginia Farinango (YA) ****
  2. America Was Hard to Find by Kathleen Alcott *
  3. The Panama Hat Trail by Tom Miller ****
  4. Cañar: A Year in the Highlands of Ecuador by Judy Blankenship ****
  5. Our House in the Clouds: Building a Second Life in the Andes of Ecuador by Judy Blankenship ****
  6. The Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepúlveda ****
  7. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
  8. The Farm on the River of Emeralds by Moritz Thomsen (currently reading)
  9. Pieces of My Life by Rachel Dann
  10. Villa Pacifica by Kapka Kassabova
  11. The Amnesia Clinic by James Scudamore
  12. City on the Ledge by Philip Kraske
  13. The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (+ Columbia + Venezuela)
  14. Fool’s Gold by P.J. Skinner
  15. Huasipungo: The Villagers by Jorge Icaza
  16. Measure of the Earth: The Enlightenment Expedition That Reshaped Our World by Larrie D. Ferreiro
  17. Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands by Regis St. Louis ****
  18. Galápagos Islands
    1. Enchanted Islands by Allison Amand ***
    2. Plundering Paradise: The Hand of Man on the Galápagos Islands by Michael D’Orso ****
    3. Floreana by Margret Whittmer
    4. The Evolution of Jane by Cathleen Schine
    5. To the Edge of the World by Harry Thompson
    6. Mr. Darwin’s Shooter by Roger McDonald
    7. The Origin of Murder by Jerold Last
    8. Galápagos Regained by James K. Morrow
    9. The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World by Charles Darwin (intro. by Steve Jones)
    10. Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin’s Lost Notebooks by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
    11. The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner
    12. The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin by Irving Stone

For more international books, see my page: books | international a-z |.

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Books I’m reading set in Ecuador

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More books set in Ecuador

Movies

I found movies set in Ecuador, but sadly I haven’t seen any of them.  Hopefully, I can find some of these in the coming months.

  1. Entre Marx y una Mujer Desnuda (1996)
  2. Proof of Life (2000)
  3. Crónicas (2004)
  4. Qué tan lejos (2006)
  5. Crude (2009)
  6. Rage (2009)
  7. Fisherman (Pescador) (2011)
  8. With My Heart in Yambo (Con mi Corazó en Yambo) (2011)
  9. The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas) (2012)
  10. The Death of Jaime Roldos (La Muerte de Jaime Roldós) (2013)
  11. El Facilitador (2013)
  12. The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)
  13. Holiday (Feriado) (2014)
  14. El Secreto de Magdalena (2015)
  15. Medardo (2015)
  16. A Secret in the Box (Un Secreto en la Caja) (2016)
  17. Translucido (Translúcido) (2016)
  18. Such Is Life in the Tropics (Sin Muertos No Hay Carnaval) (2016)
  19. Special Correspondents (2016)
  20. Alba (2016)
  21. Snatched (2017) (& Colombia) ***
  22. Final Minute (2018)
  23. The Longest Night (2019)

Our Itinerary

After having researched more about Ecuador, we have expanded our travel plans extensively.  We will spend our first five nights in Quito, exploring the UNESCO World Heritage city, and venturing west of town to the Mindo Cloud Forest.  Another day, we will possibly head southeast to the Termas de Papallacta, a complex of thermal baths in the Northern Oriente, an edge of the Ecuadorian jungle.

We will then fly to Cuenca (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) for six nights, exploring the city, going out to three market towns, Gualeceo, Chordeleg and Sigsig one day, and venturing out for hikes to Parque Nacional Cajas for a day.  I’m hoping to find myself a Panama hat at the Sigsig market. The hats are misnamed as they originate in Ecuador.

After leaving Cuenca we will make our way north about 80km along the Pan American Highway and stop in Ingapirca, a set of pre-Colombian ruins.  We’ll overnight there and then head to Riobamba, where we can visit a Saturday market. From there, we’ll drive to Baños, where we can take a downhill bike ride on the Baños-Puyo Road through a series of waterfalls.  The next day, we’ll take a bicycle ride down Volcan Chimborazo.

Then it’s ever northward to Latacunga, where we’ll drive a portion of the Quilotoa Loop to Tigua, Zumbahua, and Quilotoa, a large volcanic crater with an emerald green lake in an indigenous community. We might hike around the rim of the crater, about a 7.5 mile trek, or an out-and-back of a shorter distance. We could opt to hike down to the lake if the weather is bad.

After Latacunga, it’s hacienda time!  We plan to stay at Hacienda Los Mortiños, from which we hope to hike and take a horseback ride into Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. The next day we’ll head north of Quito to Otavalo for its huge Saturday market; there, we’ll stay at another hacienda, Las Palmeras Inn. On the way to Otavalo, we hope to stop for lunch at yet another hacienda, Hacienda Cusín.

In all, we plan to spend three weeks in the country.

We decided against the Galápagos Islands on this trip. Originally, I didn’t think I’d have an interest in going there, but having read about it, I would like to visit at some future time.

I prepared one journal, and will bring another along in case I need two.

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Quito

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more Quito

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Cuenca

Back in 2020, I created some intentions for my travels, although I haven’t been doing intentions since I took a break from blogging in 2021. These intentions were for my originally intended “slow travel,” where I hoped to stay in one place and write a lot. As can be seen here, our plans have become much more involved since I originally conceived of this trip.

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Ecuador intentions

Warnings

We planned to leave in mid-June of 2022. However, our plans were waylaid. We received a warning from the U.S. State Department on Friday, June 10: “The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) is planning demonstrations and road blockages nationwide from June 13 to June 15.  Multiple roads in and out of Quito, including those leading to the airport, could be affected.  Some past demonstrations have turned violent and security forces have responded with crowd dispersal agents to maintain public order.

“Among the Roads Likely to be Affected Are:  San Miguel del Común, Mariscal Sucre and Humberto Albornoz, Ruta Viva, Toll Intervalles, Intervalles and Guayaquil, Intervalles and Sebastiana de Benalcazar, Mitad del Mundo, Simón Bolívar sector el Troje, and Maldonado sector Escuela Riobamba.  Please keep in mind that these locations are subject to change.

During this time, please take the following actions

·         Avoid crowds

·         Avoid demonstration areas

·         Monitor local media for updates on road closures.

·         Exercise caution if transiting through affected areas.

·         Consider alternate routes.”

And on Tuesday, June 14, we received this: “The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) continues to lead demonstrations nationwide.  Demonstrators have blocked multiple roads around the country, both in cities and rural areas.  There are also reports of violence in some areas, including on Avenida 6 de Diciembre in Quito where demonstrators have reportedly vandalized police cars, started fires, and assaulted law enforcement officials.  The situation is rapidly evolving and could continue to worsen and spread to other areas without notice.  We urge you to remain vigilant, closely monitor the situation for updates, and exercise caution when traveling in both urban and rural areas of the country.”

I have read about these protests, which apparently occur frequently, in the book by Judy Blankenship: Our House in the Clouds: Building a Second Life in the Andes of Ecuador. She describes how the indigenous people block the Pan American Highway, the main north-south highway, with boulders, trees and all other kinds of debris. On Wednesday morning, pulling up a Google map of the route I saw this:

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The Pan American Highway from Cuenca to Quito on Wednesday, June 14, showing road closures

In the end, we cancelled the trip the night before we were due to depart due to the ongoing violence and road closures. We waited, watching the situation and making alternate plans to go to Colombia in case the strikes weren’t resolved. In the end, after 18 days, the strikes were resolved and the government and the Indigenous People decided to sit down for talks for 90 days. We went ahead and rebooked our entire vacation, and now we’re leaving in late July.

We’re hoping all goes well!

 

anticipation & preparation: new hampshire & vermont in 2014

wanderessence1025's avatar October 23, 2020

Alex and I planned to stay at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire with Ron and his wife; Ron was the father of my colleague from Oman, Spencer.  We would drive the Kancamagus Highway, a 34.5 mile scenic drive along New Hampshire’s Rt. 112 in the White Mountains. We would stop at the Albany Covered Bridge that crosses the Swift River and at Sabbaday Falls. We’d visit the Flume Gorge, near the town of Lincoln, New Hampshire, and the Flume Covered Bridge.

New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
Lake Winnipesaukee

After we left New Hampshire, we would drive through Woodstock, Vermont, then we’d head to Bennington, Vermont. In New York, we’d drive off the beaten track into the Catskill Mountains, where we’d try to hike to Kaaterskill Falls.

Bennington, Vermont
Catskills in New York

There are a number of books set in New Hampshire and Vermont, some of which I’d already read.

Books set in New Hampshire include:

    1. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving *****
    2. The Cider House Rules by John Irving ****
    3. The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
    4. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve ****
    5. Fortune’s Rocks by Anita Shreve
    6. The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve
    7. All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve
    8. The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
    9. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
    10. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
    11. Edson by Bill Morrisey
    12. As We Are Now by May Sarton

Books set in Vermont include:

    1. Testimony by Anita Shreve ***
    2. breathing water by T. Greenwood
    3. Last Things by Jenny Offill (& Louisiana)
    4. The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
    5. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
    6. Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian
    7. The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian
    8. The Honey Wall by Karen Latuchie (& New York)
    9. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner (& Wisconsin)
    10. The Late Bloomers’ Club by Louise Miller
    11. In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent
    12. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
    13. Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
    14. Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
    15. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
    16. A Stranger in the Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher
    17. Where the Rivers Flow North by Howard Frank Mosher
    18. Disappearances by Howard Frank Mosher
    19. Points North by Howard Frank Mosher
    20. Wandering Home by Bill McKibben
    21. Witness by Karen Hesse
    22. Go With Me by Castle Freeman Jr.
    23. All the Best People by Sonja Yoerg
    24. Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

Movies set in New Hampshire include:

  1. The Moon’s Our Home (1936)
  2. Our Town (1940)
  3. Northwest Passage (1940)
  4. The Devil & Daniel Webster (1941)
  5. The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951)
  6. The Last Detail (1973)
  7. The Europeans (1979)
  8. On Golden Pond (1981) *****
  9. The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
  10. The Good Son (1993)
  11. The War Room (1993)
  12. Affliction (1997)
  13. Mr. Deeds (2002)
  14. The Brown Bunny (2003)
  15. Live Free or Die (2006)
  16. The Sensation of Sight (2006)
  17. Disappearances (2006)
  18. What Goes Up (2009)
  19. Before I Sleep (2013)
  20. In Your Eyes (2014)
  21. Hedgehog (2017)

Movies set in Vermont include:

  1. Nothing Sacred (1937)
  2. The Trouble with Harry (1955)
  3. Those Calloways (1965)
  4. The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story (1983)
  5. September (1987)
  6. Baby Boom (1987) ****
  7. Sweet Hearts Dance (1988)
  8. The Wizard of Loneliness (1988)
  9. Funny Farm (1988)
  10. Johnny Tsunami (1999)
  11. What Lies Beneath (2000)
  12. State and Main (2000)
  13. Super Troopers (2001)
  14. Spinning Into Butter (2007)
  15. Northern Borders (2013)
  16. Ten Thousand Saints (2015)
  17. Moonlight in Vermont (2017)

It would be a short road trip for us.  We’d be on the road from July 10-15, 2014.

anticipation & preparation: the canyon & cactus road trip

wanderessence1025's avatar September 25, 2020

My Canyon & Cactus Road Trip will be a huge undertaking. I hope to drive to Denver, Colorado (three days of 8+ hour drives) and pick up Mike as he flies in.  We’ll visit our son in Denver and have he and his girlfriend accompany us to Utah.  In Utah, I want to visit Goblin Valley State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park and St. George.  At some point, Alex and his girlfriend will return to Denver, and Mike will fly home from Las Vegas.

Canyonlands in Utah
Canyonlands in Utah
Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

Once everyone departs, I hope to continue my way into Arizona. I will probably have to save the Grand Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument for another trip. I plan to head to Sedona, Turzigoot National Monument, and Red Rock State Park. Then I’ll head south to Agua Fria National Monument and then to the Phoenix area. 

In the Phoenix area, I’d like to visit various sites around the city of Phoenix.  I’ll keep heading south, to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, and then to Tucson. From Tucson, I’ll visit Ironwood Forest National Monument, Saguaro National Park, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tombstone, Chiricahua National Monument and Ft. Bowie National Historic Site.

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Coal Mine Canyon in Utah

After all of this, I’ll have a very long drive home, four days of 8+ hour drives, hopefully stopping in Deming, New Mexico; Abilene, Texas; Forrest City, Arkansas; Kingsport, Tennessee; and back to Northern Virginia. 

A lot must come together for me to go on this trip.  As I just had my Stretta procedure on my lower esophageal sphincter on September 17, I must see how my healing goes and I must see my doctor on October 15.

Luckily I managed to vote early in Fairfax County. I had to stand in line for an hour and 40 minutes, but the deed is done!

If all goes well, my hope is to leave on Saturday or Sunday, October 17 or 18.  I imagine the trip will be less than a month in duration.

All this year, I’ve been reading books set in New Mexico and Texas, as I hoped I’d be going there. All that reading will prepare me when I eventually go either in 2021 or 2022. I’ve been to Arizona and Utah before and here are some of the books on my reading list.

  • Arizona
    1. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver ****
    2. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
    3. The Woman Lit by Fireflies by Jim Harrison *****
    4. Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor
    5. The Song of the Lark (Great Plains Trilogy #2) by Willa Cather
    6. Arizona: Kicks on Route 66.  Text by Roger Naylor, Photographs by Larry Lindahl
    7. Inland by Téa Obreht (currently reading)
    8. Crossers by Philip Caputo
    9. The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir by Leslie Marmon Silko
    10. Gallatin Canyon by Thomas McGuane
    11. Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral (Doc Holliday #2) by Mary Doria Russell
    12. These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner (Arizona Territory)
  • Utah
    1. The Never Open Desert Diner by James Anderson ****
    2. Lullaby Road by James Anderson
    3. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka *****
    4. Junction, Utah by Rebecca Lawton
    5. The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber
    6. Basin and Range by John McPhee (non-fiction)
    7. Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer
    8. Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner
    9. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey
    10. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

There are also a number of movies set in Arizona and Utah.

  • Arizona
    1. Raising Arizona (1987) ****
    2. Thelma and Louise (1991) ****
    3. Grand Canyon (1991)
    4. Tombstone (1993)
    5. How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2005) ****
    6. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
    7. Lucky (2017) ****
  • Utah
    1. The Electric Horseman (1979)
    2. Footloose (1984) *****
    3. Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade (1989)
    4. 127 Hours (2010) ****

I haven’t had time to prepare my journal yet, but I have a couple of weeks left. I have however picked out the journals I will use.

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journals for my Canyon & Cactus Road Trip

The orange highlights on the Utah map below show my route during my Four Corners Road Trip in 2018. The places I plan to go this time are circled in the southwestern part of the state.

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Utah planning

The orange highlights on the Arizona map below show my route during my Four Corners Road Trip in 2018. The places I plan to go this time are circled in the southern part of the state. I plan to skip the Grand Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs on this trip.

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Arizona planning

Here are a few pages from my travel journal, still in progress.

Canyon & Cactus Road Trip Journal
Canyon & Cactus Road Trip Journal
Canyon & Cactus Road Trip Journal

anticipation & preparation: california in 2014 & 2015

wanderessence1025's avatar August 28, 2020

Some of the things I planned for my trip to California in January of 2014 were as follows:

  1. Visit my sister in Los Angeles and explore the Venice Walk-Streets at Venice Beach.
  2. Visit a fellow blogger, Rosie, walk to Bob’s Big Boy and attend Poets and Writers LIVE!
  3. See some of the California missions in Ventura and Santa Barbara.
  4. Go to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Stearns Wharf.
  5. Visit Hearst Castle at San Simeon.
  6. Visit my friend Jayne in Danville, near San Francisco.
  7. Go wine tasting with Jayne on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley.
  8. Drive the 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach.
  9. Visit Monterey.

Venice Beach 2014
Venice Walk-Streets 2014
Monterrey, CA 2014
Fog-enshrouded San Francisco 2014
Hearst Castle 2014
Hearst Castle 2014
Mission Ventura
Malibu Seafood

On my way home from China in July of 2015, I also stopped in California.  This time, my plans were as follows:

  1. Visit my sister again in Los Angeles.
  2. Explore Anacapa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park, with my sister.
  3. Go with my blogging friend Rosie to Joshua Tree National Park.

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Anacapa Island

fullsizeoutput_c486I didn’t read many books to prepare for my trip to California, but I had read a number in the past and had a huge list of books to choose from (this list is the tip of the iceberg):

  1. China Dolls by Lisa See **
  2. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan *****
  3. The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan (& China) ****
  4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ***
  5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ****
  6. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
  7. The Physics of Sunset: A Novel by Jane Vandenburgh ****
  8. The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington ****
  9. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan ***
  10. The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende ****
  11. The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende ***
  12. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
  13. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (& N.Y. & Nevada)
  14. An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender
  15. The Book of Dead Birds by Gayle Brandeis
  16. The Metaphysical Touch by Sylvia Brownrigg
  17. Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Essays) by Joan Dideon
  18. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
  19. Where I Was From by Joan Didion
  20. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
  21. The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
  22. Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
  23. House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
  24. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
  25. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
  26. Abandon by Pico Iyer
  27. The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
  28. Like Family by Paula McLain (memoir)
  29. Song of the Seals by Christy Yorke
  30. The Library Book by Susan Orlean
  31. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
  32. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea
  33. Failure to Zigzag: A Novel by Jane Vandenburgh
  34. The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
  35. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
  36. Delayed Rays of a Star by Amanda Lee Koe
  37. Homebase: A Novel by Shawn Wong
  38. The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli
  39. The Whip by Karen Kondazian
  40. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
  41. The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander (also Soviet Union)
  42. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
  43. The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle
  44. Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz
  45. Bone by Fae Myenne Ng
  46. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
  47. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
  48. Big Sur by Jack Kerouac
  49. The Octopus: A Story of California by Frank Norris
  50. This Wicked World by Richard Lange
  51. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
  52. The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
  53. Ask the Dust by John Fante
  54. Telegraph Avenue: A Novel by Michael Chabon
  55. Perfidia by James Ellroy
  56. The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
  57. The Mountains of California by John Muir
  58. West of Eden by Jean Stein
  59. Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub
  60. My Hollywood by Mona Simpson
  61. Farm City by Novella Carpenter
  62. The Circle by Dave Eggers
  63. The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
  64. The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson
  65. The Midnights by Sarah Nicole Smetana
  66. Another Side of Paradise by  Sally Koslow
  67. The Dirty Book Club by Lisi Harrison
  68. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
  69. The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding
  70. The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
  71. Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins
  72. There There by Tommy Orange
  73. Golden State by Stephanie Kegan
  74. Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
  75. The Party by Robyn Harding

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Native California plants

These are multitudes of movies set in California, many of which I have seen:

  1. Vertigo (1958) *****
  2. The Graduate (1967) *****
  3. Duel (1971) *****
  4. Play Misty for Me (1971) ****
  5. Dirty Harry (1971) ****
  6. Heaven Can Wait (1978) ****
  7. Top Gun (1986) ****
  8. Father of the Bride (1991) ****
  9. Clueless (1995)
  10. The Parent Trap (1998) ****
  11. Erin Brokovich (2000) ****
  12. Almost Famous (2000)
  13. Life as a House (2001)
  14. The Hours (2002) *****
  15. Punch Drunk Love (2002)
  16. Crash (2004) *****
  17. Meet the Fockers (2004) ****
  18. Sideways (2004) ****
  19. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) *****
  20. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
  21. Bobby (2006)
  22. Babel (2006) ****
  23. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****
  24. Into the Wild (2007)
  25. Milk (2008)
  26. Frost/Nixon (2008)
  27. Changeling (2008)
  28. Bottle Shock (2009)
  29. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
  30. My Sister’s Keeper (2009)
  31. Easy A (2010)
  32. The Kids Are All Right (2010) ***
  33. Larry Crowne (2011) *****
  34. Hangover Part II (2011)
  35. We Bought a Zoo (2011)
  36. Just Go With It (2011)
  37. Drive (2011)
  38. Chasing Mavericks (2012)
  39. Blue Jasmine (2013) ***
  40. The Call (2013) ****
  41. If I Stay (2014)
  42. Wild (2014) ****
  43. San Andreas (2015)
  44. Steve Jobs (2015) *****
  45. McFarland, USA (2015)
  46. Concussion (2015) ****
  47. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
  48. 20th Century Women (2016) ****
  49. La La Land (2016) ****
  50. The Founder (2016)
  51. Home Again (2017) ****
  52. Lady Bird (2017) *****
  53. Bumblebee (2018)
  54. Free Solo (2018)
  55. First Man (2018)
  56. The Sisters Brothers (2018)
  57. Echo in the Canyon (2018) ***
  58. The Biggest Little Farm (2018) ****
  59. Winchester (2018)
  60. Bird Box (2018)
  61. Destination Wedding (2018)
  62. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
  63. The Dirt (2019)
  64. The Intruder (2019)
  65. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
  66. Captain Marvel (2019)
  67. Wine Country (2019)
  68. Us (2019)

I would be in California from January 3-13, 2014 and then again from July 10-15, 2015.

 

anticipation & preparation: ecuador – someday :-)

wanderessence1025's avatar July 24, 2020

I began the new year with hopes of going to Ecuador in July, so I started reading Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands and another little brochure (This is Ecuador: The Most Complete Guide to Ecuador Since 1968, dated December 2018) that somehow made its way to me.

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Lonely Planet guide to Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands, along with two journals

Since I was hoping to “live like a local,” I started a Spanish class at the end of January.  I’m embarrassed to say that I studied Spanish for four years in high school. I had rarely used it, so I didn’t remember much of anything. Thus I started all over at the beginning, at level 100. We started in-person classes, but due to the pandemic, we had to meet online for the remaining courses. The virtual classes haven’t been much fun.  I was never crazy about the teacher, who I felt could have given us a lot more practice time. She is also terrible about keeping the class on track.  We had our last class for level 200 this past Wednesday, and I’ve decided I will try to study on my own because I hate the Zoom classes.  Whenever I am able to go to Ecuador, I hope to take immersion classes in Quito.

For my class, I had to do a Power Point presentation about “Music of Ecuador,” so I learned about the country’s traditional music including pasillo, pasacalle, yarabi, marimba, bomba, and Sanjuanito.  I also learned about some Indie rock groups, including Da Pawn and La Máquina Camaleön, both of which I love. I created a short playlist on Spotify: ecuadorian music, which I’ll add to over the coming months.

I found an article that I also read for ideas: culture trip: 12 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know About Ecuador.

Of course, I always love to read books set in my destination, so I read some of the books below (indicated with stars and ratings).  Others are suggested reading; since I can’t go to Ecuador this year, maybe I can read some of the others.

  1. the queen of water: a novel based on a true story by Laura Resau and María Virginia Farinango (YA) ****
  2. America Was Hard to Find by Kathleen Alcott (currently reading)
  3. The Panama Hat Trail by Tom Miller
  4. Our House in the Clouds: Building a Second Life in the Andes of Ecuador by Judy Blankenship
  5. Cañar: A Year in the Highlands of Ecuador by Judy Blankenship
  6. Pieces of My Life by Rachel Dann
  7. Villa Pacifica by Kapka Kassabova
  8. The Amnesia Clinic by James Scudamore
  9. City on the Ledge by Philip Kraske
  10. The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (+ Columbia + Venezuela)
  11. Fool’s Gold by P.J. Skinner
  12. Huasipungo: The Villagers by Jorge Icaza
  13. Measure of the Earth: The Enlightenment Expedition That Reshaped Our World by Larrie D. Ferreiro
  14. The Farm on the River of Emeralds by Moritz Thomsen
  15. Galápagos Islands
    1. Enchanted Islands by Allison Amand ***
    2. Floreana by Margret Whittmer
    3. The Evolution of Jane by Cathleen Schine
    4. To the Edge of the World by Harry Thompson
    5. Mr. Darwin’s Shooter by Roger McDonald
    6. The Origin of Murder by Jerold Last
    7. Plundering Paradise: The Hand of Man on the Galápagos Islands by Michael D’Orso
    8. Galápagos Regained by James K. Morrow
    9. The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World by Charles Darwin (intro. by Steve Jones)
    10. Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin’s Lost Notebooks by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
    11. The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner
    12. The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin by Irving Stone

For more international books, see my page: books | international a-z |.

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Books I’m reading set in Ecuador

I found movies set in Ecuador, but sadly I haven’t seen any of them.  Hopefully, I can find some of these in the coming months.

  1. Entre Marx y una Mujer Desnuda (1996)
  2. Proof of Life (2000)
  3. Crónicas (2004)
  4. Qué tan lejos (2006)
  5. Crude (2009)
  6. Rage (2009)
  7. Fisherman (Pescador) (2011)
  8. With My Heart in Yambo (Con mi Corazó en Yambo) (2011)
  9. The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas) (2012)
  10. The Death of Jaime Roldos (La Muerte de Jaime Roldós) (2013)
  11. El Facilitador (2013)
  12. The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)
  13. Holiday (Feriado) (2014)
  14. El Secreto de Magdalena (2015)
  15. Medardo (2015)
  16. A Secret in the Box (Un Secreto en la Caja) (2016)
  17. Translucido (Translúcido) (2016)
  18. Such Is Life in the Tropics (Sin Muertos No Hay Carnaval) (2016)
  19. Special Correspondents (2016)
  20. Alba (2016)
  21. Snatched (2017)
  22. Final Minute (2018)
  23. The Longest Night (2019)

After having read more about Ecuador, I am no longer certain about my plan to stay only in Quito for a month.  Now, I want to go to Cuenca (both Quito and Cuenca are UNESCO World Heritage Sites).  I would also love to go to Guayaquil, and possibly from there to the Galápagos Islands. Originally, I didn’t think I’d have an interest in going there, but now that I’ve read about it, maybe I will have to visit.

I’m not sure when I’ll be able to go, but I am certain that someday, this pandemic will come to an end, and we’ll all be able to travel again.

I prepared one journal, and depending on how long I end up staying, it’s possible I’ll use two or three.

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Quito

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more Quito

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Cuenca

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Galápagos Islands

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Galápagos Islands

As always, I created some intentions for my travels.

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Ecuador intentions

I still hope to go in July of either 2021 or 2022.  My friend Jayne in Jersey, England has said she wants me to come to her 60th birthday next July, which would mean I’d plan to travel somewhere in Europe (assuming Americans are allowed there!).  That would put my trip back another year.  Someday, I hope! 🙂

 

 

anticipation & preparation: nepal in 2013

wanderessence1025's avatar June 26, 2020

I went to Nepal without much of a plan in January of 2013 because it was a last-minute trip.

My colleague, Mona Lisa, had spent several months in Nepal and loved it.  She highly recommended the Kathmandu Guest House (Kathmandu Guest House), so I promptly arranged to stay there.  I downloaded to my Kindle the Rough Guide to Nepal and Lonely Planet Nepal and started reading. Mona Lisa stocked me up with trekking essentials (which I wasn’t sure I would use since I didn’t plan to do any long overnight treks), a city map, a walking stick, and miscellaneous other essentials.  She also sent me the link to some Tibetan incantations, music that would soothe my soul in Kathmandu, music that she said I would hear everywhere on the capital’s streets, music that would capture the soul of the place.

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Kathmandu

Another colleague, Zida, told me she hated Kathmandu because of the filth, pollution and chaos, but she highly recommended Pokhara, which she said was stunning.  I hoped the Kathmandu Guest House would help me book a flight to Pokhara, home of Phewa Lake, Mt. Machhapuchhare and Annapurna.

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Pokhara

Here are some books about or set in Nepal; I read some of them (the ones with links and star ratings) after I returned home.  The others are merely suggested reading:

  1. The Guru of Love by Samrat Upadhyay *****
  2. Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay *****
  3. The Royal Ghosts: stories by Samrat Upadhyay
  4. Mad Country by Samrat Upadhyay
  5. Buddha’s Orphans by Samrat Upadhyay
  6. The City Son by Samrat Upadhyay
  7. New Nepal, New Voices: An Anthology of Short Stories, ed. by Sushma Joshi ****
  8. City of Ghosts by Johanna Stoberock
  9. The Memory of Leaves by Manan Karki (Kindle)
  10. Video Night in Kathmandu: And Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East by Pico Iyer (travel essays from many countries)
  11. House of Snow: An Anthology of the Greatest Writing About Nepal
  12. The Tutor of History by Manjushree Thapa
  13. Forget Kathmandu by Manjushree Thapa
  14. Tilled Earth: Stories by Manjushree Thapa
  15. Kathmandu by Thomas Bell
  16. While the Gods Were Sleeping by Elizabeth Enslin
  17. Thamel, Dark Star of Kathmandu by Rabi Thapa
  18. Battles of the New Republic by Prashant Jha
  19. The Living Goddess by Isabella Tree
  20. The Bullet and the Ballot Box: The Story of Nepal’s Maoist Revolution by Aditya Adhikari
  21. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
  22. Mustang: A Lost Tibetan Kingdom by Michel Peissel
  23. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
  24. The Waiting Land by Dervla Murphy
  25. Escape from Kathmandu by Kim Stanley Robinson
  26. Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery by Jennifer S. Alderson
  27. Notes of a Native Traveler: Nepal and Thailand by Jennifer S. Alderson
  28. Shopping for Buddhas by Jeff Greenwald
  29. Life and Death on Mt. Everest by Sherry Ortner
  30. True Summit by David Roberts
  31. Horses Like Lightning: A Story of Passage Through the Himalayas by Sienna Craig
  32. The Kingdom by Clive Cussler
  33. Palpasa Café by Narayan Wagle
  34. Bones of the Tiger: Protecting the Man-eaters of Nepal by Hemanta Mishra and Jim Ottaway Jr.
  35. The Soul of the Rhino by Bruce Babbitt and Jim Fowler
  36. Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees by Thomas Hale Jr.
  37. On the Far Side of Liglig Mountain: The Adventures of an American Family in Nepal by Thomas Hale Jr.
  38. Massacre at the Palace: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal by Jonathan Gregson
  39. Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas by Jamaica Kincaid
  40. Tibetan Diary: From Birth to Death and Beyond in a Himalayan Valley of Nepal by Geoff Childs
  41. Annapurna: A Woman’s Place by Arlene Blum
  42. Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

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Pokhara

Here are some movies set in Nepal, but I haven’t seen any of them.

  1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  2. Himalaya (1999)
  3. The Sari Soldiers (2008)
  4. Kathmandu: A Mirror in the Sky (2011)
  5. Who Will Be A Ghurka (2012)
  6. Manakamana (2013)
  7. Red Monsoon (2014)
  8. Sold (2014)
  9. Jerryy (2014)
  10. Everest (2015)
  11. Highway to Dhampus (2015)
  12. Sherpa (2015)
  13. Seto Surya (White Sun) (2016)
  14. Dr. Strange (2016)
  15. Bijuli Machine (2016)
  16. Dying Candle (2016)
  17. Death Zone: Cleaning Mt. Everest (2016)
  18. Even When I Fall (2017)

I would go to Nepal from January 17-24, 2013.

anticipation & preparation: ethiopia in 2012

wanderessence1025's avatar May 22, 2020

In October of 2012, I started reading up on Ethiopia in Lonely Planet Ethiopia & Eritrea.  The more I read, the more excited I became.  It was amazing how little I knew about this country in the Horn of Africa. I was learning about the Kingdom of Aksun, the Queen of Sheba, the coming of Christianity and Islam, the Zagwe Dynasty and its rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the Ethiopian Middle Ages, the Muslim-Christian Wars, the rise and fall of Gonder, Emperor Tewodros, Emperor Yohannes, Emperor Menelik, Emperor Haile Selassie, and the Italian occupation.  I still had more history to read, and I looked forward to learning more about this country about which, I was embarrassed to say, I was generally clueless.

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Ethiopia from Lalibela

This was my first trip ever to Africa proper.  I had been to Egypt, which is technically in Africa, but is considered to be more a part of the Middle East.

When I started to think about going to Ethiopia, I read on the State Department website that as a U.S. citizen, I could get a visa for $20 at Bole International Airport.  After returning home from my vacation in the US and Greece, I checked the website again.  This is what I found:

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS: To avoid possible confusion or delays, travelers are strongly advised to obtain a valid Ethiopian visa at the nearest Ethiopian Embassy prior to arrival. This is a necessary step if you plan to enter Ethiopia by any land port-of-entry. For example: travelers wishing to enter Ethiopia from Kenya at the land border at Moyale must obtain an Ethiopian visa first. Ethiopian visas ARE NOT available at the border crossing point at Moyale or at any other land border in Ethiopia. Ethiopian tourist visas (one month or three month, single entry) may be available to U.S. citizens upon arrival at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa in some cases.NOTE: A Government of Ethiopia policy prevents travelers born in Eritrea, regardless of their current nationality, from receiving tourist visas at the airport. The on-arrival visa process is available only at Bole International Airport and is not available at any of the other airports in Ethiopia. The visa fee at Bole International Airport is payable in U.S. dollars. Business visas of up to three months validity can also be obtained at Bole International Airport upon arrival, but only if the traveler has a sponsoring organization in Ethiopia that has made prior arrangements for issuance through the Main Immigration Office in Addis Ababa. In some cases, U.S. tourist and business travelers have not been permitted to receive visas at Bole International Airport or have been significantly delayed.

As Oman did not have an Ethiopian Embassy, I went through much hand-wringing over this warning.  Either I would have to take my chance and show up at the airport, or I could mail my passport to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, in hopes that I would get my passport and the visa back in time for my trip.   The friend I would stay with in Ethiopia eased my worries when he told me that it shouldn’t be a problem, since these delays usually occur only to people who have an Ethiopian Embassy in their country.  In my case, since Oman didn’t have an embassy, I would likely be okay.

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Lake Langano, Ethiopia

To prepare for my trip, I read some of the following books set in Ethiopia.  The ones with links and star ratings are the ones I read, while the ones in green are books I have on my Kindle but haven’t yet read.

  1. Chameleon Days: An American Boyhood in Ethiopia by Tim Bascom ****
  2. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Kindle)
  3. There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene (Kindle)
  4. In Praise of Savagery by Warwick Cairns (Kindle)
  5. The Shadow King By Maaza Mengiste
  6. The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuściński
  7. Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
  8. The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant by Graham Hancock
  9. Notes from the Hyena’s Belly by Nega Mezlekia
  10. The Unfortunate Marriage of Azeb Yitades by Nega Mezlekia
  11. In Search of King Solomon’s Mines by Tahir Shah
  12. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
  13. The Chains of Heaven by Philip Marsden
  14. The Barefoot Emperor: An Ethiopian Tragedy by Philip Marsden
  15. The Abyssinian by Jean-Christophe Rufin
  16. Held at a Distance by Rebecca G. Haile
  17. The Storyteller’s Beads by Jane Kurtz
  18. In Ethiopia with a Mule by Dervla Murphy
  19. Eating the Flowers of Paradise by Kevin Rushby
  20. Remote People by Evelyn Waugh
  21. Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh
  22. The Hospital by the River: A Story of Hope by Catherine Hamlin and John Little
  23. Addis Ababa
    1. Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste *****

I found a few movies set in Ethiopia, none of which I have seen.

  1. Live and Become (Va, vies et deviens) (2005)
  2. A Walk to Beautiful (2007)
  3. The Athlete (2009)
  4. Difret (2014)
  5. Lamb (2015)
  6. New Voices in an Old Flower (2016)
  7. Sweetness in the Belly (2019)

My friend Ed, who worked for the U.S. Embassy in Addis Adaba, made most of the plans for my time in Ethiopia. Aware of the fact that I would arrive without having had any sleep, he didn’t plan much for my first day, even though I would arrive at 7:30 a.m.  I told him not to worry, I would be too excited to sleep anyway.  He said we could go celebrate my birthday at an Ethiopian restaurant within walking distance of his house.

Early the morning of the 26th, he booked a domestic flight and private tour of the 13th and 14th century rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, where we would stay overnight in the Mountain View Hotel Lalibela.  The next morning, we would go to Lalibela town’s weekly open market and then fly back to Addis that afternoon.

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rock-cut church in Lalibela

The morning of the 28th, we would drive 3 hours outside of Addis Ababa to Lake Langano, where we would stay two nights at an eco-lodge called Bishangari Lodge.  According to the lodge’s website: “Imagine a natural retreat of outstanding beauty that combines five unique ecological zones, a secluded setting that is host to over 400 bird species, a diverse range of wildlife, spectacular array of plant life and un-spoilt biodiversity. Bishangari Lodge is less than 250 km south of Addis Ababa, situated on the shores of Lake Langano. Bishangari’s secret has been safe thanks to its inaccessibility.”

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Lake Langano, Ethiopia

The rest of our time, we would spend exploring Addis Ababa and all the city had to offer.

According to Visit 2 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa is the capital of modern Ethiopia and gateway for most tourists, as well as the political and commercial heart of the country.  In 2012, a city of around 4 million people, it was founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1877.

The name Addis Ababa means “new flower.” This big, sprawling, hospitable city is more than 2,200 meters high in the foothills of Entoto Mountain. Addis Ababa is one of the third capital cities in the world with high altitude, after Katmandu and La Paz. Modern buildings and wide-open boulevards stand side by side with historic churches, palaces and monuments, as well as simple country-style huts. The air is filled with the scent of flowers and eucalyptus trees, and the rich vibrancy of a city that is home to so many cultures.

Modern Addis Ababa also plays a vital role in hosting many international organizations, including the AU, ECA (the Economic Commission for Africa), and other multi-national organizations, who all have their headquarters here. Addis Ababa is as well one of the most crowded diplomatic cities of the world.

I would take off for Addis Ababa on October 25 (my 57th birthday) and return back to Oman on November 1, 2012.

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“ANTICIPATION & PREPARATION” INVITATION: I invite you to write a post on your own blog about anticipation & preparation for a particular destination (not journeys in general). If you don’t have a blog, I invite you to write in the comments. Include the link in the comments below by Thursday, June 25 at 1:00 p.m. EST.  When I write my post in response to this challenge on Friday, June 26, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, on the 4th Friday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂  If you’d like to read more about the topic, see: journeys: anticipation & preparation.

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!