Viva Las Vegas

Okay, so it has been a while (a long while) since I have updated. Traveling the world really gets your hands tied up and there is not a whole lot of free time at your disposal to catch up on life, if you will. I did something kind of crazy though and I just wanted to update you on that at least. Hopefully in a few days time I will catch you up on Puerto, Guate City, Antigua, and San Andres Island. Rough life, huh?

Anyways, from time to time you may be noticing the absence of question marks, apostrophes, and other necessary grammatical marks that are often needed when forming coherent sentence structures. Im not illeterate, Im just not down with Latin American computer systems. They are a real trip.

Getting on with my story.

It all started 2 nights ago when I was approached by one of my fellow team members with a proposition to join them in Cartagena, Colombia for a few days (a resort town on the Northeastern corner of mainland Colombia). Surprisingly enough the Cuba Libres in me dismissed the idea immediately as rediculous. However, last nights soberness made me think a little longer and clearer on the opportunity.

11am this morning at ADZ airport, my flight (paid in full) back to Guate takes off - without me. After 2 hours of negotations and consideration, I've decided to take the leap and buy my ticket to Cartagena. Goodbye Panama, MGA and Guate City. Hello Las Vegas (ironically, that is the hotel we are staying at and no I didn't plan it that way)!

I understand the spontaniety of my choice; believe me, I have butterflies flocking to all areas of my body. 'I'm flying to Colombia to meet an Egyptian' was not a phrase I ever expected to come out of my mouth. Totally on board with that. And the fact that abandoning my scheduled flight back may or may not have been the right decision for a variety of reasons. However. It is only for a few days... well actually... its for as long as I want. I suppose if resort life in Colombia turns out to be a crock I can always hop on the next flight out of there. I just couldnt help but wonder what I would be missing if I missed Cartagena...

"The mountain that empties your stomach"

April 3rd & 4th - Oaxaca City & Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

The rest of my time spent in the city was compromised of wandering through various shops and museums solo and plans that fell through. To begin with, I was scheduled (and paid for) to take a day trip to Monte Alban, but apparently a protest (ehm, for the SECOND day in a row) decided it was necessary to block the one road needed to get to my destination. Bummer #1. Later on, we had planned on trying a salsa class. No classes offered on Viernes, only Lunes to Jueves. Bummer #2.

We headed to bed and woke bright and early to depart for Semana Stanta - thrilled for beach week in Puerto!!!

Wrong.

It was probably the most nauseating 6 hour bus ride I have ever experienced in my life. Ever. I felt like a mother in labor, taking my heh-heh-hew's, trying to keep the oxygen flow going and what was left in my stomach from coming up my mouth. Quite possibly the reason this winding mountain trail of a road is dubbed "the mountain that empties your stomach". You don't have much left upon arrival. Luckily, I was able to keep myself from emptying my stomach; however, a local on another nearby bus was emptying hers out the window. Ek.

Immediately I could sense the difference in locations. Puerto is as authentic a beach town as you could ever desire. The sun, the sand and the smell of the Pacific crashing in the distance.

We made our hot, sweaty trek (packs in tow) to our casa for the week. And what a wonderful surprise indeed! Casa Loma looked like paradise and for $10/night it is better than paradise. Suddenly the last 6 hours were totally worth it and room by room, we were guided through our tropical mansion by the gardener.

Eating beachside, patiently waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive, I had my first-ever taste of what I like to call Mexico's Long Island (and if you know me at all, you know my love for LI's are strong). The Coco Loco, intoxicating as it sounds, is tequila, rum and vodka loaded into a coconut larger than the size of my head. I would say the coco jugos was an afterthought in this beverage.

Around midnight the entire crew was complete. Emma, Dibo, Sam, Tony, Bex, Chino, Juanish, Sharp, (soon to be Jorge), and I settled into our diggs and shared a nightcap on the third floor outdoor living space. It was going to be a great week.

"but i thought it came with beans..."

April 1st & 2nd

Oaxaca City, Oaxaca

Arriving impossibly fresh and stunning looking was more challenging than one may think. Landing in Oaxaca, I was down 1 gold bracelet and up a whole lot of holes in the crotch of my patched and re-patched blanco pantalones, I so desparately wanted to bring. Beware: Holes in the crotch spread like wildfires people.

We spent the day touring the charming streets of the city; popping in various cathedrals (absolutley stunning, they really show the churches of America what's up); visited the Zocalo; hiked up to Auditorio Guelaguetza to view the city ariel style; enjoyed a cafe at the ex-convent, now a high-end hotel; passed through several markets (can we say chaos!); explored the casa de la ciudad museum; and experienced my first taste of Tlyuada in a cozy, street side restaurant. The Tyluada was rico but Emma was rather disappointed with her combo especial - beans NOT included. Other first-time foods include: papaya, guyaba and toposo.

Chilling in the courtyard of our very colorful hostel, I'm trying to bust out a quick Spanish lesson before the sun goes down (no outdoor lighting here). Reflecting on the day, I have to be honest. So far I'm still absorbing everything. Initially, things were pretty overwhelming. Note to self: It's stressful not understanding Spanish, especially when visiting a Spanish speaking country. I can't say I finally understand foreigners living in America who do not understand English, but I certainly sympathize with them now. How one can live in a country their entire life without feeling the urgency to become fluent is on them. 24 hours here and I can't get fluent fast enough. On the flip side, Emma has been a great translator. Never before had I heard her speak Spanish. So the first time she exchanged in rapid dialog, I was very impressed. In order to completely grasp my Latin American experience however, the Spanish lessons shall continue...