El Salvadorian Oddessy (now with new pics)

It was with much excitement and anticipation that we boarded our mini van in Antigua, Guatemala for the 4 hour trip over the border to El Salvador. We decided that it was time for both of us to finally learn how to surf, so we signed up for a 3 day Surf Camp with a highly recommended group based in Antigua called Global Surf, Guatemala.

The trip down was uneventful but things picked up as we got closer to our destination - Playa El Zonte. The coastal road we took to get there was beautiful. Km after km of tiny beach towns with beautiful beaches and stunning clifftop vistas. The road was sort of a combination between the Great Ocean road in Victoria (Oz) and the Sea to Sky Highway in BC (Canada).

Once in Playa El Zonte we quickly settled into our nice digs at the Horizonte Surf Resort. Not a ¨resort¨ per say, but it was right on the beach, had a pool, a nice chill out area and our room had air con, hot water and a bathroom (very luxurious given our last few months accomodation).

We didn´t have much time to settle in though before Gal (our instructor), had us out in the surf for lesson 1. The conditions were fantastic for beginners with nice light 3 footers rolling in. After a few practice goes on the shore it was time for the real thing and a MASSIVE reality check. Surfing is.......Bloody Hard !!! The next hour and a half was spent successfully mastering the art of the wipeout. However it wasn´t always the case and we both still managed to get up on the board. Despite the fact that it was usually in the whitewater or the tiniest of waves didn´t matter as it was such a rush to just get up. It´s hard, but when you try it it´s easy to see how people get so hooked.

We were lucky enough to get a great group to learn with. Over our 4 lessons, even Gal said he wished he always had a group that was as much fun as us. Throughout our lessons, Thomas (from Denmark), Richard (from Spain), Johan and Ben (from Sweden), Lyds and I would be constantly heckling each other in the waves about our various abilities despite the fact that none of us was really that crash hot. It made for a great atmosphere though and a lot of good fun.

After the camp we said our goodbyes to the crew as they went back to Antigua and we stayed on. The constant 30 degree and sunny days, the cheap lifestyle, the endless local beaches and the chance to keep our surfing dreams alive are just to much of a drawcard for us at the moment. We are now based at another little beach town called Playa El Tunco. We´ve treked out to a couple of other little beaches as well. We´ve usually been riding the local Chicken Buses (old US school buses with as many people crammed into as possible), but yesterday some locals offered us a lift in the back of their truck....how could we say no? (Don´t worry Mum´s it was totally safe and it was a family with little kids in the back to....okay, let´s just say it was as safe as riding in the back of a truck can be).

We will be moving on to Nicaragua soon, but just now right now....

Here´s some quick pics from the first few days of our time in El Salvador, including some great photos Gal took of us all surfing...


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - El Salvador Part 1

Montericco

While in Antigua Doug and I met up with a great guy who was running a surf camp every weekend out of El Salvador. Because the next trip was still 4 days away we decided to treat ourselves to a little getaway at a beachtown a couple of hours out of Antigua called Monterrico.

Our driver was great and was able to recommend a brand new hotel for us to stay in for our two nights in the sleepy town. Because they had just opened, we were able to secure a nice room for a very reasonable price. With the pool only steps away from our bedroom door, hammocks nearby, and the restaurant a stone throw away, we had very little incentive to actually leave the property. Our three days of ¨beach time¨ turned into 3 days of pool time as we lazed around enjoying a cerveza or two, swimming, reading and drifting in and out of sleep.

It was a wonderful break before the terrible beating we were about to endure the following weekend in El Salvador....surfing-OUCH!


Here´s some quick pics from our trip to Montericco..


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Montericco

Lyds 30th B´day bash

Well unfortunately no longer can Lydia say she is in her 20s as she has finally cracked the big 3-0.

After weeks of debating about how we were going to spend the big day, we eventually went with a 3 day plan that involved a big night out with our good friends at the Sun Dog and a couple of days of pampering (for Lyds) in Antigua.

After our week on the boat in Belize we finished back in Rio Dulce. As many of you are by now aware, outside the Casa the Sundog Cafe has been our home away from home. Owners Babette and Uri and fellow Casa volunteer and Sundog barmaid - Bec, have truly become good friends of ours over the last 3 months. So it was only fitting that our last night in Rio Dulce was spent at the Sundog.

Having made a few great new friends on the boat we were more than happy to share the night with Scott&Anthea, Inga, Hennenke and even Captain Raul and first mate Carlos.

As the rest of the Bar´s patrons left, we soon took over the place and the drinks flowed into the wee hours. Despite a normal 10pm closing time, Babette was only too willing to let us kick on and on well past the 2am mark (liquor laws are a bit lax in the sleepy little towns of Guatemala).

The night was filled with many laughs, many group dances, and many karokee sessions (including Lyds and I belting out our version of the words to many Dutch songs, much to the amusement of Uri and Babette (both from Holland). All up it was a great night to finish up on.

We have now arrived in Antigua once more so Lyds can enjoy a session of massage, facials, hair colouring, seaweed wraping, waxing, polishing and all those other treats women seem to love indulging in once and a while. Tonight we are off to our favourite restaurant here called Gaia which has superb Arabian food. Not exactly traditional Guatemaltecan fare, but we don´t care !!. Hopefully tonight will also help me add a few pounds as so many people have pointed out that the Rice and Bean diet at Casa Guatemala has seen me wasting away !!

In the next few days we leave for El Salvador and some much needed beach time.....

Here´s some pics from Lydia´s big night...


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Lydss 30th

Sit right back and you´ll hear a tale....

Well Lyds and I are back in Guatemala after a week long sailing trip through the Belize Islands. It certainly was a quite an up and down trip to say the least.

The voyage set sail from Rio Dulce, right near where the orpahange was. We had a pre-trip lunch at the Sundog (of course) before we left and as it turned out quite a few of the other guests on the trip were doing the same thing.

The first day of cruising was a nice calm sail up the Rio Dulce in blazing sunshine, which boded well for a good week ahead. The nighttime saw us all get acquainted over the few bevvies and our first of many delicious meals prepared by our cook - Elias. We were certainly a mixed crew - William from Belguim, Inga from Germany, Henneke from Holland, Scott&Anthea from Oz, Debbie from the US and Bernadette and Jacque from France. Things were looking good.

We set sail the next day in our 45f Catamaran and after a short stop in the Guatemalan Carribean town of Livingston, we headed out into the open seas and towards the Belize Islands. Unfortunately, the further we got out, things started to take a turn for the worst. The sun was quickly lost to the clouds, the wind picked up, and the sea swell got progressvely bigger and bigger. We didn´t really mind the rocking as it felt like a rollercoaster ride the whole way, but the lack of sunshine was certainly not going to be doing any favours for our tans....

After a long sailing day we made it to the calm waters of a little reef which included 4 tiny little Belize islands. Despite the dreary skies, the water was still a balmy 25 degrees plus so it didn´t stop as heading into the reef for a good couple of hours of snorkelling the reef.

Unfortunately for the next 3 days we were stuck of the reef as the weather was quite frankly - CRAP. High winds and on/off rain storms made it impossible for us to negotiate the tricky entrance in and out of the reef so we had to stay where we were. Even the Captain and crew had to admit they only really experienced one trip a year where the weather was that bad. Oh well, there´s nothing we could do about the weather. Thankfully the rest of the guests on board were a great crew and we all just made the best of the conditions. We read(a lot), played games, snorkelled, caught up on some long overdue naps, ate a sensational 3 meals a day chef including numerous freshly caught fish, crab and lobsters and spent at least an hour a day discussing weather conditions and how it was ¨definately¨going to improve...later.

One amusing story (now) is that for one of the meals we all were treated to lobster that the crew had caught on the reef. Given the usual price of lobster, free loster is a major bonus. I have never been a lobster fan but Lyds absolutely loves them. Well I figured it was time to try it again and see if I liked it this time. I managed to score a big one and encased in Garlic butter, it wasn´t that bad. I still wasn´t convinced though. I couldn´t finish it all so Lyds ended up having a bit of mine. As she was eating, she commented at the time ¨hmmn that seems a bit off¨. Considering I rarely eat lobster, I didn´t really have an idea. Well I certainly found out that night as I proceeded to bring it up over the side of the boat and the bugger gave me stomach cramps after every proceeding meal for the next 5 days. Even Lyds suffered for a few days just from the small bit of mine she had. It´s safe to say that I will not be eating lobster again for a looooooonggg time.

So after 3 days of the reef we got a small break in the weather so the Capitan made the call to high tail it out of there and we finally began our long journey back to Rio Dulce. Of course the bad weather broke as soon as we began returning. The positive is that at least we got one full day of fantastic conditions and calm seas out of the trip.

Overall it was still a pretty good trip and we´ve still got a good 5 months of travelling left so does a few bad days really matter.....NO.

Here´s some pics from the trip...


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Belize sailing trip

Adios, nuestros grandes y pequenos varones!

Well the day that Doug and I had both been dreading has come and gone. Our last day and Adios to Casa Guatemala and the boys we have grown to love. The past three weeks since our trip to Honduras were by far the most rewarding of our time so far. We are both in awe of the difference from those first few days of hell adjusting to our new environment. In our last month we had our routine down, the boys were peaceful & our relationships with them deeper, our Spanish and communication much better, and we found our relationships with the other volunteers had grown into real lasting friendships.

In preparation for our leaving, Doug and I decided to throw our boys a couple of going away parties for our last night together. Doug bought lots of goodies (including 30 cokes which is considered gold here) and a box filled with all the special products the boys all love to have but can´t afford (hair gel, spray deodorant etc). Before the party started, Patricia (the other orientadore Doug works with), told them that due to a few things they´d done during the week, they were all punished that night with no activities. (it actually happens once a fortnight, so not a huge surprise for them). The boys were of course ticked off, and even more so when they were sent to bed early and all the lights in the Casa were turned off. Of course it was just part of a big joke. Moments later they were greeted to the sight of Doug strolling up to the house in Candlelight, together with his swag of goodies. The anger quickly turned to uncontrollable excitement and the house was filled with music as he and the older boys danced and had a wonderful last night together.

Here´s a gallery of Doug´s last days and his party with the boys.


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Varone Grandes

For the Varones Pequenos we decided to do something a bit different. After surprising them all with goodie bags on their beds as they returned from dinner, Raul, Gabby and I lead them all through the orphanage to our local park and roasted marshmallows around the fire. Many of the children (including Gabby) had never done that before so the best part for me was watching the excitement on their faces as they burned the treats to a crisp (not quite grasping the ¨roasting¨concept) and gobbled them down.

Gabby is a fantastic storyteller so much of the night was spent listening intently to him tell scary stories while the children huddled around the three of us. Although my Spanish is not the best I knew things were getting intense when the children around me would push in just a little closer or clutch my hand a little tighter as the story continued. All is all....a wonderful and memorable night.

Here´s a gallery of Lydia´s last days and her party with the boys.


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Varone Pequenas

The following day we had another special treat planned for the boys. One of Gabby´s favorite recipes is Cola Chicken so he decided for our final lunch he would cook everyone up a feast. For the cherry on top we decided to have the lunch at my house which is out of bounds usually for any of the children. It was a great feeling looking around our kitchen table as it was covered by young happy faces stuffing themselves with good food. As part of the preparations, Raul caught the chooks from the farm and Doug actually plucked his first Chicken. Having watched his Varone Grandes go off and do it 3 times a week in the morning, on our last day he finally decided that it was time to do it himself.

Here is a couple of videos. Raul catching the chooks, and my boys at our last almuerzo together..





The final goodbye happened that night as we took the lancha back to town. It took half an hour filled with tears to finally get the boat moving. The trip to town was a very somber one as we closed the Casa Guatemala chapter of our lives.

The last few months have been among the most difficult, most challenging, and by far most rewarding of our lives. I have been dreaming of my boys for many weeks now and am certain will continue to see their smiling faces in my thoughts and dreams for many years to come.

We had to leave our mark at the Casa....



Goodbye Casa Guatemala....

Of course a going away wouldn´t be complete without the traditional goodbye drinks at Sundog and a dance of the bar at the Backpackers...



If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Last night fiesta

Casa Guatemala (in the city)

When Doug and I first decided to volunteer at Casa Guatemala, we both felt certain that our leaving would not be the end to our connection with the orphanage and the children within it. We were unsure however as to what that meant for us, or how we could continue to contribute. Our answer came in our second month at the Casa.

One of the Varones Grandes, Jaime (pronounced Hi-May) made a very good impression on both Doug and I early on. It was not only his advanced English (which certainly helped) but also his maturity and eagerness to help both Doug and I with the other boys. It was in one of our weekly volunteer meetings that we discovered that Jaime, although set to go to high school in the city next year, did not yet have a sponsor to pay for his education. A look across the room at each other sealed the unspoken deal, Doug and I would sponsor Jaime for the next 6 years of his education. When we told him our plan he was completely overwhelmed, and we have no doubt that he will have much success in his future. Especially knowing his dream is to become an English teacher!

As the end of our Guatemala stay approached, we became increasingly eager to have some time alone with Jaime, but not sure how that was going to be possible. We again had an unexpected answer to our prayers, and were given the opportunity to travel with him to Guatemala city and help him get settled into his new school. We jumped at the chance.

Not only were we excited to have the time with Jaime, but we were also looking forward to visiting Casa Guatemala- Guate which is where all the new-borns and young babies stay until they are old enough to be moved to the orphanage. Doug and I had a wonderful afternoon playing with the children and Carlos (a severly handicapped 24 year old who has lived at the Casa his whole life). These children were some of the most happy and well adjusted I have ever met. Another example of how Casa Guatemala is changing lives and ensuring a future for it´s children.

Here are some photos of us with Jaime and the children on our 24 hour excursion to the city.



If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Casa Guatemala, Guatemala

and here´s a vid of Lyd´s playing with Carlos...


One last funny story about Carlos. When Doug and I left he signalled for me to give him a kiss, which I did. Of course one wasn´t enough and he wanted more and more. After 4, Doug shouted over...¨Oi Carlos, that´s my wife !!!¨. Carlos proceeded to laugh his head off....a funny and touching moment.

Halloween

Just because we are in Guatemala doesn´t mean that we were going to miss out on Halloween festivities. We recently had a great night out at (where else but...) our local - the Sundog Bar, which hosted their annual Halloween party. After at first not being sure how we were going to drum up a costume at the Casa, we managined to borrow some supplies from the Medical room and went as Doctor and Nurse Vargo.

It was a fantastic night with most of the gang dressing up for the occasion. The Sundog is pretty well an Ex-Pat bar so everyone came decked out for the party. At the Backpackers however (which is basically a Guatemalteco Bar), we certainly got quite a few strange looks as we strolled into the nightclub later on in the night, Of course we didn´t really care, it was just all part of the fun...

As with any Halloween party, the pictures pretty well tell the story, so here are some snaps from the night...


If you can´t see the above gallery, check out the link here - Halloween