La Fortuna

La Fortuna, Costa Rica. The city of hot springs, vulcanoes and adventure sports. We arrived in La Fortuna after a rather quick drive from Monteverde. This city is small. Really small. Like 9 blocks in total I would say, but all of them are filled with adventure operators. So of course, we had to do something, and when in La Fortuna, you do what everybody does... Hike up the vulcano! A little info about the Fortuna Vulcano. People began suspecting something when their usually cold river started turning into a warm stream. Wasn´t that great? Hot and for free! But just to be sure, soem people were hired in to investigate it. They came to the conclusion that the mountain near the village wasn´t a mountain but a vulcano. But people didn´t really mind and didn´t move. On the 29th of July 1968 (great date eeh. note that 68 is 86 backwards!) the vulcano erupted, covering the village in liquid hot magma... And lava stones aswell. Another village was rebult, the one that is La Fortuna and tourists poured in to se the secondary tropical humid forrest, the hotsprings and the volcano. So we went aswell. It was a pleasant hike, nothiung rough unfortunetly, when we look at the vulcano, see a big puff of gases and small redglowing boulder turning black and then rolling down the vulcano, leaving a trail of dust and fumes behind it. The guide told us that small eruptions happen all the time, but it has been quite a while he saw one as big as this one. We were at quite a distance from the vulcano (apperantly safety regulations only allow tourists to reach the base of the vulcano so we could go up it) but we could see the thing go tumbeling down anyway. The guide said the rock was as big as a bus. Wicked!
Then it was off to one of the most relaxing things I have done on this trip. Hot springs. Hot water pumped up to a Aq-Va-Kul kind of place. Lots of tourists but my old aching joints didn´t care. Ah.... Just what the doctor prescribed.
So thats what we have been up to more or less in La Fortuna.
I must mention that it seems that no emails are getting through to me so if you wish, please leave a message on the comment section of the blog.
I´m almost home friends so I´ll see you soon.

Back online... for now.

Back online my friends and boy have you been missing out.
Quite frankly, it is way to much to write exactly what has happened but I´ll write the highlights.
Honduras was a blast. Alot of beach, alot of relaxing, some clubbing. a swinging good time.
In Nicaragua I met up with a friend I met in Goettingen 2 years ago. Oliver. He lives in San Marcos outside of Grenada. On the island of Ometepe the highlight was when I fell off a bike and hit a rather rocky road (my poor poor camera, still working but it got a rather nasty beating).
Mainhighlight yes...
Currently I´m sitting at a Internet café in Monterverde, Costa Rica. The last country we are going to visit. It´s probably just as cold as sweden because we´re up the mountains but I´ll keep you updated friends. I´m almost home. Won´t be long so just hold on.

Honduras

Here we are again. We have just crossed the border over to Honduras. Haven't seen much yet but I bet its going to be good.
The last day in Guatemala was pretty good. I finally got a proper shot of espresso (local coffee of course) and Antigua began easter celebrations with a big procession. There were flowers on the street, everyone dressed in purple (a traditional color). Quite fascinating! Other news is that the first part of the trip has ended, some of the friends we met are now on their way home, and others have taken their places on this trip to San Jose, Costa Rica... We'll keep you updated if we can. There is still uncertainty about the availability of internet cafes...

Back in Antigua

Well friends. We went to Panajachel, by chicken bus. took 5 hours and wasn't even half as bad as the Siem Reap bus. the town is located right by lake Atitlan. Big lake, created by volcanos and speaking of which, there were 3 active volcanes by the lake... Nice and safe. We mainly cruised around, went swimming, visited a couple of town with extremly crowded markets. No biggies really. Except that all the women wore traditional dresses all day long. That looked pretty cool actually.
Other news. After being rejected by almost all schools I applied for in the USA, University of California Berkeley saved my arse and offered my a place. Now I have to decide if the states is the place for me or if I should take the offers from England instead. Decisions decisions decisions....
Anyhow. We're back in Antigua now, just had my hear cut and got a shave aswell. There really is no feeling like a straight razor. Why aren't there more barbershops in Europe??
This was just a quick update. I'll post something else right before we leave Guatemalaor when we arrive in Honduras.