"This is why I Travel" - Romania - February 11th to 19th, 2012

My idea to quit my job as a teacher in Connecticut and make radical changes in my life came after a week long solo trip to Mexico.  I just completed a week long trip in Romania...

...cue sly mysterious smile...

When you travel solo it gives you plenty of time to think.  I think about myself sometimes - what I want to improve in my life...plenty...but also about qualities I have that I wish everyone would have.  I believe I truly love living.  When I travel, hike or am riding my bike this rush of energy sometimes rises from my gut through my chest into my mouth and I smile and shake my head.  I shake my head because I can't believe what I'm doing.  This morning I was in Romania in midwinter.  What was I doing in Romania?  Who fucking knows, but I really couldn't have been happier to be there!

Another quality I feel fortunate to have developed is the ability to smile when stuff goes wrong.  Stuff will ALWAYS go wrong, so smile, because soon enough it will go right.  Plus, when stuff goes wrong you learn something; you're smarter because of it.

The Snowy Streets of Bucharest

The major obstacle and improvement I hope to make in my life is to take those two qualities and learn to share them with a partner.  Unfortunately, I don't think I try very hard to find this partner.  I generally don't worry about this, but then again, sometimes I do.  The boulder that blocks my way to asking out a girl that could be interesting is a difficult rock for me to move.  I sometimes wish it was as easy for me to smile and talk to women as it is for me to smile and care less when I realize I've been waiting at the wrong bus stop for 45 minutes, then find the right bus stop only to get on the wrong bus and realize it 30 minutes into the ride.  I did say I have plenty to improve in my life right?  For now it is all good.  I love solo travel and the simplicity of the way I travel and question how simple it would be with a woman.

I arrived in Bucharest, Romania, the capital of about 1.7 million (about the size of Philadelphia) and instantly made an error.  It wasn't the fact that I walked up and down the stairs of the arrivals section four times before asking for directions to where I can catch a bus.  That is my usual dance when arriving to a new place.  The error was I excepted the help of a complete stranger and he didn't know the secret code word.  He told me I was standing at the wrong place for the bus.  "Do you work here?" I ask cautiously "Yes." he lies.  I just arrived the furthest east I've ever been in my life and apparently was feeling more trusting and child like than a solo travel should ever feel.  I followed him through the parking lot on the side of the airport and up to another part of the airport.  He waited with me inside the sliding doors asking me where I was staying and if I wanted him to take me out on the town that night.  I didn't really answer, but he asks again.  I tell him I have a hostel booked.  At this point I'm pretty sure he is trying to get commission off me at a hotel of his choice.  As I see the bus coming up to the stop I begin to feel better about leaving this kind gentleman behind, but alas, as the bus pulls up he climbs on with me.  Apparently he assumed I needed help scanning the bus pass I had bought.  At this point the "sh-" word began repeating in my head.  Good start to your trip Matt.  This guy had taken it upon himself to be my personal escort to my hostel.  I didn't ask for one and when I told him I didn't need help he just kindly replied, "No, I help you."  Well, OK then...

After the 40 minute bus ride he got off at my stop.  Don't get me wrong.  The guy was actually a nice guy, but there was no way he was doing this solely out of the kindness of his heart.  I was expected to pay the man and because I'm cheap, I had no intention of doing so.  We walked by where I thought the hostel was, but he was sure it wasn't...(it was).  Apparently he wasn't used to dealing with cheap asses that stay in hostels on side streets with no proper signs.  He asked everyone that's walking around in the 0 degree weather if they know where the hostel is.  I helpfully hold out my journal for them to read the hostels name.  Nobody knows anything.  Finally we go back to where it really was and we walk through the gated entrance.  I'm silently hoping he doesn't follow as we go through the door and walk up the stairs to the reception.  He does.  At this point in my travels I know hostels.  I know how they work. They don't want strangers coming in their establishments.  I brace myself for this as I enter the final door and greet the receptionist.  I tell him I have a reservation.  "Who is that behind you?"  "I don't know, he followed me to the hostel."  Some yelling happened in Romanian.  I felt like a jerk.  First off, allowing this guy to come into the hostel in the first place and second off for having this guy yelled at when he was really helping me find the hostel.  He almost refused the 10 Lei I offered him for the bus back to the airport ($3.50).  He left with his head down and I felt like an ass.

On this trip I didn't have a Lonely Planet.  I didn't do any research.  I wanted to go to Romania, so I bought a ticket.  I booked the hostel at 23:00 the night before I left.  I had an amazing trip.  I stayed in Bucharest the first two nights.  It snowed everyday and was between 5 and 25 degrees Fahrenheit the whole time.  I loved it.  I packed one small carry on.  Most of the clothes I brought I was wearing.  The Lonely Planet doesn't recommend staying in Bucharest.  I'm glad I didn't have the Lonely Planet.  The first night I went out and heard some amazing live music in a packed bar.  I stayed for four hours and didn't talk to anyone.  Sometimes, that is how I roll.  These are things I need to work on, but I left at 1 in the morning happier than ever.

Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)

I love staying in hostels.  It is easy to meet people there.  The Midland Hostel in Bucharest is cozy and inviting.  In the morning you get a all the eggs, bread, and bologna, you can eat.  Free coffee and tea all day.  10 dollars a night.  I had some great conversations there.  One with a Polish kid who assured me the general opinion in Poland is for the U.S. to have military bases there to protect them from Russia.  We had a few beers and talked for hours in front of the Europe map on the fridge.  Another traveler, an Aussie, is spending a year traveling around eastern Europe.  All of a sudden I wish I wasn't working anymore.  But I need too.  I need the money, so I don't need to work.

Brasov

From Buchurest I took a three hour train ride to Brasov.  A medieval Transylvanian city of 225,000 nestled among the massive mountains of the Carpathian Range.  It continued to snow.  I fell in love with the city and the Romanian receptionist at my hostel. I stayed at Kismet Dao Hostel for about $12 dollars a night, the 4th night being free.  I stayed five.  Every morning there was an assortment of cereals, and of course, free coffee and tea all day.  One of the main reasons people come to Brasov is for the castles and palaces located near by.  Some of Europe's most famous castles are in Romania and two are only about 25 miles from Brasov.  One of the most famous, although less impressive to me, is Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's castle.  The castle was built in the 1300's and is thought to have inspired Bram Stoker's famous novel, Dracula.  The actual character of Dracula is based off Romanian's famous villain, Vlad the Impaler.  In the 1400's he impaled (speared vertically though the torso) somewhere around 40,000 people.  Vlad's father was known as Vlad Dracul.  Hense, Dracula.  Vlad the Impaler never lived in this castle. It being called "Dracula's" castle is somewhat of a convenient ploy to promote tourism.  It seems to work.

Peles Castle

A bit more impressive is Peles Castle.  A website listing the most famous castles in Europe has Peles as number 2 and Bran as number 8 (http://www.offtoeurope.com/europes-top-25-castles/).  Peles was the home of the Romanian royal family in the early 1900's.  It seems to house all the wealth the family could get there hands on in all of Eastern Europe.  Ironic to have so much riches housed in one place when the country around the castle was poor and starving though out parts of the 20th century.  Especially during certain times in Romania's communist era from the 1960's to 1989.  I knew nothing about this stuff.  Another reason I love to travel.  In 1989 Nicolae Ceusescu who had been the communist leader for 30 years was executed by a people's revolution along with his wife by a firing squad.  I was five years old then.  I learned nothing of this in my 27 years of existence.  I should know it.  This is why I travel.  The hostel owner in Brasov talked of her childhood.  She knows it is better for the country today but wonders if it is better for the individuals.  She worries about her child growing up in this world.  She remembers clearly the rations she would be given and the poor conditions, often with out electricity in the winter.  The bonds she formed with the friends she grew up with are unbreakable.

While in Brasov I went to a ski resort close by known as Piona Brasov.  It was about $1 for the 30 minute bus ride to the mountain, $10 dollars for rentals, and $25 for four hours on the mountain.  I was afraid of the cold, but I dressed properly and was comfortable.  It was around 20 degrees Fahrenheit with only a slight wind.

On this trip I drank more than I usually do, ate more meat than I have in six months, and inhaled more cigarette smoke without actually smoking a cigarette than I care to think about.  I had a great time.  Bucharest and Brasov are modern in many ways, but I felt as if I was going back in time in many other ways.  You can smoke in restaurants, bars, and on the trains.  After my first night out in Bucharest I had to accept the fact that my one set of clothes for my week long trip would reek of cigarettes the whole time.  Beers average around $1.50 for a 500 mL bottle.  A nice three course meal is around $8 dollars, but you can get much cheaper.  The best part was the coffee machines all around the city for 1 Lei (.35 cents).  I love coffee.  Another reason to love Romania.

Poiana Brasov Skiing

An eight day trip to Romania in February of 2012 is now something I can carry with me for my whole life.  It changed me in a better way, as does most all travel I've managed to do.  It sparked ideas and most importantly it confirmed what I knew already, that I want to keep traveling.  There is still so much more I don't know I don't know out there to find out.

Things to Remember for next time:
1.  Call credit card and debit card before hand - make sure they except your card in their country.
2.  Fully charge Kindle!  It will last forever - but needs to be charged.
3.  Bring shorts for the hostel - jeans 24/7 is not so bad.  When they are wet from hiking in the snow.  They are.

"Have what you need and need what you have!"

Bringing it Back

21 months ago I opted out. The norm. Life as the average person knows it. I always questioned what was important. I still do. It's become my quest. Knowledge is part of it, but it's more than that. The quest is the search for what more means. Unfortunately, like you already know, one needs money. I am one, therefore I need money. Before I became abnormal, I was normal. I went to college. I have degrees. I am a native English speaker. I'm lucky to have been normal before turning abnormal, because I can always earn money without too much difficulty. I have my

first full-time job in 21 months. A six-month contract teaching science at a private English speaking school in Barcelona. I need money, so I work. Teaching is more than money though. I realize the responsibility, the role I play in the life of a child. I cherish that. I love that. I take that as seriously as I take my quest. But, I can't ignore the fact that it's a job to earn money, so I don't have to work; So I can travel, so I can figure out what I'm trying to figure out and find what I'm trying to find. This new job gives me the money and time to travel and work. A comfortable situation which I may find myself settling with on a full time basis in the future.

With my first solo trip to the Yucatan of Mexico in April of 2009 I've traveled to 14 countries and 44 U.S. states. Traveling has become who I am. I don't buy many things. I buy experiences and memories.

This blog is starting anew. These words are written in a bar. A bar with no sign. A bar with a spray painted metal door. A bar in an alley. A bar that is PACKED with people speaking a language I know two words of - beer (bere) and thank you (multumesc). A bar in Bucharest. My travel blog starts with Romania.

By the Numbers and Final Thoughts

El Valle, Panama "All You Need is Love"

Total Trip Time - Approximately 154 days and 22 hours

Amount of Time in Each Country

• Mexico - 40 days


• Belize - 9 days


• Guatemala - 39 days


• El Salvador - 8 days


• Honduras - 17 days


• Nicaragua - 27 days


• Costa Rica - 9 days


• Panama - 14 days

Rankings (Favorite to least favorite: Note - This is similar to choosing your favorite ice cream)

1. Mexico


2. Guatemala


3. Panama


4. Nicaragua


5. El Salvador


6. Belize


7. Costa Rica


8. Honduras

Number of different Cities/Towns I stayed in

Cities/Towns - 43

Number of Times I Ralphed

1 - A Burger King Whopper on a boat en route to Utilla, Honduras

Number of Times I Was Robbed in the Streets, Shot At, or Killed

0

Number of Books I read (including Road Trip USA)
28 (16 in last 5 months)

Best and Worsts

Cheapest Country - Nicaragua
Most Expensive Country - Costa Rica
Best Transportation - Mexico (multiple times better than Central America)
Best Large City - Panama City
Worst Place I Stayed - Corozal Town, Belize

Most Memorable Experiences

1. Sun Rise from the top of Volcan Tajumulco in Guatemala, the highest point in Central America at 13,900 feet.


2. First time breathing under water and getting my Open Water Certificate in Utilla Honduras.


3. Going to a bull fight in my first week out of the country and loving a city I thought I should be afraid of (Mexico City).


4. Living with a family in San Pedro, Guatemala in Lago Atitlan and realizing it is possible for me to learn another language.


5. The chicken buses - the ridiculousness of them.

         And most of all...the local people I met, their kindness, the hostels and other tourists I met, the cultures and uniqueness of all the different cities I spent time in.

        This trip changed me, but only for the better. This world is filled with good people and for knowing that I am grateful. I am fortunate to live in the country I do, but its apparent from this trip there are far more happy poor people down here then happy people with money up there. Money is nothing in the end. Of course, its necessary, I need it to do what I'm doing, but I hope I never let it control me and make me a lesser person. Money should be a means of improvement. Means to improve myself and those around me. There is far less stress and far more smiles down here and I don't plan on losing that upon returning home.

        The USA is a great place and fuck all the dumb ass Americans on this trip who belittled our country to befriend dumbasses who thought otherwise. However, I do hope to see more of you (Americans) on my next journey. Travel is knowledge - understanding strips away fear. People are good and you all need to see that for yourself. There is nothing to fear. Forget fear. Learn to respect. All people have something to offer. Don't fear traveling in certain countries. Fear not traveling. Fear what you believe because you've never seen it for yourself. Maybe it is really dangerous down here. Maybe I'm completely wrong and was incredibly lucky to have nothing bad happen to me. Maybe. But I don't think so. I think these are good family loving, hard working people down here, and a few desperate souls who seem to have no other answers, give the whole region a bad name.

       I want to keep checking out this world. I want to keep learning from other people. I want to keep improving myself.

"Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothings is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full of meaning and its incredible beauty."

I couldn't have said it any better myself Mr. McCandless....


         The last year has been the most incredible of my life. I traveled through 10 countries. 38 U.S. states and did it all almost entirely solo. In Central America I did it with the smallest duffle bag out of any traveler I saw on my whole trip. I traveled with two pairs of underwear, two short sleeve shirts, one long sleeve, one pair of rip away pants, and one pair of khaki pants. I bought next to nothing physical on the entire trip. That wasn't why I was here. I traveled without a cell phone, laptop, or Ipod. I read books. I made three phone calls the entire trip. All to my mom. Sorry it wasn't more, but I forgot to teach you how to use Skype and international calls are expensive. I like to travel light - have what you need and need what you have...thanks for that one Uncle Ray.

Next stop Boston, then Niantic, CT for some family and friend time. Come August, I'm off again.

Espana is calling my name.

If you've been reading these, I hope you've enjoyed. It's in end of the line for Destination Nowhere - but travels will continue....

Ode to My Can of Shaving Cream

Thank you can of shaving cream, I'm sorry you won't be coming back,

but unfortunately you're much too large for my pack.

For five months, through eight countries you lathered my prickly head and face,
Without you, I would have looked a disgrace.

I bought you in Mexico, you were made in China

In all honestly, other shaving creams are much finer.

You cost only 15 pesos, the equivalant of just over a dollar,

I've got to be honest, you made me look pretty baller.

You are so freaking large and lasted so long,
I really wish, for your sake, this trip could live on...

But alas, its time to go home, and you didn't make the cut

I off on a plane without you, back to Connecticut.

The school year is coming to close

I spent two nights inside the crater of an inactive volcano. The picture in your head is wrong. This is a volcano with a crater several miles long and wide and covered in lush green. It was amazing beautiful. Two hours west of Panama City is the small town of El Valle inside the volcano. Again other than the fact your surrounded by a rim of mountains you have no idea your in a volcano. On a smaller scale its kind of like your standing in Yellowstone National Park - also a volcano, just an active one. The rain season has started in full force in Panama, but that didn't stop me and the five people I traveled with for a couple days from exploring the mountains, get a mud facial at a the hot springs, and swim in a mountain stream. Not only that, but we cooked up some epic meal dance parties in one of the most hilarious/greatest hostels I've stayed at.

Casa del Juan is actually Juan's house. When we got there he gave us a tour. He loves his place and loves showing it off. It has a summer cottage feel. A summer cottage minus the yearly spring cleaning. When we arrived we were not even sure we were in the right place because as you walk into the car portish area there are four stationary bikes from the 80's and a weight bench seemingly way out of place. He had the most interesting art everywhere. On one of his bulletin boards he had a 8X11 of four native women with their tops off. He had chickens and roosters cock-a-doodle-doing and pooing all over the place. He was also surrounded by mango trees, had a cinnamon tree (with which we made fresh cinnamon tea by boiling the leaves and bark - the bomb), lemon grass, horses, and even two crazy cute puppies. The puppies had free range of the compound, including our room and they took those opportunities to pee and poo and chew on all our stuff. It was OK though because they were so damn cute. One black (blanco) and one tan (blacky). The mother was a cute skinny typical Central American mutt. The father was the most hilarious "hot dog" I'd ever seen. He was huge - looked like a mix between a rottweiler and a dachschund. I would have liked to see that conception. We didn't watch TV - we just danced, ate amazing home cooked food (after unknowing ordering pig intestines for lunch the first day - grossest thing I've eaten on the whole trip), and breathed in the mountain fresh air. It was fantastic.

Two of the people with us were Lacy and Layla from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They were both covered in tattoos and piercings. Layla had a mohawk, Lacy just short pink and blond hair. They were hilarious, sexy, and extremely fun company. Don't judge the book by its cover kids. These girls rocked and I'm so glad I'm not too much of a bitch to talk to people that look like that.

I'd love to get some you some pictures of Casa del Juan and our Canadian Rocker Girls, but the hard drive here in David, Panama is locked up...so you'll just have to wait on that one. I left all my new buddies from El Valle and took two buses to get me 7 hours to David, Panama. Say it like a Latino now...Da-veed. I arrived tired and thirsty - I had to pee in my half full water bottle en route - or would have exploded, but as always - I made it safe and sound.

As I near the end of my trip I thought I'd take the opportunity to list some things I will miss about my travels, some things I won't miss about my travels, and some things I'm missing from back in the good ol' US of A.

1. I miss flushing toilet paper. Although you do always get a nice look at your poo this way.
2. I miss free delicious Niantic tap water.
3. I won't miss wearing the same two damn shirts and the two damn pairs of underpants.
4. On that note, I miss sneakers, blue jeans, and cotton t-shirts. All of which I have not worn in five months.
5. I miss watching sports. I love you Red Sox. GO BRUINS!
6. I miss my language - being spoken all the time - everywhere.
7. I'm kinda of sick of three hour buses that stop to pick you up despite having no available seats.
8. I miss the USA woods. The ease of hiking without worrying some bastard might rob you.
9. I miss Heinz ketchup. Seriously, the ketchup down here is TERRIBLE.
10. I will miss the fresh fruits and vegetables and the chicken that tastes like chicken and the eggs that taste like eggs.
11. I will miss the attitude of the people. The life style down here, the friendliness, the lack of stress. People look out for each other down here, we're too concerned with ourselves up there.
12. I miss having my own kitchen, with sharp knives, and proper cookware.
13. I will miss the Coca-Cola, with real sugar in a glass bottle. Trust me. There is a difference.
14. I miss fast internet...any internet.
15. As cute as they are I will not miss kids asking me for a peso, dollar, cordoba, limpira, or quetzal. If a gave my money to everyone. I would have had to go home in February.
16. I miss my bed. Fuck dorms with lumpy mattresses and lumpy pillows.
17. I don't really miss my cell phone, but after 5 months without it, maybe I'll respect it's convenience a little more.
18. Yes mom, I miss you too and your cats.

That's all for now folks. I have four days left. The end of the greatest experience of my life is near, but my exploration will never be over...

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."
T. S. Eliot

Silver Dollar Panqueques

              I've been moving.  From Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica to Bocas Del Toro, Panama to Panama City, Panama. Now in Panama city for three nights.  Three nights going on my fourth night.

Luna's Castle's Dining Area - One of the coolest hostels in Central America - Panama City, Panama

            After this trip I go home to the United States for a couple months. After a couple months I'm going to Spain and taking a month long course in teaching English in Barcelona. After the completion of the course I hope to stay in Spain with a job for 8 months or so. That number of months is highly questionable. My point here is, in one year I don't really know where I will be, but I like to have two things planned down the line. Two trips that is, at least until this crazy road I'm on has ended. A seed was planted in my head about taking a long touring bike trip after Spain, probably somewhere in USA and Canada . I don't know anything about biking, but it seems a pretty amazing thing to do, and anyways it's just an idea. Immediately have writing an email expressing my desire to do this to some friends I walked down the stairs of the giant mansion hostel I'm staying at and a guy comes riding into the hostel on his loaded up bike. He has been riding with his touring bike for 1.5 years. These are the coincidences in life that mean something to me. To me, these are signs.

We all have choices in this life. To go to work everyday. To buy a house, to take that trip, to buy that car. Why do you ultimately make those decisions? I'm quite sure you make those decisions based on a number of logical factors, all very logical of course, but I'm not sure all decisions need to be based on logic. This trip I'm on was because of a strange coincidence on my first trip to Mexico. A movie with a scene in it about traveling the world, which I had spoken about just before my trip was played on the first bus I got on in Mexico.

 My five month road trip around the States was basically decided because of my subscribtion to Backpacker magazine. I just became pissed reading about all the awesome hikes I could do all around the country and couldn't because I was in Connecticut. I'm getting off track here, but I like making sporadic decisions - major ones - based on something little like a coincidence or a feeling - major decisions are sometimes best made like that. My subconscience knows more about me than I do. If I tried to think about these things logically I'd just muddle it all up and wouldn't do anything. Yes, planning needs to be done consciencly, but the actually decision - go with the gut. So money willing - I'm on a bike some where in the world next summer/fall. Info or help on the subject is desperatly needed.

This trip has turned from five months into one week.  One week left of the greatest experience of my life.  Time is a funny thing.

Panama City from Casco Viejo 

Adios Nicaragua

I often don't really know how I get to where I want to go on travel day. In all honestly, when I get off a bus, if I even know where to get off the bus, I'm not always entirely sure of my next move. I never look forward to travel day. Central America doesn't make it easy, but it does make it cheap. Usually .50 cents to a couple dollars for a bus ride anywhere.

I left San Juan del Sur, my home for 10 days, and headed to Isla de Ometepe. It never ends up being terribly difficult to get to where I want to go, but I've just managed to learn to not care about knowing exactly how I need to get there. I needed to take a bus, a taxi, a boat, and another bus to make it to where I wanted to go. That much I did know, but how exactly to do that and where exactly the buses and taxis and boats were and how much they should cost were all mysteries, and generally always are. However, at the end of the day, I'm OK and I'm alive.

When I don't really know what to do I stand around like an idiot until a taxi driver or bus worker notices me. That's your best bet. You'll always be spotted, but you might get taken for a few extra dollars with that method. I used the "stand dumb" method to get to the port town of San Jorge, where the boat to Ometepe is. A taxi found me. I think I paid $2 more than I should have, but at least another dumb gringo was in the car and got beat with me.

Ometepe is crazy. From an aerial view it looks like a cell splitting into two right before cytokinesis (when they actually become two cells). The island is two volcanoes. Massive volcanoes coming straight up from close to sea level to 5,282 feet for the highest, active Volcan Concepcion, and 4,573 feet for the smaller non-active Volcan Madera. There are hundreds of tropical birds, lizards, and monkeys roaming the island. Lake Nicaragua (or Lake Cocibolca) where the volcano island sits is the 19th largest lake in the world and even has elusive fresh water sharks that managed to swim up a river from the Caribbean and effectively evolve to handle the freshwater. They were once abundant, but the Japanese some time ago made a shark-fin processing plant on the shores of the river and now there are very few sharks left. They are aggressive bull sharks known to attack fisherman and swimmers, so sadly, perhaps its for the best.

I had large ambitions of climbing one of the volcanoes for my birthday on May 18th, but the weather right now is ridiculously hot and humid. I didn't think spending 10 hours climbing up and down a volcano, dripping sweat, getting muddy, with no clean clothes to put on sounded like a great birthday present. Also, Lonely Planet mentions "deaths are common while climbing the volcano". Dieing wouldn't have been an ideal way to spend a birthday either. So instead, I did the next stupid choice and rented a motor bike. Errr....scooter. I tried to rent a motor bike. My friend with me at the time was quite confident I could just "pick it up", but after bucking and staling in my first few tries, the owner of the bike scratched that idea. Even on my 27th birthday I apparently don't have enough man in me for a proper motor cycle. But the scooter was really cute! For whatever reason the guy renting us the scooter and motor bike for my friend didn't mention that more than half the island is dirt road. Not just dirt road, but hilly, rocky, ridiculously terrible dirt roads. Absolutely no place for a shitty little scooter to be. Oh well.

The entire right "cell" is dirt, rocky, hilly road. My scooter was getting destroyed. First the real view mirrors began to loosen and just spin around as I bumped up and over ruts and rocks. Up and down steep hills. Then the floor mat padding cracked and came loose.

Some where on the second island we came to a park where there was meant to be a waterfall a few kilometers up a side road. We were asked if we wanted to walk the 4 km up or ride the bikes 3 km and just have to walk 1 more. Easy answer, we'll ride the bikes. However, the guy at the entrance failed to say the roads where at a 40 degree angle and switch backing up dirt track for 3 km (I have to say it was paved and beautiful in the beginning). My bike couldn't handle it. Multiple times I almost spun out and crashed, finally I did. With the gas all the way down the bike wasn't moving and I fell on my side and burned my ankle on the muffler. Tobias was way ahead cruising nicely on his motor bike. I was drenched in nervous sweat, thinking now how am I going to get down this? My confidence in riding was all but shattered. Tobias realized I was missing and came and took me up the final stretch and I left my bike on the side of the road. We hiked the final kilometer and guess what we found? Nothing. It's just the start of the rain season, thus no waterfall. So not only did the jackass at the bottom fail to say I might have some trouble with that shitty little scooter, he conveniently didn't mention that the waterfall we are going to see actually doesn't exist. Welcome to Central America. It never changes.

I was scared to death to go down and as soon as I tried I started skidding all over the place and nearly lost it into the woods. Luckily, even though Tobias is only 19, he seems to have more balls than me and we switched bikes for the descent. I just kept the motor bike off and held the brakes the whole way. It handled much better than my shit scooter and Tobias made it down fine.

We had the bikes for nearly 10 hours. About 5 of them over dirt roads. My bike, though not broken, was flapping plastic on both sides from all the jostling. We road past pigs rolling in mud, multiple chickens crossing the road, I think just to get to the other side, horses chased us down, at one point a stampede of cows blocked our path. The one right in front of me blocking my escape started peeing, where upon every other cow thought it was a good time to pee. That was pretty cool. Guys and girls carrying sticks and logs and bags on their heads. Lots of kids and adults on mountain bikes just living. This place is crazy. The whole time though I'm thinking about this bike that is falling apart underneath me and how much extra it's going to cost me when I bring it back in this condition. I hate this quality about me. Worrying about things I have no control over. It's so dumb. It effectively ruined the final part of my day because it's all I was thinking about. And you know what? I didn't have to pay any money extra. The guy didn't even give a care. I've managed to stop worrying about what I cannot control on travel days, but I still have work to do. Travel days always manage to work themselves out and so will other days. And so what if I had to pay extra for the bike? Why waste my time thinking and worrying over it? Dumb and dumber.

I did a bomber travel day today...from Ometepe to cross the Costa Rica border, my 7th walk across border crossing on this trip. No problems. Boarded a bus and am spending the night in the capital city of San Jose. Pretty much thinking of breezing through this country since I need to come back to fly out anyways. So tomorrow heading straight to the Caribbean, close to Panama where I'll get some reggae vibes for a couple days before heading to my last Central American country. No worries Matt, everything is gonna be alright...