hey.. it's still the same session as my last blog, but I wrote so much that I wanted to publish it before loosing it in a silly way ;) hehe ;)
so yes.. about the Panama Canal.. I didn't really know anything about it, but for me as engineer it's a totally fascinating construction! :) they have several gates to bring ships up and down from sea-level to the level of the lake. It's all super simple.. gravity and water does the job.. no pumps, just a huge discharge of water into the ocean, every time a ship passes. But it seems, that their Eco system holds that much water and with a lot of supervision, planning, artificial lakes they make it happen..
so in short (my Mom wanted to know this ;) hehe ;) the French tried it in 1880 and made quite some work but didn't finish, because of yellow fever and huge losses of workers. Then the Americans picked it up 1904 and finished 1914, blowing through a huge, massive rock and with a lot of vehicles and ships and trains to make such a construction happen (e.g. making the lake deep enough for the vessels).
then there are some interesting facts as it just was giving to Panama at the end of 1999. Since then this country is growing extremely! they built a lot of skyscrapers since then and if you look at the city skyline, every second one is just being built right now.. so I heard improved education and the infrastructure of the country. They are growing a lot these days.. also making an other gate for bigger ships to keep up with globalization and the demand for bigger ships and loads.
the new gates will operate with three pools that hold 60% of the water while operating the locks (ahh.. that was the word.. locks! not gates :P ;)
all simple but nice and needs a lot of engineering work, people thinking and afterward even a lot more people maintaining it. Reminded me my time in Itaipu, a big hydro power plant where also water and massive constructions come together..
will upload some pictures of it.. was watching from the viewing platform as a big ship came in.. and they have a nice museum that shows also some wildlife of the region and a obviously very old movie about the Canal.. a very impressive construction! ..and even more impressing that it provides more of 50% of the income of the country.. so Panama can't complain. You can even drink the tab water here in the city :D
this year the 1 000 000st ship will pass (I thought, you should just wait in the queue with a small boat and then make it happen that you're the one ;) hehe :)
so the operation is simple.. ship comes in, gate closes, water level gets equalized through gravitation with the other part of the lock and then gate opens, ship moves on and the procedure get's repeated for the difference of height is too much for just one lock (that's what I'd say why they have several..)
I'm glad I made it happen to see it! :) was tough 14 dollars more expensive, because I did go by myself with a taxi, because putting in to the last day without coordinating with other travelers here.. but was good anyway! :) meeting taxi drivers is always interesting ;) hehe :)
well.. I guess that's it.. my wrist is already hurting and I'm more that ready to go to bed.. was a great time here in Panama city and I thought back to the moment in Honduras where I thought.. Nicaragua, Costa Rica.. and then Panama still to go, and I kinda wanted to be in South America for Panama was so far away and I didn't know what experience it will hold (was actually about to cross it very quickly.. but sooo happy I enjoyed it in the same deep profound way as the other countries of Central America! :D ..so never anticipate. PARTICIPATE! :)
all the best and hear from me when I arrive in Colombia! :))))
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
..continuation ;)
wellwell.. sorry, I just met this guy from Bocas and they were 3 guys in a dorm with 2 double beds, so for me being on the waiting list, he invited me to crush in their place what sounded waaaay better than the couch or cinema room ;)
what followed was one of the more crazy experiences, because after half an hour trying to sleep he came upstairs with a friend and we had some after hour !P
I got then finally a couple hours of sleep and organized some stuff in the afternoon. Made a bag with things that I didn't really use and sent it home for 100 bucks :P was 12 kg and I shouldn't complain, but once more it are material things that incapacitate us and take so much effort and money to maintain. Was tough an interesting experience, because they had to wrap it into parcel paper (what was done in a flower store around the corner) and then putting the 20 5-dollar stamps on, together with paperwork and a sticker with a barcode.. I'm sure it will arrive :D haha ;)
then lucky me figured out this Friday that on Saturday is this Psy-Trance party on the beach, two hours outside of Panama city (was the girl from the reception at the hostel I'm staying that was telling me, when I asked for electronic music to go out ;) what good Karma!! and good timing! :D there are just very few parties of that kind and it took her an hour to figure out, chatting with friends, where it was.
I went out for a little warm up on Friday and finally got to bed at 9am after a lot of party, meeting cool people, contact juggling and even more crazy, experimenting stuff ;) was REALLY good! so I didn't get too much sleep before I packed a small bag with contact ball and my fire-fans, buying water, booze and fruits (to survive the night ;) and went to the terminal and on my journey. tried to sleep in the bus but didn't really work :P was then walking to this mystical place and figured out, it's on a asphalted place of an abandoned hotel with view on the beach :D arrived there early, met the people and then got smoothly into this very beautiful, small, familiar party! :)) here it's as Switzerland was 10 years ago.. just very small, but rising, the vibe of this scene and special, heartful and spiritual people! :D I was spinning fire and despite of the music was a bit hard for my taste during the night, I was dancing a lot and hat LOOOOOOTS of fun! :D met awesome people, hanging out on the beach, enjoying this blistering moment of being at a party that reminds me back home :))
went back to the city to chill out with a friend I met and had the best treat you could wish for! :) after I felt so much for a change, I really got it and I mean TOTALLY! life embraces you, gives you everything you could ever ask for and things happen without having to exhaust yourself.. WOW! what an experience!! I'm so glad I made it to this place! HAHA :D
so I was a night in Lunas Castle, a very popular hostel in the old town of Panama. I really love it for having such a good atmosphere as lots of beautiful painting (freaky art! ;) and sculptures out of scrap metal. There are a lot of people and if you don't have a reservation, you end up on the waiting list.. but hey.. PingPong table, cinema room, bar attached to the hostel and lots of common living space to hang out, including the "Fort Krishna" a crows nest between the two livings, accessed by a almost invisible ladder.. you may just guess, what was going on up there ;) hihihi ;))
ahhh.. good times!
next to this I was organizing my motorcycle stuff.. I was there already three times and finally today I got everything done the way I wanted.. the fan seems to work (lets touch wood, because tomorrow it will have it's field test) and it seems to be in a good state (even if I missed the BMW factory sheet that tells you all the data.. it's not North America anymore ;) they fixed mirrors, lights and some small stuff, made a service and I bought spare sprockets and chain, because I will have to change it before Patagonia. There is another small part that can be fixed for cheaper and a 200 dollar tire, that has to fit on the back (sending a bag home and getting a tire in exchange :P well, won't be for very long..
I had to push pretty hard (calling a lot, going there, talking to people..) to get all this done but yes, it's possible.. just don't expect it happens by itself ;) hehe :) so the spares were actually pretty expensive.. then all the other items.. factory test did cost (of course, I should know.. we sold them very expensive at my former employer ;) hehe :) the valves were to tightened, what made a strange sound when I first started it after they told me it's ready.. so I thought this problem would be fixed on their behalf but actually not :P well.. got a good deal after all and I think the work isn't overpriced.. it's still BMW. but original parts are the killer.. and I heard that further down they have higher import taxes, so things could be even more expensive. Therefore I bought some stuff here to not repeat the story in Mexico ;) will see if I'm right ;) hehe :)
so yeah.. bill paid, bike packed, tomorrow early morning I go with a bus to the store and then up-up-and-away :D finally riding again!!
so the all-in-all including trip down on a sailboat, bike fixed, spare parts and bag sent home is probably 2.5 grand, what is still for me a lot of money.. buy hey, I guess it fits somewhere in and you shouldn't be to delicate about money in life ;) hehe :)
I met at the BMW shop a guy from Mazedonia that travels all over the world.. really impressive! he's riding a lot tough.. couldn't do that.. rather stay and get know the place. but OK.. he made it also down on the east side of Africa (seems to be the safer side), but they tried to kill him anyway three times.. a Masai in the desert and a Machete-Guy who gave him a scare over his left eye (as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars 3.. I tell you guys.. if I would have a scare in my face, it should be one like this.. it looked sooooo badass! HAHA :)))
so the conclusion of the story: don't do Africa by yourself! (So I probably won't push my luck with doing something more than just this continent at this moment.. :)
what followed was one of the more crazy experiences, because after half an hour trying to sleep he came upstairs with a friend and we had some after hour !P
I got then finally a couple hours of sleep and organized some stuff in the afternoon. Made a bag with things that I didn't really use and sent it home for 100 bucks :P was 12 kg and I shouldn't complain, but once more it are material things that incapacitate us and take so much effort and money to maintain. Was tough an interesting experience, because they had to wrap it into parcel paper (what was done in a flower store around the corner) and then putting the 20 5-dollar stamps on, together with paperwork and a sticker with a barcode.. I'm sure it will arrive :D haha ;)
then lucky me figured out this Friday that on Saturday is this Psy-Trance party on the beach, two hours outside of Panama city (was the girl from the reception at the hostel I'm staying that was telling me, when I asked for electronic music to go out ;) what good Karma!! and good timing! :D there are just very few parties of that kind and it took her an hour to figure out, chatting with friends, where it was.
I went out for a little warm up on Friday and finally got to bed at 9am after a lot of party, meeting cool people, contact juggling and even more crazy, experimenting stuff ;) was REALLY good! so I didn't get too much sleep before I packed a small bag with contact ball and my fire-fans, buying water, booze and fruits (to survive the night ;) and went to the terminal and on my journey. tried to sleep in the bus but didn't really work :P was then walking to this mystical place and figured out, it's on a asphalted place of an abandoned hotel with view on the beach :D arrived there early, met the people and then got smoothly into this very beautiful, small, familiar party! :)) here it's as Switzerland was 10 years ago.. just very small, but rising, the vibe of this scene and special, heartful and spiritual people! :D I was spinning fire and despite of the music was a bit hard for my taste during the night, I was dancing a lot and hat LOOOOOOTS of fun! :D met awesome people, hanging out on the beach, enjoying this blistering moment of being at a party that reminds me back home :))
went back to the city to chill out with a friend I met and had the best treat you could wish for! :) after I felt so much for a change, I really got it and I mean TOTALLY! life embraces you, gives you everything you could ever ask for and things happen without having to exhaust yourself.. WOW! what an experience!! I'm so glad I made it to this place! HAHA :D
so I was a night in Lunas Castle, a very popular hostel in the old town of Panama. I really love it for having such a good atmosphere as lots of beautiful painting (freaky art! ;) and sculptures out of scrap metal. There are a lot of people and if you don't have a reservation, you end up on the waiting list.. but hey.. PingPong table, cinema room, bar attached to the hostel and lots of common living space to hang out, including the "Fort Krishna" a crows nest between the two livings, accessed by a almost invisible ladder.. you may just guess, what was going on up there ;) hihihi ;))
ahhh.. good times!
next to this I was organizing my motorcycle stuff.. I was there already three times and finally today I got everything done the way I wanted.. the fan seems to work (lets touch wood, because tomorrow it will have it's field test) and it seems to be in a good state (even if I missed the BMW factory sheet that tells you all the data.. it's not North America anymore ;) they fixed mirrors, lights and some small stuff, made a service and I bought spare sprockets and chain, because I will have to change it before Patagonia. There is another small part that can be fixed for cheaper and a 200 dollar tire, that has to fit on the back (sending a bag home and getting a tire in exchange :P well, won't be for very long..
I had to push pretty hard (calling a lot, going there, talking to people..) to get all this done but yes, it's possible.. just don't expect it happens by itself ;) hehe :) so the spares were actually pretty expensive.. then all the other items.. factory test did cost (of course, I should know.. we sold them very expensive at my former employer ;) hehe :) the valves were to tightened, what made a strange sound when I first started it after they told me it's ready.. so I thought this problem would be fixed on their behalf but actually not :P well.. got a good deal after all and I think the work isn't overpriced.. it's still BMW. but original parts are the killer.. and I heard that further down they have higher import taxes, so things could be even more expensive. Therefore I bought some stuff here to not repeat the story in Mexico ;) will see if I'm right ;) hehe :)
so yeah.. bill paid, bike packed, tomorrow early morning I go with a bus to the store and then up-up-and-away :D finally riding again!!
so the all-in-all including trip down on a sailboat, bike fixed, spare parts and bag sent home is probably 2.5 grand, what is still for me a lot of money.. buy hey, I guess it fits somewhere in and you shouldn't be to delicate about money in life ;) hehe :)
I met at the BMW shop a guy from Mazedonia that travels all over the world.. really impressive! he's riding a lot tough.. couldn't do that.. rather stay and get know the place. but OK.. he made it also down on the east side of Africa (seems to be the safer side), but they tried to kill him anyway three times.. a Masai in the desert and a Machete-Guy who gave him a scare over his left eye (as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars 3.. I tell you guys.. if I would have a scare in my face, it should be one like this.. it looked sooooo badass! HAHA :)))
so the conclusion of the story: don't do Africa by yourself! (So I probably won't push my luck with doing something more than just this continent at this moment.. :)
Friday, June 25, 2010
..busrides suck! :P
phew.. made it to Panama city.. in a night bus :P it's kinda good, because you don't "loose" a whole day, but then my back hurts so much and can't really sleep well. Was waking up all the time, sliding down on the seat that couldn't be put horizontal.. at least I'm here and will pick up my stuff soon and spend the weekend going out in Panama city.
I really, really, REALLY felt as I have to leave on Bocas. The last two days I was not truly happy anymore and even small things ruined my mood, so I figured out it's time for a change ;) hehe :)
on the other hand, with all the people I said good bye (including the diveshop I was working for a couple of days) were very good vibes! it's so funny.. seems that every traveler knows that feeling and when I said how urgent I feel to make a move, they all understood :) hehe :)
so a week is OK, 10 days is doable but more than that is simply too much hanging out for me.. I'm an adventurer and I like to face challenges every day and being filled up with things that happen in my life and places as Bocas just don't do that.
It was nevertheless a wonderful time I had in this place. Hold it's challenges anyway and I met a lot of cool people (and some really ennoying ones :P
..to be continued..
I really, really, REALLY felt as I have to leave on Bocas. The last two days I was not truly happy anymore and even small things ruined my mood, so I figured out it's time for a change ;) hehe :)
on the other hand, with all the people I said good bye (including the diveshop I was working for a couple of days) were very good vibes! it's so funny.. seems that every traveler knows that feeling and when I said how urgent I feel to make a move, they all understood :) hehe :)
so a week is OK, 10 days is doable but more than that is simply too much hanging out for me.. I'm an adventurer and I like to face challenges every day and being filled up with things that happen in my life and places as Bocas just don't do that.
It was nevertheless a wonderful time I had in this place. Hold it's challenges anyway and I met a lot of cool people (and some really ennoying ones :P
..to be continued..
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
..Murky Waters..
Hi there :)
well.. being in the shop at a sunny, warm day and having time to write a few lines in my blog :) was diving this morning and was fun! :) even tough there was not too much to see and many people were just beginners (so it´s mostly not a pure fun dive ;). I made up my plans.. I´ll stay here for the weekend and will start partying hard soon ;) I arranged everything for further down and hence I can´t pick up my bike on Sunday, it will be Monday and Saturday will be a wild night, a thrilling ride, ending Bocas with a big BLAST! :D haha ;) then I guess it will be a bit more mellow.. chilling.. relaxing.. recovering.. regenerating and detoxicating ;)
at the moment I´m not doing too much here in the shop and I feel I don´t want to spend the whole day here (for I don´t earn any money anyway ;) hihi :) but the people are nice and it´s a good spot for meeting people! I´m suffering today, because the little restaurant/cafe that goes with the shop is closed and I´m craving for good food and yummi milkshakes ;) hehe :) so tomorrow I guess..
hmm.. well.. not too much to say (as always if you´re for too long in a place where there`s just drinking and partying ;) and sorry.. laying on the beach, but that doesn´t count for me.. don´t like doing that for too much (couple of days a year is OK ;) ..tonight I should get a first shot for my tattoo-extension.. yes, right.. I want to get something new on this trip and met this awesome tattoo-guy (his name is also "Guy" ;) hehe :) and he´s really talented. So for those who know my tattoo, a tribal dragon, forming a Yin-Yang and holding a ball in his claw, I´d like to have the white part of the Yin-Yang filled out with some colors, giving it a background. As a firing ball or sun, eclipsing behind the ball and touching the sea.. so I expect many beautiful colors arising out of the union of fire and water :D reflecting as well my starsign and ascendent ;) ..it will be painful :´-/ but looking forward to get it! :)
I keep meeting a lot of people (and forgetting their name :P and I really enjoy being in such a vibe! :D ..yesterday was just a mellow, slow night.. so I think about to stay up a lil´ bit longer tonight ;) hehe :)
sending you my best blessings and hear soon from me! :)
well.. being in the shop at a sunny, warm day and having time to write a few lines in my blog :) was diving this morning and was fun! :) even tough there was not too much to see and many people were just beginners (so it´s mostly not a pure fun dive ;). I made up my plans.. I´ll stay here for the weekend and will start partying hard soon ;) I arranged everything for further down and hence I can´t pick up my bike on Sunday, it will be Monday and Saturday will be a wild night, a thrilling ride, ending Bocas with a big BLAST! :D haha ;) then I guess it will be a bit more mellow.. chilling.. relaxing.. recovering.. regenerating and detoxicating ;)
at the moment I´m not doing too much here in the shop and I feel I don´t want to spend the whole day here (for I don´t earn any money anyway ;) hihi :) but the people are nice and it´s a good spot for meeting people! I´m suffering today, because the little restaurant/cafe that goes with the shop is closed and I´m craving for good food and yummi milkshakes ;) hehe :) so tomorrow I guess..
hmm.. well.. not too much to say (as always if you´re for too long in a place where there`s just drinking and partying ;) and sorry.. laying on the beach, but that doesn´t count for me.. don´t like doing that for too much (couple of days a year is OK ;) ..tonight I should get a first shot for my tattoo-extension.. yes, right.. I want to get something new on this trip and met this awesome tattoo-guy (his name is also "Guy" ;) hehe :) and he´s really talented. So for those who know my tattoo, a tribal dragon, forming a Yin-Yang and holding a ball in his claw, I´d like to have the white part of the Yin-Yang filled out with some colors, giving it a background. As a firing ball or sun, eclipsing behind the ball and touching the sea.. so I expect many beautiful colors arising out of the union of fire and water :D reflecting as well my starsign and ascendent ;) ..it will be painful :´-/ but looking forward to get it! :)
I keep meeting a lot of people (and forgetting their name :P and I really enjoy being in such a vibe! :D ..yesterday was just a mellow, slow night.. so I think about to stay up a lil´ bit longer tonight ;) hehe :)
sending you my best blessings and hear soon from me! :)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Bocas del Toro.. partying without end :P
hey fellow pilgrims and interested readers ;) hehe :)
it`s quite a while, I haven`t been posting anymore.. well.. most of the things happened are just not the things I`d write in a blog.. as the insane ammount of parties, booze and substances experienced here ;)
I spent just a full day at Boquete, hiking a little bit but then moved on.. it`s too rainy at the moment, otherwise would be beautiful to spend some days hiking in the mountains :)
I´m glad I took the decision to move on.. it was a 6-7hr trip and I was happy to arrive sometime before it got dark here. I anchored in this hostal called "Mondo Taitu" that I`ve been mentioned in a Lonely Planet before. It`s really popular, lot`s of people staying there and it holds one of the four bars of this island.. so it`s kinda having a bed in a dorm, attached to the bar where you get drunk at night ;) hehe :) yes.. it was almost a full week of lots of partying.. and then recovering for some days, changing to a lower gear to save some energy for the rest of my time here ;) hehe :)
so after one week here I know shit lot of people! :D I hear my name whenever I walk down a street (me on the other side really suck with keeping all their names in my memory :P but I appreciate the vibe! :) I like these people and it seems, they do like me ;) hehe :) so I`m enjoying a certain popularity that unfortunately didn`t prevent of me being single.. but hey.. whatever.. I guess that`s the price I pay for doing the stuff I want to do and going the way I want to go. So it`s somehow less likely to meet people on the same plane.. but if it happens, then it`s really great (ask my ex-girlfriends ;) hihi :)
here is every night somewhere ladies night and lots of party (well.. many times it`s awful sound! :P like Raeggeton :((( but there are nice tracks of electronic music amongst them, where I juggle on with my ball.. just for pure fun! :D
I went to some beaches.. was practicing with stick and balls, was playing didgeridoo with other people, having nice jams here! :) rented out a bycicle and was cycling a bit on the island and one day, I went with friends on a remote island, where I was walking around the island and having a great trip! ;)
so all in all, can`t complain.. was just that living for the night life after a while get`s tyring and not all that fulfilling..
so I got myself here a job as divemaster :D well.. it`s for so short time, it`s more for the purpose to give me something to do and get some free diving over the next days :) but hey, it`s a nice activity! :)
yesterday I went for two dives out.. well, the guys were finishing their courses, so wasn´t just pure fundiving. the visibility is just 10m, but it`s nice to dive anyway (just not the spot where I would stay forever to dive ;) but I hope to see the wreck and the wall they have here soon. At the very moment, the boss just left me in charge of the shop, what is actually pretty cool.. well, not that cool as going out to dive with the other people, but still.. why not :) (I assume though he left me here in charge that he can go with the others and surf :P hehe ;) ;)
was cleaning up their docks underwater.. got four bags of trash, broken glass and other stuff out that was making the confined diving sessions for new students less enjoyable (was really needed).
and then I was of course planning for my trip further down.. that`s the reason, why I`m still here in Bocas.. next possible transport is the 1st of July and this gives me another week here, before I take a night bus to Panama, pick up bike, send packet home, see Panama canal and write to my mom how it is ;) and get to the shipping place, where I´m gonna "seaborne" my bike :D ;) hehe :)
so they should be able to fix my bike.. it`s gonna be a bit costly but as long it`s perfectly fine then, I`m happy :) so I await a final confirmation.. should be ready tomorrow, but I`d like to have new tyres on it as well and they should anyway keep it until I get to Panama city. After I was calling so many times to speed up the process, finally it`s the shipping date that delays my trip.
best option I have is 800USD for me and the bike, a 5 day sailing trip from San Blas to Cartagena.. it`s for sure the most fun way to get down! :) there are some cheaper options, but require more time and are less safe (cheap boat from some harbor in Panama). Shipping in a container is also costly.. I heard 500 USD and I just got more expensive offers when I tried to find a cargo company. If it would just be me, I could get a flight for 140 USD I heard.. but yeah.. traveling with a motorcycle can be more complicated.. luckily there is only 1 Darian Gap.. HAHA :D
so everything can be organized and arranged.. the price for service will be around 1600 USD I guess.. pretty expensive, but it`s mostly because of pricy original BMW parts and not for the work. So there is no negotiating about discount and for having had the experience, better change it now than post-poning it to further down. The parts are really hard to get, depending on what you need :-/ therefore probably new tyres as well (not asking around in Colombia to figure out that they might be unavailable or more expensive..)
price includes also new sprockets and chain (chain I´m gonna think about to buy it right away.. it`s 180 USD :P
what more.. so I´m sitting here at the computer of this diveshop, planning my trip down.. making some phone calls and writing emails and next to it, partying to a certain extent and enjoying Bocas del Toro :)
it´s a really good feeling to know so many people here!! I feel having good Karma and feel so loved by life that it`s easy to love back! :D
so also sending out my love to you!! :)
..and hey Renzo: NICE ONE!! I`ve seen pictures of your trip and got almost homesick, wanting go back to Alaska and Canada, riding these wonderful roads again! :D haha! :)
it`s quite a while, I haven`t been posting anymore.. well.. most of the things happened are just not the things I`d write in a blog.. as the insane ammount of parties, booze and substances experienced here ;)
I spent just a full day at Boquete, hiking a little bit but then moved on.. it`s too rainy at the moment, otherwise would be beautiful to spend some days hiking in the mountains :)
I´m glad I took the decision to move on.. it was a 6-7hr trip and I was happy to arrive sometime before it got dark here. I anchored in this hostal called "Mondo Taitu" that I`ve been mentioned in a Lonely Planet before. It`s really popular, lot`s of people staying there and it holds one of the four bars of this island.. so it`s kinda having a bed in a dorm, attached to the bar where you get drunk at night ;) hehe :) yes.. it was almost a full week of lots of partying.. and then recovering for some days, changing to a lower gear to save some energy for the rest of my time here ;) hehe :)
so after one week here I know shit lot of people! :D I hear my name whenever I walk down a street (me on the other side really suck with keeping all their names in my memory :P but I appreciate the vibe! :) I like these people and it seems, they do like me ;) hehe :) so I`m enjoying a certain popularity that unfortunately didn`t prevent of me being single.. but hey.. whatever.. I guess that`s the price I pay for doing the stuff I want to do and going the way I want to go. So it`s somehow less likely to meet people on the same plane.. but if it happens, then it`s really great (ask my ex-girlfriends ;) hihi :)
here is every night somewhere ladies night and lots of party (well.. many times it`s awful sound! :P like Raeggeton :((( but there are nice tracks of electronic music amongst them, where I juggle on with my ball.. just for pure fun! :D
I went to some beaches.. was practicing with stick and balls, was playing didgeridoo with other people, having nice jams here! :) rented out a bycicle and was cycling a bit on the island and one day, I went with friends on a remote island, where I was walking around the island and having a great trip! ;)
so all in all, can`t complain.. was just that living for the night life after a while get`s tyring and not all that fulfilling..
so I got myself here a job as divemaster :D well.. it`s for so short time, it`s more for the purpose to give me something to do and get some free diving over the next days :) but hey, it`s a nice activity! :)
yesterday I went for two dives out.. well, the guys were finishing their courses, so wasn´t just pure fundiving. the visibility is just 10m, but it`s nice to dive anyway (just not the spot where I would stay forever to dive ;) but I hope to see the wreck and the wall they have here soon. At the very moment, the boss just left me in charge of the shop, what is actually pretty cool.. well, not that cool as going out to dive with the other people, but still.. why not :) (I assume though he left me here in charge that he can go with the others and surf :P hehe ;) ;)
was cleaning up their docks underwater.. got four bags of trash, broken glass and other stuff out that was making the confined diving sessions for new students less enjoyable (was really needed).
and then I was of course planning for my trip further down.. that`s the reason, why I`m still here in Bocas.. next possible transport is the 1st of July and this gives me another week here, before I take a night bus to Panama, pick up bike, send packet home, see Panama canal and write to my mom how it is ;) and get to the shipping place, where I´m gonna "seaborne" my bike :D ;) hehe :)
so they should be able to fix my bike.. it`s gonna be a bit costly but as long it`s perfectly fine then, I`m happy :) so I await a final confirmation.. should be ready tomorrow, but I`d like to have new tyres on it as well and they should anyway keep it until I get to Panama city. After I was calling so many times to speed up the process, finally it`s the shipping date that delays my trip.
best option I have is 800USD for me and the bike, a 5 day sailing trip from San Blas to Cartagena.. it`s for sure the most fun way to get down! :) there are some cheaper options, but require more time and are less safe (cheap boat from some harbor in Panama). Shipping in a container is also costly.. I heard 500 USD and I just got more expensive offers when I tried to find a cargo company. If it would just be me, I could get a flight for 140 USD I heard.. but yeah.. traveling with a motorcycle can be more complicated.. luckily there is only 1 Darian Gap.. HAHA :D
so everything can be organized and arranged.. the price for service will be around 1600 USD I guess.. pretty expensive, but it`s mostly because of pricy original BMW parts and not for the work. So there is no negotiating about discount and for having had the experience, better change it now than post-poning it to further down. The parts are really hard to get, depending on what you need :-/ therefore probably new tyres as well (not asking around in Colombia to figure out that they might be unavailable or more expensive..)
price includes also new sprockets and chain (chain I´m gonna think about to buy it right away.. it`s 180 USD :P
what more.. so I´m sitting here at the computer of this diveshop, planning my trip down.. making some phone calls and writing emails and next to it, partying to a certain extent and enjoying Bocas del Toro :)
it´s a really good feeling to know so many people here!! I feel having good Karma and feel so loved by life that it`s easy to love back! :D
so also sending out my love to you!! :)
..and hey Renzo: NICE ONE!! I`ve seen pictures of your trip and got almost homesick, wanting go back to Alaska and Canada, riding these wonderful roads again! :D haha! :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
..Panama by bus..
yes, you read right.. how is this possible¡?¿
well.. of course it was already too late yesterday to evade the rain :P if I used the words "soaked" and "wet" before, then I´m sorry, because it set a new limit on the scale yesterday :P
I just kept going, felt if I sit out the rain, I might never arrive (and it kept raining the whole afternoon indeed). So I faced all the rain, shouted out loudly and finally gave up, because it was too strong.. actually, I was riding up this mountain on a dirt road that almost turned into a river, when it started to rain really, really hard and how could it be different, the overheating lamp went on :( I stopped the bike, slided 10m backwards because it was too steep to stop and finally it tipped over into the mud.. I had to release my frustration with a loud scream and then I unfolded the tarp and waited 15 min under the tarp, covering me and the bike.. didn´t stop raining of course, but went a bit back. I continued and had to stop another time, pouring water over my engine and finally riding down on the other side, I´ve seen a sign of the place I wanted to visit.
Finca Bella Vista.. treehouse community (actually, I don´t know how many tree houses they have, but I´ve visited one of them and it was really cool! :D
so getting there I couldn´t do anything else than paying the 40 USD for the cabin they offered me. Was also a nice one.. cozy bed, on the river, everything really nicely set up! they have a pretty big piece of land, kinda rainforest with a lot of trails and a river flowing through. I was happy to get into some dry things and luckily one of the owners was there, so I could actually check in (would have sucked to get there and nobody is around :P
hmm... then on the other hand, there were no tourists anyway. I feel it doesn´t matter what I do, I end up by myself because it´s off-season and these places you best visit with your mate or friends. So I hiked a bit on their land (many jungle trails) and got to this super wicked tree house. Two levels with sight on the river with a waterfall. Downstairs there´s a small kitchen corner and a couch forming a living room and upstairs is a veranda and a king size bed (have to go back for honeymoon! :) and a sit on toilet and a shower.. really super, super cool! :D must cost a bit though to stay there and it´s really remote (carrying all your food to this place and some bottles of wine ;) but I enjoyed the view from the top floor and spent a little while there, before I walked back. There would been other cabins (other tree houses?) and I think if it´s high season, you might meet cool people hanging out there! :)
in the evening I had dinner with the owners (young couple) and a guy who just moved down to this place (why not.. if you live somewhere out in nowhere, then it´s a good call! :) was a nice evening.. having a few shots and talking a bit before going to bed (being tired again ;)
got up as normal lately at 5.30am and made my bike ready.. made it to the boarder crossing and it just costed time (and 16 USD for another insurance) but no other costs and I was pretty relaxed. I get more used to it, I guess ;) had to wait in line on both sides but at least it was a small place, so I could watch over my bike and was talking to a guy from Bolivia :)
then driving into Panama I got really bad overheating problems.. had to drive at least 100km/h to cool the bike down and I figured out quickly that I won´t make 600km with that condition. hmm... so I stayed calm and looked for a solution (after I made up my mind to drive straigt and fast to Panama city to get my bike fixed). There were not too many options but in no time I got a place where I could send my bike to Panama.. it´s 50 dollars (cheap if you ask me) and 60 dollars to get it delivered to the BMW shop. I could finally make the deposit of 200USD, so they would order my spare part. it happens with DHL now and they pay the additional cost (thank you so much, after I try to get this done for four weeks). So my bike should be at the shop tomorrow, the fan in 7-10 days and soon I should have a price what it will cost all in all. I will show up in Panama city in about 7-10 days, shipping some stuff home that I don´t want to carry any more, figuring out how and where to ship my bike down to Colombia (or Venezuela?) and getting my bike, hopefully 100% fixed up and ready for the rest of my trip.
after sending all my stuff in the afternoon, I got a bus to Boquete and will spend a few days here, eventually hiking another volcano ;) (I love volcanos! :D
the weather is changing.. raining at the moment in the later afternoon, but hopefully I will have some more sunny days (at least I don´t have to drive in the rain ;)
after here I will go to Bocas de Toro, where I heard is a lot of party and I think, I can easily stay a few days there before going to Panama.
so in the end, the plan came up very spontaneously and it´s very OK like that (maybe I should live cheap to cover my repair costs ;) but it´s good to see Boquete and Bocas del Toro, they have been quite recommended to me after all (and I wouldn´t have done it with driving my crippled bike to the shop).
Panama is really nice (first impression). Nice people and way more affordable than Costa Rica.. let´s see what experiences are waiting for me here :)
gonna keep you posted! :D cu all and have a great time!!
well.. of course it was already too late yesterday to evade the rain :P if I used the words "soaked" and "wet" before, then I´m sorry, because it set a new limit on the scale yesterday :P
I just kept going, felt if I sit out the rain, I might never arrive (and it kept raining the whole afternoon indeed). So I faced all the rain, shouted out loudly and finally gave up, because it was too strong.. actually, I was riding up this mountain on a dirt road that almost turned into a river, when it started to rain really, really hard and how could it be different, the overheating lamp went on :( I stopped the bike, slided 10m backwards because it was too steep to stop and finally it tipped over into the mud.. I had to release my frustration with a loud scream and then I unfolded the tarp and waited 15 min under the tarp, covering me and the bike.. didn´t stop raining of course, but went a bit back. I continued and had to stop another time, pouring water over my engine and finally riding down on the other side, I´ve seen a sign of the place I wanted to visit.
Finca Bella Vista.. treehouse community (actually, I don´t know how many tree houses they have, but I´ve visited one of them and it was really cool! :D
so getting there I couldn´t do anything else than paying the 40 USD for the cabin they offered me. Was also a nice one.. cozy bed, on the river, everything really nicely set up! they have a pretty big piece of land, kinda rainforest with a lot of trails and a river flowing through. I was happy to get into some dry things and luckily one of the owners was there, so I could actually check in (would have sucked to get there and nobody is around :P
hmm... then on the other hand, there were no tourists anyway. I feel it doesn´t matter what I do, I end up by myself because it´s off-season and these places you best visit with your mate or friends. So I hiked a bit on their land (many jungle trails) and got to this super wicked tree house. Two levels with sight on the river with a waterfall. Downstairs there´s a small kitchen corner and a couch forming a living room and upstairs is a veranda and a king size bed (have to go back for honeymoon! :) and a sit on toilet and a shower.. really super, super cool! :D must cost a bit though to stay there and it´s really remote (carrying all your food to this place and some bottles of wine ;) but I enjoyed the view from the top floor and spent a little while there, before I walked back. There would been other cabins (other tree houses?) and I think if it´s high season, you might meet cool people hanging out there! :)
in the evening I had dinner with the owners (young couple) and a guy who just moved down to this place (why not.. if you live somewhere out in nowhere, then it´s a good call! :) was a nice evening.. having a few shots and talking a bit before going to bed (being tired again ;)
got up as normal lately at 5.30am and made my bike ready.. made it to the boarder crossing and it just costed time (and 16 USD for another insurance) but no other costs and I was pretty relaxed. I get more used to it, I guess ;) had to wait in line on both sides but at least it was a small place, so I could watch over my bike and was talking to a guy from Bolivia :)
then driving into Panama I got really bad overheating problems.. had to drive at least 100km/h to cool the bike down and I figured out quickly that I won´t make 600km with that condition. hmm... so I stayed calm and looked for a solution (after I made up my mind to drive straigt and fast to Panama city to get my bike fixed). There were not too many options but in no time I got a place where I could send my bike to Panama.. it´s 50 dollars (cheap if you ask me) and 60 dollars to get it delivered to the BMW shop. I could finally make the deposit of 200USD, so they would order my spare part. it happens with DHL now and they pay the additional cost (thank you so much, after I try to get this done for four weeks). So my bike should be at the shop tomorrow, the fan in 7-10 days and soon I should have a price what it will cost all in all. I will show up in Panama city in about 7-10 days, shipping some stuff home that I don´t want to carry any more, figuring out how and where to ship my bike down to Colombia (or Venezuela?) and getting my bike, hopefully 100% fixed up and ready for the rest of my trip.
after sending all my stuff in the afternoon, I got a bus to Boquete and will spend a few days here, eventually hiking another volcano ;) (I love volcanos! :D
the weather is changing.. raining at the moment in the later afternoon, but hopefully I will have some more sunny days (at least I don´t have to drive in the rain ;)
after here I will go to Bocas de Toro, where I heard is a lot of party and I think, I can easily stay a few days there before going to Panama.
so in the end, the plan came up very spontaneously and it´s very OK like that (maybe I should live cheap to cover my repair costs ;) but it´s good to see Boquete and Bocas del Toro, they have been quite recommended to me after all (and I wouldn´t have done it with driving my crippled bike to the shop).
Panama is really nice (first impression). Nice people and way more affordable than Costa Rica.. let´s see what experiences are waiting for me here :)
gonna keep you posted! :D cu all and have a great time!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
..busy days..
phew.. here we are.. was quite busy the last days and finally I get to a computer to update the world ;) hehe :)
glad I made it here.. I got quite some problems with my bike. Changed oil yesterday after I checked it since a long time and figured out that it looks quite old already (then having bad feeling in my stomach riding further). Didn't take too long (but I had to push me anyway a bit to do it), costed though 25USD for the 2.5lt oil I needed.. quite expensive but hey, at least the engine runs smoother again. Point is, I will have it changed anyway (and the filter) in Panama city, where I kinda urge to get to. The guys have hopefully ordered my spare part fan after I called twice and wrote a bunch of emails. It's really annoying but I hope the order has been made, because otherwise I will be waiting a long time in the city to get my bike fixed.. I should have changed that fan long time ago. I'm now riding in the flat, along the cost.. going through the mountains was cooking my engine and I had to stop several times, pouring water over it to cool it down a bit. Was racing uphill with 50km/h on this unpaved, bumpy, stony road, but I had to get as much natural air cooling as possible. was a bit crazy to be honest.. Then the rear brake failed because was overheated :P damn.. luckily nothing happened, was also good luck. Used then the gears to break.. I think, there's something not good adjusted with the break disc and pads, but didn't have the place or energy to look at. it's just getting very hot now but still works.. another item for the fix-my-bike-list for Panama. Yes.. it really, really needs to get into a BMW bike hospital and even if it will cost between 1000 and 2000 USD, I will have it done (I'm more prepared now, since I know it will be expensive ;)
I had a busy day in Fortuna.. went to the volcano and hiked all the trails they got (they don't let you go up too far) and enjoyed having a bit of head space (even if I was worried with some things at the moment). Saw some stones rolling down the volcano (reason why you don't hike to close ;) and had a beautiful walk through rainforest. On my way back I stopped at a hot river and chilled in the water :D ..there are many resots with pools, but they cost some USD and the river is free and beautiful for being more natural!
went back to the hotel and was ready to spend the afternoon updating blog because it looked a lot like rain. to mention.. the day before getting there was a nice ride, but the last 5km it started raining (no, it was POURING!!) and I got soaked within minutes what ended in a drying session at this backpacker place. I got rooms offered until 55USD but found one with private bathroom for 8 bucks! :) so stayed gladly two nights there.
The afternoon was sunny then and a guy called "captain Bob" invited me to drive around and go for a cool down in a nearby river. He makes these trips with people if there's high season. So we got a couple of rum-coke and he brought me to this beautiful place on the river with small waterfall and a badass ropeswing!!! :D that I of course tried out twice without hurting myself ;) hehe :) really, really cool!!
and then we checked the lava flow at night of the volcano.. well, just saw some glowing rocks rolling down, but was nice to hang out a bit away from where all the tourist stand, having chairs and privacy. (I was so tired at this point, couldn't keep my eyes open ;) then we went back to the hot river a second time. It was night already and Bob got a flashlight to provide some ambiental light :) he took us to a place maybe 50m up the river, where it was even nicer to hang out and where a cold river joins the warm water flow (so you get a special hot-cold experience bathing at this place! :) there was also a friend of his along and in the end we had another beer at his fancy hotel place before I finally got a good sleep in my big bed ;)
the next morning I started early and went to the Venado Caves.. another hour ride from there, where I planned to play some didgeridoo in a closed space ;)
the guide charged me 15 dollars, but it would not have been possible to enter without one.. was super crazy!! :D haha :) needed the helmet and rubber boots that they provided and we were walking through water, crawling through the smallest imaginable spaces and I figured out that I'm don't have claustrophobia at all (otherwise you find it out in these small passages ;) hehe :) was BADASS cave!! really, really adventurous! at a point you had to go feet first, then pass your left arm and pull yourself through! (going to the limits! ;) and climbing up 7 meters in a place where you don't want to fall. oh my god.. just with the guides instructions I could make it, but reached the place where I was playing 15 minutes in total pitch black on my didge and it sounded AMAZING!! :D was blowing your mind to hear to these vibes! ;) I would have gotten lost a hundred times in this cave and was happy to have a guide.. that's really a cool experience! was in some caves but this one was really good! :D there are biiiiig spiders.. one species is called scorpion-spider and has clamps like a scorpion and the other one is a water spider that eats small fish. Then there were thousands of bats in this cave feeding on the small insects that live in this special eco system. We've seen some fossils.. like a small turtle shell sticking out of a stone. no pictures of that, but hell yes! what an experience!! :)
then I drove through the mountains to a place called Heredia, a bit further to a bar where there was a psy trance party at night. Well.. I don't know how long it lasted.. probably 3 or 4 oclock in the morning. the sound was just aweful!! but the party was good! :) met cool people and had fun! :) in the morning when I walked back home with somebody (I didn't dare to take my bike at this point), I completely blew it by not finding my place again.. we were really close, but I didn't know.. so she left me at a certain point being upset (what I can understand ;) and I walked all the way back, got my bike and found my place in no time (but too late for not going to bed alone :P ;P well.. that's life I guess.
slept from 6am to 12am, got up with a headache and made my way down to the next place where I could change oil. Oilchange and a greasy (yucci) breakfast and with asking many times for the way I managed to get to San Ignacio.. a dot on my map, where I thought might be nice to stay for a night. Well.. not too much going on there, but barely found a small room to stay (overpriced) and eat some dinner before going to bed at 6pm (very short day). Wasn't really in the mood to talk a lot to people and a guy was asking me one million questions.. was happy to sleep later on ;) here at this point I have to mention how friendly Costa Ricans are!! they really give a lot about to be friendly (as Buddhists ;) hehe :) this morning I was talking to a police man while waiting for the people from the Red Cross to show up (they stored my bike for free at their place :)
then came that ride through the mountains where I boiled almost my bike (and my nerves ;) ..was really nice through the mountains, but couldn't enjoy it too much.. had to have my eyes on the road and on the warning lamp for overheating :P hmm.. not too much more from here on. No ideas for Panama, but maybe get to the capital and do the service and then drive back up again if I want to see something more from this country.
hey.. I didn't mention that I learned how to free dive at Cocos Island. That was awesome!!! :D I was really afraid to go down deep without air, because you don't make it up in time again.. but the guys convinced me to try it (I don't like not to try things ;) hehe :) so I relaxed my body, took a few deep, enforced breaths and tried to get to the bottom.. took me three times to touch the ground and pick up a stone. The trick is also not to kick to much, but slow, pushing fin strikes that bring you down, equalizing your ears all the time! I think, it was about 15 meter! :D haha! was really a thrilling experience!!
OK.. here it started to rain slightly and I want to get another 50km further.. so I start before it gets too late ;) cu soon!
glad I made it here.. I got quite some problems with my bike. Changed oil yesterday after I checked it since a long time and figured out that it looks quite old already (then having bad feeling in my stomach riding further). Didn't take too long (but I had to push me anyway a bit to do it), costed though 25USD for the 2.5lt oil I needed.. quite expensive but hey, at least the engine runs smoother again. Point is, I will have it changed anyway (and the filter) in Panama city, where I kinda urge to get to. The guys have hopefully ordered my spare part fan after I called twice and wrote a bunch of emails. It's really annoying but I hope the order has been made, because otherwise I will be waiting a long time in the city to get my bike fixed.. I should have changed that fan long time ago. I'm now riding in the flat, along the cost.. going through the mountains was cooking my engine and I had to stop several times, pouring water over it to cool it down a bit. Was racing uphill with 50km/h on this unpaved, bumpy, stony road, but I had to get as much natural air cooling as possible. was a bit crazy to be honest.. Then the rear brake failed because was overheated :P damn.. luckily nothing happened, was also good luck. Used then the gears to break.. I think, there's something not good adjusted with the break disc and pads, but didn't have the place or energy to look at. it's just getting very hot now but still works.. another item for the fix-my-bike-list for Panama. Yes.. it really, really needs to get into a BMW bike hospital and even if it will cost between 1000 and 2000 USD, I will have it done (I'm more prepared now, since I know it will be expensive ;)
I had a busy day in Fortuna.. went to the volcano and hiked all the trails they got (they don't let you go up too far) and enjoyed having a bit of head space (even if I was worried with some things at the moment). Saw some stones rolling down the volcano (reason why you don't hike to close ;) and had a beautiful walk through rainforest. On my way back I stopped at a hot river and chilled in the water :D ..there are many resots with pools, but they cost some USD and the river is free and beautiful for being more natural!
went back to the hotel and was ready to spend the afternoon updating blog because it looked a lot like rain. to mention.. the day before getting there was a nice ride, but the last 5km it started raining (no, it was POURING!!) and I got soaked within minutes what ended in a drying session at this backpacker place. I got rooms offered until 55USD but found one with private bathroom for 8 bucks! :) so stayed gladly two nights there.
The afternoon was sunny then and a guy called "captain Bob" invited me to drive around and go for a cool down in a nearby river. He makes these trips with people if there's high season. So we got a couple of rum-coke and he brought me to this beautiful place on the river with small waterfall and a badass ropeswing!!! :D that I of course tried out twice without hurting myself ;) hehe :) really, really cool!!
and then we checked the lava flow at night of the volcano.. well, just saw some glowing rocks rolling down, but was nice to hang out a bit away from where all the tourist stand, having chairs and privacy. (I was so tired at this point, couldn't keep my eyes open ;) then we went back to the hot river a second time. It was night already and Bob got a flashlight to provide some ambiental light :) he took us to a place maybe 50m up the river, where it was even nicer to hang out and where a cold river joins the warm water flow (so you get a special hot-cold experience bathing at this place! :) there was also a friend of his along and in the end we had another beer at his fancy hotel place before I finally got a good sleep in my big bed ;)
the next morning I started early and went to the Venado Caves.. another hour ride from there, where I planned to play some didgeridoo in a closed space ;)
the guide charged me 15 dollars, but it would not have been possible to enter without one.. was super crazy!! :D haha :) needed the helmet and rubber boots that they provided and we were walking through water, crawling through the smallest imaginable spaces and I figured out that I'm don't have claustrophobia at all (otherwise you find it out in these small passages ;) hehe :) was BADASS cave!! really, really adventurous! at a point you had to go feet first, then pass your left arm and pull yourself through! (going to the limits! ;) and climbing up 7 meters in a place where you don't want to fall. oh my god.. just with the guides instructions I could make it, but reached the place where I was playing 15 minutes in total pitch black on my didge and it sounded AMAZING!! :D was blowing your mind to hear to these vibes! ;) I would have gotten lost a hundred times in this cave and was happy to have a guide.. that's really a cool experience! was in some caves but this one was really good! :D there are biiiiig spiders.. one species is called scorpion-spider and has clamps like a scorpion and the other one is a water spider that eats small fish. Then there were thousands of bats in this cave feeding on the small insects that live in this special eco system. We've seen some fossils.. like a small turtle shell sticking out of a stone. no pictures of that, but hell yes! what an experience!! :)
then I drove through the mountains to a place called Heredia, a bit further to a bar where there was a psy trance party at night. Well.. I don't know how long it lasted.. probably 3 or 4 oclock in the morning. the sound was just aweful!! but the party was good! :) met cool people and had fun! :) in the morning when I walked back home with somebody (I didn't dare to take my bike at this point), I completely blew it by not finding my place again.. we were really close, but I didn't know.. so she left me at a certain point being upset (what I can understand ;) and I walked all the way back, got my bike and found my place in no time (but too late for not going to bed alone :P ;P well.. that's life I guess.
slept from 6am to 12am, got up with a headache and made my way down to the next place where I could change oil. Oilchange and a greasy (yucci) breakfast and with asking many times for the way I managed to get to San Ignacio.. a dot on my map, where I thought might be nice to stay for a night. Well.. not too much going on there, but barely found a small room to stay (overpriced) and eat some dinner before going to bed at 6pm (very short day). Wasn't really in the mood to talk a lot to people and a guy was asking me one million questions.. was happy to sleep later on ;) here at this point I have to mention how friendly Costa Ricans are!! they really give a lot about to be friendly (as Buddhists ;) hehe :) this morning I was talking to a police man while waiting for the people from the Red Cross to show up (they stored my bike for free at their place :)
then came that ride through the mountains where I boiled almost my bike (and my nerves ;) ..was really nice through the mountains, but couldn't enjoy it too much.. had to have my eyes on the road and on the warning lamp for overheating :P hmm.. not too much more from here on. No ideas for Panama, but maybe get to the capital and do the service and then drive back up again if I want to see something more from this country.
hey.. I didn't mention that I learned how to free dive at Cocos Island. That was awesome!!! :D I was really afraid to go down deep without air, because you don't make it up in time again.. but the guys convinced me to try it (I don't like not to try things ;) hehe :) so I relaxed my body, took a few deep, enforced breaths and tried to get to the bottom.. took me three times to touch the ground and pick up a stone. The trick is also not to kick to much, but slow, pushing fin strikes that bring you down, equalizing your ears all the time! I think, it was about 15 meter! :D haha! was really a thrilling experience!!
OK.. here it started to rain slightly and I want to get another 50km further.. so I start before it gets too late ;) cu soon!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
..back on the mainland again :D
phew.. what a trip! was not exactly the way I thought it would be, but I don't regret a single second of it!!
in the end, there were not many things left on the boat that could fail because kinda everything broke.. finally the compressor was the killer to stop the trip in the middle (well.. not the middle of the time, but middle of dives), but also there were issues with one of the dinghis, the sweet water system had a problem on the way home, the engines were not powerful enough and the diesel was bad quality, so they had to change filters 3 times. even the washing machine broke and flooded our room ;) well.. at least the ship didn't sink ;) *lol* ..nah, was not too bad.. though on the way I had some challenging moments. especially because the trip costed me some money and I wasn't really satisfied at this point. Also has to be mentioned that at the moment is the time of "El Nino" and the water temperature is waaay to high for big schools swimming around. So I've seen some of the hammerheads (what actually is very exciting if you haven't seen any at all before ;) hehe ;) but there were maybe 10 instead of 80.. so the next time I make sure the conditions are better for diving (means, much colder, so you freeze your ass off diving ;)
getting there was a pain in the ass.. 60 hours took the journey and mostly it was so wavy that everybody got seasick. I was mostly sleeping, laying flat in my bed and twice feeding fish over board :P but survived! just know, the next time I got plenty of seasick tablets with me! when I finally wanted some, they already run out (in no time they were all gone! :( so it was pretty tough.. it's kinda the feeling you get, when you're getting out of a rollercoaster.. but steady for 24 hours a day :P
the way back was much, much better.. and when you get off the boat after days of waving, you still feel waving because your center of equilibrium has somehow adapted to it ;)
the food was awesome (once we arrived I managed also to eat again ;) I got also really excited about the diving.. it's hard to not see a shark, when you jump into the water. Mostly whitetips that are about 1m50 but look pretty (well, I like bigger ones ;) during the night dives they were following a jackfish for the hunt and it was exciting to watch them.. was also the only thing to see next to some psychadelic looking sea cucumbers ;) then I saw a big manta ray passing for a few seconds (thank you dive buddy for pulling on my fin and pointing it out.. I would have totally missed it! ;) then on a couple occasions the hammerheads showed up! I hope that some people will upload on facebook and that I actually get their contacts in the end.. but we will see.. would be nice to point out a shark that I swam with! ;)
on the way back we got some dolphins swimming with the boat for a while (always nice!! :D so I had the best dives of my life out there even with compareble bad conditions and just have the dives.. and well.. a long trip there and back. next time I'd be more prepared to do things ;)
I had my guitar, didge and jews-harp with me and entertained people during the trip ;) they enjoyed! I heard a lot, but A LOT jokes about me, that came kinda out of a form of sympathy that sometimes still cost me a bit to not get too "spiky" about it. but yes.. I mean, I'm an accessible person and got really good connections with everybody and it was alone on the plane to meet all these people incredible fruitful! and a lot of us thought this.. so it was priceless to meet and know all these people a little better (because this is what you do if you stay 10 days on a small boat together ;) but yes.. five people from the states and seven Costa Ricans.. called "ticos" ;) and was fun with all of them! :D ..well.. OK, one guy from Holland that lives here for 18 years had a hard time.. he has quite an ego and is fighting with it plenty of moments. So in the end he couldn't take his car out because the old truck of Luciano (boss) broke down and he was about to sue the company because so pissed off (instead of taking things easier). So murphys law stroke him hard and for some reason also Luciano had to pay his share. Being on a boat with twelve disappointed, much paying customers and nothing he could do about (last leaving the scene ;)
but I met a lot of wonderful people on this trip!! there are people working on that boat that inspired me deeply with their selfless kind of being, their committment and their everlasting smile! and they did not only inspire me, but many! (that's the way it works in this world ;)
so during the trip and at our good bye party in a restaurant, drinking beer and having shots, many beautiful word has been spoken and people showed more of their feelings and gratefulness for each other! was just a wonderful moment under the influence of alcohol!! ;) hehe :)
well.. I'm sure I will add some more lines, but for the moment I have a break.. my inbox was flooded with spam and shit and I'm glad I could clean up a little ;)
so it was a bit costly, but in the end it's just money and I'm sure it won't be missing on the long run.. I got now an own divecomputer and well.. payed 100 USD for days I haven't spent on the island. but you never now if something is a curse or a blessing.. if Luciano stays in business (what I strongly hope) then I might have another chance to go out in October, November.. so let's see if this happens when the time comes (and El Nino is over hopefully).
I feel, I'm not done with Cocos Islands.. there is more to see and knowing one of the companies owner seems to help for future activities there ;)
went hiking on the island.. it's beautiful, but a very small place to stay there for a month, what volunteer people actually do..
so yeah.. hear from me soon! :)
in the end, there were not many things left on the boat that could fail because kinda everything broke.. finally the compressor was the killer to stop the trip in the middle (well.. not the middle of the time, but middle of dives), but also there were issues with one of the dinghis, the sweet water system had a problem on the way home, the engines were not powerful enough and the diesel was bad quality, so they had to change filters 3 times. even the washing machine broke and flooded our room ;) well.. at least the ship didn't sink ;) *lol* ..nah, was not too bad.. though on the way I had some challenging moments. especially because the trip costed me some money and I wasn't really satisfied at this point. Also has to be mentioned that at the moment is the time of "El Nino" and the water temperature is waaay to high for big schools swimming around. So I've seen some of the hammerheads (what actually is very exciting if you haven't seen any at all before ;) hehe ;) but there were maybe 10 instead of 80.. so the next time I make sure the conditions are better for diving (means, much colder, so you freeze your ass off diving ;)
getting there was a pain in the ass.. 60 hours took the journey and mostly it was so wavy that everybody got seasick. I was mostly sleeping, laying flat in my bed and twice feeding fish over board :P but survived! just know, the next time I got plenty of seasick tablets with me! when I finally wanted some, they already run out (in no time they were all gone! :( so it was pretty tough.. it's kinda the feeling you get, when you're getting out of a rollercoaster.. but steady for 24 hours a day :P
the way back was much, much better.. and when you get off the boat after days of waving, you still feel waving because your center of equilibrium has somehow adapted to it ;)
the food was awesome (once we arrived I managed also to eat again ;) I got also really excited about the diving.. it's hard to not see a shark, when you jump into the water. Mostly whitetips that are about 1m50 but look pretty (well, I like bigger ones ;) during the night dives they were following a jackfish for the hunt and it was exciting to watch them.. was also the only thing to see next to some psychadelic looking sea cucumbers ;) then I saw a big manta ray passing for a few seconds (thank you dive buddy for pulling on my fin and pointing it out.. I would have totally missed it! ;) then on a couple occasions the hammerheads showed up! I hope that some people will upload on facebook and that I actually get their contacts in the end.. but we will see.. would be nice to point out a shark that I swam with! ;)
on the way back we got some dolphins swimming with the boat for a while (always nice!! :D so I had the best dives of my life out there even with compareble bad conditions and just have the dives.. and well.. a long trip there and back. next time I'd be more prepared to do things ;)
I had my guitar, didge and jews-harp with me and entertained people during the trip ;) they enjoyed! I heard a lot, but A LOT jokes about me, that came kinda out of a form of sympathy that sometimes still cost me a bit to not get too "spiky" about it. but yes.. I mean, I'm an accessible person and got really good connections with everybody and it was alone on the plane to meet all these people incredible fruitful! and a lot of us thought this.. so it was priceless to meet and know all these people a little better (because this is what you do if you stay 10 days on a small boat together ;) but yes.. five people from the states and seven Costa Ricans.. called "ticos" ;) and was fun with all of them! :D ..well.. OK, one guy from Holland that lives here for 18 years had a hard time.. he has quite an ego and is fighting with it plenty of moments. So in the end he couldn't take his car out because the old truck of Luciano (boss) broke down and he was about to sue the company because so pissed off (instead of taking things easier). So murphys law stroke him hard and for some reason also Luciano had to pay his share. Being on a boat with twelve disappointed, much paying customers and nothing he could do about (last leaving the scene ;)
but I met a lot of wonderful people on this trip!! there are people working on that boat that inspired me deeply with their selfless kind of being, their committment and their everlasting smile! and they did not only inspire me, but many! (that's the way it works in this world ;)
so during the trip and at our good bye party in a restaurant, drinking beer and having shots, many beautiful word has been spoken and people showed more of their feelings and gratefulness for each other! was just a wonderful moment under the influence of alcohol!! ;) hehe :)
well.. I'm sure I will add some more lines, but for the moment I have a break.. my inbox was flooded with spam and shit and I'm glad I could clean up a little ;)
so it was a bit costly, but in the end it's just money and I'm sure it won't be missing on the long run.. I got now an own divecomputer and well.. payed 100 USD for days I haven't spent on the island. but you never now if something is a curse or a blessing.. if Luciano stays in business (what I strongly hope) then I might have another chance to go out in October, November.. so let's see if this happens when the time comes (and El Nino is over hopefully).
I feel, I'm not done with Cocos Islands.. there is more to see and knowing one of the companies owner seems to help for future activities there ;)
went hiking on the island.. it's beautiful, but a very small place to stay there for a month, what volunteer people actually do..
so yeah.. hear from me soon! :)
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