Bus Ride to TJ

Angel dropped me off at the bus station about 2 hours early.  This gave me plenty of time to have some real Mexican food (as I have grown to know it) before going to  Mexico.  ;) Seriously, the BRC buritto at the bus station was surprisingly good.  I also had plenty of time to delete the 1300 photos stored in my camera from my last trip and drain the battery on my camera while I was at it.  Good start to a trip!  I still had time to kill so I got really anal.  I started getting nit picky about my address book in my phone.  Had to put everyones last name in.  Had to put in their email address too.  Move their call numbers from the work number section.  Hey... why not add home addresses and company name?  Is this the way that people without jobs spend their time?!  As an aside...I thought it was pretty funny that every time I typed IHG in to the company name for someone I used to work with, my blackberry wouldn't recognize it and instead type UHG.   Hmmmm....always looking for a sign that I made the right decision to quit to travel.

It wouldnt be a bus ride without somethng interesting happening.  The lights go out.  It is pitch black on the bus.  And, I can hear kissy kissy noises.  Ewwwwwwww!  A few minutes later the guy in front of me accidentally slams his seat all the way back and almost into my lap.  He turns around and says something something moleste something something.  If I didnt have an idea what that word meant in Spanish I might have run off the bus especially without knowing where those kissy noises were coming from!

Two and A Half Hours in TJ

Stop in Caborca

I finally made it... i reached the mexican border to go to a little trip to Tijuana! Me and some brits headed over ther border and it was as if we werde going to a football game. Noeone even cared about passes and all that jazz... you can just walk over the border, the way back is the problem...

Well in mexico it felt immediately warmer than in america (dont ask me why) so we got a McFlurry (thanks to Mc Donalds you always feel like home...) Then we headed over the bridge to do some giftshopping. Mann wie nervig sind diese ganzen mexicanischen Haendler, die versuchen dich in ihr Geschaeft zu zerren. They called us: Charlies Angels, rich american woman and (me) Gwyneth Paltrow... i think i can live with that *hehe*

Well after some coronas and playing pool and riding the mecanical bull we went back to the border and it took us about 30 minutes to reenter america. What a day!

Our only other port we stopped at for a cruise was Ensenada, Mexico.  This was going to be an all day stop with us having to be back at the boat at 11pm.  We booked an excursion for this stop...Wine Country Tour.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a great excursion.  Our tour guide was very funny and the bus trip to our stops was beautiful.  It's strange to think that people live in places like Columbus, Ohio when there are all these beautiful places out there.

We stopped at two different wineries Casa Pedro Domecq and L.A. Cetto.  Casa Pedro Domecq had a great tour set up for us that took us through all the production stops and had videos set up with with historical information.  They also had a great tasting room that  overlooked vineyards and mountains making me never want to leave!  The next winery was L.A Cetto, that I think is the largest in Ensenada.  The guide told us it was some ridiculous amount of thousands of acres.  The grounds at L.A. Cetto were exquisite and we got time to wander around them before heading inside.  There was actually a bull fighting ring on the grounds, but our guide said it was just for show.

The weather was unbelievable.  Very warm, so much so that after an afternoon in the heat, drinking wine and then riding back.  I was so tired that I didn't want to stop off into town to look around. 
We went back to the ship in order to recoup.  I figured we could take a nap, eat dinner and then head into town for a drink and a look around... And that was the last I saw of Ensenada!!!  Never take naps, they suck you in!

We left San Diego Thursday night June 28th, stopping by a grocery store in Rosarito for beer and other supplies before heading to Papas & Beer for a fun night of dancing. Most of us played in the Friday pools. I got partnered with a B-rated player and we won two matches, but I think he purposely threw a couple games so he could play again Saturday with a new partner. At the time I had just barely started playing two's and was still pretty inconsistent, we would have gotten killed Sunday if we made it out of the pool. Most of us didn't make it out of pool, but a few did: James, Sasha, and Shelby were among them. James advanced the farthest, winning three matches before falling to Hank and his partner who would eventually win the men's division.

For most of us, the trip was a drink fest. We drank from Thursday night through Sunday afternoon. Most of our time was spent on the beach. Our nights were at Papas & Beer and we slept and spent small portions of the day at the condo where we broke a cheap couch and used up all the water (horrible water pressure). We'll be getting a much better place for 2008.

Many of us have gotten a lot better, but a few can't make it this year which is a bummer. We'll still party hard, though.

Papas & Beer is a large, open-air nightclub situated along the beach in Rosarito, Mexico. It's about 20-30 minutes south of the border near San Diego, California. The venue is large and spacious with plenty of room to browse and relax when it's not busy, when it is busy it's often packed. Visitors tend to be college-aged and younger Americans, but you'll find locals, other foreigners, and a wider range of ages here and there. Prices are somewhat standard for the area with most beers running a few dollars. If you want to get drunk first, you can probably find a better deal at one of the nearby bars that occasionally run "all-you-can-drink" specials for a cover charge. During the daytime and on slower nights they'll often have a volleyball court set up in the middle of the place. Other attractions include a pool, a mechanical bull and a climbing wall, although I'm not sure if the wall is still available. If you get hungry you can grab a bite to eat at the restaurant inside the place. Food is rather typical mexican fare but tasty with prices that are about the same as walk-ups serving similar food along the street. If you don't mind a lot of noise, a lot of dancing, and being surrounded by a lot of drunk college-aged kids, you should enjoy Papas & Beer.

Not wanting to end my unforgettable road-trip, once I returned to San Diego I picked up my friend Kristen and we continued to drive south of the border into Mexico.  About 2 hours from Tiajuana was the charming seaside town of Ensenada, meaning "cove" in English.  We spent a few relaxing days there and then it was time for me to return to San Diego and prepare myself for my next road-trip; this time across the country!

Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go.  But no matter, the road is life. -- Jack Kerouac

    Every year I spend my spring break in Tijuana building houses for families in need and ever year I realize more and more how important it is for all of us to do whatever we can to give back to people around the world.  It has really impacted me in so many ways, all of which I wish I could share with you however, that would take away from the mystery of going on the trip yourself. 
    Yes, there are many things that can be done here in my own back yard but there is something about heading out to an unfamilier land to help build hope to those in desperate need that brightens my spirits.  The people of Tijuana need our help.  Every year that I make the trip I am moved by something different.  A few years back I remember being strongly impacted just by the surroundings.  It seems so hard to rise up out of poverty when everyone around you is in the same situation.  Some years I am moved by the amount of strength those parents have.  This last spring break i was so encougaged by the little children to keep moving forward.  These children play in suage water, kick wods of paper as balls on the street and often go with out meals.  These kids have somthing I think a lot of us as adults still lack and that is the ability to not be affected by the outside world.  For me growing up the grass was always greener on the other side but for these children, their grass is just as green as anyone elses. 
    I am so glad to have been blessed with the opperatunity to make this trip every year and wish nothing more then for everyone in their life tiem to be able to take some time and go give back whether its helping out at a local recycling plant or traveling to a third world country.  Together, as open minded travelers we can start making this world a more inviting place by being positive examples and showing others the importance of travel.

Just south of the town of San Felipe is a cactus "forest" of the worlds largest cactus in the Valley of the Giants natural preserve. The Cardon Cactus are well over 70 feet high. Indigenous to Northern Baja California the Cardon Cactus forest is the Mexican desert equivalent of the California Redwoods. The scenery in the Valley of Giants is spectacular. There is a small entrance fee and you do need to have a four-wheeled drive to see the entire preserve. A two-wheeled drive car can get you to the first rest stop where you can get out and walk around but you won't be able to see all the "named cactus" without the all terrain vehicle.

We eventually had to leave Playa Miramar. The old man was incredibly nice and generous, and the view was great, but we had no food. No stores were open or near and we didn't want to ask the groundskeeper to share what little food he had in his groundskeeper quarters. It was about time for us to head back to Villahermosa.

Through a series of combis and buses we ended up back in downtown Villahermosa. We grabbed a cheap room above one of the little bus stations and settled in. Outside there were a number of street taco stands. Lose you inhibitions and try some. My favorite are the asada with cilantro and onion.

The next day, we explored more of the city. The cathedral looked enormous from far away, but getting closer we realized it was because it is on top of a hill. Downtown seems to be pretty trendy, shop-wise, although the architecture still holds the colonial style with very european influences. The humidity has left alot of the designs black and I hope not too much of it was damaged in the devastating floods since then.

We were also able to check out the Olmec artifacts and heads at Parque-Museo La Venta, a park and zoo in the middle of metropolitan Villahermosa. The Olmec artifacts can be seen along a pre-made trail. There are a number of artifacts and it is not as short a walk as one would expect. The heat and humidity, make it seem much longer. It ends with the famous head that we've all seen (but not sure where) and the only thing to do after that is the zoo. Not very big, but still pretty interesting.

Villahermosa was the last stop on our whirlwind trip though the area. The next day, we made it to the airport to fly back home.

First thing first - I love going to concerts and hearing bands playing my favorite songs.  I find that it is a great way to release any suppressed tension by screaming with a couple hundred people or so and sometimes singing along.  This concert didn't do that...it actually did the opposite...making it the worst concert experience ever...

After our day of some minor sight seeing we drove with one of my cousins to the City of Queretaro which is approximately 1 hr away.  We found the concert venue (ICONOS) rather quickly and bought the tickets at about $10 each which we thought was more than reasonable.   The ticket said that the doors would open around 9 pm so we had a couple of hours to eat dinner, etc. 

We got back to the venue a little after 8 pm and there is a nice sized crowd waiting for admittance which is to be expected since the doors open at 9 pm.   I should mention at this point that the temps in this part of Mexico gets a little chilly at night - you need a least a sweater to be comfortably warm.  My sis and I told Daniel this but he kinda ignored us and just thinks Mexico as a shorts weather country...

Well 9 pm comes around and the doors are still closed and unfortunately it starts to drizzle - a cold drizzle.  People start huddling around and are getting impatient with the door keepers.  They start whistling and if I knew how to whistle I probably would've joined them as well.

Around 10 pm they start letting people in but at this point any semblance of a line is long gone.  People are pushing trying to get in as quick as possible.  Luckily my experience of traversing through concert crowds helps me at this point and I get in first.  Unfortunately, my sis, Daniel and my cousin Leo don't get in as quick.  It's another half hour before we are all together on the main floor and this is when we realize how bad this concert has been set up.

The venue is actually a bar with limited seats and tables and the only way to get seats is if you buy a minimum of 2 bottles of booze at $60 each.  We decided not to buy thinking the concert is probably going to start pretty soon and we could stand for the hour or so long show.  We were wrong - the band didn't start playing until sometime after midnight!!!

At this point we were all exhausted, impatient and tense from the waiting and being stuck in a place that had way too many people for the small space.  We only heard about 5 songs before we called it quits and were trying to find a way out of the place.  This was difficult considering the stairs to the main entrance was blocked by hundreds of people.  My sister eventually convinced the security guy to let us out through the emergency exit.  We eventually got back to Tequis around 2 am.

I won't mention this band's name cause after this experience I'm not that into them anymore...but I did get some cool pics...

Hey hey Iedereen

Dit is niet mijn reguliere blog (die komt morgen of overmorgen), maar een blog even snel naar aanleiding van mijn lichamelijke toestand, Eerst wou ik vermelden dat ik me nog super vermaak en dat er geen aanleiding is voor iemand om zich zorgen te maken. Ik ben hier in goede handen.

Laat ik maar bij het begin beginnen. Afgelopen zondagavond voelde ik me niet al heel erg lekker. Ik had last van een lichte verhoging en had behoorlijk last van me maag. Op dat moment dacht ik dat het wel zou over gaan en de volgende dag bleek dat ook zo te zijn. Ik had geen aanleiding dat ik nog een aanval zou krijgen, maar nu was ik gisteren samen met Tere en een goede vriend van haar in Mexico City waar ik nog een aanval kreeg. Echt werkelijk alles wat er in me maag zat kwam er ook uit. Dus toen snel weer terug gegaan naar "Cuernavaca" en daar een doctor opgezocht. En wat bleek dat ik ongeveer al een half jaar met een maaginfectie heb rond gelopen, die er alleen nog maar op zat te wachten dat ik een keer iets verkeerd at. Nu is het zo dat in Mexico dingen aan eenmaal er iets minder hygienischer zijn dan in Nederland en dus alleen maar een kwestie van tijd was.

Om in het kort uitleggen hoe iedereen een maaginfectie kan oplopen. Het is als volgt: toen ik naar Frankrijk ben gegaan is gelijk ook me hele eetpatroon veranderd. Ik at later dan normaal, en ik at ook veel kruidiger dan normaal, en ik begon in eens veel meer een meer te sporten (vaak ook zonder voor die tijd of na die tijd goed te eten). Op een of andere manier kan je maag daar niet tegen en begint ineens veel meer maagzuren te opteslaan, want deze is gewend aan het feit dat je op bepaalde momenten eet en zelf het soort eten dat je eet, want eet je veel kruidigerdan normaal, dan maak je maag te veel zuren aan. En 1 van de eerste ziekte beelden is dat je ontzettend "Gassig" bent. Gebeurd dit voor een te lange periode dan kan je dus een infectie oplopen, omdat je gehele darmflora overhoop ligt. Zo zie je maar weer hoe belangrijk regelmaat is.

Maar wat ik al zei ik maak het goed, Ik was er op tijd bij (veel later en ik had in het ziekenhuis gelegen) en kan gewoon nog alles doen (helaas niet eten), Ben goed verzekerd, maar duur is het hier toch al niet. De doctor heeft me 2 verschillende soort antibiotica gegeven, 3 andere soorten medicatie en een streng dieet voor de eerste volgende week.

Het gaat iedereen goed, Muchos besos.

Ps 1: Ik wil graag Tere en haar familie super bedanken omdat ze me zo super hebben geholpen. Tere is al die tijd bij me geweest en is een super support voor me geweest. Dank je wel schatje.

Ps 2: Paul zou jij je de verzekeringspapieren kunnen inscannen en op sturen, want dat kan ik het van het weekend regelen.

As most of the people might know Cuernavaca is my base town, Everything I do here is Mexico is organized from here. The main reason for this: It is the hometown of Tere (my girlfirend, hou van je mijn liefste), but untill this moment I never been really a tourist in Cuernavaca. Today proofed to be the perfect day for being a Tourist. Together with Tere, Hannah, Diana and Ricardo (a friend from Troyes) I was going to be sightseeing Cuernavaca.

First we visted the local market in Cuernavaca, it is a market like most markets in the world, mainly with items nobody needs, but here and there you see some amazing craftmanship and other really cool items. I was here before buying all the presents for the people in Holland, and Yes Mom I bought something really amazing for your new house.

After the market it was time for the Turibus. Like I already describe in more entries the Turibus is one of the best and quickest ways to see a city. this time it was no exemtion also because we saw some places even tere had seen never before. First the bus took us to some of the more important places in Cuernavaca; the catedral, the palace of Cortez, some statues of Zapata (a hero here in Mexico) and some others. Coming to the most negative aspect of the Turibus. I don´t have enough time to make pictures and when you take pictures most of the times it is not what you wanted or something else is wrong. This give the photos a good story, but diffcult to let the people at home show what you´re seeing.

At some moment the bus stopped at we had to leave the bus, not knowing why we did what we have been told. Not knowing that this would be the best part of the entire trip. A jungle in the middle of a city. Most of the time cities have special areas naked for the eye and know by the people who live there. This was such a place, naked for the eye, but truly amazing. It is not everyday you see a jungle in the middle of the city. This park was placed there by the Spanish conqueres, but it was really amazing, even more beautiful than the jungle near Tepoztlan. I hope the photos can give a image on how amazing it was, because you don´t have the feeling anymore that you are in a city were almost 1 million people life.

Afterwards the bus went back again and he could visted a archological site Teopanzolco, which is in Cueranvaca. This is a small temple areas of the Aztecs dated from 1300 AC. The complex knows three different temples, one (the biggest) for Quetzalcoatl, one (I forgot the name) for the god of fire and the other was unknown. The site wasn´t really big, but nevertheless it was good to walk there and learn about the Aztecs. With visting the temple site it was the ending of spending the day as a real tourist. It can be nice for a change and I went back to Tere her house, because I changed appartments, because Tere here aunt who had an operation is now staying in my old appartment.

When I say Dean, What do you think of, maybe it is somebody you know, maybe it is a relative, maybe it is even the name of a place your been to. For me Dean got a complete different meaning during the last week. As many might know last week was a very easy week. With a lot of relaxing, talking with Tere and to plan my next trip in Mexico. This trip is going to be with Hannah from Scotland (sorry, stupid joke I know, but very funny, for insiders only), sorry I mean England.

The destination was going to be Cancun and Yucatan, to enjoy the beach and see some remainders of the Maya's. But this is were Dean comes in. Dean is also know as a hurricane, the forth hurricane in 2007. Dean is not a very nice hurricane, because thanks to him/her (I don't know which gender a hurricane has) we probably have to rescedule our plans. The thing is according to the latest prediction were Dean is going to be a bad person it will be very difficult to decide if we can go or not. Because some sources say it will be dangerous and other say the weather will be bad but that is all. So what to do, don't feel like dying yet, but the things I heard about Cancun are really amazing and make me feel like going.

But if I decide that I should go what will be the state of Cancun, it probably won't be as nice as the postcards. These are questions that are bothering me at this moment. Another option is the west-coast of Mexico, but this is less appealing for me and another option is Chiapas, But is that going to be nice in the raining season.

If anybody knows the answer please let me know, but hurry up I have to leave on wednesday, because the ticket is already booked and if I want to change it, it should be done quickly 

To be continued ................................. (I will everybody know for my next location what I did)

Hey hey iedereen die deze weblog leest.

Mijn eerste berichtje vanuit het heerlijk zonnige Mexico. Tis momenteel iets voor 12 en de zon schijnt al volop. Het weer tot nu toe is goed geweest met in de avond een heerlijk verfrissend buitje en overdag heet tot zeer heet (30+), maar aangenaam. Het klimaat hier is zoveel beter dan dat in Nederland want met 30+ is het niet benauwd maar aangenaam, warm maar aangenaam. Dat betekent dat je niet zo zweet J.

Maar hoe zijn mijn bevindingen tot nu toe; in 1 woord geweldig, wat een schitterend land met geweldige mensen. Eerst heb ik naar een vermoeide reis heerlijk kunnen uitslapen. De reis had onnodig wat langer geduurd dat gepland, want in “Washington” lag er onder ons vliegtuig een plas olie of zoiets dergelijks, maar desondanks veilig aangekomen, wat familie van Tere ontmoet en toen ben ik gaan slapen in me eigen appartementje, wat klein maar zeer fijn is. De ochtend erop samen met de familie van Tere ge-ontbeten, moeder, broertjes, tante, nichtje en een vriendin van de familie. Daarna even de stad in gegaan om te zien hoe “Cuernavaca” eruit ziet. En samen met Tere wat plannen gemaakt voor de aankomende weken. Maar kort over Tere haar familie, echt een super gave familie. Het blijft zo nu en dan lastig die taal barierre maar desondanks een geweldige familie.

Daarna ben ik op vrijdag samen met Tere en 6 van haar beste vrienden naar “Playa Ventura” gegaan. Dat is een strand in de regio “Guerrero” ongeveer 100 km hemels breed van “Acapulco”. “Guerrero” is een van de armste regio’s in Mexico. Wat dus echt arm is, moet zeggen dat het behoorlijk veel indruk op me gemaakt heeft. Zoiezo is de economie in Mexico anders dan in Nederland, wat alles goedkoper maakt, maar ook in een zekere zin een beetje unfair. Want mijn budget voor deze vakantie is meer dan wat sommige mensen hier per jaar verdienen. Geeft toch een raar gevoel.

Desondanks zeer genoten van het strand. Het was een zogenaamde “Virgin beach”, wat niet inhoud dat je maagd moet zijn om er op te mogen, maar dat het vrij is van grote hotels en andere grote commerciële organisaties. We zaten daarom in een tent op het strand, wat een geweldige ervaring is. In de nacht word je in slaap gewiekt door de golven en in de ochtend gewekt door de zon. Als iemand ooit in Mexico is en wil naar een strand toe gaan en niet bedolven wil worden onder de toeristen, moet zeker naar 1 van de “Virgin Beaches” gaan. Het was super goedkoop ongeveer €5 per dag inclusief eten en drinken en douche, rustig en super gaaf. Dus daar heb ik de afgelopen 4 dagen gezeten. Dus vandaar mijn radiostilte van de afgelopen paar dagen. En doordat ik omringt werd door Mexicaanse mensen is me Spaans al super vooruitgegaan en heb nu ook weer de motivatie gevonden om nu elke ochtend een uurtje te gaan studeren

Om 2 uur komt Tere weer langs om weer wat leuke dingen te gaan doen. Een kort overzicht van dingen die ik hier ga doen in de aankomende week.

Naar een waterpretpark (“el Rollo”), “Tepozhlan”, “Toxca” en “Mexico City” en nog veel meer.

Laurens vanuit Mexico over en tot de volgende keer.

Muchas besous,

Ps: voor degene die er geïnteresseerd in zijn, Ja ik ben iets verbrand, maar daarnaast ook super bruin geworden, en dat is 6 dagen Moehahahahaha J

Ps2: Alle dingen die tussen haakjes zijn geschreven zijn steden van welke ik hoop dat ze goed geschreven zijn, maar verder geen garantie over geef.