Blogging about Prague in Munich

Over 2000 hits and counting!

The Horseshoe Journal reached and surpassed the 2000 hits mark. Thanks for your views and interest. This gives me more motivation to keep writing. Now I am in Munich, typing about Prague, and when I get back to Prague, will be typing about Munich and Konstanz.

Prague (Praha)

The view of Prague is definitely better from Petřín Hill and the Prague Castle. Getting there is a nice walk, through stone streets and well maintained old buildings. I like the red roofs of the houses, pointy green tower roofs, dark gray stone bridges and towers, and the large statues holding yellow swards. From this side of the river, the ambient is much more relaxed and surrounded by nature. Prague is small and offers both benefits, the amenities of a multicultural and active city, and the tranquility of parks and nature.

Somewhere in this ocean of red tile roofs I have visited some good pubs with the Czechs. Drinking beer seems to be the national pastime, and I am catching up rather quickly! Czech beer is very tasty and affordable. The pickled cheese with Rye bread is the best after 4 jars at the pub. In the last few days I have visited two Latin clubs, La Cubanita and Rincon Latino. I've heard there is Palenque and the Green Tree for more European style dance beats.

I particularly like this picture of the Petřín Lookout Tower (Petřínská rozhledna, 1891). From far it looks a little bit like the Eiffel Tower, and is a fifth its size. It is at the top of Petřín Hill, and takes a good 40 minutes walk. Tiring, but worth for the views and the gardens around the tower.

Along the hill there is the Hunger Wall (Hladová zeď, 1360). The local myth is it that the wall was built not necessarily to protect Prague, but to employ and feed the poor during the 1361 famine, hence the name.

I waited for two hours to take this shot. Turns out, and I forgot this, that in June the days are longer. There was sunlight at 10:00 pm, but it was worth the wait, and here it is.

Prague Orloj is one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world. It was completed in 1410. Aside from telling the time, it also indicates the position of the Sun and the Moon, the zodiac signs, and the seasons. Every hour the four statues on the sides are set in motion, and the skeleton, representing death, rings the bell, and the rooster above the clock sings.

Every hour during the day, at about a quarter to the hour a large group of people gather around the clock to see the event. It is a very nice experience, considering the oldest and most important mechanical parts of the clock are over 600 years old, and still work with high precision. The whole thing takes about a minute. There is a small window over the clock, that open and wooden statues of the twelve Apostles appear. At the very end, a guy plays the trumpet and greets the crowds.

Saint Vitus Cathedral (1344) is inside the Prague Castle. Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors are buried here. The work of art inside and outside, and the level of detail around the cathedral is amazing!

The golden gate on the south side has images entirely made of tiles. In the middle there is Jesus. On the left side the raising of the death, and on the right souls being punished in hell. On the lower left corner there is the scene of the original sin, and on the right Jesus crucified. It is fascinating the way of telling a story through this kind of art.

There is much more to see and do here, but I am telling you, need time to experience it first.

Photo album

• Praha
• Kromeriz

Hermelín, Kroměříž - Česká republika

Kroměříž

For the first days here in Praha (Prague in Czech) I stayed with two really good friends, Kuba and Anna. Two weekends ago we went to Kroměříž (est. 1260) towards the east, close to Slovakia. By the way, this business of pronouncing Czech is not easy at all. The accent marks are not so bad, but things do get complicated with words that don't even have vowels. Try this tong-twister to see what I mean (č is pronounced "ch" as in "cheap")

strč prst skrz krk

Kroměříž [ˈkromɲɛr̝iːʃ] is Kuba's hometown. It started as a market village in the early 1200's, then became a Constitutive Imperial Congress in the 1800's.

The region around is hilly and very green. The town is quite, the architecture is very old, and the streets in the downtown area are curvey and made of stone, and there is a nice central plaza for community events. In the back there are the old communist style apartment buildings. They used to be gray, now they are painted in different colors.

When we first arrived, there was live music and then an old Czech movie from the 60's (the golden film era in CZ), and stands with food, beer and souveniers. There was also a lady selling Bohemian pastries and sweets. She was very excited telling us how she had found very old recipies, including one from the Roman times of a sweet pastry that the Roman soldiers used to eat a lot because of the sugar it provided'em with.


The Chateau

Close to the plaza there is the Kroměříž Archbishop's Palace and the Flower Garden, two of the most interesting places I have ever seen. The Chateau is very big, has original forniture from centuries ago, and there is a very nice garden in the back. I particularly liked the paintings hanging on the walls and the frescos on the ceilings. The tour can only be done with a guide, who speaks only in Czech, and gives reading material in English. It was not easy, but the palace is very interesting to see.


A maze made of flowers

The Flower Garden, also known as Libosad, is of great significance for its unique gardening style in the world. It started as a garden for fruits and vegetables in the 14th century, and then was turned into a Baroque shape garden in the 17th century.

During this time of the year is wedding season. So, there were a few couples inside the garden taking pictures. One of them jumped in a horse carriage, and behind there were the photographers driving an old syle red car at full speed. It was very interesing to see as a matter of fact.

The garden is beautiful inside, and has four mazes made of grass and flowers. There is also a Rotunda with sculptures and frescos of mythological creatures. In the middle of the building there is a Foucault pendulum, which movement is believed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. It is simply amazing! I pushed it and it made eliptical shapes on the sand, going from long to short and in multiple directions, all of them converging in a middle point. Awesome experiment!

I like the town a lot and see it as a good destination for a different and very local experience in the Czech Republic outside of Prague. Plus, visiting pubs with lots of Czech friends the entire night, singing "Tres Tristes Tigres Tragan Trigo Tras Tres Trigales" medieval style, then climbing the scaffold attached to a Gothic style church all the way to the top of one of the towers, where the pigeons live, for a fine view of town and the mountains very early in the morning when there is no one around on a Sunday morning.... a great experience!

Getting there is part of the adventure. We took one of those old European trains like in the movies, with the "policie" chasing Bourne and all that. The windows open from top to bottom, and it is very relaxing to stand on the hallway looking outside and feeling the air. The scenery is flat land as far as the eye can see at first, then hilly, then large wheat fields, then towns, then back to flat land, and so on. Very nice.

Hermelín

One thing is to visit Praha and enjoy cheap and good quality beer at a pub or beer garden with your buddies. Another one is to drink beer while eating Hermelín. This is one of the best "tapas" I have ever had. It is made of a cheese similar to Brie, cut in half, stuffed with garlic, spices, peppers, onions, and whatever else you can find over the counter, then marinated in oil for at least three days and served with Rye bread. This is "Dee" good Czech stuff, people!

I also had Gulasch, a traditional beef stew dish from the Czech Republic. Kuba's mom made it and was delicious! The entire weekend I was eating every day every hour everything. Later in the evening we had a BBQ at the new house, and told jokes. And this is true, that humor is difficult to translate into different languages. Still, we managed to go from Spanish to English to Czech and vice-versa, and had a good meal with jokes, tong-twisters and misunderstood phrases.

Photo album

• Kroměříž

Czech Republic

On the other side of the pond

I actually got this first line from when I was in Costa Rica before I heard it in English when I moved to New York. Little that I knew, I would develop an interest for coming to Central and Eastern Europe, mostly because of all the friends I made in my college years while earning my associates degree in International Business. So, here I am in Česká republika and liking it.

Charles Bridge and Prague Castle

The city is very interesting, old streets, castles, history, culture... very stimulating. All the buildings are interesting and beautiful. In some ways it reminds me to Istanbul and Rome, not that it is a mix, but the concept and importance of the art and culture.

Astronomical Clock

I feel good here. I have made some good friends, we visit pubs and beer gardens, play football (soccer), and took one of those trains from the movies taking place in a Central/Eastern European countries to visit a town closer to the border with Slovakia - Kroměříž. I have also tasted pickled cheese and found out mold is not so bad after all - good mold of course.

Culturally speaking, it seems the Czechs are a homogeneous society, although there are some foreigners living here. The language is extremely difficult, at least from a Western language perspective. I try to read everything on the street, and seems to be I am doing well with the accent - so far, so good.

I still have some more walking to do, take pictures and understand more about the history and culture here. There are lots of books that already do this, but perhaps I can try to give a different account from a personal perspective. Besides, seems I will be sticking around for a long time.

Stay tuned!

New York, just stopping by

Grand Central Terminal is a place to go to other places. Some people run to the train tracks on the upper and lower levels with two minutes before the train departs. Others stay around the clock to meet someone. Flashlights go off for a memory at the main court. Goodbyes and "see you later" are heard thousands of times. Everyday of the year it is like this, here as in many other places where people go their ways.

My mom is always fascinated by how many people run around during peak hour. She says they look like ants. I think they do, and like ants, everyone here knows what to do, even if they are confused about what to do and where to go to. It is a complex and interesting place, and in a way it is a tiny sample of what the world is like out there, just faster. I am also fascinated by how similar we are to ants.

It was good to be here for a few weeks. Now, I am off to Prague.... today actually! I have heard really good things about the city and the country, and am looking forward to being there soon.

NYC is my home, and when I am here it feels good. There is more to it than the stores along 5th Avenue and Times Square or the Empire State. I recommend visiting the lower Manhattan, including West and East Villages, SoHo, Tribeca, Meat Pack District, Union Square, East/Spanish Harlem and of course, Central Park and the surrounding areas.

Queens and Brooklyn are also my favorite areas. I like Astoria and Flushing in Queens, Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn. There are many other areas I have not seen, but for that need more time. The Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens also in the Bronx are a must. I have never been to Staten Island, but maybe one day I will decide to cross the Verrazano. Jersey is nice too and has a fine view of the NYC skyline, leave alone rent can be considerably cheaper and the commute is very convinient with Path. The road signs are not the best, but that is that - so, take it seriously!

So much to do and see here without need to spend too much, although you will spend a lot of money one way or another. But it is NYC after all, a great city.

Now I am going to the airport, with the same back pack and a few shirts less. I bought a 57'' tripod from the Israeli store on 14 street at $25. Not bad!

Thanks for taking some time of your busy schedules to hang out. I appreciate it. Please stay in touch.

Again, stay tuned. There is more "horseshoeing" coming this way!

Six months "horseshoeing"

. . .

The traveler changes his path

even if this proves to be harmfull

and just as everything changes

the fact that I change it's not in the least strange

Todo Cambia, by Mercedes Sosa

The starting line

Sometimes we plan things and expect them to go as we had imagined, but often that does not happen. I had planned to just visit Costa Rica and Nicaragua, then take off to South East Asia and Central Europe. Over time I changed my plans, and then realized it was not gonna be how I said. Instead, I went with the flow and ended up enjoying it more.

The road I first had chosen led me to other roads that I had not had considered, or at least didn't take them seriously from the beginning. When I was in Spain over a year ago, I came to the conclusion that in order to find oneself it is a good idea to often lose oneself. This proved to be effective and I ended up traveling across Central America. The trip came out much more interesting and motivating than my original plan.

It is not just about being on the road, it is about enjoying the trip until it is time to go home.

This trip has changed me, because I am not the same one from when I left and I am good with that. I still think of the day I hit the road and why, and the hours in front of that door before taking off. The initial motivations of my actions are not always going to be there at the end of the events, but I think that is also right. I guess I am always changing, like all of us, just didn't consider it as much as I do now.

Along the way

I visited seven countries in six months and experienced different cultures, realities, nature, and ways of life. I saw breathtaking valleys, forests, waterfalls, canyons, volcanoes, lakes, wild life, ancient cities. I visited indigenous villages and culturally diversed towns and cities, and talked to people about their lives and experiences. I learned a little more about the local music, dances, foods, and religious believes. There are lots of cultural things going on all around, and I like to be exposed to them.

I also met really good friends, both locals and travelers from around the world. Many of my friends and family back home were there with me as well. To all of you, thank you for the words of support and motivation, for your questions and comments, for the interesting conversations and the crazy ideas, for the dances and songs, for the unexpected adventures and your different views of life, for being there all the time.

I got into hiking and better at swimming. I hitch hiked, survived crazy bus rides, worked as a bartender, taught Spanish and Salsa, learned the basics of working with jewlery, Guatemalan weaving and Costa Rican handicraft making, and lately began to create my own post cards. I learned about the hardships of wars in Central America by talking to people who lost their entire families, and met three men who were involved in the Cuban, Guatemalan, and Nicaraguan revolutions.

I had the opportunity to teach ESL to school children and led a youth conversation event in Granada. I got to see extreme poverty and experienced different approaches to social issues. Early in my trip I became part of an international organization to bring donations to children living on rubbish dumps in Nicaragua. There is a lot of need out there, and thankfully there are so many who care and want to help to improve people's lives. I am honored to have met and shared with volunteers and travelers who care for others who are less fortunate.

Beyond my initial expectations, this was a trip of little trips, and it felt I did more than I had ever imagined I would do. At first there was a concrete plan of "what and when", and then I learned to go with the flow, and enjoyed more this way. I traveled alone, but was never lonely. Met lots of interesting people and made friends from all over the world.

I always wanted to do something like this, let go of the daily worries and jump over the fance. I was fortunate to have had the right circumstances and opportunities, and appreciate all I have seen and done ever since.

We shall not cease from exploration,

and the end of all our exploring

will be to arrive where we started,

and know the place for the first time.

T.S. Elliot

Looking back

There are many experiences that I lived often in every country. I met locals and other travelers from around the world who made my trip even better. Talking to people about their opinions on several topics is an effective learning experience. Also, in my travels I had come to trully believe that people are good and want to be helpful to one another, despite some instances of greed, selfishness and intolerance.

Another one is the chicken buses. Except from Belize and Costa Rica, they are always ridiculously crowed, and when you think there is no room for one more person, five more come in. In serveral stops, sellers come into the bus all at once offering coconut water, homemade bread, illigal copies of the latest films, and miraculous pills that they claim practically cure every illness. Some drivers take their job to the next level and think of themselves as formula one racers while turning on sharp cuves up in the mountains. It is quite an experience to be in a chicken bus, and I loved it every bit.

People often ask me what I liked the most about my trip, and I am always confused about the answer. In all honesty I liked it all, but that is way too obvious and doesn't create enough room for discussion.
I had very diversed experiences, and because of that I cannot just say what I liked the most without first going over each of them.

In every country I had totally different experiences. In Guatemala, for example, what I liked the most was the fact that there is a large indigenous population, they conserve many of their traditions, and struggle to keep their culture alive. Also, the natural settings are beautiful, and seeing the ancient city of Tikal was a dream come true.

In Nicaragua I had a great time bartending and meeting so many people from around the world while opening a bottle of beer or preparing a Macua or Mojito. I also enjoyed teaching ESL to school children, and riding my bike on the streets of colonial Granada to go to work, and my experience helping people at the garbash dumps was a life lesson.

Costa Rica, well, it is my own country. Before I left over 10 years ago I knew very few places, but this time around I did every effort to see towns, natural settings and attend festivities I had always heard of, but never went to experience. I love the rural areas and the cultural aspects of the small towns and farmland areas. I enter into another state of mind with the small of fresh brewed coffee, wet dirt after the rain, and the feeling of a cool breeze in a hot and sunny day anywhere in the country. Our traditions and way of life are reason enough for Ticos to suffer from "Mal de Patria" - homeland sickness, and not stay overseas for too long. Few of us, like myself, for whatever reason decided to break the rule and do something different.

I had short visits in Panama, Belize, and Honduras, but got to see lots of good things.

The skyline in Panama City is like no other in Central America. In fact, it looks like the one in Miami, and to some extend in New York. The canal was something very impresive to see, and I also learned that in Panama there is a mixture of culture as a result of the construction of the canal that attracted migrant workers from all around the world. Casco Viejo is very nice and some say it is the Old Havana of Panama, while Bocas del Toro is very good to see wild life and to party. Salsa is good here, and baseball is more popular than soccer, although it is catching up.

In Belize I learned about the Garifuna culture, and made very good friends. I enjoyed the drumming and traditional Punta dance. The food is also quite good, typical of Caribbean cousine. Playing dominos from late in the afternoon at the local bar is a serious affair, and a good excuse for a few beers.There, I also met a group of volunteers with the Peace Corps. I learned from them what the organization does, difficulties they go through on the field, and how pationate many of these volunteers are to help others.

In Honduras I had the opportunity to see one of the Lenca indigenous regions, which is pretty much the last one left in the country. They are no related to the Mayans, but were trading partners and shared some cultural aspects and history during the conquest. The town of Gracias is very colonial and is close to other small towns in between the mountains that have a rich indigenous tradition. I met a few people here who had a lot of questions about Costa Rica and Guatemala. I think they will go one day, and that is awesome.

El Salvador, as I had commented in my last posting was a family time. My cousins are my brothers, just like my mom considers her cousins her brothers. I often wonder what it would have been like if I had been raised here. No real answer can be good because I will never really know, but one thing I am sure of is that it would have been even more fun.


Stay tuned for the next place!

El Salvador

Each road-trip has been different in the last six months. In El Salvador, I visited family and saw a few new places. For the most part, stayed home chating and really having a heck of a good time together with my people. My cousins took me around San Salvador and showed me a little bit of the night life. With my mom, I visited some of my uncles in different cities, and got to see more like that. The last place I visited was Los Planes de Renderos with my family for pupusas and a fine view of San Salvador, a great way to end my trip in Central America.

Traveling around El Salvador

Different from my trips in other countries, I traveled little here, and spent most of my time with my family. I do know there is surfing, volcano climbing and some colonial towns to visit around. There is also La Ruta de las Flores, which is a line of five towns known for their handicrafts, foods, lakes and waterfalls.

Tourism here is still developing, which is a very good thing for the independent traveler. Public transportation is very cheap, markets are very lively and food is good and extremely affordable. Check out the El Salvador Impresionante website for some ideas on what to do.

From PBS article "Enemies of War"
http://www.pbs.org/itvs/enemiesofwar/elsalvador2.html

For those interested in history, El Salvador had a civil war in the 1980's. How it developed was basically the same as in the other countries in Central America. Long story short, people took on arms to end years of elite ruling, social inequality, human rights violations, and social unjustice. The FMLN, a leftist guerrilla group fought the army, which in turn massacred innocent people. At the peace accords, the FMLN gave out the guns and became a political party. Today, they are in power, with President Mauricio Funes.

One of the outcomes from the war was the separation of families. Many children were killed and others taken by the army to be trained as soilders. Others, were given for adoption in a trade that became profitable. As a result, many families lost track of some of those children. Pro-Busqueda is one of the non-for profit organizations that tries to find displaced children from the war.

PBS has a small article called Enemies of War, giving a summary of the conflict, US involvement and the killing of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The picture above is from the day the "Archbishop of the Poor" was killed by the army while he was giving a mass at La Divina Providencia Chapel.


Pri Generation

"El Pri" or "MiPri" is our short version for "The/My Cousin 2.0". This is a term that came out a few years ago, and over time has become something deep. More than a word, it is a philosophy.... our philosophy.

I spent a lot of time hanging out with my cousins, particularly with Henry (left), also known as "El Pri 2.2". We had good conversations about anything and everything, and learned a lot more from each other. This guy is very smart and a lot of fun.

I also had a few beers and interesting conversations with Roberto, "El Pri 2.3". He is a very good bartender, although I think my mojitos are better MiPri.... just saying ;) Same deal with him, smart and a crazy dude. These two guys are great people, and for all I know, they are also my brothers.

Oscar, Norma, Wendy, Tavo, Carmen, Jacquie, Rocio, Xioma, Ceci, Tessy and so many other cousins I had the opportunity to hang out with in this trip were so great. This is my other half of me, and am proud of it.

BTW, I happen to be "El Pri 2.1" by self-definition. Que galan!!!


I survived the 42 Route Minivan

Here is the deal. Bus drivers in Guatemala run fast even when turning closed curves up the mountains. In El Salvador, they are not only fast, but have extremely aggressive driving skills during rush hour in the capital. They are the craziest from all the countries I have been to. Watch out!


The Malls

In San Salvador, I went to the five malls in Ciudad Merliot, which are really nice in terms of architecture and design. La Gran Via was the nicest. It is very relaxing to walk at night around here and have a crepe with nutela or seat at a bench for coffee. I actually liked it better than many malls in Westchester and Rockland Counties, NY.

The Mall at Multiplaza is not as nice. It looks like a giant box with lots of empty spaces, but the night life here is great. I went to Las Terrazas, where there are restaurants, bars and dance clubs. The Salsa scene on Thursdays at Live is good. My only problem was that I still have difficulties dancing salsa in Central America. Here, the on1 style is King, and virtually nobody knows what on2 is. However, it was fun and I met some people including Ticos.

Then there is Torre Futura. This is an office building that is not open to the public. The entire external structure changes colors at night, and downstairs there are restaurants and cafes in a terrace with a magnificent view of San Salvador.


The trips

El Salvador is mostly known for surfing, volcanos and pupusas. I had more of the last one... lots of it! I guess after months of being on the go day-in-and-day-out, I gave in to the tempting idea of just taking it easy and staying at home, on the hammock drinking horchata at my aunt Carmencita's house, or hanging out at Starbucks in La Gran Via Mall to write my notes. This is a good place for thinking and writing - somehow I can concentrate much better in noisy places instead of libraries and the like, which might be weird, but it is effective at least for me.

The first week was more about malls, hanging out at home, going out at night to a club or bar, and visiting family around the neigborhood. The second week, however, was packed with outtings, starting with Termos del Rio, in La Libertad. This is a waterpark with termal waters and a pool with waves. There is also a small section for kayaking, but it was dry this time - not happy about that, cause I like kayaking.

Then we went to San Vicente, a very nice and quite town. My mom, her brother and all her six cousins were born and raised here. We went with my aunt Paqui to the market and visited the stand where my mom used to sell eggs and tomatoes years before she moved to Costa Rica. A few blocks south is the park featuring a clock tower right in the middle.

Something else I like about San Vicente is the huge trees, and how much people love them. Two of them are particularly interesting. One is El Arbol de los Cuches (The Tree of the Pigs). Long time ago people would trade pigs around this tree from early in the morning. Imagine that! Oink-Oink! Aside from that, it is in the middle of a main street, and cars actually have to go around it.

The other tree is El Arbol de Tempisque, where there is a plaque stating that it was at this location where San Vicente was established. Word has it that the Spaniards liked the shade of this tree and decided to build a town around it.

On Thursday we visited my uncle Omar in Cojutepeque. I had a chance to kick the ball for a while and beat my cousin with a score of 9 to 1. He is 15, so apparentely this is the only time I can actually play soccer better than someone else... I am so bad at it!

We went up to Cerro de las Pavas (Turkey Hill) for a view of the Valley of Jiboa, Lake of Ilopango, and San Vicente Volcano, and to see the altar of La Virgen de Fátima (Our Lady of Fatima). It is said that in 1917 three children in Portugal saw the Virgin and she gave them a message to be spread around the world. On the left side there is a space for plaques with messages with thank you notes for miracles. The altar is nicely decorated with fresh flowers and a small fountain.

Salvadorian Food... So Tasty!!

The best foods here are tamales, atol chuco, and pupusas. Can't even write about this whitout thinking of eating!

In this country Tamales are on demand year round. My aunt Paqui has been in the business of cooking and selling them for over 25 years. Every time I come visit, she is in the back yard, cooking with a group of other women. In a single day they can make 400-500 tamales filled in with beens, chicken and cheese, and horchata or fruit juice. It requires lot of work to prepare them and takes up the entire day from early in the morning to late in the evening to prepare and sell. They are really good, and people from far in El Salvador come to buy them... and even as far as the US!

My aunt Toty makes atol shuco, a very typical corn drink from El Salvador. It is served hot in a jicama bowl and comes with cooked beans at the bottom, and drops of tabasco for the brave. A drink like this in the late afternoon is enough to forget about anything stressful while just seating and looking around as if everything was new again. Very tasty!

Pupusas are one of the most delicious and typical dishes in El Salvador. They are made of corn or rice tortillas, filled in with cheese, loroco, smashed beans, and/or pork rind. They are so good with coffee, topped with encurtido (pickled cabbage for garnish) and tomato sauce. I actually can make them, but not as well as a Salvadorian with experience.

My family in El Salvador

This was the fifth time I came to visit. My mom is actually cousin with all six aunts and uncles, but they refer to her as their sister. She took care of them when they were little and shared many experiences that today are the foundation of a strong relationship. There is one more uncle, Toño. I was not able to see him, but hope to do it next time I visit.

My auncle Oscar, my mom's brother had planned to come visit, and we all would have loved to have seen him among us. He passed away in September last year.

Pito, this one is for you.

To my family, love you all

Belize and Honduras

Belize

This is a very small country in terms of population. It is almost the same size of El Salvador, which has about 6 million people. And Belize? Just about 312,000 people! Serious, no typo! I spent a few days in Dangriga and Punta Gorda, both south of Belize City, and the experience was very good.

Dangriga (Griga), Belize

In Griga I made a very good friend, Jasper, a Garifuna man who has done all sort of jobs and traveled around the world. We spent an entire morning talking about his life and what it means to be a Garifuna. Along the way, we stopped at the Gulisi Museum and Pen Cayetano's Art Gallery. In the evening we went with some other guys to a local bar for traditional drumming and dancing.

The Gulisi Museum has a collection of pictures, literature, videos and artifacts that explain the Garifuna culture and history.

Garifunas are a cultural mix of Carib, Arawak and West African people. They concentrate in the Caribbean side of Central America, particularly in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras. Something interesting about the language is that some terms are used by gender, creating situations in which men and women would say the same thing in two different ways.

Their culture is very interesting in every way. I particularly like their music. Punta and Dumming are as Garifuna as the people themselves. Two of the most prominent Garifuna music performers are Pen Cayetano and Andy Palacio.

Garifuna Drumming is one of the most interesting experiences I have ever had. A group of men start playing with their drums and turtle shells, and the entire room and street is transformed into something else - alive and exciting. A group of women dance to the beats while singing all with one voice, using "call and response" tunes. The dancer and the drummer communicate by looking into each other's eyes and feeling the rhythm, coming up with a very exciting combination of drum and turtle shell beats and step dances. For a video in youtube of a Garifuna dance, click here.

Picture from Pen Cayetano's website
http://www.cayetano.de/

Pen Cayetano included guitars and a faster beat, creating a new variation of Punta called Punta Rock. He was also the first member of the Original Turtle Shell Band. Pen exposes his paintings in his Art Gallery, where he also has a small collection of Garifuna tools to cook Cassava Bread and other cultural artifacts. For a video in youtube with a brief explanation about Punta Rock on Pen's own words, click here.

Picture from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Palacio

Andy Palacio (1960-2008) was one of the most important exposers of Punta Rock, and a Garifuna activist. His music is really good, although I have difficulties understanding the lyrics of his songs mainly because they are mixed with Belizean English, Garifuna and other dialects. What I do understand more easily and totally appreciate is the meaning of his messages. His songs have deep meanings that have to do with the Garifuna culture and identity, and national consciousnes. For a video about Andy's last album Watina, click here.

Hopkins and Punta Gorda (PG), Belize

I had no time and money for a trip to the cayes in the Belize Barrier Reef, second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. So, I looked for beaches near the coast line. Griga's beach is not necessarily nice. There is no sand and the water is brown. Further south there is Hopkins, a Garifuna fishermen village (1,000 pop) with a very short sand beach and lots of palm trees. I stayed here for a few hours, then hitch hiked my way back to Griga for one more night.

PG is about three hours south. Here, I stayed with some friends who are volunteers at Peace Corps. One night we went to see some drumming at Ocean's View. I liked the one I had experienced in Griga a bit more, but it was good. 

The day after we went to a soccer match, which was a fundraiser event in Santa Cruz. We were riding on the back of a truck, on Super Bumpy Road, but the view of the villages along the way was very nice. My back was in pain for two days after that and my team didn't win, but we had fun playing. 

Back to PG, we spent the night at Bamboo, a new place in town for beer and a view of the water. At the distance I could see the lights at Puerto Barrios, in Guatemala.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras

At this point I only had 4 days left before heading to El Salvador, my last stop in Central America. On the boat ride from PG to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala I met a Canadian journalist. We had a good conversation about the coup in Honduras, the war in Iraq, and some interesting facts about Canadian law. Seems to be Canada still has some laws from the time when the Queen of England was the head of State. Who knew!




Picture from Wikipedia
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Sula



I spent one night in San Pedro Sula at Tamarindo Hostel. It is not cheap to be here or anywhere in the city, and it is far from downtown, but it is a comfortable place and the staff is very helpful. Earlier, at the border with El Salvador, I had run into a German friend I had met in Quetzaltenango, and also met a Swiss girl who turned out to be a Salsa dancer. We prepared pasta and salad for dinner, and for drinks they mixed beer with ginger ale... wierd, but good. Next day I walked around, but didn't get to see much of the city and didn't take any pictures.

Gracias Lempira, Honduras

Gracias is one of the colonial towns in the Ruta Lenca and a part of the Colosuca region on the western side of Honduras. I thought it was a mix between Antigua and Granada. The architecture, the streets, the colors are all very old, which gives the town a very colonial air.

Gracias was established in 1526, and at one point was the capital of Spanish Central America. It then became the Capital of Honduras before it was moved to Tegucigalpa. There are three very old churches from the XVIII and XX centuries. The San Marcos and Las Mercedes churches are very nice, with impressive decorations on the outside. I also visited Casa Galeano, which is a museum of the culture and history of Colosuca. Not too far from it there is Castillo San Cristobal, where I had a good view of the town.

The termal waters are close from the downtown area. Walking back I met a young archeologist from Holland. It was very interesting to talk about the differences between the different indigenous groups in Central America and the Caribbean. I also met a group of Hondurans at a food stand in the park for dinner. Every day, I came to the park for a cup of coffee at the tower, right in the middle. The place is relaxing,has a good view of the streets around, and coffee is good.

There some good pictures and more  information about Gracias at http://blog.graciaslempira.com/


Colosuca

This is a region of colonial towns in west Honduras. Gracias forms part of this region. Leyend has it that Colosuca was a woman whom Gad converted to bird. She had lots of children and was always asking God for help. In turn, he turned her into a bird. I didn't get an explenation as to why God would do this, but it would have to be a good one, plus, I am not sure yet what happened with the children.

The indigenous groups in this region are Lenca, the largest in Honduras. They have their own language and traditions, but very few are now left. The villages stretching from Santa Rosa de Copán to Macala, including Gracias, and continuing into El Salvador form the Ruta Lenca. One of their religious traditions is the Guancasco, in which two towns exchange images of saints and celebrate with traditional costumes and dances. It is still practiced in a few towns, and symbolizes friendship and peace.

I wished I had had more time to spend in both Belize and Honduras. These two countries have a lot of cultural history and beautiful natural settings. Maybe next time I will. Now, I am in El Salvador, spending time with my family from my mother's side. I visit them every 5 years, and it is always so good to see them.

I am in my last stop here in Central America, next is Europe... yes, to the other side of the pond! First stop is Prague.


Photo albums

• Griga & PG, Belize
• Gracias Lempira, Honduras