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On the Varieties of Nature

a travel blog by Alex Kent

Obadiah Walker, writing in the 17th century, recommended travel abroad to:

"...learn the Languages, Laws, Customes, and understand the Government, and interest of other Nations... To produce confident and comely behaviour, to perfect conversation... To satisfy [the] mind[s] with the actual beholding such rarities, wonders, and curiosities as are heard or read of. It brings us out of the company of our Relations, acquaintances and familiars; making us stand upon our guard, which renders the mind more diligent, vigorous, brisk, and spiritfull. It shews us, by consideration of so many various humours, and manners, to look into and form our own; and by tasting perpetually the varieties of Nature, to be able to judge of what is good and better."

He also praised its ability to break the habit of laziness, disentangle the traveller from "unfitting companions" and reform the vice of drinking. Hmm.

So, I’m setting off around the world in search of rarities and wonders. Much to Obadiah’s doubtless disgust however, I fully intend to laze, drink, and maybe even make some ‘unfit’ friends along the way. Hopefully it won’t ruin my chances of returning more learned, comely and formed in my humours. After all, with the prospect of ‘perpetually tasting Nature’s varieties’, who could resist?!
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In Search of History

Tikal, Guatemala

Our long journey north from Semuc to Flores was interrupted by a mission of mercy to rescue our driver's cousin, who we had passed by chance, passed out at the wheel of his pickup which was on its side in a ditch, its axles at an impossible angle but, testimony to Jeremy Clarkson's exhaustive experiments into the durability of Toyota trucks (if you've seen that episode you'll know what I mean), 20 minutes later it was somehow back on the road and, to our horror, being driven onwards by said cousin who, reeking of alcohol, cheerfully told us that he had been out last night "celebrating" the birth of his new son. Oh dear.

Highlights of Flores included the fabulous 'Los Amigos' hostel and a curious pageant we stumbled across - part 'Miss Flores', part debutante 'coming out', accompanied by the ubiquitous school marching band. The real reason for our trip up here though was a visit to the Mayan ruins at Tikal, so at 4.30am we headed into the jungle to climb the impressive but unimaginatively named 'Temple 4' and watch the Sunrise to the sound of the jungle awakening. The Sunrise, as it turned out, was all but obscured by fog, but the gradual crescendo of screeching parrots and roaring howler monkeys rising from the darkness is something I will never forget. Once the sun was up we set off to explore the vast expanse of jungle and ruins amid the baking heat and suffocating humidity. Jana and I decided to dump our tour group - 30+ people, crashing through the undergrowth, jostling to hear the same explanation and photograph the same toucan - and spent a blissful few hours soaking up the tranquil, ancient atmosphere. We even managed to navigate our way back to our bus without too many complications.

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 11, 2007 from Tikal, Guatemala
from the travel blog: On the Varieties of Nature
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To The Sea ...

Livingston, Guatemala

From Flores we took a bus south down the eastern border of Guatemala to Rio Dulce, a town at the seaward end of Lake Isabel, and a popular hang out with sailing types, who come up-river from the Caribbean. We caught a boat over to our hotel - a sweet little wooden place built on decking over the mangroves at the edge of the lake and spent a couple of days relaxing, kayaking, swimming in the unnaturally warm waters, and visiting local marvels - a thermal waterfall (and by thermal I mean hotter than I would choose to have my shower) which plunges into a cold water pool in a verdant, sunny little valley at the nearby Finca Paraiso. So nearly a slice of paradise, it was somewhat ruined by the overwhelmingly sulphrous smell of the hot water, but fun nonetheless.

Boats from Rio Dulce travel down river

through the gorgeous scenery to Livingston, a small port town on the Caribbean coast, where we spend our last night in Guatemala sampling the local seafood.

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 13, 2007 from Livingston, Guatemala
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Over the Border

La Ceiba, Honduras

Leaving for Honduras was sad - I loved every minute of my month in Guatemala and would really recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting Central America. So diverse, culturally and geographically, and without fail interesting and entertaining.

However, diving called, so we began the complicated slog to La Ceiba on the north coast of Honduras (boat, bus, border crossing, bus, taxi, bus, taxi) and were rewarded by the most fabulous street food of the trip so far. A simple churrasco from a street grill (indeterminate cut of beef, fried rice, black beans, fried plantain, cheese, tortillas) but every single element was perfectly done and the inspired addition of delicious creamy fresh avocado created a gastranomic marvel! As you will probably notice in the forthcoming pages, food has become something of a fixation, and really good food never goes unrecognised!

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 16, 2007 from La Ceiba, Honduras
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Island Paradise

Utila, Honduras

At 9am the following morning I was on a ferry to Utila (one of the Bay Islands off the Caribbean coast of Honduras) with Jana and some others we had met in Livingston, and eagerly awaiting the next stage of the trip. As we approached the port and the smell of salty air arrived on a damp breeze that battled with the sun to keep us cool, and I felt deeply nostalgic and recognised that our annual family holidays in Rhosneigr are one of my deepest and happiest memories,
so it was in a cheerful mood that I disembarked and battled through the wall of reps from the Utila Dive Centre (a bit too polished, a bit too smarmy) to find someone representing Alton's Dive Centre - another excellent recommendation from the same source as the Semuc Champey tip, thank you Rob. Duly accompanied by a couple of really friendly dive shop staff we wandered down the road past brightly painted, typically Caribbean wooden chattel houses - all riddled with evidence of Utila's string marine heritage - to our accommodation, right on the dive centre's private dock, with a room which quite literally opened on to the sea. I booked an advanced course to start the next morning, and so began a week of blissful happiness and great fun, diving, sunning, drinking and enjoying the island lifestyle.

The reef in Utila is truly beautiful, healthy and varied, and the diverse underwater topography around the island makes for really, really enjoyable diving. Regrettably we didn't spot a whale shark, but amongst other things we saw a huge pod of 50 or more spinner dolphins, a few turtles, baby spotted drums and my absolute favourite - juvenile damsel fish, which are almost impossible to photograph as they are very shy and love hiding in the treacherous fire coral, but are tiny, inky blue/black, and covered in irridescent electric blue spots. Adorable. I did a deep dive to 40m and a wreck dive which were both great fun, but best of all was exploring in the light and warmth of 12-18m where there is an abundance of life. I should also mention my night dive which was a real highlight - it is impossible to capture, but the overriding impression was of utter peace - the silence and privacy of being suspended in complete blackness, your only reality the little patch of reef illuminated by your torch.
You totally forget that you are underwater, and it feels like the only other creatures in the world are the various shrimps and squirrel fish caught in the spotlight before you. The odd glimpse out from the reef wall into the deep sees flashes of blue phosphorescence punctuating the darkness and when we sat on the bottom and turned off our torches completely, you could see that every movement is followed by a trail of light as the plankton is disturbed.

Up on the surface too, Utila had a lot to offer. Geoff, the crazy Texan who ran the bar at Alton's was a constant source of entertainment and good company, and was always cooking up some delicious treat which he would spend half the day talking about so that by the time it was actually prepared, it was all you could do not to order several. He was rivalled by some other great eateries though, from RJs grill, which cooked up FABULOUS fish steaks on the barbeque every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (yes, I did go three times in my week) to the local street stands whose specialities were balleadas - a big soft tortilla, folded over and filled with refried beans, cheese, sour cream and, joy of joys, at our favourite stand ..... avocado! Mouth watering. Incidentally, RJs was directly across the road from Alton's and run almost exclusively by Alton's staff who would take pre-orders if you were doing a night dive and serve up a sizzling plate the second you got out of the shower after coming off the boat - genius.

It's low season in the whole of Central America because of the rains, but so far that has only proved a massive positive - lower prices, smaller groups and generally a much less touristy vibe, and Utila was no exception. There were enough great people to make a couple of bars really sociable and fun by night but by day the atmosphere remained very laid back and quiet which suits me perfectly.

Before I move on from Honduras I must just mention one bar - 'Treetanic' - 15 years of work have gone in to building it so far and it is exquisite - utterly magical. Built into a network of treehouses, platforms, walkways, steps, arches, tunnels and patios, every surface is decorated with an intricate mosaic of mirrors, tiles, glass stones, shells, miniature sculptures and almost anything else you can think of - prancing around with my mai tai cocktail I truly felt like I was in some kind of fairy kingdom.

Basically, it was with great difficulty that seven days after arriving I dragged myself onto the 6.20am ferry to make the journey overland to Tegucigapla, the capital, en route to Nicaragua. Utila, I will be back.

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 17, 2007 from Utila, Honduras
from the travel blog: On the Varieties of Nature
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Local Flavour

Somotillo, Nicaragua

After a one-night stopover in Tegus (grim - redeemed only by the fact that I had company in the form of a guy called Pete who I met on the bus, Jana and I having sadly parted ways after Utila, and by the fabulous rice dish we ate at 'La Terraza de Don Pepe') I made the insane border crossing to Nicaragua. Hectic doesn't come close. From the minute the bus pulled close to immigration and the money changers spotted a gringo onboard, the vehicle was engulfed by screaming men fighting for my business. By the time I had battled through them and turned round to retrieve my luggage from the roof it had gone - but luckily only as far as a nearby tuktuk whose opportunist driver had snaffled it to assure my custom. Given the situation I decided to go with it, and told him in no uncertain terms to stick to my side while I dealt with everything else. Getting into my stride, I screamed at the crazy men to shut up and be civil while I got my passport stamped and managed to be so indifferent and determined that one of them, accordingly to my calculations and his disgruntled colleagues, actually ended up changing my currency at a loss to himself!

Savvy traveller - 1
Intimidating Nicas - 0

The drama didn't stop there though. My bus onwards, delayed by an hour while some locals stufed it to the gunnels with some undefined cellophaned packages from the market, was raided by the police who were less than impressed by what they found and proceeded to unceremoniously confiscate everything on the bus - except my bag, which he deemed harmless. Cottoning on to this, the women around me started passing stuff my way to be subtly secreted about my seat, out of suspicion's way, and they got away with it ... so I am now presumably guilty as accessory to some breach of import laws or something. Meanwhile all hell was breaking loose behind us as two women, clearly watching their dubiously earned fortune slipping through their fingers, went at it hammer and tongs hurling blame at each other and screaming abuse across the bus. Just as the poor harried policeman rushed up to intervene, "Tranquillo, tranquillo, que pasa? Calma, calma!", one woman burst out of her seat and flew down the bus in full fight mode and started clawing at her adversary's face. A gripping struggle ensued and ended with the policeman wrestling her off, handcuffing her and escorting her, spitting and sobbing, off the bus. Welcome to Nicaragua!

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 25, 2007 from Somotillo, Nicaragua
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Art in a Hot Climate

Leon, Nicaragua

Having arrived unscathed I spent a couple of hot, hot days in colonial Leon (how is it possible that crossing a border can have such a dramatic effect on the ambient temperature?) where the highlight was a fabulous art gallery who's name utterly escapes me. They had a great collection of Central and Latin American works, ranging from amateur college pieces to Picassos, and some really wonderful modern pieces. One of my favourites was a scene in an art gallery with a huge, excellent reproduction of Picasso's 'Guernica' hanging on the wall, and the characters from Velazquez's 'Las Meninas' milling about the parquet flooring in front of it - a really fun, clever piece that kept me smiling all afternoon. Unfortunately photography wasn't allowed, and nor were handbags, so I didn't have a piece of paper to hand to make a note of any artists' names. I'll just have to go back I suppose!

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 26, 2007 from Leon, Nicaragua
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Oases (is that the plural of oasis?)

Granada, Nicaragua

In 'Hostel Oasis' in Granada I bumped into a couple of Australian guys, Ben and Rich, who I had first met a few weeks back when I was climbing Pacaya, and who had driven down from the States in a car they bought in San Diego.
I joined them on a day trip to Laguna de Apoyo, another lake formed in a collapsed volcanic Crater, whose depth Jacques Cousteau failed to discover because it overstretched his instruments, and which remains unknown to this day. Allegedly. It is a beautiful, tranquil spot and remains largely undeveloped, so as you swim out and float in its warm waters and look around you, all you see is dense green foliage.

The following day we took a boat tour of Las Isletas - 365 tiny islands spattered into Lake Nicaragua by a volcanic eruption, and just off the coast of Granada. Not much to write home about, they were nonetheless interesting to see, not least for the fancy pads belonging to Nicaragua's rich and famour, including one lovely development owned by the family at the head of Flor de Caña rum - huge in Central America, and acknowledged worldwide as a good tipple.

permalink written by  Alex Kent on September 28, 2007 from Granada, Nicaragua
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Another Volcanic Landmass

Moyogalpa, Nicaragua

Now adopted as Rich and Ben's travel buddy, and squeezed into their Jeep Cherokee alongside Will, another tagger-on, four enourmous bags and several smaller ones, two surfboards, a tent, numerous miscellaneous foodstuffs and a blender (essential for impromptu cocktailing),
I headed in style, by way of car ferry, to Isla de Ometepe - the largest island in a freshwater lake anywhere in the world. Roughly figure-of-eight in shape, and formed by two volcanoes and the lowlands connecting them, Ometepe is also relatively undeveloped - very green, full of wildlife and with many roads seriously meriting our four wheel drive facility. Our hostel, 'Hacienda Merida', served enourmous $4 eat-all-you-can buffet suppers and equally sumptuous buffet breakfasts with a fantastic porridge/granola mix with cinammon, so we were suitably fuelled for a steep 4km trek to San Ramon waterfall, but nothing could have prepared us for the humidity. I had no idea I was able to sweat that much! The views over the lake were fabulous though and the icy water, although it felt like standing bare backed in a heavy hailstorm, was a welcome relief.

Just off shore from where we were staying were two 'monkey islands' - home to a small number of monkeys rescued from cruel captivity as domestic pets and relocated to their own private islands, so Ben and I rented a kayak and paddled out to visit them, just in time to see them picking through our leftover breakfast pancakes wiht a practiced eye.

permalink written by  Alex Kent on October 1, 2007 from Moyogalpa, Nicaragua
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Sun, Sea and Sand

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

After our close encounter of the primate kind, we caught the ferry back to the mainland and made the short journey to a beach town called San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast. With a really laid back charm, it was the perfect place to enjoy the sun, sea and sand for a few days, and hugely improved by having the car,
which gave us the flexibility to explore the local beaches at our leisure. On our second day there we picked up some brilliant sandwiches (go for the Daniel Ortega with added olives) from Captain Jim's sandwich shop and headed to Maderas beach where we discovered a slice of paradise. Beautiful clean sand, fun surf, abundant sunshine and some classic bleached driftwood artfully sacttered about the place. The further reaches of the beach a little way down the coast by foot were all but deserted and utterly lovely, so we spent an idyllic afternoon doing not very much. Later, pursuing our obsession with all things alimentary, we tracked down a delicious street barbeque where for next to nothing you got a huge plate of rice, beans, plantain and freshly grilled meat, all served byt he most friendly lady we had met in ages. It was hard to tear the boys away.

permalink written by  Alex Kent on October 3, 2007 from San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
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The Beginning of the End of the Beginning

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

After a few more days unwinding, and after a great result in the rugby (how bitter my travelling companions were) we decided it was about time to head on to Costa Rica so we aimed for Tamarindo, a well known surf spot on the Pacific Coast. Arriving there felt not at all like arriving in a Central American town - shopping centres, hotels and fast food chains, all proclaiming their presence in English rather than Spanish, immediately marked Tamarindo out as a regrettably over-developed tourist trap full of holidaying Americans. To cap it all, the weather and the surf were disappointing (just to be clear, I haven't taken up surfing, yet, but it was a driving force behind Ben and Rich's route plan) so we headed on before too long - but not before we had made the most of the unusually well-stocked supermarkets to cook up a couple of great meals!

permalink written by  Alex Kent on October 6, 2007 from Tamarindo, Costa Rica
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