The Picture Says It All...
Close Up Of The Magicians' Postcard - God Bless The USA!
De-throating Roy.Friday, May 19, 2006
Vegas Photos
The Picture Says It All...De-throating Roy.
Roy Horn's Esophagus Tastes Like Pork Loin
(Los Angeles, CA) - Man, I 'm beat. No energy to be witty or reflective... just the facts folks. Spent the last 2 days in Las Vegas. The highlight - Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden. Hard to believe that the playground for a couple of Botox-bloated, German, maorexic magic nerds could be so amazing. But the beauty of the animals speak for themselves. There were a couple of large dolphin tanks and "The Garden" with several different species of large cats - White Tigers, Snow Leopards, Jaguars. But the most striking for me were the white lions. Strong, alert & meticulously groomed... the male lion was quite impressive. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos... guess you'll just have to roll over to Roy's and see for yourself.
I'd love to say the I spent my nights in Vegas drinking martinis and rolling stones at the craps table but the better part of both nights was spent watching T.V. and eating pizza. This morning I woke up early and made the final drive of my trip back to L.A. Back to reality and back to work...
I'd love to say the I spent my nights in Vegas drinking martinis and rolling stones at the craps table but the better part of both nights was spent watching T.V. and eating pizza. This morning I woke up early and made the final drive of my trip back to L.A. Back to reality and back to work...
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Sequoia Photos
"General Sherman"
The Facts
The Branch That Fell From Shermy This Winter. It Weighs So Much That It Sunk Almost 5 Feet Into The Ground! This Branch On It's Own Is The Size Of A HUGE Oak!
Another View Of The Branch.
Kickin' It On The Top Of Mono Rock. Check Out My New Fly Threads... Got The Shirt At Upper Playground In San Fran.
The Bigguns
(Las Vegas, NV) - Crossed from Cali to Nevada today to spend a couple of days in Sin City. The Highlight on the way was passing from King's Canyon into Sequoia NP, home to the world's largest grove of Sequoias. I've been to several different groves of Sequoia (Merced, Mariposa & Tuolomne Groves in Yosemite) but none of them really hold a candle to this one. Not only does it have the largest concentration of trees of all groves but it also holds the largest tree in the world... General Sherman. To give an idea of the enormity of these trees, this winter a lower limb of Shermy broke off and plummeted to the ground below crushing the perimeter fence and sinking almost 5 feet into the frozen ground!
In the center of the grove stands Mono Rock, a bald, granite monolith towering over the giant forest that allows for 360 degree views of both parks. It's like "Angel's Landing" in Zion NP for the safety concious crowd. Definately a nice little walk... a 300' elevation gain that even the most inactive person can tackle. An easy stroll that allows maximum panorama with minimal effort.
In the center of the grove stands Mono Rock, a bald, granite monolith towering over the giant forest that allows for 360 degree views of both parks. It's like "Angel's Landing" in Zion NP for the safety concious crowd. Definately a nice little walk... a 300' elevation gain that even the most inactive person can tackle. An easy stroll that allows maximum panorama with minimal effort.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Kings Canyon Photos
My Whip
My Crib
The Yucca Plant In Full Bloom. It's Hard To Tell Without Anything To Show Perspective, But This Stalk Stands More Than 7 Feet Tall.
Park Hopping
(Kings Canyon NP) - The last two days have been pretty laid back and spontaneous. Monday morning was largely spent click-clacking on the computer putting up some bloggin's. Then the larger part of the day I spent zipping around the National Recreation Areas, National Historic Parks & National Parks that are peppered thrimoughout Northern San Francisco.
The main goal was to collect stamps for my National Parks Passport. The Passport is a booklet sold by the National Park System that is holds your collection of park cancellations (or stamps in laymans terms). Each National Park & Recration Area has its own unique stamp located somewhere in the park that you dip into an ink pad and pound into your passport as "proof" of your visit. Some parks have only one stamp, whereas others have several unique stamp in many "secret" locations throughout the park. There are literally HUNDREDS of stamps! After seeing some of the collections of hundreds of stamps that my collegues have, I picked one up and it's become a nice diversion/obsession.
So Monday was spent popping around San Francisco on stamp collection duty. It was am impressive day for me too knowing that I've been to this city probably 10 times but didn't know that all of these incredible spots were there and so accessible. First was the San Francisco Martime NHP home to a fleet of old-timer boats and vessels. Then off to the Presidio which has served as a military base for centuries. The Presidio is part of the greater Golden Gate National Recreation area which encompasses the Golden Gate Bridge as well as 80,000 acres of parks and shorelines. I popped between 10 or 12 spots checking out the vistor centers and some of the viewpoints and most importantly scooping up stamps. I really liked the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate bridge. The cliff-hugging, windy roads gave way to incredible views. Who would have imagined that only 3 miles from San Francisco I would be without cell phone reception and also be able to spot a bobcat?!
I spent the evening at my Uncle Bob's house although I wasn't much for company. I ate the Thai that he had ordered and fell asleep 5 minutes into a movie he started.
Tuesday I decided to start my journey southward to Hell-A. King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks were on the menu for today and I made a beeline south. I've never been to either park, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but so far I am quite impressed. Only had the chance to check out King's Canyon yesterday. It's almost like a mini Yosemite. It's a much tighter Canyon and the peaks enveloping it are more jagged and snow covered. Two rivers flow from the heights of either side of the valley converging on the valley floor into an explostion of mist and spray. The waterworks here are more impressive that even Yosemite due to the narrower river and the sheer walls. The first thing that goes through your head when you see the river is "DANGER". Not even the most skilled riverkayaker could enter that water and exit alive.
Camped in one of the park campgrounds last night surrounded by the towering cedar and sequoia giants and visited by a family of dauntless deer that had no problem chewing on grass that was just feet from me.
Today I'm off to check out "General Sherman", the largest tree in the world and drive through some of the old growth forests of Sequoia NP ("ancient growth" may be more appropriate when talking about 3000-4000 year old trees).
The main goal was to collect stamps for my National Parks Passport. The Passport is a booklet sold by the National Park System that is holds your collection of park cancellations (or stamps in laymans terms). Each National Park & Recration Area has its own unique stamp located somewhere in the park that you dip into an ink pad and pound into your passport as "proof" of your visit. Some parks have only one stamp, whereas others have several unique stamp in many "secret" locations throughout the park. There are literally HUNDREDS of stamps! After seeing some of the collections of hundreds of stamps that my collegues have, I picked one up and it's become a nice diversion/obsession.
So Monday was spent popping around San Francisco on stamp collection duty. It was am impressive day for me too knowing that I've been to this city probably 10 times but didn't know that all of these incredible spots were there and so accessible. First was the San Francisco Martime NHP home to a fleet of old-timer boats and vessels. Then off to the Presidio which has served as a military base for centuries. The Presidio is part of the greater Golden Gate National Recreation area which encompasses the Golden Gate Bridge as well as 80,000 acres of parks and shorelines. I popped between 10 or 12 spots checking out the vistor centers and some of the viewpoints and most importantly scooping up stamps. I really liked the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate bridge. The cliff-hugging, windy roads gave way to incredible views. Who would have imagined that only 3 miles from San Francisco I would be without cell phone reception and also be able to spot a bobcat?!
I spent the evening at my Uncle Bob's house although I wasn't much for company. I ate the Thai that he had ordered and fell asleep 5 minutes into a movie he started.
Tuesday I decided to start my journey southward to Hell-A. King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks were on the menu for today and I made a beeline south. I've never been to either park, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but so far I am quite impressed. Only had the chance to check out King's Canyon yesterday. It's almost like a mini Yosemite. It's a much tighter Canyon and the peaks enveloping it are more jagged and snow covered. Two rivers flow from the heights of either side of the valley converging on the valley floor into an explostion of mist and spray. The waterworks here are more impressive that even Yosemite due to the narrower river and the sheer walls. The first thing that goes through your head when you see the river is "DANGER". Not even the most skilled riverkayaker could enter that water and exit alive.
Camped in one of the park campgrounds last night surrounded by the towering cedar and sequoia giants and visited by a family of dauntless deer that had no problem chewing on grass that was just feet from me.
Today I'm off to check out "General Sherman", the largest tree in the world and drive through some of the old growth forests of Sequoia NP ("ancient growth" may be more appropriate when talking about 3000-4000 year old trees).
Monday, May 15, 2006
Yosemite Photos
Yosemite Falls Going Strong
View From The Top Of Yosemite Falls
Some Sort Of Skink-like Lizard I Saw While Hiking Up Yosemite Falls. Looks Like A Snake With Legs.
The Merced River Raging Through The Canyon.
Bobcat That I Saw Chillin' On The Driveway Of The Nike Missile Site At The Marin Headlands Just 15 Minutes Out Of San Francisco.
Season 4 On The Horizon
(San Francisco) - It's that time of year again. Summer is pushing Spring to the side and a new season of "Tour Leading" is dawning. I finished off my 3rd year with a five month stint in Mexico & Northern Central America. I had the opportunity to explore several new locations that were new to me, the most notable being Lago Atitlan & Antigua in Guatemala and the ruins of Copan in Honguras. I capped off the 5 months by leading a trip of 9 of my relatives (Mom, Dad, my brother Steve & his wife Melanie & 5 of my aunts and uncles) on a 2 1/2 week route around the Yucatan. Then in mid March it was back to LA to wind up my season and then back home to Wisconsin for 1 1/2 months of "life restructuring".
But now it's almost time to get back on the road. Domestic life in Wisconsin had me itching to latch back onto the wheel of my Ford E-350 van and drive deep into the wilds of Aventure Tourism. At the moment I'm slated for a 26 day circumnavigation of Alaska that departs on June 5th. Things were looking pretty solid for a stress free departure although after talking to the head the van fleet it looks like there might be some slight glitches... like the fact that they are vanless. Looks like the order that was put into the Ford Van Factory has been lagging and it might take a while for the vans get delivered. But if the vans get in on time I'll be readying my gear, pimping my van and rolling up to Seattle before Memorial day to squeeze in a little R&R before heading "North to the Future".
At the moment I'm hanging out in San Francisco awaiting word from the office about when the vans arrive. I flew out here on May 10th to bomb around NorCal for about 10 days before heading to LA. I rented a car and drove out to Yosemite on Thursday. Yosemite in late Spring is when the park is at the peak of its splendor. Everything is green, the trees and flowers are blooming, the air is crisp and the snowmelt from the Sierras turns the sometimes tame Merced river into a bubbling, mist spraying machine. Apparently the mountains amassed a higher than average winter snow cover and the river and waterfalls were more powerful than I have ever seen them. There were literally hundreds of waterfalls spitting out from every granite monolith and sequoia forest in the park. Much of the three days that I was there was spent watching the water. Mornings on a massive boulder watching the churning rapids, one afternoon hiking to the top of Yosemite falls and falling asleep to the turbulent gurgle-roar of the Merced.
My visit to Yosemite also coincided with one of Tiffani's trips, so I was able to spend some with her group and watch her at work as a guide. Yesterday both her group and I packed up and headed back through the summer-like weather of the Central California valley back to San Francisco where I find myself now typing away awaiting dinner at my uncle Bob's house.
But now it's almost time to get back on the road. Domestic life in Wisconsin had me itching to latch back onto the wheel of my Ford E-350 van and drive deep into the wilds of Aventure Tourism. At the moment I'm slated for a 26 day circumnavigation of Alaska that departs on June 5th. Things were looking pretty solid for a stress free departure although after talking to the head the van fleet it looks like there might be some slight glitches... like the fact that they are vanless. Looks like the order that was put into the Ford Van Factory has been lagging and it might take a while for the vans get delivered. But if the vans get in on time I'll be readying my gear, pimping my van and rolling up to Seattle before Memorial day to squeeze in a little R&R before heading "North to the Future".
At the moment I'm hanging out in San Francisco awaiting word from the office about when the vans arrive. I flew out here on May 10th to bomb around NorCal for about 10 days before heading to LA. I rented a car and drove out to Yosemite on Thursday. Yosemite in late Spring is when the park is at the peak of its splendor. Everything is green, the trees and flowers are blooming, the air is crisp and the snowmelt from the Sierras turns the sometimes tame Merced river into a bubbling, mist spraying machine. Apparently the mountains amassed a higher than average winter snow cover and the river and waterfalls were more powerful than I have ever seen them. There were literally hundreds of waterfalls spitting out from every granite monolith and sequoia forest in the park. Much of the three days that I was there was spent watching the water. Mornings on a massive boulder watching the churning rapids, one afternoon hiking to the top of Yosemite falls and falling asleep to the turbulent gurgle-roar of the Merced.
My visit to Yosemite also coincided with one of Tiffani's trips, so I was able to spend some with her group and watch her at work as a guide. Yesterday both her group and I packed up and headed back through the summer-like weather of the Central California valley back to San Francisco where I find myself now typing away awaiting dinner at my uncle Bob's house.
What Did Dave Do During The Off-Season?
(San Francisco) - My good friends Rob and Karen had a baby boy named Maitland on April 5th. We connected right away*(see footnote) and while I was back in Wisconsin we spent lots of QT with each other.
Although Maitland mostly slept while we were hangin', there were some quality moments. I'll never forget the memories... Rob and I gobbling down entire French Silk Pies, flipping between episodes of "The Real Housewifes of Orange County" and "Robot Chicken" while Maitland sucked on my cheeks thinking they were boob and filled his pants. Thanks for the fun Maiters. Hard to believe that the next time I'll see you you'll probably be eating squash puree, crawling around and, well, still pooping in your pants.
* - Well, almost right away. It took me a little while to get used to the crusty, burnt raisin vestige of his umbilical cord.
Although Maitland mostly slept while we were hangin', there were some quality moments. I'll never forget the memories... Rob and I gobbling down entire French Silk Pies, flipping between episodes of "The Real Housewifes of Orange County" and "Robot Chicken" while Maitland sucked on my cheeks thinking they were boob and filled his pants. Thanks for the fun Maiters. Hard to believe that the next time I'll see you you'll probably be eating squash puree, crawling around and, well, still pooping in your pants.
* - Well, almost right away. It took me a little while to get used to the crusty, burnt raisin vestige of his umbilical cord.
Maitland Floppin' Out
Maiters and Me
Have Fun Getting His Ass Wiped
Maitland and His Pops
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Mowin' Down Those Trees Like I'm Mowin' The Lawn
(Milwaukee, WI) - My uncle Dick called me last night to help him with a job. He's an arborist and he's usually a one man sawing machine. This job though was a bit more technical involving thick limbs hanging precariously above the flat tar roof. So he called in the troops (me) to help.
When we got to the job Dickie clamped on his tree climbing foot spike and scaled the first tree. Dickie has skills - his climbing abilities rival those of a nimble lemur. With a couple of ropes and a pair of German-made chainsaws he tore apart 2 50 foot ash trees and a 25 foot mulberry tree in mere hours. It was pretty amazing to see trees that took fifty years to grow get leveled in an afternoon.
It was a fun afternoon and the "workday" really rolled by fast. What made it even cooler was the home owner Percy. The 88 year-old transplant from West Virginia was the kind of guy that you could kick back with over a couple of Mint Juleps and shoot the shit for hours. And the kicker... the guy made us a couple of killer meatball sandwiches for lunch!! Gotta feel bad for the poor guy though. Dick runs a "I cut & you clean" tree trimming business, so he's got about 4 tons of tree to move on his own!
Dickie high up in tree #2.
Uncle Dickie & Percy.
When we got to the job Dickie clamped on his tree climbing foot spike and scaled the first tree. Dickie has skills - his climbing abilities rival those of a nimble lemur. With a couple of ropes and a pair of German-made chainsaws he tore apart 2 50 foot ash trees and a 25 foot mulberry tree in mere hours. It was pretty amazing to see trees that took fifty years to grow get leveled in an afternoon.
It was a fun afternoon and the "workday" really rolled by fast. What made it even cooler was the home owner Percy. The 88 year-old transplant from West Virginia was the kind of guy that you could kick back with over a couple of Mint Juleps and shoot the shit for hours. And the kicker... the guy made us a couple of killer meatball sandwiches for lunch!! Gotta feel bad for the poor guy though. Dick runs a "I cut & you clean" tree trimming business, so he's got about 4 tons of tree to move on his own!
Dickie high up in tree #2.
Swingin' & Chainsawin'
Lumber Paydirt - There were 4 piles of logs like this. We must of felled a couple tons of wood.
Uncle Dickie & Percy. Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Back In Action
After quite a hiatus I have decided to take another crack at this bloggin business. It's been sometime since I actually made any sort of addition to the blog (although during the time away I did make a couple of guest contributions to the controversial Blind Fury blog) and I figured that the time has come to dig back in.
So that being said the question that has been a-brewin' upstairs has been "How do I jump back into things?":
- Do I give a detailed summary of what I've been up to the past 8 months?
- Do I claim that my abscence was due to amnesic episode?
- Do I ignore addressing my past tendency towards blogging sloth and just start adding posts as if I haven't skipped a day?
- Do I blame it all on the fact I was never given Transformers to play with as a child so I always had to go up the little knoll on Center Place to the Gabels house and play with Jeremy Gabel's Big Box O' Formers & the fact that Jeremy was a booger eating, skullet wearing, Twisted Sister listening potty mouth that always wore nut huggin' Wrangler cut offs... the fact that this mid-80's neo-metal nerd had his own stockpile of Autobots and Decepticons and all I had was one lousy microbot (Seaspray) gave me an inferiority complex and has made me rather self concious with a farely low self esteem that in turn has imbedded in me the nasty habit of never finishing what I start?
Hmm... maybe I was just lazy or busy or both.Well, I guess the solution that I've come up with is to give a brief summary as to my whereabouts and my goings-on of the past 3/4 of a year (to soon be followed by a photograhic timeline in an upcoming post) and then start up with what's kickin' now. Here goes...
March - Finished up my trips in Mexico. Did a winter trip for my company from LA to NY.
April - Did another trip from NY to LA with a kick ass group. Had a blast! Finished in LA and did one final trip toting around a group of all German travel agents for a week... not so fun.
May - Finish up my looong season with my company and decide to move to NYC. Pack up my stuff in LA and fly right there. Takes me 10 days but I find a killer place in the East Village on 13th between 1st and 2nd.
June - NYC livin'. Pick up a 2 week trip that starts and ends in NYC.
July - Fly home to stand up in my good friends' wedding and also for my brother's wedding party. Nice to see all my good friends. Decide for several reasons that NYC is not for me and pack up to start up another season of being a tour leader.
August - Whole month is eaten up by 4 week trip that starts in NY and ends in LA through the northern states and Canada. Cool group.
September - 2 identical 2 week lodging trips that start in San Fran and end in Vegas. First group - rotten, second group - muy buena onda.
October - Finish up second lodging trip. Return home for 2 weeks and hang with family. Return to LA to prepare for another winter season down in Mexico.
And that has pretty much brought me up to date. I was in LA for the first few days of November getting all of my gear together and preparing for an awesome season in Mexico. The trips that I have lined up will take me all over Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and even dip me down into Honduras for a couple of days. Plus I will be down here from the beginning of November until the middle of March, definately a longer chunk of time than I've had for some time.
Well, this post is a first step to "bein' back in blog business". I'll hopefully keep y'all updated with subsequent postings, although I'm not going to burn myself out like last year with keepin' it on the daily. Hope it gives you some insight into the life and times of Dave and keep the comments comin....
Dave
So that being said the question that has been a-brewin' upstairs has been "How do I jump back into things?":
- Do I give a detailed summary of what I've been up to the past 8 months?
- Do I claim that my abscence was due to amnesic episode?
- Do I ignore addressing my past tendency towards blogging sloth and just start adding posts as if I haven't skipped a day?
- Do I blame it all on the fact I was never given Transformers to play with as a child so I always had to go up the little knoll on Center Place to the Gabels house and play with Jeremy Gabel's Big Box O' Formers & the fact that Jeremy was a booger eating, skullet wearing, Twisted Sister listening potty mouth that always wore nut huggin' Wrangler cut offs... the fact that this mid-80's neo-metal nerd had his own stockpile of Autobots and Decepticons and all I had was one lousy microbot (Seaspray) gave me an inferiority complex and has made me rather self concious with a farely low self esteem that in turn has imbedded in me the nasty habit of never finishing what I start?
Hmm... maybe I was just lazy or busy or both.Well, I guess the solution that I've come up with is to give a brief summary as to my whereabouts and my goings-on of the past 3/4 of a year (to soon be followed by a photograhic timeline in an upcoming post) and then start up with what's kickin' now. Here goes...
March - Finished up my trips in Mexico. Did a winter trip for my company from LA to NY.
April - Did another trip from NY to LA with a kick ass group. Had a blast! Finished in LA and did one final trip toting around a group of all German travel agents for a week... not so fun.
May - Finish up my looong season with my company and decide to move to NYC. Pack up my stuff in LA and fly right there. Takes me 10 days but I find a killer place in the East Village on 13th between 1st and 2nd.
June - NYC livin'. Pick up a 2 week trip that starts and ends in NYC.
July - Fly home to stand up in my good friends' wedding and also for my brother's wedding party. Nice to see all my good friends. Decide for several reasons that NYC is not for me and pack up to start up another season of being a tour leader.
August - Whole month is eaten up by 4 week trip that starts in NY and ends in LA through the northern states and Canada. Cool group.
September - 2 identical 2 week lodging trips that start in San Fran and end in Vegas. First group - rotten, second group - muy buena onda.
October - Finish up second lodging trip. Return home for 2 weeks and hang with family. Return to LA to prepare for another winter season down in Mexico.
And that has pretty much brought me up to date. I was in LA for the first few days of November getting all of my gear together and preparing for an awesome season in Mexico. The trips that I have lined up will take me all over Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and even dip me down into Honduras for a couple of days. Plus I will be down here from the beginning of November until the middle of March, definately a longer chunk of time than I've had for some time.
Well, this post is a first step to "bein' back in blog business". I'll hopefully keep y'all updated with subsequent postings, although I'm not going to burn myself out like last year with keepin' it on the daily. Hope it gives you some insight into the life and times of Dave and keep the comments comin....
Dave
Thursday, January 20, 2005
A Night Out
Wow! Today I set the departure time for 9:00 am and we were packed up and ready to go by 9:02… pretty amazing for our second day packing up. It makes things so much easier on me when my pax are punctual and efficient.
We went right to the Uxmal ruins which are only 15 minutes from the campground. Then on our way to Merida I made a surprise stop at a secret cenote. A cenote is a crystal clear fresh water swimming hole. The entire Yucatan Penninsula is pretty much solid limestone and underneath this solid foundation layer run underground fresh water rivers. Over thousands of years these rivers have ate away at the limestone forming myriads of cenote sinkholes and cavern systems. There are hundreds of various types of cenotes that you can visit. Some are completely enclosed in a cave, some are open to the sky, several have been developed to look more “Indiana Jones-like” while others are completely untouched. The one that we visited is just about an hour south of Merida close to the small village of Abala. You have to drive down a small country road for some ways and then turn off onto a grass road so narrow that you have to pull in the side mirrors so they don’t snap off stone formations. Drive down that and after about 10 minutes you come to a little turn around where you park and suit up. The cenote is about 30 feet underground and you descend down a ladder through an opening about 20 foot in diameter. The water is crystal clear and as you are swimming you can see the tunnels underneath you that go even deeper into the unknown. I dive in and then just float there watching the bats flitter in the darkness around the giant stalactites that cling to the top of the cave. Most of the group came down with me and really thought it was an amazing experience.
After we dried off it was a straight shot to Merida. Right when we got there we brought our laundry to the lavenderia and then I gave the crew 4 hours to explore the city while I ran errands (phone calls, internet, chillin’, etc.) At 8 I met the group in the lobby and we went around the corner to Pancho’s for dinner. Tourism is one of Mexico’s biggest money makers, so they really treat guides well down here. Whenever I go to a restaurant, bar, activity, etc., I am almost always comped (given the service complementary). Pancho’s is one of those places that treats the guides real well. I ordered a shrimp entrée, oyster appetizer, a couple of beers, coffee and a shot of tequila and I didn’t have to pay a dime. After the meal we went to a cheesy Salsa bar down the road were some of the girls danced and I had a couple more beers (no dancing for the D).
We went right to the Uxmal ruins which are only 15 minutes from the campground. Then on our way to Merida I made a surprise stop at a secret cenote. A cenote is a crystal clear fresh water swimming hole. The entire Yucatan Penninsula is pretty much solid limestone and underneath this solid foundation layer run underground fresh water rivers. Over thousands of years these rivers have ate away at the limestone forming myriads of cenote sinkholes and cavern systems. There are hundreds of various types of cenotes that you can visit. Some are completely enclosed in a cave, some are open to the sky, several have been developed to look more “Indiana Jones-like” while others are completely untouched. The one that we visited is just about an hour south of Merida close to the small village of Abala. You have to drive down a small country road for some ways and then turn off onto a grass road so narrow that you have to pull in the side mirrors so they don’t snap off stone formations. Drive down that and after about 10 minutes you come to a little turn around where you park and suit up. The cenote is about 30 feet underground and you descend down a ladder through an opening about 20 foot in diameter. The water is crystal clear and as you are swimming you can see the tunnels underneath you that go even deeper into the unknown. I dive in and then just float there watching the bats flitter in the darkness around the giant stalactites that cling to the top of the cave. Most of the group came down with me and really thought it was an amazing experience.
After we dried off it was a straight shot to Merida. Right when we got there we brought our laundry to the lavenderia and then I gave the crew 4 hours to explore the city while I ran errands (phone calls, internet, chillin’, etc.) At 8 I met the group in the lobby and we went around the corner to Pancho’s for dinner. Tourism is one of Mexico’s biggest money makers, so they really treat guides well down here. Whenever I go to a restaurant, bar, activity, etc., I am almost always comped (given the service complementary). Pancho’s is one of those places that treats the guides real well. I ordered a shrimp entrée, oyster appetizer, a couple of beers, coffee and a shot of tequila and I didn’t have to pay a dime. After the meal we went to a cheesy Salsa bar down the road were some of the girls danced and I had a couple more beers (no dancing for the D).
It´s Coming!
Hello folks... Just wanted to add a note saying that I have been keeping up with my blog, but I just have been unable to connect my laptop to the internet... wireless connections are really tough to find down here. When I do find a connection you will all be able to catch up on what had been happening since my last entry... Dave
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Arana HQ
Told the pax that we should leave by 8:30, but since it was our first time breaking down camp and loading the van I really didn’t expect to get out of there until 9:00. We left at 9:30 after a little chat about being punctual and teamwork (a group of about 4 girls did most of the work).
Then it was off for a super drive… the drive from Palenque to Uxmal is long and somewhat sterile. We stopped at lunch time in the city of Escarcega for some rotisserie (or is it rasta-ser Mom?) chickens. I don’t know where all the pollos come from, but this city is covered with restaurants that sell pollo asados. They must go through 1000’s of chickens everyday. The restaurant we go to is great. A couple of plastic chairs and tables and a huge grill in the back covered with hundreds of chickens. That’s all they have – chicken. One whole bird with tortillas, salsa, shredded cabbage and limes for $35 pesos (about $3 US). I can feed a whole group for about $12 US.
Then we pack back into the van and keep cruising north. We were about 2 hours away from our destination when Martina started looking pretty ill and just a short way down the road we pulled over for her to get some air. We were parked right next to a roadside garbage dump, but I don’t think that we could have made it any farther down the road because as soon as we stopped a white-faced Martina flopped out of the van a into puking position. Her friends walked her up a hill a little sat with her while we all waited. After about an hour, and a little pukeage, we were out of there. On most of my trips stomach illness is pretty much expected and I warned the rest of the girls that it was only a matter of time until everyone got their dose of ghetto stomach.
When we finally reached the campground in Uxmal the day was almost over and we barely got the tents set up before the sun totally set. I cruised into the little village of Santa Elena to try to find some pineapple juice for the Coladas (mission was unsuccessful) while the crew prepared dinner. Spent the rest of the night sitting around and chatting while a handful of the group were on a spider safari. The campground was full of all different types of spiders and as soon as the sun went down they were on the prowl. The walls of the bathrooms were crawling with them and I had a handful of girls getting really nervous about their “safety” while sleeping. They seemed to think that the spiders would climb up the walls of the palapa, scurry across the beams, make their way down the strings of their hammocks and then jump into their sleeping bags and eat their face. It probably didn’t help that I perpetuated the situation by telling them that the spiders can fly.
Then it was off for a super drive… the drive from Palenque to Uxmal is long and somewhat sterile. We stopped at lunch time in the city of Escarcega for some rotisserie (or is it rasta-ser Mom?) chickens. I don’t know where all the pollos come from, but this city is covered with restaurants that sell pollo asados. They must go through 1000’s of chickens everyday. The restaurant we go to is great. A couple of plastic chairs and tables and a huge grill in the back covered with hundreds of chickens. That’s all they have – chicken. One whole bird with tortillas, salsa, shredded cabbage and limes for $35 pesos (about $3 US). I can feed a whole group for about $12 US.
Then we pack back into the van and keep cruising north. We were about 2 hours away from our destination when Martina started looking pretty ill and just a short way down the road we pulled over for her to get some air. We were parked right next to a roadside garbage dump, but I don’t think that we could have made it any farther down the road because as soon as we stopped a white-faced Martina flopped out of the van a into puking position. Her friends walked her up a hill a little sat with her while we all waited. After about an hour, and a little pukeage, we were out of there. On most of my trips stomach illness is pretty much expected and I warned the rest of the girls that it was only a matter of time until everyone got their dose of ghetto stomach.
When we finally reached the campground in Uxmal the day was almost over and we barely got the tents set up before the sun totally set. I cruised into the little village of Santa Elena to try to find some pineapple juice for the Coladas (mission was unsuccessful) while the crew prepared dinner. Spent the rest of the night sitting around and chatting while a handful of the group were on a spider safari. The campground was full of all different types of spiders and as soon as the sun went down they were on the prowl. The walls of the bathrooms were crawling with them and I had a handful of girls getting really nervous about their “safety” while sleeping. They seemed to think that the spiders would climb up the walls of the palapa, scurry across the beams, make their way down the strings of their hammocks and then jump into their sleeping bags and eat their face. It probably didn’t help that I perpetuated the situation by telling them that the spiders can fly.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Dr. Simi Is Going Down!
Today woke up to the sound of my passengers knocking on my door. I woke up thinking “Huh?”. I had set my alarm the night before but for some reason it failed to sound, so at 9:20 (twenty minutes after we were supposed to leave) a couple of my passengers came to wake me up.
We drove into town where I collected the $4500 pesos ($410 US) that I charged them for our hotel and activities package (this trip we have 8 hotel nights, 1 night at Genisis Eco-Lodge, 2 nights on Isla Mujeres with Snorkeling trip, Cavern Snorkeling at Hidden Worlds and a couple other goodies). Then I cruised to the ruins where I dropped them off with Ernesto to do the tour of the Palenque ruins and then a tour of the surrounding jungle. Ernesto is the man… he’s lived in Palenque most of his life and really knows the ruins like the back of his hand. Most passengers really enjoy the day that they spend with Ernesto climbing pyramids in the jungle enveloped ruins and then hiking the trails in the dense bush looking for howler monkeys.
While my passengers were on the tour I ran to town and took care of errands (emailing my boss, filling up our huge water jugs, eating tacos al pastor…).
A quick aside… Tacos Al Pastor is some of the best food I have ever eaten. Big slabs of marinated pork are thrown on a spit and piled high. Then it is placed in the high intensity flame cooker (the same setup that you would see gyros being cooked in a Greek restaurant). The Taco Artist then heats up one side of the meat until it is crispy and shaves it in thin slices onto a small corn tortilla. It is topped with a sliver of fresh pineapple and a handful of chopped onion and cilantro and then served. It is SOOOOO good… like a little bit of culinary heaven. The best in the World – Tacos Orientales in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Something that I saw in town really bothered me. There is a chain of pharmacies in Mexico called “Farmacia Similiares”. They spread across the entire Mexican map from Nogales to San Cristobal. The mascot for the pharmacy is a mustachioed, overweight, balding pharmacist suited up in his white lab coat and sporting thick black framed glasses. What bothers me is that they really use this mascot to promote the stores and most of the time that you pass one of them there is a larger than life inflatable Dr. Simi Mascot hanging out. Usual scenario – there are speakers stacked outside the store blasting distorted Mexican Trance music and the lovable, cuddly Dr. Simi is outside either dancing the noise (with the churning butter dance technique), waving to the passing cars or giving all the little boys and girls big hugs. What is disturbing to me is the fact that in Mexcio you don’t need a prescription for drugs and this Mad Scientist version of Camel Joe is imprinting the young Mexicans with feelings of love and fun when they think about the pharmacy. “Hey kids, come shake Dr. Simi’s hand. Then come on in and buy yourself a bottle of yummy oxi-cotton. Hee-huh! With every bottle of vicodin that you buy you get a free sticker book and an inflatable Dr. Simi doll!! Dress him in our own line of Dr. Simi doll clothes in a variety of different colors – Propecia Purple, Adavan Amber, Viagra Violet or Paxil Powder Blue!” The whole thing is weird and twisted to me.
Picked up my group and then headed back to camp. I had a chill afternoon watching a bootleg of “Oceans 12” that I picked up in D.F. Then in the evening I helped the cooking crew make dinner. I set up the grill and cooked up the hot dogs that they had bought and then I threw on 2 huge arrachera skirt steaks that I picked up (DADDY!). Needless to say, the combo of my homemade guacamole and the duece attack of 2 ½ foot long marinated mexi-steaks saved dinner.
I cracked open the bottle of rum that I had been saving for Pina Coladas and chilled with crew for a couple of hours sipping Cuba Libres.
It is almost 12 midnight so I have to squeeze this entry in before the date actually changes. I am laying in my bed, laptop on my midsection listing to 2 families of howler monkeys verbally battle. It really is amazing. The deep, throaty growl that the monkeys make is almost unearthly… is sounds like the combination of the repetitive noise that wave make as they slap against the shore mixed with the scream of a rabid yeti.
We drove into town where I collected the $4500 pesos ($410 US) that I charged them for our hotel and activities package (this trip we have 8 hotel nights, 1 night at Genisis Eco-Lodge, 2 nights on Isla Mujeres with Snorkeling trip, Cavern Snorkeling at Hidden Worlds and a couple other goodies). Then I cruised to the ruins where I dropped them off with Ernesto to do the tour of the Palenque ruins and then a tour of the surrounding jungle. Ernesto is the man… he’s lived in Palenque most of his life and really knows the ruins like the back of his hand. Most passengers really enjoy the day that they spend with Ernesto climbing pyramids in the jungle enveloped ruins and then hiking the trails in the dense bush looking for howler monkeys.
While my passengers were on the tour I ran to town and took care of errands (emailing my boss, filling up our huge water jugs, eating tacos al pastor…).
A quick aside… Tacos Al Pastor is some of the best food I have ever eaten. Big slabs of marinated pork are thrown on a spit and piled high. Then it is placed in the high intensity flame cooker (the same setup that you would see gyros being cooked in a Greek restaurant). The Taco Artist then heats up one side of the meat until it is crispy and shaves it in thin slices onto a small corn tortilla. It is topped with a sliver of fresh pineapple and a handful of chopped onion and cilantro and then served. It is SOOOOO good… like a little bit of culinary heaven. The best in the World – Tacos Orientales in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Something that I saw in town really bothered me. There is a chain of pharmacies in Mexico called “Farmacia Similiares”. They spread across the entire Mexican map from Nogales to San Cristobal. The mascot for the pharmacy is a mustachioed, overweight, balding pharmacist suited up in his white lab coat and sporting thick black framed glasses. What bothers me is that they really use this mascot to promote the stores and most of the time that you pass one of them there is a larger than life inflatable Dr. Simi Mascot hanging out. Usual scenario – there are speakers stacked outside the store blasting distorted Mexican Trance music and the lovable, cuddly Dr. Simi is outside either dancing the noise (with the churning butter dance technique), waving to the passing cars or giving all the little boys and girls big hugs. What is disturbing to me is the fact that in Mexcio you don’t need a prescription for drugs and this Mad Scientist version of Camel Joe is imprinting the young Mexicans with feelings of love and fun when they think about the pharmacy. “Hey kids, come shake Dr. Simi’s hand. Then come on in and buy yourself a bottle of yummy oxi-cotton. Hee-huh! With every bottle of vicodin that you buy you get a free sticker book and an inflatable Dr. Simi doll!! Dress him in our own line of Dr. Simi doll clothes in a variety of different colors – Propecia Purple, Adavan Amber, Viagra Violet or Paxil Powder Blue!” The whole thing is weird and twisted to me.
Picked up my group and then headed back to camp. I had a chill afternoon watching a bootleg of “Oceans 12” that I picked up in D.F. Then in the evening I helped the cooking crew make dinner. I set up the grill and cooked up the hot dogs that they had bought and then I threw on 2 huge arrachera skirt steaks that I picked up (DADDY!). Needless to say, the combo of my homemade guacamole and the duece attack of 2 ½ foot long marinated mexi-steaks saved dinner.
I cracked open the bottle of rum that I had been saving for Pina Coladas and chilled with crew for a couple of hours sipping Cuba Libres.
It is almost 12 midnight so I have to squeeze this entry in before the date actually changes. I am laying in my bed, laptop on my midsection listing to 2 families of howler monkeys verbally battle. It really is amazing. The deep, throaty growl that the monkeys make is almost unearthly… is sounds like the combination of the repetitive noise that wave make as they slap against the shore mixed with the scream of a rabid yeti.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Liking The Group
Woke up early to take care of some bid-ness. I had to get copies of the itinerary and other information for my pax. Then we were off.
Today was a long day for me. I drove from 9 until noon. Then we stopped at a Walmart to go grocery shopping and since it was the first time that we did it as a group, I had to show everyone where stuff was and how much to buy in order to feed 11 people. Then we stopped for lunch and while they ate I filled the van. Then back in the van and another 2 hours of driving to Palenque. When we arrive I unloaded the van and spent the next hour demonstrating how I like my gear set up (OCD style) and how to set up a tent. Next I was in the kitchen preparing our first camp meal for the next 2 hours (and sipping the sweet Tecate nectar). We all sat down to eat; I briefed the crew on the next day’s events and then helped pack things away for the night. It was almost 10 pm when I could finally chill.
So far the group seems pretty cool. El unico hombre, Maurice, seems a little spaced out. He doesn’t talk much, just kind of sits there and stares/listens. Also he’s been sleeping a lot and seems to slack a bit when it comes to helping out with things. But my crew of Swiss and Korean girls pick up the slack. They really are good workers going above and beyond their daily assigned duties and doing whatever needs to get done. I really like the hard workers, it makes things easier for me. The only thing that bothers me a bit about the Swiss girls is that they are friends that booked the trip together and they spend the majority of the time speaking together in their language. This tends to isolate people… others can’t understand and feel intimidated and then it causes separate clicks within the group. I have mentioned it to the girls so we’ll see if things change. Besides these small complaints, the group seems to mesh really well.
Today was a long day for me. I drove from 9 until noon. Then we stopped at a Walmart to go grocery shopping and since it was the first time that we did it as a group, I had to show everyone where stuff was and how much to buy in order to feed 11 people. Then we stopped for lunch and while they ate I filled the van. Then back in the van and another 2 hours of driving to Palenque. When we arrive I unloaded the van and spent the next hour demonstrating how I like my gear set up (OCD style) and how to set up a tent. Next I was in the kitchen preparing our first camp meal for the next 2 hours (and sipping the sweet Tecate nectar). We all sat down to eat; I briefed the crew on the next day’s events and then helped pack things away for the night. It was almost 10 pm when I could finally chill.
So far the group seems pretty cool. El unico hombre, Maurice, seems a little spaced out. He doesn’t talk much, just kind of sits there and stares/listens. Also he’s been sleeping a lot and seems to slack a bit when it comes to helping out with things. But my crew of Swiss and Korean girls pick up the slack. They really are good workers going above and beyond their daily assigned duties and doing whatever needs to get done. I really like the hard workers, it makes things easier for me. The only thing that bothers me a bit about the Swiss girls is that they are friends that booked the trip together and they spend the majority of the time speaking together in their language. This tends to isolate people… others can’t understand and feel intimidated and then it causes separate clicks within the group. I have mentioned it to the girls so we’ll see if things change. Besides these small complaints, the group seems to mesh really well.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Here We Go Again
Today was the first day of my second trip down here in Mexico.
THE TRIP:
A three week trip that starts in Mexico City, circles around the Yucatan and into Chiapas and then finishes back in Mexico City. 7 of the passengers are continuing on for another 3 weeks on the trip that immediately follows this trip. The two trips combined are a total of six weeks beginning in Mexico and ending in LA.
THE ITINERARY:
1/16 – Acayucan – Hotel.
1/17 – Palenque
1/18 – Palenque – Ruins and Jungle tour with Ernesto.
1/19 – Uxmal – Ruins of Uxmal.
1/20 – Merida – Hotel.
1/21 – Chichen Itza – Ruins of Chichen Itza. Cenote Ik-kil.
1/22 – Ek Balam – Genisis Eco-Lodge
1/23 – Isla Mujeres – Ferry to Island. Hotel.
1/24 – Isla Mujeres – Hotel. Snorkeling/Boat trip with BBQ fish lunch.
1/25 – Xpu-ha – Ruins of Tulum.
1/26 – Xpu-ha – Hidden Worlds Cavern Snorkeling. Playa Del Carmen nightlife.
1/27 – Xpu-ha – Chillin’.
1/28 – Bacalar – La Laguna. Cenote Azul.
1/29 – Agua Azul – Misol-ha and Agua Azul.
1/30 – San Cristobal – San Cristobal at night (Club Blue).
1/31 – San Cristobal – Indian Village Tour.
2/1 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Huge Drive (12 hours). Sumidero Canyon Boat Tour.
2/2 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Ruins of Monte Alban.
2/3 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Ruins of Mitla. Mescal Factory. Carpet Weaving Demonstration.
2/4 – Cuernavaca – Hotel. Tacos Orientales. La Plazuela.
2/5 – Mexico City – Tepotzlan (Market and Nieves).
THE GROUP:
Passengers for 6 week trip:
Miriam S. – 23 - Switzerland
Miram H. – 23 – Switzerland
Martina – 24 – Switzerland
Anna – 22 – Britain
Sophie – 18 – Holland
Maria – 23 – Scotland
Sarah – 19 – Britain
Passengers for 3 week trip:
Maurice – 28 – Holland
Soo Youn – 30 – Korea
Lee Hokyong – 30 - Korea
It is never a good start to a trip when a passenger’s luggage doesn’t arrive. I spent the first 2 hours of the day trying to track it down. We stopped at the airport and Anna ran in and (thank the Lord) it was there.
Then we were off, but not without a little Mexican City Police interference first. As I was leaving the city on Avenida Zaragoza, I cruised through a yellow light and stopped at the red light that immediately followed it. Right then 2 police officers on foot stopped me. They said that what I had done was illegal and that I needed to show them my license. Well, I had learned my lesson from my first encounter with the cop in Cancun, so I handed him a copy of my license and said that the original was in the hotel. When he asked why I told him it was to avoid cops from taking it and trying to extort money from me. He laughed when I said this and then told me that I had broken a law and then flipped through his infraction book randomly pointing to things and said I needed to pay a fine. I pulled out a pad of paper and told him that I would pay, but first I wanted his name and his badge number. This surprised him… he looked at his partner and then gave me a totally bogus name… the name of a former Mexican president. I laughed and then asked again for his name and number and then he just closed his book and walked away. His partner walked over and waved us to move on. It was a perfect example of the Mexican Matrix – things are never as they seem.
We stopped in Puebla at one of my favorite rest stops so that I could go to The Italian Coffee Company and buy myself a Mocha. Then it was drive, drive, drive. Made a stop on the highway that stretches from La Tinaja to Acayucan to buy jugs of fresh pineapple juice and pineapple with chili. Then onto Acayucan where we unpacked, moved into our hotel rooms and I gave the crew some time to check out the city while I got all my info together and nailed out some last minute reservations. I met the crew for the “talk” and then it was off to the neighboring restaurant for our first “Mexican” dinner (most people ordered spaghetti… pretty typical). Then I bid the crew adieu and went to my room.
THE TRIP:
A three week trip that starts in Mexico City, circles around the Yucatan and into Chiapas and then finishes back in Mexico City. 7 of the passengers are continuing on for another 3 weeks on the trip that immediately follows this trip. The two trips combined are a total of six weeks beginning in Mexico and ending in LA.
THE ITINERARY:
1/16 – Acayucan – Hotel.
1/17 – Palenque
1/18 – Palenque – Ruins and Jungle tour with Ernesto.
1/19 – Uxmal – Ruins of Uxmal.
1/20 – Merida – Hotel.
1/21 – Chichen Itza – Ruins of Chichen Itza. Cenote Ik-kil.
1/22 – Ek Balam – Genisis Eco-Lodge
1/23 – Isla Mujeres – Ferry to Island. Hotel.
1/24 – Isla Mujeres – Hotel. Snorkeling/Boat trip with BBQ fish lunch.
1/25 – Xpu-ha – Ruins of Tulum.
1/26 – Xpu-ha – Hidden Worlds Cavern Snorkeling. Playa Del Carmen nightlife.
1/27 – Xpu-ha – Chillin’.
1/28 – Bacalar – La Laguna. Cenote Azul.
1/29 – Agua Azul – Misol-ha and Agua Azul.
1/30 – San Cristobal – San Cristobal at night (Club Blue).
1/31 – San Cristobal – Indian Village Tour.
2/1 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Huge Drive (12 hours). Sumidero Canyon Boat Tour.
2/2 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Ruins of Monte Alban.
2/3 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Ruins of Mitla. Mescal Factory. Carpet Weaving Demonstration.
2/4 – Cuernavaca – Hotel. Tacos Orientales. La Plazuela.
2/5 – Mexico City – Tepotzlan (Market and Nieves).
THE GROUP:
Passengers for 6 week trip:
Miriam S. – 23 - Switzerland
Miram H. – 23 – Switzerland
Martina – 24 – Switzerland
Anna – 22 – Britain
Sophie – 18 – Holland
Maria – 23 – Scotland
Sarah – 19 – Britain
Passengers for 3 week trip:
Maurice – 28 – Holland
Soo Youn – 30 – Korea
Lee Hokyong – 30 - Korea
It is never a good start to a trip when a passenger’s luggage doesn’t arrive. I spent the first 2 hours of the day trying to track it down. We stopped at the airport and Anna ran in and (thank the Lord) it was there.
Then we were off, but not without a little Mexican City Police interference first. As I was leaving the city on Avenida Zaragoza, I cruised through a yellow light and stopped at the red light that immediately followed it. Right then 2 police officers on foot stopped me. They said that what I had done was illegal and that I needed to show them my license. Well, I had learned my lesson from my first encounter with the cop in Cancun, so I handed him a copy of my license and said that the original was in the hotel. When he asked why I told him it was to avoid cops from taking it and trying to extort money from me. He laughed when I said this and then told me that I had broken a law and then flipped through his infraction book randomly pointing to things and said I needed to pay a fine. I pulled out a pad of paper and told him that I would pay, but first I wanted his name and his badge number. This surprised him… he looked at his partner and then gave me a totally bogus name… the name of a former Mexican president. I laughed and then asked again for his name and number and then he just closed his book and walked away. His partner walked over and waved us to move on. It was a perfect example of the Mexican Matrix – things are never as they seem.
We stopped in Puebla at one of my favorite rest stops so that I could go to The Italian Coffee Company and buy myself a Mocha. Then it was drive, drive, drive. Made a stop on the highway that stretches from La Tinaja to Acayucan to buy jugs of fresh pineapple juice and pineapple with chili. Then onto Acayucan where we unpacked, moved into our hotel rooms and I gave the crew some time to check out the city while I got all my info together and nailed out some last minute reservations. I met the crew for the “talk” and then it was off to the neighboring restaurant for our first “Mexican” dinner (most people ordered spaghetti… pretty typical). Then I bid the crew adieu and went to my room.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Vacation - Day 7
Spent most of the day preparing for my next trip: Cleaned up the van, organized my stuff, went shopping at Wal-mart, organized all the groceries. Then I spent a little "me" time roaming the streets near the zocalo buying bootleg dvds of movies still in the theater. When I got back to the hotel another trek leader was just arriving with his group. We spent a good portion of the evening talking shop and drinking beer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
