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Makin the most of the Caribbean coast

The last 3 days have been filled with some incredible adventures. Jungle hikes, Costa Rican cooking classes, surfing in the Caribbean and much more.

We arrived at the Shawanda Lodge just outside of Puerto Viejo early Sunday afternoon. Unpacked our bags, grabbed the boogie boards and headed for the beach. The surf was a constant, 2-3 foot waves every 20-30 seconds. A good way to settle into our new digs. The lodging itself is a few acres of property in dense jungle forest which houses a dozen or so Teak bungalows. With hammocks on the porches and surrounded by wild life, this is the place to be on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

An evening of crib and banter followed. 11 guys (all atheletes) playing card games, let’s just say there was a little verbal repartee throughout the evening.

The following day we woke early to a breakfast of fresh fruit (as in picked the day before), eggs, and toast. Mango, banana, papaya, pineapple, and watermelon to round it off.

We loaded into the tour vans, and headed out for some day hikes. My group headed deep into the jungle with our guide Mauricio, to the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve next to the Cohita National Park. We saw poison dart frogs, monkey ladder vines, and walking palm trees that actually ‘walk’ to where they can get more/better sun light. We smelled the plants of cilantro and citronella, and the flower in which Chanel No 5 comes from. We tasted a fruit with the flavour of blue cheese, an orange that was really a lime, and the bark of a cinnamon tree (which tasted like cinnamon, duh?

The rainy season in Costa Rica has is coming to an end in late December, so the trails are still a little muddy. The terrain was less than smooth. The mountainous layout of our hike had us scrambling up the hills, and sliding down them. All of which added to the over all jungle experience.

That evening our local friend and host, Junior, took the group to a disco down on the beach called Mango Sunset. With an eclectic mix of Latin and R&B, the dance floor was packed until closing time. After an entertaining ride home in the tour van, everyone settled in to watch the lunar eclipse. Most of the group had never seen one, and a few of us had only seen it once before in our lives. A really enjoyable way to cap off a great evening.

Our second full day in Puerto Viejo was a day off from scheduled activities. A crew of 8 headed for a local beach known for it’s surf. We rented boards, $10 for the day, and hit the water. Surfing is a rather enjoyable sport, which is easier said then done. The ever changing water, timing of the entrance, and ability to actually get on the board while being in front of the wave makes for a challenging day in the water. We returned to the lodges to shower, nap, and prepare for our cooking class.

Sharon (Sha-roon) was our host for the evening. Along with her mother, they put on a spread of fish (seabass), salad, rice & beans, followed up by a delicious rum cake that was amazing. In her modest 2 bedroom, single floor house with a kitchen on the back porch, she cooked a feast for us (her 12 guests) along with her mother, 2 daughters, son, and neighbour. That meal won’t soon be forgotten.

This brings us to Wednesday, day 5 of our adventure in Costa Rica. After another delicious breakfast, the groups split into their respective vans and headed off for another hike. This time we were headed to the coast for a walk along the coast. We started the hike along the beach then headed into the jungle. There are 120 species of snakes in the country, 9 of which are deadly. We saw 3 eye-lash Vipers (deadly) and 2 vine snakes. We saw 3 species of frogs, 1 poisonous, 2 deadly. Some of our group ate termites, one even let a Golden Orb spider crawl on his face. All in the name of a good time.

From beach to jungle, jungle to beach, up muddy hills, down muddy hills. We saw Caymans, turtles, goats, chickens (on a farm) and monkeys. From drop off to pick up it took about 8 hours. Wow, long day, but well worth it.

The group readied themselves for the rondon (BBQ, Cookout, Dinner party) at Juniors. In the company of family and friends, Junior made us a home cooked meal Caribbean style. Lobster, Snapper, and 20 different kinds of fruits and veggies, no one was going to bed hungry that night, not even the dog (heh).

Thursday morning we left for Arenal, the active volcano. As I write this article we are passing trough sprawling foothills and Palm tree forests. Rustic houses, small farms, road side restaurants and boutiques. This country has a thousand stories I could tell, but I think I’ll just sit back, stare out the window, and let you enjoy them for yourself once you get here….

Bringing lacrosse to Costa Rica!

Today was our first full day in San Jose. It started off with a breakfast at Denny’s (obviously), which turns out to be the most expensive restaurant in all of Costa Rica (huh?), then we packed our lacrosse bags and headed to the ‘pitch’. The location of the field is rather difficult to explain as the city of San Jose, and the country of Costa Rica for that matter, doesn’t use street names or numbered houses/buildings. (weird eh?) Instead they use descriptive addresses. (after the Shell gas station in the south of the city, go left for 10 blocks, go right after the church with the big front yard, and it’s on the right about 4 blocks down).

We showed up to a field of 15 men and 6 women, between the ages of 20 and 32. A few players have a little experience, but in general there is little more then a few months of practice.

After introductions, we run them through some drills for the rest of the morning. An authentic Costa Rican lunch is prepared by Walters (local organizer of the event) mother. A heartfelt speech was given by Aldo, thanking us for our support in their sporting endeavor.

When lunch was finished, that’s when the real fun started. With a coed team of players from both nations, team Rojas (red) took the field with the enthusiasm of recess in an elementary school.

For the next 2 hours, with the sun blazing and a temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius, a spirited match was played in front of 10 or so onlookers.

After the game, the locals were presented with Team Canada Lacrosse shirts and were given the opportunity to take pictures with their coaching staff. A generous supply of gear was donated to the squad, who can not purchase their own equipment within the country.

We set a time to join them for dinner later that evening, and headed back to the hotel.

The mood and expressed emotions on the ride home were that of pride, accomplishment, and a great sense of giving back to the game of lacrosse. To participate in the formation and building of a national lacrosse team is an incredible feeling. Something I will not forget. Friendships were forged that transcend language, race, and a continental divid… all through the power of sport.

US Border Services

530am we check in. That was smooth. 10 guys, 22 checked bags, and tons of excitement. 1 X-ray machine, 2 shoes in the tote, 3minute wait. Through security we all go, no delays. It’s almost 6am, with 1 gate to go.

‘What is the nature of your visit to the United States?’ the USBS agent asks. I tell him I’m on the way to Costa Rica, and we have a 4 hour layover in Fort Worth, Texas. ‘Your being sent to secondary screening for a random inspection’ he declares, without so much as a grin. My body goes flush, palms sweat a bit, there’s a lump in my throat. I am nervous, and I don’t know why. If I miss this flight, I’m going to be pissed.

One way windows, automatic locking doors, agents with weapons… This place looks less then hospitable. It’s 6:04am, 1 hour 41 minutes until my flight takes off. No reason to panic, yet.

13 of us sit on a bench watching a man leave in handcuffs. This is not a pleasant place. The girl in wicket 4 is crying her eyes out. The guy beside me is clearly nervous, what am I doing here.

7:15am, it’s panic time. 11 US Border Service agents, only 1 with a client. There’s 4 people who arrive before me, who have yet to be seen.

My phone rings, it’s 7:20. My flight is boarding, WTF is going on here. ‘Are you alright’ reads a text. ‘I don’t know, I haven’t been seen yet’ I reply.

7:23, ‘gagne’ a female USBS agent calls out. I bounce up, grab my bag, and hurry my way to her desk.

5 questions and 8 minutes later I’m out of there. Thankful, and angry. 7:31, 14 minutes to make the flight. I ask for directions to gate E79. ‘down the hall, make a right, it’s at the end’. The END?!$&@. Obviously.

With urgency in my stride, I make my way through the gauntlet of strollers, suit cases, and a few other obstacles on the moving sidewalk and find myself at the terminal just shy of 7:39. ‘oh, Gagne… The team was waiting for you. They didn’t want to leave you behind. You are a lucky man, we were a minute away from giving your seat away to stand-by’. They take my boarding pass, and toss me on the plane.

I’m through, thank god! Good bye Canada, hello Costa Rica!!

18 degrees and sunny.

Damn it’s cold. So cold I can see my breath. I check the weather, 6 degrees currently, with a high of 6, and a low of 2. Hmmm.

I check the weather again, ooops. I was on the wrong page. I was checking Vancouvers weather report, silly me. San Jose (Costa Rica) shows 18 degrees and sunny :)

Highs of mid to high 20’s all week, time to pack the shorts. Yesterday it pissed rain, today it’s as cold as an ex-girlfriend. 48hours 20minutes till I’m out of here.

10, 9, 8…

10 days to go, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I check the weather daily, I can’t wait.

I’m so excited to be a tourist again. “got the travel bug now?” people ask. Hell yeah I do! Crystal clear blue water, white sand beaches, rolling surf… Sign me up!

Board shorts, check. Sun screen, check. Camera, check.

240 hours to go. Let the countdown begin.

A month away

It’s a month away and I am anxious. I don’t know what to bring, I don’t know who’s going, I don’t know much. What I do know is it’s going to be a great time. Why didn’t I travel when I was younger? Hind sight is always 20/20.

I will blog again in this trip, if I have time. I’m sure we’ll be around Internet, so it will be easier to upload the posts. Although I don’t think I’ll have as much downtime as I did in Nepal, but I will try my best.

Same same, but different

Well, I haven’t posted a blog in a while mainly because nothing has changed. As the street vendors (hawkers) say… same same, but different.

The story left off in Railay beach, I can’t say enough about the place. If you’re in the Krabi area of Thailand at all, this is a must! It’s only accessible by boat, which costs about $5 per person to get there which is a small price to pay for the little chunk of gold you will find at the end of this rainbow.

We left Railay and headed to Phi Phi (pee pee) Island. From the quiet, zen-like atmosphere of the secluded beach, right back into tourist chaos. ‘taxi boat, Thai message, tshirt for you sir?’. Rather annoying after spending 3 calming days sprawled on the beach and floating in the 25+ degree salt water of the Indian Ocean (you actually do float, with little to no effort, and 25 is on the low end of the scale).

That being said, it’s another tropical paradise. It’s got shopping areas, beach front BBQs, fire jumping, and discos. A good place to go and party, if that’s what you’re into.

Since a few of the guys we had trekked in Nepal with were going to be on Phi Phi at the same time as us, we decided to coodinate our hotels and meet up. Scott, Tim, and Ken (aka Trailmix) were scuba diving the day we showed up but joined us in the early afternoon by the poolside of the Banyan Hotel. That night we all ventured to the North side of the island for a bite to eat, and to check out the nightlife.

After dinner, we headed down the beach to watch some fire games. Juggling, stick spinning, tightrope… Any event you can do on a beach at night they were doing, with fire! They even had a limbo bar set ablaze with a lineup of people to risk their eyebrows and lashes, all in hope of receiving a free ‘vodka bucket’ (silly tourists). The local, who I would have to believe is the reigning champion, was able to limbo down to about 2feet with his Afro hair-do freely flowing and light a cigarette while passing under the bar. A rather impressive feat considering there is no hospital on the island, and I’m sure their firstaid equipment is a little sub-par.

When the limbo was over, they lit a 6foot ring of fire for anyone and everyone to jump through. I must say, the highlight of the night was jumping through a ring of fire with a group of firefighters (Scott, Tim, and Ken are all active members of the BFD). Somewhat ironic, but good to know I was in good company if something were to happen.

The following day my father and I headed out on another snorkling tour, this time on a power boat, and we visited some cool spots. Monkey beach, where there was 2 families of primates playing on the shore as our entertainment. We also went to Maya Bay, where they filmed ‘The Beach’. All in all, a good way to spend the day.

From Phi Phi we caught a ferry to Phuket where we jumped into a minivan and headed for Patong Beach. The hustle was all around us now. Suits, messages, tuk tuk (golfcart style taxi), copy watch, tshirt… You can’t walk 20feet down any street without being offered something. Eventually you get to a point where you ignore everyone. I’m pretty good at that already, so it wasn’t a far stretch.

We spent some time on the beach, relaxed a little in our AC’d hotel room, and went out for dinner… As I said before, same same but different.

The vacation was soon over and although it is sad, it was about time. The humidity is starting to get to me. Step outside the AC’d room, and your entire body starts to sweat. By this time tomorrow I’ll be back in Canada, and it’s going to feel better then ever!

There are so many things I miss, I don’t even know where to start. My girlfriend, my friends, lacrosse, relaxing at home to some pvr’d shows, hockey games on tv, cool evenings, North American food, real cheese, real milk, mountains (ones I have no intension of climbing), fresh air. I’ve never been away from the home for this long in my life. It may sound silly, but I’m probably going to kiss at ground when I get back to good old sunny New Westminster.

For those of you who have never travelled to a 3rd world country, you don’t know what you’ve got. The usual saying is ‘you don’t know what you’re missing’, but it’s not actually that good over here. What it will reinforce is how much we take for granted back home. The freedom, the choices, the toys, the expendable cash, the whatever whenever we please. Everything is a luxury, and I mean everything. This trip has enriched my life with more then travels and culture, it has given me a wealth my vocabulary can not describe. I am rich. Maybe not in the financial or material sense of the word, but until you’ve been where I’ve been and seen what I’ve seen you won’t understand how truly rich I, and every other Canadian, really is.

Stranded at sea

4 island snorkling tour, sounds like fun!

Water, a snack, and an authentic Thai lunch for 500Baht($17CAD) seems like a pretty good deal. Sign us up!

We leave Railay beach at around 945am heading to Poda Island. It’s technically a private island, but the beach is public domain. Our guide gives us an hour to lounge around before we head off to the next stop.

40minutes into the lounging, I decide to practice some snorkling with the small gathering of fish beside the boat. That small gathering turns into a large one as soon as our guide hands me a bunch of pineapple skinti feed them. The fish are all around, they nibble the pineapple with a force not expected from a small 2inch fish, it’s a feeding frienzy. What was 30, is now 200. They appear out of no where and are gone in a flash. My fingers, arms, and legs are being tested with small bites from every angle. A very unique experience.

The boat leaves for the 2nd island, Chicken Island, but something isn’t right. The captain, a less than stellar looking local, does not look like he knows what’s going on. He shakes the water intake hose, as if it may be blocked, but that solves nothing. The engine is heating up, we are still going full throttle while he tries to figure this out. The engine stops, we are now adrift. Somewhere between Poda and Chicken Island, great! Not how I want to spend my day, stranded at sea :(

The operator of the boat is clueless. He’s taking bottled water and pooring it down into the overflow spout of the water cooling system, then using his mouth to attempt to push this liquid through the system. Hmmm.

To my father and myself the issue is clear. Some how (we never did figure it out), the fan belt which operates both the alternator and the cooling system had disappeared. It was there on the way to Poda, yet when we left it was gone. Not broken and hanging there, not taken off by accident, just gone!

As we sit there, patiently trying to allow this guy to figure it out, another boat pulls up from the same tour company. Maybe this guy knows how to fix it? Hahaha, ya right. 2 guys who can’t find their own assess with both hands, tinkering with an engine to which they have no clue how to fix because they don’t know what’s wrong. They didn’t even know the bloody fan belt was gone. WTF.

Thankfully, there happened to be a spare fan belt onboard. I have no idea why, but I noticed it when we first got on the boat and I thought to myself ‘that’s rather cautious of them to carry a spare, not the norm around here, so it’s good to see they are prepared’.

After allowing them to waste a solid 10minutes of my day together, along with the 5-10 our driver personally wasted prior to the other boat arriving, I decided to jump into action (with a little encouragement from my father). I hand the guys, neither of which spoke a stitch of english, the fan belt. Our driver looks at it, looks at the engine, and then the guide, and proceeds to bust out in histrical laugher as if he forgot some minor ingredient while making dinner. Everyone on the boat got a little chuckle out of it, myself included. He nods, and pulls out a paint can with tools in it. I think to myself ‘ok, they got it now’. Ooops. You know what they say, when you assume it makes an ASS of U and ME.

After a little banter with my fellow patrons of the cruise, I look back to see that they are about to remove the entire alternator.

For those of you who don’t know what all this looks like, imagine 3 wheels in a triangle. One of them is spun around by the engine, this is used to spin the other 2 (alternator and water pump) by use of the…. You guessed it! The fan belt. The alternators attachment is on a moveable track, for reasons such as this. Loosen one bolt, make the triangle smaller using the track, put the new belt on, slide the track back to it’s original position, tighten and go. It’s that simple.

Common sense isn’t always common. Next thing you know, I got engine grease all over my hands, a wrench in one, and I’m attempting to show them what they need to do. After replacing the 2 bolts they removed, I showed them the bolt they needed to undo, and voilà! 5minutes later we were under way.

Chicken Island was amazing. We never went to shore, but when I jumped in the water for some snorkling there were more fish then on Poda. Tiger fish central. These little guys that range from 1-4inches knew what was up. They all hungout by the boat waiting for a quick and easy snack. I toured around the area for 15minutes. It was like I was in an aquarium. Warm water, coral sea bed with fish in every colour of a rainbow. Little fish, big fish, red fish, blue fish!

Needless to say, it was amazing!!

The rest of the day was blah compared to that. We sat on a beach and had some lunch, toured 2 more islands then landed back on Railay beach. All in all, just another day in the adventures of Keith and Keith.

Miles from ordinary

Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you what day it is. The day of the week, or day of the month mean absolutely nothing to me right now. We have more than a week of nothing, and it feels great.

As we arrived in the Krabi airport we joked about the fact we didn’t even know where we were going. ‘railai beach’ was where we wanted to end up.

The first shuttle bus we saw with the beach on their board we grabbed. 150baht each ($5). 40minutes later we are at the ocean. Looks wonderful!! Elevation, 6ft. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be close to the water again.

We find ourselves a shuttle and wait at a local restaurant. During the wait my father walks over to a travel agent a few minutes away. ‘can we book a hotel in railai through you?’. Her response was shocking, and a dose of reality at the same time. ‘you go, walk around’ she said. She didnt need or want to make a commission and thats not how things work here, a nice change from the hustle of HK, Kathmandu, and Bangkok. 20minutes later our drivers arrives and asks us to follow him. He ventures out into the water and motions to follow. No dock, no escort, pretty much just a boat ride. I venture out into the ocean and towards the boat.

I’ve never been in ocean water that is as warm as a bath tub, until today. As hot as it is here, the water is just as hot. No getting used to it, no building the courage to get in… Like I said, as warm as a bath tub. We jump into the boat and race out of there to our little chunk of paradise.

Railai beach is only reached by boat. Cool eh? Little wooden cabanas fill the shore, and longtail boats scatter the beach. The wind is as warm as a wool sweater on a cold day. There are no chills here, a nice change from the chilly weather at 17,000ft.

We walk into the first resort we see, 4500baht a night ($150). WTF!!! Not our style, and not what we want. Both of us can afford it, that is not the issue. How much local life can you experience when you’re sheltered within a 5star Americanized hotel, in the middle of this gorgeous setting.

As we venture down the beach a little ways, sweat fills our shirts. We come across the Railai Beach Cabins, RBC. Starting at just 1200baht a night, this is what we are after. A multi acre setting with wood cabins sprawlling the place. From 3 floor large houses to 2 room (bathroom and bedroom) huts, we pick ourselves a small water front bungalow for 3 nights, with an option of a 4th.

I’m sitting on our deck, music playing from my iPhone and writting a blog, struggling to find a reason I’m not in the ocean right now… On second thought, I’ll check in later.

I’ll leave you with a picture of my current view. Don’t be jealous, it’s only 3 plane, 1 bus, and a boat ride away. Join me if you like.

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Adventures of Keith and Keith

As the adventures of Keith and Keith continue, there is far less downtime for me to write these things.

We left Nepal in a hurry. Thankfully our wonderful travel agent, Robin, was able to change all of our flights to accomedate the change of plans. From Kathmandu to Hong Kong, HK to Bangkok… We left Nepal at 11pm and arrived in Thailand a little after 9am. Hot and humid, I was sweating instantly.

Airport shuttle to the skytrain(yes, they call it skytrain), skytrain to central pier, shuttle boat to the hotel. The check-in went a lot better than in HK, yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full sir.

We enter our suite on the 4th floor facing the river. As we enter the suite we are met with a chilling blast of airconditioning. 2 queen sized beds, a stocked mini bar, a full bathroom and balcony with 2 lounge chairs, and a pool in the court yard… we’re not in the Khumbu anymore Toto.

We relax by the pool and take a dip before preparing ourselves to check out some night life. After a few ours on the town we end up sleeping for 11hours. The mildly chilled dark room, without the need for a 6+ hour hike is a nice change of pace.

The following days are fairly uneventful. We toured a few temples (saw the Emerald Bhudda, the Reclining Bhudda), visited the Wat Arun, and got a real Thai message (no, no happy ending). Went on a canal tour, saw a snake farm, and visited a few night markets (gucci, prada, ‘copy watch sir?’, everything you think they might try and sell, they were selling).

We booked our flight to Krabi and this is where things take a turn for the better. Bangkok and HongKong are dirty cities. Hustlers, garbage, smells that foul the nose. Fun to visit once, but I don’t think I’ll be back for more than a day or two if at all.

My father and I are notorious planners. Confirmations, timeline, and schedules, all part of our regular routine. When we arrived in Krabi, however, we had none of this. We had no ride, no hotel, pretty much nothing. 2 backpacks, and a bag of clothes… This should be interesting i think to myself.

Our destination, Railay (there are multiple ways people spell it) beach. A secluded beach front town only accessible by boat (cool eh?). How and when we get there, we will just have to wing it.