PURA VIDA - Action in Santa Elena

Saturday 7th July was one of the most eventful days I have ever had! It started out, of course, with breakfast cooked by Freddy a little before 6 AM (yes, we are still jetlagged), and then, 7.30, we were picked up. We were going on a canopy tour, which frankly, I had very little clue what was.

Zip lining... Any clue? Well. They put you into a harness, and take you into the forest. Then they hook you onto a metal wire, hundred of meters long and teach you how to break with your gloved hand on the wire, and then you are off  - from one tree to the other, gliding on the wire with quite a lot of km/hour!

So, 10 zip lines later, and already with a big smile on my face after looking at the rain forest from above, they changed the harness to superman-style. Meaning: No hands on the wire, and instead of sitting in the harness, we were hanging back-up under the lines - so it felt just like flying. INCREDIBLE! I have two videos of this, but you will have to wait to see them till I find a more stable internet connection.

Next activity started from a tower, some 20 meters above the ground. Somehow I was first in line, and was taken on the bridge to be connected to a wire on the end. I took  my time to take pictures despite the height, and also had the one below taken by one of the guides. Next step: Straight into the air. Free fall. Oh my God... I never tried something like that before!! aAnd it was SO MUCH FUN! I screamed my lungs out, but really really wanna try it again, `cause I somehow feel like I spent too much time looking at the amazing view instead of enjoying the terror...!! :) So maybe I can convince Lotte to go for another jump later on the trip... :)


Back in town, we bought some bred and cheese and a funny avocado for lunch, which we enjoyed partly with Freddy's company back at the hostel. And at 1 PM we were off to the second activity of the day - a tour of a coffee plantation. Again we were picked up and taken outside town, to a kind of show room plantation where we learned about coffee and chocolate production while a thunder and rainstorm accompanied our guide. We got to taste both beans and finished products, plus - the bonus - a 15 m ride in a cow-drawn carriage.

Our evening ended with a visit to a frog pond just around the corner from the hostel, which turned out to be a pitch black hall with frogs in terrariums. I was exhausted from the day, so didn't pay too much attention, but do enjoy the pic below of one of the most colorful species. Back at the hotel we went to bed at 8.30 PM, absolutely exhausted.

Exploring the cloud forest

On our first whole day in Costa Rica, we decided to check our the cloud forest reserve in Monterverde. We woke up before 6 due to our jetlag, but went downstairs to meet Freddy, who cooked our breakfast - fresh fruit and pancakes with bananas and coconut syrup. 

The bus left for the forest 7.30, a 6 km ride up the mountain. We decided to hire a guide who could introduce us to the wonders of the cloud forest, and while he was quite entertaining, he wasn't really worth the money. We hiked around for a few hours, first with him and a family from California, then on our own for a while. The most incredible point on the trip was a suspension bridge, 100 m long, from where we could explore the canopy (treetops). Not for the faint-hearted...! 

Leaving the area after lunch (our first meeting with the traditional gallo pinto, i.e. rice and beans, in Costa Rica), we visited a small humming bird feeder station. Here the tiny humming birds were flying close around us in large numbers; I have never seen them so plentiful and close up before! With Lotte's super-camera we got some incredible pictures - check it out (click on the pics for enlargement): 

On the way back to Santa Elena, which is the town close to Monteverde, we decided to take a small detour for a certain viewpoint, which Freddy suggested. On the way down we were picked up by a nice guy, who didn't speak any English, but offered to take us down "to the waterfall", as far as I understood. We knew we shouldn't go so far, as it was a very long hike back, but instead asked him to stop at the viewpoint when we passed it. And wow, what a view! We could see the waterfall, but much more amazing was the view of the Gulf of Nicoya in the horizon.

Heading back up the mountain was more than strenuous - the incline was STEEP! We tried to hitch a hike with one of the friendly locals, who are always waiving and smiling when they pass, but they couldn't stop because of the incline. A short stop at an art gallery/mini-orchid gartnery (mostly for catching our breath in the thin air) turned out to be a nice experience and meeting with a local artist/nature tour guide, and then we made it up to the top of the detour road.

We had planned a stop in La Lecheria (a dairy factory) on the way down from Monteverde, but missed it at first. Having to walk back 400 m uphill wasn't popular with any of us, but in the end SOOO worth it. Lotte got the best milkshake ever and the two scoops of ice cream that I got together with a peak of the cheese making behind a window was well worth the extra effort.

And then the taxi-guy who picked us up on the detour found us again, and drove us back to Santa Elena - again for free, just giving us his card so we could call him if we needed a ride again. Back at the hostel we crashed, exhausted and jetlagged, and woke up after a couple of hours of sleep, realising that we should really get some proper dinner. With Freddy's always competent suggestion, we went to a local eatery for a nice meal - and then back to bed!

Vamonos a Monteverde

We arrived in San José after our business class experience at 11.45 local time July 5th. A small airport, where we quite quickly got through the passport check lines, to get our passports stamped. And the fun started - I noticed that the date in my stamp said "5 JUN", which even with my lacking Spanish skills was quite clearly wrong. So I asked the stamp guy, who for the next few minutes could only say "que mal, que mal" ("how bad"), while he and his supervisor were realising that the entire pile of entrance forms that he made that day, AND the stamps in people's passports, were wrong. Muy mal indeed. So now I have an extra Costa Rica entrance stamp in my passport...

Out of the airport, after a short luggage-missing incidence, which was quickly cleared, we decided to take a taxi to the center. We needed to catch a bus to our first destination, Monteverde, which also stopped in the airport, but we were warned that it could be full. So as we had time to spare, we took a taxi to the center, and then caught the bus from there - and indeed, it was full. We were very happy to NOT be one of those people standing all the 5 hours on a dark, bumpy ride up the mountains! 

The bus ride was fun, though. Lotte and I spent a lot of time practising Spanish, probably to the entertainment and later annoyance for the people around us. At least after a while, everyone would have caught that Lotte has a big sister ("Tengo una hermana grande"). We also started talking a bit with the others, sharing our travel plans and tips. And then at last, we reached Monteverde. 

Lotte with my Spanish dictionary

Monteverde is an area popular for its cloudforest, meaning that the humid air from the see precipitates over the mountains, creating clouds that come rolling over the hillsides and treetops continuously. It changes all the time - one moment you can see the top of the mountain, the next it is too foggy to even see 20 meters ahead. 

These two pics are taken just a few minutes apart.

We checked into our accommodation, Cabinas Eddy, where an amazing host, Freddy, awaited us. He gave us a lot of tips on what and when to do the various things the area has to offer, and made us feel at home instantly. It was late (around 8 PM), we were tired and heavily jetlagged, ate the bagels we had brough from Atlanta, and went straight to bed - completely exhausted.

COSTA RICA, HERE WE COME!

Lotte and me

Lotte and I decided to go to Costa Rica. Why? I can't tell, really - besides a desire for adventure, the exotic taste of the name, the fact that its warmer than Peru this time of year, and a manageable prize of the flights. Then again... Who needs more reasons? :)

3rd of July we took off in the evening, to spend the night in Amsterdam. Luckily, I have many friends in that area, and finding a place to stay proved to be no big challenge. Mahsa and Salmaan hosted us, and I cannot imagine better hosts. As always we were treated with food, drinks, insightful talks, comfortable beds, extraordinary breakfast and even a candy stash for the air plane! Great foundation for holiday for sure.

We left in the morning a bit past 7, intending to fly at 11 AM. Didn't happen - we could see already when we arrived that we would be 1,5 hours late. Our layover in Atlanta was supposed to be 3 hours, so when we were airborne 4 hours later, it was already pretty clear that we were in for a night in Georgia. The flight itself was ok; obviously, I', not the best at sitting still for so long...

It was around 7 PM when we arrived to Atlanta, and then we needed to pass the delightful American security... It was ok though - the problem arose when we needed to figure out what our continued itinerary would look like. There was a HUUUUGE line at the Delta desk, with people waiting for over an hour. They did have some machines though, like the regular check in-thingies, and here I found out that we were booked at a flight to San José the next morning. It printed me some meal vouchers, but nothing for a hotel, which I knew we were entitled to as well. Not being keen on the line, I caught a Delta-person who wasn't behind a counter, just to ask why the machine couldn't print it all. She took me to the counter, managed the hotel, gave me instructions and overnight kits, and boarding passes. "I put you in the front of the plane", she said, and with no clear preference for which end of the plane I was in, I nodded, took the papers, and left for the hotel shuttles with Lotte.

Fireworks in Atlanta, 4th July 2012

And then we realised... We are in the US, and it is the evening of 4th of July. American independence day, so suddenly the talk we had heard about fireworks made sense. Could we sit that one over...? Noooo not really. :) So instead of going straight to the hotel, we took the train ("MARTA") to downtown. We got there just in time, catching a grandiose firework in the crowd of thousands of people, before walking back to the train, reaching the airport around 11 PM.

The hotel was basic, but those two queen beds were the sweetest I had seen for a while - the time difference setting our internal clock to around 6AM. We were hungry though, and ordered some wings from a local grill. And fell asleep before it got to us, 1h later, so we just took a few bites before going back to sleep. Waking up at 6, we quickly packed and were shuttled back to the airport while the sun was rising. We took our vouchers to TGI Fridays, where we had FANTASTIC breakfast... everything we needed, which for Lotte was eggs and bacon, and for me a bagel and yoghurt with granola and fruit. Uhm...

And then we realised what it meant that the Delta-woman booked us in the front of the plane. Business class... I have to say that being met with a mimosa (orange juice with champagne) wasn't at all bad, and the same goes for the size of the seats, amount of snacks, and everything else... It might sound overrated, but it was really a great experience to travel like that! :D I hope I can get used to monkey class on the way home...!

And then, you have to see this one picture from our flight into San José. Our first view of Costa Rica... Quite nice, huh? :) Tomorrow I will tell you about the rest of our 60 hour trip to our first Costa Rican destination, Monteverde, and our trips around the area! Hasta luego!

Arizona revisited

Though I've started writing my thoughts in another blog, I feel like this particular post belongs here, in my Adventures-blog. :)

As you know, I rarely let a chance to go abroad pass, especially when the trip includes the opportunity to meet with important people - you know, those who you have the power to make a difference in your life! So when I realised that it was possible for me to go back to Arizona in November, I had no doubt that it would lead to several great meetings!

After graduating, spending 10 days or so in Birmingham for the EPSA congress and 2 days with Alexandra in Oxford in October, in November I got frustrated with the lack of activity at home. But well, that I already covered in my previous blog post. Luckily, I could spend some true quality time with some of my very best friends at my graduation party - maybe I'll write a bit about that later on. Anyhow... November 16th I was off to Tucson, and I was really excited about more adventure! 

Ernie and Marianne's back yard

I'd planned it so that I would have a couple of days free to recover from the worst jetlag, before I was attending a conference about Interprofessional Education (IPE) - the official purpose of the trip! I was staying with my professor Ernie and his wife Marianne in their beautiful house with a garden, where I could relax and enjoy the sun. 

During these first days I managed to meet up with Hillary and Eden, two of my good friends from last year's exchange. We had dinner at Gentle Ben's, with beer battered fries and all - just like good old days! :D Continuing down that path (the good old one), we met up with Jesús, and he, Hillary, and I got a few drinks on 4th Ave... Starting with a margarita on 4th and continuing to Plush, with such great company, I was having an amazing time! That was Thursday... On Friday I met up with Hillary again, had dinner in an Ethiopian restaurant (highly recommendable), and went to a improv/comedy show in the University. Another exchange-activity revisited, and it was great! 

Hillary, Jesús, and me

Back home not too late, I was ready for the IPE conference Saturday morning. Leaving at 6 AM (!), it was a good opportunity to see the sunrise over the mountains, and have breakfast at the conference hotel. Unfortunately the breakfast consisted only of cakes and a bit of fruit, but at least the program was amazing! I think I have to write a separate post about that actually, 'cause here I want to focus on my trip overall. 

So yeah, a great and highly inspiring, but also really tiring program, so in the evenings, after dinner, I just crashed at Ernie's place. Oh, the stay also included a bit of drama, btw, as Ernie's dog ate all my chocolate, which I'd brought for presents from Denmark. And since chocolate is poison for dogs, the poor creature had to be taken to the hospital. Lesson learned - close the door to your room when there are dogs in the house. Unfortunately it happened again (at least it was not my fault the second time), the dog got into my room, and this time ate my stash of stroopwaffles and (wait for it...) my toothbrush. Or well, half of it. 

Tuesday morning, the conference ending on Monday, I went for breakfast with Ernie in Hotel Congress, where I also had breakfast with Hillary last year. The he dropped me off at Aizhan's place, another one of my friends, who was an essential part of my back-to-Tucson trip! Aizhan lives closer to the campus, so during this day I toured around in my "old world" again. I went shopping in Fry's using one of UA's free bikes, and had lunch with Susan in the Arizona Inn, sitting next to the pool, relaxing. 

Susan

I had dinner with Aizhan in the Afghan place on University, and then went (of course!) to the Charles Darwin Experience improv show in the Gallagher Theatre - as every other Tuesday night in Tucson! Eden joined me, and it was super fun! Next morning I went to the Rec center to go for a swim. I ended up also spending quite some time on a sun bed there, before going to the public library to buy too many cheap books - but well, when you can get seven books for 14$, I believe its a good investment... A challenge to bring them back to Denmark - but still an investment! ;)

For lunch/dinner I got myself a couple of pizza slices from No Anchovies, and went back to Aizhan's place to pack my stuff, and was picked up by Chuck (or handed over rather, as they agreed it was somewhat like a relay race, the way I'm moving around at the moment!) to go to the Sanford's for Thanksgiving. 

It was SO great to see everyone again! Chuck, Janine, Gary, Rachel, all the pets, and extra guests for Thanksgiving dinner. But well, first we spent Wednesday night making pies; pumpkin, coconut, blueberry, and apple. Thursday morning we started out around 9AM with the preparations, and spent the morning and afternoon cooking and relaxing in the kitchen. The dinner was fabulous, with turkey, stuffing, gravy, white and sweet potato mash, creamed corn, and green beens... UHM! Ate too much of course. And then I had pie. We spend some time playing Apples to Apples, and then I went to bed early!

Janine and Gary taking care of the turkey

Next morning I was treated like a princess as Gary made pancakes for me! Real, American, thick, delicious pancakes served with butter, sirup, jam, and whatever else the fridge had to offer! My favorite combo, and my new favorite unhealthy breakfast, is crunchy peanut butter, raspberry jam, and banana. Try it, and be amazed! 

Then I was off. Janine gave me a ride to the Greyhound station, from where I caught a bus to Glendale (Phoenix) and two city busses to reach Jesús' place. He wouldn't arrive till Sunday, but had given me the key. Today is Monday, and I have spent the last couple of days doing... not much. And its been great! I've been reading and sleeping and watching some TV, talking with Jesús when he's home, baking brownies, walking around the neighborhood, and regained the urge to be productive! I'm getting some EPSA stuff done, and sketched a career action plan... Time to go home soon! :)

EPSA team skype meeting, 8 PM CET = noon for me!

Back in Copenhagen

Apparently I left my blogging skills somewhere in Mesoamerica... A shame really, 'cause I still feel like I have a lot to tell! Better late than never, I guess!

Remember the comment in my previous blog post, that I was home though not quite? It took me a while to get out of the bubble, and still now, 2 months later, I often feel how I have changed during my stay in America. It really is hard to explain, though by now I have tried several times! My best attempt is as follows:

When I took off to US I knew pretty well who I was. I left with a feeling that I was finding myself, and that I knew how I fitted into my environment. Getting settled in Arizona with that feeling was easy, since I was on a blank page - nothing to fit into. While being away I learned more about myself, independently from my original surroundings, and this is where it gets tricky. When I was back home, I felt like my home and I had developed in different directions, so I could not rely on old habits and experiences. Instead I had (and still have) to reconsider many aspects of my life in the light of these changes. I'm lucky to have friends who can assure me that what Im going through is normal!

Actually, I thought of another way to explain why it is hard to come back home. Its like taking up an old knitting-project, after having learned more techniques and acquired new types of yarn... One has to reconsider the pattern to make it all fit together, old and new, to continue the work in a way that makes sense!

Anyway, to "settle back in" in Denmark would hardly be possible, since I have never been "settled" in Copenhagen. Before US (and in Tucson as well) I was always restless, wanting to make things happen all the time! Whether I have shed the restlessness by now is hard to tell, since I have been away from Denmark more than 15 of the 65 days I have been back in Europe.

I spent the first days sleeping a lot, as far as I remember. And finishing the book I had been reading during my Mexico-trip, which actually served as a nice transition-facilitator! :) Then slowly I started finding a way back to life, with work-out, dinners with friends, and 2 weeks after arriving I started writing my master thesis. Very interesting topic, though still I haven't quite found the read thread through it. We will see how it goes! In the beginning somehow challenged by the fact that I could not wake up till at least 10 AM, I have improved a bit lately.

There has been a lot of things to come back to, luckily, so I haven't sat around being bored. I held two trainings already in Copenhagen, one about Personal Time Management and one in Presentation skills, the latter encouraged by the study board in my faculty. Several others have taken my time lately, but I will tell you about those in my next posts. :)

All in all, its good to be back, though I miss Arizona, and not least the people there!

Mexico revisited

A month and a half. That has been the time it took for me to land firmly enough to go back to my blog - and even now it is a weird feeling. Before I dive more into that, let me tell you the story i owe you about our last two days in Mexico.

See the cacti?

Leaving Oaxaca early early (out of the hostel little before 6 AM) we took a bus back to Mexico City, from where we had left 2 weeks earlier. Beautiful trip with the landscape changing several times, from mountainous to flat agricultural land. Some spots almost resembled the Sonoran dessert in Arizona, with vast areas of huge cacti. Only here it was a bit greener.

We were going to stay at Emmanuel's house, my Mexican friend I met in Russia, whom also guided us around during our first days in the city two weeks before. He picked us up and took us home, where we waited a bit for his parents to come home. Then we had a big lunch served by the maid (!), and afterwards Emmanuel had to go to work for the rest of the evening. Instead we spent some time with his mom and brother, Juan Diego, who wanted to take us to Frida Kahlo's house. Unfortunately it was closed. Instead we went to see the University, as big as a city it has 306.000 students!

Considering to go out with Juan Diego, we ended up deciding to stay in. Not because of lack of sleep as such, but at this point we were so exhausted after the travels that we needed to rest. The next morning Emmanuel's mom served us quesadillas with beans for breakfast, and then was so kind to take us to the metro station so we could explore the city on our own! We walked from the station to Frida Kahlo's house, not far but challenging because we didn't have a proper map! However, we managed with a few directions from people who couldn't bare to see us looking lost, and our joined map-skills. :)

For those of you who don't know who Frida Kahlo is, I can briefly summarize that she is one of the most popular Mexican painters, who lived from 1907-1954, if I remember correctly. The one with the mono-brow... Google her. ;) Her house where she lived during parts of her life with her husband Diego Rivera has this incredible blue color, which I have felt like taking into my living room since I was there. Maybe not so suitable, but anyway... The house is equipped with paintings, photos, and letters by Frida and Diego, and it was a really nice experience to be there.

From the house we went through a big park eating ice cream and watching squirrels in our attempt to find a metro station on the other side of the part. Always hard, as they are well hidden, but I have figure out this little trick: Look for a market place. Do to the large amount of people entering and exiting the station, a lot of vendors are attracted to sell their stuff around the stairs, which are then hidden. In the end we found it and went to see the Anthropology Museum.

A very cool "Tree of life"

A huge place, one could spend days exploring the exhibitions of the museum. It is divided in cultures, and hence gives great impressions of the development of Mexico - though slightly hard to get an overview of. We left when it closed, taking a taxi back to Emmanuel's house. That was however harder than expected - the driver knew the area where we were going, but not the street. Without GPSs in the cars, one can imagine the challenges of taxi drivers in Mexico City! With my fractured Spanish I understood that he was asking us if we knew the street, but obviously we didn't. It took quuuuiite some time for him, and several stops to ask for directions, before FINALLY, cold, tired, and hungry, we made it back. Sigh.

Juan Diego and Emmanuel

A little while later we left the house again, this time with the expert guides Emmanuel and Juan Diego! First stop was a favorite restaurant of theirs, where I tasted Tacos al pastor for the first time. And what a shame that I didn't discover those before! Delicious meat served with onions on a taco with pineapple, it was super good! After squeezing lime in my eye and eating too many tacos we went to a salsa club to get some exercise! We had to wait for a while till the music changed to salsa, but enjoyed beer and the good company in the meantime.

Too early the next morning Sofie was flying home, and Emmanuel took her to the airport while I slept... Sorry for being not sympathetic and joining, but like mentioned before at this stage I was exhausted. I spent the rest of the day with Emmanuel, after packing my things. We went to get tamales (UHM!) for breakfast/lunch, and then took off to see some areas of the city, where I hadn't been before. First an area where artists exhibit their art and vendors sell souvenirs and stuff. Really a nice walk around! With the help of the GPS on Emmanuel's phone we took a side leap to another house of Frida Kahlo's, where she and Diego worked and lived in periods.

Our next stop was yet another cute area of the city, of course with the usual vendors. Here I spent my last Mexican money on earrings to my dear sister, and then had dinner in a very Mexican restaurant! Remember that I got this incredible mango dressing for my salad, a shame that we can't get that kind of mangos in Denmark! :)

And then I was off to the airport. 11 hours later Helene and mom picked me up in the airport, took me home and cooked me dinner. I was in a bubble. Six months and four days of adventure was over. Just like that - though not quite...