Overprotected

 

When it came to the hikes in Matagalpa, each and every one is unsafe.  The hikes lead to areas that were unsafe villages.  The locals and the tourists were both saying that it was unsafe. It’s just the areas of town that people don’t go exploring. For me, it is an exploration. I love these people. They are beautiful, kind, full of spirit and religious. Of course, there are those reacting to their environment. They are angry, confused, stealing, misguided, and liars.  I love these people just as much because I know they all have potential. They are going through a difficult time, but inside they are good people. They are on the wrong path, but people have to believe in them in order for them to change.

The biggest advice was to watch my stuff because there were reports of theft-stealing phone and cameras. The most recent report was about a year ago. 

If I had to count the number of hikes I did on a tour, it would probably be on one single hand. I do them alone, I have my time alone with my higher power, I take a lot of time staring at trees, staring at the sky, and smelling flowers, and I’m content.  I don’t need a group of tourists flashing cameras in my face and talking about what they miss about USA-no gracias.

Off I went up to the top with not one person bothering me. People think that there are some guys hanging around waiting to bother you. The only men I saw were working and focused on their job. This hike, specifically, was completely peaceful. The weather was cloudy with the sun making an appearance on occasion. Some kids were on their way to school-my favorite part of traveling-watching kids get an education.

When it came to the view point, I wanted to get to- I asked for advice from my fellow security guard. There were some beautiful houses that he was protecting. He was adorable, just love security guards ugh.


He said there are some “ladrones”-thieves and I should be very careful.

Now when a security guard at the top advises you to be careful-you take his advice. People who are stereotyping-no.

He did say, he would keep an eye on me and the area. He was able to see me walk up to that area.

 

Then I pass by a gardener who is lifting a bush on his back (not something we see regularly). I ask him exactly how to get to the top (I don’t use a map. People are my maps). He tells me to just keep following the dirt path so I do.

There I am walking and walking, the view is getting nicer. I am almost up to the top when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Ahhh.” Priscilla

I turn around and it’s the gardner from below.

“I just wanted to make sure you are okay. My friend told me that there can be some thieves up here hiding. You never know what could happen.”

This kid was on the job working for a wealthy home. They could fire him or scold him for disappearing and he came to make sure I get up there safely.

For me, this does not surprise me because I see beautiful people do these acts of kindness over and over. This is what beautiful people do because they care. If these people who talk about how dangerous is it could just read this post.

Anyways, he told me he works as a gardener and works on a family coffee estate on the mountain opposite to us. This boy was angelic, so sweet, innocent, and working to help his family.  He offered to take photos for me and I didn’t even ask him.

I told him that I wanted sometime  to meditate and I didn’t want him to get into trouble. As expected, there were no thieves so I was safe. 

 

It was just me and my space to breathe.  The time on the top just “alone” is priceless. Moments that can’t be replaced with a car or a tour bus. Thank you my legs work just fine. 

A surprise on the way down...

It’s just incredible how safe and protected, I can feel from local people. It’s the opposite of the tourist expectation and I write this so travelers can believe in people. Believe the best and your will receive the best. Believe the worst and you will receive the worst. Please look at the evidence. Both these local people were concerned for me going up by myself and they wanted me to be safe. There was a possibility of someone committing a crime, but there was no one there. The locals protect the tourists because they also have a fear that something could happen. Both sides are juggling fear back and forth.  If there was a seriously dangerous place, I would take people’s advice, but I know this is not.  It’s just local people living their daily lives-this is not crime rather this reality.

Nice place near the top is Lomas De San Thomas, which is a resort. This area could really be that bad that close the a resort? Most likely not.

Volcano Board & Run

Quetzaltrekkers is a non-profit organization that has activities such as hiking up volcanoes, kayaking, horseback riding, and canopy.  What is fantastic about this organization is that 100 percent of all profits go to after school programs for children in Leon. 

In Leon, there are 14 volcanoes that can be visited with most of them being able to hike up to the top. The best part being that three or four of them are Active volcanoes.  This means that you could be hiking up all happily and then they could erupt.  Some people are reading this with such fear, but the likelihood of that actually happening is slim. It's just risk taking along with a great nice hike out in open air. 

The tour consisted of a couple rookie(new) tour guides.  The tour guides are also volunteers.  One from the Netherlands and the other from French. Of course, I had to nickname my new French buddy, "Frenchie."  And why not name the other one "Dutchie." He was like 18 and just learning about everything- always interesting listening to the fresh chickens speak.  On the tour, there was a girl from Germany, a couple from San Francisco, a couple from England, and me.  It's not shocking to see a German traveling as they always cross my path. They travel like it's nobodies business. She even said she has no interest in settling down and she just wants to travel. Most Germans are that way-travel and then settle down with the marriage and children.
                                                      Frenchie 
Off we went in the back of a truck with bumps and bumps and bumps on the dirt roads through the villages to the Serro Negro volcano. It was really nice seeing the outside of Leon because I was always in the city around the same areas.  When we arrived, he took all our boards out the truck and handed each of them to us.  They were super heavy like twenty pounds or something like that. Dutchie handed it to me and I looked at Frenchie making my questionably disgusted face.


 I absolutely love hiking- one of my favorite activities, but walking up with a heavy board or extra weights just isn't my thing.  


After fifteen minutes, I tell Frenchie I'm tired and he takes my board.  He's super cool and we have some nice conversation so he doesn't mind. As I am watching him carry it and behind me, I take it back from him because I'm the only one not carrying my board.  I'm the tough competitor, not the slow one who can't carry my board. I pick up my pace and move my way up to the front.
                                                Dutchie 


It's pretty steep and the views are beautiful. It's just one big volcano full of volcanic ash and rocks. The full details are in the previous post. 


As for making it to the top, we all did.  We were the first company to go down and us girls were definitely not ready. It looked much steeper than we anticipated. Not to mention I was wearing Keens, which had opening on the side(Really? Priscilla what were you thinking?) I had to open up my shoes to remove stones and ash every ten minutes-ridiculous.  I'm not going to act like I was perfectly brave up there. The girls and I were contemplating walking down.  You could have a wipe out and roll down the volcano- yikes.  We let the boys go first and most of them were pretty slow going down and the one German girl flew down at lightening speed.  She had a board I didn't want. 



When it came to my turn, I was just sitting there thinking about my sledding accident where I fell down on my lower back(my only injury I've ever had and it was minor).  The tourists were all laughing as I was entertaining them with my 10 year old antics.



Off I went down the mountain moving slowly like a turtle and mid way down I gained speed and let myself speed down. The boys are at the bottom with their positive praise and high fives. 
We all walked to the truck to snack on cookies and bananas.  Then he gives us a nice surprise
"Who wants to back up and run down? "
Priscilla. "I do, I do." 

The other girls were munching on cookies and looked up at him like, "Oh no we are staying right here." This means it was just me and the boys- normal for Priscilla to accept the challenge and hang with the boys. 

 It was so nice the second time up as we seemed to have some real discussion and spiritual moments.
I always love just being one of the boys and being strong and tough. That's exactly what I was this time. I was not a scared girl on a board rather I was a strong boy running down with power and confidence-nice.

                                                                                     Running Down Volcano 




For lunch, we at a tomato and cucumber salsa with tortillas. But that wasn't it. He pulled out the beans in a bag. Oh no he didn't! The refried beans in bag were surprisingly good and they were vegan so no complaints by me.

 Sitting near us there were men making the boards shaving off the outside-it's a lot of work and they said they finish one or two per hour.  Also, behind our eating space with hammocks and benches, there were peacocks and ducks.  At the end of our trip, we all got a free shirt and some more snacks. What a great company and cause-so impressed.   
This was such a wonderful reward for my work. It truly is the best motto.  "Work hard and play harder."
              

  

Pris Declines 1970s Bus

So being an Indian, I do like to save a couple fine dimes here and there. This especially comes into play with transportation. When backpacking, I rarely  take flights in between countries unless there is no other option. I rely on buses, preferably with locals and tourists. It does depend on the country and safety, but i have taken tractors, chicken buses, and so many overfilled buses.

For this trip, I planned for tourist buses and regular buses- a mix of both, but not to the extreme as my first trip. If negative, my wallet remembers my experience the next time i book.

For my first big bus trip to the Northeastern side of Guatemala crossing over to Belize, I was asking many questions from agency to agency.  My goal was to receive my best travel quote and the advice that I received was a good one from Atitlan tours. He told me to book everything separately and the price would come out $10 shorter.

Well, I thought I was saving, but it ended up being $7 and I did not receive a big pretty tourist bus. I spent all summer a couple years ago driving around on the beautiful Mercedes buses in Turkey. When you pay that much money, they give you quality. It's partially the case for the Guatemala City buses.

After all the back and forth with what's good for me, I ended up on a crappy bus.

My loco driver Carlos was driving us to the Guatemala City bus terminal. I joke with him that he's a crazy driver and I have to watch him on the road, which I did sitting in the front seat.  When he rushes into the parking lot, the brakes screech, and I look at him and laugh as he frantically jumps out of the car. My eyes are immediately drawn to the brand new buses and I shout, "Yes" inside my head.

We  part ways and Carlos says, "Buenas Suerte" and gives me a hug. It was very sweet and kind. I go up to the window to purchase my ticket and she says 190 Quetzal, which is the expected $26. I head outside for fresh air and a man is selling used travel pillows for $3. I tell him he has a very smart idea and to keep selling(my job to encourage people and be good to them).

We head out through some security system for the bus. I was pretty impressed with it and then I give my ticket and after my joking with the security guy, I see an old 1970s looking bus in front of me. I show my ticket and I point to the new bus to the left.
He says, "No this is your bus." Pris says, "No that's my bus."

He says, "Mi corazon you can take the new bus at 10 or 1030, which was only an hour and a half away."
I excitedly went to the girl in front and asked to switch and she said,
"  No those buses are full." She looked at me like even if I did have a seat, I wouldn't give it to you because you want a new bus. I  could have tried  asking the driver,but I let It go.

There were a few other tourists on the 1970s bus and they did not even seem to care(hence their backpacker laizzez fair attitude. My main logic behind this bus interest being that new buses are less likely to break down.  I was the only one as I stared at the brand new pretty bus from my seat that sat over the engine. The seats were very comfortable, but it spelled like dirty hippie and a Burger King whopper.  Ok well I'm just going to shut up and deal with it(my new expression for my Pris Like ways).

Driving along with the engine running underneath my butt, I eat some saltine crackers, do some writing, and pass out. I'm all cramped up in 100 degree heat when I get up and see the bus stopped at some junky pit stop. I struggle to open up the 1970s window and poke my head out the window to see the driver standing behind the bus(which is where the engine is located).

 Of course I am shouting in my head, "I told you so!" People are sitting around looking dumbfounded and I step off the bus to find out what's going on. There are a few guys from the bus outside already smoking cigarettes and eating M&Ms. I am telling them in Spanish how I knew this 1970s piece of junk would break down and this is why I wanted the new bus. They are laughing and feeding me M&MS to probably shut me up, which is usually a good idea but I just kept yapping.

Another NEW bus pulls up behind us and out comes the driver all jolly with white 
hair and glasses. I let them do some work on the car before I storm up on them. When I come back, there a few guys working on the car and the driver is sitting and watching. I sit and joke with him about it being a 1970s bus that broke down once and it could happen again. We don't know it's fate. I discover that he is the 10pm driver with the new bus! I tell him to please save me and take me on his bus. I use my charm telling him the air is broken and I could pass out and then we could have a bigger problem. He is very amused and calls me his novia( girlfriend) I laugh and smile thinking sure get me on that bus!

The 1970s bus is fixed and we all start getting back on. I look down sadly like its dooms day. He shouts, " Ven aqui y dame tu bolsa." I run on the bus smiling at my buddies as they know I received my request. I made it onto the bus where there were 3 free spots!

I knew that girl was lying when she said the bus was full. I know she was probably thinking I'm not switching things around for the American girl who wants a new bus.

Well it looks like the American girl got what she wanted and made the switch at 1 am in the middle of the night.

Moral: When you pay for something and you want something, don't give up.

When you are truly connected to people, the possibilities are endless....