Tag: Starbucks

Back to Bogota Colombia and Park 93

It was time to ride back to Bogota and Park 93 to get ready to head home for Christmas. I say Park 93 because when I was in Bogota the last time, one of the nicest areas I visited was Park 93. It is a small park in the Embassy district of Bogota and it is surrounded by restaurants and patios not to mention two Starbucks ha ha. So I was looking forward to enjoying all of this.

Curves

The ride from Salento to Bogota was going to be longer than I have done in a long time. About 6 hours. I left early to tackle it. The ride consisted of going over a small mountain range. As I climbed it got colder and colder. But the view were spectacular. Why didn’t I take a picture 🙁 So bad at that. You’d think that after a year and a half on the road I would be better.

The road was full of twisties. Unfortunately, it appeared to be a major trucking route and I was stuck in line ups for a lot of the curves.

The curves also provided another phenomenon. At each curve was at least one person with a flag. These people were not government workers but rather people who set up house on the curve and were there to direct traffic for tips. They were actually very useful. The curves were sharp and big semis had a hard time negotiating them and staying in their lane. So these people would stop traffic if necessary so truckers could take the curve better. They also served as a warning for oncoming traffic to be careful. The people in poorer countries are so ingenious in making money.

To tip these people, drivers would throw money out of their windows.

Soon, however, this will come to an end. The government is building a freeway along the route that will eliminate these “jobs.”

Torrents

As I entered the outskirts of Bogota I could see the storm clouds gathering. I was only 20 km from my hotel at Park 93. However, it was also rush hour and the traffic in Bogota is horrendous. I was barely moving.

Then it hit. Torrents of rain. It wasn’t long before I was soaked as I had left my vents open in my riding suit as it was also hot. At least once I was soaked it felt better than the shock of getting wet ha ha.

I wasn’t the only thing soaked. The roads too became saturated and huge lakes formed. The outcome of these was me getting splashed as cars went by me. Also they became so deep that they reached my boots and splashed over top of them. As approached lights I tried to time things so I wouldn’t have to stop in the lakes.

It took me well over a hour to ride the 20 km to the hotel.

Park 93

Once I arrived I dried off. For the next week I could enjoy Park 93. During the day I went to Starbucks to work and sit in the park for a bit.

IMG_6195-1

IMG_6197-1

At night the park turned into a Christmas fairytale.

IMG_6194-1

IMG_6193-1

IMG_6192-1

IMG_6191-1

IMG_6190-1

IMG_6185-1

I wish we had similar parks back home. When it comes to socialization the Central Americans and Colombians have us beat with there plazas and parks to hang out at and enjoy a coffee and talking to people.

Socialization

Speaking of socialization, that is the one thing I miss while riding. It came to the forefront one night as I walked around Park 93. The restaurant patios were filled with people laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Even though I am not the most social person, I miss that and I suppose it being Christmas time brought it more home. I got pretty down.

This has happened periodically throughout my adventure. Social encounters are brief due going from one place to another. They are also rather limited due to the language barrier. One thing I should have done is learned Spanish before heading out. But even if I meet up with someone who speaks english, the conversation is fairly superficial. As a result, small things like a smile become important. Perhaps it is lucky I’m not that social to begin with or it would hit me harder.

Soon I would be heading home for Christmas though.

Motos y Servitecas de Colombia

If you remember, in Jardin I dropped my motorcycle and broke off my mirror. A place recommended by one of the blogs I read was Motos y Servitecas de Colombia. This place is a bit of a hole in the wall but the service was amazing. They were so friendly and fixed my mirror right away. They even detailed my motorcycle. I would highly recommend this place.

Motorcycle Storage

The one issue to take care of before I flew home was storing my motorcycle. I was very fortunate that a person I went to college with knew a person whose father lived in Bogota. As a result I made arrangements to store my motorcycle at his place. It worked out perfect. Now I was ready to go home and see my kids and friends.

My Route on December 2, 2017

Screenshot (62)

My Location from December 3 to 6, 2017

Screenshot (64)

In preparation to fly home early in the morning, I moved to a hotel close to the airport.

My Location on December 7, 2018

Screenshot (65)

Sightseeing in Medellin Colombia

After a week of catching up on my blogs it was time to do some sightseeing in Medellin.

Medellin Metrocable

High on my sightseeing list was the Medellin Metrocable. The Metrocable was in the opposite end of the city where I was staying. That meant taking the Metro to get there.

The Medellin Metro is very modern and very cheap! Only $2 Canadian to take it to the opposite end of the city.

IMG_5898-1

IMG_5899-1

When I reached the Metrocable I was in for another surprise. The Metrocable is a gondola. Back home gondolas are largely tourist attractions or ways to get to the top of the ski hill. But here they are an integral part of thee transit system for poor people living on the side of the mountain. The big surprise was this Metrocable was included with the $2 I spent to take the Metro. It is just a part of the transit system. So I just transferred to it and off I went for the ride.

IMG_5900-1

IMG_5901-1

IMG_5904-1

IMG_5905-1

IMG_5906-1

IMG_5907-1

IMG_5909-1

IMG_5910-1

Once you get to the top, this is where the tourist part starts. It no longer is a transit system but a tourist ride over a forest plateau. And you pay extra for that. Almost double my $2 transit fare. So the ride continued.

IMG_5908-1

IMG_5911-1

IMG_5912-1

The end was rather disappointing. I was hoping for a nice spot to sit, have a cup of coffee, and enjoy the sights. Instead, there were just a few food stalls and no view.

IMG_5913-1

There are some walks you can do through the forest but that is it.

It was time to head back “home.”

IMG_5916-1

IMG_5915-1

IMG_5917-1

IMG_5920-1

IMG_5927-1

IMG_5928-1

IMG_5930-1

IMG_5931-1

IMG_5939-1

IMG_5942-1

IMG_5943-1

Of course amongst all the poverty is a beautiful soccer pitch 🙂

IMG_5944-1

IMG_5950-1

IMG_5952-1

Time to transfer back onto the transit part of the Metrocable

IMG_5953-1

IMG_5954-1

Soon I was back to my comfortable surroundings in Envigado.

IMG_5985-1

IMG_5986-1

IMG_5988-1

Downtown Medellin

My next sightseeing trip was to go downtown. One of the major attractions there are the sculptures in Botero Plaza created by Fernando Botero.

IMG_5961-1

IMG_5962-1

IMG_5963-1

IMG_5964-1

IMG_5965-1

IMG_5966-1

IMG_5969-1

IMG_5972-1

I walked around downtown hoping to see some more great things.

IMG_5971-1

Other than this mall, I was disappointed.

IMG_5975-1

IMG_5974-1

I decided to take a walk to another place in the downtown area listed on my sightseeing things to see – Bolivar Park.

IMG_5977-1

IMG_5978-1

The park ended up being disappointing as well. I guess worth seeing but not mind blowing ha ha. Perhaps I have seen so much now that it takes more to impress me.

IMG_5980-1

IMG_5979-1

IMG_5981-1

So I just kept walking to lose myself in the city. As I walked I came across the government area. It was deserted but had some nice sculptures.

IMG_5983-1

IMG_5984-1

Back home 🙂

IMG_5989-1

Sunday Football in Poblado

Envigado where I am staying, and Poblado just north are reportedly the two nicest areas of Medellin. An English pub in Poblado was suppose to be the best place to watch NFL football. So that is where I headed.

The area where the pub was located was filled with restaurants around a small park.

IMG_5991-1

IMG_5992-1

IMG_5990-1

IMG_5993-1

Finally got to my pub to watch some football … in English too!

IMG_5994-1

Regional Metropolitano Cerro El Volador Natural Park

My last sightseeing spot was the Regional Metropolitano Cerro El Volador Natural Park. This is a hill overlooking Medellin.

Here I discovered that after a year of riding and a hernia operation, that I am dreadfully out of shape. I discovered this after climbing numerous stairs to get to the top.

IMG_6001-1

I am kind of frustrated, discouraged and disturbed by how out of shape I have become. It is a combination of no strenuous activity and poor eating. Something to watch for if you are planning on a motorcycle adventure of your own.

Anyways, I did make it to the top.

IMG_5997-1

IMG_5998-1

IMG_5999-1

After my exercise I headed past the Medellin river, back on the Metro and home.

IMG_5996-1

Starbucks

Actually, before heading home after each sightseeing trip, and on the days in between, I spent time at Starbucks at the Milla de Oro. It was my place to relax and enjoy a coffee. Plus they knew me and greeted me by name. Unique about this particular Starbucks was that they wrote a saying on everyone’s cup. This is the one I liked the best:

IMG_5995-1

“Brian, the best.” 🙂

My Location from October 24 to November 19, 2017

Screenshot (51)

Working Away in Medellin Ville

After exploring Bogota, it was time to get back on the road and ride to Medellin, Colombia. Once there I would spend a month in an Airbnb I rented. The reason for spending a month there was to wait out the rainy season, get caught up on my blog posts, study Spanish, and do some housekeeping.

As a retired police officer, Medellin was infamous for its drug trade. However, I understand things have changed. Can’t wait to explore the city I’ve heard so much about over the years.

Ride to Medellin

As I was planning my ride to Medellin I couldn’t seem to figure out how long it would take. Each map I looked on gave different riding times. Because of that I left early.

The first part of the ride seemed to take forever as I negotiated the Bogota traffic. Tortuous! Once out on the open road though it was a nice leisurely ride through the hills to Medellin.

I arrived at my Airbnb at 2 pm after leaving at 7 am in the morning. At first I couldn’t figure out which was the apartment complex and no one seemed to be coming out. I spoke to a manager of one of them to see if he could help. Even though I didn’t understand a word he said, eventually he hooked me up with the mother of the person I was renting from. The Spanish here is Colombia is quite different than what I have been used to in Central America.

After a quick explanation of the rules I got settled in.

Laundry

My first order of business was to find out where I was, what was around me, and to find a laundromat. There is a washer in my Airbnb, but I figured if a laundromat was close by, why fiddle around with laundry.

Well, I walked everywhere and asked everyone and there just wasn’t any laundromat anywhere near me. Very strange. In Mexico and Central America they are everywhere! I guess I will do my own laundry.

The good thing about trying to find a laundromat was that I got to know what was around me.

For my first full day I planned on going to a local coffee shop to get caught up on my blog posts. I got there at 9 am but it didn’t open until 10 am. Well, this wasn’t going to work. I sat there for a bit and said to myself, “screw it,” and headed off to the nearest Starbucks that was about a 35 to 40 minute walk from my Airbnb.

From that day on for the next week and a half, I had my routine.

The Day in the Life of Brian in Medellin

I would leave my Airbnb at about 9 am each morning. The Airbnb I have it really nice – 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 7th floor.

IMG_5888-1

IMG_5885-1

IMG_5887-1

The garden outside was decorated for Halloween.

IMG_5890-2

Walk down my street to the main road.

IMG_5891-2

Cross the busy intersection.

IMG_5855-1

You can see Carulla on the left of the picture. That is where I get my groceries.

Then walk along a beautiful tree lined street up and down over a small hill.

Medellin

IMG_5859-1

As I head down to an overpass I reach Santuario De La Virgen de La Rosa Mistica. At first I didn’t know what it was, only that people were there all the time.

IMG_5860-1

IMG_5892-2

At the entrance is a small store to buy candles mostly.

IMG_5893-2

Walking inside you see tile plaques everywhere thanks Rosa for answering their prayers.

IMG_5894-2

IMG_5862

IMG_5865

And then stairs up to Rosa Mistica.

IMG_5867

IMG_5864

IMG_5866

From what I can gather, this shrine has a bit of a sinister past. It was once owned by Pablo Escobar for his henchmen to go and pray for protection and bless their weapons. Apparently half the plaques there are from criminals thanking Rosa. It is also known as the virgin of the assassins.

From there I walk down and up to the Santa Fe mall.

IMG_5869-1

One really cool thing about the mall is that it has a parking entrance just for motorcycles and bicyclists.

IMG_5895-2

Inside the mall if a very cool play area. Hey Mia and Ben (my grandkids) I wish you were here so we could go play in it!!

IMG_5850

As I walk past the mall I can see in the distance a car park that works with elevators!

IMG_5896-2

Ahead is a sign that seems to be welcoming me ha ha

IMG_5873

Past the flower vendor I reach my destination. It has it all 🙂 Starbucks, a BMW motorcycle dealership, Hard Rock Cafe, Krispy Kreme and a fitness centre.

IMG_5874

IMG_5875-1

IMG_5876-1

The Starbucks here is always filled with people working.

IMG_5880-1

IMG_5877-1

Up to the Barista to order, in Spanish ha ha, my usual.

IMG_5879

IMG_5881-1

And then to my spot, ala Sheldon, to work on blog posts and read for the next few hours.

IMG_5897-2

IMG_5882

Once in awhile there there is some impromptu entertainment like this photo shoot outside.

photoshoot-1

Often by the afternoon it starts to rain. I wait for it to subside a bit before walking back home.

In the evenings I hunt for dinner 🙂 and either watch the World Series, NFL football, or just Big Bang Theory, which I downloaded the first 10 seasons to watch.

And that is it for the first week and a half here in Medellin.

My Route on October 23, 2017

Screenshot (48)

My Location from October 24 to November 2, 2017

Screenshot (49)

Beautiful Bogota

Now that I was reunited with my motorcycle, it was time to move locations to downtown Bogota to explore the city.

It was only a short ride to my new hotel, but it was unreal! For a year now I have been riding in hot and humid conditions. Bogota though was cool and with little humidity. It reminded me of riding back home in British Columbia, Canada. It was like the oppression of the heat and humidity was lifted and I was experiencing freedom again.

Hotel Abitare 56

I chose the Hotel Abitare 56 in Bogota to stay at.

IMG_5843-1

It was inexpensive and in the middle of everything. Well …. sort of. It was in the middle alright. Everything I wanted to see was either north or south of where I was.

But I got a room with a view.

IMG_5844-1

And my motorcycle was secure.

IMG_5816-1

Given that, as soon as I arrived I decided to head north to explore Parque de La 93.

Parque de La 93

As I walked to Parque de La 93 I came across a church I wanted to see as well – Nuestra Señora de Lourdes.

IMG_5658-1

IMG_5665-1

As I kept walking I ran into something very familiar!

IMG_5668-1

Finally I reached the Park. It was a small park in the middle of an affluent embassy district. The park was surrounded by awesome restaurants with patios. And there were TWO Starbucks!

IMG_5672-1

IMG_5670-1

There was obviously something taking place in the park as a huge stage was set up with lots of activity.

IMG_5675-1

IMG_5673-1

IMG_5681-1

Turns out it was an opera performance.

IMG_5682-1

I kept walking until I ran into a scary clown.

IMG_5679-1

Time to head home before dark 🙂

Monserrate

THe next day it was time for a long walk south to Monserrate. This is a mountain, I guess, that overlooks the city. You get up there by a funicular.

I was exhausted after the hour and a half walk. Bogota is quite high at 2,640 metres. It does make a difference. Of course being out of shape doesn’t help ha ha.

But I finally arrived.

IMG_5685-1

Got in line to buy tickets.

IMG_5687-1

Then I was ready to be pulled up the mountain.

IMG_5688-1

IMG_5691-1

IMG_5693-1

At the top there was more stairs to climb and now the elevation was really affecting me. There was even a sign warning people about it. However, the views were pretty spectacular.

IMG_5697-1

IMG_5695-1

IMG_5710-1

Of course lots of people were posing.

IMG_5700-1

And, like everywhere in latin america, there was a church up top.

IMG_5709-1

IMG_5708-1

Across on the way on another mountain was a statue of Jesus.

IMG_5699-1

After getting a coffee I walked back down to the funicular another way. Along the path, were the Stations of the Cross.

IMG_5713-1

IMG_5714-1

IMG_5716-1

IMG_5718-1

IMG_5719-1

Back at the funicular it was time to head back down to explore the historical section of Bogota called La Candelaria.

IMG_5721-1

IMG_5729-1

La Candelaria

Now I was exhausted from the elevation and long walk. I cheated and took a taxi to La Candelaria. The first stop was a walk to La Bolivar Plaza.

IMG_5731-1

IMG_5730-1

IMG_5734-1

IMG_5739-1

IMG_5737-1

IMG_5742-1

IMG_5743-1

The PLaza is surrounded by the Cathedral of Colombia, Courthouse Alfonso Reyes Echandia and Capitolio Nacional.

I kept walking around the old city.

IMG_5746-1

Until I happened upon the Teatro Colón Bogotá. I read about that and how beautiful it was inside.

IMG_5747-1

I booked a tour even though I was warned it would all be in Spanish. This place is really worth while to see. Amazingly beautiful.

IMG_5755-1

IMG_5756-1

IMG_5757-1

IMG_5760-1

IMG_5763-1

IMG_5764-1

IMG_5766-1

IMG_5773-1

IMG_5776-1

IMG_5777-1

IMG_5781-1

IMG_5782-1

IMG_5785-1

IMG_5789-1

Palacio De Nariño

I have always been intrigued by politics. So one of my stops had to be Palacio De Nariño or the Presidential Palace of Colombia.

IMG_5798-1

IMG_5799-1

IMG_5800-1

Walk Back Home

By this time I had enough energy to walk back home 🙂

IMG_5801-1

Once home I looked up where I could have dinner. According to Tripadvisor, the 5th best restaurant in Bogota was just a couple blocks away – La Castana.

IMG_5817-1

They served awesome empanadas and natural lemon juice. A really informal place with couches and live music. Very cool.

Sunday NFL Football

The next day was Sunday. And you know what that means :-). I looked up where to watch the games and it looked like Hooters in Zona T was the place to go. Of course another long walk. But also a good chance to see another part of Bogota.

Like this church.

IMG_5828-1

IMG_5827-1

Not sure what the significance of the dog is ha ha.

Zona T turned out to be another affluent spot in Bogota with all the name brand stores and lots of nice restaurants.

IMG_5829-1

IMG_5831-1

IMG_5832-1

IMG_5833-1

But Hooters? It was a bust. I guess a pun was intended. They had the NFL on their TVs but were also playing really loud music. After a quick bite to eat I looked around for the NFL at other restaurants. But all of them had soccer of F1 on. So I decided to walk back home to watch the games on my computer.

IMG_5834-1

IMG_5839-1

IMG_5846-1

Tagging

The one thing really evident during my exploring of Bogota was the tagging and graffiti art. To me, the tagging means they have a significant gang problem in Bogota. When I Googled it I see that Bogota has 107 gangs! And people are really concerned about their increased activity. Here is a sample of the tagging I saw.

IMG_5683-1

IMG_5804-1

IMG_5818-1

IMG_5822-1

IMG_5840-1

IMG_5841-1

Graffiti Art

At the same time there is some amazing graffiti art all over Bogota.

IMG_5684-1

IMG_5802-1

IMG_5806-1

IMG_5807-1

IMG_5808-1

IMG_5810-1

IMG_5812-1

IMG_5815-1

IMG_5820-1

IMG_5821-1

IMG_5823-1

IMG_5824-1

IMG_5835-1

IMG_5842-1

And that was my time in Bogota. Next stop, Medellin.

My Route on October 20, 2017

Screenshot (5)

My Location on October 21 and 22, 2017

Screenshot (6)

Out of Sorts in Alajuela Costa Rica

After arriving back in Alajuela Costa Rica from my 2 week vacation in Vancouver to see my kids, I was feeling a bit out of sorts. My head felt like my brain had turned into cement. I’m not sure why. But these are some of the reasons I came up with:

  • I was suffering from another sinus infection.
  • After 2 weeks of being around my kids and grandkids almost 24/7 it was lonely back at my airbnb and not having people to talk to and play with.
  • I miss my kids and grandkids.
  • Vancouver Canada is beautiful and things are clean and orderly, whereas Alajuela lacks the charm and character of other places I have visited like Oaxaca Mexico, Antigua Guatemala, or Leon Nicaragua.
  • In Vancouver it was daylight until 9 pm. In Alajuela it gets dark at 6 pm.
  • I am getting tired of the rainy season.
  • 14 months of being a transient takes its toll.
  • Just a normal cycle.

I’m not really sure. Perhaps all of the above.

Airbnb

My Airbnb in Alajuela was pretty nice. It was also under my budget as I had booked it for a month.

outside 2 airbnb alajuela

outside airbnb alajuela

airbnb alajuela

I definitely got some exercise though. It was a 2 km walk up and down hills to get to Starbucks where I spent most of my days working on blogs. For the first few days I felt it in my calfs.

Starbucks

Yes I know …Starbucks Starbucks Starbucks ha ha. I fell in love with the chain back in 1993 when I was working in Vancouver. There was a Starbucks right below my office. A group of us would go there each morning for coffee. Back then it was a novelty and not the ubiquitous entity it is now. It was cool then. Now people like to put it down because it is a chain. But I don’t care. It is my home away from home. And free Wifi to do my blogs 🙂

The one in Alajuela is particularly nice, both the building and the staff.

Alajuela

starbucks

Ever since the first day I arrived in Alajuela they remembered my name and greeted me with it as I walked in each day. It is the small things like that that make a solo traveler feel good.

Routine

I spent 2 weeks in Alajuela and developed a bit of a routine. First thing in the morning it was off to Starbucks for my morning coffee. I couldn’t leave too early though. Unlike Canada where Starbucks opens at 5 or 6 am to catch all those commuters needing their morning coffee on their way to work, here Starbucks didn’t open until 8:30 am on weekdays and 9:30 am on weekends.

I would work on my blogs until lunch time. Then I would head to a fast food place. Everything is soooooo expensive here and so to stay within budget, fast food is all I could afford. For example, a Starbucks Grande coffee and a blueberry muffin cost me $7:30 Canadian. A Big Mac Combo was $8.50.

After lunch I headed back to Starbucks to work some more. Then came the tricky part. Everyday, starting in the afternoon, there is a thunderstorm and torrential rains.

rain alajuela

The trick was to figure out if I should wait it out or head home before it started. I had to judge just how quickly the storm was developing.

Before walking back home I would stop at Subway to pick up a meal for dinner.

mall

Another cheap eat for here anyways.

Yes, the mall where the Subway and Starbucks is is modern. A lot of cities in Mexico and Central America have a North American style mall somewhere to cater to the more well to do people. It certainly doesn’t represent the rest of Alajuela. Although, Costa Rica in general is a wealthy country compared to the other Central American countries I have visited so far.

Errands

There were a few things to take care of while I was here. I wanted to get my teeth cleaned. I made an appointment online. However, when I arrived I was met with a closed door.

Dentist

Turned out they had moved from that location. They hadn’t updated their website or confirmation response.

My motorcycle needed cleaning too. Some people take pride in a bike covered in mud. I like to ride a clean motorcycle 🙂

car wash

car wash 2

It just seems to perform better when clean ha ha.

With that I was ready to leave Alajuela. Too long here.

My Location from August 14 to 16 and September 1 to 9, 2017

alajuela 2

San Salvador and the Lost Camera Charger

From El Tunco it was a very short ride to San Salvador, El Salvador.

Starbucks

I was surprised to learn that San Salvador had a Starbucks! Because I got to San Salvador way too early to check into my hotel, I went to Starbucks to relax for a while and do some work.

While I was there, I was approached by MT Ruiz who said he had been reading my blog! He is an avid motorcyclist from Honduras who was now working in El Salvador. So nice to meet fellow motorcyclist. It made my day to meet him 🙂

Camera Charger

You may notice in this post that there aren’t many pictures. Well, while I was in Antigua I noticed the camera charger for my Canon point and shoot was missing. In El Tunco I went through all my belongings looking for it. It wasn’t there 🙁 The last place I remember it was in Lanquin, Guatemala, when I was charging the battery. I must have left it there. That is the second time on this trip I have done that.

When I got to San Salvador the battery had finally gone dead. Since this was a major city I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a problem to find a charger. They are all over the place back home. I had one whole day in San Salvador to look for one. Np problem!?

The next day after checking into my hotel in San Salvador I started my search.

I went to Sears, two Radio Shacks, Simans, RAF photo, Sanborns, Office Depot and 3 electronic stores. None had ANY camera chargers!! The clerk at Office Depot said I would have a hard time finding one here. I can’t be the only one to ever have lost their charger.

I checked on line to see if I could get one sent to me. The online stores in El Salvador get them from the US. It would cost me $100 US to buy one and take 2 weeks to get here. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. I could buy a new camera for that price.

So without a charger my Canon point and shoot is basically worthless. This created a problem for me. I like the point and shoot because it is easy to use and it fits in my front pocket.

Luckily, I do have a Sony 6000 with me as well as a GoPro and my Samsung phone. The problem with the Sony is that it is big and I store it in my backpack. I really don’t like to have it around my neck as I just feel too conspicuous. The other thing is that I am not as comfortable using it. Lots of settings ha ha.

Oh well, at least I have a camera. It would take me a few days to get in the habit of using it. Soooooo not many pictures of San Salvador. I should have used my phone but wasn’t really thinking.

On the bright side, I did manage to find another Starbucks during my search for a charger. I took comfort there for a while before heading back to my hotel.

For the rest of the evening I drowned my sorrows in a couple of beer at a local Sports Bar.

I did get the feature photo though at Starbucks ha ha

And I got one of my hotel room.

san salvador room

I will make it up to you and me.

My Route for July 14, 2017

el tunco san salvador

My Location for July 15, 2017

san salvador

Sick in Antigua

As I left Lanquin I didn’t know I would wind up sick in Antigua for a couple of weeks.

Leaving Lanquin

Riding out of Lanquin I was thinking I should be staying longer. I really liked it here. Of course, the anxiety over making the 11 km trek over dirt roads back to pavement may have influenced that 🙂 The road was certainly doable, after all I did it to get to Lanquin. But at the same time it wasn’t easy in some parts. At least for me.

As I made my way I passed a lot motorcycle commuters on their 125 cc bikes. They zipped along no problem while I lumbered along on my fully loaded 1200 cc bike. I got to one portion that once was cobblestone or maybe just stones. In any case, now the stones were no longer flat but sticking up in all sorts of positions and angles. I was taking it slow. So slow that I stalled my bike. The uneven stones made it such that I couldn’t get stable footing as I put my feet down. Down the bike went.

Getting the bike back up wasn’t too much of a problem. One of the 125 cc bikers stopped to lend me a hand too.

Once up and running again there were no problems. Only magnificent views.

La Sin Ventura Hotel Antigua

Once pack on pavement it was a nice relaxing ride to the La Sin Ventura Hotel in Antigua. I had picked the hotel because it was below my accommodation budget, it had great reviews, and it was right in the center of town.

The room was very small and basic. But it was immaculately clean! There wasn’t even a speck of dust under the bed.

The only issue is that is is located right on top of the Monoloco nightclub which operates 5 nights a week. For the first night it didn’t bother me. I was tired. And as I went to sleep I had a sore throat and could feel the onset of a sinus infection.

Sinus Infection to Fluid in the Lungs

The next day I had full on sinus infection. I only planned on staying in Antigua for 2 nights before heading into El Salvador. That wasn’t going to happen now. I booked another 3 nights at the hotel.

As the days went on my sinus infection migrated into my lungs. This is a problem for me as I am susceptible to pneumonia. I upped my normal meds to combat it and went to the pharmacy to get some amoxicillin.

The 3 nights passed and I still had fluid in my lungs. I booked another 3 nights. Eventually it started to break. In all I spent 2 weeks in Antigua battling it. By the time I eventually left I still had some sinus infection but the fluid was gone from my lungs.

Antigua Routine

Antigua is not a bad place to be sick. It really does have most of the comforts of home. I didn’t have much motivation to do anything but I got into a nice relaxing routine.

At about 9 am I would wake up and head to the & Cafe for coffee. The & had a really nice lounging chair that looked onto the main plaza.

volcano

The & Cafe is just to the right in the picture. And my hotel is just a block down the street. Great location.

I would sit there for a few hours with a coffee and later a smoothie, watching people, looking at Facebook, doing research for a project and basically zoning out.

Once in a while though someone would sit next to me and we would strike up a conversation.

By the afternoon it was time for a rest back at the hotel. I would just lay down for a couple hours.

By 5 pm I was thinking about something to eat. My usual place was the Londoner.

londoner-pub

The people were friendly, new my name ha ha, and the specials consisted of comfort food like Pork Chops with mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli and carrots.

One day while I was there this guy with long thick hair down to his shoulder blades, wearing shorts with work boots showed up. He had a deep voice and was loud and boisterous. He knew everyone at the Londoner! Right away I knew who he was.

It was like deja vu! I would see the same guy acting in the same way at the Starbucks I frequented in Cook Street Village in Victoria Canada! What were the odds?

I said to him, “You are a long way from the Cook Street Starbucks.” In his loud deep voice he said “NO WAY!” We talked for a bit and he introduced himself as James.

From that day onwards I would see him at the Londoner. And everyday he would tell people how I was from his home village in Victoria and how shocked he was to see me here in Antigua.

As it turned out, he spends part of the year in Antigua and the other part in Victoria.

Back to my routine …. In the evening I would go for a walk, pick up some snacks from the same girl each night and sometimes pick up a piece of pie to eat in my room.

My hotel room didn’t have WiFi so I would spend the evening watching episodes of Friends I had purchased before leaving for those times there wasn’t WiFi.

Eventually I fell asleep and started the routine again the next day.

Errands

I did manage to do some errands one morning. Like getting my bike washed and fill it with gas. I also spent a couple hours wandering around Antigua. That is about all the energy I had.

church

church 2

arch

My Route on June 23, 2017

lanquin-antigua

My Location from June 24 to July 9, 2017

Antigua

San Francisco de Campeche, Mexico

When I got back from Havana, I spent two night in Merida to get my act together, and then it was onto Campeche, Mexico.

The ride there wasn’t anything spectacular, the road was straight with bushes on either side, and it was hot!

It was a short ride so I stopped in at The Italian Coffee for a Frap. I was do hot.

I checked into my hotel but the power kept going off. That meant no WiFi and no air conditioning. The hotel was right across from a modern mall with recognizable names such as Chili’s and Starbucks. So I spent the evening enjoying the air conditioning, walking around the mall, and having a salad at Chili’s.

Wikipedia and Campeche

Wikipedia says about Campeche:

Founded in 1540 by Francisco Montejo, Campeche was terrorized by pirates and marauders until the city started fortification in 1686.

San Francisco de Campeche was originally an indigenous village, Ah Kim Pech, where the Spanish first landed in Mexico in 1517. The city of Campeche was founded in 1540 and fortified against pirates during the 17th century. It still has the appearance of a fortress. Historical monuments and buildings, such as the Franciscan cathedral, old Maya ruins, and the old city walls and forts, attract many tourists.

The fortifications system of Campeche, an eminent example of the military architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries, is part of an overall defensive system set up by the Spanish to protect the ports on the Caribbean Sea from pirate attacks like the 1663 Sack of Campeche.

The state of preservation and quality of its architecture earned it the status of a World Heritage Site in 1999.

Historic Campeche

My hotel was a good walk away from the historic site of Campeche. I walked there along a nice malecon

campeche-malecon

Campeche-statue

And finally arrived at the entrance to the old city.

campeche-historic-entrance

The historic center was so clean. Almost sterile. And there wasn’t really much happening. Where were all the people?

campeche-street-statue

Perhaps it was too hot out. Who knows. I walked around looking for some sort of action.

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral

As is the case in practically every Mexican town, the main plaza and church are the focal point.

campeche-zocalo

campeche-church-3

I always like to check out the inside of these churches.

campeche-church-inside

Well, even at the main plaza there wasn’t much happening. I sat on the church steps in the shade for a while just people watching. But there weren’t many people to watch. So I walked to check out another church.

Ex Templo de San José

This temple was erected by the Jesuits in 1716 and was an institute of higher learning until the Spaniards took over in 1767.

campeche-church-2

The doors were locked so I couldn’t check out the insides. It is a museum now. Not much into museums.

Well, there just wasn’t much happening in the town and no place that appealed to me to sit down and have a drink. Plus it was soooooooo hot!

So I headed back to the mall across from my hotel to have a Starbucks Frap and sit in the air conditioning.

Campeche is actually a modern and beautiful city. Just not much happening while I was there.

My Route for April 29, 2017

merida-campeche

My Location for April 30 & 31, 2017

campeche

Translate »