Greatpanamerican CRIBS: Ixtapa Edition!

Hey everyone, Well B and I are here in Xela (Quetzaltenango… now you know why everyone uses Xela) for 2 weeks of intensive language school. I suppose the last time we had contact was as we were exiting Palenque. Well we definitely did not make it to Flores the next day. Get this- the road was flooded; prompting a 14 hr. detour south. The one night, for fear of Chiapas post dusk, we slept in this little village (complete with cockroaches and all) off the side of the road; a polar opposite experience to what you guys are about to watch in our CRIBS episode. But that is what makes this trip so unique… and enjoyable. Originally we were told that Chiapas was supposed to be one of the most intensive legs of our trip… and after completing the entire perimeter (not by choice)… we emerged with all of our limbs intact. I have to say Chiapas has one of the most breathe taking landscapes in Mexico.

The Guatemalan border was intense as could be. In fact we had to cross the border back into Mexico to get exit stamps… after our car had to get fumigated? However the people here are genuine and amable. We are treated like Canadians here… and not Gringos! Food here has been interesting. For the first time in my life I can say I am supplementing my diet with McDonalds… just to survive. Beans have yet to get old- actually we have been using the ´Frijole´ standard as a basis of meal costs.

I also must give a shout out to our buddy Rance who we met here in Xela almost two weeks ago- a trio of trouble for a while.

I must say that B and I are still getting along quite well. We have spent the past two weeks apart in separate houses, as well as different teachers at school. So I kinda miss the guy! (Hopefully he isn’t at his house sharpening that giant hunting knife as I write this).

Anyways, I could ramble on for hours… but you id like to save some stories for future video posts. What you are about to watch is a video of our place in Ixtapa, Mexico… about two and a half weeks ago. Enjoy J

Take care all,
Chris

PS. A piece of advice when you travel with another man for this long and I am positive B will agree:
-Tabasco/ Hot sauce rule: When you eat beans as frequently as we have been, hot sauce has been the icing on the cake. However, one can only sauce depending on two factors
1) The weather- whether or not you can open the windows in the car
2) The quantity of toilet paper left in the car- self explanatory…..

Catching up at Palenque... (B's reflections)

Hey All, we´ve been travelling pretty heavy lately, hence the lack of info... Today we just arrived at Palenque (google it!) its one of the largest mayan ruins anywhere... Its massive, and the carvings and tombs, temples and towers all leave quite the impression. Chris and I got off of the beaten track and explored some yet to be uncovered homes. It was sweet, imagine thick jungle encroaching upon the crumbling remains of 1 to 2 story homes... We even got into a few hallways in these old buildings, and, despite the fist sized spiders and strange jungle mold (alright, maybe because of), our exploration was a blast! We emerged with some sweet stone glyphs we found ontop of a unrestored house (and although I would prefer you to think of me as a looter, in reality they are the discarded imitations that locals hawk to tourists...)

Tomorrow we cross into Guatemala near to Flores, and there we hope to start up to two weeks of intense language study. Im mad stoked, although more than suficient for a tourist, my spanish is hardly traveller quality. Thats something that Ive been thinking about quite a bit down here: the difference between a traveller and a tourist, if there is one. For some reason, I find myself naturally prejudiced against the other gringos down here, even though I am more than aware that they are simply looking for a little adventure, just like us! It seems that the feeling is mutual, and that a bit of a cold haze has fallen amoungst all of our parties, the locals see us a white conglomerate to exploit, the gringos see locals as parisitic, and gringos treat each other as though thier mutual pressence diminishes the experince of being here. Its all a little ridiculous, but its still difficult to keep outside of this cycle.
Besides that, everything is holding up well; our diets (although bland) sustain us, our car (though very rattly) still moves, and our spirits (though tested at times) remain high.
I cant express how deeply reality has settled in, how long it will be till we can chill at our homes, hang with friends, or walk somewhere without feeling like an outsider. I do miss home, but I am also really excited about continuing our journey. Its strange to think Ill face an entire year of school after this...

Thanks for all of your comments and facebook posts, Chris and I have a pretty good time working through them (and laghfing retroactively during our countless hours on the road...). Feeling pretty hungry right now, so I think ill go cook up some frijoles...
Hasta luego,
B

Oh, and the punctuation errors, although nonintentional, are inevitable. I cant seem to find an apostrophe or quotation marks anywhere on this keyboard. Also spellcheck is out of commision, and for those of you who know me well, thats kindof a big deal...

Road to Mazatlan: Too Many Curves...

Lets just say Chris nearly barfed... multiple times.

C&B

Welcome to Mexico...

Hey all, you'll be stoked to know that we were just able to get two posts online today! This one chronicles some of our first days in Mexico, which were a medley of fun and stress, and leads into our second (Available above) in which we finally arrive in Mazatlan. A few peeps have been asking for text updates as well, so we'll try, but I warn you; they won't be overly interesting... After a day of killing it driving and crossing army checkpoints, the last thing your interested in is writing a novel flush with descriptive adjectives and solid plotlines.
In further news, we leave today from Ixtapa and continue on... currently we are planning on kicking it to Punto Escondido and then traveling up into the yucatan, visting some ruins (and hopefully doing some hunting :), crossing the border into Guatemala (At a sketchy location that I'm not sure even exists... good thing we have a winch!), and finally hitting some language school at eco-escuela. Should be a good time. We'll keep you updated as it unfolds.

Peace,
Chrissy & B

PS. I uploaded the wrong version of this video... Plot is kinda hard to follow without subtitles and the car sections are messed up (much cooler in the other version). I'll try to change it soon...

Finally... New Orleans!!!

So, the long awaited Blog Post is finally here! Check the movie for details!

Slow internet, failed YouTube...

Yo, So we've tried uploading two new videos to youtube, but they keep hanging upon reaching 100%. I'm gonna try a new video server tonight, and hopefully we'll get y'all semi on track for were we are currently (Sayulita). We will be in Ixtapa shortly, and hopefully we'll find things take a turn for the better there.
All the best,
B

Long Overdue: Our trip down to New Orleans...

Hola todos,
Yeah, I know you´ve all been waiting on the edges of your seats for this one... Our first real video of our actual roadtrip. Although we are actually in Mexico already (Durango to be precise), we´ve only been albe to compiñle footage up to this point. A nother video of our stay in Nawlins will be following asap. Internet is slow down here. Cut us some slack!
C&B

Dropping off the Car!

Well, it's official: The VW is in St. Kitts and Chris is practicing up as you read! If you want to see us off, come down to St Catharines for the wine festival (27th-29th)! There should be room on one of Chris's floors for ya! Check out the facebook group for more info... We leave Canada on the 29th, so this will likely be the last video post for a while (we're gonna try to check in bi-weekly while traveling).
Cheers,
B

Guess We Won't be Going to Bolivia...

Judging by the events of recent days/weeks : ousted ambassadors, violent clashes in Bolivian streets, Russian nuclear payload capable fighter jets landing in Venezuela, heightened tensions around Colombian / Ecuadorian borders; I'm thinking we will probably avoid Bolivia. Check out this CNN vid for a brief overview of the situation:

Some personal reflections...
The one thing that is certain: this trip will challenge much of what we (Chris and I) have been brought up to believe as North Americans. Certainly our concepts of safety, justice and economics will not mesh with the prevailing ideas in South America. I was imagining yesterday trying to debate in Spanish after arguing on a CBC forum for the opening of the airline and uranium industries to increased foreign investment. It was interesting because it is this same battle of left-right policies that dominates much of South America, except down there the pendulum is swinging left.
I wonder what I would believe if I had been born on the other side of the fence. Certainly I agree with my current beliefs, but at their root they are founded upon the arguments of much smarter people than I, and my knowledge of the "opposition" has certainly come through a lens colored by our dominant world-view. Would I also agree with the perspectives of the left if they were presented in a logical manner? By no means do I expect to become a socialist during this trip, but it is likely that this may be the final step in a true "post-modern" education, the loosening of the final bolt grounding my beliefs to something absolute. Perhaps this is why business people are the chameleons of the human race, expected to adapt to whatever mindset serves them best in a given situation, able to hold and express conflicting perspectives simultaneously with little to no internal friction.
Now I'm just rambling. Whatevs. Maybe we should go to Bolivia after all... 15 day till go time. We'll keep you updated.
B

"Fixing" the VW...

So it started out as just a way to save some coin for the trip, but in the end, it'll probably cost more money in mistakes than it would have in labour... Check out the video for the first installation on our 1992 VW Golf Diesel.



Car Stats and Overview