Our last moments as Ticas

We begun our final day at the Arenal Observatory Lodge as we had the previous two, enjoying breakfast while basking in the fog surrounding the Arenal Volcano. We had the goal of climbing the smaller, dormant volcano, Cerro Chato. The hike from the lodge to the top and back was estimated to take three hours for the experienced hikers/climbers and four to five hours for those less experienced. M and I fancied ourselves as the former and therefore believed we would return with time to shower, pack our backs and checkout before 12pm. After a 45 minute walk and at least 30 minutes steep ascent we finally accepted that our 'experience' and, more importantly, footwear was far less than required and turned back in fear of missing the check-out deadline - we were out by 12:15 :)

Our drive to Manuel Antonio was slightly (ie grossly) different and longer than Google Maps' directions and approximations. We were taken down several 'non-roads' that were not only narrow and windy but also unsealed. Praise for Jose, our SUV, was near continuous. Aside from directional issues the last 2 (of +6) hours was driven in a heavy tropical thunder storm after sunset with buses and trucks crazily overtaking us and other vehicles on these windy, un-lit roads (kheyli vahshi!) Never fear, we survived and happened upon our hotel soon after 7:30pm and soon after called it a night.

We woke to the sounds of the jungle and with a quick look out the window realised the beach was only walking distance away. A quick 'continental breakfast' of fruit and toast and we were in the car again to discover the area and go to the beach - finally! Mucho mas sunburn after our (mostly) sun-filled day. Our day at the beach spent on a set of beach chairs that cost us 500 colon ($US1) each. This was important, as the 'business owner' explained, as our bags would be watched by him and his employees when we were in the water and we could also order food and drink from them directly and therefore not needing to leave the beach until the end of the day. Dinner was spent at the top rated 'Agua Azul' with an incredible view over the coastline and out to the Pacific Ocean. We were lucky to have a table on the edge of the balcony giving us plenty of time to appreciate the view.

And suddenly it was my birthday! M surprised me with the most delicious chocolate brownie cake, baked by the hotel receptionist's sister - M's resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me. It. must be the German blood! Instead of driving to the busy part of the beach, we decided to walk from our hotel instead. We happened across a empty plot of land that was on the water front, one of the many with a 'For Sale' sign, in English, along this stretch of road. With an unlocked gate and no sign of security we walked through the property to the almost empty beach on the other side. Our own little piece of heaven! We enjoyed this spot for a couple of hours before the time came to return to our hotel and prepare for our departure.

No time in Manuel Antonio would be complete without eating at El Avion - the restaurant with a bar inside a genuine Cold War Relic - Cargo Plane C-123 that was left abandoned at San Jose by the Americans. To read more about how it made its way down the perilous roads to its current location, click here.

Although we could have done with more time here, we had already experienced a lot of the available activities whilst at the Arenal Volcano. Further ensuing road chaos and we were finally back in San Jose to see out our last evening in Costa Rica. 

Onward to El Salvador!

TBC....

Arenal Volcano adventures

After two more nights in San Jose, once M arrived, we finally left the capital! Our time in SJ was more 'down time' with the city not offering much to do other than wander the streets and visit the National Museum. It gave us the chance to recover from jet lag and plan the rest of our time in Costa Rica. 

We left SJ early on June 5 and collected our rental car from the airport, which we would use for the remaining time in CR. A quick breakfast at Denny's and we begun our 3 hour (117km) road trip to Arenal Volcano. This may seem an excessive amount of time taken to drive the mentioned distance but never before had I experienced such dense and low-hanging fog. For a good portion of the journey visibility was 5-10 metres at most and our resulting travel speed remained below 30 km/h. Incredibly the cars driven by, seemingly, local Ticos (Costa Rican's name for themselves) didn't put their headlights on under these conditions!

Finally we reached La Fortuna, the closest town to our lodgings, which sits in the foothills of the Arenal Volcano. Our accommodation was not in town, thankfully. A quick stop at the supermarket and we were on our way to find the Arenal Observatory Lodge - half an hour and 11kms on an unsealed, bumpy road and we were very grateful for our choice in rental car, an SUV. 

Another thing we were immediately grateful for was our chance choice in lodgings. We are on the southern side of the Volcano, which is still almost bare from the last eruption in 1968 and subsequent lava flows and molten rock explosions up until 2010. The barrenness is limited to the actual face of the volcano with the surrounding land boasting a lush, dense and, most importantly, protected rainforest that is home to many of the exotic flora and fauna species that Costa Rica boasts.

A quick introduction to the lodge and we were on our away to our first tour - the Lava Flow tour - with our local, excitable host, Cristiano. An animal biologist, in his words, with eleven years experience and a passion unparalleled, was able to hear, locate, show and talk about dozens of animal species that we came across during our relatively short 2.5 hour hike. As part of the hike he took us to a section of the National Park that received the bulk of the lava and molten rock from the 1968 eruption. The now-cool lava rocks took 5 years to cool down enough for life to restart. The rocks are now mostly covered with a velvet-like moss: upon touching, M exclaimed, 'Now we don't need a bed!'.

Dinner on our return to the lodge and an early night meant an early start the next morning. Over the next 2 days we have been quite the adventurous couple. Day one included a nature hike on the lodge property, zip lining over the forest canopy and bathing at Baldi hot springs and spas. I would say the canopy zipping was the most 'extreme' part of our day however the water slides at Baldi most likely wouldn't be approved for OH&S in Australia or Germany! Something to note, the Baldi springs had the largest concentration of (almost exclusively American) tourists. The rest of our time has been pleasantly secluded at the lodge.

Day two, which was only added this morning when we were faced with the reality of leaving, has consisted of a lot of rain. Given the normality of this large quantity of rainfall during this time of year we have remained undeterred for our chosen activities - horse riding around the (much larger than we realised) lodge property. And again, this trumped the water slides for most adventurous experience with deep river crossings and a lovers quarrel between our respective horses (mine, la boss, tried to bite M's, el follower). This afternoon we will join Diego (our pre-chosen name for our tour guide (ha!)) for a four our river rafting experience. Inshallah the rain doesn't cause our raft to overflow!

Current visibility? Two metres.

Tomorrow we depart for Manuel Antonio, where we will spend two nights before returning to San Jose for our flight to El Salvador.

- N

Starting from San Jose CR

Amidst all my travels I have never kept a travel blog. Perhaps because my destinations have been places frequented by the average traveller or perhaps because I'm lazy. Either way, this trip is slightly different. I am visiting places that most people wont, or are yet to have the opportunity to, see. So, here is my attempt at documenting my travels...

San Jose, CR- 3/6/14

The journey here was long, like most when starting from Australia. A twelve hour stop-over in LA provided the opportunity to catch up with some old friends and some much needed rest after a sleepless flight over the Pacific.

With jet lag in full swing I arrived in San Jose's central district during morning peak hour. After a couple hours of rest and freshening up, I headed out to capture my surroundings. The city is set up like a grid with the streets and avenues numbered, making it near impossible to get lost. After wandering many of the pedestrian streets for a couple of hours my searching for any food other than the excessive fast food options was reaching its limits until I found a busy bakery and arrived at my first admittance that I, in fact, do not speak Spanish. (No habla Español)

Walking down the street I blend in whilst silent. With all the noise in this part of town my silence goes unnoticed, particularly with all the street sellers yelling/advertising their various stock from fruit to scissors, from mobile recharge cards to bra straps. They aren't the only ones causing a commotion, the green man signalling safety to cross the road is coupled with a loud, bird-like whistle and the sparring big trees are infested with lorikeets, or similar, and they are all contesting the sound space.

There is a real sense that there are few tourists in the part of town I've been exploring, I haven't heard any language except Spanish. The city hasn't changed its ways to cater for tourists like many other places I have travelled. Although this provides more challenges for me to navigate it is refreshing to not be hounded by the informal tourist industry. For the most part once I say 'no habla Español' or ask '¿Habla Ingles?' I just get a 'ah no' and they give up. Only this morning while on the hunt for breakfast a waiter called the passing police officers over in the hope that they spoke English. Failing that, the policeman went after another officer who could speak English. By that time I had pulled out my phone and translated breakfast (desayuno) and been taken to a seat to then dissect the menu.

The police presence is very high, every block has at least two officers (almost equally male and female) on either foot, motor or bicycle. Certainly a contributing factor into the safety I feel wandering around 'solo'. The city is significantly safer and cleaner than expected and there are very few homeless.

Although the temperature isn't very high (25 Celsius currently) the humidity keeps you feeling a tad stifled and air conditioning is a luxury of the larger franchises and department stores. My humble little hostel has a fan, which does the job.

Although the last 48 hours of transit and exploration have been time well spent, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my travel buddy in the next couple of hours.

- N

(I'll try to upload some photos in future posts)

test, succeed. test, succeed. test test test, succeed.

you have taught me many lessons,
yet my learning will never cease,
I used to question your motives,
now I welcome you with embrace.

you have spun many truths,
my beliefs continue to be tested,
I know to question your intent,
I will never just accept.

you have tried many tricks,
I'm yet to tire of your wicked ways,
your tests meld with intrigue,
providing me with strength
to overcome the trials borne
in every waking hour,

although I long for a reprieve,
I know you're here to stay,
so tempt me with your next test,
my resilience will keep you at bay.

"Blessed are the steadfastly enduring, they that are patient under ills and hardships, who lament not over anything that befalleth them, and who tread the path of resignation....

(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, LXVI, p. 129)

Something I have been thinking about a lot recently is the way that our lives and our day-to-day life has become a slave to forces that creep up on us so guilefully that the 'frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion' has become part and parcel to existence as a whole. I'm a slave, you're a slave, we've all become slaves...

 One of the signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very evident in the world today, is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion, an insatiable thirst for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games and sport, a reluctance to treat any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory attitude towards virtue and solid worth. Abandonment of "a frivolous conduct" does not imply that a Bahá'í must be sour-faced or perpetually solemn. Humour, happiness, joy are characteristics of a true Bahá'í life. Frivolity palls and eventually leads to boredom and emptiness, but true happiness and joy and humour that are parts of a balanced life that includes serious thought, compassion and humble servitude to God are characteristics that enrich life and add to its radiance."

 -  Universal House of Justice, From a letter dated 8 May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer

FIVE YEARS TOO MANY - http://www.bic.org/fiveyears/

For five years, seven Baha'i leaders have been wrongly imprisoned in Iran.

Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr Afif Naeimi, Mr Saeid Rezaie, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr Vahid Tizfahm’s 20-year sentences are the longest given to any current prisoners of conscience in Iran. Their harshness reflects the Government’s resolve to oppress completely the Iranian Baha'i community, which faces a systematic, “cradle-to-grave” persecution that is among the most serious examples of state-sponsored religious persecution in the world today.

Baha'i communities around the world have launched a campaign calling for their immediate release – and the release of all innocent prisoners of conscience in Iranian prisons. 

I was honoured to attend a National Human Rights Forum calling for the immediate release of the seven leaders, which was hosted on Tuesday 7 May at NSW Parliament House, Sydney Australia. The Forum had representatives of the major religions in Australia who offered their prayers and blessings for the 7 Baha'i Leaders and each solemnly placed a seven red rose on a seven empty chairs representing each of the imprisoned Baha'i Leaders. Four Australian family members of the seven imprison Baha'is were also present at this forum, each of which spoke of their loved ones and shared with the audience their stories of the imprisoned, both before and after their incarceration. 

The below photos were taken at today’s forum. Please show your support and increase the international pressure on the Iranian Government to immediately release these seven wrongfully imprisoned members of the 300,000 strong Baha’i Community in Iran. My thoughts and prayers are deeply focused on these 7 imprisoned Baha'i Leaders and all victims of Religious persecution within Iran and across the world.

Alláh'u'Abhá

 

 

For more information:

http://www.bic.org/fiveyears/

http://www.bahai.org.au/NewsMedia/NewsStories/ArticleView/tabid/72/ArticleId/207/Seven-red-roses-for-seven-empty-chairs.aspx

The Old World Order needs wrapping up...

"...From different parts are to be heard sighs of anguish, lamentations of poverty, cries of agony and misery -- and the calls for succor have reached to the gate of heaven. One hears the weeping of the hopeless, the appeals of the oppressed, the trembling murmurs of the helpless, the harrowing wails of the shipwrecked in the sea of persecution. The heat of the conflagration of opposition spreads on all sides, the fire of longing is raging with great intensity and the tongues of the flames of calamity leap forth in every direction. Here one sees the oppression of kings and the thoughtlessness of cabinet ministers; there one sees conflict on the battlefield of thoughts and ideals between ambitious generals, statesmen and administrators of the nations and countries. They consult, scheme, plot and exchange views; they organize fallacious and superfluous companies and falsify the established values; and thus they do lay and destroy the foundation of their political careers.

In short: when thou observest these things with the eye of reality, thou wilt see that the outcome, result and fruit of all these theatrical performances are mirages, and their sweetness is bitter poison. A few days the earth shall roll on its axis, and these fleeting visions will be completely forgotten.

When thou shuttest thine eyes to this dark world and lookest upward and heavenward, thou wilt see light upon light stretching from eternity to eternity. The reality of the mysteries will be revealed. Happy is the pure soul who does not attach himself to transient conditions and comforts, but rather seeks to attach himself to the purity, nobility and splendor of the world which endures." 
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 345; Star of the West, vol. IV, No. 16, December 31, 1913)

facebook love

the post:

I won't ever understand why those with the biggest hearts always end up being treated like sh*t.

and the comment:

Pardon the philosophising, but I think the people with the biggest hearts are more sensitive to ill treatment, not necessarily more prone to being treated negatively. It hurts but it is also a gentle reminder to be cautious about one’s own wellbeing and not just others. This sensitivity is also only possible because of the strength of those with the biggest hearts to know when to look out for others and how everything they do can have a positive or negative effect on others. Even if it means feeling hurt a few more times than others, you can be reasonably sure that you’ve also lifted people up from darkness more than those with not quite so big hearts as yours. Chin up lovely.

I was neither the poster or the commenter, but I can relate to the poster and want to give the commenter the biggest high five and/or hug. I hope you feel the same.

this is beyond lame.

These are not my own words, however I carry the same sentiments to a tee:

"I need to get something off my chest that I’ve been holding in so as not to offend peoples delicate liberal sensitivities. Illicit drug use is really lame. I mean, could you think of something lamer to do with your life? Seriously. You only get one shot and you never know when you are going to die. To the drugged out flakes, festival pill poppers and shufflers of Sydney - (wo)man up for fucks sake and do something real to help society with your limited time on this Earth instead of participating in and funding a disgusting industry that causes nothing but destruction in the world. You think you are “free” and having “experiences” (because its all about “experiences” when you are a hipster flake) but you are just buying into a lifestyle which ultimately leaves you terribly limited. When I have a stable asset base, full use of my mental faculties, a range of healthy habits and the financial and physical freedom to do whatever I want in 10 years, we will see who is “free”. 

Drug users always say to me, “you’re so judgemental, you are not accepting of who I am, it’s not like I am a junkie, it’s not a big deal”. I beg to differ. Accepting someone into your life is about being attracted to the qualities of a persons soul - kindness, courage, generosity, compassion, respect etc. It’s not about accepting someone’s bad habits and encouraging them. In fact, I think that sort of indulgence and acquiescence is negligent and the opposite of love. What sort of friend supports their friends in taking toxic substances that have the potential to serious harm or kill them just so they can have a surge of energy (or sedation) and escape the world for a few short hours? I like to think I’m a better friend than that. 

I bet people will look at this article and say “see everyone’s doing it, it should be decriminalised”. To those people I’d like to say, go down to any rehab clinic in Sydney and tell me Ice should be easier to access. Dipshits." 

kthxbye.

S.Z.

oh soul

‎"Oh soul,

you worry too much.

You have seen your own strength.

You have seen your own beauty.

You have seen your golden wings.

Of anything less,

why do you worry?

You are in truth

the soul, of the soul, of the soul.”

― Rumi

connect the silence

connected by more than words can define,
connected by ties between our divine,
blessed by more than 5 lucky dimes,
blessed by your presence,
without being by my side,
I keep you at a distance,
loving you inside.

leave you

leave you.

I never understood the saying “love you and leave you” until I gathered the courage to finally expunge you from the realm that existed only in my head… the only remnant of you that prevailed beyond time and space and reason and rhyme.

In reality, you haven’t been in my life for much longer than you were ever in it, but the heart has different plans, and different levels of attachment. The strings that fasten my heart to your fictitious memory were just as tangled as my memory of you was warped.

Unlike the commonly applied stigma of a ‘first love’, I did love you unconditionally, and without prejudice. And although I would un-do everything that I had with you for the sake of my own state of mind, that isn’t an option, neither is my continued love for you. The choice I do have is to leave you, to disentangle myself from your memory, to detach my association to your entity and destroy the fabricated image that has haunted my subconscious since the day you walked away.

You already know you were loved, now consider yourself left.


[24/01/12]

once a Danske time

Prompted by a recent request to give a presentation on my experiences in Denmark, I started sifting through my photos and things I had written whilst I was living there. So, please allow me this moment to reminisce. Written over the span of 5 months, below are just some snippets of my experience. (My apologies for the poor use of tense, this is essentially a cut/paste job. The use of paragraphs is to assist in outlining the progression of time).

In a country filled with tall, fair, fashion conscious descendants of Vikings, where the men’s shoes make more sound than their female counterparts, the bicycle is an extension to feet, beer is drunk more by girls and every room has coat racks and heating, it is needless to say that I feel a little out of place. Now, things like a bicycle are easy to adjust to, but other than that, Danish culture is slightly out of reach…

The Danish are so very proud to call themselves Danish. They even celebrate their birthdays by draping everything in their national flag! Their pride also manifests itself in their stand for independence – an example of this would be the continued use of the Danish Kroner even though they have been long-term members of the EU..

In my neighbourhood, Nørrebro, you can’t walk more than a block without coming across a shawarma/kabab stand or an Arab supermarket – try to imagine my excitement when I could by all the Middle Eastern ingredients that have become so normal to find in Australia (and so abnormal in the regular Danish supermarkets) and suddenly I had an ethnic kitchen! I had no choice but to start recreating my mother’s amazing cooking, or at least make my feeble attempts…

When I started shopping for a bicycle I was a little lost, what did I know of a city bike? I had only ever owned a mountain bike and rode around the quiet streets of my neighbourhood or on bike tracks. I was accompanied by my favourite little German when we stepped into our first bicycle shop, only to be greeted by the owner, “Irooni hastin?” (“are you Iranian?”). Not only did we leave the shop with a great deal on a bicycle for myself, one for my friend’s use free of charge for the rest of her visit, but I had found myself a friend that I could swing by for chai whenever I felt like it...

The summer fought on with pleasant weather throughout September but everyone I spoke to was certain to emphasise that, “we’ve been lucky” and “it won’t last”. My denial of the graduation of the year, resulting in colder weather, was as strong as ever, and my choice of clothes as a result started getting more peculiar looks (I still don’t own a pair of winter boots)...

And now in November the layers are adding on, the gloves have become a necessity rather than an accessory, particularly whilst cycling. The days are growing so short to the point that if I sleep in I’m likely to miss a majority of the daylight. I say daylight as opposed to sunlight given the near-constant overcast sky. The rain/drizzle, although painstakingly annoying, has become a daily expectation. And although my umbrella is always on hand, riding a bicycle doesn’t allow the easy access to umbrella ‘protection’, not to mention the safety risk of juggling an umbrella through (bicycle) traffic, which in itself is hazardous...

It’s already December, I don’t know where time disappeared. I have been in and out of Copenhagen so many times and now the friends I have made here will soon start leaving to spend Christmas at their respective homes. Many of them wont return in the new year. And so I must prepare to say goodbyes. I haven’t had to deal with goodbyes in while. And these will be different to the ‘see you later’s that occupied my departure from Australia in July. These are more permanent, much longer, if not forever, goodbyes – the worst kind...

I’m packing up my room, my cute little studio that has been home these past months. The snow has kept up, blizzard-like conditions at times. Copenhagen received more snow this winter than in the past ten. As my room becomes more bare, reality is setting in. I’m heading back home after nearly nine months of being in a state of travel-frenzy. I crave routine more than anything. (I’m going to regret saying that)

 

out of love, not revelry or fear.

A dear friend shared this story with me and although I couldn't find the exact reference I felt impelled to share it. The first is the original in Farsi, followed by a rough translation into English. :)

عارفی را دیدند مشعلى و جام آب در دست پرسیدند کجا میروی؟

گفت:میروم با این آتش بهشت را بسوزانم و بااین آب جهنم راخاموش کنم, تا 

مردم خدا را فقط بخاطر عشق به او بپرستند، نه بخاطر عیاشی در بهشت

!وترس ازجهنم

They saw an Aref (an enlightened person) carrying a flame and a chalice of water. They asked him, "where art thou heading to?"

He replied, "I am indeed on my way to burn away the heaven with this fire and extinguish the fire of the hell with this water, so that people worship God out of love and not for revelry in the heaven and the fear of hell."


If anyone knows/finds out where this is from, I would be very grateful!

embrace the new moment