Rico Tico

Brooklyn Bridge

2008-08-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

this is my third film. "brooklyn bridge" made from shots i took while on a walk with my father. i think this my favorite...so far. the music is just lovely.

2008-08-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

this is "starry night." my first film!!! sequential shots of the manhattan skyline at night. shot from my rooftop. pay attention and look close! you dont want to miss anything. this one is special.

Fireworks!

2008-08-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is "fireworks" created aug of 2008. my second film. made from 335 sequential digital shots of new york citys 4th of july fireworks show. music is beethovens 7th symphony.

Cozumel, Mexico

2008-03-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since last i spoke! I've been in Mexico! Here i am with my sister Danielle in Cozumel deep sea snorkeling! It was incredible. Unfortunately the cruise we are on is the cruise to HELL!! Its been a rough three days so far. The ship has been pretty rocky and everyone is dropping like flies. Seasickness is no fun. and neither are cruises. However, its been an unforgettable experience to say the least. One we will surely look back over the years and laugh. or not.

The shore of San Marcos la Laguna, Lago de Atitlan

2008-03-05T14:58:00.001-08:00

OK, so i´ve been pretty sick the past few days and honestly haven´t even left my bed once! Except to go to the bathroom of course. Anyways, i thought i would explore the village now that i had my energy back. I took to the shore and headed east. I heard there was pretty nice swimming about 30 minutes up shore. Narrow dirt and rock paths run along the shore. The views are spectacular! And there are tons of little spots where the dirt path leads right to perfect steps made out of rocks that lead right to the water. Its incredible.The water is aqua marine up against golden rocks that lead right into green jungle! I think im going to stay here for a few days and just enjoy the swimming and the ridiculous views! The water was the perfect temp. Refreshing. I think im healed! I mean really this volcanic crater water does wonders for the soul.

San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala

2008-03-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

I wasn´t really feeling San Pedro. Its a bit touristy and i found the people to be very money hungry and the streets were polluted. Toxic smells everywhere. I had heard about San Marcos, another village on the lake, which apparently was a very spiritual place. I decided to head over. I took a small lancha ferry and when i arrived at the dock is was apparent that this place was pretty special. There were no roads, instead rocky windy paths lead you all over the village and the views from this side of the lake were amazing. Unfortunately, when i got off the boat i was feeling a bit sick. I found a hotel room and had to lay down. I think i ate some bad food in san pedro :( Luckily, this village is filled with natural clinics, yoga studios, reiki, massage and mayan saunas so i will definitely make use of this while im here and refresh myself. The owner of the hotel told me he would give me some grapefruit extract. It was either that or drink my own urine. hmmm. I chose the grapefruit extract.

This is definitely a place to just kick back and relax for a bit. So i think i will be here for a few days until im feeling 100%. Also, the hotel is sooooo nice. It has a vegetarian restaurant, daily yoga and a mayan sauna. All for $4 a night. Shown above is my cabina, which is filled with antiques, mayan artifacts and probably the most comfortable bed ive slept in this entire trip. Not a bad place to be sick.

Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala

2008-03-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

Lago de Atitlan is actually a crater lake created about 60,000 yrs ago from a huge volcanic eruption. About 20 to 30,000 years later three other volcanoes formed around the crater. Surrounding the lake are about 12 mayan villages all with their own vibe and history. Its a pretty crazy place. You take small boat lanchas to get from village to village. This shot is taken from San Pedro la Laguna, one of the villages i visited.

So, I like Antigua...more pics!

2008-03-02T07:52:00.001-08:00

Shown in this pic is Volcan Agua which towers over the city. You can see it from almost anywhere in town.

Traditional masks worn during Semana Santa.

More Antigua....

2008-03-02T07:45:00.001-08:00

Here are some shots i took while strolling the streets. It really is a beautiful place.

Antigua, Guatemala

2008-03-02T07:31:00.001-08:00

I arrived in Guatemala City and grabbed a bus for Antigua immediately. Despite everything I had heard about Guatemala city I actually enjoyed the 37 minutes I spent there. My cab driver from the Tica bus station was really nice and our drive to the Antigua bus station was rather plesant and the city is gorgeous. Im sure that all this changes after dark. But, luckily i will never know.

I made it to Antigua in about an hour. The city is soooooo cute. Its a colonial town that sits between three volcanoes. Cobbled streets and beautiful churches along with several lush parks filled with fountains. Pretty nice if you ask me. Apparently Antigua served as Guatemalas capital for 233 years but that titled was given to Guatemala city when an earthquake hit Antigua in 1773. Luckily a lot of its original colonial charm was restored.

My night in El Salvador

2008-03-02T06:59:00.001-08:00

So, saying ¨see ya later¨ to Mary was kinda difficult. We had such an amazing time and I was so lucky to meet her. Its not as much fun singing by yourself and people kinda look at you funny. I miss her deeply. But, its about time I have some alone time.

My bus departed Managua, Nicaragua around 5am headed for Guatemala. 30 hours total! We crossed thru Honduras and into El Salvador. We had a layover in San Salvador. Which was probably one of the most interesting nights Ive had on my trip so far. We arrived at the Tica Bus terminal around 5 in the evening, which was attached to one of the seediest hotels ive ever seen. Hotel San Carlos. My bus left at 5am the next morning so it made the most sense to stay there. One of the Tica Bus employees, the ¨bus attendant¨ if you will, had a bit of a crush on me. His name was Rolando. He was always making sure i had everything i needed. This always included a wink. When we arrived at the bus terminal he let me know that he was going to secure a room for me since the place fills up quick when the bus arrives. Turns out he got me the room right next to his. I knew i was in trouble.

So, to get to my room you had to walk three flights of stairs up thru the main hotel and had to climb a ladder to the roof which at that point you had to crawl up another ladder to another rooftop, which is where two rooms sat side by side. Mine and His. Mine was the size of my pinky and it had no bathroom. Of course the bathroom was located in his room! Which he made it very clear that i was to share it with him. I declined and told him I would be happy to use the communal bathroom three floors down! He said absolutely not! He then invited me into his room for a beer and to watch a Ricky Martin Video! Ahhh! God help me! I stood my ground and fortunately never had the pleasure of watching Ricky Martins new video. However, this guy did not give up!

I went to bed pretty early that night and around 3 in the morning i had a sudden urge to use the rest room. I quietly exited my room and somehow made it down the ladders and to the bathroom in the main lobby. When i returned to my room my door was slammed shut by a gust of wind and of course woke up Rolando. Next thing I know he was knocking on my door! Eeeek! What do I do!? Of course i poked my head out and there he was in all his glory!! Butt naked!! Asking me ¡¿Que hora es?! ¡¿Que hora es?! Apparently he was late. His bus was departing back to Nicaragua at 3. Thank god because i thought i was going to have to spend the entire next day with him. Oh poor Rolando. I wonder how many times he has done this. yuck.

Anyways, pictured is the cinder block i spent the night in.

Jen and Kim

2008-03-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

We met these gals at Laguna de Apoya. They accompanied Mary and I on our night swim in the crater and then we ran into them in Leon! They live in Buffalo New York and are archeologists. Sweets. Good times. I tried stealing them and taking them with me to Guatemala but they had to work or something like that. eh. oh well.

Lets get physical!

2008-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

I was wondering why everyone in León was so fit and trim. These were on sale at one of the local street markets.

Graffiti of León

2008-02-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

Here´s some of the graffiti around the streets of León.

Chico needs some shoes!

2008-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

Poor Mary. She is just too nice. Here´s Mary talking to Alberto. He´s 15 and has no shoes. Another win for the streets of Leon. $12 US dollars later Alberto can walk home safely.

The tough streets of Leon

2008-02-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

So, Mary and i came back to Leon. And good thing for the street hustlers. Mary is no match.

Here´s Mary talking to Maria, a 19 year old single mother, and her baby. Maria´s baby is thirsty. She needs formula but its very expensive. $15 US dollars later, Maria´s baby is no longer thirsty.

Mary!

2008-02-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

For all those who havent been formally introduced to my travel companion, this is Mary! We met in Costa Rica at Escuela Dámore. She´s from Nova Scotia. ey. She works for the national park system of Canada as a naturalist and interpretor. ey. She´s what you call, earthy. She loves long walks on the beach and coca light. Her body is almost entirely made up of mosquito bites and her hair is has soft as straw. She has two brothers who are twins and one brother has a pair of twins himself. Lucy and Grace! Two cute little girls with curly brown hair! Her parents met and fell in love in Peru which is where she is off to next. We have a few days left before we part ways so we decided to come back to Leon because it is by far our favorite city in Nickyraggywa. So, here we are. Viva Leon!!!

Sunrise over Laguna de Apoya, Nicaragua

2008-02-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

These pics were taken around 430am as the sun rose over the lagoon. I think i was the only person around that morning. It was magical. This truly is a special place.

The night before we had the pleasure of witnessing a full moon over the lagoon. We couldnt help but go for a swim. Night swimming in a volcanoes crater is quite thrilling. I suggest you try it. Kinda freaky when you feel a rush of thermally vented water rush by your body though. It kept reminding us that its still active and technically could blow at any moment!!!!

Laguna de Apoya, Nicaragua

2008-02-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

So, this is probably one of the top 10 coolest things i have ever done.

Laguna de Apoya is a crater lake that was formed about 23,000 years ago when Volcan Apoya had a massive eruption and blew its top leaving a crater about 6 kilometers in circumference. Over time the crater filled with water forming the lagoon in which you see today. Technically this volcano is still active. The water is so warm because its thermally vented. Its like swimming in a HUGE hot tub. The color is a deep aqua blue and its so clean! We stayed at this hotel located on the edge of the crater lake called, get this, Craters Edge. It was amazing. For $11 bucks you got an open air room with a view of the lake, breakfast, use of kayaks and innertubes and unlimited internet. yes, you can even get internet in a volcano these days. Whooda thunk.

More Granadelphia

2008-02-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

The majority of the buildings have been restored in Granada but, as you can see from the bullet holes still left from the civil war in the 70´s, it still has a ways to go.

Streets of Granadelphia!

2008-02-22T07:05:00.001-08:00

This city is so colorful.

Granada, Nicaragua

2008-02-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Another win for Nicaragua! This country has some pretty cities! Granada is a gorgeous colonial town with cobblestone streets, beautiful churches and architecture. Its pretty similar to Leon. Granada however has had a major restoration. It glows. I still like Leon better! Horse drawn carriages fill the streets and live music and street fairs are all around. Its a bit more expensive than other areas of Nicaragua so we have to shorten our stay. Tourism is huge here and you can tell by the fancy smancy restaurants and hotels all over the city.

Baby sea turtles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

I got to witness baby sea turtles hatching! It truly was one of the most beautiful evenings ive ever had! The moon was full and the sun was just beginning to set. The sky was this amazing shade of lavender. So preeeeeeeeeety.

Playa Bahia Majagual, Nicaragua

2008-02-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

So, after Ometepe we needed a little fun in the sun so we decided to head back to the beach! This time we stayed at Matildas on Bahia Majagual. Gorgeous! I need some new adjectives. Hmmm....breathtaking!

Mary and Nacho!

2008-02-21T05:35:00.001-08:00

Sunset, Ometepe

2008-02-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

purdy.

Ometepe Wildlife

2008-02-21T05:26:00.000-08:00

Some of the fun creatures we saw along our horseback ride.

Horseback riding, Ometepe

2008-02-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Mary and I rented horses for the day and decided to ride 15km around the rim of the Madera Volcano to The Eye of the Water, a fresh water spring. It took 7 hours roundtrip. Needless to say, i will never ride a horse again. My ass still hurts.

San Ramon Waterfall, Ometepe

2008-02-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

Pretty. Can you see the rainbow? This waterfall was so tall i couldnt even get it all in the frame! One of the shots has mary taking a shower under the falls. It helps to show how tall the falls are. I think its 80 meters. Either way it was big and pretty.

Ometepe, Nicaragua

2008-02-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

This land is beautiful and untouched. The people are so warm and welcoming. As i said before the island is made up of two volcanoes forming an hourglass shaped island. A dirt road circles both volcanoes connecting about a dozen or so villages. We decided to stay on the Maderas side of the island. Thats the inactive volcano. We found a hostel in Merida, one of the small villages of Ometepe, called Monkey Island Hostel. The hostel got its name from the small offshore island near the farm which is inhabited by a family of squirrel monkeys. Funny thing is that nowhere else on Ometepe are squirrel monkies found except on monkey island but howler monkies and whitefaced monkies are everywhere. No one knows why. The island has about 100 Kilometers of lakeside beaches and its covered in primary jungle forest and farm land. Horses and cattle run wild and the birds are pretty nice. Its so peaceful here.

Ferry to Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

2008-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

Next we moved on to Ometepe. A volcanic island in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua. As a matter of fact, it happens to be the largest lake island in the world! And yes it is made up to two volcanoes. One of which is active, Volcan Concepcion, and one of which is dormant, Volcan Maderas. Crazy! We left San Juan Del Sur and headed for Rivas, which is the gateway city to Ometepe. There we caught the ferry to the island. Not so much a ferry and it was a really small boat wearing ferry clothes. This was probably the scariest boat ride i have ever been on! The water was so rough! I guess february is the windiest time of the year in Nicaragua and it causes massive waves in the lake. The boat just swayed back and forth and everytime it swayed to the right that side would sink so low that water would come crashing in! OMG! I was so sick! It didnt help that we had just learned that the lake was home to the only freshwater shark in the world! The Bullshark! Which apparently has the taste for human blood! Fun. Well luckily we made it to the island alive. But not without tradegy. Upon arrival i realized that i had left my atm card in a machine back in San Juan Del Sur. Never again can i withdraw money from an atm without first having my coffee! Ugh. anyways, pictured is a view of Volcan Concepcion from the ¨ferry¨ taken after the seas had calmed.

Playa Madera, Nicaragua

2008-02-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

So, the guys were right. The beaches to the north of San Juan Del Sur are incredible!!!!!! Pictured is Playa Madera. Crazy lava flows and tidepools for miles. This made for a great hike and not a soul around. Gorgeous!

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

2008-02-20T19:34:00.000-08:00

After Leon, Mary and I headed to San Juan Del Sur. Nicaraguas go at a beach town. Ill be honest, the main village and beach kinda suck. Overpriced and overpolluted. Anyhow, we heard from some guys that the beaches to the north of town were where the unspoiled beauty was. So, we took their word for it and grab a room at the Hotel Estrella. $5 a night! Came with a cute balcony overlooking the ocean, free bedbugs and graffiti on the walls! What more could you ask for!?

Leon, Nicaragua

2008-02-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

So, its been awhile since you´ve heard from me. Im in Nicaragua! This country is amazing. After my classes ended i met up with my friend Mary, who also attended the language school, and we headed to Nicaragua. After a 15 hour bus ride we finally made it to Leon. I heart Leon! This city is so beautiful. The colonial architecture is incredible. Its insane. When we first arrived we settled into our hostel and decided to take a walk through the park central. The sun had just set and the park was full people and candles were burning everywhere. Horse drawn carriages filled the streets and live music was heard all around. And just to top it off, church bells rang off in the distant. This place is magical!!!! Its refined and politically progressive too! Pictured are some of the amazing churches and architecture that fill the streets of Leon.

out in the boondocks.

2008-02-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

so, for all 3 of you that are following my blog i am sorry about the lack of new posts. i have left costa rica and have been traveling thru nicaragua for the past week! at the moment i am on isla de ometepe, a volcanic island in the middle of lago de nicaragua. internet is slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. and the computers are oldddddddddd. so posting pictures just aint happening. i am leaving in the morning and headed back to the mainland so i promise to share my exciting adventures with you asap!

adios!

The waterfall.

2008-02-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

Good times

2008-02-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

My sheets....read carefully.

2008-02-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Boca Vieja

2008-02-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

So, as i mentioned before, we are living in the hood. Boca Vieja to be exact. A small port village outside of Quepos. Its poor, dirty and pretty dangerous. A huge contrast to Manuel Antonio.

Josh.

2008-02-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Now this is a good guy. Great to talk to over a cup of joe. He´s also an amazing dancer and hes probably one of the top ten sexies of costa rica.

Hmmm....

2008-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

So the corner store in my hood sells machetes. Right next to the beachballs!

Donde esta mi crema de sol?

2008-02-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Guys be careful. This is what happens when you are out to sea for 5 hours without sunscreen on your back. Kinda looks like Australia doesn´t it??

El Dia Que Casi Morimos!

2008-02-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Now, I know that i tend to over exaggerate a bit when i tell stories but this time its for real!! This truly was the day we almost died!

It all began on a gorgeous sunny morning. I awoke to fresh brewed costa rican coffee. My plate of gallo pinto, fried eggs and plantains were overshadowed by my plate of fresh pineapple, watermelon and canteloupe. It was looking like the perfect day. In fact today our class was taking a field trip to the Manuel Antonio National Park! We were having class on the beach today. weeeee!

I met Desiree, Robin and our teacher Victor at the bus stop and we headed for the park. Upon entering we took a quick dip in the first beach within the park perimeter. A gorgeous half moon bay of crystal clear water surrounded by jungle. It was lovely. We chose two hikes for the day. The first was the cascada trail and the second was to the mysterious 5th beach. Many know of the beach but its rocky headland often scares people off. Which is why we chose it! Its amazing and deserted!

Our trip to the waterfall was great. The pic of me under the falls is in the `Im too sexy for NY` earlier in my blog. Anyways, after that hike we moved on to the 5th beach. The trail leading down to the shore is pretty steep and muddy. You exit at a pretty rocky beach and walk north on the beach alongside tons of lava rocks and boulders. The beach is crazy. At this point the tide was pretty low and most of the beach was in view. The hike ends at a gorgeous beach backed by steep hills covered in jungle and surrounded by cliffs off in the distance. The water was crystal clear and calm as a lake. We hung out for about 30 minutes and started to notice the tide coming in pretty fast. We packed up our shit and headed back. There wasn´t much beach to begin with so we knew we needed to move fast. All along the shore were crazy sharp lava rocks and due to the high tide the beach was gone and we had to climb up and hike on the rocks. The waves started coming in real fast and started crashing up against us completely submerging us at times which forced us to crawl higher on the rocks! The best part about that was that were thousands of crabs living on these rocks! So every time you would grab a rock you would also grab a crab. And it would grab you! Not fun. Anyways, this went on for about 30 minutes. Foot placement was super important along with timing everystep to the waves. One false move and you could slip and fall, only to be crashed up against the crabby rocks by the next huge wave. IT WAS SO SCARY!!!! Fortunately we survived. But not without shedding blood. Desiree took a bad spill and got thrown up against a rock and tore up her leg pretty bad and Robin fell off and landed on a rock and then got smashed up against a boulder leaving a pretty big gash in her shin. Aside from the few crabs that nipped me and some cuts on my palms, from holding on for dear life, i came out unscathed.

Needless to stay it was probably one of the scariest moments in my life. But, fortunately im alive.

Above are re-enactment photos for your pleasure.

Desiree!

2008-02-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Este es mi mejor amiga, Desiree. We were luckily placed in host families in the same barrio. We live four houses down from eachother. Its been nice having her around. We keep eachother safe in the hood.

Me and the Canadians.

2008-02-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

Angie and Mary! Probably two of the funniest girls i have ever met. eh. oh yah. eh, anyone want a pastry, eh. oh, them nippers are out, eh.

Mis Amigas

2008-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

The ladies. Desiree, Robin, Mary and Angie!

Im too sexy for NY!

2008-02-02T13:58:00.001-08:00

sorry guys. costa rica just suits me too well. i may have to stay.

Sunset Quepos, Costa Rica

2008-02-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Do I look superimposed?? My, thats purdy.

Blue morpho butterfly! Oh my!

2008-02-02T13:51:00.001-08:00

Damsel flies...having sex?

2008-02-02T13:48:00.001-08:00

I want some wild wild life!! Monkey!!

2008-02-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

So, this area of costa rikki is full of wild life. Check out my monkey pics!

La Cascada, Manuel Antonio

2008-02-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

There are only a few things you can to do in Manuel Antonio when you dont want to spend any money and the options are not half bad. One, you could go to one of the many beaches surrounding you at any given moment or two, you could hike to one of the many beautiful waterfalls.... like this one! I mean isnt life hard. Look at our private waterfall. An afterschool hike. These are my friends from school. Desiree, Josh and Angie. Mis amigos.

Manuel Antonio, My school

2008-02-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

So, Jody left me! On my own from here on out. I took a bus from the osa peninsula to manual antonio. 9 hours! no air! and my huge bag had to sit on my lap :( Eh. I survived.

Anyways, made it to the school! Escuela D´Amore. The place is beautiful. The school is perched on a hillside surrounded by forest and tropical gardens. Iguanas, snakes, monkeys, birds and butterflies are the norm. The classrooms are all outside, complete with hammocks. Right up the road from the beach. Cant really complain. Not a bad place to be for a month.

After my first day of class i was placed with my host family. Margarita! A cute lil old lady who is also a pretty damn good cook. Good thing because she is going to be cooking me breakfast and dinner for the next 30 days! She comes complete with 3 grandchildren and a 5 foot iguana. Iggy. I have my own room but we share a bathroom with extremely cold water. fucking COLD!! Oh yeah, and i live in a barrio outside of Quepos, a shady port town. My hood is called Boca Vieja. Not the safest place, but, it will do. Thank god the food is good.

Kayaking the Gulfo Dulce, Osa Peninsula

2008-01-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

Jody and I decided to do some ocean kayaking for our last adventure together. And yes, it was quite the adventure!!! We met this guy Tony from california who took us out for a discounted fare. I guess we charmed him. First we kayaked thru mangroves and about five minutes into the mangroves is when i realized that i hate mangroves. Hot, sticky and full of bugs! I got attacked and in my attempt from keeping them out of my ear canals and from going up my nostrels i knocked off my sunglasses! Yep, gone, at the bottom of a mangrove swamp. R.I.P Ray Ban. Its coo...i have another pair. Anyways, after the service we hopped over an isthmus and we came upon the beautiful emerald green golfo dulce and did some sea kayaking and snorkeling. It was amazing! We kayaked about a half a mile out to sea and dove right in. Ive never been that far out to sea. Kinda scary. I got to swim with a school of fishies!!! Saw a starfish, some crazy thing with massive tenticles and i think i found nemo!!!!

Some of our new friends!

2008-01-30T15:45:00.001-08:00

More Bolita pics!

2008-01-30T15:33:00.001-08:00

Pics from the hike thru Bolita on the way to the Bonanza falls.

2008-01-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

The grounds at Bolita.

2008-01-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

Bolita house.

Bolita, Osa Peninsula

2008-01-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Jody and I heard about Bolita from another turista while we were in San Jose. Bolita is a private nature reserve owned by a Canadian couple. They bought 166 acres for about $66,000 4 years ago and have since turned it into an eco friendly retreat and nature park. AMAZING!!!!!!!!! words and pictures cant even begin to describe this place. We saw blue morpho butterflies, toucans, amazon parrots, hummingbirds and the views were fantastic and the property has 16 waterfalls!!!! Pictured is the Bonanza Falls. Pretty intense hike but it was well worth it. The owners also recycle everything! In 4 years they havent taken out one bag of trash. They melt everything down and make furniture out of it! Crazy! Everyone should inspire to atleast work half as hard as these guys. They are pretty amazing people. Check out the pics.

Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula

2008-01-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Puerto Jimenez is a quaint, dusty lil town which served as our base for exploring the osa peninsula. Pictured above is the hostel we stayed at along with the typical costa rican meal, a casado (US$ 2.50) and the national beer, IMPERIAL!!! Yes, its true, i drink beer in Costa Rica!!!!!

Walking on Mars.

2008-01-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

After our hike to King Louis we headed down to the beach and hiked along one of the most breathtaking landscapes ive seen. It was about an hour of climbing on rocks and lava flows in the grueling hot sun. But, we had a friend to guide us (pictured above) and eventually we came to an incredible beach!!!!

Cabo Matapalo, Osa Peninsula

2008-01-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

Cabo Matapalo is located on the southern most tip of the Osa Peninsula. Its made up of three beautiful beaches and a network of trails filled with wildlife and waterfalls!!! Here are a couple of pics of Jody and i playing in King Louis Waterfall in Cabo Matapalo.

roadblock!

2008-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

one of the minor road blocks on the way to corcovado national park. it was pretty amazing.

Carate, Osa Peninsula

2008-01-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

on the road to carate..taken from the jeep taxi.
osa peninsula, costa rica

01-09-08

so uvita came and went. we decided to take a chance and catch a 3pm bus out of uvita for palmar and try to make a 5pm connection to puerto jimenez. which was our final destination. it was gonna be tight but it made the most sense. why spend two days traveling when we can get it over with in one!?!? so, we said f'it! lets do it! well, we made it to palmar around 5. we searched high and low for the bus stop to puerto jimenez and with little help from the locals we made it to the station around 5¨10 ish. luckily there was a sweet old lady still waiting for the bus. it was late!!!! its nice how things always work out here. its truly a magical place! oh how i love thee! anyways, the bus arrived around 6 and we finally made it to puerto jimenez around 9pm. we arrived at the hostel La Esquina and were greeted by the cutest lil ol lady, bertha. the room was cheap, clean, private and the showers were HOT!!!!!! who could ask for anything more! we decided we were going to go to parque nacional corcovado in the morning so we needed to be up by 5 am so we could have breakfast and catch the colectivo to carate where we would then hike 3.5km on the beach in the grueling hot sun to the entrance of the park.

popped right of the bed around 445 and headed over the the soda deya. the restaurant ran the colectivo to the park. the ride was quite the adventure. we all loaded up in the back of a converted jeep/truck thing and on we went. the road around the peninsula was rock and dirt so it made for quite the bumpy ride. and quite the sore ass. we forged rivers, crossed gorgeous farms and windswept beaches for about 45 km. it took about 2 hours for us to arrive in carate. a small village which served as the gateway to corcovado. not much to the village. we immediately hit the beach and began our hike to the entrance of the park.....more to come

Costa Rica Backpackers, San Jose

2008-01-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

01/08/08
last night we stayed at costa rikki backpackers. a favorite hostel of mine in san jose. had a nice relaxing evening. had to prepare ourselves for our bus ride the following day. we planted our bodies by the pool. we met a cute calico cat and we watched david, a local hippy, spin fire sticks and chains in the garden. muy interesante. we woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to catch a 6am bus to uvita. our first stop on our way to the osa peninsula. we loaded our bags with snacks and sweet breads and packed 3 liters of water. we had about 9 hours of bus riding ahead of us. luckily it was pretty chilly in the mountains. pleasant temp most of the way down. more later.......

Day 9

2008-01-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

01/07/08
so its been awhile since ive written. my new years was full of fun and excitement. we had a party at my friend chads house. huge i tell you. dj and the whole she bang. my mom picked me up on new years day and we drove to venice to see my aunt and cousins and my grandmother. we had a nice dinner at mi abuelas casa. the following morning mi madre and i drove to jacksonville where i spent the next three days sick and miserable. i watched 2 seasons of americas next top model. i want to kill tyra banks. fucking idiot. did get to see sweeney todd too. a bit bloody eh. speaking of bloody. jody is drinking a lovely bloody mary right as i write. yes we are on the plane flying to costa rikki!!!!!! about three hours to go. it still hasnt hit me yet. 3 months!! ok my cocktail is getting warm. hasta manana!

Day 1

2008-01-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

12/30/07
had a great start!! woke up around 8am partially naked and still drunk from my impromtu going away party. a night of kareoke, soju martinis and spicy korean food at dok suni. all of this led to me missing my flight. as mentioned before i woke up at 8am. my flight however left at 7 am. easy fix though. another flight was leaving at 11 am. i left in such a tizzy im not exactly sure where i left my clothes from the night before. i hope my underwear isnt rolled up in my comforter. so much for fresh linens i promised the subletters.

pig wrapped in pig!

2007-11-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

ingredients:
pork roast 3 lb
garlic
rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper
cranberry honey
peppercorn bacon (1 package)

drizzle some olive oil in the pan.
get your pork roast.
stuff garlic cloves thru-out the pork top and bottom
i cut little slits and shove em in! the more the better!
then cover the pork with honey! all over. bathe it in the honey!
get your hands sticky.
next sprinkle fresh rosemary everywhere. all over!
salt and pepper the roast.
finally wrap the roast with strips of bacon. nice and snug.
drizzle some more olive oil over the roast just for fun.
then bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours
basting along the way! dont forget!

cranberry sauce:
1 pak of cranberrys
1 large orange (zested and juiced)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of grand marnier

pulse and grind! leave slightly chunky
let marry in the fridge for at least 30 min.

delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm leavin.....

2007-11-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

so, for those of you who don't know....i will be leaving ny december 30th. ill be heading south to florida on my first stop. i need to bring jimmy to his babysitters house (chadici) and then ill spend the new years with chad. after the holiday i will spend a few days in jacksonville with my parents and on january 7th i'll be off to COSTA RICA for three months!!! im going to learn spanish. taking a month long spanish immersion. host family and all! the school is called escuela d'amore. www.edcostarica.com its essentially an adventure camp for adults who want to learn spanish. it sounds amazing. after that i will be traveling thru central america for 2 months. will head north to nicaragua, el salvador, guatemal and finally mexico. i would like to end in tulum but who knows! but i do know that i should be quite fluent in espanola when all is said and done.

jody and i will arrive in san jose together. my classes dont start until the 14th so we have a week. we will be exploring uvita and the osa peninsula, which is said to be the most biologically intense place on earth! ive been wanting to go to the osa peninsula for years. this should really be an amazing trip and the perfect way to ease myself in. who knows where my journey will take me from there. but please check in for all the wacky stories and updates.

i will be having a going away party towards the end of december and ill be sure to keep everyone posted.

WOW.......

2007-11-14T08:16:00.001-08:00

The funk of forty thousand years!!!!

2007-11-13T07:14:00.001-08:00

Oscar goes to the tranny.

you know that there are!

2007-11-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

My body, your body, everybody work their body....

2007-11-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

this photo shoot is amazing.

This movie is so nice....

2007-11-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else find this disturbing?

2007-11-09T15:48:00.001-08:00

Do you think they sleep together?

Believe in your dreams.......

2007-11-09T15:45:00.001-08:00

...they do come true.

See, even dogs do it!

2007-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

what a whore.

Has everyone met Jimmy?

2007-11-09T15:40:00.001-08:00

this is jimmy.

My sister is in a horrah movie!

2007-11-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't know butterflies had so many bones??? Anywho, check out the link below for the trailer. Im not promising you anything.

it's playing this week as part of Horrorfest! 8 movies to die for! check local listings.

http://homepage.mac.com/cameroncone1/TOOTHNAIL_V6/iMovieTheater54.html

fucking hot!

2007-11-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

"Hey! Get your hand out of my pocket! Im not that kind of guy."

I have a blog!

2007-11-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

so ive joined the bandwagon and created a blog. blahg. i wish i had something exciting to post but i guess i dont.