Alana and Nicaragua

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I haven't heard from Alana in over a week and to say I've been worried would be a major understatement (she thinks I'm nuts but that's ok). Finally her Facebook status changed! I did a happy dance and I cried (she's right, I am nuts). Then I received a brief message via Face book.
I am now breathing freely... until the next time. I did check her bank balance too... and no I didn't tamper, but she's going to have to come home sooner than later. :)

V

Alana (status)
now knows why no one ever travels from San Juan De Nicaragua to Bluefields!!!!!!!!

Hi mom!
Sorry about the little vanishing act. I am fine and had one of the most random, ridiculous, and amazing weeks ever!
Internet is still a little iffy and I donï½´t know what tomorrow will bring but I will stay in contact as best I can.
I need to know my visa balance again if you coiuld!
Thanks
Love you lots!
Alana
 
And now I know why I worry... but I'm laughing at the same dam n time. I'm trying to clean up the missive so it's friendly for all...

V:porttopor

Hey All!
Happy to report that I am alive and well on the Caribbean! If you had
asked me yesterday I would have said that alive is not what I expected
to be for much longer!
After San Carlos we took a 3 hour boat to El Castillo. We had lost one
of our guys so we were down to 5. We were trying to get a fishing trip
together and after 2 days of searching James (Kiwi) stumbled across
this man who said we could stay at his place (Monte Christo on the Rio San Juan), fish all we want, kayak, canoe, ride his horses eat 3 GLORIOUS meals a day, some drinks (but if we were heavy drinkers to bring some of our own), stay in his best rooms, all for a whopping $25 per per person per day! So thatï½´s what we did. He picked us up the next day but had to do some errands, like get his gun back from the cops because he had shot it into the air the night before. Apparently someone was stealing gas from his boat so he fired in the air, but was blazingly wasted so the policia took it away.

As we were leaving a girl from Luxembourg asked to join us and since
the boys like to pick up strays (they started out with 2 of them and I
joined in at number 6) she was more than welcome. We had also gotten our sixth back in El Castillo so now we were 7.
The place was amazing especially if you enjoy laying in a hammock with
a sleeping ocelot on your chest or a feisty one eating your hair.
We kinda got stuck there for a few days as it was amazing and we were
his only guests. Augustine (the owner) treated us amazing and we sat and listened to him tell war stories.

On the first day we went to Sabolas to get some booze. Ann Luxembourg) said that she didnï½´t drink so she didnï½´t buy any. Leave it to me to find a group of people who can help corrupt anyone! She was bombed by 10pm and caught a the first boat out of there a 6am.

A few days later (I have no date concept right now) we caught a boat
heading to San Juan Del Norte. It was strongly suggested that we not try to get to Bluefields this way but we were all pretty set on the
adventure.

The 8 hour boat ride down the river was really amazing. Monkeys,
Alligators, turtles, tarpon, and a lot of fish. The jungle is the greenest
thing I have ever seen. Although the seats were uncomfortable (not for me as I didnï½´t get a seat and had to sit/lay on everyones bags) it was a very enjoyable day. Especially when we docked in Costa Rica to buy some Imperial!

We did get a little nervous as all the locals started to pour off the
boat the further down the river we went. We started out with about 60
people and were down to us and 5 locals when we got there.
As soon as we docked Silvio (Swiss) had found us a small child to take
us to a hospedage. SJDN is a town without electricity and I couldnï½´t
even tell you the last time I had seen a car. We were absolutely the only tourists in down so it was pretty easy finding someone (they found us) to take us to the old town and the cemetery. We made plans to meet our guide at 9 the next morning. Our first priority was to look into finding a way up the coast to Bluefields (Silvioï½´s was to find a bar (we get along really well)). All the guide books said that it would be almost impossible to get to Bluefields this way and that most people would either spend a lot of money or almost die, or do both. Guess which one worked for us!

There seemed to be people willing to take us so we thought we would
figure it out after our tour the next day.
Trevor (Australian) and James (Kiwi) decided to call it a night while
Silvio, Paul (Australian) (we had lost Ben the American again )and I
decided to hit the town, and by that we mean find the only bar in down and drink warm rum and cokes with the locals. After a few bottles of rum someone decided to dress Paul up as Rambo and that is about when we all drew a blank. Fortunately we were escorted home by a local named Filmore who also was going to help arrange our
transport. James said when we got there Filmore said something about us needing GPS.

The next day Silvio woke up with his door wide open, Paul couldnï½´t find
his way out of his room to use the washroom so he climbed out his
window and I woke up on the floor beside my bed obviously not under the mosquito net so I was eaten alive!
We all woke up to the sound of Rasta dude (Filmore) yelling "Okay mon!
We need to go today mon. There is a hurricane a coming and we go now mon or never". By never he meant a week which would feel like forever in SJDN, that and we were all almost out of money (for some reason the jungle doesnï½´t have bank machines). So we packed up and didnï½´t have time to pee. "Donï½´t worry mon. It is only 2 to 3 hours mon". By my calculations if we left at 1130am at 2 to 3 hours we would be in Bluefields by 330 at the latest, but Iï½´ll save that for later.
So we got in our glorified canoe with our 3 massive tanks of gas and
naturally tied another boat to ours and than another one to that and went on our way in 3 boats with one motor.

What happened next is not easily explained but I will give it a go.
Waves were big, we were small, and towing 2 boats in the middle of the
ocean in bad weather. I was panicked. Poor Trev and Jaime were sitting on either side of me. James lost feeling in his hand and Trev has some nice bruises on his leg and in his arm. Silvio told me he took a picture but I donï½´t recall. Thankfully James is a very soothing person so he was helping and Trev is funny as all hell so I was still freaking the f### out but I managed to get a few laughs out of it. After we arrived here both James and Silvio said that they werenï½´t sure we were going to make it. SOOOOO happy they waited until after to tell me.

At 3pm we didnï½´t seem to be heading in but we figured that it would
take a bit longer what with the 3 boats 1 engine thing. I had to pee 2
hours in as did the boys but they held off peeing overboard as long as
they could for my sake. I guess holding it for 8 hours is a lot to ask
because they all said f@@@ it at 730pm. Trev suggested we stop for a swim so I could go but we were runing out of gas and couldnï½´t be wasting it. So there we were in the middle of the ocean, sun setting over the water, rain soaking us and all our stuff, cold, hungry, engine heating (I canï½´t imagine why), nearing the end of our gas but not nearing our destination. Oh and I hadnï½´t peed in 10 hours!
Once again I am not a numbers whizz but I do believe leaving at 1130am rolling in at 830pm does not a 2-3 hour trip make!
But we are here and my ass hasnï½´t been wet all day and I have vowed to not get on a boat for at least 12 more hours!
Love you all
Alana
 
I'm really glad for Facebook. ;)

Alana decided to take a plane over a boat on this past leg of the adventure... I commented that I was amazed by this, given her fear of flying. This is her response.

V

Hey Mommy! You clearly haven't been on the suicide boats I have been on. I believe I said 'screw this I'm flying to the islands' about 20 mins into the boat from San Juan Del Nicaragua to Bluefields. I am fairly certain the boys still have bruised thighs, arms, hands, etc. I am staying at Parisso Club on Big Corn. A little fancy but this is my last splurge then it's back to bed bugs.
 
Sounds like the journey of a lifetime. I can't imagine the sights Alana has had. She must have great strength to endure all the adventures.

Victoria you must be exhausted worrying about her each day.
 
Help!!

yeah my graddaugter just won a poetry contest and won 2000 dollars not 2 brag but yeah in was so proud of her but............

but her poerty was kinda emoo so yeah and i sounded lyk she had a boifrd wut do i do????????

i no in usally listen but im coming outta my shell so get used 2 it kk???????


peace!!!
 
V,

I have enjoyed reading your daughter's adventures, I would be beside myself with worry. How old is she?
What inspired such an adventure?

Jennifer
 
Jennifer she is 31. It all started when I encouraged her to do her photo journalism internship for a paper in Costa Rica. I had a friend who lived and worked there and Alana wanted/needed to overcome fears and panic attacks. It was the toughest thing I ever did, putting her on a plane to dear knows what. She survived, flourished and had such an impactful relationship with my friend, and decided she wanted to live life... who am I to argue.

Worry, beside myself... oh yes, several times over. But the fruits of Alana's travels and adventures are building a remarkable human being, so I breathe and pray... a lot!

V :)
 
Wow, what a great mom you are !!
Keep us posted on her adventures. It's like our own flowerchat version of "The Amazing Race" or "Survivor".
You daughter sounds awesome.

Jennifer
 
Thanks Jennifer... on all counts. She is most definitely awesome. And believe me, when I hear from her, so will you!

:)

V
 
Yet another boat.

It's an island... scroll down and you'll see the boat she's travelling on. Again, it's obvious there is no Health and Safety committee there. She seems to believe I would be "sucked into" the charm and beauty of the place.

I don't know, I just want her to be safe.

V



http://www.bicyclingcuba.com/nicaragua/nicaragua3.html
 
Hey Mom!
All is well and loving Little Corn! Tonight we will be enjoying the
fish that we caught. There is a place called Casa Iguanas and we have been
eating there most nights. Tonight they said they would prepare our
catch for us. I caught a ginormous Jack Fish as did a new friend. Woof was a showoff and caught one Jack and a Baracuda! We are having a great time and do not want to leave the island. We moved accomodations because we are out of cash and needed a place that takes cards. Oh and also because I have bedbug bites all over my knees.

Glad all is well at home. You sound busy and happy.
I believe I will be home on the 6th, flying out of Managua on the 5th.
Love you lots!
Alana
 
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Ever closer to coming home. :)

Hey mom.
We are here is Estili after an interesting chicken bus ride. As it turns out you can fit about 200 people on a school bus. We are trying to get to Miraflor tomorrow but everything is closed today so we are having a hard time figuring it out. We want to stay in a farmhouse directly in the reserve but it has to be booked ahead so we may not get there until Tuesday. Estili is a nice town and I can think of worse places to be stuck in. After that we are going to Somoto than back to Apoyo.
We are having trouble booking our flight and I may need you to do that for me. I will let you know later if we do.
Hope all is well
Love
Alana

MIRAFLOR NATURE RESERVE

More than a trip into Estelí’s misty mountains, a visit to Miraflor is a trip backward in time. Perhaps this is what Costa Rica’s Monteverde was like 40 years ago before it was populated with four-star resorts and laced with splinter-free wooden walkways. Miraflor is unabashedly rustic, natural, and unpretentious. Declared a protected natural reserve in 1990, this rudimentary tourist infrastructure was developed by locals, with their own sweat and labor and in the absence of any external help.

Miraflor as an entity is totally unique even if, as an entity, it’s a little vague. There’s no town, per se, or even a real center. Rather, the 5,000 Mirafloreños live dispersed throughout the 206 square kilometers of the reserve in a geographically dispersed but socially united community. The Miraflor Reserve is privately owned, cooperatively managed in many parts, and almost entirely self-funded by associations of small-scale producers. Most notable among these is the UCA Miraflor (or in full: the Union de Cooperativas Agropecuarias Héroes y Mártires de Miraflor—not to be confused with the University of Central America), an association of 14 small farmer cooperatives and 120 families living within the protected area. UCA Miraflor is primarily an agricultural credit and loan institution, but has also tackled issues and begun programs, such as community health and education, organic agriculture and diversification of crops, cooperative coffee production, gender and youth groups, and conflict resolution. Tourism, Miraflor’s greatest potential, was just an afterthought.

Sights and Attractions
Miraflor has something for everyone—nature lovers, hikers, social justice workers, organic farmers, artists, horse lovers, orchid fanatics, birders, and entomologists—each of whom will find their own personal heaven here. You can certainly visit parts of Miraflor in a day trip from Estelí, but read on and consider experiencing the unique accommodations.

It should be noted that every attraction in Miraflor is privately owned, often by poor campesinos. Your financial support is the driving force that will lead to the continued preservation of these magnificent forests, because, “hey, this would be a great place to chop down the trees and plant some beans."

Fauna: 236 distinct bird species belonging to 46 different families inhabit or fly through these mountains—that’s nearly 40 percent of all bird species in the country, including four species of the elusive quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), toucans, the ranchero (Procnias tricaruntulata), with its three dangling chins, and the Nicaraguan national bird, the guardabarranco. Miraflor is also one of your best chances to spot coyotes, sloths, deer, howler monkeys, or one of six different feline species, not to mention raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and exotic rodents.

Orchids: Miraflor is one of the richest and most unexplored orchid viewing regions anywhere. Among the more than 300 identified species is an enormous colony of Cattleya skinniri (the national flower of Costa Rica), not to mention scads of bromeliads and a museum of other orchids from throughout the reserve.

Hikes and Adventure: Short hikes are possible through any of the hundreds of pockets of forest, but ask your guide to take you on one of the more adventurous trips. Although difficult to access, the 60-meter waterfall at La Chorrera is one of the wildest spots in the reserve. The Caves of Apaguis were dug in pre-Columbian times by gem seekers and have been occupied ever since by duendes (dwarves), as any local will inform you. The mature cloud forest of Bosque Los Volcancitos is Miraflor’s highest point at 1,484 meters and is known habitat for howler monkeys and quetzals. If the monkeys don’t snatch away your binoculars, expect fantastic views from El Tayacán, Cerro Yeluca, Cerro El Aguila, La Coyotera, and Ocote Calzado. Furthermore, the forests are replete with mysteries, such as the casa antigua, a 1,200-year-old foundation in the Tayacán area, surrounded by dozens of other unearthed montículos (mounds). Archeologists haven’t even begun to investigate the rest of them.

Progressive Agriculture: If you enjoy inspired agriculture and alternative farming practices, the campesinos at Miraflor will gladly show you their cutting-edge lifestyle, including organic compost, natural pest management, watershed protection, live fences, crop diversification, soil management, reforestation, worm farming, and environmental education. In addition, Miraflor’s small-scale, fair trade, organic coffee cooperatives and cupping lab (in Cebollál) are among the nation’s finest.


______________________________

And here is a site with photos of Estili, where she and Shawn are "stuck".

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrickdowd/page7/

V
 
As it turns out you can fit about 200 people on a school bus.

<shudder!!> :eek:
 
:) Beth, I don't understand the bus system in Latin America... believe me. In Mexico, we avoided the bus company who's motto was "better dead than late". However, Alana is seemingly picking all manner of exciting rides this trip. I'm thinking after this, the coasters at Wonderland will be tame and boring to her.

V
 
Honestly I should be getting used to these little gems, but I'm not.

She is in Miraflor and this is the update. I still don't know when she is coming home.

V

Nica time isnï½´t funny when your 3hr jungle hike turns into 6, you are out of water, no food, & your guide is lost!
 
That's it? That's all she sent? Oh V, how do you keep your blood pressure in check?
 
Victoria,

What an adventurer!!! Your daughter is. I am green with envy:>.
She is blessed.
You are blessed.
We are blessed, to be able to imagine through her adventures!

Thank you for sharing.
 
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