To all those who followed this blog during my trip through Central America, I would like to let you know that I have started a new blog for Erika and I on our trip to Japan and southeast Asia. The new blog address is:
http://nomadwanderers.blogspot.com/
I enjoyed blogging on my last trip mostly because I knew so many friends and family were following along with me. So please follow our new blog and keep in touch.
Wishing you all health and happiness
Josh
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Good Old San Diego
Back in the US...for now.
I arrived back in San Diego early on September 4th and have been enjoying my time back in the States. Being back is definitely a little strange, with all the rules and laws about what we in this "free" country are allowed to do. On the other hand, the weather is great and I am glad to spend time with my girlfriend Erika and visit with all of my old buddies.
Labor Day weekend I spent hanging out at the beach and having barbecues and bonfires with my friends as well as several of Erika's friends visiting from Connecticut. The crowds were less than usual, but it was still a pretty busy weekend. I also got to see my nephews and niece which was a real joy. My brother's family came down to Mission Bay on Labor Day and I got to play with the kids (which is tiring!).
Last weekend I got to enjoy a trip up to Oxnard, California to see my Mom and Dad. It was a relaxing weekend and I also got to restock on clothing. After 5 months of travelling, my old clothes are at their last thread.
And as for my plans from here....I dont know! It is hard for me to slow down and get back into the fast pace of everything so I am taking my time to figure out my next move. Most likely I will be in San Diego off and on for the next few months, taking small trips to go see friends throughout Cali (so shoot me an email and I will stop by). And OF COURSE San Fran is gonna be first so I can see all of you that call the Bay home.
Camping and off-roading trips are always on the table so...lets go!
Pictures of life back in San Diego:
Enjoying the beach with Erika
Late night burrito runs are an essential part of life in southern California!
Here is Toby and Piper playing in the water, and Owen with his Mom.
Toby and Owen hanging with Kelsey on the beach.
I arrived back in San Diego early on September 4th and have been enjoying my time back in the States. Being back is definitely a little strange, with all the rules and laws about what we in this "free" country are allowed to do. On the other hand, the weather is great and I am glad to spend time with my girlfriend Erika and visit with all of my old buddies.
Labor Day weekend I spent hanging out at the beach and having barbecues and bonfires with my friends as well as several of Erika's friends visiting from Connecticut. The crowds were less than usual, but it was still a pretty busy weekend. I also got to see my nephews and niece which was a real joy. My brother's family came down to Mission Bay on Labor Day and I got to play with the kids (which is tiring!).
Last weekend I got to enjoy a trip up to Oxnard, California to see my Mom and Dad. It was a relaxing weekend and I also got to restock on clothing. After 5 months of travelling, my old clothes are at their last thread.
And as for my plans from here....I dont know! It is hard for me to slow down and get back into the fast pace of everything so I am taking my time to figure out my next move. Most likely I will be in San Diego off and on for the next few months, taking small trips to go see friends throughout Cali (so shoot me an email and I will stop by). And OF COURSE San Fran is gonna be first so I can see all of you that call the Bay home.
Camping and off-roading trips are always on the table so...lets go!
Pictures of life back in San Diego:
Enjoying the beach with Erika
Late night burrito runs are an essential part of life in southern California!
Here is Toby and Piper playing in the water, and Owen with his Mom.
Toby and Owen hanging with Kelsey on the beach.
Santa Theresa
I'm back in the US now, but wanted to post my last stop before I came home:
My last 3 days in Costa Rica were in Santa Theresa (Mal Pais). The weather was perfect and we didn't get any rain for three days straight. I am very glad I had the chance to go out bodyboarding and lay around on the beach for hours on end. The sunsets there are also amazing and I got some sweet pictures. I stayed at one of the best hostels I have ever known, Cuesta Arriba. The place was super clean, had a movie lounge upstairs and a nice big kitchen for guests. Bonus - the hostel is right across the street from a trail down to the beach, and right out front is a good beach break. I sure will miss lazy days like this. As I left the country, I knew I would be headed back to this paradise country. Not sure when...but I'm going back for sure.
My favorite hostel
Here is view coming up the driveway, really nicely done place.
This is the end of the trail from the hostel. Not too shabby.
The beaches in Santa Theresa/Mal Pais are long, white sand and beautiful. Most of the buildings are set back from the beach, so the rainforest comes right down to the beach.
More beaches...
Some crazy guys wakeboarding from the back of a quad. Nice sunset too.
Ahhh, the good life! Endless memories, all of them good.
My last 3 days in Costa Rica were in Santa Theresa (Mal Pais). The weather was perfect and we didn't get any rain for three days straight. I am very glad I had the chance to go out bodyboarding and lay around on the beach for hours on end. The sunsets there are also amazing and I got some sweet pictures. I stayed at one of the best hostels I have ever known, Cuesta Arriba. The place was super clean, had a movie lounge upstairs and a nice big kitchen for guests. Bonus - the hostel is right across the street from a trail down to the beach, and right out front is a good beach break. I sure will miss lazy days like this. As I left the country, I knew I would be headed back to this paradise country. Not sure when...but I'm going back for sure.
My favorite hostel
Here is view coming up the driveway, really nicely done place.
This is the end of the trail from the hostel. Not too shabby.
The beaches in Santa Theresa/Mal Pais are long, white sand and beautiful. Most of the buildings are set back from the beach, so the rainforest comes right down to the beach.
More beaches...
Some crazy guys wakeboarding from the back of a quad. Nice sunset too.
Ahhh, the good life! Endless memories, all of them good.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Back to being a tourist
On Friday morning I left Fuente Verde and travelled for 13 hours to reach Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula in northwestern Costa Rica. The area is littered with beautiful beaches and the town is positively tiny (two blocks). I have been enjoying the relaxation of the beach life, but am somewhat turned off by being back on the tourist trail. There are so many silly and ignorant travellers that I at times do not want to be viewed in the same light by the locals. I am trying to speak spanish as much as possible and love to randomly strike up conversations with locals.
Today I hiked up a river near town to several waterfalls, and the trail was sketchy to say the least. The views were worth it though and I made it down safe and sound. After trudging through the jungle, I walked up to a butterfly garden built by a nearby B&B. There were all kinds of species and it was a real treat to finally see species like the Morpho up close. All of this was accomplished by about 11am! In the afternoon I walked down the beach to Playa Grande and did some beach-combing for shells. A very full and satisfying day indeed. And for those of you buggin me for more photos, here you go....
Gotta start the day out right...gallo pinto con huevos (rice and beans with eggs)
A morpho butterfly, usually only seen flittering through the forest like a ghost.
Owl butterflys feasting on fermenting fruit
This is just a really cool mushroom I saw on a trail, its rainy season in Costa Rica and mushrooms are everywhere.
Nice view huh?
This is Montezuma, underneath all the trees.
These waterfalls are sweet, just dont step too close to the edge =)
Hard to tell, but this is probably a 40 foot waterfall. I heard people jump off this, but with muddy water and no one else around I decided to skip that...aren't you proud Mom?
This one is just for fun, back from the farm days. And I actually drank the beer afterwards. Erika dont worry, although indirectly I kissed a goat, I brushed my teeth dozens of times since then.
Today I hiked up a river near town to several waterfalls, and the trail was sketchy to say the least. The views were worth it though and I made it down safe and sound. After trudging through the jungle, I walked up to a butterfly garden built by a nearby B&B. There were all kinds of species and it was a real treat to finally see species like the Morpho up close. All of this was accomplished by about 11am! In the afternoon I walked down the beach to Playa Grande and did some beach-combing for shells. A very full and satisfying day indeed. And for those of you buggin me for more photos, here you go....
Gotta start the day out right...gallo pinto con huevos (rice and beans with eggs)
A morpho butterfly, usually only seen flittering through the forest like a ghost.
Owl butterflys feasting on fermenting fruit
This is just a really cool mushroom I saw on a trail, its rainy season in Costa Rica and mushrooms are everywhere.
Nice view huh?
This is Montezuma, underneath all the trees.
These waterfalls are sweet, just dont step too close to the edge =)
Hard to tell, but this is probably a 40 foot waterfall. I heard people jump off this, but with muddy water and no one else around I decided to skip that...aren't you proud Mom?
This one is just for fun, back from the farm days. And I actually drank the beer afterwards. Erika dont worry, although indirectly I kissed a goat, I brushed my teeth dozens of times since then.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Animal Encounters
Life at Fuente Verde farm in Costa Rica is treating me well. I have been working hard to help the farm manager propagate food plants around the farm. I have also been working on an infrastructure project along with several others on the farm to get several ponds and creeks full of water and have everything sustained by one spring. It has been really rewarding to see so much progress over the short time I have been here, I can only imagine where this farm will be in a few years. Amazing is what it will be! I have one week left on the farm and then I plan to relax along the pacific coastline until I return to San Diego in early September. I will be around for Labor Day weekend, so if you are in San Diego you will probably see me. I put up a few pictures below of some of the interesting animals I´ve encountered lately.
This is a tree frog which decided to hang out one night. It crawled around on my shoulder for probably ten minutes before jumping off onto a nearby tarot plant.
These caterpillars are nasty! Derick got stung by one and it looked painful. It was hangin out on the underside of a castor bean leaf.
We had a large constrictor snake get into one of the chicken coups and it ate one hen and 9 chicks in just one night(remains seen above). One of the ticos found it and killed it, and Derick cooked it up for dinner.
MMMM, snake meat!
We made snake pho, whcih is a twist on a traditional vietnamese soup. And yes, this vegetarian ate some...and it was delicious (and chewy).
This is a tree frog which decided to hang out one night. It crawled around on my shoulder for probably ten minutes before jumping off onto a nearby tarot plant.
These caterpillars are nasty! Derick got stung by one and it looked painful. It was hangin out on the underside of a castor bean leaf.
We had a large constrictor snake get into one of the chicken coups and it ate one hen and 9 chicks in just one night(remains seen above). One of the ticos found it and killed it, and Derick cooked it up for dinner.
MMMM, snake meat!
We made snake pho, whcih is a twist on a traditional vietnamese soup. And yes, this vegetarian ate some...and it was delicious (and chewy).
Friday, August 7, 2009
Enjoying Time on the Farm
Okay, so I finally have some pictues to share, and dont forget to check out the video section over on the right side. Above is a picture of me near a waterfall near San Gerardo, where I went camping with Derrick and his son Gabriel for a weekend. Below are a few pictures from the farm I am staying on and from some side trips I have taken while staying there.
One of my projects on the farm has been rebuilding a collapsed structure near the community house that is used for drying clothes and also serves as a nursery. The entire right side of the structure had to be rebuilt after a collapse and straight ahead you can see some rocks we arranged for a shower. This afternoon I am finishing up the bamboo walls for the shower.Below is a cave campsite underneath a waterfall. Two hours hike straight up from the farm.
One of the upper pools, there are several sets of waterfalls along this river.
Sitting around with volunteers and our farm manager Tiffany.
Here is a good picture that shows some scale. Sweet place!
This is the community house on the farm. In the foreground is a fish and duck pond.
We had homemade pizzas one night and they were delicious!
Derrick, who manages the farm with his wife Tiffany, on our camping trip to San Gerardo.
Derrick flyfishing on the river.
Derrick and Gabe hiking across a bridge on the way to the big waterfall.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Fuente Verde
So I have been at Fuente Verde for over a week now and plan to settle here for a while. I love the farm and the people are awesome. The farm is a 60-acre agriculture-oriented community. The land and food are all owned by the members of the farm who get started with a lot for $40k to 80k. Volunteers can work on the farm and learn permaculture, which includes animal husbandry, water management, gardening and cooking among many other areas. I have been helping out by rebuilding the dryhouse which serves as a green house and for hanging laundry. I also have been trying to use my skills as an engineer to benefit the farm. I want to help Derek, who brought me to Fuente Verde, design his future earth house. Maybe even give some guidance to others designing roads and drainage on this and other farms. Funny that I leave behind my job only to be talking about road construction in Costa Rica!
Life on the farm is so laid back and has many rewarding moments. Like when 5 of us from the farm hiked to Diamante waterfall on Tuesday and Wednesday. One of the tallest waterfalls in Costa Rica, and one of the upper falls has a cave behind the waterfall with beds and a kitchen! We spent the night in the cave and had a blast. Truly epic experience.
More coming soon, I´m not on the internet much here cause the cafes are in a different town down the road. No internet, what will I do...how will I get my knowledge =)
Life on the farm is so laid back and has many rewarding moments. Like when 5 of us from the farm hiked to Diamante waterfall on Tuesday and Wednesday. One of the tallest waterfalls in Costa Rica, and one of the upper falls has a cave behind the waterfall with beds and a kitchen! We spent the night in the cave and had a blast. Truly epic experience.
More coming soon, I´m not on the internet much here cause the cafes are in a different town down the road. No internet, what will I do...how will I get my knowledge =)
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