Cuba

Cuba, a country I visited the least time on the last trip but a country which had an enormous influence on me and how I see life. Layers on layers, Central America puts on a veil of happiness, loads of gringo parties, things to do, many things you will never have the time to do, an escape root into nature, but a gringo oasis if you want to join the circus. Cuba is more isolated, and you wont find the usual hostels and lifestyle you find there. You will spend more time with Cuban families, you will spend more money on those guesthouses, you will see many illogical and strange things, you will never understand how some people live there with the money they earn, and you will probably give away loads of your clothes.

The path of the Maya..

Keep your flames where they burn so bright, leave your embers to die.

In life everybody needs sometimes an oasis in the desert, or a safe island in stormy seas. Traveling can be a roller coaster, and sometimes you have to stop and rest. Well this place is special, and will give you the desired shelter when needed. The Maya found it, and I can tell why they made it their home. In the end, when everything leaves, when all clears, when you feel that connection, we can discover that all of us, the whole Planet, the Ants, the Butterflies, Monkeys and Earth and Dirt, is only a part of that big "swirling Chocolate and Vanilla pudding" that is Life, all connected and One. This is a special place for meditation, for wandering the jungles, the Maya ruins, for all kinds of shamanic rituals, from cacao to sometimes stronger stuff, for "swimming" with the crocodiles in the many lakes, or hiking up volcanoes. Here you can get the chance to breath again, for a fresh start or just a trippy day on LSD.

Two little fish, from Honduras to Belize

Two fish talkin':

"Those damn men. But we might not have to worry about them much longer. They seem more intent than ever on committing mass suicide."

"Yeah, global hara-kiri. But they don't call it that."

"Of course not. The call it progress. They call it growth. They call it national security and energy policy and all sort of foolish things, but both motives and the end results are the same. The good news, perhaps is that they're starting to relearn the art of species-wide communication. I mean, they do it with those machines they call computers, they do it on the World Wide Web, but.."

"They forgot how to do it, I guess, they forgot that they were animals."  

"All that showy technology in the paws of a band of primates who in terms of their emotions are barely advanced beyond the level of baboons. They're chimpanzees with bulldozers, monkeys with bombs."

Playing the blues on Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

The Ometepe island is a special and weird place, with some strange energy but a lovely look. I would rather say strange energy cause of the volcanoes and the metal swirling around in them. But this is my theory. It's an island formed by two volcanoes, the Concepción and Maderas, rising from Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. It was a hangout place for pirates during the times of the conquest and later. They plundered the villagers and used their women. Now it's a perfect place to hang out, relax, do yoga or reiki, chill or climb the volcanoes.

Surfing up the Costa Rican coast..

In Montezuma an old hippie said to me.. "This is the place all hippies come to die." He gave me a book and said "You will find lyrics for your next song in this book!" One can get easily caught up in this beautiful stretch of palm trees and surf breaks, papaya and mango infested grounds, good rum, warm water and 'da rastaman' lifestyle. :) Here are a few picks from the surf spots in Costa Rica..       The spots..in and around..Montezuma..and Santa Teresa..

The cloudforest

“Would they fell trees but leave men standing? Trees are a damn sight more usefull than people, and everything in the world knows that except people.

Trees do generate oxygen; men just breathe it up, stink it up, and generally misuse it. Trees provide shelter and protection to countless species, men threaten the existence of those species. Trees hold the soil in place, men are constantly displacing it.  When in sufficient number, trees regulate atmospheric temperatures, men endanger the planet by knocking those regulations askew. You can’t rest in the shade of a human, not even a roly-poly one; and isn’t it refreshing that trees can undergo periodic change without having a nervous breakdown over it? Best of all, perhaps, what maple or cypress ever tried to sell you something you didn’t want?“ 

Cerro Chirripo, San Isidro, San Gerardo y un poco de la selva..

Today they are charging us the right to walk in the forest, they are charging us to pick the fruits of the forest. They try to play God and apparently the country is the owner of everything and we are maybe privileged to use the space. Who the fuck is the country than the people? So this is happening in Croatia and at one point if you pick a mushroom or walk around with your family you will have to pay.   

But that said, before they close everything, at this point, I would love to share with you this little paradise of lush green forests and people with a constant smile on their face. Their motto: Pura Vida!

Pristina

A small young state, recognised as a sovereign state by 107 UN member states. It is landlocked and is bordered by the Republic of Macedonia to the south, Albania to the west and Montenegro to the northwest. The citizens need a Visa for the most countries except Albania and Monte Negro. But this is the home of kind and warm open-hearted people. The food is cheap and excellent, the culture and spirit as in all big cities in the World, they have the Euro as currency, the gay marriage is legal, and it's forbidden to smoke in the bars. This is the place where singer-songwriter James Blunt met a girl in the Kosovo war, fell in love, the family didn't approve, so he got back with a broken heart and wrote the songs which made his album famous. 

Here are a few bits of Pristina, the capital of the Republic of Kosovo.