Jared's Thoughts

TRAVEL LOGS with locations and relative costs--
            Dive Log
            Surf Log

TWO weeks before departure! Very anxious to begin this adventure around the world. I will be documenting all the equipment we are using on this voyage from camera equipment to emergency vehicle supplies. This may come as a surprise to most but we will be driving through Central and South America. Believe me, we have heard the stories and we've done our research to insure this leg of the trip is as safe as possible. For background on myself, I am a native Houstonian and an alumnus from University of Houston. Most recently I just withdrew from active service from USMC where I served three tours, two to Afghanistan, these past four years. These deployments represent the backbone of my financial support for myself during this trip. Planning for this has taken close to a year and over the next two weeks I will try to go through what we've done to plan financially and materially. Lastly I am incredibly happy that I get to share this experience with two of my best friends: Kathleen Ashby a NYC nurse I met in college and Clint Austin who served with me in the Marines.

08 May 13
DAY 1

Today began with me stressfully getting Mexican auto insurance and finalizing other details before trekking into the unknown. By noon, we made our way to the border, my heart pumping so fast it reminded me of the first steps I took in Afghanistan back in 2009.  We touched down in the dead of night and humped our gear which was substantial for what felt like a few miles. As we crossed the border we got the usual questions from officials:  What do you have in the car?  Where are y'all going?  We would smile and respond with S America or Chili and their response echoed most of yours when I would speak of our crazy future traveling scheme. Within only a few minutes Clint is saying he wants to go back, this is a bad idea and Kathleen already wants to break the law. Too funny.  Alas we made it to our first destination of Monterrey which took about 3 hours from Nuevo Laredo where we found a nice cheap hostel in the barrio antiguo which is very homely and beautiful as the sun sets on the surrounding mountains. That much more excited!  We finished the night with a beautiful view of the entire city from the balconies at Habita in San Pedro, one of the most affluent areas in Latin America I'm told.

09 May 13
DAY 2

Beautiful, hot day began with a delightful waffle breakfast with a Mexican twist, fried egg on top covered in mole sauce, salsa and syrup. During breakfast we got the pleasure of conversing with a French roommate who actually moved to Mexico a few years ago to startup a water treatment company based out of Mexico City. Apparently Monterrey has the best treated and safest water in Mexico.  The conversation is already becoming vague but I remember him describing Monterrey as the only city to have constant pressure through their water pipes while most areas frequently hold water in different reservoirs allowing the pipes to corrupt. Not sure how correct this is but made my day attempting to learn something new. We spent the afternoon taking a boat ride up and down the Santa Lucia in which the water looked more appealing to jump into than anything.  It is man-made but instead of other more natural looking constructions, this one looks like a very long swimming pool. The scene was still gorgeous with mountains dotting the background.  The most adventurous part of our day was compliments of our friend Iveth's recommendation, eating cabrito (baby goat) for dinner!  Juicy goodness!  Last night in Monterrey than off to Tampico early in the morning.

11 May 13
DAY 4

Great evening last night in Tampico. Kristofer Shelton, an old college buddy extended his hospitality and was our tour guide through the city giving us history lessons and pointing out cultural spots. Frankly the most important cultural icon he showed us was Tampico's delicious seafood!  At El Porvenir we had stuffed crab, seafood tortas and unbelievably crab tacos with mozzarella tortillas!  It ended up being a late night and all of us had difficulty waking up this morning especially with the long day looming. Let me tell you this ten hour drive from Tampico to Mexico City was no joke. We had every possible kind of inclimate weather issue:  slick roads, thick fog that at times wouldn't allow me to see a few feet in front of me, and finally rain which ended up pouring into the car and myself due to the soft rack we have on too of the car. Weather aside, the roads are full of stupid drivers
driving too fast and driving too close, but the most obnoxious thing was the multitude of topes or
 road bumps.  Don't get me wrong, the views were beautiful and we got close to 7000 ft during this excursion and even the fog made the landscape somewhat mystical. On another fun note as we got in to Mexico City, I broke 800 miles driving in Mexico with many more to come!!

13 May 13
DAY 6

Three cities in less than a week covering almost a thousand miles through mountainous terrain is impressive. We spent the last two full days here in Ciudad de Mexico and did a ton of walking making it almost a joy to get back in the car tomorrow to travel to Oaxaca. We got the cliff notes of this huge city, seeing Catedral Metropolitana, Edificio de Correos, Tenplo Mayor, Teotihuacan and lastly the infamous Torture Museum. I will tell you while all the others left my mouth gaped by the beauty of culture the latter left me in astonishment in humanity's cruelty. We are definitely capable of beautiful dreams and such terrible nightmares.

16 May 13
DAY 9

The past two days in Oaxaca were not as relaxing as i would have hoped.  we drug ourselves to the corners of town to see the ancient ruins called Monte Alban and then the local zocalo where for some reason it seemed the entire city was present for the festivities.  The entire city was very quaint and beautiful, and for that reason it was difficult to find a cheap place to eat.  But we did!  It is becoming difficult to write more, I feel at a loss of words.  I can say that recently, Montezuma is getting me and I have started having stomach pains from either the food or environment.  I hope it passes soon because it is miserable at times.  Looking forward to our next destination so I can finally get some surfing in. 

21 May 13
DAY 14

We got into San Cristobal de las Casas earlier this afternoon. It feels nice to be in the mountain cool air again after the hot, humid stay in Puerto Escondido most of last week.  It is hard to write anything of substance right now of our stay in Puerto Escondido because yesterday morning when I woke up I noticed I had received an ominous message via Facebook from a friend back home stating that something terrible had happened to a really close friend of mine. I frantically tried getting a hold of anyone. Finally after what felt an hour but had actually only been a few minutes, I got the horrible news that Joe had gotten into a car wreck and passed away. I was in utter shock!  Now each moment spent on the road my mind is back home....with the friends I won't be able to comfort or hug...even grieve with.  Interesting thing is that my prime motivation for this massive undertaking of global
travel was fundamentally developed for me when I began losing those closest to me....my mother
and brother.  I questioned what I wanted to live for, what my brother no longer could and what my mother didn't.  So for me that became travel...to see pristine beauty, to experience....to FEEL!  I want to roll the dice and play my hand because I'm not scared if I win or lose as long as I live....live for those that have fallen....live for me.

30 May 13
DAY 23

I've gotten pretty bad at writing, concentrating lately on just uploading the pictures from each destination. Joe's death left my mind in another moment of time and every day I've tried to enjoy my surroundings and the people I meet but quickly devolve into agonizing grief when left a moment with myself.  I looked at what we've done since we started and just this beginning is kind of incredible, we've managed to visit 11 cities and drive around 3 thousand miles in 23 days and tomorrow we will drive around Isla de Cozumel before we take the ferry back to Playa del Carmen. Over the past two weeks or so since I wrote anything of substance, I can say that I have seen and done a lot. Watching sunsets on both sides of Mexico, seeing Maya ruins massively emerge from the jungle floor, surfed one of the best breaks and now today dived one of the most popular spots in the Western Hemisphere- the reef off of the island of Cozumel. The beauty was uncanny and serene, gliding through the water through small groups of fish and above large lobsters fighting it out on the sea floor. I felt at one with the world, even if foreign, just as I did in Puerto Escondido when I sat on my board looking for that first wave with the sun breaking over the cliffs behind me.

6 June 13
DAY 34

Diving has become another wonder to me. During this short time gone I've completed five dives averaging around 80 feet going the deepest during my dive off Caye Caulker to the Blue Hole at amazingly 140 feet.  The feeling while at that depth is indescribable, part fear, part amazement.  We started at the side of the hole and got our bearings set at around 30 feet and then quickly descended into the very deep blue. Looking up I could see a giant halo of light blue light. Looking down I began to see the rock ebb away to massive 30-40 feet stalactites. This was around 100-110 feet and I began to experience time very slowly and subtelies vanished. This was narcosis for me and the first time experiencing it.  I've heard some explain this effect like consuming laughing gas but for me all I felt was a relaxing slow down. We swam below these colossal stalactites and then up and through them weaving between and around just staring.  It was over before it began and before I knew it we were swimming back to the surface but not without a final surprise. The diver beside me pointed off my left shoulder and when I turned my head to look, I saw the sleek shadow of a very imposing grey coral or reef shark within a few feet. I probably should have been terrified but all I could think about was how lucky I was to be right there in that moment. There ended up being three more that I could see as I made my way back to the surface.

Between Cozumel and Caye Caulker, the diving has been amazing. I have swam through the coral formations at Half Moon Caye,  under the rocks at Palancar Gardens, swerved in and out of the stalactites at the Blue Hole, and swam with the nurse sharks and rays at Shark and Ray Alley.  Simply blessed!

6 July 13
DAY 64

It has been a month since I wrote on here.  Not sure if this is due to my laziness to write or an indication of being busy experiencing new things.  Whatever the reason, over the last 30 days or so I have been thinking of creating a dichotomy of my experiences:  those occasions you are completely overtaken by the simplistic beauty inherent in nature or the artistic aspect of the man-made, and those exhilarating moments that allow you to push yourself forward.
I first thought of the former when we were taking a boat down Rio Dulce, back in Guatemala.  The river was calm and looked like glass, calmly beautiful.  I extended my hand and ran a finger through the water and got lost in the innocence of the moment.  At that moment, I remembered being a child again, being the reason they have DO NOT TOUCH signs.  It is the same with surfing; if I can just extend my hand and run a finger through the water as I ride down the wave, it is blissful.  We've looked accross the jungles in Guatemala and saw the ruins of Tikal, breaking over the treeline.  I think I stood there for 15 minutes just staring in amazement.  We've seen amazing sunsets over beaches in Puerto Escondido, Little Corn Island and Playa Gigante and felt the same bliss that makes time stand still.
For the latter, the search for adrenaline had us today hiking up an active volcano called Cerro Negro in order to board down the steep side.  The view from the top was incredible, in fact we were able to see a line of volcanoes that our guide said was apart of the Ring of Fire.  Boarding down, one could reach close to 80km/hr.  I am sure mine was a lot more modest, but fun none the less.  By the time you get down you are covered in black dust and have tons of rocks in your shoes even if you were lucky enough not to fall.  Another example, was diving The Blue Hole back in Belize.  I had never gone deeper than 80ft and never experienced narcosis, and here I signed up to go to 140ft.  Surfing has also been exhilarating.  The heavy waves of Puerto Escondido hit hard and kept you down.  Since, I have been more conservative with my break choices.  I have gotten very lucky with the breaks since in El Salvador and Nicaragua.  The right break at Playa el Sunzal, was outstanding for my longboard, easy to paddle past the break and the waves were soft and  head-high.  The only downside was the rocky beaches.  Playa Gigante offered both great rights and lefts, sandy beach breaks and soft good sized waves.

11 July 13
DAY 69

My "Endless Summer"  this past week was surreal.  I was fortunate enough to visit two of my top surf fantasy spots in the world, Witches Rock and Ollie´s Point.  For me, my dream started probably like every other kid´s my age, watching the surf documentaries Endless Summer 1 and 2.  For those unfamiliar, the movies chronicle a few surfers as they travel around the world in search for the perfect wave.  In fact thse movies made such an impact in my childhood that I dubbed myself Wingnut my senior year in high school because of my choice to ride a longboard then and even now.  A few years later when working for a local Houston surf shop, I met Robert August, the star of the first movie and renowned shaper.  I heard his stories, and and the dream in my head became more fantastical as it shaped itself.  Even now, I think what I am able to accomplish, thanks to God, is more impressive than the wild imaginations of the teenager I was.  Most of us as we grow older can hardly make the claim that as an adult we have nurtured or accomplished a childhood dream.  Again, I thank God for the opportunity he has given me.  More tangibly, the breaks at Ollie`s Point were around 6 to 10 feet, very crisp and soft but allowed for some amazing rights like most point breaks.  There were only ten or so other surfers in the line-up since you can only reach this spot by boat, and they were I must say, some of the nicest and accommodating people I have ever met in the water and maed the experience even more amazing.  I forgot to mention this earlier in the blog but I have been using a 9ft Stewart longboard this trip, which has made me slightly scared at some points that the board could not handle the shape of some of these waves but has performed phenomenally.  Witches Rock was barren of other surfers so it was only 3 of us enjoying this beach break getting our fill of lefts or rights.  By the end of the day I had to paddle back to the boat wearily with both arms feeling like noodles and my neck already sore.  All in all, an outstanding day.  Today, just 2 days later, we stopped by Santa Catalina in Panama, another amazing surf spot, and got a good hour morning session before the low tide came in and rocks started protruding everywhere along the coast.  My sore cut feet and hands are a testament to the struggle to get to this great wave.  I definitely recommend booties to anyone coming to this location.      

31 July 13
DAY 89

Today was the first traumatic day that we have encountered.  We arrived in Medellin yesterday after spending around 11 days stuck in Cartagena.  We only planned to stay in town for the day because of the extended stay back in Cartagena waiting for the car, so we planned on cramming an entire city worth of attractions starting with Parque Arvi.  We were walking a trail towards a lagoon that was supposed to have an amazing view of the entire city when 2 smaller set males ambushed us out of the trees.  At first they hid their weapons and I thought they were just another couple trying to sell local goods such as refreshments etc.  When they got close however they drew their knives, and we immediately knew what was happening.  One quickly got next to Kathleen with his knife pointing at her demanding her purse, while the other drew my attention by swinging his knife in small thrusts towards my face and upper body, demanding my bag as well.  I stood there for what felt an eternity internally debating my course of action based on the situation.  I wanted to act aggressively, and now retrospectively I keep torturing myself for not doing so.  The guy attacking me held the knife with the blade pointed down and the manner he was swinging it made it seemed like I was being robbed by amateurs.  However I might have felt, Kathleen was between me and one and I did not want to risk her being harmed while I went after the other.  I did nothing as they took off with my bag filled with both cameras and all the lenses as well as my phone and her wallet containing her sensitives.  It was very hard to swallow and I am sure I will continue to struggle with serenity over this in the near future.  A feeling of helplessness coupled with the anger and frustration of inaction is difficult for anyone unlucky enough to experience this violation.

19 August 13
DAY 103

 I stepped off the plane ran by LAN airlines, a South American company, onto a black concrete runway surrounded by small shrubs, rocks and dirt, within a hundred meters of a deep blue calm ocean.  As I walked in, I was quickly ushered to a line cleared dominated by international guests while another line existed for Ecuadorian travelers.  Everyone was forced to give the same information as if crossing international borders and for foreigners, pay a one hundred dollar USD tax.  After a few hours of this, I walked back out into the hot, dry air to get on a bus to town.  I flew into the airport on Isla Santa Cruz which is on the Northern part of the island separated completely from the rest of the island by a small 100 meter channel of clear light blue water barely a few feet deep.  After the small boat ride across the channel costing 80 cents USD, I prepared myself for the 4 dollar USD cab ride I shared with those fresh off the plane.  It took us 45 minutes to cross the island to Puerto Ayara, the tourist hub I planned to stay in and plan my daily trips.  Puerto Ayara is a small, quaint coastal town booming with tourists quickly dissipating as you moved away from the water further inland.  I grabbed the third and cheapest room I could find for 15 USD and searched frantically for a dive tour to see hammerheads.  I went there already having an idea of the location I wanted to dive, Gordon Rock, and is renowned as one of the one of the top dive spots in the world, and I quickly reserved my spot for 175 USD to see the hammerheads and fish cleaning stations.  I did the dive 2 days later and it was amazing, the best dive I have done.  Walls of barracuda and schools of hammerheads kept my eyes wide in fascination of nature.  The rest of the time on Santa Cruz, I wandered around Puerto Ayara visiting the Darwin Institute that housed a few indigenous species of the largest turtles I have ever seen, some older than 140 years and Tortuga Bay, a local surf spot with soft white sand and clear blue water.  On my second to last day I made the trip to Isla San Cristobal to get ready for my flight a day later.  The 30 USD boat trip between islands lasted around 2 hours by speed boat and got into Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the early afternoon not leaving me much time to tour the island so I stayed around town again but even with this handicap, there was so much to do that my feet hurt for days after my return to Quito.  The Galapagos are renowned for their vast amount of unmolested animal species, but that was untangible to me until I saw sea lions dotting the cityscape, laying on benches, the sidewalks.  The locals even built them child size slides from the walkways bordering the streets to the ocean water.  About an hour or so outside of town there is a monument to Charles Darwin commemorating his first disembarkment on the islands at that location.  Slightly behind this statue of Darwin, is a cove bordered by a high cliff, a nesting colony for Frigate birds and a great view of the ocean and the town back behind.  All in all, this was an outstanding few days, in a place that should be reserved for weeks.  When life gives you the Cliff Notes!

31 August 13
DAY 115

Just finished our 2 week adventure through Peru, beginning on the Northern border with Ecuador and following the coast past Lima cutting in around Nazca following the Eastern road to Cusco and Lake Titicaca finally the Bolivian border.  During this time, we successfully crossed the Andes in the Cavalier, which most laughed at and I now proudly boast of, as well as nearly hitting 10,000 miles traveled on the car.

Northern coastal Peru is a desert of clay, rocks and dirt, traveling south with deserted beaches on your right and mountains of rock of different shades of brown on your left.  It reminded me of Afghanistan minus the pristine ocean nearly untouched my tourism.  As of now, there is only Mancora and Lobitos that are tourist destinations, with much of the rest only inhabited by fishing communitites.  The difference in landscape between Southern Ecuador and Northern Peru is in complete contrast.  Long fields of banana trees fill Southern Ecuador along the Pan-Americn and before that spralling shades of green tumbling over mountains.  Once across the border, this quickly changed to the dirt and rock i have already described.

We visited the surfing communities of Mancora, Lobitos and further south to the area of Trujillo with a beach just north of the city that was suppossed to claim the crown for the longest left break in the world.  Lobitos sported the most difficult entry point, leading us for a few hours well into night across cliffs and down roads of sand leaving the car almost immovable in several places and the girls scared at the sight of every car and every face, expecting the worse.  I began to plan for the worse being in such a deserted location with our armed robbery fresh in my head.  All was well and unfortunately for me, the surfing conditions were horrible, the waves mostly being flat and the weather cold and foggy.  We had little time to wait, so sadly my dream to surf in Peru will need to wait until one of the next adventures.

Lima is a massive city that took us well over an hour to navigate to our hostal.  Lima lies next to the ocean with a gigantic cliff between much of the city and the sandy beaches offering amazing views of the landscapes unique to the city.  Another gem the city offers, is the final resting place of Fransisco Pizarro the conquering conquistador of the Incas and the founder of the city.  Interesting enough, inside the Lima Cathedral, the body that was exhumed and on display as Pizarro since 1892 was discovered to not be the man when his actual body was found within the church's foundations in 1977.

After Lima, we cut into the mainland stopping next at Nazca to see the ancient Nasca Lines (400-650 AD) etched into the desert floor.  From our elevated observation point along the highway, we were able to see the Hands and the Tree.  Even missing most of the other ancient drawings, I was able to see the ability and imagination of these Nasca people through their astrological work.  Some experts claim these lines were created to help determine the seasons while others espouse a more radical theory involving ancient aliens, but their is little concrete evidence so conjectures abound.

About 30 minutes outside Nazca along the road to Cuzco, is the largest sand dune in the world at a height larger than 2000 meters.  We decided this was going to be our first sandboarding experience and it took over 3 hours to walk across rock and sand to this monstrous peak before boarding down the bottom below.  We took a few practice tries to get our bearings before going down the last 800 meter drop to test our new skills.

Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas and the stopping point for all visiting Machu Picchu, is layed with cobblestone streets and colorful plazas in its Centro Historico.  While we were there, the weather was dry and cool durig the day but became freezing at night, warranting all the layers in my inventory.  It was here that I tried Cuy or Guinea Pig for the first time and must say that it tasted a lot like chicken.  It was also here that we began to see coca products more abundantly (brownies, tea, candy, chocolate, etc).

Very quickly we ventured to Machu Picchu via Aguas Caliente, the premier tourist location for myself, as well as, most tourists in Latin America.  The ruins and the landscape did not dissapoint.  The beauty of this ancient city surrounded by mountains of dark green on all sides with even the city perched upon a natural plateau that quickly descended to river valleys below is uncanny.  This trip to Machu Picchu was the longest we spent admiring any ruins in Latin America by an enormous amount, 7 hours compared to a distant second at Tikal, Guatemala with 3 and a half hours.

The last town we visited on our route to Bolivia landed us on Lake Titicaca in a town called Puno, where we tied up our Bolivian visas and visited the Islas de Uros on the lake, a group of artificial floating islands made of reeds harvested by the Uru people from nearby.  It was an interesting feeling when first jumping off the boat onto the soft reflexive reed island.  A nice crunch sound accompanied every step.  We found outfrom the local people that they in fact add another layer of reeds weekly to stay above the water because the bottom continually dissolves from the water.  Also, each island has large wooden posts drilled into the lake bed attached to their island; as well as, ropes attaching island to island so the "floating" islands in fact stay stationary.

12 Sep 13
DAY 127

Bolivia...for such a small area, this country offers some of the most diverse landscapes this world has to offer from the snow capped mountains surrounding La Paz to the desert surrounding salt flat in the South to the lush biosphere of the Amazon in the north.  In just a ten days we were able to see it all.

Around an hour north of La Paz lays the infamous "Death Road" popularized by tourists and backpackers.  The name still is not without meaning.  According to one estimate, 200 to 300 travellers died annually traversing these 38 miles.  In the early 2000s, the country built a paved road to take its place, so "Death Road" now belongs mostly to the daredevil tourists who daily mountain bike down this road of dirt and rock with the width of a single car.  For me, it was an amazing ride and for the most part it was entirely downhill and skidded the steep cliffs.  The only thing I felt and saw was the cool wind against my face and the beautiful views around every turn.

Next we traveled south to Salar de Uyuni and spent a few days admiring the world's largest salt flat in the Andes which gave an amazing view.  In the desert just south of the Salt Flat, there are a number of lagoons that harbor majestic flamingos, tons of them.  One of these lagoons, the Colorada is naturally a red hue due to algae making it incredibly beautiful.  Another one of these lagoons, was a shade of light blue accented by 50 or so pink flamingos wading in the shallow waters giving the viewer an instant smile at the grandeur of nature.  I think hundreds of pictures fill the memory cards of tourists daily at this location.

Lastly before leaving the country, we took a flight to Rurrenabaque in the North of Bolivia on the Beni River to spend some time in the Madidi National Park, the Bolivian Amazon, which is suppossed to possess one of the world´s most diverse ecosystems.  We spent a few days trekking through dense forest, saw boar and other small animals, chewed on sugar cane, and went to this hill top that possessed an incredible panarama of the nearby forest cut by a river, and macaw nesting area within feet.  Very stunning, and by itself made the trip to the jungle worth it.

03 Oct 13
DAY 148

The Cataratas do Iguaçu or Cataratas del Iguazú could take pages in itself to fully describe the natural wonder and imagination it instills in viewers.  We saw this natural wonder from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides and what we saw was unbelievable and inspiring.  I have read that negative ions created by waterfalls emanate into surrounding people creating peaceful bliss and endless smiles.  I do not know if this is true, but within moments of arriving and setting my gaze on this beautiful, heart-stopping scene, my mouth parted and gave way to a huge smile that lasted the entire time we were there.  These 150 to 300 waterfalls are 2.7km wide and between 60 to 80 meters tall.  Imagine getting so close to these falls, the mist sweeps across your entire view-you feel the beads of water cover your face as you close your eyes, your clothes become damp, the coolness is invigorating and when you finally begin to slowly open your eyes as the mist recedes, you see the most beautiful rainbow right in front of you.  It is these moments, when your breath is taken away by beauty or love that you feel God, a double rainbow all the way across the sky moment if you will.  There are few places like this around the world and few moments in life when you are lucky enough to be given this, that it goes without saying that I humbly stood there just staring in awe for countless minutes every few steps.  I think it was Kathleen that compared the scene to the movie Jurassic Park, in that the Falls seemed to be an untouched reserve of lush forest opening up unto these imposing falls of archaic beauty right out of the movies.       





3 comments:

  1. Wish I had put yellow fog lights on

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  2. Thanks for updating this. I have enjoyed reading everything you and Kathleen have written. Love you!!

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  3. wonderful posts, really makes me feel close to yall. So happy that you are getting to experience these amazing adventures. Love you!

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