e!
There´s always something else to learn...
Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere...
and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere you find youself.
Keep trying, keep going!
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Saturday, August 09, 2008
Hiking: Volcán de Izalco.
I went hiking yesterday with Andres, one of my best friends and a person that I appreciate a lot, I would love to say that I took him to the volcano (because he’s from Guatemala and he came to visit) but to be honest, HE took ME hiking, he’s the expert (he’s been to the Kilimanjaro and going to Mont Blanc soon).
Yes, this post starts exactly the same as the previous one, but this post is about something different, this post is about how I consider that life is exactly as climbing a volcano... ok, maybe my life is like climbing this volcano.
We arrived at Parque Los Volcanes at 11:10, the guard told us that the group (that leaves every day at 11 am) left 10 minutes ago and that we should hurry to catch up. While I was putting all our stuff together, Andres was putting on all his hiking gear: shoes, waistcoat, something for his knees, a thing that controlled his heart bit, sticks and a backpack with a very cool water bag incorporated that allows you to drink water through a straw without stopping.
Now, why is climbing this volcano similar to life: Many reasons:
First off all, even though when he’s the expert, he let me lead the way, because he knew that if he was in front of me, we would have go too fast and I would have been tired. He stayed behind me most of the time, so that I would learn. He had our food and water in his backpack, I only had my camera in my pocket, and a stick in my hand, so that I would focus on walking.
Before actually climbing the volcano, you have to go down on the Cerro Verde hillside, and because you are going through a forest and focused on walking, you rarely see the volcano.
Once you are down, you see it, you see your objective and in that moment, you decide whether going after it... or chicken out.
As I started climbing (and after we took the fist pictures) that’s when I started thinking about my life and how similar it was to climbing the volcano: the road is VERY difficult, but also very easy sometimes. There are some points in which you cannot see the rest of the road, but if you walk few steps forward and pass a stone, you will see that you are still on the right way. There are other spots in which you have to choose whether taking a difficult shortcut or staying in the not-so-difficult long way. There are moments when you fall. There are many moments in which you have to stop just a little bit and drink water just to be able to keep going. There are moments when you see other people half way through and they cannot continue because they are too tired, but at the same time, there are others who already made it to the top, and you decide to stay with the first or go after the second group. And there are moments when you definitely need to rest.
Half way, my legs were shaking, my heart beat was very fast and the worst part is that (because Andres was wearing the thingy around his vest) I could hear his heart bit so normal! Damn it! I was almost dying and he was breathing normally. But he encourages me to finish what I’ve started.
So I walked and walked and drank water and walked and walked and walked. At some point I was desperate and inpatient so I was going as fast as I could and then... We were at the top: I WAS AT THE TOP OF THE VOLCANO!!!!! IT FELT SO GOOD!!! I was so proud of myself! It was so rewarding!
Again similar to life: it’s so good enjoying your success and when you are at the top, you have to go around it! (I mean around the crater). But then, it was time to come back down. This time Andrew leaded the way, apparently it was safer this way. I felt many times and then, the most difficult part: climbing the Cerro Verde... sh!t, I was so hard! But I made it through (I had to) and once we were done, Andres finished his life lesson stretching up our muscles.
My whole body hurts today, but I know it was worth it.
The good news is that climbing it wasn’t so bad, even for a person who is not in a good physical shape like me.
Next stop: El Camino del Inca. But I have to be in shape!
Labels: El Salvador, friends, Trips
Volcan de Izalco (fotos)
Turistiando (just being a toursit)
The trip started on Thursday, he arrived at around 1230 and I took him to Faisça do Brasil, a restaurant that (even for a person who doesn’t like meet, like me) is a most when you are in San Salvador. The funny thing is that when I saw Andres in Guatemala about a month ago, I told him he was a little bit over weight, but just a little bit, so he’s been on diet ever since hahahaha! But we ate so much!!!!!Then we hit the road. We went to San Blas, La Libertad (http://www.puertolalibertad.com/), and even though I spend most of my vacation days in there, with Andres in there, everything seemed different. We went to El Tunco, we saw people surfing, smoking pot and drinking/taking “sun in a can” (tomando sol en lata). We wanted to party that night but something better happened. We sat there facing the ocean and we talked, and then we enjoyed each other silence. Because that’s the thing, we can talk to each other, we know what is right and wrong about each other but we don’t judge. Because our friendship is based on the respect that we have for each other.
We went back at around 8 or 9. Yesterday, we woke up at around 9 am, took a shower and headed to Izalco. We climbed it, we came back, we climbed the Cerro Verde, we took millions of pictures, we ate sandwiches and pupusas (first the sandwiches and later, the pupusas) and suddenly it was over. We were at my house again, burning CDs with each other pictures and he went back to Guate.Pictures coming soon (hopefully)
Labels: El Salvador, friends, Trips
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Kalashnikov
Labels: Carnival, Countries, Greece, kalashnikov, Thessaloniki, Travel, Trips
Greece
So far, my favorite country.
Oh God, how can I explain what I felt being there. Honestly, I've been to many countries and never, never, felt this way before about a place.
I lived in Argentina for one year, and that year was magical, and special, but really nothing compares to the feeling I had being in Greece.
I arrived in Athens on my way to Macedonia, FYRO, and the night I arrived, a friend took me out to a mountain where there was a little Orthodox chapel and from there you could see the whole city plus the Acropolis.
The day after, we went to buy my train ticket to Skopje and after that, I went to Acropolis. I remembered all the learning from school and university about Greek history, but nothing compares to being there. I felt amazed, I felt touched, and cold!!!!! Yes, it was so freaking cold!!! It was snowing! But I loved it.
The day after, I took a train to Skopje, and then went to IPM… but that is another story.
On my way back home, I took the train from Skopje to Thessaloniki and I was ready to get a bus to Athens (because the train was full and my reservation was for next day) and suddenly, at the bus station, John Kelly showed up! He told me there was a group of MCPs staying at a hotel and I asked if I could stay with them until the next day, so I did =D. (John Kelly, Emily Jones, David Benjamin, Johnjo Ryan, Ethel Nuila, Naoufel Testaouni, Lynn Parins, Missy Shields)
Oh God! We spent the afternoon walking around Thessaloniki and were to a coffee place in front of the beach with a really nice view!!!! (see the picture)…. =D it gets better.
The day after, I woke up early and took a walk on the beach, it was empty!!!! But beautiful!!!! (a good reason to go to Greece in February/March, low season) I've never seen "water" without waves, so there it was, the Sea with no waves…
After that, we went back to Thessaloniki (down town), we walked arou
nd and we saw the decorations for the carnival (another reason to visit Greece in this season) and then we went for lunch… to bad, because even though we found a very nice place and we ate a very good and expensive meal, right after lunch we found what seemed like a foo
d market (reminded me Juayua), people were eating and dancing, dancing and eating, there were musical groups in every corner 
(for some reason they were all dressed in black) it was so funny and then even funnier because the group in front of us started playing Kalashnikov, and we dance this song at AIESEC conferences =D. John was laughing because I was so exited that they were playing this song.
That afternoon, I took a train to Athens and the rest of the group went back to Skopje; did I mention how good it is to travel by train? It is good, it's always good traveling by myself, but the train was special.
The next day in Athens I felt so sick I didn't want to go out or anything but finally I decided to stand up and go out, after all, I have no idea when I will be able to go back. Spent the day visiting different metro stations! Yes I got lost, and then I went to the Acropolis again but didn't go in. TO BAD because I when I went back to the hotel someone told me that on Sundays (and it was Sunday) they entrance is free because of the low season. =(.
I took a brochure about a 1 day trip to 3 islands and it cost around 99 Euros and you had to be at the port at around 8 am so I thought it was a good option to take it the next day. I woke up at 9 am… and still feeling very sick. I made my luggage and head to the port and I went to the island called Aegina. And this island… oh God, the island deserves another post….
Labels: AIESEC, Countries, Greece, Thessaloniki, Travel, Trips
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Tourism in El Salvador
I am still interested, I've traveled to many places doing AIESEC work and I've realized the real impact that the tourism industry has in the development of societies. I think I have these two facts in favor: The economics background helps me to understand better and the fact that I've traveled, helps me understand what tourists are looking for when they travel.
On the other hand, it's extremely disappointing and challenging at the same time to realize that in El Salvador the tourism industry is just starting, plus the bad image that my country has makes the situation worse.
I just saw in the Discovery Travel and Leaving a show about the Holy Week celebration in Antigua Guatemala, and I can't help compare that with the same celebration in Sonsonate, Izalco or even San Salvador. Few days ago, in the Discovery channel, there was a program about the gangs… la salvatrucha… ay Dios mío, que tristeza… I bet they feel proud about it…
For example, we want to bring foreigners through AIESEC's Global Internship Program to El Salvador, but they think they won't be safe in here…
This is the challenge I have, let's see what will be my contribution, let's see this same things in few years
Labels: AIESEC, Countries, El Salvador, gangs, Guatemala, Travel, Trips
