This was in the garden at the Presidential Palace. For the record, the cat is more likely to be making a political statement than I am.
Inside the courtyard of the house of Frida Kahlo, now the Frida Kahlo Museum.
The Green Zocalo of Puebla
Puebla's Cathedral remains one of the most ornate I've seen (and I've seen a few).
The entrance to Puebla's cathedral has some... interesting translations
Courtyard of the Artit's Barrio-- all those open doors are studios, you can peek in to see each painter's work.
The Viva Mexico up top on Puebla's municipal palace is left over from independance day celebrations
There were a lot of demonstrantions in the memory of a protest that was massacred exactly 40 years before this shot was taken. This was a small demonstration on the side.
Puebla has a few ruins of its own, often from relatively recent wars.
I wasn't kidding.
Streets of Xalapa.
One of the cool things in Veracruz was the Nautical History Museum run by the Mexican Navy.
I liked this. The pink part translates to "with the soul of a pirate"
Dock in Veracruz.
When I asked to take these guys' picture, they wanted to know if they should put their sombreros back on.
Streets of Oaxaca.
Steep cobblestone street.
View from the top of a hill in Mexico (Cascadian pride prvents me from calling it a real mountain)
Oaxacan market. I'm really getting fond of these Mexican markets.
I know it's out of focus, but this girl was having so much fun with here baloon. These kinds of baloons are everywhere around here.
My hostel in Oaxaca- La Luz de la Luna. Highly reccommended, as long as you´re okay with black cats, black labs, beagles, and basset hounds.
Calaveras for sale in Oaxaca´s biggest market.
The road outside of the hostel was having a little work done...
How could you possibly say no to a face like that?
Chocolate being processed in Oaxaca
The Christmas tree waterfall in Sumidero Canyon.
More of Sumidero Canyon
Calaveras for sale in Oaxaca's biggest market
I thought that chicken was dead until it suddenly started flapping its wings all over the place. People carry the like this all over the market in San Cristobal De Las Casas
Pathway across a creek in Palenque
I thought this was interesting. (so this is where it comes from!)
Waterfalls at palenque ruins.
Discovering heritage?
On my way up
The pyramids of Palenque.
I made a friend! : )
Chickens abound the houses outside of the ruins. There are few-- mostly Archeologists live here.
That dude in a costume is dancing. I've seen these places all over the country, they sell generic prescription drugs and featur that guy in a costume dancing all over the place.
Crikey! ....sorry, could't help it.
A heron? Looks like a heron to me.
See the dark spot near the middle in the trees? It's a pair of monkeys. It was fun watching them swing around.
There's something kind of fascinating about this. "Mundo perdido" means lost world.
Up to tikal.
This maya worship site is still in use-- ceremonies are still performed from time to time.
The grand plaza of Tikal.
After Checkers of Hyde Park found much success among middle-aged residents and college student who hadn't figured out they charge too much for cover, they decided to expand. To Merida, Mexico.
up out of another cenote...
Down into one cenote...
...what hilarious story prompted this shop owner to put a sign up saying you can't touch the bikini-clad mannequin?
Church in Merida under the moon.
This pyramid has been named one of the seven wonders of the modern world for its moving snake illusion every equinox.
If this looks like an astronomy lab, that's because it once was. The Maya were famous for how advanced they were in this regard.
Hordes of tourists descending on Chichen Itza
Yarr!! ...I'm not sure why this was on the side of a chinese restaurant...
This was in the yard of our hostel. The implications are a little worrying.
Welcome to Belize.
There were some great signs in Belize. The bottom one might be my favorite.
High tide in Belize.
Checking out the view from Atop Tikal's tallest temple.
Jungle vines at work in Tikal
This museum in Antigua feature pre-colombian artifacts next to modern glass art of similar subjects. Really brings out the fact that the artifacts are pieces of human creativity and art, not just scientific exhibits.
(Insert stupid pun about chicks here.)
It says that the promotion isn't valid in central america. How depressing would it be to grow up surrounded by those stickers?
The school of Belèn.
When we stepped into the hotel and I saw this guy pouring us those drinks, I knew I was going to be well taken care of before and after our service trip.
Bill and Tim helping Diego and Antonio with Broccolli harvest in Antonio's greenhouse.
My jaw nearly fell off the first time I saw one of those things in Flores. They were all over the place in India, and were the main way we got around. There we called them autorickshaws. Here, we call them tuk-tuks.
That's a large car part stuck into the cement to guard the corner. Pretty common in this area. You see axels on corners everywhere.
The Sunday market overflowing onto steps to the church of Chichicastenango. In the church are both Christian and Mayan ceremonies being performed.
I forget the names of everyone here. I just remember the bike belongs to the 17-year-old older brother (not in this photo) who is also named Joel.
There were mudslides all over the roads due to unprecedented rain. This was a four-lane highway at one point.
Something is cooking in Belèn.
On the road up to the village. The Girl is in traditional dress, as is the man with the awesome red jacket and hat. The guy on the left is wearing what most guys in the village wear: baseball cap, rubber boots, and work pants. I don't think you can see his machete, which everyone in the place carries.
This is Antigua. And that is the view of the volcano to the south.
My room the first night with the group was a slight step up from the hostel-bunk-with-shared-bathroom-possibly-missing-soap-and-or-toilet-seat kind of place I'd been staying. I'm still trying to get over having had my own fireplace.
I thought this was a funny demo of targeted marketing. (The bottom reads "better than the iPhone")
We gathered ingredients, mostly for pizza which we made in the village's massive wood-fire oven.
We bought some of the local weavings near the end. they set up a market in our school.
Count the birds.
View of Belèn from above.
Traditional weaving. The loom is strapped around Juana's back. (I think that's Juana).
This is the kind of place I've been eating. Local establishment with the menu on the walls in permanent ink and brightly colored paper. Excellent food, good price. If you look closely to reac the poster, you'll see it says (in Spanish) "Avoid hangovers: Stay drunk"
Kids especially seemed to like having their pictures taken almost as much as we liked taking their pictures. Digital Cameras= Instant intercultural bonding.
Oh, the Puppies of Belèn. Not allowed in the house, and often treated the same way we treat raccoons, but I still almost want to take one home.
Parrots! There was another one in this courtyard that could talk.
They called these horses "taxis". Good horses, but what they left behind made the paths a little tricky to navigate at times.
The view partway up the trail.
That's Pacaya.
Our team after passing the tree line. It got pretty windy up there.
Sticks bursting into flame seconds after hitting the hot volcanic rocks.
Checking on my marshmallows. Unfortunately the lava wasn't easy to photograph-- during the day it mostly looked like regular rock with a lot of heat waves and at night my camera wouldn't focus...
View from thwe top at sunset.
Unfortunately this is the best picture I could get of red-hot lava after dark.
My first view of Lake Atitlan.
Rooftops of the village of Santa Cruz.
A boat on the lake in fron of one of its volacanos. This is the weather poor little me had to suffer through.
My loft bunk.
Communal dinner by candlelight (underexposed by my rebellious camera, sorry).
Amen.
Looking off the side of the lancha on my my there.
Sunset over lake Atitlan.
I was asked to show flowers of the tropics. Here's one of my favorite snapshots of them.
Inside one of the numerous dreaded "chicken buses" of latin america, converted american school buses painted psychadelkic colors and used for long distance transport at breakneck speeds.
Beleive it or not, this is a picture in El Salvador, not the US.
This Chicken buis driver has covered his rear view mirrors with stickers of two people: Jesus and Spider-Man. I know at least once when we needed to see behind him, he skipped the mirror and instead stuck his head out the side window and looked backwards.
Got to hang out with a couple local guys at their place. This one has more precolombian artifacts on his bookshelf than I've seen in several museums.
An exhbit on the civil war in the Museum of the Word and the Image in Sav Salvador.
The streets of San Salvador.
This park we went to used old weapons for utility. This was a machine gun that was bent up to hold a trash can (missing-- I chose this one so you could see the gun more easily)
My friend Alberto paying respects to his grandfather on Day of the Dead/All saints day. It's sort of combined in El Salvador for an all- around tradition of honoring the dead.
This is me learning to make papusas. Think Quesidillas, only evolved. Instead of melting cheese between tortillas, make a tortilla stuffed with cheese (and beans, and maybe a few other things if you're avant-garde)
The view onto the lake in Suchi as we walk down the path.
A tree full of Pato-Chuchos. They look like medium size black birds and sound like pigs. I'm not kidding. They sound exactly like pigs. Easily the funniest thing I saw on the boat ride.
The graveyard during Salvadoran day of the dead.
This is how I spent my morning on election day.
This is how I spent my evening on election day.
Chicken Bus! They're how Central America travels. Take a US school bus, let the kids and some priests paint the outside and plaster the inside walls and mirrors with stickers, then send em to Latin America for long distance travel at breakneck speeds, cramming as many passengers on as humanly possible.
The kitchen of Chez Escobar, the Suchitoto home of the family that took me under its wing for a few days.
Some people have rat infestations. The Escobars had a turtle infestation. Mitch Hedberg might have competition for the cutest infestation ever (though I gotta admit, koalas are tough to beat).
The church where this photo was Oscar Romero was burned down. This photo miraculously survived.
The rose garden in UCA, dedicated to the Jesuits who lost their lives because of their advocacy for the underprivileged.
Among the other exhibits from the martyrs was this picture-- it's a monument another Jesuit school made for Oscar Romero. That other school is Seattle University.
Bomb shell in front of bomb crater in Perquin left from the war.
View from a hill above the village of Perquin. Impressive how much it looks like Eastern Washington State in some ways. This was taken from an ex-guerrila camp.
On what used to a be a battle ground is a kid flying a kite.
Taken in El Mozote, site of a huge massacre in 1981. Along the bottom are the names of all the children of the children slsughtered by the national army. They were rounded up and burned to death in the building where the garden you can see a bit of now stands.
Bullet holes in a wall from a helicopter assault. An Israeli I was with at the time said it unfortunately reminded him of his home near Gaza.
Marcala, Honduras. Quiet town.
...that sucks.
Night in El Paraiso, Honduras. Lots of Moss growing on the phone lines in this dusty little town...
On the Honduran-Nicaraguan border. It says deposit trash here. Also shows what the next step is. A bit discouraging, perhaps?
This was one of the nicer sections of road I drove over on my way to Leon, Nicaragua.
USA hats are oddly common around here. Not sure what to make of that exactly.
The main room in the Fortress. The most bizarre thing was what I found in the midst of a electrified water pool in the corner: a used . That's probably the most messed-up spot I think you could choose for that sort of thing.
The garbage steaming garbage heap next to the fortress. There's the view...
This one is drinking for several.
That pink banner is for the FSLN, the Sandinista party. I don't think you need to know spanish to be able to read the graffitti
A sad lion over the tomb of the beloved poet, Ruben Diario.
ed out church in Leon
View from volcano Cerro Negro.
Front of the biggest Cathedral in Central America.
Nicaraguan voting guide.
Streets of Leon.
Are you as confused by this sign as I am?
The best and cheapest food in town, I swear. Go behind the cathedral in Leon and she'll be there any time of the day or night. Try the marinated beef.
I made another friend! This one's bitty.
This was the base of the trail up the volcano.
Crater of the newest volcano in central america.
I may be smiling, but right now I'm sitting on that board looking at the slope in front of me asking myself what the hell I've done this time.
Volcano dust.
Smoothie made from a Pithaya fruit. Tasty, kind of like a tangy, sweet watermelon kinda taste.
This is a pretty common way to spend your time at night in Leon.
Picture from the ferry to Ometepe Island.
This photo was taken at approxiomately 8 am. Both those beer bottles are 1liter. And both are currently empty. Starting the day off right?
Gallo Pinto. Rice and beans. You will never escape it in central america.
It's a well-labeled petroglyph.
Me swimming in clear springwater.
Springwater.
When my mom first told me she thought cows were cute, I thought she was crazy. But ever since then... I dunno, it's something kind of adorable about the eyes I think. The long ears too.
You walk down this road and you really feel like you're a traveler.
View from the sidee of one volcano on Ometepe Island to the other.
Good night, beach.
Party-o-clock in San Juan del Sur.
Hello Beach.
This is me, exhausted, battered, bruised, but happy after hours of surfing. Also in the process of putting a stain on my shirt that is still there.
Not all infromation centers are created equal.
The Carribbean has rocky beaches too.
My host in Cauhuita.
The river here at the Costa Rica- Panama border crossing is getting high, fast, and kinda dirty.
...buyers market?
Some of the flooding. You can't see the rain very well, but you can see the effects. Lower-set buildings and shops were completely flooded.
It's a shame our diving class didn't have any fun.
The dock from the dive shop.
Rain aint gonna stop football on the beach. (yes, I said football).
The vultures that have started appearing here are unnerving.
These pigeouns were bold. I thought one would whack me in the face if I wasn't careful.
The San Jose national theater, Costa Rica.
This was my room in Cauhuita.
Some of the houses in Casco Viejo are due for some servicing.
Part of the Panama City skyline. Easily the most impressive I've seen of the Central American capitals (that doesn't count Mexico).
Cool colored rocks.
...what? And why english?
I didn't get any good shots of the hospital I volunteered at, but this one was decent. These are some of the flood victims I was helping.
We're sailing the Caribbean!
The boat in the harbor at Bocas del Toro.
This was inside to posh cabin-- navigation systems on board here.
This is it! The Northern locks of the Panama Canal.
View from a leaky hotel onto the neighborhood of Casco Viejo
The buses in Panama city are called "red Devils" and have some of the most impressive and intricate paintings of any bus I've seen (and that's saying something at this point)
Feral dogs might have the rest of Cental America on lock, but cats rule the streets in Panama City, especially in the neighborhood of casco viejo.
Casco Viejo went to seed and is now being restored. Some of the run down stuff is pretty picturesque though
Panama in the Rain
This turtle was just begging for a close-up.
Following up a request for more jungle flower shots.
This is one of the big things I travel for.
A stream under the roots. I thought it was interesting to see.
The view of the city from the Parqu Metropolitano.
That's not a trunk. That's a vine hanging down. There are tons of them hanging everywhere, criss crossing everywhere.
Turtles in a lagoon in Parque Metropolitano.
My friend had to have his surfboard wrapped in plastic before it was allowed on. It's usually used to make sure nobody opens your suitcase-- I really wish the look on the guys face while he was trying to wrap it had come out.
