Entries Posted in December, 2009
December 28th, 2009
Amazing Jump Rope
My aunt Susie sent this to me as a forward, and I thought it was a true show of some incredible talent, so I’m sharing here.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did.
——-
I THINK WE ALL REMEMBER JUMPING ROPE, BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS
THIS IS INCREDIBLE TO SEE.
THESE YOUNG GIRLS PERFORMED AT THE ARMY NAVY BASKETBALL HALF TIME SHOW.
December 25th, 2009
Merry Christmas!
For those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, we hope you will take some extra time today to spend with family members and/or loved ones.

We are enjoying our time back in Colorado… though with the traveling we’re doing around the state to visit family, we’ve been running around like crazy since getting back!
We hope you enjoy this special day!
December 23rd, 2009
Tourism Map of Central America: Our Map from 3 months of Travel
In three months, we visited 6 countries, covered over 2,500 land miles (mostly by bus) and saw some really amazing places.
We also met some truly fantastic people – both people who are involved in tourism as tourists and tourist guides, and people who are living their lives in the countries we visited.
This map is not yet 100% complete, but gives you an idea of the places we’ve been and what we’ve been up to.
If you’re looking to ride Ticabus or Tracopa and want to know exact locations, this map should be rather helpful for you.
Also, we’ve tried to put in all our hotel stays (Think we got them all on here) and will be linking from this map to the reviews on our site so that you can easily get to everything in one place.
This should help you know where to stay if you visit these countries.
If you’re going to Central America, we hope that this helps you to both find things you’d like to see and do, as well as to know where exactly those things to see and do are located.
If this map does prove helpful for you, please comment below and let us know!
Continue reading "Tourism Map of Central America: Our Map from 3 months of Travel" »
December 22nd, 2009
Carrie’s Current countries visited
visited 15 states (6.66%)
Create your own visited map of The World
On our trip through Central America, I got to add 6 countries to my map of visited countries. It’s too bad not all of them have a stamp representation in my passport.
I’ve actually been to more countries that this, but I didn’t spend the night, so they don’t count. I’ve been to France numerous times when I lived in Germany, and I also drove through Austria. They’ll be added to the list sometime soon through.
December 22nd, 2009
Carrie’s current visited states
visited 32 states (64%)
Create your own visited map of The United States
I figured that I would post my visited states while I was at it.
Same rules apply: I have to have spent the night in the state for it to count (and seen more than just an airport).
How many states have you visited?
December 21st, 2009
We Are Snails
Today, we leave central America to head back “home”. It’s funny to use the word home because so many places have been our home over the past three months.
Carrie likes to say that we are snails.
Why?
We take our homes with us.
And being with Carrie feels like home to me. It has almost since the first time I met her.
So being with each other, and taking a backpack and a suitcase around the world, we definitely do take our homes with us.
At the same time, Colorado is where we both grew up, and no matter how much we travel, America is where we are from. We both envision having “homes” around the world, and there are places we’ve been that feel more like “home” than others. So far though, the United States will always be the place where I identify myself most, and Colorado still feels like home to me.
December 21st, 2009
Top 5 Things I’m Looking Forward To In Colorado
I don’t really experience homesickness, because I always feel pretty excited about what’s coming up, about the future, about where I’m going next.
So this is the 5 things I’m looking forward to at this moment, knowing I’m returning to Colorado tomorrow.
This is being written from a hotel outside of San Jose, Costa Rica called the Adventure Inn.
#1. Water
-Hot Water (lots of nice, hot water in the shower)
-Tap water. At least in Colorado, drinking filtered tap water is safe, cool, and nice. Although we’ve drank tap water in Costa Rica and Panama, it’s nice to know that the water in the states is safe, whereas in Central America, I’m never 100% certain.
Continue reading "Top 5 Things I’m Looking Forward To In Colorado" »
December 15th, 2009
Tikal Mayan Ruins at Tikal, Guatemala (Lots of Photos)
We will be posting our thoughts on Tikal park and the Tikal Mayan ruins very soon…

For now, we’re just posting some of our favorite pictures.
In 2 days, we took over 130 photos of the amazing ruins at Tikal.
Suffice it to say that we loved our visit to the Mayan Ruins in Tikal, Guatemala and will have more to say (in this post) soon.
For now, we hope you enjoy the visuals from a place that is being restored… a city that is over 1,000 years old and is being dug out of the jungle so that it will be preserved in it’s best state for future generations.
Continue reading "Tikal Mayan Ruins at Tikal, Guatemala (Lots of Photos)" »
December 14th, 2009
Wanted: Great Travel Agent
I feel bad for the Germans whom we met today, Thomas and Kristin, who got to listen to us complain about the confusion caused by…
I have no idea what it’s been caused by actually. Perhaps different expectations and/or understandings about the travels we booked through plus Travel in Antigua, Guatemala.
Thomas and Kristin met and saw us at the height of our frustration.
Three times in our travels in the last few years, Carrie and I have used travel agents. Three times it has turned out creating frustrating results.
In my mind, in 2009, in an era when anyone can do their own research and make their own reservations online, (or via phone) directly with providers of services, the role of a travel agent is to make things easier and less expensive (since they should be able to pass along discounted prices and connections they have worked to build).
Perhaps the travel agents we have used don’t view their role this way, but at this point, I don’t envision us ever hiring a travel agent again.
In short, here is the gist.
December 13th, 2009
Chichicastenango on Market Day (AKA: We ARE The Giants from the North)
Did you grow up hearing tales about Giants from the North? I know I did. I’ve even heard them referenced in numerous movies and children’s fairy tales.
I was never too concerned about giants though (it was vampires that terrified – terrify – me).
Today I learned something about myself.
The reason that I was never afraid of giants is because I am one.
I am a Giant from the North.

Continue reading "Chichicastenango on Market Day (AKA: We ARE The Giants from the North)" »
- March 08, 2010 05:34 AM : How To Make Empanadas: Empanadas From Plantains in Quito, Ecuador
- March 06, 2010 06:46 PM : How Can You Afford To Travel - Phones
- March 06, 2010 05:59 PM : My favorite day so far...being welcomed as part of an Ecuadorian family
- March 05, 2010 05:59 PM : La Basilica de Quito, Ecuador: The tallest church tower in South America
- March 05, 2010 03:08 PM : How Can You Afford To Travel?
- March 05, 2010 01:16 PM : The Lost Generation?
- March 04, 2010 10:01 AM : Quito Ecovia in Rush Hour: The Quito Bus System
- March 03, 2010 02:54 PM : Where Have You Been?
- March 02, 2010 09:10 PM : Visiting the Doctor in Quito, Ecuador
- March 02, 2010 08:56 PM : Saquisili Market near Quito, Ecuador
- March 02, 2010 07:36 AM : How to Make Canelazos: Como Hacen Canelazos
- March 01, 2010 08:05 AM : A Night Tour of Quito, Ecuador: Pictures And Videos
- February 28, 2010 10:00 PM : February Changes: Movable Type to WordPress
- February 27, 2010 02:09 PM : Cotopaxi in Ecuador is the highest active volcano on Earth
- February 26, 2010 05:47 PM : Videos of Our Quito Apartment: Ecuador
- February 24, 2010 02:08 PM : Torpedos de Ruidoso: Our earplugs
- February 22, 2010 06:49 PM : A Friendly Reminder
- February 22, 2010 05:44 AM : Pictures of Quito From Our Balcony
- February 19, 2010 02:53 PM : Cuatro Rosas
- February 18, 2010 05:13 PM : Spanish Doesn't Come Naturally, That's For Sure
- February 14, 2010 04:12 PM : Happy Valentine's Day from Quito, Ecuador
- February 13, 2010 04:16 PM : Teleferiqo, a gondola to 13,340 ft. in Quito, Ecuador
- February 12, 2010 04:21 PM : Weird Food: Eating Cuy (Guinea Pig) in Quito, Ecuador
- February 11, 2010 09:34 PM : Do You Have A Sixth Sense? Check This Out!
- February 05, 2010 08:10 PM : Ecuador Has Huge Cabbages
- February 05, 2010 01:16 PM : Quito, Ecuador: Day 2
- February 04, 2010 01:06 PM : Arriving in Quito, Ecuador and checking in to our apartment
- February 03, 2010 07:22 PM : Hotel Santana: A review of Hotel Santana in Santa Ana, Panama City, Panama
- February 03, 2010 03:46 PM : Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo in Panama City, Panama are not the same thing
- February 02, 2010 03:49 PM : The Panama Canal at Miraflores
- January 31, 2010 11:20 AM : Boquete: Two Excellent Weeks In The Mountains of Panama
- January 30, 2010 01:26 PM : Bugs in Boquete: Panamanian Bugs and Critters
- January 28, 2010 10:41 PM : Playa Las Olas and La Barqueta: A Day at Panama's Beach
- January 19, 2010 09:33 AM : Podcast #5: The Northern Part of Central America
- January 15, 2010 10:26 AM : Will Smith On Talent And Being "Realistic"


