Archive for the ‘international travel’ Category
Filed Under international travel
Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua – December 2nd, 2008
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Things are really laid back here. The day usually starts around 7am where I take a stroll around the area. I can see the water through the trees in some places, but it is more of a jungle environment than a seaside environment. The jungle goes right up and into the water in most places, so there isn´t really a beach at all. Walking around in the morning is nice. I usually bring my camera, but i like to look and hear more than use it. There are many birds here and they all have interesting distinguishing calls.
As the morning becomes afternoon, the temperature begins to rise. My body has become more acustomed to it and I no longer sweat constantly, but when I do, it is hard to be dry again because of the humidity. With the water just 100 feet away, we go swimming at least twice a day. I sometimes forget it is an active volcano, naturally heating the water to about 80 degrees.
Yesterday afternoon, I helped finish an operation begun by the Nicaraguan Navy Seals. They were here as a part of a major cleanup activity over the weekend where over 400 volunteers from around the country came to the lake to pick up trash. About 20 scuba divers in the navy dove for three days collecting trash underwater. A hard core bunch that would have cigarettes hanging out of the corner of their mouths underwater if it were possible. They found an old 6-cylinder boat engine that they didn´t have time to remove. This is where I came in. Since the staff here knows I am a certified SCUBA diver, I was able to assist the Nicaraguan biologist diver and a volunteer from Denmark in removing the engine from 60 feet of water. We dove down to the 200 pound piece of rusted metal with buckets and rope and were able to raise the engine by filling the buckets with air. We then glided the underwater metal blimp 300 feet down the coast at a depth of 40 feet until we reached the land access closest to the Bio Reserve. The three of us then carried the beast up 200 feet of stairs, where we placed it inside the center´s compound for someone to pick up at a later time. It felt great being able to do something useful and good for the environment while SCUBA diving.
At night, after a nice dinner cooked by the local staff, I take turns talking with the travelers while listening to their music and then collecting and photographing insects. I brought some small containers and tools so I rarely need to touch them, so there is no need to worry about them being venomous or not, but I´m always very cautous just in case. I´m getting a lot of good shots and the more I take, the idea of self-publishing a small photo book seems more obvious. I´ve also talked with the main biologist here and he would very much like to work with me to create a book on this bio reserve. Sort of a visitors guide / field guide.
Two Germans and a French traveler arrived recently. It was nice to hear from the Germans – who have been traveling non stop for TWO YEARS – tell me how they enjoy being here in Nicaragua where it feels safe. The French girl came here straight from the airport to be a part of the Spanish school, another option for those staying here at the Bio Research Station. It is a one-on-one course that can be taken for a week or more by local Nicaraguans.
Late at night, when I´m sitting in my tent or laying in the warm Lake Apoyo, I concentrate on the sounds. So many sounds! The sounds of the night are very different than the sounds of the day. The birds heard during the day are silent while thousands of insects come out and communicate with each other after the sun sets. I watch small fruit bats swoop over the lake plucking their invisible dinner from the sky. On good nights, the sky is a diamond ceiling and constellations become crystal clear. If I´m lucky, the deep grunt of howler monkeys can be heard in the trees. Called ¨Congos¨in Nicaragua, their grunts can be heard from up to three miles away, making them the loudest land animal on the planet. They are heard more often than seen, but it is a goal of mine to photograph one before I leave.
It is in the evening, surrounded by this natural beauty and exotic sounds, that I tell myself that I will stay another day at the lake. Just one more day. Always one more. Why search for something better when you are in a paradise like this?
Filed Under international travel
Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua – December 2nd, 2008
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¨Life is good in Nicaragua.¨ This is the preset message that is sent when I activate the OK feature on my SPOT beacon. When I turn it on and send the message, I also find myself thinking that life really is good down here in Nicaragua and I couldnt be happier.
I´m camping at the Biological Research Station along the shores of Laguna de Apoyo, the country´s deepest crater lake at 3,000 meters. I came down to the lake with a few travelers and stayed for a night at the Monkey Hut Hostel before I moved over here and they moved on. I´m glad to be on my own, for the first time on this trip. Being by myself has allowed me to do what I had hoped and planned to do here, photograph as many insects as possible. Finding subjects isn´t the problem but everything leading up to capturing the insect and getting it ready for its moment in front of the camera is somewhat difficult. The weather here is so hot and humid, it makes even the simplest of chores seem like running a race. That said, its not easy lugging around 22 pounds of camera equipment looking for bugs.
And I don´t even want to get in to the difficulties of attempting to photograph butterflies! I´ve seen over 15 different species but have only been able to photograph a few of them. If only I brought a net!
But for all the effort, I´m excited as ever for all the interesting things that I have found and photographed here – beetles the size of match boxes, geckos chilling near most outisde light fixtures, a praying mantis 8 inches long, stingless bees the size of tictacs that are inaudible in flight, and last night, a moth with beautiful translucent wings. I´m considering self publishing a 40 page book of photos when I get home of some of these beautiful insects.
There are five volunteers from Germany and Denmark staying here at the center. They payed about $300 for a month of helping out with small noble tasks like planting trees or clearing areas in the forest. In return, they get to stay in one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua. They work their own schedule and do hard work for a few hours a day. The rest of the time is sitting around or swimming in the luke warm lake.
I have convinced one of them that photographing insects is very cool and he has helped me capture and prepare insects for their close-ups. Most insects have a tendancy to want to scurry away immediately after being released, but with his help, we were able to invent techniques to keep them still enough for me to photograph. Catch, photograph, release. We did this with about 10 insects in just three hours last night. In just the last two days, I´ve photographed over 40 creatures. I´m certain that I have enough shots even this early in my trip to self publish a book when I get home. I don´t think about what would happen if any of my gear failed, knock on wood!
I have had to define what I want to photograph here at the lake or I would have a camera in front of my face all of the time. Although with the beautiful jungle lake, the countless birds, and the beautiful flora, I cant stop myself from snapping a few shots.
I´ll be staying here at least another day before heading southeast towards the island of Ometepe, most likely spending the night in Rivas or Granada before taking the boat out to the island.
I hope you are all doing well. I don´t know what the internet situation is on the island, but I´ll continue to send my SPOT messages to those I have added. When you read that ¨All is well in Nicaragua¨ know that I mean it.
Kolby
Filed Under international travel
Granada, Nicaragua – November 28, 2008
I really cannot believe that I have only been in Nicaragua for about 36 hours. I have seen so much and met so many other travelers that it feels like I have been here for a week. I hoped to have taken it easy yesterday, but Granada is a walking city and the sights must be seen. I haven´t been traveling alone since I got off the plane (among my growing group of travel friends is a Dutch guy who was on my flight from Atlanta). Traveling with others is a plus as well as a negative. It is nice to explore the area with company, but I hope to find solitude for a while on this trip. I find it hard to say no to exploring different places with excited backpackers. Being a just-shy-of 33-year old guy hanging out with those who are 5 to 10 years younger makes me feel my age. Most have become fit with weeks – sometimes months – of backpacking through Central and South America. They have come here by way of crossing the border by bus on their journey north or south and very few are just here for Nicaragua. Those I have talked to have been pleasantly surprised by the country and find it becoming one of their favorite American countries. I too have fallen for Nicaragua. This second trip is more comfortable and my Spanish skills, although not neccesary due to being with better speakers, are strong enough to talk with locals and ask to take their photo. I have started a collection of portraits and I can´t wait to share them with you when I return.
I underestimated the difficulty in dealing with the heat and humidity, which side effects include constant sweating and a endless desire for water, but I know my body will adapt soon. I hope it is soon. I´m starting to sweat now and it is only 830 in the morning!
Today I have organized a group trip to Laguna de Apoyo. 5 to 6 of us are taking public transportation to Caipirinha to check out the markets around noon, then heading down to the lake to stay at The Monkey Hut hostel for a night before heading back here tomorrow. The Monkey Hut is owned by the same people as this hostel, The Bearded Monkey.
If the events of my first 36 hours in the country are any indication of how the rest of my trip will go, then I feel I´ve made the right decision to come back to Nicaragua.
Talk to you again soon
Kolby
Filed Under international travel
I’m leaving for Nicaragua on Wednesday, where I’ll be backpacking through the country for three weeks. Yes, three weeks! I would have never thought since entering the corporate world that I could travel for that amount of time while still holding down a full-time job, but I’m fortunate to work for a great company and have fantastic bosses (hi Gian and Heather!).
I’ve been to Nicaragua before back in December, 2006. It was a wonderful trip and I knew at the time that I’d have to come back. Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t be back for many years, so I’m very excited to have the opportunity to explore the “land of lakes and volcanoes” for nineteen days.
I might check in from time to time while in the country, but expect most of my photos and stories to appear sometime after my return on December 15th. Have a happy Turkey Day! I’ll be spending mine in a plane.
To read my fancy-shmancy blog on my first trip to Nicaragua, click here.
Filed Under graphic design, international travel, kahunna.net
I was recently approached by Gill over at the website Journal Craft Inspiration for an interview on my travel journals. It was fun to share some of my tips and stories with her and her readers. I recommend exploring around on her site – she’s got a lot to look at. If you’re visiting from journalcraft.co.uk, then hello and welcome! If you would like to read more about my journals, please check out the following:
Here’s a snippet from the interview:
Do you complete your journal entry ‘on-site’ or do you continue working on it when you get home?
I tend to define my journal as one moment in time, capturing thoughts, plans, and important information for a journey from the late planning stages to the return home. On some trips, I can’t find time to write during the day, so I’ll spend an hour or so in the evening, preferably at a cafe, furiously writing down everything I can recall that happened since the last time I wrote. When I’m home, the journal becomes a time capsule, its contents “sealed”. Nothing will be added or taken away from it.
Filed Under international travel
It’s official. My next international trip will be to Nicaragua! I’ll be going back to the Central American country on November 26th and spending 18 days backpacking.
I spent two weeks in Nicaragua in December of 2006 exploring the lakes, cities, and volcanos. It wasn’t more than a few days into that trip that I realized I’d have to come back. There’s just so much to see and do!
So now the planning begins. I’ll share some of the aspects of it here on my blog. My only regret on my last trip was spending too much time in Internet cafes, so I’m reluctant to say I’ll be updating frequently while in the country.
If you care to read more about my first trip in 2006, here’s a few links:
You’ll hear from me again sooner than later!
Filed Under graphic design, international travel, retrotravels.net
A treasure of maps was recently “dug up” in my parent’s storage space and returned to me. Around 1994, when I moved away from home to attend college, I was forced to get rid of most of my National Geographic Magazines – a nearly-complete collection of every issue back to 1929. However, I was able to keep all of the supplements/inserts since they didn’t take up much room. I’ve been looking through the three boxes and have found more than just maps, folded posters, and old panoramic photos. I’ve also found one of the reasons why I love travel. I think most people would start to feel a desire to explore the world after looking at a few maps. The beautiful and distinct fonts, the colors, the clarity. A National Geographic map is good enough to hang up on the wall and call it “art.” In fact, President Roosevelt used National Geographic maps in the White House Map Room during World War II. Today, a case of world maps presented by the National Geographic Society still resides in the Map Room.
Below you will find a small selection of the hundreds of maps from my collection showing “snap shots” of the quality work National Geographic has produced in their world-famous cartographic department. If it takes a while to load or you’d like to view them in a flickr slideshow (800 x 800p res) by clicking here.
Have the urge to share a story about your National Geographic magazines or maps? Share it in the comments!
Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos & Eastern Thailand (1965)
Scandinavia (1963)
Australia (1963)
West Indies (1962)
South Central United States (1961)
Japan & Korea (1960)
Hawaii (1960)
Africa (1960)
Southern South America (1958)
British Isles (1958)
Alaska (1956)
Eastern South America (1955)
West Indies (1954)
The Great Lakes Region (1953)
China Coast & Korea (1953)
China Coast & Korea (1953)
The Top of the World (1949)
Europe & The Near East (1949)
Classical Lands of The Mediterranean (1949)
The Southeastern United States (1947)
The United States of America (1946)
The Philippines (1945)
The Northeastern United States (1945)
The Pacific Ocean (1943)
The Theater of War in the Pacific Ocean (1942)
The Indian Ocean (1941)
The Atlantic Ocean (1941)
The White Mountains of New Hampshire (1937)
Africa (1935)
Africa (1935)
Arctic Regions (1932)
Louisiana (1930)
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Filed Under Uncategorized, international travel, photography
There are a group of Nova Scotians who proudly live in the northern Highlands of Cape Breton. They are the descendants of the Scots who arrived hundreds of years ago. My friend from nearby Asby Bay said that two families living in Meat Cove, the northern-most land of Nova Scotia, have been feuding for years. She told me of a story where the feuding was so violent, the Canadian National Guard had to be dispatched by helicopter to break it up.
The image below shows Cabot Straight, the tip of Cape Breton, and the town pf Capstick. The clouds hung over the strip of land like a halo. If you look closely, you can see Newfoundland on the far left.
Click on the photo to load a zoom-able image.
Filed Under international travel
A little sand from the beach, a pocket of coins, a clump of moss… it is the little ordinary objects I come in contact with on my journeys that seem to find themselves returning home with me. These relics become physical connections to memories made on my trip. A vial of sand from Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia reminds me of strolling along the beach, sharing the misty morning with a flock of seagulls. A pocket of coins instantly reminds me of a short conversation with a local while standing in line at a market. Or the friendly waitress who told me, without any sense of showing indifference towards me, that Canada doesn’t use $1 and $2 bills but rather coins. Or the beautiful moss I plucked from the forest where I had a magical encounter with a moose.
Then there is my journal. I consider my travel journals the most precious relic from my trip, capturing the moments better than my photography or any other object I find on my travels. I didn’t find a lot of time to journal on this trip, but when I did, I scribbled as much details as I could remember. Here are a few scans from my Nova Scotia journal:
