Dear all,
Lisette and I have finally made it to Bologna - and have officially left Tuscany behind. Now that we've got here I'm increasingly of the opinion that we never should have left. Bologna seems somewhat industrial, hostile and - dare I say it - mugging territory. (For the more nervous of you I haven't actually seen direct evidence of this - it's just a feeling)
Because then I wouldn't feel so bad....
Heard that song? Well that´s me (and Lisette) right now We signed ourselves up to do some white water rafting yesterday with a dutch girl in our hostel called Petri. The people doing the organising told us that the river was somewhere between the "6th and the 9th most dangerous in the world" ..... but that due to favourable weather conditions and rainfall recently "we should be fine". A little worried but still confident we signed up and set off early the next morning. It was at this point our guide started telling us things like "if you get caught underwater you should consider whether you want to die or break a bone to get free". Marvellous. By the time we actually got in the water it was with a large number of reservations and no small amount of fear. These fears seemed quite well justified once we´d been through the first couple of rapids and come fairly close to drowning. It was at this point I noticed that the strap that was supposed to anchor my left foot to the boat was missing... And that I was developing cramp in my left leg as I furiously held fast to the side of the dinghy for dear life... But I´ll not over-egg this story - we survived. We got sunburned. We got eaten by mosquitoes. We drank plenty of river water. We fell in the river. We were thrown in the river (our guides could be politely described as "mischievous"). We got scratched, bruised and battered.... but miraculously we didn´t die or suffer extensive injuries! But we hurt so much. It´s now about 24 hours since we finished and I feel I´ve aged about 70 years. I know what it´s like to be old now. I´ve had the sneak preview. Ouch. On the plus side we have at least picked a good spot in which to recuperate. Having spent our first 48 hours in Panama comparing the place to Gotham City on a dark night we have now reach a very pleasant spot. It´s like a Swiss mountain town but without the Swiss. It´s a village high up in the Western Panamanian hills called Boquete. I highly recommend it! Ít´s coffee country and we´ve toured a nearby coffee plantation and done a coffee tasting session. My sanity is definitely returning! I´m now off to have a Latte in one of the nearby cafes - at the respectable price of 1 US Dollar... thank you very much! I don´t think this place will stay like this long though. Americans that don´t like paying taxes have discovered this place with a vengeance and as I write this they are tearing down local coffee plantations to build gated communities. Bit sad really. Hope to bring you more cheerful news in our next missive, John and Lisette
After 7 hours on an overnight bus from Panama City we made it to David (pronounced Dah-veed) this morning. Slightly eerie journey - we were woken at 2am to show officers our passports. Then at 4am I had the surprise of my life when I stirred to see a golden retriever padding past me in the aisle of the coach... I can only assume that it was on some kind of unsuccessful narcotics hunt since no-one explained (even in Spanish) just what was going on. Eventually he/she was retrieved by a man in a uniform with a very big truncheon by his side. At the time I had other worries though as hypothermia was beginning to set in. The drivers response to the heat and humidity outside appeared to be setting the air-conditioning in the coach to "stun" and to hell with the passengers. So as the journey continued all that could be heard up and down the coach were muffled curses and chattering of teeth But we made it! Arrival at 5:30 am was slightly traumatic though as my wooden wedding ring went for a wander under the bus, never to be seen again... Now on the market for another wooden wedding ring - glad I only spent 3 dollars on the last one Thought I´d pass on 2 snaps from the wedding we´ve just received: Lisette looking frankly stunning and me looking in need of a good rest... Take care peoples!
Hola Amigos! Well, last time I mailed you it was from the comfy environs of Antigua where pelicans woke us each morning as they fished for food outside our villa. Times have changed! We left Antigua after a week, handed in the keys and caught a plane to Puerto Rico. Pleasant enough place, despite it being officially a "US territory" not that many people speak English (problem since that´s all we can speak!) Despite that we packed in some fun-filled adventures: 1. we explored "Old San Juan" - a very picturesque place 2. we hiked through a rainforest 3. we went to the Bacardi factory where they make all the rum - essentially this was one big advert in the name of Bacardi but the drinks were free... Shame I don´t like rum
One love people.
The weather here in Antigua has yet to dip beneath 30 degrees. As a result I am pretty much a limp rag doll for much of the time but Lisette is absolutely loving it!