Finca Northwoods

Look at my clean face!

Over and over again in my life when i ask the universe for something, even specifically, an answer comes, sometimes within the hour. Last i left off, i was headed around lake Arenal from the tourist mecca of Fortuna towards the backroads to Monteverde. I did leave in that direction, but after riding for 20 miles with a canadian woman i was easily turned back to Fortuna with a new route planned. Monteverde is just another tourist trap hard to get to, way overpriced, and has the same jungle as anywhere else around here, she told me. So, we biked back to town, spent the night there and in the morning i took off to the south towards San Ramon and the pacific coast.

The ride was fun, kind of. Big rolling hills through green valleys on a nice rain free afternoon, but my mind was moving faster than my wheels could spin. I kept thinking to myself that what i really wanted to be doing was hanging out with some good people on a farm. I passed numerous internet cafes, at each one very tempted to pull over and check out the wwoof directory. Thats willing workers on organic farms for those who are unfamiliar. For whatever reason i peddaled on until i reached the town of La Tigre where an ice cream cone tempted me off my bike for a while. After the delicious break i was approached by a gringo woman who was intrigued by my bicycle. We got to talking about her brother in law who is currently riding his bicycle alone around the world. He is in India now coming from London. Meghan informed me that she and her husband ran a private school up in the mountains outside of town and that if i wanted to i could spend the night there. All i had to do was push my bike 3km up a rock road. The offer sounded nice, i was tired, and i figured that it is not every day this happens.

Up the hill, an hour later, i roll up at Finca Northwoods. The big beautiful house overlooks the enitre valley with sweeping views. Lush gardens, ponds filled with big tilapia fish, and about 100 acres of private rain forest. In fact the farm abuts hundreds of thousands of acres of protected forest. There house basically abuts the Monteverde reserve.

I was warmly greeted by a number of people at the house, some of which students, some workers. Finca Northwoods is a satellite program from a program in Idaho, with the same name, that is a private boarding school for at-risk teens. There are only four students here right now, but many more are in Idaho, and they usually cycle through in four or five month periods. Here, the kids have school for half a day and spend the rest working on the farm. A lot of the kids have quite troubled pasts and this program is definately a wake up call. There is nothing like working in a hot humid rainforest getting swarmed by giant ants and mosquitos to help woop someone into shape. After spending time with the kids i can tell that the program works.

Dave and Meghan who run the school were so inviting and kind when i showed up that i decided to spend another day here and do some work on the farm with them. I helped clear a plot of land that will be used to plant beans in the near future. The staff i worked with were amazing. Freddy is a local guy who is also one of the host families that house the students. All students live within the local community to get a better grasp on life in Costa Rica.

X-Mas break was coming up and everyone was clearing house so Dave asked me if i would watch over the place while they were gone. I was thrilled of course! So here i am, living up on the hill with the house and land to myself. My companion is Woody, the valiant dog of the finca, and I have the keys to the 1959 land rover which is by far the most fun car ive ever driven. They come back from vacation in a couple days and after that i will head through some big mountains before the coast. I have been warned that the roads are insane from here.

Isnt it amazing that right after i have the thought of stopping somewhere for a little bit i end up in a sort of fairytale land. This place isnt great for just the natural beauty, but also for what it stands for. In a world of corporate boarding schools and programs that are based on discipline and punishment for past actions, Northwoods is a place where kids are given skills to take control of their lives in an open community. The staff here is great and is based around supporting not only the students but also the local community. In the process, the farm is transforming into a place that will make the school self-sufficient agriculturally.

I have a feeling that the connection i have made to this place will last longer than the extent of my house sitting gig. These are good people.

What is even more is the connection ive made to local families here. I had christmas dinner last night with Freddy and his family and they warmly welcomed me. This is what i wish all my journeys were like; getting off the road and into the communities, talking to locals, eating, sharing, laughing. It can be so easy to be trapped on the road and tourist circuits, but when i can make good friends who are real and not in anyway affiliated with tourism it is a great feeling.

Isla de Ometepe y Costa Rica

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There is something about Islands that always attracts me in a very unique way. It is the isolation and the autonomy, the slower pace of life, the tranquility that comes from being always surrounded and protected by water, and the kind of people that settle in such places that are so enticing to me. All the islands I have known (Martha´s Vineyard, St. John, Vashon, Maui, Ometepe) have all left me with a connection to the land and the people there. In some ways i feel like my life in recent years has developed into an island state of being. Tranquility and autonomy are maybe the most important parts of my life, things that help me keep travelling.
La Isla de Ometepe is located in the middle of Lake Nicaragua which dominates the southeastern part of Nicaragua. The island is basically two volcanoes connected by a small strip of land with a road around the perimeter of each. It has become a huge tourist mecca in the country in recent years which makes perfect sense because after the hustle and uber gringoness of Granada (where the ferry leaves from) the island is an escape. Even though there are lots of tourists there is is very easy to not see a single one if you want to.
I chose to head directly for the opposite side of the island from the ports. The paved road quickly turns to a complete shitstorm dirt track that leads across the Playa Santo Domingo towards the Volcan Maderas side of the island. I bumped into two friends of mine, Fernando from Mexico and Toke from Denmark, who directed me to their camp spot, a small very typical backpackers hostel right on the water. It was complete with bamboo huts, thatch roofs, overpriced food, and an open tab which is the enticer to keep people drinking. I have come to know these places from travelling in other places and i usually avoid them. They are usually never owned by locals and are generally backpacker bait. But, we were the only people there! It was really nice actually to have that little tropical place to ourselves. Camping was really cheap and it was right at the base of the volcano which i climbed the next day.
Most people hire guides to go hike up the volcano which sits at 1394 meters, but i would never do that. So i set out under cloudy skies which quickly turned into extreme downpour. Of course i didn´t turn around, hiking up the almost vertical trail through ankle deep mud and water was awesome! I made it up the mountain in a few hours and decended into the crater which has filled with water to form a lagoon, but the visibility was mas o menos ten feet, so i retreated down the hill through dense jungle with bellowing howler monkeys allerting me that i was tresspassing on their turf. The bottom of the mountain is lush agricultural land filled with bean fields, banana plantations, and pasture.
The most amazing thing to me about that island is that it is almost completely self-suffiecient. All of the farms there grow their own rice, beans, corn, fruit, meat, etc. Real homesteading.

From the island i took the overnight ferry to San Carlos which is basically right on the border of Costa Rica. I opted for second class to save a few dollars but i spent most of the night sleeping in a mountain of plantains out on the deck. Inside there are bad american movies being played all night long, my favorite of them was a really terrible movie called the cannibal 3. It was a normal escape through the jungle until the very end when it turns into a gratuitously bloody, violent and sexual film filled with beastiallity and internal organ eating. The whole boat was hysterical. The young boys next to me were in heaven while their mothers were flipping out.

From San Carlos it is a one hour boat ride through the jungle to Los Chilles, Costa Rica. Right away the differences between Nicaragua and Costa Rica are evident. The towns are clean, there are apparent civil services abound, and the people are somehow different too. I think it is pride. The general atmosphere is very proud and happy. Everything costs a lot more here which is hard for long haul travelling, but it just means camp more, drink less.
Yesterday was my first long day on the bike, around 60 miles through rolling agricultural lands. Constant rain kept it cool and the sun broke through to dry me off at the end of the day. I spent the night camped on a beautiful farm 10km outside of La Fortuna which is a very touristy but clean and friendly city.
From here i bike west into the mountains around Lago Arenal and then south to Monteverde. I have realized that my bike is in no way equipped to travel on back roads here which is too bad, but i will be able to put my bike on busses to get me around sketchy roads.
I am excited to actually ride my bike all day everyday for the next little bit, already my body feels great and in shape, yet completely saturated. There is never a moment to dry out here with the constant rain and humidity, but hopefully that will change some in the higher elevations.

stupid stupid carnivore

Oddly enough the street food of choice in Granada is a hot dog. Of course you can find gallo pinto y carne asada y ensalada but most often people chow down on a dog. These are serious weeners here: foot long, smothered in everything imaginable. Granada is a latin america tourist mecca which has its ups and downs, one of the ups being the mojito happy hour at la casa blanca. Dos mojitos for 20 cordobas which is 50 cents per one. So i got hammered of course.
In my stupor, with hefty appetite, i hit the streets looking for a meal. It was late and the streets were empty, but i managed to find a hot dog cart. Had i been of right mind i never would have eaten such a piece of crap, but i did and it was fantastic i think. Anyway, i left without my backpack which of course had everything i need to travel inside of it: passport, travellers checks, debit card, camera, cash, my journal, and my bike lock (i was on my bike of course). It took me about 10 minutes to realize what i had done and when i did i booked it back only to find the shadow of a once existing hot dog cart.
I mostly had something like a heart attack with a touch of brain meltdown, but my compatriots here tried to keep me a little more positive. I went to sleep knowing the total shit show that lay ahead of me.
Getting a new passport is a royal pain in the ass. It involves lots of time, money, and waiting. But i started the procedure. First thing was to have an official police report, so i spent many hours waiting to take care of that, most of which was spent talking to a teenage cop holding an ak47 with him asking me lude questions about how american women like to have sex. Ah just give me the god damn papers! They did. I left.
I hit the streets looking for my mystery hot dog lady but she was nowhere to be seen. I thought for sure that I'd never see any of my things again.
BUT THEN!!!!! I spotted a hot dog cart on a street corner with a lady who looked nothing like the lady from the night before... I had described to the police that the hot dog lady was an old lady with white hair... this woman was young and had black hair... and lo and behold strapped to the cart was my backpack. Everything was in order, nothing missing. In fact she would not even open the bag, for she knew that she would see me on the street at some point. Ay que fantastico! i could not believe it. This woman was so kind to watch over my bag and what a warm hearted soul. She didnt even know what was inside of it.
Later, i went back to visit her to try to give her a gift for returning my bag but she refused completely and in return tried to give me a hot dog. I refused as well.

Catastrophe avoided by the skin of my teeth. I feel like an ass still for being so careless, but it goes to show how amazing the people are down here. But here in Granada which is a very beautiful colonial city and full of tourists from all over the world there are two kinds of people: those that are trying to get your money and those that arent. The backpacker scene here is blown up and it bothers me so i leave tomorrow for Omatepe island for some volcano time. From there i can take a boat to a city near the border of costa rica.

Oh and biking, right. It is hot and my bike weighs a ton, which makes things very hard for my out of shape self. I have only biked about 35 miles so far but it gets easier from here.

Preparations

Prepping for a trip is always a busy time for me because I leave everything for the last minute. I'm great at it, but days are full of errands and the business of organizing for many months away from home (home here meaning America, for lack of a more specific residence). The reality of course is that the best trips are the ones that have most of the planning saved for the moments when a decision really needs to be made. In the case of this trip that means route, food, lodging, etc.; nothing important, but things that need to be taken care of at some point.

This journey, my most ambitious cycle tour yet, begins in Managua, Nicaragua and will hopefully carry me down deep into the Andes of Peru. My path will cross Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. I am in no rush and am more interested in exploration than speed or distance. Both of those attributes can be nice in a bike tour; more miles equals more country seen and experiences had, but speed also encourages blindness to culture,
In past tours, specifically last year's ride from Los Angles to the tip of Baja, I found myself slave to paved roads, but this time I refuse to remain tied to asphalt. I've beefed up my wheels in anticipation of riding in more rural areas.

My flight leaves in about six hours, and I am scheduled to arrive in Managua around 10AM tomorrow morning. I am excited but also nervous to be doing this trip alone. I know the feeling though: the anticipation of lonliness mixed with the joy of adventure. In past trips the lonliness is just a forethought and never a reality. I hope to be blessed with good company along my ride, be it gringo cyclists or inviting locals.

Seeing as how nobody knows that I have a blog (I always thought they were for dorks) it would be odd to say "Stay tuned for updates!" because there isn't anyone tuned in to begin with... But I'll say it for my sake

Stay tuned!

Jeff


Oh yeah, that sexy creamsicle of a bike in the main page picture is my custom steel CircleA bike, but alas, it remains in the basement of my parents house in NY. All of me wants to take it on this trip but it is just too nice (wouldn't want to go chipping the paint now would I). Instead I am using my beat to shit aluminum green machine, my first touring bike: a trusted friend and great travelling companion.