By David Leija BearCanada announced it is lifting its visa requirements for Mexican citizens this week. Did you know... As we’ve traveled through 16 countries this past year, my Mexican passport has allowed me to travel freely throughout the americas without any visa restrictions. That means that I've paid exactly $0 this trip for visas as we cross borders. My cousin who is traveling with his US passport can’t say the same due to reciprocal visa policies or policies where countries simply make you pay the visa fee that your country charges its citizens when they visit. It’s easy to fall into the line of thinking that your Mexican or Latin-American citizenship is not as valuable. People everywhere told me I should travel with a US passport because it would be easier. Turns out that’s just another one of the endless myths we've encountered on this trip that turned out to be a lie. Mexico’s passport, along with many others in Latin America, is amongst the strongest in the world giving us visa-free access to 140 countries (amongst them all of Europe and now Canada since December). It is actually stronger than the US passport in the Americas and it is not even the strongest passport in Latin America; Brazil, Chile, and Argentina’s passports have even further reach. And while travel is not a priority for many, it’s still good to know. Our Latin American citizenship is much more stronger and valuable than they've lead us to believe. For my undocumented brothers and sisters; know that things will get better. The US will progress in its embrace of today's immigrants as more and more people are waking up to the realities of all that our community brings to the table. Despite the many obstacles with the current state of education in the US and the lack of access, we’re still arming ourselves with knowledge and attaining degrees in record-breaking numbers. We’ve got to keep making noise and accessing spaces where we can be heard. Should you ever find yourself outside this 'golden cage' that is the US now, or in the hopefully better future for whatever reason… know that there are many doors open out there… 140 to be exact. Always know your worth. And for our brothers and sisters with different passports from different Latin-American countries -here's the breakdown:
1. Chile 155 2. Brazil 153 3. Argentina 152 4. Mexico 139 5. Uruguay 137 6. Venezuela 132 7. Costa Rica 131 8. Panama 127 9. Paraguay 125 10. Guatemala 119 11. Honduras 116 12. El Salvador 115 13. Nicaragua 110 So basically if you were thinking about getting a passport from you or your parent's birth country -do it. This is just one of the countless ways I’ve felt empowered on this trip. Sources: The Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index 2016 www.passportindex.org By David Leija BearI’m about 99% sure that whoever uttered the phrase, ‘it’s about the journey, not the destination.’ probably thought of it while wandering around the glorious streets of Ecuador for a bit. From the moment I saw the sign, ‘Bienvenidos al Ecuador’ (welcome to Ecuador) until right now as I’m writing this riding through the Andes mountains in Southern Ecuador, this country has been nothing but amazing and full of awe-inspiring moments where we just had to pull over to take it all in. In Colombia they had told us how great the roads were, how cheap the gas was and how generally safe it was in Ecuador; they had even advised us to pick up hitchhikers when we saw them. As we were crossing the border, we knew they were right. Everything was so nice and it really did feel extra safe. Since our closest connections were in the capital city of Quito and it was only five hours from the border, we were talking about just driving straight there that night. Little did we know… Were it not for a couple of friends that we made on the road that told us that there is way too much to see before even getting to the capital, we would have missed the sheer beauty that the northern portion of the country holds. The magic really begins before you even get to Ecuador. As soon as we got to the southern Colombian city of Pasto we started really feeling the Andean/Ecuadorian vibe –so chill- so earthy. Pasto serves as the preamble to Colombia’s Andean neighbor and really prepares you for the culture shock that is Ecuador in every sense of the word –the climate changes, the gastronomy, music, fashion -everything. We arrived at the Colombia-Ecuador border as the sun was going down. Borders always give me a bad vibe as they represent a much bigger picture than just crossing from one country to another; I just don’t like them. I do have to say, that border crossings in South America have been much smoother than the border that I’m used to. This border in particular had me walking outside, filming the whole process with my phone out in the open and even making friends on the way. It was the smoothest process we’ve encountered yet –even with my fresh-washed and now illegible passport (don’t trip, I got a new one in Bogotá and if you followed me on Instagram you would know ;)). I walked out of there being friends with the border agent. Literally –we have each other’s contact info. Reading the text message that told us not to skip Northern Ecuador was music to my ears… or I guess, tacos to my eyes. We were dead tired that day and I was definitely not feeling the five-hour drive we had left. Now, contrary to popular belief, Ecuador is actually pretty cold –especially in the North. That first night we stayed in the border town of Tulcan and slept that good Chicago winter sleep like when it’s cold outside and you get home, wrap yourself in a blanket, hug the hell out of a pillow and sleep like no other –the type of sleep I missed. I think that a lot of times people take the cold for granted back up North pero el frio también tiene lo suyo –the cold has its good side too. We woke up in the van that morning excited for the adventure that lay ahead. Most of the time we’re not sure what we’re doing the next day but that morning we didn’t know where we were going after breakfast, where we were sleeping that night or who we would meet that day. I live for days like that. As I sipped on my aight cup of coffee I remember feeling like I was in anywhere USA; you could not differentiate that diner from a denny’s –that is until the food came out. Pure Ecuadorian delight. We left the diner and headed for an ecological park that was unlike any other I’d ever seen. Our new friend that awaited us in Quito had highly recommended it. The park was called ‘El Angel’. It was a rough road to get there but once we arrived it was a dream; we loved it. You read books about ‘finding yourself in the deserts of Africa’ but nah, you didn’t need to go all the way out there. This park had a fog-filled lagoon, and this type of plant unique to that landscape; it was kind of a mix between a cactus, and a sunflower all bundled up in winter clothes. We were already about 3,000 meters above sea level and there was still a hefty climb left to the mirador so that we could get a good view of it all. The air was so thin up there, I lost my breath right away –I love walking and climbing but I’ve never felt so weak in my life. I guess now I know how my cousin feels on the daily (lol). There was definitely something special about the place… something ominous. Pictures will never do justice to the feeling of being there. We continued on our way, passing through the small Afro-Ecuadorian town of Mascarilla known for the national soccer stars that come out of there. A little bit after passing through there we made it to Ibarra, “the white city”. I really couldn’t believe how beautiful the city was. There was this huge volcano covered by clouds that could be seen from just about anywhere it seemed like. As we were driving through the traffic hour, there was a pick-up truck in front of us with locals in the back. It was three kids and two adults. They were all smiles and laughs the whole half hour that they were in front of us. They’d splash each other every once in a while as well as passing cars. At one point, they turned to us and wet us. I didn’t think much of it. Then we passed under a bridge and there were kids on top wetting the passing cars; they got us too. I figured they were just messing around. Then finally we passed a block where kids were just wetting all of the cars with a hose. I barely escaped with my life as I tried dodging the water, dramatic as can be, as if it were a life or death situation. It happened so fast. That would have been such a goofy way to go out… I closed the window and avoided being sprayed. Shortly after we saw people with paint splashed on them and wet. It took us a bit but we realized that there was a party going on in the city. We got to a huge park where everyone was just wetting each other and spraying each other with foam and slapping paint on each other. I had to pull over and check it out. As I pulled out my phone to record a bit, this lady came up to me and slapped me in the face with black paint yelling, ‘so that you’ll look pretty for the camera’. It was such a great time. No one was safe! There were no holds barred on the spraying. We walked around and hung with the locals until the sun went down. Ibarra felt so safe, we parked right there in front of the park and kicked it for the night.
The next day we cruised for a bit until we found a breakfast spot. We’re always hunting for deals and we found this warm, friendly place that had the best hot sauce South of Mexico so far that is just packed with flavor. This ‘ají sauce’ is common-place at Ecuadorian restaurants but this one in particular was just bursting with flavor. I ate some mashed plantains covered in white crumbled cheese and eggs. Kind of like their version of chilaquiles. It didn’t sound like much at first but it packed a punch… delicious. After conversing with the friendly couple that owned it, they gave us all types of advice and even a few maps to check out. We hit the road with both our bellies and our minds content. The next stop was Otavalo –one of my favorite cities so far. It is an indigenous town where everyone was proudly Kichwa. The men all had long-black pony tails and the women rocked these fedora-like hats which were to me, the pinnacle of swag. You might have seen them around as they are known world-wide for their commerce amongst other things. Or maybe you’ve caught the lyrical master EmCees, Los Nin, who juggle between Kichwa and Spanish in their rhymes, on one of their international tours. Google them. Do it. We hung out for a while in Plaza de Ponchos while we got some work done and feasted on some encebollada or onion soup. You need to try this, even if you don’t like onion. It is just too delicious to pass up. Otavalo was really a place that I just wanted to stay, explore and talk to people but the road called and we had to keep going. On the way out we stopped by La Cascada de Peguche which was a big beautiful waterfall on the way out of the city. No hiking necessary, as it was one of the easiest waterfalls I’ve ever accessed -a must when cruising through this country. After this introspect-inducing stop we drove non-stop to Quito so that we could hang with our hosts for a bit, the French-Ecuadorian couple, Remy and Gaby that I’ll introduce in part two of this segment. This was just an introduction to the beauty that is Ecuador –and to think that we almost skipped this altogether… To be continued. By David Leija BearReaching the end of the world for me has been one of the most empowering and defining moments of my life. Traveling through Latin America and being able to see my people in places where they don't have the perceived stigma of being 'necessitated' or 'burdensome' immigrants in the US, but rather as thriving, excelling and celebrated members of society makes me feel like I really can accomplish ANYTHING and everything is a possibility. I remember when I studied in Mexico for a semester. The first time I went to my professor's office and saw someone that looked like me speaking my birth language, listening to music that I grew up with but had only ever associated with struggle, work and contempt, in such a place of #power, shook my world and uplifted me like nothing else. Now, seeing my people flourish on a larger scale, and not looked down upon by the society they live in inspires me unequivocally.
I know that if my #undocumented brothers and sisters were given these same opportunities they would take it to another level. Living in a country where ideology increasingly trumps humanity, where the media continually proliferates messages of xenophobia infecting even the minds of our future leaders and contaminating our college campuses all the while fighting to get a diploma they might never be able to put to work yet still putting everything on the line for it is beyond exemplary... My undocumented students, friends and family members are some of the most resilient and inspiring people I've ever had the privilege of meeting, overcoming the obstacles that their status entails. We're crossing these borders in solidarity so that hopefully one day soon, they too can cross them. Whether given the chance to excel with opportunities, or held down by obstacles put forth by a broken immigration system, a lack of government action and a seemingly growing ultranationalistic society, this is the next generation of talented #Americans and the future workforce for the US -like it or not. #INVEST in us. Give us the #Opportunity to get an #Education, and to #Succeed because we are going to be there regardless as either #uplifted, #empowered and #productive citizens of society or impeded by the weight of contempt and reproach. Our success, is the nation's success. All we ask, is for #Access. By Edgar BearAs we were walking within the thickness of the Amazon Rainforest, it began to rain. I’m not talking about a few drops here and there; I’m talking about strong, heavy, rain. We were soaked instantly.
Now, Some would consider this a negative experience. To an extent, I admit that I didn’t enjoy the fact that my clothes got entirely wet, yet, as cousin Dave put it, “it makes the experience more real.” I agree. Not only were we able to see and walk about a portion of what is the largest rainforest on the planet that hosts one of ten known species of plants and animals in the world, we were able to experience one of the most important factors that gives life to the Amazon. ...................................................................................................... The day before, we visited a town that left me in wonder, Papallacta. Driving through it was an experience in itself. The luscious green mountains had clouds hovering all about. Each cloud highlighted the beauty of the mountains that continued far beyond what we could see. Papallacta, a town that requires one to wear a jacket, is known for its hot springs. David and I, almost shivering, decided to check out this natural phenomenon. So, we entered a local spot and saw the water’s heat rising; all this in the middle of cold. Let me tell you that as soon as one enters the warm and refreshing water, all of life’s issues seem to disappear. There is a peace that flows through. ...................................................................................................... The following day we left for the Amazon Rainforest. It would be silly of us who are Driving Latinoamerica to not visit one of the most important and diverse pieces of land in the world. Once we arrived to a town by the name of Misahuallí, we ran across a few Chileans and one Argentinian. We were all looking to walk about the Amazon. Next, we met a local who said he could give us a ride on his boat and guide us in order that we may experience the rainforest. We all jumped into the boat, and instantly, the experience was captivating. It felt like a scene from a movie that depicts the Amazon except, of course, there were no natives shooting darts at us. The boat moved along as we saw all sorts of variety of trees along the water’s edge. For miles, throughout, one would see green as the trees seemed to stand above the others due to the mountains surrounded the rivers. After about a 45-minute boat ride, we stopped and began our first trek into the thickness of the rainforest. At this first location, we arrived at what is known as Amazoonica. It is a place of refuge for local animals and a place that helps prevent deforestation and helps preserve the rainforest. Locals and foreigners come through to serve, to help the cause. At this location, we were able to see a variety of birds, monkeys, crocodiles, turtles, plants, trees, and insects. It is incredible to see the ever-changing diversity as one walks. There are leaves all over the ground that help nourish the earth, all sorts of animals and insects that then are prey to another variety of animals. About an hour and a half later, we got on the boat, and after eating, we went to another part of the rainforest. As soon as we arrived it began to rain. We were instantly soaked. We picked huge leaves from a nearby plant to help block the rain, but the shower was too strong. It was to no avail. This area had a completely different look and feel than that of the former location. The ground we walked on felt different (not simply because of the rain) and there were unique variety of trees, of insects, fruits, and animals. Here we were able to see some of the ingenious practices that the natives used to hunt and to trap a selection of animals ranging from pumas to snakes. An example of how to trap an animal would be encircling an area while leaving an opening. Within the opening would lie both a piece of food and a trip wire that once moved, would suddenly impulse a tree onto the animal that would cause the animal to instantly die which would then result in food for the natives. Soon after, we visited a community of historically indigenous people who resume to live in the rainforest but many of whom do not continue to dress in their traditional clothes. Here, we were witnesses to a traditional dance and were given a taste of food and drink. Both delicious. Then some of the kids wanted to play with us, so we played their instruments and I, at a different time, played soccer with the kids. Subsequently, we went home. ...................................................................................................... Something that I cannot stop thinking about when it comes to the Amazon that also concerns each one of us is the importance of the land to our survival. Now, I don’t by any means consider myself a hippie nor the negative portrayal that comes with a tree hugger. But to say that we do not depend on the land for our survival is ridiculous. As hard as it may sound for some of us who can be considered hyper individualist and independent, we are by no means independent. We are dependent every single instant of our lives. Right now every human is dependent on water they did not create, food they ate, oxygen, and so on. All this is part of the cycle of nature that if we mistreat, can affect the livelihood of people. If deforestation continues in the amazon, all sorts of animals, insects, and plants are affected. Not only so, but humans are affected as well. In the same way, if we continue to negatively affect the nature around us, we will also be negatively affected: example, flint Michigan. The mistreatment of water has brought about poisonous water to a harassed and neglected community onslaught by those in power who still have yet to act. As Christian I am called to be a steward of the land. Being that I consider this land to be His, it is important that I be a good steward that does not abuse what He has given us because not only would that be disobedience, but it is also affecting my fellow neighbor who I am to love while affecting future generations and my own source of survival. A Quick Reflection on Our TravelsBy Edgar BearAfter driving through nine countries in four months, we finally arrived at middle of the world.
After driving through mountains, forests, rain, fog, the coast, at night, tired, during the day, full of energy, and after meeting and conversing with great people, we arrived at the middle of world in Ecuador: the equator; latitude 0 0' 0.” How does it feel? It is as though we have achieved a goal. Yet, at the same time, we have a lot of road to cover. As I reflect, yes, the middle of the world is something to be in awe about. It is a place of beauty where north, south, east, and west meet. It is a location that can be surprisingly chilly. Surprising, because my entire life I was told the equator (near Quito Ecuador) was hot. Nah. It’s chilly, and at night, it can get cold. Yet, as to our drive, it can be seen as a representation of our halfway point. During our first half of our drive, we experienced much. We have had long conversation with locals from eight countries about all sorts of topics from politics, to religion, relationships, travel, work, nature, science, and family. We have also had great times in laughter from laughing nonstop to laughing about ourselves, our differences, our expressions, laughing about jokes, and about life. We have felt the love of the people by way of hospitality where we are received with kisses, kind words, a place to sleep, and with food. As to food, we have tried all sorts of vegetables, meat, candy, fruit, drinks, types of rice, and bread; the names are hard to remember. Yet, each plate of food is unique. As I reflect, I have learned much. I began this trip with my own prejudices and thoughts of an area. Yet, as I meet people and get to know them; as I laugh and joke with them; as I share my thoughts and beliefs and they share theirs; and as I see the impressive ever-changing looks that nature presents as one moves about, I am left longing, in awe, and with a desire to continue. I am left longing because I desire for my friends, my family, immigrants, the people that I grew up with that have said and continue to say racist things; basically I desire that all people from all backgrounds get to know the different cultures of the people and land that I have come to love and appreciate. I desire for them to know the goodness of the people despite the disagreements in politics and religious beliefs. One person does not represent a people as a whole. I am left in awe for two reasons: the first reason is nature and the second the misrepresentation of the people from Latin-American countries. In regards to nature, yes, I can understand why Latinoamérica can seem so, “the same,” but that is the furthest thing from the truth. By simply travelling a few miles in any country, there is increasing difference in nature. Countries that I thought nothing of, I have come to find out are rich in beauty ranging from mountains, trees, ocean, lakes, rivers, and sky. I am of the people who believe that God reveals who He is in nature. And as I travel, I have been left in awe of the goodness of His creation. Regarding the misrepresentation of the people, I don’t know how many times I’ve been told to not go to Mexico, yet it was safe. I have heard people believe all Latinos are Mexican and believe that all Latinos look the same; far from true. There are those of African descent, those who are whiter than Carrot Top, there are Asians, indigenous and there are all sorts of mixed races. But don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those people who lives in a false reality who doesn’t know how to go about cites and thinks everything is perfect. Not at all. But the things we often hear and believe about Latin-Americans are often far wrong. A great example would be Colombia. There is a tremendous fear of entering that country to the point that some have come to believe that there is cocaine on every corner. Not true. The largest majority of the population happens to be good people, but like in all places, there are those who cause harm. So, I am in awe of the misrepresentation. However, at the same time, I need say, I am in awe of the goodness of the people. Lastly, there is a desire to continue the journey. The drive is not over as of yet. We have eight countries to cover, each one having its own type of diversity in regards to nature and people. I am looking forward to the new sights, knowledge, music, family practices, and different forms of hospitality and love. But going back to the halfway point, as I reflect, as of yet, I am ultimately left with a thank you. I would like to thank the people who have helped us along the way. And I thank God for having given me the opportunity to experience His beauty in nature and the diversity of the people created. By David Leija“Passport? Check. Guitar? Check. Backpack? Check. Fuimonos!” I struggled as I crawled out the back door of the van looking like Jim Carey being birthed by the rhino in Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls. I had just parked the van inside the shipping container and had to squeeze my way out the back around both these heavy duty security drawers that my cousin drilled into the van and this makeshift shower made out of buckets and hoses that are in the way. As I walked out of the container and we put the lock on the door, I thought to myself. “Ya estuvo” There’s no turning back now.” We were committed. We were now vanless in Panamá until we flew over an essentially uncrossable jungle, into a different continent and made our way to pick up our van that had just been shipped by boat around said jungle. Fast forward a few amazing days (my cousin wrote about them in his blog check it out!) and we made it to the cumbia capital of the world, Colombia.
*** We woke up in the airport that morning and took a taxi to our friend’s house. The directions said something along the lines of, “Drive to this store, take a right and turn right at the big tree…” It worked; we found the place without a hitch. Disappointingly enough, the rest of the country was not necessarily like that in terms of directions although I wish it were; there’s a certain charm to it. On arrival, we were received by our new friends for life, Paulo and his parents. We had never met them before, but right away we felt the love. Paulo is a percussion student at a private university in the country’s capital –Bogotá. He was home for the holidays along with his cousin/neighbor/college roommate/guitarist and equally cool dude, Andrés. Andrés lived next door with his family and grandparents as well as his little brother – my lil’ tocayo , and the coolest and most trucha 14 year old ever, Juan David. These were the folks we were going to unintentionally spend the next two weeks with. Little did we know that we were yet to meet one of the coolest people we’ve ever met, Liney –she just happened to be at work that morning at the engineering firm. We went into the house looking like a hot mess from having slept at the airport that night. The heat of the Caribbean port-city had me feeling extra sluggish, so after conversing for a bit, we took a nap and woke up for breakfast and sobremesa (conversing during and after the meal). Mrs. Arciniega made sure to make us a different traditional meal every day along with a different flavored water/juice. This was just a taste of the hospitality that was to come. We fell in love with Colombia quicker than you can say patacón. Once I awakened from my slumber, I stepped outside to a whole lot of sunshine and music. The next day, and the day after that, were the same -so much so, that if there wasn’t music blasting from the neighbor’s house… something wasn’t right. It didn’t seem to bother anyone though. This was just the way things were. These were my people. Cartagena was the place where everyone was just as ruidoso as me. As I walked the streets and talked to people, I realized that Colombia wasn’t so different from Mexico. In fact, I find solace in that we face similar issues and have found that we get along perfectly. Colombia has such a strong culture and just like Mexico, it differs greatly from region to region. The area that we were in is known for its delicious food; its vivacious, friendly, beautiful people; and probably the most internationally known of its musical styles, vallenato. Vallenato is considered an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO just like mariachi is in Mexico. Colombia has such a strong culture in every sense of the word, it needs no comparison (I know, I know I just compared it… but you know what I mean) Colombia is Colombia –what more can you want from a place? As if that weren’t enough, 87% of the people that were surveyed in Colombia reported that they were happy, thus making it the happiest country in the world for 2016, according to WIN/Gallup International Association’s annual global end of the year survey. This joy is easy to see when walking down the streets of historic downtown Cartagena. As we walked on top of the murals that surround the city while sipping on tinto, we felt this ever-present elation. One of my favorite moments in Cartagena, and in my life, was walking along the shore, on top of the walls as the sun set on the ocean. There are little windows along the wall where couples go to enjoy the sounds of the city, juxtaposed with the waves crashing along the walls. If there’s a place where you’re going to catch feelings… that’s one of them. ¡Aguas! Walk a little further into the downtown area and you’ll run into one of the many plazas named after Simon Bolivar, The Liberator. At night there are cultural shows on the street with folkloric afro-colombian dances and traditional music. Make sure you find a tintero on the way so that you can sip on some delicious black coffee that will get you all up in your feelings. Fortunately for me, we did this a lot since we ended up staying so long. We tried to pick up the van at the port and ran into some difficulties that my cousin discusses in his blog, Panama. We originally planned to stay in Cartagena for about three days, and then spend the new year in Barranquilla (hometown of Shakira, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Sophia Vergara) but we’ve since stopped planning things because our plans NEVER work out (kidding… kind of). Through it all, the Arciniega family was incredibly amazing and supportive. We felt bad because we didn’t want to overstay our welcome, but the Arciniegas made us feel so at home that, honestly, we felt like we were part of the family. The time came for us to leave; we had our van. We didn’t know where exactly we were going to stay in the next city just yet, but the wind was blowing South and the road was calling our names -but not before one last adventure per the request of Mrs. Arciniega. She told Edgar and I that she wanted to take a little trip to the ocean with the family. So, the next day, we packed the whole family -I’m talking parents, abuelitos, cousins, aunts –everybody, into the van and took a road trip to Playa Blanca on the Caribbean coast –all ten of us for one last adventure. Although it had only been two weeks, I felt like I had known these people all my life. We’d shared meals, music and endless conversations. Our time in Cartagena was over, but our love for Colombia had just begun. As goofy as it may sound, I had my doubts throughout the first seven countries on this beast of a roadtrip. I always knew we would put every ounce of energy into this project and do everything humanly possible to keep going, but it wasn’t until we shipped the van around the Darien Gap and flew over the infamous jungle that I felt closure in that we were in this until we reached our goal at the end of the world. The whole process of crossing into Colombia is really a preamble to what lies ahead, and we could not have had a better welcoming to South America than Colombia. Now, as we make our way onto our 9th country, it feels as though the more borders we cross, the less mental borders we have; the further we travel, the bigger the dream gets. Paulo Coelho once wrote, “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” So why not dream big? Whatever that may mean to you. We’re told this from the time we’re toddlers but do we really believe it? I’m not sure if I’ve ever dreamt so big in my life but with a little help from the people around me, I now dare to dream big, as should you. Now that we’ve started, we’re not stopping. We’ve officially passed the point of no return (at least in my mind) and are ready for anything. I entered South America with uncertainty. Now, my only uncertainty is if we’re ever going to leave this place we’ve grown to love. By Edgar BearAfter having driven from beach to beach in Costa Rica where we spent the night next to the ocean and where we woke up to loads of mosquito bites, we finally entered Panama.
But, when I think about it, there are two things that I knew about Panama: the fictitious prison known as Sona that was introduced in the television show Prison break and the historic Panama Canal. So, needleless to say, I didn’t know much about the country. However, after having visited, I have to say that it is well kept secret of a country that is safe and that is filled with amazing people. Six hours after crossing the border, we arrived in the capital city. Panama city could be compared to Miami: it is next to the ocean, tall buildings, great food, the people are nice, it is clean, and there are many activities to do. We stayed at my friend Claudia’s house. I met Claudia while studying for my Master’s in California. She is a smart young lady and after meeting her family, I must say that they are smart, loving, kind, and hospitable. They have a beautiful house and they received us with kindness, jokes, and joy. David and I felt overly welcome. Since it was around Christmas time, most people were either out of school or using their vacation days. Because of this, we were able to spend time with all sorts of people ranging from Claudia’s relatives, her friends, a professional baseball player, people from church, and people we met about the area. The first Sunday we were there, we went to a less fortunate side of town where there was a word, where we prayed for people, and where we gave out Christmas gifts. The children were grateful, as were the parents. Another great experience was that a few years back, while I was living in Pasadena, California, I met a Colombian, Jason, by way of soccer. In California, I went to the park to play the original football (soccer) and after some time, Jason and I became good friends. We would hang out almost every weekend back in California. Well, Jason, fell in love with a girl who lives in Holland. And after trying out the long distance thing for more than a few months, it was agreed that he would move to Holland to give their love a chance. Interestingly, however, Jason’s parents happen to live in Panama. And since it was around the Christmas holidays, Jason went to Panama to spend time with his family before moving to Europe. Additionally, Jason and I had kept in touch since David and I began our drive through Latino America and we had agreed to hang out in Panama. So we did. We went about the town telling stories, reminiscing, and we played soccer at a local spot with the locals as we did back in Cali. Christmas eve was a joy. David and I joined Claudia’s family where we ate much food, where we played and sang live music, and where we sang karaoke. It reminded me of the times back in the States or in Mexico where our families would gather on Christmas eve smiling, laughing non-stop, and eating. One of the only differences was that the weather was hot. Another day, after going to a beautiful beach, Claudia invited her friends over to her house where she had a “party.” Here, we met great people. There was this one black guy who was both smart and funny. In regards to his being funny, this guy is the type who is clever and far too quick with his humor. He had everyone laughing the entire time. At the party, at first, we got to know the people; we told jokes, and we talked about each other’s lives. As more people arrived, we played all sorts of games. Interestingly, the party was “dry.” No one brought alcohol. And as someone who grew up around alcohol, I have to say that this was one of the most entertaining parties that I have ever attended. Not simply because I was in a different country, but because all the people who attended were nice, knew how to converse, they treated us well, they knew how to laugh, and they always kept things interesting. Now, having said all this, there was one down side to our being in Panama, and that was the process of having to ship our vehicle in a shipping container to Colombia because of the Darien Gap: an area between Colombia and Panama where there is no road. The reason for a lack of a road is due to environmental reasons where there is a desire to care for nature, which is a good thing. I agree with that. But the downside was our having to pay over a thousand dollars to ship our vehicle. Furthermore, we faced other troubles of which will be writen about in the next blog. However, overall, I have come to love Panama. Would I visit again? Definitely. Beyond all doubt. By David Leija BearWhen I was in high school I read somewhere that Costa Rica was the greenest country in the world. This always peaked my curiosity as I was a bit doubtful and wanted to see it for myself. Then, when I graduated from college, my friend and I were making moves in hopes of moving to Costa Rica for a year. Everything was going according to plan until I got into some trouble. At that moment, I had to stop dreaming and ‘tighten my belt’ as we say in Spanish and get a ‘real’ job. Needless to say, the dream was deferred and I got back on my grind. Fast-forward several years later, and we finally made it. We arrived in beautiful Costa Rica. I never dreamed however, that I would get there by way of land driving 5,000+ miles to get there.
As you can imagine, I shed a proverbial li’l thug tear on arrival .We were greeted by the warmest, happiest, low-key cutest elderly couple you’ve ever seen. The warmth gleamed from them. I wanted to adopt them as my Costa Rican grandparents. After showering and conversing over some traditional Gallo Pinto, I realized that I didn't recognize their accent. This led to the realization that I’ve only ever met two Costa Ricans, or Ticos in my life, and only one of them was actually from Costa Rica. Five days in the greenest country in the world is all it took to find out why I didn’t know any Costa Ricans, which is to say, why they seemingly never leave the motherland. *** Driving up to the house, I eyeballed the courtyard of the place we were set to stay. I knew that our monster-truck van wasn’t going to fit. Then the front neighbor came out, measured the van and offered to let us park it in his garage. When I say measured, I mean, it literally fit down to the quarter-inch; it took us about half an hour to get it in there. Once we settled in, Mrs. Barrantes, our host, walked in casually with one of the neighbor’s six-month old baby and said that the baby wanted to chill with us. The sense of community was really strong. It gave me hope to see how well all of the neighbors knew each other and got along. We slept just as I imagine that baby slept that night since the night before we had stayed in the van somewhere in the sweltering heat of the Nicaraguan Pacific coast and woke up in pools of our own sweat. I’ll never forget the sound of my cousin waking up in the middle of the night sounding like Marlon Brando in The Godfather because he couldn’t breathe, talking about, “I can’t handle this...”. The next couple of days were spent just talking to people from the community and getting to know the capital. People in Latin America are generally friendly and warm but in Costa Rica, there is just a little something extra. Maybe it was the community we were in, but I definitely felt a genuine air of kindness when speaking to people. What impressed me most was that everyone was ripe with pride to be a Tico in a sense that was as far away from arrogance as possible; I think that this stems from true happiness as Costa Rica was ranked as the best performing country in the New Economics Foundation’s Happy Planet Index. Yes, Costa Rica has been recognized as the happiest place on the planet… twice. The next thing that stands out about Costa rica is that it was the first sovereign nation to abolish its standing army and is still one of few in the world to have done this. While all of this might sound like some type of utopian dream, like any other country, it still has its own problems; you’ve still got to use common sense and street smarts, AKA, don’t go talking up a storm while face-timing your boo in the middle of downtown San José at night. It’s just a bad beat. Now, if you get away from the city that is another story. This country has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world that you can visit and be home in time to watch Sabado Gigante reruns (r.i.p.). As we were driving from Nicaragua to San José, we passed up some beautiful sounding places that due to time constraints we didn’t get to visit initially. One of these places was, Punta Arenas… it just sounded like pure beach bliss in Costa Rica, so on our last day, we finally were able to make a trip to it. When we got there we realized that we'd messed up. With an abundance of beautiful beaches, I mean, literally every freakin’ beach that you go to is its own little paradise and we landed on the forgotten step-child of a beach. We cruised the area for a bit optimistically looking for a good place to kick it but never found it. We continued to another bunk beach in the area with the same luck until we finally bit the bullet and went to the further beach area where the gringos go. It was amazing, even with the gringos...(kidding). We went on a Tuesday and there was hardly anyone there. We literally drove the van onto the sand and kicked back, relaxed, until the sun set on the horizon. It was so amazing that we decided that we had to stay another day and purely visit beaches; we beach hopped for the next two days and each beach was somehow more amazing than the last. Aside from the beautiful people, paradisaical beaches and perfect weather, arriving to Costa Rica for me represented something bigger. Much more than just visiting the greenest place on earth, it was a testament for the bigger things that are to come in our lives. I’m always trying to run before I walk. Whether it be with music, language and who knows, probably love too. Todo a su debido tiempo -everything in due time. I wanted to go to Costa Rica as a fresh graduate, but where might that have gotten me? I might have missed my calling. I thought that when I got in trouble I had closed the door for myself, but I think it was just a sign from above. It was a lesson that I needed to learn, in a time that I needed to learn it. Having that dream deferred was the best thing that ever happened to me because during that time, I learned more than I could have ever imagined. I found my career and true calling that thankfully, was also my passion. So for those of you out there that have had your dream deferred, don’t be discouraged. Know that there is something greater in store... it might just be too big for you in that moment. Always keep the dream alive but hopefully you won’t have to drive 5,000 miles to achieve it. -David By Edgar Bear
After a bloody shootout between the army and the guerillas, the army forced people from their homes and lined them up. They were investigating the youth. They wanted to know if these people were in support of the guerillas.
A friend of mine, Erik and a member of his family were called out. His version of the story is that the army took far too much time with them. The fear of being taken, of being shot dead as others had in previous days and never heard from again was running high. However, the next door neighbor saw what was happening. This neighbor called her husband who happened to be a higher up in the military, and told him of the situation. The husband then gave an order to release the youth. Thankfully, the call came in time because the Nicaraguan Army was known for committing atrocities against its own people where they were often abducted and to this day some have not been found. Nicaragua has a rich history. There is a history of a people who were maltreated by the government for years. It came to be the common folk against those in power. And innocent people like my friend were caught in the middle where some did die for things like simply walking about the city. Yet, thank God, Nicaragua has undergone a tremendous change. No longer does the Somoza dictatorship that was sadly supported by the U.S. government control the country; instead, there is constant growth happening where the country is growing due to its beautiful beaches, food, historical sites, and people. This was our experience in Nicaragua: At the border between Honduras and Nicaragua, a young lady who looked to be a foreigner asked me about the currency exchange rate of the country. I replied, but I also noticed her accent, and asked her where she was from. Maria was Lithuanian and was traveling from country to country by way of hitchhiking. She said she needed to get to another town before it got too late. I was shocked. How could she hitchhike? That’s crazy. And then she asked if we could take her to a place where there was a hostel. As she asked me this, I was quite skeptical. It didn’t matter that she was European; Europeans can also steal and take advantage of people. However, on the other hand, she was traveling in such a way that is unsafe in many areas, and I took it into consideration that she could not overpower us. So, I approached my cousin and he agreed that we could drop her off at a nearby city. So, we did. Note: She was a great person to be around. Sometime later, we arrived in the capital city of Nicaragua: Managua. We stayed with my friend Douglas and his family. Douglas received us with great joy and love. We felt overwhelmingly welcome. He and his wife Diana made sure we were taken care of under all circumstances. They had two kids who were a joy to spend time with. They were incredibly funny; for example, the youngest kid, Jim, who is two year old, when first meeting David said, “Hola, Gringo” (Hi, Gringo). We couldn’t stop laughing. We still don’t know how he knew to say that. After spending a few days with Douglas, come to find out, Douglas used to be an ex-gang member, and not only so, but he used to be the leader of the gang. The stories I heard from Douglas were that his gang often took to the streets to fight not solely with fists but with machetes and oftentimes with guns. Douglas also spent time in prison. This man had lived a hard life. And the reasons that he gave for having acted so violently in his life were because of the environment he grew up in where his family knew war. Yet, Douglas tells me that it is thanks to God that he has changed his life around. He left the gang life and went on to study where he attained a law degree. Interestingly, however, after practicing his profession for some time, he decided to leave it behind in order to serve his community in a Christian organization by the name of Young Life. Douglas works with troubled youth in the area that he lives in which is the not-so-nice part of town. But from what I have seen, after talking to the youth and giving a lesson myself, Douglas has done a great job working with his community. He helped raise leaders in eight barrios where there are more than 50 kids being helped in each barrio. He truly is an inspiration to his community and to the youth that he works with. After spending some days with Douglas and his family, we went to Granada and then San Juan del Sur. Granada has an old Spanish-style look while at the same time it is modern. It is a safe area to walk about and sight-see. There are beautiful buildings all over, and there is a lake nearby that makes the city that much better. And just outside the city, we spent time in the lush green forest where we saw monkeys. One of them, who was about a year old, was quite fond of us and played with us for around an hour. I found this to be amusing and beautiful. San Juan del Sur is a beach town. Here we arrived just in time to see the beautiful sunset. It lit up the sky in an array of colors: purple, pink, blue, white, and those in between. It was inspiring. Then, David had the idea of sitting by the beach and playing our guitar and vihuela (a 5-stringed Mexican instrument that looks like a guitar). As we were playing, a man asked if he could join us. We said it was okay. So, he began to play the guitar, and as soon as he started playing, five of his friends came around to join us. It turns out that he was the guinea pig, he was used as bait so that in all, six people could sing songs with us while on the beach. Regardless, it was a great time. These men sang Nicaraguan songs that pertained to their history and their life. It was unexpected and quite enjoyable. We sang together and we got to know a bit about each other’s lives. Some fought in the war, others traveled by playing music, one of them spoke four languages, and some had lived in the states. Each person there had an interesting life story. This is the same for all people: we each have our stories. We at times want to lump others into certain categories forgetting that there is more to the people than the name given them. We say things like black people are, Mexicans this, white people this, or Asians that. All the while forgetting or not recognizing that we are complex individuals with complex life happenings that shape who we are. Our stories are different. And to take the time to know or to hear these differences according to the individual, brings about knowledge which shapes our own understandings that then hopefully cause us recognize the complexity of the human. And in regards to Nicaragua, we have seen and heard from those who experienced war, who are wealthy, who live in poverty, who enjoy baseball, soccer, education, who love their country, and the list continues. We have seen things we agree with and those that we disagree with. And I find this to be true with all people from the U.S. and other: there are things I have seen in them that I agree with and those I do not agree with; and yet, I attempt to love on them despite my own faults because that is what I am called to do. Some people's names have been changed. -Edgar By David Leija"Don't tell me not to be' scared, I’m in freakin’ Mexico City!!!" -As you might be able to tell by my cousin's concern, even us mås o menos seasoned travelers had our pre-conceived notions about chilangolandia or the Capital city of the Mexican Republic, México D.F. Upon entering, we were greeted with colorful houses on the hills, what seemed like police cars on every corner and of course, lots and lots of traffic. We were very concerned at the time about whether we were even driving lawfully. You see, because the population is at about 21.2 million in the Greater Mexico City area, there are limitations as to who can drive on what day. If the police is anything like the famous Mexico City band, Molotov, describes them, we did not want to cross them.
We made it to our friend Pepe's family's house without incident. His mother and nephews greeted us very warmly, invited us to eat with them and told us all we needed to know about getting around on public transportation. As soon as we could we hopped in the shower as we had slept in our van that night, parked somewhere in Guanajuato. As we walked out the door my friend Pepe's mom, Mrs. Ortiz Garcia, walked us to the bus stop, I was still filled with the thoughts instilled in me about what Mexico City was, so naturally I had my guard up. We hopped on a bus to make our way towards the first stop, the Basilica de Guadalupe. We got on the bus and to my surprise it was not packed and there were no people hanging off of it (I saw that when I drove through as a kid and thought that it was always like that). After a couple of stops a couple of clowns got on and they were actually pretty funny. Towards the end of their act it struck me how they mentioned that they were simply entertaining in order to make an honest buck; can you blame them? As I looked around the bus I was relieved to see that most people actually did help them out. The bus driver finally told us that we had arrived at the Basilica. We got off, walked around, looked and thought, "oh how nice". Thankfully my cousin had the bright idea of googling this place that was 'pretty nice' and it turns out that that was THE BASILICA DE GUADALUPE at the foot of the Cerro de Tepeyac. Just to get an idea of the importance of this place in Mexican as well as Catholic culture, it gets over 20,000,000 visitors a year (9,000,000 in December alone) and it is the second-most visited next only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Honestly, it was something I heard about my whole life but had never really paid much attention. When you walk into the modern basilica where they hold worship services everyday, you can actually see the original cloak that the saint Juan Diego wore when the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared. I didn’t grow up catholic so I’m not super familiar with the story. I’m still not sure since I read about it on wikipedia. I just know that when my dad would say, "se te va a parecer Juan Diego” (Juan Diego is about to have an apparition up in here) it meant I was about to get whooped so I’d better start acting right! I haven’t felt that dumb in a while…such intense history in this place and we almost missed it. Naturally after this, we were pretty ecstatic. We walked outside the gates to head to the bus and metro that would take us downtown. Again, we went with our guard up and not even talking too much so that people might not hear our accent. With help from a police officer, random people on the street, and a bus driver, we finally made it to a place that I’ve always wanted to see for myself, a place that when I would see it on TV I would get goosebumps -El Zocalo or the main square. This has been the main plaza since the Aztec Empire ruled. When we got off the metro it was already dark out but the first thing shining on us was the biggest Mexican flag I’ve ever seen in my life. You look to the right and there is an imposing cathedral that looks like it’s straight off the cover of an Iron Maiden album. Look even further to the right and there’s the national palace where the presidents of the republic traditionally give ‘El Grito de Dolores’ at midnight on the night of September 15 to declare independence. That night everyone gathers in the zocalo as the president waives the flag from the balcony and shouts “… Viva Mexico. Viva Mexico. VIVA MEXICOOO’!!! This is one of the most electrifying moments for me and Mexicans everywhere year after year, probably tantamount to the feeling I imagine one might get when giving birth to their first-born. I get goosebumps every time and even now as I’m writing this. It was dark at this point and contrary to what we’d always heard, we decided to walk around ‘el D.F.’ at night. As we were walking we passed ‘Tacuba’ street and I remembered that one of my favorite bands, Cafe Tacvba had gotten their name from a local cafe there. I looked it up with the quickness and it was just a couple of blocks away. As we walked there I imagined that there would be all types of allusions to the band and that the walls might be filled with memorabilia kind of like the soup nazi’s restaurant is with Seinfeld in New York City. When we got there I was shocked to see that it couldn’t be further from the truth. The cafe has actually been there since 1912 and had its very own identity. It did not look like it wanted to be associated with the band at all -it had no need. We decided to sit down and have a coffee anyway but as soon as we saw the prices, we left as if they were going to charge us for just thinking about it. I’m sure it was worth every peso but this paisa was just a little too broke to be getting fancy with it. We walked around a bit more… actually a lot more. We stumbled upon the best churros rellenos de cajeta we’ve ever tried, we walked past beautiful art museums, sculptures, monuments and plazas. Honestly, I did not feel unsafe for a second once we got to know the city. As we mentioned in previous blogs, every city has its rough spots, you just need to use common sense. We saw several gringos kickin’ it doing their thing seemingly without a worry in the world. As we walked back to the metro and squeezed onto the trains we still had our reservations; we were leaving the safe touristy areas. We actually got a little lost on the way home in what some people might call a ‘sketchy area’ but is really just a working class neighborhood. Again with the help of perfectly kind strangers, we made it home. It was so crazy to me, that something i’ve heard so much about, had actually gotten to me. I had actually believed all the hype about D.F. and ‘chilangos'. I slept that night with a sense of shame. The next day we woke up and Mrs. Ortiz Garcia had made us some bomb pambazos which are tortas or mexican sandwiches where the bread is dipped and fried in red chile guajillo and then filled with chorizo, potato, cheese, cream and who knows what else. It was too good. I ate two. Along with the pambazos we enjoyed some great sobremesa (conversing at the table after the meal) with Mrs. Ortiz Garcia and the family. We found out that the term “Chilango” actually refers to people that moved into Mexico City; People that are from Mexico City are referred to as “Defeños”. That kind of rocked my world a little bit. They told us that and more little bits of great info about the city. They were pretty awesome people. The son-in-law is a marathon runner and is planning on running all the way to Chicago. Not to mention, my friend Pepe, is a successful entrepreneur living in Chicago and all around awesome guy -the type everyone likes. Before they left to work, they gave me a cumbia cd for the road; I was touched. We spent the rest of the day exploring different parts of the city, we saw Diego Rivera’s murals at an expo and kicked it in Frida Kahlo’s neighborhood, Coyoacán. Most importantly, we did two things that were on my bucket list: we went to the world famous Estadio Azteca where my father’s favorite soccer team as well as my own, Club América plays (puro Américaaa). Then we finally went to Ciudad Universitaria in UNAM which is one of my dream schools and what I really wanted to see. UNAM (short for the National Autonomous University of Mexico) is the biggest university in Latin America with about 120,000 students. It was great to finally see it in person. A place full of life there’s so much I could say...catch me on the block so I can tell you about it one day. We did so much in two days, it was incredible. Two weeks is not enough, let alone a couple of days. Everything was so easy to get to, and you were entertained most of the time whether it was on the bus, on the train or on the street. Mexico City has so much hustle. Aside from the beauty of the main squares and its neighborhoods, what makes Mexico City so unique is its people who are luchadores -not in the lucha libre sense, but in the fact that they work hard. They work hard for what they have which, possessions aside, is their culture, their very own swag that is impossible to imitate. I’ve been to many places, but Mexico City is one of if not the most unique and visiting it really affected me. It gave me the feeling and realization that all travelers eventually get and that is to stop going by what you heard; experience it for yourself. -David |
DavidMuchacho simpatico EdgarEdgar is Christian. He loves soccer, traveling, and meeting new people. Archives
July 2016
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