Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Epilogas / Final Exam


As jau penkta diena Dubline ir pradedu atsigauti po sutiktuviu hehe. Amerikos orouostu pareigunai, kas penkias minutes labai garsiai skelbiantys saugotis teroristiniu pavoju, neleido pamiegoti plus nekantravimas pamatyti draugus. Nerasysiu isvadu ir pasiulymu, na gal tik viena - isvaziuokit pakeliauti, bent trumpam toliau nuo Europos - i isskridusia Azija, grazuola N. Zelandija, super JAV didmiescius ar beprotiska Pietu Amerika. a?

So I'm back and almost recovered from welcome back party:) No long stories or smart conclusions, just one thing - go travelling outside Europe, even for a short time, it's so different out there.

Pridedu issamu keliones zemelapi su desimt tukstanciu myliu paklaida:)




Alice: If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?



to be continued...

Monday, November 30, 2009

Namo / is this it?

"Griztu namo, kol saule dar nenusileido" paskutines dienas galvoje skambejo daznokai. Pasiilgau visu... Neprisiverciu daugiau parasyti apie poilsi Karibuose, todel kaip visada i pagalba ateis nuotraukos.

Garifuna kaimas skambiu pavadinimu El Triunfo de la Cruz, kur buvau vienintelis turistas tarp juodaodziu vietiniu, snekanciu sava kalba, turinciu savo religija ir paprocius, skirtingus nuo kitu hondurieciu. Valgiau krabu sriuba, vaiksciojau siukslina pakrante ir maudziausi skaidriame vandenyje.






Viena is Bay islands salu - lietingoji Utila. Vietiniai sneka stipriu akcentu pasudyta anglu kalba, o kelioms dienoms atvaziaves jaunimelis lieka metams ar daugiau. Rytais nardziau, vakarais ragavau roma ir klausiau vilcinsku dueto galvoje.




I cant force myself to write more about last days of a trip spent in Carribean coast. Like always photos will come to help.

Garifuna village named El Triunfo de la Cruz where I was only one tourist around. Old man holiday I had - tasty seafood, sunbathing, swimming and going for a walk.






One of the Bay Islands - rainy Utila where locals speak heavily accented english and many backpackers who came for few days are staying for a year or more instead. Diving every morning, tasting rum in evening, praying the rain finally stops and the ferry to the main land leaves.




Rytoj skrendu namo. Kelione ilgoka su nakvyne ant penkiu zvaigzduciu suoliuku Hiustono orouoste ir pilnos dienos eskursija New Jersey orouoste. Beje, Utiloje lietus pyle tris dienas non stop ir keltas i zemyna neplauke dvi dienas is eiles. Galvojau strigsiu ilgam. Paskutine diena pasirode saulute ir keltas. Dar viena - prezidento rinkimai vyko si savaitgali, bet taikiai ir graziai. Aciu, Honduras.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Per sostines i griuvesius / From city breaks to ruins

Hondura nuo Panamos skiria trys pasieniai. Taupydamas laika, pasirinkau greitus, patogius ir brangesnius autobusus. Pirmoji atkarpa - i Kosta Rikos sostine, San Chose. Pasienio proceduros pasitaike greitos, pareigune, tarsi lietuviu buriai, grizdami is akropolio, uzsuktu daznai, be klausimu trinktelejo Kosta Rikos stampa.

Grazi salis - sodriai zalia tarsi prisikelelis Seime.

Is pradziu lekeme upes sleniu, veliau kukuruzu, cukrasvendriu bei kitu gerybiu laukais, artejant link San Chose autobusas ropojo aukstyn kalnais, apsiklojusiais ruko paklode.

Sostine pasitiko zvarbia vesuma, taksistai astronominemis kainomis, tad ilgokai teko deretis (deryboms sugaisau nemazai laiko ir kitose sostinese). Kosta Rika - brangoka salis, populiariausia turizmo vieta C. Amerikoje. Moteriske viesbutyje patare nesiblaskyti gatvemis sutemus, tad, uzkandes artimiausiame bufete, nuslinkau miegoti.


Ankstus rytas ir antrasis autobusas, sikart i Nikaragvos sostine, Managua. Pasienis - dulketas, talzomas kaitrios saules, begalines eiles. Salies per langa maciau minimaliai, nes prie lango sedejusi boba uztrauke uzuolaida ir visa kelia divyriskai miegojo.

Managua - miestas, kuriame turistui vaikscioti gatvemis, ypac vakare, nepatartina. Vakara praleidau nerealiame hostelyje, kur kolonkes dalino teisinga hip hopa, melynavo baseinas, o istorijomis dalinosi smagus gyventojai.

Eilini karta teko keltis anksciau nei saule (ir tai vadinasi atostogos) paskutiniam zygiui i Honduro sostine, Tegucigalpa. Manau, kad ir sio miesto mama negalejo istarti pavadinimo. Pasienis - super greitas, o kelione, lekiant sauletais kalnais, apzelusiais spygliuociais, neprailgo.

In three days I took the definition of the city break to the new level. To get to Honduras from Panama you have to cross three borders. To save time I chose fast and expensive buses. Getting to capital of Costa Rica, chilly San Chose, was easy, short queue at the border. The country is beautiful, the road ran through corn and sugarcane fields, close to San Chose the bus climbed foggy mountains.

Costa Rica is the number one place for tourism in C. America and the taxi drivers in the capital were really greedy, it took some time to agree reasonable price (same story in every capital). Advised in hotel not to wander around streets after dark, I had some food at the nearest place and went to sleep.


Early start to capital of Nicaragua, stuffy Managua. The dusty border and long queue to get the stamps.

Managua is infamous for being really dangerous place so I stayed in hostel. Cool place with pool, decent hip hop and nice people to chat to.

Early start again (and you call it holidays), easypeasy border and finally before lunch I arrived in the capital of Honduras, not possible to pronounce Tegucigalpa.

Tegucigalpa turistu nesutikau, todel zmones labai domisi: is kur tu? ar tau patinka Honduras? si claro, kalbina gatveje, spokso ir vel spokso. Aisku, tai nera didinga architektura ar triuksmingu naktiniu gyvenimu garsejantis miestas, bet pagrindine vakarieciu nesilankymo priezastis - politine padetis.

Kai dar pries metus pirkau bilietus, kariuomenes surengtas perversmas isvijo prezidenta is salies. Galvojau, kad per tiek laiko padetis normalizuosis. cha! Ismestas prezidentas grizo ir prisiglaude Brazilijos ambasadoje, miestuose vyksta protesto mitingai, jei tiketi mylima ziniasklaida - zudoma, saudoma ir skerdziama, o JAV net nerekomenduoja lankytis salyje. Maciau viena mitinga, pareigunus, apsiredziusius iseiginiais riausiu sarvais, bet jokiu bardaku. Sausio menesi, kai vyks naujieji rinkimai nekisciau i Hondura nosies, bet dabar padetis - rami.

Aisku, yra minusu - kartais naujoji valdzia uzdaro sienas dienai ar dviems, tikiuosi man `nepasiseks`. Tegucigalpa - varginga, daug pinigu prasanciu gatves vaiku, invalidu, net ir simpatiskos katedros centrine aikste `kvepinasi´ numyztais kampais.

Smagiai prasivaiksciojau pusdieni po centra, trugu, kur moteriskiu eile praeinant atidengineja po ranksluosciais pasleptus tortiliju kalnus, `laisves aleja` apsodinta amerikietiskais greito maitinimo restoranais.

Centrineje Amerikoje labai daug saunamuju ginklu. Aritmetika paprasta: vienetas apsauginio=vienetas saudykles (nepamirstant policijos ir armijos gatvese). Vienas krapsto nosi, pasikabines ant pilvo automata, kitas stovi isivaizduojamo bajavyko plakate, rankose tvirtai spausdamas vincesteri, saules akiniai ant nosies.

Bent jau revolveri turi kiekvienas, dar ir soviniu tuzinas aplink dirza. Todel nenustebau, kai atvykus i autobusu stoti vaziuoti i Copan Ruinas miesteli, is pradziu patikrino metalo detektoriumi, o pries lipant i autobusa nufotografavo.

There are no tourists in Tegucigalpa, at least I didn´t see any. Not much to see, it´s poor, loads of beggers but the main reason tourist don´t come here at the moment is political situation.

When I booked the flights a year ago the president of Honduras was kicked out from the country after military coup. I thought the things will be sorted soon. No way! The president came back and staying in the embassy of Brazil and if you believe in our press the cities cause of riots and killings are really dangerous. I saw protest meeting, police in riot gear but no violence whatsoever.

I wouldn´t go to Honduras in January when the election takes place but now it´s seems ok. There is only one thing - sometimes new goverment closes the border for a day or two but I hope when my plane leaves it´s not going to happen. People are really nice, asking where are you from? do you like Honduras? and stare all the time.

It´s shocking how many guns you see everywhere in Central America. Any security guard (I´m not talking about police and army on the streets) has one, some huge vinchesters like in cheap Hollywood movies, others revolvers with bullets on the belts. So I wasn´t suprised when getting a bus to Copan Ruinas first I was checked using metal detector and after the photo was taken.

Prie nedidelio kalnu miestuko isikures senasis maju miestas Copan (t.y. atvirksciai) pasitiko ant iejimo tvoros garsiai santykius besiaiskinanciomis macaws papugomis.

Buvau pirmasis lankytojas, tad gera pusvalandi teko garbe griuvesiais landzioti vienam be uzknisanciu organizuotu turu buriu. Ispudinga vieta, net ir aptrupejusi, lengva suprasti kodel pries daugeli simtmeciu uzklydes buras, nusipirkti streliu ar zoliu, pagalvodavo, kad ant sosto sedintis stiliovas karalius yra Dievas. Kaip visada neeilineje vietoje mane uzpuola zodziu badas, todel Copan apibudinsiu nuotraukomis.





Miesta gyventojai paliko likimo valiai, mokslininkai nezino tikslios priezasties, bet greiciausia gyventoju perteklius (juk visi nori gyventi Vilniuje) neleido normaliai egzistuoti. Toleliau esantis gyvenamasis kvartalas kietu pavadinimu Las Sepulturas isikures prie vandens istekliu ir i miesto istorijos pabaiga tapo geidziamiausia vieta gyventi.



Siuolaikinis miestukas su dulketomis, aukstyn zemyn besivoliojanciomis gatvemis, jaukia centrine aikste turistams siulo restoranus, suvenyru parduotuves ir viesbucius. Honduras - nebrangi salis, apsistoti gali uz penkius dolerius, pavalgyti uztenka triju. Turistine vieta, bet gyventoju ir atvykeliu simbioze pagirtina.



Vietiniai stipriosios lyties atstovai (atsiprasau uz politiskai nekorektiska issireiskima) augina usus, ant galvu uzsimauksline kauboju skrybeles, vairuoja dzipus, karts nuo karto prajoja ir vienisas raitelis.

Dailiosios lyties atstoves usu neaugina. Miestuka supa kukuruzu, tabako bei geros kavos plantacijos.

Vietinis maistas paprastas, todel pilva auginu mano taip megstamo meksikietisko maisto pagalba.

The old mayan ruins Copan greated with really loud macaws at the entrance. I was the first visitor and for half an hour I had ruins for myself.


It´s so cool when no one is around. As you know I have difficulties to describe amazing places so the photos will tell the story.





New mountain town next to the ruins is relaxed place to stay. It´s touristy but somehow it feels local place. The guys are sporting moustaches, wear cowboy hats, drive pickups.

Honduras is cheap country, the food is simple so I choose tasty mexican food.


The town is surrounded by tobacco, corn and coffee fields. Coffee is great and cigars are shit cause I don´t smoke it:).

Paskutine savaite (echh... ir jeee!) ilsesiuos Karibuose, kur linksminamasi skambant punta muzikai.