Monday, December 10, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
The Sleeping Giant
Friday, November 2, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
After hiking through dense brush into an area of Old Red Bays, Wilton Russell stops to rest beneath an old metal shed. As a morning shower tings the outside of his refuge, Russell lights a blunt and shares his childhood memories of the area. Russell said that part of life is knowing when to stop and meditate on it.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Henry Wallace, 50, has been carving wood for over 30 years. In that time he has lived in Nassau, befriended Bob Marley, had work displayed in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and lived a storied personal life. His passion is his faith, Rastafarianism, and his art work. Here he kisses a woman carrying fruit, a piece that will go to one of his friends in Nassau.
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Sleeping Giant
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Field of Dreams
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pura Vida
From Aug. 11 to Aug. 23 I traveled with three friends through Costa Rica. Our trip was whirlwind. We hiked cloud forests and zip-lined through trees in Monteverde, surfed sweet waves and layed in hammocks in Mal Pais, drank Guaro and swam at the base of waterfalls in Montezuma. The people, both locals and backpackers, were amazing and we all learned a lot about ourselves and the world around us through the perspectives of those we met. It was carpe diem; it was pura vida.
The night before we left, Adam and Charlie decided to finish a puzzle by lamplight.
Jimmy and I got up at 7 a.m. to catch the bus from San Jose to Monteverde. Unfortunately, it didn't leave until 2:30 p.m. Thus, we were forced to drink beers and wait at the bus stop.
Half way through our grueling 6 hour bus ride up to Monteverde, we stopped at a little restaurant so the bus driver could eat dinner. The rest of us used the bathroom, had a snack and enjoyed our precious minutes outside of the bus.
The night before we left, Adam and Charlie decided to finish a puzzle by lamplight.
Jimmy and I got up at 7 a.m. to catch the bus from San Jose to Monteverde. Unfortunately, it didn't leave until 2:30 p.m. Thus, we were forced to drink beers and wait at the bus stop.
Half way through our grueling 6 hour bus ride up to Monteverde, we stopped at a little restaurant so the bus driver could eat dinner. The rest of us used the bathroom, had a snack and enjoyed our precious minutes outside of the bus.
Pura Vida
After a long night at Amigos (a Tico bar in Monteverde), Jimmy and I joined the two girls staying in our room for a hike through Bajo del Tigre. Samantha and Lauren are of both graduates of UF. I guess the Gator Nation is everywhere.
Bajo del Tigre (Jaguar Canyon) has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Thirty tree species in the area are among those in Monteverde that have been indentified as new to science.
The forest is at 3,400 to 4,500 feet in altitude and receives about 95 inches of rain per year. This is with a six-month dry season.
The Cecropia tree is one of the fastest growing out of the more than 600 species in Monteverde. It can grow up to 10 feet per year and is known as "the colonizer" because it is the first to grow in openings in the forest.
Pura Vida
The family that owned and ran the hostel we stayed at in Monteverde was amazing. Their two children would come and sit in your lap and talk to you in espanol and take you by the hand and show you around. I had a great time just sitting and talking with them (while Jimmy translated).
Daniel, 2, was constantly interacting with us. The family that owns the hostel lives in one of the rooms in the hostel, so Daniel and his sister are always around travelers. It was amazing to get such an intimate look at a Costa Rican family.
In the afternoon the fog rolled in; then it rained. Daniel liked to play in the rain, that is until his father found him and made him get out of it.
Outside the window of the hostel, one can see the lights of Puntarenas City, which is on the coast. This is a long exposure showing the view at night.
Pura Vida
The zip-line tour took us through the trees and over valleys. On the last one, which was the longest, Jimmy and I paired up. It was quite a rush.
Self-portrait on the bus back to Monteverde from the Cloud Forest Reserve.
On our second night in Monteverde, Jimmy and I sat and watched the rain and downed a few liters of Imperial. When it stopped raining, we went to get some food. Jimmy found a spot on the road, sat down, and inhaled something - he still can't remember what was. It was a good night.
We left Monteverde at 6 a.m. the next day and headed for Puntarenas City. Charlie and Adam were supposed to meet us, but never showed. So, we wandered around the city, watched locals play futbol on the beach, and ended up waiting until 2 a.m. for the deliquent pair. It was pretty sketchy, but we stayed safe, gloria a Dios.
Pura Vida
Another early morning found Jimmy and I boarding a ferry in Puntarenas. The ferry took us across the Golfo de Nicoya and over to Paquera. There we waited for a bus to Mal Pais. In Paquera, a family launched their boat into the gulf.
We arrived in Mal Pais, ate some casados, went swimming, and went to buy some beverages. When we got back to our hostel, Charlie and Adam were checking in. We were stoked because we were afraid Hurricane Dean had prevented them from flying over. Surfing ensued. And then dinner. And then, at about 11 p.m., Charlie and Jimmy paddled out in the dark. Charlie led the walk to the water.
Heat lightning was everywhere in the sky as Adam and I waited on the shore. I set my camera on a rock for a 30 second exposure. It was a beautiful night. Charlie and Jimmy said that ther were luminescents in the water (little creatures that glowed when you touched them). Needless to say, it was a highlight.
Our hostel itself was the epitome of Pura Vida. Hammocks everywhere, pancakes and Costa Rican coffee in morning, and great people all day. I think we could have stayed there indefinitely.
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