In Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

Well Joe and I are currently in Lago Atitlan Guatemala. We scored big time when we ran into 2 older ladies at the Tapachula aduana and they invited us to crash at their hotel for free and follow them into Guatemala. We turned it down but got their number and somehow ran into them doing the crossing, which... was a blast I might add.

Last night sleeping way in a poorer side of Puerto Madero/Puerto Chiapas, we had an incident.We had been letting our guards down and well, I paid.We found this huge semi concrete abandoned palapa and pulled the car under it. After dinner and beers yadda yadda, joe slept in the car and I pulled out my little foam pad and slept next to the fire.

Around 215am, i randomly woke up and started trying to rebuild the fire. thats when I noticed the shady guy walking up.FUCKKK WHERE IS THE FLASHLIGHT???? He talks to me in pretty good english, about my age, and asks for some pesos for some ciggarretts or something, i throw him 20 and say im going to bed. I laid awake in the dark for a while and he did return to grab something he left and he left again.

Anyways, next thing I know, hes coming up behind me as Im laying on my stomach and as I turn to get up, he grabs me around the neck with something sharp against my throat, im thinking glass, still dont know. I fight naturally, and get cut on the hand, then in the struggle one slice catches the bottom of my nose tearing it up, then I got stabed in the arm. Im yelling for joe, cause its dark as hell and Im disoriented and seriously scared for my life. Joe comes running out with the machette and the guy takes off like mad. We hit the hospital, 4 stiches in the arm and cleaning for everyting else. I cannot stop replaying that thought in my head. It took everything I had to enter Guatemala today and to convince myself its a fuckked up world and that could have happened anywhere, and next time we reaaaaaly need to pick better spots, paid, and closer. Glad to know God was watching out for me, and I thank god I had joe with me.

In Chiapas Mexico

Well, I know I havent been posting but its a little hard when you are on the road for the past 7 days.

The trip so far has been totally amazing! I have adapated so much and so fast it scary! The driving for instance, they drive how I wish I could in the states, so its fun as hell to me!!!!!!!!

We took the Gulf route all the way down and turned south from the Gulf to Palenque. That place is just indescribable. After we hit that, we took the frontier highway and stayed in a small indegeneous mayan village called Lancanja. The back on the higyway again, and skipping many many details, I am now in Tapachula Mexico, right on the border with Guatemala. We decided a long time ago not to enter but curiosity has gotten the best of us, and we are now awaiting monday to finish paperwork and hopefully enter what so far looks like a nightmare of paperwork and mordidas. AHHHHHHH

Well the surf is running here but its mostly a beach slamming closeout so we are investigating tides and other beaches close bye. I cannot venture too far because my car permit is now suspended for my entry into Guatemala.

Ill try and post again soon.

I seriously love this place. If I had it my way, I would never come back...

Cmonnnnnnnnnnn, We're almost there! (sub title: Happy Mothers Day!)

Wellllll............... Im home from some party that was partly thrown in our honor for our trip that is occuring very very soon. It was pretty interesting and I had a lot of fun.

So as the date is nearing, Im watching my bank account dwindle quite rapidly. In the past 3 weeks I have spent the following..

Yakima racks = $250
Panasonic 3ccd miniDV cam = $430
Fuji 7mp digital cam with accessories = $260
PREVIOUS APARTMENT DAMAGE (they tracked me down) = $400
oil change and inspection = $70
misc. parts for my car (mostly brakes) = $150
other major car parts = $200
labor for installtion of said car parts = $235
---and this is what I can remember!----

----still to come-----
food and other needed camping supplies = $175
extra camera shit = $80
more car parts = $50
car registration = $60
and who knows what all else

Yeaaaaaa this is all hurting but it is going to be worth it. 6.................moreeeeeeeeeee...................daysssssssssssssssssssss

I can make it....

A small rant on American auto makers

So I'm driving down the freeway and I'm headed back from a surf session
in less than spectacular waves but we will get to that in a moment. I'm
going to go ahead and apologize now if things are spelled crazy because
I'm driving while typing this.

Moving on... So I just saw a billboard advertising the Chevy truck and
it said "Our Country, Our truck." And I have to say I'm a little pissed
to see what most people with their heads on correctly, a now inferior
Chevy resorting to 'patriotic' tactics to keep consumers faithful. First
and foremost let me pont out that driving a japanese vehicle is by no
means "unpatriotic". Almost the entire fleet of Hondas, Nissans, and
Toyotas are assembled here in the USA. Basically, your being just as
patriotic buying a Japanese car as an American car. Americans are still
working in those factories building them.
So now that Chevy has been officially creamed by the new and truely
badass Toyota Tundra and the Nissan Titan and the sales show that Toyota
sales outpaced GM in Q1, they are pulling the curtains. GM is now back
on the path that every single American car maker takes when they get
beaten. Instead of heading to the drawing board and creating some
efficient, reliable, durable, and safe they would rather try and make us
feel somehow less of an American for not buying an inferior product.
Hopefully Chevy's gimmick only appeal only to rednecks and poorer
cowboys who usually represent a small percent of American/Texan
purchasing power. Lets take some time and try to find Chevy/GM and the
other American auto makers shortcomings shall we?
1st. Reliability. American auto makers are out to make money. Save money
of fast design. Save money in production. Make money in costly repairs.
American makers do have certain models that fair extreamly well in
durability ( dodge 97-2001 cummins diesel engines for example) but they
simply cannot shake a stick at japanese reliability.

2.efficiency. Hardly any of the American makers have tried to implement
more fuel efficient vehicles. GM has played another clever trick by
rolling out "flexfuel' cars but anyone who knows anything about ethanol
can see straight through this. Plus ethanol is more polluting than
fossil based fuels. With the hybrid argument out of the way, now we can
talk about inefficient engine designs. Americans have always stood by
the saying "there is no replacement for displacement" and I'm not sure
why. Its almost as if we are a little insecure about the sizes of out
penises or something. You take the ford v8 in the mustang gt. It makes
somewhere around 320hp I'm guessing and yes I have been in one, quick
but not fast. Now take the nissan v6 in the 350z and infinity g30.
Almost 300hp in a v6 AND 24mpg gas milage. You don't even want to know
what the ford gets. Simply, inefficient.

3.attractive styles. American car makers are just now getting it and
barely. Hell ford used the same gauge cluster design for 10 years in
trucks, mustangs, and other sedans. BORING! Cars are supposed to be fun
not mundane. The big American makers are now jumping on the '20s'
gimmic. Please, not all of use wanna look like a ghetto rat. If 20s are
all you have then ill once again stick with my imports.

4. Competative pricing. Here is where they fall short again. If you ever
go cheap on an American car, you better call the church and ask for
constant prayer or something for the lifetime of the vehicle. Lets do
just a small comparison.
My best friend rami just bought a car and his girlfriend also has a new
car.
Her 2006 mustang Gt, 30k+, all power and leather and other plain options
that come on all other cars, 340+hp, average 13mpg.

Rami's new 2007 lexus is250 (a toyota if I may). 34k, 240gp at 26mpg,
full touch screen talking navigation, bluetooth for cell phones, all
power and leather, push button start, KEYLESS EVERYTHING! No key to
start or unlock just have the pad on ur body. , HID headlights that turn
when you turn, paddle shifting, plus tons more. Lexus has one most
reliable car award for like 2 or 3 years in a row. And he gets free
unlimited oil changes and car washes for like 2 or 3 years.

30k+ mustang vs. 34k is250. Apples and oranges ladies and gentlement.

So to wrap this up, chevy, shut the fuck up with your patriotic
gimmicks. Ur loosing and will continue to loose until you really realize
why no one wants to drive your vehicles. Don't try and make me feel
guilty for wanting a car far superior to anything you have ever produced
that wasn't 50k. Ill continue to buy japanese cars and not feel a damn
bit of guilt, because they are still....built....in...america.

Apparently we have neither waves nor surfing talent (here in Texas)

A quote from http://queen-of-the-surf-pirates.blogspot.com/

"But maybe it is your lucky day that you ended up here after all... because if you were looking to learn to do any surfing on South Padre, I need to tell you something... I know surfers who live in Texas and they all pretty much suck at surfing, mostly because they don't have any surf to speak of there. I can also tell you that all of those Texan Surfers I know just end up coming here to the Outer Banks to learn how to do it right because we have surf and real surfers here to teach them. So just save your money and a wasted trip to Texas, head here instead and we will show you how surfing is done."

Well, in response to that, I decided to throw up some pictures from last week. Ohh, and we have had pretty consistent waist high surf for almost the past 2 weeks :) I just happen to live on the upper coast where conditions can be a little more fickle but we still get it decent.

No talent in Texas, we all "suck"

No Size here either...

Same as above....

Once again.. no skill....

We tube dodge...

We don't have much size....

... you know I still love you Paula the Surf Mom :)