Brooklyn Bridge

this is my third film. "brooklyn bridge" made from shots i took while on a walk with my father. i think this my favorite...so far. the music is just lovely.

this is "starry night." my first film!!! sequential shots of the manhattan skyline at night. shot from my rooftop. pay attention and look close! you dont want to miss anything. this one is special.

Fireworks!

This is "fireworks" created aug of 2008. my second film. made from 335 sequential digital shots of new york citys 4th of july fireworks show. music is beethovens 7th symphony.

Cozumel, Mexico

Its been awhile since last i spoke! I've been in Mexico! Here i am with my sister Danielle in Cozumel deep sea snorkeling! It was incredible. Unfortunately the cruise we are on is the cruise to HELL!! Its been a rough three days so far. The ship has been pretty rocky and everyone is dropping like flies. Seasickness is no fun. and neither are cruises. However, its been an unforgettable experience to say the least. One we will surely look back over the years and laugh. or not.

The shore of San Marcos la Laguna, Lago de Atitlan

OK, so i´ve been pretty sick the past few days and honestly haven´t even left my bed once! Except to go to the bathroom of course. Anyways, i thought i would explore the village now that i had my energy back. I took to the shore and headed east. I heard there was pretty nice swimming about 30 minutes up shore. Narrow dirt and rock paths run along the shore. The views are spectacular! And there are tons of little spots where the dirt path leads right to perfect steps made out of rocks that lead right to the water. Its incredible.The water is aqua marine up against golden rocks that lead right into green jungle! I think im going to stay here for a few days and just enjoy the swimming and the ridiculous views! The water was the perfect temp. Refreshing. I think im healed! I mean really this volcanic crater water does wonders for the soul.

San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala

I wasn´t really feeling San Pedro. Its a bit touristy and i found the people to be very money hungry and the streets were polluted. Toxic smells everywhere. I had heard about San Marcos, another village on the lake, which apparently was a very spiritual place. I decided to head over. I took a small lancha ferry and when i arrived at the dock is was apparent that this place was pretty special. There were no roads, instead rocky windy paths lead you all over the village and the views from this side of the lake were amazing. Unfortunately, when i got off the boat i was feeling a bit sick. I found a hotel room and had to lay down. I think i ate some bad food in san pedro :( Luckily, this village is filled with natural clinics, yoga studios, reiki, massage and mayan saunas so i will definitely make use of this while im here and refresh myself. The owner of the hotel told me he would give me some grapefruit extract. It was either that or drink my own urine. hmmm. I chose the grapefruit extract.



This is definitely a place to just kick back and relax for a bit. So i think i will be here for a few days until im feeling 100%. Also, the hotel is sooooo nice. It has a vegetarian restaurant, daily yoga and a mayan sauna. All for $4 a night. Shown above is my cabina, which is filled with antiques, mayan artifacts and probably the most comfortable bed ive slept in this entire trip. Not a bad place to be sick.

Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala

Lago de Atitlan is actually a crater lake created about 60,000 yrs ago from a huge volcanic eruption. About 20 to 30,000 years later three other volcanoes formed around the crater. Surrounding the lake are about 12 mayan villages all with their own vibe and history. Its a pretty crazy place. You take small boat lanchas to get from village to village. This shot is taken from San Pedro la Laguna, one of the villages i visited.

So, I like Antigua...more pics!

Shown in this pic is Volcan Agua which towers over the city. You can see it from almost anywhere in town.


Traditional masks worn during Semana Santa.

More Antigua....

Here are some shots i took while strolling the streets. It really is a beautiful place.

Antigua, Guatemala

I arrived in Guatemala City and grabbed a bus for Antigua immediately. Despite everything I had heard about Guatemala city I actually enjoyed the 37 minutes I spent there. My cab driver from the Tica bus station was really nice and our drive to the Antigua bus station was rather plesant and the city is gorgeous. Im sure that all this changes after dark. But, luckily i will never know.

I made it to Antigua in about an hour. The city is soooooo cute. Its a colonial town that sits between three volcanoes. Cobbled streets and beautiful churches along with several lush parks filled with fountains. Pretty nice if you ask me. Apparently Antigua served as Guatemalas capital for 233 years but that titled was given to Guatemala city when an earthquake hit Antigua in 1773. Luckily a lot of its original colonial charm was restored.

My night in El Salvador

So, saying ¨see ya later¨ to Mary was kinda difficult. We had such an amazing time and I was so lucky to meet her. Its not as much fun singing by yourself and people kinda look at you funny. I miss her deeply. But, its about time I have some alone time.

My bus departed Managua, Nicaragua around 5am headed for Guatemala. 30 hours total! We crossed thru Honduras and into El Salvador. We had a layover in San Salvador. Which was probably one of the most interesting nights Ive had on my trip so far. We arrived at the Tica Bus terminal around 5 in the evening, which was attached to one of the seediest hotels ive ever seen. Hotel San Carlos. My bus left at 5am the next morning so it made the most sense to stay there. One of the Tica Bus employees, the ¨bus attendant¨ if you will, had a bit of a crush on me. His name was Rolando. He was always making sure i had everything i needed. This always included a wink. When we arrived at the bus terminal he let me know that he was going to secure a room for me since the place fills up quick when the bus arrives. Turns out he got me the room right next to his. I knew i was in trouble.

So, to get to my room you had to walk three flights of stairs up thru the main hotel and had to climb a ladder to the roof which at that point you had to crawl up another ladder to another rooftop, which is where two rooms sat side by side. Mine and His. Mine was the size of my pinky and it had no bathroom. Of course the bathroom was located in his room! Which he made it very clear that i was to share it with him. I declined and told him I would be happy to use the communal bathroom three floors down! He said absolutely not! He then invited me into his room for a beer and to watch a Ricky Martin Video! Ahhh! God help me! I stood my ground and fortunately never had the pleasure of watching Ricky Martins new video. However, this guy did not give up!

I went to bed pretty early that night and around 3 in the morning i had a sudden urge to use the rest room. I quietly exited my room and somehow made it down the ladders and to the bathroom in the main lobby. When i returned to my room my door was slammed shut by a gust of wind and of course woke up Rolando. Next thing I know he was knocking on my door! Eeeek! What do I do!? Of course i poked my head out and there he was in all his glory!! Butt naked!! Asking me ¡¿Que hora es?! ¡¿Que hora es?! Apparently he was late. His bus was departing back to Nicaragua at 3. Thank god because i thought i was going to have to spend the entire next day with him. Oh poor Rolando. I wonder how many times he has done this. yuck.

Anyways, pictured is the cinder block i spent the night in.

Jen and Kim

We met these gals at Laguna de Apoya. They accompanied Mary and I on our night swim in the crater and then we ran into them in Leon! They live in Buffalo New York and are archeologists. Sweets. Good times. I tried stealing them and taking them with me to Guatemala but they had to work or something like that. eh. oh well.

Lets get physical!

I was wondering why everyone in León was so fit and trim. These were on sale at one of the local street markets.

Graffiti of León

Here´s some of the graffiti around the streets of León.

Chico needs some shoes!

Poor Mary. She is just too nice. Here´s Mary talking to Alberto. He´s 15 and has no shoes. Another win for the streets of Leon. $12 US dollars later Alberto can walk home safely.

The tough streets of Leon

So, Mary and i came back to Leon. And good thing for the street hustlers. Mary is no match.

Here´s Mary talking to Maria, a 19 year old single mother, and her baby. Maria´s baby is thirsty. She needs formula but its very expensive. $15 US dollars later, Maria´s baby is no longer thirsty.

Mary!

For all those who havent been formally introduced to my travel companion, this is Mary! We met in Costa Rica at Escuela Dámore. She´s from Nova Scotia. ey. She works for the national park system of Canada as a naturalist and interpretor. ey. She´s what you call, earthy. She loves long walks on the beach and coca light. Her body is almost entirely made up of mosquito bites and her hair is has soft as straw. She has two brothers who are twins and one brother has a pair of twins himself. Lucy and Grace! Two cute little girls with curly brown hair! Her parents met and fell in love in Peru which is where she is off to next. We have a few days left before we part ways so we decided to come back to Leon because it is by far our favorite city in Nickyraggywa. So, here we are. Viva Leon!!!

Sunrise over Laguna de Apoya, Nicaragua

These pics were taken around 430am as the sun rose over the lagoon. I think i was the only person around that morning. It was magical. This truly is a special place.

The night before we had the pleasure of witnessing a full moon over the lagoon. We couldnt help but go for a swim. Night swimming in a volcanoes crater is quite thrilling. I suggest you try it. Kinda freaky when you feel a rush of thermally vented water rush by your body though. It kept reminding us that its still active and technically could blow at any moment!!!!