2007 Trek: Mexico & Central America.

Next Tuesday, February 6th, I'll be on a plane to Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico; I'll first be staying at the Oasis Viva Cancún "All Inclusive" resort, for a little R&R, before taking a twenty-one day trek throughout the Yucatán peninsula. The five days prior to the excursion will be primarily spent in the "Hotel Zone" of Cancún, where I'll be par-taying like a rockstar. The trek, however, is really the highlight of the trip.

Sponsored by a company called Trek America, the twenty-one day trek, titled "Mayan Explorer"--will feature various stops in Mexico and Guatemala, and brief stops in Belize and Honduras. No, I'm not doing this in order to find the spirit of Mel Gibson (cf., Apocalypto); I am doing this, however, because I feel it will be a unique opportunity to directly witness the remains of a highly influential civilization, long extinct, to meet and learn from the current, local inhabitants and to learn about a geography I'm not as informed about as I'd like to be. The trek will also serve to essentially cut me off from the world as I know it--something I've had the desire to do for some time now.

Fortunately, Trek America strongly follows the Leave No Trace principles of outdoor ethics, so the bulk of the night stops will be camping at state and national parks, as opposed to staying in hotels. We will also be dealing directly with local inhabitants and/or local businesses to ensure we give something back to the culture and region we are visiting. The idea, then, is to preserve both the environment and the local economy of a particular region.

The trek itinerary (night stops) is as follows:

1. Mérida
2. Palenque
3. Palenque
4. San Cristóbal de las Casas
5. San Cristóbal de las Casas
6. Huehuetenango
   
7. Panajachel
8. Panajachel
9. Antigua
   
10. Antigua
11. Antigua
12. Copán, Honduras
13. Río Dulce
14. Poptún
15. Poptún
16. Tikal
17. Tikal
18. Caye Caulker
    
19. Caye Caulker
20. Tulum
    
21. Cancún

I fully intend to amend and revise this blog post with a detailed log of my trip, along with pictures, upon my return.

And here are the pics (with descriptions and captions!):

Tulum & Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Caye Caulker, Belize

Tikal, Guatemala

Rio Dulce & Poptún, Guatemala

Copán, Honduras

Antigua, Guatemala

Panajachel, Guatemala

Cascades El Chiflón, Mexico

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

Palenque, Misol-Há & Agua Azul, Mexico

Chichen Itza & Mérida, Mexico

Cancún, Mexico

2007 Snowboarding Trip: Keystone, CO

Look mom! I'm a terrorist! (Just kidding G.W.B.!)

Okay, so the latest snowboarding adventure was in Keystone, CO. Me and Dave drove to Denver (okay, Dave drove) to meet up with Phil, for our second threesome boarding excursion. The next day we hit Keystone in the morning and skied for three days. For some reason, I have a really difficult time remembering how I like to board--regular or goofy foot. This will serve as official notice that I am indeed goofy foot! Next trip, I will reference this page, by god, because apparently I have absolutely no business attempting to traverse a mountain any other way!

The first day/night of boarding was a complete waste of time for me. Because my board was on backwards (I know that sounds silly), I ended up having to literally hike down the mountain. That, coupled with the fact that I had to change clothes due to unrelated reasons, discouraged me from boarding the rest of the day. I did attempt to night-ski when I got cleaned up, but was in so much pain from trying to board down the mountain backwards, previously, that I promptly gave up and sat down in the Mountain House. Phil was mauled by some amateur going way too fast and was on his way down to meet me anyway. So we called it an early day at 7pm. I certainly wasn't feeling like an achiever.

Dismayed and disappointed, I waited for the bus with my buddies (who were fairly enthusiastic about the day). All I could think about was how I certainly wasn't going to waste the night. I noticed a girl who I'd seen fitting Phil's boot earlier waiting for the bus as well; so I casually asked her what there was to do in Keystone. She told me about a few bars to hit and whatnot and she ended up going out with me and Dave that night. Apparently, she's from Chile and has been in the States less than a month. After drinking away until the wee hours of the morning, I was pumped for the next day.

The following two days of snowboarding were some of the best I've ever had. Instead of focusing on intense speed, like I have in the past, I primarily worked on my turning and maneuverability. Phil said there were times when me and the mountain seemed to be working together--like it was all a ballet. And that's exactly what it felt like: I was one with the mountain. By the end of the third day, I was boarding at speeds I had in the past, but with a new found gracefulness that I hope to refine on my next trip.

Speaking of which, I'm contemplating the idea of becoming a ski bum next season, somewhere in the vicinity of December through April. At this point, Park Cities seems like a decent place to move for a few months, given it's got a culture for skiing and for other things (it's not simply a ski town). I could also partake in the Sundance festivities as well. Either way, it's just something on my mind; but if any of you know me at all, you know that once I mention something I *might* do, I typically do it.

With that in mind, I'm making a few changes in my life as well... I think I'll have a post about that soon, but to sum it up: I'm going Green, I'm getting into better shape, and I'm going to eat healthier. I'll elaborate later.

Alas, there's nothing better to welcome the New Year than atop a mountain! Farewell for now!