Above are the additional pictures that the blog refers to.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Panama City and Bocas del Toro
January 21, 2008 we hopped on a bus to Panama City. (Biking wasn't an option because we needed to meet the mission group on the 26th). The 18.5 hour trip only cost us $23.00 each and this time we had a bathroom, air conditioning and movies. After the 3rd Kung Fu movie on the bus, Jacky was ready to be Jacky Chan. Panama City was a great opportunity to see the huge surge in new construction and historic building restoration. From the Casco Viejo area of Panama City you could see at least 12 high rise construction cranes in use.
We spent one day at the Panama Canal - the Mirraflores Lock. I had dreamnt about going to the Panama Canal for the past 40 years...(I hope you realize Ward wrote this). It was worth it. The Panamanian Government took over the canal in 1999 and now they plan to expand the canal to handle more of today's ocean going vessels.
January 26, 2008 we met Pastor Bryan and a group from Decorah in Panama City, enroute to Bocas del Toro. We were going to help do mission work on some of the small islands. Our mission was to install water catchment systems so that the native indians would have clean drinking water. Our accomodations were like Gilligan's island...no roads, surrounded by water, solar collectors for electricity and mosquito nets at night a must. It was another great experience helping people.
(2 photos above. For more details see the e-group. If you can not sign on to the egroup please notify us at budwegadventures@yahoo.com and we will send it directly to you.)
January 31, 2008 we headed back to Panama City where we would be departing for South America. We took in a little of the pre-Carnival excitement at this time as we observed artists designing and preparing their floats (photo above).
Recap of Central America: They revel in their loudness and artistic nature (see bus photo above). Both home and car stereos are constantly blairing and the automobiles run straight pipes with no mufflers to help increase the noise. Semis use their jake brakes constantly. Emission controls are non-existent and the cars and buses spew out black exhaust. The culture is alive and the constant temperature of 85-100 degrees makes outdoor life very easy.
January was a month of lots of work and great time spent with friends.
Off to the Tropics...Costa Rica
From the icy, snowy, frigid cold we arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica on January 3, 2008. Stepping off of the plane let us know we were back in the tropics.
We had another small stent of working for Trek Travel in the city of Allajuela, Costa Rica...33 bikes to get ready for the upcoming Trek Travel tour season. Jacky helped by doing the major cleaning of the bikes and I did the mechanical repairs. Our work area was a small warehouse at Tomasita Chavey's personal residence. This was also the place we set up camp...in her lawn. This had many great benefits because Tomasita was like a grandmother to us. She would insist that we have coffee and breakfast with her and her family. This was the same for lunch and afternoon coffee time. We developed a great liking for pinto (red beans, fried rice and cilantro). We didn't so much like the cow stomach though. We learned alot about a traditional style home in Costa Rica. We also met many of Tomasita's children and nieces. Costa Ricans are very family oriented.
Our work schedule allowed us daily rides to explore the mountainous region around Allajuela. The full suspension Trek mountain bikes (the ones that we were fixing for them and borrowed) were a must with the bad roads. When I say bad I mean...narrow, rocky, full of pot holes, no shoulders and huge concrete ditches.
Jacky's sister, Connie, and her family met us in Allajuela for dinner one night. Coincidentally they were there at the same time we were and staying only 1.5 miles away! We were also able to meet up with Jim and Jane Kirchner (biker friends from GRABAAWR) and their family a different evening for dinner. Our friends from Decorah, Doug and Gina Mello, Dale and Jody Ellickson and Tom and Teresa Bockman just happened to be at Doug and Gina's house in Playa de Panama, Costa Rica. Everyone seemed to be in Costa Rica in January. We spent two days with them on the Pacific Coast. It was alot of fun, very hot and relaxing.
Things were reasonably priced in regards to food and transportation. Our bus ride to the Pacific Coast (to Mello's) cost us $7.50 each for a 6.5 hour bus ride. This was not a luxury bus...no bathroom, 97 degrees and packed. People were standing in the aisles. However, once we reached the coast (tourist area) the short taxi ride from the bus stop to Mello's house cost $20.00.
The landscape in Costa Rica was beautiful with mountains, volcanoes, coffee plantations and rain forests. The flowers are vibrantly colored. Wildlife was easy to see. Our temperatures were in the upper 80s to low 90s every day.
After camping in Tomasita's lawn for a week we finally found an apartment to rent. It was very reasonable at $15.00 a night and included cable TV! We enjoyed this affordable luxury for a week and then ended our time in Costa Rica by watching the last Packer Playoff Game (-3 F in Green Bay, 85 F in Costa Rica). Yes...beer, chips and salsa, Packers....can it get any better? (Only if they would have won!).
Now, it is time to move on.
We had another small stent of working for Trek Travel in the city of Allajuela, Costa Rica...33 bikes to get ready for the upcoming Trek Travel tour season. Jacky helped by doing the major cleaning of the bikes and I did the mechanical repairs. Our work area was a small warehouse at Tomasita Chavey's personal residence. This was also the place we set up camp...in her lawn. This had many great benefits because Tomasita was like a grandmother to us. She would insist that we have coffee and breakfast with her and her family. This was the same for lunch and afternoon coffee time. We developed a great liking for pinto (red beans, fried rice and cilantro). We didn't so much like the cow stomach though. We learned alot about a traditional style home in Costa Rica. We also met many of Tomasita's children and nieces. Costa Ricans are very family oriented.
Our work schedule allowed us daily rides to explore the mountainous region around Allajuela. The full suspension Trek mountain bikes (the ones that we were fixing for them and borrowed) were a must with the bad roads. When I say bad I mean...narrow, rocky, full of pot holes, no shoulders and huge concrete ditches.
Jacky's sister, Connie, and her family met us in Allajuela for dinner one night. Coincidentally they were there at the same time we were and staying only 1.5 miles away! We were also able to meet up with Jim and Jane Kirchner (biker friends from GRABAAWR) and their family a different evening for dinner. Our friends from Decorah, Doug and Gina Mello, Dale and Jody Ellickson and Tom and Teresa Bockman just happened to be at Doug and Gina's house in Playa de Panama, Costa Rica. Everyone seemed to be in Costa Rica in January. We spent two days with them on the Pacific Coast. It was alot of fun, very hot and relaxing.
Things were reasonably priced in regards to food and transportation. Our bus ride to the Pacific Coast (to Mello's) cost us $7.50 each for a 6.5 hour bus ride. This was not a luxury bus...no bathroom, 97 degrees and packed. People were standing in the aisles. However, once we reached the coast (tourist area) the short taxi ride from the bus stop to Mello's house cost $20.00.
The landscape in Costa Rica was beautiful with mountains, volcanoes, coffee plantations and rain forests. The flowers are vibrantly colored. Wildlife was easy to see. Our temperatures were in the upper 80s to low 90s every day.
After camping in Tomasita's lawn for a week we finally found an apartment to rent. It was very reasonable at $15.00 a night and included cable TV! We enjoyed this affordable luxury for a week and then ended our time in Costa Rica by watching the last Packer Playoff Game (-3 F in Green Bay, 85 F in Costa Rica). Yes...beer, chips and salsa, Packers....can it get any better? (Only if they would have won!).
Now, it is time to move on.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Off to Costa Rica with a Lay-Over in Iowa and Wisconsin
December 20th we arrived in Minneapolis for a 13 day lay-over. What brought us back to the midwest? Our son, John´s, wedding! After celebrating Christmas in Medford, WI with my family we headed to Decorah for the start of the wedding festivities. There was alot of hussle and bussle prior to the wedding. The wedding took place on Saturday, December 29with no worries. Molly´s white and red wedding dress, the bridesmaids´ red dresses, the candles, lights and poinsettas in the church along with the Marine presentation was the perfect combination for a very beautiful and moving ceremony. Ward and I are very happy to have Molly a part of our family. We would also like to thank the budwegs (all the Budwegs made it to roll call), the Spreens and our friends for sharing this special moment with us.
Still no time for zzzs. We celebrated bringing in the new year with the Putnams, Schweinefuses and Rockweilers and then participated in the annual New Years´ Day bike ride to Bluffton. Unfortunately the temperatures decided to drop below zero degrees windchill which made "warm skin" cream accompanied with sanity a must.
It was a VERY good visit and great to see everyone but now its time for warmer weather. Costa Rica here we come.
The First Chapter of Our Trip is Completed...Europe and Africa
On December 12 we returned to Spain to pick up our bikes and gear that we had stored while we were in Rwanda. Then we headed south...yes, back to Africa. We biked to Tarife, Spain and took the ferry to Tangere, Morocco. The Muslim community gave us a very different experience than our prior African experience in Rwanda. Many people were very persistent and eager to help us. Once I kindly and firmly asked them to quite following us they receded. A large percentage wear the traditional Muslim dress, scarves and cloaks. The numerous open markets offer a variety of items ranging from scarves to fruit to meat products. As a dietitian I had a bit of a problem with the unrefrigerated raw meat hanging from the booths openly exposed to the heat and flies. We enjoyed the tradional local foods but made sure everything we ate was cooked!
After Morocco we returned to Spain and biked to Lisbon, Portugal. We noticed people in Spain and Portugal don´t decorate for Christmas as extravagantly as Americans but they do have the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" at every street corner.
The European portion of our trip consisted of 23 countries, 22 languages, 16 currencies, 5600 miles, 8 flat tires, 4 brand new tires, 3 cracked rims, 9 headaches...and a partridge in a pear tree.
We made alot of new friends in Europe and Africa and have learnt that people are people...no matter what their religion is, the color of their skin or the language that they speak. Everybody has a heart and almost everybody wants to help. We won´t be able to repay these people for their kindness because it was pricelss. But, we can pay it forward. Thanks Europe and Africa for an unbelievable 6 months!
Please see our e-group for a more detailed report of this portion of our trip. If you are having problems receiving our e-groups please email us and we will email the egroup to you directly.
After Morocco we returned to Spain and biked to Lisbon, Portugal. We noticed people in Spain and Portugal don´t decorate for Christmas as extravagantly as Americans but they do have the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" at every street corner.
The European portion of our trip consisted of 23 countries, 22 languages, 16 currencies, 5600 miles, 8 flat tires, 4 brand new tires, 3 cracked rims, 9 headaches...and a partridge in a pear tree.
We made alot of new friends in Europe and Africa and have learnt that people are people...no matter what their religion is, the color of their skin or the language that they speak. Everybody has a heart and almost everybody wants to help. We won´t be able to repay these people for their kindness because it was pricelss. But, we can pay it forward. Thanks Europe and Africa for an unbelievable 6 months!
Please see our e-group for a more detailed report of this portion of our trip. If you are having problems receiving our e-groups please email us and we will email the egroup to you directly.
Rwanda Mission Trip..."You Never Know Unless You Ask"
"You never know unless you ask." Those were the words spoken by our friend, Frank Pollari, before he asked Ward and I if we wanted to join him on a missionary trip to Rwanda, a country recovering from the 1994 genocide. The purpose of the mission was to build a library in the new Nu-Vision Missionary High School which was headed by Martin and Evelyn Rusanga. After a couple of hours of contempletion Ward and I gladly accepted.
For 3 weeks we worked side-by-side with Frank, Lacey, Len and Mary, all from Thunder Bay, Canada. Ward and I had the challenge of building and assembling 60 shelving units with 1 inch plywood and flathead screws that would snap in half. During this process Ward started to speak a new language *!?**?! Meanwhile, Frank, Len and Mary worked on assigning dewey decimal numbers to the thousands of books delivered from Thunder Bay. You can challenge Mr. Librarian (Frank) with any topic and I guarantee that he will be able to tell you the dewey number for it. Lacy worked deligently matching books to the science curriculum and designing the lab. After many long days the project was completed. Frank, Ward and I celebrated by drinking some banana beer (it was strong and sweet). Len and Mary stayed in Rwanda to help with the hiring of the school staff and assist in the opening of the school which was scheduled for the beginning of January 2008. Lacy was hired as the science lab teacher and returned to Rwanda after Christmas to start her new job in Kabuga, Africa.
How is Rwanda recovering? They continue to progress and develop. However, they still struggle with an underdeveloped infrastructure. The electriciy and water supply are unpredictable and many roads have not seen a maintainer since 1984 which makes four wheel drive a must. They still have 70% unemployment rate which results in a mass amount of people walking the streets at all hours of the day and night. However, this percentage does not indicate levels of motivation...quite the contrary. The Rwandan people are out at 6:00am standing with shovels or homemade hauling carts...hoping to be hired. Bikes are used as taxis for transportation or to haul food, chickens, wood or charcoal to the market. They carry baskets filled with fruit, water jugs, wood, linen, etc on their heads. They are hardworking substance farmers.
Rwanda is one of the cleanest, friendliest and safest places that we have visited so far on our world trip. It has been a life changing experience. Thanks Frank for asking the question.
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