going to Honduras! =)

My friend Blair from Canada and I could manage everything and right now it looks like we will go tomorrow morning with the bus to Honduras! =)

YES to tourist-visa! =D

I’ve just been today (Monday the 9th of November) in the morning at the government office and got my passport back. My tourist visa got extended until the 15th of December 2009. As I already bought my flight for the 8th of December, it looks like everything will work out perfect! =)
I’m currently couch surfing at my friend’s Javier flat in one of the safest (or THE safest) part of the city San Salvador!
I’ve already had some very nice and interesting conservation with Javier! He started about 1 1/2 years ago his own company, which basically imports and exports in whole Central America materials to build houses.
At the moment my friend Blair from Canada, which I met couple of days ago at Amado’s place, and myself are working to manage our way to Honduras. Blair already travelled a lot around the world and I’m sure, travelling together will be much fun, ! =)
If everything goes right, we will leave tomorrow at 11am with the bus into the direction of Honduras! =D
During the past days it rained a lot over here. I was already close to call it UK-rain, but if I remember back … the UK is still one step extremer! =b
As I read in the news, already 124 death people have been counted in El Salvador by this time. Still they are missing a lot of people and many thousand people lost their homes.
All this only reaches me at the moment over the news. I the city I’ve only seen at some point tiny lakes on couple of street crossings.
Basically the problem is, that El Salvador has a lot of mountains and people build there houses there. When such much rain comes, like it happened during the past days, the earth get flushed down the mountains and takes everything around with it. Combined with the fact, that many houses over here are not very solid constructed. Many times it’s just 4 walls build out of wood or a thin steelplate.
Gladfully it now stopped to rain and hopefully will stay like this!
I will try to keep you up-to-date, which turns out to be now much more complicated, as I’m travelling without any mobile Internet-tool …
Until my way to Finland, I always been able to publish news over my iPhone.

the not so perfect office …

I’ve just done all this writing, while talking over Skype to the girl I love – so please don’t look forward to a best-quality-story -I just wanted to quickly write down the main things, which happened, so that I don’t forget them …
I’m back on the route and everything is crazy again! =D

After started my tour from Antigua on Tuesday the 3rd November 2009 at 9:45 am together with Amado, we arrived after a very long bus drive at 5pm at his place in San Salvador, El Salvador.
On the same evening, 4 travelers from the USA arrived as well there via bike. They all joint a volunteer project, for which they go by bike through Central America and South America, to write stories for students back in the USA about the world behind their border! =)
We all enjoyed, going to the market for dinner and found a place to sleep somewhere in Amados house.
On the following morning on Wednesday the 4th of November 2009, Amado helped me a lot, by going together with me to the right office to extend my tourist visa.
My first impression of the office for migration, I had a very positive and professional feeling about the work they do.
The office looks professional and the woman, taking care about my tourist visa was very friendly and even spoke English!
In the afternoon, I did a trip together with two friends from the USA to the Vulcan San Salvador.
On the way back, we stopped at the big market of El Salvador to taste some crazy fruits from Central America.
In the evening, Blair, a professional couch surfer from Canada arrived as well at Amados place.
The following, Thursday 5th of November 2009, Amado and I started in the morning again to the office …
I had to pay USD 22, 5 filled out papers, one passport photo and copies of all pages of my passport. The friendly lady took everything and it seems, like everything will be okay on the following day. She asked me, to be return to their office, on the next day at 3pm. In the mean time, my passport will be at the office, to manage everything.
At lunch Kishan, another professional couch surfer from the Bahamas arrived as well at Amados place. We al went for lunch to the shopping center mall and enjoyed Chinese food.
In the afternoon I searched for an Internet place, to finally call the sweet girl I love in Guatemala.
After phoning with my sweet girl I enjoyed once more dinner at the market.
This night, we’ve been 7 couch surfers and Amado together in his house – this was definitely the biggest couch-surfing-group of people staying together at one place, I have seen so far. Amado is very friendly and I respect his way of sharing life a lot!
The following day, Friday the 6th of November 2009, the professional office turned out to be less professional! =P
I started in the morning at 11 am to explore together with Blair the city San Salvador!
We saw the big park, a nice museum and a big statue.
In the afternoon, I first went to Internet to call my friend Javier. Then I took the bus into the direction of the center at 4pm. As the traffic was crazy, I was even worried, that I might will arrive after 5pm at the office. I thought, like everywhere else, the office for migration will close at 5pm. But when I finally arrived there at 4:50 pm, I had to find out, that the office already closed at 3:30 pm!
In my eyes quite unprofessional, as well as the fact, that an office that operates with international passports is closed over the weekend. I don’t know how it is working in Austria, but I can imagine, we might got the same problem there … – it’s just very complicated for travelers …
Anyway, I have to wait now until Monday, to gat my passport back. In the mean time I only got a small paper, telling, that they got my passport.
Going back by bus was a horror! The whole city been full of cars and it took me whole 1 1/2 hours, for a way I should go with the bus in max. 20 minutes!
I finally arrived back at Amados place and reached Javier on his mobile phone – then everything worked fast – Javier picked me half an hour later up at the park. We drove to a bis shopping center, were we met his friends. We then went for dinner and returned late at night back to his nice flat! =)

news news news

Well, much happened here since the past days and finally I’m online again! ;)
Let’s bring all the news of the past days up in date order ;P

First very positive news: I will come together with the girl I love in beginning of December to Austria!
We actually were looking for flight during the past 6 weeks. During the past 2 weeks we tried to buy one … but we both prefered a different travel agency, with different prices. Each time we have been close to buy the tickets, something turned out to be not that good and we ended up in arguments.
We have been very close to buy the tickets at my travel agency on Monday evening, but then the price went up a little bit and all our plans went over board again =P
At the end it has been a marathon run on Tuesday morning, as we finally played perfect teamwork and decided to buy the flights at her travel agency, just about 30 minutes before I went travelling again!
We will fly with Lufthansa (operated half the way over Mexicana) and stop in Mexico City, Mexico and Frankfurt, Germany.
At the end we got an amazing good price, which was even cheaper than British Airways, even Lufthansa does provide in my point of few (based on long travel experience) much more quality!
We will arrive in Vienna, Austria on Wednesday the 9th of December 2009 at 5:20pm! =D
Or flights are already leaving on Tuesday the 8th of December and we will need to stop in Mexico City over night.
I’ve already arranged, that we will stay at my very good friend Ahmed for this night! I’m looking forward a lot, to see my very good friend again and also enjoy another Hollywood Burger! =D

Second news: I’m back on the road and went in company with my friend Amado from El Salvador, about 30 minutes after buying the flight tickets by bus to San Salvador in El Salvador! =)
Amado been over the last weekend in Guatemala and also went back to his house – I’ve joint him! =)
The bus ride was long but nice and we arrived well up at our destination!

Third news: My 90-days-tourist-visa is running for whole Central Amerika. (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras)
So when I crossed the border to El Salvador, I didn’t get like planned another 90 days. Today is my last day and we already been to the right office. The fee to stay illegal longer would be USD 140,- but as I got to the office in time, I can ask for more time for only USD 22,-.
I’m glad we could manage this so far and will be at the office again by tomorrow, to finalize everything.
The office was VERY professional and friendly. A big THANK YOU at this point to my couch host Amado, who helps me a lot with all this! =)

That’s it so far – more news and hopefully an updated Google map should be online by tomorrow! ;)

mission successful

My well planned project number 6 (see the post “news from over here“) worked great!
The idea was, to organize a nice birthday party for the girl I love! =)
As it was a top-secret, what I’m going to organize, I couldn’t publish it earlier over her! ;)
Her sister and I done great teamwork together and decided, to all meet up for lunch at my friend’s Luis restaurant.
When my love came into the restaurant, she was blown away from the surprise of seeing her sister and the two daughters of her sister! =)
I got two presents for her – first was a DVD writer/player USB external, which fits good to her new Netbook … – and second was a nice picture I’ve taken, which is actually a longer story …
Across of the street of my friend’s Luis restaurant in Antigua, Guatemala is a big house, which got an inner courtyard. In this inner courtyard stands a big tree, which is bigger than the house and gets light up at night with some spots. Each time we have dinner at my friends restaurant, we watch the tree from the window. Once we sat there in the night, she told me: I need to have a picture of this beautiful tree …
Just about a week ago, when I’ve done photos at my friends restaurant in the evening and waited for her, to enjoy dinner together, I’ve taken couple of pictures of this tree.
… and just in this moment a sweet cat came by on the roof of the house and sat there for 10 minutes to take some amazing photos.
Later on I worked out the best photo, printed it on photo paper and organized a very nice frame for it.
Actually only organizing the frame was a really challenge … same like printing the photo in real good colours … =b
A present, coming with a lot of love, from the middle of my heart! =)
Next I’ve organized her favourite cake from her favourite cafe restaurant and decorated this one with candles. But as you know me, I didn’t just chosen normal candles – I thought those, which you can blow out, but they will turn back on are MUUUCH more fun !!! ;P
… and they turned out to work really great – after blowing the candles out for around 35 times, the restaurant was filled up with as much smoke, as when it would stand totally in flames! ;b
In the middle of the cake I’ve placed two big candles, which are numbers and showing “17″ – just to make another joke ;P
We all enjoyed a very good lunch and the very good birthday cake! =)
It was a small, but very very very funny and happy birthday party!
At the end I’ve been amazed by all the organizations I’ve done and that everything worked such great! =)

free hugs

As I was just talking about it with a friend from Canada, I got the idea to google “free hugs” and found the official website right away …
I’ve realized this idea my own at the beginning of my world tour in New York City, USA. (thanks to Kristin at this point ;)
Check out the official YouTube clip of this great idea: