The Very Secret Diary

Poems and stories, writings and scribbles.

[thesecretjournaler]

My Time in Paradise: Boating Through the San Blas Islands

My Time in Paradise: Boating Through the San Blas Islands

Imagine paradise. Really, imagine it. What is paradise supposed to be? In movies, advertisements, books, and other avenues of multimedia talk of “paradise,” the place that many people wish they could visit, vacation, and live. Paradise: a private island with white sand, clear warm water, and nothing but coconut trees and ocean all around. Well… that’s what I had the chance to experience for four…

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[thesecretjournaler]

A Magical Night in Puerto Viejo

A Magical Night in Puerto Viejo

To you, this picture may seem like any other Caribbean sunrise beach photo. But this photo represents so much more — and the night leading up to me taking this shot is a story worth telling.  I didn’t plan to stay in Puerto Viejo for long. In fact, I almost skipped Cost Rica altogether because it’s expensive, kinda cliche, and Americanized in a lot of ways (my overnight stop in San Jose looked…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua

Isla Ometepe is an island formed from two giant volcanoes, located in the middle of the huge Lake Nicaragua. It’s big enough that several small towns can be found there. In order to reach this semi-remote island full of jungle, monkeys, beautiful butterflies, and lots of farms, you have to cross the lake on a ferry. The day that I left San Juan to go to Isla Ometepe, I braced myself for Rivas, as…

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[thesecretjournaler]

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

The morning that I left Granada, I was hungover and hopped on a chicken bus to Rivas. (Chicken buses, otherwise known as the local buses, are retired American school buses, usually painted in bright colors, and always cheaper than taking the “tourist shuttle,” because mostly locals ride the chicken buses.) At the bus terminal (a large dirt parking lot next to the local market), I got bombarded…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Granada, Nicaragua

Sometimes you meet a place, and for some reason, you don’t know why, but it just feels right. You like the look and feel of it. You sense in your body that it’s a good place for you to be. This happens to me when I travel sometimes (and so does the opposite). You never know how you’ll like a place until you arrive. People may rave about a place, but sometimes you arrive and it’s not at all for…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Nicaragua: León & Masaya

Nicaragua: León & Masaya

I spent a few days in León hanging out with my Aussie friends, drinking and playing pool, exploring a bit of the city, and going volcano boarding. Whaaaaaat is volcano boarding, you say? Well, it takes place on Cerro Negro near León, a little baby volcano that’s about 200 years old (it is the second youngest volcano in the world, after another in Mexico). Naturally, a baby volcano such as this…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Semuc Champey & the Kamba Caves

Semuc Champey & the Kamba Caves

Ah, Semuc Champey. This day was my absolute favorite in all the time I spent in Guatemala. I didn’t get many pictures that day because I spent much of the day in the water, and my camera isn’t waterproof. (This was the first time that I was jealous of the folks who had GoPros.) But even though I don’t have photos of everything that happened, I do have my memory of it, and I will tell you the…

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[thesecretjournaler]

El Tunco, El Salvador

El Tunco, El Salvador

I did not originally plan on traveling to El Salvador. But while traveling in Guatemala I met a few people who visited El Tunco in particular that absolutely loved it. In the end, I decided to stop in El Tunco for a little bit on my way to Nicaragua. I’ve been traveling almost all by bus because it’s cheaper than flying, but that usually means long, uncomfortable bus rides, so my stop in El Tunco…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Tikal: Guatemala's Ancient Mayan Ruins

Tikal: Guatemala’s Ancient Mayan Ruins

I spent literally an entire month in Guatemala seeing pictures of Tikal every. single. day. By the time it got round to it, I was feeling a bit complacent. Will I even be that impressed by these ancient Mayan ruins that everyone raves about, after seeing hundreds of the same photo day after day, plastered on tour agency windows and in frames hung on walls all over the country? I did it because…

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[thesecretjournaler]

A Wander Through Trails of Atitlán

A Wander Through Trails of Atitlán

This post is suuuuper late, but I need to write about it because it was one of the most fun days I had while at Lago Atitlán. I had been doing some research about things to do on the lake, and I stumbled across a mention of trails that ran between the villages of Lago Atitlán. Apparently the trails ran through the cliffs and had some great views, and the trails between Tzununá, Jaibalito, and…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Hikes #3 and 4: Indian Nose & San Pedro

Hikes #3 and 4: Indian Nose & San Pedro

The following photos are from a sunrise hike that I did while staying at Lake Atitlán. I woke up at about 3:30 in the morning for this! The sunrise over the enormous lake, over the surrounding volcanic terrain, and the other towns of Atitlán was a SIGHT, let me tell you. Well actually, let me show you: And below are some pictures from when I hiked up Volcán San Pedro. A good portion of the…

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[thesecretjournaler]

San Pedro La Laguna of Lago Atitlán

San Pedro La Laguna of Lago Atitlán

San Pedro! I got to stay in this cute little lakeside town for the past week and take in the amazing natural beauty that is Lago Atitlán, a lake created from volcanic activity from thousands of years ago. Currently there are three volcanoes bordering the region. Around the lake, there are 12 separate villages, mostly made up of Mayan communities. I stayed in San Pedro for the week, but was able…

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[thesecretjournaler]

My First Two Volcano Hikes: Pacaya and Acatenango

My First Two Volcano Hikes: Pacaya and Acatenango

During my first two weekends in Guatemala, I hiked two volcanoes. The first one, Volcán de Pacaya, last erupted in 2014, which meant that unfortunately we could not hike to the peak because the top is still too hot for human activity. (How cool is that though!) However, we did find some lava vents and a few spots with heat still emanating from piles of rocks. We even got to see the newest lava…

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[thesecretjournaler]

Antigua

(This is a photo of Cerro de la Cruz, a look out point in Antigua where you can see the entire city. This picture doesn’t show it because it was cloudy, but on a clear day you can see one of the MASSIVE volcanos that towers over Antigua, standing directly opposite the cross.) Friday, May 20, 2016. It’s my last night in Antigua, the small, quaint, colonial city that I’ve resided in since arriving…

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On Leaving

April 30, 2016 Yesterday, after packing up all my things and moving them out of my spacious upstairs bedroom at the residence of 46 McClellan Street, I paused at the door and looked back at my now empty room. I stood there, observing this room for the last time, reflecting and remembering, gathering up my memories from that house over the last 2-3 years, where they were stashed in dusty corners…

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[wordsnquotes]

Sometimes an understanding silence was better than a bunch of meaningless words.

Mia Sheridan, Archer’s Voice (via wordsnquotes)

[thesecretjournaler]

Valentine’s Day:

What a day to remember

How much love

There isn’t

In the world.