From Cataño to the World: Ireland (Day 1)

  

On my way to Dublin with Aer Lingus. 

Hello guys, I know it's being a while since I post something but now that I am on a break from work I want to share my month long journey in Europe with you guys. I forgot my journal back at home so I am using this platform to write about my day. It's something different and I will be posting something every day at the end of my day. Even though I am going to be working in Malta and working on my master's classes online too. I will make sure I post something every night.

My flight with Aer Lingus was not bad at all it was just not enough space for my legs and two out of their 4 bathrooms were not working so it was painful to make a 5-10 minute line to get to the restroom. Besides that my flight was pleasant. The picture on the left is one of plenty of pictures that I took of the sunset on the plane. The view was so breathtaking.

Spire of Dublin

So, like always when I arrived at custom the guard asked me questions like why are you in Ireland? for how long? whats your next destination? and because I am super tired do not look at all like my picture of my passport he asked me to show him my booking confirmation while here in Ireland and my confirmation flight to the next country that I am going. I am not surprised at all because it always happens. At this point, I am immune to it. I just wanted to arrived to my hostel after an 8 hours flight.

When I got out of the airport I got a two-way ticket from Airlink Express for 12 euros and made it to the hostel in less than 30 minutes and the stop was two minutes away from my hostel. One thing I notice right away was that Irish people use a lot of public transportation and that they are always late because they are running chasing their public bus or their metro. It was hilarious watching them sprinting in their suit and tie. Because my checking was not until 2pm I left my things at the hostel store room and started exploring the city early in the morning. One thing that Amazes me was the Spire of Dublin is one of the tallest sculpture in Ireland and in the world I believe.

A meal at O'Neill's 

After exploring on my own and getting some lost. I decided to go back to my hostel charge my devices and get myself informed about things to do in Dublin and looking for tours. My hostel recommended me to get a free walking tour of Dublin for two hours and hey, its free and I was not doing anything because I still had 5 hours until check-in so I did. During the walking tour, I met Luis and Angela cutest couple from Puerto Rico. As soon as we introduce ourselves to the group and we heard we were from Puerto Rico we were like a magnet and got together and talked about Puerto Rico and our traveling plans. While in the tour we visited Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Christ Church, Viking/Medieval Area, Old City Walls, City Hall, Trinity College (the outside) and the Liffey (Ha'Penny) Bridge 1816. We did the walking tour with Sandeman's New Europe tours. After the tours, we took some pictures with Mary Mallone and we had to touch her breast for good luck so I did. After the tour, I went to O'Neill's and wow that was some good. Totally recommended this place to eat plus they have live Irish music while you eat so you get authentic Irish food and music in one sitting.

The street sign that saved my life. 

After my lunch, my day got slow because the jetlag was killing me so I did my checking and went to sleep for 3 hours then got up and walked some more. Some places I still want to get to see are the St. Stephen's Green, St. Patrick Cathedral, Natural Museum, and National Museum and Trinity College Library. While walking around to get something for dinner I walked by the Grafton Street where I found a lot of bars and live music. Definitely, the spot to be if you want to drink some beer and dance. One thing that I need to keep in mind is that here in Dubin they drive on the opposite side of the street and instead of looking left first I have to look right. Thank God for the signs on the floor that reminds me everytime I am about to cross the streets.

Some highlights of my day were going to the place where U2 used to play in Temple bar areas before becoming famous and visiting one of the scenes where P.S. I love you was recorded. A lot may not know this but that is one of my favorite movies. I am a hopelessness romantic what can I say.

If you want to see more picture of my first day in Dublin just stop by my Insta: stevenrcamacho and my Snapchat: srcamacho.

Thank you for reading and stop by tomorrow for day 2 in Dublin. :)

From Lancaster to the World: Hurricane Maria Relief to Puerto Rico

From Lancaster to the World: Hurricane Maria Relief to Puerto Rico

First of all, I would like to THANK everyone that had called, text or message me. My friends and family had to evacuate their homes  before Hurricane Maria arrived but my family is okay my grandparents just had minor damages they lost a piece of their roof but its something it can get fix. My friend on the other hand had to evacuate and came back to his house being 2 ft underwater and lost everything. Finding out about this broke my heart but like my friend and family said to me "We are alive, that's what matters" and that kept me calm but reading the news and seeing how my hometown, Cataño, was 80% destroyed by Hurricane Maria I couldn't just sit and see everything just happen; I needed to take this feeling of helplessness go away. The only way that I could help my family, friend and community back home is by getting involve in my community and find out how I could help out while I am here in the United States. By people reaching out to me and asking me I have found some organization that can helpful in the relief that go straight to the island and other that are here locally in Lancaster that then it will be sent to Puerto Rico.

As it right now, I am not able to go to PR but as soon as I can I will leave and help out in Cataño and any other areas near my hometown. So for now, I can inform you guys out in how you can help me out and  the island.

Organizations in Lancaster, PA with benefit event and donations drive:

Organization: Old San Juan Restaurant & The Cellar on Market

Date: September 26th, 2017

Location: 25 W King st. Lancaster, PA 17603

****All evening proceeds will go towards Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico.

Organization: Unidos Pa' Puerto Rico

Date: Saturday, October 7th, 2017

Location: Penn Square, Downtown Lancaster

Online Donation: www.elconcilio.net/donate

Organizations in PR where you can donate money:

ConPRmetidos:

https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/maria-puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund

GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/raise-funds/hurricanemaria

UnidosporPR:

http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/

If you guys have supplies where you guys want to donate you always look for event at your own towns that will always help. For my international friends, if you guys want to donate supplies you can always sent it to me on my PO BOX and I will make sure it arrives in Puerto Rico.

Steven Rivera

PO Box 2771 Lancaster, PA 17608

Here is the list of supplies that will be perfect to donate:

-Water Bottles (Cases)

-Canned Food (meats, vegetables, fruits, soups, etc)

-Rice (Grain or instant)

-Milk (Canned or in Containers)

-First Aid Kits

-Batteries (ALL sizes)

-Flash Lights (ALLsizes)

-Radios (Battery Operated)

-Portable Cellphones Chargers

-Gas Lamp, smalls gas stoves, generators, etc

-Can Openers (Manual)

-Over the counter medicine (Acetaminophen, Antihistamine, Triple Antibiotic, Hydrocortisone, Etc.

-Band Aids

-Hand Sanitizes, mosquito repellents, etc

-Cleaning supplies (Lysol Wipes, Detergent etc)

-Toilet paper, soaps, deodorant, shampoos, feminine products, tooth brushes, tooth paste etc.

-Baby supplies and food (Canned baby food, Milk, Diapers, Wipes, Acetaminophen Etc.

-Pillow, Towels, Blankets Etc.

Also if you would like to volunteer here is a link with some information:

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/09/22/how-help-after-hurricane-maria

There is also the HOTLINES:

- If you haven't being able to reach your loves ones call (202) 788-0710
-If someone needs helps on the island call (787) 777-0940, (202)-800-3133 and (202)-800-3134

Also an HOTLINE Email:

maria1@prfaa.pr.gov



***You can always donate a municipality in PR to send your donations. Go to PR.gov and pick 1 out of the 78 municipalities in PR.Look for their directory and call or send an email to the municipality building and they will tell you the address were all donations will be receive.






You can also help out by buying one of this T-Shirt for $20.00 all the proceeds will go to PR. You can pay for it  through a VENMO account and paying it to @Steven-Camacho-3. I will be mailing T-Shirts out to those who buy a T-shirt. Sizes goes from XS to XXL. They are 100% Cotton.

In advance I want to thank you all for reading this and helping out! I appreciated a lot! My friends, family and community in Puerto Rico will appreciate it!

From Cataño to the World: Why do I travel? The Reflection

From Cataño to the World: Why do I travel? The Reflection

"Why do I travel?" is the question of the century. I normally say that "Why not?" and  that's the end of the conversation. But to be honest the more I travel the more I ask myself why do I travel? There is 3 real reasons of why I travel.

Reason #1: I travel because of my grandfather.

Visiting Cairo, Egypt in March 2014

My grandfather influenced me like no other person had in my life. He was the man that taught me about culture and gave me the pleasure to gain interest in reading. He was a man that owned a candy shop for more than a decade in his small apartment in my hometown, Cataño, and the only way he traveled and saw the world was by reading the newspaper. He had so much knowledge and I'm blessed that he was my grandfather. I never got the chance to tell him about my travels because he passed when I was just 16. He still pushes me to keep traveling and learn more about other countries, cultures, and norms. I would love to just sit down at his little coffee table and chat about all the places that we talked about in the newspapers when I was just a kid and go over my pictures that I have taken in those countries. I miss mi querido viejo but he is one of the reasons why I travel. Traveling always reminds me of his voice and all of our conversations we had about traveling the world together.

Reason #2: I travel because I want to be a good influence in my community.

Visiting my hometown in May 2017.

Not a lot of you know but I grew up in the Residencial Juana Matos also known as caserio (Public developments) in Cataño. This place has a good community sense but also it has a big and strong influence in drugs and violence. As a kid I remember being approached by one of drug dealers on day while walking back home from school with my friend and he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up and I remember telling him that I wanted to be a doctor that travels the world and helps people and he laughed at me and told me "that would never happen because you are here"(Referring to the caserio) the only way to get out of here is by being part of the drug world with dirty money, going to jail, or in a black bag dead. Until this day I don't remember the guy's name or what happened to him but his words of discouragement were more of a motivational booster for me. After that conversation I was determined to never become part of the drug lord and to do whatever it took to leave el caserio, to see the world, to always do my best, and to excel in everything that I put in my mind too. To you, stranger, I proved you wrong. I have taken all the opportunities in my life to see the world and do better as a member of society. I travel the world and post my adventures on my social media because I want to show the kids and everyone in my hometown that if I can get out of the caserio and see the world they can do it too. Some of them never have even been on a plane or even maybe never left the island and I want them to see the world through me. I write my experience traveling so they can see the world. When I travel I carry the Puerto Rican flag with me to show that I am always representing where I come from and that I will never forget to stay humble of my beginnings.

Reason #3: I travel because of my father.

Papi and I Bayamon PR August 2011.

My father is one of the most important reasons of why I travel and see the world. He was a hard working man that spend his entire life working to be able to support his family. He might have failed in many things in life but he never failed me as a father. A lot of things in life will happen where you will never understand the reason. My father passed away from cancer on September 6th, 2011. I was just 18 years old and I was just starting my first year in college. His only son to go college. It was a big accomplishment for me and for him because he never got that opportunity. His entire life from age 18 to 53 years he worked his ass off to retire and enjoy his life. 35 years of working literally from 8am to 430pm at one job and then working at his second job from 6pm to 11am just to be able to provide financial support for us and after a year of retirement he was gone. Six years from today he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and 42 days later he was gone. Opening my eyes that life can just end at any second. I never saw my dad talking about traveling the world or even having some leisure time for himself because the only thing that he always worried about were the bills and his responsibilities of being the man of the house. 65% of his life the only thing that he did was work, work, work and work and he forgot to see the world and live a little. I know that he wasn't really into traveling because he was always afraid that a version of TAKEN would happen to us but he always supported me and my sisters to travel. My missions trip to Honduras, the cruise in the Lesser Antilles, my 4 hours in Canada and my trip to Costa Rica was paid for by him and I will forever be grateful for him giving me the opportunities to travel even when he was uncomfortable and scared of traveling. I will never know if he regrets not traveling as much as he did but that's something that I don't want to think when I'm about to give my last breath of life.

Watching the Northern Lights in Iceland in March 2011.

For that reason I travel as much as I can because I don't want my job to be everything in my life I want my job to be part of my life. I want to be able to have some leisure time for myself. I don't want to follow the norm and forget what it is to have fun, see the world and just wander. I want to see the world with my own eyes where I just have an amazing view in front of me and just listen to the perfect song while staring at it because I want to make sure that I remember that moment forever. Take in the second and just think "Wow, what a beautiful view" and thank God for giving me the opportunity to see such creations. A picture does no justice to these moments but I still take the picture because I want you guys to see it.

The Louvre Paris, France April 2014

These are the reasons of why I travel. I travel because the passion was put into me by my grandfather. I travel because I want to educate my community and be the best example that I can be everyday. I want to be someone that people look up to and are influenced by me. To look at me and say I want to do what you're doing or I want to be just like him or even better because the sky is the limit. To not say "I wished I did that" and instead say "I did it." I travel because life is short and it can be taken away from you in just seconds. I want to make sure that when that day comes I can be happy and say I did it and I don't regret spending all that money. Because at the end of the day money can't buy you great memories.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope these words inspire you guys to take some leisure time to travel and see the world. Wander around your town, your state, your country and outside your country gain those great experiences and memories.

If you guys want to see more pictures of my travels go to my IG page and follow me: stevenrcamacho

From Cataño to the World: Spain Part I

Where in the World is "el Bori" from Cataño to the world: Spain Part I

At Barajas Airport.

I'm back and ready to continue writing about my wonderful travels. I apologize for not writing for so long but I'm back.

This post will be about my study abroad experience living in Spain. I studied abroad in Burgos, Spain for 6 months and it was one of the best experience of my life. This was my first trip that I ever did alone and it was the best decision I ever made. This trip is the one responsible for my traveling addiction. One thing that the study abroad program prepared you for is one, homesick and two, what to do when the unexpected happens while traveling but it doesn't prepare you for the traveling bug and the need to travel after your study abroad experience is over. Traveling abroad wasn't on my plans but my friend/brother Darren convinced me to do it and for that I thank you mi hermano. 

First meal in Spain

We departed on January 28th, 2014 from Philadelphia and arrived in Madrid, Spain the next day really early in the morning. After getting our luggage we met with a couple of the Millersville students that were doing the same program in Burgos. We decided to stay the day in Madrid and venture around. From Barajas Airport, we went to U hostels not that far from the center of Madrid. As soon as we arrived, we were super interested in the food. We wanted breakfast. I was thinking we could get a big breakfast like we get them here in the United States but I was wrong. Breakfast in Spain is pretty small and I couldn't believe it. I ended up getting a piece of tortilla española with a piece of bread and a soda because I don't drink coffee. I know, I am a horrible person for not drinking coffee. Other kinds of breakfast foods were churros with hot chocolate and when I say hot chocolate its literally melted hot chocolate.

View from U hostels in Madrid.

I was so amazed of being in Madrid that I couldn't believe it. I was in the country that for 405 years had control of my home Puerto Rico and a lot of our culture is influence by them. This was my time to really just take in everything and compare it with Puerto Rico. We then visited the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace where we saw the change of guards, la Gran Via, la Puerta del Sol, and Plaza de cibeles. We also visited a couple of churches but I don't remember their names. It felt so surreal being in Madrid. After we wandered around Madrid and got lost in the metro system we got to the hostel and slept a bit and then went to the closest bar to get some drinks. The majority of us were 20 years old or less so that meant we could drink without getting in trouble. Let's just say that our first day in Spain was going to be one of the many awesome nights we were going to have during the semester. The next day we woke up really tired and with an incredible jet-lag we got up and left to Las Americas Bus Station. Left Madrid to go to Burgos where we all studied and lived for the whole Spring 2014 semester.

Plaza de Cibeles

Even though I walked, saw, and explored Madrid, I missed a lot of places that I hope to see in the future. Those places are :

-Buen Retiro Park
-Museo Nacional del Prado
-Temple of Debod
-Barrio de la Latina
-Puerta de Alcala
-El Escorial





Also here are some cool facts about Madrid:

-Madrid is the 3rd biggest city in Europe
-Madrid is not only a city but an autonomy of Spain
-The Royal family does not live in the Royal Palace.
-Madrid comes from the arabic word "magerit" which means "place of many streams"
-Madrid and New York City are on the same latitude 40 North.
-Madrid is the highest capital city in the EU.
-Barajas airport is physically the largest airport along with Paris airport Charles de Gaulle making it the busiest airport in the EU.

-Madrid is literally in the middle of Spain.
-Madrid was founded around 860 A. C (9th Century)
-They are the biggest Real Madrid fans for obvious reasons.

With the gitanos at Puerta del Sol

My 10 Reason of why you should Study Abroad:

1. Learn about yourself
2. Make long term friends
3. Gain independence
4. Discover a new culture
5. Expansion of network
6. See you own culture through a new lens
7. Get spontaneous and adventurous
8. You gain a greater knowledge of different cultures
9. Discover new and excited food
10. Of course you get the great International Student discount

Next post will be more about my time in Burgos I will try to condense my time there because it 7 month life experience and memories. I also went to another 10-12 cities in Spain.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram: stevenrcamacho

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I want to leave this quote that really identify me and my love to travel:

"Viajar es imprescindible y la sed de viajar, un sintoma neto de inteligencia"

"Traveling is essential and the thirst to travel, a net sign of intelligence"

-Enrique Jardiel Poncela

From Cataño to the World: Costa Rica PURA VIDA!!! Part 2

Where in the world is "el Bori"?: From Cataño to Costa Rica Part II

Hola guys and welcome to my traveling blog. I would like to first apologize for my tardiness in posting the second part of my travels in Costa Rica. My computer died on me after being on my side for 3 years. Thank you Apple products ha, ha, ha. Thank you to my buddy Ryan for letting me borrow his computer to write this blog.

Day 4: Monteverde Region

Monteverde National Park

On this day we visited another national forest, it's called Santa Elena Cloud Forest. It was really foggy and the tour guide told us to stay together because sometimes they had seen jaguars walking around the trails we were walking. There weren't any fences or walls separating us and them it was just the path. The next morning our tour guide told us that the park ranger called and told him that they saw two jaguars walking the path that we were walking on in their camaras.


Students with traditional customs

On of the last things that we did before going back to the hotel was visiting an elementary school called Escuela Cebadilla in Monteverde. They welcomed us with a nice traditional Costa Rican dance and they showed us around the school. It was surprising for myself to see how the older kids will help the teacher with the younger kids from the village. The ration of teachers vs students is not really fair but all of the children were really humble and nice. I really appreciated coming to this small school and seeing the different perspectives of education systems between Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and the USA. We also donated some school supplies for the school and they were really happy for everything we gave them. They were really shy at the beginning because they heard us speaking English but as soon we started speaking Spanish they felt more comfortable. They didn't want to stop playing. Sadly it was time for us to head back to the hotel and rest but this was one of the better days just because I had a one on one with reality in Costa Rica for at least a day. It's been 5 years since I visited this school and I still remember their faces with a big smile showing how happy they were for us to be there.


David and I. He liked his personal space. 

Day 5: Horseback Riding and Canopy Zip lining

We started our day horseback riding. It was awesome. I had a great time. My horse's name was David and he was the smallest one out of all the horses. He was also one of the most hype and he always wanted to be in the front. It got to the point that I went out of the path and went down the hill and David, the horse, didn't want to stop. When he did I had to wait for 5 minute for everyone else to join me but gladly it was the end of the trail. My legs hurt so much but it was a good experience. Before David's episode I really enjoyed the mountain view. It remind me of the mountains back in Puerto Rico.

Getting ready for canopy zip lining

After horseback riding we headed to do the Canopy Zip lining. I was really excited because it was my first time doing it. Everybody was scared but I was ready. I'm an adrenaline junkie. We did it for a whole hour and even though the rope around my legs and waist were tight I didn't mind because I was having too much fun. The only thing that surprise me about this experience was how high we were from the sea level. I remember crossing a river before arriving to the canopy station and when I was going from stop A to stop B I saw the river that we crossed and it was really small. The only thing that came to my mind was " Ok Steven, if this rope breaks you are done so don't think about it". Another amazing thing that we did while zip lining was doing the Tarzan Jump. We were literally jumping off a cliff to the forest and we were just holding on a rope where all of our gear is adjusted to. I was just hanging there and it was great.

Day 6: Puntarenas Region (Crocodile Tour)

Chilling with the crocodile

After a really active day with the horses and Canopy Ziplining we started our day going to a Crocodile tour. Yes, I said it, Crocodile. I honestly don't remember a lot of the tour but I remember two things. First I remember walking to the boat towards the swaps and I saw a sloth in the wild and it was awesome. It took the sloth 10 minute to move from branch to branch and it was really surreal. Then later we saw a Toucan and it looked so beautiful but it flew away real quick because everybody was making noises. The other thing I remembered was seeing this huge crocodile at the delta just chilling at the sun and moving towards the boat and the tour guide telling us to be quite. Out of nowhere the freaking boat shakes and it was because the crocodile was below us and was curious with the boat. So, yeah, that was one of the most scariest 10 seconds of my life. One thing I liked was being able to take a picture with the crocodile. I just remember being super hot, sticky, and surrounded by a lot of mosquitos. After the tour we went back to hotel and enjoyed our day at the pool.

Day 7: Manuel Antonio National Park

At the Manuel Antonio National Park beach

On this day we went to the Manuel Antonio National Park. This part is on the Southwest side of Costa Rica on the Pacific Ocean side. This was our only beach day in Costa Rica and I enjoyed it to the fullest. While at the beach the tour guide told us to be careful on what we are leaving near the trees because the wild monkeys and raccoons can steal anything and everything from us. Of course some of the students didn't listen to him and what do you know the monkeys and raccoons stole their shirts and towels. Also they pulled one of the guys hair for trying to get his belongings. It was hilarious! One of the things that I loved about this beach was the nice white sand and that there were rocks of all shapes and all colors. The one that stood out was this beautiful turquoise rock. I wanted to take them with me but the tour guide said that is a national park and I couldn't take any rocks with me. I wasn't the happiest guy but I had a great time. We spent the entire morning and afternoon at the beach then on our way back to the hotel we stopped by a shop that everything in it was homemade of natural woods from Costa Rica and painted by locals. I didn't buy anything because I was broke and I wanted everything that was made in that small shop. It was pure authentic Costa Rican art. Then we got to the hotel and packed all of our stuff together to get ready to leave to San Jose because sadly our trip was coming to an end.

Dancing on my last night in San Jose.

Day 8: Back to San Jose, Farewell

On the morning before departing to the capital we met the national soccer team in Costa Rica. I had no idea who they were but I took a picture anyway. They were super nice and really humble. We didn't have the time to play with them but it was nice to have a 5 minute conversation with them. After a 3 hour drive back to Costa Rica we just got into the hotel and rested. In the evening we went to a restaurant on the top of the city of San Jose and enjoyed the amazing view. On the last dinner we had more of traditional Costa Rican dances and this time we had a chance to join the dancers. It was a wonderful night. Best night ever that I will never forget. These new adventures, experiences, and friends I will never forget. This is one of the countries that I would love to visit again and see how much it has grown and changed in 5 years.

Next week I will be talking about my 7 months studying abroad in Burgos, Spain and all the cities that I visited while in Spain. I promise I will be doing my best to do it as soon as possible.
Follow me on instagram: stevenrcamacho
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For those who follow my blog and read my post about my mission trip to Honduras I got a nice surprise for you. I was looking through some old pictures of mine and I found a picture of my friend Jose. The last thing I heard from him was that he moved illegally to the United States. Where in the United States that I don't know. But here is a picture of him:




From Cataño to the World: Costa Rica, PURA VIDA!!

Where in the world is "el Bori"?: From Cataño to Costa Rica Part I

Welcome back to my traveling blog. Today I will talk to you guys about my 10 days in Costa Rica. This trip happened a week later after I went to Canada and it was amazing. This was part II of my senior week present. I went to Costa Rica with my Spanish class on June 17, 2011 to June 27, 2011.

The group trip was with the company EF tourYou can check the trips here, they are really great: http://www.eftours.com/educational-tours/collections

Day 1: Arrive to Costa Rica and seeing San Jose

We departed from Philadelphia airport at 5am to then have a two hour layover in Miami Fl arriving to Costa Rica at 1pm. After meeting with our tour guy (Victor) and arriving to our hotel we had the chance to see San Jose while we waited for the other two groups to arrive from North Carolina and Nebraska. While waiting, we walked around San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Unfortunately it was raining but that never stopped me. Walking around the city of San Jose reminded me of the Spanish colonial architecture that Old San Juan, the capitol of Puerto Rico, shares with San Jose. We first stopped at the Mall Internacional. We walked around for a bit, got some food, and then left to go to downtown San Jose. Over there we visited one of the churches, a big plaza, and a bakery. After that we went back to the hotel to rest and prepared ourselves for our adventure in Costa Rica!!!

Day 2: National Park- Poás volcano

On our second day in Costa Rica we had a nice Costa Rican style breakfast at the hotel where we stayed and it was delicious. After breakfast we visited one of the National Parks in Costa Rica near the Poás Volcano. This was the first time I was going to see a volcano and I was really hype about it but first we saw a bunch of tropical animals in the national park. One cool thing about this mini zoo was that they had all the animals out in the wild except the poisonous one but they had a room full of butterflies and that was a really cool experience. After seeing all the animals in the park we went up the hill and arrived to the viewing site of the volcano.

For my surprise it wasn't what I expected a volcano to look like. The volcano was flat instead of your stereotypical volcano. It was still impressive because the volcano is still active and I was at the main crater of the volcano and just having the thought that it could've erupt was really scary but at the same time awesome.

Day 3: Lake + Arenal Volcano

We arrived late to our hotel from Poás so when I woke up and looked outside my balcony I almost died. The view to the Arenal volcano was amazing! Seeing that amazing volcano made me realize how big the world is and for the first time in my life I took a moment to enjoy this view. I took the moment to appreciate the beauty of nature and that huge volcano. Later in the day we went to lake Arenal. This lake is a superficial lake that the government of Costa Rica created for some ecological reason which I don't remember now but under this lake there is a abandoned town. They say that on a good day we can see the cathedral and some houses in the bottom of the lake while kayaking. We had the chance to kayak and to swim in the lake.

After visiting the lake we went to La Fortuna Waterfall which is deep into the rainforest of Arenal. This walk was really long but it was a good one. After being tired of that walk we arrived to the waterfall and it was worth the walk. The fall was great and it reminded me of el chorro de Juana in Puerto Rico but on steroids. It was nice walking around and seeing monkeys hanging around on the trees.

We finished out the day by visiting the hot springs in Arenal. Yeah, I said it, Hot springs. It was great. The hot springs were heated because of the Arenal volcano. Every natural pool had a different temperature. It felt great listening to nature in the middle of the night while resting in the hot springs.


The beginning of this week was great and the rest of it was about to get better. My next post will be part II of my Costa Rica trip. Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. Can't wait to tell you more about this trip.

From Cataño to the World: Canada (Niagra Falls)

Sunday June 19, 2016

Where in the world is "el Bori": From Cataño to Ontario, Canada (Niagra Falls)

Hello Guys and Welcome to my traveling blog. I must apologize for being M.I.A. but here I am again writing about my travels.

Today, I will talk about my shortest travel ever. I went to Canada on June 12, 2010 for 4 hours and 35 minutes. It was one of my high school graduation gifts from my father but the whole crew (The family) went with me. 

Bridge that connects Canada (left side) with the USA (right side). 

We departed really early from
Cleveland, Ohio to Ontario and it only took us 3 hours and 32 minutes to get there. It felt forever but I was really excited about this trip. I was going to CANADA!!! I was going to see the Niagra Falls something that I always saw in books and on TV. One of the best things about the road trip to Canada was that we were driving by the whole coast of lake Erie and it looked beautiful. Totally recommend going on a road trip to the Niagra Falls if you can. 

When we arrived to Canada we had to pass through customs which was the craziest thing ever. My father started to become paranoid because he did not know English and wanted my uncle (the driver) to translate for him but because it was my dad. He confused and irritated the officer that ended up telling us to get out of the car and to give him all 7 passports and then we all had to go to the waiting room. First we thought that we got in trouble because the cop told us to get out of the vehicle but then we found out that it was because we were first timers in Canada and they needed to put our information in but they did not stamp them (which upset me because I wanted my passport to be stamped). 

Niagra Falls, New York, EEUU.

After all of that hustle we crossed the bridge that connects the EEUU with Canada. It was beautiful crossing that bridge because you could see the Niagra falls from a distance. I don't know why but you could tell that you were in another country. But it was really interesting seeing the EEUU from another point of view. I always travel by plane to go to the EEUU so my view was always from the air. This travel was just crossing a bridge and  being able to see the culture difference in just a short period of time. When I got to see the Niagra Falls from a closer site it was amazing! I know it's just water falling from a cliff but it is just so majestic and natural. It's just amazing to see how beautiful nature is and how things are just created.

My sister Valerie and I posing with the falls.

After taking a million pictures of the Niagra Falls in all the angles that I could, my father bought us tickets to get into a boat and actually see the falls closer and actually get wet from it. That was the best part of the trip. After the boat ride we got something to eat and went back to the EEUU side. Why? Well, my father was paranoid to go and explore the rest of the city and everybody else besides me and my sister were tired so we left because majority ruled. My short time in Canada was really nice. I took a piece of Canada with me; the little bit that I did take back to EEUU has opened a more nostalgic feeling in returning again and to explore more of this beautiful country. I can't wait to visit again. 

My Father. He was hype to be in Niagra Falls he just never smiled. 

 This was a really short trip but it means a lot for me because after this trip I left to go to Costa Rica and LA later to find out that my father was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. Within two months during my first week as a freshman in Millersville University, I lost him because the cancer had spread all over his body. It was too late. He had stage four cancer (Metastasis) and the cancer was estimated to be there since I was 6 years old and I was 18 when he passed away.  I will never forget this trip. I feel that he knows that it what was happening within him and that we weren't going to be there soon because this trip was really spontaneous that he decided to do while we were visiting family in Ohio. I forever will miss him but I nourish the time that we have together and the relationship we had before he passed away. This year will be 5 years since he left and it still hurts the same but the only medicine to this is just knowing that I am continuing to make him proud with my success and by being his only son to graduate high school and college. For those who still have a father take advantage of your time with him because God can just take them from you in just a blink of an eye. 

I know that this post is not normal for me to do or even talk about but I would like to dedicate this post to my father José Antonio Rivera Ríos (1957-2011). Forever being there for me and for always trying to do everything for his kids... Happy Father's Day Papi (Tony)!!!!! 

My father and I on my high school graduation.

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Next week, I will be talking to you guys about my week trip to Costa Rica. My parent's second high school graduation gift. Thank you for reading. I know it was not long but I hope you all enjoyed reading about Canada and I am glad to share this part of my life with you guys. When life give you lemons you just have to make lemonade out of it. Like it, leave a comment and/or  Share it! :)