Manuel Antonio, Costarica

No, there`s not a mistake in the title of this post, the name of this village is really Manuel Antonio! After one night spent in San Jose`, the capitol of Costarica, I moved to this village on the coast of Pacific Ocean because is near to the homonym National Park. Today I hiked into the National Park and it was really worthy to come here as the wildlife seen was stunning: lots of monkeys everywhere, hummingbirds, iguanas, lizards, sloths, crabs and other animals I don`t know what they are... Unfortunately the shitty camera (but mainly is fault of the shitty lens) I use didn`t allow me to take pics as wanted, but anyway some shots taken I guess they`re pretty cool, that`s enough.
By the way, coming from Nicaragua I was thinking how cool was to discover that country: a place which was something like a black hole on the geographical map to me, as I knew almost nothing about Nicaragua before reaching it, it quickly turned into one of my favourite central America spots, for the wild beauty of the almost-tourist-free country and the unbelievably friendly people. Well, Costarica is different, as the influence of United States is really strong (you can see Pizza Hut, Burger King and McDonald`s spreaded almost everywhere) prices are expensive, villages converted into tourist attractions and, finally, a different less charm as it seems to me more `fake`. But you come to Costarica for his lush nature and incredible wildlife, not for anything else, and nature here - trust me - is unbelievable.
I will greet the new year from the beach just few metres from the hostel where I stay in Manuel Antonio. Happy 2011 to you all.

Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

I'm back to mainland after a couple of days spent on the beautiful Isla de Ometepe, definitely a great place and an interesting experience to live. First, the way to the island from Granada by ferry was really really crazy, it takes about four hours of travel to get there and everything was fine until sunset even if waters were pretty rough. After sunset things went wrong and wrong. It all began with a child puking, she was the one who opened the show: after few minutes for a curious chain reaction everybody started to puke almost everywhere, on the floor, into thrashbins, into bathrooms, directly in lake... After one hour in a such way I blessed the arrival to the island because I was going to be sick as well. Anyway, the morning after, I rented a truly shitty bike and I cycled all around the southern volcano of the island. In Tikal, my head was roaring with stupid Axl Rose's voice and his "welcome to the jungle" song, now was time for Madonna and "la isla bonita". Yeah, because that island was really a sort of paradise on earth, with small gravel roads, no cars at all, colorful small villages isolated from anything, banana's trees, chicken and pigs roaming free... Well, cycling there for - I guess - about 50 km in one day has been challenging (mainly for my ass), as the roads were in an extremely bad condition (as the bicycle itself), but I will never forget the quiet and the peaceful there. I will also remember all those people living isolated from the so-called civilization, into those houses with no floor, no shoes, no electricity, but friendly and (maybe) happier than we are in our rich countries, while welcoming you with big smiles and the children offering you free fruits like it's used to do with a long time friend.
Different perspectives: that's the real value given by any travel.

Granada, Nicaragua

Christmas far from home is weird for definition, but I must admit I wouldn't have find a better place than Granada for it. I've a nice tidy private room with bathroom in the main road for few bucks per day, definitely comfortable and, finally, a little bit of privacy after all these months travelling in youth hostels with no privacy at all. So comfortable that I decided for some rest after the last days' frenziness and Antigua's parties: Christmas' eve I have been sleeping at 8 pm! The weather here is sunny and warm, like in European summertime, and I really enjoyed strolling down the local market eating tons of cheap fruit and drinking the local beer "Tona" or "Victoria", coming in 1 litre bottles for 1,5 dollars each. I also discovered the pleasures of local shacks which are truly different to all the other shacks where I ate during this travel: different to Mexican shacks, different to Guatemaltecan shacks, Chinese or Mongolian ones... Caribbean shacks are weird and charming! I mean, if you think it's charming eating with old caribbean music coming from a jurassic juke box bigger than 3 fridges and full of useless blinking lights while drunken locals select music on it just to show the only foreigner how cool is their music, or like having the tableclothe full of cigarette burns, or like the roof made by straw and the meat roasted directly out on the streets... Well, in few hours I'm gonna sail to Isla de Omotepe, a small island lying in the middle of Lake of Nicaragua with joint volcanoes and small villages along the coast. More news soon to come.

Merry Christmas from Granada, Nicaragua

Backpacking through some countries is an act of faith: faith in people, faith in themselves, faith in the future. Everything could happen, as safety is a word almost non-existant. I crossed El Salvador and Honduras with a night just-for-locals bus, which means squeezed like an animal on the hardest and most unconfortable seat ever. Next to me there was a guy from Nicaragua keeping me informed on his drinking status at every border: "First bottle of rum gone, second one ready to go!". The bus had two long stops for pinched tires. The capital of Nicaragua, Managua, is completely different to Guatemala, as the houses are low and dusty and messy and it really looks like a middle east city with horses used for transportation and an incredible poverty rate. As soon as I arrived in Granada, the colonial gem of Nicaragua, I understood I shifted to the caribbean area when a prostitute moved to me, officialy to offer a 2 hours massage for 5 dollars, in reality asking continously to keep my bags to help me... maybe trying to rip me off? Curse of the first day? Don't know, I only know that the city is colorful, warm, happy and I'm far thousand miles from home or any other place to remind me that today is Christmas.
Stories are gifts to share: stories are the only gifts I can give you for this year.
Merry Christmas to anyone.

Antigua, Guatemala

It's almost 3 days I'm arrived in Antigua, the "antique" capital of Guatemala. I've been to visit the Pocaya volcano and the Lake Atitlan. But before coming to Antigua, I spent 2 days in the jungle of Semuc Champey and Lanquin. Well, it's better I move out quickly from here: definitely too many temptations...

Tikal, Guatemala

I'm in the colorful Guatemala! I left Mexico with sadness as I love that country, but reaching Guatemala has been cool and exciting as well as I had to take one van, then crossing a river by boat and later one bus on a dusty gravel road to Flores, near Tikal. I'm happy now because crossing the border between Mexico and Guatemala is considered an hot spot for the presence of many bandidos robbing people along the road. The landscape has changed and I'm in a tropical paradise, among Maya ruins, screaming monkeys and many many trees... Welcome to the jungle!

Palenque, Mexico

No, the picture hasn't been taken in a local zoo, but at Canyon del Sumidero...

Are you hungry?

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas

I'm in San Cristobal de las Casas, a town settled at 2000 metres high in the middle of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It's cold and rainy. But it's cool. Almost indios only here, it doesn't seems possible to me thinking that just few days ago I was in United States. Crossing the border between US and Mexico is the most impressive, the most dramatic, the strongest ever, as everything change so quickly you really cannot believe there's only a short strip of land to divide such huge differences. Well, I arrived early morning with a night bus from Oaxaca and I've been to visit the mountain town of San Juan de Chamulo, where people believe in a mixture of Catholic religion and Maya traditions, with the result that inside the main church of the town believers go to heal their problems turning on candles, bringing offers or killing chickens as sacrifice to the Saints... What else to say? Charming.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Visiting Mexico at this time is not the safest thing to do as narco trafficants are fighting between themselves and against the army as well. News reported that last night there has been another slaughter with 13 people dead. Where? In the city of Guadalajara. Just read the previous post...
Steve McCurry? No, Matteo Lonelytraveller!

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Yeah, I was right: honeymoon with safety is over. I read from the news that the city of Morelia (exactly where I wished to go...) has been closed because of a huge fight between narcos and the army: what I understood from the papers is that the police caught the boss of "la famiglia" - a gang of narcos from the city - and for that reason the battle started, with shootings among population and 5 policemen dead. I also had my scary moment the first day in Mexico: after a stroll in the centre of Guadalajara (which is the 2nd biggest city in Mexico) I had to reach the bus station in the suburb, I've got the right bus, I've fallen asleep and I missed the right stop... Well, I understood was the wrong way only at the last stop which was in San Pedrito, a fuckin' dangerous suburb on the hills of Guadalajara, something like a favela, something where you don't wanna be at 20 to ten (exactly as the good Sebastian Bach was singing in one of his best hits "freaks come out at nine, and it's 20 to ten") Well, I asked info for a bus to the station and this guy started pushing me saying "I show you the way, follow me, follow me along that dark, empty, long alley...". No way, I got the first taxi available. Then he wanted to follow me as he was saying he was going to the bus station as weel, once arrived he asked me if I wanted his 'company' now or in the future: he was a bitchman.
Anyway, after a one night bus I arrived in Mexico City, just for a short visit to the beautiful Teotihuacan pyramids, and then I've been to the city centre to see the cathedral and the few interesting spots this massive city (15 millions people!) has to offer. Mexico is cool.

Guadalajara, Mexico

A breath of fresh air. Not just because was a sunny day with an electric blue sky; not because was warm enough to wear only a t-shirt; and even not because I had a dish with 6 tacos for 75 cents: but just because Mexico is cool! And that was the good news, the bad news is the fact that the curse of the first day is back... My plan was to reach the quite cozy town of Morelia (after the overdose of American big cities I wanna only visit towns now), I've bought the ticket, I've waited for the bus and when it was time to board they told me that nobody can go to Morelia, as the city is closed for "safety reasons" (aka, the narco gangs are shooting and people is dying like mosquitos...). Well, after one month and a half, the honeymoon with safety is definitely over.

San Antonio, Texas

I arrived in San Antonio very early this morning and I started exploring the city early as well. I had a stop here mainly to visit the Alamo, the battlefield where in 1836 David Crockett resist to the attack of the Mexican army. I was really close to say that San Antonio is a nice city when I walked down the corner and I faced the usual depressive American poor neighborood with the same ugly, decadent and dirty Traveller`s Hotel. A splatter movie is definitely less disgusting than those places. It`s unbelievable here how things can quickly turn from right to awful just few steps later... A great metaphor of life indeed. That`s the reason why I decided for a such kind of road trip here in US: ugly cheap accomodations, poor quality of services, located far from downtown and extremely difficult to reach, as well as American cities don`t have sights to justify more than a one day visit. Mmmmh, I realize just now it`s one week I don`t sleep in a regular bed and I don`t get a regular shower... My feet has begun an irreversable melting process which is making them smell like something in between rotten tuna and boiled eggs. Maybe should I put some drops of Tabasco upon them?

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis rocks! Nothing else to say for a city with Sun Studios - the `birthplace` of rock`n`roll - the Gibson guitars factory (which I obviously visited! I`ve seen how a piece of wood can turn into a masterpiece guitar! and I also found the prettiest Flying V ever at a very reasonable price: I was really close to quit my travel mission to buy it and going back home to give Overdrive a new life...), then the BB King`s Blues Club and, last but not least - Graceland - Elvis Presley`s villa where he lived and where is actually buried...
Anyway, now I`m in Dallas (Texas) and today I visited the place where JFK has been shooted. I`m tired of this bloody cold wind. Time to chase the sun, time to move South.

Among rednecks...

-Hey man, how you doing?
-Fine, thanks. And you?
-I`m ok. Who you are?
-Who am I??? I`m Lonelytraveller!
-Oh, really?
-Yes, really.
-Cool! And what`s your surname? Lonely or Traveler?
-Traveler. Lonely is just a nickname... my real first name is Vendetta: Traveler Vendetta!
-Ah! Now it`s ok! I knew Lonely wasn`t your real name!
-Yeah, you smart, man... no one can trick you.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is ok. It`s not the quintessence of beauty as all the people usually say, but at least is fine. The French quarter is the main heart of the city and it`s the most charming because of his truly French-Creole taste. The city is literally overwhelmed by bars, pubs and restaurants of all kinds: from one point of view this makes New Orleans a very lively and funny city to live, but from the other side if you`re just looking for a grocery to buy something to eat or drink, there is no way to find it (but this story is the same one for all the big american cities). The city was founded in 1778 by French Mississippi Company and the river played a basic role in the development of the city. But more than the historical facts, which you can read easily on wikipedia, I wanna mention that not too far from New Orleans, on Avery Island, is produced my favourite sauce ever: Tabasco! I`m definitely a Tabasco junkie, I use it really everywhere, I miss only shooting into my veins... Well, pour few drops of Tabasco into a cold pint of lager and I promise you will fall in love with it!

Atlanta, Georgia

Ok, I already know yesterday I didn`t have to party in Nashville... The couple of beers planned, for a mistery multiplicative ratio, became 4: I met many crazy people, I had fun with them and, at the end of the story, I missed my bus. American cities have to be lived, not visited, aesthetically they`re all pretty ugly but just start clubbing and you`ll have the fun of a lifetime. So I`m arrived in Atlanta early in the morning, Atlanta is an urban jungle with almost 6 million people, the birthplace of Coke, of Martin Luther King, headquarter of CNN and the olympic games took place here in 1996. I went to visit the museum of Coke, settled on the same square where was invented in 1886. The museum was the quintessence of the American stuff: full of craps, blinking lights and stupid slogans... By the way I learn that Santa Claus as we know was created in 1931 by Coca Cola Inc. when they decided to change position for their product. So, Santa Claus is, in reality, the shape of Mr. Pemberton, the creator of Coke, and the red clothes comes from the company colours of Coca Cola Inc. In our today`s consumption society sacred and profane go hand in hand. Crazy, no?

`I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.`
(Martin Luther King Jr.)

Nashville, Tennessee (part 2)

-Hey, are you tourist?
-Yeah.
-Where you from?
-Italy.
-Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!! Really?!?!? I love Italy! You are the best, you are amazing, you are great!!!
-Thanks, nice to hear it from a pretty chick...
-Oh my God! You are absolutely the best! Italy is the best place in the world and you are great!!! You are great!
-Yeah, I`m from Italy and I`m real... you can touch me!
-Io parla un poco de italiano...
-You are the best! You are cool! You are amazing! Come here, kiss me!
-Hey, don`t touch her! She`s gonna be my wife...
-Great! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!! Italy is the best!
-Hey, hey, hey, what you doing?!?!!? Don`t touch my wife!!!
-Right, see you later?
-Sure, see you later!
-Hey man, good luck for your marriage...
-Why are you saying me that?
-Nothing.

Nashville, Tennessee

I`m writing from the public library in Nashville, Tennesse. I arrived early in the morning and, honestly, there is not too much to do or see here, some hours are enough to visit all the (few) main sights. Nashville is so called the music city, as it`s the capital of country music, his studios produced artists like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash and his live music clubs, spreaded almost everywhere along the downtown avenues, attracts musicians from all over the States making the city the heart of american popular music. I came to Nashville as a pilgrim to honour my longtime love to rock`n roll as much as the one to Jack Daniel`s whisky. The distillery is just 75 miles from Nashville, in the town of Lynchburg: I really wished to visit it, as Jack Daniel`s is an American icon, representative of the country like McDonald`s, Coke or Disney. Unfortunately there is no public transportation to Lynchburg: no buses, no trains, nothing, nada de nada... There was just a tour offered by a private company, but now is off season. Hitchiking is obviously illegal in the state of Tennesse (hitchikers can be much more dangerous than deploited uranium according to some recent studies...) and they said me that if the `State troopers` catch you hitchiking you occur into huge fines, at least. Well, honestly I didn`t hitchike to Lynchburg just because is awfully cold and I don`t wanna freeze my (already frozen) ass for a shot of whisky I can get in every bar below the public library itself. So, time for me now to go having a couple of glasses while listening good live country music at downtown, then the bus station to catch a bus for sleeping...