Author: Sarah Northway

View from the living room
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

Alright, I’m finally going to do a writeup on our first couple of days in Honduras.

We got here… three days ago? Yesterday? Day before yesterday. Definitely the day before yesterday. We flew directly to Roatan which is an island off the coast of main-land Honduras to be picked up by Marcia, who we are renting the house from.

It was immediately impossible to not start drawing comparisons to Koh Phangan, Thailand. Some of the smells are the same, everything looks green and jungly, it’s hot and humid, the roads are concrete instead of asphault, lots of similarities. But also differences.

Phangan has a massive beach party that doubles the population of the island once a month. Roatan is starting to get cruise ships that swell the population of the island mightily. But these simmilar occurances have had different effects on the islands, I think mostly due to the way life ran beforehand.

Note that, while we spent 6 months on Phangan, and I feel like I sort of know that place, we’ve been on Roatan for a few days, so I don’t know this place well at all. But it still feels to me like Phangan was a more communal, more socially knit place than Roatan.

Really, this all comes from Phangan having these nice little village-city centers where people met and ate and bought food and movies and hung out. Where-as Roatan seems to be missing this. While in Thongsala the pre-exiting local market thrived with the monthly wax of travelers in Roatan big grocery stores seem to have eclipsed and destroyed thriving local markets (although we may have just not found them yet).

Mabey this is the difference between Cruise ship money and backpacker money. Anyway, it’s pretty interesting.

From our perspective it’s not really very important since we’re not going to get very far from our house to explore the island. No, the roads aren’t scooter friendly and there’s no way we’re going to rent a car so we’re pretty much going to hang out here and wherever we can kayak to. That’s not so bad. We’ll get some work done and it’s really really nice here, as the above picture hopefully conveys.

We are literally cantelevered out over the bay, so if I leap off the balcony I will land in the ocean (and then break my legs since the water is too shallow right under the balcony). The water is warm, we have a beautiful view and our landlords keep bringing us fresh seafood. Plus they let us use their ‘kayaks’. These are the typical, awful, sit-atop kayaks that I railed against in Thailand. But, whatever, it’s good enough to bobble about our bay and the Mangrove tunnels.

Yeah, mangrove tunnels. They were cut by the native inhabitants in… pre-history? I dunno, but it’s kind of this network of water-trails cut into the mangrove forest that people use to get around. It’s fucking awesome. We did our first kayak trip today and swished through some. There are land crabs hiding in the mangroves (like Thailand) and lots of birds. It’s pretty amazing. We’ll get some pictures on a future expedition.

We’ve also been really enjoying the rain. It is rainy season here. We wanted to see what the tropics were like in the rainy season. We both like the rain so we figured it could be a good experience. So far it’s really awesome. We’ve been getting propper mamoth-rain flurries 4 or 5 times a day. It’s raining right now and I love the sound of the water on the roof and on the water below us. one of the nice things about the tropics is that all the houses are uninsulated so you can hear the sound of the rain really really well on the roof.

Professionally we’ve been trying to get a build of Clutter together for the Indie Game Festival deadline which is tomorrow. It’s all finished up so I’m pretty happy about that. There’s still a year of work or something left on the game so it’s kind of nice to have this local plateau to stand on and survey the work thus-far. Even though I think it’s a long longshot that we’ll be nominated for the festival it’s been nice to get the thing psudo-polished and psudo-playable.

We had more shrimp fajitas for lunch and Marcia brought us some tastey seafood gumbo for dinner (we boiled some lobster for dinner yesterday) so we are eating well.

Hope you are all enjoying some fall showers as well!

At the Eiffel
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

We may have been influenced by the giant picture of the Eiffel Tower in the Glen’s living room, but for whatever reason we spontaneously decided to spend our last unbooked week in Paris. We booked a cheap hotel near the Gare de Nord, a little ways north of the museum area on the Seine. Our first impressions: Paris is bustling, multi-cultural, dirty and stinky. The Parisians are in need of either more public bathrooms or better self-control. I worried a bit about the security of our hotel, as we had to leave our room key at the desk where it was hung within easy reach of anyone walking in to the usually-empty lobby. But perhaps the cop shop next door helped deter would-be thieves, and at any rate we had no problems in Paris or at any time on our trip. Speaking of security though, one thing that irked me continually through Europe were doors that were locked by key from the inside. A couple times we found ourselves locked inside a building and unable to find the key. Fire hazard much?? Also impenetrable steel bolted bathroom doors in Istanbul, but that’s another story.

Anyway, Paris. I got to speak French (yay!) which I did whenever I could. I’ve hardly ever spoken it outside of school or in the last ten years so it was neat to find it came pretty naturally to me. I felt a delay in understanding people sometimes, like my brain was digging up language data from a deep cache. Conversations were harder, but I could at least get by as a tourist with ease.

Our first day we checked out Notre Dame and walked all along the Seine which was closed off and lined with palm trees and beach chairs for the summer. We ate at Brasseries, had coffee in sidewalk cafes and soaked in the Paris atmosphere. The next we visited an indie game studio Brain Candy who are in the early stages of work on a game using Unity and some seriously bangin art. There isn’t much of an indie community in France so they welcomed us as delegates of sorts. Their game looks pretty promising and they certainly have their shit together. I hope we see them at GDC in San Francisco next year when they’ll have something to show off.

Colin fell unfortunately ill that night and was out of commission for a few days. I worked on my game and explored our neighborhood a little. The first time I went out on my own to buy groceries, I was hit on by two different guys within five minutes of leaving the hotel. Not romantic at all, just like “hey baby, what’s up honey… say lady how you doin?” and walking in step beside me. They went away when I ignored them but I wasn’t keen to explore Paris on my own.

We met up with our friends Natalie and Michael who are also on an extended trip across Europe. We swapped travel stories and got a few ideas from them (maybe Switzerland next time around!). We took in local culture together at the Pompidou modern art gallery. My favorite piece was a miniature city made of rawhide in the Dreamlands special exhibit. I’ve been thinking there’s no point of taking pictures of things like that because everyone else will, but in this case I can’t find a trace of it online. It was really impressive!

Speaking of taking pictures of art, Colin and I finally made it to the Louvre on our last day. We made a beeline to the Mona Lisa which was surrounded by a huge number of people all snapping pictures of it. Colin waded to the front then turned around and took a picture of the crowd instead. I still don’t understand the allure of taking photographs of a famous thing you’ve already seen a thousand times, but I had a bit of evil fun that day getting into people’s photos. We skipped most of the paintings and went for the artifacts instead; the Louvre has an impressive Egyptian collection among other things.

But if you’re geek like us and in Paris for a few days, Colin and I recommend skipping the Louvre and going to the Musee des Arts et Metiers instead. It was, as far as we could tell in the hour before it closed, a wonderland of inventions and scientific instruments from the last few hundred years. A museum of science without all the kiddie stuff.

After Paris, Colin and I had two days in London which we spent in various museums (all, excellent, and have I mentioned that British museums are free??) and at the GBBF: The Great British Beer Festival. We decided that the Canadian version (GCBF) in Victoria is better, but it was close. The Vic one has a nice outdoor venue, lots of seating and the brewers run the stalls themselves, but it’s only two days and this year Saturday sold out within 5 minutes. The London one was six days long and a much larger venue, 3x the beers from 5x the breweries, and had an incredible selection of delicious and reasonably priced food. However, the indoor venue was dull and uncomfortable and the brewers themselves weren’t there; it was set up like an enormous circular bar and many people were drinking by the pint rather than trying as many beers as they could. But we had a great time all the same and drank our fill of warm cask-pulled British beers. We got out early enough to avoid a hangover on our flight back to Canada the next day.

The flight was blissfully uneventful, 9 hours direct from London to Calgary via cheapo Air Transat (really Thomas Cook). It was nothing like the awesome Turkish Airlines flight over but at least it was faster this time. We’re visiting Alan and Meghan now in Cow Town. So, Calgary vs Paris: they both have nice river walks, they both have bars with patio seating, but Calgary it’s hard to get an espresso outside, and Paris has fewer belt buckle stores.

The Maiden Stone with Norman
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

We took the train up to Aberdeen next, where Colin’s relatives Alan and Karen live with their two boys Ross and Alex. We saw them during their visit to Nanaimo last summer and they were happy to put us up for a few weeks while we were in Scotland. Ross is 8 now and Colin was determined to teach him to make video games. He got him started using Game Maker, a sort of WSYWIG tool for making Windows downloadables. After the first day Ross was off to the races, developing his first game Alien Black Hole. It turned out to be a surprisingly engaging game, where you are chased through a maze by enemies who eat the level walls as they go. I’m a big fan of his sprite art for the spaceship.

Inspired by Colin’s success, Ross was eager to publish his game online and charge for a full version. I set up a website for him (Thunder and Lightning Games – what a name!). He dictated and I designed, emphasizing the use of Comic Sans and a tiled lightning background to (I think) excellent effect. Then, Internet magic took over. Colin posted a link to it on Facebook, where some of his indie game friends picked it up and reposted it on Twitter. From there it found its way to a review on popular gaming blog Rock Paper Shotgun. Overnight Ross was receiving praise, donations and requests for the full game (which he hadn’t actually finished yet!) from all over the world. Alien Black Hole was a huge success and the world is now eagerly awaiting Ross’s next game.

So that worked out.

Colin’s (more or less) aunt Lorna lives just up the street from the Glens, and is immensely knowledgeable regarding the Aberdeen area and its history. She took us on excursions to Crathes Castle (still with the actual furniture and family heirlooms displayed), Aberdeen University where she works (founded in the 15th century by the local bishop), the Aberdeen docks (huge oil sector there) then down to Kirriemuir to visit Colin’s (also more or less) uncle Douglas and his family. We also met up with (uncle) Norman for a tour of his area of town, a peek at the Maiden Stone which inspired our wedding rings, and a truly excellent Scottish meal. I’ve been trying to link to things we’ve really enjoyed on this trip, ever since another couple’s blog of their trip to Malta helped me to plan our own excursions there.

Karen warned us that Aberdeen was known for its grumpy inhabitants, but we didn’t find that to be true. We spent a number of our days there just wandering about town, dipping into local pubs (our favorite was the Prince of Wales, try the mince & skirlie) and cafes (I recommend Books and Beans). We brought our laptops and searched for quiet places to get some work done on our games. They progressed a little more slowly in Scotland but that was fine as we were having such a good time with family.

We took three days and headed up to Inverness by ourselves. We didn’t get much farther into the northern highlands, but found there was plenty to do around this laidback and walker-friendly town. Invernessies claim to be the happiest citizens in British polls, and we think with good reason; they have great local food and music venues, nature all around and beautiful walking paths just minutes from downtown. We visited Loch Ness and a remarkably skeptical Nessie museum; their motto should have been “There is No Monster”. We then happened upon world-class Thai food at traditional Celidh (Kaylee) folk music bar called Hootananny, and were so delighted we came back for it the next two days.

It was wonderful being with such hospitable and fun family in Aberdeen. Karen and Alan were just fabulous hosts and we hope someday we can repay the favor, or pass it on to someone else in the family.

Inside the Gothic Rocketship
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

Colin and I were thinking the same thing as we saw Edinburgh from the plane: green! We sat apart again (damn your lack of assigned seating Ryanair!) but before we knew it we were out of the desert (Malta) and into the land of kilts and year-round drizzle. I believe it was raining lightly. We found our hostel Argyle Backpackers, a half hour stroll from downtown on the other side of Meadows Park. Very nice location and a charming old building, we really enjoyed our stay except when the roof started leaking!

We jumped into the museums right away. Scotland has an amazing number of very good galleries and museums which are free of charge. Of these we saw the National Gallery, a Modern Art Gallery, the Royal Botanic Garden, the Museum on the Mound, and the National Museum of Scotland. Not all on the first day of course; we did have a week after all. Highlights for me were the ancient buried treasure troves in the National Museum and the giant lilies in the Botanic glasshouses. We really couldn’t believe how much there was to see in Edinburgh, all free of charge.

Colin put the word out on the indie game developer network, and that weekend we were visited by the extremely prolific Stephen Lavelle (increpare). Stephen’s games are so brief, bizarre and experimental that I was half expecting him to show up with green hair and a handful of acid tabs, but he was just a regular nice guy. We explored the city and talked about games all day. It was a blast, really great hanging out with someone on our own wavelength after a month alone in Malta. Definitely the highlight of our time in Edinburgh.

And of course we also visited the Edinburgh Castle, although it was hard paying $45 for it after all the by-donation museums. We were lucky to visit on the start of the Queen’s stay in Edinburgh, which they celebrated with a 21 (or some number, I lost count) gun salute from the castle walls. There is still a strong military feel to the castle, what with all the war museums and memorials. To be honest I got sick of the unending galleries of medals and military awards, and I was disturbed by the image of Scotland as a country whose pride and national identity are defined by military service. But the old buildings and crown jewels were cool.

We spent a few days just wandering and exploring the streets. As seen from the sky, Edinburgh is a lush green city with numerous paths along streams and through parks that we could easily reach from our hostel. We hiked up to Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood park one day then down to Holyroodhouse where the Queen was preparing to greet her smartly dressed public. We peeked through the fence but didn’t stay, as we were off to the Halfway House down Fleshmarket Close, purveyors of fine real ales and traditional dishes like Stovies and Cullen Skink. We found this pub on our first day and returned half a dozen times, greeted at each by a new selection of cask ales and great food. We made it a habit to visit at least one pub (usually two) every day. It wasn’t hard as there seems to be a good one around every corner in Edinburgh.

Have I mentioned we loved this city?

Musicians at L-Imnarja
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

It’s our last week in Malta, and of course they saved the best for last. All month we’ve been watching fireworks from our window as at least a dozen different cities celebrate their saint’s feasts. Last weekend Rabat and Mdina started theirs. The feast of St Peter & St Paul starts with the Imnarja folk festival. It took place in our local Buskett Gardens, a centuries old planted ‘forest’, disappointingly dusty and beige this time of year. It looked much better at night, with lights strung everywhere and music playing. We shared a bottle of local wine in plastic cups and wandered through the stalls of local farmers and merchants. Lots of bee keepers on Malta, and small farms growing organic grains, herbs and heirloom vegetables. I think I’ve mentioned that the farm across the road from us has a small field of thistles which I thought was the oddest thing, although apparently the seeds have uses.

We checked out the prize winning livestock, and I said hello to some bunnies whose brethren would soon be our dinner. I suppose as prizewinners they were going to be spared the grill so they could get busy making the next generation of bunnies. Anyway we grabbed some stewed rabbit (fenek), and what the hell we decided to get a huge plate of snails (bebbux) as well. These snails are common in the fields here although their shells are usually bleached in the sun and the ones we ate were darker, so maybe these were farmed snails rather than found ones. They were… interesting. Colin thought removing them from their shells was like picking boogers, only they tasted better. The rabbit was good, but I liked the gravy and chips best of all the fair food. While we were eating we were serenaded by the traditional g?ana folk music, which sounded like loud caterwauling to us. We also saw a band playing odd homemade looking traditional Maltese instruments. One guy had a zafzafa, a kind of drum he held between his legs, with a pole coming out of it that he pulled in and out of the drum. Most phallic instrument ever.

So that turned out to be a good night, technically just the eve of the feast day and the first night of a week long celebration. The next day brought the eagerly anticipated Imnarja horse races which we could in fact see from our balcony. Well, barely. The finish line was hidden by some trees, but after racing each of the horses was brought up the hill right under our window on kind of a victory lap. The riders sit on little two wheeled (sulky) carts like mini chariots. While I watched, one of the horses was still so excited that it took off and dragged its middleaged rider down the hill. The guy held on valiantly and seemed to come away unscathed, although we later saw riders with ragged bloody shins so there was definitely a bit of danger to the sport. That evening they awarded prizes at the top of the Saqqajja steps (our door is near the bottom) and they had an orchestra and dancers.

Then the best part – someone started lighting off huge fireworks in the farm field across the street from us. I’m not sure they were official – it seemed like some guy had just ridden his motorcycle down there with a backpack full of them – but they were huge, spectacular, and LOUD. The first few were just big explosions, very popular in Malta, but we’d never been so close and it sounded like a bomb had gone off right outside our window. We had a great time, there’s nothing like being able to watch fireworks 200 meters from your own balcony.

So that started feast week here in Rabat, and every day since there have been fireworks at 9am, noon, 7pm and 10pm. Tonight is the final day of the feast of St Peter & St Paul, when they’re scheduled to do a procession through the town. I haven’t had the easiest time looking these events up online in Malta but I saw a poster in Maltese which I think I’ve deciphered. So hopefully we’ll have some fun tonight, then in three days we fly out to Edinburgh to start our month in Scotland and the UK!