In your arms - Minusblue feat. Melissa Cantello/Emma Saville (original)

This is one my favourite track from the first album :)

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Travelling round the world 101 - back to San José

Tuesday, 11:22am, Manuel Antonio main beach, raining 

Ahhh it's our last day in Manuel Antonio. 2 plus weeks has absolutely flown by. It was my friends birthday last Sunday, which passed with lots of smiles, dancing, and most importantly, cake. Last night we went to Byblos (a restaurant pool/snooker place/bar by night) to say farewell, ciao we´ll be back soon enough to everyone. Quite sad really. Everyone seemed really sad to hear that we were leaving. Mind you I didn't go round advertising it as I am not especially fond of goodbyes. Well let's face it who is?

My friend actually hadn't had a cake on her birthday (one before on Friday) so to make up for it i made two. Turned out to be interesting as the oven ran out of gas at 21:45 half way through baking the second cake and we had to toddle all over to try and find some more. Luckily our incredibly smiley land lady was still up (although that it not surprising for a tica lady) and gave us the HUGE gas canister from the unoccupied apartment below us. Anyhoo, so we turn up to Byblos with a cake each in the hand. I felt like a cake celebrity and got wished happy birthday aaaa lot. No one seemed to want to hear that it actually wasn't my birthday. O well. So in about 5 hours my friend and one of out better tico friends and myself will be catching the bus to San Jose. Sob. Wish it wasn't raining. Pero.....we´re now in Marlins restaurant and I´m eating the most delicious fish I have ever eaten in my life it is scrumptious. Rico :)

Thursday, 15:02, Costa Rica Backpackers once more

I am currently in San José, heading off on a bus to Nicaragua's border at the bright and early time of 5.30am. Still, in my opinion it is better to get up early to make the most of the day. I despise myself (well maybe that's slightly strong a word) if for whatever reason time is spent unnecessarily when there is so much to see and do. Life is rather short after all :)

18:16 

O. There is a tropical storm that has just hit Nica and believe it or not Parrita which is just north or Quepos. If we had left Quepos a day later err well we wouldn't have. The bridge that the bus has to cross is 3 feet under water, houses cars swept away you name it. Everywhere an angry churning surge of storm water. The news says that it should have passed into Guatemala by Friday morning but there's more on the way. So. We´re now catching the 03:00 bus to San Salvador, El Salvador's unfrequented capital. 22hrs! eek!

Paperweight (Schyler Fisk and Joshua Radin) - Cover by Melissa Cantello

Cover of Paperweight (Schyler Fisk and Joshua Radin) - hope you like it :)

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Travelling round the world 101 - a la Quepos

Thursday 12:14 on the bus to Quepos

I do not what to think about how many times I have taken this bus before. The twists and turns of the road become more familiar to me with every passing. The scenery is so beautiful its indescribable. A sense of peace descends as the road dips and twists revealing ever deepening green rolling hills and valleys. A blue brown ribbon of a river snakes in-between cutting its path slyly through the descending trees and shrubbery. 

Thursday, one week later, 11:24 Coco´s, Manuel Antonio
My friend (who also lived here before) and I ascend up the steps to be almost knocked over by the multitude of hugs and exclamations. Esta aca un otra ves! Ahhh que bueno! Como estas? Todo bien? Como esta Inglaterra, muy fria verdad? (errr si) Ahhh pura vida! Que bueno a verte! etc. We felt so loved! It was lovely to see so many friendly familiar faces almost as if they knew we were coming but they couldn't have possibly as we only told one of our local friends yesterday. 

After all, one of the main set backs with travelling, especially if you are moving around quickly from place to place is that you often don´t get emerged into the real local culture and way of life and/or get to meet many. (Not that going to CoCo´s - a local bar - on a Thursday night gives anyone a true picture of Costa Rican culture but oh well it's far better than hanging out with tourists). We went to the beach for about an hour earlier (it has to be said my favourite beach in the whole world) but there weren´t many people around as it had clouded over and rain was fast moving in. So, que bueno que everyone was out that night! Literally all our friends bar two were out which was great! Ahh tis good to be home (well...my second home in many ways).

Tuesday, 09:56, Bamboojam resturant, on the road to Manuel Ant Ahh salsa! I've missed it whilst we've been travelling. Every Tuesday and Friday they have a live Latino band that nearly always play salsa, merengue, bachatta and cumbia (occasional reggaton, reggae roots etc.). It's hot, very hot, generally very crowded but great if you want to dance and don't mind occasionally getting your toes trodden on. Good dancers too. Sometimes incredible ones! Very uplifted atmosphere and lots of fun. I don´t know what it is about dancing that makes me so very happy. Who needs drugs, I mean really? When I´m dancing, especially when I´m dancing well, I feel like I am absolutely flying. Weeee. I once read somewhere that dancing in particular releases a chemical in the brain that it addictive (in addition to the obvious serotonin and endorphin release). It doesn't surprise me. After all, exercise is addictive. Your body gets used to the increased levels of endorphin's and doesn't want to give it up. Quite useful too, as we would probably have more obesity if not. I do truly love dancing. Its like my therapy. Well, dance therapy at any rate.

Little House (Amanda Seyfried) - Cover by Melissa Cantello

Hope you like this cover of Little House (Amanda Seyfried) :)

Travelling round the world 101 - Punta Uva, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Thursday  – Punta Uva, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica 11.12am
Well Panama has been and gone, not that I saw a lot of it due to my weird illness. May well have been the malerials so I have stopped taking them. We didn´t even get to see the canal!! Shame, will have to save it for the next trip. My friend went however, and took photos for me so I can pretend in a way that I did. 

We crossed over the very rickety bridge that marked the border to Costa Rica yesterday and I do not think I have ever been so happy to arrive in a country. I love this pais with its rolling hills and lush vegetation. I think that Costa Rica will always have a place in my heart and I am happy to be back here, home. 

We set up camp at Rocking J´s hostel one of the coolest ones that I have been to so far. $5 for a hammock! Bargain. I love Puerto (literally óld port/harbour) everyone rides bikes here, reggae ragga dub and step pour from every corner and the pace of life is ever so gently slowed. Mind you, the bikes do not have breaks as I discovered when we hired them to cycle to this beach (Punta Uva) which is only a short 7/8km from the hostel. You have to pedal backwards to stop. Which takes some getting used. Especially given how ticos (slang for Costa Ricans) can drive over here...swinging from one side of the road to the other without warning. Ahh its all fun! As we arrived at Punta Uva a horde of large pastel blue crabs scurried away into their holes in the sand as we approached. The beach was idyllic, stretching on, a gentle curve into the horizon.

Wedesday – Costa Rica Backpackers, San Jose, 11.16pm
Very strange to be in high rise surroundings again. We had a wander round today, so many cars, faces of many nations, people rushing (weird!) Tomorrow we are to take the 3.45hr bus journey to Quepos ´city´ (in actual fact a small town) where I lived last year. Mixed feelings about going back but really looking forward to seeing it again and, of course, our friends. My Spanish always is greatly increased when surrounded by native speakers I know as you're not just having the same basic conversations. I force myself gladly.

Its now 11.28, my eyes are beginning to blur so I think I should hit the hay as one must be up early tomorrow

.................................................................................................................................................

Well at the end of my last post I was also in San Jose ready to make the familiar journey to good old Quepos/Manuel Antonio where I have now spent over 4 entire months of my life. This is where I left you.....

Internet dating by Melissa Cantello (Original)

Hope you like my latest song :)

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Travelling around the world - Bocas del Torro bound

Friday – on the 8pm night bus to Bocas del Torro
After a brief stop over at Panama City (which has a great China town - def worth a visit even just for people watching) we're on our way to Bocas del Torro, another small group of island off the east coast of Panama which border Costa Rica. We didn't stay long as I'd picked up a bit of a fever but am sure it will go away soon.

11:25pm

It’s cold. Really really cold. Aircon. Are people’s bedrooms really this cold in Panama?!?! Stupid question. Mmmmm sleep time.

Saturday – Mundo Taitu hostel, Bocas del torro 3.42pm
I went straight to sleep when we finally arrived at 9am and awoke a few minutes ago to find my fever gone. Wahoo praise God! I finally feel alive again. The islands are beautiful, cone shaped thatched huts set on jetties poking out of the water. The water is a clear greeny blue and I can't wait to jump in. We're hopefully going to do a dive later on too.

Monday – back at the hostel pooped 01.33
We went on an all day scuba trip today. It was great to be diving again. A 2 tank dive and more for the log book. We also got to go to Red Frog Beach, a tranquil yellow sand beach which was stunning, absolutely incredible. The ocean felt amazing, literally softer and more silk like than any I have ever swum in before in my life. I am not joking. Playa Blanca was a little too perfect for me, the sea too blue, the sand too white. Red Frog on the other hand was yellow sanded, palm tree studded, a gentle slope down to the warm clear turquoise blue waters. My idea of perfection anyway.

So, to the diving. People who say snorkeling is no better than diving obviously have not ever been diving. It’s a completely different experience. with snorkeling you are looking in from above. Even with free diving you are limited, restricted, whereas with scuba a whole other world is opened up.

These dives were my first in the Caribbean and I must say I was very impressed with the coral formations on the reef. A veritable underwater jungle illuminating the surroundings with a whole host of bright (yes bright, despite the 15 metres we were below the surface) pinks, blues and greens. An over-sized pink, black and white fish with explosive markings round it eyes just lazily swam past my eye line. Gently moving lilac sponge like fingers stretch their way upwards towards the light, their fond undulating in the seas´ current. Strange cabbage like formations protrude at all angles, their generally dusky rose pink colour forming the canvas for more spectacular shades to shine. Enormous greenish cones in random collective bouquets reach out from the oceans floor, their smooth ends tapering down to meet the sand's embrace. Small shoals of fabulously coloured fish dart here and there, the sunlight reflecting brilliantly off their scales. Intermittent clouds of bubbles erupt from the side of our regulators, fighting each other in their rush to break the surface. The very essence of the ocean is in my ears.

Revolutionise - Original Song by Melissa Cantello

Check out the latest song I wrote - Revolutionise :)

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Travelling round the world 101 - Las Islas de San Blas, Panama

Saturday, 08.31 – somewhere in the Caribbean.
I do not know where to even start. We´re now floating on the south of the Caribbean sea just outside one of the main Kuna villages on the San Blas islands off the Panamanian coast. The motor still isn't fixed (we sailed all the way from Cartegena to the San Blas without an engine, which the captain told us after we'd arrived at the islands that it was really dangerous and we were lucky to make it. !) NB if you want to travel from Colombia to Panama or vice versa the only way to do it is by air or sea as the land route currently has no road connection through the Darién Gap connecting North America with South America and it is therefore the missing link of the Pan-American Highway.

So, we anchored just off Portvenir (one of the main Kuna villages) and then were ferried across by speedboat for a ´guided tour´of the island by one of the ´locals´. It was a bit strange, rather as if we had gone to visit a zoo from the way he was showing us round, incredibly interesting though mind. You are not permitted to take photographs of the Kuna people, well if you do you have to pay $1 per photo as tourism is their only form of monitory income. 

The Kuna people are an indigious people who live on the San Blas islands, some of whom now live in Panama itself. Our guide, the father of the large family that were to cook us our evening meal later on, was lovely, and had the most incredible genuine smile. It really lit up his whole face from within. He reminded me of a child that had never really grown up in a really positive way. Seeing the village from an insiders perspective was so interesting. All the intricately palm thatched hut entrances were very small and low to the ground so that we had to stoop almost double to enter, presumably to prevent to torrential monsoon rain that appears occasionally throughout the year from entering in. The first hut that we went into had a solitary old weathered looking man preparing pure cocaine at a small table. The second seemed to be the family rooms with 14 hammocks strung up (it slept at least that number or more from what I could see) and a small blue and white portable TV set in the corner near the fire that flickered in the smoky dark which a large group of children gathered round to watch American rap videos. I am not joking. Various animals wandered here and there in the gloom. The whole place had a surreal quality, like it had been dragged too quickly into the present and western 'civilisation'.

12 noon,

The toilets on the islands are simply boards missing at the end of intermittent jetties surrounded by palm wall thatch. Later as we were kayaking in the beautiful blue tranquil water, you could occasionally see human feces bob past. Well what else are they going to do with it? The islands aren't large enough to have waste disposal sights.

3:25pm

In ye oldey days (i.e. before tourism really took off in the region) the Kuna people were entirely self sufficient, using fish and coconuts as currency. Today, the western world has certainly left its mark encouraged by the cocaine industry and tourism in general. Big Yamaha motors speed past old hollowed out traditional canoes (all made from one single enormous tree!) Lots of the younger males walking round with american basketball vests and sweatbands. It is generally the older women that you see in the colourful traditional dress. The woman have goldish rings in their noses and ears (but not in a bull ring sense), Colourful scarves adorn their heads necks and waists, bracelets their forearms and wide embroidered anklets fill their calves from the feet up, The men are more casually dressed in worn vests and faded varieties of shorts and cropped trousers.
    

It made me sad in a way that the Kuna people put on these trips for troupes of Gringos (the slang in Latin America for foreigners) to peer into their homes and lives as if they were exhibits. As for me, I think that it is so important that indigenous peoples such as the Kuna continue to flourish, survive, and uphold their culture, if possible without the influence of the western world. But what do I know? I am lucky to live with all the opportunities that being a middle class westerner provides, I've never had to think about putting food on the table or where my clothes are going to come from. Still, I can empathise with parents who are worried with the number of youth who want to disappear to the mainland and just learn Spanish.

5:45pm:

Later that afternoon a young man pulled up alongside our captains boat and offered to sell his entire canoes catch (about 4/5 lobsters, 6/7 crayfish and a HUGE red snapper) for only 8$. We were all slightly shocked when our captain paid him (after haggling) so slipped him a few extra dollars as it hardly seemed fair even if haggling is part of the culture.

8pm

I was dubbed Melissa Émma Lolita´by the younger daughters of our host Kuna family after I was asked/forced to sing for them all in the darkened family hut as we waited for dinner to be cooked (a huge red snapper) while a sudden shower poured outside. The only whole song that I knew off by heart on top of my head was, 'Adio Mio' which is a mainland Spanish love song. Still, the girls seemed to enjoy it. Slightly surreal singing in an almost pitch black palm thatched hut, my now slightly reddened face illuminated by yellow old school oil lamps and the smoke of the fire, whilst the rest of the group watched on. I think I like my new name though I may keep it :p

Todas Las Calles - Melissa Cantello (Original)

Hope you like my latest track - Todas Las Calles. Espero que te guste :)

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Travelling round the world 101 - Playa Blanca, near Cartengena, Colombia

We arrived on the island yesterday and it was literally like stepping into paradise. The water was a nice deepening blue as we sped along on in a ridiculously loaded old school steely white speedboat. It was murky and polluted at Mercado Bromeda but then faded to a blue deep as we set off, zipping along for just over an hour. We had arrived at the port at 08.10 to find it rammed from top to toe with locals selling everything from padlocks to pigs ears. We were eventually put on a boat but then had to wait for almost two hours in the very hot, rather sticky heat while the front of the boat was piled high with fruit, veg, pillows, mops, a cooker, as well as bags of goodness knows what. We set off eventually though after a couple of false starts. However, the wait was so very much worth it.

Gradually a line of white appeared in the distance, as we drew closer palm trees and dried out palm tree leaves roofed huts appeared as the water became pure, transparent and turquoise. We alighted into the clear, warm water and stepped onto a soft almost pure white sand beach that stretched on for literally miles into the distance. It almost seems too perfect really. My friend and I strolled purposefully along the shore line to ´Hugos place´ where we decided to hammock down for the night.

We spent an amusing, if slightly frustrating at times, afternoon after we'd dropped off our rucksacks, sunbathing and taking it in turns to dive into the waves. As on previous Colombian beaches we'd visited, several groups of women, sometimes in twos or threes, or by themselves strolled up and down the beach accompanied by buckets. A few times we'd dosed off to be woken by these women rubbing soapy sudsey water into our legs asking if we wanted a massage? We of course knew that they were just trying to make a living for themselves but we found it a bit frustrating as you felt like you couldn't relax properly - plus we had to keep re applying sun-cream where we'd been 'massage soaped' and we were running out. Anyway - first world problems.

9.35pm
I know I should be feeling like I am in heaven right now. I am to be rocked to sleep by the sound of the ocean, a cool breeze playing in my hair and around my face. Playa Blanca is unbelievably beautiful but I have to say I prefer yellow sand beaches that don't have this 'almost-to-perfect-to-be-real' feel about them. I don´t know I guess I feel a little dissatisfied like I haven’t earnt this to sit on this stunning beach in the Caribbean sun. I mean I worked, saved up, paid for all the flights by myself etc, but I should be off fighting crime or tackling world poverty or something. I know that I am so so lucky, and have been given so much especially in comparison to the rest of the world. I don´t deserve this and so am very grateful for this incredible opportunity. Most people I know are currently more than half a world away at work or at university in rainy/sunny/snowy England while I lie here on these heaven reflecting sands.

Monday, 16.49pm in an internet café, Cartagena
On Wednesday we leave for the san blas islands (for those of you who don’t know what it is…google image it. Woweee). Everyone we have met said that it was the highlight of their trip and like heaven on earth. Excited!

Fever - Acoustic Cover (2) performed by Melissa Cantello

Happy New Year everyone! Check out my new cover of 'Fever' :)