You’ve been up since 4am and have just spent 5 hours on a crammed collectivo across unpaved highway and then had another two hours in an equally crammed bus in the midday heat across more unpaved highway. But its all worth while when you walk up to the gates of El Retiro hostel in Lanquin and see the turquoise blue river, the little thatched bungalows, the lush green valley, and most importantly of all, the two for one happy hour sign for gin and tonics. Bliss. Read More
I hate going back on myself. I don’t know what it is but I’ll go to any length not to have to go back they way I have already come. Even if it means heading for the not often visited highlands near Nebaj to be cold, wet, and share a bath with a complete stranger. Read More
“Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing.” Said Aldous Huxley, but then he ended up going all trippy and taking too much mescalin so what does he know? On the other hand, you can take it from me Lake Atitlan is bee-youtiful. Read More
The Lonely Planet has some quote along the lines of “in the conversation about which city typifies Guatemala, Antigua is definitely not on the list. Its like the Scandinavians have moved in for a couple of years and cleaned the place up”. And you know what, its not wrong.
Antigua is some bizarre continental construct in the middle of the Guatemalan highlands, with cafes on every corner selling coffee and cake, a beautiful central park with locals sitting and listening to the sound of the fountain, and courtyards full of tourists learning Spanish in the dappled shade. But I didn’t like it. Read More
So I’d planned to chill in Copan. I figured I’d zoomed through a fair amount of Honduras and after a days traveling to get here I deserved it. There’s some ruins, there’s some trekking, and there’s even a few bars. But one slight hiccup. There’s no water. Read More
