So this is it, 24 days to go and over 4000 kilometres to cover. I have devised a plan to fill in the gaps of what I didn't see last year. Of course, Mexico is a massive country and you can but scrape the surface in the short time I have had here. The brief stop in San Cristobal de las Casas was just for shopping, coming back to this city made me realise how much I love Mexico, the colours, the food, the people, this town's very pretty with it's cobbled streets, craft market and smart eateries. The town is [View Full Entry]

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My real reason for rushing back to Guatemala was the start of the Moon course in San Marcos La Laguna. Far more hippy and low-key than San Pedro, the lakeside lanes are home to crystal healers, massage therapists and herbal remedies as well as the locals selling fruit, veg and cake. The village is also home to a meditation and yoga centre called Las Pyramides; here I will make my home for a month and try to get to the bottom of who I really am. This is the objective of the Moon Course; to give you time, space and exercises [View Full Entry]

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The return to San Pedro brought back a lot of funny memories of Xmas and New Year shenannigans. Though this time the party never even got started as Mhairi and I planned to dive the next morning so late night boozing was a no no. I hadn't been diving since Malaysia in 2007 so they reccommended a refresher session, which I was very thankful of as soon as I got under water and the fear began to rise. I remembered most of my skills but became a bit paranoid about bouyancy and not being able to wait for the safety stop, [View Full Entry]

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I wanted to spend a day exploring this region before heading up to Lago Atitlan, so I visited the little frequented Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa. Not expecting too much from this city I was pleasantly surprised that the town was clean, friendly and bustling with activity. I was in search of a lost Olmec City hidden in the sugar cane fields. The taxi drivers wanted $20 for a lift to the sites, so I took Shank's pony and a rudimentary map looking for good fortune. Trundling up the road I found good fortune who went by the name of Ricardo and had [View Full Entry]

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I crossed the border sat in the back of Manolo's jeep feeling a little worse for wear after last night's party. I could have stayed in Tacuba much longer just chilling at Mamas y Papas and exploring El Impossible. But the clock is ticking and I need to get a move on, at the 10 month mark already! First stop back in Guatemala is the sleepy and inaccessible village of Monterrico. Despite being quiet it's one of the most popular spots on the Pacific coast, only a couple of resorts manage to find a pretty location on this sun beaten side [View Full Entry]

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The first thing that really struck me about El Salvador was how genuinely friendly the people were. As a traveller you appreciate the little things, people that give honest directions, who answer your questions with a smile and who greet you like you're a guest in their house. This is how Salvadorans are and because the country has not yet been over run by tourism, they are still very excited to welcome strangers to their country. Your first thoughts about El Salvador might be of a crime-ridden society, a brutal military and violent street gangs. Put these thoughts aside and imagine [View Full Entry]

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I can't help being a nosey parker here - nights are still and sticky so the locals pull their rocking chairs onto the streets to catch any stray breeze. The stable doors to their houses are thrown open to reveal colonial parlours that provide little clue to what century we're in. The wooden wall clocks tick slowly by to the pace of life and the eyes of the obligatory Virgin gaze down tenderly. On the pavement, old ladies smile warmly as I wish them "Buenos Noches" and stroll along past their living museum. In the town centre the vast cathedral dominates [View Full Entry]

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'100% natural', this is the attractionthat draws the hordes to Costa Rica. More than 27% of the country is protected and severe penalties are enforced for tree-felling, hunting and illegal animal trade. This is not to say that it does not still happen but Costa Rica is noticeably greener and less developed than it's northerly neighbours. The 'pure life' is what Tico's strive for - keeping it natural and taking it easy has allowed the nation to live up to it's namesake 'Rich Coast'. The name was given by the Spanish who received a hefty gold bounty during an exploratory trip [View Full Entry]

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I have to rate the Panamanian border officials at Sixalola as the most sneaky, officious and downright rude I have ever come across. Everywhere else they have happily been wave you through with the presentation of a few dollars. Here, the oh-so-friendly guy comes to meet you and conversationally asks how long you're travelling and when and where you're flying home from. He then goes and tells the story to his mate at the gate and if you haven't got a direct flight out of Panama then they insist you buy an $11 bus ticket back to San Jose...after this they [View Full Entry]

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A string of coincidences led me to be here, I met a girl from Bishop Auckland (the town where I was born) in Tegus and we talked about visiting Valle de Angeles. I missed the bus stop for Valle and had to backtrack, which meant I ended up on the same bus as the volunteer coordinator for i-to-i. When he suggested I could help at a construction project in La Esperanza, I asked if he'd heard of an English girl called Trish, and lo and behold my friend from San Pedro was staying another month here...So I arrive in this dusty [View Full Entry]

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