Buena Onda

We, Graham and Gordo, spent some time in the cowboy town of Coban watching a firebreather before heading into Samuc Champey and Lanquin with hammocks. The security guard at the campground laughed when we told him we wanted to camp without a tent but told us to go through anyway. There, we swam in amazing aqua lagoons that waterfalled one from another through a wide gorge all the way to our campsite, beside a wooden bridge you can jump from. Gordo awoke one night to see Graham running down the hillside at 3 am taking his clothes off and "dancing." Graham had ants in his pants. A lot of them. Because he stepped out of his hammock to go pee by the river and soon realized that numbing feeling in his foot wasn't because it ... read more

We have lived the past couple of weeks very Americanized, living in Best Westerns, Marriotts, Four Seasons, eating fast food, and best of all, being visited by Americans. Neil, Graham´s brother, joined us in Panama. Have you ever wondered how the Panama Canal functions? Well we know, so if you want to know too then ask us. We hiked in a national park outside of Panama City, not the one beside Destin, and swam in a waterfallito and ate sandwiches. We then took a cold 17 hr. bus ride into Costa Rica. There we met Gordo's dad and step-mom and the Gaines´s and the Margaret´s who treated us to rico dinners while we swapped stories on Playa Tamarindo. There we surfed for 3 straight days.. only Gordo succeeded. and Neil but he got bed bugs ... read more

We arrived in Leticia, Colombia after a 10 hr. speed boat through the Amazon. This area is the tri-border of Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. Looking from the outside-in its a kind of sketchy place to be in the world, but we felt safe and had fun. We ventured into Brazil to do some shopping and clubbing and met some interesting people walking back and forth country to country. The following day we did what we have yet to do and vow not to do again until we reach home - we left our feet and flew in the air. This was a 2 hr. plane over Southern Colombia, guerrilla territory and an area not recomended to traverse. So we landed in Bogota, a big capital with its own perks an panks. We went out at night ... read more

We arrived in Cuzco, Peru, what some call "The Rome of the Americas," and hit up the town immediately - going to museums, churches of gold, parks, plazas, ruins, bars, drag-costume parties, clubs, eating and drinking local delicacies, and shopping at the black market where you can buy name brand camping equipment directly out of fellow travellers' stolen backpacks for $5. Then we split off and the girls scammed their way into the Sacred Valley to look at Inca stuff, and the boys went rafting down the class 3+ Urubamba River where Gordo fell out twice but swam well. All was fun and grand and we all met back up. On the 31st we embarked on what we all have agreed to this point (for the 6th time) is our favorite part of the trip: A ... read more

We have officially arrived in our 4th country, Peru. At first glance, Peru is strikingly similar, though a little more expensive than its neighbor, Bolivia. Once we arrived in Peru, we continued to explore the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. The first island visited was a floating island made entirely of reed grass. This so-called ´floating island´first became inhabited due to Incan conquest and expansion, pressuring local tribes to seclude themselves to a sort of safe haven. We learned that the island must be constantly rebuilt with reed grass to avoid sinking. We then travelled 3 more hours on the lake to our next island, Amantani, where we slept and ate with a local family and frequently visited their outhouse of straw. The lunch and dinner of fresh quinoa cooked in the small, brick kitchen was ... read more