http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKBeHqST_g8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khw4x6ZDCKc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bukhf7Noz-c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duy2yfr1cCc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2u3jTWrxco First of all let me say that Iceland is not the best destination if you are travelling solo or backpacking, it’s just too bloody expensive!! Thankfully I had some company with me this time so that made this trip possible. The reason is that to truly visit all the best sites you need to hire a car plus there are very few hostels outside the main cities. You could visit Reykjavik and do the Golden Circle on a tour but to see anything further afield is difficult using public transport and requires a lot of patience and reliance on hitchhiking. So if you are still interested then please read on:-) As previously stated a hire car was essential to see all the ma... read more

The next day I found myself on another bus to Coban back in Guatemala (for the third time).Near to Coban are the caves of Lanquin and the karst lakes of Semuc Champey. Semuc ChampeySemuc Champey is a beautiful series of small ponds and pools on a natural land bridge that crosses the Cahabon River. In the Mayan Kekchi language, Semuc Champey means Sacred Water. The Cahabon River submerges itself at the entrance of Semuc Champey and resurfaces about 400 meters later after it passes this natural limestone bridge suspended with beautiful crystal clear ponds. In this unique natural formation you have water with shades of light green emerald to dark blue sapphire. Before reaching the lakes you have to climb around 300 metres to a vantage point and then you walk down to have a swim ... read more

I had managed to book a shuttle from Antigua to Playa El Tunco in El Salvador, this was the furthest away from my final destination I would be which means that from now on I would be headed back in a roundabout route to Cancun. In the shuttle was a Canadian (there are lots of them here) 3 Dutch guys and 3 Brits so we all had a good laugh on the journey. The journey took 6 hours across sometimes potholed roads and dirt tracks. The border was a bit crazy with huge tailbacks and the queue for immigration took 45 mins to get through and after all that they don’t even stamp the passport! But at least they don’t charge you to cross the border. Fellow travellers have always said that the people from El ... read more

Day 9 Despite my initial concern over the bus as it had to be jump started, it managed to get to Guatemala City on schedule at 06:30 and thankfully I managed to sleep all the way there. On arriving I then had to get a taxi to the other bus station from where I got a chicken bus to Antigua. On both of these journeys I was the only gringo on the bus – nothing changes:-)). If you don’t already know a chicken bus is so named as its normally full of chickens!! These buses were bought second hand from the US and it is their old yellow school buses, like the one Otto drives in the Simpsons. After 1 ½ hours I turned up in Antigua and stumbled across a great hotel – Hotel ... read more

After 3 nights I had to leave the beautiful tropical island of Caye Caulker and head inland to the jungle. I was heading to San Ignacio, not far from the border with Guatemala to stay in a jungle lodge – Barton Creek outpost. To get there I had to catch a speed boat, a bus and then a 4x4 taxi to the resort itself.The outpost is in the middle of nowhere in the jungle bordering a national park and it took 45 mins to get there from the paved road across dirt track that was so bad it shook the brakes loose on the 4x4 and we had to stop for 15 mins while the driver repaired it! The outpost itself consists of a main lodge, (thankfully with a bar) and a cabana (cabin) a separate ... read more