Walk Help Roam

We didn’t accomplish a lot on our first day in Oaxaca as we were still feeling the effects of our turbulent mountain traverse the day before. Upon first pass the city of Oaxaca seemed a pretty decent spot. Its Zocalo, the square at the centre of the city, was impressive with its colonial architecture and a teaming crowd of people either enjoying a drink in one of the multitude of cafes or strolling about soaking up the atmosphere. One thing worth noting that was immediately apparent was that for the first time on this journey we’d met our walking match as the speedy Oaxacans showed an unusual turn of pace as they scooted about their city. Oaxaca is somewhat of a cultural hub for this region and so we had set our sights on seeing its ... read more

We arrived bleary eyed in Puerto Escondido after completing our thirteen hour overnight bus journey from San Cristobal. Having had a decent amount of kip between us on Mexico’s comfy, albeit a little pricey, first class bus service followed by a quick stop for breakfast and we felt ready to commence the accommodation search. Not wooed at our first stop with its brash American owner trying to pressure us with promises of ‘nice sheets’ and ‘a great time’ instead we plumped for our second stop which looked to fit the bill. Hostel Puerto Escondido was a pretty barebones but with all the backpacker essentials and an enticing price tag (a third of the first hostel we looked at) we checked in. Puerto Escondido is another one of those tourist invaded fishing villages. The good thing was ... read more

Mexico is a country that conjures up lots of associated imagery from brightly dressed Mexican’s sporting vast sombreros to its famous cuisine including tacos, enchiladas, burritos and quesadillas. This imagery brought with it the expectation that when we crossed from Guatemala into Mexico we would likely experience the same clear material wealth difference as Nicaragua to Costa Rica. However, it was not so and instead we could barely notice the join apart from a bit of a step up in transport comfort. The border was very low key and almost completely unmemorable apart from the slight shock that we needed to pay a fifty dollar immigration fee before we depart when most countries before had charged nothing. Our first stop was Palenque where we hoped we would finally open our Mayan ruins account. We elected to ... read more

The transport links in Guatemala got a little more complex from Xela. The options were a two day six bus combo or a long day with Guatemala City bus changeover. Whilst not ecstatic about heading back through Guatemala City, Guate as the locals call it, it seemed the best choice to get to Coban. Between Guatemala City and San Salvador (El Salvador) it’s a close call as to which is the most dangerous Central American capital city. As we crossed Guate for the second time in a taxi to switch between bus depots it once again appeared calm and up together it was only the omnipresent security guards most sporting full army style gear and a large shot gun that suggested otherwise. Although in Central America the sight of this style of security has been far ... read more

Lake Atitlan, once said to be the most beautiful lake on earth by Aldous Huxley, offers up an array of lake side town options which you can make your base. We opted for San Pedro as the main alternative San Marcos was billed as Hippie Ville. Rik the slightly Bohemian, and highly fascinating, Welsh potter we’d met a few days earlier whilst hiking up Volcano Pacaya had even given San Marcos a bad billing dismayingly telling us about the various places selling the opportunity to communicate with aliens via telepathy. Not having anything seriously against Gringo Hippies on tour (we’re sure they’re truly delightful folk) we decided it probably wasn’t our scene and so to refrain from San Marcos and also any related alien communications. We found San Pedro had one major thing going for it. ... read more