colvinyeates

The great outdoors is where RV action is at so with a comforting sigh we flipped the WHOW from urban mode and into cruise control then pointed her east from San Francisco. We had our eyes set on a few national parks and lakes high up in the Californian mountains and a week later we are now on an equal high. If it's possible to find landscapes seductive, then consider us seduced. Whaddya think of the contrast of beach goers lazing around the sands of Lake Tahoe with a backdrop of snow capped mountains? How about sulphur pools bubbling and smoking amongst the snow at Lassen Volcanic Park up in the state's north? Both were a sight for eager tourist eyes but impressive as they were, the prototype for outdoor attractions in California is but a ... read more

Air conditioning, seats that are cushioned and recline to a level that allows even the average insomniac a fighting chance at a few zzzzzz. You receive a ticket for your precious backpack down below and they are punctual, a rarely observed quality in Latin America. You may even be dished up a couple of B rate American films, although they aren't great value if you can't understand the Spanish dubbing. The Mexican 1st class bus system is a silver edged bonus to the pain that is long distance road travel. Mexico is an expansive country that can require some exhaustive jaunts, day or night. Those minor luxuries mentioned above provide some pain relief from the general discomfort.The voyage times could be reduced significantly if the drivers took a leaf out of the Guatemalan chicken bus drivers ... read more

March 1999 and a few languidly pleasant days were spent absorbing the unique ambience of San Cristobal de las Casas, deep in the south of Mexico. The amalgam of the ubiquitous Spanish colonial architecture and indigenous Mayans wandering amongst made this town a standard stopover enroute to or from Guatemala. In the interim, European chic came to town and decided to stay. The resultant love child may be mourned by some who bemoan the myriad of trendy bars, cafes, restaurants and boutiques now operating behind the colonial facades, but not us, we thrived on it. The sight of gritty indigenous street venders cohorting tourists directly in front of some of these edgy establishments is a sight for jaded tourist eyes. VIVA la Juxtaposition! This week the town was packed with visitors, mostly Mexican but also a ... read more

Following a week or so of draining travel days and a couple of sketchy digs (at the last place we stayed even the towels didn't work), Dr Guatemala prescribed complete bed rest with a touch of pamper. Hence we found ourselves gazing out from the upper bedroom of our apartment at a seductive, perfectly conical volcano, one of 3 on the lake's shoreline. On our last visit 13 years back, our guide book described Lake Atitlan as one of Guatemala's most beautiful lakes. Seeing as Guatemala doesn't lay claim to all that many lakes, that particular writer had his finger right off the trigger in terms of superlatives. The same guidebook this time managed to ratchet up the rhetoric claiming Lake Atitlan as one of the world's most beautiful. This writer's dart a little closer to ... read more

I spotted him from a distance, hangdog expression, backpack dangling from a shoulder, meandering amongst the throngs of LAX. On spotting me, a surreptitious smile, a handshake and our mate Burch had now morphed our tight group of two into the three amigos with two months ahead galavanting around Central America. A month's gossip was exchanged over a couple of hours prior to the reality that we were still confronted with one of the less glamourous chapters of travel - the red eye flight.The actual flying time from LA to Guatemala isn't overly daunting, but already crusty and in stopover mode, the 11.30pm takeoff and rapid transit in Mexico City prior to the last leg is a recipe for the perfect storm in terms of jet lag. Guatemala City is bipassed by 99% of tourists who ... read more