Page 7 of colvinyeates Travel Blog Posts



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
Morning 1 in Yosemite Valley
Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls
Penny on an isolated trail.


We christened it the WHOW. The White House on Wheels is to be our home and transport for the next 2 months of sauntering around the Younited States and Canada.The orientation into the workings of the WHOW occupied around an hour and a half of convoluted instructions following which our inductor asked: "Did you understand all of that"? In fact I had basically tuned out after the part where she said, "Now listen carefully". One element that did strike a chord was on the topic of refuelling and how it would likely bankrupt us. Any guesses at the cost of a tank of petrol in the WHOW? The answer depends on whether you factor in the medical expenses of the heart attack that transpires as the bowser threatens the $200 level. Combine that with the inflated ... read more
The Big Sur
Not a bad life being an Elephant Seal.
Hearst Castle


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
Temple of the Sun
Heads up!
Royal Palace

Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Centro » Trinidad April 28th 2012

There's a thinly veiled hint of self centredness at the root of many visitors motives for jetting into Cuba and we joined that queue. On the wrong end of US inflicted trade embargoes for over 50 years, Cuba's improvised methods to survive in the face of financial adversity are a surreptitious part of the attraction to this most individual of countries. Would Cuba still pique the senses to the same degree if the streets of Havana were choked with Toyotas rather than 50 year old plus Buiks, Plymouths and Chevies? Or would the crumbled elegance of its Spanish colonial architecture be just as seductive all spruced up in its Sunday best? Sure we'd all love to see Cuba back in the fold, but selfishly, a major component of its allurement is viewing it in its semi ... read more
Trinidad
Havana
Havana Vieja

North America » Mexico » Oaxaca » Oaxaca April 7th 2012

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
Oaxaca
San Cristobal de las Casas
San Cristobal de las Casas


Ever seen water defy gravity? The spurt of hot water from our shower head was today trying awfully hard not to land on our flesh and retreat back to where it came from. Following 6 or so days of sporadic, frigid bird baths, our bodies were well and truly on the soiled side of squeaky clean. The water, which felt like the tears of God himself, eventually did its job, forcing the swarm of flies to retreat and find another suitably filthy body to pester. Quetzaltrekkers, as the name suggests, is a company organising guided hikes throughout the Guatemalan highlands. They have an array of options but the one that best accommodated our haphazard timetable was a multi-day scramble over the Chuchumatan Mountains from Nebaj to Todos Santos. The trek is a bare bones no frills ... read more
Atitlan
Chichicastenango
Chuchumatan Mountains


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
Semuc Champuy
Santa Cruz Atitlan
Laguna Lodge


Perched on the edge of the precipice staring at a black hole barely illuminated by a pair of solar lamps, it was going to be a leap of faith in our guide's promise that the natural pool below was 50 metres deep. We found ourselves here due to the type of about face that can present itself when your itinerary isn't exactly set in stone. The initial idea was to spend a week or so in the Honduran Bay Islands wallowing on a beach but instead wound up deep underground in this cave. The Bay Islands sounded exotic but the more people we spoke to, the more we came to the conclusion that the islands were a bit of a one trick pony, even if lounging around a Carribean island isn't a bad trick to have ... read more
Tikal
Tikal
Copan


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
Antigua boy
I love a parade.
Antigua

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu February 27th 2012

Why did the chicken cross the road? If you're to finally come up with the definitive answer, it'll be in Hawaii. You'd swear they are the state bird by the sheer numbers running rampant. Free range (with an emphasis on free, nobody owns them), robust, healthy looking chooks scooting around loving life in a way that chickens do. And they don't mind crossing the road. Problem is they don't always make it. Hawaiin roads are littered with the carcasses of failed attempts. Except on Oahu. On the other islands these chickens are as prevalent as complaints at a lawn bowls club. On Oahu they are as rare as, dare I say it, hen's teeth. Which begs the catchphrase of Dr Julius Sumner Miller (boy am I showing my age):"Why is it so?" The prognosis is as ... read more
Sunset Beach
Windward coast
Velzyland




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