´´It´s not where you are, it´s who you are´´ I heard a guy say, outside my dorm window, a few days back when I was just waking up from another crazy dream about something forgettable. And I couldn´t agree more. I have realised now, six weeks into the biggest trip of my life thus far, it not all about just going to these far flung places and saying you´ve been there, staying in hostels surrounded by white faces, not walking the streets at night in fear of fear itself or being overly pretentious about energy flows and karma in a [View Full Entry]

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I´m now in a place called Granada in Nicaragua - yes I´ve pretty much steamed on through a few countries without pausing for breath... and by god the heat and humidity here is killing me slowly - totally different to Guatemala. I took a long distance bus and passed through El Salvador and Honduras to get here. I spent a night in the capital of El Salvador called San Salvador and was glad it was only one night. What a heavy going city, lots of traffic, people, smog and battered taxis pulsing through the mean streets at all hours. I [View Full Entry]

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Well, right now as I write this I am back in Antigua where I started - I didn't do the 3 day trek and I still haven't climbed a bloody volcanoe, not that I think it'll change me as a person. The main reason for this inactivity is that for the last 10 days I've had a stomach bug that just wouldn't let go of me. I thought, like I would back in Britain, that give it a day or two and I could ride it out - but no I certainly couldn't out here... The bugs are a lot [View Full Entry]

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I really should get more done when I am in these foreign, slightly exotic places. I am in a great town, with ancient buildings, interesting museums, surrounded by giant volcanoes and mountains ripe for being climbed - and as for me? Well, I'd rather get half-cut on the local beer and dream of drunken friday night salsa dancing. What's new pussycat? I have done a couple of 'things' since I got here in Xela, I had a go at teaching local kids English for an hour last Wednesday (although, I got the 3 class clowns who were only interested in [View Full Entry]

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And so... I have now been studying Spanish at the school for 2 days, it is one-to-one tuition and I am probably improving a little bit as I go along, at least that´s what I tell myself when I am asleep. I´ve only booked a week in the school so far so we´ll see how it progresses. The teacher I have been allocated for the week is a good laugh - well, in Spanish anyway- she´s about 40-something, quite *fruity and dresses more like a Westerner with short skirts, lots of make-up and risque blouses. I probably will book another week [View Full Entry]

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Remember I mentioned in the first entry that I didn't want to travel with Iberian airlines again? Well, it came back to haunt me (with a vengeance). The first flight was fine from London to Madrid. Now, on the second from Madrid to Guatemala I managed to get a great seat with stacks of legroom near the exit. It was about 2 hours into the flight, I had my legs stretched out, shoes off and totally relaxed and chuffed with myself for bagging such a great seat with no-one sat next to me. They had just served the meal and [View Full Entry]

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It's now Monday afternoon and I am only a couple of hours away from leaving on a midnight bus to Heathrow - not a very exotic start I know but it's just the beginning of the adventure. Had a few too many drinks last night and paying for it now with a bad stomach and nausea, I'm not at all nervous, honest. This will probably be my last post for a while until I get to Guatemala and get my head around the place, the people and the toilet arrangements - and the slowness of the internet connections which I [View Full Entry]

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Well, I'm still here at the moment in rainy Swansea just waiting to start my journey. Listening to Spanish tapes, playing guitar and breaking-in my new hiking boots are all I've got to do before I go. I've booked flights for Tuesday the 24th of May: London-Madrid-Guatemala... 15 hours of Iberian airways torture coming up. I flew to Cuba with them at Xmas and declared I'd never would again, but hey, I'm not always right. All I can remember is that they are a really tired, old airline with ageing hostesses who would make toothache seem more appealing than dealing with [View Full Entry]

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