2 months review

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OK, so I've been on the road for a couple of months now, so I thought I'd bore you with some random facts and stats...

Let's start with numbers – yes, I still love them!

My average spending is as follows:
Mexico - £19.77 / day
Belize - £31.89 / day
Guatemala - £12.68 / day (could have spent less if I had spent less time in the bars!)
Honduras - £28.15 / day (bumped up by the diving)
El Salvador - £10.79 / day so far

Total average £17.81, so below budget, but I realise that South America will be more expensive and I have a couple of big expenses coming with the Panama/Colombia crossing probably close to $400 and the Inca Trail around the $500/600 mark.

Talking about the Inca Trail, I have been a bit useless and didn't book it 2 months ago like I should have. So when I had a look a couple of days ago, it turned out that the next available date with the company I wanted to use was the 13th- - 17th of July, only that's too late as I would miss my return flight home (from Lima on the 16th), so I have e-mailed some others (more expensive) outfits and am awaiting their response... Everybody crosses fingers please!

In the last 2 months, I have just about managed to do something typical in each country:
Watched wrestling in Mexico
Snorkelled in Belize
Hiked volcanoes in Guatemala
Dived in Honduras
El Salvador... Hmmm... Surfing should be the thing to do but let's be honest, that was never going to happen. So I'll go for exploring the stronghold from the guerrillas during the civil war (you will hear all about it in the next blog)

What I have loved the most:
The beauty of Colonial Mexico and its amazingly friendly people
The Caribbean vibe of Belize
The authenticity of Guatemala and watching the stars from the jungle
The reef in Honduras
The lack of tourists in El Salvador and its rough around the edges feel

What I have disliked the most (this may be quite animal based)
The very persistent street sellers in Mexico
The salt water showers in Belize (Caye Caulker)
The thieves in Guatemala (everywhere!)
The mosquitoes in Honduras (Utila)
The cockroaches in El Salvador (La Libertad)

So overall, what I have disliked isn't really paramount! I guess it shows I have rather enjoyed the first third of the experience.

On the subject of the language, my Spanish is not too bad, although I struggle to really tell the difference compared to when I started. I can definitely get by and have conversations about certain specific subjects which I get to practice regularly (to do with transport, directions, hotels and football) but sometimes I find I lack the vocabulary for everyday chatting. Must try harder!

As far as the itinerary goes... I am behind, there is no hiding from it. As a result, it is likely that I will not be visiting Costa Rica as it is very expensive. It seems I have met quite a few people doing the same thing too... Maybe I'll just have to go back there for a holiday! That should save me 6 days, so I will still be a couple behind but I'm hoping to work on that later.

Last but not least, how I feel about it all... Pretty good. Or maybe I should say “today, pretty good” as it depends on the day a little! It is a lot more up and down than I expected at the start. Some days I am blown away by the experience and some days I just miss home. But my mood seems to vary mainly depending on how much human interaction I have had at any given time: if I have met people and chatted a fair bit, I tend to feel really positive, but on the days when I end up alone in a hotel room and don't meet anyone, I can get a bit low. I have said it before and I will say it again, every day I realise that the most important is not where you are or what you have, it's who you're with. This seems to be an opinion widely shared by the other travellers I meet as we all readily admit that our favourite places are generally the ones where we have made the best friends...

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Comments

[geraud]

On croise les doigts
J'espère que tu vas pouvoir les voir les incas. Bonne continuation et plein de rencontres amicales.

[coco]

Adventures
Hi, I enjoyed reading your blog. I'm planning a trip to Guatemala in the next few weeks. I was thinking of flying into Cancun and making my way through Belize and into Guatemala. Is it safe to travel for solo females? Also, don't stress too much about Incan Trail. There are dozens of tour companies in Cuzco that can do the treks for a third of the price you find back home. I would also recommend doing Salkantay trek rather than the Incan Trail. It's less touristy and you get to hike through rainforests and mountains. Buen viajes!

[notquiteroundtheworld]

I can only talk from my personal experience, but I was a solo female and never really felt unsafe. Obviously you have to be careful and use common sense, but to me it didn't seem much worse than elsewhere. Have fun!