Blogs from Central America Caribbean - page 1687

Had an eventful border crossing partly due to our lack of local money to exit Belize and partly to the inconsistenices of Guatemalan border officials!! We were joined on the bus by a local who persuaded us that his hotel was "very good price"and we should all stay there and ... the whole bus did!! Within minutes our arrival we were accosted by a guy from Essex(Steve) who hadnt spoken English or seen a Gringo for 3 weeks!! We couldnt shut him up or turn down his dinner invitation!! Several beers and much chat later - (including several references to a large, heavy loaf of banana bread that had been purchased locally that day) it was made clear to us that they were closing the restaurant and we had to leave. Steve had arranged to meet ... read more

“One Love” Montego Bay, Jamaica 9th May - 16th May 2005 The number one rule of travel writing, according to one travel editor at TNT Magazine in London is never, EVER start your story at the airport or on the plane. The have obviously never experienced Air Jamaica’s in-flight aerobics program! The sight of a plane load of people waving their arms and legs in the air simultaneously is one that makes you excited to be landing in Jamaica - the German tourist board should definitely take note of this! Following my marriage to Victoria Kiss on Saturday 7th of May, 2005 we headed off to Jamaica for our much anticipated honeymoon. The insurmountable stress of planning a wedding was offset by the promise of a relaxing week of sun, sea and sand, with plenty of ... read more

I found someone on my buddy list that had this thing and I thought it would be cool to try to log my travels, both past and future, so friends and family can follow along, even if they can't afford the trip with me. So, without further ado, here are summarized transcripts of a journal I kept the 85 days I spent in Costa Rica. Enjoy! The flight took off without a hitch, and we were all in coach: Tom, my advisor, myself, and two other kids, John and Ted. Halfway through the flight and that Topher Grace movie, we got summoned (by the Headmaster Flight Attendant herself) to the First Class cabin. All we were told was that some seats opened up and we could take them. Good, right? So we went, and humbly accepted ... read more

Greetings again, this time from Antigua, Guatemala! Actually right now I'm in Guatemala City, somewhere which def wasn't on my itinerary. Am trying to sort out flights and the sheer incompetence of a particular Spanish airline has driven me to desperation, hence having to hang around in one of the world's most dangerous cities while they eat their lunch and prob take a little nap... ggrrrr!!! Anyway, onto nicer things... Since my last post have been doing some serious relaxing. If the Galapagos was Paradise on Earth, then Vilcabamba in the South of Ecuador must surely be the garden of Eden! Mountains, cloud forest, lush green valleys, hummingbirds, more butterflies than you could shake a net at and stunning, stunning views. Spent much of my time admiring it all from the comfort of my own personal ... read more

Okay, so am NOT in Costa Rica yet. I'm just bored. I have about 25 days until I move to Costa Rica and I cannot wait!!! My house is sold, my boxes are packed and I've done a host of other things already! Even bought the plane tickets. So, what's next? Visit with family before I leave, have a few "going away parties" and then hit the road (or the air that is!). So, what after that? Well, I'll arrive in Costa Rica, me, my friend/partner-in-crime Beth, and her dog Lindy on Saturday June 4. From there, we'll head right to the B&B and spend a few nights as "guests" before we "close" on the place and it's ours! "And then?," you ask. Well, I plan to SLEEP for a week and THEN we'll start re-doing ... read more

Last morning in Cuba, and the casa particular owner dishes up a fruit platter for breakfast ... papaya, mango, guayaba?, watermellon, and pineapple ... mmmmmmmm Flight to Mexico was meant to be at about 3pm, so spent the morning on one last walk along the Malecon. Was walking on the side opposite the sea, when a police officer or soldier directed me to walk on the other side of the road. When I crossed over I realised why. The police officer/soldier and several of his colleagues were standing outside the US Interests Building, effectively the US Embassy in Cuba. I guess they were making sure no one was able to climb over the fence to defect to the US. Or perhaps stopping people from the US defecting to Cuba... Directly opposite the US Interests Building were ... read more