Todos Santos was the last and most interesting town I visited as part of a six-day trek from Nebaj to Todos Santos, with Quetzaltrekkers, which is located in the back of Casa Argentina in Xela (Quetzaltenango). This blog is mainly a cursory account of my trip and a review of the trek. 6-Day Excursion to the Highlands I definitely wanted to get into the Guatemalan highlands, not only for the scenery but because this area was so deeply impacted by the civil war. I met some travelers who went to Nebaj on their own, and they seemed pretty disappointed. There isn't much there to see; however, the four or five-hour trip to Todos Santos each way is worth it, as it´s a proud, unique and vibrant town. Quetzaltrekkers calls this a six-day trek, though it´s really ... read more

I walked this three-day, 48 km hike through Quetzaltrekkers (quetzaltrekkers.com), so this is mainly a review of their organized trek. Typically I like to walk alone, but the trail would be impossible to follow without a guide, and apparently some areas are too dangerous to attempt alone. The first two days are pretty strenous, with lots of shifts in altitude, pretty technical walking actually, with pretty nice views of the forest. At one point one the first day there was a marked difference in the scenery when the group reached the highest altitude of the trip. We emerged from the forest to see beautiful highland farms. Other than the views of the lake, this was a highlight for me. You can read other details on their website. The guides facilitate good camaraderie in the group and ... read more

Antigua is worth visiting, even if you´re trying to avoid tourist hordes. It´s a perfect safe-haven from Guatemala City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every Latin American country seems to have a colonial city like it, where you´ll feel safe, clean, and at home, but also where it is less authentic, more expensive, and not very challenging in terms of language, transportation, etc. My friend and I stayed at Los Encuentros, which is about a ten-minute walk from the central plaza. We got a double room for 200 Quetzales (including breakfast), which was somewhat expensive, even for Antigua, but they had the highest rating on TripAdvisor, and we wanted to book something for the first night. The woman who runs it is extremely friendly and helpful. The city is pretty easy to get around, though ... read more

Pokhara is worth a day or two. If you're planning on doing some walking, when you arrive, consider asking the cabby to take you first to the permit center -- it's right near the airport. Pay no more than 300 from the airport. If they want more, start walking and one of them will follow you and give in. It's only about a 30 to 40-minute walk to the town, so to save a few bucks, walk it. Basically Lakeside, the main road, goes like this: Trekking store, bank, Westernish restaurant, souvenir shop, Internet access, travel agent, Trekking store, and so on. Because of this, it's easy to get lost: everything looks the same. Don't stay on the main drag. Go to the city center and walk 50m or so away from the lake -- there ... read more

Shangri-La is the new (2001) name for Zhongdian, used to attract tourists; they're the same city. People there do say that this city was the inspiration for the book, but there's not much to corroborate the claim. Still, it's on the edge of Tibet, and though not in the Tibet Autonomous Region, 80% of the people are Tibetan, and the city exudes the culture. The main reason we decided to continue on to Shangri-La after Tiger Leaping Gorge is to see if we could enter Tibet. It's close to the Tibetan border, and there are flights from there to Lhasa. Also, given the unpredictable changes in restrictions, there were a lot of rumors about, so we weren't sure what to expect. But, when we arrived and checked a couple of places, we found that no one ... read more