Davina G

Ok so I'm writing this a little late but the final month has been a busy one! My first stop in Costa Rica was Monteverde. I had a few connections on my way from Nicaragua and the last one involved a three hour wait for the afternoon bus. I met some German travellers and we tried hitchhiking but it didn't work so we gave up and played cards using one of our backpacks as a table. We also saw a massive iguana who looked hungry so I gave him some leftover chicken. Monteverde was a lovely place, very much geared towards tourists but it didn't feel too busy when I was there. I went to Santa Elena, Curicancha and Monteverde cloud forest reserves. They were all very beautiful and reminded me how much I love being ... read more

First stop in Honduras was Copan Ruinas. I arrived in the evening at a pretty B&B just outside the centre to stay in a room called Luna (the moon) which had a lovely terrace to view the night sky. Not many street lights so I could see all the stars! I went to a local restaurant and luckily they managed to make me some dinner before the electricity cut out. It was quite windy so I ate my dinner using the torch light of my mobile rather than by candelight but it worked! Apparently they were doing some work on cables in the town so the electricity cut a few times whilst I was there. I had more great views from the B&B in the daytime as they have a lovely garden and the terrace overlooks ... read more

I arrived at Arcas in Peten, Guatemala after a long journey in taxi, colectivo and lancha (small boat). Arcas is a rehabilitation centre in the jungle for animals and birds. Some have come in as injured and others have been confiscated by the government from illegal trafficking. I stayed as a volunteer for two weeks and looked after parrots, toucans, baby crocodiles, turtles, a falcon and a macaw who kept trying to escape! Other animals at the centre included monkeys (spider and howler), racoons, coatimundis, grey wolf, puma, jaguar, ocelot, jaguarmundi, margay (small wild cat), agouti, peccari (wild boar), otter, stork, owls and an eagle. Looking after means feeding and lots of cleaning! The aim of the centre is to rehabilitate and release the animals and birds where possible so we were not allowed to touch ... read more

Welcome to Davina’s Central American travel blog. I’m travelling in Mexico and Central America for 4 months and at the end of it turning 40 so a little older and maybe a bit wiser...or not! So my sister Ali is accompanying me on the first two weeks of my trip, after that it’s just Cedric and I for a while. Cedric is a small lovable cuddly turtle who Ali brought back from Sante, Greece. Anyway on with the blog...first stop Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Well we arrived after a long flight after watching several films (one of which was the Book of Life which is an interesting animation on the Mexican day of the dead traditions). We couldn’t find a taxi when we arrived at the bus station as some of the roads were blocked ... read more

After joining a tour in China (after Chunna's Wedding) I decided to apply for job with the same company. They were looking for leaders in Europe and here I am in Tuscany after finishing my initial training. My job as a leader is to take a group to all the places, book the accommodation, transport & activities and do some guided walks myself in the locations. I'm quite nervous about public speaking but I will only have groups of 12 or less normally so its not too bad. There is a lot of paperwork & accounts too and I'm a bit worried when I will have the time to do everything! I'm staying in a place called Lucca and it is a lovely place near Pisa. This week has been hard work. We've been starting classes ... read more