eirianruth

I am really close to Belize in Flores and I felt it would be a waste to be this close and not go, albeit I didn't have enough time or money to go for more than one day. Eventually, when I go travelling in Mexico in the future, I will do a week in Belize too because the Cays and Islands are what you should see. Nevertheless, I had an amazing day. I left at 7am and arrived at 10am. It was actually only 2 hours on the bus but the border control took an hour. Belize is an English speaking country and is part of the Commonwealth. The Queen is on the money and they sold British sweets in the shops (e.g. Werthers Originals). The accent is Caribbean - similar to the Jamaican accent - ... read more

Today I got a chance to explore Guatemala City a bit during the day. The architecture is very interesting, a lot of run down buildings and some more regal colonial facades on things like museums and churches. I took a walk down 8th Avenue to the main park where the Cathedral and Presidential Palace are (photos attached). Then I went to the famous Mercado Central, a huge market that stretches a whole block, conpletely underground. It was so colourful and eye-catching, everywhere I looked something new made me turn my head. Guatemala City (or Guate, as it's known here) is safer than other Central American capitals - I would never have explored San José in Costa Rica or Managua in Nicaragua alone, day or night. I was pleased I was able to get a chance to ... read more

Guatemalan food is not a million miles away from Nicaraguan and Costa Rican food. It's usually some sort of grilled meat with guacamole, pasta and tortillas - very carb heavy! Mainly guacamole everywhere, fine by me, I love avocados! We went to one place and got empanadas. Usually empanadas are small and cornish-pasty-sized so I thought this would be ok... ended up being bigger than my face! I also had a quesadilla in another place, burrito filled with cheesy goodness!... read more

On one of our days in Granada we went with a few people from the hostel to see the Mesaya Volcano. We did an evening tour so we would be able to see the lava clearly. The shuttle left at four and we stopped half way at an artisan market and did a bit of souvenir shopping. We got to the national park around 5:30pm and then had to wait around a bit until it opened at 6 - the key is to be at the front of the queue! We were driven to the top and got out to look into the crater. It was amazing - I can see why it's known as the 'Mouth of Hell'. It was loud and the thunder and lightning just added to the effect of it. We weren't ... read more

I haven't blogged for a while because I have been so busy here in Nicaragua, and Fabian has been with me so I have had company as well. We started out in the capital, Managua. We were in separate hostels and the 6 minute walk from my hostel to his was such a nightmare. Even though it was the middle of the day I felt so vulnerable and unsafe. I went the wrong way in my nervousness so many times eventually I just got a taxi. We were only staying one night in Managua as a stopover anyway, there's nothing to see there and it's not only dangerous but also ugly. My hostel was stunning though and was once a safehouse for Fidel Castro during the Cuban revolution. We got a shuttle the next day with ... read more