Dec 24, 2012 - Sunrise over the jungle

Wow, wow and more wow. I have no other way of describig the amazing experience of sitting high on Temple IV at Tikal and watching the sun rise directly over Temple III. It was worth getting up at 4.30am just to see it. As the sun rose more, we watched the jungle come alive and even spotted tucans. The Tikal complex can only be decribed as expansive and was the main reason I was on this trip. And I can gladly say that it didn't disappoint. I can't put it into words and the pictures say a bit but doesn't capture it all. Let's just say it...

Nov 6, 2012 - Rio dulce

Rio dulce Another day, another shifty entry through a Guatemalan border. The 10am boat from Punta Gorda to livingstone was like crossing the Atlantic in a hollowed out water melon. With some heavy heavy tropical rain and rough seas the crew ( some men that happened to be in control of a boat) had us flattened to the seats covered in tarpaulin. So again , chances are we entered Guatemala illegally as part of a human trafficking scam. Livingstone was cool, crumbly and courful but we only stopped for lunch then the James bond style boat trip...

Sep 12, 2011 - Paradise in Rio Dulce

Hi all! Please excuse the delayed updates, we're pretty much caught up now. At the last few places we stayed at there was wi-fi but no actual computer access, and typing all these updates on my iPhone screen is beyond even me :) Today we're chilling out at Hacienda Tijax, our eco-lodge perched on the edge of the Rio Dulce river, near Lago de Izabal in central-eastern Guatemala. The lodge is really nice, with cute little cabanas out in the jungle for us to sleep in, raised boardwalks over the river/jungle (depending on the water level it...

Jul 13, 2011 - Rio Dulce

Hola! Apres Flores, on se dirige vers Rio Dulce ou l;on est loge dans des ecolodges! Cest definitivement notre hotel prefere du voyage! Pour sy rendre, on doit prendre un petit bateau qui nous amene dans la jungle! Plusieurs voiliers sont acostes sur le bord de nos lodges! Toutes les habitacions sont des petites hutes sureleves sur leau! Pour se promener partout sur le site, on emprunte des passerelles et des petits ponts reliant les differentes installations! En tout temps, il y a de l;eau sous nos pieds!!! Notre chambre est vraiment...

Jun 27, 2011 - Rio Dulce

While I was staying in Rio Dulce, I stayed on a very small island hotel about 100 metres from Rio Dulce. It was a very nice place to stay but there wasn't much to do so I signed up for a boat tour that went all of the way to a place called Livingston which is about an hour or so away from our tours hotel. It was a nice day tour even if it was a bit dull in Livingston. The boat tour brought us to some rather scenic places and the fast boat ride was nice as it was quite hot that day. Pictures of the boat trip can be found here.

Mar 21, 2011 - Between oceans epic

N.B. This particular entry should not be read by the faint-hearted or by those thinking of investing in ventures within developing countries. Stress levels were reasonably high at 2am coming into a strange, major port with a motor that periodically stopped due to dirty fuel, a weariness after 4 nights at sea dodging literally hundreds of fishing boats and a plan to ship Chirpy overland that held a great deal of unknown. But the port captain was good, he held 60000 ton ships and tugs at bay and we tied to a safe haven of a quay. We now...

Nov 8, 2010 - Ever wondered what the best way to roast a marshmallow is?

Step 1: 15 minutes before the only on time shuttle in the whole of central America arrives, run to find some marshmallows -not the easiest thing to describe with limited spanish! Step 2: Bundle in a van with a bunch of other gringos and bounce your way along dirt roads to Volcan Pacaya Step 3: Convince the small children at the volcano that no you do not want to buy a stick from them (or more marshmallows, the american's got it covered -oh yeah we're now travelling with an american guy alex who's a helicopter pilot, sadly he doesn't travel...

Oct 18, 2010 - magical Tikal

ola amigos muchos gracias per el email! c est super d avoit tout vos messages desolee pour le temps ... il fait superbe ici, hihihi ;-) bon me revoila pres encore 2 superbes journees lundi nous sommes alle a Tikal, le plus beau et grand site Mayen difficile a decrire ce aue j ai vu ... c est tout simplement magestique ... vraiment epoustouflant on est arrive la le midi ou on a manger un petit pick-nick et ensuite on est parti vers les temples. faut s iñaginer auon est au plein milieu de la fort vierge et quie tout d un coup on tombe sur des...

Mar 12, 2010 - Pacaya Volcano Day Trip

Left in van w/ 13 others-US(NC&TX), Spain, Poland, & Germany-at 2pm...1 1/2 hour drive ea way. Climb is steep to begin, lots of kids hawking walking sticks("es necessrio") which they then collect when you come down, ha! Great business...software companies have nothing on them! Also, bags of marshmellows in case you want to scorch your front side, and of course, the same deal needs sticks for roasting the little puppies! Since you begin steep and the guide (obligatory) tells you to stay together, the horse "taxi" guys are right there like...

Nov 11, 2008 - Rio Dulce

November 11th, 2008 I said by good-byes to Sara and Karrie who were off to Belize at 5AM and finished up packing up my bag. I wanted to try and get all the way to Livingston in a day. First I needed to get to Santa Elena. I was informed that all I needed to do was wait on the side of the road and a mini bus, shuttle would stop by. So...an unmarked van stopped, I asked if they were going to Santa Elena..they said yes..off I went. This van stopped every so often and locals hopped on and off always paying a small fee. I made it all the way to...

Oct 16, 2008 - Rio Dulce - where a waterfall is Paradise!

October 14-16 The city of Rio Dulce, our next quick stop, lies at the edge of the Lago de Izabal where it empties into the Rio Dulce (River). This was an easy trek of only 2 hours upriver from Livingston by water taxi - a nice change from our ever long bus rides! The surrounding area is known for it´s traffic from the 'yachties' as this is said to be the safest location on the Western Caribbean during hurricane season. Most everyone else just passes through to connect to another location. The Rio Dulce (River) is one of Eastern Guatemala´s...

Jul 13, 2008 - Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Rio Dulce is a "developing tourist destination". Known mostly as a safe haven for yachts during hurricane season, it is slowly picking up as a hot spot for adventurous travelers. But for now, it remains a ramshackle town on a gorgous lake and river that is pretty dirty and chaotic. I did, however, take a nice boat ride on the lake and down the river to the little coastal town of Livingston. This is the jumping off point for Caribbean adventure...and where I finally said goodbye to Guatemala. Next stop...Honduras!