My Central & South American Dream

Today was an early morning starting at 530 to get ready for our flight to Cusco. We got ready, packed, and ate breakfast. Our shuttle picked us up to bring us to the airport. We were under the impression that we were staying in Cusco, but the travel lady informed us that we are actually staying in the sacred Valley. Good thing we asked! Once we arrived in Cusco, another tour van met us to bring us to our hotel in The Sacred Valley. The Peruvian country side is absolutely stunning. It was beautiful with rich greens hills and mountains against a white backdrop of white clouds with a bright blue sky peaking through. We saw alpacas, donkeys, sheep, cows, dogs, chickens, and roosters along the way. Once we arrived at our hotel in The Sacred Valley, it was also beautiful. Coming towards the end of rainy season is perfect because all of the trees are green, the fields are full of crops, and the flowers are in full bloom. The hotel itself is an old monastery that is surrounded by the Andes. ...

When I woke up this morning at 7 to get ready to meet my dad at 7:30 at the hotel, I was surprised to see him walking up the stairs to the hostel. I had just woken up; I didn't even have my contacts in yet. He was worried because I hadn't shown up the the hotel to meet him, but they had said I was there the day before. I said "yeah, it's only 7:10, I'm getting ready to head over. Did you arrive early?" He looked at me perplexed and said "no, it's 8:10." I said "no, I set my alarm for 7, it's definitely 7:10." That's when I realized I never switched my phone into the eastern time zone after flying from central America. Oops! I had been living an hour behind for a whole day now. Clearly, I hadn't needed the time before now. He waited for me while I finished getting ready and packed my bags. We went back to the hotel for me to leave my luggage, then went out for breakfast. We went to a delicious little cafe that was recommende...

This morning I was wide awake by 530 thanks to the noisy street and bright sun. I tried going back to sleep a bit, but it was useless. By 630 I was up and getting ready for the day. The hostel provided breakfast which were crepes with jam and what I thought was peanut butter, but was actually a butterscotch pudding. By 730 I was at the hotel waiting for my dad. While I waited, I wanted to find out if we could check in early. Upon doing so, the man informed me that we were not to check in until the following day. I said what do you mean? I'm meeting him here today. He said no, tomorrow the 25 we have you arriving. I said okay, let me check the itinerary. He was right, I am meeting my dad tomorrow, Friday February 25th; not Thursday February 24th. I even knew this when I purchased my flight to Lima. But somehow, I got it stuck in my head that it was the next day. So now what do I do? With a day in Lima all to myself? Back to the hostel I went to figure out just what I wanted to do. ...

Today is the day I flew to Peru!!! It will be my 14th country, my 3rd continent, and my first time in the southern hemisphere. I got up at 3:30am to catch my 4am airport shuttle. Upon arriving at the airport in Guatemala city, the airport was much smaller than I expected. The whole international terminal was probably smaller than Alaska Air's section of SeaTac. I went through security then immigration no problem. (Except I hated giving up my water bottle since I can't fill it up I'll have to buy new ones the whole trip which I hate.) Afterwards I was at my gate by about 6:30am. Now I had two hours to kill before boarding which I passed with a movir I had downloaded on Netflix to watch. One thing I noticed while waiting is that I was freeeeezzziiinnngggg!! It was the first time I had been in air conditioning since I arrived in Belize. No hostel, restaurant, or other facility has had it (beside from maybe 1 or 2 of those van rides?) Boarding time came and went, and then depa...

Today was my last day in Guatemala, because I'm flying to Peru tomorrow! Unfortunately it was nothing as I had hoped. I really wanted to go on a coffee tour, but after getting sick again last night, I wasn't feeling well this morning. I went out for my toast and tea breakfast, but even then, I still wasn't feeling better. So I decided that it's for the best that I lay low for the day and just relax. Instead of doing the coffee tour, I finished reading my book! It was sad to finish, but even harder to leave behind. I hope a new traveler enjoys it as much as I did. Most of the day was not very exciting. I talked to people at the hostel, went for a small walk around town, and packed for my flight. Now, it's off to Peru!

Last night I was hoping to relax with a movie or book. Instead, my stomach was bothering me again, so I just rolled over and went to sleep. I still had that uneasy feeling in me. Thankfully, I put a plastic bag next to my bed that I unfortunately needed to use around midnight. Now, this morning, I'm contemplating my day. I really wanted to go on a coffee farm tour today, but am extremely unsure of what to do with my stomach being up in the air. I'll probably start with more ginger tea and toast for breakfast, then go from there.

This morning was beautiful in San Marcos. Finally, the sun was out with minimal clouds. It's been quite cool and cloudy since I have arrived in western Guatemala. I'm not exactly prepared for that since (as the title of this blog suggests), I was only planning to go to Belize. So a nice sunny day is such a treat! I spent the morning laying on the dock tanning as I continued to read Eat, Pray, Love. Such a good book. Bryony and Emma were also still here and did a bit of trip planning while they still had WiFi before moving into their cabana in San Pedro for a week of Spanish school. For lunch I wandered into town to get a smoothie. A delicious fruit smoothie with yogurt was perfect. After Bryony and Emma left that afternoon, I did some trip planning of my own, and Skype my dad. I don't know if I've officially said this anywhere in my blog, but my dad and I are going to Ecuador and Peru for three weeks! I fly out the 23rd and meet him on the 24th of February in Lima. Tha...

This morning started out with a combination of hang over and what everyone dreads traveling, a stomach bug. I don't think I've ever felt so sick all at once. I slowly got ready and packed my things to head to San Marcos. I wanted to arrive around 11am at Hostal Del Lago. They do not take reservations, and fill up fast on a first come first served basis. Several people had recommended this hostel to me, and to arrive early. However, with not feeling well, it was a slow process getting out of Mr. Mullets and over to San Marcos. Finally I caught a boat over and arrived in San Marcos. It's known as being the hippy town on the lake. The first sign I see as the boat pulls up? "Swimming naked and walking naked are illegal in San Marcos." It seemed to sum the place up in one welcoming sign. From there, I tried to clamor out of the boat, pack on and all. After I got out of the boat, this little boy started talking to me. Asking where I am from, my name, where I am going et...

This morning I didn't wake up until about 9am, and felt much better. I was still skeptical about my stomach, so I laid low at the hostel for a little bit. Then, I ventured out to find some toast, a banana, and ginger tea for breakfast. I went back to the hostel to do a little reading, and also got my laundry done. After a bit, I started to get hungry again, so I decided to walk to the market. This was a much farther walk than I had done this morning, but thankfully, it went alright. I found some chicken and rice for lunch, then continued walking around the market. This place was huge! I could never tell where I was or which direction I was heading. I had to just guess which way to go just to exit. I probably spent and hour or two here just walking around. It was definitely much different than other markets that I have visited. Aside from the size. It was much more modern in the goods that were for sale. Although there still were the traditional artisan crafts and produce stands, th...

After getting falafel for dinner, I went to trivia at Hostel Fe. Most of my hostel had already left to go by the time I got back from dinner, so I joined a group who still had room for another teammate. It turned out to be a group of five friends from Australia. They were just at the end of their five week trip. We weren't the best at trivia, but we definitely had fun! The host was great; funny, lively, and played good music. Definitely something I recommend if you're in San Pedro on a Friday. After trivia, we then all went to Sublime. There was a dj there, but I mostly hung out at the campfire. I also kept losing my new friends, so I went to bed. I thought it was 1am, but apparently it was only 1030. Shows how much I pay attention to the time while traveling.

After a poor nights sleep, I went to a coffee shop on the lake. I enjoyed a delicious cup of cafe con leche  (coffee with milk) and the view of the lake with good music. It was the most refreshing way to start the day. After that, most of the morning was spent at the hostel, hanging out, repacking, etc. Then, when I went out for lunch, I happened to run into Alexis and Jean-Luc again! We went to a Japanese street stand in town. Afterwards, I took a walk over to the other side of San Pedro. There were more shops and restaurants here too, but it was very different from where I am staying. The streets are much narrower, where a tuk-tuk can barely fit through in some places and only motorcycles in others. There were also more restaurants and less shops than in my side of San Pedro. The view of the volcanoes here though were much more spectacular. From there, I went back up the hill past the market, and down into town. On my way, I stopped in the pharmacy to ask if they had contact solu...

Today I was feeling about the same as yesterday, I could tell my stomach was not 100% better yet though. I had fruit with yogurt and granola for breakfast. Then, I went and caught my shuttle to go to Antigua. It was about 30min late, and then there was a construction delay later on, so we didn't arrive until 12:45 in Antigua. The ride was bumpy and windy, and this certainly didn't help my stomach. I hadn't reserved a hostel ahead of time, so I walked around town until I landed at Three Monkeys Hostel. By this time, my stomach felt even worse. I had to wait until 2pmfor the room to be ready. By then, I was ready to lay down and not move. I slept from 2pm until about 5pm. I thought I might try going for a walk to see about another hostel I had heard of that has a doctor on site. However, before I could even leave the premises, I thew up, and barely managed to make it to a garbage can. Right in front of three people too. They were all very nice and helped me out. Then, I went ...

This morning started out at 6am again. I repacked my bags, drank a cup of coffee, ate breakfast, and returned to Lanquin with a 45min standing ride in the back of a pickup. It was time to continue on to Lake Atitlan, where I'll be staying in San Pedro for the next four days. However, it's about a 10 to 12 hour journey I heard and we did not leave until 9am; so we'll see if I make it. The shuttle bus took us back to Coban where I got a sandwich and water for lunch. Then we continued on. I passed the time with a combination of reading, writing, listening to music, eating, and sleeping. I hadn't paid much attention to the drive, but the next time I looked out the window, the change in environment was evident. The hillsides were covered in low brown shrubs and dead trees as opposed to the jungle it was before. The air also got warmer. Later on, I saw a large brown flume of smoke rising into the air. Unfortunately, we drove right towards it, and then through it. It made me ...

From my travels so far, I've had many random thoughts. Many are reoccurring though. So from newest to oldest... • 3/10/2017 lots of women wear jeans with heels and a flashy low cut shirt. They always look very put together • 3/9/2017 I love chicken and rice, but I am so tired of chicken and rice now • 2/25/17 Most women wear skirts, dresses, or pants. Some wear shorts, but rarely. And if they do, it's younger girls and women. They seem to dress more conservatively on the bottom and not on top though. • 2/23/17 I randomly ease drop on people's conversations in Spanish to see what I can understand. I never feel bad about it though because I only know words like "for" "why" "here" "so" "where" etc. So it's not like I ever actually know what they're talking about. • 2/22/17 I hate smelling like cigarette smoke all the time; especially when I don't even smoke. • 2/22/17 I've made a list of all the things I m...

Today started out leisurely with a fruit, granola, and yogurt breakfast. I hung out at the hostel some more, and then decided to venture over to San Juan which is a nearby town. I took a tuk-tuk there, which was an experience in itself. The town is smaller than San Pedro and much less touristy. The main street is filled with textile shops where the women are actually there weaving, rather than the tourism shops in San Pedro where someone is just selling them. I went in several of the shops and talked to a few of the shopkeepers. They were all very friendly and helpful. I was hoping to find a small woven table runner that could be hung on the wall. However, most of the textiles were much larger than I was wanting. I did end up purchasing a small new makeup bag that is woven.

Today, I finally arrived in San Pedro. This morning in Antigua, I went to a fancy little French cafe for breakfast. Apparently Antigua isn't as early of a town as the others that I have been in. When I woke up, I was expecting the streets to be busy and shops to be open. It seemed that all of the other towns that I had been to in Belize and Guatemala were lively by 7am. However here, I only saw three cafes open in total. By 8am I caught my shuttle, and after about 45min of picking up others from their hotels, we left Antigua. By 11am, we had reached Panajachel. The views here of the lake and surrounding volcanoes were spectacular! From there, it was a 45min boat ride over to San Pedro. Here I'm staying at Mr. Mullets hostel. It's centrally located in town and even includes breakfast. But the best part? Hot showers. I walked down the main street, and found some tacos for lunch. The rest of the day was spent walking the main streets of town, and enjoying the hostel. The hos...

This morning was slow going. I went to the store to buy a yogurt for breakfast. Then, I Skype my parents because it's my mom's 60th birthday!! I also repacked my bag after getting my laundry back and read a little. This afternoon, we decided to go to Jorge's Rope Swing. Apparently it's a very popular tourist thing to do because there's not much going on in Flores. Now, I can see why it's so popular! We took a small boat to the other side of the lake. There was a platform over the water with a high dive as well as another platform on land for the rope swing. I went in right away just to swim and cool off, and the water was quite nice. I was expecting it to be cold, but it was very temperate. I then jumped off the rope swing, which started a chain reaction. From then on, it was constant jumping off the platform, swimming, and going off the rope swing. It was a great way to spend the day. Afterwards we walked around town to find a place to eat later as well as a h...

This morning was relaxing. I ran some errands around town before leaving Belize. One of those errands, was to pick up my spoon and fork... this was an interesting thing that did not go as I had hoped. I was expecting a smooth finish, thin, and oiled salad fork and spoon set. Instead, I received a rough cut, heavy and chunky, not oiled fork and spoon. The guy could tell this is not what I was expecting. I offered that he could wait and finish them later to sell to someone, but I decided to still buy them. Maybe back home I can sand them down and oil them myself. I should have realized that there would not be enough time to make them, and should have known to buy from someone who already had some made. I guess that's what I get for trusting someone. Lesson learned. After the fork and spoon situation, we rushed off to catch the bus to Benque, then a cab to the border. The bus was $3BZD and the cab was $5BZD. Once dropped at the border, I went straight through immigration and paid the...

Today was the earliest morning I've had yet. Somehow, waking up at 4am wasn't as hard as I had imagined. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and grabbed my day pack that I had packed the night before. I slept most of the way to Tikal which also helped. We arrived around 6am and met our tour guide. As we parked, howler monkeys greeted us; sounding like Jurassic park. (Which the sound to was apparently filmed in Costa Rica using howler monkeys.) The first most apparent thing about Tikal is that most of the ruins are still covered in jungle. In fact, only 10% is exposed today. With the highest temple (Temple IV) still being excavated, it is climbed using a wooden staircase. Other mayan sites such as Chichen Itza in Mexico look as if they kept it in pristine condition all this time. Like "oh wow, There's a perfect temple in the grass." Whereas at Tikal I would be walking down the path, and there would be a giant mound of dirt next to me, which was obviously a temple or ...

Lately I've been really bad about posting blog updates. I either am busy all day, am talking to people and don't feel like being antisocial sitting on my phone typing, fall asleep before I write, or more often than not - am lazy and do not feel like writing. Anyways... In a nutshell, today has been a big day for me! I started out by doing my first spelunking trip by exploring the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves in BELIZE! We swam, waded, and climbed our way half a kilometer into this massive cave with ancient Mayan remains inside. Then, I spontaneously decided to travel into GUATEMALA tomorrow for my remaining two weeks in central America! To top it all off, my dad and I have finally booked our trip to ECUADOR and PERU!! We met our your operator at 8am to depart for the ATM caves. Upon arrival, I was unsure if I should wear my sneakers or crocks that they could provide. However, it was about 5k (3.2miles) of walking; so I decided on my sneakers. I am so glad I made this dec...

Today was not that exciting. I woke up at 6am to catch the 7am bus again. I went from San Ignacio through Dangriga and Belmopan. In Belmopan we stopped for a quick lunch to go, and I got a delicious burrito with beans, chicken, cheese, and cabbage! I loved having some fresh greens again. Five hours later, we were in San Ignacio by noon. That afternoon, I wanted to have a slow lazy day. I talked to people at my hostel about where to go and what to see. Went out to get some more lunch, plus groceries for dinner and breakfast. Analice and I also walked around to find some tour options and booked the ATM caves for Wednesday. The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. For dinner I made sautéed sausage with zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and potatoes. Then, I talked with my dad to try and figure out our Ecuador and Peru plans; which are finally coming together!