My “easy” travel day from Granada to Isla Ometepe turned out to be quite the adventure. I found the bus easy enough, but since they don’t leave until full, I ended up waiting for an hour and a half. And by full, I mean we were stuffed in there like sardines. By now I’m already pretty sweaty and gross. The bus only goes to Rivas, so next I had to find a taxi to the San Jorge boat dock. I…
My flight from San Salvador to Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, was quick and easy. And the driver of the shuttle I booked was waiting for me to whisk me away to my next official stop in Granada. The first thing I notice about Granada is how insanely hot and humid it is. This has to be in the top three hottest and most humid places I’ve ever been on earth. I don’t know if I can do this. I…
The bus ride from Atacó to Juayua is probably the easiest transport I’ve had. Between all the tourists here on the Ruta de las Flores and all the locals making their way around, there are chicken buses going back and forth all day long, and the ride was only about an hour. I found my awesome little hotel and checked right in. There’s only three rooms around this beautiful courtyard with an outdoor kitchen. My room was the furthest down…
I left Santa Ana to begin my trip through El Salvadors Ruta de las Flores, also known as the tourist track. This is supposedly the most beautiful part of El Salvador due to the unbelievable display of flowers that bloom all over the region during the summer. I’m missing the grand blooming, unfortunately, but it’s still a super beautiful area. My base for the first part is in Concepción de Atacó. The Ruta de las Flores is dotted with, primarily,…
I’m learning that getting around Central America is pretty darn easy. There are lots of cheap shuttle options that usually pick you up right at your hotel, and when there’s not, there’s an easy bus going right where you want. Just two blocks from my hotel in Guatemala city was where the bus left for my next destination, Santa Ana in El Salvador, and the next country on my list. The border crossing was easy and quick, and in just…
Just a short minivan trip west from Antigua and down into a massive caldera surrounded by volcanoes is the beautiful Lago Atitlán. All the towns around the lake are named after saints and my base for this stop is in San Pedro la Laguna, which is probably the most popular one with the most hotels, restaurants, etc. The lake is considerably bigger than it appears on the map! My hotel is right on the shore of the lake and holy…
My flight from Flores was so quick, it felt like it was over before it began. Less than an hour after take off I was on the ground in Guatemala City. After a quick lunch at the airport I was in a car on my way to my next stop, Antigua. Despite Guatemala City being the capitol and the most populous city in Guatemala, Antigua is the epicenter of the country, at least as far as tourism goes. With it’s…
This last post from Namibia is going to be a short one. My final stop was in the far south of the country, Fish River Canyon. It was a long six hour drive that also included one tire exploding. Seriously, it exploded! Scared the crap out of me! Changing a tire in 100° heat wasn’t fun either, but I arrived safely. First thing, I had to check into my campground at the Canyon Roadhouse. To say this establishment seems out…
The drive from Brandberg was, in short, about seven hours of sand. Haha! Luckily, though, my route took me back through Swakopmund, and at lunchtime. So I went back to Fork ‘n Nice for another helping of the best fish ‘n chips on the planet. After a couple of hundred miles the terrain finally started to become a little more interesting. Suddenly, there were hills and then mountains as I got closer to my next stop, Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park….
There really wasn’t much difference in the scenery driving inland from the Skeleton Coast. Lots and lots of remote desolation, sand, and very foggy, misty air. Eventually the air got drier and warmer and I was able to stop and wipe the coating of brine off the windows. I haven’t been able to see out the side windows or the mirrors in a few days. Yuck! Brandberg is actually a small mountain range in a part of Namibia known as…