Hello World

Honduras! 

Was pleasantly surprised by Honduras. Plus now I can say I made it through the country with the highest murder rate in the world. Eek! To be fair, I only visited the safest/most tourist friendly parts (Copan and Roatan).

Below are some of my favorite memories. These photos are all from my phone since my camera charger is still in Guatemala 😉

Border crossing with my G Adventures tour group! Easy process.

Tuk tuk rides…when it’s just too hot to walk (which is pretty much all the time).

Who doesn’t love wild macaws? 

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Hot springs! This place was amazing! The road to get there…..not so much. 

I had no idea Honduras had such beautiful Caribbean  islands! The water was warm, turquoise blue, and very salty. Spent all day at this beach (West Bay) on the island of Roatan.

This was the ferry to the island. Beautiful in itself, although I slept most of the way 🙂

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Thank you for all the pleasant surprises, Honduras! Heading South from here to Nicaragua. More beaches, ruins, and rainforests to come!

XO, Melissa

A Week in Guatemala

The two videos below are from the Mayan ruins of Tikal, in the state of Peten, Guatemala. It was magical at sunset and there was barely anyone around (one good thing about visiting in off season). The second video shows a large pack coati (relatives of raccoons). We also saw tucans and monkeys in the park.

Tikal was once the most important Mayan site. Most of the ruins remain covered and buried by rainforest. Many of the limestone structures are built in groups of two facing each other, to align perfectly with the sunrise and sunset (some as high as 70 meters/230 feet). The higher the structure, the more intimidating it was to other groups, and also indicates the economy was prosperous. Tikal was abandoned around 900 A.D. due to overpopulation and deforestation.

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 We were able to climb some of the structures, but most were off limits.

Below pics are from the town of Flores. It’s a small island and you can walk everywhere on foot. Another beautiful sunset here, over Lake Peten Itza.

My favorite place in Guatemela was Lake Atitlan. A magical place that is said to be one of the three energy vortexs in the world (the others are Machu Pichu and thepyramids  of Giza). It did feel like a very special place to me. How can a lake surrounded by volcanoes and rainforest be any other way? 🙂 There are many towns that surround the lake, I stayed in San Marcos (the hippie town). Also took a fabulous nearly two hour yoga class from Robin at La Paz.

One of my favorite moments was spending hours sitting on this dock all by myself, just contemplating and taking it all in. I also booked my accomadation online, and when I arrived did not realize it was a treehouse! That was a pleasant surprise that made me laugh. However, when I returned later at night I discovered it was crawling in massive rainforest spiders (I’m terrified of spiders).  After spending an hour standing in the middle of the room debating what to do and trying to kill the biggest one (which I failed at), I pulled the mattress to the middle of the room and barely slept all night. Had planned on staying another night but just couldn’t do it! These are the things why I love traveling…you never know what to expect. Even though at times it can be scary….it is never boring.

And below are few pics of Antigua. A Spanish colonial city with picturesque buildings everywhere. So many colors and textures!

Overall I loved Guatemala and could easily spend more time here. A week was not nearly enough. I also felt safe being here alone, although I didn’t go out at night. Next country on my list…..Honduras! 

Hello from Belize!

Basically tropical paradise! 

I’ve had a bit of a difficult time transitioning into this trip, mostly from the natural disaster craziness of the past two weeks. Wish I could say I’ve been exploring Belize more, but mainly I’ve just been resting. As soon as I arrived, I booked it for the islands and have not moved since.

The events of the last couple weeks have made me uneasy. Experiencing Tropical Storm Lidia firsthand, and flying through Houston and seeing the effects of Hurricane Harvey were a lot to take in. Then I learned there was a devastating 8.1 earthquake in Mexico the day that I left. Plus there are three active hurricanes in the vicinity of where I’m at (Irma, Jose, and Katia). It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least, but I’m finally feeling ready to move onward (and inland!)

Here are some photos from the beautiful island of Caye Caulker. I’ve been here the last five days. There are no cars here (only golf carts and bicycles). The island is tiny, only 8 feet in height at it’s tallest, and situated on the Belize Barrier Reef. The saying here is “Go Slow” which is just fine with me 🙂

Up next: Guatemala!!!

Mexico Road Trip – Part 2 (Gotta Go!)

DAY SIX: Peace out, Guerrero Negro! We decided it was time to go, even though roads were a mess, and many areas where still washed out (in which case you go off road). It was encouraging to hear from locals that roads are repaired quickly here, with Highway 1 being the priority. So we hoped for the best, stocked up on gas/water/food, and headed South for Loreto. Below is the worst of what we drove through (this is near San Ignacio, where we almost stayed). I have a video of us driving through this, which I will try to upload later (sorry Mom).

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DAY SEVEN: drive to La Paz. Probably my favorite city on this trip, although we barely saw it. The drive along Highway 1 is stunning. For anyone considering this drive, I would say do it! We did not feel unsafe or in danger at any point along our drive (with the exception of weather-related issues). Once we arrived in La Paz, we stayed at La Concha, which was right on the beach. We were so excited to be getting closer to our destination!

DAY EIGHT: finally arrived in Cabo (the day before I had to leave!) It was pretty surreal and sad being there actually….seeing all the destruction from the storm. In all, seven people died, and the storm brought 27 inches of rain in two days. Both Carly and I felt a little unsettled when we arrived. Her kitty Aura did the best out of all of us!

DAY NINE: Had to say goodbye to Mexico! It felt strange leaving when I just arrived. It was also sad to say goodbye to Carly after our time together. Wishing her the all best on her new adventure in Cabo! Hoping I will be back soon to visit 🙂

Mexico Road Trip – Part 1 (Stranded in Guerrero Negro)

It’s time for a road trip! One of my best friends Carly is moving to Mexico, so we’re driving her belongings (and cat!) all the way down the Baja peninsula from Tiujana to Cabo San Lucas. We decided to make the trip in three nights/four days (about five hours driving time and 250 miles per day). Well, that did not go as planned….and what was supposed to be an easy three night trip, turned into eight. This adventure has certainly been a lesson in going with the flow, taking things as they come, and trying to make the best of each moment (which was a challenge).

DAY ONE: crossed the Mexican border. Pretty easy process considering we had a full car, visa entry requirements, a cat, and speak limited Spanish. We did get pulled aside for a full scan, but overall pretty easy. Drove a few hours along the coast (it was foggy!) and arrived in the town of San Quintin around mid day. I was surprised to see many grapevines along the way in the desert. I didn’t try any Mexican wine while here because the cerveza is too tempting! We stayed at the most adorable hotel called Hotel Jardines Baja. This is where we first heard about the developing storm, and started monitoring it. The storm was given the name Lidia, and it’s projected path was directly along our driving route headed in our direction.

DAY TWO: made the drive through the desert along Highway 1 to Guerrero Negro. Best part of this day was seeing wild horses and stopping at a taco stand! Everyone we’ve met along the way has been so kind, helpful, and friendly. Sunny skies so far…so we weren’t sure what to make of the storm.

DAY THREE: instead of driving to Loreto as planned (which is five hours South and closer to the storm), we decided to go just a little farther South to wait it out in San Ignacio. After a fun day exploring San Ignacio and realizing there wasn’t a single person around, we headed back to our room and learned the storm was more devastating than expected. We looked up photos of Cabo, researched road closures, and consulted with our hotel who advised us to leave and head back North (we were the only ones at the hotel). So we ended up rushing to repack and drive North again to Guerrero Negro. Turns out we were in a low area and had we stayed, would have been flooded in for days. Pics below are from San Ignacio while we were unaware of the seriousness headed our way.

DAY FOUR: Guerrero Negro. Most of this day I stayed in bed and felt sorry for myself. And drank cerveza. We did venture out for a little exercise and got soaked in the process. I’m sure we looked absolutely crazy to the people around town. In the radar map below, we are the blue dot!

DAY FIVE: Guerrro Negro. Again. This was our favorite day here though, since we met a couple of fellow stranded travelers who were heading out to explore the salt flats and lighthouse. By this time, the storm had passed and it was just a matter of waiting before the roads were repaired (Highway 1 had washed out in several places).

Below I’m standing in the salt flats. The ride out there was very hot, and not a single tree! We did about 20 miles, and also swam in the ocean near the lighthouse. Day was completed with ice cold coffee drinks and taco shop! The last photo below shows what happens when you’re starving, indecisive, and everything costs $1 🙂

Trekking in the Himalayas!

I expected this one to be tough….but it was tougher than I expected. So. Much. Tougher. As in the hardest physically challenging thing I’ve ever done. It was also mentally tough looking up at the mountains surrounding you, and knowing you have to climb them (for 5 days….all while you don’t feel well). It was an amazing and humbling experience. The views of the mountains are just stunning. The steps are massive and there is no flat (“Nepali flat” as our guides call it). Much respect to all the hardcore mountain climbers out there that make this trek look like a stroll in the park!

I looked and felt like death most of the time. Most of our group was physically ill for the first part of the trek. A note about the local whiskey: sometimes a great idea, sometimes a horrible idea. Not so great in this case. So about half of us were ill from that. And if you can’t go on, your options are to either hire a donkey and guide to carry you, or helicopter out….so you kind of have to continue on. Our group consisted of two smaller groups of about 9. I booked this through Earthbound Expeditions – I would highly recommend them (plus they are a Nepalese company that supports the local economy and people).

One of my favorite things about Nepal (and India) is the common greeting of “Namaste.” In yoga class, we say that a lot (mostly to close practice), but I just love it as a greeting. As you meet people going up and down the trail, you hear it all the time. Just makes me smile!

Prayer flags are everywhere in Nepal. Loved seeing these colorful reminders as a way to promote peace, strength, compassion, and wisdom. Each color represents an element to bring harmony and balance. The wind carries these positive messages and prayers to open spaces and people where flags are hung.

First day…still feeling good!

Amazing porters! It was humbling being passed up by these guys, as they rush by you barely breaking a sweat, and carrying multiple people’s bags. I was stubborn though and didn’t give up my bag.

We crossed so many bridges like these below. Good thing I’m not afraid of heights! We crossed some amazing rivers along the way too.

Coming down! So many donkeys on the trek. That and good old fashioned man power (porters) are how goods get transported here. No cars! You need to make room for donkeys as they pass you, because they will bump right into you. Also….must watch where you step.

Fake smile below. The first part of this day was really tough. That juice in my hand gave me the much needed energy to continue, when I had zero appetite and the smell of food made me feel sick.

Below is a real smile, the “hallelujah I actually made it” smile – can you tell the difference?? This is after finishing the longest day of the trek, in the village of Ghorepani. I think we did about 16 kilometers (1o miles) straight uphill.

“Nepali flat” (as in no flat whatsoever). So steep! And it goes on and on and on….

This is what villages look like in Nepal:

We saw some beautiful butterflies and flowers, too!

Just taking in the amazing views! This is one of our guides (Hari).

This sign made me laugh. As in it felt like the trek went on for millennium!

Below are a few friendly reminders and inspiration 🙂 There are so many positive paintings, alters, artwork, and decoration all around Nepal. Love that.

Below is what we hiked all this way to see! The view is from Poonhill, looking out over the Annapurna mountain range. We were at 3,210 meters/10,530 feet (which is not even that high compared to other treks in Nepal). Everest is 8,848 meters/29,029 feet! The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking. This was the coldest morning by far.

One of my favorite parts of the trek?? Finishing it! And getting to soak in these natural hot springs at the end of the day! Ahhhhmazing!

Below are our fabulous guides, Hari and Namaraj. This was after we finished and were back in Pokhara. Many thanks to them for keeping us safe and fully medicated 🙂 I think we were a bit of a needy group, haha. If anyone needs a guide in Nepal, I would absolutely recommend them.