travel blog

When Travel Sickness Strikes – How To Cope

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*Warning* this post is explicit in the shameless details of being ill- if you’re easily disgusted, don’t keep reading! 😛

So it finally happened. I got sick. Real sick.  Two days before I left Guatemala, I came down with mild food poisoning. I got through a bad night of basically trying to sleep while sitting on the toilet, the agonizing cramps making me nearly cry out for my mommy. There’s something about being violently ill that makes you want you mother desperately. I had flashbacks of warm baths, cold cloths on my forehead, four litre ice cream buckets that we dubbed “puke pails”, gingerale, tums, and gentle back rubs from moms comforting hands. Unfortunately all I had was a shared public bathroom with doors that were open on both the top and bottom, allowing all the gastric sounds to escape easily. Continue reading →

Medellin And Bogota Photo Essay

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Flying from Medellin to Bogota where I had a layover on my way to Santa Marta- the flight is gorgeous and worth the kink in the neck!

Here are a few snaps from my time spent wandering these incredible and massive Colombian cities. I’ve been sick my whole time in South America so I haven’t been able to see or do near as much as I had hoped, but what I have seen has been pretty incredible.  Enjoy! Continue reading →

Minca and Tayrona National Park: Paradise in Colombia

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After being bed ridden in Medellin for several days, the itch to move on had become unbearable, despite my illness. It was time to get out! The bus up to Santa Marta would have taken me 24 hours, and since I was on a tight time schedule (and wouldn’t trust my bowels for 24 hours on a bus!) I booked a flight for a decent price with Avianca, a huge airline in Colombia. I arrived in the morning and while I waited for my room to be ready, slipped into the pool at the Dreamer hostel where I was staying. The cool pool was refreshing and kept the fever at bay. I decided I was going to tackle heading into Tayrona National Park even though I felt awful. I wanted to see a little of this beautiful country and didn’t want a little illness to stop me. So I packed a day bag, grabbed 5 litres of water and began my adventure into the park.

Continue reading →

Medellin and Bogota: The Giants of Colombia

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I was seething with excitement at being reunited with my good friend Anthony in Colombia as we had made plans to travel together through South America for the next three and a half months. Many moons ago, we hatched plans to meet in South America when were were both back in Yellowknife working for the City. Our friendship blossomed over endless talks of travel and alas we decided on meeting in Colombia in May. Continue reading →

Belizean Beaches and Caves

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I was scrambling to find a way to get to Belize to meet my dear friend from home Angela, as she had flown down to meet me and my dive course was already running behind. I spent endless hours trying to find the best, quickest and cheapest way to Belize City from Honduras, but let me tell you, it is not an easy trip to map out, unless you leave on a Monday! I was looking at having to take the ferry back to La Ceiba, a shuttle to Livingston Guatemala, another Ferry over into Belize and then another bus up to Belize City – and because of ferry and bus schedules it would take me 3 days!!!! Continue reading →

Travel Tips For Central America

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Central America is wonderful little collection of tropical countries that separate North from South America. I spent the last three months traveling through Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize. Three months was no where near enough time and I regrettably missed seeing El Salvador and Panama and only got to see a tiny bit of Honduras. It was my first time backpacking, so I was a bit of a novice at traveling in general, but I learned a lot about travel through Central America in those three short months. I’ve compiled a few of the things that I think would be most helpful to a first time traveler in Central America, however these tips could likely be applied to most places backpackers venture! Continue reading →

Back To Guatemala: Tikal Ruins

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My tuk tuk pitched out into traffic and jolted to a stop at the first set of lights. As it turned green, the motorcycle beside us lurched into a cat wheel, shooting ahead of us, the scooter next to him bolted after him, and our tuk tuk picked up the rear, gears grinding, engine struggling as it coughed to life and chugged through the intersection. Each gear shift was a screeching protest from the stressed engine. We puttered across the bridge and made our way from Santa Elena into the beautiful and quaint Flores. Cobblestone streets in abysmal disrepair took over for the pavement and we bumped our way along to my hostel, Los Amigos. Continue reading →

Semuc Champey; Where The River Hides Beneath The Earth

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Ah Semuc Champey, the treasure of Guatemala. How many times did I Google you and stare in wonder  at your picturesque beauty? Too many to count. You were the main reason I returned to Guatemala. How could I say I traveled this beautiful country if I had not rested my eyes on the fabled Semuc Champey, meaning ‘where the river hides beneath the earth’.

As I write this, I’m sitting in my rustic little ‘A’ frame thatch-roofed hut.  The front end, opposite the door and where my bed is positioned, has a three foot high railing and that is all- it’s left entirely open. The rain is hammering down, the torrents coming down in waves, thunder is reverberating in the distance and the occasional flash of lightening sends a blaze of light into the hut. It smells of wet jungle – moist vegetation and damp earth. I sit shrouded in the opaque protection of my bug net and once again I am astounded that this is my life. Continue reading →

Ultia, Honduras: The Island Of Sea Turtles, Dolphins and Crepes

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I decided to bite the bullet and take a shuttle for once instead of the cheaper local buses. The cost was $80USD from Leon, Nicaragua to La Ceiba, Honduras- and it was worth it. I was lucky enough to get the front seat (which reclined!) and as we took off at 2am, I settled back and snoozed. For the first time ever, the border crossing was a breeze. I was a little on edge because I had heard endless horror stories about buses and shuttles being hijacked in Honduras, and as we approached the border crossing there was a chain slung across the road to impede traffic and all the lights were out. Continue reading →