While Away...

We've finally completed one of our objectives for our Central American adventures: a weeks intensive Spanish course.  However, I need to start at the beginning. On the 25th January, Bryony and I decided to change our plans. Originally we were aiming to head from Antigua (see previous post) to Xela (Quetzaltenango) in order to find a Spanish school but upon looking up some information on Lake Atitlan we quickly had a change of heart and booked ourselves a 3hr transfer to San Pedro La Laguna; a small but bustling pueblo right on the glittering turquoise shores of Lake Atitlan, in the shadow of the San Pedro volcano. The transfer minibus was small and full of other tourists as it pulled away from Yellow House hostel at 8am the next day. As is normally the case in Guatemala, the driving was somewhat dubious and the actual rules of the road difficult to see under a fog of interpretation. Furthermore, the driver seemed to also have other errands to run whilst on the way to our...

Greg looking awesome Happy 2018! We are now in the correct calendar year for the beginning of our adventure. The start of January has entailed buying a lot of kit and sorting all the minutiae of what happens when our boots are on the ground. Although Bryony and I are going for an all round minimalist approach (not booking in advance ) there are still lots of important things to sort before getting on the plane. Firstly, we sorted our visas/waivers, this is easy to do but could scupper your plans if not thoroughly researched. We are transiting through Canada and the USA. To do this we need Electronic Travel Authorizations for both countries. Both systems are pretty cheap (£14 each) and take around 10 minutes to complete. The US ESTA gives you 29 days to transit through the country, allowing us to leave the airport and check into a hotel during our 13 hour layover. If ETAs are not approved before travel, you will be stopped at the border and although it can usually be sorted there,...

                4 things we learnt from traveling and what we are doing  differently   Since the writing of my last blog I have moved exactly zero meters. This blog is going to center around mine and Bryony's previous trips, with a few pretty pictures, what we normally do and things we learned along the way.   ©  GWilgar 2015 So, full disclosure our trips have so far have focused around looking in bushes for reptiles and amphibians. Yes, you read right, what most people try to avoid when in the countryside we try to find. For the last four years both in the UK and abroad we have gone out in to the wilderness to either survey herps (reptiles and amphibians) for science or photography (see above image). Neatly bringing me on to our first regret.   Language and culture   One of my big regrets is not spending more time immersed in the wonderful cultures we have passed through on the w...