Journey to the centre of the Americas

#nofilter #campingintheclouds #acatenango #bestcamp

#jungle #volcanomodera #epicclimp

#nicaragua #flag #rainbowsandvolcanoes

#Christmaseve #santacheckingonhiselves #granada #nicaragua

#Nicaragua #localbus #islaomepete

_carma_design #elgigante #nicaragua #sunset #amigas

#streetart #laspeñitas #nicaragua #seafrontforsale #morningrun

#surfer #bluesky #laspeñitas

#trektoboldmountain #buenavista #nicaragua #matagalpa #solotrek

#coffeemachine #matagalpa #buenavista

#antigua #guatemala #sundayhangover #citystroll _weehoggy

#turtle #latortugaverde #tinygem

#rutadeflores #elsalvador #abseilingwaterfalls #privatetour #2guides4dogsandjustme #7waterfalls

Untitled

#Honduras #copanruins #parrots #macaws #templemagic

#horseriding #honduras #hilltop #lasruinas #copan

#guatemala #antigua #sundayhangover #citystroll #bridgeoverwater #colonialstyle

#trekking #volcano #antigua #pineforresr #toughasfuck #backpacks #acatenango #acatenangohike

#fuegoeruption #campingintheclouds #acatenango #eruption #bestcamp

#acatenango #runbackdown#madeittothetop #sunrise #volcanoash #buenavista #guatemala

#guatemala #mountaindog #climbseveryday #fittestonearth #acatenango #tarzan #madeittothetop

#acatenango #sunrise #madeittothetop #coldasfuck #volcano

#lakeatitlan #guatemala #boatarrival #sansomething #travelinstyle

#yogi #guatemala #lakeatitlan #sittingonthedockofthebay #lakeside

#chichicastanango #marketplace #guatemala #flowersellers #shoptillyoudrop

#protestaccrosstheworld #fucktrump #guatemala #womenunite #standuptoracism #donaldesunpendejo

#wakingup #elparadon #surfhouse #guatemala #bedfor2nights

#guatemala #lachozachula #teamphoto #elparadon #beachdays #thankyou

Between the two great landmasses of North and South America lies Central America with boarders reaching from the Caribbean to the Pacific coast. Made up of countries dominated by beautiful scenery including palm-fringed beaches, volcanic peaks, enormous lakes, colonial towns and a rich Mayan culture.

I updated my CouchSurfing profile, a community of travelers who can connect with each other to meet up or offer a place to stay. Jose from Madrid contacted me before arriving in Jersey; he had visited 188 of the 196 countries in the world and became my personal travel guide, inspiring me to explore further than my destination Nicaragua.

After a plane, taxi, local bus and boat journey I met with my friend Carolina on the Island of Ometepe, formed by two volcanoes in the middle of lake Managua. Carolina writes a blog about the impacts of Climate Change. A meat loving Spaniard she has made a resolution to go vegetarian and is very conscious of the impact tourism has on the places we travel, especially our thoughtless use of plastic bottles. This conversation stayed with me throughout my journey.

Travelling on your own may seem daunting but it provides such great freedom. You cross paths with people who shape your experience. I met Vanessa when we hiked Volcano Maderas together. We spent Christmas recovering in the traditional town of Granada as local people celebrated whilst keeping their front doors open to the street; the sounds of firecrackers and church bells rang throughout the day and night. We enjoyed travelling on local ‘Chicken’ buses; they are the cheapest method of transport and a window into local life with the opportunity to sample street food.

At New Year, after visiting the surfer’s paradises of El Gigante and the very pretty Las Penitas, I spent the evening in the University City of Leon, watching the sky explode with fireworks at midnight. In the hill top town of Matagalpa I found a cheap room with a balcony overlooking the most spectacular view of a mountain valley. I bought a map for $1 from a children’s disability charity and after a local breakfast of eggs, beans, plantains and tortilla I set off on my own for a 7 hour trek into the wilderness. This exhilarating route took me off the beaten track to the highest peak and through mountain villages that produced coffee for the export market. Majestic birds and monkeys inhabited the forests and plantations.

Travelling from Nicaragua to El Salvador, I met a Salvadorian that has worked for 20 years in California as a postman. We discussed the revolution that had shaped the future of his country, forcing him to flee to the USA. I arrived in La Tortuga Verde at sunset, a beach resort with yoga, pelican rescue and turtle sanctuary, popular with locals who enjoy beach life. One bus journey took me in to the capital, San Salvador, one of the most dangerous cities in Central America, infamous for the highest murder rate in the world. I passed through without a hitch and arrived in the village of Juayua on the Ruta de las Flores, which was experiencing a cool and windy afternoon. Two local guides helped me discover seven spectacular waterfalls, abseiling into the rainbow filled cascades. Santa Ana, a trading town close to the border, stole my heart with its rich markets, textiles and restored theatre. I discovered a hostel named La Casa Verde with spacious dorms, a pool, roof top terrace and beer fridge.

The Copan Temples in Honduras are home to macaws and discovered by very few tourists. The carved temples rise from the green jungle, home to the ancient Mayan civilization that disappeared in 900AD. The most likely explanation was an increase in population that led to a crippling famine caused by deforestation, decimation of food production, disease and flooding. In the afternoon I hired a horse and guide to meet remaining decedents of the Mayans in their rural community.

I crossed into Guatemala by shuttle bus to get to Antigua, a 17th Century UNESCO world heritage site over looked by a ring of volcanoes and a large cross on the hillside. This tourist must-see provided streets filled with a lively night scene of restaurants and dark bars that by day transformed to yoga studios, vegetarian cafes, smart clothing stalls with local traders.

A two-day trek up Acatenango to witness the active volcano, Fuego, is not to be missed. The advice is to always take a recommended tour and very warm clothing; six people had died from hyperthermia the week before when they had attempted the summit without a guide. The climb to base camp took 5 hours over loose ash, volcanic rocks, cloud forest and plunging cliff paths. Camping on a cliff above the clouds we watched Fuego smoke, the clearing vista across Antigua and Guatemala City lit up as darkness fell and the stars appeared. Each of us was captivated by the sight of red-hot lava spewing from the centre of the earth. Explosions thundered throughout the night and at 4am we climbed the final summit to an altitude of 4000m. Beyond the shadows of the volcano we were standing on I could see Lake Atitlan glisten.

A boat taxi took us skipping across the bays to San Marcos on Lake Atitlan. A hippy like culture has exploded up the mountainside reminiscent of the Greenfields at Glastonbury Festival. I experienced the famous market in full swing in the town of Chichicastenango, a textile and craft delight for any keen shopper or admirer of artisans.

On my journey I met a group of ladies with protest signs, Trump had become president of the most powerful country in the world and the danger seemed too close to home. Americans from the north to the south were enjoying the freedom of travel and the joys of a global community and on that day women were uniting across the globe.

In El Paradon on the Pacific coast I met friends who had set up La Chuza Chola, a social enterprise providing education and enterprise training to local people as surf tourism increased. With an offer of a lift to the airport in time for my flight to Miami I savored the days before I left the beach. The contents of my bag gifted away and replaced with new memories, souvenirs, woven clothing and my spirit filled with a commitment to not eat meat, to continue to stand up for the beauty and diversity of humanity and the earth we live on.

Find out more - Get Involved

Carolina's Blog- https://engineeringaroundtheworldsite.wordpress.com

Charity Initiative http://www.lachozachula.org

Reading List

Central America on a Shoe String - The Lonely Planet (October 2016)

Costa Rican Spanish Phrasebook – Lonely Planet

Love in the Time of Cholera- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Finding your Passion- Ken Robinson

A short history of tractors in the Ukrainien - Marina Lewycka

Philosophy for a Time of Crisis – Adrienne Koch