Layovers – love them or hate them, you can’t get away from them

You can expect the dreaded layover if you decide to venture abroad, and your expected time in the air exceeds a few hours. Time spent waiting for your next connection can be anywhere from sprinting to the next gate to catch your connecting flight, to setting up camp and thwarting opportunist thieves by entwining yourself …

Destination: Koh Samui, Thailand

As I was thinking about where to write about next, I couldn't go past one of my favourite countries to date, a country that I have visited many times for one reason or another. Living half my life in Australia meant countries like Thailand were on our door step, readily accessible for the next intrepid …

Travel Advice (and why you should ignore it)

We humans love to give out advice. Absolutely love it. You think that you don't? Take a moment to reflect on some conversations or text threads you've had recently. Ah yes, there it is. In any case, apart from us loving the sound of our own voices and communicating our wisdom to all within earshot, …

Trip wrap up – Belize and Guatemala

I thought I'd do a little wrap up from the recent trip to Belize and Guatemala. This was only a 3 week trip, dividing my time almost equally between both countries, in only a few towns total. This is an extremely short trip as far as most down this side of the American continent are …

Belize Diaries – Day 10

We pick up the story from the border of Guatemala and Belize. It only took just over 2 hours to get here from Flores, the main jumping off point for visiting the Mayan ruins of Tikal, and a sweet little island town in its' own right. Our bus driver has just finished his breakfast and …

Guatemala Diaries – Day 7

I didn't actually need the alarm to wake up at 4:30 this morning. I've always had an uncanny (and irritating) habit of waking up just before my alarm when I have to catch a bus/taxi/plane in the morning. Further to that, I will also wake up at regular intervals throughout the entire night and my …

Guatemala Diaries – Day 6

You know when you say something and you know you've immediately jinxed it for yourself? Well I suggest you don't voice your appreciation that there's no roosters that live near to where you're spending the night. My van was scheduled for an 8 am departure, but I didn't need an alarm as the local rooster …

Guatemala Diaries – Day 5

Waking up to the sound of the jungle and rain hitting a tin roof is something else. The day has started off steamy and the feeling of immersion in the Guatemala is real. It's market day today, and Lanquín is buzzing. It's a dramatic change from the sleepy (and drunk) town it was yesterday. There's …

Guatemala Diaries – Day 4

Yesterday at Semuc Champey was all time. A lot of cuts and bruises but made it out all in one piece. Some fellow travellers will be getting out there today for some fun in the sun. I actually walked past them as they were booking their trip while an insanely drunk local was rolling around …

Guatemala Diaries – Day 2

The bad news and the good news came all at once today. After a few beers on the hill in Flores, I was not in the mood for an early start. The previous evening I'd been informed that my bus was leaving at 5:30 am instead of 8 am. Through a conversation in broken Spanish …