At Don't Forget To Move we help promote and inspire adventurous, authentic and responsible travel around the world. With a lot of crazy stories in between! We show travelers how to see the world authentically through unique stories, engaging photography and videos, honest reviews and practical travel tips.
Meet Maricela! This little cutie was the next door neighbor of our host family in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. Although quiet at first, she was quick to warm up to us, and often came over to play games in the yard. She is an absolute sweetheart, but don’t be mistaken by that smile, she also has a mischievous side. One of her favorite pranks was hiding sand inside Jules’ shoes. But who couldn’t forgive a face like that? She loved it when we chased her around the yard. She’d giggle and scream, but eventually end up in our arms for a big hug.
Like most young girls around San Pedro she wore the traditional Mayan dress, intricately hand woven with beautifully bright colors. When she wasn’t spilling food down her top and getting her mum to clean it, you’d see her parading around town like a little woman carrying shopping bags from the market and helping the family.
Say what you will about Ricky Martin, but he sure got one thing right when he sang about Living La Vida Loca! Latin America is a crazy place, full of crazy people who live a crazy life! But we dig it, that’s why we’ve been traveling through it for the last three years. Sometimes it’s possible to take all these crazy things for granted when they become a part of your everyday life, so we decided to sit down and think about what makes Latin American life so loca!
Angry Birds Still Rules the World
Back home the Angry Birds fad ended with the game, but down here it has become a way of life. You don’t have to own a smartphone to get in on this craze, heck you don’t even have to play the game. Latin Americans are obsessed with Angry Birds accessories. The pudgy cartoon birds are plastered on every t-shirt, backpack and baseball cap across Latin America.
Fireworks For Every Occasion
You’ve just arrived in Central America and the first thing you hear are what sounds like bombs being blasted all around you. Rest assured, you haven’t just entered a war zone. Latin America is obsessed with fireworks. During religious festivals, holidays or just on a random Tuesday. And who doesn’t love a good fireworks show? The smoke, the noise. Oh you actually want to see the show? Don’t count on it, as most of them are set off during the day. Go figure.
Coco-Cola Endorsed Babies
Have we missed something over the last 18 months, or can Coca Cola now sponsor whole continents? The way they drink this stuff, you’d swear it was the elixir of life. Morning, noon and night. In Mexico, old Mayan customs have started to incorporate Coca Cola into their religious ceremonies. One time we even saw a woman filling up a bottle with Coke and feeding it to her baby at 7 am. Then she wonders why it won’t go to sleep?
Trashy Promo Girls
It’s 10 am. All you want to do is go to the grocery store to pick up some milk. Suddenly you are bombarded by promo girls in gold bikinis shaking their asses next to speakers blaring reggaeton. All to promote the big sale on…. Diapers? Latin America loves their promo girls. From grocery stores to pharmacies to inappropriately young birthday parties. Work it ladies.
Unauthorized Celebrity Endorsements
Unauthorized celebrity photos are used all over Latin America, in all kinds of dodgy advertising. From hair salons to camera repairs to supermarket sales. Unless she’s struggling to get a part these days, we’re pretty sure Jessica Alba hasn’t signed off on being in this ad for a Mexican mobile phone store.
Street Dog Gangs
Walking around at night with your valuables is the least of your worries in Latin America. The most valuable item you can carry with you is a fistful of rocks to thwart the packs of dogs that own the street after dark. They’re ruthlessly territorial and get especially cocky at night. Lucky even a feigned throw of a rock will leave them running in the other direction.
Señor Ice-Cream Man
No matter where you are, or what time it is, if you want ice cream, a man pushing a cart with a bell will magically appear. And no one will judge you for getting a Triple Choc Fudge for breakfast.
Don’t Forget To Move is getting some promo on! This short travel promo video is all about the MOVE! A mash up assortment of trips and adventures along the road so far! Unlike our dodgy internet in Central America at the moment, this video is best viewed in HD if you can!
If you love us, please share it!
Also if you love this track Peter Pan by Jinja Safari as much as we do, make sure you check out the rest of their awesome album Locked by Land through their homepage or MySpace page!
After a long morning spent hiking through the Ixil Triangle in Guatemala, we hurriedly began the walk back to the hostel, hoping to avoid the afternoon rain. As we walked through the tiny town of Acul, we passed a group of young kids at school, yelling and waving. They enticed us into the school to take photos, only to run away whenever we got close. This happened at least 5 times. The teachers laughed and we began to walk away, but then contemplated turning back to poke our heads into the classroom.
Going back would definitely mean walking home in the rain, but we decided to chance it. When we entered the classroom, instead of being greeted with laughs and smiles, most of the kids started crying, cowering behind the teachers, in fear of these foreign visitors. We were scared that we had permanently scarred the children, but after a few minutes they started to open up to us. We end up staying for an hour, learning Spanish versions of childhood songs (including the Hokey Pokey) and teaching them a few English ones, like Old McDonald. Here’s some of the cuties we met there:
Being a backpacker is all about enjoying the little things. And how better to enjoy the moment than soaking up the Caribbean coast of Colombia with a fresh Pina Colada? A fancy pants cocktail can end up costing you up to 10 dollars in an upscale beach bar. Why pay extra just to have someone put a tiny umbrella in your glass? We’ve perfected the ultimate beach budget cocktail recipe. Part creativity, part foraging and big glug of rum. This cocktail is an afternoon of laying in a beach side hammock, in a glass.
Ingredients
Start by gathering all your ingredients, and sometimes I mean quite literally ‘gathering’.
The piña (pineapple) is easy. You can pop down to your local morning market or corner fruit store to get one cheap and fresh. If you can pluck the leaves out of the stem, it usually means it’s sweet and ready.
For the ron (rum) you won’t need to break the budget. Don’t be afraid of the bottom shelf rum in plastic bottles. Mixed with our other ingredients, you won’t be able to taste the difference.
Next comes the hielo (ice). Rather than pay for a massive bag you can usually buy small personal ‘agua en una bolsa’ (water in a bag). Pop them in the freezer and you’ll have the perfect amount.
The funnest part, the coco (the coconut). If you’re feeling lazy you’ll get one at market; if you’re feeling adventurous you’ll find yours at the beach for gratis. Take a cruise down to the shore and start hurling old fallen coconuts at the fresh ones in the trees. Watch out for stray territorial dogs, or the possibility of being on private property and having an old man chase you out.
Preparation
First you need to get the coconut ready. This requires a local machete wielding amigo, or a bit of resourcefulness. You can try to smash open the top point of the husk on a rock and peel it away, but if it’s fresh this can be tough. Otherwise you can swing the machete yourself, and try not to cut your hand off.
Drain the coconut water by piercing a hole through what looks like tiny bowling ball finger slots. Two holes will help it drain faster. Collect a few coconuts worth of water and then crack one open and carve out the meat.
Put the coconut flesh and water into a blender. As a ratio I use one coconut of flesh to three coconuts of water. Crank it up to high and blend into a frothy milk.
Cut the pineapple into small cubes and remove the tough core.
Smash the bag of ice on the floor to crack it all up. Or crack it up with the back of the machete.
Add the pineapple and ice to your new coconut concoction and blend for a few minutes.
Depending on your preference, you can strain some of the pulp, or keep it original and chewy.
Add rum to taste and blend again for 30 seconds. Pour in a tall glass (or a coconut shell), add some more ice and enjoy!
Believe us, after a few ‘research’ trials we can definitely confirm these are the freshest and cheapest Pina Colada going round!
