Category: Travel

Considering it’s already mid January (seriously?? where does the time go?) we’re a little late on this post, but we really wanted to make sure we got it up. Traveling long term can be a whirlwind. Weeks can feel like days and a whole year can go by quickly. Jumping around to different countries can turn your memories into a big blur. That’s why it’s so important to reflect on your experiences. So here it is! Our favorite moments of 2013:

 

1. Bird Migration in San Miguel, Mexico

 

Hands down this was one of the coolest natural events we’ve ever seen in our lives. While visiting a friend in San Miguel de Allende we accompanied her and her mom to a huge meadow above the city. We had been told that the birds had changed their yearly migration pattern and were unexpectedly flying over San Miguel. We waited until just before sundown and suddenly thousands of bird flew into the sky, silhouetted against the fading light. They flew in clusters, weaving themselves in and out of our frame of vision like a perfectly timed dance. It was incredible.

 

2. Carnival in Veracruz, Mexico

I was our first night in Veracruz and we weren’t sure if we’d made the right choice to come all the way down from Mexico City. We spent the night sleeping on a cold tile floor with nothing but our clothes for cushion. Luckily, we braved the bad sleeping arrangement and stuck it out for Carnival. And it was AMAZING. Drinking, dancing, jumping on floats, partying with new friends until the early morning. Just awesome. An article about this is coming soon!

 

 

3. Lazy Beach Days in La Punta

What we wouldn’t give to go back to La Punta for a day and just lounge by the beach. Although we definitely took it for granted, we had it pretty good living in our epic beach house, just two dusty dirt blocks from the ocean.

 

4. Visiting the Zapatista Community, Oventic

While spending two months in San Cristobal we had the opportunity to learn all about the Zapatistas. This group has long fought the Mexican government for equal rights for indigenous people. Their fight continues, but for now they run their own autonomous governments and schools. We were lucky enough to be able to visit one of their communities to learn more about the movement and photograph their gorgeous murals.

5. Impromptu English Lessons With Local Kids

When we travel we always love to be able to give back to the communities we visit. Sometimes this happens through volunteering with organizations and sometimes it manifests itself more spontaneously. While in San Cristobal we met a group of kids who were eager to learn new English words. Whenever we ran into them in the street we became impromptu English teachers for the afternoon.

 

6. Semuc Champey

Jules has deemed this worthy of his top 13, even though (or maybe because?) I was visiting home at the time. Either way, this collection of pools surrounded by thick Guatemalan jungle is absolutely stunning.

 

7. Starting This Site!

Starting our site was definitely a huge highlight of 2013. We weren’t sure what to expect when we started putting up our writing for the world to see, but we couldn’t be happier with it. Although it’s been a lot of work, sharing our stories and photos with everyone has been so gratifying.

 

8. Nicaraguan Birthday Abroad

Spending a birthday abroad without your friends and family can be tough. Luckily Jules planned an awesome day for my 26th, surprising me with salsa lessons, then taking a tour of my favorite rum factory Flor de Caña. We wrapped it all up with a night of dancing with new hostel friends and a 4 am pool party. So, I can’t really complain.

 

9. Kicking it on the beach on Little Corn Island

If you don’t know how much we love the Corn Islands by now, well you can check it out here. There is nothing better than spending days lying in a hammock, drinking water fresh from a coconut and having the most incredible beach you’ve ever seen entirely to yourselves.

 

10. Caribbean island fishing with Elton

Over on Big Corn Island Jules spent his days fishing with local fisherman Elton. They caught Old Wife, Parrot Fish, Snapper and Jules even snagged a shark (that he “calmly” threw back). After a full day of fishing, they brought the fish back for us to fry upand wash down with cheap beer and rum.

 

11. Hitchhiking with the El Salvadorian gospel church

Easily one of the most random experiences of our trip was hitchhiking with an El Salvadorian gospel church. We were offered a ride with a very friendly local in what we thought was an empty school bus. When we hopped on board we were greeted with loud cheers and clapping. They all welcomed us into the bus with handshakes and hugs and even offered up their road trip snacks. We thought we had hit the hitchhike jackpot and didn’t think it could get any better, until they pulled out dozens of instruments. We spent the next few hours participating in nonstop sing-alongs and posing for group photos.

 

 

12. CUBA!

We can’t choose one particular memory from this country so we’re just going to have to say CUBA, all of it. The whole thing.Get excited for a lot more Cuba posts coming up!

 

13. The All Inclusive Lifestyle

What better way to wrap a 10 month backpacking trip, living like complete peasants, than an all inclusive resort in Cancun? Hey, we got a good deal on Groupon!

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With the holiday season officially here (only four shopping days left till Xmas!) many of us will be getting on a plane to visit family or friends sometime this winter.

I personally love flying. Entering an airport gives me an instant high that no other place does. Flying on a plane means taking off on a new adventure, leaving for months at a time to exotic new places, perhaps even visiting old friends. Or it means coming home. Usually after months away, exhausted, relieved and practically falling into my parents arms.

For the past three years and running I’ve left the states in early January, just after New Years. This year I’m leaving a little early to ring in the New Year with Jules in Australia! That is if my visa goes through. It’s been excruciatingly slow and it literally needs to be processed in the next three days so I can leave! Everyone cross your fingers!

So, since myself and so many others will be boarding a plane soon, I’ve compiled some fun, interesting and crazy flying facts. You can share these with your neighbor on the plane or just read them to distract you from the baby screaming 2 rows back, the guy who just sneezed to the left of you and the bitchy flight attendant who won’t give you another packet of pretzels. Enjoy your flight!

1. Are you a nervous flyer?

I don’t like to admit it but I still get nervous during takeoffs. I like to have my music on to keep me calm. Yes, I am that person that the flight attendant calls out in front of everyone.

                  “Ma’am, we’re taking off now, I’ll need you to turn off your electronic device.”

                  “Okay, ma’am time to turn it off.”

                  “MA’AM I can see your headphones under your hoodie!”

 Also, side note, I hate being called ma’am. But seriously why do we have to turn off our electronic devices during takeoff? I’m sure there are a million other rule-breakers who keep their iPhone/ iPad/ etc. on and I’ve never heard of it causing a crash. Every time I’m on a flight I wonder this and I always swear after we land I’m going to look it up. And then I forget. Every time. So here I am to impart wisdom on all curious travelers. What’s the big mystery? Well, personal electronic devices (PEDs to people in the biz) emit radio emissions that might interfere with the electronics system and communication with air traffic control. Oh, okay, that makes sense. But the exciting news is that the FAA has given permission to airlines to allow electronic devices during take off and landing! Yay! So let’s all use our Kindles and iPads during take off and see what happens!

2. We’ve all heard it before

The odds of getting in a plane crash are slim to none. Getting in a car crash on the way to the airport is waaaay more likely, and we don’t have any reservations about that. I for one attribute my plane nervousness to watching one too many Final Destination movies.  But just how dangerous is getting on a plane? Well to put a number on it, you have a one in 11 million chance of dying in a plane crash. Let’s compare that to some other statics shall we? You have a one in 3.7 million chance of being eaten by a shark, a one in 2.3 million chance of being killed by lightning and a one in 5,000 chance of being killed in a motor accident. Okay so flying doesn’t look so bad now. Also, if you are in the crash, you have a 95.7% chance of surviving. You have the same odds of dying in a plane crash as having natural conceived identical quadruplets. So yeah, I think we’re okay.

3. Just when you started to feel safe..

Here’s another fun fact for you. They say planes can basically fly themselves these days. Well, lets hope so, considering it’s not uncommon for pilots to fall asleep midflight! 56% of UK pilots admit to “in-flight napping” and 29% have said they’ve woken up to find their co-pilot also asleep! Oh brother.

4. Stock up on your Airborne

Planes are filthier than you even imagined! Tray tables and seat pockets are breeding grounds for germs. In-flight water has tested positive for E. Coli. And most major airlines only wash their blankets every five to 30 days! Yuck.

5. Be nice to your flight attendants!

Not only do they have to deal with grouchy travelers, but they are only paid for “in-flight time.” That means that when you are sitting there trying to cram your oversized carry on into the overhead compartment, they are only paid their $2/ hr per diem salary. Do everyone a favor- pack light and get your ass in the seat.

Have a safe flight!

Why Being Thankful Year Round is Imporant

Is it totally cheesy to write a post about all the things we are grateful for on Thanksgiving? Shouldn’t we just appreciate these things 365 days of the year, instead of on a designated holiday? Yes, and we do, but what better day than today to share these things with you?

 

Here are a few of the things we’ve grateful for this year:

 

Being Able to Travel

This year we only visited 7 different countries, but we traveled slow and saw some incredible places.

 

 

 

Our Health

Nothing like a serious case of parasites to make you realize just how important your health is. We try to take care of ourselves by eating well and exercising while traveling. But it isn’t always easy. Thankfully nothing too disastrous this year.

 

 

Seeing Some Absolutely Gorgeous Places

And spending a good chunk of this year lying on the best beaches in Central America, such as the amazing Corn Islands in Nicaragua.

 

 

 

 

Stuffing our Bellies Full of Some Super Delicious Food!

 

 

 

 

Having Each Other

Without having someone to bear some of the weight of backpacking (literally) I don’t think either of us would have made it this far. Traveling as a couple can get difficult at times, but with a few handy tips and tricks it isn’t the most difficult thing to do. Plus, as they say, a couple that travels together stays together! Ain’t that the truth.

 

 

Meeting Amazing Person After Amazing Person

This year we became friends, or just had the opportunity to sit down and chat, with some really inspiring locals and other travelers. It seemed like whenever we started to get the travel blues, and were ready to pack it in, we met someone who relit the spark and reminded us of how incredibly lucky we are to be traveling the world.

 

 

 

 

Yeeeeahhh! Thanks to everyone, those we met on the road and those who supported us back at home, for a fantastic year!

 

Coming home after traveling for a while can be tough. The excitement of constantly encountering new experiences suddenly comes to a halt, and the inevitable blues of ending your adventure start to set in. That being said, I don’t think any backpacker can deny that coming home has some serious advantages that you otherwise wouldn’t appreciate. Traveling, especially in developing countries, reminds us of the privileges and comforts we take for granted at home and how lucky we are to have these in our lives.

 

1) Having Clean Water!!

This is a huge one. Coming from an area of California where we are blessed with the deliciously fresh water of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, I must admit that even I take clean water for granted. Filling up a glass of water at the sink, washing my veggies under the tap and absentmindedly opening my mouth in the shower. I never really stop to think about it. But when we travel, water is such a high priority. Luckily we have our Steripen, which allows us to drink pretty much any water. But drinking sanitized nasty tap water and using environmentally unfriendly water bottles just isn’t the same.

Coming home and being able pour a cold glass of water doesn’t seem like a big deal, but after 10 months without clean water, it’s heavenly. And it’s something we should appreciate considering much of the developing world lacks access to clean water.

{ Glorious tap water! }

 

2) Being able to sleep in the same bed every night

And not just the same bed, but a comfortable one! My bed is something that I don’t take for granted. (I’ve pimped it out with mattress pads, comfy sheets and a million pillows. I’ve even given it the nickname “The Cloud”.) And there have been times when I’ve really missed it. Like one night when we were settling into bed in a hostel in Nicaragua and I noticed a small brown bug scurry across our pillow. Then we lifted up the sheets to find bed bugs EVERYWHERE. Seriously, I mean everywhere. We are so grateful to be back in the cloud.

 

3) A car

Nothing makes you more grateful for your own car than having to stand up on a bus for 4 hours with a screaming child wriggling out of his mother’s arms next to you.

 

4) The supermarket

After spending 10 months eating oats for breakfast, ( I swear I’ll never touch them again) walking into the grocery store feels like a dream. However, the amount of choices can be overwhelming. We spent half an hour at Trader Joe’s before we could finally decide on something to buy. Seriously, is it really necessary to have 10 different types of hummus? (Also, OMG hummus!!!)

{ Our favorite Trader Joe’s hummus. }

 

5) A private bathroom

We got over not being able to throw toilet paper in the toilet long ago. We adjusted well to not having toilet seats and paying for public bathrooms and could even stand some of the nastier toilet situations in Latin America. But one thing we are really grateful to have back is our own bathroom. Having some privacy while you do your business is priceless.

 

6) Clothes

After a long period on the road, you kind of just stop worrying about your appearance. Frivolities like make up and deodorant go out the door early. We tried to maintain a certain level of style, but really just ended up wearing the same outfit almost everyday. Needless to say, every single item of clothing we traveled with now has some sort of stain or hole in it. That’s if it even made it back at all. I, for one, am shocked my 5 dollar Target t-shirts haven’t been able to withstand 10 months of everyday use. Ridiculous. Jules and I have been particularly excited about our sweatpants. We’ve basically lived in them since we got back and we don’t plan on changing out of them anytime soon.

 

{ Autumn leaves in my backyard }

 

7) Seasons

This one is a bit more abstract, but hear me out. Latin America has basically two seasons: dry season & wet season. We were down there for a bit of both and both get old pretty fast. The dry season is hot & sunny. Everyday, all day. The wet season is either hot in the morning and rainy in the afternoon or rainy all day. Coming back to California in the fall we’ve been very aware of how much we missed real seasons. With the fallen leaves carpeting the ground in autumn, light drizzles followed by sun in the spring and the brisk cold of a winter day. I never thought I’d be so happy to be in cold weather. But, like I said before, sweatpants!

What comforts do you guys appreciate most when you return home? Let us know!

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So this is it! The final hoorah, the end, el ultimo… finito!

Since leaving for Mexico at the end of January this year it has been a non-stop adventure of traveling, hiking, non-profit working, volcano climbing, salsa dancing, surfing, Spanish speaking, lake swimming, cultural learning, hitch hiking, Caribbean island hopping, fish catching and rum drinking experiences.

We’re currently enjoying the all inclusive life in Cancun, Mexico! After finding a cheap GroupOn deal, we found it fitting to end a travel life of peasantry with a serious splash out. 4 nights, 5 days, right up until the flight back to the States. And by all inclusive, we mean ALL INCLUSIVE! Cocktails at any hour, fresh sushi bars, Mexican buffet, Italian gourmet, 10 course tapas, Moroccan delicacies… all for free, and as much as we want!

We don’t want to spoil it too much right now, because we’ll be writing a big article about this in the future, so we’ll leave it at this. WOW! That’s it!

By the time you read this we’ll be heading back to the land of home comforts and leaching off parents. The States are calling, and we’ll be touching down 11pm Thursday the 14th. If you’re around the California Bay Area, hit us up with a message. We’d love to catch up with you for a drink… just don’t expect us to pay!

Love you all!

 

 

 

 

 

A Travel Blogger’s Insight to Latin American Life

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.