It is around 9:45, and I am perched on the edge of a bus seat, two fellow passengers to my left and three to my right. Thushan and I are on a “chicken bus”—an exciting term for what actually amounts to a yellow school bus that occasionally also transports live chicken, but even then, usually on the roof—headed to Guatemala City from Panajachel, a lake town that has volcanoes like New Zealand has sheep.

Late for our connecting bus to El Salvador, we’re somewhere in the mountains north of the city and it’s foggy, or maybe cloudy. Either way, there is about three feet of visibility, and our driver decides to pull one of the usual bus driver moves here: passing in a no passing zone. Even under normal conditions, this can be quite nerve wracking, given that it’s usually done at unsafe speeds on mountain cliffs, but I generally give them the benefit of the doubt since they act like they know what they are doing. In this case, however, I truly think I might die. (more…)

Our average rose to $30 a day as we bolted through the rest of Central America during our fourth week on the road. While we were able to keep food costs down, our travel and lodging costs rose significantly with numerous coach bus rides to get through five countries, quickly and in comfort. (more…)

Greetings from El Salvador, where everyone packs heat and you expect to see Carleton Heston around the corner! We hop on another long distance bus to begin our bolt from Guatemala to Nicaragua. Hop on the bus in today’s photo gallery.

Moving on, we head out of Xela, again on a chicken bus, to Central America’s deepest lake. Picture perfect Lago Atitlan and its conical volcanoes, dominates the scene, and this photo gallery of our day in Panajachel.

The prices baffled us in Guatemala - we found food costs high, but our lodging costs went down to a mere $6 a day at points. Quetzaltenango is seemingly designed for extended stays, with numerous guest houses to provide a home for the booming language school scene in town. We took advantage of one of these guest houses, and stayed at one place for five nights for $30 each - and we had our own rooms.

Our final day in Quetzaltenango was a lazy Sunday and, along with the rest of the city, we decided to take it easy. After a quick hike up a nearby peak and a daring display of motorcycle riding, we settled down in an empty bar to watch the Patriots. Take a chill pill with us in today’s photo gallery…

We’re on our way up a curvy mountain road to the sizzling mineral baths of Fuentes Georginas, riding in the flatbed of a camioneta – a pickup truck that doubles as taxi and delivery truck in rural towns like Zunil, Guatemala. Halfway through town, the driver—whom we’ve paid the equivalent of $3 for an 8-kilometer (about 5-mile) drive—slows and shouts to a 20-something man who is ambling along with a group of men. The man, two Coke cans in hand, deftly pulls himself into the flatbed with us as the driver hits the gas.

Almost instantly and without any reservation, he greets us in nearly flawless English, “Where are you guys from?” he asks.

Immediately, my eyes are drawn to his mouth full of bling. Try as I might, I can’t help but notice his two gold-plated canines. While it is definitely not rare to see the indigenous people of Guatemala with full-on golden grills, witnessing this young man’s mouth of Olympic gold up close makes it harder than normal for this foreigner not to give in and stare. His mouth – both the English and the shine flowing freely from it - is certainly not his only distinctive characteristic. His slightly baggy pants and dark blue denim coat atop a white tee are not-oft-seen reflections of the west in a sea of straw hats, flannel shirts and bolts of colorful floral cloth.

This is Sebastian, and he has golden teeth. (more…)

Guatemala is ripe with volcanic activity, leading to some impressive live volcanoes, and today’s jaunt: the mineral baths of Fuentes Georginas. Surrounded by lush mountain vegetation and bathed in steamy hot waters, this was a sight tough to beat. Jump in, and relax in the baths of today’s photo gallery.

The first month of our journey around the globe will take us to five of the eight countries that lie south of the U.S. and north of the South American continent. After landing in Mexico’s capital on New Years Day, we will travel by land through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, skipping over Belize and Panama. The daily itinerary of our trip will depend partly on what we happen to find in the places we go, but tentatively, the plan is as follows… (more…)