Guatemala: The Jungle City of Tikal

It’s early and the taxi driver is looking for the place he needs to drop me off. It’s still dark and we appear to be amongst the hangers at the airport. I wonder if he has the wrong address and we are hopelessly lost. He asks me to wait in the car and goes in through a small door to speak to someone. On his return he declares we are in the right place. I thank him and tip and dubiously enter the same door. There is a small waiting room and a desk where I present my documents for inspection and I’m then told to wait. Over the course of the next half hour a few other tourists arrive and I feel more at ease. It also begins to get light and this reveals that we are indeed at the airport and there are a number of light aircraft on the tarmac outside.

Honduras: Roatan – The Modernisation of an Island

When you get the opportunity to visit a place again and again over a period of years you get to establish some friends, favourite haunts and your perfect day. Sometimes more interestingly though you see how it changes.

Guatemala: Hidden Treasure

Guatemala is a country steeped in history, culture and mythology. Its landscapes are beautiful and varied – from mountainous areas, punctuated by volcanoes to the green, luscious jungle lowlands. It is a country which is still saddened by its recent past – a 30 year civil war and genocide in the second half of the twentieth century; but the people also find reasons to be truly joyful, kind and welcoming to the many tourists which go there.

Honduras: And the Earth Moved…

It was pitch black when I woke up. I sat bolt upright in bed and it took me a half-second to realise something was wrong. My quiet, tropical paradise sounded like a freight train was going through it. and the bed felt like four large muscular men had broken in and each had a corner and were shaking it violently…

Guatemala and Belize: The Homestay Experience

Volcan Agua towers over Antigua, Guatemala

Home-stays are often touted as the best way to learn a new language through ‘total immersion’ or a good way to really experience local culture and ‘real life’ of the country you’re in. But what is is really like?