From the cool mountain air near the volcanoes, we made our way to Mizata, which is at the northern most point where the surf starts. We were excited to improve our surfing while hopefully exploring some small fishing villages along the coast.
After exploring Salvadorian coffee country with cool and cloudy weather all around us, we gladly ventured off to explore the local hot-springs. With all of the volcanic activity of El Salvador, it made sense there would be thermal waters. We even saw several commercial geothermal heat-capture operations.We found a nice resort-like facility that allowed camping but had no rooms to rent, so after closing hours we had the place to ourselves. With over 11 different pools, nice showers and bathrooms…
El Salvador! The small, little discussed Central American country that appears to slip most peoples minds, ours included at first. After all we’d been through in Guatemala and Mexico, we were ecstatic to discover this new, charming country that packs in a ton of culture and beauty into such a small space.
After our time spent on the Oaxacan Coast, we were ready to discover our fate at the Guatemalan boarder. Our vehicle permit had expired and foreign vehicles have to exit Guatemala for a minimum of 90 days before being allowed re-entry. We hoped luck was on our side, due to the fact we took out a ‘temporary exit permit’ when we left Guatemala to visit Mexico again. Our permit was now expired and we hoped to just ‘ghost’ Koru across, with…
Leaving Oaxaca City, we were excited to meet up with Matt’s parents and start to experience beach life. To break up the 7 hour drive we stopped in a little town named San Jose Pacifico. It is a very small mountain town high in the misty temperate rain forest. It is famous for its mystic nature, largely in part due to the abundance of all types of hongos (mushrooms) that grow everywhere. The amount of moisture in the rainy season…
Feeling good about our time spent in San Cristobal, we ventured further west towards Tuxla/Gutierrez, the capitol of Chiapas, where we had plans to venture up the famous Sumidero Canyon by boat. After descending 6000ft and feeling the heat of lower elevation, we stopped off at another hidden natural beauty, Cascada el Chorreadero. Here we were surrounded by gorgeous pools filled with a waterfall descending from a huge cave system.
So there we were, cherishing and contemplating our new-found vagabond lifestyle and how we planned to progress. The time in Guatemala allowed us to realize we can shape this trip however we desire, thus giving us the sense of complete freedom. We anticipated this to be the feeling from the start of our grand adventure, but years of systematic structure and planning took a while to shake. We opted to return to Mexico to visit areas we’d missed on our way…
The time came to wave goodbye to Antigua and meander our way back towards Mexico. We opted to cross back into the wonderful country of Mexico to renew our visas and explore the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, which were missed on our first trip through. Having talked to several Mexicans and Guatemalans, these states are definitely not to be missed. But first, we had plans to visit some more Guatemalan hot spots including Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango.
The van life we’ve come to know and appreciate had led us to the charming town of Antigua, where we decided to stop and recharge our human batteries. After finding a spanish school for Matt and a volunteer opportunity for Sarah at the Earth Lodge, the transition to stasis was quite comforting and an exciting new development.
With Belize in the rear view mirror, and Guatemala glaring at us through the windshield on the fateful United States election day, we proceeded west, excited for new adventures and admittedly nervous about the historical election. We planned to visit the famous Mayan Ruins of Tikal during the ‘super’ full moon and were beyond excited to get our feet wet in a new country. The border crossing was relatively painless with just the normal disorganized cluster of cars and people. TV’s were on…