Category: Retrospectives

Where to Start…

It’s hard to pick a good place to start. So I guess I’ll start at the beginning…

I started my travels in Cancún, México. In only 9 days, I managed to not only get my PADI diver’s license. I also met my very first traveler friends. I ended up reconnecting with them throughout my travels, as you’ll see. And I keep in contact with them even to this day! I’ve had the opportunity to even visit them where they live. I traveled to Manchester UK as well as Stuttgart and Darmstadt Germany on a few occasions!

Time to Head Backwards Already

And although I had just started my travels, I flew all the way back to the other side of México to Rosarito. We celebrated my college friend’s birthday with our whole San Francisco crew for 4 days.

They had an easy 2-3 hours flight from San Francisco. But I had to fly 6-7 hours just to get there from within the same country! Little did I know that my future travels would include many of these unplanned flying back and forth situations.

One Direction

If you’ve read any other travel blog, they advise to travel in one direction (East or West). It helps with jet lag and it’s also better for your ecological footprint. But the freedom you gain from traveling also means that it’s tempting and it’s sometimes necessary to change your plans. It’s something you should keep in mind because most of the times, these trips can be costly. Not just in terms of travel tickets, but also when you’re staying in these places. Usually, you’re going back to see friends and family in more developed and expensive countries.

That’s why you should make sure to have enough cash in the bank for these interruptions. At the end of the day though, nothing beats reuniting with good friends every once in a while!

And On to Cuba

I flew back to Cancún for just 3 days to catch a flight I had already booked for Cuba. Cuba is still to this day a major highlight of my round the world trip!

It really was an adventure! We had barely any internet and I had to quickly brush up on my Spanish. We had to haggle for prices for just about everything. It was such an interesting place to visit though because of its history. Speaking with some of the local people, even in broken Spanish, was eye-opening. And as I mentioned earlier, how I had made my first traveler friends within the first week of my travels…

It just happened to be that one of them had booked flights for the exact same dates! And so we decided to travel together. We spent some time in Havana, Viñales, Varadero and made it back to Havana in 9 days. In that time, I learned so much about how to go about things when backpacking from one town to another. And to Mitch I am most grateful!

More Travels throughout México

Following Cuba, I returned to Cancún for one night. After that, I made my way down to Playa del Carmen where I met up with the other traveler friend I made that first week!

It just so happened that we had similar plans and timeline. We were both traveling our way through Central America and so we decided to travel together. Mitch taught me everything about haggling, talking to girls in foreign countries and making our own plans instead of going on organized tours. Annika on the other hand taught me how to organize ourselves when making our next moves on our trip, relentlessly looking for fun things to do at each destination and how to enjoy the beach!

I was always more of a mountain type of person. I always loved all the winter activities. But now, I’m definitely more of a chillax at the beach kinda guy!

Together with Annika we traveled from Playa del Carmen to Isla Cozumel. Then back to Playa del Carmen and then over to Tulum over 13 days.

I then had to say goodbye to Annika, only for a while though as I soon came to discover. She found a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a Caribbean cruise which included a stop in Cuba. She would be a volunteer on the boat so it was very inexpensive, but she would be working as a crew member. I had told her all about my experience in Cuba and kept telling her that she should definitely go. And so we parted ways. She went on her cruise going back North and I continued down South to Bacalar.

Love at First Sight with Esmeralda

Before heading down to Bacalar though, I did a one-day trip back to Playa del Carmen where I wanted to find myself a guitar. I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 14. And when I considered traveling I made the tough decision to leave mine behind. But only 35 days into my travels and I caved in! I met other travelers with guitars of all sizes and I kept asking if I could borrow theirs. But I realized just how big music is a part of my life. And so I had to get my hands on my own new guitar! And so, since then, Esmeralda has been traveling with me ever since. I like to think that I travel solo, but at the end of the day, I’m never really alone.

It’s a Small World After All

In Bacalar, I found 2 French guys at the bus station getting tickets for my next destination. To my surprise, they were the same guys I had just met back at our hostel in Tulum. I guess it’s not that much of a surprise, most people tend to go through similar routes. But, what was even more surprising was that one of them grew up in my small hometown of Fontainebleau! We went to the same school, and his sister was friends with my brother! I even got a chance to catch up with them again a year later in Paris! Just goes to show you how small this world really is. You’ll never know who you’ll meet during your travels!

We spent a day at the beach in Mahahual because we had to catch the bus the next day anyway. And so the next day, we took the same bus to Palenque. I was thinking I would continue traveling some more with them but then I got a message…

The Fantastic Fourth

The last of the 4 friends I made that first week just made it to San Cristóbal! And I was going to leave from there in only a few days! So I decided to say goodbye to my Frenchies at the Palenque station. After an 8 hour night bus ride with them, I waited an hour at the bus station. After which, I took another 8 hour bus ride over to San Cristóbal! It’s always hard to say goodbye but that’s just how the backpacker lifestyle goes. You meet people, you have a good time, and the next thing you know, you have to say goodbye to them. Then, you just have to hope that your paths will cross again at some point on the road.

I ended up staying in San Cristóbal for 10 days and had a blast. Mitch and Annika taught me so many things in the beginning of my trip. But it was David who pulled it all together. He’s been traveling for over 2 years. And we connected right away from the moment we first met over a month before back in Cancún. He infected me with his enthusiasm for traveling, his resourcefulness when it comes to long-term traveling and his humble nature towards experiencing everything the world has to offer. Little did I know that our paths would yet again cross in the near future!

Last Stop for my México Travels

This would be my last stop in this amazing country that is México. I started in one of the most touristy places (Cancún) and ended in the Southern most city closest to the border with their neighboring country. All in all I would have to say that San Cristóbal might have been my favorite! México is an amazing country and I haven’t even had a chance to explore all it has to offer. It’s definitely up there in the top 3 countries I would want to go back and travel to. It’s always tough to leave a country. But in my experience I found that it’s best to leave just when things seem to be going amazingly well. It gives you that itch to want to go back and discover more! And just like that, I was on to the next country on my list.

And On to Guatemala

I made my way through the border of Guatemala on a bus with a crazy Swiss guy. He got me hooked on the harmonica and so I bought one immediately when I made it to my destination. We parted ways upon arrival and I made it to San Marcos. It’s on the Atitlán lake so I boarded a ferry boat full of other backpackers and a few locals.

This was the most hippie place I had ever been to! It was surreal! I like to think that I’m somewhat of a hippie. My father loves the Beatles so much he named my youngest brother Lennon (not Lenin). But this! This was on another level. I’ll definitely write a separate post about my experience here in San Marcos. If you’re into yoga, meditation, spiritualism and shibari (yes, you read that right! and if you don’t know what that is and you want to find out, you do you), then you should definitely go visit San Marcos.

Getting Sick on Your Travels

Unfortunately, I got very sick with a common parasite in these areas. So I ended up staying there for 9 days, a bit longer than I had originally planned. If you go to San Marcos, be very careful with the water and the food. It’s just something that happens often in this area so be prepared. And do not hesitate to take the boat to San Pedro to get tested. You’ll get the medication you need immediately. And you won’t have to endure months of being sick back at home. Most doctors back at home won’t even be able to diagnose the problem!

After that whole ordeal, I made my way to Antigua. A beautiful town with great vibes and most importantly for me, a volcano to hike! That hike up Volcán Acatenango was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically. That’s after having run the San Francisco marathon back in 2015!

Volcán de Fuego

Very sadly though, a year after visiting this beautiful part of the world, the active Volcán de Fuego brutally erupted and devastated the entire area and its people. That’s another thing that travel does. It makes you that much more aware about what’s going on in the world. When I used to read the news, I used to only really follow what was going on in my surroundings, or whatever was making the main headlines. But the more you travel, the more you connect with the people and their situation and the more you care about what’s actually going on in the world.

It can be heart-breaking at times, but I can only say that being more connected with people all around the world is something that makes me feel like a better human being. At the time of this writing, most charities are no longer accepting donations. But if you want to learn more about how you can help in such situations, Charity Navigator is one of the best websites you can visit to learn more and help. Even the smallest contribution makes a huge difference. Yes, it really does.

Don’t Shy Away

It is now considered safe to travel and hike around this area. In fact, you would be helping the local community which heavily depends on tourism. So if you’re interested in hiking a volcano, don’t shy away, do your research and figure it out for yourself. Experiencing the true force of nature like an actual volcanic eruption is something that I will never forget. It’s simply breathtaking and reminds us all just how insanely powerless we are to Nature. Not to go on an entire ecological rant here, but honestly this type of experience can change your perspective on this planet we all live in and the role we have in all of it.

Quick Break from my Travels

From here on, I made a brief stop back in the US to attend to my youngest brother’s Harvard graduation. I had already experienced so much in just 2 months of backpacking! Going back to “”civilization”” (for lack of a better term) was quite a bit of a shock. But it was important to help me take a step back on everything I had gone through and realize just what an amazing journey I had embarked on!

There are so many first world problems and drama we fill our lives with when we haven’t even seen what life has to offer! That being said, it was good to reconnect and catch up with friends and family. After just 9 days in Boston, I was more than excited to continue my big adventure!

My backpacking days in Central America were not done just yet. But it also happened to be good timing since I was about to get to the border with El Salvador or Honduras which are considered to be some of the least safe places to travel in this general area. It’s still absolutely possible to visit these countries. But I figured that with the time I had left before September when I always go back to Japan and add to that the general safety concern, I decided to fly over to Nicaragua.

And On to Nicaragua

I arrived in Managua the capital of Nicaragua and was taking it easy on my own, not meeting too many people, not going on any particular adventure for 5 days (very reasonable, it’s important to take it easy!). Until I got a message…

My friend Annika just finished her Caribbean cruise and was on her way to Nicaragua to continue the rest of her journey. I was on my way to my next stop in León and so I told her to come join me there. And so we regrouped in León and we ended up traveling together for the next 27 days.

León was a beautiful small town. And with Annika’s fervor for doing fun cool things, we decided to do what I think might be one of the coolest most unique activities I had the chance to do during my travels… Volcano boarding!

Volcano Boarding!

At first, I thought we would actually be standing on the board surfing our way down, but with hindsight I realize now how that would have been quite dangerous. At that time, the speed record for going doing the sulfuric volcano rocks was 70km/hr! The hiking in itself wasn’t too hard, but having to carry the gear up the volcano definitely made it more of a challenge. But by far, the most rewarding part was sitting on a piece of wood with a piece of rope tied to it for steering, and dashing our way down the volcano!

We spent about 8 days in León with a quick stop at the Las Peñas beach. Unfortunately, it rained all day that day, and so we made our way for a short 3-day stop at Granada where we had a chance to go on a fun bike ride around the area. And then, we had to keep moving so we made it to San Juan del Sur, a major destination for surfers around the world, but again only for 3 days. We had a tight schedule and wanted to make sure we made it all the way through to our final destinations, so unfortunately we just had to keep moving. But the other reason why we had to move fast, was because we both got yet again a message…

Time for Yet Another Reunion!

David had gone back to the US to meet up with his girlfriend but he was now already in San José, Costa Rica! And so Annika and I took yet another bus, but this time to cross the border over to Costa Rica.

As you can tell by now, I wasn’t joking about making amazing traveler friends! You’ll obviously have read a ton of travel blogs saying that it’s amazing how you can make so many interesting and fun encounters during your travels. And to be honest, at first I was a little skeptical especially when I knew that I would be traveling solo. But at the end of the day, wow! What an experience!

It All Just Works Out In The End

I don’t know if this happens to everybody or if it’s just my luck. But I met these people the very first week of my travels and had a chance to not only learn a ton from them, but also to appreciate traveling with them and sharing so many experiences together! It’s just like what they always say about what happens after college. You’re constantly stressing out about your homework, exams and your grades and at the same time, you’re supposed to find yourself. But at the end of the day, everything just works out. It’s such a corny thing to say to desperate kids, but now I’m one of those old corny guys! And when it comes to traveling, I’m one of them too! At the end of the day, somehow, it all just works out!

And so, it just so happened that we managed to reunite for 5 days in San José. We spent some time at the hostel cooking, playing cards on stools, going out for drinks at the pubs and even went to see a Shakespeare play in Spanish! And although it was a blast catching up, Annika and I still had a travel timeline. David and his girlfriend had other plans too and decided to stick around a little longer. And so we said goodbye yet again, and so soon!

What’s Your Spirit Animal?

We then made our way to Puerto Viejo. There, we finally got to accomplish one of Annika’s goals during this entire trip. Seeing sloths!

If I had to pick, they wouldn’t necessarily be my spirit animal, although I do love the luxury of being lazy (by the way, we call sloths paresseux in French and perezoso in Spanish which both mean lazy!).

I always enjoyed associating myself with something a little bit more unusual. But also something somewhat kinda crazy. And so I always thought my spiritual animal was a flying squirrel! I’ve been known amongst friends as the Batman (for some crazy story which I won’t share with you right now), but anyway, I think I’m more of a flying squirrel and I have yet to see one IRL!

And after just 3 days in Puerto Viejo, it was time to take yet another bus. We made our way to the last country Annika and I would be visiting together on this trip.

And On to Panama

We crossed the border to Panama, the Southern most country of Central America and made it to Bocas del Toro. It had nice beaches and we stayed at a resort-like hostel called Selina; they’re a chain around this area of the world and I would recommend them but not necessarily in all cases. At the time of this writing, I’m in Quito, Ecuador and I’m loving their co-working space here!

And so in Bocas del Toro, we just had an amazing relaxing time at probably one of the best hostel experiences I’ve had!

We then traveled to Panama City where I got a very different vibe from the rest of all the various places we traveled to. I watched a documentary a while back about how Miami in the 80’s became massive because of a ton of investments made from dirty drug money. But then, it depicted how it was left almost vacant when things started going sour. And that’s what this reminded me of. It definitely looked modern but somehow it seemed kind of… empty…

The End of an Era

In any case, it was still an interesting place to visit. So after traveling for about 40 days in total with Annika, it was time to say goodbye. She wanted to spend some more time at the beach before going back home to Germany. And so she opted for Cartagena and Santa Marta in Colombia (which sounded amazing!). But instead, I flew to Bogotá to catch up with a friend who was going to be visiting. And so, after many adventures (and a few misadventures), we said Adiós; until the next time our paths cross.

But Wait, There’s More…

This blog post is now becoming quite long and I’m realizing that it probably makes more sense to split things up. This just happens to be a great place to take a break. My entire Central America journey comes to an end here.

As you can tell, I was traveling at a fast pace in the beginning of my travels. I was living the backpacker lifestyle which is very different to how I’m leading my digital nomad lifestyle today. But still, it was all part of the experience and I loved every bit of it! I want to flesh out a lot more on many of these places I’ve visited because believe it or not, I skipped out on a ton of stuff!

In any case, if you made it all the way through this first post of mine, thanks for indulging me on this first part of my journey. I’m just starting out with this whole blogging thing and am enjoying it so far! Next, I think I’ll want to cover an overview of my travels in South America and beyond. If this has been fun/helpful/eye-opening/abysmal, whatever the case may be, let me know in the comments!

If you’d like to learn more about me, check out my About Me page.

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Hasta luego amigos!