Saturday 26 April 2014

So you want to sail from Panama to Colombia?

I was lying in my bunk at the front of the boat trying not to vomit or fall out of my bunk (with only varying levels of success is each) as the waves rocked the 50 foot yacht from side to side when the thought occurred to me – what am I doing here? I'm no sailor. I didn't come to Latin America to spend time at sea. I came to eat lots of great food, see some amazing historical and natural landmarks and meet some great people. So how did I get here?

The Ave Maria at one of our beautiful Island stops

Spending over four months travelling down through Mexico and Central America a common question asked by other travellers was, “how are are crossing the Darien Gap?”

The Darien Gap is the small stretch of land that is virtually impossible to pass through due to dense jungle and – more importantly – very dangerous people.

I'll admit, due to my lack of research before starting this trip, I didn't actually know this was an issue. Sure I knew that some people – including friends of mine – had chosen to do this trip by sea, I just didn't know it was that or having to fly.

One of our island stops

After meeting so many people who were travelling in the other direction and had done the sailing trip from Colombia to Panama who almost universally raved about the experience I started to think that maybe this was something I too could get into.

Lying in the cabin that first night nothing felt further from the truth, but once morning arrived and we'd arrived at the San Blas Islands it was clear they were 100% right.

I have a tough life

The San Blas Islands – an archipelago of around 370 islands off the coast of Panama – is truly one of the most beautiful things I've been able to experience.

Once I was able to stop focusing on on how awful I felt (I was one of those annoying people that just assumed I wouldn't get seasick. Don't be that guy) I was able to appreciate the trip for what it was – a once in a lifetime chance to sail through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world in a beautiful old sail boat.

Our vessel for the trip, the beautiful Ave Maria housed myself and 10 other guests for the five day journey including several days slowly drifting around a selection of hundreds of uninhabited islands in scenes you would normally only see in a movie.

Did I mention these Islands are beautiful? 

Any time you're sharing a small space with 12 strangers for several days how well you get along with them will go a long way to deciding how good a time you have. We were fortunate enough to have a great group, many of whom were of a similar age to me, which made me feel – for the first time in months – like I wasn't the old man of the group.

Our captain for the trip, Paul, an Aussie with many years experience at sea made it clear from the start that this trip is not a luxury cruise and had more in common with camping than anything else. While it was true that luxury would not be the way to describe the trip, Paul and his partner Sindry made every attempt to make sure each of their guests were as comfortable as possible, and Sindry's cooking alone made anything I ever ate camping look like gruel.

Paul was forced to use all of his years of experience on the last night of the trip when a strong wind broke the main mast leaving us bobbing around in the sea while for a while he salvaged the situation as best he could. While I was struggling to keep my dinner down, Paul was struggling to save a vessel that is not only his home but his livelihood. 

The Ave Maria

The mood the following morning as we cruised into Cartagena port was a little somber, with our battered boat slowly making its way to our final destination, and her Captain contemplating what his next move was. 

For every moment of the journey that was less than ideal, however, there were many more that made the trip one of the best things I've done on this year abroad - and perhaps one of the best I've ever done. 

For anyone deciding whether to sail from Panama to Colombia (or the reverse) or to take the slightly cheaper flight, I say you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to take the rare opportunity to see this beautiful part of the world. The Ave Maria will be back in the water before too long and I'd recommend anyone to jump on board with them for the crossing.

Just remember your sea sick pills! 


Monday 21 April 2014

10 Things I Learnt in Central America

With my time in Central America now at an end, I thought, like my list of things Ilearnt in Mexico, I might put together a collection of things that stood out while travelling through this part of the world.

You can do anything you want
Central America is a great place for doing almost anything you want to do. From adventure sports to surfing to hiking, or just relaxing or having one (or 6) too many beers on a pool party crawl (really, its a thing). There are very few things you cant do while you're there. Some of this has to do with very little being regulated, so its just a matter of finding a way to do it. 

Sliding down a mountain on your butt is just one of the many things you can do

Getting vaccinated was a great idea
Before leaving Australia I went to a travel medical clinic to get all the vaccinations and inoculations you need before hitting the road. If you're anything like me this is something – along with travel insurance – that you wish you could skip, and you'll give it some serious thought before eventually getting every shot they recommend of you.

I'm certainly glad I did. After being attacked by a pack of dogs in a small town in Guatemala, I was very thankful for the fact that due to my pre exposure vaccines for rabies, I had some time to sort out the last few shots of the course. If not for the vaccines I would have required the urgent, expensive, painful and hard to find urgent shot and could have totally ruined my holiday.

Border crossings are not fun
While I've been travelling heavily for 10 years now, much of that travel has been through the first world and I'll admit that has formed some complacency when crossing borders. 

Not anymore.

An error by a border official when I entered Guatemala meant that I didn't receive the necessary entry stamp, which led to me not being allowed to leave the country when I tried several weeks later. After paying a couple of fines for being "illegally" and wasting a couple of days Guatemala City, I was finally able to leave. Since that point I have learnt my lesson. Every border crossing - check your stamps!

Check your stamps people!

A further lesson came when trying to leave Costa Rica, where a $7 exit fee should have been paid when buying the bus ticket from the capital and the only option for paying it at the border being open for a mere seven hours a day. 15 hours at the border later and I'll make sure I do more research before crossing any more borders.

All travel in the area is...interesting
The modes of travel throughout Central America vary from overly packed taxis, to chicken buses and small boats (launchas) that feel like they could sink at any moment. Even shuttles, popular through Guatemala and aimed directly at tourists, would be considered the least comfortable form of transport where most of us are from.

Chicken buses are one of the most authentic experiences of travelling through Central America. The former US school buses – some of which have been pimped out with big screen TVs, and crazy colour patterns – go from town to town as well as picking up people and random points along the road. The first chicken bus I got on was missing a seat as well as the part of the floor that was supposed to be under that seat.

Chicken Bus

While they can be uncomfortable, chicken buses – named because of that fact they cram so many people into them – are cheap and relatively efficient and you get to see how the locals travel, as well as how they transport everything from fresh produce to electrical goods.

The food is better in Mexico
I've made no secret of the fact that I loved the food in Mexico. My current body shape stands testament to that fact. Central American food doesn't quite measure up. That's not to say it is bad, it has just suffered by comparison. While beans and rice can be good, beans and rice making up a large portion of every meal gets a bit old.

There are a lot of volcanoes

It seems every city and town in Central America has a "famous" volcano and a bar or drink called "lava". While it may seem as though it becomes repetitive, many of the volcanoes offer different things to see and do. 

Most of them offer good hiking and views, while many also offer the chance to camp out on top. One volcano in particular, affords you the chance to go "volcano boarding" and it is every bit as fun as it sounds. 

Ready for Volcano Boarding

A 34 Year Old Aussie learning to surf in El Salvador is a bit sad
Sure, you get the "you're never too old" to learn something new types. However when an Australian - whom everybody in the world expects to know how to surf - is taking his surf lessons with a couple of Canadians, a girls from cold parts of Europe, you start thinking you might have missed the boat. Particularly if a tiny girl from Denmark is instantly better than you. Sure I had fun trying for a few days, but I think I'll stick to volcano boarding.

Central America is Beautiful
While you hear a lot about certain landmarks and attractions in Mexico or South America, you don't tend to hear a lot about the beauty that Central America has. Starting in Tikal, Guatemala one of the most stunning of the Mayan ruins, all the way down to the San Blas Islands in Panama, the region is bursting with amazing things to see. 

Semuc Champey

One of the most amazing is one that I'd never heard of - Semuc Champey in Guatemala. I first heard of the place - a series of beautiful clear pools in a natural limestone bridge which lies over the top of a river - from people coming in the other direction while I was in Mexico and so glad I did.

You will see the same people again and again
There is a very established "gringo trail" in Central America. I'm sure there are people who will find a way to stay off the beaten path, but in reality they're beaten for a reason. Most of the places on the gringo trail are genuinely worth visiting. Running into people you have met in a past town can be problematic, sure, but most of the time it turns out to be a lot of fun, and that person you hung out with once for a day or two turns into someone you travel with for a week purely by chance.

It's easy to spend longer than you planned
Anyone who has been keeping up with this blog knows I have a difficult time moving on from any place I love, and Central America proved that. What I thought might take me 4-6 weeks took me around twice that. While this has left me with far less time to cover South America on my way to the cup, I wouldn't change any of it (OK, the dog bites and dodgy border crossings I would) as I had such a great time everywhere I went, and it's not like I cant ever come back.

Thursday 3 April 2014

How Old is Too Old?


Central America is a great place to be for people who are fans on adventure sports. In the last few weeks I've jumped off waterfalls, slid down volcano on a plank of wood attempted to learn to surf – yeah I'm the Australian guy who never surfed.

Ready for Volcano Boarding at Cerro Negro

As is typical, I did all these things with various people I met along the way, all of whom had two things in common. The first is that they were generally more adventurous than I was. They were willing to jump off the higher waterfall or go faster down the volcano, while I've oft used the phrase, I'm too old to die doing something stupid. Which brings me to the second point; that they were all much younger than me.

I've gotten to an age now that whenever I meet new people in a hostel I'm the oldest one in the group 99% of the time. And much of the time it's not even close. In recent months I've hung out with people who didn't know who David Bowie was. Or the Doors. People who only know Ed O'Neil as the family patriarch in Modern Family. These people were born when I was close to finishing high school, and are now taking gap years before they start the rest of their lives. If they're anything like me, that may take a while. These kids are so young, I may have even felt old when I started travelling ten years ago.

Jumping from waterfalls in El Salvador - and no I didn't do this one

The question has to be asked have I gotten too old for backpacking? When should I stop travelling for long periods in hostels and cheap buses and replace them with luxury vacations sitting next to a pool at a resort?

The majority of my friends – both back home and others I've met along the way - have good jobs, houses (or at least mortgages) and are starting families. Some are even onto their second marriages. After two previous long trips away, I kind of expected that I'd be joining them soon too, but for the moment I've been getting home only to realise that I'm not ready for all of that – and may never be.


One thing I do want to avoid though, is becoming one of those crusty old guys you always see in the hostel. You know the one. They’re generally in their 50’s, bald and smelly, banging on about how “you kids these days have it so easy. When I was your age, I walked for 3 days across four borders while being chased by armed militia. And you think you’re travellers?!”

Am I the first Aussie to have their first surfing lesson in another country?

I'm sure there's going to be a time when I feel too old for this, and the negative aspects of backpacking (listening to other people, erm, enjoy each others company in the dorm - which has happened three times on this trip so far being one) outweigh the positives. 

For now though, I'm going  by the adage, you're only as old as you feel. And with very little money, responsibilities or plans for the future beyond the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2 months time, I'm feeling pretty young!