Gary's gap year adventures travelling through Central and South America
About this blog
Hello and welcome to my travel blog.After many years of corporate life and cramming my wanderlust into those precious few weeks holiday a year,I finally decided it was now or never to fulfill a long-held life ambition for an extended period of travel. So I took the plunge and organised a sabbatical year off from work.My plan is to start out in Northern Mexico in Jan 08,travel down through Mexico and Central America, followed by the classic loop around South America. Of course I'm looking forward to seeing how the beautiful game should be played when I'm in Brazil ... you never know,even a 30-something English Sunday league centre-half might still learn something!
Trip Start
Jan 04, 2008
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122
Trip End
Dec 17, 2008
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There are 122 entries in this blog
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1
Chihuahua - the start of my trip -
2
Crazy horses in Creel -
3
Creel to El Fuerte on "El Chepe" -
4
A foreigner in El Fuerte -
5
Forgettable time in Mazatlan -
6
Durango - "Donde esta autobus a Chupaderos" -
7
Trip back on track in Zacatecas -
8
A great weekend in Guadalajara -
9
The splendid setting that is Guanajuato -
10
Monstrously large metropolis Mexico City - Intro -
11
Monstrously large metropolis Mexico City - Part 1 -
12
Monstrously large metropolis Mexico City - Part 2 -
13
Oaxaca - I´ll skip the grasshoppers , gracias -
14
Sunsets and mozzies in Zipolite -
15
Crocs , turtles and at last a swim in Mazunte -
16
Super San Cristobal -
17
Palenque - Ruinas y Cascadas -
18
At the Border - Reflections on Mexico -
19
Flores and Tikal -
20
Rio Dulce and El Estor -
21
Laid-back Livingston -
22
Grimy Guatemala City -
23
Antigua - great , but touristy -
24
Quetzaltenango, aka "Xela" - home for a few weeks -
25
Stunning and relaxing San Pedro -
26
Un estudiante de espanol en Xela -
27
Another fantastic week in Xela -
28
Last week in Xela - alas its time to move on -
29
Momostenango - start of the Western Highlands tour -
30
Somewhat forgettable Huehue -
31
Really off the beaten track in Todos Santos -
32
The fascinating market at Chichicastenango -
33
Sad to be saying goodbye to Guatemala -
34
Hola Honduras ! A Top Weekend in Copan -
35
Quiet colonial towns - Santa Rosa & Gracias -
36
San Pedro Sula - Nothing Special -
37
A great time underwater on Utila -
38
Surprisingly enjoyable day in Tegucigalpa -
39
Another new country - into Nicaragua -
40
Leon - churches and the revolution -
41
Managua - eerily quiet -
42
Granada - justifies it´s billing -
43
Ometepe - another day , another volcano -
44
Crossed the border into Costa Rica -
45
Monteverde - In & over the Cloudforest -
46
Arenal - Lago , Lava & Mucho Vino Tinto -
47
San Jose - Cows & Paranoia -
48
Marvellous Manuel Antonio -
49
Back in San Jose -
50
Another volcano,senor ... oh go on then,one more -
51
Turrialba - rain and rafting -
52
Caribbean Coast -
53
Tortuguero - Monkeys,Bites&Rain ... But No Turtles -
54
Cahuita - last stop in Costa Rica -
55
Goodbye to Costa Rica and onwards into Panama -
56
Wonderful & Wild Bocas del Toro -
57
Tranquil Boquete -
58
Panama City - sweaty , wet and great ! -
59
Panama Canal -
60
Portobelo - anyone got a sailing boat round here ? -
61
Sailing from Panama to Colombia -
62
Goodbye to Central America -
63
Into South America ! First stop Cartagena -
64
Santa Marta / Taganga -
65
Medellin -
66
Bogota - can´t seem to leave ! -
67
Stunning Salento -
68
Cali - very disappointing -
69
Quick stop in Popoyan -
70
Ecuador !! -
71
Quito - what a magnificent setting -
72
Heading south for lakes & volcanoes -
73
Sunny Banos - Bikes,Waterfalls,Trekking & Rummy -
74
Guayaquil - better than anticipated -
75
The Enchanted Islands -
76
Cuenca - following the Galapagos is a tall order -
77
Short stop in Loja before crossing into Peru -
78
Leaving Ecuador - across the border to Peru -
79
Piura - nice enough but no WOWs -
80
Trujillo - nice colonial city & Pre-Inca ruins -
81
"Fiestas Patrias" in Lima -
82
Volunteering in Arequipa -
83
A very happy time in Arequipa -
84
Another enjoyable week teaching -
85
The lowest point of my trip -
86
Sad to leave Arequipa but Machu Picchu beckons -
87
Magnificent Inca Trail to Machu Picchu -
88
Cuzco and the Valley of the Tourists -
89
Lake Titicaca ... different world -
90
Leaving Peru for my next country Bolivia -
91
La Paz ... simply manic -
92
Biking The World´s Most Dangerous Road -
93
Sucre - "La Ciudad Blanca -
94
Potosi and the notorious "Cerro Rico" -
95
The Salt Flats ("Salar de Uyuni") -
96
Horrible journey from Bolivia to Argentina -
97
Salta ... love Argentina already ! -
98
Wine-tasting and the "Quebrada del Cafayate" -
99
Argentina´s second city -
100
Marvellous Mendoza -
101
Another day , another country :) -
102
Long weekend in Santiago -
103
The Chilean Lake District ... and a dodgy back. -
104
Back to Argentina ... to a wet and windy Bariloche -
105
San Martin de los Andes - a little disappointing -
106
Gearing up for the long haul south -
107
Tranquil Chiloe -
108
Briefly back in grim Puerto Montt -
109
Way way south in Chilean Patagonia -
110
Toughest Challenge Of My Trip - Torres Del Paine -
111
Reflections on leaving Chile -
112
Glacier Watching ... Magnificent Moreno -
113
Patagonian Weather ... Not Funny Any More -
114
End Of The World ... Or At Least My Journey South -
115
Addictive Buenos Aires -
116
Country Number 13 ... Uruguay and to Cute Colonia -
117
Montevideo ... OK but nothing special -
118
Back in Buenos Aires ! -
119
Awesome Iguacu Falls -
120
Really sad to say goodbye to Argentina -
121
The Final Destination ! ... Fabulous Rio -
122
Time For Home ! ... And For Some Final Thoughts
