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Central America 2018

December 2018 - January 2019
Mexico, Havana and Guatemala Read more
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  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    Day 7

    Sleeping in LA - Part One

    December 21, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had such great intentions and we really tried. But we failed.

    The problem was that we flew all through the day and nobody slept, so when we landed at 6am local time, we were already exhausted.

    But the kids were so excited to be here, and had made long lists of places they wanted to go and were determined to make the most of this one day in the US.

    After spending an eternity in the immigration queue, we headed to The Hotel Jeremy on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood - a beautifully appointed, spacious hotel that’s probably the best kept secret in LA.

    Showered, dropped bags and headed to the iHOP for the eggs and pancake breakfast we’d all been craving. As good as we remembered!

    Next we dropped Mitch at the nearby Guitar Centre and the girls and I continued onto The Grove - an upmarket, outdoor shopping mall where we had intended to stay all afternoon.

    But it became clear - after visiting just 2 shops - that the girls has no energy or stamina at all and had to be in bed. So we caught a cab back to Mitch and all returned to the hotel so the kids could sleep while I enjoyed the sunshine by the pool.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    11
    Day 7

    Dinner with the Martins - LA Part 2

    December 21, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    I finally woke the kids just before 5pm and we headed to Kristen and Jorge’s house in Burbank - a nice suburb of LA.

    It’s been so many years since we saw each other but we took up exactly where we had left off - and it was lovely to introduce our kids to one another.

    We went for a drive around Burbank admiring the Christmas decorations on all the houses - one with its own radio station that made the lights dance to the beat of the music.

    Starving, we headed for In-n-Out burger for dinner followed by an American candy store. All fun and new.

    And then back to the hotel for very jet lagged bodies to sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    11
    Day 8

    The Lights of Mexico City

    December 22, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The advantage of an early start in LA is the beautiful sunrise - and we weren’t disappointed. But not too long to linger before heading to LAX and onward to Mexico City.

    The flying time and time change meant we arrived late afternoon and didn’t get to the hotel until late afternoon, only to find there was a problem with our booking. It took the best part of an hour to resolve things - by which time we were all wanting to sleep, but also very hungry- no one has eaten a proper meal so far today.

    The hotel is gorgeous- a beautifully restored building right in the centre of the old city. We were supposed to have shared one room but the mix up meant we now have next door rooms side by side - Mitch and I together and the twins together.

    Alex wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay at the hotel and rest whilst Mitch, Charley and I headed to a local taqueria highly recommended by the hotel. It was so authentic and really atmospheric. Filled with locals, we had to push our way upstairs into the low roofed eating space and work out what to order from the Spanish speaking staff.

    Mitch and Charley shared chicken tacos whilst I chose a vegetarian version and smothered it in the large selection of chilli salsas.

    After dinner we went for a walk around the very close y Plaza de la Consituzion - all lit up with Christmas lights. On the way back we stopped at a sweets store and bought a small
    bag of chocolates. A truly great introduction to Mexico.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    1
    Day 9

    Birdseye view of the town

    December 23, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It was hard to wake up after a broken night’s sleep- a bit of jetlag and everyone coming down with a cold..

    The breakfast room is absolutely charming- on the 6th floor of the hotel overlooking the Plaza. The sky was blue and the sun shining so although the air is super cold it’s a beautiful day.

    Mitch went out on an adventurous limb and had corn in his omelette - which he declared ‘alright’.

    And then it was onto the hop-on-hop-off bus to tour the entire city and understand the layout. We are staying in the charming old section of the city, and the kids were very surprised to see the wide - and very clean avenues lined with modern office towers. They were not too inclined to dismount because even the very fashionable area of Condesa ‘doesn’t feel very Mexican’. They are looking for authentic.

    Halfway through the bus tour, Mitch fell asleep- struggling with his head cold that was getting progressively worse.

    Once we returned to the hotel, he went straight to sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    Day 9

    Mexican market

    December 23, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Once Mitch lay down everyone else suddenly needed a rest, so we decided to stay at the hotel for half an hour.

    The girls and I the left Mitch to sleep while we explored the artisanal market. We loved everything we saw - the colours, the clever art, the selection of goods. We bought a few souvenirs and headed back to the hotel as this time it was Charley’s turn to fade.

    Alex and I left Charley to rest with Mitch and we headed out to explore the local streets and get a delicious, cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate at a nearby cafe.

    Alex was bemoaning the difficulty she is having converting the Mexican peso to the $A (14.2 : 1) .. something Mitch manages to do easily in his head (!).
    Alex; ‘I hope something drastic happens to the peso and it becomes 1-1 while we’re here’.

    And so to dinner - another recommendation by our lovely hotel manager - another authentic Mexican restaurant. Chicken tacos for the second night for Mitch and Charley - a more adventurous plate for Alex and I along with the obligatory guacamole.

    We’ve taken to playing Uno whilst waiting for our meal and it gets quite rowdy sometimes. Alex was the victor both games tonight and while we suspect she cheated, she insists that’s not the case.

    Straight back to the hotel tonight.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    11
    Day 10

    Cuernavaca

    December 24, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Here’s a particularly Mexican way to run a tour- we had to be ready and downstairs in the hotel lobby to meet the tour guide at 8.30 this morning. At which time we boarded the empty mini bus... shuttles around the city for the next hour collecting the other passengers - only to drive right past our hotel on our way out of the city!

    Our guide- Gabrielle - is a very shout-y Mexican with difficult to understand English, and has to repeat everything in both Spanish and English as this is a bi-lingual tour. Whilst this is reasonably good for my Spanish (which is rapidly returning), it’s pretty annoying to listen to.

    It took about an hour and a half to get to Cuernavaca - a charming little village on the way to Taxco - and the drive would have been very pleasant but for the fact that after Gabrielle finished shouting her Aztec history lesson at us, she began blaring the worst Mexican music at full volume over the stereo. At that point, the kids gave up trying to play their word games and Mitch asked to borrow my headphones to stop the torture.

    The highlight is the town’s Cathedral - which has an interesting history as it was built by missionaries who had to adapt the building to accomodate the pagan beliefs of the indiginous locals - for example creating an additional unenclosed chapel as the Aztecs were unfamiliar with indoor prayer. They also objected to entering the Church with reverence, so the Christians built a step into the entrance door of the Church to force supplication.

    We had a little time to wander around - and whilst it was picturesque, in truth there’s not much to commend it for more than a brief stop.

    The rest of the drive was up and across the nearby mountains, and we stopped on the outskirts of Taxco for a buffet lunch (Charley ate nothing), followed by a short lecture on how to recognise true silver - (would you believe the main message was ‘buy it from an authorised retailer’)?

    But I didn’t know that ‘Sterling Silver’ is named after William Sterling who discovered silver, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

    I always book these tours with a degree of hesitation - an easy way to make short visits to nearby attractions, but you are both held hostage to the specific retailers tied to the tour, and always at the mercy of the most interested shoppers.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
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    Day 10

    Taxco

    December 24, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I’ve always wanted to visit Taxco. I love Spanish colonial towns and I’d heard this one is particularly charming. It’s a silver mining town built across 7 mountains. All the houses are white and from a distance look reminiscent of Santorini. But what I love most is all the wrought iron that decorated all the balconies and doorways and street lights.

    Our shout-y guide began marching us about the the cobblestone streets before handing us over to a local to explain some of the features. It was all so interesting.

    He told us about the annual procession each March during which time women with bare feet and chained ankles parade the streets alternating with men carrying a heavy cross and self flagelating until they bleed.

    We also heard the town was previously called Glashco after a ball game which sees the winner ‘sacrificiated’...

    And we visited the most incredibly ornately decorated cathedral (San Sebastian) featuring an alter carved out of wood and covered in gold leaf. It took 7 years to build with the help of 20-thousand Indians!

    After the tour, we had a little free time but it’s Charley’s turn to be unwell today and so we spent most of that time in a cafe looking after her. Alex and Mitch took advantage of that opportunity to order Nutella crepes - probably just as well because we didn’t leave Taxco for the 3 hour drive back to Mexico City until 6.30!    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    1
    Day 11

    Xochimilco

    December 25, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Fun fact- apparently piñatas are an invention of the Mexican church representing the 7 layers of sins people need to crash through blindly to access the sweetness of life.

    We arrived at the meeting point for today’s tour exactly on time only to find the bus had gone without us. So the new plan was to catch an Uber to the first town were to visit and catch up the group.

    The Uber driver got lost but eventually found the Aztec canal town of Xochimilco. I have been really looking forward to this trip - taking a ride on one of the colourful flat bottomed boats, and so I instructed the driver to head directly to the ‘embarcadero’ (pier) where we would surely meet the tour group. However, I hadn’t counted on there being 7 different piers!

    So we walked around the town a little visiting another pier and settling on a quieter entry point. We needn’t have bothered - all the boats end up in the same area. It was a beautiful day and a lovely excursion- very colourful and fun.

    It was lunchtime by the time we were done and we decided to go to another town for lunch.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
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    1
    Day 11

    Coyoacan

    December 25, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our second Uber driver also got lost - this time with a great result passing by a musical instrument market by the roadside. Mitch was beside himself and our driver kindly agreed to stop so Mitch could have a look at the second-hand guitars. He didn’t buy any but was in heaven just looking.

    Then onwards to the colonial town of Coyoacan - previously the external capital of Spain following its colonisation.

    Charming and busy - the central plaza which boasts a public garden teeming with families enjoying the Christmas Day sunshine.

    We were hungry and wanted to eat sitting down- the only restaurant that fit the brief (in a town surrounded by street-food carts) was an Italian place.

    After lunch we wandered the square and explored the local artisanal market before heading back to Mexico City.

    It’s our last night here - a very early start tomorrow to head to the airport to start our Cuban adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerCentral America 2018
    Day 12

    Hello Havana

    December 26, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Early, early morning. Long, long wait at the airport. (We were early... I was anxious about getting the Cuban visas... I shouldn’t have been).

    We arrived into Havana late in the afternoon. Our hotel Teligrafico - was the first hotel in Cuba. It is right on the corner of the main square an is one of those ‘grand dame’ hotels which hasn’t been touched in the best part of a century. Happily, the kids recognised the charm and looked past the shabbiness.

    Today it was Alex who felt exhausted. So Mitch, Charley and I left her to sleep while we set out to explore the local area. NOTHING has hanged since I was here! Well, that’s not exactly true- the beautiful building that was formerly a grand department store - and decaying when Ben and I visited in 2001 has been restored into the most wonderfully elegant and stylish 5-star hotel. I had booked dinner there for our last night but hadn’t had a reply to my email, so we went to check. The views across Havana from the 6th floor poolside (rooftop) restaurant are breathtaking and we are all really looking forward to the experience.

    But otherwise it’s all quite the same. There, on the verandah of the Hotel Inglaterra we had coffee.. and a mojito at La Floridita.. all still unchanged. Ghosts everywhere, but nice to have these new memories with the kids overlay the old ones.

    We returned after an hour’s walk and collected Alex for dinner - a rather average (but quite expensive) restaurant recommended by the hotel. Everyone chose the fish.

    And then back to the hotel where we dropped Mitch who was now fading. The girls and I walked around a bit and then went back.

    By now, a live band was setting up on a stage right outside the hotel - actually under our window, and Alex and I watched and danced for a while before going to bed - our dreams punctuated by the sound of Cuban brass and percussion.    Read more

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