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Sean Plamondon
Sean Plamondon

Sean Plamondon

traveled in 90 countries Read more🇨🇦Ottawa
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  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Iguazu - Day 1

    January 27, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Woke up a 5 and got out the door at 530am looking for a taxi on the streets to the airport. Wasn't sure this was the right strategy but was not feeling great about the 15 min estimate from the front desk. Luckily found one quickly and off we go

    My very friendly taxi driver (Ramon) in iguazu spoke perfect English and gave me his whatsapp number in case I wanted to hire him for any other rides. Was able to check in immediately and then got Ramon to pick me up, take me to the ATM and then to the waterfalls.

    The iguazu national park is huge. Several kilometers of trails lead to all sorts of different waterfalls. Some individual ones, some clustered ones, and mostly to the main attraction where there are seemingly an endless string of dramatic waterfalls carrying off into the horizon, or the 270 degree devils throat waterfall area.

    Just the infrastructure put into elevated walkways/catwalks was dizzying. And of course the falls themselves were mind blowing beautiful. I started on the lower paths which took me near the base of some falls, and then made my way up to the higher areas that put me over top of the falls too. I will have to let the pictures paint the scene as it's too surreal to describe. Watch the video because it's hard to capture in a still image.

    After I saw pretty much everything, I was done. Overheating from the super humid jungle temperatures and legs burning from what had to be 10-15km of walking. Earlier I had decided to hike on the jungle path to the furthest falls destination instead of taking the small train like everyone else. Was nice but drained me quite a bit.

    Took the train back and for some reason had an instinct to get off at a halfway station to relax with a beer in the jungle before heading back to town. Hilarious decision as the seating area on the edge of a lot of trees got overrun with coatis and monkeys. The coati were everywhere, especially the baby ones. Under and on top of tables. A number of monkeys showed up as well. Fantastic entertainment while I tried to cool down.

    On my walk out of the park I also saw what I thought was a capybarra but I was told it is a paca paca. Plus lots of lizards all over the park throughout the day.

    Back to town for a nap. And then hit up a nearby restaurant where I met some nice locals who chatted with me for a while and exchanged contact info for possibly meeting up another evening while I am in town. That's very nice (again).

    Edit: I can only attach 2 vids per entry. Will attach more to tomorrow's entry    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Cordoba

    January 26, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I wanted to get from mendoza to iguazu but all the flights required layovers in either buenos aires or Cordoba. So I figured rather than spending most of my day in airports, I would have a day in Cordoba instead.

    Arrived at 10am but unfortunately check in wasn't until 3pm. This hotel had big comfy couches in their lounge area, so I sprawled out and got some much needed rest while waiting for my room to be ready.

    Afterwards wandered some of the nearby streets. Found a few nice craft beer places to sample and didn't do much else. Purely a day to recharge my batteries. Have to be up at 5am for the flight to Iguazu, and this should be one of the biggest highlights of the trip.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Mendoza - Day 3

    January 25, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    My morning started with an 830 pickup with the tour group taking me to Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America.

    In the van I met two more Canadians from Vancouver (Ramona and Mark) and re-united with Argentinians Alexis and Veronica from the horseback riding tour. All 4 are super friendly and wonderful people to spend time with.

    We winded our way up into the mountains, eventually stopping at a pretty lookout stop for a quick photo opportunity. But the "quick" part is a lie because the vehicle broke down and that's as far as it would go this day. While we waited for a replacement, Mark and I hiked down to the lake below. And when we got back up, cuddled with some very young puppies that someone else had in a crate outside their vehicle.

    Once the new van arrived, back to the ascent into the Andes. Had a few stops for lunch and at the Inca Bridge and then finally reached an area near the base of Aconcagua. We did a small hike a bit higher with a better view of the summit, which unfortunately had clouds blocking the peak. But gorgeous terrain. And then the 3 hour drive back to mendoza.

    Went for dinner and tried some different malbecs with my new friend Tatiana in that same restaurant area on Aristides Avenue. Overall, a fantastic 3 days in mendoza. A bit sad this morning leaving for Cordoba as I would have loved to have seen more of mendoza and also spend more time with new friends made. And a bit of a heavy heart towards Tatiana. We had so much in common and connected really well. Haven't felt that way in quite a while towards anyone.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Mendoza - Day 2

    January 24, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today I went on a horseback riding wine tour. Started off at a rancho, and our group all saddled up and meandered through wine orchards for 2 hours on horseback. Extremely relaxing. My horse was of a similar frame of mind and was always far behind everyone else which was kind of nice to just be on my own for a bit. I guess that's a funny thing to say from a solo traveler haha.

    After that we went to a winery/restaurant for an upscale meal and a number of different wines. Everything was amazing and the estate was gorgeous.

    The two Argentinians on the tour are also on my tour tomorrow, so I will see them again soon. The other two girls (one Canadian, one American - Becky) suggested we meet up for drinks in the evening so we met up at that same street with all the restaurants. Had some drinks and the Canadian (Samiah) and I made plans for the weekend as we will both be in iguazu at the same time while her friend has to fly home before that.

    After the girls left and I was finishing up my wine, I somehow became a bit of a celebrity. All the staff and friends hovered around me asking a million questions and also getting me to dj the songs on their sound system. And then taking me another nearby location to hang out for a beer. The night was capped off with some of the guys at my table getting up and doing a street rap performance. I am definitely not lacking for company so far.

    Edit: darn I couldn't upload the video of the street performance. Too long for this apps allowances.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Mendoza - Day 1

    January 23, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Mostly a travel day. First flying to Bariloche and after a 2.5 hour layover, connecting to the wine region of Mendoza. Didn't arrive until about 5:30pm. A bit too late to do any exploring. I literally booked my hotel at the airport, which was a bit rushed and the results reflected it. I will have to be more attentive to details going forward.

    By the way, this city is so wine focused even the airport property has a vineyard on it!!

    Mendoza has an enormous strip of restaurants one after another for what looks like a kilometer. It's pretty impressive. All outdoor patios as far as you can see. Perfect area to unwind with a beer and some food. I think I ordered the world's biggest steak. See pic.

    I remembered it was the American football playoffs so I decided to see if I could find the game somewhere. Walked up and down with no luck then remembered there was an Irish pub... they had it on a TV inside and somehow I convinced them to replace the soccer game on the outside TV with the football game.

    This immediately garnered new friends from all the Americans sitting there. And met a Scottish guy (Ross) at the table next to me. We quickly became buddies and spent the rest of the night chatting over beers. Two women sitting next to us helped us out with understanding our waitress and when they left shortly after they handed a phone number to me and said we should contact them tomorrow and meet for drinks. We looked at eachother and laughed "what just happened?" haha    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    El Calafate - Day 2

    January 22, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Oh boy. This was quite a day.

    I signed up for a glacier tour that also included a long drive around the Patagonia landscape. I was the only person on the bus who didn't understand Spanish but the tour guide dedicated half her explanations for me alone. I was really touched and thankful (and I felt quite guilty for the unbalanced attention). I got to know almost everyone on the bus eventually as they all wanted to assist or just introduce themselves. Such warm people.

    Started the tour with a drive through some of the barren highlands. I saw hundreds of large hares scattering as we drove by, eagles, buzzards, and a smaller version of an ostrich all over the place. Plus a number of other large birds I cannot identify. I loved how I could spot an eagle every km or so sitting on a fence post. You would never need a zoo here as the local wildlife is so abundant and easily accessible.

    Eventually arrived at one of the many Ranchos for a scheduled break. As soon as we arrived, a bunch of goats and a baby wanaco (Llama family) hurried over to greet us. The wanaco and I became best friends forever very quickly, as I had to repel its kisses many times. I think perhaps the lesson learned is to not kneel or bend down to a baby wanaco's level, but I was thoroughly enjoying it haha (yikes, perhaps I have been single too long haha). I was told they are not domesticated but they found it stuck in their fence and have been nursing it back to health. It freely wanders in and out of the house like part of the family. I so dearly wanted to bring him back to Canada!!

    From there we made our way to Perito Morena glacier/national park. My pictures and words are not worthy of how incredible an experience this was. I am still quite emotional from it.

    It's a massive glacier that descends from the Andes mountain range into Lago (lake) Argentino. To understand its size, which is hard to capture, it is 15 stories high above the water and 20 stories deep into the water. 5 km wide (or long?) and I apologize but I forget how long.

    We started at a high elevation and hiked down to the lakeshore in about 40 minutes. From there, hopped onto a boat that took us within 300 meters of it. Being the peak of summer, it made massive cracking noises every few minutes and I witnesses several large portions breaking off and crashing into the water. Like a skyscraper being demolishioned.

    From there, back on the bus to a nearby hill directly opposite the glacier with a phenomenal number of trails and viewing platforms ("balconies"). Took me a few hours to explore every portion of it. About 4-5km just hitting up different vantage points. Choosing these pictures is such a challenge as its all so incredible and overwhelming.

    One of the Argentinians on the tour, Sergio and I went for some beers at the El zarro brewery and eventually for some lamb and wine at a fantastic nearby restaurant. We were the last ones to leave as they were fully booked but they gave us a very late seating out of kindness. I guess we over extended our stay, but Sergio reassured in Argentina, lateness is no problemo here haha

    We finished the night at the Patagonia brewery which turned into a club surprisingly and then to another club where I surprisingly met a bunch of Israelis who were really enamored with the fact I was Canadian for some reason. They were such a fun crowd. Ok, I guess that about covers it. Wow.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    El Calafate - Day 1

    January 21, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Hopped on a 3 hour flight to the far reaches of Patagonia in the south end of south America. This might possibly be the closest I will ever get to Antarctica - that said, I just met a couple who just returned from Antarctica and it sounds amazing. On the radar now and I know exactly how to get there! Sorry mom haha.

    The ride from the airport was like landing on the moon. Mountains and plains, but totally barren everywhere. Such a stark landscape but beautiful at the same time, especially with Andes as a backdrop. And the colors of the water were a very striking blue. Apparently the Andes mountains are so big, they prevent precipitation from getting very far past them and only 300mm of rain hits anywhere from here to the Atlantic. A desert of sorts. The only trees you will see here are ones that people planted and continue watering. Or ones that are in proximity to the mountain chain and dump their precipitation in snow or a bit of rain before dissipating.

    Checked into my super cute hotel and headed off to explore the lakeside area a bit before supper. Definitely a much longer walk than it looked on the map, but I was told there were lots of birds there. Too late in the day to do much else, so why not. Came across a swampy lagoon that didn't look overly special until I got a bit closer and noticed hundreds of flamingos. It was really hard to get close to them without getting wet so my pics are not the best. But flamingos! Haha. I wasn't expecting that.

    Spent the rest of my evening sampling different beers from the two micro breweries on the main strip and chatting to the bartenders. Purposely kept it early because tomorrow is a day I have been highly anticipating. Stay tuned    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Buenos Aires - Day 4

    January 20, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I originally planned to ferry across the river to Colonia in Uruguay for a day trip. Supposed to be a gorgeous little town on the water. But in today's new world it would have required a pcr test, departure forms for Argentina, arrival forms for Uruguay and then departure forms for Uruguay and more arrival forms for Argentina, all dealing with covid. Ugh.. I just didn't have that level of commitment to the idea. But I am kinda kicking myself now.

    Instead, I walked to an island adjacent to downtown called Puerto Madero, about an hour walk from my hotel. Lots of high-rise condos, and a 2km strip of waterfront restaurants. Definitely geared for tourists or the more well off Argentinians. I got sunburned on the way, and wiped out from the heat, so I decided to make this waterfront my home for a few hours and have a lazy day by the water. I can think of a lot worse places to hunker down. All you people in Canada know exactly what I mean haha.

    On the walk back, passed through another area with gorgeous old buildings, and then into a very hectic area full of businesses and lots and lots of people. Had fun bartering more US dollars to pesos with some freelance money exchangers and found a sweet spot to escape the heat and cool off with a cerveza.

    My conversation with the money exchangers went something like this:

    Them: 1 dollar for 150 pesos
    Me: No, 190
    Them: ok 155
    Me: no, 190
    Them: 160, final offer
    Me: bye
    Them: ok 170
    Me: is this the exit?
    Them: 175 and it will not get better than this
    Me: 190
    Them: 175 (and folded arms in defiance)
    Me: (walking out the door)
    Them: ok ok ok 180. Very good price for you
    Me: no
    Them: 185 and cannot go higher
    Me: (leaving again)
    Them: ok ok (gets the money out). And they congratulated me on the price. (Which makes me highly suspicious that they still won the negotiation)

    Took a quick nap at the hotel, and then found another brewery type restaurant a block from the hotel for some food. And capped things off at a lively, no-frills outdoor lounge.

    Definitely excited to start seeing the country though. Saw everything I wanted to in buenos aires, except a soccer game, however the schedules didn't align. Relaxing last day but I want to see more. Off to Patagonia tomorrow woohoo    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Buenos Aires - Day 3

    January 19, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today I was ready for a lot of walking. My hotel is about 10km from Boca stadium and I decided I would zigzag around through Centro area and check out the buenos aires architecture and see if I can get all the way to the stadium on foot.

    The buildings here remind me so much of Paris. Juliette balconies everywhere and beautiful grand structures at most intersections with a smattering of Greek, Roman and Spanish influence too.

    After wandering all over downtown, I made my way into San telmo which is all cobblestone for a very long ways, and cute restaurants throughout.

    The walk from San telmo to the stadium wasn't great but the distance was minimal. Once there, everything became really colorful really quick. It's like 100 home owners decided to split 200 different colored cans of paint together.

    Argentina is where tango originates from, and the caminito area is where it is most celebrated. A few different outdoor restaurants had a tango couple dancing as ambience with your dinner. Cute. And I may have struck a tango pose or two myself :)

    Finished the night in the upscale neighborhood of Palermo for dinner and a few drinks with a friend made Monday evening. It's nice to not always be at restaurants alone and people have been very easy to interact with so far.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Buenos Aires - Day 2

    January 18, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    For some unexplainable reason I got up after 12 ;) I found a nearby restaurant and tried the famous Argentinian grilled meats. I think I ordered the wrong thing because it was probably enough to feed 3 or 4 people! English speaking people here are in short supply. Thank God for my phone translator that works offline.

    After lunch I ran into a guy exchanging pesos for dollars on the street. Abdel had told me to find one of them to get the better rates. At a bank, 1 dollar gets you 100 pesos. With this guy, 1 dollar got me 190 pesos. And new bills too. Two years ago, 1 dollar would get you 20 pesos. So, you can imagine how badly the Argentinian economy has collapsed. I probably should have exchanged all my American at once but I like to keep some American money on hand, just in case.

    From there, went to the cemetery across the street. It is considered one of the must see places in buenos aires. It was amazing. All the rich and famous are buried here, but buried is the wrong term because all the tombs are above ground in huge elaborate stone mausoleums.

    From there hopped into a taxi to some massive garden estates in the wealthy Palermo district. The first was a huge rose garden that must sprawl for a good km or two. Roses weren't really in bloom but it was still quite pretty. And the other is a picture perfect Japanese garden.

    Went back to the hotel for a nap and then to the Skybar restaurant atop a downtown building for some drinks and supper. Much earlier bedtime this day haha. But a really nice day wandering about.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    Buenos Aires - Day 1

    January 17, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    That was a very long trip! 15-16 hours yikes. Had a brief stop in Sao Paulo on the way to drop off half the passengers, plus a silly insistence by Brazil authorities to pass everyone remaining through security and then back on the plane to continue onward to buenos aires.

    My $40 hotel (it's nice!) is in a very affluent area. Nice restaurants and bars for many blocks. And literally right next door is the Buller brewery. That may not be coincidence haha. Abdel recommended the area (recoleta).

    I immediately tried their ipa, which was nice but then a local recommended their honey beer. Oh my God, it is pretty amazing. I need to figure out how to run a beer line from this brewery to my house in Ottawa because there is nothing like this in Canada to my knowledge.

    Took a much needed nap after some food and when I came back out, things were busy everywhere.. on a Monday too. I found half a dozen places specializing in craft beers within 2 blocks of my hotel, so I felt compelled to do some sampling here and there.

    Chatted with a few bartenders for a while and was about to go home and sleep as everything was closing but my night changed entirely as I met an Italian who convinced me (wasn't hard) to go to another area with him that stays open late

    Caught a taxi with Leandro to this area that was very lively. And he literally tried to talk to every single female within a square kilometer and he got rejected or ignored at every turn. I have never seen anyone so oblivious to negative vibes. I had to drag him away several times. Eventually I just sat by myself to not associate myself with his advances on everyone. And while sitting there, I got invited to join a jenga game with some girls at the next table. Amusing that my complete lack of effort got more attention than leandro's relentless attitude.

    We all became friends quickly and hung out for quite a while. The boyfriend of one of the girls took my number because he wanted to invite me to a party later this week. I am already rich in friends here haha. But the most amusing thing is that leandro finally found a girl not repulsed by his advances. One of the jenga girls and leandro were kissing off and on for an hour. He was bragging to me that he was about to take her to his hotel ..... until I informed him that it was a man hahaha. I video recorded the ensuing reactions. Omg I am still laughing.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentinaSean Plamondon

    And, we are off..

    January 16, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ -17 °C

    When I booked this trip I certainly wasn't anticipating this omicron mess, But I am triple vaxed, and pretty sure I have already had omicron.. so gonna give this travel thing a try again.

    I could have used some clerical staff for all the paperwork involved. Proof of vaccine x2, proof of covid insurance, proof of a negative pcr test taken within 72 hours of the flight, a few declaration forms to the Argentinian government and finally a declaration form and copies of everything to air canada. Showing up at the airport without all these things would end the trip right there.

    My favorite part of travel is the unexpected turns. This morning I got a big one. The furnace stopped working and the house was 13 degrees. Luckily I called my hvac guy i met at camping last summer and he was able to fix it before my train to Montreal. Well mostly, he has to replace a part still but all of that is arranged now. Phew. Not the relaxing start I was hoping for. If that had occurred a day later maybe my pipes burst, my cats freeze to death and polar bears move in.

    One last thought in this airport entry.. I am getting far too used to the maple leaf lounge comforts. Sitting at a nice bar,, sipping a Guinness, watching the Dallas cowboys lose (they really have thought of everything!), ordering food.. all free. Next up, my business class pod on the plane. I wonder how many other people in business class checked in with a backpack haha.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala

    Belize City

    March 22, 2020 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Started our day with s 3.5 hour drive from Placencia to Belize City. Really beautiful drive with jungle right to the highway edge all along the Hummingbird highway. Checked into our hotel and dropped off Alexa and mom and then returned our Jeep.

    When we first rented the jeep, about 20 minutes later on a highway, a large rock kicked up from a truck and put a big crack in the windshield. So i was dreading the moment of returning the jeep and sorting that issue out. But somehow they didn't notice, or didn't care, and they even gave me a free ride back to my hotel.

    Our hotel was awesome. Nice restaurant, lovely gardens and a large pool. Spent the day lounging by the pool and finishing off the beer and wine we had bought in hopkins and placencia. It was actually really busy too with lots of families all around the pool area. Hadn't seen this many people in a long time. Last sleep and off to the airport.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala

    Placencia - Day 3

    March 21, 2020 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I woke up and decided to try to change my air canada flight on expedia again. Success!, plus $850 to do it for all 3 of us. Now we are booked on two different flights home to cover our bases. Surely we will get on one of them hours before the border here slams shut hard for a long time.

    Felt better about things but i admit it was a nagging issue mentally. We really should have found an excursion but we just had another lazy day at the beach again. I walked the long boardwalk to its southern point and back. 80 percent of everything is shut down due to lack of tourists. Seriously, we are the last of the mohicans everywhere and its a bit unsettling now.

    All the Americans i met (and kept my distance from) had already flown home. Flights coming here wouldn't be dropping anyone off and only picking people up. Corporations and their bottom line concerned me that we might see cancelled flights. But out of my hands now and hoping for the best. Fantastic to be here in the sun and enjoying restaurants and bars but its an uneasy fantastic heh.

    And omg we have played maybe our 500th game of blokus. We are ready for world class competition. Our level of cut throat play has become saudi arabia impressive. Beware!    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    1

    Placencia - Day 2

    March 20, 2020 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Beaches and logistics sums up most of the past couple of days.

    First we heard caye caulker was mostly shutting down because of a lack of tourists, so we cancelled our hotel there. Then started hearing different rumours about the airport and borders all closing, and different days. Yesterday read on the airport website that it was closing on the 23rd and our flight was leaving on the 25th. Uh oh.

    Couldn't get our direct flight to Toronto changed to monday because it was full but did manage to book a delta flight to toronto through atlanta. And contacted the embassies to make sure we could transit through American airports without quarantining. We can. Phew.

    Rest of the day was being lazy by the beach. Not entirely easy to enjoy with all the uncertainty ahead of us, but much better than back home in the cold and quarantining and everything being closed. And discovered the best nachos ever. Annnnnd... my first IPA craft beer of the trip! Banner day, minus all the worldwide doom and gloom, and dying and uncertainty of getting home 😉    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    1

    Placencia - Day 1

    March 19, 2020 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Felt sad checking out of our dream cabana in hopkins and alexa was especially sad to leave all the doggies that she spent time with everyday.

    Had breakfast at a tiny mom and pop place. While sitting there, there must have been at least 20 different locals who walked in for one reason or another and every single person gave us a friendly hello. This country is over the top friendly everywhere we go, and especially Hopkins. Everyone walking by on the street says hi. While driving, everyone on the sidewalk waves. Even guys doing roadwork will stop, smile and wave.

    The drive to Placencia is only an hour and a lot of the drive is along some pretty coastline and through some pretty swank neighbourhoods. I had an apartment rented which took us a long time to find. My mapping app and booking.com had its location incorrectly mapped.

    While asking for directions, the person referred to my mom as my wife. Thats twice that has happened! I'm not sure how to feel about that lol.

    Spent the afternoon at the beach, sipping beers and jumping in and out of the ocean. The beach is very pretty but we cant help but compare everything to hopkins. Man, we are so spoiled haha.

    And its so quiet everywhere. This place is wall to wall resorts and hotels and its mostly empty at every turn.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    Awoke to about 20 pelicans in front of our cabana
    Leaf cutter antsBase of antelope fallsAscent to top of antelope fallsTop of antelope fallsTypical scenery on our hike. Really hard to decribe its beautyLower Bocawina FallsLower Bocawina Falls and its swimming holeSome well earned beverages

    Hopkins - Day 3

    March 18, 2020 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Was hoping to leave early today but Alexa was sound asleep until 9am so i was content to get a late start instead. By the time we had breakfast and got groceries, it was well after 11. Mom decided she's had enough jungle and opted for another beach day.

    Thank god we have a jeep. The road to Mayflower Bocawina National Park was an uneven and bumpy dirt road. Got some good information from the park warden and started our hike up to 1000ft antelope falls through the dense jungle. Took about 30 mins to reach the base of the falls and it felt amazing to stick our feet in the cold water as it was really humid and a relatively steep walk.

    Then it got harder. To get to the top of the falls, it was much steeper and there were ropes to haul yourself up the trail. Another 30 minutes later, we reached the top and jumped into a natural swimming hole. There were a few more cascading falls just above the swimming hole that i climbed while alexa wrote in her journal.

    After descending, we drove a bit deeper into the park and hiked the much easier Bocawina Falls trail which also had a nice swimming hole at its base. We cooled off there and horsed around on a natural waterslide i found and headed back. There was an upper bocawina falls above that one, but we were tired.

    We grabbed a relaxing drink at the park's jungle lodge and headed back to Hopkins. Didn't see much wildlife. I saw one of those upright running lizards on the way in, tons of leaf cutter ants and we could hear the roar of the howler monkeys at the jungle lodge.

    Got back and found mom relaxing on the seaside front porch, reading a book. Had another great meal at a local spot and we all were in bed early.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    2

    Hopkins - Day 2

    March 17, 2020 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    The plan today was to have zero plans. I think we executed it beautifully. Slept in late and then found a tiny (one table!) breakfast place around 10:30 and had the worlds best grilled cheese sandwich, with turkey and ham and peppers and onions and mayo. Mouth is watering just thinking about it.

    Then spent a few hours splashing in and out of the water, watching pelicans dive bomb fish in the ocean in front of us, swaying in hammocks and playing with neighborhood dogs that begged for our attention.

    Mom was content to stay by the beach near our cabana while Alexa and I walked up and down the coast both directions. It was almost entirely local resident homes in both directions with the odd cabana rental and a huge resort that seemed too pristine compared to our amazing natural and secluded slice of heaven. Seriously, this is idyllic.

    Later we all went to a nearby (hmmm) restaurant/pub/shack called Driftwood for supper and also for st paddys AND to watch the garifuna drumming performance Hopkins is famous for. Stayed for a few hours of drumming and then off to bed early as we have a big day tomorrow...    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    11

    Hopkins - Day 1

    March 16, 2020 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Thank the good lord no snakes were in my mom's mattress last night, because i don't think there's enough wine in this country to make things ok.

    After breakfast we headed to St. Herman's National park which had a self guided cave to venture into. So Alexa and I put on our headlamps and i outfitted mom with a flashlight. On the jungle hike there, Alexa twice saw a lizard "Alfred" that runs upright on two feet! I really wish i saw that. She has a weird knack for spotting all creatures.

    We finally reached the opening of the cave and started descending down into it. And mom suddenly had a moment where it looked like she was thinking "i have seen this movie and it didn't work out so well for the tourists" and she announced she would not be going any further, which quickly progressed to "i will see you back at the car", and off she went. So Alexa and i descended deep into the pitch black cave. It was pretty eerie and cool at the same time.

    After collecting mom in the parking lot, we drove to a jungle swimming hole called the blue hole. We all jumped in and cooled off. Alexa and i noticed a small cave downstream and waded over to it. The echo as we approached was awesome, so i walked into the cave yelling silly things and a flood of bats flew out and scared the crap out of me.

    From the swimming hole, we drove a bit further down the hummingbird highway to Billy Barquedier National Park, and hiked through a dense jungle trail to a waterfall and swimming hole. Alexa and i had fun climbing the rocks at the waterfall and mom decided a nearby boulder needed some company and watched us splash around.

    On the walk back, Alexa was leading the way maybe 15 steps ahead when she turned around terrified and started running towards us. And then ran right past us. Mom and i looked at eachother wondering what she had seen, so we stopped dead in our tracks. Alexa was hysterical and we could barely understand a word she said for quite a while. Finally we understood she saw a huge black snake with yellow spots curled up on the trail. I went over but there was nothing there. It probably took off the other way just as fast.

    Hopping back in the car, we drove to Hopkins, which is a authentic garifuna community (jamaican) with gorgeous beaches. So we settled in quick and altered between hopping waves in the ridiculously warm waters, and lounging back in beachside hammocks. Topped off by an awesome beachside meal. Great day.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala

    Jaguar Creek

    March 15, 2020 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    While people back home are making sacrifices like restricting their movement, no large gatherings and only purchasing one package of toilet paper at a time, we too were making sacrifices like not going to Guatemala and instead going to the Belize zoo and staying in a jungle lodge. Painful, i know :)

    I had heard the belize zoo was small but really well done. They were mostly right. Extremely well done and not small at all. It was a zoo for only animals found in belize and was basically set up in the jungle. For example, monkeys weren't in enclosures but in a forest area. And all the animals are rescues from the wild with the goal of setting them back into the wild once they are better and able. Animals include spider monkeys, howler monkeys, crocodiles, jaguars, jaguarundis, pumas, ocelots, tapir, coatis, vultures, harpy eagles, toucans, and deer. And more, but i forget now.

    After the zoo, we drove to the jungle lodge "Jaguar Creek" i booked the evening before. It was in a very isolated location in a heavily forested area of jungle. We had an entire 2 bedroom cabin to ourselves. Alexa and i hiked the 30 minute loop trail through the jungle and then hopped into the creek's natural pool by a small waterfall to cool off, while mom relaxed at the cabin. This place has no A/C, no tv and no wifi, which i didn't realize when i booked it, but its really nice to be out in nature. Mom was perhaps less enthusiastic as it took me a while to convince her there were no snakes inside her mattress.

    Disappointingly, we didn't spot any wildlife here, but we did hear the ferocious roar of the howler monkeys as we went to bed. Hopefully tomorrow we will reach the coast.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    Sharron and AlanOscar the amazing bartender who took me on a nocturnal tour of san ignacio

    San Ignacio - Day 2

    March 14, 2020 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    It was the first day that we didn't need to get up at any specific time so we lazily lounged around our cabana until about 10:30am. And then hopped in the jeep and drove to Xunantunich, another ancient mayan site.

    To get there, we had to take the world's shortest ferry ride (a statistic i just made up), which holds just 4 cars and crosses a small river and is propelled by a hand crank. And free.

    The actual site isn't as expansive as other locations i have visited, but the main temple was massive. Alexa and i made our way to the top, and on the way up, we noticed some people were focused on the nearby jungle trees. The back of the temple was against a hill so we wandered off to take some pictures of the spider monkeys and some large iguanas. And then continued to the top. It was so high, people at the bottom looked like ants. Mom was pretty knackered from the walk uphill to the site and relaxed in the shade as we climbed up and down the temple.

    When we got back to San ignacio, we stopped at a large market and had some tacos for lunch. As we were eating, we saw Alan and Sharron from Indiana who we met at Lamanai a few days ago.

    Then went back to our hotel and relaxed in the pool. We decided going to Tikal, Guatemala was no longer viable because the border was likely to close soon and we didn't want to get stuck on the Guatemala side. Which was disappointing as it was the whole reason this trip was booked. So i spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out a new plan and where to stay.

    For supper, we drove into town to a really cool restaurant that a few people recommended and ran into Alan and Sharron again. Funny how that happens sometimes.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    1
    With our guide Richard at lunch

    San Ignacio - Day 1

    March 13, 2020 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    This morning we hopped back into our jeep and headed southwest to the Nohoch Che'en caves reserve. There aren't many highways in Belize, but signage isn't great so i have been utilizing a cool offline app called Maps.Me to help with navigation. Plus my mom. Where this gets especially interesting is combining the map app with my mom as i drive. Lets just say its a work in progress, and leave it at that :) Definitely some kinks to work out of the system and some pretty funny moments, and no wrong turns yet haha.

    Once we arrived, we hired a guide, suited up with helmets and life jackets and some inner tubes for the river. After a 30 minute hike through some attractive jungle scenery, into the water we went with our tubes. This is the ultimate lazy river, floating down the river and into a massive cave. Our tubes were tied together and our guide maneuvered us through the pitch black cave for about 30 minutes. Thankfully, we were all wearing headlamps, so we could see the stalagtites and stalagmites plus a number of bats flying around. Some were vampire bats, according to the guide. Eventually came out the other side of the cave and peacefully floated our way back to the starting point.

    From there we were off to San Ignacio for the night. Our guide Richard lives there so we gave him a lift and treated him to lunch on the waý too. Then settled into our very comfortable new accomodations which are situated on top of a hill overlooking the city. Its mostly individual cute cabins with thatch rooves, plus a nice restaurant and 3 cascading swimming pools. Excellent spot to finish our day.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    Alexa at the topCarlos, the howler monkey whispererSome R&R after an awesome day

    Orange Walk - Day 2

    March 12, 2020 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Started our first adventure with an hour boat ride down the New River. We boarded a relatively small boat that seated about 12 people but it had some serious horsepower. The river had narrow, winding channels with jungle on both shores, and our boat flew through it, angling left and right, gliding around all the tight corners. It felt like a video game. Every now and then, our driver would notice a croc (martha, as per alexa) or exotic birds (ospreys and egrets) and stop for us to get a pic.

    Shortly after the river widening, we docked to start exploring the ancient mayan ruins of Lamanai. They are in the middle of a jungle and as far as i know, are inaccessible by car. Following the well cleared paths lead to several different temples built around 100 BC! Alexa and i climbed to the top of all of them while mom enjoyed the views from very low altitude :)

    A number of times we could hear or see monkeys moving through the trees above us. Our guide Carlos did his best howler monkey sound and amazingly got the monkeys in the trees to start their freaky monster noises. Its really impossible to describe them. Just think horror movie monster noises, or as carlos said "welcome to Jurassic park".

    Our guides provided us with a home cooked meal of chicken, rice and plantains, and shortly after we zipped back through the narrow river channels back to Orange Walk. Spent the rest of our day lounging at our hotel's serene riverside restaurant and enjoying more food and board games.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala
    3
    1

    Orange Walk - Day 1

    March 11, 2020 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    And we're off!

    It was mostly a day of waiting. Got up at 4am (bleh!!) to catch our 6am flight. The connection in Toronto was delayed by 40 minutes. Then upon landing in belize city, had to wait over an hour to get through customs. And waited another hour for our car rental to be ready. And drove one hour north to Orange Walk in our Jeep Liberty.

    Our hotel is well outside the city, situated on a picturesque location by the "New River". Now it finally felt like the vacation had started. Sitting by the river, sipping some drinks, munching on some yummy belizean meals and enjoying the peaceful nature all around us. Alexa found a baby crocodile just below our balcony and named it Jerry. Exotic birds skimming over the water. Geckos scurrying around us looking for insects. This definitely wasn't Ottawa or Cornwall in March :)

    I booked our river/temple tour for the next day and settled in for some tasty stouts and some hard fought games of Blokus. Looking forward to our first real adventure starting tomorrow. Oh yeah, everyone is ridiculously nice and friendly. Very easy to feel at home already.    Read more

  • Belize and Guatemala

    5 weeks from today

    February 5, 2020 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ -9 °C

    Taking my mother and daughter on a whirlwind tour of temples, jungle, beaches, caves, waterfalls and islands. Dialing down the luxury, and amping up the adventure.

  • Sean PlamondonEcuadorSean Plamondon
    1

    Heading Home

    January 30, 2020 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    Contacted my driver Edgar from my initial visit to Quito who brought me to the airport again. Such a sweet guy. He was so happy to see me and wants me to keep in touch. Hope to see him again someday.

    Just about every asian at the Quito airport was wearing protective face masks from the coronavirus outbreak, plus some of the airport staff.

    ......

    The following is a complete transcript of my interaction with Toronto customs:
    Me: Hi !! 😁
    Customs: Have you been to China in the past 14 days?😐
    Me: No.😬
    Customs: Welcome back.😶    Read more

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