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Paso a paso - América Latina
  • Nadine Bless
  • Nadine Bless

Paso a paso - América Latina

A 169-day adventure by Nadine Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 4, 2022
    Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler

    I thought I would escape the cold?! 🍂

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    It were the best days of autumn in Frankfurt I could have had before I leave for my (maybe) longest journey yet. 🍂

    It feels strange (and yes, a bit terrifying too) to not know completely what is ahead of me because usually I feel like planning and controling outcomes. But now, I am excited to trust the future and let it take me to new places, experiences and learnings. What a privilege to be in the position to say that! 🤔Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler

    I am in Guatemala :)

    November 4, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    20 hrs and two bumpy rides later, I arrived in Guatemala, still can’t believe it 😁

    Again, I was positively surprised how smooth everything works out and how many nice people you can even get to know in one day. After 4 hrs of Spanish practice with my Guatemalan neighbors in the plane and 1 hr of recommendations and chatting with the taxi driver, I can say my mind has also arrived here ✅Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler

    Hobbitenango, surprisingly magical!

    November 6, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    From the beginning I was not convinced going there at all but just hopped on the taxi with people I met. Already on the way up, on the back of small trucks, along a steep bumpy road, I thought this place is totally insane 😄 I said, who is that crazy guy to set up a Hobbit land on top here?!

    Just having said that I was just impressed. Once you reach the park, you also enter another world, a huge playground for adults with such a stunning view, you can see the Fuego volcanoe erupting in the distance 😳

    We couldn’t stop taking pictures when a guy sitting on the grass gave us tips how to improve the perspective and told us about the park. Guess what, he turned out to be the owner of the park! Looking at him you knew he was a special and very charismatic and kind person (just not as insane as I pictured him before 😅).

    He told us how he worked in Europe as a sailor and with the money he earned he bought this land close to his hometown up the mountains. There was nothing before and most villages were very poor. After initial resistance from the local villages, he started employing the local people to set up a Hobbit hotel business. When people were asking to visit it, he transformed it to a park, which turned out to be highly profitable and created a lot of side businesses and jobs around the towns at the mountain. Since then he is called the ‘Sauron’ of the shire (due to the erupting volcanoe) in radio shows, he said.

    After that encounter, we were invited to a local beer in the Hobbit Beer Garden 🍻 and a cocktail in the tiny bar with perfect view on the Fuego. What an exciting story he and his manager had to tell, starting from scratch with this crazy idea becoming a flourishing business that also benefits the locals.    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Photo exhibition: The bird of Guatemala, the Quetzal, the currency (quetzales) was named after him
    Vulcanoe Agua

    Antigua & a just perfect start :)

    November 8, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    I have just been here for a couple of days, but already feel so comfortable. No matter which street you walk, you discover something: the famous arch highlighting one of the volcanoes around 🌋, many colonial buildings, a library, a photo exhibition, beautiful paintings on the walls, plenty of backyards that are so nicely designed and offer various kinds of food and drinks.

    And guess what, my Uber driver turned out to be a salsa music lover being friends with the singer of a salsa band playing the same night, so it didn’t keep me long from dancing (actually it was the first night😁)💃

    I was lucky to choose Antigua as my first stop and everything just went so smooth and relaxed, I couldn’t ask for more ☺️

    Looking forward to the Acetenango volcanoe hike!    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Vamonos! We were so excited 😎
    Our hiking buddy all the wayAt this point I had no idea what awaits me 😅#1 to base camp 4hrs, #2 Fuego trail 4hrs @sunset, #3 Acatenango summit 3hrs @sunrise, #4 descent 4hHeavy rain at base camp🙈Our base campView from the base camp 😳4 layers, prepared for 3 degrees and rain 👌That's where the Fuego trail leads to 🌋It was hard!!!Well deserved view, only 600m from the Fuego crater 💪😳

    Volcano hike #1: to Camp & Fuego trail

    November 9, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    I think that was the hardest thing I have done in my life, 15 hours of walking in only one and a half days 💪 but also the most spectacular to watch 🌋

    Unfortunately, it was raining a lot on our way to the Fuego viewpoint and we only saw the actual volcano for 3 minutes until we ended up in clouds. We could hear the eruption so loud, we knew it was so close (600m from the crater), but didn’t see anything. That’s when you get a lot of respect of unpredictable nature!Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Just a spectacular sunrise above the clouds. Just before we saw a shooting star 🌠
    It was steep! Hard climb up on loose ground with our guide ChinoWhile the sun rises, the full moon goes down on the other sideListen to the sound!The smile when you get warmed up by the sun after freezing 3 degrees ❄️Just incredible views on the Fuego 🔥Sunrise at the campThe camp after sunrise

    Volcano hike #2: Sunrise @ Acatenango

    November 10, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I am so glad I made it to the summit. Initially I didn’t think I would make it, my legs were already so weak and we only slept 3 hours. Just when I saw the shooting star and the sky cleared up completely, the excitement was taking me up the last hill.

    On the summit, it was freezing and so windy, it was hard to stand upright. But the view was incredible on all sides: the sun rising, the full moon going down and an erupting volcano just in front of us 😳 A unique place!
    When the sun started to warm us, everything was just perfect 🔥    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Peaceful boat ride at 6am to the next town
    Santa Cruz & the usual way of transportation, boats and tuk tuksHear the music? Just a normal day in the centre of a town 😅San Juan de la LagunaSan Juan de la laguna, my favorite townCrazy boat rides around the lake 😅Yoga is really big here and I get it!Beautiful hike from Santa Cruz to San Marcos, the alternative yoga townRaising awareness for environment protection whereever you look, but it is a long way to goUnfortunately burning plastic is still very common

    Lago de Atitlán

    November 14, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Lake Atitlán was formed by the eruption of a supervolcano a long time ago and it is still surrounded my volcanoes on almost each side. While it is one of the deepest lakes in Central America, it also rises and falls in its water levels, which is explained by seismic activity. Rising water levels buried already parts of towns in water (there is a diving school to explore underwater monuments). Actually there it was also my first time experiencing an earthquake, which is kind of common in this area, but surprised me a lot in its power.

    Nowadays, the lake is famous for it's eco and yoga retreats and also has a big foreign community. Around the lake, every town has its own vibe:
    ~ Panajachel is the economic centre and the main harbour
    ~ San Pedro the most touristic and party place
    ~ In San Juan (my favorite) you find many art and textile shops in colourful streets
    ~ San Marcos is the hippie town with all kinds of retreats (yoga, healing, ecstatic dance etc.) and alternative cafés and restaurants which is kind of a parallel world to the town itself
    ~ Santa Cruz (where I stayed) is the most authentic small town on the hill (it hosts a NGO cooking academy/restaurant which also has an amazing view on the lake!)    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Beutiful place for a swim in the middle of the jungle!
    Unfortunately no pictures from our tubing in the river while it was raining, beautiful placeThe way of transportation in the jungle, sometimes wet, but fun 😅The view from Hostal Vista Verde

    Lanqúin & Semuc Champey

    November 17, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures from the tour when we hiked the cave with candles and also not from the tubing in the river, because both was pretty wet obviously 😊

    I can’t say that the trip was well organized because all the guides were very young (maybe 20). It was a real challenge to climb and jump in the cave and trust the guides, but eventually it was a lot of fun!

    The day ended on the back of the pickup truck without roof when it started to rain heavily. The perfect ending of a pretty wet day with a lot of challenge and laughter 😅    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Christmas just started 😁Boat rides across the lakeA boat ride away from FloresRope swing beachTrapped for 1 hour in the rain 😅It was raining a lot!Los Amigos HostalLooking forward to Tikal!

    Lago Péten & Flores

    November 19, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Flores is situated on the island of lake Petén in the north of Guatemala. The climate has changed to hot and humid compared to the south, also with heavy rains that even surprised the locals ⛈️🌴. Flores is famous for its beautiful town and as starting point for tours to Tikal, the ancient Maya city.

    Besides, there is not too much to do around the lake other than exploring the town, the beaches and nice restaurants and bars. I really liked my jungle hostel and enjoyed my time with my Dutch and French follow travelers 🍹🥳    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    The Star Wars filmset 🎥A temple built according to the calendar of longest and shortest days 🌞An original pillar with inscriptionsInvasion of the coati 😅

    Tikal, the ancient Maya city

    November 21, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Wow, this place is incredible! 🌱🗿

    This UNESCO World Heritage site was found in the middle of the jungle after the Mayans abandoned it by the end of the 10th century (likely due to famines). The plants and wildlife that grew around and on top of the ancient ruins is breathtaking (tucans, pumas, monkeys, coati, etc.). It is a huge area where many of the ruins are still hidden underneath the jungle and are being conserved (it was decided to not excavate all the ruins, but with modern X-ray technology they can be made visible).

    Likely the city was called Yax Mutal in the Mayan days and was home for around up to a million people (!!) and a row of ancient Mayan rulers. The stories are known from scriptures in the pillars in front of the temples.

    The architecture goes back to the Mayan sacred numbers of 1 3 5 7 9 13 & 20 and their multiples (e.g. the amount of building, pillars or stairs), which they derived from the human body or from astrology. Also buildings were built in groups and resemble positive (upper world) and negative (underworld) with their orientation to north and south (they always balance out in groups) ☯️.

    The Mayas knew a lot about astrology, so they were able to build a temple precisely at the location where the sun sets at Sept 22 right above it, when day and night are equally long. To its sides the sun sets respectively at the longest and the shortest days of the year. 🌞 The Maya calendar consists of 18 ‘months’ with each 20 days (one month with only 5 days), so total 365 days as we know it.

    Just impressive!    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    La laguna de las 7 colores
    Almost private concertTacos 😍Lazy days in the hostel 😎Sunset boat party 🍹La Catrina bar - my happy place! 💃Los rápidos streamPaddle Board session @ sunrise

    Bacalar & la laguna de las 7 colores

    November 25, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After 14 hours of bus ride (4 buses) and 2 border crossings, I arrived in Mexico 🇲🇽!

    Flores 🇬🇹 -> Belize City 🇧🇿 -> Chetumal 🇲🇽 -> Bacalar 🇲🇽

    Already the bus ride was interesting and quite tough also (border crossings suck!). The scenery, the language, the currency and also the people changed completely in Belize (it used to be a British colony). Due to its crazy prices I skipped it on my route, but I could feel the different Afro-Caribbean vibes only by staying a couple of hours. It is supposed to be one of the best diving spots in the world, so maybe I shouldn’t have skipped it 🤔

    Mexico and especially the Yucatán peninsula immediately appeared to me a lot more touristic, compared to Guatemala, where people rather stayed during longer travels and especially enjoyed the nature and hiking.

    Bacalar is not a big town but has a lot to offer for food (the famous tacos!), relaxed activities, partying and dancing 😍. The pictures tell all the stories! 😎    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Gardening with Don Severo (83yrs)🌿
    Selva Bonita (Kiichpam K'aax), the eco-touristic centerWorkshop in the community school about Mayan traditional medical plantsDon Damian showing his corn and pineapple fieldTortilla cooking workshop👌😋Swimming in a hidden cenote in the jungle (in Mayan named after a spider 🕸)Congress about conservation of water quality on the Yucatán peninsulaIn the Yucatán peninsula all water reserves are linked, so this is what happens with the pollution 😱Measuring the water quality scientificallyBird watching workshop with the kids of the communities

    Week #1 volunteering in la Zona Maya

    November 29, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After my first 3 weeks traveling, I left the beaten touristic track to spend 3 weeks at my volunteering place at a Mayan eco-cultural center in the middle of the Yucatán peninsula.

    Already in the bus leaving from Bacalar I noticed that I was the only foreigner in that local bus. 2 hrs in that bus, one mototaxi and one taxi ride later, I eventually arrived at Selva Bonita (or in Mayan Kíichpam K’aax), an eco-cultural center and hotel in the Zona Maya of Quintana Roo and also in the middle of nowhere of the jungle 😀🌿

    Selva Bonita itself is a huge space and has a lot to offer for visitors, from endless gardens, a mystic Mayan trail, a traditional sauna, a theater, a pool, a pond with a crocodile, a small museum and rustic Mayan cabins to stay the night. The family of Don Damian lives here and offers all kinds of tours about the Mayan culture in order to conserve it as good as possible in their communities. Accommodations and the way of living here is rustic, very traditional and in coexistence with the nature. Here you don’t find any unnecessary luxury items, everything has a purpose.

    Incredible, I can’t even describe all I have experienced and learned in that single week, the pictures say more than a thousands words! I am very grateful for being able to stay with them ✨

    In exchange for all that I just started working on their website, which is already quite beautiful. See yourself: www.selvabonita.com 🌿🧐    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Plaza Mayor Maní
    Maní is an important place for the MayasHe has a lot of Mayan stories and legends to tell about ManíGreat food I have never tried before 😋❣️Mariana, me & the snowman ☃️Mezcal cocktail 🍹Fiesta in Oxkutzkap with other volunteers

    Oxkutzcap & Maní (pueblo magico)

    December 3, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    On the weekend Mariana (volunteer from Mexico) and me left to Oxkutzcab and Maní, two Mayan towns close to Mérida, to meet with other volunteers from other projects of the region. In Oxkutzcab we went out to the only place that was still open at night 🍹🍹 It is not a touristic town, so there was not much to see.

    The next day and quite tired, we went to Maní, one of the pueblos mágicos, famous for its history, its Mayan legends and good food. An old man told us all about the legends of the Mayas and the cenote of the town and actually didn’t want to stop🧚🏻

    The way back was an adventure. After catching one bus to the closest city we had to wait a long time for the next. This eventually even turned out to be the wrong one and so we ended up in a dark street in the middle of nowhere at night. Luckily we found a taxi that brought us back to our closest community, but from there nobody wanted to take us the last 10 min to the eco-touristic center. Last but not least, we asked some police officers 👮‍♀️ and they took us the last meters in their police car 🚓 (and told us all about the drug crime scene of the peninsula which takes place mainly in the cities of the coast). It was a loooong day! 😅    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    The Caribbean vibe
    Sometimes lucky, sometimes not, anyway we were having fun 😅Somewhere along the way...That's how you buy fish in Mahuhual 😂Pescado a la planchaSuper powerful kayak tour with a candle in the night, watching the stars ✨6.30 in the morning 🌅View out of my tent, could be worse :)The way back 😎

    Mahuhual & the first beach days

    December 10, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Nos vamos a la playa for the weekend🏝️

    As before, the way to and back is already an adventure when you live in the middle of the Yucatán peninsula. Waiting for buses or hitchhiking, sometimes lucky, sometimes not. Some people are so kind to take all 4 of us on the back bench 👍, some see their chance to make big money💰

    After 4 hours we arrived in Mahuhual and for me it was the first time on this journey to see the sea. Welcome to the Carribean vibes and the sound of the waves ❣️. I loved my tent 50m from the beach and the super relaxed atmosphere in our shady camping hostel (which Antonio, the Italian volunteer, organized last minute via a friend).

    I didn’t like the big cruise ships that brought the most people to the town for a couple of hours. Also the snorkeling was a bit disappointing, even though I was pretty close to seeing a turtle. Actually I saw more trash in the water than actual fish, so that I started collecting it ☹️.    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Another workshop in the primary school in Chunhuhub and me again answering a thousand questions 😅
    Santa Clause trying to increase the awareness for 🐍 and 🐸 within the communityAnother workshop in the local school and us handing out food to the kidsThe kids being curious about all the 🐍 🐸🦎Mariana and me on the way home from the school with the tricitaxiWorking days being like 😋Enjoying this beautiful place 😎Me learning Maya: I will never learn how this is pronounced correctly 🥵Trying hard to take a selfie on the pickup truck. Normal way of transportion😅Mariana giving a cooking class to locals to conserve traditional Mayan dishesDon Damian looking for ways to move from sustainable tourism to regenerative tourism 🌱

    Week #2 volunteering in Selva Bonita

    December 11, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Selva Bonita not only is a ecotourism center, Don Damian and his family have big visions to actually improve things in their community and around:

    👣 The first big vision is to conserve the Mayan culture and their knowledge about plants, medicine, agriculture, food, textiles and the language for future generations.

    🌱 The second vision is to conserve the nature and the subterranean water in the peninsula and to implement an ecotourism that benefits the community, the environment and the planet.

    Don Damian has great ambitions and wants to establish a more holistic approach on tourism that can even help to regenerate, socially, economically and ecologically. During our brainstorming, there were many ideas, but there are also a lot of ongoing projects in the center and the family. We as volunteers wondered how they will be able to do this all, so that we eventually recommended to focus on improving the center first in order to be able to invest in projects. E.g. they also recently started to do workshops in the schools and the community hall of the town. Until now they are funded by bigger organizations of the peninsula which require a lot of documentation and lack transparency.

    I was lucky to take part in some of these workshops and could at least support in the registering and supervising of the kids. I actually didn’t think to attract that much attention, but they literally loved me and asked a thousand questions❣️The most frequent ones:
    - What does this and that mean in English/German? 🗣️
    - Does it snow in Germany? ☃️
    - Why are your eyes blue? Are they real?🤣    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    The Mayas and their strong connection with mother earth 🌱
    Juanita preparing breakfast over the 🔥Me harvesting grapefruit 😋Gathering banana leaves for the tamalesTamales (with chaya, beans, pumpkin seeds & salsa de tomate) in the makingDon Severo and his granddaughter showing us how to find water in the jungleDon Severo climbing the trees to harvest chewing gum, impressive with 84 yrs! 😳Preparing typical German bread on the stick 😅Legends of the mayas at our mystic bonfire 🔥Me dancing around Selva Bonita 💃Our secret cenote in the jungle ✨

    Week #3 volunteering in Selva Bonita

    December 16, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Week 3 and again, I can’t describe all the things I have experienced. I already got used to the place, the jungle, the people, the animals (including the mosquitos), the fresh food from the garden, the strange forms of transportation between towns and the communication in Spanish (and some words in Maya 😅).

    Now it is time to move on, and one part of me doesn’t want to leave Selva Bonita ☹️ I will need time to process all the things I have seen, heard, done and tasted in the upcoming weeks…

    For the Mayas there is no goodbye, only a see you another time in another place! Entonces, hasta luego Margarita, Juanita, Don Damian, Don Severo, Mariana, Julio, Jeremias, Antonio, Miguel y Gaelle 👋❣️

    My solo travel ends for now and the next chapter begins! Seb, Ele & Yannick, see you in Mérida! 🇲🇽    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    Zócalo
    ZócaloBellas ArtesView from the Castillo de ChapultepecThe Mexican revolution in the museum of history (Castillo de Chapultepec)China TownChristmas cookies in the making 🍪Christmas dinner in a friends flat in la Roma1Christmas concert

    Ciudad de México (CDMX) for Christmas🎄

    December 24, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Few impressions from Mexico City, the capital with around 10 Mio inhabitants at an altitude of 2.200m, during Christmas time🎄 And I didn’t expect it, but it actually was quite winter like with its uncommon 10 degrees and rain 🥶

    Time to rest our legs and enjoy our vegetarian Christmas dinner (vegetarian is usually rather hard to find) 😋

    Feliz Navidad! 🎄🍪🪅    Read more

  • Nadine BlessPaso a paso - América LatinaTraveler
    I loved chatting at the fire place🔥
    Drink preparations 🍹Our unintended parking spot in the jungle 🎋The Djs 🧚‍♂️Magical place in nature 🤗Music, lights & nature ❣️Nap time before sunriseThe houses that are about to be built on the property6.30 am 🌅Our hike back to the car on Jan 1st😅

    Xico/ Coatepec -> new year 2023 🎉

    December 31, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The year 2023 started with an adventure! ✨

    Already our way to Xico we pictured a bit different. At the gas station our rental car didn’t start anymore (already the second time of the day) and we needed to push it to the street in order to restart the battery with the help of a taxi driver… a lot of phone calls with the rental company later (my first challenge to talk on the phone in Spanish!), someone came to exchange the car for us 💪

    The next day: Invited to a new year’s party in the middle of the jungle, we started our very bumpy ride with our new but still super basic rental car. We had no idea how far it will be when our car got stuck at the hill which we couldn’t manage to climb with the car. Trying to secure the car from rolling downwards, a Mexican neighbor wanted to help us and eventually brought us all the way to the property at the top of the hill 🙏

    This place was really in the nowhere but beyond beautiful! 🌿 By getting to know a lot of very nice and interesting people from various countries, relaxing at the campfire and dancing till the sunrise, we started our year 2023! And we couldn’t ask for more 🔥💫
    Even the hike back to our car was amazingly beautiful the next morning 😮    Read more

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