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Latin America
  • Pascal Steck

Latin America

From the most southern town Ushuaia to the border wall of Mexico. Discover the continent on a backpacker’s budget. Get off the beaten tracks, having life-changing experiences and immerse in local culture. Leer más
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  • Pascal SteckLatin AmericaPascal Steck

    Valladolid

    27 de septiembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    A collectivo taxi brought me from Tulum to Valladolid. Like in most countries I’ve been before traveling from village to village often requires a scad of patience.

    Valladolid is a nice little town in Yucatán where you stay to visit beautiful Cenotes as well as one of the seven world wonders Chichén Itzá.

    I separated this tasks into two different days. First I went to the maya temples and the second day I went to one Cenote.    Leer más

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    Chichén Itzá

    28 de septiembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Too many vendors on the archeological site.

    You’ll find your answer in the internet if you google is it with to visit Chichén Itzá.

    Been there, done that.

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  • Pascal SteckLatin AmericaPascal Steck

    Cenote Oxman

    29 de septiembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I did one more Cenote before I left Valladolid. My hostel had a few bycicles for rent. For 40 pesos I got one for half a day.

    I said goodbye to the Belgian couple which I coincidentally met again in the hostel the night before. I cycled to the Cenote ‘Oshman’ and after I came back to the city where the ADO bus terminal desk lady told me that there are no more buses to Chiquita for today.

    I found another bus company somewhere hidden in a backyard they told me I can take their bus until El ideal and from there should be buses to Chiquita.

    An hour later I sat inside the bus, left it in El Ideal waited there 4 hours under the sun, (33°C… welcome to mexico) and finally could stop a polish couple who were on their way to Chiquita as well. It was a big of bad luck when I arrived at El Ideal because the only bus who passes through this town left half an hour ago. The taxi driver wanted to change me 40 usd for this 70km drive and after a while it started raining so I had to wait under the shelter of the taxi company which I really didn’t like anymore after they tried to force me to pay this shit load of money for a one hour ride.

    Anyways I made it thanks to the polish couple. From Chiquita I could take the ferry and arrived save and sound on Holbox.    Leer más

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    Holbox

    29 de septiembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    Just as they told me. 🤩

    I spent about 4 hours in the suffocating heat, in a tiny village until a lovely polish couple gave me a lift to Chiquilá. After I arrived at the island I was so happy to got there on time, given that I already paid for my accommodation.

    Holbox is all about tanning at the beach and partying hard at night, hence I staid the first night in Che’s party hostel. The hostel stuff raised the prices for the second night so I decided to change to a cheaper hostel even closer to the beach and the center. This place was absolutely cozy that’s why I extended for two more nights over there.

    After 4 days in on the island, a hell of partying and sunbathing at each corner of the island I left the island behind and headed towards Cancun.

    I wish I could say the time on Holbox was memorable but I might have drunken tool much Mezcal, Rum and beer so I can’t remember all what happened. But always when I had a stroll at the beach someone screamed my name and even I didn’t remember their names or faces, I just joined the group and I tried to play it cool.    Leer más

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    Cancún

    3 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    No more party after Holbox?

    I wish that would be true but Cancún is once again all about getting wasted.

    I spent one night in the hotel area and another in the center closer to the airport where I had a flight booked to Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

    Even though Cancún has a total different vibe, packed with American tourists, the two hostels I had chosen were more international than I thought.    Leer más

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    San Cristóbal de las Casas

    6 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I arrived around 10pm at the airport in Tuxtla which is a bit more than 30 kilometers outside the city. After I left the airport there was a direct shuttle service to San Cristóbal which ended up being four times cheaper than the taxi ride to Tuxtla city. I canceled my booking in Tuxtla and went directly to San Cristóbal de las Casas.

    Luckily I found a super cheap hostel, they just opened their doors two weeks ago. I staid two nights in this place and two more in a private room to finally get my peace. 🙃

    The state Chiapas has a lot of beautiful nature and the city san Cristóbal with its beautiful colonial architecture is almost the place to be as a backpacker. I did two day tours outside the city and had a lot of parties with the cool hostel crowd.

    I really hope I can stop partying once I arrive in Puerto Escondido.    Leer más

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    Cascadas el Chiflón

    7 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    My first full day trip was going to some waterfalls followed my some border lakes between Mexico and Guatemala.

    It rained on the way there as well as on the way back to San Cristobal but during the sightseeing it was mostly dry but cloudy.Leer más

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    Cañón del Sumidero

    8 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    My second full day trip had been a stunning canyon in the north of San Cristobal.

    I met some cool German, Danish and Dutch girls on the trip and the weather was way better than the day before at the waterfall.Leer más

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    Chamula y Zinacantán

    9 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Culture and customs.

    Saturday during the day was dedicated to visit two little villages near San Cristóbal. Chamula has a church with thousands of lit candles, the floor is covered in fir needles and the Chamula people who speak a unique non-Mayan related language visit this church to sacrifice their chickens. Photography is strictly prohibited in the church but it is totally worth to visit this fascinating local ceremony.

    After I had some simple lunch I started walking to the next town Zinacantán, 8 kilometer from Chamula. The church in Zinacantán is also worth a visit however the place is less touristy and besides the church there is nothing to see there.

    Once back in San Cristobal, I took a long nap in my hotel because at midnight everybody was going to the dance club in the south of the town and I wanted to be ready to survive the night.

    I danced from midnight until 9:30 in the morning and made a personal Highscore by reaching almost 55’000 steps respectively 33 kilometers. Longest party ever done I guess.    Leer más

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    Pto Escondido

    11 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    No vale la pena.

    I spent a day at the beach and a night trip to a lagoon with another opportunity of seeing bio luminescence plankton. This time it was white whereas in Holbox I saw blue ones. This town, at the pacific coast, has not much to offer. Two small bays are famous for surfing and through its popularity, hundreds of surfers are gathering in this two areas trying to catch a wave. The city has not one decent café nor any good food trucks in the streets. Oaxaca state, especially Puerto Escondido is famous for its rave parties, where people take magic mushrooms 🍄 and enjoy their hallucinogenic trip for a couple hours. I was too tired to do any party here. After my second night in Puerto Escondido I decided to go to the capital city of the same called state of Oaxaca.Leer más

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    Oaxaca de Juarez

    13 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Food heaven.

    After an 8 hour ride through some stunning landscapes with at least ten tausend small curves I arrived in Oaxaca. The hostel was almost empty and at night you could hear the music of the nearby bars until 3 in the morning. The location was perfect to grab a beer at night in just around the corner of the hostel in one of this bars. There was almost no people there.

    I met a local artist who showed me around the city and showed me some delicious local food. I tried almost all 7 traditional Mole-dishes, Tlayudas as well as lots of different snacks like the crunchy grasshoppers as a topping on sweat corn (Esquites con chapulines) and chicatanas ants mixed into a delicious Mole sauce.

    After 4 nights I had visited some nice places in the surroundings of the city such as a big tree in Tule and a archeological site of the Zapotec civilization called Monte Albán. My belly was full with delicious Oaxacan specialties and I was ready to make my way up north to Puebla.

    🗣 Oachaga    Leer más

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    Monte Albán

    14 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Inhabited over a period of 1500 years by a succession of peoples – Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs – the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography.

    Yuto and I visited this place together and after about an hour and a half we decided to walk back to the city center which was only 9 kilometers away. We enjoyed the warm weather and shared a lot of cool traveling stories on our hike.    Leer más

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    Puebla

    18 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    All right everyone two three, ok maybe there is even four of you who read my travel blog.

    Where to start, as usual I took a bus from Oaxaca to Puebla, this time it was all big smooth Highway so I pretty much fell asleep on this journey.

    Once I arrived in the huge city of Puebla I tried to catch a bus to the hostel, but Sunday fun day… I waited for Ruta 20 for maybe 20 minutes before I decided to walk to another street and wait for a micro towards the center.
    Once I arrived in my hostel I met a British, Israeli and Italian guy. We were all motivated to do something together. One night Ezequiel, the Israeli invited us to visit some local friends of him so we had a nice evening where a Pueblitan couple showed a bar with strong but delicious liquors followed by some very special street food and ending the evident with tee and a self made ice cream sandwich in their home.

    Another day I convinced Ezequiel to visit the neighbor town Cholula which was actually a nice train ride to the outskirts of Puebla.

    I tired the local food called Chile en Nogada, usually a seasonal dish but I was lucky to find an overpriced restaurant which served it through the whole year.

    Puebla is certainly a beautiful place to spend some days, discovering the huge cathedral at night, walking thorough the Alley of the frogs, the artist quarter ending up at a he viewpoint La mantarraya.    Leer más

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    Cholula

    19 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Day trip with Ezequiel to the town which grew into the outskirts of Puebla.

    We went there by train which was totally free of charge. After such a long time traveling through the Americas I could finally extend my mean of transportation from buses, bicycles, Tuktuks, motos, Micros, Trufis, big planes, propeller-driven airplanes now to trains.Leer más

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    CDMX

    20 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Mexico City aka. Ciudad de México aka. CDMX is a sprawling, inspiring, chaotic, vibrant, intimidating mega metropolis. According to worldpopulationreview.com the city has 21,671,908 residents and is the 5th most populated city in the world.

    I was super lucky to have met Sara who’s currently living in Oaxaca. She offered me to stay in her Appartement which is perfectly located a bit north of the historical center and very close to a Metro station. So after only two nights in a antisocial hostel, by reason of no common area to interact with other travelers, I could move into her empty apartment. Two big bedrooms, a kitchen without fridge but who cooks at home if there are 5 different street food stalls in front of your door. The shower only has cold water but if you take a shower at late afternoon when the sun already warmed up the building you won’t freeze too much.

    I enjoyed 3 more nights in place and went out for sightseeing day for day. I even went to another underground rave party similar to the one I had in San Cristóbal de las Casas. I met cool people in the hostel where Ezequiel staid for one night. We met one day and went sightseeing together.

    What’s more, I was kicked out of the Mirador Torre Latino, the highest building in the city, because I used 3 times my professional camera even they told me every single time I can only use my smartphone but not my camera. I met two young girls in that tower who then spent the rest of the evening with me hanging around on the main square Zócalo. I also made a day trip to the archeological site of Teotihuacán. But most of the time I was just listening to my music and walking through the city.    Leer más

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    Teotihuacán

    22 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Near Mexico City is this ancient Mesoamerican city, known as the biggest city apart from Rome.
    Teotihuacan, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, was settled as early as 400 B.C. and became the most powerful and influential city in the region by 400 A.D. By the time the Aztecs found the city in the 1400s and named it Teotihuacan (meaning “the place where the gods were created”), the city had been abandoned for centuries. Teotihuacan’s origins, history, and culture largely remain a mystery.

    There were too many souvenir vendors on the site so I couldn’t enjoy the place at all.

    P.S. Mexico City is super interesting, one sei are is dedicated for all the Mariachis who are looking for a job. The groups wait there until a restaurant owner comes and hire them. They use the time to rehearse on this square and certainly to earn a bit of money from all the tourists who gather around the bands.    Leer más

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    Peña de Bernal

    25 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    After a long journey I made it to Bernal, a small village in the state of Querétaro. I spent one night in this rather expensive place only to visit one of the 13 natural wonders of Mexico called Peña de Bernal. Let me see what google has to say about this rock:

    The Peña de Bernal is the third largest monolith in the world, after the Rock of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean and the Pan de Azúcar in Rio de Janeiro. It rises majestically above the Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town) of San Sebastián Bernal, in Querétaro, which was founded in the 17th century.

    The Peña is considered a sacred site within Otomí-Chichimeca culture, owing to the pre-Hispanic cross carved out of stone that lies at its summit. Otomí-Chichimeca ancestors used to venerate it before the arrival of the Spanish and the evangelization of the region. To this day, local indigenous people hike to the summit, in procession, every May fourth, carrying a 187-pound wooden cross.

    The best way to experience the Peña de Bernal is by hiking up one of its sides. The trail is laid out perfectly, so no additional or special climbing equipment is required.    Leer más

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    San Miguel de Allende

    26 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Another treasure in mexico is the city of San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato. I almost didn’t stop here if Sara wouldn’t have mentioned this place. Sure it’s a very touristic place with lots of US expats but it supposed to be the most beautiful town in mexico according to someone and it is also a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since July 2008.

    The town’s role as an important stop on the silver route from Zacatecas to Mexico City in the 17th and 18th centuries has left San Miguel de Allende with a rich colonial heritage. With its winding, cobblestone streets and well-preserved Spanish mansions, it attracts plenty of visitors.

    I spent three nights in this completely unique town before I made my way further to Guanajuato city.    Leer más

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    Guanajuato

    29 de octubre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    So much to tell not enough enthusiasm. 🙂🙃

    I spent quite a long time in Guanajuato. Not only the famous days of the dead’s also the time before and after the grand spectacle were dedicated to discover this beautiful town.

    The town is located on 1500 meters above sea level. As it gets rather cold at night, during the day the sun let the quicksilver raising up to 25 degree Celsius. The tunnel system is what makes this place unique. The Guanajuato tunnels are a series of wide channels that extended under the city and help divert traffic away from the city centre.
    These tunnels were not primary constructed for traffic, but as a diversion for the Rio Guanajuato to prevent flooding to the early mining town.

    Días de los muertos are truly the most busiest days in México hence all touristic places are packed with people. I barely found an accommodation to stay when I arrived in this town. I was lucky though, I found a bed for one night in the very center just next to an Oxxo. I was proud of myself after I haggled the price down from 600 to 300 pesos.
    I spent most of the second day to find a new place and fortune was with me. I found an unofficial place for cheap money a bit outside the center. Even I wanted to spend the days in a very traditional village called Pátzcuaro I had a great time in Guanajuato with nice parades, beautiful tapetes on the street and crazy parties at night.    Leer más

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    GDL

    3 de noviembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Guadalajara second biggest city in México home of Tequila.

    I met two cool girls with whom I did some activities, like hiking at Barranca de Oblatos at the outskirts of GDL, having a city walk tour guided by a local hostel staff member, visiting the small town called Tequila for some cool Tequila tasting, a classical concert in a beautiful opera, a lucha libre ring fight and last but not lest partying at night.

    The city is huge therefore it comes with a metro which has only three lines though. Although I felt very safe in the city center some streets had a kind of criminal atmosphere. I really enjoyed my time in Guadalajara, a place where I could easily spend a couple weeks.    Leer más

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    Tequila

    5 de noviembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    All tequilas are mezcals, but not all mezcals are tequilas.

    Tequila is known around the globe as an iconic spirit, made from blue agave. It’s also the name of a town in Mexico’s state of Jalisco, at the very heart of the tequila-producing region.

    The spirit:
    Tequila is a type of mezcal, much like how scotch and bourbon are types of whiskey. According to spirits writer John McEvoy, mezcal is defined as any agave-based liquor. This includes tequila, which is made in specific regions of Mexico and must be made from only blue agave (agave tequilana).

    Both tequila and mezcal are made from the harvested core of the agave plant, otherwise known as the “piña.” However, that’s where the similarities in production end. Tequila is typically produced by steaming the agave inside industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots. Mezcal, on the other hand, is cooked inside earthen pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in clay pots. While some large-scale mezcal producers have adopted modern methods, artisanal mezcal makers continue to use this more traditional method, which is the source of the smokiness commonly associated with mezcal.

    The town:
    The town of Tequila has been granted Pueblo Magico status by the Mexican government for its cultural richness, historical relevance and other travel-worthy qualities. The program began in 2001, and today, Mexico has more than 121 Pueblos Magicos.

    The landscape surrounding Tequila, stretching from the foothills of the Tequila Volcano to the Rio Grande Valley, earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2006 as the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila. The blue agave grown in the region has shaped the culture of the region, as well as Mexico as a whole.    Leer más

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    Puerto Vallarta

    7 de noviembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I continued my trip to Puerto Vallarta with Eloise from Bristol, England. In the new hostel we found a cool activity, a hike to different beaches in the south of the city. We made new friends and with one girl we continued traveling to Sayulita.

    Drinking games, dance party nights, sunset pizza lookout point, the beach walk and all ended with some food poisoning. 5 out of 8 people from our hostel were having a soft to rather strong upset stomach. I felt nauseas for only one day where I had to puke after a bus ride to the next place called Sayulita.    Leer más

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    Sayulita

    11 de noviembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Nice place. Too much parties. I’m done with it. No more parties please.

    Plenty of beach time. Plenty of parties. Too many Canadians and Americans in this place. The locals don’t even response in Spanish they go straight for English.

    A cute thing: Campamento Tortuguero, a voluntary community project. The goal is to relocate the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle nests the mothers lay all over the beaches into the Nursery to protect them from poaching. The suprise was in the sunset releasing of the hatchlings when many families bring children to help. Educating that protecting the beach helps the little babies get a chance at life has become an important goal.    Leer más

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    ⛴ BajaFerries ⛴

    16 de noviembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    From Sayulita I decided to go to Mazatlán to check if there are any whale watching tours. After a never ending bus journey I arrived in this rather unspectacular city where I checked in the only hostel in town for a relative high price.
    Yet I am often blessed with fortune, two lovely ladies offered me some tasty Argentinian meat stew for dinner while they were listening to my travel stories. Even the next morning I came just in time for early lunch. The ladies once again prepared some food for theirselves and another hostel guest and I was invited too. I decided to leave town and go up to Baja California del Sur, one of the most famous regions for whale watching. The ladies just like me had a bus in the early afternoon and they already ordered a driver to the bus terminal. I could share the ride with them and later on I continued my trip to Los Mochis. The bus arrived 2 hours late and I had 45 minutes left to make my way from Los Mochis to Topolobampo where the ferry towards Baja California del Sur departed. The Uber finally arrived after 10 minutes waiting and I made it to the ferry 5 minutes before departure. I bought the ticket hopped on the ship and tried to sleep. Too many kids were screaming and yelling even it was already midnight. The ferry left the harbor one and a half hour late but since I read the review I already knew that departure time at 24.00 is more like a recommended hour.

    Nevertheless I made it to La Paz.    Leer más

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    La Paz

    16 de noviembre de 2021, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    There I am again. La Paz, the highest capital city on our planet. Hang on a sec. Why there is an ocean in front of me. Where are this cool Cholitas with their bowler hats.

    La Paz in México in the state Baja California del Sur is totally different to La Paz in Bolivia, that’s for sure.

    What did I do? I asked for whale watching tours and got the same answer from every single agency. No whales yet but it’s whale shark time. Don’t miss this opportunity. So I ended up going on a island tour with some little hope to see whales breaching I n the way there. I did this trip with two cool German siblings. They had a GoPro on board so we could take some cool videos of the island snorkeling tour which included swimming with sea lions.
    The next day we were going for the whale sharks. The three of us had a lot of fun out there and to swim white this 8 meter long road Langton edging giants was quite an experience.

    La Paz had a bunch of American tourists but generally it was a calm town which only attracts scuba divers and whale watching geeks like me. After three nights there I decided to go south to Cabo, the second biggest American springbreak Hotspot here in México. Luckily it wasn’t spring break time and thanksgiving was coming up soon, so all those lovely Americans were at home with their families and preparing their turkeys.

    By going down to Cabo I made a major decision. Instead of trying to reach the most northern point of continental Latin America I decided to save some money by heading down to Cabo. Tijuana did not have any cheap flights back to Mexico City anymore or better said, I was already too late for the cheap ones. Also the buses from La Paz to Tijuana were quite experience taking in consideration that there was more than 1400 kilometers to cover. Anyhow I booked a 35 usd flight from Cabo to CDMX but therefore had to kill 4 more days at the southern most tip of BCS.    Leer más

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