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Manchester to Brisbane
  • Steven Coe
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  • Steven Coe

Manchester to Brisbane

The detour on the way home, leaving the raining winter in the UK for Christmas and New Year's in tropical Latin America before flying out of the USA. Read more
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    🇦🇺 City of Greater Geelong, Australia
    Steven CoeManchester to BrisbaneTraveler

    Fort Worth

    Jan 26–27 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C

    📌 The drive to Fort Worth was something we have never had to experience before. The roads weren't snowy but they were icy, it looked like an ice skating rink. Fortunately there had been enough time for them to plow 90% of the main roads for at least one lane, but the large Texan pickup trucks were still pretty loony! We drove to Fort worth via Waco in hope of a Texan bbq stop, the town was dead and the roads were unplowed which created some adventure. Funnily enough on our way to Jersey Mike's for a sandwich, we passed the birthplace of Dr Pepper.

    📌 We checked into another spacious hotel, the US hotels continued to be excellent which was a nice change from hit and miss Central America. We headed for the Rodeo, this again was another fascinating experiences on multiple levels. The cowboys and cowgirls have such a unique talent with their lasso and riding ability, we probably watched 10 different events. The bull riding even had an Aussie. The event itself was interesting to say the least, from the pledge to the flag (sooo patriotic) to the constant advertisements including a weapons company, it felt very USA USA USA 😅

    📌 We spent our last day on slightly better roads, we got as much sleep before our long haul then headed for a excellent midday coffee. We then sussed out the historic stockyards which were exactly as you'd imagine when you think of an old cowboy/ western district. It was around food time and the goal was to get a real Texan bbq and we hit the spot at the edge of Fort Worth, the brisket was perfect and the ribs were juicy! We finished the day chilling at a brewery and waiting to head to the airport. The gravity of heading home after all this time still hadn't taken effect.    Read more

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    Austin

    Jan 23–26 in the United States ⋅ ❄️ -5 °C

    📌 The last stop for the trip before getting back to Aus, the USA! We were a little apprehensive about the customs due to the media reputation and reports of strictness. It ended up being a breeze and we made it to the centre for lunch. Keen to get some famous Texan bbq, we headed to a beautiful area in the city where old houses have been converted to restaurants. We found a place doing bbq, house made sausages and heaps of beers!

    📌 We chose a terrible weekend to be in Austin, the state was losing their mind because they were getting an ice storm! We decided to make the most of the Friday night before the storm came, we found a couple of breweries, sussed out the food truck scene and then went hunting for some live music. We found a couple of bars and enjoyed some drinks listening to mostly country/blues tunes! It felt like a stereotypical Texas evening!

    📌 Storm day arrived and the city was pretty quiet, we sussed out another brewery, and a few of the landmarks including the state capitol which is actually higher then the DC one. Dinner ended up being a bit of a challenge to find as everything was closing early. We ended up finding one of the few places open and it was popping! We finished the night in a random shed for comedy which was surprisingly good, including a french comedian. By the time it finished at 10pm it was a ghost town!

    📌 Final day in Austin, we were stranded, all buses cancelled, the car rental company was closed. Getting to San Antonio was not possible so we rebooked a king bed and lounged around. The city was dead, it was fun walking around on the icy streets and paths, watching the few cars try to navigate/ice skate on the roads! Eventually midday passed, the road became a little more active which was frustrating as we probably could have driven to San Antonio for the NBA if we had car access, oh well. 🤷 We ended up having some Chinese and watching a movie in our cosy hotel room.    Read more

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    Mexico City

    Jan 20–23 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    📌 I was keen to see the capital of Mexico, one of the most populated cities in the world! It has become one of the most trendiest destinations for travel. We arrived early and we were hungry for a tasty lunch! We had been recommended a great taco shop from someone on the tour, it was a delicious Asian fusion spin on tacos.

    📌 The districts we were staying in the city were very trendy, quite green and there was a variety of cafes, cool restaurants and shops. The street food was also very abundant on every corner! We spent a bunch of time simply just walking around the districts. On day 2 we went on another food tour to get a taste of some of the markets and of the more local areas. It was a bit of a strange group, everyone was over 65+ from the USA 😅 Despite this we enjoyed some delicious dishes in a local market, and some hidden lanes. The highlight was the Al pastor tacos inspired by arabic migration and the delicious locally made chocolates which were an art in themself.

    📌 On our final day we visited Teotihuacan, an ancient city that is quite mysterious as they don't really know what language they spoke, who lived there and why they abandoned. The pyramids are gigantic, not as tall as Giza but definitely as wide. The pyramid of the sun is the third largest pyramid in the world. We ended the day back in the city and explored the centre, the massive cathedral and the old buildings. It was a great finish to Latin America, to witness a large historical centre of the new world.    Read more

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    Puebla

    Jan 18–20 in Mexico ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    📌 Puebla was a different vibe, we arrived to this quote grand central area that still had a significant amount of Spanish architecture. We were keen to eat and found a local sandwich called a cemita. We found this spot and it started to fill up with locals, the food came out and we definitely overestimated the sizes! They were huge!

    📌 The streets were very colourful, there were plenty of unique shops to suss out and several markets. The Mexican food was delicious but we were becoming less enthusiastic about it. Despite this we had a delicious meal on our last night, we enjoyed some tasty churros one afternoon and we also tried the poblano (a deep fried sandwich).

    📌 One of the highlights of Puebla was Lucha Libre, local wrestling! The atmosphere was wild, the locals were very loud. There were 5 matches and they were super dramatic 😅 It was interesting to watch but it did get a little repetitive until the final match started and the atmosphere hit another level, fighters were wrestling in the crowd, they were doing flips and taunts! Quite the show!    Read more

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    Chloes 31st Birthday

    January 16 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    📌 Another special destination for Chloe's birthday! We initially had the food tour planned but that was rescheduled until the 17th.

    📌 We started the day with a tasty coffee of course, a delicious pastry and some sun. Lunch was scheduled at a beautiful restaurant serving all kinds of dishes from pre Columbian to traditional Oaxacan. One of the interesting highlights was a beef tortilla with grasshopper sauce, which had a umami soy sauce like flavour. We also enjoyed some more mole and we finished with a very rich but delicious banana and chocolate mousse.

    📌 We found a beautiful cocktail bar overlooking the streets for a couple of sunset drinks before heading for dinner to a more creative restaurant, French/Oaxacan fusion. This was another hit, including delicious plantains and a cauliflower risotto with fish. The Oaxacan food scene was definitely delivering.

    📌 The final part of Chloe's birthday was the next day, a food tour around the city. We started with delicious street food tacos, we visited Oaxacas largest market (where a few stalls featured on somebody feed phil) eating goat barbacoa soup (including an eyeball), some famous salsa beef tortillas, and some local drinks. One of the highlights on the 10 stop tour was pork Carnitas, the most flavoursome slow roasted pork with a delicious habereno salsa!! We finished the tour at a wine bar enjoying some local wines and beers. It was safe to say, Oaxaca is definitely up there on our all time travel destinations!    Read more

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    Oaxaca City

    Jan 15–18 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    📌 We arrived back into Mexico after a short connection in Mexico City and a tiny regional plane. We were keen for the renowned food scene of Oaxaca. Immediately the place seemed like another great town, the colourful streets and street food created a vibrant atmosphere.

    📌 We found some great shops, there were lots of artsy and clothes shops, lots of markets and cafes as we wandered around. We struggled to find some quick food on the afternoon we arrived, particularly as we had no idea what to order. By chance we stumbled across a street food spot that was busy, we simply pointed at what someone else was eating and asked for two. We eventually realised we were eating Tlayudas, a popular Oaxacan folded tortilla. They were delicious!

    📌 We enjoyed some delicious dinners, a lovely rooftop serving southern Oaxacan dishes such as garnachas On our final night after the food tour we also enjoyed some delicious stuffed croquette plantains, and some octopus with black mole ( a speciality of Oaxaca).    Read more

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    Corcovado National Park

    Jan 12–13 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    📌 A two day, one night Safari in what National Geographic has called one of the most intense biodiverse places on earth. We left Drake Bay early with a beautiful sunrise, jumping on another boat to cruise around the coast to access the national park. The boat ride along the coast was gorgeous, if felt like possibly the most wild untouched place we had seen, so much dense rainforest meeting the ocean.

    📌 We met our guide Eric in the national park and heading for our morning Safari. You could feel the humidity from the trees and sun but once inside the forest it was quite a pleasant morning. We wandered around for a few hours spotting wildlife, before heading to the Rangers station, where we would stay for the evening. We headed out several more times during the day and afternoon, on a further hunt for the beautiful Costa Rican animals.

    📌 We ended up spotting many gorgeous animals, including Spider and Howler Monkeys, the unique Squirrel Monkey, many beautiful birds, a sleeping Tapir, some wild pigs, a croc cruising in the river, many........... that were not shy at all and possibly the best sighting of a Ant Eater in the tree. The park was very active and enjoyable to walk around, we ended day 1 drifting off to sleep listening to the nocturnal animals make all kinds of noise in the night. This ended up being one of the most humid and hottest sleeps ever 🥵

    📌 The last day we wandered around the park through some dense humid rainforest which was beautiful and vibrant. We spotted several more birds including a gorgeous toucan, found a spot for lunch on the river, and then even spotted a croc. The highlight of the day was on the boat back, we were tired and keen for a shower, suddenly a humpback whale appeared. It was a calf which was very curious and was breaching regularly whilst the mum swam alongside! What a special moment!    Read more

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    Drake Bay

    Jan 11–13 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    📌 We jumped on our early shuttle tired and not overly keen but as we drifted in and out of sleep we realised we had somehow scored a private shuttle to Sierpe and therefore the ride was super smooth and quick. Sierpe was a town on the river which we were going to cruise down in order to get to Drake Bay, our starting point to access Corcovado National Park. We arrived early in Sierpe, eating some breaky and expecting to wait around for hours, however soon enough the captain of the boat asked us if we wanted to get an earlier ferry and off we went.

    📌 The ferry was a beautiful ride, a wide river lined with dense rainforest and mangroves as far as the eye could see. The river was smooth and it was basically another private transport. We soon reached the ocean and landed in Drake Bay, which in these parts meant no dock and simply jumping out at knee height with suitcases and bags straight onto the sand.

    📌 Drake bay is an isolated place, a small town with a long dirt road in and out. It gives vibes of small rural Aus towns but just in a secluded coastal rainforest. It had a lovely cafe that was very local which gave us plenty of opportunities to spot some gorgeous native birds. We also enjoyed a walk to some nearby beaches through the forest, keeping an eye out for wildlife as we went. The weather was humid and sticky, but it was a lovely place that felt very immersed in nature.

    📌 After the jungle overnight experience we returned to Drake Bay for some relaxation and a much needed shower. We enjoyed the sunset on the balcony and found a nice local restaurant doing Thai curries which was a delicious change in cuisine. These few days were a very unique part of the world and something definitely worth experiencing for nature.    Read more

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    San Jose & Alajuela

    Jan 10–12 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    📌 We spent the morning by a beautiful river as rather then get a public bus, we would wait for some of the group to complete activities in order to all get a private transfer. It also meant a free Casavo lunch, where Chloe enjoyed some more plantains. After a chill morning we made it into San Jose just after lunch.

    📌 We wandered around San Jose with a few of the group, stopping for a nice cafe and then browsing some shops and sussing out the main areas. The city was a little chaotic, a little worn, but it was the first city we had been in for the whole month, so it was a new feel for Central America.

    📌 We ended the trip in San Jose, it was a fun dinner at the brewery, everyone was in good spirits and Oscar gave a great farewell toast. It was a nice end to the trip. A very interesting group of people but in the end we all had bonded in some way, whether it was over shared cultural humour, frustration at customs or actually liking each other, we had enjoyed the trip and it always feels a little sad saying goodbye. We had a few drinks at dinner and sensibly ignored the desire to continue on with the group for more, a good move as we had a nice early 3.45am shuttle.

    📌 We spent one more night around San Jose, staying in Alajuela after the jungle excursion. We relaxed, found a quick bite for dinner and then went to sleep around 8pm for our early wakeup at 3am 😬    Read more

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    La Fortuna

    Jan 8–10 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    📌 Our second stop on the Costa Rican Iteniary, we caught a boat across a lake and headed down from the mountains if Monteverde. La Fortuna was named as it was one of the few towns that avoided destruction from Arenal volcano eruptions in the past. It was a nice town with a towering volcano in the back, but it was also quite focused on day trips and tours which were fairly expensive! The group were staying in quite a nice hostel which had nice facilities we enjoyed, however we stayed in our own hotel as Chloe was quite sick for 24 hours.

    📌 On our full day we decided to go sloth hunting. Like the other parts of Costa Rica, this meant a private reserve, we chose one that had reforested a former cattle farm. A guide took us through approx 20-30 acres and spotted some things with brilliant skills. We saw 5 sloths, one that was moving and looking around in the trees, some beautiful birds including the Mot Mot (Nicaraguan national bird) and some other critters. We ended the day with a quick shop at a local artist gallery and then a drink by the hostel pool and a farewell dinner as some people were staying in La Fortuna.    Read more

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    Monteverde

    Jan 6–8 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    📌 We arrived into our last country in Central America. We immediately noticed the difference, more English, much higher prices and very evident tourist focused infrastructure. Montverde was definitely focused around selling tours and day trips.

    📌 We decided to do a night walk in order to try find some night creatures. We had some moderate success admiring a very small super poisonous viper, a scorpion and some birds. It was nice walking through the forest at night with the sounds of the animals but also it didn't feel as authentic as most of the Costa Rican forest in this area is private and thus in small reserves that are surrounded by human infrastructure such as farms and roads. This meant we were not overly keen on paying to go hiking, something that seems wrong.

    📌 On our full day we enjoyed some local coffee which was decent, and then we decided it was a day for a brewery. We popped into a quick Italian panini place which was a hidden surprise before heading to the Monteverde brewery. One thing led to another and we were about 5 pints deep with the other English couple on the trip, having a great time!    Read more

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    Ometepe

    Jan 4–6 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    📌 Our journey to Ometepe was eventful, a local chicken bus (prev USA buses converted to public buses). It was packed a little warm but a nice little insight into the local public transport of Nicaragua. We then caught a ferry over lake Nicaragua to Ometepe island, a beautiful island with 2 large volcanoes protruding at the North and South.

    📌 We were staying at a guesthouse local community which had a lovely lakefront view and a nice bar. The group was separated amongst several local family houses, where we would have dinner and breakfast. It was part of a local moment but also giving money to local communities. The rooms were very basic and many of things that were outside, were inside, much to Chloe's dismay ☺️ Thankfully we had some mosquito nets, however this didn't stop me waking up with a large swelling/suspected bite on my forehead.

    📌 During our stay we lounged around at the bar, went to a sunset viewpoint, enjoyed some nice cold beers ($2-3 bargains), and we decided to do a cooking class with one of the women. The class involved making Empanadas with a delicious vegetable and chicken filling. It was a beautiful island, unfortunately we didn't get the chance to climb the volcano but we definitely admired it from all angles.    Read more

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    Granada

    Jan 2–4 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    📌 Next stop on the Nicaraguan Iteniary, the oldest city in the colonial new world of the Americas. The city was again, a colourful one with its vibrant buildings and churches. Granada definitely had a little bit more of a touristy set up with some cafes and a clubbing street, however, still nothing compared to other places like Asia where it is very evident.

    📌 We found a tasty bakery whilst the group went off on a day trip, we then explored some of the city and it's cafes. The city was a little grungy but the Spanish colonial architecture still gave character and charm to the squares and streets. Nicaragua on the surface definitely felt like the least developed of the central american stops so far.

    📌 On the last evening we joined the group for a volcano sighting where you can look into the crater and "see lava". It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration and an oversell from the guy selling the experience but it was still a fun outing as we all sort of shared the disappointment ☺️We did enjoy a nice sunset over the national park though.    Read more

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    Leon

    Jan 1–2 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    📌 Happy New Years day! A short stop in Leon after a longggggg border crossing. We arrived in the evening to a lovely hotel within the characteristic colourful colonial Spanish influenced streets. Previously Leon was located 50km approx away but was moved due to volcanic activity around 1600. The politics in Nicaragua are interesting, the same president has been in power for 26 years and democracy is struggling.

    📌 We headed out to a vibrant restaurant, enjoyed a local beer and a few local Nicaraguan dishes including Repochetas which are similar to toastadas. The Nicaraguan Cordoba is super cheap and our meals continue to be great value, whilst beers are 2-3$.

    📌 We slept about 11 hours after our long New Year's Eve. We wandered around, doing the usual finding a local coffee and a quaint vegan cafe serving delicious drinks in the hot weather. We visited the largest church in central America, we found a local market serving Carne En Baho, a mix of meat, plantains and yuca served on banana leaves. It was soft and tasty and unique to the area originiating from a mix of cultural influences.    Read more

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    Atami for NYE

    Dec 31–Jan 2, 2026 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    📌 We made a short journey down to the coast of El Salvador where we were staying in a lovely resort overlooking the beach. Due to the resort being somewhat secluded, it was a spot with not much more to do then relax. Upon arrival we enjoyed a beachfront dinner down at a shack on the black volcanic sand beach before retreating for a decent sleep.

    📌 NYE we lounged around, went for a swim in the ocean, possibly one of our first beach days in years. We hung around the pool and enjoyed some more lunch at the beach shack, where Ceviche was one of their specials. That evening after a nap (due to a 4am departure due) we spent the NYE celebration in the resort, serving a buffet style meal with champagne and some Spanish music. The view was beautiful, the vibes were great and it felt like everyone there was quite local, perhaps one of the bigger events in the area.

    📌 We retreated to bed not keen on the 3.30am wake up for the departure to Nicaragua. As we had been briefed the night before, the plans officially had to be changed as El Salvador to Nicaragua boats were not running due to NYD and the water conditions. As a result we had to drive through Honduras and therefore kick the UK citizens off the tour as they would be unable to transit through Honduras as they require a visa. Quite a drama but they will likely fly between the countries. We entered Nicaragua via basically a ghost town border with surprising ease, although it was the slowest border I've ever seen!!    Read more

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    Suchitoto

    Dec 29–30, 2025 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    📌 A one night stop in the hills of El Salvador, we took the opportunity to get a solid sleep and chill with no real plans. We enjoyed some drinks at a bar listening to the drama of the other people in the group 😅

    📌 One of the highlights was visiting a very local restaurant cooking Pupusa, stuffed rolled tortilla like fried balls. She was a lovely woman, the food was fresh and the flavours were delicious!

    📌 The next morning we headed around the town on a free walking tour, observing the vibrant colours, listening to the history pre and post civil war, the Spanish colonial influence and enjoying some views of the lake. El Salvador is quite a fascinating country with its recent change in social safety and previous history, tourism is only likely to grow!    Read more

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    Copan, Honduras

    Dec 27–29, 2025 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    📌 A short stop in Honduras to experience a little bit of their culture and to admire another famous Mayan ruin site. It was the first real day of the tour and all us new additions to the group were getting a sense of who we clicked with. Naturally, the Aussies go towards the Brits.

    📌 The border crossing was a long one and we appreciated the assistance from Oscar, our Spanish speaking guide. We arrived in the afternoon/evening to Copan Ruinas, a quaint Colonial town that was wonderful to walk around. There was a tasty coffee shop (the majority of Honduras coffee is a small business), a beautiful square and some beautiful murals. We headed out to a local restaurant and ate a platter like dish of all the regional/Maya foods.

    📌 On the full day we visited the ruins, these were much more detailed with intrices in comparison to previous sites on the trip. It was also amazing as it is the home to many protected Scarlett Macaws, the national bird of Honduras. Due to an increased interest in birds of late, we headed to the bird sanctuary for illegally traded birds, injured birds etc. it was a very beautiful set up where good work was being done for these beautiful tropical birds. We finished the day having some drinks with the cliche old man pom talking all kinds of rubbish before heading to a quality steakhouse for cheap!    Read more

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    Antigua & Acatenango for Christmas

    Dec 22–27, 2025 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    📌 A quick transfer to Antigua from the lake and we were keen to see this renowned area of Guatamala. The town was beautiful, a former Spanish colonial town with colourful shops and houses lining the streets that was surrounded by several volcanoes in the distance. We spent 2 nights enjoying Antigua, browsing the handicrafts shops, the beautiful cafes and some great food.

    📌 The highlight of the area and the main drawcard was hiking Acatenango. We started early and headed to the guide's house outside of town for breakfast and preparation. Starting at 2600m above sea level we began the hike not really sure how difficult it would be due to various reviews online. It was a beautiful walk, walking through dense cloud forests and then with ascent moving into pine forests. The visibility was terrible as we ascended into the clouds, it was quite strenuous but before we realised we were at the top! Definitely not our hardest hike but you could feel the altitude due to the rapid increase so quickly.

    📌 We were sharing with a Canadian woman and we sort refuge in our thin walled tin shelter which kept the wind out but not much else 😅 As we sat there the clouds parted after a while and the volcano was in sight!! We were then treated to a couple of beautiful eruptions so the wind and cold was less bothersome with all the excitement. As the sun set began we headed up to a vantage point (opting to skip the longer hike to get closer) and it was incredible, particularly as it got darker because we got our first glimpse of lava!!! 😍 We had a very cold windy night with visibility shifting but one benefit of the lack of sleep was the occasional look out the window to see a lava eruption 🌋 A rough night was soon forgotten as the sunrise was incredible again! We were so lucky and this was one of the most incredible things and Christmas eves/morning we have done as travellers.

    📌 We headed down happily as the altitude effects wore off (very puffy hands!) and chilled on Christmas day in a luxury accommodation before heading out for dinner where the streets were packed with a parade. We settled for Italian as there wasn't much open before crashing for a 11 hour sleep. Boxing day was just as chill, with coffee, a brewery lunch and meeting the G adventures tour for our next journey.    Read more

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    Lake Atitlan

    Dec 19–22, 2025 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    📌 We flew from the smallest airport in Flores to Guatemala City, where there was a little bit of shuttle chaos and waiting. Eventually we made it to the beautiful Lake Atitlan, where we stayed in Panajachel. The lake was beautiful as it is formed within a caldera at 1600m above sea level and is surrounded by multiple volcanoes at its edge. We made sure to enjoy some drinks with a sunset view each night.

    📌 Panajachel seemed like a nice balance of tourists and locals. The food we had was delicious, we explored some local cuisine, we enjoyed some delicious super cheap tacos and some traditional Mayan recipes. One of the highlights of wandering around admiring the food scene, was the fresh tortillas being hand rolled each day and cooked, something so simple but fresh and vital to the regions cuisine. Two other spots worth a mention was a great coffee shop with a local who wanted to tell us all about this product and a very small restaurant run by 2 women with no menu, cooking fresh bbq grill meats and great guacamole.

    📌 One the of the best days involved catching a local ferry to various towns across the lake, although it was a bit chaotic with getting on and they definitely overfill the boats! We visited San Juan for delicious coffee, breakfast and then wandered around the colourful streets, the colour is one of the best parts about Latin America 😍 We had one of our best experiences at a local small coffee grower visit. We were shown the process from bean to product, tasted some delicious espresso and listened to the passionate owner describing his love for coffee and doing it organically/sustainably.    Read more

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    Flores & Tikal

    Dec 17–19, 2025 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    📌 A 12 hour long journey to get into Guatamala from Belize, however there were plenty of tourists with us on the ferry and shuttle so we were all in the same pain. The borders were slowwwww but we eventually got into Flores late in the evening.

    📌 Flores was a small island consisting mainly of restaurants and hotels. The streets were colourful and it was nice to walk around the next morning. We were getting into Coffee producing territory now and that first morning was a good start, hopefully one of many delicious coffees whilst in this part of the world. We wandered around before settling for a beautiful brunch restaurant by the lake, serving a tasty central American style shakshuka.

    📌 The reason for visiting Flores was Tikal, a large Mayan city deep within a national park. We opted for the afternoon/sunset tour and as we drove out we realised how hard it must have been to find these ruins, it was dense jungle for atleast 20-30 mins from the gate. The ruins were beautiful, it would have been incredible at its peak in 800 AD. The views of the jungle with the 40-50m high temples poking through was very peaceful and something very unique. An abundance of spider and howler monkeys filled the jungle air with their dinosaur like roars. We were also treated to the sounds of beautiful parrots, sightings of toucans and falcons. As we walked back in the dark we spotted a few tarantulas, one being on the path appearing out of nowhere! Guatamala was off to a great start 😍    Read more

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    Caye Caulker

    Dec 14–17, 2025 in Belize ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    📌 The fingers were crossed that it would be worth it as we endured a long and tedious journey with easily the most mozzies we'd ever seen. It was definitely worth it, the island was gorgeous, it was approximately 1.5 to 2km long and although it was heavily tourism centric, everything felt authentic such as small businesses, no large hotels, and chill Carribbean vibes in the bars and restaurants. A huge bonus also being that the official language is English.

    📌 We arrived late and checked into some quaint cabanas before heading out to dinner. The islands only cars are golf carts and everything is built literally on sand. Through good fortune we had chosen a restaurant that was run out of a locals house, there were 2-3 tables and a whiteboard menu of local cuisine. It was a great find with some delicious homely food. The next day we chilled out amongst the scattered tropical downpours , enjoying a delicious outdoor jerk bbq lunch, and some key lime pie 😍 Despite the storms, the sunset was gorgeous.

    📌 Our last day involved 5-6 hours of snorkeling and sailing around the worlds 2nd largest reef, behind the great barrier reef. We enjoyed some beautiful sightings of Nurse Sharks, Barracuda, Moray Eels, schools of Snapper, some Turtles (very close) and plenty of colourful corals and fish. It is common that Nurse Sharks are fed in a certain part of the reef which was fascinating to see them up close, however it definitely felt wrong and unethical to have such intervention, particularly as so many tourists are entitled and touch the animals readily. Overall, the reef and the Island however was well worth a visit, I don't think we have experienced anything like it.    Read more

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    Bacalar

    December 13, 2025 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    📌 A short one night stay to break up our transport to Belize ended up being a a nice surprise. The town was small, it felt quite local to Mexicans and domestic tourists (when not around the lagoon). The food and views were beautiful, with one of the highlights upon arrival being an incredible breakfast in a relaxing courtyard serving beutiful cafe/brunch dishes and Mexican breakfasts. Chloe's refried beans, pork and tortilla dish was delish.

    📌 We had some patchy weather, despite this the lagoon was gorgeous with it's blue shades and abundant lilies. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon drink lagoon side, a couple of cocktails including a fairly spicy margarita. Afterwards we headed to a quieter area to hunt out some authentic regional Mexican which as per the trip so far, was perfect. As we wandered back to the hotel, we popped into the local Christmas market and got amongst some of the street food for dessert! It was lovely to see everyone out and about in the beautiful tropical weather.    Read more

  • Steven CoeManchester to BrisbaneTraveler

    Playa Del Carmen

    December 13, 2025 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    📌 An eventful flight and some annoying customer service in Paris was put behind us once we landed in Cancun. The weather was warm, the vibes were up, the hotel was great and we were keen to eat fresh flavourful cuisine! We arrived late and headed out for dinner, a trendy tacqueria caught our eye and it really hit the spot. If this was where the bar sat for our next 6 weeks, we were in for a treat!

    📌 The weather was perfect for our time spent there, a walk along the beautiful beach was lovely, something we hadn't done for a long time. We continued to eat great food, including an amazing lunch at this "slow food" restaurant making everything from scratch, my saucy drowned baguette was incredible. We even managed to stumble across a Christmas market on our way to dinner which was going off.

    📌 Our final full day involved a trip to the world wonder, Chichen Itza. This would be the beginning of our Mayan journey and it was a very fascinating place, with stories of sacrifice and tradition capturing our imagination. It was definitely worth visiting, it wasn't super busy and the history is incomprehensible to us. That evening we headed a little off the track to find a more local cantina, the place was a little intimidating at first but we had a laugh and managed to get by with some limited Spanish and translation, the staff were friendly and the food of course was delicious 😋    Read more

    Trip start
    December 9, 2025
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