Guatemala and ME!

[howdawg]

Hey guys, I haven't really posted much on this forum lately. I've been busy with this thing or the other, a failed relationship, and summer classes at school. I was talking with an old friend from the forum the other day, and decided I wanted to start posting again :)... I've made a couple of small posts, but this one is kind of an update...

I am currently planning a trip to Guatemala. Right now, the plan is to finish off the fall semester at the local University, and head out in January. My ideal trip is going to go something like this:

January fly to Mexico
Bus it to Guatemala
Live in Guatemala for 5 or 6 months doing various things, one of which is
working on a dig called Cancuen. It's a recently discovered Mayan palace!!
Check out Belize while I'm there..
Around June or so, I'll leave the site and bus down to Brazil to visit some
friends. On the way, I'll pass through El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, Panama, and Columbia!!
Hang out in Brazil, travel South America...
Then in August, a Brazilian friend and I will fly to China for the 2008 Olympics!
Stay in China and teach English to make enough money to fly home ;)

That's the plan, I'm sticking to it.. All or none of it could work out, but I'm going to do my best to make as much of it as possible happen. In the mean time, I've got to practice my Spanish and Chinese!!!

I'd love to hear from anyone who has done extensive traveling in Central/South America. I know that eating vegan can be very difficult in many areas because there is a large amount of lard used in the cooking. I plan on bringing lots of vitamins and cooking as much of my own food as possible!! I've roughed it before in many tough places (China, Middle East, Mexico), so I'm used to being a bit hungry sometimes :)....

Also, I have been making my own soap.. You can check out the thread I started about that here: http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16137 I'm hoping to be in enough stores when I leave that I can have someone else just filling orders for me while I'm gone...

I hope to reconnect with some old friends from here, and meet some new ones. C-yah around!

[Guate_Vegan]

That's great! I lived in Guatemala -El Progreso- 'til I was nine...I was born in OC, CA though, but then I moved back. Hope you have fun there, I went to TIKAL just last summer and omg it was so humid! but I bet you'll like it, you have a lot of guts to just go to other countries because I would never travel outside of the U.S. unless it's Guate -cuz of family- but yeah, good luck and have fun!

[Otter_]

Go for it... That sounds like a great trip!

I've not been to South/Central America in over 20 years. I think there might be a few countries that I'm still not welcome back :cool:

[howdawg]

The farthest I have been so far is Mexico, where I have spent a decent amount of time... Guate Vegan.. Why won't you travel outside the US??

I have done a decent a mount of traveling.. I spent a year in China, and almost the same time in the middle east... I recommend some good traveling to anyone!!

[rantipole]

I lived in Panama for six months in 1991. It might have been the best six months of my life. I was working for an ornithologist studying water birds, so I spent almost every day out on a river banked by rain forest watching birds. I wasn't vegan at the time, so I can't really talk about food challenges. I know that most fruit and vegetables were really cheap. I had a mango tree outside my apartment, so once they started bearing fruit, I would harvest a few for lunch each day.

If you go to Panama, I would highly recommend checking out the western mountains (I forget the name of the park) which has some amazing cloud forests. Also, I hear the San Blas islands are wonderful, although I never got there. Barro Colorado Island is very cool. It's part of a scientific reserve with a few buildings and lots of hiking trails. Because it's protected, the animals that live there are usually less shy than elsewhere.

I'm really jealous that you are doing this. It's like a fantasy of mine coming true for another person.

Cheers,
rant

[Guate_Vegan]

The farthest I have been so far is Mexico, where I have spent a decent amount of time... Guate Vegan.. Why won't you travel outside the US??

I have done a decent a mount of traveling.. I spent a year in China, and almost the same time in the middle east... I recommend some good traveling to anyone!!

I guess I'm just scared about what I don't know..maybe because I've read a lot of books of where girls don't have the advantage in other countries and end up in bad moments, I'm wayyy too scared to even go to Mexico..the stories I've heard are just horrible. BUT yeah! lol you go ahead, you're brave<3 Good luck in my native country though, hope you have fun, make sure to visit Izabal (the beaches)

[howdawg]

rant: Six months in Panama would be great! I really have no hard plans, and tend to make them as I go.. I would love to spend more time in each country, but I would need a place where I could work in some way... In Guatemala, I will be working for room and board, and in Brazil, I have friends.. In China I'll teach.. I wonder if I could extend my stay in some of these places by doing some type of work.. I'll have to look into it, but if not, most of my Central America journey will be on a bus! haha

Guate: Fear is usually based in the unknown.. I never thought I'd make it to most of the places I've been. My ex-girlfriend (American) is still living in China and has been there for years, by herself! If there's somewhere you'd like to go, something you'd like to do, you should go for it. There are definitely safe ways to travel anywhere!

I hope this works out haha I'm soooo excited!!