Those that know the Pan American Highway or have been to Panama will already know that it is necessary to take alternative means of transport from Panama to Colombia. For those that don’t know this then here is the reason why:

The Darien Gap is a stretch of dense jungle that separates Panama from Colombia, with no infrastructure linking the two- therefore, no way through overland. A failed commercial ferry service once carried passengers between the two continents but this was deemed to be unviable so ceased to operate. Continue reading →

So before I begin I should explain that this describes our experiences at the borders, across Central America.  There are lots of other over landers that will have had completely different experiences in exactly the same places and maybe at even the same times.  I also know that there will be some that will have had tougher times.  One thing that we have learned is that these places rarely have the consistency in process that as Europeans we take for granted.  As with all experiences there are lessons to be learned. So, these are our experiences, warts and all.. Continue reading →

We entered the largest country in Central America and found ourselves back on the Gringo trail after a long and stressful day in the saddle across Honduras. (More to follow on our border crossing experience!) Nicaragua may be the largest country in the region but it is mainly populated to the West of Lake Nicaragua, along a narrow stretch of land.  After many years of civil war this country is slowly repairing itself and we found it to be a friendly, very affordable and a beautiful, safe destination to travel through. Continue reading →

Crossing into the most dangerous country of our entire trip was a daunting prospect. After all this smallest of the Central American countries has recently been given the title of”Murder Capital of the World”.  There is no denying it, with record breaking murder rates, government warnings and its violent gangs, a lot of backpackers choose to side-step this battered and bruised Nation. Continue reading →

For the first time on our trip we found ourselves on the well beaten backpacker track. A first for Tom, a reminder for Lorna of her time in Australia a few years ago. Our first stop on the Gringo trail was the famous National Park of Tikal. This ancient city of ruins rises out of the rainforest-now inhabited by the eerie sounding Howler Monkeys. Continue reading →

This is unlikely to be the longest blog post that you will read but it would be unfair for us not to write something about this tiny Central American Country-which is still part of our commonwealth and has Queen Liz as their Head of State.

The change from Mexico was instant, Continue reading →

Hola from Mexico!

You may have noticed that we have covered a lot of miles in a relatively short space of time. In fact, we have covered 3000 miles in just under 3 weeks to cross the vast Country that is Mexico. Continue reading →

 

^{We finished the San Francisco Marathon in a respectable time of sub 2 hours, this left us with just enough energy to enjoy our wedding gift from Dan and Rowe, one we would recommend to anyone visiting San Francisco, the tour of Alcatraz prison left us all amazed. The audio tour lasts a couple of hours, and left us all wondering if anyone ever did manage to escape “The Rock”. We took in most of the other touristy sights including Pier 39, Fisher Man’s Wharf, The Haight, and Golden Gate Bridge. Another highlight was taking in a gig at the Regency Ballroom to see an English act, Jake Bugg with Dan and Rowe.   As our time in San Francisco drew to a close we both agreed that we were both becoming less fond of cities, and we both longed for the peace and serenity that being out of the hustle bustle brings.} Continue reading →

^{Diverse is the word we would use to describe one of Americas best-known states. From the wilds of the redwoods to the materialistic and plastic coastline to the south, and the affluent vineyards in-between, California really does seem to have it all.} Continue reading →