Caribbean again!!!

After visiting the impressive Maya ruins of Copán we headed north - after 5 month finally back at the beloved caribbean sea!!! Since yesterday we are in Tela. But because the guide book once more promised more than there actually is we continue to Omoa tomorrow - a small, laidback caribbean village near the guatemalan border.

In Copán Ruinas...

After a few volcanoes, some mountain villages and the highest mountain of the country we finally left El Salvador - back to Honduras.
Here we already visited the small village of Gracias and its great hotsprings. Tomorrow we are going to see the famous Maya-ruins of Copán...

In San Salvador...

After Tegucigalpa we made a short stop in Perquín. Here in the mountains of El Salvador you can still find bomb craters and fox holes from the civil war in the 1980´s. We also visited the little village of El Mozote where one of the biggest massacres in the history of central america took place. - shocking!
Now we are in San Salvador, the capital of the country - shocking as well but in a different way. We are not used anymore to shopping malls, fast food chains and all this plastic shit...
In two days we will continue north again - The volcanoes are calling! (Yes it makes addictive - Good old sulfurous smell in the morning...)

Good-bye Quetzaltrekkers!

After almost 4 month the time of leaving has finally come for us. It´s a strange feeling when you have seen so many people come and go and then it is your turn - you are the one with the backpack that goes through the office door and doesn´t come back...A few tears had to run over cheeks...we miss León and QT!!!
After a looooonnnnnnggg bumpy busride we finally made it to Tegucigalpa (Capital of Honduras) yesterday evening. Fuckin´cold here (in comparison to León) but the HOT!!! shower was really great!
It´s good to be on the road again...

Back in León...this time for a longer period of time...

After an adventure in the north of the country (including rapid rivers, unexplored caves and military escort) we finally came back from the end of the world.
Now we will settle down for the next two months to work as volunteers. We will guide treks to the volcanoes in the surrounding and with the money that comes in, the Quetzaltrekkers support a oprganisation that helps streetkinds in León...

To the north....

After more than a week in León we finally made our way to the north of the country. Today we arrived in Jinotega and tomorrow we´ll try to find some mystical caves somewhere in the jungle. We don´t know yet if it works out. You get so little information about it, that we don´t even know for sure if they really exist...
After that adventure in the jungle we will go back to León...

Leon...

After 2 days in Managua we know for shure that there is nothing to see there... So we continued our trip yesterday to Leon... In the next days we're going to explore this beautiful city and maybe climb some volcanoes...

On the way to Masaya...

In the last two days we explored the surrounding area of Masaya. Yesterday we visited the Apoyo logoon and today we climbed the active Masaya volcano - a really breathtaking experience (not because of the altitude, but the sulfurous smoke)...
Tomorrow we are going to continue to the capital of Nicaragua - Managua...

One year and a half on the road and not a bit tired!!!

After a few days on the mystical island of Ometepe, formed out of two volcanoes in the middle of the Nicaragua Lake, we sponaneously made our way to Granada yesterday - sometimes a coin helps to make a decission...
Here we celebrated our travel-aniversary with a huge self-cooked dinner.
In the next 1 or 2 days we are going to explore more of the cities beautiful colonial streets and houses before we make our way to Masaya...

In Costa Rica...but already on our way to Nicaragua...

In Boquete we finally managed it to climb the volcano. It was amazing! The most beautiful sunrise and the view of the two oceans at the same time - the atlantic and the pacific!
After a day of relaxing in the hot springs we travelled on to Bocas del Toro. On this group of caribbean islands we continued with the relaxing...and didn´t stop for a week...
Finally we made it to Costa Rica where we visited the monkeys in the National Park near Cahuita. Today we arrived in San José, Costa Rica´s capital.
But tomorrow we will already flee to Nicaragua. We where told that the prices there are more reasonable and that there are less Gringos...

In Boquete...

After a few days of sightseeing in Panama City we continued our trip to the small town of Boquete. Here in the mountains the weather is much colder than in the rest of the country and unfortunately the rainy season has just started!
We are waiting now since 4 days for better weather to climb the Volcano Barú... Today it gets a last chance! Otherwise we're going to continue to Bocas del Toro tomorrow...

In Central America - finally...

In the last days we crossed the last real frontier in the Americas!
From Colombia to Panama the are no roads or big boarder crossings - there is just jungle, guerillas, smugglers and other bandits! We passed this area just at the caribbean coast, but even there it was beautiful!!! Pura selva - pura vida!!! ( pure wilderness - pure life!!!)
Yesterday we arrived Panama City! In the next days we are going to explore the city and the canal area...

Back from the island!

Since yesterday we are back on solid ground - After 5 days on a small, from mass tourism untouched caribbean island! Cristal clear turquoise waters, coral reefs, snorkeling, camping in the village, coconut trees,...Here you can still find the authentic caribbean life. The fishermen leave every morning in their small canoes to catch crawfish and giant snails per hand and the children are completely fascinated by the strange things the two palefaces brought (camping stove, Ukulele,...)
Tomorrow we are on our way to Panama. Central America here we come!

In the city of the pirates....

Since two days we are now in Caragena. So far we already know the beautiful oldtown and today we are going to explore an old fortress that was built to defend the town from pirate attacks.
But in a few days we are already going to continue to a small, lonely island....Hopefully it works out...

On the way to Cartagena...

The last 10 days we stayed in the Tayrona nationalpark. There we camped at the beach, climbed coconut palms, swam in a lukewarm river and in the evening we drank rum out of coconuts...
Yesterday we arrived in Santa Marta again and today we are going to continue to Cartagena...

Back in Colombia!!!!

After two long and expensive weeks in Venezuela where nothing worked out as we had planned we finally returned to Colombia!
Now we are enjoying our lifes with clean, white beaches, warm cristal clear water, coconuts, rum and lots of sun!!!!
At the moment we are in Santa Marta and tomorrow we will go to the Tayrona nacional park - more sun and more coconuts!!!!

...no island just for us...

We couldn`t go to the archipelago Los Roques because the guard of the port entrance had his strikt day - No tourists on cargo boats!!!
So we continued to Tucacas to camp on an island there...but this isn`t possible either because the venezueleans left so much garbage on the beach during the easter week that camping is not permitted any more...
Kevin will cure his caugh completely and then we are going to return to Colombia - it is much cheaper and more relaxed there...

Caracas...

Since three days we are in Caracas and now we know for sure that Venezuela IS eXXXXXXXXpensive!!! The pricelevel is almost the same as in Austria...
We would already have travelled on but Kevin got sick and with fever, headache and cough travelling is not fun...
But as soon as possible we will continue to the archipelago of Los Roques! ... if a cargo boat gives us a lift...

Merida...

After a 24 hours journey we finally made it to Merida. But it was not time to relax...we were walking around for 2 hours to find a reasonably priced place to sleep - impossible in this city! The prices here have doubled since 2007.
And the only two places we wanted to visit are closed today. And anyways: Even if they have the longest cablecar in the world it isn`t worth the 28 Dollars they charge for it.
Today we go on to Caracas - Let`s see if we can find something cheap there...

In Bogotá...

After a few really great days in Palmira we continued our jouney to the capital of Colombia - to Bogotá.
Since two days now we do the obligatory sight seeing and shopping. Tomorrow we will continue to the venezoelian boarder - finally the caribean sea is close!

In Palmira...

After a few great days in the jungle (including a bath in the cristal clear river waters) we actually wanted to go to Bogotá...but the plans changed...A really nice family invited us to pass the semana santa with them. And now we have a great time here in Palmira - All inclusive, of course!
Yesterday we went fishing and tomorrow we go camping in the mountains.
On Sunday we are going to travel on to Bogotá...

Popayán...

After a few exhausting days in San Agustin we continued to Popayán today. Tomorrow we´ll go via Cali to the small jungle village of San Cipriano...

In Colombia...

On sunday we left Otavalo for Colombia. And because the journey went so well, we arrived in San Agustín today in the morning - well shaked and dog-tired.
In the area of this small village in the middle of the colombian jungle you can find many stone figures whose misteries aren't solved completely until today...
We're going to explore them on foot because our tight budget doesn't allow the splurge of a tour...but we are already used to walk....

Back on the northern hemisphere...

After our obligatory visit of the "middle of the world" we continued our journey to Otavalo. Here the biggest market in Ecuador takes place every saturday. They sell everything from handicrafts to animals and food...and in the evening there is a big cockfight - a happening we can`t miss!
On sunday we will continue to Colombia - if the political situation allows...

In Quito...

Unfortunately the planned trainride in Riobamba was not possible due to landslides and destroyed tracks. So we continued to Baños, where we enjoyed a few days exploring the surrounding countryside on foot and by bike.
Yesterday we arrived in Quito - Ecuador's Capital. The first impression is a little bit disappointing because our guidebook describes it way too picturesque. But we will see...
Tomorrow we are going to visit the "mitad del mundo" - the "middle of the world-theme park" on the ecuatorial line.

Roadblocks... again...

Today in the morning we finally arrived Trujillo after a 30 hrs bustrip (usually its only 9 hrs!!!). The farmers are on strike again and are blocking all major roads...
Now we will relax a little bit in the small fishing village of Huanchaco and tomorrow we are going to visit a lot of old stones... Chan Chan, Huaca Arco Iris, Huaca del Sol, Huaca de la Luna,...

Huaraz...

We are back in the mountains!
On Thursday we arrived in Huaraz, Peru´s trekking and mountaineering paradise. Unfortunately the weather is pretty chilly and rainy this time of the year.
Yesterday we visited the ruins of Chavín de Huantar (1200-200 B.C.!) and tomorrow we continue our way north. Next stop: Trujuillo and the ruins of Chan Chan...more old stones...

The Oasis Huacachina...

In Nazca we did the flight over the lines and travelled on to Ica and then to the oasis Huacachina yesterday ! Here we found a cheap and nice hostel with pool and decided to relax a little bit... Is there anything more relaxing than jumping into a cool pool when daytime temeratures reach 35 degrees celsius?¿?

In Nasca...

After a marathon journey in the bus we finally arrived in Nasca today in the morning.
Tomorrow we are going to visit the famous lines in the sand...
We´re not going to do the overflight because it is too expensive for us but there is a mirador (observation point) that is really cheap and you can see 3 of the figures.

On the way to Peru...

After almost a week in the world´s highest capital we´re now on our way to Peru. Today we will go to Copacabana on the shores of the lake Titicaca and tomorrow we´re going to continue to Nazca to see the famous lines in the sand...

In La Paz again...

After a few rainy days in Cochabamba we decided to continue our trip in direction of Peru where there is just sunshine all the time...
We´re going to stay in La Paz for a few days and then travel on to Nazca/Peru - Sunshine here we come!!!

On the way to Cochabamba...

After the really necessary visits at the dentist´s and the dermatologist´s we´re going to travel on to Cochabamba today...with 4 repaired teeth more and a wisdom tooth and a unwanted pet (just google "dermatobia hominis"...) less we can continue our trip...

National alert in Bolivia...

It is raining and pouring and raining and ...
After a week of heavy rainfalls many houses and roads have been destroyed and most rivers are impossible to cross (bridges are rare in Bolivia). We read about all that in the newspaper, we bought in the bus to Sucre...
A journey of normally 12 hours - We luckily made it in "only" 26!
Yesterday we met our first hospitality club contact here and learned a lot about Sucre and bolivian politics...
In 2 or 3 days we will continue to Oruro or Cochabamba...

Rainy season...

We didn´t go to Samaipata because the weather at the moment is a little bit too wet for trekking and sightseeing. Now we definitly know that rainy season indeed means RAIN!
Today we will continue to Sucre...hopefully the weather there is a little bit drier...

In Bolivia again!

Thanks to our rally-busdriver we reached Santa Cruz after 23 hours and with only one flattened tire.
Today we will do some sight-seeing and tomorrow we´re going to visit the small town of Samaipata...

On the way to Bolivia...

After a few days in the capital of Paraguay we're travelling on to Santa Cruz/Bolivia.
It's going to be a hard trip: 30hs in an old bus on one of the continents worst roads - the ruta trans chaco... If we are lucky and it doesn´t rain...if there is rain the journey could take days...

Finally in Asuncion...

Today we reached Asuncion...finally!!!
Our plan to leave Uruguay per road didn´t work out because of the strikes (uruguayan paper factory on the Rio Uruguay). The border to Argentina is closed again and so we had to leave the country the way we reached it - per boat (over the Rio de la Plata to Buenos Aires)
From there we took a bus right away and after 18 hours we are in the capital of Paraguay.
It is incredibly hot and wet here (over 40 degrees celcius!)...

The cards arrived!!!!

Today we got the good news that our bank cards arrived in Montevideo! We don´t have to wait any more!!!
Tomorrow we´re going to stay in Mvd to organise some things and at sunday we plan to be on the road again... heading north to Asuncion/Paraguay!

Still in Montevideo...

After a few days on the beach (Punta del Diablo, Cabo Polonio, La Paloma) we made our way back to Montevideo to see if our bank cards already arrived...what they didn´t. But we found a bank which accepted our deformed credit card and so we have one problem less...
Before that we just had about 300pesos left (about 10 Euro) - That´s not much to live, not even in Uruguay...
We are going to stay in Montevideo a few days more and then continue our trip up north...if the cards already arrived...

Rucksacknomaden in english!!!!

After more than one year of travelling... we did it!!!! Rucksacknomaden goes international!
In future we´re going to post here the latest news of our trip. It won´t be much, but it will be in english!!!!