OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
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We left Guatemala with little fanfare, having passed through the country in four weeks. Our last couple of nights we spent with Juan’s friend Rodolfo in Guatemala City. We got to tour his animation studio, and to see some parts of the city that we would not have seen otherwise, including his family’s lovely ranch. Our last morning in Guatemala…
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This past week my beloved little brother and his new wife came to join us in Guatemala. Traveling in style We spent two nights in Antigua, two in Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, two on the Pacific Coast in Monterico, and then one night back in Antigua before they went back north to California. Boot shopping in Jocotenango In Panajachel, we…
This was the road from Panajachel back to Antigua. It was like being back in Baja, but actually passable. All the overlanders seem to camp at Visión Azul in Panajachel. It’s got a pool, a nice lawn, and is next door to a fancy hotel with a helicopter landing pad. But the campground had one major bummer: sand flies that…
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Juan and I usually manage to avoid double-posting about things, but this has been a diverse week with lots to mention. The drive from Quetzaltenango (Xela) to Guatemala City was effortless and pretty, but getting out of Guatemala City was difficult. Driving at night from Guatemala City to Cobán was just awful. The road isn’t lit at all, and so…
Since we were in Cobán already, it didn’t make sense to not go to Semuc Champey, only 67 Km away and one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala from what we were told. So we went. We spent one night in Lanquin, about 9 Km from Semuc Champey, just because we hadn’t decided whether to drive there or to…
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The great thing about traveling the way we are doing it is that we are always open to change plans. Last Thursday, we were on our second day in Quetzaltenango. We loved that city, so we were thinking about staying an extra couple of nights. So there I was, having breakfast at a nice coffee shop, looking online for more…
Our first few days in Guatemala have been eventful. The border crossing was easy–Milo and the pony required more paperwork than either of us. I might or might not have been shaken down for 20 pesos (less than $2). I call those tourist fees. On the advice of an overlander we met in San Cristóbal, we took the long and…
A couple of days ago we crossed from México to Toyotatenango (some people call this place Guatemala) Every other car on the road is a Toyota truck. The rest are Toyota vans, Toyota Tercels, and the odd non-Toyota here and there. There are also a lot of trucks that were written off the taxes of American companies: …
After seven months, I figured we’d be in the process of shipping the van across the Darien Gap into Colombia, but we are several countries short of that. Other than the much-slower-than-anticipated pace, the trip seems to be progressing more or less as expected. One of the weirdest moments of the trip: Lucha Libre Smurfs (pitufos). We left San Cristóbal…
I love to cook. Living out of a van, though, means that cooking is limited by a few things— 1—what we can buy and store (meat only if we’re going to consume it that day) 2—what we can fit in our two little pots or on top of our griddle (usually either or, since the griddle takes up both burners)…
Semana Santa was a relatively quiet affair for us, since we are now entering our fifth week in San Cristóbal, absorbing as much solitude (and curry) as possible. For such a big deal, there was surprisingly little fanfare. Usually we see a lot of carnival action wherever we go. But possibly nobody wanted to upstage Jesus. Both of the Jesuses,…
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Last week I went to the US. I was in the jury for SIGGRAPH, and also wanted to reenter the country before hitting the six month mark. I’m on a greencard and the INS likes it better that way. I spent four days in San Francisco and three in a hotel in the suburbs of Chicago. In San Francisco I…
One of the coolest parts about being stationed in San Cristóbal are being a short drive from a lot of different small towns. The indigenous people are more highly visible here than in other parts of Mexico, and when you travel from village to village, you can see distinct styles of dress, mostly among the women. Pink pom-poms and braids…
Today is our six-month mark of entering Mexico. I wanted to write something significant on this day, something that would say something more than a typical post about a town we visited, a festival we happened upon, or some challenge we’ve met on the road. But now that I look back on things, it seems silly to try and hunk…
Wait. What? I came to San Francisco for a few days. Stephanie and Milo are in San Cristobal, and I’ll be back this Monday.…
After almost six months on the road, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the banners that we’ve been using on the blog. This was in the Grand Canyon, on our way back to San Francisco to Chicago in July. Technically, before the trip started. This was also from that trip. Somewhere in Minnesota…
My favorite woodland creature Happy Birthday to Van en Van’s Top Commenter: MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER. On her birthday, I would like to recognize all the things she has given me, among them: an appreciation ( if not a deep knowledge) of nature In the garden A bleeding heart for hungry souls The patron saint of stray dogs A love of…
This month we’ve taken ourself off the road and into the trees, renting the top floor of a cabin in San Cristóbal de las Casas. It is at one of our favorite campgrounds, Rancho San Nicolás, where we have stayed several times in the past few months. One of several Volkswagens back in December …upgrading to new digs on the…
The Oaxaca Children Grassroots is a non profit in the US, that funds the Centro de Esperanza infantil, in Oaxaca. This is where we did the little photo workshop last month. The center sponsors the education of kids from poor families in Oaxaca, trying to make sure that they go to school instead of selling trinkets in the street. Hear…
One of the Vanagon’s design, um, “characteristics” is that a few of the hoses that deliver gasoline to the engine run just over the exhaust. This is necessary given that the engine is in the rear, but without proper maintenance it can be very dangerous. “Change the fuel lines” is the first piece of advice that new owners get on…
As much as we liked Oaxaca, there was one member of our party who was not a fan: Milo. Oaxaca de Juárez turned out to be one of the least dog-friendly cities we visited. Although the hotels seemed dog-friendly enough (we only looked at two, and both seemed fine with him), the city itself wasn’t great for dogs. There were…
We spent the week in Oaxaca de Juárez, usually known simply as Oaxaca. The city is quite nice, with lots of public space in the historic center, beautiful churches made of this distinctive green-tinged brick, and one of the most active zócalos we’ve yet visited. Against the backdrop of this lovely city, we led a small 3-day photography workshop with…
We stayed several days in this spot in Puerto Escondido. We liked the place a lot, very simple, super close to the beach, and cheap. I actually liked it so much that I offered Victor, the owner, to make a website for him. And here it is: http://campingmarinero.wordpress.com. There’s four or five spaces for tents or small campers/pickups. Definitely a…
Some photos from the beach in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.…
While Stephanie enjoyed her new office by the beach, I set off to make some extra storage for the Pony. It seems like I always need to have a project, something to fix or something to build. I found Angel, a welder who was willing to work with me on this. After he made the base for Stephanie’s table, I…
The past few weeks have been a long lesson in maintaining focus while trying to go with the flow. I need to work every morning. I am a little psychotic about it. If I don’t work, I feel like a hobo who just happens to have an inexplicably expensive laptop. I took time off for the holidays to hang out…