Picture Itinerary

On October 21^st, we fly into Cancun, Mexico. We’re hovering there for a few days of beach and relaxation before the big journey ahead. Cancun Beach:

Then over to Chitchen-Itza, also in Mexico:

Next stop, Tulum, Mexico, for more Mayan Ruins and the Xel-Ha snorkeling:

Then into Belize to Ambergris Caye. It’s very quaint and they rent golf carts to get around town. Enough said.

Trip to Hidden Valley Falls, Belize. Lots of secret waterfalls and wading pools:

Now Coban, Guatemala, to Semuc Champey. There’s a 300-meter natural limestone bridge that runs over the rapids. Gorgeous?

Chichicastenango, Guatemala (how fun is it to say that?) for an amazing market and lots of culture:

Then off to La Antigua, Guatemala, for some amazing architecture and churches:

And into Honduras! Tegucigalpa for more churches, architecture, and markets. Here’s one beautiful cathedral:

Macaw Mountain Bird Park and Nature reserve… for a little taste of the wildlife:

Managua, Nicaragua. The capital city, so lots of cathedrals, markets, and culture:

We’ll dick around in Nicaragua a little longer, but we’re not sure where else we wanna go yet. After that, it’s Costa Rica! First to Fortuna, where we can see Arenal Volcano, which erupts every night. Also, there are hot springs.

Now into Quepos, Costa Rica, where we’ll hit up Manuel Antonio National Park. The rainforest comes all the way down to the water’s edge! Garden of Eden:

Panama City. Obviously, the Panama Canal:

Pearl Islands, Panama. Scuba diving (and yes, this photo is from Panama):

After that, we’re on a very long bus ride through Eastern Panama and most of Colombia. We don’t want to stay in Colombia, as we value our lives. We’re making a quick stop for horseback riding to some burial monuments:

Then quickly over the border into Ecuador. Hidden in the mountains is an old colonial town called Quito:

Then we’re doing the Latacunga Loop. It’s hiking and camping through the mountains for five days or so:

Into Guayaquil, Ecuador, for some fantastic markets, parks, and soccer! I love soccer!

Next up is Mancora, Peru. Beach days, boating, and more relaxation:

Chachapoyas (also really fun to say), Peru is home to walking paths, ruins, culture, and the Kuelap Fortress, which is twice as old as the Incan empire:

Into Cusco, Peru, our base for the Machu Picchu trip. There’s some amazing Incan architecture there, too:

Machu Picchu, guh guh guh:
And of course Puno, Peru for Lake Titicaca:

Time-wise, we are a bit less than halfway through our journey. Distance-wise, we are less than 1/3 of the way through it. Ha.