I grew up in the highlands of Guatemala where I spent time swimming in caldera lakes, mountain biking through cornfields, and reading lots of books from my favorite perch in a loquat tree.
Thanks to my parents’ adventurous spirit I also boogie boarded off the black sand beaches of the Pacific and roasted marshmallows over molten lava.
Unfortunately, I also lacked the confidence to go to the corner store alone. So instead of setting out to buy mango gum by myself, I’d drag my younger brother along as moral support.
Yeah, well, I guess we all have things to overcome.
As it turns out, traveling was one of the things that taught me to cope with the unknown, find my courage, and fall in love with adventures of all sorts.
It started when I moved several thousand miles away to the boonies of upstate New York. That was a shock, even apart from the insane winters and the absence of corn tortillas. But I survived it, made friends from all over the world, and enjoyed Thai curries and Tanzanian chai as added bonuses.
In the years since graduating, I’ve lived in Ontario and B.C. Canada and done a coast-to-coast road trip across the U.S. Although I enjoyed my time in these other countries, I ultimately chose to return to Guatemala, the land of eternal spring.
Since coming back, I’ve…
- hiked multiple volcanoes (including a solo descent in the dark with a dead phone battery and no light… oops)
- organized family backpacking and car camping trips
- driven my motorcycle through a tropical storm with a 40lb box filled with chocolate and antique doorknobs lashed to the back
- gotten lost for 5 hours on a very long shortcut (5 hours on a motorcycle = very sore butt)
- swum in sinkholes
- visited a bubbling sulfur lake
- read fascinating books on Guatemalan culture and history
- and gotten tips on how to cook cow brains from a Mayan woman at the market.
As amazing as all that has been, there’s still so much more to learn and so many places to explore! Guatemala has a ton to offer in every area you can imagine, from history, culture, and cuisine, to stunning landscapes.
I can’t wait to help YOU go on Guatemalan adventures too, whether that means planning the best possible trip to Guatemala’s most famous tourist destinations, or heading off the beaten path into the great unknown.
Lately, I’ve outfitted my Honda Tornado 250 motorcycle with a dog carrier so that Lily, my canine companion, can join me on my adventures. I love hiking, mountain biking, motorcycling, and camping, and of course, reading. I hope to learn as much as I can about the culture of different regions of Guatemala from books, interviews, and on-the-ground experience.
I’ll share all these things with you so you can enjoy Guatemala to the full.