7 Things to do in and around Cobán, Guatemala – coffee, crocodiles and orchids

For most backpackers, Cobán is no more than a stopover on their way from the Guatemalan highlands to Semuc Champey, Tikal or Rio Dulce. But it’s not the worst place to stay for a couple of days. The capital of Alta Verapaz was our first proper stop in Central America with a slightly bigger city feel – sorry, Belize City, you don’t really qualify. We breathed in the cold mountain air and ended up staying for a week. These are our favourite things to do in Cobán. Continue Reading →

San Salvador: How to survive a Central-American capital?

After seeing the worn-down houses, grey ugliness and herds of homeless guys on empty streets in Belize City, we didn’t look forward to getting close to any other capitals in Central-America.

Fast forward four months. I sat on the bus and read in our guidebook that San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, is actually a pleasant place, even handsome. The guidebook talked about leafy suburbs, galleries and museums. That was enough. I slapped the book close and we decided to go there. Continue Reading →

7 Things to do in and around San Ignacio, Belize – gateway to jungle, caves and Maya temples

Back when we spend five weeks weeding on the Stardust Sanctuary Farm, 3 kilometres out of the nearest small village, San Ignacio was our go-to metropolis. Don’t get me wrong, San Ignacio is in no way a big city. Coupled with twin Santa Elena, the city barely has 20.000 inhabitants. Despite its small size, visitors will not be bored. Here are 7 things we really enjoyed in San Ignacio. Continue Reading →

Chocolate in Belize: the Land of Melted Snickers

San Ignacio in Belize is a sweaty and hot town. It was also the town closest to the Stardust Sanctuary FarmBut only seldom we drove all the way there to enjoy the place itself. Usually, we were sitting in the local bus station, waiting for a bus that would take us somewhere more interesting, or back home. If we had time until our bus, we sipped freshly squeezed juices in a nearby restaurant. In San Ignacio, we were always waiting. Until all the waiting came to an end.

When our time in farm came to an end, we realised there were still a ton of things to do in San Ignacio. One afternoon, we decided to check out what the chocolate tour at AJAW was all about. Apparently, the Mayas made great chocolate.

I couldn’t find any evidence of that in the local shops. The best dessert in Belize was a dreamy yellow lemon pie that I could never get enough of. But chocolate? All I remembered was a lonely Snickers bar in the shop shelf which melted between my fingers even before I could lift it up. No, I didn’t consume any chocolate in Belize.

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