Skipping Managua. Part II. Leon
One week after visiting Granada, we drove into its long-time rival – Leon. Like Granada, Leon is set in a breathtaking location. Approaching the city from the north, we counted at least six volcanoes on the horizon, all part of the Cordillera de Maribios. As we got closer to the […]
Skipping Managua. Part I. Granada
One of the apparent trends in our travels is that capital cities in Central America do not get a lot of love from us. That’s just a fact. In Guatemala, upon arrival, we left its capital, Guatemala City, by jumping into a taxi and riding away without ever seeing it. […]
A Whole New Life
Start with Part I Here We were walking from Airbnb towards the livestock barns, and I noticed it wasn’t quite as dark as I thought it would be. As we were driving up the mountain, my fear of encroaching darkness made me feel that it was much later in the […]
Nicaragua: A Road Less Traveled
The dusk was setting quickly over Matagalpa, the little red and yellow coffee berries no longer visible on the branches of coffee trees lining the narrow, unpaved road steeply ascending into the mountain. The light of our headlamps jaggedly bounced up and down, as our tiny, rented Toyota Yaris struggled […]
Girls, Girls, Girls. Souvenirs: Part III
Back by popular demand is Part III of our souvenir inventory (Part I and Part II are here). As we wrote before, we are very picky when it comes to souvenir shopping; yet, sometimes, we do bring souvenirs home. Most of the time it is something related to the culture, […]
Horseback Riding Day 2: Chocolate Declares War and Loses His Manhood
Please start with Part I here. On the second day in Viñales, I woke up with a dull ache in my legs. “The four hours of horseback riding yesterday certainly left an uncomfortable reminder.” I mused as I waddled to the bathroom. The problem was that my adventures in the […]
Galloping Through Viñales
“Do you know how to ride horses?” our Airbnb host in Viñales asked. “Yes!” I answered without thinking. If I had thought about it, the answer would have been, “Yes, I sat on a horse twice this year while the owner led it up a mountain, so I can enjoy […]
Havana Ooh Na Na
There are two pictures I can show to people who want to know the impression Havana left on me, both taken on our very first day, the first few pictures in the city. The first is the view from the balcony of our Airbnb. The second is the inside view […]
Top 20 Things to Do in Mexico City
As we wrote before, Mexico City is one of our favorite cities. We’ve been there half a dozen times and every visit we discover something new and fun. Here are our 20 reasons why you should visit. 1. Explore Zocalo and Centro Historico Zocalo, the city’s main square, is the […]
More Money, More Problems
Please start with the previous post “Money, Money, Money” where we ask money questions about Cuba, and then continue here, where we answer them. As we were settling into a colectivo (a shared taxi), one of the fellow tourists started rummaging through his backpack. Unable to find what he […]
Money, Money, Money
The biggest headache in planning the Cuba trip wasn’t the itinerary, flights, or visa. It was money. Due to the official embargo, Cuba banks do not recognize U.S.-issued debit and credit cards. So, paying with credit cards and withdrawing cash through ATMs is absolutely not possible for anyone using American […]