Part Three: Roaming in the wilderness Finca Ixobel was once a working farm. Now, it’s a spread of affordable wooden cabins and nature trails. I lived for a month in one of those wooden cabins and when I wasn’t working, I walked, rode and swam. With few other humans around, wildlife around the finca thrived.…
Part Two: Daily life on the finca My days at Finca Ixobel always started with birds tweeting. A far cry from the sirens and car stereos of central London. My first task of the day was to detangle myself from the elasticated mosquito net above the bed. No mean feat before my morning coffee. Sleepy…
Part One: From Flores south, to Poptún Most visitors to Guatemala dart diagonally from Tikal’s ruins to colonial Antigua, via the bathing pools of Semuc Champey. Although by accepting a volunteer position at an old farm, I got the chance to linger on the country’s eastern fringes. Over the course of a month, I was treated…
In Nicaragua, almost half the population sit below the poverty line, which is why Granada comes as a surprise. Its colonial-era riches stand strong in its architecture and a recent tourism boom has given rise to a high-end foodie culture and niche shops.
I wasn’t able to spend long enough in León. Nicaragua’s most northern city has long been respected as the country’s seat of intellectual and political challenge. A few days before I planned to cross the border, it started a new and important fight. Stories about the student-led uprising against Nicaragua’s sitting government flooded through to…
Waves draw people to this coastal town in southern Nicaragua. The remote beaches either side of San Juan Del Sur offer some of the best surf in the Americas. Although the town itself is also worth a day or two. Why go? I’ve already mentioned the waves but for me, the small-town atmosphere, sunsets over…
Rain clouds are gathering over Santa Ana’s main square. The cream facade of the gothic cathedral looms spookily against the dull sky. Below, a chaotic arrangement of food stall owners serve up curly fries, oblivious to the approaching storm. DAY 1 Located in El Salvador’s north, Santa Ana is closer to the border with Guatemala than…
