Jan 23-28, 2014 Let me preface this by saying that nature-wise, Costa Rica is the most beautiful country so far. It’s a perfect beauty, the kind you see in postcards, and that you don’t forget easily. Personally, I prefer Guatemala and its untamed, raw good-looks,…
Jan 23, 2014 Some of you have asked, ‘So what’s it like crossing all these borders? Is it hard?’. Well, it depends, but the short answer is yes, it’s not easy, especially if your Spanish is superbly limited, and even more so if you’re doing…
Jan 21-23, 2014 At the El Salvador border crossing into Honduras, I allow two fixers in my car. They came recommended by Rocky, and I trusted Rocky, as much as one could trust Rocky. In the end, he delivered what was promised. In addition, this…
Jan 17-21, 2014 From Guatemala, I decide to skip most of Honduras and drive through El Salvador instead. Whereas Honduras is notorious for its poverty and bribe-happy police, El Salvador has been the child left out of all the tourism fun in the Centroamerica family,…
Jan 15-17, 2014 This country took me by surprise a few minutes after I crossed its border. I say a few minutes, but it’s really around 2 hours. That’s the time it took to navigate the different Customs windows necessary to enter legally. Even Mexicans,…
Jan 10-15, 2014 I reach Paraiso, and to my dismay, this is another non-beach town. It’s a lot cleaner and friendlier than Alvarado, and as I circle the outskirts trying to find a beach, all I find is swamp lands that look like they gave…
Jan 9-10, 2014 Life immediately takes another tempo here in Mexico. And somehow you feel more alive. Not because of excitement, but because of the people around you. Sitting in the ‘Super Cream’ cafe (est. 1948) in Tampico for a prolonged breakfast, it’s easy to…
A few weeks before leaving, I met with Dr. Rajiv Narula, MD, the founder of International Health Consultants. He’s been practicing medicine and traveling for more than 20 years and has seen anyone from Anderson Cooper to Miss USA Reema, come through his office. I…
Jan 8, 2014 From Brownsville, there are three bridges that you can use to cross the border into Mexico. Two of them are called the ‘International’ bridge – one is older and one is newer – so I took the newer one, hoping for greater…
The idea of the Shipwreck Rally was born one sleepless night in early April, 2013. I had just been laid-off from a job I actually enjoyed for the first time in years. I had managed to transition from a web designer, spending countless hours re-arranging…