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New Zealand

A Michigander artist takes you through her journey as an expat aupair in New Zealand...

Art & Aupairing in New Zealand

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Semuc Champey, Guatemala ✨ It’s quiiiiite a

Semuc Champey, Guatemala ✨

It’s quiiiiite a journey to these remote natural pools hidden in the Guatemala jungle!!

Expect a 6-10 hour shuttle drive from anywhere else you might be in Guatemala to Lanquin, the closest town.

Then, Q25/~$3 to jump on the back of a pick up truck (yes really) for the final 10km drive… which takes 1 hour due to the incredibly rocky, bumpy, steep road.

We’ve been traveling in Latin America for 8 months and had some preeeetty sketch roads but yeah, this one is really as bad as people tell you 😅

At Semuc Champey a lot of people take a tour that includes the lookout hike, swimming, a candlelight cave tour, and tubing.

However we opted to visit independently as we weren’t interested in the cave, and were feeling burnt out on the go-go-go of group tours.

We arrived before the crowds to hike the mirador, then spent ample time jumping, diving, swimming, and playing in the pools.

For a place that’s such a chaotic journey to reach, there are quite a few tourists here. However I was pleasantly surprised that it still feels low key, not “instagrammy”, and full of people genuinely having fun and enjoying nature.

So is Semuc Champey worth it? Yes, I think so! Would you visit?

JANUARY RECAP ★ A busy month across 3 countries

JANUARY RECAP ★

A busy month across 3 countries: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Some January highlights:

→Celebrating New Years Day on the remote Pearl Cays in Nicaragua, where Dan made besties with some Canadian children who all decided to call him “David” 😂

→Basically all of El Salvador… a country we nearly skipped but ended up being our favorite we’ve visited so far (tied with Colombia!). Waking up to sunrise on Conchagua Volcano with @tuncolife , eating all the pupusas, jumping off cliffs with @elsalvatours …it was incredible.

→Hiking Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala and seeing an active volcano erupt at night 🤯

→Paddleboarding on Lake Atitlan with @guatesup - one of the most peaceful core memories made so far on our travels.

Lowlights:

→Getting glutened by some (delicious) tacos in Nicaragua 🤢

→Quite a few Airbnb fiascos from being filthy and abandoned when we arrived to not having promised amenities (kitchen debacle!) to leaving us stranded on the street for 2 hours when the lockbox for checkin was broken

→A sketchy transfer in an unsafe area of Guatemala City that involved running through the middle of 4 lanes of traffic LOL

→Overall feeling a bit rundown and burned out… I think we’ve both hit a “wall” with this long term travel lifestyle and we’re trying to find ways to overcome the travel fatigue.

Still working on my monthly newsletter with our income and expense breakdown (my accountant @danrkellaway has been rather busy), so stay tuned!! 💌

Would you go swimming in Lake Atitlan in Guatemala

Would you go swimming in Lake Atitlan in Guatemala? 🤔 🇬🇹

This an extremely deep lake surrounded by 3 volcanoes and considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

However, it also has a big pollution problem 🗑️ There’s a lot of trash around the lake, as well as issues with untreated waste water filtering into it.

However, you can still swim in it.. you just have to be careful where!

@guatesup took us to a stunning clean spot near Santa Catarina Palapo for swimming and paddle boarding (more on the paddle boarding later!).

It was truly a dream come true and I’ll say it - top 5 travel experiences in the last 6 months in Latin America.

Now knowing all that, would you swim here??

Would you do this hike?! 🌋 It’s called Acate

Would you do this hike?! 🌋

It’s called Acatenango Volcano hike in @guatemala 🇬🇹

A grueling overnight hike up a dormant volcano (Acatenango) with views of an active one (Fuego).

At base camp we roasted marshmallows, drank hot chocolate and wine, and watched Fuego erupting red hot magma from our tent while the stars shone overhead.

Then we put on our headlamps and hiking boots at 4am and made the slog to the summit for sunrise.

This adventure has been at the top of our bucket list for Latin America since we first embarked on this year of travel.

And while the hike was challenging and there were some hiccups here and there, the sight of Fuego erupting is one I’ll never ever forget.

The hidden waterfalls hike with @elsalvatours is t

The hidden waterfalls hike with @elsalvatours is the ✨craziest✨ thing I’ve done in 6 months of travel in Latin America.

First we rode on the back of an ancient pickup truck down bumpy roads deep into El Impossible National Park (named impossible for a reason!).

Then we hiked deep into the forest with our local guides William and Edwin who live in this area, who taught us about medicinal plants on the way.

Then came the waterfalls, natural slides, and cliff jumps. Ooohhhh the cliff jumps. I’m not gonna lie, I bailed on two of them (and rappelled down one cliff instead which I’m ✨ not sure ✨ was less scary LMAO).

We devoured guacamole and tortillas high overlooking a 60m waterfall, then hiked down it and leaped off its cliffs into the pool below (yes, even I did this jump!).

Then hiked the uphill forest route out, all sweating and giddy. Everyone agreeing it was up there with the most unique travel experiences they’d ever had.

I’ve never been anywhere quite so remote. Thank you @elsalvatours for an absolutely wild and memorable day.

Would you do this?!?! 🇸🇻

Hot springs in El Salvador? Yes please. Geotherma

Hot springs in El Salvador? Yes please.

Geothermally heated mud that is slathered on you by a lovely Salvadorean lady in a hot sauna that smells like chicken soup over a pit of bubbling volcano water? Uhhh definitely yes please 😂

You can have this unique experience for $10 at @termales_santa_teresa near Ataco in El Salvador!

Definitely my kind of spa. Would you do this?!?!

Semuc Champey, Guatemala ✨ It’s quiiiiite a

Semuc Champey, Guatemala ✨

It’s quiiiiite a journey to these remote natural pools hidden in the Guatemala jungle!!

Expect a 6-10 hour shuttle drive from anywhere else you might be in Guatemala to Lanquin, the closest town.

Then, Q25/~$3 to jump on the back of a pick up truck (yes really) for the final 10km drive… which takes 1 hour due to the incredibly rocky, bumpy, steep road.

We’ve been traveling in Latin America for 8 months and had some preeeetty sketch roads but yeah, this one is really as bad as people tell you 😅

At Semuc Champey a lot of people take a tour that includes the lookout hike, swimming, a candlelight cave tour, and tubing.

However we opted to visit independently as we weren’t interested in the cave, and were feeling burnt out on the go-go-go of group tours.

We arrived before the crowds to hike the mirador, then spent ample time jumping, diving, swimming, and playing in the pools.

For a place that’s such a chaotic journey to reach, there are quite a few tourists here. However I was pleasantly surprised that it still feels low key, not “instagrammy”, and full of people genuinely having fun and enjoying nature.

So is Semuc Champey worth it? Yes, I think so! Would you visit?

JANUARY RECAP ★ A busy month across 3 countries

JANUARY RECAP ★

A busy month across 3 countries: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Some January highlights:

→Celebrating New Years Day on the remote Pearl Cays in Nicaragua, where Dan made besties with some Canadian children who all decided to call him “David” 😂

→Basically all of El Salvador… a country we nearly skipped but ended up being our favorite we’ve visited so far (tied with Colombia!). Waking up to sunrise on Conchagua Volcano with @tuncolife , eating all the pupusas, jumping off cliffs with @elsalvatours …it was incredible.

→Hiking Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala and seeing an active volcano erupt at night 🤯

→Paddleboarding on Lake Atitlan with @guatesup - one of the most peaceful core memories made so far on our travels.

Lowlights:

→Getting glutened by some (delicious) tacos in Nicaragua 🤢

→Quite a few Airbnb fiascos from being filthy and abandoned when we arrived to not having promised amenities (kitchen debacle!) to leaving us stranded on the street for 2 hours when the lockbox for checkin was broken

→A sketchy transfer in an unsafe area of Guatemala City that involved running through the middle of 4 lanes of traffic LOL

→Overall feeling a bit rundown and burned out… I think we’ve both hit a “wall” with this long term travel lifestyle and we’re trying to find ways to overcome the travel fatigue.

Still working on my monthly newsletter with our income and expense breakdown (my accountant @danrkellaway has been rather busy), so stay tuned!! 💌

Would you go swimming in Lake Atitlan in Guatemala

Would you go swimming in Lake Atitlan in Guatemala? 🤔 🇬🇹

This an extremely deep lake surrounded by 3 volcanoes and considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

However, it also has a big pollution problem 🗑️ There’s a lot of trash around the lake, as well as issues with untreated waste water filtering into it.

However, you can still swim in it.. you just have to be careful where!

@guatesup took us to a stunning clean spot near Santa Catarina Palapo for swimming and paddle boarding (more on the paddle boarding later!).

It was truly a dream come true and I’ll say it - top 5 travel experiences in the last 6 months in Latin America.

Now knowing all that, would you swim here??

Would you do this hike?! 🌋 It’s called Acate

Would you do this hike?! 🌋

It’s called Acatenango Volcano hike in @guatemala 🇬🇹

A grueling overnight hike up a dormant volcano (Acatenango) with views of an active one (Fuego).

At base camp we roasted marshmallows, drank hot chocolate and wine, and watched Fuego erupting red hot magma from our tent while the stars shone overhead.

Then we put on our headlamps and hiking boots at 4am and made the slog to the summit for sunrise.

This adventure has been at the top of our bucket list for Latin America since we first embarked on this year of travel.

And while the hike was challenging and there were some hiccups here and there, the sight of Fuego erupting is one I’ll never ever forget.

The hidden waterfalls hike with @elsalvatours is t

The hidden waterfalls hike with @elsalvatours is the ✨craziest✨ thing I’ve done in 6 months of travel in Latin America.

First we rode on the back of an ancient pickup truck down bumpy roads deep into El Impossible National Park (named impossible for a reason!).

Then we hiked deep into the forest with our local guides William and Edwin who live in this area, who taught us about medicinal plants on the way.

Then came the waterfalls, natural slides, and cliff jumps. Ooohhhh the cliff jumps. I’m not gonna lie, I bailed on two of them (and rappelled down one cliff instead which I’m ✨ not sure ✨ was less scary LMAO).

We devoured guacamole and tortillas high overlooking a 60m waterfall, then hiked down it and leaped off its cliffs into the pool below (yes, even I did this jump!).

Then hiked the uphill forest route out, all sweating and giddy. Everyone agreeing it was up there with the most unique travel experiences they’d ever had.

I’ve never been anywhere quite so remote. Thank you @elsalvatours for an absolutely wild and memorable day.

Would you do this?!?! 🇸🇻

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Contact
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Work With Me
Contact
Published
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