I decided I wanted to have it down in ‘print’ how crazy my inner teen is. It is tough for her to live in a 65-year-old body but no tougher than she is on my body!

My Grand Adventure started out so civilized… Vancouver to San Marcos on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala for a month but then she got on google maps and that’s the last thing I remember.

Feb 24/18 – San Marcos, Lake Atilan to Antigua (Guatemala) 87 miles

Feb 28/18 – 7 hours bus to Sumuc Champey (Guatemala) 202 miles

March 2/18 – 6 hours bus to Flores (Guatemala) 159 miles

March 5/18 – Tikal (Guatemala) 26 miles

March 7/18 – Bus to Belize City (Belize) 141 miles

March 8/18 – Fly to Cancun (Mexico) 324 miles

March 12/18 – Fly to Vancouver, Canada 3,967 miles

March 19/18 – Amtrak to LA (37 freaking hours!) (USA) 1,278 miles

March 20/18 – arrive LA (USA)

March 21/18 – Fly to Cabos, bus to  La Paz (Mexico) 1,145 miles + 97 miles = 1,242 miles

March 22/18 – ferry from La Paz to Los Mochis (Mexico) 676 miles

March 23/18 – Catch el Chepe at 6am to Creel ( 10 hours) (Mexico) 249 miles

March 26/18 – Catch el Chepe at 11ish to El Fuerte (Mexico) 196 miles

March 28/18 – bus to Mazatland… boat to island where stupid hotel was. (Mexico) 302 miles

March 29/18  – flight to Mexico City and then bus to Pachuca de Soto (where I got a really bad cold for the whole time I was there 😦 ) (Mexico) 641 miles + 56 miles = 697 miles

April 9/18 – bus to Mexico City 56 miles

April 19/10 – flight to Puerto Vallarta, drive to Punta de Mita (Mexico) 546 miles + 26 miles = 572 miles

For a grand total of 10,174 miles in 55 days works out to be about 185 miles a day.

Of course that doesn’t tell you all the little and not-so little dramas and screw ups along the way that take their toll… late trains X 2, going to the wrong airport (there-by costing me a full fare ticket), getting sick, hotels that didn’t have my reservation, hotels that claimed I hadn’t already paid for my room, credit cards worried my cards were stolen so wouldn’t let me charge that really great flight until I talked to them..at midnight, ongoing dramas with cell phone companies.. locals don’t understand the their damn system how can a gringo with very little Spanish have a hope?! I just keep throwing pesos at them and mostly I have a phone that works… until it doesn’t – usually when I really need it.

It also doesn’t tell you about all the amazingly generous and kind people who went out of their way to help me cause if I hadn’t had them I would be on the side of the road somewhere in Guatemala trying to look up Spanish words on google but couldn’t cause my freaking phone needed to be re-charged with time. I don’t think most of us could travel like this without the blessings of people we meet along the way. I have much to pay forward.

Trust me, this lesson has been learned and I will attempt to do more Zen travel from now on LOL. It’s just like being a kid let loose in a candy store though, you know? There’s JUST SOOOOOO MUCH TO SEE AND DO!

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