Around the World (2014-2016)
Oct 17, 2014, 2:20 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
And the next update is out 
Live #05, Halifax – Lunenburg – Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia (Canada)
17/10/2014 This time I am updating you on my trip from a comfortable train with WIFI while it rains outside, certainly a good way to pass the time I explored Halifax and surroundings in the last days, including Lunenburg and the main tourist attraction here: Peggys Cove's Lighthouse. Besides of meeting a lot of great new people again, I also got very close to a little pug.
While hitch hiking the roughly 320km from Whycocomagh to Halifax, I realized that the farther I was away from Newfoundland, the harder it was to get a ride. I had to wait about two hours overall in three different locations this time, getting a ride to Port Hawksbury from an elderly man, who is - despite his age of around 80 years - still paining houses in Nova Scotia. Port Hawksbury offered me a perfect spot with lots of traffic and a gas station. Only ten minutes passed before two very nice ladies picked me up. They told me that they usually never pick up anyone, but there was just "something about me" ... well, good for me! I had a great time with Kathy aka "The Driver" and her sister Isabelle aka "The Car Owner", hopefully you guys read this and thanks for the ride again!
Arriving in Halifax around 6PM, I was received by my host Mary and Maya, a friendly ten year old pug, constantly putting on a pretty adorable face impression accompanied by those funny sounds coming out of the flat nose. Darkness crawled in very quickly and I was amazed to see cloud tubes hovering above for the first time, a sign for an upcoming storm and apparently not a big deal for Mary anymore Meeting up with Couchsurfer Casey for a drink, we just took it easy that day because we had to get up early next morning for a little roadtrip. Our first stop was Mahon Bay, offering some very nice views across a pond with the morning mist. Lunenburg was next and did not disappoint either regardless the weather conditions we had. It would be nice to see that place in sunshine as well, but we certainly had a nice atmosphere on the plus side. It happened to be that a local farmers market was held in the local gym and we explored that as well before continuing.
Driving along to coast towards Peggys Cove, we stopped at the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial. 229 people lost their lives in a crash in 1998 just a few km away from the shore here. The site also offered the first good view on the famous lighthouse. Arriving there, the warm air and calm sea reflected the silence before the storm, which was actually on the way up from the states promising a lot of rain for friday. Just as all the small communities we passed along the way, I really enjoyed Peggys Cove and the lighthouse was great as well thanks to the setting it is located in.
After our road trip, I met up with Casey again to do some indoor Bouldering at Ground Zero while Mary had to work. The grading over there was really hard and the hardest problem I could do was number 19 out of 50 overall, apparently just something like a V2! Well, you get out of shape quickly after stopping regular climbing sadly. It was still a lot of fun though! Straight after climbing, I met up with Czech Tereza to have dinner while she was waiting to be picked up from her Couchsurfing host. He proposed the Henry House to her and it turned out to be a great place to sample local beer and even have a Sticky Tuffy Pudding for dessert. I could not believe it, but it was actually really good! Being super tired, I went straight to bed afterwards and met up with her again for breakfast just this morning before heading to the train station. We had some pretty interesting combinations on our plates, just one example being Belgium waffles with Peanut butter, bananas and - yes, it's hard to believe - BACON!! Writing about this actually makes me hungry, so I will now head off to the Train restaurant now to check their Lunch menu
Live #05, Halifax – Lunenburg – Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia (Canada)
17/10/2014 This time I am updating you on my trip from a comfortable train with WIFI while it rains outside, certainly a good way to pass the time
I explored Halifax and surroundings in the last days, including Lunenburg and the main tourist attraction here: Peggys Cove's Lighthouse. Besides of meeting a lot of great new people again, I also got very close to a little pug.While hitch hiking the roughly 320km from Whycocomagh to Halifax, I realized that the farther I was away from Newfoundland, the harder it was to get a ride. I had to wait about two hours overall in three different locations this time, getting a ride to Port Hawksbury from an elderly man, who is - despite his age of around 80 years - still paining houses in Nova Scotia. Port Hawksbury offered me a perfect spot with lots of traffic and a gas station. Only ten minutes passed before two very nice ladies picked me up. They told me that they usually never pick up anyone, but there was just "something about me" ... well, good for me! I had a great time with Kathy aka "The Driver" and her sister Isabelle aka "The Car Owner", hopefully you guys read this and thanks for the ride again!
Arriving in Halifax around 6PM, I was received by my host Mary and Maya, a friendly ten year old pug, constantly putting on a pretty adorable face impression accompanied by those funny sounds coming out of the flat nose. Darkness crawled in very quickly and I was amazed to see cloud tubes hovering above for the first time, a sign for an upcoming storm and apparently not a big deal for Mary anymore
Meeting up with Couchsurfer Casey for a drink, we just took it easy that day because we had to get up early next morning for a little roadtrip. Our first stop was Mahon Bay, offering some very nice views across a pond with the morning mist. Lunenburg was next and did not disappoint either regardless the weather conditions we had. It would be nice to see that place in sunshine as well, but we certainly had a nice atmosphere on the plus side. It happened to be that a local farmers market was held in the local gym and we explored that as well before continuing.Driving along to coast towards Peggys Cove, we stopped at the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial. 229 people lost their lives in a crash in 1998 just a few km away from the shore here. The site also offered the first good view on the famous lighthouse. Arriving there, the warm air and calm sea reflected the silence before the storm, which was actually on the way up from the states promising a lot of rain for friday. Just as all the small communities we passed along the way, I really enjoyed Peggys Cove and the lighthouse was great as well thanks to the setting it is located in.
After our road trip, I met up with Casey again to do some indoor Bouldering at Ground Zero while Mary had to work. The grading over there was really hard and the hardest problem I could do was number 19 out of 50 overall, apparently just something like a V2! Well, you get out of shape quickly after stopping regular climbing sadly. It was still a lot of fun though! Straight after climbing, I met up with Czech Tereza to have dinner while she was waiting to be picked up from her Couchsurfing host. He proposed the Henry House to her and it turned out to be a great place to sample local beer and even have a Sticky Tuffy Pudding for dessert. I could not believe it, but it was actually really good! Being super tired, I went straight to bed afterwards and met up with her again for breakfast just this morning before heading to the train station. We had some pretty interesting combinations on our plates, just one example being Belgium waffles with Peanut butter, bananas and - yes, it's hard to believe - BACON!! Writing about this actually makes me hungry, so I will now head off to the Train restaurant now to check their Lunch menu
Last edited by Chris1984; Oct 24, 2014 at 12:25 pm
Oct 19, 2014, 9:30 am
#33
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: California
Posts: 61
I've done a few RTW trips. Plan loosely..give yourself plenty of time in each location. More than you think. Stick w/ local things. Choose "slow and cheap" over immediate and expensive. Enjoy the trip! Unpack 1/2 of what you think you need.
Oct 21, 2014, 8:22 am
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
My first update from New Brunswick, East Canada:
Live #06, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick (Canada)
21/10/2014 The Bay of Fundy was one of my highlights prior to the trip. Getting there with two nice Couchsurfers, it certainly matched the expectations!
The Bay of Fundy is a huge area across both Novia Scotia and New Brunswick, featuring the highest tidal ranges in the world. Coming during the right time of the year, you can witness a difference of up to 15 Meters twice a day. We drove to a place called Hopewell Rocks and tourists in the summer can even hire a kayak to paddle around the amazing looking rock formations and then walk on the ocean floor half a day later. These facts combined with the pictures I could find on Google really made me want to go there, and thanks to my Couchsurfing host Alex it was a quick drive from Moncton.
October is out of season already, but there were still a lot of people walking around on a perfect sunny weekend. One does not have to pay the entrance fee during this time of the year and, unfortunately, the tide difference is not as big as in the summer – just roughly about 8 Meters. Still, getting there for high tide first and then returning for low tide was an amazing experience! We spent about three hours wandering around and I could not stop but staring at those amazing rock formations. It was also the third time I could have used some climbing gear with me!
I am currently still in Moncton, working on my videos from Newfoundland. Hopefully I will be able to upload those soon! Today I will move on to Fredericton and then make my way to Quebec City. The last days also nearly made me change my plan completely to check out some remote places in the area, however reaching Anticosti Island during this time of the year seems to be tough and I would not have enough time to explore it. I also wanted to get to Ile aux Lievres for some hiking, but the island is closed during this time of the year as well, leaving me with a few days to rest and work on my material.
Live #06, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick (Canada)
21/10/2014 The Bay of Fundy was one of my highlights prior to the trip. Getting there with two nice Couchsurfers, it certainly matched the expectations!
The Bay of Fundy is a huge area across both Novia Scotia and New Brunswick, featuring the highest tidal ranges in the world. Coming during the right time of the year, you can witness a difference of up to 15 Meters twice a day. We drove to a place called Hopewell Rocks and tourists in the summer can even hire a kayak to paddle around the amazing looking rock formations and then walk on the ocean floor half a day later. These facts combined with the pictures I could find on Google really made me want to go there, and thanks to my Couchsurfing host Alex it was a quick drive from Moncton.
October is out of season already, but there were still a lot of people walking around on a perfect sunny weekend. One does not have to pay the entrance fee during this time of the year and, unfortunately, the tide difference is not as big as in the summer – just roughly about 8 Meters. Still, getting there for high tide first and then returning for low tide was an amazing experience! We spent about three hours wandering around and I could not stop but staring at those amazing rock formations. It was also the third time I could have used some climbing gear with me!
I am currently still in Moncton, working on my videos from Newfoundland. Hopefully I will be able to upload those soon! Today I will move on to Fredericton and then make my way to Quebec City. The last days also nearly made me change my plan completely to check out some remote places in the area, however reaching Anticosti Island during this time of the year seems to be tough and I would not have enough time to explore it. I also wanted to get to Ile aux Lievres for some hiking, but the island is closed during this time of the year as well, leaving me with a few days to rest and work on my material.
Last edited by Chris1984; Oct 24, 2014 at 12:26 pm
Oct 21, 2014, 9:19 pm
#35
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,414
As this is not a general travel topic, we'll move this to the Trip Reports forum. Thanks. /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator
Oct 23, 2014, 11:10 am
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
Also got my first video out now, covering the East Coast Trail around St Johns, Newfoundland.
Hope you like it
Hope you enjoy the first out of two videos from Newfoundland, Canada. This part covers the East Coast Trail and my hikes to the Berry Head Arch, Cape Spear and Sugarloaf.
Hope you like it
Hope you enjoy the first out of two videos from Newfoundland, Canada. This part covers the East Coast Trail and my hikes to the Berry Head Arch, Cape Spear and Sugarloaf.
Last edited by Chris1984; Oct 24, 2014 at 12:27 pm
Oct 28, 2014, 9:33 am
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
I only have Toronto in front of me now before heading down to Mexico. While hitch hiking to Quebec City, I had another great driver and Fredericton as a town did surprise me as well a bit:
Live #07, Fredericton – Grand Falls – Hitch hike to Quebec City, Canada
28/10/2014 About a week ago, it was eventually time to leave New Brunswick and head towards Quebec City, hitch hiking all the way from Fredericton with a real nice Russian guy.
Making the decision to leave Fredericton just after one night was based on the fact that the local climbing gym was closed that day, and I really wanted to go climbing! I packed up and started to walk along the river front of the town, slowly approaching the city center and local Bus Maratime station. The walk was actually surprisingly nice and the city itself worth a visit, much nicer than Moncton for sure
I walked through Odell Park towards the highway to try my luck with the hitch hiking again. The next departed in 90 minutes, so I would have about an hour to find a ride. Just five minutes waiting later, I already had a trucker stopping for me to give me a lift to Woodstock, about an hour away. After a quick lunch, I walked back to the highway and got picked up by the second car passing me, I could not believe my luck that day!
The guy picking me up was Vladimir from Russia, traveling himself with a rental car all the way from Labrador and on his way to Toronto, another 1240km away by the time I got into the car. He was great company and we had lot’s of topics to talk about, especially since he was traveling in places that I would reach next and he could even set me up with contacts in the remote parts of russia, so I might end up adding those to my Itinerary as well.
We had a quick stop in Grand Falls, which is known for a waterfall in the middle of the city that has an immense power to it. The weather was perfect when we got there and it was certainly worth investing 20 minutes on the way up, really impressive site for an attraction within the city. It was still pretty early that day and I was way ahead of schedule, deciding to skip my stop in Rivière-du-Loup and drive on all the way to Quebec City with Vladimir instead.
Crossing a time zone to Eastern Time and a few hours during an amazing sunset later, we arrived at my Hosts place around 7PM. Turns out he was not there since I arrived a day earlier and due to a slight misunderstanding. Luckily, Anne Sophie had also agreed to host me and was so nice to give Vladimir a chance to sleep there as well. We had some drinks in the city and I tried the famous Poutine, fries with gravy and cheese. Not sure if I will get it again though while staying in Quebec, Montreal and Toronto..
Live #07, Fredericton – Grand Falls – Hitch hike to Quebec City, Canada
28/10/2014 About a week ago, it was eventually time to leave New Brunswick and head towards Quebec City, hitch hiking all the way from Fredericton with a real nice Russian guy.
Making the decision to leave Fredericton just after one night was based on the fact that the local climbing gym was closed that day, and I really wanted to go climbing! I packed up and started to walk along the river front of the town, slowly approaching the city center and local Bus Maratime station. The walk was actually surprisingly nice and the city itself worth a visit, much nicer than Moncton for sure
I walked through Odell Park towards the highway to try my luck with the hitch hiking again. The next departed in 90 minutes, so I would have about an hour to find a ride. Just five minutes waiting later, I already had a trucker stopping for me to give me a lift to Woodstock, about an hour away. After a quick lunch, I walked back to the highway and got picked up by the second car passing me, I could not believe my luck that day!
The guy picking me up was Vladimir from Russia, traveling himself with a rental car all the way from Labrador and on his way to Toronto, another 1240km away by the time I got into the car. He was great company and we had lot’s of topics to talk about, especially since he was traveling in places that I would reach next and he could even set me up with contacts in the remote parts of russia, so I might end up adding those to my Itinerary as well.
We had a quick stop in Grand Falls, which is known for a waterfall in the middle of the city that has an immense power to it. The weather was perfect when we got there and it was certainly worth investing 20 minutes on the way up, really impressive site for an attraction within the city. It was still pretty early that day and I was way ahead of schedule, deciding to skip my stop in Rivière-du-Loup and drive on all the way to Quebec City with Vladimir instead.
Crossing a time zone to Eastern Time and a few hours during an amazing sunset later, we arrived at my Hosts place around 7PM. Turns out he was not there since I arrived a day earlier and due to a slight misunderstanding. Luckily, Anne Sophie had also agreed to host me and was so nice to give Vladimir a chance to sleep there as well. We had some drinks in the city and I tried the famous Poutine, fries with gravy and cheese. Not sure if I will get it again though while staying in Quebec, Montreal and Toronto..
Oct 31, 2014, 10:06 am
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
The next update is ready
Live #08, At the farm..
31/10/2014 I just arrived in Toronto and it will my last big city before heading down to Mexico on Monday. Before I get an report out regarding the urban areas of East Canada, I now just wanted to give you a quick update about my day at a farm near Quebec City and my first contact with guns. Also, do you have any ideas for a Halloween outfit for me?
My stay in Quebec City was just another reminder on how awesome Couchsurfing is. When else would you have the chance to go to a local farm and even shoot some guns there before having a delicious dinner with the family? I have to thank Anne Sophie again so much for taking me and being such a wonderful host in general, the days in Quebec with her, her boyfriend, brothers and friends were really great and I hope to hear everyone saying SCHULZ when I come back haha (sorry, insider…). Prior to the farm, we also had a great dinner together, German fried potatoes with bacon and squash filled with meat and chicken, just awesome combination with a great jam session that night!
I will write another update about the city itself but thought that this special day deserved a special post Now I am waiting for the rain to stop in Toronto to start exploring the city a bit before heading to the first out of two halloween parties this weekend. I never actually celebrated it but will give it a try here since it’s really big – any ideas for a cheap costume? I was thinking of the Joker… Write your suggestion in the comments!
Live #08, At the farm..
31/10/2014 I just arrived in Toronto and it will my last big city before heading down to Mexico on Monday. Before I get an report out regarding the urban areas of East Canada, I now just wanted to give you a quick update about my day at a farm near Quebec City and my first contact with guns. Also, do you have any ideas for a Halloween outfit for me?
My stay in Quebec City was just another reminder on how awesome Couchsurfing is. When else would you have the chance to go to a local farm and even shoot some guns there before having a delicious dinner with the family? I have to thank Anne Sophie again so much for taking me and being such a wonderful host in general, the days in Quebec with her, her boyfriend, brothers and friends were really great and I hope to hear everyone saying SCHULZ when I come back haha (sorry, insider…). Prior to the farm, we also had a great dinner together, German fried potatoes with bacon and squash filled with meat and chicken, just awesome combination with a great jam session that night!
I will write another update about the city itself but thought that this special day deserved a special post
Now I am waiting for the rain to stop in Toronto to start exploring the city a bit before heading to the first out of two halloween parties this weekend. I never actually celebrated it but will give it a try here since it’s really big – any ideas for a cheap costume? I was thinking of the Joker… Write your suggestion in the comments!
Nov 8, 2014, 11:49 am
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
Live #09, Quebec City, Canada
08/11/2014 I am now in Merida and pretty busy planning my next steps getting down to the remote (and probably best) Maya ruins of Calakmul. That process leaves me with barely no time to update my blog right now, but at least I can get out some pictures from Quebec City
Picture Gallery
Quebec City was the first stop in a major city since starting the trip in St.John’s, Newfoundland. Everyone speaks french there and Poutine is the dish to try, even though I was not the biggest fan of it. The real charm of Quebec City is the Old part and Château Frontenac, which I was luckily enjoying in perfect weather. Frontenac was actually one of the reasons to go and I imagined it to be somewhere outside of the city, however it was right in the central part and very easy to connect it with the other notable things in the area.
Halloween was all over the place already and I especially liked the decoration within the town, they really put some effort into those. People were Ice Skating and the temperatures dropped quickly, winter was not too far away here anymore! The most memorable part of my time in Quebec City, however, were the people I met and the day out on the farm shooting guns
08/11/2014 I am now in Merida and pretty busy planning my next steps getting down to the remote (and probably best) Maya ruins of Calakmul. That process leaves me with barely no time to update my blog right now, but at least I can get out some pictures from Quebec City
Picture Gallery
Quebec City was the first stop in a major city since starting the trip in St.John’s, Newfoundland. Everyone speaks french there and Poutine is the dish to try, even though I was not the biggest fan of it. The real charm of Quebec City is the Old part and Château Frontenac, which I was luckily enjoying in perfect weather. Frontenac was actually one of the reasons to go and I imagined it to be somewhere outside of the city, however it was right in the central part and very easy to connect it with the other notable things in the area.
Halloween was all over the place already and I especially liked the decoration within the town, they really put some effort into those. People were Ice Skating and the temperatures dropped quickly, winter was not too far away here anymore! The most memorable part of my time in Quebec City, however, were the people I met and the day out on the farm shooting guns
RTW?
Nov 15, 2014, 6:16 pm
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
Well, I am traveling for 3-5 years and one thing will come after the other, I will stay in Australia for 12-16 months so do not worry It will just take me a while to get there since there is a lot to see on the way!
.... Next short update
Live #10, Montreal, Canada
15/11/2014 After a few days of chilling at the beautiful Lagoon in Bacalar without any sort of Internet access, I just got back from an awesome day of sailing at the Caribbean Reefs of Belize to finally get out another quick update from Canada! One more and I will be able to report from the stuff that happened In Mexico!
Considering the fact that I just had seven amazing Cuba Libre’s and even more amazing food on a day sailing trip in the Caribbean, I hope you will excuse me that I will just go ahead and post some pictures from Montreal! All i want to say is thanks again for my Couchsurfing host Emilie for showing me the city and making sure I did not get lost!
It will just take me a while to get there since there is a lot to see on the way! .... Next short update
Live #10, Montreal, Canada
15/11/2014 After a few days of chilling at the beautiful Lagoon in Bacalar without any sort of Internet access, I just got back from an awesome day of sailing at the Caribbean Reefs of Belize to finally get out another quick update from Canada! One more and I will be able to report from the stuff that happened In Mexico!
Considering the fact that I just had seven amazing Cuba Libre’s and even more amazing food on a day sailing trip in the Caribbean, I hope you will excuse me that I will just go ahead and post some pictures from Montreal! All i want to say is thanks again for my Couchsurfing host Emilie for showing me the city and making sure I did not get lost!
Nov 27, 2014, 12:18 pm
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
After days without internet, I can finally update my blog again while sitting on sunny Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Live #11, Toronto, Canada
27/11/2014 One highlight is following the other here in Guatemala and after spending some time in Semuc Champey, I have now arrived at Lake Atitlan. I will stay here for 4 days and then move on to Quetzaltenango, possibly even staying for a week or more to take a spanish course…
Toronto has been a pleasant suprise during my last days in Canada. I did not expect a lot from the city before but have to say that the skyline is certainly great to look at and the Niagara Falls were nice as well. We were lucky with the weather in the end too, after a lot of rain upon my arrival. I stayed with Couchsurfer Brenda, who is actually dutch and decided to live in Toronto for a while.
Some of the things on my ToDo list included the City Hall, CN Tower and the Islands, all of which I was able to see on my last day while it slowly began to clear up. Standing in front of the City Hall, I was wondering how to get a good view from the top and it did not take long to get it. The Shelton hotel just opposite of it features a Club Lounge in their top floor and it just took one little smile to get entrance for some pictures thanks to the nice lady up there. The views were amazing!
Afterwards I was headed to the pier to catch the 5:30PM boat to see the skyline during sunset. On the way, I stopped at the CN Tower and embraced the first bits of blue sky after all the rain in the last days. The islands were nice too and the views on the Skyline alone make the trip worth while.
Both Friday and Saturday evening were filled out with Halloween Parties. I usually never celebrate it, but being in Canada it was a different story. Thanks to the roommate of Brenda, I even got a cool outfit including a army jacket and authentic Canadian Gas mask. It even matched my grey merino wool shirt very well I met a lot of great people at the parties and had a superb time, even encountering the first snow of the season during the way home after the first party.
On the next day we hired a car and drove down to the Niagara Falls, joined by another German couchsurfer. The weather could not have been any better, even featuring a double rainbow! Niagara-on-the-lake, however, disappointed. I was expecting a bit more from that place! The next morning, we drove to the east of the town to see sun rise at Scarborough Falls. It was certainly worth it but getting back to the airport in time was quiet an adventure. The main highway was just packed and cars did not move at all, forcing me to drive on alternative routes through the complete city. In the end, I just barely made it to the airport, catching my flight to Cancun while Brenda enjoyed the car for a few more hours.
Live #11, Toronto, Canada
27/11/2014 One highlight is following the other here in Guatemala and after spending some time in Semuc Champey, I have now arrived at Lake Atitlan. I will stay here for 4 days and then move on to Quetzaltenango, possibly even staying for a week or more to take a spanish course…
Toronto has been a pleasant suprise during my last days in Canada. I did not expect a lot from the city before but have to say that the skyline is certainly great to look at and the Niagara Falls were nice as well. We were lucky with the weather in the end too, after a lot of rain upon my arrival. I stayed with Couchsurfer Brenda, who is actually dutch and decided to live in Toronto for a while.
Some of the things on my ToDo list included the City Hall, CN Tower and the Islands, all of which I was able to see on my last day while it slowly began to clear up. Standing in front of the City Hall, I was wondering how to get a good view from the top and it did not take long to get it. The Shelton hotel just opposite of it features a Club Lounge in their top floor and it just took one little smile to get entrance for some pictures thanks to the nice lady up there. The views were amazing!
Afterwards I was headed to the pier to catch the 5:30PM boat to see the skyline during sunset. On the way, I stopped at the CN Tower and embraced the first bits of blue sky after all the rain in the last days. The islands were nice too and the views on the Skyline alone make the trip worth while.
Both Friday and Saturday evening were filled out with Halloween Parties. I usually never celebrate it, but being in Canada it was a different story. Thanks to the roommate of Brenda, I even got a cool outfit including a army jacket and authentic Canadian Gas mask. It even matched my grey merino wool shirt very well
I met a lot of great people at the parties and had a superb time, even encountering the first snow of the season during the way home after the first party.On the next day we hired a car and drove down to the Niagara Falls, joined by another German couchsurfer. The weather could not have been any better, even featuring a double rainbow! Niagara-on-the-lake, however, disappointed. I was expecting a bit more from that place! The next morning, we drove to the east of the town to see sun rise at Scarborough Falls. It was certainly worth it but getting back to the airport in time was quiet an adventure. The main highway was just packed and cars did not move at all, forcing me to drive on alternative routes through the complete city. In the end, I just barely made it to the airport, catching my flight to Cancun while Brenda enjoyed the car for a few more hours.
Dec 4, 2014, 4:43 pm
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
First update out of Mexico!
Live #12, Cancun & Tulum, Mexico
04/12/2014 I arrived in Xela (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala) to work on my Spanish and can finally do some catching up with my live reports! Cancun was the start of my 11-day long trip through Mexico, checking out various Maya temples and Cenotes.This is the first out of six live updates and I will try to get the rest out as soon as I can, promise!
Thanks to my couchsurfer host, I could avoid the Zona Hotelera in Cancún, a long strip of Hotels along the sadly best part of the beach there. Being stuck within hundreds of tourists sounded very scary though, so I gladly skipped the beach knowing that I will have plenty of better beaches along the way anyway. Instead, I could dive in to the local area in downtown and enjoy the pool in my hosts place, which was actually a pretty awesome start to Mexico! Other notable events include searching for a Couchsurfing meeting that never happened, going out for a run in the brutal heat, seeing a car upside down after an accident and having two very interesting cats around.
4,37€ for two colectivo rides and about three hours later, I arrived in Tulum. The place immediately showed that Mexico has more to offer than places like Cancun. A lot of backpackers were around and I met up with two couchsurfers. I experienced my first night sleeping in a hammock and got in touch with a bunch of cute little dog babies. I also rented a bike to check out the area, including the Tulum Maya ruins located at the beach and the Gran Cenote. You can dig the pictures from the ruins now and I will get back to you shortly with the next updates including my first Cenote!
Live #12, Cancun & Tulum, Mexico
04/12/2014 I arrived in Xela (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala) to work on my Spanish and can finally do some catching up with my live reports! Cancun was the start of my 11-day long trip through Mexico, checking out various Maya temples and Cenotes.This is the first out of six live updates and I will try to get the rest out as soon as I can, promise!
Thanks to my couchsurfer host, I could avoid the Zona Hotelera in Cancún, a long strip of Hotels along the sadly best part of the beach there. Being stuck within hundreds of tourists sounded very scary though, so I gladly skipped the beach knowing that I will have plenty of better beaches along the way anyway. Instead, I could dive in to the local area in downtown and enjoy the pool in my hosts place, which was actually a pretty awesome start to Mexico! Other notable events include searching for a Couchsurfing meeting that never happened, going out for a run in the brutal heat, seeing a car upside down after an accident and having two very interesting cats around.
4,37€ for two colectivo rides and about three hours later, I arrived in Tulum. The place immediately showed that Mexico has more to offer than places like Cancun. A lot of backpackers were around and I met up with two couchsurfers. I experienced my first night sleeping in a hammock and got in touch with a bunch of cute little dog babies. I also rented a bike to check out the area, including the Tulum Maya ruins located at the beach and the Gran Cenote. You can dig the pictures from the ruins now and I will get back to you shortly with the next updates including my first Cenote!