By: Hogga

It may come as a surprise to many of you, but I experienced my first booze cruise recently, in Nicaragua. That is correct, I had never before gone on a boat with the sole purpose of getting drunk.

It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was still awesome. For some reason I thought the boat was going to be massive, but then I remembered I was in Nicaragua and they probably don’t have too many yachts to tour us around on. So I hopped on the tiny boat and got myself a beer.

Stories from the last booze cruise were slightly terrifying, as everyone was incoherently drunk by 5pm when they got back to the hostel. One guy even passed out on the hostel stairs for the majority of the night, until someone help carry him to his room.

Unfortunately, no one passed out on the stairs after and we didn’t manage to drink the boat dry as we planned, but we did put a good dent in the booze, which made for quite a delightful cruise. See what I did there? I made a rhyme… You’re welcome.

It was only $20 and all you could drink rum and beer for 3 ish hours. (Hogga’s seal of approval)

It also had a funnel with 4 tubes. Which was obviously amazeballs.

The sound system also had an iPod hook up and there was a dance party that took place. Well, other people danced, i just tried to hold on and not fall down.

PS, peeing off the back of the boat is easier than it looks.

By: Hogga

Photos Inspired by Karen Brown

By: Hogga

Before I left to travel through Costa Rica and Nicaragua for three months, I thought I had my life all figured out. I worked so hard to become a digital nomad and believed I would travel for a few months in the fall and winter, then spend summers in Toronto, Canada. But after a month of backpacking through Central America I was already sick of hostels, making new friends and sweating as I lugged my backpack onto local (chicken) buses.

Travelling feels different this time. I can’t sleep all day, tour around and party all night anymore. I don’t want to party every day and I can’t unless I want all my work to go to waste. I have to keep up with my websites and emails.

I’m still having a great time, I make the best of everything, but something is missing. I don’t know if I’m sick of dorms, language barriers, travelling solo or if I just need more comfort and luxury, but I feel worn down and it’s only been a short while since I’ve been back on the road.

I’ve shared my feelings about this with a few other travellers who have tried to convince me that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m pretty sure my feelings aren’t ‘wrong’. They actually became quite defensive and didn’t listen to what I was trying to tell them. They argued with me, stating how much cheaper underdeveloped places are and that travelling to more developed cities is not ‘real travelling’. It’s frustrating to hear this from people who claim to be so open minded. But I guess ignorance is bliss, right?

The whole mood changes when I try and explain to people that this may be my last long trip and that I want to see places like Paris and New Orleans. They look at me as if I’m racist or took their mother out for a nice seafood dinner and never called her again.

I’ve never been to NYC and I want to see times square, who are they to judge me on what I want? If anything, I believe a new way of travelling and an array of different destinations will make me a more rounded traveller.

Also, I’m not the only one who’s tired…

Ayngelina from Bacon is Magic announced in a blog post a few months ago that she was tired of life on the road and would be heading back to Toronto.

Lastly, the infamous Nomadic Matt has also declared the end of his journey.

And like Matt, what I want in life has changed.

This is not the end of my travels, but for now, it is the end of my long term travels. I will begin to take shorter trips throughout the year and hopefully find some good friends to come with me!

By: Hogga

WARNING: This post does not contain drunken stories, run-in’s with police or drama in any way…

After almost a week of living in a party hostel in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua I decided I needed a break. I was supposed to apartment shop while I was there, but the locals and expats informed me I wouldn’t find anything until after the Easter holidays (a week long celebration).

So I did what I do best, made new friends and brought the drinking games to the party. Unfortunately, this time travelling I have responsibilities – I have a business to run and was finding it hard to balance work while living the party hostel lifestyle.

While taking a night off from the bottle I started talking to a girl who was quite intoxicated. I told her my issue and she passionately informed me about a lovely beach/surf town she used to live in for 6 months. After a few more drinks she actually offered me a ride there the next morning.

I like free shit, so I was down.

The closer we got, the less of a road there actually was and I became slightly concerned that this girl was taking me to the middle of nowhere. We drove up a steep hill and finally reached a beautiful hostel overlooking the ocean.

The hostel also had kittens, which was obviously a deal breaker: “I’m staying here and I will molest these kittens for the next few days.” Oh… and get some work done… maybe.

At first I felt cheap when I seemed shocked that the dorm rooms were $20 USD per night. A few people there said, “Well that’s what you would be paying in Canada or the US”. I thought, yeah, but I’m in Nicaragua and I was just paying $6 a night for a dorm bed. But after staying there, I realized the hostel is probably worth more than $20 a night. I would have paid that just to sit in the common area for the view alone. I think they have a crazy penthouse too, if you have a few people it would be sweet.

The beds might not be the most comfortable, but the fact that there’s lots of real vegetables in my salad and a decent amount of meat in my lasagna gives me a food boner. They also give guests free breakfast and it’s not just bread or pancakes, it’s full on eggs, fresh fruit, coffee and orange juice.

And the wifi is good… oh the wifi. I could kiss their modem. Is that weird?

I’ve sat in the same chair overlooking the ocean, getting crap loads of work done for the past few days and it’s been amazing. I’ve felt slightly anti-social, but I’m reviving myself – catching up on work and sleeping for 10 hours a night.

Unfortunately, I’m going to leave soon as I’m running out of cash and there’s no bank machines for miles. It would be good if they had a way to pay VISA or AMEX, but I don’t know how that kind of shit works in Nicaragua, most places don’t take any credit cards.

This is NOT a paid review, it’s an honest one and really the only time I’ve ever reviewed a hostel. But I have no idea how you get here. I got a drive from some drunk girl (she wasn’t drunk at the time, relax). So I guess if nice views, good food and fast wifi turns you on too, check it out: http://www.magnificrockpopoyo.com/.

By: Hogga

I agreed to go fishing with a few guys I met at the hostel in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Unfortunately, we were out super late the night before shotgunning beers and had to get up to board the boat at 9am. I was okay at first and fished for about 30 minutes until I started to crash.

I can handle boats for the most part, but there seems to a recurring theme of being hungover on them and that doesn’t go over well with my stomach. My hangovers usually consist of just being tired, but the minute I get on a boat, my tummy turns into a washing machine.

Touching sardines to put on my hook didn’t help much either, BARF.

In my Spanglish I explained to our guide that I was very hungover and he made me a lovely bed out of life jackets. I slept for the rest of the trip while my man bitches caught dinner.

They did pretty good, we ended the trip with a bag full of 16 fish (none caught by me). We carried them into town and had a local restaurant cook the fish for us. I love seafood, but I’m not a big fan of fish. This may change as the tuna and snapper these guys caught was AMAZING.

It was well worth my hangover nap on the boat.

By: Hogga

Lonely Planet guidebooks have saved my life on several occasions. Whether I’m lost and need one of the handy maps they provide or I can’t find a hostel online that isn’t booked up, those books are my savior.

But what happens to those spots that are loved for their lack of popularity?

Whether it be a less known hostel with awesome hammocks or a waterfall to swim in that no one knows about.  As soon as these hidden gems are published in one of the many guidebooks, they become a place that everyone visits; a tourist hot spot.

Recently in Liberia, Costa Rica I visited a few waterfalls. One of them was filled with tourists and the other three were empty. When I asked why the one waterfall was so busy, the guide replied, “This place used to be empty, maybe a few locals the odd time, but as soon as it was recommended by a guidebook, there’s always 20 tourists swimming in it ever day.”

What’s your opinion? We have to understand that the writers of these guidebooks have a job to do and that is to find the best places to see in a country. But is it enhancing or ruining our experiences?

By: Hogga

When travelling, so many things can go wrong. From missing flights to having things stolen or getting sick. I try to stay as positive as possible and put myself in the mindset of: Who cares, I’m in this awesome place with these awesome people, just let it go.

But sometimes it starts to wear you down.

I’ve had an amazing time in Liberia, Costa Rica for my first week in Central America. I’ve made great friends with the hostel owners of Hospedaje Dodero and met some other rad tourists, but I’ve also had some problems, which came to a head yesterday.

My second night in Liberia I lost my glasses. I have forced myself to accept the fact that they’re gone and be thankful I have my contacts. Anyone who know me is aware that I’m extremely blind. This can be fairly scary in a unfamiliar place, but I’ll make it through and try to work something out to get new glasses here in Central America.

A few days later I tried to take out money and had some banking issues. They told me I had to come into a branch and I informed them I would be in Central America for almost 3 more months. They put me on hold for a little bit and told me everything would be fine, I would just have to call them before I take out any money.

Annoying, but it’s better than no money, so it’s fine.

A few days later I wanted to take out money before heading to Nicaragua, just to be safe. I called the bank and said “Hey, I want some of my money”. The told me I didn’t have to call anymore and everything would be fine. So I walked to the bank machine… and of course, it didn’t work.

I came back to the hostel and called the bank. They dicked me around – sending me to the wrong people and then back into the que for about 2 hours. Finally I spoke to a woman who told me she had fixed everything and to head back to the bank to take out money. I asked if it could have been the machine rather than my card, but she said no, the machine should work.

So I walked to the bank machine… and again, it didn’t work.

I came back to the hostel and called the bank again, trying my BEST not to yell at anyone, as I know the person I’m speaking with is not really responsible for my problem and yelling at them would just be selfish on my part.

I finally spoke to another woman who told me it must be the bank machine. (THANKS TIPS)
So I went to another bank machine and finally got money out. (BIG sigh of relief)

In no way have these things ruined my trip, but some people believe that backpacking is all fun and games. There are hardships and sometimes it can be extremely stressful. When I arrived in Vietnam, they couldn’t find my entry Visa and tried to send me back to Taiwan. It was scary as hell! But after arguing with them for an hour, they found it, and finally let me into the country.

The thought of not having access to any of my money, so far from home is scary and frustrating. But you just have to hold back the tears, keep your cool and try your best to make it through the day sometimes.

By: Hogga

Hospedaje Dodero

After being up at 4:30 am and flying to Liberia, Costa Rica, I was ready for a nap. The lovely and somewhat insane, Shaun (owner of Hospedaje Dodero) picked me up at the airport. The sun was shining, the breeze was sexy and I was pumped to be in Costa Rica. But before I could get out of my stank clothes and visit sleepsville I heard some crazy drama going on just outside the hostel and had to check out that dilly-o.

For entertainment’s sake (and the fact that I don’t know his name) I’m going to call the man who was previously staying in the hostel Mr.Taco.

As Shaun explained to me, Mr.Taco has not paid for the past two nights and has been humming and hawing about paying for his room for quite some time. Thus, when Mr.Taco wanted back in the hostel to get his things, Shaun said “Not unless you can pay your bill”.

Mr.Taco did NOT like this. and decided it was his best option to yell and scream at the gate, threatening that when Shaun

Shaun

leaves the hostel, Mr.Taco’s friends will get him. (For clarity, this means Shaun was going to get beat up). But this didn’t phase Shaun, he just laughed and told him to go get his money.

Instead of just paying, Mr.Taco went to get the policia, whom said he had a right to get his things, but that Shaun also had the right to file a complaint with the policia about Mr.Taco not paying his bill. This quited the whole argument and Mr.Taco ran off.

Why did he do that and where can you get a Taco? Well I don’t know where you can get a Taco, I’m in Costa Rica, not Mexico you stupid. But I do know why he ran off, word around the hostel is that he would get kicked out of Costa Rica by the policia because Mr.Taco is originally from Nicaragua and came here illegally. What a bad Taco!

Anyways, nothing new on that front has happened since.
I had some yogurt today for breakfast.

Bye byes.

I’ve been tagged to participate in HostelBookers 7 Super Shots and although my hard drive died after a year around the world (goodbye photos) I’m still gonna attempt it. Because I can do anything… because I had a heart healthy breakfast today.

Photo that…takes my breath away

Everyone kept telling me how amazing New Zealand was. I didn’t arrive there until the end of my RTW trip and I was pretty sure not that much could impress me at that point. But I was proved wrong. The landscape tickled me in places you don’t even want to know! I was especially turned on by Milford Sound. Meow, mountains!

A photo that…makes me laugh or smile

I don’t think anyone can look at the man in Boca tourist area, Argentina who I named ‘The Spidey Santa‘ without giggling a little. He tried to sell us magnets all day long and I think we actually ended up buying some just because he was so sexy.

A photo that…makes me dream

Peru was one of my favorite countries. I spoil it with compliments on a regular basis and I can’t wait to go back one day. It was one of my first international stops and will always hold a special spot in my black little heart. I still get that feeling of awe when I go back in time, looking at my hike to the Morah Ruins, Cusco, Peru. PS. I got lost on the way, go figure!

A photo that…makes me think

Touring Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Thought: What the fuck is that kid so happy about? It’s SO slutty hot out here!

A photo that…makes my mouth water

Boca Junior’s Game, Argentina… hahahha no comment.

A photo that…tells a story

Mekong River, Vitenam. The story here you ask? I’m on a boat motherfucker, take a look at me… I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies… Fuck land, I’m on a boat. You get the idea here…

A photo that…I am most proud of (my worthy of National Geographic shot)

Ahhh this was hard, because I’m so-god-damn-talented. Naw, I’m just kidding. I don’t really think any of my photos are National Geographic worthy, so I will leave you with a picture of this llama… because it’s funny.

I’m gonna go ahead and tag some other assholes to play the game too! TAG YOU’RE IT!

Man vs Clock

My Spanish Adventure

Aussie on the Road

D Travels Round

Go See Write

Oh hi, remember me? That fun loving lady who travels the globe and writes about it? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you forgot me. I  haven’t been around much lately as I’ve spent the past year in Canada.
When I came home from my year around the world in 2010, I vowed that I wasnt going to travel again until I was making enough money from my websites to live off of them.

And guess what? I’m a bazillionaire.

Okay, not really, but I’m doing alright for myself. It wasn’t easy and it’s been a long year, with a lot of ups and downs in work, life and relationships. But I made it through and will continue to be as super-cool as I can.

The minute I was aware of my awesomeness in the financial area, I booked a flight to Central America.

AND… You all know how I feel about Latin men, but on my way to the airport I kept thinking about how different this trip feels. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited, but it’s a different feeling than when I left for a year around the world in 2010 and I’m having a hard time putting my finger on it, let alone, explaining it to other people.

• I will still have to work quite often while I’m on this trip.
• This won’t be my first time experiencing Latin culture.
• I didn’t quit my 9-5 job last week and I don’t have tons of money save up to blow.

I’m relaxed, ready to chill out in the sun, work, write, see some awesome sites and make out with some hot, tanned men or even a tree depending on how much I’ve had to drink.

So my question for you is:
Did it feel different the second, third, forth or however many times you travelled? What were the factors that made it feel different?