Two Rucksacks One Boy

Antigua is the boutique destination of Guatemala. There are taco bells, papa johns and other american chains set out surprisingly tastefully amongst the old churches and squares of the city. There seems to be a nice mix of young and friendly Guatemalans, and holiday makers (mostly from the US) giving the city a safe feel (though still be careful after dark). And, with things like farmers markets and art galleries dotted around you won't run out of things to do very quickly. Getting There As had been the standard for us in Guatemala we caught a shuttle bus (this time for 90Q). They are safer than public buses, and it's less likely your things will get stolen. They are also in theory more direct, though sometimes if the bus is full that is anything but the case. Where we stayed We stayed at the Doozey Koala for 225Q a night with a shared bathroom. It was relatively clean, though it was extremely loud and not particularly secure due to a window that wouldn't lock. The ...

Lake Atitlan is one of my favourite places in Guatemala. It's pretty, has lots to do, and it's just awesome. We stayed at Free Cerveza which helped, it's a social hostel, without being a bar crawl party hostel. It's the best of both worlds. You can trek up and volcano, or go paragliding and then get in the sauna to relax. What's not to like?!

Quetzaltenango is the second biggest city in Guatemala. It's definitely not the prettiest city we've been to, and also not the safest. But, there are some great things to do in and around the place that makes it well worth a visit.

One of our favourite towns in Mexico has to be San Cristobal. It's climate, it's culture, and it's location makes it much more than just a stop off on the way to/from Guatemala (as we originally thought). Do your self and favour and give it a few days of your time.

The Palenque ruins are famous worldwide (to those who know them at least). I had personally never heard of them. That possibly helped lower my expectations, but regardless I was blown away. Palenque was definitely my favourite ruin, a little out of the way to avoid the bus loads of Chichen Itza, and bigger than Coba. You can climb pretty much anything (great for us, possibly not for future generations), and the jungle setting gives it that great India Jones feels. Definitely check it out if you get the chance!

The colourful streets of Campeche old town are a sight to behold. With a history of swashbuckling pirates (though the Spanish translations make for interesting reading) and some very picturesque streets Campeche was another surprise of the Yucatan and it's definitely worth a day to explore.

Merida is popular for culture, food, and getting a real taste of the Yucatan. However book ended by Valladolid and Campeche it had a lot to live up to. It's size makes it a little more effort and though there is plenty of fun to be here (including dancing and cookery classes) we didn't see anything that we hadn't seen else where. 

Our biggest surprise of Mexico has to be Valladolid. We could barely pronounce it's name when we arrived, and we still can't now. The food, cenotes, and beautiful streets won our hearts almost immediately and it just kept getting better. 

Holbox is probably my favourite island so far. It's chilled, has awesome food and drink, lots to do, pretty cheap, and the best bit is it hasn't been hit by the Cancun package holiday and cruise ship tourists like everywhere else we'd been. The roads are all sand and dirt, everyone gets around on golf buggies, and everyone is friendly. The catch? There are mosquitoes.... so, so many mosquitoes.

An island just thirty minutes off the shore of Cancun, Isla Mujeres is perfect for a little relaxation. There isn't the huge hotels and package tourism of Cancun, and the food, beaches and bars are definitely some of our favourites. There's also diving and the option of renting golf carts to get around!

Cozumel is Mexico's top diving destination. It's got some great dive sites, very competitive pricing, and high safety standards which makes this a great place to get that diving qualification on your way down South. To add to that you can rent a Volkswagen Beetle for the day and drive around the island. What's not to love?!

Home to one of the modern seven wonders of the world "Chichen Itza", Piste is a small town that is overrun by large coaches. We stayed down the road from the site to beat the package tourists and get to the site early. The town itself seems to shut down after the site closes and food options are limited. That said, if you have a tent then camping at the Pyramid Inn and making use of the pool is a great option. Coming during shoulder season (we went in June) will also help your chances of getting some great photos.

Coba was our next stop. Coba is another Mayan ruin, what sets this apart is that one, it’s in the jungle, and two you can climb the main temple. The lonely planet suggests this makes you feel like Indiana Jones. That was me sold, Kate not so much.

Mahahual is about two and a half hours South of Tulum. Often spoken of as a beach paradise untouched by commercial tourism I would say it's more of a beach very much touched by commercial tourism. The beach itself is okay, but definitely far from one of my favourites, and the fact that cruise ships stop monthly just down the coast means this (sometimes) sleepy town is always ready to make a quick buck. Though there is some good food and drink to be found it's not the best either. Don't believe the hype of the lonely planet.