Mexico-The Yucatan

If you want to start to explore latin america but don't want to go too far or get too much culture shock, Mexico is perfect. Cancun itself has so many companies, buildings and people from the USA that it's practically an extension of Miami. Go anywhere a few hours north (Holbox) or south((Tulum) of Cancun, and you are in more pristine paradise typed places. I recommend you go to at least one Cenote (water caves), but do the research as there are many, at various distances and prices and levels of tourism.. sometimes it pays to get a day trip here or there that includes lunch and transport.. but generally I try to find those less frequented little sites that the locals enjoy too. Scuba in Cancun was not bad either. In the winter, expect lower vis and rougher currents, but still good. The ADO buses are very convenient and organized compared to the cheaper local van-buses so it may be worth the extra $10 depending on how far you are going.. You can take a bus right into Belize too, and you should. I took the boat from Chetumal, since I wasn't interested in the mainland, but depends on your budget and timeline I guess. TOP TEN THINGS to miss about Mexico 1.$10 bottles of tequilla (dos caballos, yum!) 2.Waiting for the rain/wind to settle down so i can scuba already! 3.The loose parameters used to divide road "lanes" 4.Busloads of sunburned drunken americans 5.merhcnats boarding buses to sell food, smokes, candy, songs or drinks 6.Getting hot sauce with every meal, no question 7.Clamato juice and beer premixed in a can 8.Shark-infested beaches- paradise! 9.Cheap and amazing pineapples and avocados 10.Those freakin Mayans

Galapagos Island - Jatun sacha Conservation

October 2013. This time around, I decided to travel 'with purpose' and signed up for a 4 week volunteer position with and organization called Jatun Sacha, on the Galapagos islands. check out details at: jatunsacha.org I worked on various projects, mostly planting, removing invasive species and generally maintaining the site. Volunteers also rotated as kitchen helpers and so we had all our meals together and spent the whole day as a group working, travelling in packed trucks to various sites and trying to entertain ourselves with no internet or TV. Many card games were played. San Cristobal is one of the less developed of the bigger islands, and the banks were not always convenient or even operational, so if you go, I would recommend you bring lots of cash. Ecuador uses American dollars. I would recommend this type of Eco-tourism internship but perhaps it's better in more remote places, where the inflation and tourism aren't as intense. TOP TEN THINGS to miss about Ecuador 1.Serious about napping! 2.impromptu beach soccer 3.The motorbike being used as the family minivan and/or cargo truck 4.Machetes as the catch-all tool for hammering, lawn cutting, trail brazing,or any number of other tasks 5.Buses with flexible stops for pickup/drop-off that give you change 6.Being 5 minutes late, and still waiting around 15 more 7.the many uses of the car horn 8.Ordering Fish and getting Chicken, pretty sure after 2pm there just isnt anymore fish. It's land-fish! 9.Gaining/loosing clothing with each trip to the laundry mat 10.When asking for the time, people looking up at the sun & providing their best estimate