Wanderlove places: The Mayan ruins of Tikal are some of Latin America’s best-preserved. Though they’re stunning at any time of day, they’re most spectacular at sunrise – especially from atop Tikal’s highest temple. A picture of Tikal in a travel pamphlet is what prompts Bria to choose Central America in the first place.
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Flores is a colonial village in northern Guatemala, set on an island in Lake Petén Itza. It’s the beginning of the end of Bria’s trip – and where she discovers the truth about Rowan.
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Laughingbird Caye (pronounced “key”) is a laid-back Caribbean island in Belize where Bria and Rowan spend a good portion of their trip. It also doesn’t exist – it’s based on a real-life island called Caye Caulker (where the real Lobsterfest occurs). The name Laughingbird Caye was borrowed from another real-life island, Laughing Bird Caye, which is tiny and uninhabited.
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Belize City is the largest city in Belize, though for travelers, it’s typically a fly-in, boat-out destination. Which is the plan for Bria and Rowan – until Rowan admits he’s having second thoughts about revisiting the island where he used to work.
(Wanderlove is released tomorrow!!)
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Low-key, almost sleepy Punta Gorda is the southernmost town in Belize of any substantial size – which, in Belizean terms, isn’t saying much. It’s Bria and Rowan’s first stop in Belize, after a stormy motorboat ride from Guatemala.
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Livingston is a village on Guatemala’s Atlantic coast, with a backdrop of dense rainforest. It’s a cultural melting pot, and the gateway to the Caribbean Sea. It’s also where reluctant travel partners Bria and Rowan truly start getting to know each other.
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Rio Dulce is both a town in Guatemala, and a river (it translates to “sweet river”) that opens onto the Caribbean. Dense rainforest towers from either side.
photo by kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: Teeming, often chaotic Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America, and one of the most dangerous, although most crime isn’t targeted toward foreigners. For travelers, it’s “a necessary waystation”, as Starling calls it in Wanderlove, when heading cross-country (or flying in).
photo by guate360.com
granada, nicaragua: I love the chaos of local markets. they’re loud, stifling, colorful, & fascinating. granada is no exception. last time I was here, a friend bought a Beatles shirt where every single band member’s name was misspelled. ~kirsten hubbard
el gigante, nicaragua: ridiculous sunsets on this off-the-beaten-patch beach. made the twenty minute walk back to our hotel through the pitch-black jungle worth it. until I started thinking about wendigos… ~kirsten hubbard
las penitas, nicaragua: nicaragua beach bar doggie ain’t a bad life. ~kirsten hubbard
Wanderlove places: “Chicken bus” is a nickname for public transportation in Central America. They’re usually retired American school buses, painted riotous colors, and are hands-down the cheapest way to get around Central America. Of course, there are some sacrifices…
photo by kirsten hubbard
