Independent traveler : A down day in Flores, Guatemala

Independent traveler

Love to travel, but hate tours? This blog offers insight on how to go it alone, from safe accommodations to seeing the best, and maybe the worst. After all, independent travel is an adventure. Flexibility and traveling on a budget are critical. No five-stars or all-inclusives. So hop aboard. Learn to enjoy travel at your own pace and price. Meet other adventurers like yourself and mingle with the locals. Remember: You may travel alone, but you wonʼt be lonely. gloria.independenttraveler@gmail.com

Gloria Maschmeyer

I've been a traveler since I can remember. I spread my wings as a flight attendant at age 20, then married a traveling man and we've never stopped. While based in Anchorage, we've ventured to India, Peru, Bali, Morocco, Burma, Tunisia Singapore and Ecuador. I love ferreting out places off the beaten path. And when things don't go quite as planned, that's just part of the adventure.

Gloria's photos

PHOTOS

Gloria's photo gallery

See Gloria's photos from her world travels.

READER-SUBMITTED

Vacation shots

That's a tiny Machu Pichu at left. View more travel shots in our vacation gallery.

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Gloria's videos

Floating England's Llangollen Canal

See a little snippet of floating the Llangollen Canal in Western England in a narrow boat.

Fun with Divot

Divot snorkeling at the confluence of Brook's River.

Fun with Ted and Divot

Divot at the Falls and Ted cavorting at the mouth flowing out to Naknek Lake.

Plan your trip

AIRFARES

www.travelocity.com

www.expedia.com

BEST TIME OF YEAR

www.myforecast.com

Click on "almanac," then on "historical climate" and plug in the city you wish to check.

ELECTRICAL CONVERSIONS

www.travel-images.com/electric-plugs.html

For electrical appliances, it's great to know the voltage used in a country and the types of plugs.

CURRENCY RATES

www.oanda.com

For more information on currency exchanges and helpful hints, read my blogs, "Should I change" and "I've decided to change."

TRAVEL WARNINGS

www.travel.state.gov/travel

This site can help you determine the type of crime that goes on in foreign countries against visitors. It also will tell you areas of the country you should avoid.

WORLD TIMES

www.worldtimeserver.com/

Features the current time anywhere and weather. Helpful when you need to call for reservations or want to call back home while away.

WHAT TRAVELERS SAY

www.tripadvisor.com

A favorite sites to see what other travelers have to say about places to stay and visit worldwide

CAR RENTAL

www.hotwire.com

A good site for finding the best deals on renting cars anywhere in the world

TRAVEL INSURANCE

www.squaremouth.com

Web site that compares costs of travel insurance between companies.

A down day in Flores, Guatemala

Posted by indietraveler

Posted: February 8, 2010 - 2:00 pm

A small boat delivers a local with her fresh catch of fish right in front of our hotel.

Ah, the fresh breeze blowing through my hair on the veranda of our lakeside hotel in Flores, Guatemala. We arrived about 1pm after a short one-hour ride from Tikal.

After four days of hiking and climbing pyramids, we're ready for a little R&R before we fly out tomorrow to Guatemala, City and then drive to Lake Atilan for the next part of our journey.

While our stay at Tikal was wonderful and amazing, I'm glad to be out of the jungle and bare bones accommodations. I don't miss the bed bugs one bit and we'll have to get clothes washed as soon as possible before they rot. Everything we have is in a limp state due to the jungle's high humidity.

Right before returning to our hotel in Tikal yesterday, I commented on my last request to make our stay perfect. I wanted to see a Toucan flying in the wild. Meters outside of our hotel, you guessed it there was one lone bird hopping through a tree. I was thrilled and did several fist pumps. The perfect ending to a great stay.