200 Days on the Road: Reflections from Mexico to El Salvador
It's remarkable how much adventure and growth can fit into 200 days of full-time travel. Our journey began in Mazunte on Mexico's Pacific coast, and now, from San Salvador, we've traversed four countries. Highlights include exploring caves with Mayan skeletons, summiting volcanoes, swimming with sharks and stingrays in the Caribbean, and spending a month in a beachfront apartment in Playa del Carmen. We've battled illnesses like dengue and giardia, narrowly escaped robbery, ventured off the beaten path, forged countless connections, maintained full-time work, taken on extra projects, blogged extensively, and nearly completed a redesign of globetrottergirls.com.
In these second 100 days, we've mastered the rhythm of long-term nomadic life. Balancing remote work and exploration has become seamless—no longer squeezing in blog time. Road life is spontaneous yet rhythmic: chicken buses hurtle like roller coasters, tuk-tuks are second nature, street food stalls are daily rituals, and negotiating or chatting with strangers feels effortless.
Challenges persist: dengue, giardia, bed bugs, mosquito swarms, and stomach woes disrupted our pace. Trips to Guatemala's Todos Santos and Chichicastenango, plus a hectic week in El Salvador, meant offline stints and catch-up work.
Extended travel pulls us off-grid for mind-blowing experiences, complicating work-life balance. Staying on the 'Gringo Trail' eases connectivity but dulls the explorer's spirit. 
Antigua, Guatemala—a personal milestone—marked two nostalgic weeks. Having lived there from 2001-2003, I shared stories with Dani since 2006. Finally, she explored it with me: we worked, I recovered from dengue, dined out, and recharged for relentless travel ahead.
We savored even more time—a full month—in Playa del Carmen's beachside apartment, working intensely with beach 'lunch breaks.' Contrasting London's rushed sandwiches, we cherished every sandy moment. This extended our Mexico stay to nearly three months before pushing to Belize.
Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador enchanted us. Our faith in humanity grows: despite a foiled bag-slashing robbery en route to Chimaltenango, kindness abounds. Mexico's warmth endures as the friendliest, but new bonds form everywhere.
One frustration: constant restaurant meals. Explaining vegetarianism tires us—'chicken okay? Fish instead?' Cooking requires rentals or housesits, rare in hostels. Yet, we recognize our privilege amid Central America's poverty.
The stark rich-poor divide shocks: a shoeless, bloodied man dodges a luxury shopper exiting her Lexus at a Nine West boutique in San Salvador. In Chichicastenango, we bought shoes for six boys in tattered sandals, plus kites for 15 kids—forgoing souvenirs. Locals still remember 'Dani and Jessie.'
Poverty's toll deepens our empathy, from basic illnesses to rampant street dogs—starving, wounded, abused. For animal lovers, it's heartbreaking: family pets are rare amid packs scavenging garbage, fighting, or dying roadside. In Quiché, we agonized over whom to aid first. We can't save all, but volunteer ideas for Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, or Panama are welcome below.
Accelerating toward South America by January/February, we're revamping globetrottergirls.com for better content display. Feedback on the new design? Subscribe for email updates on fresh posts.
Incredible how 200 days flew. Next milestone: end of February 2011. Stay tuned for more from the road...
