Short Story 2
India, Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, Portugal
[PART 2] 32 Memorable Countries for Solo Traveling Adventures
December 2024
Contents
Introduction
Additional Countries
Introduction
It’s good to have you for PART 2 of this Short Story series. As a reminder from PART 1 (Short Story 1), in PART 2, we’ll uncover 12 different countries (13-24), each focusing on 1 memorable place to visit through solo traveler my lens. Let’s get on with the action!
13. India
It’s a zoo at the Chandni Chowk Market in Delhi. If I were claustrophobic, I would probably have high anxiety or a nervous breakdown right now. Too many moving pieces make it hard for me to process my surroundings. A cow just walked by me. Other cows are roaming as if they are pedestrians, while the locals act as if they belong to the community, similar to innocent stray dogs.
I walk farther to the industrial side, where many goods are carried in creative ways by the locals. It’s hoarder central with no foreigners in sight. I go deeper into Old Delhi, off the beaten path, in this cluttered maze. Rather than feeling worried and anxious from being lost, I view it as an opportunity to try local street food. I don’t know what I’m eating, but if the food catches my eye, it will end up in my mouth.
I find my way back by foot to where I’m staying about an hour later. I immediately head to the bathroom to puke and go diarrhea. I repeat the double whammy a few times before calling it a night. I guess being open-minded to carelessly eat street food that I never had back fired on me. Still, getting lost in the Chandni Chowk Market and Old Delhi was fun.
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14. Costa Rica
La Fortuna/Arenal resonates with me the most out of Costa Rica’s four main domains (city, rainforests, mountains, and beaches). There are a bunch of activities to do in La Fortuna, such as zip-lining, horseback riding, ATV driving, bungee jumping, volcano sightseeing, hot springs (unisex spas), and the heartwarming Sloth Trail. Still, the upward and downward rainforest hike at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges has me active and speechless.
About every 15 minutes, I walk across a long wobbly bridge made out of steel and aluminum. I’m on the highest hanging bridge, 147 feet above the massive rainforest, surrounded by greenery and vegetation. It feels like I’m floating above the trees, observing Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano, inhaling and exhaling fresh air through my nose. The sounds of various insects, birds, monkeys, and other animals feels relaxing and peaceful instead of alarming.
It's raining now. Rather than saying to myself, “This sucks!” or “Damn, I’m going to get wet,” I continue hiking on the ascending and descending trail in a meditative state. The Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges in La Fortuna is a calming and trance-like experience, even though the hike is more than a walk in the park.
15. Belize
The tour boat stops in the middle of the ocean, and a group of dark brown-colored sharks swim in front of it. The woman tour guide pours dusty food into the water, attracting more sharks as they pile on each other for the food. The stingrays join the fun, discreetly roaming underneath the water.
“You can go inside the water now,” shouts the tour guide. I quickly dip underneath the ocean, wearing snorkel gear, and the water is shallow, roughly three to five feet deep. About ten sharks and ten stingrays move quickly and freely in the ocean. My adrenaline is pumping. I’m not scared, but I'm not comfortable. I closely monitor the sharks and sting rays as they swim beside me from all directions, as if I'm a harmless sea creature. I don’t feel threatened by them either.
The woman tour guide goes underneath the water and grabs a three-foot-long shark. “Hurry, you can touch it,” she hollers. I gently pet the head of the shark as if it's a dog. It feels like thick, rubbery sandpaper. This is awesome! I feel so energized and satisfied. The shark and stingray snorkeling at Caye Caulker island, about an hour from Belize City by water taxi/boat, is the holy grail of Belize tours.
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16. Peru
It’s been a long three-hour drive up the mountains from Cusco City to Rainbow Mountain. Still, there’s another steep 30- to 45-minute trek to arrive at the top of Rainbow Mountain. Factoring in the cold winter-like weather, regardless that it’s March, the 11,000-foot altitude above sea level, the wet terrain from the early morning rain, and a storm that can strike any minute, this upward hike isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Other than going by foot, I can ride a horse, take a motorcycle taxi, or drive an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for an additional fee. I’ll make it to the viewpoint in 10 to 15 minutes rather than 30 to 45 minutes walking.
The steep trek has me breathing hard through my nose, and it’s only been less than 10 minutes. This altitude is no joke! I need to take a break for a minute or two to catch my breath.
I make it to the top of Rainbow Mountain. What incredible scenery! The colorful, circular mountainous valley contains dark red, olive-green, and tan color themes. After taking a few pictures of the stunning region, I hike the bonus Red Valley route, another 30 minutes uphill to take more pictures of the majestic red and green mountains. I make it to the tour van 45 minutes later, soaking wet from the hail storm. Even though Machu Picchu is Peru’s main tourist attraction and worthwhile, Rainbow Mountain is also high up on the to-do list.
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17. El Salvador
After being dropped off by my tour driver, I walk directly to the nearby plaza to glimpse Ataco's local lifestyle. This tight-knit small town has enough street food, colorful souvenir shops, and a park where kids play happily while people relax and mingle around the plaza.
The fried foods (rigutas, plantains, yuca, and fries) are delicious! The heart of El Salvador’s food are pupusas. They look like pizza dough the size of corn tortillas with stuffing inside. The three main pupusas are beans, beans and cheese, or my favorite, mixed: beans, cheese, and chicharrones (pork rinds). Having a pupusa is similar to eating five corn tortillas in one but with tasty filling inside. To top it off, one pupusa order equals a three-pack for one dollar.
Even though I'm tired from walking the uneven cobblestoned, narrow roads for four hours, and it's nighttime, my soul feels touched and alive by Ataco's community synergy. Almost every Salvadorian I've walked by has either verbally and warmly greeted or acknowledged me with a smile, nob, or handwave. Some adults and children inside vehicles with rolled-down windows or in the back of pickup trucks say, "Hi," or wave at me. A few locals sitting outside their houses eating and relaxing politely greeted me and said, "Good night." I want to stay outside with the locals instead of returning to my hotel room. I don't feel alone in this town with no foreigners.
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18. Honduras
I can't leave Honduras without visiting the city of Copan Ruinas to explore the Mayan Ruins of Copan. It's the country's main attraction for tourists and archaeologists who want to discover the remains of the Mayan civilization in Honduras. Plus, the tour with a knowledgeable English- or Spanish-speaking local guide only takes two to three hours.
The black sun hat on my head isn't me impersonating an archaeologist. It's to keep my face in the shade from this beaming sun. Although I'm not a ruins enthusiast, the overall layout of the Copan Ruins and what I'm learning about the sophisticated Mayans are impressive. They were known for being astronomers, scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, and the Mayans invented the number zero. The tour guide has also highlighted three times that the Mayan civilization in Copan Ruins consumed magic mushrooms and alcohol during special events and specific ceremonies.
As I approach the end of the tour, there it is, the holy grail of the Mayan Ruins in Honduras: the hieroglyphic stairway of Copan. This eye-catching structure reminds me of a massive Mayan Ruins bookshelf at approximately 70 feet high. It has roughly 62 steps and about 2,000 hieroglyphics, the lengthiest Mayan text archaeologists have discovered as of June 2024. Taking one picture of the hieroglyphic stairway isn't enough!
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19. Guatemala
Finally, I'm in Guatemala, a country I've been compelled to visit for the last six months. I don't know much about Guatemala and its Latin culture, but as with any travel destination, something good will come out of it.
I arrive in San Juan, a Mayan town about two and a half hours away from the colonial city of Antigua. After the 15-minute boat ride, I'm welcomed by live music. Two guys are playing a massive xylophone synchronously while one man cheerfully strikes a jumbo-sized drum and a large turtle shell. The playful melodies cause me to be present and smile like a child as the taxis, small red three-wheeled tuk-tuks, drive down the vibrant roads.
I walk the steep roads, observing the vibrant colors, the bright hats and umbrellas hanging on strings above me, and the graphical wall murals. The women and girls wear their traditional and colorful Mayan dresses. Some elderly ladies walk up and down the narrow and steep roads wearing sandals, steadily carrying bulky items on their heads without using their hands. The Mayan Tz'utujil locals speak Spanish, but most speak Mayan (Quichean). Listening to the people talk in Quichean gives me a taste of the Mayan nation. Visiting the town of San Pedro is worth checking out while staying in Antigua.
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20. Panama
I’m at the starting point at Chagres River, Panama, roughly a one-hour drive from Panama City. An Indigenous man, who’s barefoot and practically naked other than an okao (a loincloth covering his groin and butt with a string tied around his waist), escorts me to his wooden canoe. The man mentions that the slim boat was hand-built by his people: the Embera Drua tribe. Getting to the village requires about a thirty-minute boat ride in a river the size of a one-way road, surrounded by green vegetation.
I arrive at the Embera Drua village, welcomed by four guys (men and teenagers) playing wooden tribal instruments. They are barefoot and wearing a loincloth with a string tied around their waist. The tribal women are also without shoes, wearing their colorful paruma (an indigenous-style wraparound skirt) and headbands made of plant fibers. It’s fascinating to observe the infrastructure, lifestyle, and attire of the Embera Drua villagers.
Now I’m inside the tambo (hut). It's made out of leaves and other natural rainforest materials. A group of males and females are about to give me a glimpse of their shamanic ceremony. The sounds of tribal instruments orchestrated by the guys while the ladies are in a circle moving their bodies up and down, chanting in choco language, has me laser-focused. The women do another dance, quickly following each other in circles, clapping their hands freely, which is stimulating my mind. This is an incredible Panama experience!
21. Nicaragua
Julio, a former guerilla fighter for the Sandinista National Liberation Front (the acronym is FSLN in Spanish) during the Nicaraguan revolution (a civil war beginning in 1978), is the tour driver and guide during my five days in Nicaragua. This friendly, talkative, and funny sixty-year-old native has been showing me the heartbeat of Nicaragua by taking me to local towns. The humidity right now feels like a swamp, and it’s been that way around the clock.
Today, I’m in Granada, a town I’d never heard of before booking this trip. Granada’s colonial buildings, with their bumpy and uneven roads, give the town a warm and old-school vibe. It doesn’t appear to be a tourist destination. I’ve come across some sweaty foreigners here and there, but no tourist crowds or large vans. I like that Granada has a hustle-and-bustle street in downtown and a laidback Parque Central de Granada (the central park), where the community locals gather daily. The town doesn't feel sketchy to walk around either.
Exploring Granada on a horse carriage ride is a first for me. It’s a cool and relaxing experience too! The guy maneuvering the two horses speaks English. We’re shooting the breeze about random stuff as he gives me a simple rundown of his beloved town, and we’re laughing about trivial things. This is a heartfelt moment and one reason why I enjoy traveling solo. Granada has surpassed my expectations of a place to visit in Nicaragua thanks to Julio Tours.
22. Mexico
Guadalajara's most popular food market, Mercado Libertad San Juan de Dios, is jam-packed on the second floor this Saturday afternoon. The cluttered, dense, and loud open area has a bunch of Mexican food stalls close together. Owners and workers cook food fast, as their greeters constantly holler at people walking by, inviting them to eat now. The hustle and bustle is real!
Meanwhile, a mariachi band of five guys randomly stops at tables where folks are chowing down on food, to play classical Mexican folklore music. Some guys carrying a guitar or accordion do solo music rounds throughout the eating zone. Random individual men roam the second floor, shouting if people want to buy their product. This includes hands-free phone chargers, a hand-held massage gadget, and USB flash drives containing albums from different Mexican musicians or bootlegged movies. One guy walks around with a microphone attached to a large speaker and raps in Spanish.
The downtown market is a little rundown and somewhat rough around the edges, with graffiti outside on the building, but it has been a safe and vibrant environment inside since 1959. Sure, there are a few homeless persons asking individuals, including me, for monedas (coins), but nothing annoying or scary. Other than the abundance of delicious and cheap local food, the soul of Guadalajara is on the second floor. Eating at the Mercado Libertad San Juan de Dios is the best thing to do in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, especially on Saturdays.
23. Colombia
The atmosphere is vibrant in Medellin’s Comuna 13. It’s a dense community on a hill covered with square brick houses, closely stacked together, going uphill and downhill, and has been around since the 1940s. The colorful murals scattered among the walls, community locals selling bright souvenirs and tasty street food, along with the rhythmic Latin/Colombian music, have me eager to explore the zone more.
Another compact area has three young Venezuelan guys from Comuna 13 rapping in Spanish. There are roughly 12 foreign spectators, sitting tightly together. The males freestyle rap without explicit lyrics in this lively, kid-friendly environment. Now there’s Latin dance music. The three men randomly pick one audience member to dance with them in the center spot. Everyone, including myself, is smiling and giggling or laughing.
I’m brought to the stage area, and without thinking, I put my hands behind my head and do a standing hip-thrust dance, moving my hips in a circular motion, while the crowd makes some noise. As I walk back to my seat, one of the guy rappers taps me on the shoulder and takes me back to the center to dance. A retired Caucasian lady and I closely grind in front of each other. I turn my back to the woman, twerking my butt against hers, as the small crowd cheers to our freak dancing. I feel energized and light-footed at Comuna 13 in Medellin, Colombia.
24. Portugal
Sintra’s mountain region of green hills is popping out at me, regardless of the heavy overcast and misty sky. The scenery in Sintra, Portugal is intriguing, as to what lies ahead. It feels somewhat off-the-grid, but with tranquility and mystery. Buddhist monks, spiritualists, and meditation enthusiasts who need lots of quiet meditation time will appreciate the Sintra Mountains.
After a 30-minute drive from Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city, along with a five-minute bus ride on a cobblestone road in the middle of nowhere, I arrive at one of the county’s national monuments: Pena Palace. It’s a bulky castle, constructed and completed during the 1800s, and where the former king and royal family used to live. The yellow, dark red, and gray exterior colors of the castle are noticeable despite the thick foggy sky. Different animal heads are sculpted on stones and strategically placed throughout Pena Palace.
The most provocative sculpture is above me, underneath one of the castle’s large arches. It’s a half-man, half-fish with a long octopus-type beard, holding the tree of life over his head. The ferocious look on his face is telling anyone who crosses this arch that “you ain’t going to see anything like this!” This vivid sculpture, plus the well-kept interior and exterior castle are impressive at Pena Palace in Portugal.
Additional Countries
Give yourself a pat on the back for exploring 12 more countries. If you haven’t had the chance to discover PART 1 (Short Story 1) of the 32 Memorable Countries for Solo Traveling Adventures, make sure to see what's cooking.
Now, if you’re ready to dive into PART 3 (Short Story 3), which breaks down additional countries, I’m with you.