2020-2021 America Pandemic Adventures Filipino Solo Trip

living my dream as Solo Backpacker during Covid-19 Pandemic, the #newnormal of tourism
November 26, 2020 to June 19, 2021 (205 days)

"Live a life to inspire, live a life with sense of accomplishment, live a life you will remember" - Mang Andoy

Coronavirus has changed the way we travel, this pandemic has brought significant challenges to global travel industry. My Covid-19 travel adventure begun from the moment it was gradually spreading from Asia. My first pandemic journey (January to February 2020) was in Chile, Uruguay, United States and Philippines. Surprisingly, the itinerary I created on this trip was my first around the World, 360 degrees tour (circumnavigated the Earth from Middle East to America back to Asia). Then, while most of the countries worldwide was on the beginning of 1st wave, my second pandemic journey (September to October 2020) was in Philippines, United States, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Ukraine. Like most of other employees worldwide, I lost my beloved job also due to huge effect to aviation industry (business re-structuring). Even so, I am forever grateful and proud of my four years in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Finally, while the surge of the 1st wave continuous, my third pandemic journey (November 2020 to June 2021) was this Latin America trip. Based on this, I traveled to 23 countries across 4 continents with more than 25 sets of Covid-19 Test (mostly nasal swab PCR) ALL NEGATIVE RESULT.

Despite the challenge of #newnormal, I accomplished my itinerary beyond my expectation. I just finished seven months of solo backpacking to these wonderful countries of American Continent (Nov. 2020 to Jun. 2021) with Covid19 vaccine Sinopharm (Aug. 2020 in Abu Dhabi, UAE) and J&J  Janssen (May 2021 in Boston, US). Another proud bucket list achievement; having a Philippine passport on a tight budget, all first time visits traveled from United States down to South America, language barrier, currency exchange, changing airport/land border entry/exit requirements, sudden flight cancellations and of course, the pandemic protocol on tourism and transportation.

Some of my top accomplishment on this journey are Completed the World's Seven New Wonders, all-DIY budget solo hikes (World's youngest volcano, Central America highest peaks and some Ecuador's top mountain), visited every country's signature landmarks, elusive Ecuador visa application using my mobile phone only, pandemic travel techniques and having all negative result for more than 25 sets of Covid-19 PCR Nasal Swab Test.

205 days, 15 countries, 20 Covid19 Tests.

Traveled from Abu Dhabi to Mexico then Central America, South America, United States and Manila. 

MARAMING SALAMAT, MUCHAS GRACIAS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! 

MEXICO, BELIZE, GUATEMALA, EL SALVADOR, HONDURAS, NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA, PANAMA, COLOMBIA, BOLIVIA, PARAGUAY, PERU, ECUADOR, GUYANA AND UNITED STATES #opentheeconomy #newnormal #pandemictraveling #goodvibes #lakbay100 #mexico #belize #guatemala #elsalvador #honduras #nicaragua #costarica #panama #colombia #bolivia #paraguay #peru #ecuador #guyana #unitedstates #philippines #northamerica #centralamerica #southamerica #america #pinoytraveler #backpacking #bucketlist 

2020-2021 America Pandemic Adventures Filipino Solo Trip

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

8 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Guatemala January 04 to January 12, 2021

Tajumulco Volcano (4,230masl) Self-guided Solo Budget DIY Day Hike

ACATENANGO VOLCANO, GUATEMALA (Jan. 2021) 

- Central America's toughest dayhike with highest altitude gain

- Central America's 3rd highest mountain at 3,976masl

- Self-guided solo budget DIY day hike (difficult back trail) with 1,576m elevation gain and 14km back trail distance for 9 hours

- I hiked just 2 days after the Central America's highest day-hike summit success 

Itinerary: Jan. 09, 2020 Saturday 

0600H ETD Antigua; bus to Paramos Q5

0700H ETD Paramos; colectivo to Yepocapa Q20

0730H ETA Acatenango trailhead (2,400masl)

0830H Registration Q50; breakfast Q20; Trail 1st part; open area, muddy, slippery

Trail 2nd part; mossy forest, very cold, slippery; Summit Assault; lose rocks, very steep, very cold

1330H ETA Acatenango Summit (3,976masl)

Central America and Guatemala 3rd highest peak; Fuego Volcano eruption sightseeing; photo-ops

1430H ETD Summit; trail back

1700H ETA La Soledad Acatenango bus stop

1800H ETD La Soledad; bus to Paramos Q10

1900H ETD Paramos; bus to Antigua Q5

Total: Q110 (16 USD)

How to Go: From Antigua bus terminal, regular bus departure to Paramos for Q5 fare with almost 30 minutes travel time. Then in Paramos park, take colectivo to Yepocapa and ask to drop-off in Acatenango trailhead (sendero) before La Soledad for Q20 fare with around 30 minutes travel time. Registration fee costs Q50, with around 5 shelters and one of them is selling breakfast. 

Note:

1. Acatenango Volcano is one of the most rewarding volcano to day-hike in Central America because of the following; 

A. The challenge going up - continuous ascend from trailhead, hard to recover even if resting

B. Highest elevation gain - a whooping almost 1,600m altitude within 7km trail distance

C. Knee-wrecking summit assault - very steep slope on a soft trail with lose stones and some parts with almost vertical crawling required

D. Breathtaking summit scenery - awesome view of other stratovolcanoes especially the Fuego Volcano, one of the World's most active volcano.

E. Nonstop going down - literally running due to steep slippery trail

2. The DIY budget transportation per above itinerary is not that easy as the frequency of the colectivo / bus departures are minimal. 

3. The whole Acatenango trail is seen on offline maps.me

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Tajumulco Volcano (4,230masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

8 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Guatemala January 04 to January 12, 2021

Tikal Archaeological Park, the best Mayan Pyramids

TAJUMULCO VOLCANO, GUATEMALA (Jan. 2021) 

- Central America and Guatemala's highest mountain at 4,220masl

- Self-guided solo budget DIY day hike (difficult back trail) with 1,250m elevation gain, 15km back trail distance and 9 hours trekking

Day 11: Jan. 06, 2021 Wed / Tajumulco 

0430H ETA Guatemala City; bus 75

0630H ETD Guatemala City; breakfast 6

1100H ETA Quetzaltenango (Xela); lunch 35; Calle 7a and 19 Avenida (Xelapan Cafe) 

1200H ETD Quetzaltenango; colectivo 20;

1330H ETA San Marcos; fruits 15

1400H ETD San Marcos; bus to Tacana 10

1700H ETA Crucera Tajumulco; Hotel Villa Real 50; Pack snacks 30; dinner 45

TOTAL: Q286

Day 12: Jan. 07, 2021 Thu / Tajumulco (4,220masl)

0530H ETD Hotel; jump-off near hotel (3,000masl)

Trail at night is safe except for stray dogs, hehe!; Walking alone almost throughout the trail

0800H Lost my jacket in the middle of the forest

1000H Found my jacket (unmarked forest trails)

Trail 1st part; open area, muddy, slippery; Trail 2nd part; mossy forest, thick fogs, very cold

Summit Assault; huge rocks, very steep, thick fogs; Altitude Sickness felt (breathing hard, headache)

1330H Volcano summit (4,220masl); photo-ops

Thick fogs, very cold, no visibility of amazing views; 1400H Start descent, back trail

1730H ETA Hotel Villa Real 50; snacks 8

TOTAL: Q58

1. Tajumulco Volcano hike is an "off the beaten path" mountain adventure in Guatemala. No registration and national park fee to be paid. I was even walking almost alone throughout the trail (locals are nice just greet them). 

2. The DIY budget transportation per above itinerary is just easy to find as the destinations are regular to locals. 

3. 1st part of the trail is an open area (passable by 4x4 vehicles), muddy and slippery. This trail can be seen in Google maps and maps.me

4. 2nd part of the trail is mossy forest with usual thick fogs and very cold. Also the entry and last areas are marked with white paint. Unfortunately, my jacket was lost in the area with unmarked trails.

5. Summit assault trail has Station of the Cross markers, just follow it starting from the camp site where there are lots of thrash. The trail has huge rocks (boulder sometimes), very steep, thick fogs and very cold.

6. Hotel Villa Real is just 100m away of the Tajumulco trail jump-off, Q50 for a night per room, no wifi. 

Tajumulco Volcano (4,230masl) Self-guided Solo Budget DIY Day Hike

Tikal Archaeological Park, the best Mayan Pyramids

8 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Guatemala January 04 to January 12, 2021

Pandemic Summer Solo Trip in Guatemala Summary and Itinerary

Central America Day 10: Guatemala's bigger version of Palenque Mayan Pyramids in Mexico... Tikal Archaeological Park, most of the pyramids can be navigated up to the top 

How to Go: There's daily night bus departure in Guatemala Forte del Norte going to Santa Elena that starts at 1900H with 9 hours travel time (fare costs Q250) including stops and checkpoints. Once in Santa Elena, take a shuttle van service for a roundtrip transportation to Tikal (fare costs Q100), travel time is around 1.5 hour with 0930L to 1500L time to park. Park admission fee costs Q150. 

Day 09: Jan. 04, 2021 Mon / Guatemala to Flores

Flight Ticket Belize - Guatemala 355 USD (cc) 

1715H ETD Belize City UTC -0600H; flight 5U803

1845H ETA Guatemala UTC -0600H; Fuente del Norte Uber ride 4 USD (Q28)

Money Exchange 100 USD = 700 GTQ (7); Santa Elena night bus 250; dinner 47

2130H ETD Guatemala City 

TOTAL: Q297 + 359 USD

Day 10: Jan. 05, 2021 Tue / Flores (Tikal)

0630H ETA Santa Elena; breakfast 30

0800H ETD Flores; shuttle to Tikal 100

0930H ETA Tikal Archaeological Park 150; lunch 60

1500H ETD Tikal; shuttle to Santa Elena; Money Exchange 200 USD = 1,522 GTQ (7. 61)

300 USD stolen in Onca Travel (Ronald Lopez); Burger King dinner and wifi mode 44

2030H ETD Santa Elena 250

TOTAL: Q634

Tikal Archaeological Park, the best Mayan Pyramids

8 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Guatemala

40 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Central America

January 04 to January 12, 2021

My 116th country visited on my journey beyond #lakbay100, 93rd solo backpacking trip, 6th country in North America and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure. Guatemala served also as the third country on my 2020-2021 America Pandemic Adventures Filipino Solo Trip, the new normal of traveling.

Guatemala is a small country in the Central America region. It has borders to Mexico in the north/northwest, to Belize in the northeast, to Honduras in the southeast, to El Salvador in the south. It has a Pacific coastline to the southwest, and a tiny piece of Caribbean coastline to the east. Guatemala has a rich and distinctive culture from the long mix of elements from Spain and the native Maya people. This diverse history and the natural beauty of the land have created a destination rich in interesting and scenic sites.

https://wikitravel.org/en/Guatemala

8 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Guatemala

40 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Central America

2020-2021 America Pandemic Adventures Filipino Solo Trip

December 27, 2020 to February 04, 2021

Philippine passport holders are visa upon arrival with visa fee gratis for these 8 countries (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama) if using a valid US B2 visa. Despite the strict entry immigration requirements and danger of Covid19 pandemic challenge, I visited them all successfully as a Filipino Solo Backpacker on budget DIY basis using Philippine passport only. 

Central America is the thin section of land that links the North American continent with the South American continent. Geographically part of North America, it is made up of seven small, mostly tropical countries that have much more in common with South America and Mexico than the more affluent north. Mexico is occasionally considered part of Central America due to the language and cultural heritage it shares with several of the countries in the region.

https://wikitravel.org/en/Central_America

40 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Central America