Journey Dispatch #8
From Guatemala 🇬🇹 to Nicaragua 🇳🇮
Where in the world have we been?
Where I last left off with these dispatches, Polo and I were re-adjusting to life on the road after a month of concentrated desk work in Houston. Now, after more than 2,500 miles, dozens of buses, and many, many plates of rice and beans, I can safely say that we’ve shaken off the dust — and are back in action.
Our journey in Central America has gone by at a whirlwind pace — we have a firm deadline to make it back to the USA in time to start this summer’s bike ride. Combine that time pressure with visa applications, friends joining us on the road, and a few other projects we’re juggling… and all of a sudden, a month has passed since I last shared a journey update here. Whoops.
So — to compensate for time lost, I’m going to condense the next few dispatches and strive to get back on track in time for summer. Thanks for bearing with me as we hurtle through space + time for a few weeks.
— Megan
Entering volcano territory
After a few days in San Cristobal de Las Casas, we piled into a collectivo (small shuttle) and made our first attempt at the Mexico-Guatemala border. Crossing wasn’t straightforward, as accelerating tension in the state of Chiapas has left several border crossings periodically closed. To make it through, we had to take a roundabout route through a pueblo aptly named ‘Gracias a Dios’ and into Guatemala’s northern highlands.
As we passed from Southern Mexico into Guatemala, we hit a new milestone: the start of our journey along the Central American Volcanic Arc. Stretching from the Mexico-Guatemala border all the way down to Panama, this fiery chain runs for more than 1,500 kilometers and is home to over 100 volcanoes — in various states of activity. The Central American Volcanic Arc is an important renewable energy resource for the region, but it also drives tourism from all over the world.
We wanted to explore both the climate side and the recreational side of this incredible geological formation — so we started with setting our sights on a single objective: climbing the Acatenango Volcano, a 4,000-meter peak that towers above the picturesque city of Antigua.
The Acatenango volcano is one of those tourist sites that has reached new levels of fame in the social media era; TikTok and Instagram have spread the word about the clockwork eruptions of Fuego, which bursts forth small streams of lava every 15 minutes. Truth be told, we were a bit worried about contributing to overtourism at the site, but after doing research and finding a hiking group that tread more lightly on the planet (locally-owned, vegetarian meals, and investments in the community) we decided to go for it.
The grueling hike, frigid temperatures, and short night of sleep turned out to be 100% worth it. Along the way, we made friends with other travelers, learned a lot about the local economy, and were able to catch dozens of Fuego’s eruptions. The sight of glowing lava in the dark was truly unlike anything else we’d experienced in our travels.
Paradise found in Nicaragua
After Antigua, we beelined for Nicaragua — with the clock on our big summer expedition quickly running out, administrative requirements are piling up. First on the list? Securing a new U.S. visa for Polo so he can spend more than three months in the country.
If you know anything about the U.S. visa process, you know it’s anything but straightforward — and for most B-category visas (the one he applied for) wait times are typically 1-2 years. Luckily, with the help of Google, we found out that waiting times in Nicaragua are significantly shorter than anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. So Polo prepared his paperwork, took a headshot, and we raced to Managua. We made it just in time, and everything went off without a hitch! The only catch? After the appointment, we were asked to wait in the country for an indeterminate period of time for processing.
We quickly realized that the city of Managua wouldn’t be ideal — so we boarded yet another chicken bus, asked around, and found ourselves traveling to Ometepe, an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.
This incredible spot is made up of two massive — you guessed it — volcanos. The island has a uniquely rich history; it’s been inhabited for more than 4,000 years, but has always operated a bit separately from the rest of the country + broader region. The island has a rich agricultural tradition give the fertility of soil and the abundant water sources.
While on Ometepe, we were hosted by Lisa & Amaury from the Totoco Eco-Project, an off-grid retreat center situated on the edge of a UNESCO world heritage site. While at Totoco, we drank shade-grown coffee, learned about their regenerative cocoa-growing efforts, and toured their thriving apiary. It was a unique experience that left us energized about ongoing work to develop new forms of truly sustainable tourism on the island. We were excited to experience firsthand how projects are working towards self-sufficiency in the region.
That’s all for now, friends!
💡🌳 Solution of the Week: Going Geothermal
Today, just 8% of Central America’s annual electricity needs are covered by geothermal energy — but projections estimate that up to 70% of the region’s needs could be met with this renewable power source. What’s standing in the way of Central America becoming a geothermal superhero? Well, unlike solar and wind power, geothermal is still relatively new, and many projects are not yet viewed as bankable by key private and public funders.
We love geothermal as a renewable solution, especially given that it’s complementary with wind and solar generation. To learn more about the industry , we recommend checking out this analysis from The Breakthrough Institute.
📣💚 Shoutout to: New Friends from New Zealand
The biggest upside to our hike up Acatenango was meeting Ben and Emma, two Kiwis on an extended ramble through the Western hemisphere. Their company and good conversation made the day go by quickly; we learned lots from them, like how to plan a three-week paddle down the Grand Canyon (new bucket list goal for Megan!) and all about the New Zealand government’s efforts towards carbon neutrality (a good template for the public sector worldwide!)
Although travel takes us far from home, meeting new friends along the way is always an incredible perk. We’ll see you in New Zealand someday, Ben and Emma!
❌ 🎒Travel fail: Power problems in Nicaragua
More than 35% of the Nicaraguan population lacks electricity — and those who have it can’t count on affordable or reliable power. Although the country’s ample wind and solar resources (not to mention geothermal!) and distributed population (about 40% of the population lives in rural areas) make the country a perfect test case for small-scale renewable energy installations and microgrids, lack of financing.
Unfortunately, we experienced several of the country’s infamous power outages firsthand during our time on Ometepe, including one 48-hour outage that even knocked out our cell phone service! This experience was a stark reminder about the importance of building resilient and distributed transmission & distribution networks, and electricity sources that don’t rely on expensive fossil fuel importation to keep things running!
📸 Photo of the week: Swinging into the Ometepe sunset
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Welcome back!
Merci Megan. Reportage très riche 😘