Currently: Guatemala — Leg 2 of 10
Follow the journey: RSS feed · or email robert@vastura.ca and we’ll let you know when new entries publish.
- Canada2 entries
- El Salvador13 entries
- Guatemala3 entries
- Hondurascoming
- Nicaraguacoming
- Costa Ricacoming
- Panamacoming
- Belizecoming
- Colombiacoming
- Before we left5 entries
Travel & getting around
Our Personal Odyssey - Leaving Moosomin
2026-09-03
A midnight FlixBus out of a prairie town, the best airport breakfast in years, a cancelled connection, and the easiest border of the trip.
Notes from the road
Our Personal Odyssey - Leaving Moosomin
2026-09-03
A midnight FlixBus out of a prairie town, the best airport breakfast in years, a cancelled connection, and the easiest border of the trip.
All entries
Review: Stella's, Winnipeg Richardson Airport
2026-09-03
First review of the expedition. A French omelette worth $29 at an airport, a server who did the right thing, and a break-coverage gap that nearly cost the last impression.
Our Personal Odyssey - Leaving Moosomin
2026-09-03
A midnight FlixBus out of a prairie town, the best airport breakfast in years, a cancelled connection, and the easiest border of the trip.
Photos & video
Every photo and clip from the El Salvador entries. Tap one to read the day it came from.
Accommodation
Our Personal Odyssey - The Villa
2026-09-03
First night at Playa Toluca: a party house in low season, a possum in the roof, Santa Ana coffee, and what seventy dollars of groceries actually buys.
Travel & getting around
Our Personal Odyssey - The Litoral road
2026-09-07
West along the coast road: rock cuts, surf towns, tunnels through the hills, and a wrong turn in Acajutla. Sixty-three seconds of dash footage, shot through a windshield I should have cleaned and graded twice.
Review: Radar Rent a Car, San Salvador
2026-09-03
A month in a 2022 Nissan Versa for $600, a handover that survived a cancelled flight, and one thing to check before you leave the lot.
Our Personal Odyssey - La Libertad
2026-09-03
The pier at Puerto de La Libertad, an eighteen-dollar lunch for two, imported beer cheaper than local, driving lessons from the traffic, and a thirteen-hour blackout.
Our Personal Odyssey - Leaving Moosomin
2026-09-03
A midnight FlixBus out of a prairie town, the best airport breakfast in years, a cancelled connection, and the easiest border of the trip.
Food & cost of living
Our Personal Odyssey - The library, and the last supper
2026-10-05
A San Salvador city tour built around the new National Library, then a last supper at Casa 43.
Our Personal Odyssey - Last week on the coast
2026-10-05
A grey day sends me east to Bahía de Jiquilisco, then lunch and evenings at Grandma's, a grocery run into La Libertad, and an iguana after the rain.
Our Personal Odyssey - A roof and three walls
2026-10-05
Ruins, a closed road, a hammock day and a gift of empanadas: a week of ordinary days on the El Salvador coast.
Our Personal Odyssey - Grandma's
2026-10-05
An unnamed family eatery and shop under the trees at Playa Toluca: four fish pupusas, two Cokes, five dollars, and the best meal in three weeks.
Our Personal Odyssey - The Litoral road
2026-09-07
West along the coast road: rock cuts, surf towns, tunnels through the hills, and a wrong turn in Acajutla. Sixty-three seconds of dash footage, shot through a windshield I should have cleaned and graded twice.
Our Personal Odyssey - Nine dinners for sixty-eight dollars
2026-09-04
A garrobo on the wall, a nine-dollar lunch over a point break, dragon fruit that tastes of something, three pounds of strip for the price of pork chops - and a lesson about letting people help.
Our Personal Odyssey - La Libertad
2026-09-03
The pier at Puerto de La Libertad, an eighteen-dollar lunch for two, imported beer cheaper than local, driving lessons from the traffic, and a thirteen-hour blackout.
Our Personal Odyssey - The Villa
2026-09-03
First night at Playa Toluca: a party house in low season, a possum in the roof, Santa Ana coffee, and what seventy dollars of groceries actually buys.
People & meetings
Our Personal Odyssey - Independence Day, on horseback
2026-10-05
Independence Day in Santa Isabel Ishuatán: a rented horse, a camera on the saddle, a cabalgata of dozens of riders and the ribbon races.
Our Personal Odyssey - Nine dinners for sixty-eight dollars
2026-09-04
A garrobo on the wall, a nine-dollar lunch over a point break, dragon fruit that tastes of something, three pounds of strip for the price of pork chops - and a lesson about letting people help.
Notes from the road
Our Personal Odyssey - Independence Day, on horseback
2026-10-05
Independence Day in Santa Isabel Ishuatán: a rented horse, a camera on the saddle, a cabalgata of dozens of riders and the ribbon races.
Our Personal Odyssey - Nine dinners for sixty-eight dollars
2026-09-04
A garrobo on the wall, a nine-dollar lunch over a point break, dragon fruit that tastes of something, three pounds of strip for the price of pork chops - and a lesson about letting people help.
Our Personal Odyssey - Leaving Moosomin
2026-09-03
A midnight FlixBus out of a prairie town, the best airport breakfast in years, a cancelled connection, and the easiest border of the trip.
All entries
Our Personal Odyssey - The library, and the last supper
2026-10-05
A San Salvador city tour built around the new National Library, then a last supper at Casa 43.
Our Personal Odyssey - Last week on the coast
2026-10-05
A grey day sends me east to Bahía de Jiquilisco, then lunch and evenings at Grandma's, a grocery run into La Libertad, and an iguana after the rain.
Our Personal Odyssey - Everyone trying to escape the rain
2026-10-05
A night of sustained thunder at Playa Toluca, and the land crab and opossum that came up onto the patio to get out of the rain.
Our Personal Odyssey - Independence Day, on horseback
2026-10-05
Independence Day in Santa Isabel Ishuatán: a rented horse, a camera on the saddle, a cabalgata of dozens of riders and the ribbon races.
Our Personal Odyssey - A roof and three walls
2026-10-05
Ruins, a closed road, a hammock day and a gift of empanadas: a week of ordinary days on the El Salvador coast.
Our Personal Odyssey - Grandma's
2026-10-05
An unnamed family eatery and shop under the trees at Playa Toluca: four fish pupusas, two Cokes, five dollars, and the best meal in three weeks.
Our Personal Odyssey - The Litoral road
2026-09-07
West along the coast road: rock cuts, surf towns, tunnels through the hills, and a wrong turn in Acajutla. Sixty-three seconds of dash footage, shot through a windshield I should have cleaned and graded twice.
Our Personal Odyssey - Nine dinners for sixty-eight dollars
2026-09-04
A garrobo on the wall, a nine-dollar lunch over a point break, dragon fruit that tastes of something, three pounds of strip for the price of pork chops - and a lesson about letting people help.
Review: Radar Rent a Car, San Salvador
2026-09-03
A month in a 2022 Nissan Versa for $600, a handover that survived a cancelled flight, and one thing to check before you leave the lot.
Our Personal Odyssey - The walk to the beach
2026-09-03
Eight minutes from the red gate to an empty black-sand beach on the Surf City coast. Forty seconds of video, shot on a chest camera and a 360.
Our Personal Odyssey - La Libertad
2026-09-03
The pier at Puerto de La Libertad, an eighteen-dollar lunch for two, imported beer cheaper than local, driving lessons from the traffic, and a thirteen-hour blackout.
Our Personal Odyssey - The Villa
2026-09-03
First night at Playa Toluca: a party house in low season, a possum in the roof, Santa Ana coffee, and what seventy dollars of groceries actually buys.
Our Personal Odyssey - Leaving Moosomin
2026-09-03
A midnight FlixBus out of a prairie town, the best airport breakfast in years, a cancelled connection, and the easiest border of the trip.
Photos & video
Every photo and clip from the Guatemala entries. Tap one to read the day it came from.
Accommodation
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — four nights in the hills above Antigua
2026-10-06
A real spa retreat with a front desk that would shame most five-star hotels, a room built for the mist, and a kitchen that is good when it cooks Guatemalan and ordinary when it doesn't.
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — ninety minutes with Lourdes
2026-10-05
A sports massage in the hills above Antigua that undid knots I had been carrying for twenty years.
Our Personal Odyssey - Black sand, red canoe
2026-10-05
A double-decker bus out of El Salvador, then black sand, horses, a mangrove canoe at sunset and a turtle hatchery at Monterrico.
Travel & getting around
Our Personal Odyssey - Black sand, red canoe
2026-10-05
A double-decker bus out of El Salvador, then black sand, horses, a mangrove canoe at sunset and a turtle hatchery at Monterrico.
Food & cost of living
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — four nights in the hills above Antigua
2026-10-06
A real spa retreat with a front desk that would shame most five-star hotels, a room built for the mist, and a kitchen that is good when it cooks Guatemalan and ordinary when it doesn't.
Our Personal Odyssey - Black sand, red canoe
2026-10-05
A double-decker bus out of El Salvador, then black sand, horses, a mangrove canoe at sunset and a turtle hatchery at Monterrico.
People & meetings
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — four nights in the hills above Antigua
2026-10-06
A real spa retreat with a front desk that would shame most five-star hotels, a room built for the mist, and a kitchen that is good when it cooks Guatemalan and ordinary when it doesn't.
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — ninety minutes with Lourdes
2026-10-05
A sports massage in the hills above Antigua that undid knots I had been carrying for twenty years.
All entries
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — four nights in the hills above Antigua
2026-10-06
A real spa retreat with a front desk that would shame most five-star hotels, a room built for the mist, and a kitchen that is good when it cooks Guatemalan and ordinary when it doesn't.
Review: Le Suisse Spa, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas — ninety minutes with Lourdes
2026-10-05
A sports massage in the hills above Antigua that undid knots I had been carrying for twenty years.
Our Personal Odyssey - Black sand, red canoe
2026-10-05
A double-decker bus out of El Salvador, then black sand, horses, a mangrove canoe at sunset and a turtle hatchery at Monterrico.
Honduras is ahead of us. Entries appear here once we cross the border.
Nicaragua is ahead of us. Entries appear here once we cross the border.
Costa Rica is ahead of us. Entries appear here once we cross the border.
Panama is ahead of us. Entries appear here once we cross the border.
Belize is ahead of us. Entries appear here once we cross the border.
Colombia is ahead of us. Entries appear here once we cross the border.
Notes from the road
Why this isn't just a dive directory
2026-07-25
The honest origin story in diving, and why the same audit criteria apply just as well to a stable, a boat charter, or a hiking guide.
What I actually check, and why
2026-07-25
How firefighting and construction supervision shaped the Vastura Travel audit criteria, and the honest limits of what a badge here means.
All entries
Why this isn't just a dive directory
2026-07-25
The honest origin story in diving, and why the same audit criteria apply just as well to a stable, a boat charter, or a hiking guide.
What I actually check, and why
2026-07-25
How firefighting and construction supervision shaped the Vastura Travel audit criteria, and the honest limits of what a badge here means.
What 'Verified' Should Mean on a Travel Listing Site
2026-07-23
Are travel review sites trustworthy? How OTA ranking really works, why star ratings aren't verification, and the Listed vs Verified distinction Vastura Travel uses.
Why Your Dive Shop's Website Is a Facebook Page (and What That Costs Them)
2026-07-17
Small business no website: why small dive shops and tour operators skip websites, what it costs them in bookings, and the minimal floor for being findable online.
Belize Barrier Reef: Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, and What the Park Fees Pay For
2026-07-15
Hol Chan marine reserve fees explained: what's included, snorkel vs dive, seasonality, and the boat ride reality — researched ahead of a September 2026 visit to Belize.
Getting there and getting a bed
The big platforms handle the predictable parts well, and they pay us a commission when you book. Small independent operators are where we do the real work, and they never pay us.
Compare flightsFind a bedTours and ticketsRent a carAirport transferData eSIMNever any operator we assess. Nothing in our directory is monetised, and no commission affects any score or ranking.