Danger

Crowded Bus from Rio Dulce to Flores Guatemala At one PM I boarded a bus from Rio Dulce bound for Flores — one tick away from Mexico. One minute later I realized that I would be riding this bus for three hours without a seat, crammed in between other unfortunate passengers without seats, resting my [...]

Tarantula Venom Not Deadly to Humans “Look up there,” my friend pointed up to a hole in the side of a tree. I looked through the dark of night, I saw the hole which sort of looked like a brown anus bored into the bark. “It is the nest of a tarantula.” “Are they dangerous?” [...]

Traveling with Tattoos in Central America It is true that one of the physical characteristics of gang members or the “criminal” sect of Central America are often characterized by heavy and very visible tattooing, but it has not been my experience that, as a heavily tattooed traveler, I have ever been mistaken as a gang [...]

Tourists go with touts, Wade sticks his neck out to keep them from being ripped off LIVINGSTON, Guatemala- I was standing in the restaurant Buga Mama which sits above the dock where we pick up passengers for the Finca Tatin in Livingston. I was looking out over the junction of the Rio Dulce meeting the [...]

It was night time at the finca, the generator was shut off, the entire place was dark, most of the guests were snug in their beds, sleeping. I usually go down to the river at this time to swim. Nobody is usually there, nobody asks me any questions or want me to do anything for [...]

Tourist Attacked by Canoe Pirate in Guatemala Places often seem safe until they are suddenly proven to be dangerous. You could probably walk through the world with your head in the clouds for a couple of years, proclaim it a safe place, call the news media or anybody else that says different naysayers, think yourself [...]

Scorpion Sting Treatment and Prevention FINCA TATIN, Guatemala- When in the tropics, I always shake out my clothes before putting them on my body, I always check my shoes to make sure no malicious little creature had made them their abode. This is preparation against scorpions, spiders, a half dozen other creatures that can bite, [...]

FINCA TATIN, Jungle near Livingston, Guatemala- I looked at my wife’s back the other day, I unexpectedly discovered a swollen, black, sub-dermal protrusion looking back at me. I though that it could have been the implanted larva of a human bot fly. Or at least I hoped it was the implanted larva of a human [...]

Thailand Travel Warnings Do people really believe that they should not go to Thailand because of the travel warnings which say that it is a dangerous place? Because the televisions show people protesting and battling government troops? Apparently, yes, tourism has been dropping drastically since 2008, since the recent wave of color coded political problems [...]