Guatemala in 8 days
Driving from Albuquerque to Phoenix
The drive from Albuquerque to Phoenix is full of national parks and natural wonders. We intentionally did this drive over one-and-a-half days. We started on the afternoon of the first day.
Driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque
From Santa Fe, we drove to Albuquerque and stopped at quite a few amazing spots on the way.
The first stop was Bandelier National Monument. It’s one hour loop. The hike is short, with occasional ladder climbs, and has small caves at the end.
Visiting Shakespeare Ghost town in Lordsburg New Mexico
Driving from Phoenix (Arizona) to El Paso (Texas), Lordsburg is a small town to stop over for a night. And here, we came across this hidden gem of a ghost town. It is only 7$ per person. The tour guide, a native of Ohio, who married the daughter of the owner, lives in this abandoned ghost town. He carries guns for the critters as there are tons of rattlesnakes around.
A day in Phoenix Arizona
We started with the Wrigley’s Mansion. The mansion of the famous Wrigley’s chewing gum. The self-guided tour is free. And the paid tour costs 17$. Then head to Roosevelt street, the downtown area of Phoenix. There are lots of eateries and art galleries here. I would highly recommend having lunch here.
A visit to Carlsbad Cavern
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is famous for the Carlsbad cavern. While Lava Beds National Monument is famous for its labyrinth of caves, Carlsbad is famous primarily for a single huge cave. There are several small caves around that require permits and specialized gear to visit.
I would highly recommend coming here early in the morning. You need to book a reservation in advance. The Carlsbad cave is huge. And while some people take the elevator, I recommend going down as well as up via the hike to have the fullest experience. It takes about 45 mins to hike up/down. And then there is a big room to explore at the bottom. There are ~50 marked stops to the bottom. Expect to spend about 3-4 hours in the cave.
Where to go on your first Caribbean trip
If you are planning your first trip to the Caribbean and you want to decide where to go to then this post is right for you.
Dominican Republic in 5 days
The Dominican Republic is probably the most touristy Spanish-speaking Caribbean island. In my experience, it can be aptly called the tout capital of the Caribbean. We went there in the shadows of COVID-19.
- The island has pretty good intra-city and inter-city public transport.
- The local currency DOP, Dominican Pesos, is about 1/60th of the US dollar.
Cave Exploration at Lava Beds National Monument
There are several caves at Lava Beds National Monument of varying levels of challenges. I would recommend starting with a few easy ones first before taking it to a higher level. The caves do get really shallow at times, sometimes, less than a foot in height, so, don’t go in if you get claustrophobic.
Gears to carry
- HeadLamp
- Helmet – even a bike helmet would work
- Knee Pads
- Good hiking boots
- A small chart summarizing which caves to do
- Detailed report with maps of the caves