Author: Tom Rooney

A colonial gem, a sublime lake and Mayan wonders

My time visiting the beautiful country of Guatemala has been an undeniably positive and memorable experience. I hand wrote the draft for this journal from atop a monument in the majestic grand plaza of the Tikal Mayan ruins, and it’s a glorious location to provide … …

Guns and Money

El Salvador is the next country on the itinerary for my friends and I while travelling through Central America. We are all pressed for time due to various reasons and need to get a wriggle on, so we hoofed it to the bus terminal at … …

Why did the chicken catch the bus?

The people of Honduras greet travellers with friendly and smiling faces, and the infectious nature of the locals quickly wins you over. This is a country that doesn’t see many tourists, but the warm hearted locals make for a very pleasant stopover. My friend and … …

The rasta cat said “Bless-ed man”

The irresistible lure of the caribbean cast a further spell on me, and has led to a change of plans to see in the new year. The original plan was to spend New Years Eve in Panama City, but I found myself on a bus … …

I’ve been to the Darien Gap

Christmas in Cartagena was great but then again so was christmas eve and boxing day. Without friends and family it was just another good day on the road. The German owner of the Casa Viena hostel didn´t make a fuss, it was business as usual … …

That’s not a knife!

I caught an overnight bus from Merida in Venezuela north to Caracas, and met two nice travellers to start off one of my more unusual travel tales. It was a good feeling to be in a city right near the caribbean coast of South America, … …

Dancing dwarves don Elvis masks

I’ve been on the bounce, dear reader, since last sharing travel adventures with you and the journal continues from Cali in Colombia. After a relaxing stay in a quality hostel it was time to move on, and north is the plan. I booked on a … …

Mugged in the middle of the world

My friends and I continued north from Riobamba Ecuador to Banos, which is a picturesque town in the centre of the country surrounded by mountains and known for adventure activities. We spent a quiet day at the local pool in this lovely town and enjoyed … …

An altitude induced mishap

My last night in Lima coincided with the final world cup qualifier for Germany 2006, played in Sydney between Australia and Uruguay. I watched the first game in Huacachina with a Uruguayan girl I met on an earlier tour, it was great fun and a … …