Short Story 6

Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, Portugal, Spain, Italy

[PART 3] 26 Memorable Countries for Solo Traveling Adventures

December 2024

Introduction

Other Countries

Introduction

Welcome to PART 3 of this short story. In Short Story 4 (PART 1) and Short Story 5 (PART 2), we traveled to 18 countries (9 from each story). For PART 3, we'll explore 8 additional countries (19-26), highlighting one vivid encounter from my solo travels. You know what to do from here.

19. Guatemala

Finally, I'm in Guatemala, a country I've been compelled to visit for the last six months. I don't know much about Guatemala and its Latin culture, but as with any travel destination, something good will come out of it.

I arrive in San Juan, a Mayan town about two and a half hours away from the colonial city of Antigua. After the 15-minute boat ride, I'm welcomed by live music. Two guys are playing a massive xylophone synchronously while one man cheerfully strikes a jumbo-sized drum and a large turtle shell. The playful melodies cause me to be present and smile like a child as the taxis, small red three-wheeled tuk-tuks, drive down the vibrant roads.

I walk the steep roads, observing the vibrant colors, the bright hats and umbrellas hanging on strings above me, and the graphical wall murals. The women and girls wear their traditional and colorful Mayan dresses. Some elderly ladies walk up and down the narrow and steep roads wearing sandals, steadily carrying bulky items on their heads without using their hands. The Mayan Tz'utujil locals speak Spanish, but most speak Mayan (Quichean). Listening to the people talk in Quichean gives me a taste of the Mayan nation. Visiting the town of San Pedro is worth checking out while staying in Antigua.

20. Panama

I’m at the starting point at Chagres River, Panama, roughly a one-hour drive from Panama City. An Indigenous man, who’s barefoot and practically naked other than an okao (a loincloth covering his groin and butt with a string tied around his waist), escorts me to his wooden canoe. The man mentions that the slim boat was hand-built by his people: the Embera Drua tribe. Getting to the village requires about a thirty-minute boat ride in a river the size of a one-way road, surrounded by green vegetation.

I arrive at the Embera Drua village, welcomed by four guys (men and teenagers) playing wooden tribal instruments. They are barefoot and wearing a loincloth with a string tied around their waist. The tribal women are also without shoes, wearing their colorful paruma (an indigenous-style wraparound skirt) and headbands made of plant fibers. It’s fascinating to observe the infrastructure, lifestyle, and attire of the Embera Drua villagers.

Now I’m inside the tambo (hut). It's made out of leaves and other natural rainforest materials. A group of males and females are about to give me a glimpse of their shamanic ceremony. The sounds of tribal instruments orchestrated by the guys while the ladies are in a circle moving their bodies up and down, chanting in choco language, has me laser-focused. The women do another dance, quickly following each other in circles, clapping their hands freely, which is stimulating my mind. This is an incredible Panama experience!

21. Nicaragua

Julio, a former guerilla fighter for the Sandinista National Liberation Front (the acronym is FSLN in Spanish) during the Nicaraguan revolution (a civil war beginning in 1978), is the tour driver and guide during my five days in Nicaragua. This friendly, talkative, and funny sixty-year-old native has been showing me the heartbeat of Nicaragua by taking me to local towns. The humidity right now feels like a swamp, and it’s been that way around the clock.

Today, I’m in Granada, a town I’d never heard of before booking this trip. Granada’s colonial buildings, with their bumpy and uneven roads, give the town a warm and old-school vibe. It doesn’t appear to be a tourist destination. I’ve come across some sweaty foreigners here and there, but no tourist crowds or large vans. I like that Granada has a hustle-and-bustle street in downtown and a laidback Parque Central de Granada (the central park), where the community locals gather daily. The town doesn't feel sketchy to walk around either.

Exploring Granada on a horse carriage ride is a first for me. It’s a cool and relaxing experience too! The guy maneuvering the two horses speaks English. We’re shooting the breeze about random stuff as he gives me a simple rundown of his beloved town, and we’re laughing about trivial things. This is a heartfelt moment and one reason why I enjoy traveling solo. Granada has surpassed my expectations of a place to visit in Nicaragua thanks to Julio Tours.

22. Mexico

Guadalajara's most popular food market, Mercado Libertad San Juan de Dios, is jam-packed on the second floor this Saturday afternoon. The cluttered, dense, and loud open area has a bunch of Mexican food stalls close together. Owners and workers cook food fast, as their greeters constantly holler at people walking by, inviting them to eat now. The hustle and bustle is real!

Meanwhile, a mariachi band of five guys randomly stops at tables where folks are chowing down on food, to play classical Mexican folklore music. Some guys carrying a guitar or accordion do solo music rounds throughout the eating zone. Random individual men roam the second floor, shouting if people want to buy their product. This includes hands-free phone chargers, a hand-held massage gadget, and USB flash drives containing albums from different Mexican musicians or bootlegged movies. One guy walks around with a microphone attached to a large speaker and raps in Spanish.

The downtown market is a little rundown and somewhat rough around the edges, with graffiti outside on the building, but it has been a safe, controlled, and vibrant environment since 1959. Sure, there are a few homeless persons asking individuals, including me, for monedas (coins), but nothing annoying or scary. Other than the abundance of delicious and cheap local food, the soul of Guadalajara is on the second floor. Eating at the Mercado Libertad San Juan de Dios is the best thing to do in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, especially on Saturdays.

23. Colombia

The atmosphere is vibrant in Medellin’s Comuna 13. It’s a dense community on a hill covered with square brick houses, closely stacked together, going uphill and downhill, and has been around since the 1940s. The colorful murals scattered among the walls, community locals selling bright souvenirs and tasty street food, along with the rhythmic Latin/Colombian music, have me eager to explore the zone more.

Another compact area has three young Venezuelan guys from Comuna 13 rapping in Spanish. There are roughly 12 foreign spectators, sitting tightly together. The males freestyle rap without explicit lyrics in this lively, kid-friendly environment. Now there’s Latin dance music. The three men randomly pick one audience member to dance with them in the center spot. Everyone, including myself, is smiling and giggling or laughing.

I’m brought to the stage area, and without thinking, I put my hands behind my head and do a standing hip-thrust dance, moving my hips in a circular motion, while the crowd makes some noise. As I walk back to my seat, one of the guy rappers taps me on the shoulder and takes me back to the center to dance. A retired Caucasian lady and I closely grind in front of each other. I turn my back to the woman, twerking my butt against hers, as the small crowd cheers to our freak dancing. I feel energized and light-footed at Comuna 13 in Medellin, Colombia.