I’m Baaaacccckkkk: 6 Months, 5 Countries, Countless Stories

Howdy folks, and thanks for stopping by to read I’m Baaaacccckkkk: 6 Months, 5 Countries, Countless Stories. After half a year bouncing through Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico, I’ve finally landed back in Canada with a suitcase full of laundry, a head full of stories, and enough travel mishaps to fuel blog posts for months.

I’m alive, I’ve landed at my next housesit, and apparently I survived 6 months, 5 countries, questionable bus rides, altitude, border crossings, and more tortillas than any Canadian should reasonably consume.

Here’s the condensed version of where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to since disappearing into Latin America.

The Condensed List

Here’s the fast version:

Mexico City
Peru
Ecuador
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Cancun

OK, we all realize that Mexico City and Cancun are both in Mexico but I listed the cities rather than the country to make it easy. At least easy on me!

Mexico City

My main destination was Lima, Peru. There are no non-stop flights from Vancouver, BC – the last place I was housesitting before starting my Great South American Adventure. Any way I looked at it, I was changing planes somewhere. I chose Mexico City because I’ve never been there before and decided to stay there 5 nights.

In honesty, 3 or 4 nights would have done me.

I arrived in Mexico City on November 10, 2025 and departed on November 15.

I did the highlights. A hop on/hop off city bus tour. Plus I booked a bus tour through Get Your Guide Mexico City: Teotihuacan, Tlatelolco & Basilica of Guadalupe. I wanted to see the pyramids outside Mexico City – Teotihuacan – and this tour covered it and more.

Check out the miracle cloak at the Basilica of Guadalupe. The image on the cloak isn’t on the material but hovering over it. Visitors stand on a moving sidewalk to view it.

Next it was on to Teotihuacan, more commonly referred to as the pyramids at Mexico City. Interesting place. There is an unknown civilization that built the city and then vanished. Space aliens? Then along came the Aztecs and decided what a nice place to live and they moved in. The Temple of the Moon is open for tourists to partly climb up. The other pyramid, the Temple of the Sun is not. This is due to safety reasons.

I haven’t decided if I’ll be doing a more indepth look at my time in Mexico City. These videos have pretty much covered the highlights!

Oh – I got my first taste of street corn – elote. Delicious! Loved it. Want more!

Stay tuned. Perhaps there will be an upcoming blog post featuring a picturelogue of my stay in Mexico City.

MIA

Mexico City, the beginning of my trip, also marks the first item that went missing. My Contigo travel mug was in the side pocket of my backpack. On the taxi ride from the airport to my hotel, it slipped out. I realized this in the lobby of the hotel, but the taxi driver had already left. He’d given me his business card and I sent him a WhatsApp telling him my Contigo was in his taxi and asked him to contact me. This was a taxi with an office at the airport. I wanted him to turn it in there and I could pick it up on departure day.

Irritatingly, he didn’t respond! I guess he figured he got himself a free Contigo. A pink Contigo. Very stylish.

How annoying. My first day of my Great South American Adventure and I lose something.

Peru

OK. Peru! Now we’re in to the nitty gritty of the real reason I headed to South America.

I loved Peru. I could definitely see myself becoming an expat in this country.

But, again, I’m just going to condense it here where I was. The first two weeks were onboard the PeruHop bus. Well, the first two weeks of transportation. I hopped off in Arequipa and hopped back on a week later.

Paracas (to see the Ballestas Islands)
Huacachina (desert oasis and dune buggy thrills)
Arequipa
Colca Canyon
Puno/Lake Titicaca
Cusco
Machu Picchu
Huanchaco (beach town in the north)
Lima

OK, if you’ve been watching my YouTube videos, you know I went to Machu Picchu – one of the main reasons I visited. The site is gorgeous. I could have sat there for hours staring at it.

Click here to read Beyond the Peru Hop: When Peru Became Real.

Ecuador

Well, what can I say about Ecuador except…. Galapagos Islands! The main reason I visited.

The Galapagos are the most magical place I’ve ever visited. The wildlife, the environment, swimming on a beach where sea lions are nearby. OK, I was a little nervous about sea lions getting in my face. One of the most common reasons tourists see a doctor on the islands is because of sea lion bites.

So let’s quickly sum up the Ecuador portion of my Great South American Adventure:

Guayaquil
Galapagos Islands
Quito
The Center of the World (Equator)

Costa Rica

This is my second visit to Costa Rica, but I went to places that are new to me:

San Jose (capital and location of international airport)
Puerto Viejo
Juaguar Rescue Center
La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano

And I saw sloths! Amazing!

Guatemala

My main reasons to visit Guatemala were to attend the Ixchel Spanish School in Antigua and to visit Lake Atitlan. Yeah – mission accomplished!

Oh, and to see the macadamia nut farm and have macadamia pancakes.

So, I don’t think I even need to make a list here, as I summed up the highlights.

Cancun

I’m sure most people visit Cancun for the sun and beaches.

Not me.

I was sweating it out in the jungle near Cancun, volunteering at Isla Animals dog rescue from March 25 until I departed on May 7.

Because, it’s not about how many stamps are in your passport, but the accomplishments you make along the way. Volunteering is a great way to make a difference in the lives of the dogs. And also the people who live full time at the shelter without a break. My presence meant they could take a little time off. These are the real heroes of animal rescue.

Two of the things I wanted to do during my stay was visit Chichen Itza and a cenote.

Spoiler alert: I did both!

That makes 4/7 Wonders of the World I have visited. And #5 is already in my sights for 2027…

And now, for a moment of cuteness.