Velasquez Family Coffee (video!)

Something new happened yesterday - Olivia and I were both brought to tears as we left our latest camping spot, struggling to say goodbye but knowing that we'd be back one day. These last four days in Honduras have been some of the best of our entire trip so far, and it's all thanks to these wonderful people. Avilio and Bertilia Velasquez own an organic coffee farm in the little community of Rio Negro at the edge of the insanely beautiful Comayagua National Park in central Honduras. These two infuse everything they do with love and kindness, from how they run their family to their incredible respect for and knowledge of the natural world. We were so inspired by their warmth and generosity and their commitment to sustainability that we decided to make a video to help promote their amazing product: organic, fair trade, shade grown, hand picked coffee. 

And the coolest part... you can order their coffee directly from Avilio's brother in Minnesota!

www.vfamilycoffee.com

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We're back!

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Hello!

It's been a while, so we just wanted to check in and let you know what's been happening recently. After almost 2 months in Guatemala, we went home to spend some quality time with fam and friends and to attend Sebastian and Diane's wedding in Santa Barbara (congrats!)! 

In the beginning of May, we flew back to Guatemala to pick up our car where we left it (at an auto shop called ARB Guatemala) and had a few new things installed: an awning to keep us cool/dry/bug free, and a new battery charger! Gracias Humberto!

Then it was off to El Salvador! We met up with our friends Taisa and Ernesto (www.overlandtheamericas.com) and have been driving around El Salvador for the last few weeks with them. A video update about this small but amazing country will come eventually, but for now, here are some pictures and short vids to keep you entertained :)

Enjoy!
Ash+Liv

 

Congrats Seb and Diane! Thanks for including us in your big day!

Congrats Seb and Diane! Thanks for including us in your big day!

Double family dinner at San Ysidro Ranch!

Double family dinner at San Ysidro Ranch!

I got a drone! First flight in Carpinteria. This is going to be fun... 

Surfing at the famous right hand point break of El Sunzal at Playa El Tunco in El Salvador. 

Volcán Ilamatepec (Santa Ana) and Volcán Izalco in Parque Nacional Los Volcanes El Salvador

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AshLivin Video #10: Guatemala

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Over the last ~2 months traveling through Guatemala we've visited some breathtaking locations with some incredible new friends. This country and its people could not have been more welcoming - thank you! Special shout out to the amazing duo Tiasa and Ernesto, with whom we traveled overland for 5 weeks straight! Thanks for tolerating us and we can't wait to keep traveling together! For a click-able table of contents of locations, watch the video directly on Youtube @ https://youtu.be/qEXW34o3EJE

¡Para servirles!

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 Tomorrow, Ashwin and I complete our two-week stint of studying Spanish and living with a Mayan family on Lake Atitlán. Today, I finished up a week of teaching dance - ballet and hip-hop (in Spanish!) - to these adorable chicas and chicos (not pictured). Not one of them had ever taken a class but *all* of them knew how to move.

During our "performance" for their parents today, I looked out at Rosario, the girl on the far left, and tears blurred my vision for a moment. Her arms were sloppy and her feet weren't pointed but her eyes were *glowing* with happiness and her smile was so contagious that my cheeks formed the exact same shape before my brain knew what was happening. I'll never forget that moment.

Thank you, chicas, for reminding me how much heart-pumpin body-shakin JOY working with kids brings me. Estoy para sevirles!

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Volcán de Fuego

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Just a brief update... while Liv was getting some alone time while nursing her knee (sorry Liv!), I hiked up the inactive Volcán Acatenango (over 5000 vertical feet!, with a summit at 13000 ft) with the hopes of seeing the nearby active Volcán de Fuego erupt. Fuego didn't disappoint...

It was certainly the most powerful natural phenomenon I've ever seen. I stayed up all night photographing and filming this beautiful beast in total awe. Following these immense eruptions, molten rocks tumbled down the cone of this 3,763m volcano for nearly 5 minutes. 10 minutes later, volcanic ash began raining down on us a few kms away.

 

REAL TALK: Alone Time

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For the first time on this trip, I'm alone. (Mom/Dad, don't worry. I'm at a secure campground run by the tourism police in Antigua and there are 3 other overlanders here.) Ashwin and our fellow overlanding friends went on an overnight hike up a volcano but I, unfortunately, am babying a knee injury so I decided to stay back and hang out with the cops at the (free!) campground.

I have not been truly "alone" since Ashwin and I left CA in November. We wake up together, eat together, sit (sometimes in silence) together, explore together, hike together, drive (sometimes in silence) together, set up camp together, make dinner together, and so on.

Alone time does not come easily on a trip like this. I have to relentlessly and selfishly carve it out for myself. So when my travelin' crew left early this morning, I thought, "Sweeeet alone time!!" But 10 minutes later I was like "UGGHHH alone time?!?" I didn't know what to do.

I won't bore you with the details of my 45-minute nap or my time spent at McDonalds, but I will tell you that I quickly realized that "alone time" is not the point of this trip. Alone time cannot share in the joys and frustrations of a day on the road in a foreign country. Alone time cannot calm your nerves when you don't feel safe. Alone time is not what brings this kind of adventure to life. But the *people*, specifically these three, can do all of the above. And so much more.

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AshLivin Video #7: Belize and Mexican Ruins

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A lot has happened in the last 3 weeks. Here is the first video in a two part update. We're a little tired and cranky in the video, but we had a blast traveling through Belize with Mel and Dan, our new friends from Australia! After Belize, we headed back into Mexico and visited the ancient ruins of Calakmul and Palenque. Stay tuned for update 2 soon!