HONDURAS

I hope no one thought I was going to leave this out?! (My dad and my uncle called me like “aja????”)

I wanted to wait until our Independence Day to put this one up…it just felt right! This is really just the tip of the iceberg in regards to how much there is to do and see, but I hope it gives you a pretty good look as to how much of a hidden gem Honduras is. 

Tegucigalpa:

Starting with the capital, and my hometown, this is one of the two major cities along with San Pedro Sula. Every time I go back, there are more and more bars and restaurants. El patio is a very classic/traditional Honduran restaurant that has stood the test of time. Speaking of classics, you can’t NOT get a Bigos burger! There is a huge Chinese population and personally, Restaurante Siu is some of the best authentic Chinese food I’ve ever had. Baleadas Kennedy is another notable spot to get our most popular dish!  Lastly, there is no better place to eat that El Mayoreo or it’s more formal name, La Feria del Agricultor. This is by far my favorite market ever (yes I’m biased) and this is where I grew up coming with my grandma. The food stalls here serve everything from pupusas to tripe soup. Make sure you try at least 2 juices as well!! 

Highway North heading to Tela:

One of my favorite parts about driving up north to the beaches are all the pit stops to make along the way. Just outside Tegucigalpa there is an amazing breakfast stop popular with truckers, Comedor Enma, and once you eat here you’ll see why! Farther up in Comayagua, there are a handful of atoleras. Here you can get atol, corn tamales, and other delicious bites. There are two chicharroneras that are worth stopping at for road snacks. Delicias del Carmen + La casita de los chicharrones. El Lago de Yojoa is another popular stop for this drive or just for a weekend lunch. Here, you’ll pass what seems like an infinite amount of restaurants all serving whole fried fish. The last stop along the way is in the beach town of Tela at the Gasolinera Uno. I know what you’re thinking “a gas station?” But trust me here. They are serving incredible empanadas and are super popular with locals.

Tela:

Tela is a popular vacation spot for many locals. Situated on the very north coast, it’s a beauty getaway. There’s a national reserve in Punta Sal which is a quick boat ride away and this is a MUST! You can only access is by boat and most tours will include a quick hike through the rainforest where you can see howling monkeys. After you’re taken around the whole area, there’s a really beautiful beach where you can enjoy the rest of the day. 

Islands:

If you want to see some of the best beaches in the world, Honduras is the place! Honduras is located on the mesoamerican reef that is shared with Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Starting off with the Bay Islands, Roatan & Utila are both amazing, but both very different. Roatan is a bit more family oriented, where you can find the cruise port, and more all inclusive resorts. However, that doesn’t take away from its stunning waters in west bay and west end. If you find yourself in west end, hit up Calelu’s for some spectacular baleadas. 

Utila is much smaller in comparison to Roatan, but it’s geared more towards nightlife and scuba diving. You can get around the whole island relatively quick on a tuktuk. Water cay, little cay, chepes or bando beach are all highly recommended. 

Cayos cochinos is something that is so beautiful it looks fake (they also film survivor here??) You can get to these insane keys from Roatan or Utila by boat which is what I would recommend. You can also access it via La Ceiba, but there’s not much to do in Ceiba which is why it’s deterring. There are a multitude of tours available to come here so whatever floats your boat BUT DO NOT MISS IT!  

Copan:

One of my favorite places in the country, this home to ancient Mayan ruins! Close to the border of Guatemala, it’s such a different pace and aesthetic compared to most of the country. It’s a place I recommend to get away, relax, and experience Mayan culture. La casa de todo was exceptional and there is also an insane amount of great coffee shops. 

San Lorenzo:

A city to the very south, it resides facing la isla del tigre, a now dormant volcano. You can catch a ride through the volcanic mangroves and even try a local delicacy, curiles or blood clams. 

Marcala:

The caffeine capital of Honduras! Highly recommend visiting to explore the only PDO region and get some amazing coffee. 

GUatemala

Let’s step into the heart of Mayan culture. While the very southern tip of Mexico, bits of El Salvador and Honduras also have remnants of the Mayan influence, Guatemala has kept it the most alive. Fun fact: they have 20+ Mayan dialects spread throughout their territory!

Landing in Guatemala City feels very familiar to me, because of its similarity to my hometown, Tegucigalpa. The trip started with a transfer to the magical little town of Antigua ($45 private car). Meaning ancient, this town was once the capital of the country until a massive earthquake struck. There are so many beautiful buildings still standing from this time period which is insane! Missing chunks and all, the architecture is awesome and you really can get lost just walking around. 

One of the best parts of this town are the volcanoes looming in the background and luckily it was rainy season so we were greeted by a few thunderstorms on our days there which make for an incredible backdrop. It’s impossible to talk about Antigua and not mention the Acatenango hike. Guatemala has 37 volcanoes and the most active is volcán de fuego which is directly next to Acatenango. For the hike you leave super early and not to sugar coat it, the hike is intense. You’re walking an at extremely steep angle for about 5 hours with some breaks, but your legs will definitely hate you for a few days. HOWEVER, you are hiking what feels like through the clouds and once you make it to the top, it is fucking magical. We immediately saw the volcano erupting and later saw the most INSANE lightning striking the erupting volcano! Literally out of a movie (think like….Thor or the battle of Hogwarts). The next morning we hiked down which in comparison to going up, is pretty easy(lol). The company that we used, Soy tours, was awesome. They will carry your bag up for you for a small fee, give you 3 meals, hot chocolate, a little booze and keep the morale high. The tour costs about $60 and you’re definitely getting your moneys worth. 

Okay now that I geeked out about history and volcanoes, let’s talk food. I had been so interested in coming just because I’ve heard so much about the food. Starting in Antigua, we had lunch at a pretty popular local spot called La Cuevita de los Urquizu. You walk in and they have like a dozen different braised and stews to pick from with maybe another dozen sides. I rocked with some pepian (Guates very famous spiced chicken stew) and revolcado (braised pigs head…insanely good). Highly recommend this spot.  We also found a street vendor near parque de la Merced, Donde Mimi Antojitos, where he hooked it up with these “shuco” chicken sandwiches brushed with a garlic butter and then toasted on the plancha. Crazy. Also tried: chuchitos (Guatemalan style tamales), dobladas, tostadas, and plátanos en mole. Very successful find. 

Moving on from Antigua, we hopped on a shuttle over to Lake Atitlan to Panajachel ($40 shuttle). From here you have a good variety of small towns to pick from, each with its own aesthetic. We stayed at San Pedro which had a good mix of locals + tourists as well as restaurants and bars. Next to San Pedro is San Juan, which had one of my favorite activities on the trip which was a bee farm, Mundo de Abejas Maya. For approx. $5 you get a super informative lesson, tour, and tasting of about 10 different honeys. You can see the bees that produce these honeys and the product is just…WOW. Another must. 

The food around Atitlan also did not disappoint. We stumbled on two street carts in San Pedro about a 5 min walk from the main boat area that had more shuco sandwiches filled with chorizo, chicken and steak as well as guacamole, cilantro, onions, and brushed with a chimichurri. He offered this as a burrito as well. Directly in front is a pupusa stand. Grab one thing from each for around $10 and you have a solid dinner. San Juan had some cool surprises in terms of food. We were walking, smelled some bread and walked into El Artesano quesos y jamones, an Italian style salumi and cheese restaurant that has really awesome salumi boards with everything being made in Guatemala. Another notable and random find was pollo super rápidito. A small local chain of fried chicken which was sooo good as a walking snack. For $2 you can get a little box of popcorn chicken and walk around this cool little town. 

All in all, this was an awesome trip. I’d definitely come back to explore more of the Mayan ruins or some of the beach towns, but please…do yourself a favor and go hike that volcano!!

Colombia

Now there’s two big aspects to cover on this topic of Medellin. The nightlife and the food. I think both are pretty obvious when Colombia comes into the conversation, but I can attest that both are…like THAT!

If you know me, you know I am a Reggaeton addict so being in one of the top cities that consumes/produces my favorite music, we were already off to a good start. Perro negro was super fun and they play back to back bangers so if you’re looking for a night of straight perreo, definitely go here. Mosquitos roof top also had fire throwbacks.

Bandeja paisa, one of Colombia’s most notable plates (if not the most notable) was the dish that I was on the hunt for. I tried a whole bunch of them and the best one in my opinion is at El Viejo John in Sabaneta. You can tell it’s a spot for locals and the food is amazing. It’s perfect for a hangover meal after a long night of drinking Guaro. We also had a really great dinner at Heather bday place. Lastly, random lunch place was also very memorable. Their mondongo soup was exactly what I was craving and it hit the spot. 

La Chagra was a great experience. It’s an amazonian restaurant so the tasting menu provides a lot of interesting dishes, flavors, and presentations. El Botanico was also very very solid.

D.R.

This was my first time in Dominican Republic and it was definitely long overdue. While this was a super quick trip, I tried turning chef mode off and really just tried to chill out with some friends. Aside from some beach trips and stumbling into some block parties in the zona colonial, we did have some really great meals. 

First notable place was Adrian tropical. A very local, no frills kind of spot. Definitely recommend for a solid lunch. 

Maraca in the zona colonial was also a really great meal. While a little more on the higher price point, definitely worth it!

Now my favorite dining experience in DR was hands down, Ajuala, A modern approach to Dominican food using ingredients found in the island. We opted for the tasting menu and it really was outstanding. We were able to chat with the chef for a bit which made the experience that much better, but I wouldn’t miss this place if you find yourself in Santo Domingo. 

P.r.

Finally made the Reggaeton pilgrimage of going to a concert at El Choli and it was ELECTRIC! (Arcangel brought out Bad Bunny?!!!?!) Didn’t party all that much unfortunately but La Factoria in Viejo San Juan was a solid spot.

After starting on that high note, PR really treated us well…except for the guy who sold us a coconut for $10…they grow on the island my man??? Anyways, the beaches are spectacular. We didn’t get to go out to Culebra, but did manage to hop in a car and drive out to the west part of the island, Cabo Rojo + Mayaguez, where it was super quiet and relaxing.

In terms of food, PR does fried food so so well - I came back obsessed with alcapurrias. Theres an awesome dining scene around San Juan. Santaella was a solid dining experience, but a little more on the upscale side. My absolute favorite place to eat was La Casita Blanca in Santurce. Such an amazing, authentic vibe and its packed with locals. They also have a sister restaurant whose name is slipping my mind but also amazing.

Side note…That last pic was somewhere in the southwest corner of the island and it’s pretty famous..I can’t remember the name, but if you happen to come across it and are thinking of going…I promise it’s not worth it LMAO. It was super tiny and pretty out of the way.

SICILY

Chiu longa e’a pinsata, chiu grossa e’a minchiata..

Sicily is a dream. From the beaches to the food, it’s all so amazing. Palermo became one of my favorite cities so quick based on its street food scene alone. Pane ca meusa, pane con la milza, or simply a lung and spleen sandwich is one of the popular options along with, arancini, panelle, and stigghioli. You’ll probably have a very refreshing fruit granita with brioche for breakfast and you’ll need it because (at least in the summer time) it gets REALLY hot.

Thankfully theres also an insane amount of beautiful beaches like: Mondello, Lo Zingaro, Cefalu, Lipari, and Marzamemi. Some other amazing cities and towns were: Scopello, Siracusa & Noto! We were able to drive from one end of the island to the other and the scenic drive definitely made the experience better.

Sicily has such particular and different gastronomy compared to the rest of Italy due to its location + history. You’ll frequently see tomato, ricotta salata, almonds, olives, eggplant, raisins, capers, swordfish, tuna, sardines, bottarga, anchovy and soo much more seafood. Street food aside, theres such a long list of must have dishes. Some of these include: the famous pasta alla norma, sfincione, caponata, and pesto trapanese. It feels impossible to choose my favorite between pane cunzato (an elite sandwich made with semolina bread thats still piping hot & gets dressed with healthy amount of olive oil, tomato, oregano, cheese, and anchovy) or ragu di tonno (sicilian bluefin tuna braised in tomato)…

Worry not, they also have you covered with desserts like cannoli or cassata.

Spain

Leg 2 of the trip starting in Morocco!

I went into this trip being Spain’s biggest hater (F the conquistadors!) but I can’t lie..it was such a beautiful trip. Started out in Sevilla which was hands down my favorite city. Its beautiful, relatively inexpensive, and has amazing food (the birthplace of Tapas!) From here we drove all along the southern coast covering: Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, and a day trip to Girona.

Driving in Europe is really great and makes it way more enjoyable when you see so many olives and vineyards. I can’t get into all the tapas places that we visited because there was so many, but I recommend hopping around and trying a bunch. Here are my favorite places to eat in each city:

Sevilla: El Colmado

Alicante: Cerveceria Sento Rambla

Valencia: Casa Carmela

Barcelona: Taverna El Glop

Girona: The parents restaurant of Celler de Can Roca

MOROCCo

This was the first leg of a trip & it was such an amazing start. Firstly, Marrakech is hands down the craziest city I’ve been to so far. It’s incredibly incredibly busy and there just so much going on. If you’re at the main square, Jemaa el-Fna, you’ll get a first hand look at just how busy it actually is. Vendors of all sorts, restaurants, pomegranate juice stands, snake charmers, monkeys doing tricks, donkeys, taxis…you get the point. Stroll around and you’re bound to get lost in the mazelike Medina.

Meals here are so special. Starting with the best breakfasts spreads you can think of: breads, cheeses, jams, eggs, juices, and a very delicious almond + argan oil butter called amlou. Tagines are also outstanding. The two that we saw and ate the most were lamb with prunes and almonds and chicken with preserved lemon. Mkaoura, a meatball tagine with soft scrambled egg on top was also super memorable. Bastilla and bessara also remain high on my favorite dish list.

Two recommendations I would give are to: take a trip out to the Agafay desert as well as the Atlas mountains. Both experiences were amazing! We were able to glamp in the desert & visit + cook with a Berber family in the mountains.

PS. Drink all the mint tea that you can!

Ecuador

Not sure what was better here.. the views or the food? Started off strong by housing encebollado in Guayaquil. This is a hard dish to describe, but think albacore tuna, yucca thickened fish broth and a lot of lime juice and red onion so very escabeche-esque. A perfect cure for a hangover honestly. The super tiny town of Montañita had its fair share of surprises. The burger carts? WILD. They’re open until super late & they hit the spot every. single. time. Took a walk all the way down the shore and found the most hidden & incredible sushi bar. They were serving whatever was caught locally, which was awesome to see. Quito = high high altitude that will probably kick your ass, but shouldn’t discourage you from hiking a volcano like Cotopaxi. Almost 16,000ft up the volcano there is a small refuge where after a long hike, you’ll find some really traditional/delicious snacks like hot chocolate and locro (potato soup). Baños was notably the coolest town to visit. You’ll find yourself surrounded by mountains and if you’re lucky, in front of the bus station at Pipo cafe. A la minute, they’re making the most delicious empanadas like the Mama Tungurahua which was made of different cured meats but tasted like kimchi? idk but it was awesome. They were so good that we almost missed our bus to buy some on the last day. Theres a never-ending list of things to do in this town, like climb through a tight cave and see El Pailon del Diablo aka very violent waterfall (10/10 recommend)and also some very inexpensive tours to Puyo (the jungle). Aside from being immersive, was also extremely fun. Got to interact with a Kichwa community, canoe down a river & visit a small cacao farm where they showed us how to produce chocolate. All in all a very amazing trip.

p.s. The guinea pig (cuy) was a little weird.

Thailand

Noodles…as far as the eye can see!!! Yet another street food pillar, Thailand really set the bar high. Ended up here a couple of days before covid really shut everything down & almosttttt got stuck. Phuket was the first stop. The beaches here & nearby are all beautiful. Ran into some incredible sushi at a market in Patong (CRAZY ASS town) and a crazy amount of noodle carts throughout the city streets. It was easily 100 degrees outside which makes eating really hot noodles a little less fun but nonetheless, still crushed bowl after bowl. Chiang Mai was easily the best city to visit. With all its temples, it was so peaceful especially compared to the craziness in Phuket. Back in Bangkok, went to one of the best street food spots in the world, Jay Fai, which has to be one of the biggest notables of the trip. She was slinging a full menu alone on a couple of burners & it was pretty mesmerizing to watch. The crab omelette was elite! Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad to get stuck there…

Also, getting a stick and poke by a monk was awesome. Highly recommend.

Mexico

Ahhh…CDMX. Known to be one of the street food meccas of the world, this was beyond expectations. Granted this was a short trip, still got to see a ton of what the city had to offer. The food culture, the culture culture, + the punk rocky culture really make a hell of a combination. Definitely got lucky with our Airbnb in Roma Norte, which happened to be Ché Guevara’s house at one point. The markets here were super colorful filled with different dried chiles, dried corn, and spices. Most of our meals were at carts but also got to eat at one of the top 15 restaurants in the world Quintonil and another gem, Contramar. You will seriously catch yourself day dreaming about how good the food is in this enormous city. Aside from the gastronomy, getting to see Teotihuacan & the Aztec temples here was pretty breathtaking.

UPDATE

There was a 0% chance that I wasn’t going back to CMDX. The second time around was just as incredible. Was able to check so many great cocktail bars: Hanky Panky, Baltra, Handshake, Rayo, Deleted Souls. Also finally got to do our own little taco tour and try some of the cities best. My absolute favorites are El Vilsito for pastor and El Turix for cochinita. Los Cocuyos and Orinocco both have really solid tacos as well.

Contramar was just as good! Impossible to get reso at Pujol but had a wonderful meal at Sud 777.

Peru

Alexa, play cumbia!!! The overall culture in Peru is remarkable. Lima, the coastal capital was the first stop. Headed directly to Surquillo Market for lunch to be met with the best way to start the trip, cebiche! This city loves their seafood. Although Parqué Kennedy is known for its cats (?) its also got some great street food. Picarones (sweet potato fritters in syrup), mazamorra morada (a sweet purple corn dessert with fresh & dry fruit) & butifarra (pork sandwich) really stood out along with a quick meal at La Lucha in Miraflores. Had the opportunity to dine at Astrid & Gaston (always in the top lists for best restaurants in Latin America) and was blown away by their tasting menu. It was a great representation of what refined Peruvian food was really about during the winter months. Moving on to Cusco was a headache..literally. The altitude here is a little wild so definitely don’t turn down the hotel/airbnb offering you coca tea. Walking around this steep city you’ll find some of the more popular street foods salchipapa (fried potatoes and hot dogs) and anticuchos (grilled beef heart skewers) but please find a plate of lomo saltado (beef stir fry) or pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chix) with lots and lots of aji verde. Peru has an extensive history of Asian immigrants who gave the country a really unique influence on their cuisine. You’ll see this strong influence throughout at Chifa & Nikkei restaurants. From Cusco you can visit the Sacred Valley and experience the many Inca wonders like Macchu Pichu, Ollantaytambo, Moray & the salt mines at Moray. Back in Lima, Barranco’s nightlife offered a ton of places to enjoy flights of different Pisco sours. The best way to end this trip? By lucking out & getting a bar seat at Central.

Greece

This was one of my first trips and I didn’t keep much track of places I tried. I had booked this whole experience through Contiki so they really took care of the bulk of food, hotels and activities. We visited: Athens, Ios, Mykonos, and Santorini. I can tell you that you must eat as many gyros as you can and that the parties in Mykonos and Ios are on another level.