So, how were these images taken?

...Definitely not from a package tour or from air conditioned coaches!

Each destination has been thoughly researched, planned and explored with a fine toothcomb, for months, often longer. Long evenings with the Thomas Cook blue or red timetables.

Generally, a back-packers approach was taken. Goat class air tickets taken in preference to charter flights, staying in local hotels and rest houses, sometimes camping in the bush-with monkeys making a trampoline of your tent!, attempting to live life like locals. Learning a little of whatever language is required (some Spanish, Italian, German or Romanji for Japan), eating and drinking where locals do etc are all part of getting the best travel images. Difficult though this is, it pays rewards with much improved and unique images.

Use of local (rather than luxury) transport, bikes, trains, cattle trucks with locals and their animals, walking when strikes broke out etc all helped to produce unique images. Traveling like this also has its downsides too. No one can legislate for the a**holes you are forced to travel with sometimes. I am sure if the person I have in mind is reading this, she/he will know who I mean! I owe a debt to the Lonely Planet guides for immense help in pointing the way. They come with my full recommendation. Irritatingly though, when you arrive at that great recommended watering hole, chances are, it’s packed with other travelers with the LP!

However, I have always felt more of a traveler doing it like this, rather than a tourist. More of my cash was spent at ground level, to help the base economy.
That’s not to say that you should not learn to bargain like locals where it is expected. Remember....bargain hard! It still won't be as cheap as a local person can buy a service or a commodity - no one ever sells at a loss! If service is good, it does deserve a tip - Hey! you can afford it!

Locations covered:

Costa Rica, San Jose, Sacramento, Nicaragua, Managua, Lago de nicaragua, Granada, Managua, Guatemala, Antigua, Tikal, Guatemala city, Flores, Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Chichicastenango, Belize, Mexico, Zapatecus, Guadaja, Cuba, Havana, Trinidad, Matanzas, Cardenas, Camaguay.

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