Mexico City + The Great Glen Way in Scotland | July 2026
What do you do with four days off work? Naturally, go to Mexico City! :p Yes, I've had the Tolantongo Hot Springs on my list ever since I saw a Microsoft screensaver picture of them and found out they were not toooo hard to get to from the capital city. I spent my first day exploring the nicer neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa near my hostel, then took a guided tour to the hot springs. Full disclosure -- the trip there takes 3-4 hours in a pretty small and cramped van (and of course there's a similar return trip, longer if there's bad traffic). But the views and the pools are so aesthetic once you arrive. I highly recommend taking the earliest tour you can find. We got there just after opening and were the first visitors of the day. The water isn't terribly hot, but still comfortable. The design of the place is really so cool! We also were able to go inside a cave and a tunnel with hot water spouts and waterfalls! The river at the bottom of the valley is also warm because of all the hot water flowing into it. If you are in the Mexico City area, it's probably worth the long trip, if you like this sort of thing. :)
I do have to add that Mexican food in Mexico really wasn't my favorite -- the only vegetarian options for tacos were mushroom or cactus and they didn't really use any cheese or sour cream. It's just not what I'm used to. Isn't it crazy how we define things and then find out it's not what we thought? Their diet is heavy on the meat and I couldn't really find beans, rice, vegies, eggs...
My second adventure this month was Scotland!! Another item on my list was to bike the Great Glen Way. I had heard it was doable with a mtn bike (most people thru hike) and that the views were incredible!
Well, I completed it (all 77 miles) and it was HARD! The amount of steep trails that required me to push my bike and hike combined with the lack of amenities (soooo thankful for the little store that I found around mile 35 on day one) made it a challenging ride for sure. I should have been carrying more water and snacks. The views were nice some of the time (Loch Ness and along the canal paths) but there was fog cover in the mornings and much of the trail was in deep forest. I'm very glad I did it though!
I spent a little time in Edinburgh at the beginning and end of my trip and was underwhelmed...not my favorite city, just okay.
I took an Ember bus (reasonably priced and quite comfortable, with WiFi and outlets) up to Inverness and then rode the trail over to Fort William. I rented the mtn bike from Nevis Cycles and they were able to drop it off for me in Inverness making the one way ride possible!
And as if I hadn't just pushed my body to the brink, I decided to summit the highest peak in Scotland (Ben Nevis, 4413 ft), and started super early in the morning so I could leave my backpack in the hostel until checkout (10am). I started hiking around 3:45 and was rewarded with a gorgeous pink sunrise and not too many others on the trail! It's a bit of a stair climb, but very fun, actually! I was so proud of myself that I bought the sweatshirt! :p I took soo many photos, this is just a sampling...
And then......I decided to also ride my bike 100 miles from Milwaukie to Chicago, all because of a YouTube video I saw in my list of recommended videos. Why am I such a sucker for punishment?!! I flew to Milwaukie, rode about 35 miles on day one, camped in my little tent, then rode the remaining 70 miles to Chicago on day two (TOO FAR)!! Spent the night at a very expensive hostel (watch out for weekend rates especially when there are events in the city), then took Amtrak back to the airport to fly home. It was a quick adventure and I'm not sure why I did it. haha