#28 Dave Ratcliffe | The Ultimate Backpacker... Felons, Cults, Weed Farms, Yachts and a lil' Hostel

Dave and his wife Deedle (she's the real boss) run 'La Iguana Perdida' a boutique hotel meets backpacker hostel on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. 

In late 2022 I arrived here with a backpack of my own and a declared dream of starting a Freediving School and the Iguana was where I landed.

Over the years it has been an honour to witness (and benefit) from Dave's good humour, sense of fair play, and acted-upon wisdom of how to live a decent life...

Never before had I heard most of these stories and to have it all in one consistent timeline is seriously cool. We covered his time growing up in the States, finding his place in Guatemala, a soap-opera-esque love story, felons on the run, ex-cult members and everything in between!

Thanks Dave for being you and my god was it entertaining to piece together the context behind your most excellent character!!

Enjoy:)

The Chicken Bus Song: https://youtu.be/ZGZJvbkCjEA?feature=shared 

Chapters

• 0:00 Catching the Travel Bug
• 5:15 That 70s Show Childhood
• 12:54 Rogue Destinations
• 18:15 Guatemala
• 30:22 Working Tourism
• 37:08 Disneyland Mindset
• 42:03 Rio Dulce
• 46:13 LA Weed-fueled Rockstar Life
• 56:58 Nepal
• 1:00:00 Antigua Days
• 1:12:54 Deedle Love Story
• 1:29:10 Trimaran
• 1:39:00 Sarito
• 1:51:46 La Iguana Perdida
• 2:16:48 Mayan Village Culture
• 2:30:20 Raising Kids
• 2:39:30 Final Reflections