Week 48 - Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel (Mexico)

After spending the morning at the hotel in Tulum we headed to Cancun. One of our friends from Australia, Simone, was staying in a posh hotel in the hotel district and being only a couple of hours away we couldn’t resist meeting up for a night out. Once in Cancun we had to wait to check into our room in downtown and passed the time at a fried chicken restaurant and wandering around a tourist tat artisanal market, Mercado 28. I wouldn’t recommend downtown Cancun, it’s pretty tired and doesn’t have much by way of sights to offer, our night out in the hotel district however was great fun. I think guide books give the place a bit of a bad rep, if you take it for what it is, a beautiful beach on a strip of land purpose built for package tourists and all inclusive hotels with Las Vegas-esque bars and restaurant areas, then you’ll have a good time. We met Simone and her friend at their hotel on the beach and had a few drinks before heading on to Congo’s, with an open bar for a bargain USD$20. The next couple of hours whizzed by in a haze of confetti, balloons and vodka and then it was time to try to get a drunken Rhys home with as few stumbles as possible. 

The next morning we woke late and checked out in time to grab a Macdonalds before the bus to Playa del Carmen. This time, thanks to Rhys’s parents, we weren’t staying in the downtown area and had booked a lovely little B&B a couple of hundred metres along the road from where Rhys’ mum, Ceri was staying in the hotel district. As we weren’t in one of the huge all inclusive hotels our taxi driver had a nightmare trying to find it and we ended up getting out, finding an internet cafe to check where it was on google earth and walking the rest of the way. When we finally got there we headed to Ceri’s hotel to see if she’d checked in. We hadn’t bargained on the security being so strict. They wouldn’t even let us past the gate to go to reception. Rhys had to call and find out her room number and ask her to come out to us. After a brief hello on the street we arranged to meet in the nearby Starbucks as Ceri had only just that minute checked in to her room. Security at our B&B was far more relaxed and the owner welcomed Ceri to come and sit with us for a few hours for a catch up before it was time for her to head back to her hotel for dinner.

The next day we were up early to meet Ceri at the gate to her hotel where she’d made friends with the guard who wouldn’t let us in. We caught a taxi into the town and a micro on to Hidden Worlds, a cenote park about 15km north of Tulum. We’d booked tickets online for a bargain price of USD$36 for the ‘Extreme’ package, (a discount of 40%) and after buying some biodegradable bug repellent, we waited for our jungle buggy to take us along the bumpy track to the main prep area for a series of activities based around the Takbelum cenote. I’m not sure Ceri really knew what she’d let herself in for but she donned her harness along with the rest of us and headed to the Aero Cycle, a bonus worth another USD$20 that our guides let us do because the rest of our group were doing it. The Aero Cycle is a kind of reclining bike that you pedal along a zip wire. The one we went on was about a kilometre long and took you high through the jungle canopy before skirting down into caves skimming the pools below while bats flew about. After the Aero Cycle we moved to a short zipline just as the heavens opened and we got completely soaked. The next stop was at another zipline but this time it took you into the mouth of the cave splashing you down in the pool below. Ceri took it all in her stride but decided that was enough adventure for one day when we came to rappeling into the cave. Next we were harnessed up for the Skycoaster, a short track that dives through the trees whipping you from side to side at breakneck speed before the final activity, snorkeling into the cenote. This was the bit we were really looking forward to and although the initial pool we jumped into was a bit scummy and open, as soon as we slipped behind the stalagmites and stalagtites into the cave system behind, by torchlight, we were much happier. All up it was good fun but not as beautiful as we’d hoped, we wanted to show Ceri how gorgeous cenotes were but it was more of an activity centre than a cenote park. 

After our tour had finished the weather had started to clear and we decided to head on in to Tulum for a taco lunch. We popped in to a shop we’d found during our last visit to show Ceri the sink we’d fallen in love with and ended up measuring it up for her hand luggage and buying it, just what we need with another year on the road! Before we headed back to Playa we jumped in a taxi back down to the Tulum ruins so Rhys could show his mum around while I sat with the bags and the newly acquired sink in a little cafe. By the time we got back to Playa it was getting late and we said our good nights at the gate to Ceri’s hotel. 

The next day was another busy day. Ceri walked over to ours for about 9ish and we made it to the ferry port in town for the 10am ferry to Isla Cozumel. Cozumel is pretty big compared to the other Caribbean islands we’ve been to at 30 miles by 10 miles and lies just 6 miles off the mainland. The island is a cruise ship destination and by going at the weekend it meant no ships were docked and it was far quieter. We had booked into a lovely little B&B in the main town of San Miguel and went to check in before packing beach bags and jumping in a cab to Albertos, a beach club recommended by the Rough Guide for organising snorkel trips. The lack of public transport makes the island quite backpacker unfriendly, but atleast there were 3 of us to split the taxi cost. We were a little surprised at how small Albertos was, more a shabby beach bar than a beach club and the tours were far more expensive than we’d hoped. Luckily though one of the waiters called his mate who would do the trip for much cheaper and sent us to wait a hundred metres along the beach for the boat to pull up. After collecting another two girls from a hotel in our glass bottom boat we headed out to our first snorkel spot at the Palancar Reef at a depth of 25-30 feet, our second stop was at Cielo and our third at Colombia Shallows, not all that shallow at 25 feet. We spent about 30 minutes at each spot swimming with our guide and although the coral itself wasn’t very impressive, we saw some of the largest fish we’ve seen since we’ve been away, lots of barracudas and groupers and visibility was incredible - I think the island and reefs are more cut out for diving than snorkeling but we all agreed it was a good trip and worth the money. Back on land we stopped at Albertos for a couple of drinks on the beach before calling a cab to take us back into San Miguel. After relaxing at the B&B we decided not to venture too far for dinner and stopped at a little local place on our street. A quick game of dice and we headed to bed. Ceri was out like a light.

The next day we wandered into the main plaza having decided to jump in a cab to Parque Punta Sur, a little beach and lagoon area at the very south of the island. After a 30 minute drive we pulled up at the gate only to be told that they were trialing Sunday closing during quiet season and this was the first day of the trial. We were a bit thrown and hurriedly changed our plans to head to a beach club called Paradise Beach, closer to San Miguel. It worked out for the best, it was a decent stretch of beach with sun loungers and a lovely pool and inflatable obstacles and slides floating just off of shore - think mini-Total WipeOut. The best discovery though was the snorkeling around the pier. Rhys went off to explore and came running back to take Ceri to show her what he’d found. Hundreds of brightly coloured fish and rays all huddled in the shade of the pier. After two hours our cab driver was ready to collect us and we asked to be dropped at the Sunset Bar just south of Villa Blanca. After a quick drink we left our bags behind the bar and clambered over some very sharp rocks to a point a couple of hundred metres up where we could enter the water and float with the current back to the bar, the same spot a lot of boat trips took you to. Again it was pretty deep but there were a lot of shoals and little fish and some big man made pots placed to encourage coral growth. When we got back to the bar Ceri took a rest and me and Rhys carried on but this time closer to shore, it was a hundred times better than where the boat trips went, lots of colourful fish, lots of rays gliding about and even a leopard print cow fish (Tim, I think that’s the correct name for it...). Rhys couldn’t wait to show Ceri so we swapped and I sat with the bags and they went back in. 

After we were done snorkeling we decided we’d walk back to our B&B, a good 40 minutes away and by the time we were back we were pretty worn out. We spent a couple of hours relaxing on the terrace before heading out for dinner. Having missed breakfast and lunch we decided we needed a decent meal, a treat from Ceri and Billy, and ended up in a little Italian on the sea front. It was honestly one of the best meals we’ve had since we’ve been away, the most delicious seafood pasta I think i’ve ever eaten in my life. We ended the meal with a shot of mescal to share having had a mini-lecture on it from some random guy who started talking to us on his way out, i’m not sold, it’s like tequila but served with chili salt and orange instead of salt and lemon. We all slept well that night after so much activity and we’d splashed out to get air con in the room.

At around 9am me and Ceri headed out for a little bit of shopping and to grab some breakfast from the bakery. We then had a couple of hours to relax on the terrace before it was time to head to the port for the ferry back to the mainland. After checking back in to our hotel we arranged to meet on the beach after lunch. We found Ceri and got away with using her hotels sun loungers for a couple of hours. The beach was beautiful, white sand and turquoise sea, as it is lined by all inclusive hotels it was pretty busy but there was plenty of sand to go round. That night Ceri had organised for us to be allowed into her hotel for dinner since she’d been away with us for 2 nights on Cozumel. When we got to the gate though they wouldn’t accept the permission slip she’d been issued and she had to go back inside to speak to the receptionist so we could get passed the doorman. We were issued with day entry wristbands and told we could only eat in the buffet, couldn’t go to her room and had to leave by midnight. After a quick drink in the bar Ceri smuggled us to the steak house where she’d spoken to the manager and had a reservation and we nervously sat down and hid our day bands hoping we wouldn’t get thrown out. It was fine though, they seemed to think it was our anniversary so we weren’t allowed the menu and then the lights went out for dessert and for a moment we thought they were going to sing to us. Dinner done we were a lot more relaxed. Ceri smuggled us into her room where Rhys drained her vodka optic into a water bottle. We headed back to the bar for a few cocktails (Ceri seems quite taken by pureed smurfs), popped our heads in the night club just out of curiosity, and got to the reception desk at 1 minute to 12 in time to have our day bands cut off before we turned into pumpkins.

On Tuesday, our last morning with Ceri, she came to our B&B to sit in the garden for a couple of hours before we had to leave to catch a bus to Valladolid. It was very sad to say goodbye but we had a great week and are so so grateful that Billy encouraged her to come out to see us. We took a taxi to the bus terminal and bought a ticket only to find out that we needed to be at a different terminal and only had 10 minutes until the bus left. Once in Valladolid we struggled to find cheap accommodation and I ended up leaving Rhys on a street corner while I found somewhere. We headed out around 7pm for dinner and were impressed with how pretty the town is, particularly the cathedral and the main plaza. Lots of pastel painted buildings and palm trees and in the dusk light it looked quite magical. We ate in a local food court just off the plaza and headed back for an early night.

Me and Simone at Congos, Cancun.

Ceri on the zipline at Hidden Worlds.

Rhys and Ceri snorkeling, Cielo, Isla Cozumel.

Me and Ceri, Paradise Beach, Isla Cozumel.

Rhys snorkeling, Villa Blanca reef, Isla Cozumel.

Rhys and Ceri at the ferry dock, Playa del Carmen.

Rhys on the beach, Playa del Carmen.

Week 47 - Caye Caulker, Bacalar, Tulum (Belize, Mexico)

Our last day on Caye Caulker was very laid back. When we woke it was drizzling so we had a relaxed morning in the cabana, making the most of having our own little flat. After lunch we headed to the Split (a platform area at the north of the island) for a swim. Rhys headed back to the room while I stayed watching the world go by and reading my book before having a last wander around the village and the little artisanal and ice cream shops. 

We headed to the port for the 9:45am boat and were confused to find that the next boat wasn’t until 10:30am. It wasn’t until after we’d bought our ticket that we realised there was another water taxi company a few piers up. It didn’t really matter though, in the hour we had to wait Rhys saw a barracuda steal a fisherman’s catch from his line and something with a big fin and we saw a dolphin who must have jumped completely out of the water about 20 times right near the pier. The boat ride was uneventful and before long we were in Belize City where we caught a taxi to the bus terminal and managed to jump straight on a bus headed to Chetumal, just over the border. It was another easy crossing and within a couple of hours we were in Mexico, our last Latin American country.

Our first stop was Bacalar. Once we got to Chetumal we tried to get a combi to Bacalar but the taxi driver informed us we were too late and the only way to get there was by collectivo. It turned out to be a blessing, there were already people in the car waiting so we went as soon as we arrived and got there in no time at all. We stopped at the tourist office and then found our way to a hotel on the lake shore where we ended up checking in to a tiny caravan in the garden. We didn’t even have a full size bed, sometimes it’s good that we’re both on the small side. After dropping off our bags we headed back into town to wander along the lake shore before stopping for cheap Mexican food, tacos, gringas and burritos, then heading back to our caravan. The lake itself is stunning, the white sandy bottom means that the water reflects the sky and shows up as turquoise as the brightest Caribbean sea. The lakeshore is lined with little docks and reed beds and there are lots of little boats zipping up and down.

After relaxing in the gardens at the lakeshore for an hour or so the next day, we headed into town where we caught a taxi out to Cenote Azul. The Yucatan region of Mexico is famous for it’s cenotes so we intend to see as many as we can. The cenotes are formed by an underground river system that flows under the whole peninsula and are basically flooded caves and sink holes. From the surface Cenote Azul appears to just be a small lake surrounded by forest. Once you jump in though you realise that the water is remarkably blue and the sides of the lake are sheer rock faces, you can’t see the bottom and the water is so clean, it’s a bit eerie really. After a swim we stopped at the restaurant at the side of the cenote for a few drinks before calling a cab to take us back into town. We ate lunch then headed out again to walk along the lakeshore to a the Fortress de San Felipe Bacalar which was completed in 1729 after the town was repeatedly sacked by pirates in the 17th century. The ruins aren’t spectacular but there were some nice views of the lake. Our next stop was at a little public beach area where we swam in the warm crystal clear waters before heading back to our caravan just as it started to rain.

We left Bacalar early the next day and caught a bus to Tulum a couple of hours further north along the coast. We’d heard great things from other travelers about Tulum and were expecting to find a backpacker friendly beach town. In reality the town is about a 3 mile taxi ride from the beach. The town itself is a stretch of buildings lining a busy main road. There are lots of souvenirs shops and in amongst them some gems of boutique artisanal shops, lots of restaurants and the odd cocktail bar. It’s not pretty but it’s functional. We found a decent hotel with a huge bed and after finding out that Rhys’s mum has booked a last minute trip to come out and see us, booked in for 4 nights to wait her arrival. There is a real lack of budget hostels in town and even after being here for 4 days I don’t think we would have stayed at any of the other options. The first day when we arrived we just had a quick explore and dinner before heading to bed.

Our first full day in Tulum, Rhys spent the morning online making plans for his mum. At lunch time we headed out, grabbed a smoothie and a croissant at the bakery and caught a cab to the ruins by the beach. Once we were dropped off we were overwhelmed with the swarms of tourists and tour buses. The ruins are located next to a huge purpose built food/souvenir area and it was horribly busy and very very hot. From the car park you have to walk about a kilometre along a road to get to the ruin entrance and when we got there the queues were so long that we decided to come back another day - only later did we find out it’s free for Mexican’s on Sundays which explains why it was so chaotic. Another kilometre or so down the road and we reached a turnoff for a public beach. It was stunningly beautiful despite the crowds. The sand is powdery and white as white and you’ve never seen a more azul sea. We spent the next couple of hours beach crawling - short walk, swim, sit, drink, repeat. After a taxi back to town we grabbed cheap taco dinner and turned in for the night. 

We were up early the next day for a 7:15am bus to Coba, an hour away. We arrived at the archaeological site just after opening and hired bikes at the entrance to save us walking for miles in the heat as the buildings are all pretty spread out. As we were among the first in the park we pegged it to the furthest and most famous temple first where we could take photos with no one else in. The bike ride itself was great, along little wooded tracks with the sound of birds all around. Once we got to the Nohoch Mul pyramid we climbed the 42m up the stairs to the top for awe inspiring views of the surrounding jungle, the pyramid is taller than any at Chichen Itza and is similar in style to those at Tikal. We spent the next hour dawdling back to the entrance through the other building clusters with the highlight being the ball courts, spotting lots of lizards and butterflies on route. 

After we’d finished with the ruins we headed to the car park entrance where we’d been told we could buy tickets and arrange a taxi to some nearby cenotes. The cab driver dropped us at the first cenote, Multan-Ha and arranged to pick us up later at the third cenote. We were blown away, it was one of the most spectacular sights we’e seen since we’ve been away, a huge underground cavern with no natural light and a crystal clear, bright blue pool. As we were a bit short on time we only had a quick swim before heading out for the 3km walk to the next cenote, Choo-Ha. Choo-Ha was far shallower with an abundance of stalagmites and stalactites and the odd bat, the water was so clear and still that I couldn’t even see it and stepped straight in with my shoes on. After Choo-Ha we headed to the last cenote, Tankah-Ha. This was the only one where we saw other people, not as impressive as Multan-Ha it was still beautiful with deep blue water and little cat fish swimming around. We stayed there for about an hour swimming, snorkeling and floating in rubber rings before it was time to find the taxi to take us back to Coba to catch the 1:30 bus back into Tulum. As it had been an early start we had a relaxed afternoon. Rhys stayed at the hostel to sort things for his mum’s visit and I wandered around the shops stopping at a couple of little cafes.

Seeing the crowds pour into Coba as we left at both the ruins and the cenotes made us realise how important it is in this area of Mexico to be up early to beat the tours. We were in a taxi back to the Tulum ruins by 7:30am and after the kilometre walk, were at the ticket office when it opened at 8am. Once in the site we hurried to the main temple only to find it was closed off for conservation. The whole site was far more manicured and prescriptive than any Mayan site we’ve been to so far. You can’t climb the ruins and there are roped off areas everywhere. That doesn’t take away from it too much though, with the turquoise sea shining in the background it’s still quite a sight. It’s small scale compared to Coba with small compact buildings built mostly after 1200AD. We walked around for an hour watching the hundreds of iguanas as much as the ruins themselves before heading back to the beach. 

Shade is hard to come by unless you want to pay at one of the beach clubs but we found an ideal spot between two little palm trees and set up camp. Rhys walked the length of the beach twice giving me time to chill and read. After a couple of swims and a lot of sun we decided to head back into town just as the weather started to change and the clouds drew in. 

Dock at our  hotel, Casita Carolina, Bacalar.

The beach, Tulum.

Nohoch Mul pyramid, Coba.

View from Nohoch Mul pyramid, Coba.

Rhys swimming in Cenote Multun-Ha, Coba.

Me floating in Cenote Tankah-Ha, Coba.

 Me at the ruins in Tulum.

Me on the beach, Tulum.

Week 46 - Placencia, Hopkins, San Ignacio, Caye Caulker (Belize)

Our alarm went off at 5:30am as we’d intended to head to Maya Centre to visit the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve, an area of jungle forming a national park. After a brief chat we decided it was too early and too hot to be hiking through the jungle so we went back to sleep and woke again a couple of hours later. We left Placencia with a revised plan to head to Hopkins, a small fishing village further up the coast. 

The bus took us most of the way, dropping us at the turnoff from the main road, 4.25 miles from the village. With our backpacks and the heat there was no way we could hike in so we hitchhiked, our first hitchhiking attempt of the whole trip and it went surprisingly well. Once in the village we set about trying to find somewhere to stay with not much luck. As it’s off season a lot of places were closed. Rhys ended up leaving me with the bags and following signs a couple of kilometres out of town to a little place called Kismet. It was a room under a house owned by a hippy lady called Trisha from New York who had been in Hopkins for 9 years. After we had settled in we had a swim in the Caribbean, although it was like bath water and too warm to really be refreshing, before walking along the beach back in to the village. It was quite dirty, not a beach you’d want to sit on with a washed up anteater and numerous chicken heads, it wasn’t really the idyllic little Garifuna fishing village the guide book had led us to believe at all. That night we ate shark cooked by Trisha at Kismet - there weren’t all that many other options nearby.

The next day we decided we’d take one of the canoes down to the lagoon where Trisha had told us we might be lucky enough to see manatees. We didn’t get very far. The canoe had a few holes in and we had to keep stopping to empty it out and the water made it so heavy to steer that we pretty much just zigzagged through the mangrove channels. We stopped and climbed a watchtower with views over the lagoon and the sea before deciding to call it a day and head back along the coast to the hostel. The whole time we were out two of the labradors from the hostel had swam beside us and we were a little scared they’d get eaten by crocodiles but they survived. Back at the hostel we traded the canoe for bikes and set out for Sittee River, a little village near by. The dogs followed us again and as it was midday the sun was relentless. We ended up stopping at a supermarket to buy a bowl and some water to give to the dogs, Taboo, the eldest was struggling so badly to keep up that I thought she was going to have a heart attack. We even had to stop twice to get her in the sea and in a ditch to cool off. We didn’t make it into the village itself but stopped at a nice little bar overlooking the Sittee Marina. After lunch we headed back into Hopkins, there were nicer places to stay with less chicken heads on the Sittee River side of town but nowhere easily accessible for backpackers without a vehicle and there aren’t many places on line so you can’t find out about them before you turn up. Just outside of the village my bike broke and Rhys ended up free wheeling it the last couple of kilometres. The dogs also abandoned us just as we got back into town and we spent the next couple of hours at the hostel worrying that we’d lost them until they arrived home safe tails wagging.

We left Hopkins early the following day to walk back up the dirt track into town to catch the bus to Dangriga. Just outside of Dangriga by the roadside a second bus pulled up and lots of people started swapping to the new bus. One of the locals was kind enough to ask where we were headed and suggest we jump on the second bus too as it was destined for Belmopan, the capital, and would save us an hour going in to and back out of Dangriga. We were surprised at just how small Belmopan was when we arrived, with less than half the population of Port Talbot. We didn’t hang around and after jostling at the gate made it through the crush to get on the bus to San Ignacio. We got to San Ignacio late afternoon and checked into a dirt cheap room with a balcony at Hotel Hi-Et before heading into town to get our bearings. It’s not the prettiest town ever but could be a lot worse. There’s a little pedestrianised street lined with tour operators, bars and restaurants and a little market and plaza. 

Our first full day in San Ignacio was taken up with a tour to the Actun Tunichil Muknal ‘ATM’ caves. It’s one of the most popular things to do in Belize away from the reef and everyone who we’ve met who has done it raved about it - we had high expectations and it sure did meet them. After meeting the other two guys in our group and our guide we drove to the site where we were issued with head torches and helmets. After a short 30 minute hike through the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, along a well marked jungle trail with three river crossings we arrived at the mouth of the cave. We then spent the next hour wading through the crystal clear waters, most of the time it was just knee deep but at a couple of points we had to swim. We passed through huge great cavernous halls and squeezed through gaps in rocks sideways. As we went our guide stopped to tell us some history of the cave and to point out sparkling calcium deposits and other rock formations. When we were about 500metres into the cave we stopped and climbed about 10 metres up the side into another chamber. Straight away we saw pots and ceramics scattered over the floor from Mayan food offerings. We were guided through the cavern, stepping over the pots as we went to sacrificial skeletal remains, one of which was so calcified that it glittered like crystal. The whole experience was pretty spectacular, not morbid at all, more magical. At one point we turned all our torches out and had our guide drumming to us to replicate a Mayan ceremony and it was really quite powerful, you can see why they considered the cave such a sacred place. On the way back out we took a more indirect route, squeezing through tight gaps and climbing between passes. Sadly some idiot managed to drop a camera on one of the skulls causing a fair bit of damage so all cameras are now banned, so we have no photos.

Back in town we spent a couple of hours relaxing at the hostel before heading out to meet up with the two guys from our trip and some people they’d met in Caye Caulker to visit the happy hours on the pedestrianised street.

We had planned to visit the ruins near town the following day but it was dismal weather, rainy and grey and we used that as an excuse to have a chill day, calling home and watching TV in our room. We popped out for a mediocre meal but that was the extent of our activity.

Fully recharged from our chill day we were up early for a chicken bus to Belize City. The bus dropped us at a roundabout on the outskirts of town where we jumped in a taxi to the watertaxi terminal and after a short wait we were on a boat to Caye Caulker. Caye Caulker is a small Caribbean island measuring about 5 miles by 1 mile. There are no vehicles on the island other than a plethora of golf buggies that rocket along the sandy tracks. The place has a real Caribbean vibe but no real beaches just an area called ‘The Split’ with a bar facing out on a shallow strip that flows between the north and south islands. We checked into an amazing little cabana, it was basic but ideal, a little wooden building that was nearly as big as our flat in London with a kitchen area and a dining table, a little home away from home and for a bargainous £15 a night. 

After spending the first afternoon wandering around the island and eating in our lovely little dining room we booked a day trip out to the reef. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef which runs for 900km from Cancun to Honduras includes a 300km stretch off the coast of Belize and is the second longest in the world (the Great Barrier Reef being the longest) and lies just 1 mile off the coast of Caye Caulker. After we boarded our speed boat it took about an hour to get to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, on the way we stopped in the North Channel hoping to spot manatees but with no luck. Once in Hol Chan we donned out snorkel masks and flippers and set off in small groups to follow our guide around a small circuit to see some beautiful, green turtles, bright fish, huge shoals of grouper, the tail of a sleeping moray eel, scary jelly fish and lots of other marine life. After about 45 minutes we were back in the boat for another 20 minutes to take us to Shark Ray Alley. Although it’s a bit controversial as the boat captains feed the sharks sardines to bring them to the boats, we loved it (sorry Tim). The nurse sharks were the biggest sharks we’ve ever seen that close and the biggest was easily 8ft in length with 5 or 6 of them feeding at any one time and swimming under and around the boat. At first it was a bit intimidating when they brushed past us but you soon got used to it and swam with them through the waters. Along with the nurse sharks there were dozens of sting rays that glided around beneath us. After another unsuccessful check in the north channel for manatees we headed to Coral Gardens. Although the fish were far smaller than at the other sites they were brightly coloured and the coral was amazing, huge bushels and fans and antlers. We had one last check for manatees and a quick snorkel while waiting for them before we gave up and headed back to shore, stopping at the mangroves at the north of the island for a rum punch. 

Back in town we were pretty tired and after trying to meet a couple from our boat for a drink and failing (there are no real bars on the island, just restaurants, it was surprisingly quiet) we headed back to make the most of our little cabana.

View over the mangroves from the watch tower, Hopkins.

Main street, Caye Caulker.

Green sea turtle, Hol Chan Marine Park, Caye Caulker.

Nurse sharks, Shark Ray Alley, Caye Caulker.

Coral Gardens, Caye Caulker.

Week 45 - Rio Dulce, Livingston, Placencia (Guatemala, Belize)

After a relaxed breakfast of banana cake and coffee at Finca Ixobel we packed up and walked the 15 minutes to the main road. After an hour we were still sitting at the road side in sweltering heat waiting for a bus. We soon got fed up waiting and ended up flagging a tuk-tuk to take us into Poptun town where we found a bus to Rio Dulce, glad to be on the move at last. It only took a couple of hours before we reached the town. It’s not the most attractive place, just a dusty town lined with market stalls on the edge of Lago de Izabel, the largest lake in the country.

After tracking down some insect repellent we found our way to a bar on the river where they called ahead to our hostel, Casa Perico for a boat to come and collect us. The hostel was perfect, about 1km from the town tucked away in a little side branch of the river and built on wooden walkways over marsh among the trees. By the time we got there it was late afternoon so we just kicked back and enjoyed the atmosphere. Just after dusk Rhys spotted their pet kinkajou climbing up one of the tables, i’ve never seen anything so adorable, like a miniature bear, all fluffy and playful, until you picked him up that is, he was a biter and had extraordinarily sharp teeth - that didn’t stop us playing with him though.

The next morning we headed out on the hostel boat back to Rio Dulce and jumped in a micro to take us 25km around the lake to Finca El Paraiso, the location of one of the country’s most curios natural phenomena. One of the guys working at the Finca met our bus and walked us down to the waterfalls. We changed quickly and jumped in. It was like a natural spa, there’s a waterfall, not a huge waterfall but impressive enough and it’s hot, the water tumbling down into a cold water pool underneath. It was so relaxing to sit under the falls with your legs in the cool pool surrounded by forest. We stayed for just over an hour, long enough for Rhys to climb and jump off the falls, before heading back to the road. The guy working there stood with us and put us on a micro 7km further around the lake to the Boqueron canyon. Along with another couple we jumped in a little boat with a local guy for a short 30 minute paddle through the canyon, it was so peaceful, the vertical canyon walls were up to 250m high in some places and you could hear howler monkeys echoing through the gorge. After the boat trip we caught a micro back to Rio Dulce and grabbed a cheap lunch to eat on the jetty before popping into the bar again to call the boat to come and pick us up to take us back to the hostel. 

We had booked a 1pm boat to pick us up from Casa Perico and take us to Livingston the next day so we had the morning to relax, watching the reflection of the flickering light on the trees around the hostel and the hoards of turtles who lived under the wooden gangways. Our boat was about an hour late but eventually it turned up and we were on our way. Although it was hailed as a ‘tour’ it wasn’t really anything more exciting than a water taxi ride, we took 5 minutes to stop and admire some lilypads and a 20 minute break at a little restaurant with a random hot water spring before pulling into the pier at Livingston. We headed straight to Casa Rosada, a hostel we’d seen advertised everywhere and luckily got the last room. Livingston is so different to everywhere else in Guatemala, it’s reachable only by boat and has a large Garifuna population and a real Caribbean vibe. The Garifuna trace their heritage back to two Spanish ships wrecked in the Eastern Caribbean in 1635, carrying slaves from Nigeria to America. Although we didn’t love the village itself, it’s abit scruffy and has abit of an edge to it, we had another great hostel and happily whiled away the evening and the next day reading/playing on the computer/drinking rum and chilling in the hammocks in the little hut at the end of the pier over the water. 

The first night in Livingston we ended up in a nearby restaurant for pizza with a couple we’d met on the boat. As a storm rolled in we ended up getting trapped and staying there drinking hoping the rain would stop, in the end we just had to make a run for it. The next day we didn’t venture far from the hostel. That night I ate alone at the hostel and had a local specialty seafood soup called tapado. It came with a whole crab, prawns and a whole fish, it took an age to wade through it all.

We were up early to leave Livingston and Guatemala for a water taxi to Puerto Barrios 30 minutes away. Once there one of the guys working at the port took us to a little ticket office 5 minutes away where we bought our ticket to Punta Gorda in Belize and then directed us to immigration. We then had a couple of hours to wait until the boat left. There’s not much near the port in Puerto Barrios and after a smoothie there was nothing to do but wait. Finally the boat arrived and along with every other gringo in town (and even then there was only 20 of us) we boarded ready to cross in to Belize. We were sad to leave Guatemala, I think we would both agree it has been our favourite country so far. It’s cheap, the people are so friendly and it is stunningly beautiful.

The boat ride was an experience in itself. The sea was far from choppy but we still got bounced about in the little boat on the open water and were pretty glad when we got into port. Immigration was pretty easy and we managed to catch a 12 noon bus directly to Independence from where we caught the Hokey Pokey water taxi to Placencia, our first stop. It turned out most people on our boat were stopping in Placencia too and we’ve been bumping in to them for the last couple of days. We checked in to yet another great hostel, Lydias Guesthouse, where everything is sparkly clean and we have a view of the Caribbean sea from the veranda outside our room. As it was baking hot when we arrived our first priority was a swim. We headed to the beach and were a little disappointed to see that the storms had brought in a lot of seaweed scattered all across the coarse granular sand. We walked to the end, had a dip in a sheltered bit of the cove with less seaweed and wandered back to the hostel along the ‘sidewalk’ a concrete path that runs through the centre of the village and acts as the main thoroughfare lined with brightly coloured wooden hotels, bars, touristy shops and tour offices. 

The village is very ‘americanised’, English is the first language in Belize, the first country in 10 months where we can understand everyone and it’s abit overwhelming, you can read all the signs, chat with the locals and understand all the conversations you can overhear. As an ex-British colony you can buy all kinds of home comforts in the grocery stores, in the three days we’ve been here we’ve had salt and vinegar Pringles, Dr Pepper, baked beans and corn beef! It feels like we’re on holiday everything just suddenly got alot easier but less of an adventure at the same time.

Our first full day in Placencia we headed to a sandy spit for a couple of hours and Rhys made friends with a local kid who was fishing off the pier. After buying his own reel, hooks and a bag of prawns he spent the next couple of hours with the kid fishing. We wandered back to the hostel for lunch then headed back out again to walk along the beach in the other direction before heading back to the spit for Rhys to fish and for me to read on the beach and swim. 

The next day was much the same, Rhys bought some smaller hooks and more prawns and spent a couple of hours fishing off the pier with far more success than the previous day, catching over 20 fish of different types. After lunch at the hostel I left Rhys on the computer and went back to the beach where he joined me later for a swim before heading back to the pier for more fishing. There are loads of trips you can do from here but they’re all pretty expensive and to be honest we’re enjoying just sitting around relaxing in the sun and it is so so hot that the thought of going for a long walk or a bike ride/kayak isn’t all that appealing.

Toto the Kinkajou chewing on my knuckles, Rio Dulce.

Rhys enjoying the hot spring waterfall at Finca El Paraiso.

Canyon Boqueron, Lago de Izabel.

Lilypads on the boat trip to Livingston, Rio Dulce.

The beach on the spit, Placencia.

Rhys fishing from the pier, Placencia.

Week 44 - Lanquin, Chisec, Flores, Finca Ixobel (Guatemala)

We felt a little worse for wears after a night of cuba libres and spent the morning relaxing in the gardens of El Retiro, by the river. Around lunchtime we ventured in to town for ice cream before heading back to the lodge for a 2pm tubing session. We were picked up in a truck and driven back to the Grutas de Lanquin where we climbed in our tubes and began our trip down river, beer in hand. The current is pretty strong and you get swept along at quite a pace, every now and then having to paddle at speed away from a fallen tree or overhanging branch. We had a good group of people, including the Kiwi’s Louise and Jason, and had a great laugh. At the lodge that night things were a little quieter. After watching the bats from the cave whizzing down the river next to the restaurant we ate, played poker and had an early night.

Rhys was up stupidly early and was nagging me to get up and pack so we could leave and head to our next stop. We walked to the bridge in the village and after about half an hour managed to catch a micro back to Coban. This time we had space and the seats weren’t broken so we traveled in relative comfort. Once in Coban we asked a few locals and a policeman and found ourselves at a bus park where we caught another micro to Chisec, our journey only held up by the passing of the president and her entourage. We checked in to a hotel and headed into the town to explore and use the internet (we’ve had very limited access for a while now). There wasn’t much to the place and even the main plaza was pretty plain but it was a necessary stop over since we wanted to visit B’omb’il Pek. That night we ate at a little local place and had one of the best meals we’ve had in a while for a bargain £1.70 including a bottle of Coke.

We left the hotel early to squeeze in a trip to B’omb’il Pek before check out - a sink hole that you can rappel into and a cave with ancient rock paintings in. We caught a micro heading out of town and asked to be dropped off at the site. Having read the guide book we expected there to be an office or something on the main road and were a little surprised to find only a sign and an open gate. Nethertheless we took the path and walked for about 25mins through woodland and maize fields trying to find the office where you could organise guides (you can only visit on guided tour). After reaching a plague of mosquitoes we decided it was getting a bit silly and turned back. Finally we ran into some locals and worked out that we needed to head back to the main road and walk to a local community to get a guide. We walked a little way, realised we still had no idea where we were going and gave up, we’d already spent over an hour trying to find the office and didn’t fancy retracing our steps with a guide - it’s just a shame we didn’t continue for another 20 minutes along the path as we would have reached it anyhow by ourselves. Back at the hotel we packed our bags and waited on the main road for a micro to Raxruja. 

We originally wanted to stop on Raxruja to tube through the Los Nacimientos cave system but having decided that the chances of us getting the group of 4 together necessary for the tour to go ahead were slim (we’d already checked ahead with the tour guide earlier in the week to see how busy they’d been lately), we planned to head straight to Flores. Luckily for us the next bus that passed Chisec actually went all the way to Sayaxche which meant one less buss change for us. Once in Sayaxche we hopped on a little boat for the short trip across the Rio Pasion and found a bus to Santa Elena waiting on the other side. Another couple of hours later and we were at the bus terminal in Santa Elena. We loaded our bags into a tuk tuk and headed off, across the causeway to the tiny island of Flores. First we checked into a well known hostel called Los Amigos. After we’d thought it through though, we figured our platform room, above the bar and without walls was a bad idea and would offer little protection from mosquitoes. We repacked our bags, bearing in mind how badly Rhys reacts to mosquito bites, and headed to a different hostel across town where for the same price we had a private bathroom, room for four people and four walls. As soon as we’d checked in we heard Jason laughing in the street outside and popped out to say hello and make arrangements for a drink later that evening. 

Flores is a small island in Lago de Peten Itza with a slow pace and laid back atmosphere. We spent an hour or so walking around the island and poking our heads in the various bars and restaurants before stopping at a roof terrace eatery for a quick dinner. After food, we headed to Louise and Jason’s hostel and then onto a cheap bar, Tipico, they’d discovered the night before where you could get 2 mojitos for a bargain £1.30 - highly recommended not only for the cheap drinks but the super friendly and welcoming bar staff and the lake view. Since we’d all booked on to a 4:30am trip to Tikal the following day we didn’t stay out late.

It was an early start for our Tikal trip. We’d decided to skip the sunrise trip which costs significantly more and means you arrive with hoards of other tourists to sit at the top of the same temple, and opted to get there as soon as the gates opened to the public at 6am. Tikal is a vast Maya site dominated by six giant, pyramid shape temples, the largest being a height of 64 metres, scattered in dense jungle. Among these main temples there are ruins of literally thousands of other structures, some uncovered or peeking out from between giant roots and some discernible only as tree covered mounds. The first known settlement at Tikal was in 900BC with the city reaching it’s height in 700-800AD when the five great temples were built. By 1000AD Tikal was abandoned only to be ‘officially’ rediscovered in 1848AD. 

We had a great guide who fed us just enough info and gave us plenty of time to explore each area by ourselves before moving to the next complex. The tour finished after 4 hours at the base of Temple IV. After climbing a wooden staircase wrapping around the temple we emerged at the top where the views across the jungle covered park were spectacular with the cones of other pyramids just breaking through above the tree line, accompanied by the sound of howler monkeys it really was quite incredible. Along with Louise and Jason we then spent another couple of hours wandering around some of the smaller areas, climbing temples, admiring stelae and looking out for wildlife before catching a 12:30 shuttle back in to Flores. The whole place had been spellbinding and being able to actually climb most of the structures and temples, even having some to ourselves due to our early arrival time made you feel like an intrepid explorer.

Back in town, after finding out our new nephew had arrived that morning and meeting him on Skype, we spent the afternoon relaxing with a quick dip in the lake to cool off before meeting Louise and Jason back at Tipico for more cheap drinks, joined by Lewis (who we met in Lanquin) and his mate Nick. After a while we decided to head to the Plaza for some amazingly cheap taco/burrito combos before returning to the lake for a late night swim, bombing contest and other water based frivolities.

We spent the best part of the next morning in our room catching up on sleep and chilling. Rhys headed across the causeway for a Burger King and I sat in the plaza with another taco/burrito combo before heading out for a short boat ride across the lake to San Miguel on the Peninsula Tayasal. With very brief and bare instructions we found our way along some peaceful country tracks up to a mirador with spectacular views out across the lake before continuing along another track to Playita El Chechenal where we found Jason, Louise and Lewis. After a swim in the clear water of the lake we walked back to San Miguel just as the heavens opened and took refuge in the mirador shelter. We slipped and slid our way back to the dock and caught a boat back to Flores. That evening we ate at a lovely little restaurant over looking the lake before meeting up with the Kiwis one last time to say our goodbyes and repeat our promises to catch up in Melbourne. As we were all pretty tired and they had an early bus we didn’t stay out long and turned in for the night.

The next morning we packed our bags before heading out to a little cafe called Cool Beans with a lovely tropical garden on the lake for breakfast. It was very peaceful and a great start to the day. Back at the hotel we checked out out and flagged a tuk tuk to take us to the bus station in Santa Elena. Straight away we managed to get a micro to Poptun and arranged to pay a little extra for the micro to continue a further 4km past Poptun to drop us at Finca Ixobel. We checked in to a little tree house with no electric and headed out to explore. The finca is a working farm surrounded by pine forests in the foothills of the Maya mountains. There are a couple of self guided trails and we decided to tackle the ‘Pyramid’. It wasn’t so much a walk as a rock climb. We scrambled up the face of an extremely steep pyramid shaped hill only to find that the trees at the top blocked most of the view (otherwise it would have been beautiful). After the Pyramid we stopped by the natural lagoon for Rhys to swim and spotted a few toucans. When we got back to our treehouse the family in the accommodation next door had their music blaring and we ended up asking to move to the other treehouse located at the very bottom of the field surrounded by trees and giant spiders. After sitting on the veranda for a while we headed to the main building for dinner and slept with the sound of the forest and our creaking treehouse.

This morning we were up early and headed to the main building to wait for our guide for a short 45 minute walk to the Ixobel caves. After waiting 30 minutes for another family to eat breakfast we finally set off. The walk was pretty, through lush green fields and woodland and the sun was shining. We arrived at the caves and spent about an hour exploring and admiring the stalagmites and stalactites and the little limestone ridged pools before heading back to the finca. It was pleasant but not mind-blowing. After hand-washing all our laundry we ate lunch and relaxed at the main building and are now enjoying the hammock and the veranda at our treehouse before dinner.

Temples at Tikal in the central plaza.

Tarantula in Tikal.

View from Temple IV with Louise and Jason, Tikal.

Me on top of a temple, Tikal

Bombing contest, Flores.

View of Flores from Peninsula Tayasal.

Our treehouse, Finca Ixobel, Poptun.

Hike to Cuevas Ixobel, Finca Ixobel, Poptun.

Week 43 - Xela, Coban, Lanquin (Guatemala)

After a tuk tuk ride to the bus stop to leave San Pedro La Laguna, we wished we had explored further than the lakeside tourist streets into the town during our stay. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We didn’t fall in love with San Pedro as some people seem to but enjoyed our stay and the western bars and restaurants.

The bus journey was straight forward with a direct chicken bus to Quetzaltenango, known to everyone as Xela (pronounced Shey-la). We checked into a decent hostel with a lovely courtyard and amazing roof terrace views over the city and went out to explore. The main square of Xela is quite attractive with columns and band stands but there’s not much else to see. Rhys popped in to MacDonalds for lunch and I went to a coffee shop next door then we headed to the market to buy ingredients for dinner. Buying food from the markets is always a great experience, the people are so helpful and friendly and it’s as novel for them to see you shop there as it is for you to go there. We ate dinner on the roof terrace before watching a film and heading to bed.

The next day we were up early and headed to the plaza to find a taxi to the Minerva bus station. Our taxi driver helpfully dropped us off next to the bus to Retalhuleu and we hopped on for the hour and a half ride to Xocomil (pronounced Shoc-co-meel), the biggest water park in Central America. Having told the conductor where we wanted to get off they stopped by the roadside seemingly in the middle of nowhere and shooed us off the bus. There were no signs along the road and nothing at the main gate other than a car park entrance to suggest we’d reached Xocomil. After tentatively asking the car park attendant if it was the right place he happily allowed us in and pointed us in the direction of the ticket office. It was 9:30am on a Thursday and the park had just opened. The massive car park was empty but for 4 buses and about 20 cars (and wouldn’t get any fuller all day). We paid our Q100 entrance (about £9) and headed to the changing rooms. It was brilliant and wouldn’t have been out of place in Europe or North America, it was incredibly clean and well maintained. There must have been about 20 different slides, some that we went on together on blow up rings, one that we raced down with foam mats, one that was like a giant toilet bowl, one that was like an inflatable log flume, one with a capsule and a trapdoor that was incredibly steep and of course the obligatory lazy river. We spent 4 hours at the park stopping only to gulp down our picnic. We left about 2pm and caught a bus back to Xela. From the terminal we walked back into town and back to the hostel. 

We were up early again the following day for another early bus, this time to San Francisco El Alto for the Friday market. Supposedly the largest market in Central America you could buy absolutely anything. We were the only gringos we saw the whole time we were there and passed a couple of hours strolling through the food stalls and wandering around the animal field full of pigs, cows, multi coloured chickens and puppies, all thrown in sacks when bought and tossed over the buyers shoulder. Then we ventured into the haberdashery section to admire the cloth and after finding out how expensive some of it was we discovered a bargainous piece that we couldn’t resist and will make a beautiful bead throw when we get home. We ate lunch from a street stall before jumping on a chicken bus back in to Xela. After stopping at the market to buy food to cook for dinner we headed back to the hostel to enjoy the roof terrace and the views over the city and the hills beyond.

Another early start and we were at the bus station and on a bus by 7:45am heading to Huehuetenango. From Huhue we caught another bus to Sacapulas. Our next bus took us as far as Uspantan and the final bus, a micro took us to our destination Coban. The last leg of the journey was hellish, we were squashed in the back row of a minibus with two other people, Rhys had someone leaning on his legs for the 3 hours and I had half a seat and my shoulder out the window because there wasn’t enough room in the van. It was a tough trip. We got to Coban after dark and jumped in a cab to a hotel we’d been recommended only to find it was full. Luckily the owner called ahead to another couple of places and found us a bed at Casa Acuna. It was a blessing in disguise. The hostel was beautiful. The rooms were ok but the restaurant in the courtyard was stunning and wouldn’t have been out of place in Antigua, a little candlelit courtyard scattered with orchids and a little fountain. As we’d had such a hideous journey we treated ourselves to a meal in the restaurant before heading to bed for an early night. 

The next morning we relaxed in the hostel before heading out to explore the town. Coban is pretty small and there wasn’t much to see. We walked around the square and stumbled across a beautiful park on the edge of town with massive trees and a little lake. Next we headed to the shopping mall where we grabbed lunch and bought some new shoes, a real treat! Back at the hostel we chilled in some armchairs, enjoyed some great coffee and cake in the restaurant and generally kicked back recovering from the hideous journey the day before. 

After a walk across town with our bags and a couple of kind locals we found the stop for micros to Lanquin. The trip wasn’t as bad ass the previous day although the last 11km of the road was unpaved and pretty bumpy. In Lanquin we headed straight for El Retiro a lovely hostel right on the river with little huts spread around the garden. We checked in to a little hut with a river view and booked on to a trip that night to the Grutas de Lanquin, a bat cave tour. 

We left the hostel for the short drive in the back of a truck out of town to the cave entrance. Once there we spent an hour or so exploring the caves with our guide. They were massive and very impressive. We slipped and slid our way around through the bat poo to see weird and wonderful rock formations and spider-scorpions before squeezing through a crevice and heading back to the mouth of the cave. We chose our perches and settled down to wait for dusk and the exodus of the bats. It was incredible, i’ve never seen so many bats, they swoop around you and dive out of the cave and you can feel the wind as they whistle by. After about half an hour we headed back to the hostel for buffet dinner in the lodge bar.

Despite the storm that had been raging all night we woke and decided we’d risk going on the Semuc Champey tour. We had intended to visit the park by ourselves but once we realised just how much hassle that was going to be with the lack of public transport and Spanish skills we decided to join the daily tour from the hostel. After moving into a 14 bed dorm because they’d double booked and were trying to make us take an ‘upgrade’ to a horrid concrete room away from the river, we left at 9am, again in the back of a truck for the 12km bumpy journey to the park. About 3km from the entrance we drew to a halt behind a number of other trucks carrying tourists. A tree had fallen across the road and the locals were trying to clear it with nothing but their machetes. After watching for 20 mins we decided we’d walk the remainder of the way int he hope of getting to the Kan’Ba caves before all the other trucks. A few hundred metres down the road and our guide unexpectedly veered off into the fields for 25 mins of cross country walking. This would have been fine but the rains meant it was ridiculously muddy and Rhys only had his birkenstocks on. Finally, after a lot of cursing we made it to the caves, just at the same time that all the trucks arrived - someone had turned up with an axe and made short work of clearing the tree. The cave tour started with the guides handing out candles before we waded in to the river in the cave holding them aloft. At some points you can’t touch the bottom and have to swim and at others you’re clinging on the the sharp rocks and the odd rope trying not to be swept downstream. There were a few slides and a jump and then we were back out in the daylight. It had the potential to be a really good trip but as all the trucks had arrived together it was a bit crowded and noisy with lots of people telling you to ‘vamos’ (let’s go!!!) all the time to speed things along. Before we left the cave place we stopped at a big swing over the river that you flew off and winded yourself when you hit the water and then we did a pointless 2 minutes of tubing. 

Our next stop was the Parque Nacional Semuc Champey, one of the biggest tourist draws of Guatemala but suprisingly out of the way and uncrowded still. The park shelters a series of idyllic turquoise pools that have formed on the top of a suspended limestone bridge carved by the Rio Cahabon that disappears underground emerging at the other end of the staircase of pools. First we headed up through the dense jungle to the top of the gorge to the mirador to admire the pools from above before descending to see where the river rushes under the bridge. Then it was time to swim. Unfortunately we only had about an hour in the pools and could easily have spent a whole day there but it was enough time to try out the natural water slides and to swim through a tiny cave behind a waterfall and to generally admire the place. Once back in the car park to wait for our truck the heavens opened, we had been incredibly lucky and had amazing weather while in the park. Back at the lodge we showered and spent the evening in the bar drinking a few too many Cuba Libres with Lou and Jason, a lovely Kiwi couple who had been on our tour.

Xocomil waterpark, near Xela.

Chicken buses at the 'terminal' in Xela.

San Francisco El Alto market, near Xela.

Ducks for sale, man bargaining at San Francisco El Alto market.

Rhys in the Grutas de Lanquin.

Exodus of the bats, Grutas de Lanquin.

Us with our candles in the Kan'Ba Caves.

Us at the mirador overlooking Semuc Champey.