Tulum

I have been in Tulum for about four days and am leaving today at noon to go to Mérida. I went to see the ruins a couple of days ago. They were very crowded but still beautiful. This is a very touristy area, so I am going on a hunt to find a quiet area somewhere that is inexpensive and I can hole up for a bit.

I went scuba diving yesterday in one of the Cenotes - dos ojos. It was AMAZING. It was alot nicer to dive in fresh water. Didn´t need as much weight which made a big difference. It was also very cool to see all the stalagmites and stalagtites under the water. I did two dives. The first one my mask was really foggy so I couldn´t see a whole lot. But in the second one the visibility was amazing since the water is so clear.

For the people who wouldn´t answer my phone calls...

...I shall try again.

I spent a day longer in Caye Caulker then I thought I would. I came to Tulum with an Israeli girl that I met there. It´s pouring though so we are not up to much for now. We have plans to rent bikes and go to see the ruins. I also want to go diving in the cenotes. It´s not too expensive and I spoke to someone last night who said that it was amazing and like nothing he has seen before! So I think I definitely need to give it a try!

A Week In Paradise - Cayo y Caye Caulker

Last week, I took a bus from Flores to the Guatemalan border with a couple of people I met at the hostel. We spent the night in San Ignacio since mom and co were delayed 24 hours. I met up with them the next afternoon, they came to pick me up in San Ignacio and we then drove to the Hidden Valley Inn on a rather bumpy road. It was a fantastic hotel - I felt very spoiled after my week in the nice places I have been staying. We went to see Caracol the next day - some mayan ruins "near" by, It was a rather long trip on a very bumpy road and we got a puncture. So the soldiers escorting us to the sight helped change the tire. On our last day in Cayo, we went on a really nice walk through the forest and saw several waterfalls.

Then we drove to Belize City and returned the car. From there we took a water taxi to Caye Caulker where I still am. While mom and co were here the weather wasn't all that great, but we still went on a two tank dive then a snorkeling trip the next day. The diving was very good and I got to see my turtle as well as loads of other wildlife!!!

I am staying in a hostel on the north end of the island. It isn't all that night but there are a bunch of people around so it's okay. It's warmed up alot and the sun is out. Very Very Very hot!!! I haven't really been up to all that much. Today is my laundry / interneting day before hopefully heading into Tulum, Mexico tomorrow with an Israeli girl that is staying at the hostel.

Flores - San Ignacio

Have made my way here on a pretty uneventful journey and am waiting for mum, Oliver and John to pick me up. I wasn't able to make it to the hotel last night, but stayed in San Ignacio with a couple of people I met in Flores!

Coban - Flores

I have been in Flores for three days, and am about to leave to head back into Belize to wait for mom. The bus from Coban to Flores was early in the morning and very crowded. We hit a pig (or possibly a big dog) on the way and was otherwise uneventful. I am staying in a hostel called Los Amigos which has a vegetarian restaurant. SO lovely was getting a bit sick of veggie tacos and bean sandwiches.

My first full day I went to Tikal, some mayan ruins that are pretty nearby. They were much more impressive than the ones in Honduras. There was one temple that you can climb up to. The stairs are almost vertical - it was a lot scarier then it looked. Going down was the worst, but I made it!

Yesterday I did some laundry and had a fairly relaxed day. I rented a canoe with a few people and we canoed over to a town called San Miguel. You can hike up to a view point and get a pretty good look at things.

My Day In Coban...

...was pretty uneventful. I have been exhausted all day, and am feeling like I may be coming down with something. I walked around a bit and stumbled accross the cinema where I saw inglorious bastards again. Not bad for just under $1.50. I was also the only person in the cinema. They stop it halfway through to change the reels and it was a little out of focus but still enjoyable. I then went to get my dinner from the supermarket: ingredients to make refried bean sandwiches, yummy!!

Am leaving for Flores at 6am tomorrow morning. Wish I was up to doing something more in Coban but don't really and I need to keep making my way towards Belize!

Xela - Coban: I now know what crowded really means

I left Xela early yesterday morning, around seven and caught a chicken bus to Huehuetenango. It was a fairly easy ride and only took a couple of hours. The seats were full and slightly overflowing, but I only had one person next to me so it wasn't to bad. the chicken buses in Guatemala are brightly painted old school buses. I have heard some people say that they have seen chickens on them, but I have yet too. However when I was waiting for someone to get my back pack off the top of the bus they brought down a few shallow buckets that had two or three turkeys tied inside them.

After that I had to catch three more mini vans until I got to Coban. One was so crowded that the only place I could sit was on top of the engine (I think), it was super hot and I had to sit on a newspaper and my sweater and I thought I could smell my trousers burning. These buses have seats for 15 people, but on the ones I went on there was rarely less than 21. I decided to make my way straight to Coban instead of passing through Antigua and spending the night to save time and money. I don't think I saved either. It took me about 12 or 13 hours and cost 85Q (a little over $10).

I am spending the day in Coban, but am too tired to really do much. I slept about fourteen hours last night and still feel exhausted and am ready for a nap. Am planning on heading to Flores tomorrow, I am just debating whether I will take Chicken Buses or a shuttle.

Antigua - San Pedro - Xela

After spending some time in copan ruines, we took a shuttle to Antigua where we spent about three days and by the end of that I was definitely ready to leave. It was a nice little town and looked very different than the other places I had seen, but I quickly got annoyed with all the pollution and traffic, not like the rest of Guatemala is much better. The highlight was walking to the top of an active volcano. It was definitely a hike and at the top you could feel how hot the rocks were. I stepped on one which wasn´t as solid as it looked and when my foot fell through I could feel how hot it was. I made it safely down with only a few minor scrapes and such, which for me is pretty good going.

From there, we took a nice bus to panajachel which is on Lake Atitilan. We took a boat to San Pedro and spent another three days or so. It was relaxing and quiet. I went kayaking on the Lake and did Laundry (not for the first time). Also got to see a couple of movies that were playing in various bars and restaurants. Saw Taxi Driver for the first time which was pretty good.

From San Pedro we took a boat back to Panajachel then I got my first chicken bus experience. I was definitely pretty lucky with that. Things went quickly and weren´t two crowded. They are all old US school buses where when crowded three people will sit in each seat. I have experienced some which were crowded, but luckily only for short trips. I think we took three in total to get to Quetzaltenango (or Xela) which is where I have been since Wednesday.

Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala, the biggest being Guatemala City. A lot of people come here to study Spanish and stay with a host family. I would have done that if I had more time. I am staying in a hostel type place which has been built onto a family´s house so in a way it is like a homestay. We share there kitchen and other areas.

Xela has been alot of fun. One day we took a chicken bus to one of the nearby towns where we then went up to the hot springs. They were about 8km up, but we walked down nad it was really nice. Yesterday we took a super crowded chicken bus to the oldest church in central America. It was built in 1524! Couldn´t go inside but it was still interesting to see. I was suprised by how old it was considering there were many colonies around the time, must have been one of the first things they did when they got here. You could tell that it was quite elaborate at one point. Yesterday afternoon we went to the cinema and saw a haunting in conneticut. It was a nice luxury to have. There is a big mall here with all sort of things. Today we hiked up a hill which had a park at the top and some concrete slides. I don´t think many tourists knew about it, but Mike has been here before so he showed me where it was. Didn´t go down the slides though, because there were so many children.

I am going to be in Xela until Wednesday. The plan is to go to Flores from here so I can go and see the Mayan ruins in Tikal before going back up to Belize to see mom and Co.