Goodbye Cancun

My last day in Mexico! I tried to sleep in, but after all the early mornings it didn't work too well! I had a relaxing breakfast a the hotel, went to the internet shop next door to check-in for my flight home, then went with P to get massages! It was a very relaxing end to a sometimes hectic trip. P, A, and B were all on the same flight which left just a few minutes before mine, so we got a taxi together to the airport. P, A, and B had a long line at their airline desk while I didn't have any, so I went through security and waited for them there. After snacking on expensive airport food, we said our goodbyes and boarded our flights.

The flight home was uneventful, but I think from now on Mom and Dad will be adding an extra half hour to their pick-up time. I always have trouble getting back into Canada and even had my bags searched this time! I guess I didn't fit in with all the other people returning from the resorts!

Tulum

This was our last day together as a group, but there weren't any planned activities. Most of us wanted to see the ruins at Tulum, so got together in the morning and found a group taxi van to drive us to the ruins. The place was crawling with resort tourists and iguanas, and after all the much more impressive ruins we had seen, we all seemed more fascinated with the iguanas than with anything else! One of the reasons to visit Tulum is to swim at the beaches in the park, but the stairs down to the main beach were closed and the surf was really high, so we only looked down at the beach. After about an hour we were hot, tired and hungry, so found another group bus and went back to the hotel. We spent the afternoon lazing around in the hotel pool then went out for a fancy "last night" dinner followed by a few drinks. I went back to the hotel with part of the group early in the evening, but the others stumbled home the next morning.

Playa del Carmen

Back to Mexico today! We decided to pay a few extra dollars and take the water taxi back to Mexico - a 3 hours trip by boat instead of and hour by boat and then 5 hours by old school bus! The only problem was that the water was rough - the boat kept slapping down which got really tiring and really annoying pretty quickly.

We got through customs into Mexico without too many problems - still not a "normal" border check point (a table under a shelter at the end of a dock), but it seemed a lot more official that the other borders we had crossed. It was also interesting to watch the drug dogs go over all our luggage, including hand luggage, searching for drugs. Then it was back on the wonderfully cold ADO buses north to Playa del Carmen, our final stop on this trip. The drive up wasn't too interesting, except for the thousands of butterflies over the highway and being able to see the massive resort complexes along the coast.

After finally finding our hotel (we arrived in a different bus station than S thought we were at), we went out for a simple Mexican supper, then walked downtown. It was too touristy for me and so expensive compared to everywhere else we had been! We had a few drinks at a cheesy tourist bar that had a nice view, then went back to the hotel.

Caye Caulker

I spent our second day on Caye Caulker just relaxing, which is what most of the group did. I took my time getting ready, had a relaxing breakfast at the restaurant across the street, walked most of the island with M, watched a movie on the TV, then finally got to see a sunset that wasn't hidden by clouds! There are a few interesting things about Caye Caulker. One is that none of the roads are paved - it's all sand! Also, there are only a few trucks on the island, it's mostly just golf carts and bikes. And finally, by the third evening, you know exactly when the "cake man" and the kid on the bike come around to sell their (or in the case the the kid, his mom's) baking - and it's fresh, cheap, and delicious!

Swimming with the Fish ... and the Sharks and the Stingrays

Along with most of the group, I decided to do the full day snorkel trip to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve north of Caye Caulker. We loaded up our sail boat, then headed out to sea - our captain relaxing in the back of the boat leaning against the rudder and the guide cutting up shrimp and limes for ceviche.

Our first stop was outside of the marine reserve so that we could get used to snorkeling and swimming with the fins. There was some coral and a few small colourful fish - about the same quality and quantity as when I went snorkeling in the Dominican Republic.

Our second stop was at a place called "Shark and Stingray Alley" and the name doesn't lie! After we dropped anchor, the captain threw bait over the side and a bunch of large fish appeared. Soon after, a group of nurse sharks chased them away and started fighting over the food. Once the feeding frenzy had died down, we got out of the boat (the side opposite where the bait was being thrown) and into the water. I was the first one in and the first one around to the other side of the boat, looking at the masses of fish under the boat, when all of a sudden they turned and came at me. What I didn't realize is that the captain was throwing bait around me! It freaked me out a bit - some warning would have been nice! The guide is known by one of the stingrays (who appeared after we got in) and the stingray came right up into his arms to be held and let us touch him.

We separated into two groups and set off to see if we could find a sea turtle. We found a few, but weren't able to get too close to them - they are amazingly fast under water! We saw a lot of different types of fish, too, with the guide pointing out them out and telling us what they all were called. Then it was back to the boat for lunch while we sailed to the third spot.

The final spot was AMAZING! Unfortunately, nobody brought or rented a waterproof camera so I don't have any pictures, but it was just like what you would see in a National Geographic film or in a tropical fish tank at an aquarium. There were large schools of fish, more rays, turtles, moray eels, sharks, barracudas ... it was awesome! There was also a lot more coral in this area, though most of it was grey and brown, the beautiful coloured and textured coral is in a different area of the reef. We got back on the boat and had ceviche with nachos and a LOT of rum punch was drunk. My stomach isn't a fan of the ocean, so I was avoiding the punch, but the rest of the group had a lot to drink on the way home!

We spend the rest of the evening relaxing on the island, watching the sunset and later hanging out at the reggae bar. The island isn't that big, so there aren't that many places to go.

Journey to Caye Caulker

We got up early AGAIN today (the last early morning for a while luckily) and caught a chicken bus to Belize City. It was MUCH better than the Guatemalan chicken buses - a lot less crowded and it felt safer. The only problem we had was at the police checkpoints - the police only allow 2 people per bench and since the bus was full (with 3 people to a bench in some spots), tried to kick S and D off the bus! We got to Belize City late so missed our water taxi, but since a bunch of us needed the bathroom and there aren't any on the boat (and the ride takes about an hour), it was probably a good thing that we missed it! We only had to wait an hour and a half for the next one, so it wasn't too bad. After a lunch that took forever to arrive (I guess the took the "Go Slow" motto to heart), we were told about the various snorkeling and scuba trips we could take. We then made our way to the split (the north part of the island where it split from what used to be the other half of the island before a hurricane split it in two) to check out the not great beach, but wonderfully warm and clear water.

We stayed at the beach until sunset, then cleaned up, went out for a fish supper on the beach, and spent the rest of the evening at a reggae bar swinging on swings or in hammocks. Sweet!

Our hotel wasn't very good - the shower leaked and the taps didn't work properly - but at least we had a gecko in our bathroom to eat any bugs that made there way in. You can't tell in the picture, but he was about 15 cm long!

Actun Tunichil Mukal Cave

This morning, most of our group got up early and went to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave. We were the second van to get to the parking lot, but started the hike before the other group and raced down the trail to the cave. The hike took about 20 minutes was pretty nice, except that 2 minutes into it we had to ford across the river and, well, waterproof boots don't just keep water out, they also keep it in! So, we sloshed the rest of the way to the cave, crossing the river two more times along the way, just to make sure out feet stayed wet. The opening of the cave was really pretty - crystal clear water, lots of greenery, small fish swimming everywhere. We loaded up the dry-bag with our cameras, put on our helmets and head lamps, and got in the water. The water is about 5 metres deep at the entrance, so we had to swim the first few meters into the cave. It was the first time I had ever swam while wearing hiking boots - not recommended for speed or endurance! We hiked, climbed, and swam about 600 metres into the cave, then climbed up a ledge to the dry part of the cave. From here on, we where in socks to protect the rocks from wear and from the oils on our feet. Just past where we left our shoes, we came to a massive chamber filled with broken pottery, left there broken by the Maya almost 2000 years ago! There was nothing to prevent us from touching or accidentally stepping on items, just a piece of orange tape on the ground to mark out a path.

Further into the cave was a chamber filled with sparkling stalagmites and stalactites. Finally, near the end of the cave, we climbed up a shaky aluminium ladder (tied in place) to the place where the "crystal maiden" lays - a calcified skeleton of a women sacrificed over 1000 years ago!

Leaving the cave we passed a lot of groups making their way in and were really grateful to have been the first visitors this morning and having had the cave to ourselves - the darkness and silence unspoilt. We had lunch at the exit of the cave, then made our way back to the hotel. I spent the afternoon relaxing in my cabin (I had my own room this time) and doing a bit of laundry. It was too hot to do much more exploring, though some people went of to see more Mayan ruins. We had supper in town and I went to bed early - too many early mornings!

San Ignacio

Off to Belize today! Leaving Guatemala was simple - S collected our passports and the money needed to exit the country and did all the work for us.Belize was a bit more "normal" - we filled in our own forms and actually talked to an immigration officer! It was pretty slow, though, since they didn't have any computers so were writing down all our passport information by hand. After immigration, there was only a something to declare line, so I waited for another group member to come before going through. I think they thought M was my dad - they asked him questions but waved me through with him! It was only about an hour drive to San Ignacio where we had lunch and then listened to a guide operator tell us some of the activities that were available in the area. About 8 of us decided to do the river tubing, but since no-one had a waterproof camera, I don't have any pictures :(

Tubing was nice and relaxing, especially since it was a hot day and the water was nice and cool, even though it wasn't the cleanest (pretty green). There were a few rapids for us to go down which was fun when we didn't get stuck on the rocks - it's the end of the rainy season, so the water levels are low. There was also the added challenge of staying away from the river edge - that's where most of the garbage and plant matter accumulated.

For supper, we headed off to a carnival in the next town. It wasn't that big or exciting, so most of us left soon after eating.

Tikal

We got up at 5 am again (so much for sleeping in on this trip!) and jumped in the vans to Tikal. The ruins are inside a national park, so along with ruins, we were also looking at birds and monkeys and all sorts of other animals that would run past us.

The ruins were amazing and what was really great was that we were able to climb some of the pyramids! The first one we climbed was off by itself and we didn't know what to expect, but the view was great, even if the morning mist hadn't burned off yet. We sat at the top, eating our packed breakfasts and listening to the howler monkeys while enjoying the view.

The first temple had normally spaced and inclined stairs built along the side, the second temple we climbed was a bit more of a challenge (some of the group didn't come up). The stairs were more like a ladder, but once you figured out the rhythm, they could be done quickly.

The view from the top was definitely worth the climb. L was a bit scared about where we were standing to have our pictures taken, though - right on the very edge, with one foot on the part that starts to slope down, with no safety rails!

Our guide left us at the main plaza to explore by ourselves. We met back up with him around noon as the crowds that come in from the resorts in Belize were just arriving ... along with the heat of the day! On the drive back, L, M, P and I got our driver to stop at a grocery store so we could pick up some stuff for lunch - we ended up having a great meal of fresh fruit, yogurt (well, not me), chips, and guacamole beside the hotel pool. The rest of the afternoon was spent looking for a post office, swimming in the pool and not so hot hot tub.

At sunset, we took a boat to a tree house overlooking the island of Flores. Since it had clouded over there wasn't a sunset to watch, but the view was nice. We also walked a bit to find the monkeys that we could hear howling to each other.

Flores

We got up at 5 am, loaded our van, and off we went up to Flores. It was a long drive, about 10 hours, with a stop for breakfast and a few for bathroom breaks, but that was it. We arrived in Flores just in time for supper, which we had at a restaurant alongside the lake.

The view behind our hotel

Antigua - Churches and Chicken Buses

We met up with D for breakfast, even though he was technically finished with our group ... I guess he just didn't want to leave! I then spend the rest of the day walking around Antigua with M, checking out church ruins (but not paying to go inside), the central plaza, and the chicken bus station - looking for a good picture!

We had a group meeting in the evening, then went for supper with the new group. The new additions to the group were:

DS and S - computer guys from Connecticut

N and J - guys from Australia ... and showed up totally wasted to the group meeting!

MG - and older guy who lives only 6 km for me!

E - a middle age guy from Montreal

and our guide S, from Brazil!

Antigua - Villages and Volcanos

We visited a women's collective this morning for a demonstration of weaving (cloth and reeds), coffee and corn grinding, tortilla making, and were served a traditional meal for lunch - gallo en chicha!

It was interesting to learn the story of their village and how they have been in debt to the same coffee plantation owner for more than 200 year. Because of the interest, they will never be able to pay it back, so the men have been working for him 2 months a year for the last 200 years for free. The money that the women raise selling their handicrafts they use to buy books and supplies so they can send the village children to school.

After returning to Antigua, most of us met up with another guide (who spoke no English, unfortunately) and group of tourists to climb Pacaya Volcano. The climb up was hot, dusty and tiring - and every time someone stops for a break, a guy with a scrawny, sad looking horse would appear beside them saying "Taxi? Taxi?"

The "taxi" guys only went part way up the volcano, quitting when we got to the hardened lava (from an eruption in 2004 or 2006, I can't remember which). It was a different experience walking on the lava - it had the same rolls as a pile of cow manure, with lots of loose and jagged rocks. Walking over the lava tubes, I could hear the hollowness as my walking stick knocked the rock, and feel the heat rising out of the cracks I had to step over.

I had heard and scene pictures of the top of the volcano where we could stand right beside flowing rivers of lava, but for some reason the day we were there, there wasn't any lava! There were a few glowing red vent, so were were able to roast some marshmallows which got a nasty sulpher flavour.

It had rained on us a bit as we hiked up, but we dried within seconds from the heat, but hiking down the hill a massive thunderstorm rolled in. The hike down was not fun at all - it was pitch black, pouring rain, the dusty trail had turned to mud, and the horse manure had turned a lot of it into a river of poo. Yuck!

We got back to our hotel late, only having time to quickly change before meeting up for our final group dinner.

(That evening D told us that a few days before we did our hike, a tourist fell through one of the lava tubes and lost their leg, and less than 2 months after our hike, the volcano erupted, killing at least 3 people)

Lake Atitlan

The group chartered a boat to tour around Lake Atitlan this morning. Our first stop was a beautiful bed and breakfast for breakfast. The food was awesome, as was the view of the surrounding volcanos and the gardens. We spent close to an hour just relaxing and taking it all in.

The second stop was to visit Maximon, the fabled effigy said to be a combination of Mayan and Spanish deities. He's revered and cared for by the traditional Mayan villages, with people leaving donations of rum and cigarettes (and helping the wooden statue to smoke them) for good blessing. We then went to the church in the same town, where behind the alter is a stone carving depicting people honouring Maximon (meaning that he's been around for a few hundred years), though the people who attend this church don't visit him.

Our final stop was a village where our guide D's extended family still lives and owns a bakery. The family was very inviting, giving us free fresh bread (delicious!) and letting us in their house so that D could show us some pictures of his grandfather.

The lake got rougher as the day wore on, so it was a bumpy and slightly wet ride back to Panajachel where we got on a van and left for Antigua. Antigua served as Guatemala's capital city for more than 200 years until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1772. Today, it's a peaceful, partially restored colonial city. After settling into our rooms, D gave us an orientation tour through the quiet cobblestone streets, then we enjoyed a restaurant serving traditional Guatemalan foods - I had gallo en chica, a rooster cooked in a tomato, onion, and spice sauce, served on a banana leaf.

Chichicastenango

This morning we braved the Guatemalan chichen buses, taking 3 to the Sunday morning market in Chichicastenango. The chicken buses are old north American school buses, that are given standard transmissions, roof-racks, and a crazy paint job! Three people sit on each bench and the centre aisle gets crammed full of people. We weren't able to take any pictures of the full bus - the one below is from BEFORE it got crowded!

We survived the chicken bus (all thankful that we had paid for the upgrade the day before!) and got off just outside the market. We had breakfast at an upstairs restaurant overlooking the market, then went out to practise our bargaining. I realized pretty quickly that I suck at bartering! I didn't buy much, just 2 sets of placemats and napkins - one for me and the other for my parents who were taking care of my house while I was gone.

We headed back to Panajachel in the early afternoon - to the sound of G throwing up a couple times. (Our group seems to have caught some nasty bug). I wondered around town a bit, then went back to the asian restaurant where we wrote up a pre-nup agreement for K and G... in crayon, of course.

Crossing into Guatemala

To avoid taking the Guatemalan chicken buses with all our packs (and to shorten the length of our trip), we upgraded to our own private van. We left San Cristobal early in the morning, eating breakfast as we drove. It was an "interesting" trip. Our first snag was a road block, causing us to have to turn back and find a route around the protest, adding about 20 minutes to our trip. 3 km from the border, we stopped at the Mexican immigration building where D took our passports to be stamped. I'm not sure why they didn't need to see us, but noone was complaining!

We drove the last few kilometers to the border, unloaded our bags, and walked through the open gate surrounded by market stalls into Guatemala. D still had our passports, and after we had changed a bit of money into Quetzals to pay for our tourist cards, D stood in line again and did all the paperwork for us. Unfortunately the computer system was down so it took about 30 minutes to get it all sorted out, but we beat the other large group of tourists who were all standing in line individually. It was definately not your normal border crossing - no one ever compared my to my passport ... and people were walking back and forth across the border the whole time we were there with nobody stopping them or checking who they were.

We got a new van in Guatemala ... one with a driver who had a hard time finding gears (lots of grinding) and road the brakes going down hills (stinky!). We got to the look out over Lake Atitlan just after sunset and stood admiring the hazy view for a few minutes, then continued down towards the lake. We didn't get far before we had to stop again - this time waiting over an hour for an accident that was blocking the road to be cleared (it would have taken 4 hours to drive around). We managed to entertain ourselves pretty well though, singing along to songs off of Mm's iPod! The people behind us must have wondered what was going on as our van rocked from side to side :P

We finally made it to our hotel in Panajachel, and went to a great asian restaurant for supper.

San Cristobal de las Casas

Since I was feeling a lot better, I decided to do a tour of two of the Mayan villages that surround San Cristobal. The first community was definitely the most unique. The town and market surrounding the church were just like most other towns in the area, but inside the church is where things got weird.

In this town, Christianity has been mixed with traditional Mayan beliefs. The church is officially catholic, but it isn't like any other catholic church I've ever been too. There are no pews, the floor is covered in pine needles (to ward off evil spirits, I think) and burning candles (the reason so many of these churches have burnt down). Along the walls are statues of the saints, covered in layers of clothes and mirrors hanging around their necks (so evil spirits will see their ugly reflection and stay away from them). There aren't many images of Jesus, but since it was the church of St. John the Baptist, there were lots of pictures of him. We also got to see a healing ceremony take place in the middle of the church. The person who was there to be healed was sitting on the floor holding a chicken, while the healer, also sitting on the floor, lit candles and chanted. When he was done, he took the chicken, waved it over the person to "absorb" the evil or sickness, then broke the chicken's neck. The chicken was then returned to the person to be buried. Not your normal, everyday church activity!

The second town was a bit less Mayan (no killing of chickens), but still had the pine needles and candles - but they were on stands, not the floor. In this town, we also stopped in at a family's house where they quickly pulled out all their weaving and embroidering to demonstrate how it was made and to sell it too us. We were also given a demonstration on how they made tortillas using a press.

We got back to San Cristobal early in the afternoon, so there was plenty of time to wander the city streets, find a post office, send an email home, and do a bit of laundry.

Waterfalls and Speed bumps

It was another long day of travelling, but this time we paid a bit extra and booked our own van and driver for the trip so we could stop at some waterfalls along the way. I was up a few times during the night, so loaded up on medication in the morning to help clear up whatever was bothering me - it must have worked because I was feeling a bit better that evening, and back to normal the next day! Our guide D was also having problems that morning - he got stung by a scorpion (which he didn't tell us until later) and whacked his elbow in a failed attempt to get away from it. The first waterfall stop was at Misol-Ha. It's a 35 m high waterfall set in the middle of lush jungle with a path that goes behind it. There is a spot to swim, but it was early and still relatively cool, so no one from our group went in. The second waterfall was Agua Azul. The waterfall isn't very high, but is a series of naturally formed, turquoise pools. I had lunch in one of the small restaurant stalls, then walked to the top with W. After a few pictures, we walked to the bottom, had a quick dip in the surprisingly cold water, then waited in the shade for the others. The rest of the drive wasn't too exciting, except for the almost 400 speed bumps (speed up, slow down, bump, bump, repeat) and K on my left and G on my right arguing about something ... for about 5 hours! We were given a quick orientation walk around San Cristobal, had supper at a really nice (and cheap!) restaurant, then I headed off to bed while the others went out for drinks.

Palenque

I started getting sick today :( I already was getting a sore throat, but this morning my digestive system started acting up, too. Luckily it waited until we had finished visiting the ruins to really go crazy.

We had, or in some cases, tried to have breakfast at the hotel. (Service sucks and some people never got the food they ordered) We were picked up by van and driven the short distance to the entrance to the ruins where we met our guide. The ruins here were awesome! Half covered by jungle, not many tourists, and we were able to climb them! Of course, it comes with a few risks though - as we were getting to the first courtyard, an ambulance was coming out from behind the temple, probably carrying someone who slipped and fell.

The main temples and buildings have been uncovered and restored, but there are many other buildings still covered by jungle, and it was neat to check them out after the tour ended. I was with Mf and I, and we all felt like we were in an Indiana Jones movie ... or maybe Lara Croft since we are all girls :P I even almost got hit in the head by a stick a monkey threw at me!

After we got our fill of ruins, we had a quick look at the museum, then walked back to the hotel for lunch and a relaxing afternoon beside the pool.