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!