So it's been a while since we've been able to update you all on our adventures. It can take a bit of will power to drag yourself into an internet cafe when you know you could be doing something else you've never done before. But I'm hear now, so here we go...
After leaving Celestun, we - Thai, myself, Michelle, and Matt - made our way East across the Yucatan. Along the way, we took in the ruins at Uxmal. While the complex itself is nowhere near as impressive as Palenque and others, it has an amazing array of very intricate and well preserved carvings and plaster sculptures - the largest collection of its kind in the region. The area was also teaming with iguanas which always makes for a distracting, but enjoyable day. By nightfall, we pulled into Cancun and located a hostel.
Upon waking, we made our way towards the beach and the heart of the resort strip. The area was obviously out of our price range, but curiosity got the better of us. We strolled along the white sand beach, trying to regain our breath after the color of the ocean took it away. Honestly, I always thought the photos of the Caribbean that you find in magazines were enhanced to make the ocean look more spactacular than it really is... Not at all... Absolutely beautiful!!! We worked up our hunger playing in the surf and then made our way across the road for an authentic Cancun meal at Hooters... Okay, so it was single-handedly the most expensive meal we had in Mexico, but it was a much needed break from cheap tacos. And it was a nice slice of Americana for Michelle who couldn't wait to tell her sister where we'd eaten.
After lunch we made our way south towards Tulum where we planned on finding a cheap cabana on the beach for the night. Unfortunately they were a bit pricier than we had been led to believe, so we pulled out the tent and found a place near other campers. After Palenque, we were more than excited at the opportunity to camp with other travelers. Unfortunately, reality turned out a bit different than we had expected. Our neighbor, who had been living at his present location for over a month by then, was a bit quirky to say the least - very earthy, VERY earthy. He was nice enough to let us use his fire to cook some hot dogs, but he made it clear that we were not to use any chemicals (lighter fluid, etc.) in the process. We honored his wishes and had a wonderful dinner before curling up for the night - Thai and I in our tent, Michelle in her hammock, and Matt tucked under an overturned scooner resting on the sand. The next morning, however, Thai threw a cigarette butt into the charred remains of the fire and sparked a prolonged monologue from its owner on the slow decomposition rate and pollutive aftermath of such actions, complete with "Man, I just knew you guys were going to do something like this..." Between this and Matt managing to get caught using the bathroom of a nearby cabana ("I'm calling the cops!" and such) we got the message and packed up early.
Before moving south, we went and saw the Mayan ruins of Tulum. Serving as a port for the Mayan empire, the city is set on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean. Though the site is not as large or grandeous as others, the location makes it absolutely breathtaking.
Tulum was also where we said our goodbyes to Matt who had to catch a flight the following day. So after exchanging e-mails we parted and headed towards the border of Belize. Originally, we had planned on making it to Calakmul - yet another ruin site, but between the expense and the fact that we were a bit 'ruined out' we decided to skip it for the time being.
The following morning, we began jumping through all of the hoops that a border crossing entails. Shifty immigration officials trying to squeeze extra money out of you, self appointed guides vying to help you in exchange for tips, untrusting and overworked customs officials who lack the patience to answer ANY extraneous questions you might have... After two hours of declining to pay the 'Mexican Exit Tax' (which doesn't exist), getting involved in the ongoing dispute between official and unofficial porters, and staving off a bloodsucking guide who demanded $40 US for his single hour of work ("You can pay me whatever you think is fair" my ass!) we crossed into Belize.
Our first night was spent in Corozal, a small northern coastal town where we found excellent food and wonderful company. It took us a few hours to unwind after the craziness at the border, but when we did we began to realize just how friendly the Belizean people really are! We met Che, a man in his late 20s who was involved in an ongoing battle with the government to allow him to open up a local radio station. He even took us to his hair salon which he is trying to convert into his broadcasting locale. We spent the better part of the evening letting him take us around town, telling us about the place he loved most in the world, the city where he had been born and which had lured him back after several years of hectic life in Chicago. Although we had originally planned on only spending a couple nights in the country (Belize is the most expensive country in Central America), we quickly became convinced that we needed to stay a bit longer. Che even came by our hotel in the morning to help us extend our auto insurance.
From Corozol, we made our say south to Belize City, parked the car in a secure lot, and caught a taxi boat out to Caye Caulker - a tiny spit of land 40 minutes off the coast. All I can say is wow... First off, I should tell you that Belize has more in common with the islands of the Caribbean than with the rest of Central America. The official languange is English, but everyone speaks Creole, which amounts to a sort of Island English. Just imagine a Jamaican accent, then multiply it until you can barely understand what anyone is saying! That is, unless they want you to. The pace of life out on the Cayes is amazingly slow. Nobody moves faster than they absolutely have to. Everywhere we went, there was somebody there to shout, "Slow down! You on da island now!" It is home to a very small and close-knit population of born-and-raised Belizeans and ex-pats from around the world. On foot, the Caye only takes two minutes to walk from its East to West coast, and only ten from North to South... Tiny...
We found a cabana on the beach for $20 US a night, rented a couple of bicycles, and settled into a much welcomed island getaway. In the morning, we took a boat out for a day of snorkeling around the reef. It was Michelle´s first time, and only the fourth for Thai, so it was quite exciting - plenty of fish, corals, sharks, rays, and even a few sea turtles. At one point, we watched our guide feed the nurse sharks before climbing in the water with them! Luckily, they aren´t partial to the taste of people, but the experience is still a bit menacing. For lunch oursleves, we made it over to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye (Madonna´s ´... last night I dreamt of San Pedro...´ That one). Nice, from what we got to see in two hours, but definately a bit more built up than Caye Caulker.
After returning, we wasted a bit more time lounging in hammocks, generally relishing the complete lack of places to be and things to do. We watched the sun set over the dock while children fished amidst the rusted and sunken hulls of the ships next to us. They turned three sardines, bought from a nearby fisherman, into dinner for their whole family in the time we sat there.
After three days, we pulled ourselves tearfully away from the cayes and returned to the mainland. After reuniting with our car, we headed South yet again towards Placencia, a town on the tip of a very narrow peninsula. It took us over an hour to drive the last 20 miles of rough dirt road, but we finally made it. When we arrived, we quickly found a guest house along the main sidewalk (Placencia has no main roads, only two central sidewalks running parallel to the shore). Our purpose there had been made clear a few days before when, by chance, we opened up a travel magazine on Belize and found a full page picture of a man snorkeling with a whale shark. It just so happened that we found ourselves in Belize just in time for their migration through the area. We were even there during the full moon, when they are at their most active. The following morning, we climbed onto yet another boat and made our way out towards the open ocean beyond the barrier reef. Over the course of three dives, we swam alongside a whale shark as well as a pod of wild dolphins which just happened to be in the area. No pictures for you unfortunately. You´ll just have to take our word on this one.
The next morning, we made our break for the Guatemalan border. Far less hassle than getting into Belize, although I did manage to lock the keys in our running car just to spice things up. Luckily, there just happened to be someone on hand with a broken-off coat hanger for just such an occasion. I thanked him for the rescue and bit back my curiosity about where he got the instrument so swiftly. We continued on to Flores.
Flores is a small city set on an island in the middle of an expansive lake. Quite beautiful, but populated almost entirely by backpackers... Seriously, at least 50% of the people we saw. We found a place for a couple of nights, and even sent our clothes in for laundry service, which was such a relief after surviving on half-successful attempts at self washing and otherwise dingy garbs. While in the North of the country, we took in Tikal - the largest complex of ruins in the Mayan civilization. Needless to say, it took a bit more time to explore than other sites that we visited, but it also managed to take our breath away anew. At its height, this was a city of 18 sq. mi. and a population of over 100,000. While the hutments of the outer lands are totally gone, the great stone structures of the city squares still break through the jungle canopy and tower over the surrounding landscape. Absolutely worth the humidity and 4-5 hour walk. And it has plenty of wildlife - from toucans to animals we didn´t even recognize! It was a wonderful introduction to Guatemala - a country which is still 50% Mayan in population.
From Flores, we traveled into the central highlands towards Coban, Lanquin, and eventually the remote jungle surrounding Semuc Champey. We stayed in the open loft above the restaurant of a guesthouse for $2 a night each. During the day, children from the surrounding villages would venture onto the house grounds - drawn by curiosity and rumors of free pens... Thai, having received them from another traveler in Flores, took to handing out pens and paper to those who were brave enough to come up to her. Soon, mothers were hauling their kids out over all arms to get in on it.
Semuc Champey itself is something one would imagine in the Garden of Eden. Its remoteness strips away any presence of people trying to hawk souvenirs and even most tourist traffic. At its heart is the convergence of two rivers. The first one, rough and powerful, travels through the center of the valley and into an underground cave about a kilometer in length before moving swiftly beyond. The second one rolls gently off the surrounding hillside and stalls in a series of tranquil, clear pools before cascading over a waterfall to join its counterpart. It reminded us all of Agua Azul in Mexico, but much more relaxed. We lounged in the sun and lingered in the pools, letting the fish tentatively nibble at our toes. We also traversed the strenuous hour and a half long vertical trail to the lookout (some more willingly than others) for a spectacular view of the surrounding jungle and falls.
After two days, we made the arduous journey back to Coban and began to head South... with a new friend in tow. This time, we picked up Borja (pronounced bor-ha), a Spaniard whom we had run into several times in Belize and Northern Guatemala. We figured after so many random encounters we should at least officially introduce ourselves... he ended up in the car. Although I think we appreciated his company much more than our car appreciated the added weight. Did I mention how rough the roads to and from Semuc Champey are? Seriously, you shouldn´t go without a four-wheel vehicle; I´ve never seen roads this steep! But our Corolla made it through... with a bit of wear on the transmission (she makes a bit of a groan when we start to move now, oops).
We moved along to Antigua, an old colonial city of colorful houses and crumbling churches. Hmm... where to begin... What does Antigua mean to me? Food poisoning and danger might roughly sum it up. On the way there, all four of us managed to eat some bad fried chicken - a moved which kept us confined to our room for the better part of a day. Even Borja, who was still recovering from his las case of intestinal fireworks, had a relapse! Travel sickness... it´s a necessary experience, but by no means pleasant.
Our first night, as we settled into a crampy and interrupted sleep, someone came knocking on our door. It was a man from the hostel telling me that I had to move my car or it was going to get smashed in. Apparently, NOBODY leaves their car on the street at night because, if you do, you WILL wake up to an irreparably vandalized vehicle. So, with my belly in utter protest, I got to spend an hour driving over cobblestone streets looking in vain for an open garage... No luck... So I had to completely unload our bags, remove the Oregon license plates, park it in a well lit center of town near policemen with shotguns, and pull some fuzes before going back to bed. Thankfully, the car was fine the next morning.
While we were there, we continually heard stories of people getting robbed in the markets. One girls we knew got mugged and pistol whipped less than a block from out hostel... It was definitely a dodgy place to be at night. None of us had realized just how tumultuous Guatemala´s recent history was until Antigua. In a country still reeling from brutal takeovers and police-led massacres within the last 30 years, the people are a bit untrusting at times. Spray-painted images of faces on buildings still attest to the tens of thousands of people who have and continue to go missing never to be heard from again. Although the growth of the tourist industry has provided much needed money and increased stability, it has also provided a new reason for increased petty crime.
After we recovered from our ailments, the four of us decided to move on in short order.
