week 2 - Belize and Guatemala

hard to believe that we have been going to Mexico for almost 40 years

and we had never been to Belize

and they speak our language mon!

 we crossed the border from Mexico south to Belize on the bus

and spent the first night in Orange Walk

a nice town with a muddy river full of crocodiles.....

that first night was when we realized from the menu at dinner

that we were not in Mexico anymore 

pork chops and mashed potatoes - yeah baby

(and potato salad was everywhere in Belize - potato salad!)

the next day was a long one on the chicken bus

into Belize City and out then on to the foothills of San Ignacio

our first hotel was super noisy from construction next door

 so we moved - so glad we did

the second hotel had a wonderful balcony overlooking the city

 great views

tropical drinks

swimming pools

and a wonderful thunderstorm moving in across the valley

there was a very interesting ruin right next door - Cahal Pech

we had a lovely early morning look

 after several rather daunting

and narrow pathways

we came to hang out in the

royal chambers

we were the only ones there that morning and it was quite powerful

after a few days in San Ignacio

we headed into Guatemala and to one of the main reasons for the trip -

the ruined Mayan city of Tikal

we did not take the tourist trail

(almost all tourists take a bus that leaves from San Ignacio and returns there)

we choose to take a taxi to the border and walk across

then we caught a combi (minivan) and rode the 2 hours to the road to Tikal

we got out there even though the book said there are no taxis and you must

go into Santa Elena ( 30 more miles and get a bus back...)

really

as soon as we stepped out - there was a taxi

after lunch 2 nice young men gave us a ride up to Tikal - another hour

sweet

the borders were easy, people were friendly

the scariest thing was the money changers.....

we were staying for 3 nights

in the place built for the original archeologists

it was inside Tikal National Park and close to the ruins

we got up the next morning and headed up to the ruins

it was a long walk through the jungle on a wide trail

nothing prepared me for Tikal

not the photos, not the books, not the maps

 that first view coming out of the jungle

literally took my breath away

and of course this picture does not even slightly do it justice

I knew it wouldn't.......

the scale of it!

 we played in the ruins

all day

Willi climbed to the top of this - me no

he got this great photo

amazing isn't it?

still it's hard to capture the audacity of these ruins

a tremendous effort was also made for their restoration

you can't climb the face of most of the large structures

which is fine with me, then they are natural and you can see them

when they can be climbed - all you see is people swarming all over it

the one Willi went up had a wooden staircase going up the back....

 we had a great room facing the jungle

it was so quiet and dark there

no electricity tends to do that

it was wonderful

in addition to the ruins we saw

toucans

parrots

and
spider monkeys
right from our deck

we also heard the howler monkeys while in a remote part of the ruins
they do not howl as much as growl, loud scary growling
I was terrified  to hear them as we made our way through the jungle on a small trail
the ruins have a surreal and powerful enough quality
without growling things in the tree tops....



on the road back from the ruins we found some clay

Willi made a toucan

and I made a Mayan god

xxoo

Week 1 - Quintana Roo, Mexico

leaving from the Miami airport

(no idea who the guy in the orange shirt is....)

when the plane landed in Cancun

we knew to be ready for the hard sell transportation people

I hate that about the Cancun airport

but even we were amazed at how aggressive they had gotten

telling us we had to have a transportation plan to leave the airport

we walk out with them still yelling

then to find out outside that the price had doubled for a cab to Akumal

well we'll walk I say
I can hear them calling senora senora no es possible as I walk away

well we just walked to the corner and a real cab (not an airport one)
picked us up and took us to Akumal for almost the same price as last year
(which is still plenty high)

it is not about the money but about being ripped off
did I tell you about the empanada lady?

well years ago when the kids and I were renting a house in Mulege, Baja
the lady next door made empanadas to sell in the market
I loved her empanadas and so did the kids
I bought several everyday - she said I was her best customer
then one day she says the price of empanadas has gone up
how much - double?  really
how many do you want she says
none I say
what - you love my empanadas
I explain how it was uncool to double the price on a good customer
she went away muttering,  but she loves my empanadas.....

 *******


I am starting to question if I just don't have the patience for travel anymore....


***********


we stayed at Nai Na in Akumal

(found on airbnb - I love airbnb!!)

and I love that place - I stayed there last year

(so cool what they do with the towels - everywhere in the yucatan they do this)

it has a great cool and shady patio to the jungle 

and a lovely bedroom

the snorkeling was first class this year, clear water, lots of fish

first  we snorkeled at Akumal Beach
which means beach of the turtles in Mayan

they have restricted the beach even more this year
they are cutting back the area for free swimmers
and making the good areas for people who go in a group with a guide
so many more people this year....

 we did swim with a few turtles though

(obviously too good to be my photo...)

and we scared ourselves when we swam over a gigantic ray
I mean giant!
we were sure it was a sting ray but now looking at photos on line I am not sure
except it was huge and had a very long tail
and it was like breath stopping scary

that was enough for one day....

next day we snorkeled Yal Ku lagoon

we swam over to the beach and Willi found this amazing fossil
it was big and heavy and hard to swim back but we wrapped it in W.s shirt
and tied it on me

the lagoon is one of my favorite places to swim

so many kinds of fish

easy access - and those are rocks you can stand on, not coral
(everyone knows it is not good to stand on coral)

our friend who lives up stairs took us on a tour

he has a good car in his life now and wanted us to see a small temple
hidden far into a development

Puerto Adventuras

 it was ugly, crowed and a blight on an otherwise nice spot

everything past the last red dot on the left - was off limits

but our friend knew the guards and we sailed in

it was all just being developed only the roads were in

see the lagoon on the left surrounded with green

ok now see a little dot on it

that little dot is this small Mayan building
it is hard describe how powerful a place that was
on this beautiful pristine caleta
(which is what they call a lagoon)


I was reading a wonderful book that week

from one of my favorite authors

it was  historical fiction set in the Caribbean island of

Saint Domique ( current day Haiti) in the late 18th century

  

it was hard to leave but Belize was calling

gracias para toto mi amigo

on to Bacalar

an easy 3 hour ride south, just north of the Belize border

our first view of the lake is from the town, it was a little cool and rainy
which did not stop us from having a great fish dinner

they do call this a lagoon and it is about 50 miles long, north to south
and the second largest freshwater lake in Mexico

we stayed about 2 miles north of town at  a place called Ecotucan

http://www.ecotucan.com/en/

we did not see any toucans, though they say they are there
- we did see them later in Belize

which had adorable little cabanas

with very comfy beds

and great geometic tile in the bathroom

next day we were on the lagoon

  the white sandy bottom of limestone made the water a wonder turquoise

 it was so calm

 right here we found several potshards
looked like a good place to get water

coconuts just wash up and sprout

it was a great kayaking day
swimming in the lagoon later
a great dinner
I could have stayed there all month......



oh but on to Belize - next blog

xxoo