http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Albert-Webb/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Albert Webb en-us Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:22:59 +0000 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:22:59 +0000 Ireland Counties Clare Limerick and CorkChuck subscribes to the travelzoo website. He receives weekly promotions of discounted airfare hotel rates entertainment and travel packages. In July Chuck was notified of a travel package to Ireland through Sceptre Tours I looked into it and loved the idea we contacted our friends Andy and Patti we will call her ldquoPaddyrdquo for this blog http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Limerick/Limerick/blog-461226.html We made it back home the afternoon of Tuesday March 24th after nearly four months of driving through Mexico Guatemala Honduras Belize and Mexico again. As promised we stopped in at the Dollhouse for happy hour. The next morning when I woke up and realized I was at home I thought to myself hey this is nice. We were happy to be home and Chuck and I took a few days enjoying being back in http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Wisconsin/blog-394767.html Tuxpan was a nice place to spend a couple of days. The sun did come out while we were there and so we spent a day by the hotel pool since it was more to our liking than the nearby beach. After a few hours of playing in the pool and lounging in the sun the bugs came out in full force and again we were ate upThe archaeology museum was closed for renovations go figure. We were told the quickest http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Tamaulipas/blog-386253.html The afternoon of Saturday March 7th we arrived to the town of Acayucan Veracruz. Chuck and I paid for a room at the Hotel Arcos del Parque located across the street from the main square. We paid less than 35 USD for a nice and clean room with air conditioning cable television comfortable bed hot shower a pool bar and restaurant and offstreet parking. That evening we noticed our van w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/blog-382239.html On Thursday the 5th of March Chuck and I were on the east coast of the Yucatan in Playa del Carmen for the sunrise. That day we drove across the peninsula and watched the sunset on the west coast at a beachfront restaurant on Isla Aguada where we camped for the night. The next morning Chuck and I drove to Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco. Villahermosa is home to La Venta Park where there http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Tabasco/blog-380909.html Wednesday the 25th of March our friends Andy and Patti came from Hibbing Minnesota to visit us for a week in the Yucatan. We stayed their first night in Valladolid a traditional and authentic colonial town. In the evening we walked around town and through the government house where there are paintings that portray the history and culture of the area. In the morning we went to the cenote and a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Yucat%E1n/blog-378835.html We pulled into Merida just after 4 orsquoclock on the afternoon of Friday the 20th of February. Since we had originally planned to arrive on the 22nd and did not have reservations until then we decided to check out the hotel Montejo Palace which we always frequent when in town.As we drove nearer to Paseo Montejo one of the main avenues in Merida we realized that the intersections with this http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Yucat%E1n/Merida/blog-376257.html While in Playa del Carmen Chuck decided to get certified in Scuba diving. During his first open water dive he could not equalize unplug or pop one of his ears. We went to a dive clinic to find out he had an ear infection and would need to wait a week before diving again. So we were headed towards Merida for Carnaval and a bullfight. Along the way we made stops in Tihosuco to visit the Cast http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Yucat%E1n/blog-376244.html Chuck and I have been to Quintana Roo many times the Cancun international airport is located there. Flights from Minneapolis to Cancun can be very cheap and car rental is cheaper there as well. Whenever we fly to Mexico we arrive at Cancun rent a car leave and always spend our last day or two at Playa del Carmen relaxing on the beach. We have also driven through Quintana Roo to visit some o http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Quintana-Roo/blog-374580.html After staying nearly a week in the Cayo District we drove the Hummingbird Highway towards the coast. Just west of Dangriga Stann Creek Town we followed the Southern Highway into the district of Toledo to visit some of the ancient Mayan cities of southern Belize. This drive could easily be done in half a day were it not for Belizean road conditions pot holes ruts single lanes construction http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Belize/blog-371991.html We spent four days in the Cayo District of Belize in the town of San Ignacio. From San Ignacio we visited two Mayan ruin sites Xunantnich and Cahal Pech and Chuck went on a cave tour of Actun Tunichil Muknal.Actun Tunichil Muknal is about 12 miles and 45 minutes driving time from San Ignacio. Tours are advertised throughout town and they depart daily from multiple locations. After the ride fr http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Belize/Cayo-District/San-Ignacio/blog-371692.html Our travels to and through Mexico and Central America are going greatWe have had some requests regarding what IT is like down here. IT being prices peoples and places cities and streets all of the everyday things. Many things stand out as different but just as many things are much the same. For example...Different things area cows head on the shoulder of a highway no idea where the body http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/blog-367163.html Hey kids And happy first birthday to Eddie here they say feliz cumpleanosSince I last wrote we have been travelling through Guatemala Honduras too but I was not feeling well so I stayed in the van when we were there. We visited Lake Atitlan in the highlands Lake Izabal not far from the Caribbean and Lake Peten Itza in the north.We entered Guatemala in the highlands this is where the http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/blog-369052.html We arrived to the border between El Peten Guatemala and Cayo Belize at about 4pm on Tuesday the 27th of January. We should have arrived earlier but sometimes life gets in the way of plans.We exited out of Guatemala paid to have our van fumigated for a cost of under 10 USD and proceeded to the Belizean immigration and customs. Immigration was simple. Customs took a bit more time since the c http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Belize/Cayo-District/San-Ignacio/blog-369050.html Tikal is a national park and preHispanic Mayan ruin site in the northern Guatemalan department of El Peten. The park and ruin site is easily accessible by private vehicle bus or tour group from cities throughout Guatemala Belize and Mexico.Upon entering the park vehicles must register at the entrance gate. Within the park there are three hotels and a camping area with bathrooms wash area an http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/El-Peten/Tikal/blog-369037.html Wednesday January 21st we drove north to the Peten which is the largest most visited and least populated department similar to a state in all of Guatemala. Our first stop was the archaeological site of Ixcun accessed through the town of Dolores. The town has a small museum featuring a collection of preHispanic artifacts from the region. Admission was minimal. To get to Ixcun one must http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/El-Peten/blog-369027.html After leaving Honduras we were traveling to El Peten the northernmost region of Guatemala. Our first stop just south of the Peten was the Lago Izabal and Rio Dulce area.We had been in the rain for four days and at least two more rainy days were forecasted to come. We decided that if we were going to be stuck in a hotel it should be a nice hotel with internet comfortable bed hot water bar http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Rio-Dulce/blog-368483.html El Tajin is an archaeological site located near the town of Papantla Veracruz Mexico. This was the first archaeological zone we visited on our trip.El Tajin is in good condition and certainly worth a visit although locating the site is not an altogether easy task and finding your way back is a bit more difficult yet. The site can be thoroughly appreciated in half a day and because it is some http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/El-Tajin/blog-366085.html The Mayan ruins of Copan are located one kilometer outside of the town of Copan Ruinas on the road towards Lago Yojoa and San Pedro Sula.This archaeological park is relatively more expensive than other Mayan sites but it is well maintained researched and presented to visitors through the extensive structures monuments and historical and cultural interpretations. Admission into the ruins was http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Copan/blog-365211.html Friday the 16th of January we arrived to Omoa a town on the coast of Northern Honduras. After one day on the beach in the rain we decided to move on and headed back to Guatemala.We have three different maps that cover the border area of Guatemala and Honduras. All three maps are different. We were looking to cross from Honduras to Guatemala at the northern most point accessible by vehicle beca http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/blog-364897.html