I dived T H E B L U E H O L E in Belize! It took two hours each way and we left at 5.30am and returned at 4.00pm. I'm sunburnt and exhausted but so happy I did it. We stopped the boat right in the centre of the Blue Hole! It was hard to picture where we were because it's so huge when you're actually in it. It was a 40m dive, total dive time was 27 minutes and bottom time was 8 minutes. A short dive to say the least but worth every second. I always focus too [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we arrived in Belize! I've spent over a month in Mexico and while I do love her, I'm ready for something new. We caught a speedboat to Caye Caulker and have the next two days here. Belize's population is made up of Black, Asian, Lebanese and Whites. Caye Caulker is a mix of Black and Asian and English is the main language spoken. The island is small enough to walk around and unfortunately doesn't have any beaches. But if you like diving and snorkelling then there are lots of tours to take you out to the reef and surrounding islands [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we left Cancun for Bacalar. On the way we stopped at Tulum, the site of a post-classic Mayan/Toltec walled city. It's the only ruins situated next to a beach and it was beautiful. It's incredible to be swimming in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean only to look up and see ancient ruins a few metres away! Afterwards we drove to Bacalar where our hotel was located on a freshwater lagoon called Laguna de Siete Colores. Hurricane Dean swept through this area and you can see the devastation on many wooden structures and trees. Our hotel is outdated and overpriceded [View Full Entry]

---

---

First day of the next tour. I managed to find a laundry where I could do my own laundry. I miss doing it and I am over getting my clothes back with bleach stains on them. At lunchtime we took the bus down to the Hotel Zone. Some of the hotels are quite impressive and the beaches that we could see looked beautiful but overall it was like the Gold Coast. I spent a few hours browsing through La Isla (the island) shopping centre. It was a nice change to wander through shops I recognised sucking on a snowcone. It reminded [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today our first tour ends. I didn't realise it was actually two tours joined together. Eight of us are continuing on to Guatemala. Some of the others left today. I'll definitely stay in contact with Francesco and will hopefully catch up with him in London in March. A group of us took the ferry to Isla Mujeres this morning. It's low season and the island was full to only 40% capacity. It's a beautiful place once you get past the hawkers trying to sell you snorkelling, diving and fishing trips. The beach we went to was gorgeous, the sea was three [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we sent off for Chichen Itza. One word: overrated. They stopped allowing tourists to walk up the main pyramid a few years ago so there wasn't a lot of walking up steps at this one. It's the most complete city we've seen and the ball court was impressive. But the amount of tourists (many of them Amecians dressed in bikini tops, denim micro shorts and cowboy boots) made it busy and less enjoyable. So far my favourites have been Teotihuacan for its size and ability to walk up the stairs and Palenque for the beauty and craftsmanship of the carvings. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Free day in Merida, another beautiful colonial city. I spent my free time shopping, sightseeing and finding a beautician to prepare myself for three sunfilled days in Cancun! It's the little things like haircuts and waxing appointments that help give me some routine. [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left Campeche for Uxmal, another Mayan ruin. This site was different to the others, the most beautiful so far in terms of architecture. Afterwards we stopped into to see a Mayan family who made hammocks and grew a lot of their own vegetables and herbs. We arrived in Merida in the late afternoon to more rain. We have a free day tomorrow, hopefully it won't rain. I'm just looking forward to sleeping in. [View Full Entry]

---

---

We arrived in Campeche in the late afternoon to pouring rain and flooded streets. Thankfully our hotel was located on higher ground but walking through flooded streets wasn't fun. Campeche is a beautiful city, very well planned and with lots of green parks. The malecon has a walking lane and bicycle lane and many locals use them. The majority of people I saw exercising had to be over 50. Watching the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico was a highlight. I always feel happy when I see the water. We had dinner at a restaurant famous for its seafood cocktails (which [View Full Entry]

---

---

An early start to the Mayan ruins of Palenque. They're surrounded by jungle and lots of mozzies. It was amazing seeing these structures rise from the trees and we were also allowed to walk through some of them. Unfortunately they closed tourist access to the main one because the humidity inside the tomb from human sweat was eroding the interior. The atistry in the carvings was beautiful. We went on a jungle walk after the pyramid tour and I'm feeling it now. Hopefully all this heat and exercise will help me lose the kgs I've gained since I left Sydney. That, [View Full Entry]

---

---