Belize and el Remate a lo Mexicano

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After we said good bye to the Troock Clan, Hailey and I headed to Belize City where we hopped on a boat to San Pedro. It was a bumpy ride as the coast has been quite windy lately. San Pedro was too expensive and our tummys hurt so we went to Caye Caulker. A man named Jesus picked us up on his golf cart and took us around to check out different hotels. We ended up at Sea Breeze where we met four wonderful Mexicanos who we spent the next four days travelling with. Caye Caulker was like a little Puerto Viejo Costa Rica, but on a clay island. Like I said, it was too windy to snorkel, dive, or even swim so we left the next day with the Los Vatos to Guatmala. The border crossing was expensive (leaving Belize cost $17, and entering Guatmala cost about $5) but pretty smooth. No bag checks or questions asked.

We jumped off the bus in El Remate instead of Flores because we heard it was cheaper and quieter. The only thing we didn´t know is that there was no bank machine in sight. Hailey, Jorge and Paco left for Santa Elena, and I stayed in el Remate with Agustin and Juan. No one had a cent on them, not a peso, quetzal or dollar. We sat on the side of the road talking about moist towelettes and playing Gema. Finally the bank team came back and we had salty speghetti. The next day we enjoyed the sunshine and Lago Peten Itza, swimming, drinking Gallo and playing cards. The next day we woke up at 3:45am to watch the fog rise around the Mayan temples at Tikal. It was an absolutely beautiful place, and the sounds of the Howler Monkies sounded like dinosaurs! Unfortunately we wore flipflops and didnt bring flashlights, so Hailey and I struggled through the dark jungle, trying to keep up with some prepared Swiss trekkers, before arriving at the fifth temple for . The guided tour was included, but we opted for a self wandering tour and enjoyed the site just as much. Unfortunately the night before we had had some pizza in Flores that didn't jive with our bellies, so we also spent much of the morning in the toilets! I suppose it's all part of travelling.

That night we took a night bus with very small seats to Guatemala City where we split up with the Mexicanos and met up with the MOJOMAYAS at the CONAVIGUA office. It was great to see our Guatemalan friends again, and to see the office of their organization. After a few days in Guatemala City we left with one of our closest friends, Rosenda, to visit her community in Comalapa which I´ll write about later.

until then,
yours truly,

jenica (aka Sofia)

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Photos

Belize
Caye Caulker. No cars, just golf carts, pura vida.

la concha de ...
in Caye Caulker.

Belize
San Pedro Beach

que mas?
What more could a woman want? Icecream and cute mexican guys?!

day at the lake
pardise found in El Remate, Peten

Tikal
The Mayan Pyramids at Tikal, Peten.

A lo Mexicano
our new mexican friends, Agustin, Jorge, Juan, and Paco

with Magdalena
leaving the office

Comments

[Michelle]

Wow!
Peten!! La Capital!! Comalapa!!! No puedo creer que estas alli! Disfrutalo mucho, y tira un beso al cielo de mi parte - y otro besito para ustedes 2 =). Las quiero mucho!!