Me gusta Guatemala, me gustas tu

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Hey everyone - yes I'm still alive and loving (almost) every minute!!!

So what's been going on? A brief description.

Friday 17th
Up at 5:30 in the morning to go swimming with whale sharks!!! An incredible experience to swim along side some of the biggest fish in the ocean...completely harmless though so not to worry! Hopefully I got some good pictures while I was snapping away with my underwater camera, or maybe on Phil's since he managed to wind it the wrong way and didnt take any so I had to do it for him!! Duh!! So I guess I'll find out when I get home what became of those photos!!
Last night with group from 1st part of tour - free drinks at one bar then off to another one!

Saturday 18th
End of first part of the tour and beginning of part 2
Pretty lazy day on my part being exhausted from the day before!! hung out at the beach, bought myself a new skirt...not much else.

Sunday 19th
Slept in and Didnt go to Tulum cos I was lazy! Apparently the ruins at Tulum were rubbish anyway so I'm glad i didnt go!
Met the new group who arrived from Cancun

Monday 20th
While most of the new group went whale sharking I went swimming with sea turtles...totally reminded me of Finding Nemo!!! On our way abck from there we stopped off at a shopping mall to pick up food for the long trip the next day. I discovered there was a cinema there too so off I went to see Harry Potter on my own!! Yey I was happy though, especially since it was subtitled so I didnt have to watch it in spanish!!

Tuesday 21st
Another early morning. 4 and a half hour bus to the Belize border, payed 100 pesos to leave mexico, finally got a stamp in my passport. Very friendly customs on the Belize side...the guy called me a bonny wee lassy as soon as I told him I was Scottish!! Belize is very different to Mexico - english speaking for a start, prices a lot higher, a lot of houses built on stilts!!
From the border it was another few hours to Belize City where we took a 45 minute water taxi out to an island called Caye (Key) Caulker. It was like suddenly being on a carribbean island, the locals talking in creole, sand roads, golf carts replacing cars. We went straight to 'the split' which is where the island got split in half a few years ago by a hurricane. Watched the sunset from the bar over there, happy hour on local rum drinks started at 5...we all got tipsy pretty quick, especially since we hadnt eaten much all day!
Dinner of an entire lobster, rice, potato, cheesecake and more punch all for only 30 Belize dollars - thats about 10 pounds!!!

Wednesday 22nd
Early morning Caye Caulker style meaning meeting at the tour place at 10 to fit up for masks and fins ready for a full day snorkel tour!! About an hours sailing out to the reef then an hour snorkelling exploring the coral an checking out the beautiful fish, a bit more sailing and then we were surrounded by sharks!! More snorkelling, surrounded by fish. Lunch, sailing, snorkelling - turtles, sharks....!! Sailing back with a seemingly endless supply of rum punch!! Fantastic day in all - and I even managed not to get burned!!!!!
Dinner was a buffet type thing with LOADS of lobster tails, shrimp, fish, chicken, rice and veggies!! fantastic eating!!!

Thursday 23rd
Chilled out morning hanging out at the split, unfortunately managed to burn my shoulders despite reapplying my suncream several times! nevermind!! Caught up on some picture taking of the island, had lunch then we all met up at 2:30 to head to the mainland. A water taxi, a taxi and a 2 or 3 hour bus ride later and we arrived just outside San Ignacio to our jungle lodge. Wooden cabins, compost toilets and rainwater showers - all fairly novel I must admit!! We had a talk from a guy from the tour company to discuss our options for the next day - several different cave tours of varying levels of difficulty, horse riding, and ruins. Needless to say most of us went for the most hardcore caving option - dry caving with jungle hike and optional extra caving if we hadnt already gone mad from being underground!!
Had dinner, very nice pasta, then watched the end of the football semis - mexico beat costa rica. And finally off to bed to get up the energy for the next day.


Friday 24th
Fantastic but VERY HOT day!!!
Left the hotel at 8 for an hours drive into the jungle. About an hour hike through the jungle to the entrance to the cave - very sweaty as it was mostly up hill - then it was time to descend into the cave. It was in incredible day, we spent over 6 hours in there in all, although time is very strange when there's absolutely no light except that coming from your torch. Some of us managed to make it to a part of the cave system which they call Wonderland which has only been open for 3 seasons and only about 425 tourists have ever been in. Very very impressive rock formations, no shoes allowed so we were all climbing around in there in our socks! bizzarre!!
The day acted as more proof to me that the Mayans were all absolutely bonkers!!! The caves were full of bits of pottery, and fire pits where they held their rituals. There were even skeletons down there - tapir and human! How they managed it back then I cant imagine, climbing over and through the rock features, carrying torches, staying down there for days on end...absolutely incredible!
By the time we got out of the cave it was getting dark and I spent most of the walk back in robot mode just making myself keep going as I was so exhausted! I think I was probably dehydrated but it's hard to make yourself drink enough water when you know you cant go to the toilet at any time inside the cave!! dilemma!!
Arrived back at the hotel at about 9, in time to scoff down a hamburger and head to bed after a long needed shower!!!

Saturday 25th
Lie in until 9. Packed my bag, cleaned some dirt off my shoes. Late breakfast. Paid off my tab. Off to the border.
10 minute drive to the Belize border then it was out of the van, hike all the stuff to the customs guys. Pay to leave the country, stamp to leave the country. Passports to Ashley, stamp to enter Guatemala, change some money then off we go again.
About a 2 hour drive to Flores which is a little town on an island in lake Peten. Very pretty but not much apart from restaurants and gift shops. Its pretty much where everyone comes before heading to Tikal! Lunch on the lake and a wander round and here I am!

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