The end of Stage 2

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Sorry Guys, this one got delayed by the fact that, despite it being the technology capital of the world, Hong Kong has no internet cafe!! Anyway here it is and we will write up our exploits in Asia so far in the next day or so. Also photos to follow.

Ole, ole!! Mexico has been fantastic for many reasons.... We spent nearly two weeks there and could have stayed for a year... (as with everywhere else). We went first to the Yucatan peninsula and stayed in a hut on the beautiful white beach of Tulum. We swam in aquamarine seas, stretched out on the sands, visited Mayan ruins and not much else.... We recovered from the stresses and strains of travelling in C America in a culture that was more easily accessible. We tried to get to grips with Mexican cuisine although it was impossible to predict what would contain meat... The overwhelming factor obviously was CHILLI of all different shapes, sizes and strengths and Dave was in heaven...
From Tulum we headed to Palenque for more Mayan stuff - an interesting and important site in the middle of the jungle where we baked in the heat. Next stop San Cristobal de las Casas: lovely town set in the mountains with fantastic colonial architecture and a relaxed vibe... We spent a couple of days eating v well and Dave bought a pair of cowboy boots... Brace yourselves!!
Final stop on our Central American tour was Mexico city - what a great place to end! This is a v lively city with loads to see and do. Initially the size seemed daunting but once we started to explore we found it welcoming, friendly and diverse. We did ART - the murals of Diego Rivera and his dos amigos, (Dave found that Diego Rivera was in fact the spitting image of his Uncle Cecil!!!) and the Frieda Kahlo museum. We visited all the main sites and the ruins of Teotihuacan another ancient civilisation.
We are now moving onto Stage 3 in Asia. It seems strange that we no longer need to speak Spanish especially as we have both loved using our languages again (mostly successfully). There has been so many different types of things to see and do over here - mountains, volcanos, lakes, glaciars, rainforests, cloudforests, beaches, marine life, big cities, dodgy cities, colonial towns, indigenous cultures, history - really something for everyone. Do it!!!
As PADI would say - meet people, go places, do things!!!

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