Fri 9-Sun 11 November - Day 14 to 16 - Caye Caulker We set off very early from Playa del Carmen, taking a short walk to the bus terminal we began our full day journey to beautiful Belize using a combination of public buses, taxis and a ferry. When leaving Mexico we paid a small departure fee of MXN540. The bus was the most interesting!! Alfredo called it the ‘chicken bus’ and the locals call it the ‘bread-stop bus’. I think you get the idea. The ferry trip was 50 minutes in a fast boat with seats downstairs and uncovered seats upstairs. I enjoyed the breeze upstairs with the sun, but the view was excellent and we were getting to know the new members of our group. The new members were from Melbourne, Toronto, Wales, and ... read more

Mon 5-Tues 6 November - Day 10 to 11 - Mérida We were now off to Merida after a full day on bus from Palenque to Merida. After a short walk to the bus terminal after breakfast at Palenque, we boarded a first class bus and the journey took the whole day. It was very comfortable. Capital of the Yucatan province, the 'white city' of Mérida is a pleasant mixture of colonial buildings, churches and plazas. There were several wide French-style avenues, particularly Calle 60. This was lined with beautiful old buildings, some run down and some beautifully restored. The markets simply overflow with beautiful weavings, hammocks and batiks, making this a great place to buy handmade crafts and souvenirs if one wanted to. At night the city comes alive with live theatre and concerts. On ... read more

Wed-Fri Oct 31-Nov 2 - Day 5 to 7 - San Cristóbal Ascending into the mountainous Chiapas region we arrived at the fascinating colonial city of San Cristóbal de las Casas after travelling overnight. It was 7.30 am when we arrived. After walking 10 minutes to our hotel Palacio de Moctezuma from the bus station, we found our rooms would not be ready until 12md, so we all walked to the Zocalo and found a restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast, our guide did the obligatory orientation walk. Part of the walk was through the Plaza 31 de Marzo (Zocalo), and then through, probably one of the best artisan markets we had visited. It was massive. We noted the few Amber outlets and was shown how to detect which was real amber and which was fake ... read more

Sunday Oct 28 - Day 2 to 2 - Puebla Before heading to Puebla we took a short bus journey from Mexico City to the ancient site of Teotihuacan where we enjoyed a guided tour. After a ½ drive we stopped for the obligatory coffee as we had left Mexico City at 6.30am. Overnight Mexico’s daylight saving ended so several of our fellow-travellers got up 1 hour earlier (including Tom). Tom actually went down to the reception to double check. On arrival to Teotihuacan we saw an amazing abandoned city built around 300 BC by a civilisation now lost in the mists of time. The historic complex is a fascinating combination of ceremonial pyramids, such as the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, the Ciudadela, which are connected by the Street of the Dead, ... read more

Mon-Wed Oct 22-24 – Back to Bogota Back in Bogota for 22-24 October, after arriving by Sarpa Airlines from La Macarena, around 3.00pm. The bus transported us back to the main terminal in Bogota and after saying goodbye to 4 of our fellow travellers who lived in Bogota, we hopped into a taxi and went back to the Cranky Croc Hotel. I dived into the shower and washed some clothes. That night we had a light dinner and in bed by 9.30pm after being up at 4.00am in La Macarena for the misty sunrise! We organised a tour for the next day with Freddy who owns the True Colombian Experience tour company. This was the La Chorrera and El Chiflón waterfalls day trip from Bogotá including 3 to 4-hour round-trip hike. (350,000 COP each – ... read more