Richandgemsadventures

With the disappointment of the Whale Sharks put firmly behind us, it was time to move on to our next destination. We caught the 6am bus which would take us directly from Placencia to Belize City. Thankfully, this time we were a little prepared and didn't have to venture beyond the relative safety of the bus and nearby ferry terminal. Four hours after leaving Plancencia, we arrived in Belize City. Knowing there was a 10:30am water taxi to Caye Caulker, we rushed off the bus, jumped into a taxi to take us to the ferry terminal and just managed to buy a ticket get aboard before it left. After an hour of pounding along over the small waves we had finally arrived arrived on the small island. A quick five minute walk from the terminal and ... read more

After the slightly stressful plane ticket episode at Fort Lauderdale, we finally arrived in Cancun around midday. However there was going to be no hanging around in Cancun with the 'Spring breakers', as we were heading straight down to Belize that day. We booked two bus tickets for 10pm that evening which would take us from Cancun to Belize City. It was a pleasant surprise when it suddenly occurred to us that Belize is an English speaking nation which meant we didn't have to struggle with our pathetic Spanish vocabulary. In the meantime, we had about nine hours to kill and nowhere to go. Hungry, phone batteries getting low and in need of wifi to do some planning for the week ahead, we did what anyone would do...headed straight for Maccy D's! Before we knew it, ... read more

After reading so much about the picturesque, multicoloured colonial buildings lining the narrow streets of the old town of Cartagena, we were excited to take a look for ourselves. We arrived in the old town after driving through one of the many arches which are cut into the huge city wall. The wall is decorated with hundreds of cannons which were once used to stave off unwelcome invaders in the 1600's. Once we had managed to battle with the rather rude staff of the hostel we were staying in, we got settled in then set off for a walk around the city. After a quick wander around town and a bite to eat we were back at the hostel to get showered and dressed in preparation for a couple of sundowners at the famous Cafe del ... read more

When you hear the word Colombia, what are the first things that spring to mind?!...Cocaine, drug lords (namely Mr Escobar), crime and general lawlessness?! From what we had heard from hoards of other travellers, the aforementioned are all a thing of the past, with the new Colombia offering vibrant cities, stunning beaches, beautiful countryside and the friendliest of people. It was now time to find out for ourselves. We arrived at Bogota's clean and modern international airport early in the afternoon, hopped in a taxi and made our way to our hostel. Having shared the taxi with an English couple we had just met at the airport, the taxi dropped them off first at the city centre area of La Candelaria. The area is still pretty notorious for crime, especially at night. Despite this, it still ... read more

After 10 weeks of god knows how many super noodle dinners and scrimping and saving where possible, the time had finally come for Galapagos. Hoping for a super last minute deal, we booked a one way flight and hoped for some luck. Only three days prior to our flight departing, the deal was done. We had managed to bag ourselves a half price 8 day cruise around the north and west islands of Galapagos aboard a 'First class' boat. Money transferred and having just spent 1/4 of our 16 week budget on a one week trip, our expectations were high and were really hoping for something special. We arrived in Guayaquil late in the evening, with just enough time to grab some dinner, sort our bags and get to bed. Another early morning, however this time ... read more