Get out of Cancun, Good times in Tulum, Dam we didnt research Belize City, Thank God for Caye Caulker!

---

Right so, the last laugh is on me I suppose. In my last entry I left it trying to make you all feel massively jealous that I was about to go Whale Shark diving but alas it wasn't to be. We booked with this feller named Phillipe and everything appeared to be leggit. Got a nice early night for the early get up and were happily waiting at the pick up point at 7am. By the time we got to 7:30 and no one had arrived we getting a bit worried but we had his phone number and so we gave him a call to which he did answer to tell us that unfortunately we wouldn't be going to on our trip because our good man Phillipe and his partner had spent the night in prison and then had to subsequently put all there cash in to paying their own bails so we also couldn't have the deposit (450 Pessos (30 quid)) back until they earn t it. We were obviously massively disappointed and it did mean that we spent an extra 3 days in Cancun but we did get our money back. What their explanation was, was that the they sell tours and then pay another man who rents you the space on the water, this second man had apparently done a runner and so the police came knocking on their door and arrested them. But as I say we did get our money back and then we were of out of Cancun down to Tulum!

Down in Tulum we went to a really nice quite big and massively laid back hostel which was quite busy with loads of backpackers. Although coming into there on the back of 9 days in Cancun we were pretty wiped out and feeling very anti-social so the first night was spent quietly dying in our room. The next day we went to the beach and it was absolutely beautiful, just read and chilled. Then in the evening we went to just have a few quite beers at the hostel only to find that on Sundays your not allowed to buy beers from the supermarket after 2pm! Something to do with getting the locals to work on a Monday morning apparently! So the next day we were slightly more prepared. We went to the Tulum ruins which where right on the beach and were basically a port. Its thought that these where the Spanish first sightings of Mexico on voyages down from Cuba in the 1500s. There were also hundreds of Iguana's all over the place just chilling in the sun. As we were about to leave there was a horrendous downpour so we were all trapped under this ticket checking hut and the mozzies came out to play. I reckon I must have killed at least 6 of them with three leaving distinct blood explosions on me, niiiiiiice! So after the rain stopped we went back to the hostel and had another night chatting to our fellow travellers where I met a girl from Cheam of all places! She thought she recognized me but couldn't figure out where it was from. Small world. Also during our time there we were forced to listen to a lot of travelers who were playing guitars, playing bongos and evening singing....in the middle of the day, we had to call the hippie exterminators in the end but we got the problem sorted eventually!

So from there on we left Tulum on our way to Belieze and we had planned to get the water taxi from Chetemul but when we got to chetemul we found that of the water taxi companies, one was fully booked and the other had cancelled all trips due to a storm. So we thought we will get a quick bus to Belize city and go the next day. Boy did we not do the research on that place. Got there are 7pm and everythings closed up, there are lots of groups of young blokes who are clearly homeless or up to no good. We thankfully managed to find a hostel and one of the selling points was that they employ security after 7pm. When we went to get some food all they said was don't go far. But when we got up in the morning to be fair it was much nicer in the daylight hours and looked more like a normal city. So we got the water taxi to Caye Caulker and haven't looked back. its a tiny island probably a few kilometers in length and maybe the same wide. Just sit by the water and its a pound for beers and its bliss. The foods good and yesterday we went on a snorkeling trip and was to be honest a bit of a trial for me but god dam it was worth it! So the night before I had my first lobster (bargain at 6 pounds) which was absolutely lovely but in the night I was a bit sick but this could be down to the Malaria tablets that I then have been on my third day of taking and Ive heard they can make you quite ill but Im not sure. Woke up to find that my suncream had undone itself in my bag and there was sun cream soaking threw everything and I didn't have any suncream for trip I would definitely need it for. Then I found out that somehow Id broken the sunglasses I'd bought literally the day before, so I was not happy on my way to the trip. But my moods lifted once I put my snorkeling mask on and my flippers and we were of into the water! Now there is definitely a bit of a skill to snorkeling which I didn't quite manage in the first instances and ended up swallowing quite a lot of seawater, so after we got out of the water (having seen nothing but sand and rocks) I didn't feel great, by the time we got to the next site, I had lost all dignity and was vomiting over the edge of the boat. I had to sit out the next swim and had my umbrella out covering me from the sun looking the picture of sadness. So the other came out of the water and were talking about all the fish they had seen and i was like 'great' but we had some lunch and I forced down a sandwich and decided I had to get back in the game. So we heard there were the main attraction for the trip in the next site so I jumped in. The first thing I pretty much did was swallow more water and so up came my lunch that i was now swimming in, a few deep breaths and a 'man up sam' to myself and I was snorkeling away to see one of the first if two Manatees! was absolutely amazing, massive thing and then we say a second one! Then we went to the next site and saw turtles loads of fish and even a big green evil looking eel! Then we saw some nurse sharks and rays to top it all of. It was amazing but around the rays one couldn't help thinking of everyone's hero, the great Steve Irwin! Anyways got back and was absolutely burnt, had blisters from the flippers but was still absolutely worth it! Just had a bit of a chill out today and I think we leave tomorrow!

---

Comments

[norman and ann piper]

a catch-up with Sam
Hi Sam and friends. Good to hear from you all again. I trust Sam, that your exciting experiences are worth the discomfort and that you have bought some more sun cream and keep taking your malaria tablets. Life here is certainly not so exciting and the weather has been awful. However I did go on a super hike around Bewl Water last week. There were lots of yachts on the lake and the countryside was beautiful. I went out for a meal with friends which was wholesome, well cooked and quite cheap. I also enjoyed a glass of wine! We are busy making plans for Julie and the girls' arrival on August 11th and very much looking forward to the family get-together on the 21st at Selsey where, I am sure, you will be toasted. Andrew, Marion and family are off on Friday to Somerset to the New Wine Bible camp and then on to Norfolk for another week's camping. Ed has passed his driving test. Thats all for now. Love to you all and keep safe. Norman and Ann.