Mexico

Man what a trip. The bus from Flores was scandalous. The only form of transport available it was also our only option. It included a short but expensive run through Belize($25)and eventually in the evening we got to the border at Chetumal. AGAIN not another pleasant border experience. I mean its not great crossing borders at night, not having a clue what to do and then on top of it not having ANY money nor an chance of getting any to further our evening plans. We made t to the bus terminal and luckily managed to get an evening us to Merida. No sleep was had and we arrived at 5am pretty exhausted and hungry and with no where to go after being turned down by 2 hostels. Thanks bastards. However following trend after this we eventually had some good luck and were welcomed into Hotel Trinidad. It was a blessing. So beautiful, colonial and hospitable. The other places and journey there was soon forgotten.




As far as introductions to a new country can go, Merida was no exception. It was an absolute delight. SO attractive, the people so warm and friendly and a lot to do and see. We cruised the streets, finally indulged in some epic mexican food and relaxed and enjoyed it all. Mexico was also a bit step up on central america in terms of modernisation and development which made it that more comfortable.

Utilising the awesome bus networks we headed east to Valladolid and found a lovely hostel set also in another laid back old colonial town. Beautiful. We found the first Church to be built in the Americas back in the 16th Century. It was a sight! This area of the Yucatan Peninsula is also widely known for its Cenotes. These are underground lakes and water holes that are absolutely spellbinding. Spectacular.




Next on the agenda was Tulum, an astonishing Mayan town and fort site. Ifi were alive at this time, this it where i would have lived.



With time and options running out we decided to spend our last few days in Cancun, a very developped and built up city known for its tourist industry and spring break revelry. We kept a low profle as the weather was not too hot and hung in for our flight back to LA. Overall Mexico, especially the Yucatan peninsula we travelled was a super experience and well worth the visit. It was a shame to leave Latin america as the experience was huge but we were looking forward to some Californian action!

Guatemala

We arrived in Guatemala city which was suprisingly big and without wasting any time, got a local chicken bus to Antigua, another city 1 hour away but much smaller, more beautiful and very gezellig.



Antigua is renowned for its colonial buildings, Catholic churches, Maya artesan market and many good bars and restauramts. We had a lovely time strolling the old cobbled streets, buying wonderful souveniers from the markets and sampling lots of the good food!!!

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For the New Year celebrations we headed to the central park which is often in Central America the centre of life for a city, where people relax, eat and drink and have a good chat. The square was full of people, locals as well as tourists and visiting guatemalans which made a fantastic atmosphere. Shireen found what looked exactly like Olie Bollen but was a little disappointed when it came to the taste! oh well, it was worth a try.



We found a great spot and the fireworks were fantastic, with some very large bangs. It was all very impressive and we had a lovely evening. The next day we decided to make a memorable day for the first of the year so without much preparation we booked a ticked for the trip to Volcano Pacaya, one of the most active in CA. This was definately a challenge and we got more than we bargained for. The trek began at 2pm and we were in a group of about 10. The hike up to the 2nd stage was steep and lasted 1 hour. However the 2nd stage to where you can actually view the Lava from was another 45 minutes. And even steeper, on rougher terrain! It was definately a huge undertaking and half way into the 2nd stage clouds covered the mountain and we suddenly became very wet, tired and COLD! When we finally scrambled up to the lava it was unelievable. There was a huge 2m wide stream of lava flowing and the hardened magma which you would walk on was barely covering the lava that flowed beneath it!



It was crazy to think that your standing on top of something so volatile and dangerous and that you can get so close to the lava, close enough to touch literally! It was super hot like a sauna and amazing to experience. Needless to say we took photos quickly and got the hell off those rocks as it did not seem very safe at all. The trek back got worse, now it was dark as well as freezing cold and wet and lasted 1 1/2 hours. I got a horrendous cold and we were absolutely shatterred but it was all well worth it and an insanely cool adventure. Leaving Antigua we took an overnight bus to Flores in the north of Guatemala to visit world famous Tikal. An uncovered Mayan city deep in the jungle complete with Temples, wildlife and other incredible sights. It was built over 2000 years ago by the maya who were one of the world most advanced cultures. They made canal systems even that would make the dutch proud, build roads and pathways and developed a calendar due to their interest in astronomy. It was simply breathtaking. How they managed to build such wonderful structres is beyond belief. We walked for 5 hours to all the temples and sights, climbed a few, held a tarantula, saw monkeys, crocodiles and parrots and had one of the best days travelling so far. It was truly epic.