At one point I’d cropped Belize from my list, as I have limited time now to get down to Panama by mid May, and I’d been led to believe that Caye Caulker was really only a divers destination, with not much snorkelling. By chance a dive chap from Tulum told me that the snorkelling is even better than some of the dives and so I reworked a very fast and relatively expensive trip to Caye Caulker in before Guatemala. First was a three hour bus from Tulum to Chetamul (Mexico) nearly missing emigration before hopping onto a two hour water taxi (hot, cramped and not comfortable!) to San Pedro (Belize), and then another water taxi to Caye Caulker. Arrived at seven pm and tried to book my snorkel trip for the following day, but the place I’d been recommended was full for the next two days. So resolved to get up early and jump on a tour.

Of all the places I’ve travelled to and from Belize was the biggest cultural difference, going from Mexico just a few hours across the water….it was very Caribbean with all the local Rastafarians, and English being the main language…it was hard to stop with the hola, por favor, gracias! And the food was totally different to, and not to healthy looking at the average size of the locals either! But a very relaxing vibe indeed and I was gutted I would only have such a short time there.

I had been hoping and waiting to catch up with a British couple that I’d met about six times in Argentina and Chile back in November, who were travelling up through Central America the opposite way to me…and of all places the tiny island of Caye Caulker ended up being our cross over point and we bumped into each other on the seafront. It was great to catch up and swap some tips of places routes etc.

I was a good girl and got up nice and early and booked the tour I wanted, five hours, with lunch, four snorkels, and a little cruise at the end with some rum punch…70$….pricey, but that’s Belize. And for what I got to see I was more than happy! Our first dive near a reef we saw turtle, shark and ray and some huge grouper and other big fish. When our group saw the turtle, a Canadian chap not happy with swimming half a metre away from it grabbed it..it obviously scarpered. I grassed him up to the guide and asked him why he touched it, he said “it was really relaxed”…. seriously….some people!!! Stupid or what. Our second spot was a little contrived, a guy sits on a boat all day feeding conch to a greedy huge turtle and beneath the turtle were about twenty massive rays, including a two metre long beautiful eagle ray! It was a little frightening initially swimming so near these creatures, but breathtaking! Our third quick dive was also a bit contrived “shark alley”. All the tour boats feed a group of sharks, and whilst they are feeding on one side of the boat you get in the other to swim round and watch. For some reason the sharks for me were less scary than the rays, it was fantastic to get so close….even if it was a little like feeding at the zoo! As soon as our boat ran out of food, they moved onto the next. Our final spot was over a reef, and mainly just small fish but I saw a shark again and followed him for a while. After our final snorkel we had a mini cruise with some rum punch and spotted some obliging dolphins who coyly circled the boat for a while. One of the dolphin’s fins looked like it had certainly seen better days…very wonky.

I was stoked with everything I saw, all though the reef is in really bad shape, and they need to be careful with conservation. Our guide didn’t really give us any rules about don’t do this or that, ie don’t touch a turtle. Whilst pretty obvious to me…..not to others. On my boat were two lovely girls from LA, and after meeting up with the English couple for another drink in the evening I then joined them in a group for one of their bday dinner. Had a great time, at a very relaxed restaurant and headed for a few drinks after. The temperature had been steadily rising, and the air pregnant with anticipation….and then the heavens opened! I mistimed my five minute dash back to the hostel in what I thought was a break in the rain, and got fully soaked!!!

Next morning I had to catch the 9am water taxi to Belize city to get a connecting shuttle bus to Flores, Guatemala. The rain had not stopped, and I was glad to have managed to fit my snorkel trip in as I would not have been able to go with that weather. It also made leaving the island after such a short trip a bit more bearable. It was an expensive thirty six hours, but I have no regrets (except not having a waterproof camera!) when am I going to be back in this neck of the woods again? Plus I got to catch up with Vicky and Simon, and the snorkelling was worth it!

Arriving in San Cristobal on a nightbus at 7am after the coast was akin to getting back off your summer jolidays at Heathrow…talk about temperature difference! Luckily I’d cleverly figured this out and had a few layers on in preparation and scoffed at the silly girls who were still wearing short shots and flip-flops…..hehe. We checked into a hostel that I’d been recommended and also place a chap we’d met in Oaxaca was now “working”. It may well have jumped into the lead as best hostel on my trip to date…..again pretty new, huge colonial building with an internal atrium. Super comfy mattresses, hot showers, plenty of blankets needed for the cold night, a different prepared breakfast each day, a garden area with hammocks and a fire pit, and very friendly staff. If your headed there don’t think about anywhere else to stay! Puerta Vieja

Luckily the sun soon came out and once it did it was very warm and having managed to get enough kip on this night bus headed straight out to explore the town. Whilst much smaller than Oaxaca city SC is on par with charm for sure. With several pedestrian streets lined with cafes, panaderías, restaurants and artisan craft shops. It’s another place you can quite happily just wander about absorbing the “vibe man”… As always the local food market is major draw for me, and we headed there for a snoop and lunch. As we entered one lane it seemed fairly small….we wrong! A maze of lanes, blocks and stalls with sections for anything and everything. I’ve never seen so many mangos! A cheap tasty lunch and laden with fruits intended for a fruit salad we returned to the hostel and it being Saturday and 6pm decided on a drink. The well equipped kitchen had a blender so I sacrificed some of our mango, passion fruit, banana and pineapple and with a bit of rum knocked up a rather good number if I do say so myself! We had a fire in the garden that night which just managed to keep us warm as the temperature plummeted with the sun gone, I slunk of a little early to dodge a hangover.

Next day four of us headed out to the indigenous village of San Juan Chamula to visit the Iglesia de San Juan de Bautista. The customs practiced in the church are a mix of Christian and Mayan. Photos are strictly forbidden inside and we all felt quite intrusive just being there, but it was very interesting and unlike anything I’ve seen. The outside of the church doesn’t seem very different, but inside is a different story. The floor is covered in pine needles, there are no pews, and around the walls are statues of different saints. Thousands of candles are alight, the people who are there to pray clear an area of pines and arrange and light varying numbers of thin candles arranged in a message. As we went on a Sunday families were grouped together praying and chanting. The overall image of the church lit with all these candles with the pines covering the floors, and the saints adorning the walls felt somewhat magical, and fair more spiritual than all the more impressive churches and cathedrals I’ve seen. But I did feel very weird tiptoeing around people praying, and I can fully understand why photos are not allowed. Afterwards we shared two whole cooked chickens for lunch in a local eatery…just a pure protein lunch with no tortillas! Back in town in the afternoon one of the Mexican girls who was working at our hostel took us to a local cantina, which is a family affair on a Sunday in a large hall with plastic tables and chairs, cheap beer and snacks and a comedian/cabaret performer. I’m not sure how much of his jokes we really got but it was really fun to go to and something I wouldn’t have come across without local “in-the-know”.

My last full day two of us took a tour of the cañón del Sumidero, which all though a bit touristy as you can only go there in a tour on a speed boat was quite staggering, beautiful and we saw a few crocodiles! As well as huge numbers of cormorants, pelicans, egrets, vultures and herons. When we got back to the hostel two other friends had arrived, and with all the other guests and staff had another fire outside and enjoyed some cheap rum courtesy of the hostel….don’t mind if I do!

I really had a great time the last few weeks hanging out with some people and I didn’t really want to move on just then but there are places to see….so the following day I took a six hour bus to Palenque. Two travel pills later I woke to a grey drizzly skies and jungle foliage. I luckily met two ladies on my bus and we got a room together in the jungle, very basic but hot water and a cleanish bed. It was cool going to sleep with all the noise of the jungle around including the howler monkeys! But didn’t see any….

So yesterday I was up early to visit Palanque ruins. Of the three ruins I’ve now seen, these have to be the most impressive, as much in part to the location and setting surrounded by jungle. They seem a bit more real…..Teotihaucán north of DF whilst still staggering, seems to have been plonked there as its so dry and surrounded by nothing. A few hours later, and some considerable steps climbed up and down I caught a shuttle to two sets of waterfalls. The second ones “agua Azul” were as the name suggests so blue! Unfortunately the weather was a little unseasonably cool that day, and noone was swimming in them….but being British that didn’t stop me and I had a fifteen minute swim on my own….if just to tick the box! Transfer dropped us back into town at seven and I killed an hour or so before taking an eight hour night bus north to the Yucatan arriving at five am this morning in the city of Merida…..tbc