Finca Ixobel

After Flores, we took a minibus (really a van) down to Finca Ixabel, which is in northern Guatemala (Peten). The bus assistant kept trying to talk to me in Spanish. I did my best, but neither of us really understood much of what the other was saying. We ended up talking about trees and animals. Very deep an intellectual.
 Luckily when we got here they had a room available. It's a fun little place. We're staying in a wooden cabin out in the middle of nowhere. There's a little lake here (but it's cold and overcast so we haven't ventured to take a dip). We went for a little horseback ride today which was a lot of fun. We went through the jungle and to the top of this hill where we had a beautiful view. Then we went down and around some houses. People definitely live differently here than back home. Everyone just has one or two room houses with tin roofs, laundry hanging up outside, and chickens, dogs, or pigs in the yard. Everyone is super friendly, always smiling and saying hi, with the kids running around barefoot.

Flores & TIkal

We were both held up for a few days after accidentally drinking some of the water; ended up staying in the room reading and sleeping. Finally we were able to go to Tikal, one of the bigger Mayan ruins. This one was different than the others in the fact that it was more spread out and in the middle of the jungle. In its time the jungle was cleared, but now it was overgrown with little paths throughout. Again I think I gained more enjoyment just walking through the forest and admiring the flora. We were also able to spot a few more monkeys. Near one of the ruins, there was a large group of locals who were doing a religious ceremony, and that was really interesting to watch.

Lazy day in Flores, Guatemala

That's our little island of Flores in the background

Today we had a lazy day, which was much needed. We took a little boat across the lake to San Miguel peninsula. We thought it would be a relaxing little boat ride for Q5, but the boat driver kept trying to hustle us into going farther away or on other tours pretty much the entire 10 minute little ride. Then we walked over to the other side of the peninsula and went to the "beach." There was a little dock over the lake, and the water was so warm. It was nice to just swim around and then sit and read for a little while. After this we walked through the jungle, spotted some monkeys, and went up to a look out point. Here we had a 360˚ view of the surrounding area, including our small little island of Flores. Breathtaking.

Colorful market place

Later on we walked through the neighboring town of Santa Elena. There are tons of little 3 wheeled taxis called tuk tuks everywhere and locals on motorcycles or scooters. Often the dad's driving and the mom is sitting right behind him holding a kid who's standing in between them or laying in her lap. I even saw one that had the teenage son sitting behind the mom, making a total of four people on one little scooter. And of course no one is wearing helmets. Very different than America with its strict traffic laws and Britney Spears being bombared by negative media attention for holding her kid in her lap while driving her car.

The walk to the pier

I keep exclaiming to Nate how beautiful everything is. I loved looking at all the trees in the forest, many of which had long vines and branches drooping down. We saw a lot of butterflies as well. There was one species we saw everywhere that was a vibrant blue on the top side with brown on the underside of the wings. Unfortunately they never stayed still so we couldn't get a picture, but they were stunning. Then tonight came with a gorgeous sunset. The setting sun lit up one side of the lake with golden rays, and on the side opposite the sky was made up of beautiful pastel shades of purple which were reflected on the lake. The cobblestone streets and mismatched houses take on a beauty of their own as well.

Beautiful sunset

Travel day to guatemala

Today we caught a taxi to the border, it was the smallest little van ever. The border was a little hectic as we were instantly bombarded by money changers and taxi drivers. We told them we were going to take a bus, but they just keep following you. It took us a while to find a bus because we were looking for big buses, but really they just use little vans with three rows of seats. People get piled in though. Our adventure is going to change a lot now that we will be in Spanish speaking countries. I've been able to practice a little today, and hopefully more will come back to me as I get used to trying to speak the language. We're in Flores, which is an island in a lake in Guatemala connected to the mainland by a short causeway. With the lake, the jungle in the distance, and the cobblestone streets we're in a beautiful spot. On top of that everyone is really friendly and helpful.

Xunantunich, Belize

Howler monkey

Today was a beautiful, sunny day. Thirsty, I bought some coconut water from a street vender. She handed me a straw and a plastic baggy filled with coconut water, which cracked me up. Then we caught the local bus to the mayan ruins of Xunantunich. The highest ruin there had a beautiful view of forests as far as I could see on one side, and on the other side you could see a few towns amidst the trees. I ended up running into a guy I knew from the dorms at UCSB, just proving how small this world is. We heard loud screeching noises that were reminiscent of sounds in the movie Jurassic park that we brushed off as machinery. We realized later that there were howler monkeys in the trees. The highlight of my day was definitely staring up at the monkeys. For dinner tonight we went to a local restaurant that had a thanksgiving special with mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Not the same as being home with family but as close as we could get!

Drinking coconut water!

San Ignacio - Caracol

Today we woke up early for another guided tour, this time to the Mayan ruins of Caracol. It was the first day of rain, and I was thankful I was convinced into bringing rain gear on the trip. The van ride to the ruins was around 3 hours over an unpaved, muddy road. We were jostled along most of the trip while outside was filled with gray skies and rain. I still really enjoyed the car ride though, again enchanted by the greenery of the jungle we were traveling through. We stopped first to view a giant cave entrance before continuing on to the ruins. The ruins were again beautiful, although I alternated between enjoying the ruins and the forest. The population of Caracol was around 100,000 in its hayday (1200 BC-900AD), and during that time there was no jungle around it as it had been cleared for wood and to make room for farming. It is hard to envision a time when this place was so densely populated and teeming with life. We learned some more of the sacrificing nature of the Mayans, how almost half of sacrificed remains found were those of children under ten. After leaving the ruins, we stopped at some beautiful pools, and then went to a waterfall. Even though it was still chilly and overcast, many of us swam in the river up to the falls. We were able to pull ourselves along the side of the river against the strong current up to the bottom of the waterfall, and it was truly a spectacular site.

Cahal Pech - San Ignacio

Today we were able to wake up without our alarms, and so we slept in all the way till 8. We have both adjusted to the schedule of going to bed early and waking up early, which is a nice change of pace. We walked to some local Mayan ruins, which took only ten minutes. Cahal Pech was inhabited from 1200 BCE until the 9th century. I was struck not only by the beauty of the ruins but by the beauty of the surrounding forest. There was just so much green everywhere and it was different flora than I was used to back home. We were pretty much the only people there, and it was fun having the place to ourselves.

Afterwards we walked through Santa Elena, which is on the other side of the bridge. This area is much more local than where we are staying. There were tons of kids of all ages in school uniforms everywhere. After a having some really cheap and delicious barbequed chicken, we walked around the neighborhoods.

ATM cave exploring

We woke up early this morning to catch our tour to the Actun Tunichil Muknal caves, where Mayans used to take hallucinogens and then make ceremonies and sacrifices to the gods. It started with a 45 minute hike through the beautiful jungle which was amazing in itself. When we first got to the cave, we had to swim through the opening.

There was one little older asian lady who came with us who was unable to swim, so she had to wear a life jacket and grab onto the back of the tour guide every time the water was too deep, but she was a great sport and always making jokes in her broken english. The majority of the time the water varied from ankle to chest deep, which made it a fun adventure. At one point, the guide had us turn off our head lamps and put one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us and walk by feel alone as it was pitch black and I really couldn't see anything. At another time, he collected rocks from the bottome of the rived, rubbed them together and then drew on our faces with the red clay.

Our tour guide really knew his stuff too and was pointing out and describing the different formations in the caves, which were beautiful. We saw a couple really cool insects as well and he told us how they adapted to cave life. He showed us a cricket that had antennae that were about 5" long that he would use as feelers. Once we were a quarter mile in, we left the water and had to do some climbing up rocks along the side of the cave. This lead us to a couple different chambers that had pots everywhere that were used in ceremonies over a thousand years ago. There were also a couple skeletons of people who had been sacrificed to the gods. It was a little brutal, as our guide pointed out the markings from an axe on the skull in one human and discussed how the second body was axed from behind (proved by marking on the spinal cord) and then most likely the heart was removed while still beating. Crazy stuff. It was really quite an experience in both the history of Mayan culture and in caving. We were in the cave for about 3 hrs, and when I swam out to the mouth of the cave, I was struck by the beauty of the green jungle. The Mayans apparently equated leaving the temple to being born again.

Garifuna day & travel day

Sat the 16th was our last day in Caye Caulker, super mellow for me because Nate went scuba diving and I just hung out on the little island. Night was fun because it turned out they were celebrating Garifuna settlement day. We went to a local bar where there was drumming and some local girls were having a little dance competition, which was fun to watch. Then we went over to the main bar and did some dancing of our own. Definitely a fun night!

Sunset at Caye Caulker

The next day was travel day. We took the boat into the city and then walked through town to the bus depot. It was very interesting to walk through town and see how differently people live here than back home. Then we were on a 3 hr bus ride to get to the other side of Belize. We were on the main highway, but most of the area we passed through was land with some towns of dilapidated houses. The bus became close to overfilling, with 3 people jammed into seats meant for 2 people and the aisle completely filled with people. 

Snorkeling in Caye Caulker

I am exhausted after a long day in the sun. We started with a delicious breakfast of waffles with fruit and whipped cream, eggs, and bacon. Then we went snorkeling. We hit three spots. The first was the hol chan marine reserve. We had an excellent guide who pointed out all sorts of fish. We saw turtles, eels, and plenty of big, colorful fish. The next stop was shark and ray alley where our guide threw bait off the boat to lure in the very gentle nurse sharks and rays. In the water, the guide would hide food in his hand and the animals would rove his body looking for it, which was fun to watch. Then he caught a shark and held it upside down and let us rub its belly. We were also able to touch the rays, which was pretty cool. The last stop were the coral gardens, which had a bunch of tropical fish and eels. Definitely a fun day in the sun.

Caye Caulker, lazy day

Our room! This is literally the full size of it, with just mesh wiring windows

Relaxing in a hammock drinking pineapple juice and reading

Out to dinner, where our seats are swings

Our first night on Caye Caulker was exciting. A little after going to bed, a storm rolled in and it was raining hard on our little tin roof. Even though the roof leaked a little and we were able to feel rain drops on us, it was nice falling asleep to the sound of the rain. While planning to sleep in the next day, we were instead woken early by the local birds and kids at 7 am. Since there were rain clouds looming in the distance and wind, we decided to have a lazy day on the island. I lay in a hammock for a couple hours reading, walked around the local stores, and had some good food. A lot of places make fresh squeezed juice, and I had some amazing orange juice and pineapple juice. Tomorrow should be bringing clear skies.

Caye Caulker

Our $10 (US) lobster dinner

We made it to the island Caye Caulker today after a short water taxi ride. In Belize City and when we got off the boat on the island we were bombarded by taxi drivers and tour guides, which was more than mildly irritating. In Caye Caulker, one guy ended up showing us to different hostels, most of which had no vacancy. Finally, after walking an hour in the sun and with the weight of the packs starting to take their tole, we found one that was reasonably priced with wi-fi. From here we explored the little town and ended up at the Lazy Lizzard bar, which was apparently the tourist destination. Without much of a beach, most people were laying out on the warm cement. The weather was nice and we were able to swim in the warm, clear ocean. Afterwards we came back to the room, took cold showers as there is apparently no water heater, and went out to dinner. Here we met some fellow travelers who gave us plenty of advice and tips on where to go. We had a Lobster dinner for only $10, and when you walk out back to the restrooms, you walk through the open kitchen area where the cooks are grilling away! All in all, a very nice first whole day.

Arriving in Belize

We made it to Belize!! Flying out of Houston, we could see tons of houses and suburban development. Flying into Belize, we saw trees, creeks, and swamps with a couple very tiny towns. Definitely different. We walked a mile from the airport to the highway to catch a local bus, which was a fun experience. There was reggae blasting as we drove along the creek, and we were the only people who weren't locals on the bus. We arrived at night, and luckily a local guy in the military helped us find our hostel, because there were no street signs anywhere. We stayed in a small room next to the busy street, but it's fun to be starting our trip.

At the Portland airport at 5 in the morning, exhausted because I didn't sleep at all the night before. Thanks Leslee for the ride.

So I'm about to head off to travel central America in a few days, and wanted to start a blog so I can remember my travels and keep family and friends updated. While enjoying the snow and rain of Oregon, I'm looking forward to the sun, beach, and jungle of Belize.