Day 31: Caye Caulker – ya mon

 

Another day on the island.  Today was time to go diving.  We went out to Holchan Reserve which is about 30 mins by boat.  Was thinking sabout doing the famous dive which is the "Blue hole" which was a cave but 1000 of years ago it collapsed down and has left a sea hole which goes down to 100 and something metres. People dive to see the stalactytes and sharks.  But I was keen to see more fish so went to the Holchan. 

Sawe a couple of really big turtles cruising along next to me.  Also saw some spotted eagle rays, which are huge (more than 2 metres across) and are spotted on the back like a leopard – awesome.  3 or 4 swept past.  Also saw some more nursing sharks and various tropical fish.  Only went down to 25 m.  Was really rough outside the reef and difficult to get back in the boat.

Back in time for some coconut fish and more serious hammock time. 

Day 30: Caye Caulker

 

Pancakes and eggs for breakfast and then a slow cruise through the Island.  It is 4 kilometres long and at it widest part is 200 metres wide.  The island has been split during one of the hurricanes and now a channel has split the island. After 2 hours you have seen most of the town and main island.  IF you want the quick tour, you can jump a golf cart taxi and do it in 15 minutes.  After that everything just slows down.  Chocolate mikshakes, hot dogs, burgers, bbq fish, banana bread, coconut break or tropical fruits. 

Went snorkling this morning to the outer reef.  The coral is not very colourful but saw some turtles and lots of tropical fish.  Went we went to the second location, we saw lots of nurse sharks and sting rays.  They are attracted by the engines, I guess these guys feed them to make sure they come.  But when you are in the water there are more than a dozen sting rays swimming around you.  Some are up to 1,5 metres wide.  Then 4 or five nurse sharks.  They are fairly harmless to humans ( so they told us).  They were around 5-6 feet long.  Pretty awesome up close.  After 3 hours snorkling around the island.  With one of the tracks you walk right across the airport runway. 

Lots of ex-pats live here from the states.  One couple was building a house here to sell – sea views, all wooden, 3 floors, for $300.000 US.  Another was an artist. 

Decided to change my look to get into the island mode.  Before:

 

After: 

Finally back to the hostel and my hammock.

Day 29: Belize, Caye Caulker

 

Up again at 4:15 to catch a shuttle to meet a bus to Belize.  Finally get to the border about 9:00 in the morning.  The Guatemalian immigrations officials had a scam going on the border.  They were charging departure fees from Guatemala of 10 quetzals (1 euro), but there does not exist departure fee.  Think they are sharing it with the bus drivers.

Belice is alot less jungle and more cultivated lands.  Was the home to pirates.  Then when the english cramped down on teh pirating, they started exporting wood.  Then african wood was much cheaper so this industry disappeared for them. The Mayans when they were being killed off in SOuth Mexico also migrated to Belice – so farming started.  However not many years ago it was more known for its drugs, guns and other smuggling.  Nowadays its tourism, fishing and just laying back. 

Got to Belize city which is very small, the majority of the population are black. Jumped another boat over to Caye Caulker which is 30km offshore.  Has the second biggest barrier reef in hte world and nis well known for its diving and snorkling.  No cars on teh island. They only have golf carts and bikes.  Time to hang out in the Carribean.

Day 28: Tikal

 

Up at 4:15 to catch the bus to Tikal.  It is one of the big Mayan ruins in the middle of the jungle.  Arrive at 6:00 and find a hostel in the park.  Then spend the next 7 hours wandering around the ruins. The area is huge and there are tracks everywhere.  It is so big that there are many temples and buildings that are still covered over by dirt and trees.  The highest temple is 64 metres high. Soem of the temples rise up out of the jungle.

There are lots of birds, pizotes (a cross between a possum and an ant-eater). 

 

There are also jaguars and crocodiles but didnt see any.  The gran Plaza was awesome with to big temples opposite each other and other shrines the other side. 

Day 26 & 27: Flores

 

Woke up with  headache and missed he first boat at 9:30am (not that I was in any hurry).  Sat in front of the wharf until the next boat left at 13:00 to Rio Dulce.  The boat has a small cover for the sun, but the rest is open.  30 minutes up river it started to rainy really heavy (tropical rain).  We put plastic over our heads and sat their for 30 mns more until we arrived. Finally leaving paradise and back to fighting with bus drivers.  Jumped  3hr bus to Flores.  It is the startin point to get into Tikal.  One of the big Mayan sites here. 

Lots of military around, there must be something happening.  We were sopped at 3 military checkpoints, and have seen lots of military in town with their M15s.

Flores is a small island where Mayans lived years ago, but is now just a small village in the middle of the lake. Is about 200ms on each side, which has a tiny hill on top with a small square.  The truth is, it is not too exciting. 

Decided to just kick back for a few days before heading off to Tikal.

Day 25: Livingston

 

Thought I would stay a night in Livingston and check out some of the local bars that play the local music – Garifuna.  Jumped a boat downriver. 

Heard an interesting saying yesterday.  “You can not enter paradise, you can only leave it”.  Meaning sometimes you only realise how good you had it when you have left it.  Again another good thought.

They do a bit of fishing here.  You can only reach Livingston by boat, but it is quite funny that there are lots of cars and trucks here.  But only a population of 6000 so it is really small.  Not many roads so not sure what they do with the cars.  Go around and around the block. 

 

Here they have armed guard on the softdrink trucks that deliver coca cola and pepsi to the shops.  A guy in the back with a big shotgun.  Pepsi and coke must be very valuable here.

Was pretty mellow at night, a few open air bars open playing reggaton and a mix between R&B and a Carribean beat.  Ended up with a dive instructor from Belice, and a guy from Norway drinking Cuba Libres to the small hours and talking to the locals. A beer or a cuba libre costs about 1,2 euros, so pretty cheap (headaches included in the price for free).

Peace and love mon 

By the way, have saved more photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/tparata/ if you want to see.

Day 24:Rio Dulce and Livingston

 

Breakfast with everyone then a grabbed a kayak to head down river to Livingston. Is 5km down the river, so took me 1,5 hours.  Pass thru these huge canyons with jungle on both sides and large white and gray birds in the trees that dive bombing for food.  Some locals are hunting or fishing on the sides of the cannon. Luckily there are not many boats that come thru so it is very flat and quiet.  Butterflies, birds, and jungle.

Finally made it to Livingston where the Garfuna people and Guatemalans live.  Garfuna come from the slaves brought from african and now live along this coast.  They speak a “rasta” english, love Bob marley and reggae.  Very Jamaican (i guess). 

They have a hospital clinic on the side of the river where volunters work.  They were explaining that here when the women give birth, they do it crouching and they hold onto a rope hung from the ceiling.  Their husband is hugging the wife from in front or from behind during the birth.  Sometimes the whole family are in the room.  Spent the rest of the day sleeping on the wharf waiting for a boat back to finca Tatin, couldnt be bothered paddling against the current back up to the Finca. 

Met a couple of interesting guys, one has been travelling for 10 years and the other for 18 months.  Had some great stories over their travels in Pakistan and Afganistan.

This ones for you Alfonso.

Day 23: Rio Dulce

 

03:30 am start to catch the shuttle to Guatemala city and then from there a Pullman (normal bus – not a chicken bus) to Rio Dulce.  5 hours and had the whole seat to myself, what a luxury.  As we went north we crossed in the cowboy country.  Lots of people with cowboy hats.  Finally made it to Rio Dulce, the village, which is on the Rio Dulce.  Its a hangout for round the world sailors.  Full of foreigners with their big yachts parked up on the river.  It is about 32km up the river to Livingston and the Carribean.  Boast appear and disappear out of the mangroves. Lots of luxury vacational homes on the side of the river. Looks like something out of the Pacific rather than Guatemala.  Thatched houses and villas along the river.  Finally jumped a boat up river to a place called Finca Tatin.  Its 4kms south of Livinington and the river mouth.  Its in the jungle, with little bungalows, and hammocks everywhere.  We all eat together at the same time and can choose vegetarian or meat -then what comes out you eat. Lots of americans and a few french here.  Good swimming in the river and even better “hammocking”.  Just watching the world pass by.  Luckily not lots of mosquitos, but some big bugs.

I wonder what is happening in the real world.

Day 22: Antigua

 

Spent the whole day cruising around Antigua.  Is pretty,colonial and quite boutiquey.  Lots of trend little art type shops.  Had a few good picture galleries and there are Spnaish schools all over the town.  All lots of churches, many in ruins because of the earthquakes that they have here.  On 3 sides of the town are volcanos.  One of then is active and you can walk up to see the lava (sounds like too much effort).  So after doing my washing I spent 5 hours criss-crossing the city.  Lots of colour and colonial buildings.

Have a room with a shower and toilet, so this is luxury.  Even if the hostel  is like Fort Knox, with lot of bars on the doors and windows.  Have booked a shuttle that will pick me up at 04:00am to take me thru to Rio Dulce in the north.

Caught up quickly with Luis and Sarah for a drink and swap photos.  

Day 21: San Marcos, Panajachel, Antigua

Was planning to do a glass design course this morning but the old guy that does it decided he wasnt working today.  So in the end jumped a boat that went to San Pedro and then Panajachel. Bought a painting from the markets and tehn jumped a chicken bus to Chimenango. Was next to a guy who has been living here for 14 years.  He was telling me that there was 2 killings in his village 4 yearts ago. A Japanese tourist and a Gautemalan bus driver.  The week before there was a rumour going to the village that Satan worshippers were coming to teh village and the that they eat teh hearts of children.  They even had a date for this event and it was advertised on teh radio.  On this fateful date, a tour bus of Japanese were in town.  One of the locals made an accusation that one of the Japanese were the Satan worshippers and the result was that one of teh toursit was beaten to death in the marketplace.  The bus driver tried to stop the mob from enterting the bus and so they beat him then poured petrol ove rhim and burnt him to death.  They still have lynchings and burning in the villages – the law is too slow for them so they take law into their own hands.  There havew been about 100 in the last 7 years.  Just to add to the list, when the bus was stopped in Xela, tehre was a flight outside the window, and some guy nearly got his finger bitten off. Saying all that, it seems very strange because the people arte very nice, even more so that South Mexico.  They are shy but friendly.  But there is an undercurrent of scary people.  All teh banks and supermarkets have men with shotguns.  The hostels have bars everywhere… The chicken bus was funny.  I had a man and his son and his wife on the same seat (made for 2 adults).  The father and teh son were seating next to me and both fell asleep.  The boy was on his father and stretched out and eventually I had his head in my lap and he was fast asleep and the father had his head on my shoulder.  After 2 hours and 50kms I changed buses and got to Antigua.  Found me a hostel strategically placed between the local markets and McDonalds. I caught the end start the procession for Semana santa.  They started this week and they were taking Christ and and Mother Mary and other saints to the local square.  They were wearing purple or white hooded clothing.  Only the women were allowed to carry Mother Mary.