flores, tikal, lanquin, semuc champey

the ruins of tikal are a sight like no other. i was expecting the big stone structure while i walked through the huge park, and was totally taken aback. imagine the people who discovered these lost buildings while hacking their way to the jungle, and how surprised they were...
the view from temple 4, the highest temple there, was breathtaking. green jungle, everywhere. with just the tops of the other temples peeking through the treetops. and the cry of the howler monkeys sounding just like you think dinosaurs sounded.
my hostel, los amigos, was in flores. a very nice place, lovely garden and hammocks. parrots and cats and dogs. it was hot in flroes, but it would rain and cool everything down. i liked walking in the rain and touching the water that was coming off of the buildings; it was almost boiling from being on the tin roofs that had been heated all day in the sun.
next stop was lanquin. the 7 hour ride was hell: 15 people crammed in a smallish van. windy roads as we went through the mountains. once in lanquin i checked into el retiro, a very nice hostel on the river. the restaurant and bar had a dinner buffet, and happy hour directly after, which led to revelry and dancing on the rafters above the bar.
semuc champey is about a half hour drive from lanquin. once there, me and some of my new friends followed our tour guide, otto, into a cave with nothing but our bathing suits and tennis shoes on, armed with a single candle each. there was some walking, some one armed swimming, as we held the candle above the water. climbing ropes through waterfalls, jumping off huge rocks into the water, sliding through ridiculously small flumes, all through what looked like the set for the movie 'the goonies' (which no one on the tour with me had ever heard of). when a candle went out, everyone was quick to help re-light it. it was like some sort of wildly dangerous team building exercise.
after the caves it was back outside to the river. we jumped out of a huge swing into the water, then took tubes down the river. to the bridge. OH the bridge! when otto showed us how to jump from it, everyone kinda stood around looking at each other as if to say "no, i insist, YOU go first". i ended up doing it first, before i lost my nerve. i fell for what felt like half a minute before hitting the water. my heart: pounding.
by the time we got out of the water, i realized that all this jumping off of things had aggravated my back injury. pretty badly, actually. when the others went up to hike el mirador, i headed straight to the pools and found a conveniently located board to lay on. then a nice swim through the natural pools that all joined together until it started to rain.
after all this excitement, i decided to take it easy the next day, at the hostel. there was the most amazing sauna, so for hours i alternated sweating profusley and jumping in the freezing river. good for the body, good for the soul.
i swear to you, i have pictures, it's just extemely difficult to have the time to dump them on a computer to upload them. i promise, pictures soon.
also, on the bad news front: my phone was stolen. which means no writing the blog from the buses (which was so much better!). it also means no ipod. no translator. no currency converter. none of these things that make travel so much easier. i am truly upset but trying my best not to dwell on it as i am having such a beautiful time. don't cry for me.
now in san pedro, on lake atitlan. more about this beautiful place later, amigos. pura vida!

Caye caulker/Belize city/Flores

My first night at caye caulker was filled with fresh lobster on the grill, some belikins ( the local beer), new friends, and rum. My roomates, Dax and Seamus, are from Belgium and Ireland respectivly and have two of the coolest names ever. Dennis and Megan from Canada joined us for dinner then we all sat in the front of our hostel right on the water, in what was called "the vibe garden" (the sign says leave your mental luggage at the door). A bottle and a half of rum later and it was time for bed.
Next day megan, dennis, and I went to breakfast at a small place that prided itself with its burritos. The breakfast burrito consisted of an omelet with tomato and cheese, some cabbage and beans spread on the most delicious homeade tortillas. They were thick and pillowy, almost like naan. The best part was the hot sauce it was served with: habanero sauce with a carrot base. I mean GOOD!
Next we went snorkling.

 

No manatees, as planned (it was a little more expensive, and I was already splurging on going snorkling in the first place) we did, however, see some beautiful parts of the reef and tons of different fish, barracuda, and stingrays: the pancakes of the sea.
Early evening, as I had to wake up early for a taxi boat, but first a walk to the split, where part of the island was washed away in a hurricane. Bid Meghan and Dennis farewell, and was hassled one more time by some of the local men looking for a "girlfriend"...

Another near miss as I didn't make the early boat out. I thought for sure I'd miss my bus to Flores, but once again fortune smiled upon me and I made it to Belize City in plenty of time. I also met a lovely woman, Anna, on my taxi boat. She is from the UK and lives on Caye Caulker, working as a dive instructor. We talked at length about the environment of the island: how there is not enough education about recycling and conservation, with both locals and tourists. On such a small island, it's sad to think of all the waste going on.
The bus ride was a few hours to the guatemala border. As I checked my passport to get into guatemala, my new friend Harry, who was on my bus told me NOT to pay anything (we did pay legitamately to get out of Belize). The man stamping my passport asked me for 20 Quetzals, and I told him I was told not to pay anything. He started to hassle me, which was pretty damn frightening. What if he told me to fuck off and I couldn't come in? A woman behind the desk said something to him and gave me the stinkeye; he handed me my passport and said I could go in. Turns out, it's a regular occurrance. They see a bus of 20 folks coming up, charge them 20Q each, quite a profit. Good thing Harry warned me: he found out after he asked for a reciept and was just handed his money back.
Now in Flores, and a great hostel called Los amigos. A lovely central garden with hammocks everywhere, clean beds, a restaurant. For 30 quetzals (just under 5 bucks), it's a steal.
Tomorrow: the ruins of Tikal! I hear there are monkeys.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I can upload photos soon...Writing from an iPhone is hard! Hence all the spelling mistakes and wierdly capitalized words. Um, sorry 'bout that....

Day 1 caye caulker

after a harrowing MARTA ride in which i thought i would miss my flight, I finally found myself on a plane toward Belize. I picked a cloud, as we descended through the cover, to place my worries on, and waved goodbye as we landed.

the cab driver took me through Belize city, where schoolchildren filled the streets. they were on their lunch break, all in matching uniforms.

the water taxi took half an hour to get to caye caulker. there is something surreal about blasting 'sympathy for the devil' while bouncing through unknown waters.

i arrived on the island and was greeted by a man who, for some reason, was singing Christmas carols. i joined him in a rendition of 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire' before he pointed me in the direction of a hostel. Tina's Hostel. then a nap in the hammock.

now: dinner with hostel mates! fresh lobster, perhaps....

wish you were here.

half the clothes, twice the money

less than a week until my departure from the states. i am frantically trying to figure out bus systems, money exchanges, couchsurfing hosts...all things a normal person would have already figured out by now. i still stick by my plan of having almost no plan, though, and know that i will be able to figure most stuff out on the fly.

it's been real fun, visiting my hometown for the past couple of weeks. getting to see old friends, being spoiled by my mom, having fun with my sister, eating a ridiculous amount of southern cooking: all very comforting situations. though in hindsight, perhaps the trip home should happen after being out of the country; i fear all this fried food and security will leave me a little less sharp witted. still, visiting my old stomping grounds and haunts with old friends has been such a lovely experience. and since i haven't seen my family in over a year and a half, i'm glad i'm here.

packing, though, oh PACKING i am not always glad of. there is a saying about travel: "bring half as much clothes and twice as much money". i think i have effectively followed the clothing rule, with very, very few clothing items. while backpacking, you learn to wash your clothes in the sink at night and wearing the same thing...a lot. it ain't no fashion show. but what i love about traveling light is how each thing gains more worth. since you only have one pair of pants, those pants become your pants. each shirt is precious, each sock is lovingly looked after. your tennis shoes become part of your home.

as for the twice as much money rule, well, i am bringing just about all i have. which isn't a whole lot, hence the couchsurfing and volunteering. and i suppose i might try busking if i need to.

this time next week, i will be on the island caye caulker, right off the coast of belize city. so whatever you do, don't cry for me...