Guatever

And now here I have been in Guatemala! No time to write as I have been exceedingly busy soaking in Guatemala´s lush landscape and rich culture! My time in the country began on the island of Flores. The island is quaint and set amidst a gorgeous lake where I watched a breathtaking sunset... The clouds, the sky and the water all painted pink by the sun. Awestruck, I decided I liked Guatemala already. In Flores, I made the trip to Tikal. Possibly my last ruins-based trip, I had saved the best for last. Not only is Tikal the largest excavated Maya ruins site in the Americas but it is also set amidst dense jungle similarly to Palenque. Upon arrival, I kicked off my (oversized and stolen) flip flops and ran amok up the pyramids, through the jungle, over the limestone and scampering over the temples. I felt intoxicated by jungle fever and it felt criminal to wear shoes. I wanted to walk barefoot as the Maya once did and where the Maya once did. And the jungles were ridden with the exotic. Howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tarantulas, humming birds, parakeets, woodpeckers and a dozen other varieties of brightly feathered beings. Truly beautiful.

And so after Flores, we made our way to Lanquin for a water wonderland called Semuc Champey. In Lanquin we stayed at a pretty sweet hostel, again set amidst much flora and also by a serene river. Lanquin is mid-nowhere and Semuc Champey even more so. Here we visited Semuc Champey twice. It is hard to describe Semuc Champey... Many people attempt to do it justice by describing it as the most beautiful place on earth. A combination of rivers, waterfalls, natural pools in the middle of hills and jungle and forestry, Semuc Champey is all crystalline turquoise water and limestone rock formations. Here is what we saw from the Mirador (Look-out point) which took about 20mins of uphill, strenuous hiking to reach...

The second day that we visited Semuc Champey was indeed a BIG DAY OUT. I thought I was going to die twice that day but in between, had a flavour of heaven. On the way there, Julio and I took a collectivo, a form of transportation popular in these ends and one that I am most accustomed to. Indeed, the first time we went to Semuc and took a collectivo, they managed to squeeze eighteen people into the back of the burning hot, black pick-up. Everyone seemed perfectly comfortable except for myself and Julio. SO on our second day we attempt the same route, but this time it is a standing collectivo which means people are standing on the back of the truck. It is completely packed so they sit us on top of the driver´s cabin, where the LUGGAGE usually goes! PUTA MADRE! With no proper railings, I was being flung about with every corner taken by the collectivo and the drivers here take no care in driving slowly down those sharply rocky dirt roads. For half an hour, I thought I was going to die. And couldn´t help express so. However, when we arrived my eyes pumping with adrenaline and my heart rate unpleasantly high I soon calmed as I was greeted once again by this (and this is only one of the pools):

We spent so much time our second time in Semuc soaking in the waters and energy that we found ourselves neglected. In fact, for our last hour or so there we had the ENTIRE PARK to ourselves! It was like a movie. I was in my own paradise and it felt incredible. However, this pleasure was not consequence free... Our indulgence in this wonderland came at the price of missing the collectivo home and having to walk NINE KILOMETRES along uphill, rocky, dirtroads in the DARK!!!!... And then it began to rain. Once again, I found myself having one of those experiences that are significantly better and funnier in retrospect.

Flores and Lanquin were awesome introductions to the country of Guatemala which thus far I can conclude has not seemed to be too different from Mexico. It is nice to be back in a Spanish speaking country after Caye Caulker. And now we are in Antigua! The colonial capital of Central America and so far as I can tell, pretty streets, cute cafes, marvellous ruins, lots of churches... and ridden with tourists as a result. Tomorrow we leave for Lago Atitlan however I intend to return to Antigua (if not Xela (Quetzaltenango)) for Spanish classes after a bout of spirituality at the Lake.

Paz x

A Dream

I had a dream that I was on an island in the Caribbean ocean where the sand is white like powdered cocaine, the water is crystalline turquoise and shallow for miles and I´m with the best company I could possibly be in. This lasted maybe 6 days and then I woke up on a bus leaving the island and realised that it was actually all true. The island is called Isla Mujeres (Women Island), the location is just off the Caribbean coast of Mexico by Cancun and the company were my friends Julio, Sinah and Tyler (and a bunch of other awesome people I met.)

Sweaty, bustling Merida failed to impress much save for the pleasant free entertainment one evening in the Santa Lucia plaza there where they were having a Celebration of Maya. Here, Julio and myself were able to walk around the local, pristine University and check out the photography exhibition. After which we sat amongst the local people of Merida as a Mexican woman with a powerful voice sang traditional songs, backed up with her own band to the pleased crowd made up of both the old and young. It was really great and I wondered how often Mexican cities have this kind of free family entertainment on a weekday evening in comparison to cities of the UK.

So after only a couple of nights there we made our way to Cancun via a day trip to Chichen Itza, one of the most impressive of Maya ruin sites. This, having been my (fifth?) site of ancient ruins was still able to leave me in a state of awe - so long as I ignored the hundred tour groups littering my view. Julio and myself took great delight in observing the many iguanas and monitor lizards that had free reign over the pyramids and tried hard to imagine an ancient civilisation clambering up the high, solid structures and playing games in their ball court. It was a really fun day and I realised that maybe such wonders can be better when experiencing them with a friend. (Whereas usually I insist upon such adventures being a solely personal experience.)

We then landed in Cancun, a place which made my stomach physically sick. An absurdly long stretch of ostentatious resort upon resort lining the beach, each trying to outdo the other. American dollars being poured in to this part of the Yucatan, only to go straight back to the International hotel chains. After seeing how the rest of Mexico lives in my last 3 months, I felt utterly uncomfortable as did Julio. And I enjoyed declaring rather loudly how disgusted I was by the disparity of rich and poor in the country, fuelled by apathetic Westerners to the other patrons of my tour bus who were being consecutively dropped off at their respective Hiltons, Meridians and JW Marriots.

Isla Mujeres

Julio and I found a humble hostel to stay in in the centre of town and spent the evening drinking Don Simon above the rooftop terrace with a complete view of Cancun. Upon witnessing the myriad of McDonalds´golden arches arrogantly rising above the city, we resolved to leave Cancun the very next morning for Isla Mujeres where I knew my two good friends, Sinah and Tyler (the wonderful people I had met and who had subsequently looked after me after my accident) from Puerto Escondido.

Reunion with Sinah & Tyler!

So the next day (Saturday 24th April), Julio and I took something of a party boat across the Caribbean sea to Isla Mujeres. This was easily one of the most exciting boat journies of my life! Turquoise waters seen only in postcards and brochures, dolphins swimming with the boat, live music, windswept hair and above all, wonderful company. Landing in Isla, we were both taken aback by the simple beauty of the island.

And here we spent the next 6 days... Swimming in our own part of the ocean, walking along the beach, EATING GREAT FOOD, partying with Sinah (who had got a job in a bar there for the past month) and Tyler and also another couple whom we met from the states, Harlen and Aimee. Two absolute kindred spirits on vacation and with warm hearts and open minds. We all gelled together so smoothly and had a really great time together. Julio and I spent every day together and I feel blessed by his beautiful albeit short friendship. From Austin in Texas, he would not stop HARPING ON about how Austin is a sample of heaven. He also eats phenomenal amounts and is extremely passionate about his food; mealtimes with him were truly an artform. I had so much fun dancing with, eating with, swimming with, swearing at and teasing him, even if I never see him again I will (somehow?!) consider him a friend for life. Saying goodbye to Isla and Julio was very difficult and even now I am in Tulum, arguably Mexico´s best beach, I am still feeling quite tender for both. Isla Mujeres was one of my favourite dreams.

But now here Sinah and I are in Tulum! The same kind of beach as Isla but windier so more waves but also emptier! And sleeping in a cabana set deep in the sand. It is very beautiful and surreal and we are having a lovely, girly time together... Look forward to more days of fun with my German princess.

Peace n that

xxxx

The English are embarrassing

What the title said, really. I am now back in Mexico city and yesterday I did something I never thought I would do. A TOUR! God no! Whatever for?! I hear you cry! Surely you would rather gauge out your own eyeballs and eat them for dinner?! I know, I know... What could I expect? Of course it would be hideous and awful and cringey and tedious and exasperating... Well, turns out the tour itself was not so bad. Checked out the awesomely impressive Teotihuacan Pyramids, built before Christ himself was born. The largest city built in Meso-America. So ridiculously massive and permanent and the site struck me with an even greater sense of my own mortality and unimportance in the scheme of universe. Obviously even more so than the cathedral in Morelia. Sitting atop the Pyramide de la Sol was (excuse the cliche) breathtaking. I marvelled at the view of D.F. and the ruins beneath me and realised there and then that the UK should build such a construction and send all the miserable, depressing inhabitants of England to the top and make them realise life really aint that bad. Although i dont know if it would work on some of the monstrosity of human beings I encountered on the trip...

A British couple with an awful regional accent harped on all day, insisting on talking to me as I was one of the only other English-speaking on the tour. They apparently came to mexico at the wrong time of year (winter) as they ALWAYS do whenever they go on holiday... (Yeah it has been 27degrees on average each day, seriously hot hot sun. And winter has just meant a cool breeze for the evenings. It is SNOWING in England you disgusting excuses for people.) And the food is too spicy, not like back home. (Urrgh kindly REMOVE yourselves from mexicos presence.) Oh and the best was that there is too much construction in the city. (And yeh I am pretty certain that the Mexico government would appreciate less construction too should they not be RESTORING ancient buildings. Effing vile vile cretins. And just SO EMBARRASSING for England. Im just saying...) Awful company aside, yesterday was amazing. We also checked out the revered image of the Virgin of Guadelupe which apparently appeared on a little old Indians poncho way way back.

Today I visited the Xochimilco canals with a really great English traveller, Alex an ex-TV-production-coordinator-turned-traveller-fo-life and a Singaporean photographer from NY, Alvin. We spent a glorious day outdoing the Lonely Planets advice for chilling in the gondolas and beating the cheapest of local prices. Then strolled through a super colourful artisans market. A truly lovely day. Tomorrow Alex and I head to Puebla as a stop over for Oaxaca city... South baby, south!

A xxx