So long, Farewell Belize...Bienvenidos a Guatamala!

Belize was a wonderfully relaxing experience (for the most part).  It seems the whole country is super laid backed and I would be surprised to hear about anyone having a wild, rawdy time there.  After Caye Caulker we hopped back on the water taxi to Belize City and left right away for Placencia.  We stayed a couple of days but were feeling a little "beached-out".  (Yeah, yeah I know there is snow in MN and i'm feeling "beached out"...) We sort of just relaxed in the hammocks, ate, and explored the small little town.  I would like to go back some day and see it in high-season when there are a few more people around.  I think the small beach bars could be pretty fun with some more people.  After Placencia we headed for Punta Gorda.  We took another water taxi from Placencia to Independence and took yet another bus to "PG" as it is called.  The bus terminals in Belize are basically just a parking lot big enough for a bus to fit in.  There is no one to tell you when the next bus comes or leaves so its all just kind of a guessing game.  The bus terminal in Belize City is an absolute nightmare with people trying to hassle you/help you get to where you want to go.  In Belize there is a very fine line between hassling and helping.  People in Belize are very friendly but more often than not their friendliness is really annoying.  
In PG I had a mild meltdown for really no apparent reason.  Could just be tired from travelling so much, could be missing my family, could be tired of a certain person I am traveling with...could be a combination of all three.  I decided I was leaving and heading back...I got as far as Belize City.  Seven hours of sitting on the bus gave me some time to think and I decided I really didn't want to leave.  Luckily Lalo had followed on the next bus and we met up again in Belize City.  Although our plan had been to enter Guatamala in Livingston via ferry from PG, we managed to make it to Guatamala via Benque, Belize.  I'm feeling much better (still a little crabby...don't know why?) and really glad I decided to come. 
We made it to Flores after a 3 hour bus ride to Benque, taxi to the border, taxi to the Guatamalan collectivo, and finally 3 hour collectivo ride.  Flores seems to be a wonderfully charming island town.  We're only about 1.5 hours from Tikal (the major Mayan site here in Guatamala) so I imagine we'll make our way there.  We're also a little "ruined-out" as we've seen so many.  I've heard it's incredibly hot there too which doesn't sound too appealing.  We found a great little hostal with a private room for only 80 quetzales....less than $10.  It has it's own restaurant and bar and is super cool!  We walked around last night and got something to eat...today we're gonna go explore the city.  It's super hot and humid here...I had the forearm sweats at 9:00 pm last night if that tells you anything about how hot it is.  It's also super challenging to instantaneously change forms of currency.  As soon as you cross the border everything is in Quetzales and its super confusing.  I now think in dollars, pesos, Belizean dollars, and hopefully soon quetzales.  To complicate matters just a little more Lalo thinks in pesos.  I usually have to convert one currency to dollars then to pesos before we both know how much something really costs. 
The last week was an interesting one but great at the same time.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of Guatamala.  I'll try to update more frequently! 
Adios...Besitos...Nos vemos pronto!

Mexico, Denver, Mexico, Belize....

Holy crap it has been an eventful couple of weeks!
I flew back to Denver for my best friends wedding in Denver last week.  It was truly amazing and I was so excited to be apart of it all...crappy weather and all!  It was COLD!  I was happy to not be sweating balls the whole time though!  It was also wonderful to see my parents and college friends again!  I got to enjoy some of the amenities America has to offer...flushing toilet paper down the toilet, sitting on the toilet seat, hot showers, clothes that fit me right...but ironically I missed alot of Mexico too!  Mainly the food!  Sorry America...but your food SUCKS!  Mexican food is so much better and tastier!  It was fabulous to spend some time with my mom and dad as well who were super excited to see me and to prove it...bought me stuff! I'm pretty lucky to have such a GREAT family!
After a one week stay in Denver, I flew back into Cancun and hopped on a bus back to Playa del Carmen.  Mi amorcito Lalo was waiting for me at the bus stop and had dinner and wine waiting for me in the hostal.  It was fabulous!  One week apart after months of non-stop togetherness did us some good!  The bickering is cut in half...hahah!
Pretty much as soon as I arrived in Mexico, we left for BELIZE!  My whole life I have always wanted to go to Belize without knowing really anything about it!  We hopped on a a bus from Playa to Chetumal which is the Mexican border town...not really much to see there!  We crossed the border in an old American school bus (warning placards and all) not really knowing at all what we were getting ourselves into...
The border agent was unfriendly and very firm only giving us 15 days in Belize...probably best since now that I am here I could see staying for awhile! 
Pretty much as soon as we crossed the border into Corozal, an extremely sleepy little Belizean town, we realized we were not in Kansas anymore (or Mexico).  The people mostly speak English (think Bob Marley rastafarian English) but also creole and Spanish.  The people themselves are mutts (I mean that in the best way!)  They are a beautiful mix of pretty much every surrounding country near or far...including Asian, African, French, American, Mexican, Guatamalan, European...it's a truly unique mix.  We stayed in a cute little guest house and spent most of our time relaxing.  After about three days we decided to move on to Belize City...
The way most Belizeans talk about Belize City you expect to be murdered the moment you step off the bus.  Because the country is only about 300,000 people any crime that exists is heavily reported.  Just like any major city, crime can be a problem but fortunately we didn't experience any.  We found another guest house for around $17 per night with plans to leave on the ferry for San Pedro or Caye Caulker in the morning.  We met a French Canadian on the bus in the way in who followed us to the hostal and we all shared a traditional meal of stewed chicken, rice and beans along with several Belikin beers (the national beer).  We met several locals who were extremely friendly!  The Belizean people have been EXTREMELY friendly (almost over the top!) We have been welcomed to their country about 176 times! and everyone is eager to offer advice or services.  It's quite refreshing but I must admit I was a bit weary at first expecting people only wanting to take advantage.  I think in a country of 300,000 they realize tourism needs to be a big draw!  Especially on the islands...
Our first glance at Belize didn't quite fulfill my fantasies...until we got to Caye Caulker.  It is a small island of about 2,000 people, only a 40 minute ferry ride from Belize City.  The island, although a bit rustic, has such an extreme caribbean laid back atmosphere I can understand why people come and never want to leave.  Although our "guest house" (as hostals are called here) is lacking in many amenities...including water that doesn't reek so bad of sulphur you have to hold your nose...we are quite enjoying ourselves!  Tomorrow we are going on a snorkeling tour of the reefs just off the islands! 
Belize has brought new challenges including understand the "English" (a mix of rastafarian English and Creole) and translating for Lalo who asks about every 2 seconds "que dice" or what did they say??  It is frustrating for me because before I can even process what they are saying he is asking me what they are saying...I am the "TRANSLATOR"!  We're practicing English and working on the "que dice"...hahah. 
So once again I have found myself adapting and changing in a new environment.  I quite like it!  My first feeling any time we go somewhere new is that I want to go back to what I know...but after 2 days or so I feel much differently.  Travelling truly has been a lesson in adaptation!  It's a challenge...but just the other day I thought to myself..."I'm never going to be the same after these experiences!" 

Adios...Besitos...Nos Vemos Pronto!

What fun!

Today we had a super fun day in Akumal snorkling.  I was so proud of my little Lalito (who 3 months ago couldn't even float let alone swim) when he managed to snorkel the deep waters without even so much as a whimper.  I, on the other hand, am quite the whimp after my jelly-fish experience.  I am super freaked by even the smallest thing floating in the water...that experience freaked me out more than I thought it did. 
We saw lots of reef fish with bright blue and yellow stripes, all different kinds of coral, and we even got to see a sea turtle eating some sea grass.  He was super tranquil and didn't care much that we were following him around checking him out. 
What fun to experience it all with a snorkel-virgin!  We have so much fun together it's kind of ridiculous.  I have never spent so much continuous time with someone without getting annoyed.  We are seriously together 24 hours a day and it couldn't be any more fun!

Adios...Besitos...Nos Vemos Pronto!

How fortunate I am...

How fortunate I am to have grown up with so many experiences!
Many are not so fortunate...
For example:
I know how to swim (definately take that for granted)
I know how to snorkel (or at least how to put the fins and mask on)
I know how to drive a car (automatic that is)
I know how to ride a bike
I know how to make pancakes
I know how to roast a marshmallow (it does not involve sticking it directly into the flame!)
I've been surprised by the people i've met that don't know how to do these things that seem so common and normal. 
On the contrary, I am quickly learning how many things I do not know how to do...
I don't know how to light a gas stove (that doesn't light itself)
I don't know how to cook rice (it always turns out sticky!)
I don't know how to open a coconut
I don't know how to make coffee (I don't drink the stuff)
I don't know how to properly pick ripe limes (they all look green to me)

My concept of what I should know changes  on a daily bases.  I often feel proud of the fact that I know how to do something that many others do not...BUT here, out of my element, more often than not I feel embarrassed by the things that I do NOT know.  It's really cool to learn a whole new skill-set that you never knew was important! 

Adios...Besitos...Nos Vemos Pronto!

More Photos!

Photos!

Playa then Tulum

After an exhausting two weeks in Cancun we decided to take a little rest in Playa del Carmen.  We were only there for about 3 days and moslty stayed in and recooperated.  We did manage to make it out for a lovely lobster dinner though...super tasty!  Playa is expensive like Cancun but still has a Mexican flavor...you can still find small street vendors and small little restaurants that are pretty cheap.  Aside from our lobster dinner we managed to hang pretty cheap.  The hostal we stayed in was nice and had airconditioning...a welcomed change from little or no airconditioning for 2 weeks! 
After only 3 days in Playa we decided to head out for Tulum!  It is an interesting place for sure...there are many hotels/posadas/hostals to stay in but along the beach they are pretty rustic.  There are many hotels that are probably pretty expensive but they are still small and un-Americanized.  The beach here is straight out of a movie...there are stretches of beaches with no people only the crystal clear blue water and white-white sand. 
The hostal we stayed in is a sister hostal of the Happy Gecko where we stayed in Playa.  It was recommended to us by the receptionist.  This hostal was bar far the most rustic we have stayed in but fit perfectly with the atmosphere here.  We stayed in a small stilted cabaña (there were blue crabs everywhere) without electricty.  No electricity means no fans, no lights, no computers...it was definately an experience.  The hostal prides itself on being "eco-friendly" which also means that they don´t use any fresh water.  Only ground water which is mixed with the salt water from the ocean.  Makes for sticky skin and slimy hair after showering.  We met some very cool "rasta" type people who mostly had come to Tulum for vaca and never left.  Very typical pot-smoking, dreaded, shirtless hippies...ha! 
There were bicycles included in the hostal so we decided to venture to the nature reserve that was "just down the road" according to one of the rastamen at the hostal.  I have decided that never again will I trust a Mexican when they tell you how far something is...it is always WAY further!  We biked about 9km in rocky, pot-holed, unpaved road.  I almost started crying.  I had eaten nothing and did not put on sun screen before we left (I am making myself sound pretty stupid here) but we were also told there was a restaurant and didn´t expect to bike for 2 hours in the scortching sun!  When we finally arrived I thought I was going to die.  The reserve turned out to be really cool but had nothing of a restaurant or even a place to refill our water...
On our way back we stopped at a restaurant about 1/2 way.  We ate, rehydrated, and watched the sunset at an idyllic overlook!  It was awesome!  We also got to view and touch some baby turtles that were going to be hand placed in the ocean by some of the hotel guests.  But...when we left one of the bikes had a flat tire...Lalo biked back to the hostal and they came back for me in the beat up VW van!  Whew I somehow avoided the long bike trip back!
Yesterday we visited the ruins here in Tulum.  They are cool but when you have seen the ruins in Palenque and Chichen Itza its hard to compare.  The Mayans did however know what they were doing when they built their city here...Tulum is absolutely gorgeous...I promise to upload photos soon!  The ruins are scortching with few trees for shade but luckily there is a refreshing beach to take a dip!  We stayed a couple of hours...gotta work on my tan! 
After the ruins we walked a few km to another beach where we ordered a beer and relaxed...I can see why people never leave here! 
Today we decided to switch hostals as we both woke up with what feels like thousands of mosquito bites!  We found another close to the ruins and the beaches we visited yesterday which also include bikes...so today we´re gonna head to the beach again!  Gotta be nice and bronzed when I head back to the states! 
I´m feeling excited and a bit nervous to head back...I´m not going to pretend I am completely accustomed to my life here but let´s face it...I don´t have much responsibility, I don´t have a job, I wake up and decide what I want to do today...i´m about to head back to reality!  Not to mention that I honestly have not spoken much English in the last 3 months...hello English!  Of course it will be fine but I oddly feel a little nervous....
What a life I lead...
Adios...Besitos...Nos Vemos Pronto!