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Mexico/Belize/Guatemala

Written by: MD
12 January 2001

Dear All Well it´s been six weeks on the road throughout Mexico and Guatemala. Wow how time flies when you are enjoying the hot temps, clear skies and warm ocean. Not to forget the interesting Mayan Ruins and local Indian cultures and colours.

Cervesa (beer) tastes better in hot weather!

To give a quick rundown of our itinerary:

  1. Mexico City - lots of parks and musueums, cool Zona Rosa area

  2. Tasco - interesting little town famous for its silver craftsmen and it´s cheap. Check out page www.armyants.com (plug for Andy)

  3. Alcapulco - was a beautiful place once upon a time, but now ruined by all the high rises. Appreciated the great view of the harbour at night and the famous divers (50m high)

  4. Pie de la Cuesta - this place is bliss. Sun, sand, surf, dolphins and whales swimming offshore. What more can I say!

  5. Oaxaca- pretty colonial town. Interesting mayan ruin at Monte Alban.

Chiapas 6. Tuxtla Guiterrez - capital of Chiapas. Sumidero Canyon was impressive (1 km high, 4km long, and tons of Crocs and birdlife).

  1. San Cristobal - Pretty town in the Chiapas mountains. Lots of traditional Indian clothing in vibrant colours. The outerlying villages were interesting to visit to learn about their way of life.

  2. Palenque - Mayan Ruin. Quite impressive in the jungle setting. Plenty of bird life. Visited Agua Azul (famous river for its blueness similar to glacier fed lakes) to get the only day of the trip that it poured down! Tropical jungle weather I guess.

Yucatan 9. Merida - Got to see the local Carnival. Plenty of colourful costumes and dance. At the same time saw President Clinton and (soon to be Senator) Hillary Clinton there in the flesh. Also visited Uxmal (another less visited mayan ruin..worth seeing) Also managed to have my bag slashed without my knowing…but amazingly nothing was taken!

  1. Chichen Itza - the most famous mayan ruin in Mexico (impressive), full of American tourists on their one/two week holiday in Cancun. Get me out of here quick….

  2. Playa del Carmen - spent a week to escape the backpacking mode and relax on the Caribbean beach again since Pie de la Cuesta. Celebrated Tori´s birthday in style (tons of Tequila sunrises, margheritas, coronas, dos aquis, etc). Visited Tulum Mayan ruin for the day…the beach was the only highlight.

Belize 12. (former British Honduras) in one day….drove through it. Nice to read English again for less than 24 hours. Creole/Caribbean Culture. Would have liked more time to visit

Guatemala 13. Tikal - the most impressive Mayan ruin we saw and in the sticks of El Peten jungle. Saw all sorts of animals…howler monkeys louder than my mother, spider monkeys, tukons, parrots, etc. Definitely worth the effort to get there. Caought a dodgey flight from there across the jungle to Guatemala City Airport. Heaps of people had motion sickness!

  1. Antigua - another pretty colonial town with awesome Volcano Agua backdrop. plenty of Gringoes (foreigners) studying Spanish.

  2. Lake Atitlan - Gorgeous lake with 3 volcanoes surrounding it. plenty of sun and relaxation in the treehouse to rechard the batteries…

Mexico again 16. Villahermasa - home of the famous Tabasco Sauce. Have had plenty since staying here. Must have worked too well on Tori as she came done with an upset stomach!

Anyway that´s about it for this email