It's cloudy and drizzling, but not too bad.... I hear the islands are just partly cloudy and it should be clearing up soon! Let's hope so!
I can already taste Lobster I am thinking about it so much!!!!!
more later... must catch the bus now to Belize City to then catch the water taxi to the Caye Caulkner.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
crystal cave
i am a wicked caver! i hiked 4 km up a mountain to the entrance of the the crystal cave. we descended 300 ft into the cave to the bottom and then climbed up back to the top 300 ft and hiked back the 4km to the parking lot.
ADD ON
I forgot to say last night that the hike was through the rainforest it was steamy and warm, like a steam bath! Inside the cave was VERY humid, sweat poured off us the whole time but my skin looks fantastic! The rainforest was very beauitful, stunningly so!
i am so incredibly proud of myself. the cave was harder than the atm cave but awesome! the formations were incredible and our guide rudy was amazing. i have never done anything like this before and rudy really added to our experience with his stories of the mayan people and his personal stories of exploring these caving systems.
it was sarah, (whose last name is haynes mom) marcie & tim from colardo and ben and me again, the fab 5.
ben is also having lots of fun too and loved the caving too. lots of small spaces and places i couldn't imagine going on my own. ben has been taking lots of photos.
yesterday i was a little down and homesick but today i am much better and feeling good. i am happy to be missing the cold snap and snow back home.
tomorrow we head to the coast and the islands, here i come beach!
although we have a long day of travel tomorrow.
today is day 18 of my vacation and i am so excited to finally be going to the beach and eat lobster! trevor says the restaurant called the happy lobster you have lobster and eggs for breakfast! i am very excited about that meal!
okay goodnight!
ADD ON
I forgot to say last night that the hike was through the rainforest it was steamy and warm, like a steam bath! Inside the cave was VERY humid, sweat poured off us the whole time but my skin looks fantastic! The rainforest was very beauitful, stunningly so!
i am so incredibly proud of myself. the cave was harder than the atm cave but awesome! the formations were incredible and our guide rudy was amazing. i have never done anything like this before and rudy really added to our experience with his stories of the mayan people and his personal stories of exploring these caving systems.
it was sarah, (whose last name is haynes mom) marcie & tim from colardo and ben and me again, the fab 5.
ben is also having lots of fun too and loved the caving too. lots of small spaces and places i couldn't imagine going on my own. ben has been taking lots of photos.
yesterday i was a little down and homesick but today i am much better and feeling good. i am happy to be missing the cold snap and snow back home.
tomorrow we head to the coast and the islands, here i come beach!
although we have a long day of travel tomorrow.
today is day 18 of my vacation and i am so excited to finally be going to the beach and eat lobster! trevor says the restaurant called the happy lobster you have lobster and eggs for breakfast! i am very excited about that meal!
okay goodnight!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
camping in the rain in belize
the rain starting on day 1 of the canoe/camping trip and hasn't stopped, sometimes it slows to a drizzle but then it will pour heavy again. everything was wet, we were wet and a bit cool....
but thankful the support staff did all the hard work and cooking. the guys were awesome. but i am glad the camping part is over.
now i hope this cold front leaves so we will have sunshine for the beach days on friday.
i am using bens tablet computer, so no keyboard, slow to write. we are using the hotel wireless, but i am really not a fan of the place we are staying, partly because of my mood likely and the rain.
i am too tired and cold to type really too much about it tonight. i think i am a bit homesick today. the weather made most people cranky and we got annoyed with each other easily i think.
tomorrow we are getting up and doing the crystal cave since it's the only tour here not affected by the rain. -lots of climbing and cool mayan cultural things, but it's a dry cave no water like the atm. i should have lots to say about it tomorrow.
ATM is closed to tours due to the high water levels right now so i am glad we did it when we had the chance.
goodnight!
but thankful the support staff did all the hard work and cooking. the guys were awesome. but i am glad the camping part is over.
now i hope this cold front leaves so we will have sunshine for the beach days on friday.
i am using bens tablet computer, so no keyboard, slow to write. we are using the hotel wireless, but i am really not a fan of the place we are staying, partly because of my mood likely and the rain.
i am too tired and cold to type really too much about it tonight. i think i am a bit homesick today. the weather made most people cranky and we got annoyed with each other easily i think.
tomorrow we are getting up and doing the crystal cave since it's the only tour here not affected by the rain. -lots of climbing and cool mayan cultural things, but it's a dry cave no water like the atm. i should have lots to say about it tomorrow.
ATM is closed to tours due to the high water levels right now so i am glad we did it when we had the chance.
goodnight!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
San Ignacio, Belize
So yesterday we got into San Ignancio around noon, checked into our hotel.
Our whoel group decided to do the cave tubing adventure. We did it 5 years ago when we were here, and just decided to go again, we didn't have too, we could have done something else, or done nothing, but we just decided to go along with it. It was still fun, and we enjoyed it, but it was the same caves we had done before. We went to bed early and rested up for the big adventure we did today.
Today we did ATM which is the Actun Tunichil Mukal caves. You hike 45 mins over land and cross 3 small rivers before you reach the entrance of the cave. Then you get headlamps and helmets and swim across of deep pool of water about 15ft across where you climb up onto the rock bank inside the cave.
From there is a full hour of wading in water from a couple inches in depth all the water to chest deep and scrambling rocks and making your way through all the twists and turns. There are some very small spaces! and it's a good thing I had a helmet because otherwise I would have brained myself a few times.
The way in was SO much fun, but really a challenge, and not at all a walk in the park. I was quite impressed with myself for being as good as I was as finding my footing, and places for my fingers to grip into the rocks walls as a crawled, and wound myself through the caves and the waters.
inside the cave once you reach about 1 mile inside is the burial ground for where the Mayan people tortured and people as sacrifices to their gods.
They were downright nasty, pulling peoples jaw apart, ripping out their ribs cages, and spinal cords and while the people were still alive and leaving them for die a slow, painful death. So far there are 14 different persons who have been discovered in the cave, although they suspect there are many more. The cool thing none of it is roped off, the whole cave is a living museum. you just walk around exactly as it was found! clay pots, artifacts and bones.
The coolest of all was a complete skeleton in the back of the chamber, they call her the crystal princess, because they know she was from a very royal mayan family they think she was about 18 when she died. We got lots of great photos and then spent another hour hiking back out of the caves going back the same way we came through.
Only about 50 people a day get to go into the caves, and there is much talk about them becoming closed to the general public soon. So I am VERY glad to have gone to see them. It was a life changing experience seriously. Ben and I had such a good time.
Only us, Sarah and the other couple our age from Colorado went of this tour, the rest of our group stayed behind and did other tours or had a lazy day.
Tomorrow is the first day of camping on the Belize River. We spend 3 days, and 2 nights camping and then back for 2 night in San Ignacio again ( we are thinking of doing the more difficult caving tour which includes some repelling!) Then from then on to the ocean and the beach for 4 days of relaxation and fun!
Okay so hopefully the hotel we stay in on the way back from camping has Internet, since we are staying at a different place than where we are tonight or last night.
Our whoel group decided to do the cave tubing adventure. We did it 5 years ago when we were here, and just decided to go again, we didn't have too, we could have done something else, or done nothing, but we just decided to go along with it. It was still fun, and we enjoyed it, but it was the same caves we had done before. We went to bed early and rested up for the big adventure we did today.
Today we did ATM which is the Actun Tunichil Mukal caves. You hike 45 mins over land and cross 3 small rivers before you reach the entrance of the cave. Then you get headlamps and helmets and swim across of deep pool of water about 15ft across where you climb up onto the rock bank inside the cave.
From there is a full hour of wading in water from a couple inches in depth all the water to chest deep and scrambling rocks and making your way through all the twists and turns. There are some very small spaces! and it's a good thing I had a helmet because otherwise I would have brained myself a few times.
The way in was SO much fun, but really a challenge, and not at all a walk in the park. I was quite impressed with myself for being as good as I was as finding my footing, and places for my fingers to grip into the rocks walls as a crawled, and wound myself through the caves and the waters.
inside the cave once you reach about 1 mile inside is the burial ground for where the Mayan people tortured and people as sacrifices to their gods.
They were downright nasty, pulling peoples jaw apart, ripping out their ribs cages, and spinal cords and while the people were still alive and leaving them for die a slow, painful death. So far there are 14 different persons who have been discovered in the cave, although they suspect there are many more. The cool thing none of it is roped off, the whole cave is a living museum. you just walk around exactly as it was found! clay pots, artifacts and bones.
The coolest of all was a complete skeleton in the back of the chamber, they call her the crystal princess, because they know she was from a very royal mayan family they think she was about 18 when she died. We got lots of great photos and then spent another hour hiking back out of the caves going back the same way we came through.
Only about 50 people a day get to go into the caves, and there is much talk about them becoming closed to the general public soon. So I am VERY glad to have gone to see them. It was a life changing experience seriously. Ben and I had such a good time.
Only us, Sarah and the other couple our age from Colorado went of this tour, the rest of our group stayed behind and did other tours or had a lazy day.
Tomorrow is the first day of camping on the Belize River. We spend 3 days, and 2 nights camping and then back for 2 night in San Ignacio again ( we are thinking of doing the more difficult caving tour which includes some repelling!) Then from then on to the ocean and the beach for 4 days of relaxation and fun!
Okay so hopefully the hotel we stay in on the way back from camping has Internet, since we are staying at a different place than where we are tonight or last night.
Guatamalans are CRAZY!
So the title of this post is Guatemalans are crazy. Why are they crazy??? Because they are obsessed with fireworks. Trust me they light firecrackers morning, noon and night! I can not explain it enough to really give a complete description but I wil try!
I was REALLY angry the last day in Flores because they fire crackers continued until pretty maybe about 11pm or midnight. And there was a band playing in the square and lots going on in by the church. So I had trouble blocking out the noise to fall asleep. But at least I knew I didn't have to be awake until 7 30 the next morning to get ready and leave at 9am for Belize.
What I didn't know is that at 4am firecrackers would be going on continuously every 10 mins for the next 3 hours! yes every 10 mins from 4am to 7am a series if really loud firecrackers went off AND a man banging a big band drum the kind marching bands use that are wore on the chest and tha man was walking around the town going boom boom boom bbbbrrrrrrrrrroooommm (that was my version of a drumroll) and repeat...
I thought I was going to commit murder and they it got worse at 6am a full mariachi band began to play! and people were dancing and dressed up in costumes! Then they stopped in FRONT of our hotel and did the performance and lit of MORE fire crackers in FRONT of the hotel they were going off at my eye level in our 3rd floor street facing room. How do I know it was eye level??? Because I was WIDE awake and really grumpy, Ben could nothing but laugh apparently my fit of anger was funny to view.
Finally at 7am I had had it and I went and showered and got dressed for breakfast. So yesterday was a little rough for me having been up from 4am onward.
Trevor says they do it all the time. If they have a new baby, they lite firecrackers, if they get married they lite them, if someone dies, they have them, if someone's wife cheats on them they lite fireworks, Trevor says it's how you know they are Guatemalan.
But Ben, myself and the rest of the group have just decided that they are crazy!
I was REALLY angry the last day in Flores because they fire crackers continued until pretty maybe about 11pm or midnight. And there was a band playing in the square and lots going on in by the church. So I had trouble blocking out the noise to fall asleep. But at least I knew I didn't have to be awake until 7 30 the next morning to get ready and leave at 9am for Belize.
What I didn't know is that at 4am firecrackers would be going on continuously every 10 mins for the next 3 hours! yes every 10 mins from 4am to 7am a series if really loud firecrackers went off AND a man banging a big band drum the kind marching bands use that are wore on the chest and tha man was walking around the town going boom boom boom bbbbrrrrrrrrrroooommm (that was my version of a drumroll) and repeat...
I thought I was going to commit murder and they it got worse at 6am a full mariachi band began to play! and people were dancing and dressed up in costumes! Then they stopped in FRONT of our hotel and did the performance and lit of MORE fire crackers in FRONT of the hotel they were going off at my eye level in our 3rd floor street facing room. How do I know it was eye level??? Because I was WIDE awake and really grumpy, Ben could nothing but laugh apparently my fit of anger was funny to view.
Finally at 7am I had had it and I went and showered and got dressed for breakfast. So yesterday was a little rough for me having been up from 4am onward.
Trevor says they do it all the time. If they have a new baby, they lite firecrackers, if they get married they lite them, if someone dies, they have them, if someone's wife cheats on them they lite fireworks, Trevor says it's how you know they are Guatemalan.
But Ben, myself and the rest of the group have just decided that they are crazy!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tikal
Tikal was AMAZING!
ps. my foot is fine. overnight it completly got better and no sign of anything today. I think I just stabbed it on a rock or dull glass yesterday.
Anyways it was very good day, I climbed 4 temples yes 4 temples, one was the HIGHEST temple called Temple 4 at 210 ft high. It was quite the climb and the first climb of th day, but totally worth as dawn broke over the jungle and a mist covered the tree tops and then peeking out of the jungle & mist were some of the tips of the highest temples of Tikal. The sun burned off the mist pretty quickly in the morning so I am SO glad we endured the 4am wakeup to leave by 5 to get to the park at 6am when it opened totally worth it.
Only 25% of Tikal has been excavated thus far, there are over 300o buildings as part of Tikal. They have unearthed 6 temples but they know and named a large mound of dirt, trees and brushes, Temple 7. It seems every year they find something new and add another piece to the puzzle of how the people lived and who ruled etc.... Currently they are still even excavating Temple 4 which we climbed. Only the top as been excavated so far. The bottom is still covered under the jungle. They have built wooden steps in order to get to the top of temple 4.
The 2nd climb was a lesser temple in the lost world complex of buildings, I got to climb the actual stone steps on that one.
The 3rd climb was the one that almost did me in! The wooden stais are not stairs at all but a ladder type of deal. and VERY steep, I mean REALLY steep. I got half way and was beginning to shake and sweat and was really thinking at the next platform I should just head back down because I couldn{t do the height. But then I decided that the view was likely worth it and pressed on! My heart was racing and when I got to the top I was dizzy and shaking from the adeneline and fear! I had to sit down and breath for a few minutes before I could walk along the top and rest take in the view.
The view was INCREDIBLE, and a couple of us fromthe group sat down with our feet over the edge (I took a photo of my feet actually and Bens too) it was very worth it and I am SO proud of myself for doing it. It was so scary and I had vertigo a couple times....
Going down was no easier! It was a slow decent, I walked down like climbing down a ladder, most people did it that way.
The last big climb was Temple 2. Which is one of the twin temples that face each other. 2 people have fallen to their deaths at Temple 2 so now you climb wooden stairs at the side to reach the top and not the stone steps. Temple 1 which faces it directly is closed to the public to walk on, so it can be perseved in good condition. Its really beautiful and nice to take some photos without little dots of people covering the temple steps etc.... and ruining the shot!
We were allowed to walk all over most of the ruins which was pretty cool, I doubt it will be that way forever. And going to Tikal in the morning was really good because there werent too many groups of people there yet by noon we were done and heading back to the bus, I am also glad we did it in the morning because it was nice and cool compared to the afternoon sun!
We got lots of great shots of Tikal and I really enjoyed myself it was very very cool.
Tomorrow is back to Belize and San Ignacio for 2 nights and then camping for 2 nights after that!
ps we are going camping on the Belize River, the same river we did the night croc tour in and saw all those HUGE crocs at the beginning of Belize!!!!
Oh the marching band is going by again too.... ok ben is ready to go.. he was ready 10 mins ago so I am signing off ! Tikal was SO amazing... beyond words really....
ps. my foot is fine. overnight it completly got better and no sign of anything today. I think I just stabbed it on a rock or dull glass yesterday.
Anyways it was very good day, I climbed 4 temples yes 4 temples, one was the HIGHEST temple called Temple 4 at 210 ft high. It was quite the climb and the first climb of th day, but totally worth as dawn broke over the jungle and a mist covered the tree tops and then peeking out of the jungle & mist were some of the tips of the highest temples of Tikal. The sun burned off the mist pretty quickly in the morning so I am SO glad we endured the 4am wakeup to leave by 5 to get to the park at 6am when it opened totally worth it.
Only 25% of Tikal has been excavated thus far, there are over 300o buildings as part of Tikal. They have unearthed 6 temples but they know and named a large mound of dirt, trees and brushes, Temple 7. It seems every year they find something new and add another piece to the puzzle of how the people lived and who ruled etc.... Currently they are still even excavating Temple 4 which we climbed. Only the top as been excavated so far. The bottom is still covered under the jungle. They have built wooden steps in order to get to the top of temple 4.
The 2nd climb was a lesser temple in the lost world complex of buildings, I got to climb the actual stone steps on that one.
The 3rd climb was the one that almost did me in! The wooden stais are not stairs at all but a ladder type of deal. and VERY steep, I mean REALLY steep. I got half way and was beginning to shake and sweat and was really thinking at the next platform I should just head back down because I couldn{t do the height. But then I decided that the view was likely worth it and pressed on! My heart was racing and when I got to the top I was dizzy and shaking from the adeneline and fear! I had to sit down and breath for a few minutes before I could walk along the top and rest take in the view.
The view was INCREDIBLE, and a couple of us fromthe group sat down with our feet over the edge (I took a photo of my feet actually and Bens too) it was very worth it and I am SO proud of myself for doing it. It was so scary and I had vertigo a couple times....
Going down was no easier! It was a slow decent, I walked down like climbing down a ladder, most people did it that way.
The last big climb was Temple 2. Which is one of the twin temples that face each other. 2 people have fallen to their deaths at Temple 2 so now you climb wooden stairs at the side to reach the top and not the stone steps. Temple 1 which faces it directly is closed to the public to walk on, so it can be perseved in good condition. Its really beautiful and nice to take some photos without little dots of people covering the temple steps etc.... and ruining the shot!
We were allowed to walk all over most of the ruins which was pretty cool, I doubt it will be that way forever. And going to Tikal in the morning was really good because there werent too many groups of people there yet by noon we were done and heading back to the bus, I am also glad we did it in the morning because it was nice and cool compared to the afternoon sun!
We got lots of great shots of Tikal and I really enjoyed myself it was very very cool.
Tomorrow is back to Belize and San Ignacio for 2 nights and then camping for 2 nights after that!
ps we are going camping on the Belize River, the same river we did the night croc tour in and saw all those HUGE crocs at the beginning of Belize!!!!
Oh the marching band is going by again too.... ok ben is ready to go.. he was ready 10 mins ago so I am signing off ! Tikal was SO amazing... beyond words really....
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Flores, Guatamala
So we are in Flores yesterday, today and tomorrow and then on Friday am back to San Ignacio in Belize. Tikal was not today it´s tomorrow... I am a dolt and can´t read the itinerary.....
Anyways .... so I am buying cheap time at an internet cafe around the corner from our hotel it´s a buck an hour... American. Not bad! and thankfully the keyboard is english with just a few different keys for their accents etc.... so not too hard to type.
Today was a water taxi to San Jose, had a spanish lesson (could have used that last week!) and swimming and relaxing and exploring Flores.
Tomorrow is Tikal and the 5am wakeup!
I stepped on something in the grass while swimming and hurt the bottom of my foot right on the sole of the feet near my toes.... it´s killing me to put pressure on it... I hope it´s better for tomorrow and all the walking around Tikal we will have. I thought it was a rock or glass... but I am not sure. There is no pucture mark that I or Ben can see, I just am worried that it won´t be better for tomorrow which would totally suck.
Flores is a tiny teeny island in Guatamala in a fresh water lake called Peten. It´s really beautiful. I am really excited for tomorrow & seeing Tikal.
Ben is more excited to see Caracol (which is in Belize and at the end of our trip) than Tikal but I am the opposite. Caracol and Tikal were warring most of the time with each other and Caracol is actually larger than Tikal, but not totally escavated yet.
Trevor our guide is GREAT! I really like him. The group is also really good. No wet blankets or annoying people to spoil things so that´s excellent! we have 2 nurses in the group. So I may have one of them look at my foot if it´s still bothering me tomorrow..
I am worried I was bitten as opossed to just stepping on something sharp..... it´s a bit swollen and painful, but I don´t know if that is just from walking on it ..... hmmm can´t find the question mark on the keyboard here....
Tonight I am going to try the White Fish dinner here, it´s a local fish from this lake and apparently really amazing... so I guess we´ll see! I loved fried bananas and icecream with honey last night! SO yummy....
speaking of food I am suppossed to meet Ben for dinner at a restaurant about 50 steps away from the internet cafe about now... so I guess I should get going! also my stomach is growling.
Tomorrow wil be a long day at Tikal. if I feel up to it I may post tomorrow since internet is so cheap and close to the hotel.
okay dinner time it is for me! just as soon as the marching parade-band goes by... for some reason they have a marching band and parade here everyday just before sunset. and firecrackers which are really just noise markers... yesterday was the 12th day of Christmas so the day about the wise men or something but apparently Trevor says they do it ALL the time for any reason.... okay the band has passed so I can leave now!
Anyways .... so I am buying cheap time at an internet cafe around the corner from our hotel it´s a buck an hour... American. Not bad! and thankfully the keyboard is english with just a few different keys for their accents etc.... so not too hard to type.
Today was a water taxi to San Jose, had a spanish lesson (could have used that last week!) and swimming and relaxing and exploring Flores.
Tomorrow is Tikal and the 5am wakeup!
I stepped on something in the grass while swimming and hurt the bottom of my foot right on the sole of the feet near my toes.... it´s killing me to put pressure on it... I hope it´s better for tomorrow and all the walking around Tikal we will have. I thought it was a rock or glass... but I am not sure. There is no pucture mark that I or Ben can see, I just am worried that it won´t be better for tomorrow which would totally suck.
Flores is a tiny teeny island in Guatamala in a fresh water lake called Peten. It´s really beautiful. I am really excited for tomorrow & seeing Tikal.
Ben is more excited to see Caracol (which is in Belize and at the end of our trip) than Tikal but I am the opposite. Caracol and Tikal were warring most of the time with each other and Caracol is actually larger than Tikal, but not totally escavated yet.
Trevor our guide is GREAT! I really like him. The group is also really good. No wet blankets or annoying people to spoil things so that´s excellent! we have 2 nurses in the group. So I may have one of them look at my foot if it´s still bothering me tomorrow..
I am worried I was bitten as opossed to just stepping on something sharp..... it´s a bit swollen and painful, but I don´t know if that is just from walking on it ..... hmmm can´t find the question mark on the keyboard here....
Tonight I am going to try the White Fish dinner here, it´s a local fish from this lake and apparently really amazing... so I guess we´ll see! I loved fried bananas and icecream with honey last night! SO yummy....
speaking of food I am suppossed to meet Ben for dinner at a restaurant about 50 steps away from the internet cafe about now... so I guess I should get going! also my stomach is growling.
Tomorrow wil be a long day at Tikal. if I feel up to it I may post tomorrow since internet is so cheap and close to the hotel.
okay dinner time it is for me! just as soon as the marching parade-band goes by... for some reason they have a marching band and parade here everyday just before sunset. and firecrackers which are really just noise markers... yesterday was the 12th day of Christmas so the day about the wise men or something but apparently Trevor says they do it ALL the time for any reason.... okay the band has passed so I can leave now!
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