Dec 22, 2012 - River ruins, flat tyres and Flores

The first day of the new era thankfully brought a break in the rain and we headed off to the river that seperates Mexico from Guatamala. Our first destination for the day was Yaxchalan, an out of the way ruin complex that can only be accessed via boat. While these were good, I'm not sure that the effort to get there was worth it. And I definately didn't have the energy to explore the whole complex, especially when you had to climb these stairs . We then check out of Mexico and travel down river for an hour before reaching the Guatamalan...

Dec 21, 2012 - Murals of colour

On the last day of the fourth cycle of the Mayan calandar, the rain gods were happy as we received a downpour that can only be described as torrential. We were staying at a resort that was also near the location of the famous Rainbow festival which resulted in a lot of campers and those wishing to comune with earth. I kind of felt sorry for them when the rain started in the middle of the night but was glad that we were staying in cabins and not tents (or in some cases, hammocks). We left the revellers and headed further into the jungle to...

Dec 21, 2012 - End of the world

After Bonampak we moved onto Lancaja for the night where we stayed in a basic eco resort (ie 50 meters walk to outside toilets). Thankfully the rain eased up a bit and a times totally stopped. My cabin, whilst without an ensuite, was located right on the river so the sound of water over rapids and rain on the tin roof lulled me to sleep. The perfect way to spend the last day of a significant Mayan era.

Dec 20, 2012 - Welcome to the Jungle

Next we headed into the jungle to the ruins of Palanque. Palanque is a large complex built over a number of platforms which once again meant more steps. Besides that normal residences for the upper class of Mayan society, there is also a palace that when the sun is reflected though holes in the wall, shows the Mayan's skill and knowledge regarding light refraction. The ruins are just getting better and better.

Nov 23, 2012 - Canyons, crocs and an old city

Dinner last night was another Italian restaurant and one of the cooperatives run by the Zapatistas. Rafa has shared much information about this movement which is very interesting. Bruce had us all peeing our pants laughing with his theories on how to pick up women. When asked how to pick up men he said "you go to a pub...." We waited for the rest but that was it. My bed had two wool blankets and a quilt and I needed all of them. There's no heat and the "fresh" mountain air is down right cold. Theresa and I were up early and searched for...

Nov 22, 2012 - Amazing ruins and waterfalls

Nov. 20 This morning I woke to the sound of rain pouring through the down spouts onto the tile at what I thought was 6:30. After checking email, etc. I came back to the room to wake Theresa, turned on the light, looked at my watch and … uh oh, it's only 6 am. Good thing she's wearing earplugs and an eye mask. I snuck back out, skyped Mike, cleaned out my email and resized some photos for uploading and went back an hour later. After breakfast in the hotel as none of us felt like going out in the rain, we piled into taxis and then the ADO...

Oct 27, 2012 - Palenque

Palenque- Jungle, Ruins and waterfalls A hot and sweaty jungle town next to some awesome Mayan ruins. We arrived at 6am went straight up to our shack by a creek in the jungle and were on a tour by 8am. More fab Mayan ruins and then an afternoon of visiting and swimmking in beautiful waterfalls. Would have had a quieter night sleeping on runway 3 at heathrow with all the howler monkeys and andy saw a spider so big and hairy at first he thought he'd seen a mouse! ( he's promised not to show me the picture till we get back to England) Next...

Mar 15, 2012 - Palengue

We are no longer in the Yucatan. Up very early this morning and took the 6 30 a.m. bus to Palengue in the Mexican state of Chiapas. We are in a very nice neighbourhood of Palenque called Canada, although it is pronounced Canyada. It is really nice with shaded streets and coffee shops. Many of the better hotels are located here. There are many tourist agents who arrange trips all over Chiapas. We are at Hotel Xibaba which is one of the nicer hotels and cost 650 pesos.

Nov 9, 2011 - Visiting San Cristobal De Las Casas and around

We arrived in San Cristobal to discover a beautiful village in the mountains, and the fact that it was pretty freezing! The village and its region has loads to offer, but with only thee days there, we did not want to rush and instead enjoyed tequilas (too much), talking to locals (extremely nice people who do not speak english, good for our practice) and eating (too much also). On our last day there, we met with a local guide Julio, a friend of Miguel who worked at our Tulum hotel. This is definitely the way to meet great people as Julio is...

Nov 8, 2011 - Moving on, further adventures in Mexico

A night bus trip from Tulum took us to Palenque where we spent one day discovering the beautiful ruins of the old city, discovered not so long ago. These are some of the snapshots of the day...glad to report we didn't get sacrificed nor buried alive for the sake of the Sun Gods. We stayed in a jungle hostel called Margarita & Ed's, in the area of El Panchan, where we decided that if we ever have to hide from someone, this will be the place to be. Then we are off to San Cristobal de Las Casas, still in the region of Chiapas. See you there. x

Jul 26, 2011 - Changing Gears

Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico Sometimes big decisions need to be made...and they need to be made quickly. Not always my strong, but, in this case, I suddenly became Senor Decisive. Here are the circumstances: In Ixtepec, Oaxaca ( I still enjoy saying the name over and over) research is a bit stagnant for my style. Yes, I've been monitoring the major migration path through Ixtepec and dialoguing with Gang Bangers, but nothing truly captivating. I feel unproductive. And, too make matters worse, I haven't eaten much except a surfeit of King Cones...

Jul 22, 2011 - The Beast!

Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico I arrived in Arriaga last night. I dropped off my bag at a hotel and went directly to the Parque Central for some freshly squeezed fruit juice when I ran her than...Nope, not Shakira, but rather my good friends, Gang banger Luis and Sr. Sensitive Franklin. (Don´t u think Franklin is an odd name for a Hondu fellow?) It almost seemed as if they were waiting for me. God had put them en mi camino (my way). I invited them to join me for a juice. We were excited to see each other and spoke for hours about our respective...