¿¡Where to begin!?

The last day of 2010 and it's about time I started this thing.

The recap!
33 days, 8 destinations, 5 dives, 4 ruin sites, 2 countries and one (long) border crossing later and we're in Quetzaltenango (aka Xela to the locals), Guatemala, learning spanish. Two weeks into our lessons and I'm starting to get the hang of it but there's a VERY long way to go!

Here's a "quick" update of our trip so far...

Cancun
It was a city, it was big, it was where we flew into. There isn't much else to say for me. I'm sure we missed the good bits but for us it was jetlag and repacking

Isla Cozumel
Diving whoop whoop! I had a great time diving here whilst Chris cycled around the island. I had a go cycling too but the wind was a killer on the way back! Seeing turtles, southern stingrays and a nurse shark was the highlight for me The town square was quite pretty with a band stand in the middle where old couples danced in the evening. Chris said we couldn’t join them, he’s no fun!

Chris found himself a friend while on his cycle[/i

Some of Cozumel's beaches 2

Tulum
Our first Maya ruins! The ruins themselves are nothing compared to ones we’ve seen since but the setting on the Carribean is stunning. I’m glad we saw these first. There were lots of iguanas and bats here too. The beach was gorgeous and really quiet. We watched the sun go down one evening then had dinner in a beachside restaurant almost to ourselves.

Tulum ruins

Who's a pretty boy then

I tried cenote/cavern diving the day before we left - Gran Cenote and Calavera/Temple of Doom. Who would have thought it’s the way to overcome claustrophobia? Well, not quite but luckily I wasn’t scared at all, even when I accidently hooked my regulator tube on a stalagmite/-ctite, whoops! I was glad I’d been diving before in Cozumel because you really needed buoyancy control.

I got to see the halocline (where fresh meets salt water) in Calavera. The temperature difference was so noticable and I didn’t realise when the two mix it would make the water so blurry until all I could see was torch lights and the odd shape. When it was undisturbed the line between was quite distinct.

Valladolid
Ruins ruins! We visited Chichen Itza and Ek'Balam here. Chichen Izta was the bigger and the structures themselves were more impressive but Ek'Balam was in the middle of forest and you were able to climb everything. The views from the top were worth the giant steps up to get there. We also managed to disrupt a German film crew who were shooting a film at Ek'Balam (I think it was called "World Express"). They let us have a swim in the cenote for 20 mins before carrying on filming. The water was crystal clear and very refreshing.

Jaguar temple, Chitchen Itza

Ek Balam:

Looking up...

Lokking down...

Ek Balam Ruins

Ek Balam Cenote

Valladolid was a nice city itself in parts, a few nice squares like the one our hostel was on and a cenote with tree roots hanging all the way down. 7km away were a couple of other cenotes at Dzitnup (an easier cycle ride than Cozumel's 28km) but we only got to see X'keken due to the time of day. The bats were starting to stir though and it was very peaceful with only a few other people.

Cenote ceiling

Merida
The whole of Mexico celebrates Virgin de Guadeloupe Day on 12th December and we saw loads of groups of pilgrims on the roads the weeks prior to it on their way to different towns, lots to Merida. They'd have one running in front with a baton-looking thing and the rest following in a car/truck. I don't know how they could do it, running in the heat!

Friday evening we arrived in the middle of some sort of parade and then on the Sunday there was a street party, a bit like a Christmas market with an outside stage. It was probably the most Christmas'y we've felt here.

The Christmas market

The Christmas market 2

A 9 hour bus journey later... (they'll only get longer)

Palenque
We stayed just outside the park in El Panchan. Our first taste of jungle and it was right outside our door. Luckily nothing more than an ant made it inside though! I'm sure that won't be true for later on in the trip. We heard howler monkeys in the middle of the night and then day as we walked around Palenque ruins. Unfortunately we didn't see any but the toucans were interesting and I saw some sort of giant squirrel!

It's the biggest site we've seen so far and really well preserved. The palace had lots of corridors and you could see where rooms once were, with an observatory standing tall in the centre. Some of the temples still had decoration on the top and we could even have a look inside one of them. The ruins just went on and on, grouped here and there. Trees had grown in/on/around some and it we spent hours walking around them finding reminants of staircases here and their winding our way though. There was a beautiful waterfall with a wooden bridge crossing the river too.

Temples at Palenque

More ruins

Waterfall in Palenque ruins

San Cristobal de las Casas
Set in the Chiapas highlands, it was a lovely area to be in but so cold! The town had several interesting museums - we visited the amber musuem and Na Bolom, about an indigenous community called the Lacandones and a Danish couple who tried to help them maintain their cultural identity. There was a church too which was almost completely gold inside! Other than that we wandered about the town seeing other sites and taking in the views.

View down from the Church decorated for Guadelope Day

The golden church

Scorpion in amber

Amber piano

Mexico to Guatemala
Bus to taxi (with 6/7 people in it) to mototaxi to chicken bus and we're made it finally to Xela! The chicken buses are an eye opener after Mexican buses!

More on Guatemala and Christmas to come.....!