Belize: Cost Breakdown

Belize lived up to expectations and proved to be the most expensive country on the entire trip. Even so, it can be traveled on a relative budget. You might simply have to pass up on a few more pricey activities.

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Beach Bliss Comes to an End

Our days on Caye Caulker started with greetings such as: “Morning beautiful ladies.”  “How are you doing gorgeous?”  “How was heaven like when you left it?”  Yesterday, on our last day on the island, the exchange by two locals as we walked by sounded like this:  “Damn!”  “A little too orange...”  I take that as a clear sign what we have received enough sun and that as much as we don’t want to, it is time to head home.

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Diving Belize: the Obsession with the Blue Hole

All it takes is to mention Belize and diving in one sentence and you will be asked whether you are planning on heading out to the Blue Hole.  There is an absolute obsession with this picturesque site, but one that results more due to the hype surrounding it, than to its own merits.

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Caye Caulker: Snorkeling with Stingrays and Nurse Sharks

 

After a mere 3 ½ hours journey from the western end of Belize, we had arrived on the island paradise of Caye Caulker.  This little spit of sand, located on top of the world’s second largest reef would be our home for the last 4 days of my trip.  The island is less than 8 km from north to south (including the northern portion which is split from the southern), and supposedly less than 1.5 km wide (although according to what I’ve seen, the widest point would at most be about 200 meters).  The town is comprised of 3 or 4 sandy streets where most walk barefoot, an endless collection of little hotels and restaurants and more palm trees than inhabitants.  It is truly a little island paradise.

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San Ignacio: Navigating Sacred Maya Caves

We greeted our arrival in Belize with a wave of relief.  The journey from Flores proved to be quicker, easier and less bumpy than expected (they had paved large chunks of the 25km stretch of gravel road).  The border guards welcomed us in perfect English, inquiring after our plans, wishing us a quick return to health and offering friendly advice. The hostel we checked into in San Ignacio was run by an elderly gentleman with 21 grandchildren, a fascination with birds, and a willingness to take us to any of the numerous Maya ruins in the vicinity, to arrange any other excursions we may wish and even to offer American bought Tums for any indigestion problems we may have.

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Guatemala: Cost Breakdown

Guatemala is one of the cheapest countries in Central America, whether it’d be food, accommodation or even the various sights and tours. Yes, you will pay $20US to get into Tikal, but places like this often cost a lot more to get into. If on a budget, this is definitively a great destination.

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Tikal: An Ancient Maya City

Located deep in the Guatemalan rainforest and spread over nearly 500 square kilometers, Tikal is an impressive sight to see.  It used to be one of the main Maya city states, with a population of over 100,000.  Today, only a small portion has been excavated with the majority of the complex still consisting of green, tree-covered mounds.  It is by far the most impressive Maya site I have seen so far and seemed a bit reminiscent of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, simply based on its size and the fact that it’s spread out throughout the jungle.  However, Maya construction stops a long way short of what the Cambodian did in Angkor Wat.

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Semuc Champey: Cascading Pools

Hard to reach, but incredibly rewarding when you get there, Semuc Champey is a magical place.  It is a 300 meter stretch of a river where a natural limestone bridge consisting of numerous pools has been formed.  Most of the water flows below this bridge, but a decent bit of it fills the pools and offers an amazing place for swimming and chilling.  It was very reminiscent of Plitvice Lake National Park in Croatia, just on a smaller scale and more enjoyable since you could take a dunk in these fantastic pools.

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Bikinis with Legs: Yet Another Random Theft

I guess generally when you think of bikinis you also think of legs – nice long straight legs protruding from them. Yet that is not what I’m referring to here.  Instead I think that the bikini bottoms grew legs and walked away while illuminating their path with my favorite headlamp.

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Los Tumulos: the Obsession with Sleeping Policemen

They come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are fat, others have really protruding bellies.  Some have decayed a bit with age and are crumbling around the edges.  Still others are double-breasted.  A few are quite bright but most tend to be quite grey and blend in with the surrounding.  Central America, and Guatemala especially, seems to be obsessed with sleeping policemen. They appear everywhere, whether it’s on a dirt road or on a highway.  Sometimes they appear from nowhere, other times they prefer to stay in groups and slow your progress every 100 meters.  Their most common characteristic is that they are insanely annoying.

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