Luxury at Ambergris Caye

Next stop was Ambergris Caye, one of the beautiful cayes off the coast of Belize. On one of the largest reefs in the world and surrounded by crystal clear water we were quite relieved to get back to the tourist trail.

On the boat we met a couple from Essex who we had met before on our travels & who on arrival at the Caye gave us a lift in their golf cart (the popular form of transport on the Cayes) to our hotel. We spent a couple of nights of luxury at Victoria House in our own private cassita looking out to sea - pure heaven! (Thanks Nats & Tanya for such a treat)

This place was amazing with two infinity pools and the type of service kings expect. Knowing we had a lie in we headed out with the Essex couple for a night on the sauce with the locals. Starting with a chicken drop (betting on where a chicken will poop), eating lobster and drinking 'dirty-monkey' cocktails we ended up being hit on by lonesome American men (yes all of us).

The next day was spent lying by the pool...

You won't "belize" how dodgy this city is...

Only stopping in Belize City for 24 hours was enough to see how dodgy/dangerous this place could be. We were walked back to our hotel by an old man with a gammy foot - Prince Charles Perez. He had been following us around all day which was a bit freaky - he was our new stalker! Luckily the tourist police were on hand to make sure we got back to our guesthouse unharmed & still with wallet!

Another strange meeting was the following day at the Cuban embassy where we met a professional people smuggler. If we were ever really desperate to earn some quick (illegal) bucks before returning home then he was the man to see. We didn't fancy risking the chance of wearing orange boiler suits in Cuba & so declined the offer to assist!

Tikal (when monkey's attack)

Our final stop in our too short visit to Guatemala was to visit the ruins of Tikal. Arriving early in Flores, the local town on a small Island in the middle of a lake, we went to check out the local mirador (viewing place) to see the lay of the land and also the lakeside beach.

The following day at 2am we awoke to catch our tour to the Tikal ruins. We had to hike through the jungle in the middle of the night & then we climbed to the top of the highest temple (a huge pyramid structure) which was our viewing platform for seeing the most amazing sunrise. Looking out over the jungle canopy we saw the sun come up & consequently the jungle coming to life at the sight of daylight. It was really breathtaking, we especially enjoyed hearing the howler monkeys stating out their territory, they sound like massive beasts as the noises echoed out from all directions. We had to remain silent throughout the sunrise, it was like some weird meditation, but actually glad it wasn't ruined by loud Americans.

After the sunrise we took a guided tour around most of the ruins, finding out about the
Mayan culture, how they built the temples as pyramids to be closer to the gods, in alignment with constellations etc etc... Lots of photo taking, climbing ruins etc. ensued before we got completely shattered & had to have lunch! Thanks mum & dad (Chatterton) for this Christmas pressie!

Shortly before leaving we were followed by a troop of about 30 spider monkeys (Mike's favourite animal!). For some reason they took a dislike to poor Mikee, not only did they try to piss & poo on him, but they were vigorously shaking the trees above our heads, so much so that a huge branch fell down & hit him on the head, nearly knocking him out & cutting his arm! We never knew they could be so aggressive, but Mike has forgiven them & still thinks they're funny.

Lake Atitlan

For a special treat we went over to Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. This calm lake sits under the shadow of several massive volcanoes and has picturesque traditional Guatemalan towns all around the waters edge. As a present from the Spreckleys and Bairds (thanks guys!) we stayed in a lovely stone cottage (complete with cosy open fire) in the town of Santiago and spent some time relaxing in the hot tub, wood fired sauna (followed by cooling jumps into the lake) before heading into the restaurant for delicious traditional food cooked with home grown ingredients.

Taking a tour around Santiago which is known as much for its beautiful embroidered clothing worn by the locals as it is for the history and character. Our guide (an 8 year old local boy) showed us the sights which included a visit to the house of Maximon, the local Mayan saint famous for smoking and drinking! He moves house every year which shares out the wealth generated through charging for pictures with this weird wooden statue.

Its hard to believe that less than 20 years ago this tiny town was the site of a revolutionary massacre of over 100 people. Many taking refuge in the local church, for which the priest was shot in the main square!

Last but not least we need to mention the swimming dog, taking a kayak out onto the lake about 500m from the shore we saw a dog swimming across the lake, we followed to try and help him, but after signalling some locals we realised he was just having some fun...

Antigua - Guatemala

Passing through Guatemala city just long enough to see the armed escorts in every little van, we headed over to Antigua, one of the most beautiful colonial towns on the planet. Stuffed full of language schools and surrounded by volcanoes this little place was perfect for swapping books, watching football and soaking in the charm. Visiting the local catherdral was a highlight and getting to grips with the background of the recent civil war in Guatemala was sobering. Got some very pretty pictures...

The Copan Ruins

Our only stop in mainland Honduras was at the little town of Copan Ruinas, home of the Mayan Copan ruins. These half buried ruins dated from the 5th to the 9th century, full of temples, hieroglyphic stairways and spooky tunnels. A fantastic museum showed the art of these people in all its kooky detail and our tour around the site was straight out of a Tomb Raider adventure. Very cool!

Escape from Roatan

Following the departure of the Sarah and Rob the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain started to pour. Our mission for the next three days was to get off Roatan and get on with our travels. Unfortunately every time we reached the ferry terminal the ferry was cancelled and the airport booked out due to the amount of people trying to leave. Spending the next few nights enjoying beer in the power blackouts became a habit until the morning of the 5th when we met some others in the wait to be told the ferry wasn't running who shared our need to leave. With these 3 other desperate travellers we ended up finding options for a getaway including, chartering a plane, bribing the ferry and a last resort of swimming (30km). Luckily we managed to get on a paper list for an old Russian military plane which took off with 12 passengers all crossing fingers until touchdown.

Finally getting onto mainland Honduras we quickly made up for lost time by jumping on the first bus to the Copan ruins...