My Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala and Chiapas Trip

I have organised this entry according to how I travelled. It is one of the recommended routes that was in lonely planet. The book is a saviour for many many things.

Chichen Itza, Mexico
It was like the most impressive ruins that I have ever seen. It was really great design and the settings was just so perfect. I can really imagine in those mayan times. This is a MUST GO place in Mexico. Definitely 2 tumbs and 10 toes up.

Valladolid, Mexico
It was the cenote that I was interested in, so I pulled Damian to go with me. It was like what it was in the pictures. Unfortunately, it was only nice in the pictures, the rest are not really very nice. But then again, it is unique. And saw a jap babe swimming in the cenote, so i guess the trip was really worth it. And back in some of the ulu ulu tunnels, one couple is scandalously making out, we even got them to take a picture of us, bcoz of the nice romantic tunnel that was lighted with a bulb, plus my fren n i, it will b 3 bulbs. lol.

In Vallodolid, we tried yucatan cusine, which was completely different from that of mexican food. It was really a great choice. After u tried it, u will never want to go back to Mexican food.

Isla Cozumel, Mexico
Can u believe it, I was on this island on the 2nd nite. Pretty amazing rite? Mad rush... This is a small island about an hour off mexico near cancun area.

At the jetty in the mainland, it is how American. Even the price are in US. Everyone is American. Selling fries n pop corns, i hate touristy places....

Went for 2 tank dive. I would say it is amazing, but the visibility was just marvellous, I can see like 50m. Saw sea turtles, lobster, moray eels, n lotsa big fishes. When the water is blue n clear, diving is almost perfect, but the reefs are like quite damage, my buddy diver is like fining on the corals, gosh. no wonder they are so damaged. The divers gonna hate me for this, but yes, I ate lobster for dinner. Gosh, it is so good, I'm sorry, I know fishes are friends and not food. During my dive, i had a tok with them, they say they rather i eat them then others, so i took the liberty to quickly feast on one b4 anyone else were to lay their mouth on it.

Afternoon chilling on the beach, with tacos in salsa with mojito along the clear blue beach, is simply amazing. I can never ask for more than these. After 4 hours in the sun, there was no sun burnt, despite me only applying sun block once and swimming for an hour in the waves. This is juz so goood.... Tulum Ruins, Mexico
U won't believe this, the ruins open at 8am and we were there at 7.30am. This is insane, if anyone of u have a map, there is no way we can reach tulum from Isla Cozumel, at the given time. We took the first ferry at 5, get the first bus, this is so crazie. ANd when we were there, they refuse to let us in, even though we pleaded for so long. Usually Mexicans veri chim chai one, dunno why this guy is so anal. Anyway, we smuggled in and had the whole ruins to ourselves. Seeing the ruins beside the sea is juz so dreamy. Is like a castle by the sea. And it is beside the caribean water, how nice. Blue sky, white sand, blue water, and nice ruins. The setting is just perfect. N to top it off, there is absolutely no tourist, what else could prove betta than this...awwwwwww Tulum-Belize City
The ride was crazie. We need to get the Belize City b4 5.30pm to catch our last boat to Caye Caulker, despite the mad rush, we didnt catch it. Mainly is because the transport in Belize is really slow. But it was really unique seeing Belize at the first glance. Everyone is black, as I believe they are african slaves that are brought to belize in the past. Neverthless, it was just so funny being the 2 white people on the bus. And we have to make do with a cannot mke it place for the nite, but the dinner was undoubtedly marvellous. Please try belizean food once in your life, i gurantee u will not regret it. Belize is the only country in the whole of latin american that has english as their official language.

Caye Caulker, Belize
A small island (even smaller than ubin) 1 hr off belize. It is really small, and it is quite touristy, this time is filled with bugetted pple, not meant for the rich, but it was still so amazing. Wanted to dive in the Blue Hole but was a wooping 200US$ for a 3 tank dive. Didnt want to waste that kinda $$$, will come back another day, i promise.

I opted snorkelling instead. It was just as good as diving. Swam n feed the sting rays n sharks. U wont believe how big the sting rays were. Nurse sharks are swimming around us. Like how Jen put it, everyone needs a hug, and so I decided to give one of the ray a great human hug...
Saw this fisherman and asked him how they eat the hermit crab. He just took it out. Cut out the parts, and gave it to us to eat LIVE. Gosh, it was so so so good. So fresh that u feel as if they are swimming. The shell looks amazing.
The divers will hate me more this time, I tried Barracuda Steak. Not that I have a choice, there are only 2 menus that nite, one was lobster and it was off season so the lobster are smaller, and i shouldnt eat it bcoz is off season. and the other was barracuda, like i say, i have no choice, all in the name of survival for that nite. It taste like normal fish, just that it has more bones, but overall nt as good as it sounds or looks.

I can really picture myself staying here for a few months simply by lazing around. This place is so small n so relax, i will definitely cum bac, esp for my blue hole dive.

El Remate, Guatemala
It was a quite town, thank god it was quite. Travelled with 2 french guys that we met in Belize. It was quite a fast journey from Belize to guatemala, only 4hours. And we arrive quite earlie, n on time to have our lunch. One just cannot ignore the beautiful view that this small town offers. Everything in Guatemala is cheap, and is 10 times betta than Mexico, even the people. And not to mention the babes. lol... Tikal, Guatemala
I think I am not impressed as much because I saw Chichen Itza and secondly it is in the midst of a rain forrest, given that I have been to ang kor wat and was in the military for 2.5yrs. The others was quite impressed with it. Other than the pyramids build above the canopy and u literally see the clouds floating by at ridiculously fast pace, it will b quite dull. Was told that we need one day to complete, but we compeleted everything in great detail in 4 hours, it was only 10 when we finished. Flores/Santa Elena, Guatemala
We were arguing if we shld take a nite bus, there were afraid as they were told there are lotsa armed robberies on nite buses, and then they choose to tke the most expensive ones, which i think it is even worst, u attract more attention. Anyway, we settle for the most expensive, but it was still considered cheap according to mexican standard. But the services are way betta.
We took a boat trip around this city and saw many interesting n great sites. This city is really small and it was really worth a few hours there to just visit this city.

Antigua, Guatemala
Reached guatemala city and it was a touch and go because it is supposedly a robbing place and nothing much to see. Antigua was magical. Nice colonial buildings with a very good mix of crowd and the products that people are selling. We went for a volcano trekking, and it was great seeing the frozen lava, and there were live lava under the frozen one. It was so cool. Seeing the sun set at the volcano. It was so cold up there, but bcoz we were on the frozen lava, there was heat given out, so it acts like a heater for us which was prettie nice. :) Atitlan, Guatemala
U won't believe this, took a nite cab to atitlan on a 2 hours journey, in hope to catch the sunrise in the morning. Mad rush again... no one does anything in guatemala after 7pm becoz is it so dark n dangerous, but we went on with the plan. Woke up early and catch moon set n run rise by the lake, it was so amazing, only when u see it, then u will know what i mean by amazing.

Guatemala-Mexico
Took like 4 chicken buses to get from Gua-Mex. It is a must to try take the chicken bus as you will see how pple squeeze, and how they work, it was just so funny and amazing, the conductor will b left to catch the bus and does the climbing on top of the bus while it is driving to tke our luggage or to tie it down. Once, half way on the trip, the guy just came in from the back, and we wondered where the hell he cum from. So chicken bus is a must in Guatemala. And it is ridiculously cheap.

Palenque Ruins, Mexico
I thot this ruin was quite good, but the french guys think otherwise, they felt Tikal was betta. But like I say, it is different, u cannot compare like that. At the end of the day, it is still the ruin. Though I have seen so many already.Agua Azul, Mexico
There are suppose to be blue water everywhere here, but due to the past 2 weeks of rain, the water turned brown instead. Sian diaoz. But nevertheless, I think if it was blue, there will be more people there. Just imagine the water in the picture is blue, how nice.Yachilan and Bonampak, Mexico
It was a boat ride to Yachilan, and the ride just reminds me of the torturing 6 hours boat ride I did in Laos, nv gonna 4get abt that. Anyway, the ruins (again) was not too bad. There were howling monkeys around, they sound like dinosaurs as their voice was so loud, u can hear them from anywhere.
Bonampal only has a small ruin, but if u want me to compare it with the rest, it is nothing, but alone, it is quite special and nice.
Completed all my trip 4 days in advance and been to 2 more extra places, I think the french are just used to traveling at such hasty pace that will not be able to get back to their light n relax paced. Made frenz from france where I will visit them in 2007. They are greg n miloud. And partially why im back so early is bcoz my resources are almost totally exhausted. The whole trip was worth every penny. Yeah, more pictures will be uploaded in my photo website.