Martha´s Guesthouse - San Ignacio, Belize

When we went west to the Cayo district in Belize, we stayed in San Ignacio at Martha´s Guesthouse. We got the First Lady Suite which we were very pleased with because of this huge balcony that was the same size as the room...which is quite spacious. To top it off, it´s on the 4th floor and has a hammock...which was just what the doctored ordered for me! While the room was lovely, both of us found the people that worked there rather unpleasant. Somewhat of a turn-off from staying there.

Mayan Ruins of Tikal - Guatemala

We made it to the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala. It really was amazing to see for a pyramid first-timer as myself. Tikal is something like the most excavated ruins in either the Americas or something...sorry I loose the location...but the excavation is rather extensive. You can´t help but to wonder what happened to the Mayans, but as with all Empires, an end must come so maybe it is not so relevant...maybe there is nothing useful to be learned from why the empire fell apart as the downfall of an empire cannot be avoided.There is also plenty of jungle life to be seen among the ruins. We saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and i don´t know what else. The vegetation was amazing. I haven´t been to see the big trees in Cali so I was quite amazed by the size of the trees here. Our guide was so kind to pose in the base of this tree to demonstrate the size of it.

Bussing it in Central America

Taking the buses is definitely an experience. The public buses that transport you around the country are old American school buses. They will cram as many people into as possible. The part that is quite different and entertaining is that the buses stop anywhere along the way to pick up and drop off people. If you need to be picked up, just stand on the side of the road (and this can be in the middle of no where) and flag down the bus when it comes and it will stop and let you on. If you need to get off, just whistle, tap on the roof, or anything to get the drivers (or the fare guy´s) attention and he will stop immediately and let you off. The fare guy stands at the opened door while the bus is driving along and keeps an eye out for people needing to get on and will help with any big bags you might have. He'll also help you with your bags when you are getting off. This way makes the trip a bit longer but for a country where cars are not common, it makes a lot of sense.

Toilettes in Central America

I´m sure those that have traveled in Europe and Asia have encountered the toilettes that are just holes in the ground with ceramic to stand on. The surprising thing here in Central America is that so far, I have not encountered those toilettes anywhere. What is common here is that you can´t put the toilette paper in the toilette...you must put it in the trash can because more than likely there are cracked pipes along the way and the paper could get caught and build up. This sign however is the only time I´ve seen such instructions for flushing. Unfortunately, due to clogging the sink at my apartment the day I was moving out, I discovered this technique. It was a fun, educational find for me! :)

Captain Baxter´s Snorkeling

We went snorkeling with Captain Baxter in what appears to be his partially handmade sailboat. It was a nice way to go out on the water...tour speed boats being the other option. Captain Baxter was a character himself. He couldn´t be bothered to learn our names so Debbie was "Chinese Lady" and I was alternatingly "Texas Lady" or "Travel Lady". He was a bit disappointed none of us knew how to roll a cigarette and so resigned himself to smoking a cigar while we sailed and making his cigarette while we were snorkeling. He was resistant to getting in the water with us because as you can see it wasn´t sunny and so it was cold. But fortunately he did. He took us to Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Reserve. At Shark Ray Alley we saw sharks and sting rays. At the reserve, we saw a variety of sea life, include sharks and barracudas. He took us to an underwater cave/tunnel but none of us were experienced enough snorkelers to make it down there and back. He said there was an eel in there. He really is a fish!! It was a fun time and I highly recommend him. You can find him at the Caye Casa Condos/Hotel.

Wild Mango

This little restaurant at the south end of the main strip of beach in the town center serves tasty food and very tasty margharitas...so good I even got Debbie to get one! This is there spicy mango margharita...a mango margharita with some red chile powder sprinkled on top...tastyyyy! The food is a fusion food so don´t expect the local fare but it really is good and this place should definitely be tried. If you are not eating street food, then you are more than likely eating at a touristy place as the locals are generally too poor to afford the restaurants. On the north end of the center of town, you will start to find more street food vendors (little "shacks") where you have just a few choices of food but it is very tasty and cheap.

Pupusas

I love these little pouches :)...at least that is what I think the name translates to. It seems to be not quite tortilla dough stuffed with your choice of stuffings (meat, cheese, beans) and then topped with a "cole slaw" and red sauce (which isn´t too spicy). They are made fresh in front of you and takes longer than you would expect to cook them. This little lady in San Pedro, Belize was churning them out like a pro!

Mapping my progress

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I hear that people keep wondering where I am as I can't update my blog as often as I'd like but what I can find time to do is keep the map of where I'm going and where I've been fairly up-to-date. So, you can check out my google map link in the list of links on my blog.