Oaxaca - Allergy, Food & Ruins

Allergy
During my stay in San Cristobal, I started developing itchy bumps on my skin. Not rashes, more like insect bites. It couldn’t be bed bugs since the bumps weren’t all over my body. And since it was freezing there, I was wearing long sleeves and pants. What bit me?!?!
By the time I got to Oaxaca, the itchiness was at its peak. I couldn’t stand it any longer and I was starting to freak out!!! So the first thing I did when I got to the hostel was to ask for a doctor. The owner there recommended a “very good doctor, but he doesn’t speak any English”. Whatever, that was fine. (Can you tell I was desperate?!)
With Spanish-English dictionary in hand, I walked over to the clinic. I don’t particularly like taking cabs in an unfamiliar location on my own. Took me like an hour to get there on foot! The streets were very confusing (think - dead ending in one place, and then starting off the next block with the same name!).
Not that the doctor and I understood each other that much, but he diagnosed my bumps as allergies. Probably food allergies. Definitely not insect bites. The cause remains unknown… He gave me a prescription for some lotion and anti-histamine pills which I took over to a legit pharmacy (there are sketchy ones in Mexico!).

Man, healthcare is so cheap outside the US!
BTW – you can get a LOT of prescription-free medication in Mexico. Including birth control pills and painkillers like vicodin. Great!!!

Now that I knew what was wrong with me, I was in better spirits. Time to do some Oaxaca sightseeing!

Food
Oaxaca is Mexican food heaven.
I went out to the market a few times with my American roommates. Three very nice people, who met during a volunteer program in Mexico a few years ago.
We ate a bunch of stuff!!!
Chocolate seems to be the main staple here, resulting in a variety of chocolate dishes. Hot chocolate, tejate (also a chocolate drink), and mole (a chocolate based stew. Not sweet though. Just a mild scent of choco). Can I say, D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!!BBQ meat was also high on the YUM factor. Basically, you pick the meat at one of the many stalls and they grill it for you right there. Then, you choose the side vegetables, wrap everything together in a tortilla, and chow down!There’s also the spiced grasshoppers as well. Tried a few…rather bland.
I know. I’m having an allergic reaction to something I ate. But I keep eating more random stuff. Oh well. Food, for me, is one of the highlights of travelling. Can’t stop!

Ruins
The ruins of Monte Alban are located on one of the hills surrounding Oaxaca. Some people from the hostel invited me to go biking with them up to the ruins. I politely declined. Biking uphill was not my idea of fun. Instead, I took the local shuttle bus.
Monte Alban wasn’t nearly as remarkable as some of the other Mayan ruins I’ve seen over the past few weeks. The overall complex was pretty small, and each of the structures small and flat. But I did like this one. Unique. Or I just got a good angle… I thought about spending an extra day in Oaxaca to visit Mitla, another set of ruins outside the city. It’s famous for its walls, which are decorated with beautiful mosaics. Then it dawned on me…haven’t I had enough of ruins?!?!?! Probably.

Freezing in Mexico

Really. I’m not kidding. You’d think Mexico is a warm country throughout the year, but some places are freezing. Well, it is December… And some cities are located at very high altitude. San Cristobal de las Casas, for instance, is about 2,200m above sea level. Makes for a chilly night.

When I was back in Guatemala, I skipped the indigenous culture route. I’ve heard that San Cristobal was pretty similar to those Guatemalan towns. Why not check it out for a couple of days?!

I had to take my fleece out as soon as I stepped off the bus. Dreary and cold.
On the way to my hostel of choice, I ran into a Korean guy (Yun) I met on the airport bus in Cancun. He told me his hostel was pretty good (I was actually handed the brochure at the bus stop), but I wanted to check the other one out first. Which was closed…darn it. With nowhere else to go, I headed back to where Yun was staying.
BTW, there’s a popular Japanese guesthouse here in San Cristobal (サンクリ to the Japanese) as well. But it’s a bit out of town and I’ve heard bed bug rumours. Why risk getting bitten by those creatures. Major itch.

San Cristobal is relatively cheap in comparison to the rest of Mexico. The hostel cost only 50P a night, whereas those in Cancun and Merida cost me about 100P.
I wouldn’t mind paying a bit more if they’d provide heating, but that wasn’t an option. It seems like heating is available in only the higher end hotels.

Yun was soooooo nice! He made me lunch when I got there : ) Very random mix of everything. Very guy cooking. Yet, with the Korean hot sauce, everything tasted fine.

There aren’t any real tourist sights to see in San Cristobal. There are some churches of course, but the main thing to do is to stroll along the streets and shop at the markets. They have some adorable stuff at the arts market. I wanted to buy all of these handmade stuffed animals! And the food market is amazing! Fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices everywhere, neatly lined up. Loved it. Also had a variety of delicious tacos at a stall for 5P each. The locals shopping for some meat. I hope there’s no avian flu here…
One day, Yun and I took the collectivo to Zinacantan, one of the indigenous villages. Very quiet because we missed the market day when most tourists go.
They are highly religious here, and it is forbidden to take photos of the main church in the plaza. I sort of did though… The traditional costumes worn by these children playing ball was just so cute, I couldn’t resist. Before I left the town, I couldn’t refrain from buying a piece of textile either. I think it’s sort of like a shawl. I have no clue when it would ever see the light of day, but the embroidery was too beautiful.

What else… Oh, went to a dance show one night which presented Palenque’s history. Reminded me of The Lion King musical for some reason. Pretty entertaining, but overpriced for 100P, me thinks.
There’s also this Mayan Medicine museum outside of town. Herbal medicine, Mexico style. Here, I learned that the indigenous women give birth in the squatting position. Huh…

Unimpressive Palenque

Surprisingly, I got a really good night’s sleep on the overnight bus. Mexican buses are comfy.
While I was waiting for my luggage, another passenger came up to me and asked if I was Japanese. No need to lie, she looked like a fellow Japanese backpacker. We decided to look for a room together, and then head over to the ruins of Palenque.

That’s basically the only thing to do in this town. After a quick shower and an extremely filling Mexican breakfast (coffee, OJ, tortilla, avocado omelet) at a popular diner, we hailed down one of the collectivos to the ruins. Took about 20 minutes to get to the entrance, and another 5 minutes or so to the ruins on foot.

Having seen Uxmal and Tikal already, Palenque was rather mediocre. I didn’t really like it. Of course, it could simply be that I was completely ruin-ed out by this point… The fact that the locals were selling souvenirs all around the complex and along the paths didn’t help either. Who wants to be constantly harassed to buy something while wandering through the woods (?) where the ruins are located?!
I had no intention to buy anything, but I did look. All these colourful bracelets lined up looked so pretty! I’d hate to have to organize this setup every morning though…

One thing I found interesting about Palenque was its similarity to Asian architecture. Or is it just me who thinks this looks a bit Asian???

Given that my friend for the day wasn’t a ruins fanatic and I wasn’t in the mood for ruins, we were done with Palenque by early afternoon. We went back to the hotel and just bummed until dinner.
She gave me some great advice on seeing the northern lights/aurora. Yes, I’m thinking about heading north from Vancouver (that’s where I fly from Mexico City next month) to Whitehorse, which is supposedly THE PLACE to see the aurora in Canada. It’s extremely expensive to get there though. Only flights. But, it turns out that I don’t have to go all the way there. She went to Hay River, a tiny town far north of Edmonton accessible by a long bus ride, back in early October to see the lights. With beautiful photos to prove it too. If I do decide to spend some time in Canada, that’s where I’m going for sure!

Ruins along La Ruta Puuc

After spending a night in Cancun, I boarded the bus to Merida. Not sure exactly what my purpose was, but it seemed like a popular spot along the Mexico backpacker route.

I found a cute, traditional hostel at the plaza with the only downside being that the female dorm rooms were located right in front of the female bathrooms. The result being that there was high traffic always passing through the rooms. Only one night, I can deal.

I spent the first day exploring the city centre. The usual fanfare of churches, markets, and museums.
Merida’s anthropology museum was one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. Especially considering the many Mayan ruins I’ve seen in the past few weeks, and more that’s to come. Lots of information, yet not overwhelming. Small enough to be enjoyable : )
Around the plaza, there were numerous stalls and boutiques selling souvenirs. Did you know that Merida is hammock capital?! I would’ve loved to buy one. My dream pastime would be to curl up on a hammock with a good book. BUT…hammocks are big and heavy. There’s no way I’d be able to carry it around with me for the duration of my trip (although I’ve met people who do!), and probably not a really cost-effective item to send home either. Plus, I’m sure I can find one at some store like Target if I ever decide to purchase one.

It doesn’t take much time to check out the city. By late afternoon, I was getting slightly bored…
There were a couple of famous cenotes (underground water pools) around Merida that I thought I might want to see, but getting there proved too time-consuming. Forget it.
Instead, I decided to be lazy at the hostel and read (albeit on a sofa, not hammock).

At night, I went back out to the plaza with my Swiss dorm mate to bask in the festival-like atmosphere. Lots of food stalls (cheap, delicious tacos!) and a street show. I guess it was comical (everyone laughing), but I didn’t get it at all – the show was in Spanish.

The following day, I got on the La Ruta Puuc bus. Each morning, there’s one bus that takes you around several Mayan ruins around Merida, culminating in Uxmal.
To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with the ruins here. I’ve heard of Palenque, Chichen Itza, and Teotihuacan, all Mayan ruins in Mexico. But nothing on the Ruta Puuc, which included Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak, Labna, and Uxmal.
The bus takes you to all of these places. With so much to see in one day, you only get about 30 minutes in each of the first 4 stops. Rush, rush, rush!!!
In a sense, they all looked similar. But interesting and eye pleasing nonetheless! Compared to the ruins I’d seen in Honduras and Guatemala, these were shorter in height, more colourful (reddish tint), and had a lot of circular themes. Reminded me of building blocks. These sites were quite small as well, but with the bus stop being a bit aways and with me wanting to see everything, I was running around the whole entire time. Needless to say, I was very exhausted by the time I got to the final stop of Uxmal. Seriously, by then, staying in the nicely air conditioned bus was more appealing than getting off to explore more ruins.
But I did get off and paid the 108 pesos admission. That’s 3x what I’ve been paying for the earlier ruins. Waru thinks, This place MUST be good.
TOTALLY. I wasn’t disappointed at all.
As soon as I saw the elliptical (yes, the base is elliptical!) pyramid, my energy level shot up. How awesome!!! And all the details that are put into the buildings around the courtyard. Wow! Can you tell that I loved this place???
The place is huge, and 2 hours was barely enough to check out all the different architecture. I wish I had more time… Most people seem to skip the other ruins and head directly to Uxmal (lots of buses from Merida). I could definitely spend an entire day here, but at the same time, I’m glad I got to glimpse the other ones along the Ruta Puuc as well.

I admit 5 ruins in 1 day is ruins overload. I can’t believe that I booked myself on an overnight bus to Palenque tonight. Yes, more ruins… What am I doing?!?!?!

Surviving Cubana on My Own

Nao and I parted ways – I was going back to Cancun today, while he was staying in Havana for another day.
Good guy. More clueless about life than myself, if such thing is possible! And a bit absentminded as well...like he forgot to bring his camera battery and charger. Oh, and he was involved in an ATM card scam his first day in Guatemala. One of those where they scan the card into a special machine to make a copy. But without the PIN, useless, right? Well, it turns out that there was an old man at the ATM who was "helping" him out, telling him to try again. Of course he was watching Nao punch in the PIN; I'm sure that man was the culprit!!! He stole about $1000 from Nao's account. Poor guy.
I've got to be more careful and be alert about stuff like that, especially since I'm headed into the dangerous South American territories soon...

So, I was on my own when I got to the Havana airport. And freaked out because this time, it was a Cubana airplane. Yes, the REALLY old Russian planes.
All I could do was try not to think about it...focus on my reading! Which didn't help since the novel I had on hand happened to be an aviation mystery.
Cubana surprised me in a few ways:
- White smoke. Basically, the cabin fills with white smoke before landing, which comes out from underneath the seats. I think it's air conditioning.
- Flat seats. Not the business class sleeper seats. These don't lean back, but fall completely forward.
- Americans. Hey, I thought American citizens weren't allowed to go to Cuba!!! But the plane was full of them...
As you can see, though, I've safely made it through that horrific (thankfully short!) flight.

Now starts my grand tour of Mexico. How exciting!!! I've had company on my travels for the past 2 weeks, it's sort of feels weird to be on my own again...

Blue Skies over Trinidad

In addition to Havana, I wanted to go to one other city in Cuba. Trinidad seemed like a good choice. It's a UNESCO World Heritage colonial town not too far away.
The foreigners-only bus (everything written in Chinese) cost 25CUC for the 3 hour ride. A bit expensive, no?!
Well worth it though. Trinidad was a beautiful place to spend a night. I wish I had more time there. It's also supposed to have some amazing beaches and natural sights nearby.

Anyways, when we (still traveling with Nao) arrived in Trinidad, we were greeted by several casa particulares owners. I'm so used to pushy owners, but these people were soooo laid back in comparison. It was like they seriously didn't really care to get our business! Funny. They all looked nice enough, but we chose the one with a little terrace. Also had a home-cooked meal added in. Tasty grilled fish with fries, pasta, rice, and salad.

Being really small, one day is totally enough to take in Trinidad's sights. Well, it's not really a "sight" thing...the town itself is the "sight". So it's mostly just walking around, looking at the churches, peeking into the stores, admiring the colonial architecture. The one building I did go into was an old convent, converted into a museum. The exhibition was...quite lame. Some stuff looking like rubbish, and others like flea market goods. But there was a point to all this; entering the museum gave you access to the towers with an awesome view of the town! Picture perfect.

I also enjoyed the cigar stores here as well. I didn't get a chance to participate in the cigar and rum factory tours in Havana which most tourists enjoy. It would've been interesting, but I was low on cash... But at least I got to see a miniature version in Trinidad. The owner was so nice, he let me play with the huge, toy-like cigar!
Trinidad is also a great place to do some shopping (mostly handicrafts) in the street markets. I found a CD store and thought about buying Cuban rap music. Hehe. For nighttime entertainment, there's live music and salsa dancing at the open plaza. Being too tired, I never made it out there. I fell asleep right after dinner, and didn't even notice Nao going out. Dead asleep.

The next morning, we headed back back to Havana, with the bus breaking down somewhere in between. Don't know exactly what went wrong, but we ended up being stuck at a bus garage for over an hour. Whatever. At least I got to use the toilet.

Havana Highlights

Here's a rundown of what I saw/did in Havana, in no particular order. Just whatever comes to mind...

Old Town (Havana Vieja): Very touristy area, but quite a pleasant place to walk around. Loved the faded colors of the old buildings. I think there were several museums in the area, but I didn't bother going in. Now looking back though, I sort of regret not going to the art one; I really like Cuban art – so colorful! The most famous building in the old town is this cathedral. Beautiful.
Revolutionary Museum: Highly informative exhibition of Cuba's history and revolution. Maybe a bit too detailed for me. As usual, I lost interest towards the end...
Soldiers: Gathered around the revolutionary museum for some sort of training routine, I suppose. These men were...how do I say it...VERY attractive. I wanted a photo with a group of them, but was sternly declined. Probably illegal.

Che: In addition to the displays of his life in the Revolutionary Museum, there's also one dedicated to him at the fort across the bay. That, and the beautiful views towards downtown Havana, are probably the only reason to head out to the fort. Otherwise, it was really a bore.
Hemingway: His Cuban retreat is located several kilometers out of the city. Getting there on the local bus was more interesting than the house itself. Fare of 0.40CUP each way. Let's see...that's about a penny. I didn't have exact change.
When I asked the woman at the tourist information office (I was there to ask for directions) for change, her comment was, "Just pay whatever coin you have. It's not worth that much to you anyways." True...I had a 10CUP coin (about 4 cents), but using all that for the bus seemed like a waste at the time. I was determined to get the change!!! Which she reluctantly handed over to me in the end. But on the way back, I realized how cheap I acted (a bit shameful) and paid the 10CUP. These drivers were probably getting paid close to nothing (government regulated) and could use the extra 3 cents.
Boarding the bus is highly regulated in Cuba; there's a strict, honest line system. You must seek out the last person in line by asking "Ultimo?" and line up behind him. The Chinese should learn something from these guys.
As for the Hemingway house, it was cute and quaint. No pictures to show because of the outrageous camera fee.

Casa Particulares: After our first night at the prearranged hotel, Nao and I moved closer to the Havana Vieja for the remaining nights. Casa Particulares are like guest houses, where people rent out rooms in their houses/apartments. We moved to one near the Capitol run by the nicest old woman named Juaquina. Highly recommended. Contact me if you want details as these houses are not marked. Need to go by word of mouth!

Malecon: Basically a street along the waterfront. I witnessed the most interesting fishing method here. A group of men all lined up, watching the gulls. When the gulls dove into the water (signs of fish!) the men madly cast their hooks and started reeling. No bait necessary. Unfortunately, the seagulls sometimes got caught in the hooks. I couldn't bear to watch them get reeled in...Poor birds.

Callejon de Hamel: Tiny, colorful, artsy street. Very difficult to find.
Cars: You know my fascination with these old model cars. There's a whole album dedicated to my Cuban car photos on Facebook. Please check them out if you're interested : )

Food: More fun than yummy.
For the most part, I ate at the peso stalls where you can get a small lunch box (usually rice with some sort of meat) for about a buck and sandwiches for 20 cents. There are also pizzas for 5CUP and soft serve ice cream for 1CUP. Really cheap!!! Incidentally, Cubans seem to love ice cream, with stalls on every street. One of the most famous eateries in Havana is Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor. Serving only 3 flavors depending on the day, they charge by the scoop (5CUP each). 1 strawberry scoop was enough for me, but all the Cubans were ordering like 5 scoops! After eating all that, they ordered more for take-out in their personal plastic containers.

Introduction to Cuba

It wasn't the old Russian plane. It wasn't even a Cubana jet. For some reason, my flight was operated by some random Mexican charter airline that I've never hear of. Still, that was better than I'd expected. Smooth flight.

Because Cuban immigration only stamps the tourist cards, I couldn't get one in my passport. Bummer. I like collecting those... : (

The first thing to do at the airport was to exchange money. Surprisingly, the Japanese yen had a great exchange rate, better than the Mexican peso. I didn't really have a use for my yens for the remainder of the trip, so I exchanged all of my large bills. About 20,000 yen. Hopefully, that would last me the 5 days in Cuba.
Cuba has 2 currencies in circulation, the CUC and the CUP. Most tourists will only encounter the CUC, which is used for accommodations, restaurants, transportation, and tourist attractions. Backpackers, like myself, who take the really local bus systems and eat at stalls, however, need the CUP. 1CUC = 24CUP. Very confusing calculation.
Plus, they don't mark prices as CUC or CUP. You basically have to figure it out on your own using your intuitions or by asking. I don't think I ever got the hang of it during my entire stay. Always confused!
For instance, this lunchbox sold at various stalls in Chinatown is only 5 CUP. Great potatoes.On the other hand, these pastries are 0.25CUC.Oh, and incidentally, foreigners aren't even allowed to buy food at some stores, especially at the local bakeries where bread is rationed. All "supermarkets" charge for products in CUC.

Anyways, as soon as I stepped out of the airport, retro cars galore! So colorful, big, and just plain cool. Unfortunately, our transfer to the hotel was on a regular bus.

Our prearranged hotel turned out to be CRAP. Location was OK, but really dingy rooms. Like one of those cheap roadside motels in the US. Plus, there was no hot water when we got there, which totally pissed me off!!! Of course, I proceeded to complain. I couldn't change rooms because the hotel was full for the night. Even if I did, they told me it wouldn't matter since the hot water wouldn't be back on until they were done with the pipe work. I thought they were lying, and went down to the reception every 30 minutes to complain, with the response that they were still working on the pipes. Which turned out to be true. The hot water was back in the evening.
Lesson of the day - I need to be more patient and trusting!

Planning Cuba

With my bible-sized Lonely Planet Mexico in hand (exchanged for the Central America version in Belize), I headed towards Cancun. Nao came with me, as we’ve been discussing going to Cuba together.

Another tourist shuttle van took us from Belize City to the Mexican border town of Chetumal. These vans are so convenient, getting you through immigration easily and smoothly. Gotta luv ‘em!!!
From there, we took the local bus to Cancun. Wonderful buses, these Mexicans have.

I’m sure Cancun is a big tourist spot for many people. Beautiful beaches and Mayan ruins. I should’ve made the best of my time there and enjoyed what the city had to offer. But I just wasn’t interested… I’ve had enough beach (at least for now) in Belize, and I’ve been to the ruins already. Granted that was many, many, many years ago when I was MUCH younger; and not that I remembered anything. Still, I didn’t feel like it. Especially after I heard that I wouldn’t even be able to climb the pyramids at Tulum and Chichen Itza anymore.

My sole purpose in the Cancun stopover was to organize a trip to Cuba. It’s supposed to be cheaper from here than from Mexico City.
Mission accomplished – the day after I arrived in Cancun, I went to the travel agent and booked a roundtrip ticket to Havana for the following morning on the infamous Cubana Airlines. Me scared…
I also prearrange hotel accommodations for the first and last nights, as well as airport transfer, since I’d only have 5 days in Cuba.
And tried to figure out the money situation. Like Iran, I wouldn’t be able to use my ATM or credit cards there. They don’t take US-issued cards. The Japanese ones might work, but I read that they charge a hefty 20% fee on transactions. Ouch!
That leaves good old cash. Because US dollars are automatically penalized at currency exchanges (discounted 10%), Canadian dollars and Euros are the best bet. Of course, I didn't have either. It would be pointless to get Mexican Pesos and exchange them for Canadians or Euros; that’s like double exchanging for me. Whatever, I’m just going to take a load of Mexican pesos and the Japanese yen I had left.

Nothing else to report on Cancun. When I wasn’t figuring out Cuba, I basically read Golgo 13 comic books (yes, I was staying at another Japanese guest house), or chatting with the hostel owner. The guy reminded me of my dad…
Oh, we did a “shared meal” one night, where we all chipped in some money to make a meal. The menu for the day (Japanese, of course) was kakiage, salad, miso soup, and rice. Funny how the males did most of the cooking!!!

Water Activities @ Caye Caulker

There are many options. The two that most interested me were manatees and snorkeling. Unfortunately, the two don't go together. Oh well.

I LOVE MANATEES.
I believe the obsession started sometime in elementary school. I thought they were the cutest animals on earth – fat, slow, an adorable face. I still think so.
I know they have them in Florida, too. But I've never been out there. I think (if I recall correctly) that they had them at the zoo in Singapore. But that's the zoo, not the real thing.
I WANT TO SEE WILD MANATEES.
So, I came to Belize. Sadly, I can't remember who told me about the manatees in Belize, but whoever it was, thank you.

After convincing Nao and Yoshiko that they couldn't leave Belize without seeing the manatees, we decided to look for a tour together. It's easier when you're not looking solo, since these tours don't run without enough people.
I personally wanted to join Mr. Chocolate's tour. He's a hard-core manatee lover, and the founder of the natural reserve (Swallow Caye) where we'd be going to see the lovely creatures. He must be an expert, with loads of useful manatee info. However, Yoshiko found a cheaper one...what else did I expect from these long-term gung-ho Japanese backpackers?! Seriously, she was planning on walking the last 3km from the bus stop to the airport on her way back to Japan because she didn't want to pay for a cab at the end of her trip.
So we ended up on that one. Cheaper but not cheap; it still cost BZ$114 each. Why are water activities so expensive everywhere???

The boat ride to the reserve took about an hour through peaceful waters. Saw some dolphins along the way.
Once we got into the reserve, the engines were turned off and all of us were on a keen lookout for the manatees while the captain rowed us through.
Someone yelled, "There's one!" I looked over to where he's pointing, seeing nothing. Same thing happened over and over. But it seems like I wasn't the only one having problems with spotting the manatees; none of my friends have seen it either. We were getting quite frustrated.
And then there was a god, or some sort of higher being. We were extremely elated when we finally saw our first manatee. They're underwater, so we couldn't see them very clearly, but they're manatees nonetheless. Definitely manatee shaped.Once we saw one, we kept seeing more. We even saw a mother-baby pair!!! I was such a happy child : )

On our way back to Caye Caulker, we made a couple of snorkeling stops. The water was colder than I'd imagined, so I stayed in only for a short time. I even skipped the second stop, being too cold and deep for my liking. My friends, both divers, didn't seem to mind the water conditions at all.
Apparently, we were supposed to make a third snorkeling stop full of rays. For some reason though, the tour didn't stop and we were driven back to the docks. But we paid for the 3 snorkel stops, didn't we??? After complaining to the tour operator, the captain took us out again. I guess none of the other passengers cared to snorkel with the rays. To be honest, I didn't mind seeing them, but I didn't need to swim with them. Especially after what happened to that Australian crocodile handler. Scary.

That evening, Nao and I moved to Yoshiko's guesthouse. Better quality for a cheaper price.
And they had the cutest puppy there!

The following day, my friends went out to dive. Belize is supposed to have one of the best diving sites in the world, famous for the Blue Hole and Hol Chan. Having no license, I couldn't join. Why didn't I bother to get my PADI certificate before???
So, I spent a very lazy day in Caye Caulker, just wandering along its few streets, reading at the docks, and eating pineapples.

All in all, the visa was expensive for the short time I spent in the country, but I think it was totally worth it. I'm really happy that I came to Belize. Sad to be leaving tomorrow, but coming back for sure!

Downside to a Japanese Passport

So far, it's been very convenient and cheap to travel on my Japanese passport. I didn't need to purchase a visa nor pay an entry fee to visit many of the countries that other nationalities would have to.
Belize, however, is one of the very few countries where holding a Japanese passport is a disadvantage:
1. I needed to pay $50 (yes, that's in USD!!!) to get a visa at the border. Damn expensive.
2. I've heard stories about the bus (there's a tourist shuttle bus on the Flores – Belize City route as well) not waiting for visa-needers at the border.
Luckily, there was another Japanese guy on the bus with me, as well as the German couple I've been hanging out with for the past couple of days, to prevent the bus from leaving without me!
I did think about skipping the country and directly entering Mexico from Guatemala. But there was something I HAD to see in Belize...that's to come later.

Belize is a tiny, tiny country situated between Mexico and Guatemala. You'd think the country would be quite Latin American. Wrong. It's completely Caribbean.
I was amazed by the contrast as we drove into the country. First thing I noticed were the signs - English everywhere! Made me very happy : ) I wouldn't feel as lost as I was in all-Spanish Guatemala. It took me a while to figure out that these people were speaking English, though, because of their strong Caribbean accents. Second thing were the people – predominantly Caribbean, laid-back, and loud. Third thing were the roads – nicely paved most of the way. Indicative of the richness compared to Guatemala.

Before we arrived in Belize City, I had to say my farewells to the Germans. Really nice people. They were getting off at an earlier stop to head to a beach town in southern Belize before heading north. Maybe we'd run into each other again in Caye Caulker or somewhere in Mexico, since we were going the same general direction.

Belize City is quite dumpy. I had a couple of hours there before catching the ferry to Caye Caulker. I went to the bank to get some Belize dollars, walked around the city, and had a quick bite to eat.
That was enough of Belize City for me. I had initially planned to spend a night there before heading up into Mexico, but no need. I will spend the extra night in Caye Caulker instead.

The ferry ride from Belize City to Caye Caulker (BZ$25 roundtrip) is about 45 minutes across beautiful, clear waters. Lovely.For some unknown reason, I was excited to be at the ocean. Weird.

Caye Caulker is total backpacker heaven. Endless supply of cheap accommodations, good food, and water activities.
I proceeded to find accommodation with the Japanese guy I met on the bus, Nao. The one that interested us in the guidebook was closed for renovations during the low seasons, so we ended up at a place recommended by a girl I met back in Antigua. It had the best shower (in terms of water pressure and hotness) I've had in while...

For the rest of the day, we took a walk around the tiny island. If you don't stop, I'm sure that you can walk around the entire circumference in about half an hour.
Cute squid sighting:At one of the docks, I lost my camera lens cap. It just fell right between the cracks...sad. Good thing I still had the lens filter on to protect the lens itself. I don't think I'd be able to find a replacement cap anywhere around here.

I ran into one of my roommates from Antigua, Yoshiko. She was spending the remaining 4 days of her 6-month Latin America trip in Caye Caulker before returning to Japan. She was staying at a cheaper place, nearer the ocean, and highly recommended. I think I'm going to move over there tomorrow.

For dinner, we had a yummy lobster dinner for BZ$35. Not cheap, but we both wanted good seafood! And we weren't disappointed.

Mayan Temples in the Jungle

Tikal was high on my priority list. You could say that it was on my to-do list even before I left on my RTW trip. I probably included Guatemala in my itinerary just for Tikal alone.
Needless to say, I was SOOOOOOOOOOO excited to be going there!!!!!

From Flores, there are hourly shuttles to the ruins for $8 roundtrip. Due to my lack of Guatemalan currency on hand (see previous blog entry), I had no choice but to use my precious USD notes.
I would've actually preferred to explore Tikal on my own, but the German couple I met yesterday invited me to go along with them. Being the Japanese me, I couldn't refuse. There were certainly places I would've liked to have spent more time at, and others I could've totally ignored, but all in all, I had a great time.

Tikal is one of the largest Mayan cities, built inside a jungle. From the minute you enter the site, mosquitoes are on the attack!

OK, before I go any further, can I please complain, once again, about the entrance fees?! It's hard to believe, but Tikal charges you a whopping $21!!! I can stay 3 nights at my hostel for that money. And that's a single room with my personal shower and toilet.
So far, I've concluded you can travel around Central America for really cheap, just as long as you avoid the major tourist attractions...which is a bit hard to do : (
Compared to Copan, though, I'd have to say that my money was better spent here. Tikal really was wonderful!

Back to the mosquitoes. I HATE them. I usually end up with a week-long huge, itchy, burning bump due to some allergic reaction to them once bitten. Plus, the ones here may carry malaria. Better to be safe than sorry; I covered every exposed part of my body with the very effective Boot's insect repellent. Except, I guess, my ear. Which got bitten. ARGH. How annoying!!!

Anyways, Tikal encompasses a massive area, with the complexes spread over rather large distances. We walked to each and every one of them. And climbed every single climbable temple. How fun (unless you end up behind a bunch of retired, old tourists who need to take a break every 5 steps or so)!
Starting with the Great Plaza. As soon as I stepped into the Plaza, I knew I was in Tikal (well, duh!). I mean....it's exactly as I pictured it to be – really old, steep buildings surrounded by lush greenery.
The steepness of the pyramids in Tikal is very impressive and unique, resembling nothing that I've seen before. A few accidents seem to occur each year, probably by drunk tourists. You're not allowed to climb the original steps, but rather the wooden ones built along the sides:Given its height, the view from the top of these pyramids is breathtaking! You see the tips of other temples of similar height poking through the jungle bushes:I could've sat there for hours, just staring out at the greenery. Except that the sun was shining and there was absolutely no shade.
These temples were certainly the highlight, but I also enjoyed simply walking around the jungle, past the "I wonder what these were" buildings/rubbles. Loved the earthiness and mossiness:What a fascinating day : )

Ending up at the Lake

Upon leaving Honduras, my plan was to take the tourist shuttle to Panajachel via Antigua. It's one of the small towns by Lake Atitlan.
I know...I ended up in Honduras because I wasn't interested in the lakes region a few days ago. They still weren't that appealing to me, definitely not a must-see sight, but I figured that I might as well go. So, I bought the $12 ticket and hopped on the minivan early in the morning.

I never made it to the lakes. After crossing the Honduras/Guatemala border, the van stopped at a junction. It turned out that two passengers were getting off here, and we were waiting for the local bus to come through to pick them up. Their destination – Flores. It's a must for the majority of tourists in Guatemala, given that it is the entry point for the famous Mayan ruins of Tikal. I was definitely headed up there before leaving the country.
While waiting for the bus to come, I kept thinking...why am I going to the lakes??? Why waste my precious time there??? Why not go directly north from here to save time and the costs???
With the help of another passenger who spoke Spanish, I learned that the junction was actually a bus stop and that I could purchase my own local bus ticket to Flores from here. I immediately changed my mind on the lakes idea, and purchased the ticket for 90 quetzales (~$11).
...And that's how I ended up in Flores with the German couple. Who incidentally paid $45 each for the transport from Copan to Flores. What a ripoff!!! Even though I didn't get a penny back for not going all the way to Antigua and Panajachel, I still only paid about $20. I'm sure I could've done it for much cheaper if I hadn't taken the "tourist shuttle" route, but you know...if there's an easy way out, I take it.

I got along really well with the Germans. We ended up having dinner at a lakeside restaurant (FYI – Flores is a tiny island, a better place to stay than Santa Elena on the mainland) owned by Germans serving random food. You'd be amazed at how many German-owned places there are in Flores!!!
And I just realized that I ended up at a lake anyways. I guess it was inevitable...a different one, but a lake nonetheless.
We chatted away our evening at the restaurant (excluding the 10 minute time-out I had to take in which I ran back to my room and grabbed insect repellent!) and enjoyed the beautiful sunset:

After dinner, I went in search for cash – I was running out of Guatemalan quetzales by now. Unfortunately, the only ATM on the island was out of cash and would not be replenished until Monday (tomorrow) afternoon. There were several other ATMs on the mainland, but I didn't feel like walking all the way there with no guarantees that they were going to work. Plus, it's not really safe out there...
Most places accept USD but the rates in Flores are terrible. In Antigua, $1 = 8GTQ, but in Flores, they only give you 7GTQ! What the heck!

Detour to Honduras

I've had enough of Antigua, but couldn't figure out where to go from there. One option was further north to the lakes region. A couple of cities along the lakes are great for R&R, Spanish classes, and traditional textiles...none of which really interested me. The other option was to head south into Honduras. But that would take me further away from my ultimate destination (basically my next flight's point of departure) of Mexico. So why should I take a detour that way? Well... (1) I like ruins and there's a famous Mayan one near the Guatemalan/Honduras border, (2) There's a direct tourist shuttle bus from Antigua to Copan (easy transportation is a must for me!), and (3) I found a travel partner for the route. Heck, I couldn't think of any other destination that I particularly wanted to go to, so my decision was made.
I love traveling without a strict time limit : ) The amount of meaningless wandering you can do...

A tip for other travellers – make sure you shop around for the shuttle bus from Antigua Copan. Some agents charge you about $25. Ridiculous. Most charge you about $12, which I found to be the average. I got mine for $7. It's the tiny agency around the main square, between the bank and the coffee shop (if I remember correctly).
Oh, and the entry/exit fees at the border are a bit iffy as well. Since there were posts at the border listing the appropriate fees and everyone else on my shuttle was paying, I assumed these fees to be correct and paid them. However, I met other backpackers later on who got away without paying. I don't know what the actual policy is, but exiting Guatemala, entering Honduras, and re-entering Guatemala should only cost you about $5. At least that's what I ended up paying; you never know with these Central American border agents.

Anyways, the minivan took 5-6 hours to get to the small Honduran town of Copan Ruinas – the jump off point for the famous Mayan ruins of the same name. Because we took the afternoon bus (the morning one picks you up at 5am!), it was already dark by the time we arrived. It didn't look like a dangerous place, though. Thank goodness.
First thing was to look for a place for the night. My travel buddy (Oops, I forgot his name already...) and I went to look at the cheap place my roommate from the Antigua hostel recommended. The guy who opened the door for us had bloodshot eyes and looked completely stoned. Needless to say, we went a couple of doors down to another hostel. A single room for $8. Not too bad.
Then dinner. The town had very limited options. We wandered around the whole town (3 x 5 blocks) looking for something appetizing, but settling for a simple soup and grilled chicken. Tastier than I imagined, especially after a few days of disgusting Guatemalan food.

The next morning, we walked to the ruins (~20 minutes). I came all the way here, but seriously considered turning around for a split second when I saw the entrance fee of 285 HNL!!! Granted it's only $15, but my accommodation is 150HNL, I can eat a full meal for 100HNL, and buy bottled water and snacks for 15HNL. 285HNL is waaaaaaay too overpriced, no?! Nothing I can do though. Just pay and enter the park, to be greeted by these colorful parakeets (I think that's what they are). I must say that the ruins were a bit of a disappointment, nothing spectacular in terms of size, grandeur, or height. Which makes sense given that Copan is not really known for the complex itself, but for the statues. Here are my 2 favorites – the turtle from Super Mario and the Cheetos tiger (although this is supposed to be a jaguar).
Silly, I know. But I like : ) After a couple of hours walking around the ruins, we headed back to the hostel. Not wanting to waste the rest of the afternoon, I decided to do some sightseeing in the town itself. Not that there's much to do – a small museum with some nice figurines and a simple explanation of Mayan history is basically the only site in town. Other than that, I walked up and down the cobble-stoned streets.
Now, what to do next... My friend was heading towards the Honduran beach side. You know me, I have little desire to go to a beach. But in Honduras, you can get a scuba diving license for quite cheap. Tempting...Should I finally do it?!?!?! And go further south into Nicaragua and Costa Rica??? VERY tempting.
However, the rational side of Waru stepped in at this moment to resist the temptation. This side wisely argued that Waru needs to get up to Mexico City (stopping along many cities in between) by the end of the month to catch her flight. Waru can’t go everywhere and see everything. Understood.
So, I'm going to backtrack to Guatemala tomorrow. In the future, sometime, I'm definitely coming back to Honduras (probably never to Copan again though) and head down south towards Panama!!!

Hot Lava

Undeniably, my Antigua highlight was Volcan Pacaya. I joined an afternoon tour that included transport (one hour each way on a minivan) and a guide for hiking up the volcano. There's an early morning tour as well, but (a) I didn't want to get up at 5am, and (b) The afternoon tour allowed me to see the sunset from the top of the volcano. The tour cost me ~$6, although that didn't include the volcano entrance fee of $5. Well, still affordable.

At first, the hike didn't seem too bad. It was like hiking through a slightly uphill forest. Then suddenly it all changed – steeper incline, no trees, just loose gravel.
Which brought back memories of the time I climbed up Mt. Fuji. My suffering... Pacaya isn't as high as Mt. Fuji so I wasn't too worried about the amount of oxygen I was breathing into my lungs, but the incline and loose gravel...
Please keep in mind that WARU IS NOT PHYSICALLY FIT. And had too much pride to hire a horse (and too cheap).
I thought about giving up and waiting at the bottom for the others to come back. I was already at the rear by then, so why not.
Well, at the back with me was a girl who was also having a hard time climbing up the last part of the volcano. She had a very good excuse for her lack of athleticism (asthma), whereas I didn't. Still, we were "hiking" at the same pace and having a decent conversation when our breathing allowed. And somehow, sometime, we made it to the top. Yaaaay!

The pain was definitely worth it. Not for the view from the top. Actually, there was so much cloud cover that at times, I couldn't even see much in front of me.
But I was amazed at what I saw and felt when I got to the top – Red orange lava flowing through the black volcanic rocks. Total coolnessl!!!
You can get REALLY close to the lava. In some areas, I was walking on top of volcanic rock where the lava was still running underneath. No need to say that it was hot! I was glad to be wearing thick rubber soled shoes because a couple of people in my group went a little too close to the lava, resulting in partially melted soles.
People who had hiking sticks had fun throwing them into the lava flow. The branches were immediately consumed by flames. Awesome!!!
Another group, who probably knew what to expect, were really, really, really well prepared for the trip. They brought marshmallows. Yes, for smores. I wish I could've done that!!!

The clouds sort of cleared up on the way down for a wonderful sunset. Without a tripod in hand (so I say), this is the best one I could come up with. Hey, at least the colors are nice! I know, my future as a photographer is bleak.

If anyone is headed to Antigua, I'd highly recommend this tour. That is, if it still exists. I'm sure that one day, some tourist is going to fall into the lava flow and get severely burned. Followed by lawsuits or whatever. Apparently, some countries already warn tourists about joining this type of tour.

Starting Latin America with a Japanese Touch

My mom made a Japanese lunch-box for my red-eye flight to Miami, connecting to Guatemala City. I ate half of it at LAX with a Starbucks tall soy latte in hand (when will by next Starbucks be?!), while watching the new double-decker Airbus A380 park at the gate. I want to fly that!!!!!
Being the red-eye, I arrived in Miami before dawn. My connecting flight wasn't until noon. If only I could go into the airport lounge and sleep on the sofa there... But having purchased a separate, really cheap ticket for this leg, I didn't have that choice. I ended up on a hard, metallic bench (why can't airport benches be cushioned?). Too uncomfortable and cold for a nap. I found another Starbucks stand (when will my next cup of soy latte be?!) and proceeded to finish off my lunch box. I appreciated every single bite. I mean who knows when my next onigiri & tamagoyaki might be, right?! Thanks, mom!

Guatemala City is one of the more dangerous cities in Central America. Hence, I decided to bypass the city and arranged transport to Antigua. For about $8-10, you can hire a minivan transport for the 1 hour ride.

For the first time in my traveling career (really, I wish it was a career!), I opted to stay at a Japanese guest house/hostel.
Japanese backpackers are EVERYWHERE, traveling very cheaply as if it's a contest. The majority of them stay at Japanese guest houses wherever they are available. I assume it's because they're seeking Japanese-speaking company. There's usually one in major cities along the backpacker route around Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
I don't know why it never occurred to me to check one of these out before. Probably because I speak English and therefore have no problem meeting and communicating with most other travellers. I guess a time comes around for everything though, and Antigua seemed as good a place as any to get an introduction into these Japanese hostels.
My observations:
Neutral – 99.9% of lodgers are Japanese. Some are long-term travellers like myself, while others use the hostel as an apartment. I met soccer players, Spanish students, and teachers there.
Negatives – No breakfast is included. Majority choose to cook Japanese food in the dirty, greasy kitchen. Rooms & bathrooms can be cleaner. Loud. No free Internet.
Positives – Extremely cheap beds. LOADS of travel information and advice available from the guestbook (man, these Japanese backpackers are detailed!). Comic books in the lounge area.
Now, the comics books were great! I got hooked on Golgo 13. I'd stay at a Japanese guesthouse just for the comics alone. Seriously!

Antigua is a colonial city in central Guatemala, surrounded by volcanoes that often let out steam in the morning.
From Cerro de la Cruz (hill with a cross), you can get a great view of the city with one of the larger volcanoes in the background. Due to safety reasons (armed robberies), the Antigua police runs a shuttle service to the hills twice a day. You get to ride on the back of the police truck and they wait for you, with gun in hand, while you take in the views. The city itself is quite safe (at least during the daytime), and I took a pleasant walk along cobble-stoned streets to see Antigua's many churches and old, colorful buildings. Nothing particularly stood out though.
Guatemala, especially Antigua, is known for their cheap Spanish schools. Explaining why you see gringos everywhere in town! Private Spanish lessons for about $5/hour...VERY tempting. I seriously contemplated staying in Antigua for a week or two to learn basic Spanish. Considering that I'd be traveling in Spanish-speaking countries for the rest of my trip, it seemed like a good idea.
But then again, I didn't find Antigua to be a place I'd like to hang out for a week. Plus, I didn't really like the food. It's cheap – a set menu of meat soup, tortilla, and juice only cost me 12 quetzales (~$1.50). But not yummy. If I may be honest, I thought that the tortillas were disgusting! Thick, dry, and smelly. Since every meal comes with a bunch of tortillas, they're hard to avoid. I did, however, like Guatemalan coffee as well as the cut fruits (mostly pineapples) sold by street vendors for 25 cents!
So, forget the Spanish lessons. I'm gonna keep moving.

On an aside, I met a very inspiring Japanese backpacker. A year or two younger than me, she was travelling the Americas, overlanding from Canada all the way down to southern Argentina. Nothing to be amazed about in that alone, except that she was born deaf. I can't imagine what it must be like to travel in unknown places without being able to hear. Being deaf in your own home must be scary enough, but to travel... Wow.