Philadelphia for Christmas

An eventful day of travel, began in 1st class (we're not sure why, but didn't ask any questions) - just glad we both had showers before leaving Antigua! Landing in Philly, the pilot calmly asked us to put our heads between our legs (presumably so as to kiss our asses goodbye) - "oh, false alarm, sorry about that folks".

Len and Eva collected us from the airport, its bleeding baltic here in Philly and the Christmas carols make much more sense than they did in the heat of Belize.

Guate Guate Guate

After 2 weeks away, we're back in Guatemala to take care of some unfinished business. Apparently there are some wrecked buildings worth seeing in the north (Tikal Mayan ruins) and some decent swimming pools somewhere in the middle (Semuc Champey)and some hot stuff running down a mountain near Antigua (Volcan Pacaya). Having been in Guatemala already, it felt quite homely being back, speaking Spanish and haggling over a quetzal here and there.

Meeting Karl and Conor (Irish lads) in Tikal and Aidan and Mimi (Vancouveranians) in Semuc made this part of the trip even better craic, spending a few days with all 4 of them in Antigua rounded off the trip perfectly.

Seeing the Mayan ruins peeping through the jungle treetops made the whole trip to Flores and Tikal worthwhile. We saw Spider Monkeys swinging from their tails and heard the "ghouler monkeys" screeching in the distance. Fiona narrowly avoided receiving some Guatemalan good luck from the monkeys perched above us!

Next stop was Semuc Champey, widely regarded as the most beautiful spot in Guatemala. Seamie had tipped us off about a great hostel/log cabin resort and we had sent Al in as a fluffer. With this information in hand, expectations were high. Semuc didn't disappoint and we spend the day hiking to the Mirador, swimming in the colourful natural pools, having fish nibble at our feet and diving off anything we could find. On the second day, I went back for a cave adventure, which was a 2 hour trip through pitch black water-filled caves with candlelight to lead the way. Abseiling up a waterfall, jumping through narrow crevices and plunging from a cliff into a dark pool were all thoroughly enjoyable, while trying to keep your candle from getting wet!

Last stop Antigua, for some good dinners, Christmas shopping and a trip up Volcan Pacaya. Walking to the lava river was tricky, due to all the new rocks which have been scattered by the constant flow of lava. Apparently the lava is about 2000 degrees and it certainly feels that way when you get close. Unbelievable to see the hot stuff spilling out of a mountain and casually flowing downward.

An action packed week comes to an end and our next stop is Philadelphia for Christmas.

2nd Batch of Guatemala photos start here

"What's the rush? Yer in Belize!"

After a splash and dash in Livingston and some fortuitous boating, we made it to Placencia via Mango Creek, which would surely have been beautiful had we been able to see it. Placencia is a beautiful beach town on the Carribean coast, and the perfect place to become immersed in the laid-back Belizean vibe. English is the spoken language and chilling out on hammocks is the most taxing daily chore.

Unbelievably friendly locals and amusing signs will be my outstanding memory. For the first time, we celebrated Thanksgiving with "Turkey Dinner... All the trimmin's!".

Next stop was Caye Caulker which is an island surrounded by tropical green ocean but with a distinctly more built-up feeling than Placencia. With a busy agenda set for the return to Guatemala, we made our way to Belize City and then through to Flores. To say that Belize is so laid-back it's horizontal is probably an understatement.

For photos from Belize click here