Honduras & El Salvador

Central America is a relatively safe region to travel if you are vigilant. The two countries that we felt a bit uneasy about were Honduras and El Salvador. They don't have as much of an establish backpackers trail as the other countries in the region and their safely ratings are not great. Since we were delayed by a few weeks from because of my surgery, we decided to only spend a few days in each country. 

We took a shuttle from Antigua in Guatemala to the town of Copan in Honduras. I had read online that there was no cost to exit Guatemala since we already paid our tourist tax upon entry. When we got the border, the customs official  stamped our passports and asked us to pay $4 each. Hmm. Using the best Spanish we could muster we challenged him, knowing that there was no official fee to exit. He made up some reason, saying that because we were only going to Honduras for a few days that we had to pay a tax. An American man behind was telling us to stop making a fuss, if the official says there is a tax, then there must be a tax. Eventually they sent us to a different window where a younger man told us that we were right, there is nothing to pay and gave us our passports back. 

Zip-lining in Copan, Honduras. 

                                      

We only had a few days in Honduras so we decided to base ourselves in the small town of Copan near the border of Guatemala. The area is covered by forests and there are a lot of outdoor activities to choose from. We decided to go zip-lining because it was reasonably prices and would keep us out of the hot sun. Our guides came to pick us up in a truck and told us to sit in the back. The zip-lining course took about an hour to complete and it felt great to get some fresh air. No matter how small, most of the towns are hot and stuffy. On one of the last lines Aaran lost his hat to the jungle. We thought for sure we would never see it again, but once we got back to the base our guide set out with a machete to clear a path and went to retrieve it. 

Included in the tour was access to a bird rescue centre. There were hundreds of birds that had lost their homes due to deforestation. Others had been staved in houses where they were kept as pets. Aaran said hello when he approached one of the cages and the birds all replied "Hola". 

Heading out to the start of the zip-lining course. 

Birds at the rescue centre.

A beautiful Scarlet Macaw.

The main reason to visit the city of Copan is to visit its famous Mayan ruins. We thought that since we had seen most of the ruins of the Mayan empire that we should check these ones out as well. The thing that sets Copan apart from other Mayan sites is its impressive Hieroglyphic Stairway Plaza. The staircase is 100 metres wide and tells a story from nearly 2000 glyphs. 

The ruins of a staircase in the ruined city of Copan.

After doing a bit of a crash course in Mayan glyphs at the Copan museum we tried to identify images in the ruins. 

Copan is a small town and there really were not a lot of tourists around. That's why we were surprised to find really great coffee shops around. We were looking online for the best espresso in town when Aaran found a place that claimed to make delicious cheeses. We decided to go check it out and we very pleasantly surprised. We couldn't quite afford the $15 double cream brie, so we settled on a flavoured cream cheese. We couldn't find any crackers so we ate it with chips for dinner. 

So happy to find real, fresh cheese in a very unlikely place. 

We must have arrived just in time for the lychee harvest in Honduras. Every fruit stand was selling bags full of them for just a few dollars. 

Our next stop was El Salvador. After a lot of research we decided to spend a few days in the beach town of El Tunco. We had been in hot cities for a while and needed a bit of sea breeze. It's a lazy surf town packed with tourist and unfortunately a prime spot for drug tourism. We did our best to stay in populated areas when the sun went down. Our guesthouse had a pool and we almost always had it all to ourselves. We were hoping to save some money by cooking, but the kitchen was filthy so that plan was broken. Luckily we were able to find lots of cheap food in town. We basically spent our four days there just sitting by the pool, reading and eating pupusas. 

The pool at our guesthouse. 

The glorious pupusa. Dough stuffed with cheese or meat. 

Relaxing at our guesthouse. 

Beers at sunset. 

The sunsets in El Tunco were unbelievable. 

Someone cooking dinner on the side of the road. 

Enjoying the breeze. 

After our short stays in Honduras and El Salvador, it was off to Nicaragua. We don't really like speeding through countries so quickly but we keep telling ourselves that it's impossible to see everything. 

Guatemala

Guatemala is every backpacker's dream. The food is delicious, the people are friendly and transportation is efficient. It's also where we found some of the best coffee we've had since the start of the trip. We started our time in Guatemala on the island of Flores. We quickly realized that we couldn't get away with knowing only a few Spanish words for our next 4 months in Latin America. We decided to enrol in a much needed Spanish class. We booked 7 nights at a hostel in Flores and opted for an intensive 30 hour course. It was kind of nice to have a little routine for a while. Every morning we walked to the school and had 3 sessions of about 2 hours each. For lunch we walked up a hill and ate at a local restaurant that served huge portions for half the price of the tourist restaurants. There are no grocery stores on the island, so every night we walked across the bridge to buy fruit and jugs of water. 

The small town just across the bridge from Flores where we got our food and water supplies.

Daily food market just outside of Flores. 

 One of the main reasons to visit Flores is because of its proximity to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. They are one of the most important of the many ancient Mayan ruins in Central America. We found them much more impressive than the more popular ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico. The temples and spread across a huge forest that takes about 3 hours to cross. We decided to save money and not go with a guide. We were happy with our decision when we saw that the guided groups only visited a fraction of the site. We also later heard that the guides have no training and often make up the information they give. 

Mayan glyphs in the ancient city of Tikal.

The impressive ruins of the Gran Plaza in Tikal. 

Beautiful ruins hiding among the trees. 

Visiting ruins

After our week-long stay in Flores we took an overnight bus all the way to the colonial city of Antigua. We heard that these buses could get pretty cold so we wore all of our warmest clothes. We still froze. The worst part is that there was a temperature gauge at the front of the bus, constantly reminding us that it was 11 degrees on board. We arrived to Antigua completely exhausted, but of course we couldn't check in to our room since it was 8am. We found a communal living room in the hostel and passed out until it was a more appropriate time to walk around the city. Unfortunately it rained almost the whole time we were in Antigua. Strangely enough it was the first time in 9 months that we were really rained in. We decided to take it easy went out for only a couple hours a day when there was a break in the rain. 

A short break in the rain. 

One of the many church ruins in Antigua. 

Antigua's food market, where we spent a couple hours waiting out the heavy rain. 

Our pupusa addiction started in Guatemala and continued into El Salvador. They are tortilla dough stuffed with cheese, beans or meat. 

One of the many churches in Antigua, also home to a small food market. 

Irresistible tostadas sold at a small market in front of the church.

From Antigua we took a small shuttle van to the lakeside town of Panajachel. Most people just stop here to get on a boat to the more popular lake towns, but we decided to stay the night. It was raining and we were feeling a bit drained from all the bad weather and long bus rides. On the way in, Aaran spotted a cafe with a very hipster looking barista sitting out front. As soon as we checked in to our hostel and dropped off our bags we headed to the coffee shop. The cafe is run by a group of young Koreans who roast their own coffee and are clearly very passionate about what they do. It was delicious. It was so delicious that we went there 3 times during our 16 hour stay in Panajachel. We even went back 4 days later after spending time in another small town on the lake. When we walked in the barista looked at us and said "One cappuccino, one double espresso?". He remembered our order, which is impressive considering the place is always packed. 

Cafe loco in Panajachel

                                      

There are a few towns on the lake where you can choose to hide out for a while on lake Atitlan. We decided on the small town of Santa Cruz, mainly because they have the only dive shop in the area. The lake sits at an elevation of over 1,500 meters which makes the dive a bit trickier than usual. Aaran decided to take the opportunity to take an altitude diving course. Another amazing thing about the lake is that it's framed by two volcanoes. While Aaran was out diving I sat around ready and enjoying the amazing view. 

The town of Santa Cruz can only be reached by boat. 

Our cabin on the lake. 

Heading our for a dive on Lake Atitlan.

Hostel dog. 

Amazing view of the lake from a hill in Santa Cruz. 

Before heading out to Honduras we had to spend another night in Antigua. Normally they have direct shuttles but we were there during the low season. We got lucky and the rain stopped while we were there. It gave us the chance to visit the places we didn't get to see the first time. We happily would have spent another few weeks in Guatemala, especially once we started feeling more comfortable to the Spanish. The great thing about this trip is that it's giving us good ideas for future vacations. By vacation I mean spending 3 weeks in one country, not what we're doing now. 

Belize

Our next stop in Central America was Belize, which we entered by boat. From our hostel in Mexico we were able to walk to the small boat dock that takes care of international transfers. We were taken to the small island of San Pedro to go through customs and pay our entrance fee into Belize. We then waited over an hour under the blazing sun while the boat crew had beers with their friends from San Pedro. It was then a short boat ride to the island of Caye Caulker Belize. There isn't much to do on the actual Island except for relaxing, drinking and eating seafood. The main attraction is the beautiful barrier reef and marine national park which can be reached on a short boat ride. Aaran decided to go diving while I went on a snorkeling tour. The reef was very healthy and full of wildlife. 

The main industry on the island is tourism. This creates good competition and makes it easy to get a deal on tours. 

The island of Caye Caulker has 3 roads (front, middle and back). They are connected by small alleys. It takes about 5 minutes to cross from one side to the other. 

The island is filled with delicious restaurants and cafes. Our favourite was a small shack that sold small bags of fresh sugary donuts. 

The beautiful clear water in the middle of the ocean where Aaran went diving. 

Lunch stop on a gorgeous island paradise. 

A turtle nest, well marked to give the turtles the best chance of survival on the beach.

Believe it not I jumped in the water with these sharks! They were 1-2 meters long and not interested in humans at all.

Beautiful island. 

We only had one week in Belize, so after spending 3 days on the island we took a boat the mainland. We had organized for a shuttle to the small town of San Ignacio and waited for a few hours at the boat dock for our ride. Belize is somewhat of an anomaly in Central America because its official language is English. Not only that but it has a strong Caribbean influence, making it easy to forget that you're in Latin America. 

We were dropped off at our hostel in San Ignacio while the rest of our shuttle continued to Guatemala. The town is quite small with a population of just over 15,000. It was just touristy enough to have a few good restaurants and tour agencies to make our lives easier. We loved that the majority of the town felt very authentic. It was incredibly hot, but we managed to walk to some ruins near the centre of town one morning. There were only a handful of people in the whole park which made for great pictures. 

Walking through a tunnel in the Ruins near San Ignacio.

We basically had the whole area to ourselves. 

It's great to walk through a market that is not totally aimed at tourists. 

Delicious market pineapples. 

Market stall. 

The entrance to ATM cave and archaeological site. 

Our absolute favourite thing in Belize was exploring the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave. It takes about an hour and a half to reach the park by car, followed by a 45 minute walk in the jungle. The walk includes 3 river crossings with water up to your waist. You then reach the mouth of the cave, with beautiful crystal clear water and hanging stalactites. In the first section of the cave you have to swim because the water is quite deep. For about 2 hours after that the water level goes up and down. You alternate between swimming, walking and wading through the water. Some sections were so tight that you have to strategically place your neck through narrow gaps in the rock. The best part is when you reach the centre of the cave and start to climb. Hidden away through small passageways are ancient Mayan sacrificial chambers. Because it was only recently discovered, it never got the chance to be looted. There are pots and bones which were left untouched by the Mayans themselves. Mind blowing! 

Mexico

For us Mexico was all about the caves, the beaches, the food and of course the impressive ruins. Our Mexican experience was far removed from the typical resort holiday, but we didn't quite go off the beaten path either. We flew to Cancun from Montreal, and while the rest of the passengers on our flight were picked up by their resorts, we headed for the bus station. For a fraction of the cost of a taxi, we were taken to the heart of Cancun, away from the hotel/beach zone. To access the beach we had to take a local bus for a couple dollars each. This was fine with us since we were only there for two nights. Being in the city gave us access to amazing local restaurants and a cheap $7 per night bed in a hostel. 

The real adventure began when we walked down the road from our hostel and rented a car. We asked for a 5 day rental of their cheapest car, and somehow ended up with 7 days in a newer model at a cheaper price than our original quote. We spent the next week driving around the Yucatan peninsula, stopping in the few colonial cities we could find, swimming in as many caves as possible, and stopping at all the major ruins. The roads were well maintained and all the main locations were well sign posted. We spent 1 week driving around then 1 week at a hostel in Tulum, about 2 hours south of Cancun. 

Fresh out of the water from a wonderful cave swim. 

The area of Mexico we were in was filled with these amazing limestone caves called Cenotes. They believe that these caves were formed when a giant meteor hit Earth (and killed all the non-avian dinosaurs). Whatever the reason is for their existence, they're amazing. The water is crystal clear and so refreshing after walking around in the beating hot sun. Best of all, the water is fresh and not salty. Our favourite cave was Dos Ojos, a few kilometres from the town of Tulum on the coast. Instead of just being a big hole, it was actually more of a narrow semi-circle. It took about 15 minutes to slowly swim from one end to the other. 

Taking a dip in Dos Ojos cave. 

If you wait for the tour groups to pass, it's possible to get these caves all to yourself!

If it wasn't for entrance fees, we happily would have visited every cave in the area. To save money we had to refresh ourselves at the beach most days. This sounds great, except that you only get to sit at a nice beach umbrella if you're staying at a resort. Also, we don't exactly have beach towels to lay on, only tiny camping towels. The best beaches were by far in Cancun. The rest of the coast was covered in seaweed which made it hard to swim. The problem with being a backpacker in a resort district is that you have limited access to everything. We had to walk 3 kilometres before finding access to the beach that wasn't through a resort. It was much easier in Tulum; bike to the beach, lock our bicycles to a palm tree, and jump in. 

Marlin Beach in Cancun. 

Lunch in Progreso.

One of the few beaches in Tulum what wasn't completely covered in seaweed. 

You can't talk about Mexico without raving about the food. We made sure to look up some reliable travel blogs to find the best local restaurants available. In well travelled areas I find that Tripadvisor just sends you to fancy restaurants, which are not necessarily the best. Nearly everywhere we went we were greeted with a basket of nachos (sometimes still warm) and a delicious bean dip (also warm). Because of our budget, our go-to meal was tacos. If you're far enough away from the tourist areas you can get tacos as cheaply as 50 cents each. Another cheap way to eat is to stop at a fruit juice shop. They chop up the fruit in front of you so you now it's fresh and it only costs a couple dollars. 

A winning combination!

Probably the best (and cheapest) tacos we found in Tulum. We loved them so much we had to order a second batch. Aaran made the mistake of putting a mysterious red sauce on his last one... he was sweating for the next 2 hours. 

Amazingly refreshing fruit and chocolate snacks. 

Getting fresh orange juice at a fruit stand in Tulum. 

It turns out that Mexicans love bakeries. Even the grocery stores have huge areas dedicated to freshly baked goods. 

A plate of tacos for $3 dollars!

The best reason to visit Mexico, in our opinion, is to see the Mayan ruins which seem to be scattered everywhere. The first day that we had our car, we drove to the Ek Balam ruins. This seems to be the last major sight where you can still climb the ruins. It was ridiculously hot but we figured we should give it a try. The view from the top was amazing, you could just make out distant ruins over the treetops. For some reason everyone was terrified of climbing back down. People were trying to slide down one step at a time using their hands. Others were just taking forever, stopping between each step to make sure they didn't tumble down. We thought this was hilarious since the steps were 10 times safer than any ruin we climbed in Asia. 

The ruined city of Ek Balam. 

Climbing down the steps of the main ruin in Ek Balam.

The ruins of the city of Coba near Tulum. What we liked about these ruins is that they are not fully restored. You can still see where the structures have crumbled over the years. 

We also really enjoyed that the ruins were scattered around a peaceful forest. It was nice to have some shade as we walked from one structure to the next. 

Walking through the walls of Coba. 

The most important ruins in this part of the world are the ruins of Chichen Itza, which means it is packed with tourists. Since we had a car we were able to leave very early and make it before all the tourist buses arrived. The city of Chichen Itza was occupied for 1000 years by different groups of people. The site is quite large and takes a couple hours to walk around, especially in the hot sun. By the time we walked around the grounds it was becoming very crowded and the sun was piercing. We were very glad that we went for an early visit. 

The Wall of Skulls in Chichen Itza. The Mayans use to pile up the skulls of their enemies to scare off potential attackers. 

The main and most impressive structure in Chichen Itza called Kukulkan. 

The tropical ruins of Tulum. 

The ruins of Tulum overlooking the ocean. 

Our last stop in Mexico was the city of Chetumal. We really only needed to be there to take the ferry to Belize, but we thought we might as well spend a couple of days. We found out they had a museum of Mayan culture which sounded very interested. They didn't have many artefacts but the displays were very informational. They have interactive stations where you could learn the complex Mayan numerical system. It was a great place to spend a few hours and stay out of the sun. 

An example of Mayan storytelling. 

Mexico was great. It really is the ideal place for backpacking. Because it's such a popular destination there is a lot of competition between businesses. It's easy to get by on a really tight budget. The transportation system is extremely traveller friendly with bus companies that have fully functional websites. The best part about Mexico is that it has so much culture. When waling through the ruins it feel like you're living history. You walk around a town and you really feel like you're in Mexico. I couldn't imagine ever going back and staying on a resort. All the magic of the country happens in the towns and on the streets.