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.