You are in Guatamala!

You are in Guatamala now...
After an exhausting night being terrified of what bugs were going to visit in the night and having an unhealthy amount of insect repellent on, sheets locked in up to my neck despite the heat, I dragged myself put of bed and we got on the road again. This time to somewhere more populated with people. In this case it was San Jose. The way we got there was absolutely great and we will be the last tour group to go via that route. We headed to the border crossing which is by the Usumacinta River. Exit fee paid (500 Pesos) we then headed down to the water to board a long, narrow boat that was going to take us up river to Guatamala. It was an entirely unique experience to cross via water. When we stepped on land we were in Guatamala after just a short 30 minutes on the river. We carried our bags up a short, but steep hill, got on the waiting bus then 10 minutes later arrived at the next border. We were officially in Guatamala and had 2 hours of rough, bumpy, unpaved roads ahead before finally getting onto tarmac. The scenery was almost identical but the people were slightly different as were the buildings. Still green, lush and slightly wet. Soldiers were stopping cars and trucks about half an hour into our journey and it was a bit surreal seeing semi-automatic weapons just casually displayed across their front. I don't know what they were looking for but I kept my camera down. I was not going to make the special foces Guatamaleans angry by taking photos of them.
We arrived in San Jose in the late afternoon. It was my turn for a room to myself and it was such a luxury. It was right near the lake and fairly quiet during the day. At night it was a slightly louder place. When the sun set the wild and neglected dogs that are everywhere in these countries started barking, trucks and cars drove by honking their horns, at the crack of dawn the roosters started their crowing.
The next morning, a slightly sleep deprived me was up early and we jumped on a bus to go and see the ruins of Tikal. They are inside the Tikal National Park, a 520 square km park which consists of the ruins and jungle. I saw a wild pig/boar (just a small one) running through the forest and it came out onto the path then saw us and scurried off. Quite an exciting start to the day. I kept my eyes peeled but sadly I saw no armadillo or juguar though both live in the jungle.
The ruins were impressive. I climbed one that was 70 metres up and once up there, I could see out over the jungle for some distance. The only things marring the landscape were a few other temples that stood above the tree tops, and I can't really say that it marred the landscape. It made you feel a bit like Indiana Jones exploring the jungle if you ignored the tourists around you.
From there we headed to a small island called Flores. It is small enough that I walked around it in 20 minutes. It was the 6th Jan so there was a big celebration fot the three wise men, a bit likw the end of christmas for them. They had set up food stalls and a band were getting ready. At 4.30 we boarded a boat for a sunset booze cruise. First drink was a free hibiscus juice with vodka... from there it was only 15 quetzal ($3) for a mojito or tequila shot... so 2 mojitos and a tequila later I was pleasantly on the boarder between drunk and sober. The sun set on the lake was spectacular. The karaoke that came later was not haha
We got back to Flores around 9. Some went to the bar for more drinks but a few of us went to grab some sstreet food aka a HUGE slice of banana cake and then headed up the hill to check out the band. Everyone was due to meet up again at 10 where we hopped in a water taxi and went back over the lake to San Jose.
Last partof the night consisted of me standing in dog poo and not realising it and treking it into my room. I had to was my shoe and then my hands and the. The tiles, then make y hands again. It STUNK and as I went to sleep it was all I could smell. Lovely.

Lacanja

Lacanja
Just a quick one night stand with Lacanja but it was worth it. Half the group left at the crack of dawn but for me and seven others, we got a sleep in and didn't leave till 9. It is such a luxury to get to sleep in. We got on the road and headed over to our next stop, a camp site in the jungle. The drive over was absolutely stunning. Although raining I could still see out and the landscape s lush and green and vibrant. Banana trees, corn, and a whole raft of plants grown. It is a lot like the Waitakere ranges but much more vast. The roads are dotted with small huts and villages, wild dogs and farm stock, children selling food and others not doing much of anything at all but seem happy enough to flip off the passing van.
When we arrived in Lacanja we had an hour to eat and get changed and then we went white water rafting. It was great fun. I dont have any photos due to the fact that it was rafting and I only have a dslr, however Gemma and Gavin had GoPros with them so we should get some good footage. The rafting was good fun. There was lengths of river which were still and then there would waterfalls anywhere between 1-3 meters. Initially I was going to sit in the front but  couldn't do it. It was too terrifying. I am glad I didn't too after watching the two in front (Gemma and Rasmus) get dunked at every fall.
After about 45 minutes we were done and it was time to do the walk back through the jungle, past some ruins and waterfalls. That took about an hour and a half. I am so done for the day. My clothes are wet and smell less than ideal. Hopefully they dry soon...

This is Palenque

After a busy day I can say I am knackered. The morning started with a walk through the jungle. Slathered in insect repellent we headed out at 7am in search of ruins and monkeys. I saw ruins but no monkeys. Did see a squirrel though. The heat of the jungle combined with rain made for one sticky start to the morning. I had gotten cramp the night before and I think it was due to sweating so much and having no salt left so I have been trying to eat salty food like crisps and nuts. The food here is actually quite bland and lacks salt, and there is none on the tables to use either. In the jungle I learned some interesting facts and ate an ant intentionally. Tasted like celery. We climbed over mounds in the jungle which were actually houses but hidden under hundreds of years of leaf litter and trees. The image below is me climbing out of one of those houses buried. It was cool, well actually it was muggy and hot, but your get my meaning. Inside was bats which was great. They were at head height and furry. I managed a blurry photo but nothing great. The jungle itself is a lot like NZ but not quite and also a hell of a lot more muggy and wet. It was lush and green but the while time I was aware that there were things in the forest that could kill me.

From the jungle walk we popped out at the ruins of Palenque which were suitably impressive. Different again from the other ruins, these ones were still half buried in the hills. We could climb parts of these ones and the guide was great. He told us all about the bodies found and too us off the beaten track to some riins that are not open to the public yet. We walked back to the hotel from the ruins via the museum where we saw the 25 tonne ssarcophagus. Now that was some serious coffin. It is hard to imagine people lifting that into place!

After that we headed back for a quick change of clothes into togs and from there to the waterfalls. It had been raining in a place which is similar to the waitakere ranges but with waterfalls. The rains had forced huge amounts of water to pour down and overwhelm the waterfalls. They were torrential and intense. Some keen beans went for a swim and jumped off some of them. I was not one of those. I was happy to sit dry and safe below the canooy as the skies opened and drenched the land.

In saying that I have opted to do whitewater rafting tomorrow. Type 2 so no more intense than I did in Rotorua with Kristel. I did check that they were fully certified and they do cancel when the weather and rapids are dangerous which is some small measure of comfort.

I am now sitting with a wine, relaxing. Will have to pack soon. Tomorrow we are off to a part of Mexico with no reception or wifi.

10 hours travel

I have made it to Palenque but it was no short trip. 6.30 wake up. 7.30 in the van and gone. Our first stop was about 2 hours into the drive. Uxmal ruins. These ruins were so different to anything I had seen at Chichen Itza. Bigger and more developed, they stood over the landscape silent and imposing. Quiet sentinels of a time long gone. At these ones, unlike the ones at Chichen Itza, we could climb, and climb I did. I feel I made a pretty good effort to clamber most of it including the biggest temple, all the way up super steep steps to the top. From there it was easy to imagine being a Mayan surveying your kingdom and watching sacrifices to the rain god cha'ac. From the top I was able to see high over the canopy to trees and across the ruins. I definitely felt like I was in the jungle except for the one industrial building far in the distance rising up out of it. We were given 2 hours and opted for no guide which allowed for more time to investigate. I got some great photos too which I can't wait to show you all.
From there we were bqck on board the van for another three hours at which time we got lunch. Being by the sea was the perfect time for seafood. Massive prawns to be exact. So good. It was a quick meal then back on the bus for about 4-5 hours. We got to our hotel about 8pm. Luckily they have a restaurant on site and a bar. They also have a pool which may be where I am after a busy day.
The room is nice and the windows are just meshed over so we can hear all the sounds of the jungle. Apparently we shoumd be able to hear howler momkeys in the night. Can't wait! All I can hear right now is people talking by the pool and a live band singing Mexican tunes with a guitar.
Tomorrow is an early start with a walk in the jungle, then a walk around the ruins and finally a picnic by waterfalls

Merida and New Years Eve

Happy new year! I am officially in 2018 now. I was going to write this last night but I was falling asleep sitting upright. The last few days have been pretty full on so I have called it quits for the day and been hiding out in my room since about 7.30pm. We have an uneven number of girls on the tour which means that someone is always going to be getting their own room. For new years eve and tonight that was me. Can't complain. It is actually really nice to have a few days to acclimatise without having to share the bathroom with someone else. On the subject of bathrooms... they are like Greece where they don't really want you putting toilet paper down the loo, so there is a bucket beside. It also means that there is little space in the u-bend if you get my meaning. What a way to get to know one another witha shared bathroom haha.
We left Playa del Carmen at 7am and headed off to Merida. The temperature topped out at 31 degrees and the air was thick enough to walk through and feel it. We stopped on the way fown to Merida at Chichen Itza, the huge Mayan temple. It was amazing. The size of the structure was mind blowing. We were told that the Mayans used to move away from their city every 50 years as they believed that life ended and was destroyed by the gods evey 50 years. When they realised that they world hadn't ended, they would return and build more, bigger temples to thank the gods for giving them extra life (another 50 years). I saw a few temples including the nunnery, and the observatory. I also got to see the ball field where they played a game  that involved two teams for 7 whose job it was to get the ball (3kgs) into a hoop high up on the wall. Whichever team got the first goal won the game. They had to wear padding and helmets as you can imagine what it would be like to be hit with a 3 kg ball at full swing. The winning team's captain was beheaded at the end of the game too. It was supposed to be a great honour to be sacrificed to the gods, and they only ever did it in bad times. In really bad times they would make a lot of sacrifices, especially warriors and athletes as they had strong hearts and the heart was most important as it carries the blood around the body - what a great thing to sacrifice to the gods.
It was so hot that I sort of switched off at that point and was happy just wandering from shade point to shade point, looking at all the amazing art and buildings and massive iguana that lazed about.
When we had arrived at Chichen Itza it was fairly quiet but when we left it was heaving.
We left at midday, back into the air conditioning and headed off to Merida once more. Once there we checked in and I got my own room, there was bit of down time. The single room will rotate every city we visit, so I am making the most of it while I have it.
A bunch of us went for a walk and I did a mission to find an ATM. Mexicans mostly use Pesos not dollars so I needed to change $ and get out more pesos. By that stage I was a walking pile of sweat so headed back to the hotel for a swim in the pool. It was freezing and I lasted all of a 10 minutes it did the trick. I was much cooler.
As a group we did a walk around the centre of Merida. It is the only city to be constantly occupied by someone. It used to have a temple but the Spaniards tore them down and built churches that doubled as forts with gun slits along the exterior to stave of the Mayans who were less than happy about the invading hoardes tearing down their temples and killing them off. There is also a massive crest in the middle of the church exterior, a stamp by the Spanish to say this is ours.
New years eve involved dinner out with some of the group first. We all bought alcohol and met up on top of the hotel on the roof where we drank and laughed and chatted until 10.45, at which point we headed out to a courtyard with a live band. We had to pay for entrance but it was fun enough. They handed out bags of hats, flashing glasses, hooters etc just before midnight for people to wear. Hence my paper hat. The band played Mexican music and they have a custom that you are supposed to eat 12 grapes at midnight. I ate two. I would like to point out that I had had 4 tequila shots and a beer so was not all that keen on eating grapes. I was fine, by the way. A bit tipsy but not drunk. We had a bit of a dance but some of us were keen for bed. After two nights of about 4 hours sleep I was done in. We headed back to the hotel and I was out for the count.
Today we had a late start but unanimous vote. We left at 11am to go to see the cenotes (say-no-tays). They are basically huge holes that are filled with water. The first one was on the open. You could jump off the ledge at the top (10m) or further down or go all the way to the bottom. I wasn't all that keen to swim in it. It was a steep ladder/set of sets down. While the others swam, me and another girl, and our guide, bought a HUGE bottle of beer to share. It went straight to my head but it was just what was needed. By the way, Victoria beer is the local beer and it is YUM! Light like Corona or Sol.
At the second cenote it was raining. I plucked up the courage, stripped off to my togs and headed over to the cenote. This one was in a cave so you went down some steps and then got into the water. It was rocky under the water and those who know me well, know how much that terrifies me but I put my big girl pants on and got in. It was amazing. The water was petrol blue and clear. There were staglamites and stalamites (don't know which is which) growing on the ceiling and the floor of the cave. The ones hanging of the ceiling looked like wilting flowers and ant hills. After about 15 minutes my nerves got the better of me and I had to get out.
Dried, dressed and back in the van we all headed off. Back to Merida and to the end day three. Have to get up early again tomorrow, so off to bed now.