Back to the States

Not that it's a big feat when you're living out of just one bag, but the bag is packed.  The flight has been booked.  Even the shuttle ticket for the airport has been purchased.  This is it.  After a month and a half the trip is coming to an end.

In some ways I've never been more ready to be back home, especially for the holidays.  And yet, there's a gentle tug.  I haven't lived in the US for almost 28 months.  This is all I've known for quite some time.  What will it mean to be back in the US, to be back home?

This trip has been a whirlwind tour through Central America.  We traveled just long enough to see all the countries in Central America, but not long enough to feel like we did a county justice or that our time hadn't been rushed.

That's the rub with traveling.  The world is huge and we're lucky enough to have the means to experience pieces of it, but you can never see it all and it takes a long time to really get to know a place.

Coming from two years in Panama, traveling as we have has been somewhat disconcerting.  We knew Panama and because of that, we weren't really tourists.  We knew the schedules and how much to pay for buses and boats running in the middle of nowhere.  We knew the cool places to see, the best places to eat, where to stay.

This trip through Central America has been the opposite.  We have the language but little else and that becomes exhausting.  There were many times where I felt like cattle being herded to this hostel or on this tour or to this restaurant.

Our travels have added another perspective to the time in Panama.  Even though we were working, we had the time to enjoy Panama.  At times I literally stopped to smell the flowers.  It's not something you necessarily get to do while traveling, but I think it adds a lot to the experience and can make traveling more fulfilling.

So.... After a few years in Central America, I can certainly say it's a wonderful place.  There will be times of frustration, but you'll be rewarded by generous people that don't ever seem to be hurried.  There will be  times you miss the conveniences of home, but instead you'll experience the adventures of getting off the beaten track.

I'm rambling, tired, and excited to be heading back to the US.  It's been a great run.  Thanks to everyone who's followed along.


-Austin
(and Dan, Dan, Jon, and Derek)

Thoughts on Quintana Roo

The short story is this.  The Quintana Roo province hosts Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and all the chic resorts in between. The area was built around tourism.  It represents the lifeblood of the region.  The peninsula would be just a beautiful stretch of coastline if there weren't the hotels.  And without the hotels there wouldn't be the shops and restaurants.  In some ways it's equal parts gaudy and overwhelming.

On the other hand, it's also kind cool.  There's definitely some amazing things to see including Mayan ruins, picturesque beaches, and cenotes.  And while I didn't come to Mexico to order American food in English, I can appreciate that it's a relatively cheap getaway where people can see interesting things and more importantly just have fun.  That's exactly what we did.

Yucatan Food and Drink

Technically, we were never in the Yucatan in terms of Mexican states.  We've been traveling through Quintana Roo, which includes Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.  So that's admission one.  Admission two is that in these locales, it's a lot harder to taste the local flavor.  It's the tourist corridor and so the food has been adjusted accordingly.  You can still find some great tacos, salsas, enchiladas, and moles.  They're just wedged between places selling wings, burgers, and pizza.

As for beer, I was surprised how much of the Mexican beer is already found back home (Sol, Corona, Dos Equis, Pacifico).

There were a few new ones for me including Montejo, which was actually pretty tasty and certainly more flavorful than a Corona. We also drank Leon which is a good darker beer and Victoria which was similar to a Dos Equis. (Sorry not all of them made the photo shoot.)

Cancun, Mexico

I knew I wouldn't be a fan of Cancun before I even arrived.  In that regard, Cancun did not disappoint.  But it's also a really cheap hub to fly pretty much anywhere in the US, so I can't complain too much.

Cancun is chock-full of mega resorts and honeymooners (during the off-season at least).  The beach is picturesque in some spots, but the development on its shores leaves something to be desired.  It's a mixed bag, but we were only there for 24 hours which is about enough time to get your fill and head to your next destination.

Where We Stayed: Hostel Mundo Joven. The name says it all.  It's one of those hip hostels with a lot of rules.  It brought back memories of the hostels in Costa Rica, but there's hot water, internet, and a fantastic roof deck with a jacuzzi.  It's also conveniently located near the ADO bus terminal.  I'd give it a "meh" overall considering how many options there are in Cancun.


Where We Ate:  Plenty of options.  Again, off the beach = cheaper

What We Did:  Gawked at the development, checked our flight itineraries

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

It certainly feels like you're getting closer to the tourist mecca that is Cancun when you arrive in Playa del Carmen.  Everyone speaks English.  The streets are lined with vendors selling cheap tequila and gaudy sombreros.  Luckily only a few blocks off the main drag is a beautiful beach.  Crystal clear water.  Fine white sand.  No wonder everyone is already here.

Where We Stayed:  La Casa Rosa Mex.  Cheap, internet, hot water

Where We Ate:  There's plenty of expensive restaurants on Quinta Avenida.  A few blocks off the main thoroughfare affords some cheaper options.

What We Did:  Swam in the ocean, enjoyed the nightlife, paid a lot for beer

Dos Ojos Cenote, Mexico

Throughout the Yucatan area there is a vast network of caves with essentially underground rivers flowing through them.  They're called cenotes and they're amazing.  The cenotes are sinkholes formed from limestone that has collapsed and leaves the exposed crystal clear waters below.

It turns out you can snorkel them.  There's fish and cool cave features in the clearest water you'll ever see.  While I love the photo below of Derek ready to snorkel, these photos don't come close to doing it justice.  Here's some Google images that help bridge the gap.

As an added bonus, at the end of the trip we got to play with a pet monkey.  Always a good way to end a day of snorkeling through caves.

Tulum, Mexico

Tulum is a backpacking hub a few hours south of Cancun.  It's certainly touristy, but retains some charm since there aren't any mega-resorts until you get outside of town.  It's also a good launching off point to check out ruins and the cenote cave systems nearby.

The Tulum ruins are amazing and garner such accolades mostly due to its location, basically overlooking beautiful Caribbean waters below.  

Where We Stayed:  Hotel Maya.  Internet, hot water, cheap, nice rooms

Where We Ate:  Plenty of options in Tulum.  Near the ADO terminal, there's a few spots with good Mexican.  Rincon Poblano has a great breakfast.

What We Did:  Visited the Ruins, snorkeled cenotes, aprovechar'd the nightlife 

Crossing into Mexico

From San Ignacio we took a regular bus to Belmopan and then another on to Belize City.  We had originally planned on spending the night in Belize City, but we soon learned a few things:

1. Belize City is full of beggars.  In an hour, we had five people come into the restaurant where we were eating with the express purpose of asking us for money
2. Belize City is not a destination city
3. There's a direct bus (ADO) that leaves from Belize City once a day in the evening and heads straight to Cancun, making a few stops along the way

So we took the overnight bus headed to Cancun, had a brief border crossing at Santa Elena, and got off in Tulum at 3:30am.  Certainly not ideal, but it was a good way to cross the border without messing with bus transfers and taxis.  It also meant we woke up in Tulum and gained an extra day in the Quintana Roo province of Mexico.

Thoughts on Belize

Belize was surprising, surprising because of the beauty, because of everything there is to do and see, because of the beer, because of the infrastructure in place.

It's expensive.  Belize is no Nicaragua.  Expect to pay more for everything except travel around the country.

The tourism is developed and much of the small country depends on tourism to live.  We definitely felt this as we traveled through Belize during their off season.  We saw in many places tables being sanded and painted in preparation for the high season.

Belize is small.  It's easy to get around and would make a good destination for a quick trip.  There's a lot to see including ruins, diving, beaches, snorkeling, and caves.  Definitely put it on the list!

Belizean Food and Drink

 Jerk chicken + rice and beans + salad = yummy

Fish empanadas for $0.25!

Stewed chicken + potato salad + rice and beans = see jerk chicken above

 BBQ chicken, more rice and beans, coleslaw

 Fried fish too...








Stopping to enjoy breakfast, technically in Guatemala....

The beer in Belize is great. The regular Belikin could be the best beer I've had in Central America, rivaled only by the Moza in Guatemala.  But it's comparing apples and oranges. For a lighter beer, the Belikin is great.  It's also pricey...  There's a stout that looks exactly the same, but has a different bottle cap.  Also very good (and pricey).






Lighthouse Lager.  It's really good and is a lighter option than the Belikin.  Well done Belize.

Xunantunich Ruins, Belize

Just outside of San Ignacio, there are some pretty cool ruins at the Xunantunich site.  You have to take a ferry across the Mopan river that's operated by a hand crank which admittedly was almost as big a draw as checking out the ruins.

The ruins were great and we probably would have had the place to ourselves if it hadn't been for a few shuttle buses worth of people coming in from cruise ships docked in Belize City.  

The ruins boast some pretty cool friezes, great views, and a small ball court. Overall, it's an impressive, easy stop if you're already in San Ignacio.