73. Mayan Trail

This post, from January 2018, features: Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico

The adventure starts with BA243 departing Heathrow at 12.55 for Mexico City.  A Boeing 787 aka a “Dreamliner”.  After 11 hours it is no dream, I can assure you.  In the intervening 20 years between the 777 and the 787, all Boeing have come up with is a slightly bigger window.  Technology, eh?

Mexico City Airport

The flight was fine: arrival and immigration straightforward.  The scheduled flight time is 11hrs50 but today’s was a shade over 11hours – so we were due to arrive a bit earlier than 6.45pm.  As you come out of arrivals you are faced with a bank of currency exchange booths – so there’s no need to worry about changing money when you arrive.  The airport was very busy – you get the immediate impression that Mexicans like to socialise and eat as there are a lot more restaurants here than there are at Gatwick or Heathrow and they were all busy.

To find the Hilton at Mexico City Airport T1, you need to head towards Departures whereupon you’ll pick up signs with an “H” for hotel before eventually seeing signs for “Hilton”.  The Hilton is on the 3rd floor: take the designated lift.  Check-in at the hotel was easy & straightforward.  The hotel has seen better days – but then the whole terminal is a bit dowdy and ramshackle.  Breakfast was a real surprise, though – very good. 

To get to Terminal 2 you need to take the “Aero Train”, which is easy & well signed but you must have a boarding pass to get on it.  Fortunately I had done a recce after checking-in to the hotel and was able to check-in online and print off a copy of my Aero Mexico boarding pass at a computer in the hotel lobby – so I was suitably armed, as it were…

The aero train departure point is a 5 minute-walk from the hotel, so dead simple, and my boarding pass ensured I got the train just as easily.  The transit time between the two terminals is around 10-minutes and the shuttle runs about every 30-minutes.  Check-in at T2 is a bit of a shambles, however.  You have to print off a baggage tag at one of the self-service machines before you can actually check-in.  An indication of how easy to use these machines are (instructions in Spanish-only) is that each machine has an attendant – luckily, mine was a very patient, friendly lady with good English.  Bag tagged I went off to check-in. 

Security was the usual mayhem you encounter at every airport but didn’t take very long.  Once through there is no passport control – just into the terminal.  In theory the terminal is being renovated – although you get the distinct impression that this is a leisurely process with absolutely no sign of urgency.  Curiously, this renovation includes closing most of the toilets – which is weird and worth being aware of.  Mexico City’s Terminal 2 is effectively an AeroMexico terminal – so it is very busy – it is also untidy and scrappy – but it all seems to work and I got my flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras easily enough once they decided which gate it would be departing from.

The flight was fine.  I’d pre-booked seat 2C and the aircraft was a reasonably new Embraer E70.  My bag turned up and had none of the problems I’d heard about with AeroMexico such as lost bookings, lost luggage and not being allowed to board as the flight was over-booked (as an English couple I met in Palenque alleged)…

Honduras

When you arrive at San Pedro Sula’s fairly new – but quite small – international airport, everything is pretty straightforward.  Immigration & Customs were easy and I was out to meet my driver fairly quickly.  Not there: no worries – they’ll turn up.  So I waited by the arrivals area – somewhere not in the way but clearly visible to anyone coming to meet an arrival and easy for me to see all the other waiting guides and people coming in from outside.  

Around 12.30, I considered ‘phoning Via Venture when, all of a sudden, Vito pops up: “Where have you been?” he asked. “I’ve been waiting for you over there,” pointing to the check-in desks where he had allegedly been standing.

What?  At departures?  Do you normally wait for arriving passengers at departures? 

I didn’t actually say anything apart from the usual “hello”.  Anyway, I didn’t know what the Spanish for idiot was (idiota)…

The drive to Copán was interesting – it took about 4 hours and Vito was quite entertaining.  We stopped for some good Honduran coffee.  Later, we stopped at the roadside to get a quote for some bricks and tiles.  You never know when that will come in handy…

Copán is quite sweet with its central square, colonial buildings, cobbled streets and steep hills – it reminded me a bit of Cusco although it’s a lot smaller and, really, nothing like Cusco – maybe I was just glad to have finally arrived.  Hotel Terramaya is lovely.  It looks a bit unprepossessing from the outside but inside it is an oasis of calm and just wonderful.

That evening I had dinner at La Llama del Bosque as recommended by the hotel.  I was intrigued that Twisted Tanya (as recommended by Vito) remained resolutely closed while I was in Copán – which was a shame as the eponymous Tanya is English, apparently.

Copán

I walked with my guide to the ruins at Copan – they aren’t far, it’s a nice walk and you pass two stelae on the way, which allows for a nice introduction.  The site was amazing – from the rescued Scarlet Macaws (which I heroically failed to get a decent photo or video clip of) to the landscape, the renovations and the ruins.  My guide was very good and we covered the ground in good time – lots of explanation but not too much detail.  We finished with a coffee and a discussion on Honduran politics – this brought on by the fact that there were only maybe a dozen other tourists there – the politics of uncertainly crippling the local economy (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-42843644). 

I told him that my trip to Honduras had been in the balance for several weeks; that I’d have come regardless but that Audley wouldn’t have been able to provide such a tour against UK FCO advice and that my holiday insurance would have been invalid.  How we laughed at my trivial first-world problems…

After that, I took my guide’s advice and walked another 1.5km to Las Sepulturas – a smaller Mayan site – perhaps not as interesting but in beautiful woodland and even more tranquil.  Apparently, there’s a bird park near Copan, which would be worth visiting – if they ever get around to rebuilding the collapsed bridge…

It is important to note that there was never a Mayan empire – there was no capital city and never one ruling family or entity.  The Mayan world was a collection of bickering city-states that traded, went to war with or formed alliances with its neighbours.  In some ways this makes the whole thing even more remarkable – that there was so much synergy, common levels of understanding, skills and learning.  The Mayans didn’t have metal to make tools and while they used tree trunks as rollers they didn’t use wheels.

I visited the Tea & Chocolate Place, which keeps obscure opening hours – it sells lots of local produce including chocolate and good coffee – worth a visit.

There is also a brew-pub in Copán called Sol de Copán – run by a German guy called Thomas.  There are two beers: a heifeweizen and a pils-style beer, which I had.

Copan is a lovely, friendly town – geared to tourism with lots of restaurants and shops but sadly without many tourists at the moment.

Ruinas Copán:

The Museum:

Las Sepulturas:

Guatemala

Sad to be leaving Hotel Terramaya – lovely and friendly – fabulous breakfast – can’t praise this hotel highly enough but also keen to continue my adventure and see the next Mayan site.  My driver-guide was friendly and helped me through exiting Honduras and entering Guatemala – both of which were easy and the border quiet (unless you were in a goods vehicle, in which case…).  Once across the border and a little surprise from Vodafone – Guatemala is part of a roaming package.  Random, eh?  Belize and Honduras aren’t.  

The site at Quirigua is fascinating – despite being in the middle of nowhere (more accurately, on the edge of nowhere) it was much busier than Copan.  There isn’t as much to see – but the location is beautiful and the stelae intriguing.  This site includes the stela containing the hieroglyphs that were incorrectly translated as prophesying the end of the world in 2012, which got lots of people excited at the time.  We later stopped at a restaurant for lunch (this was paid for, which I hadn’t been expecting) – a chain called Sarita – clean, modern, a varied menu – excellent.  I had a very nice soup called Caldo Mexicano (http://saritarestaurante.com/) 

I was intrigued to discover that there are about 6 million Maya living in Guatemala – speaking 22 different dialects.  Some of these dialects are similar; some  very different.  In Honduras and Belize there are three dialects still spoken: Mopan-Maya, Yucatec and Q’eqchi.  Mopan & Yucatec are similar while Q’eqchi is very different.  Q’eqchi is the only written one – using the Latin alphabet as the Spanish forbade the use of the original Mayan writing system of glyphs and soon all knowledge of it was lost.  Around a dozen Maya dialects are spoken in Mexico.  This is odd as they all stem from the one common language.

The Spanish destroyed almost all Mayan books and scrolls – with Bishop Diego de Landa being the most prolific and eager destroyer.  There are only 4 Mayan codices left.  One is in Madrid (c1400ad); Paris (c1450ad); Dresden (c1345ad) and the Grolier Codex.  The Grolier Codex has been dated to around 1230ad but was only discovered in 1965.  At first it was assumed to be a forgery but is now regarded as genuine. 

While the Spanish ultimately destroyed what was left of the Mayan civilisation and cities, the Mayans didn’t simply vanish as millions are still living in the four countries I visited and with some in El Salvador, too.

Quiriguá:

Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723–84) the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th-century monuments and an impressive series of carved stelae and sculpted calendars that constitute an essential source for the study of Mayan civilization. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site…

Anyway: on to the Hotel & Marina Nana Juana at Rio Dulce.  This was a way-station, I realise – but I got the feeling I was being dumped here.  You can’t go into town – because there isn’t one nearby.  The hotel does not take US dollars and my quetzales were insufficient to pay for dinner.  I could (and probably should) have used my credit card.  The lady on reception kindly changed $30 for me but they don’t normally offer currency exchange and she couldn’t do more.  There is a Shell fuel station nearby on a pontoon, which you can get to via the hotel car park – this is where I bought some water – useful as the hotel only provided two little beakers of water in the room (150ml each).  The hotel is set in nice grounds and there is a lovely view of the Rio Dulce – but it is an odd place.

This morning I played “guess the time” for the first time on this trip.  After a nice breakfast by the river, I was ready at reception for 8am.  Lucky, really, as Susanna (Susie) Castellanos had just arrived.  So, off we set on a river trip.  It was a beautiful morning – and setting off in the boat was glorious.  The first port of call was the nearby Spanish castle – but we didn’t stop there – just sailed round it and then zoomed off to visit a river community.  I’ve forgotten what the point of that was – but it didn’t matter as we stopped at another one shortly after – although I don’t know what the point of that was, either.  The river is lovely – the surrounding forest is beautiful and the bird life amazing – even for a non-birder like me.  Susie was charming and friendly and very chatty.  Incredibly chatty.  She spent quite a long time explaining how local politics in Guatemala works – and I think I’ve got the gist but buggered if I can understand why they organise it like that.  Susie also spent a long time correcting my assumption on how tour operators like Audley work with local agents by telling me how they actually work.  She went on to describe exactly what I had said but in more detail.  Much more.  We then stopped off to visit a school – a boarding secondary school for kids from the many remote communities in the region.  It’s the closest I’ve ever been to Jonestown (that’s not strictly true, I’ve been within  100 miles of it) – but while I didn’t get the impression I’d joined a cult bent on mass suicide it was a bit creepy.  Susie asked if I’d like to talk to one of the classrooms – which I declined – though I did notice a brave American couple conversing with one of the classes.  Fortunately we didn’t stay long enough for the stares of indifference and contempt from the pupils to cause any lasting damage…

Back in the boat and on to Livingston.  The hotel Villa Caribe is very nice and in a lovely location on the Caribbean – a great sea view from my room – how swish is that?  Susie waited while I checked-in and then we wandered into the town to explore and have lunch.  Explore is over-stating it somewhat but Livingston is a lively, colourful friendly place.  We had lunch at Happy Fish (the same company operated the boat) – I had a lovely seafood stew of crab, prawns and other fish in a coconut infused broth.  After that Susie helped me change money in a bank.  Changing money at a bank in Guatemala is an experience.  In fairness, it does take longer to change money at a bank in Ethiopia.  Both experiences are bewildering but the Ethiopian banks win hands-down for friendliness.  The bank here would only accept $50 or $100 dollar bills – no smaller notes and not a mix of notes, either.   Fortunately I had some $50 notes even though the advice in my travel documents was not to take large denominations to Central America as they wouldn’t be accepted… 

Anyway, money eventually changed I said goodbye to Susie and went back to the hotel.   

That evening I ate at Happy Fish again and was asked by one of the team there for my passport details for immigration as I was leaving for Belize in the morning.  He told me I had a 10am departure but what he neglected to mention became obvious on departure.

After breakfast, which was ok but far from being the best, I was ready & waiting for the boat driver to Punta Gorda, Belize.  I said goodbye to the friendly lady on reception at Villa Caribe and got in the boat.  We set sail. 

“Have you been to immigration?” asks the boat man – “No, why?”….

So we turned around and went back to the hotel, whereupon I was able to say hello again to the nice lady on reception as Boaty and I hastened to immigration.  The immigration office is just across the road from the hotel and getting an exit stamp was quick and easy as the officer was expecting me.  Oh – and $10.

Back past reception and another goodbye to the bemused lady on reception and back onto the boat.  Zipping across the calm, blue waters of the Caribbean on a beautifully sunny day is idyllic.  If only all journeys were like this…

Belize

Arrival in Belize was reasonably easy albeit not terribly friendly – not unfriendly – just indifferent and then hung around waiting for someone to collect me.  After a while, Eduardo from Hickatee Cottages arrived to collect me.  Eduardo and Allison had moved here from Houston a couple of years ago and bought the estate having stayed and on discovering that the previous owners wanted to sell.  They love it – obviously – but not sure what their two young sons make of it.  The cottages are set in 25ha of untouched rainforest.  There are two trails so you can explore the jungle without getting lost.  On one walk I stumbled across a snake: it was either a Speckled Racer or a Rat Snake lying on the path – it looked like it was digesting lunch (I’d guessed it wasn’t poisonous), so took a photograph to show Eduardo & Allison.  Fortunately they were as excited as I was but neither of them knew the species – one of the guides at Caracol told me when I described it to him.

In the afternoon I walked into Punta Gorda – luckily I remembered the way there and back (phew).  I exchanged some dollars at the Scotia bank – very easy, quick & simple and served by a nice friendly woman called Elvira Coleman.  Belize was known as British Honduras until 1973, when it became Belize.  It gained independence from the UK in 1981.  While English is the official language, Creole is the most widely spoken.  I wandered around the town and discovered a Courts furniture store (they disappeared from the UK in 2004) – saw several more in Guatemala, too.  The stores operating in Central America under the Courts name were bought by an El Salvador retailer and continue to trade.  I had lunch at a small restaurant overlooking the sea – fresh fish with rice and beans and a nice cold Belikin.  That’s an odd name for a beer but the brewery is still independent, locally owned and, as an extra bonus, very good.  After lunch I went into the nearby Chocolate Factory and bought some chocolate.  Apparently the founders of Green & Black’s chocolate sourced cocoa from Belize and were very popular as they paid good prices; encouraged good, organic farming practices; helped with local education, etc. – all of which stopped, obviously, as soon as the brand was acquired by the absurdly named American firm Mondelez…

Punta Gorda:

Hickatee Cottages:

I was picked up after breakfast by José – who had an intern with him – for the trip to Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit.  On the way we picked up another intern.  They were both very quiet and said very little as we wandered around Lubaantun – but they came to life a bit at Nim Li Punit, asking their own questions as well as answering some of mine.  After that we stopped at an East Indian restaurant (Coleman’s) and had lunch – a nice buffet of traditional food.  I asked José if Coleman was a common surname around Punta Gorda – he didn’t think it was – so it could be that Elvira is related to the restaurant owners.  Anyway, the sites were interesting and it was easy to see how the rain forest had taken over these old Maya cities.  Lubaantun initially seems like an odd location for a settlement – but it was on a trade route and so became an important resting point.  I was able to see the handiwork of Sir Thomas Gann who was Chief Medical Officer in British Honduras at the time.  He mapped Lubaantun – but to speed up the exploration of the site he decided to use dynamite.  What an arse.  He did it at Xunantunich, too, can you believe…

Despite Gann’s buffoonery, the sites are beautiful and he didn’t do too much damage – there hasn’t been much restoration so you get a good balance between those buildings that have been restored (or partially restored) and those left untouched.

The Hickatee Cottages are a great place to stay.  My cabin was very comfortable; the grounds are beautiful and Allison and Eduardo are delightful hosts.  I was able to get laundry done here, which was handy and only $45 Belize dollars (a flat fee).  We had quite a lot of rain during one of the nights and temperatures were quite cool – which suited me – but was unusual for the time of year.

Lubaantun:

Nim Li Punit:

I realised that my flight wasn’t until 4pm – which left me with nothing to do all day.  That’s not strictly true: Eduardo reminded me that my flight was at 4pm and asked me what I had planned to do that day…

This was dim of me and revealed that I hadn’t studied my itinerary thoroughly enough.  I could have visited the Butterfly Farm (something Hickatee Cottages can arrange but they need advanced notice), for example.  I was the only person staying, so I didn’t have to check-out at midday – which was lucky. 

Anyway, Eduardo had agreed with whoever made my booking to take me to the airfield – only a short drive away and check-in took about 2 minutes.  The incoming Tropic Air flight duly arrived and we left just after the scheduled 4pm departure – very Heathrow.  The aircraft was a reasonably new Cessna Caravan and with only 3 passengers on board felt quite spacious.  We stopped at Placencia where a large American couple got on – they had difficulty fitting into the cabin and he was a very nervous bunny – so while I did chat to him, I didn’t mention the Tropic Air accidents in 2015 or 2017.  Nobody was injured – so there was no need, right?  Then it was another short hop to Dangriga.  The American looked a bit alarmed as I got off – as if I were some kind of talisman.  He & his wife were going onto Belize City – so I wished them a nice flight. 

I was met at Dangriga, around 4.35, by a driver for the 3 hour journey along the Hummingbird Highway to Black Rock Lodge.  It was an interesting journey – though it got dark shortly after 6.  We drove past acres and acres of orange groves – we were in Tropicana-country, apparently.  Shortly after leaving San Ignacio, which has sort of merged with neighbouring Santa Elena, we reached the dirt road to Black Rock Lodge.  The drive from Dangriga had taken about 2½ hours – it then took a further 35 minutes or so to reach the lodge.  The initial stretch up to the airfield is ok but then the surface disintegrates – why they don’t maintain it to a reasonable standard is beyond me.  There is a very rich farm (cattle ranch & orange groves) as well as Black Rock that depend on the road – so you’d think they would.  Anyway – we got there eventually – at Belikin o’clock, which was nice…

Black Rock is a great lodge despite being quite big and having a frighteningly large number of guests staying.  Whoa! People! Where did they come from?  Anyway, there’s a nice, big open area where you eat & where the bar is.  From this terrace you look out over the Macal River and the forest beyond.  They have cleverly set up a feeding table, covered with lots of different fruits that attracts an array of brightly coloured birds.  Lovely to watch as you eat breakfast.  My cabin, number 6, was a short walk from the reception area – it was spacious, comfortable and with a large balcony overlooking the river and forest and a great place to be serenaded by the Howler monkeys.

So, I was met by Ricky, my guide & driver for the trip to Barton Creek Cave.  It was Ricky who identified the snake I’d seen at Hickatee.  The trip out to Barton Creek is interesting and we passed some Mennonite settlements.  Some of these were “modern” Mennonites while the others were the traditional, old-fashioned and borderline creepy Amish that you see in Pennsylvania.  I don’t suppose for a moment that they regard themselves as borderline creepy – but to me they are like clowns – just plain wrong…

Anyway, the cave is absolutely fascinating – beautiful.  I was back at Black Rock for lunch & had the afternoon free – which was nice, so I went off wandering around the grounds.  At dinner I was seated with some fellow tourists: two English couples & an American couple.  One of the English women talked for England (she’d got Gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics).  She was an inquisitive soul, too, bless her – most put out that I hadn’t considered my next holiday.  Good grief.  If she was leading Theresa May’s Brexit team it would all be resolved by now – the EU delegation would have conceded everything just to shut her up….

Barton Creek Cave:

A 7am start for the drive to Caracol – plenty of time for breakfast & some bird watching.  My guide & driver for the day was Rocky.  I’d understood it was to be a shared excursion but it turned out to be just us in a very jazzy Toyota Hilux pick-up.  It was a 2015 model – I only know that because Rocky prefers it to the newer 2017 versions they have.  Anyway, this truck made it from Black Rock to the main road in 24 minutes, a full 11 minutes quicker than Ricky’s Toyota Landcruiser and the Toyota HiAce (from the 14^th).  I was quite impressed by the Hilux and would consider getting one except that it would obviously mean having to wear plaid shirts and listen to Country & Western…

It took about 2 hours to get to the military check point – giving us enough time to visit the Rio Frio (cold river) cave – which was fascinating.  After a quick look around the cave, we went back & checked-in with the Belize Defence Force before hitting the trail to Caracol – another 50 minutes of demanding driving.  We didn’t join a convoy – just set off – but once at the site there were plenty of armed soldiers on duty.  A few years ago there had been a spate of robberies carried out by Guatemalan bandits against tourists.  The Belize government responded by setting up regular patrols along the route and having an armed presence on the site and the robberies stopped.

Belize doesn’t have an army as such – rather it has the Belize Defence Force of about 3,000 personnel.  The UK uses Belize to do jungle training for its army as do several other countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.  A UN mandate from 1981, on ratification of Belize’s independence, requires the UK to defend Belize in the event of any conflict...

Caracol is astonishing – a fabulous site and the biggest Mayan settlement in Belize. 

One of the first things you encounter is a pair of giant Ceiba trees.  These trees were sacred to the Maya.  In a forest they grow very tall with long, straight trunks and then a canopy of branches spreads out as they reach light.  To the Maya these trees were the link between the underworld (roots); earth or the living world (trunk) and the sky (or universe) – held up by the branches.  A variation on that was there were gods sitting at the four corners of the canopy and they connected with the universe.

We spent a couple of hours exploring and climbing up and down the various monuments.  Keeps you fit – especially as the steps are quite high – the aim being that the Mayans, who weren’t very tall, had to crawl up them on their hands and knees.  That’s one of the stories, anyway.

As with the story about the victor of the ball game “pok ta pok” being sacrificed – it depends who you listen to.  There seems to be very little about the Mayan civilisation that is definitive.  There are several schools of thought about most aspects of their life, culture and ceremonies.  Little information about the Maya has actually survived – not surprising given the brilliant job the Spanish invaders did of destroying it.  We have the ruins, stelae, hieroglyphs and lots of conflicting theories with little actual evidence. Many of the Mayan sites have yet to be explored while those that have are not yet fully excavated and understood.  As scientists and archaeologists begin using sophisticated imaging and scanning equipment they are starting to find exciting new things.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-42916261

But it is a very expensive exercise in mostly remote locations over an extensive region of Central America – and there is little funding.  It does make the whole Mayan thing more intriguing, fascinating and slightly mysterious.  And while they were undoubtedly very advanced in some ways, the ruling classes were unwittingly the architects of their own downfall.  The destruction of huge areas of forest needed to help build and decorate their cities, enormous temples and monuments led to de-forestation, drought and subsequent decline in crop yields.  None of the increasingly desperate prayers, ceremonies and ritual slaughters helped and so the disillusioned ordinary folk deserted the cities for life in the remaining forests.  The abandoned ruling classes, scribes and priests knew nothing of ordinary life and anything remotely useful such as farming – and so were incapable of looking after themselves.  Gradually the jungle reclaimed the cities and by the time the Spanish arrived only a few cities, like Tulum, were left. 

After we had visited the site we had lunch – taking notice of the advice in my travel documents I had ordered a packed lunch – which was very good.  Then on the way back we stopped at the Rio On pools – a rocky area of pools and small waterfalls.  Nobody was bathing as it was quite chilly and the water temperature a little too refreshing…

Overall, this was a terrific day.  At dinner I was seated with 6 Americans.  There were two couples from Rhode Island who had just arrived.  They were friends who each owned a nursery – so I asked if they were on a botany tour – they weren’t & couldn’t understand why I thought they might be.  Hmmm…

The couples were Mary & Ed and Hope & Bob – which no one seemed to find in the least bit amusing and so I did my best not to snigger or spit out my mouthful of Belikin.  In addition there were two guys – John & Josh – who were travelling together and were chatty and amusing.  So dinner was quite enjoyable.  The woman from last night could learn a lot from John.  While he talked a lot, he didn’t dominate the conversation and he was suitably amusing – for one evening, anyway…

Rio Frio Cave:

Caracol:

Pick up was again supposed to be at 7am but Ricky (yes, back to Ricky) hadn’t told me that so I was working on an 8.30 departure.  He didn’t seem too bothered – which was just as well – and, as it transpired, he had no idea why such an early start had been scheduled.  Anyway, there was time to have breakfast, settle my account and leave some tips and we were on the road by 8.20.

Black Rock is a terrific place to stay – great location, I had an excellent cabin, food was good and the staff all really friendly and helpful.

Our first stop was at Xunantunich – near the Guatemala border and not far from Black Rock.  It is a very nice site, with lots to see and climb up with great views.  We saw some Spider Monkeys, as well as Howler Monkeys, squirrels and Iguanas – so pretty good for wildlife, too. 

After that we headed for the border crossing where Ricky helped me out of Belize and into Guatemala where he handed me over to Carlos (guide) and Oscar (driver).  The border crossing was very quick – I got some quetzales and we zoomed off to Yaxha.

Xunantunich:

Guatemala

There was never a formal agreement or treaty between Spain and Britain over the rights to British Honduras.  The British simply occupied what had been Spanish territory.  By the time Spain lost control of its Central American colonies in 1821 the British merely regarded the land they occupied as theirs.  However, Mexico and Guatemala made claims for British Honduras for themselves.  Mexico was the first country to recognise Belize as an independent country, however – something Guatemala has never done.  Guatemala’s claim to Belize stems from an 1859 treaty, which the British regarded as merely confirming borders while the Guatemalans interpreted it as meaning the British ceded Belize to them.     https://www.sanpedrosun.com/government/2017/10/27/guatemala-hold-referendum-territorial-dispute-belize-2018/

We had lunch by the lake at Yaxha before heading to the ruins – another very impressive site.  There was one particularly interesting stela – its design is a mix of Aztec and Teotihuacan imagery and is a clear indication that there was contact and trade between the three civilisations.  Apparently there have been discoveries at some sites that show there were connections with the Inca as well. 

On the way to the lakeside to get a boat to Topoxte we saw some squabbling Spider monkeys.  I got a nice little video clip of them.  We then got on the boat & zipped across the lake to Topoxte – a much smaller settlement than Yaxha and there isn’t much to see.  It struck me that it was like Colonel Kurtz’s camp in the film Apocalypse Now.  The site felt very spiritual – probably because it is quite isolated, we were the only people there and we were surrounded by rain forest.

Very Heart of Darkness.

Anyway, before madness set in we got back on the boat & zipped back across the lake to the restaurant & eco lodge where we’d had lunch.  At the water’s edge I was invited to have some wine & nibbles – very civilised.  It has to be said that Mother Nature wasn’t going to be providing much of a sunset as it was too overcast.  But I was happy sitting gazing out over the lake: it was nice & cool and the wine wasn’t bad (a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc).  What a life…

After two glasses we headed off for Flores – well, more San Benito – and the hotel Casona del Lago.

Another really good day – although the hotel is a bit odd and could do with having a bar (it is certainly big enough & busy enough).  Perhaps I should qualify that: a bar that is open and with someone serving.

Yaxha:

Topoxte:

Another big day ahead:  with a visit to Tikal, one of the biggest Mayan cities.  I hadn’t been told of my pick-up time, so guessed at 8am.  The guide turned up about 8.30 – oh well, never mind.  The guide today was Barto and the driver Eric. 

We set off on the 64km drive to Tikal – which involved driving 32km back along the road I’d come along yesterday and then stopping shortly afterwards at a shop.  Fearing the worst: oh great! Souvenir city!  It actually turned out to be a very interesting place – despite the plethora of souvenirs.  The shop has free coffee (are they mad?); good toilets; a model of the Tikal site; a little display of chiclé – the sap from the sapodilla tree used to make chewing gum and a small garden with lots of interesting trees and bushes used by the Maya for herbs, spices, medicines and fruit – certainly nothing of interest to any nursery owners from Rhode Island (just being snippy).  Suitably impressed we got back into the minivan and headed off to Tikal.

Barto is a keen naturalist and pointed out every living creature we saw plus the various trees, bushes and orchids.  Very interesting but a bit over the top (honestly, some people).  The Tikal site is big and we spent ages wandering around.  It was quite busy, too – with lots of tourists – but reassuringly free of junk stalls (unlike Chitchén Itzá, which is overrun with the things and Palenque to a lesser extent).  We left Tikal before the rain hit.  It was soon belting down as we sailed back to San Benito.

Some people like to escape the English weather when they go on holiday: others take it with them…

I decided to walk across the bridge to Flores in the pouring rain in the hope of finding a bar – but was absolutely soaked by the time I got to the other side and not seeing anywhere inspiring I turned around and squelched back.  Showing that I do know how to live a little, I went into the shopping centre near my hotel to escape the rain & see if there was somewhere interesting for dinner.  The shopping centre being on a par with the Nicholson Centre in Maidenhead, albeit with two floors (take that, Nicholson!) it immediately became abundantly clear that there wasn’t – so I went back to the hotel to dry out…

Tikal:

In the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization, inhabited from the 6th century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. The ceremonial centre contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares accessed by means of ramps. Remains of dwellings are scattered throughout the surrounding countryside. The Tikal National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site…

The Souvenir Shop:

The Mayan Site:

A 5am start as there was a long drive to the border at Bethel.  The hotel excelled itself and had unexpectedly prepared a breakfast bag for me: an apple, a banana, sandwich & a bottle of water.  Excellent!  We drove for about 2 hours on reasonable, paved roads followed by an hour of equally reasonable dirt road.  Immigration on the Guatemala side was easy and there was no “exit fee”.  According to Marvin, the driver, the immigration chap at Livingston was being entrepreneurial (though he didn’t express it quite like that)…

Anyway, I was due to take a boat down the Usumacinta River (which forms the border here) to Corozal in Mexico.  Well now: we stood around on the river bank for around an hour – giving me time to eat my breakfast – when it was decided that: oh! there is no boat – sorry, signor – but we can take you for $50…

My, how we laughed.

So the boat I should have taken in the first place is all of a sudden ready to take me downstream to Corozal.  I believe the Spanish expression is: artistas de la orina…

Mexico

Anyway, I arrived in Corozal and met up with Gina, my guide, and Fernando, the driver.  Instead of going straight to immigration we got into another boat and went to Yaxchilán – about 30 minutes further downstream.  Yaxchilán is an intriguing site with a different architectural style from other sites I’d visited.  By virtue of its proximity to the river, its rain forest location and the rain it was a very slippery site.  I did pretty well remaining upright until we were on our way out and walking down some very slippy old steps.  I momentarily forgot the cardinal rule and fell.  Cursing my Merrell’s – which are pretty useless in the wet at the best of times – but also cursing myself.  Seriously, though – anyone visiting this site needs to take care, wear shoes with decent wet-weather soles and don’t forget for a second the cardinal rule on descending slippery steps and slopes: toes & balls of the feet – never the heel.  Arse…

After this we got back in the boat and headed back up stream.  Then we went to immigration whereupon the officer was less than impressed by my already filled-out form that I’d acquired on the flight over from London.  No, I had to fill out another, identical form – but one with a sequential number that suited this border post.  I let him off that one – agreeing that it was a justifiable technicality.  He advised me – via Gina – that I’d have to pay $555 on departure at Cancun (note that Mexico uses the “$” sign for their pesos).  I assumed this was included in my airfare and promptly forgot all about it.

As I was now legally in Mexico, Vodafone sent me a text telling me that Mexico is also part of their world-wide roaming package.  ᴉViva!

Then we went off to lunch.

Here Gina invited me to sit by myself while she & Fernando sat together with two other guides.  She later relented and invited me to join them as if it had been me that had insisted on sitting by myself…

We then went on to visit Bonampak.

Yaxchilán:

Yaxchilán doesn’t appear to be a UNESCO World Heritage site but is on the WMF register (world monuments fund), where it is described as “a Mayan urban complex in the Usumacinta style. Its architecture is covered with hieroglyphs and extensive relief sculpture. Across the Usumacinta River from another ancient Maya city, Piedras Negras in Guatemala, Yaxchilán thrived between A.D. 500 and 700” – which differs from another data source that gives the dates as 400-900…

This part of the state of Chiapas is semi-controlled by the Lacandons – a Mayan tribe.  This requires payment of a toll to pass through towns they control, including Corozal, Bonampak and the Mayan site itself.  So you arrive at Bonampak and have to take a local taxi to the site.  Fortunately, I didn’t have Susie there to explain it all to me as I’d still be there.

Anyway, Bonampak is remarkable.  It has the only known surviving murals and these are in a pretty remarkable condition for wall paintings that are around 1200 years old.

Bonampak:

Bonampak (painted walls) is a medium sized Maya archaeological zone set amidst the Lacandon Jungle, and is one of a number of ruins spread throughout the valleys between the Rio Lacanha and Rio Usumacinta systems. It is best known for its colourful murals depicting Mayan scenes of dynastic ritual and warfare. Along with the recently excavated murals at Calakmul, San Bartolo, and those at Chichen Itza, these are among the best preserved murals in the Maya area…

The Road to Palenque:

After that we had to wait for the taxi to come and take us back to where Fernando was with the car.  And then it was another 2-3 hours to Palenque and the delights of the Hotel Quinta Cha Nab Nal.  On arriving in Palenque I made the mistake of asking if I could change some money as I needed pesos.  It wasn’t a complicated procedure by any means – just painfully slow.   Anyway, money duly changed we went to the hotel.

I’m afraid that an “OMG” is required here.  Super-swish, ultra-deluxe or what?  My room, number 3 – cleverly disguised in Mayan hieroglyphs – was huge with an equally large bathroom.  The shower cubicle was so big it had a seat in it in case you got exhausted walking from one end to the other (unlikely) or simply got worn out washing away all your sins (more likely).  The restaurant was similarly über-posh – but the really strange thing is that all the staff were nice and friendly.  Not a hint of snobbishness or condescension about any of them.

Hotel Quinta Cha Nab Nal:

I thought that there might be an element of ho-hum about Palenque – but I was wrong.  Mildred, my guide, arrived at the appointed time and we set off on the short drive to collect some more tourists.  As it turned out there was only one as the wife had succumbed and was poorly.  Fortunately – for anyone in doubt – the husband went on to describe her symptoms.  In detail.  What is it with people?  That he was English & elderly is no excuse.  Anyway, Mildred sympathetically went on to explain that his wife would probably need some electrolytes as water by itself was not enough and then went on to further explain what electrolytes were.  Good grief.  I offered him some of mine but he declined opting instead to go to a pharmacy with Mildred after the tour.  This is the chap who complained about AeroMexico trying to bump them off their flight from Mexico City to San Cristobal de las Casas…

Mildred was a very good guide – she even gave us each a business card in case we needed assistance at any time during our remaining stay in Mexico and then proceeded to take us on a tour of the Palenque ruins.  It seems to me that if you only had time to visit one Mayan site then this would be the ideal place to come.  There has been a lot of restoration.  There are lots of buildings to walk into, through and around – and this is quite unusual.  You get a much better idea of how a Mayan city was and how everything functioned from Palenque than anywhere else. 

We had time to visit the adjacent museum – which isn’t very big but is very good.  Then it was time to go back to the hotel.  The hotel is only about 3km from the town but I couldn’t be bothered to walk into Palenque and explore it – so I stayed at the hotel, had lunch and lazed around for the rest of the day.

The Hotel Quinta Cha Nab Nal is another hotel that I can’t praise highly enough.  Yes, it is quite expensive – but worth every peso.  I was able to get laundry done (enough to see me through the rest of the trip); the food was fantastic and the staff, as I’ve already commented, really friendly.

Palenque:

Unlike Yaxchilán, Palenque is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The blurb describes it as: “A prime example of a Mayan sanctuary of the classical period, Palenque was at its height between AD 500 and 700, when its influence extended throughout the basin of the Usumacinta River. The elegance and craftsmanship of the buildings, as well as the lightness of the sculpted reliefs with their Mayan mythological themes, attest to the creative genius of this civilization.”

The Museum:

The day I had been dreading.  I had a 7.15 collection to go to the bus station for an 8am departure on the 6-hour coach journey to Campeche.  The coach station, on the edge of town, is quite modern and efficient.  The coach was on time and while busy, wasn’t full.  The journey from Palenque to Campeche is 360km and we did it in a leisurely 5 hours and 40 minutes.  We made a brief stop at Emiliano Zapata to collect more passengers and then stopped again at Escárcega – this time for about 20 minutes.  The journey was ok – just dull and boring.  There was a TV screen showing, firstly, some absurd film with Olivia Williams & Jeff Bridges called “Seventh Son” and secondly a film called “Room” (just “Room”, note,  as “The Room” is a different film entirely), starring Brie Larson (why would you christen your daughter “Brie”?).  While it was dreary, Brie Larson is sweet and helped pass 2 hours of the journey.

On arrival at Campeche I was met by a driver and taken to the Don Gustavo Hotel in the heart of Campeche’s historic centre.  It is a nice, old colonial hotel set around a large courtyard.  My room, 4, was big: a lobby with bathroom off to one side and a big bedroom on the other.

I hadn’t had breakfast and so was hungry and set off in search of food and beer produced by someone other than the abysmal Grupo Modelo.  Grupo Modelo is Mexico’s biggest brewery but, unfortunately for the Mexicans, now owned by AB InBev – the world’s biggest brewer.  Effectively run by the Brazilian accountants from 3G, who strip out assets & quality from everything they acquire in order to focus on cost, cost and cost – with the sad but obvious consequences.

I wandered around Campeche, with its pretty streets of brightly coloured houses, its city walls and the sea front – looking out over the Gulf of Mexico. 

Campeche:

Campeche is a typical example of a harbour town from the Spanish colonial period in the New World. The historic centre has kept its outer walls and system of fortifications, designed to defend this Caribbean port against attacks from the sea. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site…

I had no idea what time I was due to be picked-up, so aimed for 8.30am as breakfast didn’t start until 8.  It turned out to be 9, however – which was ok but the driver/guide got a telling off from a policeman for double parking and was in danger of having his car towed away.  Given that Don Gustavo is in a pedestrianised street and that the town is very busy it would make sense to ask tourists to be waiting by the Sea Gate at a specific time to make life easier.  The Sea Gate is only a couple of minutes from the hotel – the drivers can pull-in, load the car or mini bus & away you go.  But no…  

Anyway, an interesting day lay ahead with visits to Kabah and Uxmal before arriving in Merida. 

Kabah is unremarkable except for two things.  One is a temple that features 365 images of Chaac, the rain god – or it could be 260.  My guide said 365 but on the Internet it says 260 – I really should have counted…

The Maya essentially had two calendars.  One calendar consisted of 260 days and this was their sacred calendar (Tzolkin), while their main calendar had 365 days representing the lunar year (Haab).   To the Maya time went in cycles.  These cycles ran in 20-year periods (Katuns); 400 years (Baktuns); 8,000 years (Piktuns) and so on (I have rounded numbers).  It is one of these cycles that ended on December 21^st 2012 that caused so much end-of-the-world hysteria – but to the Mayans as one cycle ended, another one started…

The other point of interest is an arch on the other side of the road from the main site.  The arch is at the entrance of a causeway that leads to Uxmal, about 20km away.

And so to Uxmal.  This area of Yucatán is known as the Ruta Puuc – an area of Mayan sites, caves and other places of interest such as the Yaxcopoil museum.  Uxmal is an impressive site with a lot of restored and partially restored buildings.  It is also home to lots of iguanas – which are always fun to watch.  There is a hotel with a very nice restaurant adjacent to the site, where we had lunch, that has a nice little collection of old Landrovers – bizarre but sweet.

On leaving Uxmal we drove to Merida and the Mision de Fray Diego.  Set in an old mission near the city centre, the Mision de Fray Diego is set around two small courtyards.  My room, 2, had a crucifix set into an alcove.  Very religious.  It is a nice friendly hotel in a very good location near the central square.  After checking-in, I set off to wander around.  The city is laid out in a grid system, so is easy to follow and get around.  Although a busy city, it seemed very friendly and there are lots of nice old colonial buildings that add to the atmosphere.

Kabah:

Uxmal:

The Mayan town of Uxmal, in Yucatán, was founded c. A.D. 700 and had some 25,000 inhabitants. The layout of the buildings, which date from between 700 and 1000, reveals a knowledge of astronomy. The Pyramid of the Soothsayer, as the Spaniards called it, dominates the ceremonial centre, which has well-designed buildings decorated with a profusion of symbolic motifs and sculptures depicting Chaac, the god of rain. The ceremonial sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Labna and Sayil are considered the high points of Mayan art and architecture. Unsurprisingly, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site…

Mérida:

Mision de Fray Diego:

The Legendary Bar Campeche:

Guess who was at breakfast?  Yes, John & Anne – the English couple from Palenque.  Anne, clearly better, seemed very nice.  John was at great pains to tell me that as Anne had recovered he then succumbed.  Thanks John…

Sitting at reception waiting for the 9am pick-up, I was amused to be chided for keeping the minibus waiting.  Eh?  Where have you been?  Sitting just there for the last 10 minutes in the place I was instructed to wait.  When I got on the minibus I apologised to Raoul, driver & guide, who said I wasn’t late it’s just that they tell all the tourists that it’s a 9am pick-up and as I was first they were hoping to get away a bit early.  Right…

Anyway, there were 3 other pick-ups and then we set off for the Celestun Nature Reserve, essentially to see Flamingo.  They only get American flamingo here but they are a lovely colour.  At the salt lakes in the Atacama I saw Chilean, Andean and James’ Flamingo.  So there you go: Chile 3 – Mexico 1.

Anyway, we went out on a boat onto the Ria Celestun estuary which forms a kind of lagoon at certain times of the year.  The water is very shallow and the flamingo like it as they can feed on the shrimp-like plankton (or maybe plankton-like shrimp), which gives them their colour.  The nature reserve also claims to have one of the largest remaining mangrove forests in the world.  As we all know, mangrove forests are remarkable for their ability to protect coasts, estuaries, prevent flooding and being host to a huge diversity of wildlife – which is why mankind has done its best to destroy the vast majority of them.  Anyway, it was a very interesting time on the water.

After that we returned to the jetty and headed for the restaurant for lunch and some free time – which meant basically sitting around for 2 hours before getting on the minibus back to Merida.

Once back in Merida, I went off to stroll around the city again before coming back to have dinner at the hotel.

Another 9am start for the drive to Chichén Itzá.  In a scene reminiscent of yesterday, I was hassled out of the hotel at 8.45 so that the minibus could go & pick up tourists from other hotels.  These tourists, it soon became clear, were on a trip to the ruins at Chichén Itzá, followed by lunch and a return to their respective hotels in Mérida…

Not for me, though.  I was dropped at the Hacienda Chichén at 9.45 and that’s when I realised I had stuffed-up mightily.  I hadn’t read my itinerary properly, had I?  What a halfwit.  To put it mildly… 

Check-in, unsurprisingly, wasn’t until 3pm.  So, what to do?  Well – the obvious thing was to go & see the ruins.  The guy on reception told me he could organise a ticket and then I could make my way into the reserve via their gardens and security gate.  This cost me $242 (peso, that is – roughly $15US).  I later found out it only cost $184 to get in (roughly $11US).

Anyway, I followed the member of staff through the gardens to the security gate and then out into the reserve and the ruins.  Chichén Itzá is pretty impressive but, being relatively close to Cancun, it was very busy.  There were also hundreds of stalls selling brightly coloured souvenirs.  I did find one useful stall, however, that sold coffee.  So I had one while I further cursed my stupidity.

Then I went off to wander around – trying to take pictures that were more temple than tourist; more monument than masses and more pok ta pok than people (I failed at that one).  Chichén Itzá boasts the biggest ball court in the Mayan world.

I then went back to the hotel where I was able to check-in early at 1.30 and have lunch.  The heavens opened as I was finishing lunch – a proper storm with thunder and lightning.   Chaac doing his stuff – albeit a  thousand years too late.

I had no idea what time my guide was due but guessed it might be 8.30 – so I was ready & checked-out for him when he duly turned up at 8.30.

So we wandered off for a tour of Chichén Itzá – this was when I discovered that the entrance fee for foreigners is $184 and not $242.  We also went the public & more straightforward way from the hotel to the site.  Anyway, we did the tour – the guide was quite good, actually.  Come 10.30 he said: right, that’s it – ‘bye.

It wasn’t quite like that but the tour was wrapped up & we said goodbye leaving me to wonder why I had checked-out of the hotel so early.  I didn’t need to do that until 12.00.  Rats.

So I went and got a coffee.   

Chichén Itzá:

This sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatán peninsula. Throughout its nearly 1,000-year history, different peoples have left their mark on the city. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works. The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán. Several buildings have survived, such as the Warriors’ Temple, El Castillo and the circular observatory known as El Caracol. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site…

I went back to the hotel, read for a bit, had lunch and read some more.  It started raining again about 12.00 and at 12.30 a Mayan Heritage VW minivan arrived to pick-up an English couple to take them to Tulum.  I wondered why I couldn’t have gone with them rather than having to hang around until 2.30.

My driver turned up eventually, with a Swedish couple on board and off we went to Tulum for my last 2 nights.  I was looking forward to Tulum as I’d heard it was nice. 

Mexico has 4 time zones:

• Baja California is on Pacific Time
• Baja California South and the states of Chihuahua, Nayant, Sinaloa and Sonora are on Mountain Time
• The rest of Mexico including half of Yucatán is on Central Time
• The Caribbean coastal strip of Yucatán is on Eastern Time

This means that Cancun & Tulum, for example, are 5 hours behind the UK and not 6 as everywhere else I’d been.

The hotel I was going to be staying at was the Maria del Mar, which describes itself as a boutique hotel & spa.  It is on a strip that borders the Caribbean that is eerily reminiscent of Koh Samui in the 1990’s.

The hotel curiously requires your credit card details twice: once to take a deposit of $100US and then again so that you can charge things to your room at the Mina in-house restaurant.  On check-out they refund $99.  I couldn’t be bothered to either argue or ask for an explanation.  So far I haven’t been scammed – but I’ll keep checking my credit card statement…

My room, called Jungle Suite 1, was ok – nice and simple with a good bathroom.

I’m not sure what constitutes a boutique hotel in the same way I’ve no idea what is meant by an eco-lodge.  My experience of both is that they are neither…

It is quite a friendly place and I’m sure the set-up makes sense to them.  I think I’m probably 30 years too old for Maria del Mar and Tulum, however.

I knew that today was going to be a free day and given that I thought the previous 20 days would be busy, then a couple of days unwinding might be quite good.

I walked up to the Tulum Mayan ruins – a round trip of 10km.  The guy on reception had told me it was too far to walk – it isn’t (obviously) but it isn’t particularly scenic.  The ruins, however, are quite nice.  It’s relatively low-rise compared to other Mayan sites and has the distinction of being the only walled city in the Mayan world.  Curiously, its heyday was in the 12^th to 14^th centuries – some 300 years after cities such as Caracol, Palenque and Tikal.  It was still a thriving city when the Spanish arrived.

As you come back out of the ruins and follow the road round to the right you arrive at a curious sort of shopping centre – complete with Subway and Starbucks.  As most of the tourists are American it is understandable.  Fortunately there was a local café serving decent coffee – after which I wandered back to the hotel.

This strip of Caribbean coast is quite breezy – which is nice – and a great place to watch Pelicans diving into the water and Frigate birds hovering on the thermals.

The Mina restaurant & bar is quite good and they had some local craft beers, which weren’t bad.

Tulum:

Inhabited as early as 564, Tulum’s heyday wasn’t until 1200–1521 when it served as an important port town, controlling maritime commerce along the Caribbean coast to Belize. When the Spanish conquistador Juan de Grijalva sailed past in 1518, he was amazed by the sight of the walled city, its buildings painted a gleaming red, blue and yellow, and a ceremonial fire burning atop its seaside watchtower. Yet, only 75 years after the Spanish conquest, the city was abandoned, its population decimated by European-borne diseases. For hundreds of years afterward, nature reclaimed the city, and it was unknown to the outside world until the mid-1800s when explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood published detailed descriptions and drawings of it. 

Overnight it had rained heavily – it had actually started on Friday evening with the added bonus that the promised “music on the beach” didn’t happen.

I had to check-out at 12, even though my pick-up wasn’t until 3.30.  I couldn’t get a late check-out as they had a booking for my room.  So I sat around in reception reading & had lunch in Mina.  The time passed quickly enough until the driver arrived to whisk me away to Cancun International Airport and my BA flight at 20.50.

On checking-in I discovered that my Mexican immigration form (the bit you have to keep and declare on departure) wasn’t acceptable.  I had arrived by land and was leaving by air.  So the friendly check-in lady told me I had to go to the Immigration office and get it stamped.  So I did.  The Immigration lady duly stamped the form and told me I had to pay $532 ($32US).  What for?  No idea.  They don’t take credit cards.  Fortunately I had $37US left – so I gave the lady her $32 leaving me $5 for a coffee airside.

I went back to check-in & got my boarding pass for 3J and went off to departures.  Security was easy & quick and so was through in a few minutes.

Terminal 3 at Cancun International Airport – which is where British Airways departs from – is surprisingly modern, clean, well laid out, efficient and pleasant.  It also serves airlines such as Canadian, Delta and United – so there are lots of facilities geared to North American tourists thereby making it a very civilised place.  It doesn’t have any airline lounges, though…

The flight took only 8 hours and 40 minutes as we had some zippy tail winds and landed at 10.33 – 27 minutes early.  At 10.44 I was off the plane.  Immigration & baggage reclaim were pretty quick; taxi was prompt and I was back in Maidenhead by about 12.15.

Another amazing adventure over.

Summary

Flights: all were on time with no problems whatsoever.  BA is not my airline of choice for long haul – their seats are narrow & uncomfortable and the inflight catering is poor – and this is not just compared to Emirates but other airlines like KLM, Thai, Air Astana and even Azerbaijan.  I understand that new seats are due in 2019 and that they are in the process of switching from Gate Gourmet to Do & Co – both moves long overdue.

Hotels: all were fine – some were exceptional such as Hotel Terramaya, Hickatee, Black Rock and Quinta Cha Nab Nal

Guides & drivers: all were good – even Vito, bless him – no scary moments during any of the drives – although the stop to get quotes for bricks & tiles was bizarre.  The lady selling them seemed to find Vito’s antics amusing and rolled her eyes at me a couple of times – she guessed I wasn’t responsible for him…

Tours in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras were handled by Via Venture – www.viaventure.com – in Mexico they were handled by Mayan Heritage – www.mayanheritage.com and overall by Condor Verde Travel – www.condorverdetravel.com

Food: very good throughout – though I can now rank tortillas up there with injera as a foodstuff to be avoided unless you particularly enjoy eating cardboard (and sour cardboard at that)…

Itinerary: everything worked and ran as described

Weather: very lucky with the weather throughout.  Mostly cool in Belize and Guatemala, warm but not too hot in Honduras and Mexico.  No mosquito bites.

Hindsight:

• I’d have booked an activity for Sunday 14^th in Punta Gorda
• I’d have joined the Chichén Itzá tour on Wednesday 24^th with an afternoon drop off at Hacienda Chichén
• I’d have booked an activity in the Ruta Puuca for Thursday 25th