Peru

May 24th. Today we travel from our hotel to the port by tricycle..... We catch a very slow boat to the floating reed islands of Uros. Very commercial but still interesting. We got the distinct impression from the islanders that we hadn´t spent enough. Not too concerned though. Next we go to the real island of Amantani where we have a home stay with a local family. Mama, Papa, daughters, Rosaria 13, Katarina 8, Roxanna 5 and Elizabeth 3. When Lyn offered to help Mama she got to wash the dishes. Unfortunately Roxanna wanted to play with me before I could offer to help. Lyn then played with the two youngest girls whilst I played soccer with Katarina. In a close match the home team won. I guess I could have hacked the girl from behind but couldn´t risk a red card. Later in the evening Lyn and I dressed in local clothes and went to a dance. The family, by our standards has next to nothing. No running hot water, no electricity and a manually flushing toilet, but we both had a fantastic time with the children. The time spent with the family is the highlight of our Peruvian journey so far.

Peru

May 23rd. We leave Arequipa by bus for Puno. A relatively uneventful trip. Interesting to note that a movie, I am Sam, was shown in english. Poor movie but good soundtrack. We stop at Juliaca, the major town near Puno. Glad we are not staying there. Dirty, pigs roaming the streets and overturned cars. Puno on the banks of Lake Titicaca appears to be a city of unfinished buildings. For dinner we go to the 10th floor of what we believe is a completed construction, for views across the lake.

Peru

May 22nd Had a very pleasant wake up call at 5am today!!!!! We drive to the Colca Canyon about 2 hours away on a winding dirt track with beautiful views of the valley a long way below. More terraced fields and more locals selling stuff by the side of the road. We are dropped off and walk the canyon rim for about an hour watching condors catch the thermal drafts. These birds have faces that only a mother could love, but when they are soaring they are nothing short of majestic. We go back to Chival for lunch and then drive back to Arequipa. On the way we stop at the high pass (4910 masl on the sign) for a photo opportunity. We decide to relax back at the hotel before stepping out to dinner. The warm clothes are now in full use.

Peru

20th May Arrived in Arequipa just after 7am. Have I mentioned before how much I hate overnight buses. It is just impossible to sleep. They showed a movie around 10pm, in english about a smart Akita Inu. Now I do not mind science fiction or fantasy, but the plot was just too unbelievable for me. Any way this city is apparently the second largest in the country and is surrounded by volcanoes with such daunting names as Misti. Our guide tells us mountains that less than 10 years ago were permanently covered in snow are now covered for only part of the year. As this city gets its water from the mountains, less snow means less water.

21st May We left early for the small town of Chivay located in the Colca Valley region and around 3600 metres above sea level. We drive along twisting roads clinging to the side of mountains until we reach a plateau somewhere in the region of 3500 metres above sea level. We see alpacas, llamas and vicuñas grazing. Vicuñas are like alpacas but not domesticated and their wool is even finer than the alpaca. Some people are starting to feel sick as we approach the high point, 4900 masl. Lyn notices someone about to faint and alerts the proper authorities. As we approach Chivay from on high, we see a patchwork of terraced fieds in the valley below. Looks quite picturesque. After lunch I start to develop a headache and go to bed for a few hours. Lyn goes to a hot springs whilst I am suffering.

Peru

17th May. We meet the group for the next tour. A mix of ages and nationalities. It is quite possible that I am not the oldest. We did a Lima city bus tour to some nice and not so nice parts. This place is still very grey and it is hard to tell the sea from the sky. We catch the most uncomfortable bus ever designed, to Pisco 4 hours south of Lima. Try a black beer. I will never make that mistake again.

18th May We go to Paracas and then a 2 hour boat trip to the Ballestos Islands. Still grey. We see Penguins and lots of Peruvian Boobys. We then catch a really comfortable double decker bus to Nazca. Didn´t realise how dry this area is. Apparently average annual rainfall is 30mm. We now have blue sky! Nazca is pretty small with only a few streets, of which half have been dug up. Seems the local government is trying to beautify the place. Might take a while. We get some home work in for the Nazca Lines tomorrow at the local observatory.

19th Today we flew in a 6 seater plane, including pilot and co pilot, at approximately100 metres above the ground, around the Nazca lines. The pilot looked pretty relaxed whilst taxiing. Elbow resting outside the open window. The flight was fabulous fun as the plane flew around the main drawings showing people on one side of the plane first, then banking around for the other side to view. Lyn thought the chicken bus was scarier. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself that you are actually seeing such famous things as these lines. The overnight bus to Arequipa awaits.

Guatemala

15th May We drove back to Antigua from Panajachel this morning. This afternoon we trecked the volcano Pacayo. It was a bit like hard work but worth the effort. Quite amazing to see lava flowing and feel the heat. Also feel a bit insecure to see smoke coning from the crater. At dinner we meet a tour leader from Costa Rica who knows Carlos Hernandez from Victory. He promised to pass on my best when he next sees him.

16th May. We leave the hotel at 5am to catch our flight to El Salvador. What a nice surprise that a few people from the tour get up to say goodbye in person. There is also a lovely message, from a lazy couple, left at reception. The flight takes 30 mins. Less time than the Yarragon to Morwell train quite often takes. The flight to Lima is 4 hours, about the same time as the aforementioned train sometimes takes. Our hotel is only a block or so from the main squre in the old part of town. The navy and band is performing and there is quite a crowd watching. This part of Lima seems pleasant but the sky is grey and we break out the warm clothes. We have dinner on a little cafe close to the hotel. Pity we didn´t see the dead mouse before we ate.

Guatemala

May 10th. We drive and then boat to the jungle lodge Rio Dolce. It is not as bad as it was made out to be. Sure there are some spiders and scorpions but there is also a really nice swimming pool. We just relax tonight with some after dinner drinks and then retire to our wooden hut, draw the mosquito net around us before sleep.

May 11th. We head off for a 2 hour jungle nature walk this morning. No unicorns, dragons, jaguars or other mythical beasts sighted. This takes us through primary jungle, a rubber plantation before crossing a valley on a swinging trestle bridge 15 metres above the jungle floor. Have I mentioned it is hot? We return to check out the pool. Lyn played some card games whilst I tried out my glasses by reading.

May 12th. We cross the river by canoe to get to the van and we are off to Antigua. About 2 hours in, we stop for a refreshment break. The service station has an armed guard. His weapon of choice, a pump action shot gun, is backed up by a side arm. Another couple hours travel before we come to a complete stop for 40 minutes in the hills before Guatemala City. There is a traffic jam for some unknown reason. Ambulance and Police zoom past. Once we get going there is another hour before we stop in GC for a comfort stop at a small shopping centre. This city seems the type you want to leave. Armed guards everywhere. We arrive in Antigua an hour later to a thunderstorm. At the Hotel water is running everywhere and is overflowing a gutter right at the door way of one of the GAP couples rooms. This city is supposed to be dominated by a volcano, but the cloud is so low you cannot see it.

May 13th. We take 2 Chicken buses to Chich.....................a. This journey was like spending a couple of hours travelling in a packed rollercoaster driven by someone practicing to be an F1 driver. If I had hair I could say it was hair raising. The group managed to hold it together but a local threw up. They are soft! We arrive at Chich...............a, a market town to do some shopping. Bargaining is fun!!!! Even the stall holders seem to enjoy taking the tourists for a ride. In the afternoon we take a very sedate private van to Panajachel on the banks of Lake Atitlan. There are supposed to be 3 volcanos here, but because of the low cloud, none of them can be seen. Pizzas for dinner, a treasure hunt and alcohol end the evening. We have 2 nights here.

May 14th. Lazing around today. Ordering breakfast from the local cafes is always an interesting experience, wondering what will be served. The cafe has a very familiar looking carving. We head back to Antigua tomorrow.

Belize & Guatemala

8th May
We left Trek Stop San Ignacio at 1pm for the border crossing into Guatemala, 10 mins away. Belize officials all very friendly, then pass through Immigration in Guatemala but there is no Customs here. Just a guard with a pump action shot gun. The group all paid extra US$ to upgrade from the chicken bus to an air conditioned private van. We arrived at the island of Flores in Lake Peten after a 90 min drive. Hotel room is okay, not much room for your knees in the loo. Guatemala seems like a poor country but the buildings & homes are very colourful in the town. The group had dinner by the lake in a very nice restaurant. John says the beer is good & Lyn likes the Piña Coladas.
9th May
John took Lyn out for Mothers Day. We left the hotel at 5am for the 1hour drive to Mayan ruins at Tikal. We saw lots of animals including spider & howler monkeys but no Jaguars. Johns convinced that they are mythical beasts. Climbed lots of temples fantastic views across the jungle. John actually climbed up a very steep 30 metre ladder staircase (wooden) to the top of one temple. Only a few from the group went up. This site rivals Palenque as our favourite. When we arrived back at the hotel, I received a bunch of red roses for Mothers Day. What a lovely surprise!!!!!!!!!!
We leave for Rio Dulce tomorrow which apparently is full of spiders & scorpions. Not sure if it has internet but we know there are no ATMs.

Belize

May 6th. We catch a very fast boat from the Caye to Belize City and get out of there asap. We catch a local bus to San Ignacio about 3 hours away. Notice that the older school children give up their seat for women with young children. There's a bit of respect happening here. Our lodge is about 15mins drive outside the town and is fairly basic.They do however have beer. All's well.

May 7th. Lyn and I went caving today in the jungles of Belize. First we walked for approximately 45minutes before swimming into the cave. We climbed over rocks waded through water from ankle deep to chest height for well over an hour before climbing a wall which led us to Mayan artifacts.These included pots of various shapes and sizes and human skeletons. We went out of the cave the same way getting back to the lodge around 7pm. A very good and exciting day was had by all.

Belize

May 5th. A lazy day begins with a late breakfast. The island has a few sandy streets with the main one following the coast line. We wander about in the morning and head for the beach in the afternoon where we stay until about 5pm. For lunch we buy a tomale from a guy riding a tricycle calling out that he has food for sale. Lyn is in heaven here. There are 6 different fanta flavours and the local store has multiple shelves devoted to rum. This island feels like the west indies. The people, the english language and the accents are all WI. I close my eyes and I can hear Michael Holding speaking. This is very different to Mexico.

Belize

4th May Caught the early bus from Playa and arrived in Chetamul Mexico around lunch time. Had our passports checked and before we boarded the very fast boat to Belize the 40 or so passengers had their baggage sniffed by a very old, very arthritic labrador. He was supported by a platoon of very well armed soldiers. The journey to San Pedro island took about 90 minutes and we had to wait about 10 minutes for immigration and customs to arrive in the official golf buggy. They were very relaxed about things. We then caught a fishing boat to our island, Caye Caulker where we will stay for the next two nights. After dinner we went to a reggae bar where I was asked if I wanted some 'erbs. I politely declined the offer and we left the establishment shortly after.

Playa Del Carmen

2nd May We caught a collectivo van to Tulum which cost us both 70pesos about $7.00. A collectivo is a small van which picks up & drops off people where they want. If you are lucky you get a seat. Tulum is a Mayan Ruins on the coast line of the Carribean Sea. Beautiful spot but very windy. Normally you can go for a swim but the beach was fenced off. Had cheese & Vegemite sandwiches for lunch whilst viewing the ruins. Wandered around taking photos with John guiding via Lonely Planet. Took about an hours drive by Collectivo van back to Playa. When we arrived back at the hotel we received a note from our new tour leader "meeting our new group tonight for dinner". Ended up going to dinner at the same place we had already been to on 2 previous occasions. I say the food there is nice John says Beer is good for you. We think there is about 15 in the new group. John & I are definitely the eldest, with the average age being between late 20's & early 30's, is our guess!!!!!!

3rd May Another quiet day just hanging around. Went to the Post Office and bought really big stamps for small postcards we had already written. Then went to Wal Mart which is like KMart except it sells motor bikes scooters & fruit. Bought lunch & a few other groceries. We leave for Belize with our new group tomorrow so don´t know when the next posting will be.

Palenque, Merida & Playa del Carmen

25 April Sorry to leave San Cristobel, but we cannot stay forever. After a 4 or 5 hour bus trip, winding through the jungle covered hills we arrive at Palenque. It is hot and humid. We catch a van to our jungle resort, just outside the national park. Our room has a gecko to keep us company. Didn´t do anything today except sweat, sleep and drink (and eat). Apparently the area is awash with plants containing natural highs. Welcome to hippyville and bongo drums.

26 April Met our morning guide, Salvador. We join up with a Canadian couple, which makes our share for the guide cheaper and head out on a 2 hour jungle work. It was absolutely fabulous We saw howler monkeys, crawled into an opening in the side of a hill, which turned out to be a mayan building and came across the lost temple. Just like Indiana Jones. It was then time to see the, so far exposed ancient city of Palenque. Words cannot properly describe how wonderful it is.
27 April This time we had an 8 hour bus trip to Merida. Along the way we see the gulf of mexico. In one small town there was a sand bagged police station. Not sure if it was because of floods or they were expecting trouble. Merida is hot. From what we understand it has two temperatures. Hot and hotter. The northern hemisphere plays havoc with our sense of direction and we get lost on our after dinner walk.

28 April. We join up with some other foreigners for the day and head off to a couple of Mayan sites. Uxmal and Kabah. They are pretty good, but suffer from comparison with Palenque. Our guide apparently has to fill in each moment of silence and talks about the romans on the way to Uxmal and when we arrive speaks to us like we are third year architecture students. Not sure if he has noticed that the iguanas are the only ones listening.

29 April A couple of hours on the bus and we arrive at Chichen Itza. Reasonably spectacular. Our guide, Felipe leads us around the site, explaining about the relevance of the sun and rain and showing lots of pictures about how important this site was a thousand or so years ago. Notice he´s starting to sweat. It must be hot. In fact everyone is sweating a lot. We catch the 4.30 bus to Playa del Carmen on the Carribean coast and arrive around 8 pm. Our tour leader Tiago takes us to a little restaurant away from the coast where we have some fantastic tortillas, Allambre style (various meats excluding grass hopper). Lyn then has her first second and third margarita.

30 April Did nothing. Unless you think getting laundry done and then wandering to a mexican super store something. Playa is a bit weird and nothing like other parts of Mexico we have seen. Very Gold Coast, Australia. Noticed that a lot of prices here are expressed in US dollars and then Mexican Pesos in much smaller print. The entire group went out to dinner at Fusion, a restaurant approved by Lonely Planet. The waitress was concerned about me ordering cajun fish which apparently might be too spicy. I think vegemite has more kick. The fish however was very nice. Said goodbye to Tiago. He did a great job considering what he had to deal with. Apparently he takes up a tour leader position in Europe soon and we both wish him the very best. Adios amigo.
When Grass Hoppers attack!