Dave is presently in
&, having set out on March 6th 2012, has now been movin’ for
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Day, Date & Location: Day 439, May 18th 2013, Antigua, Guatemala
Where I Stayed/Am Staying: Ummagumma
Long day today. After a few hiccups trying to leave Flores followed by almost 9 hours on a bus & another 1 in a taxi I finally made it to Antigua in the central highlands, billed as Guatemala’s most picturesque city/town thanks to its abundance of Spanish colonial architecture. I’ll take a look around tomorrow, not to mention a few pictures.
In a tuk-tuk en route to the bus station in Flores, Guatemala. May 18h 2013 (day 439)
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Day, Date & Location: Day 438, May 17th 2013, Flores, Guatemala
Where I Stayed/Am Staying: Hospedaje Dona Goya
At the Belize/Guatemala border crossing. May 16th 2013 (day 437)
Belize. Now there’s an aberration for sure. Guatemala is more like it – more Latin America. It’s early days of course but so far, so good. I’m just back from Tikal, Guatemala’s blue-ribboned Mayan ruins, the 6th set Mayan ruins I’ve taken in since visiting my 1st in Uxmal, Mexico, on day 423. Yes, more millennia-old towering pyramids of rock in dense jungle. Tikal’s location – the aforementioned dense jungle – was the show-stopper for me. I could have done without the stupid-o-clock/4am start though.
The Gran Plaza is the centre of the 16 sq km Mayan city of Tikal, an area that houses some 4000 structures. This was a Mayan site as far back as 700BC & it, like most other Mayan sites in the Mayan region (Yucatan, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala & northern Honduras), was abandoned after approximately 900AD when the Mayan culture mysteriously collapsed. Enveloped by the jungle, it wasn’t until 1848 that the Guatemala government sent an expedition to the site. Scientific exploration & restoration started soon after but even today a lot of the structures are still buried or partially buried under jungle growth. The Gran Plaza, Tikal Mayan ruins, Tikal National Park, northern Guatemala. May 17th 2013 (day 438)
People in front of Temple 1, Temple of the Grand Jaguar. Tikal’s step-sided temples reach heights of 60+ metres & are the sites most striking feature. This temple in the Gran Plaza, The Temple of the Grand Jaguar, tops out at 38 metres. At least two people have died falling from its lofty stairs so now they – the stairs – are off-limits. The Gran Plaza, Tikal Mayan ruins, Tikal National Park, northern Guatemala. May 17th 2013 (day 438)
Video
A bit of video, a first! This is the scene & early morning sounds of Howler monkeys, parrots & toucans emanating from the surrounding jungle as heard from the Acropolis del Norte overlooking the Gran Palza. This video was captured before the above pictures were taken & before the early-morning mist started to lift.
But not all of Tikal’s temples are off-limits as this picture of people near the top of Temple IV shows. Tikal Mayan ruins, Tikal National Park, northern Guatemala. May 17th 2013 (day 438)
Video
Day 439
Seemingly it all happens down in southern Guatemala. So, tomorrow I’ll spend most of the day getting there via buses. Needs must folks, needs must.
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Day, Date & Location: Day 436, May 15th 2013, Caye Caulker, Belize
Where I Stayed/Am Staying: Dirty McNasty’s Hostel
My 3 days & 3 nights of doing nothing on Caye Caulker have come to an end. All I really did here was take pictures & even they were pretty repetitive. There’s only so much a small island offers photographically. Either that or the laid back vibe floating around here scuppered my creativity (entirely possible).
If you want to keep busy here in Caye Caulker you’re going to have to take to the water – and pay heftily for the privilege (this isn’t a cheap place). I was happy to watch from afar, including these people paddleboarding around a rusting, half-submerged boat offshore. Caye Caulker, Belize. May 14th 2013 (day 435)
Caye Caulker is a popular hangout for pelicans. They are big birds. Not particularly pretty, but big. They spend a lot of time perched on the stumps offshore and I tried to catch this one in flight as it took off. I think they’re just too big & gangly to look graceful. Caye Caulker, Belize. May 14th 2013 (day 435)
Front Street, one of the 3 sand-covered ‘main’ roads on Caye Caulker, Belize. May 14th 2013 (day 435)
Caye Caulker speed bumps. No cars here, just golf carts. Front Street, Caye Caulker, Belize. May 14th 2013 (day 435)
Plenty of options to laze around. Caye Caulker, Belize. May 14th 2013 (day 435)
On my last day in Caye Caulker, day 436, I was up at 5am for sunrise on the eastern shore of the 300m wide island, and I was there for sunset on the western shore some 13 hours later. In this particular battle of the two aforementioned daily atmospheric phenomena sunset was the clear winner. Caye Caulker, Belize. May 15th 2013 (day 436)
Day 437
In the morning I’ll be heading back to the mainland for a bus that’ll take me across the country, across a border & into Guatemala. I’m expecting Guatemala to be a different, more Latin American destination, sort of like what I envisioned the ‘real’ Central America to be like before I arrived in the region. I also expect it to be cheaper. Belize has been great. Somewhat of a surprise, a bizarre introduction to the region, but great nonetheless. Would I recommend you come here? For sure. Just don’t ask me why.
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Day, Date & Location: Day 434, May 13th 2013, Caye Caulker, Belize
Where I Stayed/Am Staying: Dirty McNasty’s Hostel
I’ve just arrived in Caye Caulker. A caye, also spelled cay or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of a coral reef. And that’s exactly what this place is – a small sandy island in the Caribbean Sea off the Belizean mainland. I’m not into getting wet so for me there’s absolutely nothing to do here save for avoiding melanoma and/or cirrhosis of the liver – there’s a real Caribbean feel here &, shiver me timbers, there are rum bottles everywhere. I wasn’t planning on coming here but now that I am I’ll be riding out the rest of my days in Belize here – that’s 3 nights, starting tonight. Right I’m off; my first Caye Caulker 4-hour happy hour has begun.
Caye Caulker, Belize. May 13th 2013 (day 434)
Ready-made Bob Marley hat & dreds. Caye Caulker, Belize. May 13th 2013 (day 434)
Caye Caulker, Belize. May 13th 2013 (day 434)
Caye Caulker, Belize. May 13th 2013 (day 434)
Friends! 2 Brits, two Irish & an Aussie. The makings of a great joke. Caye Caulker, Belize. May 13th 2013 (day 434)
Connect with me & let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
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2012 (from March 6th)
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia (Queensland & Melbourne), New Zealand, Australia (Sydney), Indonesia (Bali), Malaysian Borneo, South Korea, Sri Lanka, India, China (incl. Hong Kong), Mongolia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, England (London), Ireland.
2013 (tentative): South Korea, USA (Hawaii & Alaska), Canada (Vancouver), US West Coast (Seattle, Portland & California (Road Trip)), Mexico, Central America (Belize, Guatemala (present location)), Portugal, Morocco.
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Periodic trip reports will be filed for the photography website RealPhotographersForum.com highlighting a week in travel, complete with location information. Find here a link to the latest entry and a complete archive of links to entries submitted since setting off in March of 2012.
Latest Entry: March 10th 2013: Week 35 (Days 239-245)
Archived Entries
March 6th 2012: Checking In, March 12th 2012: Week 1 (Days 1-6), March 19th 2012: Week 2 (Days 7-13), March 25th 2012: Week 3 (Days 14-20), April 2nd 2012: Week 4 (Days 21-27), April 11th 2012: Week 5 (Days 28-34), April 16th 2012: Week 6 (Days 35-41), May 3rd 2012: Week 7 (Days 42-49), May 15th 2012: Week 8 (Days 50-57), June 12th 2012: Week 9 (Days 58-63), June 30th 2012: Week 10 (Days 64-70) July 10th 2012: Week 11 (Days 71-77), July 17th 2012: Week 12 (Days 78-84), July 25th 2012: Week 13 (Days 85-91), July 30th 2012: Week 14 (Days 92-99), August 14th 2012: Week 15 (Days 100-107), August 20th 2012: Week 16 (Days 108-115), September 3rd 2012: Weeks 17-25 (Days 116-175), September 4th 2012: Week 26 (Days 176-182), September 10th 2012: Week 27 (Days 183-188), September 20th 2012: Week 28 (Days 189-195), September 26th 2012: Week 29 (Days 196-201), October 4th 2012: Week 30 (Days 202-209), October 27th 2012: Week 31 (Days 210-216), November 15th 2012: Week 32 (Days 217-225), January 26th 2013: Week 33 (Days 226-232), Latest Entry: February 14th 2013: Week 34 (Days 233-238)
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