Belize!

Leaving Tulum was hard to do. The beach, the people, the food ( maybe put that down a few spicy levels for complete perfection..) .
But I managed to tear myself away and  Jake and I headed for Belize. We haggled for taxis and caught some chicken buses to the border town of Chetamul. At the border we were informed we had to pay a 30 dollar US exit tax.
This is where Lonely planet let us down... It said there was no such thing as an exit tax- and to just stay confident and say no. Bullshit. We ended up paying, what ended up being a legitimate tax after irritating the poor guards for a good ten minutes.
(The group after us made the guards so angry they were told to go pay it at a bank, and then come back with a receipt. A trip back to town to find the banks closed, and back to the border to have the guard laugh at them and say they can try again the next day.)
Disheartened, we tried to haggle for a taxi, with pretty rubbish results.
My sad face must have caught one of the Belizeans attention, because they invited us to catch a ride int he back of their pickup.
A half hour and downpour later we were dropped off a few kms fromt he bus station.
Blah blah blah- TADA. we made it to Belize city!
Pretty in the day time, a bit scary at night- the owner of the hostel took us for a walk as a "guide".
A long enough walk to realize he was bat shit crazy. He tried to teach us to gamble- lost all his (our) cash.
He told stories, but never finished them because he was always distracted by a pretty rock or fish, or headlights. He told us he was a healer, and a drug addict. He was a hippy, and seer and a nudist.
Bat shit crazy.

A boat ride the next day to Caye Caulker, back to the land of sand!
No shoes needed, anywhere, this sand island takes ten minutes to walk across and has everything from chinese food to tacos.
After settling in for the first day, Ythe second day I went fishing. The boys described it as "deep sea" so I was expecting a boat, and poles that are bolted down lest I get wrenched from the boat with my huge catch.
Umm, no. We had hand reels.. actually just a spool of line- with a hook on the end.
None the less it was fun. We got loads of snapper( yellow and red) dived and speargun fished for crabs, and caught a shark!

Today I need to spend less money! A day reading and swimming ( witht he stingrays!) is in store.
Tomorrow, to Guatemala (hopefully!)

Gran Cenotes!

Oops!
this is supposed to be a video blog... but it didn't load!
I will add it again soon:)

Off again!

Two years past and I am at it again!
 Different continent, but same idea. ...pretty much do whatever i fancy, whenever I want! This time I vow to have a budget ( average of 20 a day) and learn a language..and to post more photos so that when I get more senile than I already am I will remember!

 Day UNO * also known as mucho waiting\sad\excitement*
 Glen and I woke up relativly early for us (after groggily justifying two or three extra alarms..) Had breky and then drove to Sydney for a lovely last piercing cold walk along the water ( ok, so we saw the water, than ran for the cover of a coffee shop..). He was a sweetheart and dropped me off at the ferries and walked me in. It sucks to end a relationship when everything was going so well. It was the only thing that made it hard to leave. Ah, ¨c'est la vie¨ I keep telling myself ( although my inner voice should now be switched to spanish...asi es la vida!)

. I took the 1:00 ferry, for fear of being stranded on the island because of too much wind and ferry closures. Skytrained to the airport and waiittteddd for my 11pm flight. I may have done some handstands and dips to pass the time.. My flight took me into wintery Toronto where I , the sole wearer of sandals, parked my behind for another 3 hours. Noon the second day I arrived in Cancun and was greeted by instant clevage sweat and vendors:)

I´ve made it!!

 My new found couchsurfing friend Bere met me at the bus station a little later, and we bussed to her house. A cute two room apartment with her bed for me , and a hammock for her. The beach was our destination for the afternoon. The difference between ¨Mexican¨Cancun and ¨tourist¨Cancun is exceptional. This town was less than 100 people in the early seventies when it was scoped as a tourism project. Now its hotel zone is one huge building after another. To get from Beres house you have to take two buses. One rickety but working mini bus, and then transfer once you get in the tourist zone to a fancy american style bus. Many of the fancy hotels have half finished projects beside them and many shops are boarded up and unused. This city is entirely dependat on tourism. And , bere tells me , so is the entire country. They no longer grow crops, so everything is shipped from elsewhere. Even Corn! ( ***shocking Gasp!) Us rich Northeren folk who fly down to escape the cold really make or break their economy.

 Today I spent the day at the beach swimming and snorkeling while Bere was at school. I played some volleyball with some tanned Australians and stealthily ¨took¨( i returned after!) a hotel towel so that i could take a beach chair, and have no one question me  when I used the pool. Ah the benifits of looking like a tourist!

doesn´t get much better!

 Time now is needed inside before my white skin turns lobstery. Not to mention a nap to soothe my tummy. Apparently asking for no spices, saying I am a baby, still calls for really fricking spicy street food.

SO many thongs! 

 budget yesterday =17 dollars

 Budget today-
 bus 17 pesos
 food 60 pesos
 sunscreen 120 pesos ( ripped off!)
 mask and snorkel 130 pesos ( i think i will use it lots!)
 =317 pesos =24.39 dollars
darn!


 new word voy- first person ¨to go¨ - used getting home on the bus ¨voy a la grand plaza¨