Have Itch, Will Travel

Despite its beautiful beaches and party reputation ("Spring Break!"), I actively avoided Cancún and instead stayed a couple of nights on Isla Mujeres , about twenty minutes by ferry off the coast. It wasn't much different to the mainland though, and I should've figured that out when the ferry ride was flawless and speedy. Almost every time I was headed to paradise, it was fraught with difficulties. The gorgeous Playa Blanca off the coast of Cartagena took all of the better part of the day to get to, while the boat to San Blas was two days of straight sailing on my back or with eyes fixed on the horizon. Bocas del Toro required long bumpy bus rides on shitty roads and all it did was rain the days I stayed. Though the weather was perfect over the Corn Islands, I had no time to endure the days of travel over rough terrain and wetlands , and no money for the alternative flight. I opted to enjoy the Bay Islands instead but had to scrap that idea when the weather got...

The ruins of Chichen Ítza were ruined by the presence of souvenir vendors on the site. Apparently the land is owned by a private citizen who makes more than a few bucks by allowing these people to sell shit if they pay a kind of tax. So the place is littered with people trying to sell poor quality souvenirs who hassle you and get in the way of your otherwise perfect shots. If you visit Chichen Ítza (and you should) please boycott this practice by buying your souvenirs at a stall outside of the site. Apart from those annoying distractions, Chichen Ítza was really cool. Not only did it have a stunning main temple, sacrificial temple and massive ball court, but there were so many amazing details by brilliant Mayan design that you have to see and hear to believe. The main temple had a certain number of levels and lines built into its design that corresponded to the stars or moon cycle. Twice a year, during significant times of the agricultural season, the pair of serpents gliding down...

During my travels I had visited many gorgeous beaches of fine white sands, coconut trees gently swaying over calm turquoise waters, either fairly deserted, otherwise populated by friendly local folk. From the Caribbean coastline of Colombia to the islands of San Blas and Belize, I thought I had seen the most beautiful beaches in the world already. But then I arrived at Tulúm, on the Yucatán Peninsula of East Mexico. I really only wanted to visit the ruins because I was on a bit of a roll with ancient architecture and it happened to be on the way to Cancún. The ruins themselves were not spectacular after the likes of Tikal, which I had visited only shortly before, and the site was too clean and packed with tour groups compared to Tikal's wonderful peaceful jungle setting, that I would not have rated the place at all if not for one thing. It's location. Far out. Honest to god it was a surprise for me. I walked up the path, through the stone doorway and the incredible view ope...

At the hostel, I met Lacey and Isaac who recognized me from Lanquín. I realized later that they were the couple who stayed in the dorm next door, but had left the day after I had arrived. On the island as well were more of the gang from Lanquín and Flores. Caye Caulker was what I had been hoping Bocas del Toro would be. You could see the gorgeous water as you strolled down the sandy main drag while rastas rode by on their old skool white walled bikes and golf buggy taxis trundled about carrying tourists. Though hugely touristy, it never felt crowded and maintained its chilled out vibe. A great part of this vibe had to be credited to the rasta type folk there who spoke their pidgin English. Dreads were worn everywhere, sometimes tucked under big knitted hats. While Isaac spent the day diving at the legendary Blue Hole, Lacey joined me and Nicole on a Raggamuffin snorkeling tour of Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Reserve. As soon as we arrived at Shark Ray Alley , the fish appeare...

I was warned by everything and everyone about safety in Latin America. Websites, guide books, my family, friends, even total strangers would warn me not to trust anyone, to set cab prices before getting in, to watch my luggage at all times, to keep my valuables within sight... all of the sensible things one should do when traveling. So I was well informed about various scams, guarded about pick-pockets and bag snatchers. It was inevitable that I would encounter at least one loss due to unscrupulous human activities. I had heard many stories, but have been lucky so far. But no one warned me about that which I would end up losing my things to. My forgetfulness. I have a terrible memory. If I just met you, I won't remember your name, even if we've been hanging out for the last four days. I don't remember birthdays unless you're direct family, nor do I remember anniversaries, long weekends and other important dates. I have a terrible sense of direction which is mostly due t...

From Lanquín, nearly everyone was headed to Flores , and I took a shuttle with the people from the caves (not cave people, but the four I did the bat cave tour with) to the tiny island. It's a cute touristy place with nothing to do but walk around and go for a dip in the lake. It is so small that if you stand in the main plaza at the center of town, you can see the edges of the island from each of the four sides of the square. The hostel Los Amigos was pretty nice and had amazing vegetarian food. There, I met more people from Lanquín, crazy Canadian girl Cathy, and later met up with Nini again and her friend Asaf. It was lucky that when the shuttle first dropped us off we managed to get accommodation without having booked ahead. Nick and Suzi got their room, but there was only one dorm bed left. Tom graciously gave it to me and took a hammock for the night. If you're headed that way, it might be a good idea to book a bed. Some people recommend taking the pre-dawn shuttle ...

It was difficult to resist the promise of thousands of bats flying over you as they exited their cave. Maybe I should've gotten my rabies shot. But I joined the Lanquín Cave tour with Nick, Suzi, Caroline and Angel. We explored part of the enormous limestone cavern and our guide pointed out the usual formations in the stalagmites and stalactites. Having seen the Reed Flute Caves of China, I wasn't terribly impressed. If you've seen one limestone cave, you'll have seen this one. But it had bats! So we sat at the mouth of the cave at dusk and the lights were turned out. A few started early and quietly left the cave, but not long after, there was a steady stream of tiny bats fluttering over us. They were so quiet, you could hardly tell that they were about if not for our camera flashes and torch beams. In fact, they were so quiet we didn't realize that they weren't just flying over us, they were also flying about us. But Suzi felt one brush past her head, a...