El Pital

El Salvador is a country that many tourists miss out on. While there are not as many major attractions as the surrounding countries there is still a lot to do and see. In the short time that I was there I was able to hike El Pital (the highest mountain in the country at 2700 odd metres) then spend an afternoon and night in the Capital, San Salvador. El Pital is tucked away in the mountainous northeastern part of the country. Thankfully I was coming into El Salvador in that area or I most likely would have missed out on this hike. The hike itself was not too strenuous (just over an hour to the top) since there is a crazy road up the mountainside to two little villages perched there. The most interesting part of the hike was at this place I have a picture of on the left. The only way to get out onto this outcropped rock was via a fallen log (seen in the picture). I have to say I was a bit timid walking across as I looked down to the bottom of the crevice about 100 feet bellow. From El Pital I made my way to the capital to enjoy the multitude of markets before I went to bed early to catch the 4:30 am Tica bus to Nicaragua. Currently I am in the lovely colonial town of Granada on lago de Nicaragua.

Copan

Copan Ruins in Honduras is the site of another famous Mayan ruin that I was able to visit. This site has the most detailed carvings that I have seen of any of the ruins. The structures themselves were impressive also. Nothing to the magnitude of ruins at Tikal, but still worth the visit. The mountainous area that surrounded was beautiful as well (especially as I headed westward) to La Entrada.

Pacaya

As you can see at the top of the Volcano there was a lot of gas being emitted. To see the lava you had had pier down through the pungent gas while holding the hand of another person so a gust of wind wouldn't push you in. This area of Guatemala seemed have have volcanoes strewn about everywhere. Not sure what the name of the volcano in the background is (I'm sure I could find out if you are really interested), but it looked like a good pict so I took it. If you are ever in Antigua it's well worth the trip to see Pacaya.

Volcan Pacaya

Today I had a great time climbing Volcan Pacaya.  I really wasn´t expecting too much.  I was told that this was the only active volcano in the area so I thought it would be cool to go up non-the-less.  I was wrong in not expecting much.  When they say active they mean it´s spewing out gas and lava.  When I reached the top of the volcano (2552 meters) it was chilly and windy so to stay warm I was able to sit by a hot vent while I was waiting for the others that I was with (to an excellent view of Guatemala City and the Pacific Ocean).  The guide that went with us (despite not speaking a word of English) showed us a bunch of interesting spots such as the lava flow in the creator and how to stay warm using the heat vents.  I made my way to Chiquimula (where I am currently) from Antigua through Guate City this afternoon.  For the few hours I have been here I have really enjoyed it.  I´m away from the major gringo path so things are a lot cheaper than in Antigua. (Single hotel room $4.  A full sit down meal with coke $2.75. A 4 hour bus ride $5).  Well off to bed (for $4 hopefully there are not too many cockroaches nibbling on my toes tonight).  Thank you all for your prayers as I move about.

Lago de Atitlan

Guatemala has been a beautiful country to be busing through. With the its jungles, volcanoes, lakes and rolling hillsides. This morning I was able to spend a couple hours walking the streets of Guatemala city. I really don´t know why most people stay away from here. It seems to be a lovely city (at least at that time of day and in the places I went). From the city I headed to Panajachel on Lago de Atitlan. Panajachel is a small touristy town right on the lake with some great views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes. I had a good time sitting by the lake eating a whole pineapple I purchased at the local market for 75 cents. Another short bus ride later I arrived in Antigua. This city is surrounded by volcanoes and what I have enjoyed most about this town so far are the incredible Saturday markets. You name it I´m sure I could find it at the markets here. I´m excited for the volcano climb I have arranged for the morning. Hopefully it will be a good day for some picts.

Tikal

After paying a lot of fees at the Belize boarder and some unofficial fees at the Guatemalan boarder I headed for Tikal. Tikal is an impressive ruin that is deep in the Guatemalan jungles. It was a lot of fun getting there. I had a taxi ride from the boarder where the driver dropped me and the others I was with at the wrong location, then I had my first "chicken bus" experience, followed by somehow getting a combi to myself and finally driving the last 20km in the back of a pickup. How it all worked out I have no idea but it did, and I made it so, I was happy. The Ruins at Tikal would be the most extensive set of ruins I have seen so far. It is so hard to compare any of the ruins I have seen to date since they have all been in such different settings. Tickal is situated on a small hill in the middle of a vast jungle. On the top of a couple of the largest ruins you can look for miles and miles in every direction and see nothing but jungle. I´m glad that it worked out that I saw the ruins in the evening, because the whole jungle came alive around 4:00. It was really cool walking thought the jungle trails with the monkeys and all sorts of other exotic animals flying around the treetops and the noises they all made, wow. I would have went there just to be in that setting. Having the ruins was just a huge bonus.

Sharks

The snorkeling tour that I went on in Caye Caulker was really cool. I thought maybe we will see a few fish and a stingray passing by quickly. There were so many fish around the reefs we boated out to. The reef was a colourful one also. Then when we got to shark & ray alley there must have been a dozen sting rays that hung around. I am not sure if I was suppose to, but I grabbed onto the big ones and they would pull me along for a few feet before the had enough of that and shook me off. There were not as many sharks around but we saw three, two of which I was able to swim with and give a little pat on the nose. After spending 3 hours in the water with the fish I headed back for lunch then caught the water taxi to Belize City. In Belize City after a bit of walking here and there I was able to find Malcolm´s parents place. It was great to meet them and I found out a lot more about Malcolm that I did not know before (he is quite the artist for one). They fed me some great food then toured me around the city. I was wonderful to sleep in a real bed in my own room in a quiet place (it has been a long while since I have had that). In the morning they gave me a lift to the bus so I could be off to my next destination. Overall I really enjoyed Belize. It felt like a vacation away from my travels to a great extend. Some day I will have to go back to Belize with Malcolm so I can really explore the country. There is so much to do, but unfortunately for most things you need to go with groups and spend a few days to do it safely.

Caye Caulker

Stage three of my trip has officially commenced.  (Stage one was the US, Stage two was Mexico, Stage three is the rest of Central America).  I got into Belize without any difficulties and made my way to Caye Caulker (a well know backpacker Island).  It's a fun place, very laid back with lots of long term travelers.  The streets are sand and everyone has a place on the beach.  I plan on doing a snorkel trip in the morning then back to Belize city area.

Tulum

Tulum was my next stop. This area was more my style. The beaches were undeveloped with simple palapas that could be rented out to a weary traveler for a bit of shelter. There is so many things to do around Tulum that I could have spent a week and still had more things I could have done. The first thing I did after taking a quick dip at the beach was to check out the Mayan ruins in the area. The ruins themselves are small in comparison to the others I have seen, but who cares with a location such at this. Perched on a cliff just above the Caribbean with sandy white beaches below. In the evening I was able to talk to a few people to see what else I should do in the area and they gave me a few great ideas. In the morning I started early because I knew I had a lot to get in. I started by going to Xca-Cel, this is a beach just north of Tulum were the coral reef is only 20 meters offshore. I got there and I had the entire beach to myself. The snorkeling was by far the best I have done to date also. Throughout the day I was really wishing I invested in a waterproof case for my camera. The coral and the fish, Wow. It was fun chasing schools of a thousand fish and the colors of other fish were amazing. I could have spent the whole day in that one location. After a long walk I made my way to El Gran Cenotes. A cenote is an underground river cavern that has collapsed leaving a hole that you can get down into and access the network of rivers. El Gran is a must see if you are in the area. The water was crystal clear and schools of friendly freshwater fish chase you around as you swim about the caverns. The second Cenote I did was called the Temple of Doom. It was well worth seeing, but the snorkeling was nothing compared to El Gran. However this place was great for jumping in and having a good time.

Cozumel

Heading south again I made my way to Playa del Carman. It is said that this town is the fastest growing city in the Americas. For me it seemed like a mini Cancun so I quickly jumped on a boat for Cozumel to try to get some world famous snorkeling in. In Cozumel lodging was expensive so I opted to rent a scooter and head for the east coast of the Island to find a secluded camping spot. Well that is exactly what I found. I was expecting to find a couple camping grounds, but everything on the east coast of the Island was destroyed so I parked the scooter in the bushes and slept on the beach. It was an incredible evening going to sleep with the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and a full moon to glisten across the water. In the morning I woke to a beautiful sunrise that got my on my way for the day. I was able to find a couple good places to snorkel, but unfortunately a few others places that I wanted to snorkel at were closed due to storm damage (the parks were closed). The Coral and the fish were really interesting in the areas that I saw.