Month: January 2020

Pyramid Pit Stop

Posted on by Schalonda

With Mexico behind me i’d have to figure out how to navigate my way through Central America without the ADO bus. I decided the best place to make my future plans would be Antigua, Guatemala so I headed in that direction.

Approximately one hour and 45 minutes from the Belize/ Guatemala boarder is Tikal, the ruin of an ancient city and famous archaeological site in the Guatemalan rainforest. AKA, the perfect place to stop and visit when traveling the great distance from San Pedro, Belize to Antigua, Guatemala. I thought about spending a few days in San Ignacio, Belize since it’s close to the boarder and offers day trips to Tikal, but decided against it. At the time I felt I had already spent too much money in Belize and Guatemala would be much cheaper. Looking back, I wish I had made a different choice and feel that San Ignacio was a missed opportunity.

 

Flores, Guatemala

Tikal

Flores is a small town on Lake Petén Itzá that’s connected to the mainland suburb of Santa Elena by a short causeway. It’s a convenient spot for tourists wanting to visit Tikal National Park since it’s about an hour shuttle ride away. Revisiting my decision to stay away from hostels, I picked a place with a patio and an awesome view of the lake, perfect for sunset watching.

After visiting Tikal, my list of things to do in Flores was complete. I spent most of my time on the patio with my laptop. I managed to leave my patio perch once or twice to explore a bit. I walked around the island taking pictures, searched for sunglasses at the large market in Santa Elena and went for a boat ride across the lake to explore the town of Tayasal. My visit ended with a motorcycle ride to the bus station (glad my suitcase can convert to a backpack) where I boarded the night bus to Guatemala City, followed by a connecting shuttle to Antigua at 6am the next day.

 

Fun fact: I got ripped off Flores but not as bad as that time I paid a whopping 280 pesos for a 50 peso cab ride in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. I don’t remember what I paid for the bus ticket from Flores to Antigua however, I know the price was supposed to include a shuttle from the ticket office to the Flores bus station, a bus from Flores to Guatemala City and a shuttle from Guatemala City to Antigua. Except, there was no shuttle to the Flores bus station, the guy ended up taking me to the station on his motorcycle, and there was no shuttle to Antigua, I had to buy another ticket for the Antigua shuttle. I actually got lucky here, things could have been much worse if I wasn’t able to board the night bus. 

Moral of the story: sometimes being cheap costs more than you bargained for!

Another New Beginning

Posted on by Schalonda

Next Stop

After Mexico, I knew my next country would be Belize. Always planning ahead, I discovered I could catch a water taxi in Chetumal that would get me to San Pedro, Belize in 90 minutes for $50. So, after Bacalar I headed South to Chetumal.

Chetumal, Mexico

I was warned a few times that Chetumal was boring, there was nothing to do or see and I wouldn’t miss out if I skipped it altogether. Awesome! That sounded perfect, so I booked a two week stay. I needed a place to rest and relax for a while. 

I wanted to live like a normal person. Spend the day in my pajamas, read in bed, draw, cook, watch Netflix & HBO, stay put and regroup. I found out later this need to stop moving is referred to as travel fatigue and it’s common.

So…, I know I said I was done with hostels but I found this well- priced spot that looked perfect, with great amenities that had two bunk beds and resembled a hostel. I took a chance on it because, according to Airbnb, all 4 beds were available and I was betting I’d have the room to myself for a bit. I Scored! My gamble totally paid off. For all but 4 days I had a big ass air conditioned room & private bath all to myself. Just when I started mentally preparing to get back on the road, my host messaged to let me know I’d be getting a roommate and that’s how I met my first traveling companion.

San Pedro, Belize

Saying good-bye to Chetumal was tougher then you might think. Having a routine and rest was magical, but now I was headed back to a world of constant moving and decision making, not to mention my first boarder crossing. Not gonna lie, I was full of fear and anxiety, frequent companions when I move towards the unknown.

It so happened that I could not have picked a better destination then San Pedro to get back into the swing of things. The water taxi turned out to be an enjoyable ride. A much better option than the bus and, I suspect, a better view. It was a comfort to be back in an English speaking country, most especially upon entry. Boarder crossings are nerve wracking enough without language barriers added to the mix. A shout out to my travel buddy for offering up some calm & relaxed energy. I guess when you jump out of planes for fun a boarder crossing is no cause for alarm. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. 

Similar to Bacalar, San Pedro is quite the charmer. I spent time enjoying the views from the hotel terrace and ocean front cafes. Wandering the narrow streets and shore walk, even with the all seaweed, was the perfect way to ease back into life on the road. 

After my first day I thought about extending my stay or maybe heading to Caye Calker for a look around but I sobered up after day two. San Pedro has great charm but it’s not nearly as budget friendly as Mexico. I love the food, the people, speaking English, the accents, the water sports and I could even tolerate the October heat, what was harder to ignore was my money fears and I couldn’t shake the feeling or belief that my money would go a lot further somewhere else.

Since I would only be in Belize for a few more days, I did my best to put aside money concerns and enjoy myself. Kinda tough when my travel buddy suggested we tour the Great Blue Hole, from a plane. Yikes!! I can still feel my purse strings tighten shut and that’s without the slightest idea of what it might cost. In the end I ignored my fears and did it anyway. With just a little convincing from my buddy, who was really looking forward to it and actually did research to find a competitive price, I jumped on a plane for 20 minutes of photography bliss.

Cherish Each Moment

It so happened that my travel buddy came equipped with an extra GoPro and some generosity, giving me an excellent opportunity to take underwater snaps of my day snorkeling. It’s true, the right people really do show up when you need them the most. I read stories about travelers meeting and traveling together along the way, but I doubted that would happen for me because making friends is not really my specialty. Turns out I was wrong. I now know the awesomeness of traveling with a fellow wanderer and enjoying experiences I wouldn’t have had as a solo artist. This is where I begin to understand the true value hostels. #SanPedroBelize