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!

A Few Missed trips

I’ve visited some big cities with lots of stuff to photograph and write about but there have also been some short trips along the way that I haven’t mentioned yet. 

Chiapas Mexico

Leaving San Cristobal de las casas

I took the opportunity to use an organized day trip as both, my transportation to the city of Palenque and a way to visit Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and the Palenque Mayan ruins. The only downside to this adventure, leaving San Cristobal at 4am. 

This is a popular day trip from San Cristobal but for me, the early start and cramped bus would have made a tedious day had I made the round trip. 

Since I chose to spend a few days in Palenque, stopping to visit a few popular attractions was a great alternative to a 9 hour ADO bus ride. 

Misol ha

palenque 

ruins  

agua azul

The Yucatan

Appreciating Places Near Mérida

Before my Chichén Itzá day trip, I enjoyed a boat ride through a Mangrove Forest to swim in a cenote, a visit to Celestún to see flamingos and a stop  in Progreso for lunch and free time on the beach.

Not a bad trip if you’re with friends but I might get board if I did this one on my own. As it happened, I was glad to join a few other solo travelers for a full day of exploring.

mangrove

flamingos 

grasshopper 

progreso

 

A 5 Day Stay In Valladolid

Midway between Mérida and Cancun, Valladolid was 5 days of work, mosquito bites and leisurely exploration. I found plenty to see without a day trip, including an evening video mapping show projected on the former convent of San Bernardino of Siena and a cenote near the city center.

quintana roo

Waiting for a flight in cancun

I went to Cancun to use the international airport, not to explore. It’s a party destination for tourists, not a real hot spot for the solo traveler.

While waiting for my departure date, I noticed my hostel had a book with a dozen day trip options and I couldn’t resist picking one.

My choice, a trip to the tropical island of Cozumel for a day of snorkeling.

I never snorkeled before and thought a day spent learning how was an excellent way to have fun without sweating my life away in Cancuns unbearable heat. 

It’s probably no surprise that my  choice was on point. Crystal clear warm water, tropical fish, sea turtles, sting rays, star fish, a costal boat ride w/beer and snacks, lunch and free time included. 

Sorry, no snorkeling or underwater picts.