ADO has a night bus from Belize City to Cancun, Mexico, with stops along the way in Tulum and Playa Del Carmen. Unfortunately information on this bus service is limited and (sometimes) contradictory. Even the website that ADO publishes for information is a dead end. (www.adobelize.com)
We asked several tour operators on Caye Caulker and received different information from each on departure times, cost, and duration of the trip. The only thing they agreed on was that they couldn’t sell us tickets
Hopefully this post will help future travelers take advantage of this great trip option, while minimizing hassle and stress.
Avoiding the numerous chocolate milk colored lakes in the middle of a road made of sand, we make slow progress towards the other side of town. A few super sized Americans on golf carts spray tourists and distracted locals alike as they charge forward at full speed, oblivious to the unhappy faces and wet and dirty people left in their wake. The mosquitoes are already out in force. Daily rain has provided unlimited breeding grounds. None of this matters though, we are on our way to our 3rd lobster dinner in as many days.
Lobster season opened a few weeks ago, and we’ve been stuffing ourselves with lobster omelets, lobster burritos, and grilled lobster. Lobster, lobster, lobster. It was available in anything and everything, and for ridiculously low prices. It was cheaper than fish, cheaper than pork, and cheaper than chicken. This is probably what heaven is like (although I’m certain heaven has lobster ice cream as well) (more…)
The mist was thick in the pre-morning dark. We wove our way forward, sometimes avoiding hidden tree roots and large stones, and sometimes not. Our flashlight was dim and the moisture in the air scattered the little light it provided
The jungle was waking up around us. A mysterious bird called out nearby, and another responded in the distance. A symphony of crickets played at increasing volume the deeper into the foliage we went. The screech of a howler monkey cut through the air like fingernails on a blackboard. The air was still, but leaves rustled as if by a light breeze
Still in total darkness, we came upon a wooden stairway leading up. Upward we climbed, first on wood and then on stone. The effort both warmed our bodies and flushed away the cobwebs of sleep, more than any cup of coffee. And then we waited
The jungle grew increasingly louder, with birds chirping and insects buzzing. The howler monkeys may have been preparing for battle, their screams rising louder than all the rest. The darkness wasn’t nearly as dense, but the fog seemed to thicken as if to make up for it.
As the sky lightened, the clamor died down. The only sounds remaining were from our own breaths, and those of the people around us. And the groans of disappointment
We had climbed to the top of the tallest temple in Tikal to watch the sunrise, and all we could see was fog
From Lake Izabel to the old port town of Livingston, the wide Rio Dulce winds its way to the Caribbean Sea, making its way through lush jungle and soaring canyons; past old Spanish forts and giant marinas, old stilt houses and new extravagant mansions, Mayan locals fishing from their dugout canoes and international voyagers in their yachts. The blend of old and new in this beautiful natural setting adds to the charm
There are few roads here; the river is everything. For ages the Mayan people of the region lived off the river, and many still do today. The Spanish built forts here, using the Rio Dulce as a staging area for Atlantic shipping. Today the river is used as a base for Caribbean sailors
Outside of the small Mayan village of Lanquin, Guatemala are two natural geological formations that draw visitors from around the world, the Lanquin Caves and the pools of Semuc Champey
The Lanquin Caves are a 15+ km long network of caves through which flows an underground river. From the town of Lanquin, it is only 9 km to get to both the caves and pools. 9 km of single lane dirt and rock road. With 12 people smashed into the back of a pickup truck whose suspension has long been neglected, we bounced and jostled like cattle on our way to market as we went up and down countless hills. On occasion the truck would stop to slip into a lower gear, before climbing straight up the sheer walls of the next hillside
