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Speedy Gonzales: The fastest bus in Mexico Mexico is a huge land. We didn´t realise just how big it actually is until we checked our e-mails one morning in Acapulco. There we found out that my parents had arrived in Tulum the day before on a last minute weeks holiday. Brilliant, they had timed it perfectly and flown into the right country. We left immediately and began our race across Mexico.
Popocatepetl was whizzed past, Mexico negotiated in the dark and Palenque dashed around in a morning. Finally three days and 2173kms later the fastest bus in Mexico brought us to Tulum and to another world, a world of 5 star luxury.
Mum and Dad had bought us day passes into the resort, so we spent our days with them relaxing by the pool, catching up on stories and oue evenings eating, eating and eating! (after 3 months of noodles and kaiserschmarrn, this was a welcome change) We did manage to visit the Maya ruins at Tulum which were spectacular, set right on the cliffs overlooking the bright blue waters of the carribean. But unfortunately time flew by and all too soon we had to say our goodbyes.
Now sitting here in the misty rainforests of Belize, it all seems so far away. When we arrived in Belize we were surprised at how different it is to Mexico. The coastline may be the same but Belize has the feeling of a Carribean island. Creole english is the main language spoken and the streets are filled with cute little dreadlocked kids, giving it a very different feel to spanish speaking Mexico.
Our first stop in Belize was at a mechanics! The van obviously didn´t think too much of the race across Mexico and was showing it now by pouring out oil. Luckily it wasn´t anything too serious and soon we were able to drive on again towards jungle rivers just waiting to be explored.
On the Sittee river we took the boat and paddled off in search of adventure. After paddling the main river a while we took a small streamand there we really were in the jungle. The tree canopies met overhead and tunneled the river. The water was so still, reflecting perfectly the overhanging lianas and the gnarled tree roots winding into the soft bank. Large birds squaked overhead whilst small canary-like ones darted about in front of the boat. We had been told that there were crocodiles on the river but here on this very narrow side stream where the banks were barely three metres apart, I was quite happy to see only birds!
The next day we left the jungles of the coast and travelled 100kms
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