Author: odohertyelaine

We are back in Guatemala and have a long drive from the Honduras border at El Florido to Panajachel at Lake Atitlan. Thankfully our vehicle is very comfy, as with a brief lunch break and some crazy traffic, it ends up being a ten hour journey – lots of reading and blogging time! 😀

Our lunch stop is at an interesting restaurant in Tecpan called Katok. The area is known for its strong preservation of Mayan traditions, customs, and language. The restaurant serves grilled meats and local made sausages which we try and it’s really nice.

As we approach the town we get some beautiful views of the mountains which are mostly volcanoes that surround the lake. We arrive to Panajachel which is one of the towns around the beautiful lake where we will stay for the next 3 nights. Our hotel is called Dos Mundos and our room looks out to a nice garden and pool. It’s a great location on the main street really close to the lakefront. We’ve managed to arrive before it gets dark so we drop our bags and get straight to the lake for the first view as the sun is about to set. [sidebar: this is not my first time to see this beautiful part of the world, I was here in 2013 with some pals from Juniper and we took a trip to this very town which I have little recollection of but I do remember the stunning lake and volcanic mountains]

There’s a nice walk-way along the water so we walk as far as we can, enjoying the views of this volcanic caldera that is Lago de Atitlán.

Lunch was fairly late today so we have a light bite to eat at The Little Spoon, a cute cafe where you do need to navigate dogs on the floor though!!

On our first full day we meet our guide, Reginaldo (Regis for short), in our lobby and he takes us on a tour of some of the towns via local transport – that means on the chicken bus and in the back of a lorry!!! This is our chicken bus.

The chicken bus is mental. Apparently we are lucky enough to catch one of the “party buses” and although it’s before 9am this bus is rocking. There are flashing lights, dance music and every few minutes he honks the horn which is not just a “honk honk” it’s to the tune of the birdie song or baby shark or Barbie Girl or some other dance tune – it really is mad!

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The driver is also a bit crazy as he is not afraid of speeding up the hill and turning these corners at speed… On this wild journey up the mountain there are beautiful views of the lake and surrounding scenery. I spot a graveyard which is so colourful.

We arrive to the town of Sololá and learn how the Maya probably first settled here around 2000 BC when they formed small farming and fishing communities on the lake shores. There are now many small towns and villages, such as those we are visiting today and tomorrow, dotted around the lake. The Spanish, who clearly built the tower in the centre of this little town, arrived in 1523.

Regis tells us about the traditional clothing that the locals wear and how it changes from town to town. This is a great look as far as I’m concerned.

Sololá is one of the largest indigenous towns in Guatemala and the main draw, other than seeing the cool space cowboy outfits on the men, is the market. The market goes across four floors and has everything you could think of. The best part is watching the buyers and sellers from all over the region display their goods and some still bartering with their produce.

Regis takes us to a food stall so we can try some local foods. It’s not that long since breakfast but we have a small taste.

The ladies cooking the food are good fun and happy to pose for some photos.

From the market we go into the church and observe some very vocal worshippers! The Guatemalans pray out loud, sing and cry quite a bit when they’re in church. They also kneel on the floor and shuffle toward the alter while they pray. This is the first we see of this but we see it again and again in most of the churches we visit across Guatemala.

More outstanding local attire.

It’s time to head back down the hill so we take another chicken bus, this time it’s a fairly tame one without the “party” vibes. We get out at St Francis church back in Pana (most people shorten Panajachel to Pana) and get a bit of history (I can’t remember it all and I’m going to guess you’re ok with that!!).

Next we are heading to San Antonio Palopo via the back of a truck! It’s great fun getting in and out!! 🤣 Again there’s no fear from these drivers on the narrow winding roads and he tears along as the wind blows through our hair. Great fun!

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San Antonio Palopo has a small ornate church that opens out to an amazing view of the lake.

It’s a beautiful day and so nice to just ramble and take it all in.

It’s a cute village where the inhabitants live mainly from agriculture and weaving. There are people selling all sorts of wares along the small streets and there are some colourful murals.

As we are admiring the town and the views an old lady is really struggling to get down some steps so Shane steps in and helps her. She’s delighted with the help and takes the opportunity to try to sell him some of her goods on the way down!!

It really is stunning close to the water down here. A small bit of history on the geography of what we see: Volcanoes were erupting for millions of years in this area but the present outline is the result of a volcanic explosion around 85,000 years ago. This eruption blocked all access to the sea, and three rivers tumbled into the newly formed crater forming today’s high-altitude lake, which is 1,562 meters above sea level. Further volcanic activity resulted in the formation of the three “cones” that we see around the lake – Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro. They certainly do make it an extremely scenic place to visit.

We stop into a ceramic factory (of course) and I can’t help myself buying a hand painted napkin holder although I think I’m going to use it as a vase! Then it’s on to a chocolate shop where we ask for the shortened version of the tour and the young guy talks so fast we give him a clap at the end! We buy chocolate rum (surprisingly tasty) and a chocolate beer for you know who! The chocolate covered banana is delicious!

Our final stop on today’s tour is Santa Catarina Polopo. Since 2016, a community project has been progressively repainting the houses of the village, in different colours and mostly with the deep blue traditional motifs.

We call into a shop to see the local ladies weave and make the beautiful outfits, throws, cushions etc, that you see for sale all around. They do great work but we are shopped out and although I would love to load up I don’t have room to do any damage!

Shane gets a delicious coffee made from beans roasted here and the gorgeous young girl gives us a little demo!

The truck on the way back to Pana is packed – I mean jammers – this is how the real locals travel. We are crammed in sitting and standing! No safety worries here! 😱

We survive the truck journey and grab a piece of pollo frito (fried chicken) for lunch. Then it’s back to the hotel for a cup of tea in my Copán mug.

It’s not quite roasting enough for a swim but I walk through the pool and have a little late afternoon relax ahead of the evening.

The walk to the lake from the hotel passes through this little laneway full of stalls and all sorts of things I’d love to be able to buy!

A cocktail for sunset is on the cards…

For dinner tonight we go to another Mary’s. This gets 5 stars on Google and is also mentioned in the lonely planet. It’s quite a local experience… I’m going to leave it up to the photos to tell the story! The food in fairness was quite tasty!

The next day we meet Regis for our second day of exploring, this time by boat. The sea is very rough today as there is quite a wind blowing but we manage the 12/15 minute crossing to Santa Cruz la Laguna. From here we hike what’s called the Lower Mayan Trail through the village of Jaibalito to Tzununa.

It’s a beautiful 2 hour hike along the trail path looking out to the lake and surrounding volcanic mountains. The views are absolutely stunning the whole way.

I have a bit of a dodgy tummy since last night and there’s a lot of ups and downs with a really steep bit toward the end in blistering heat. So it’s a bit of a challenge at the end but the water helps and I think a walk like this is a must-do if you’re here.

It really is a stunning walk to do, I just wish my brain had engaged properly this morning and I’d worn the runners that I brought for this as opposed to my shiny new white On Clouds!! They are not going to be white after this!!!

When we finish the hike we take another boat to San Juan. This has a familiar look to it and I’m pretty sure I was here back in 2013 with the girls. It is such a lovely walk from the boat up the hill and there’s so many shopping opportunities.

There’s always a church to visit and this village is no exception.

We stop for some hydration, which I definitely need, and what better than coconut water, it’s really delicious.

We walk further and stop at a place to see some Mayan bees. I’ll be honest by now I feel like I need a lie down and I’m not overly interested in the info the young lad is telling us (I know I’m terrible!) but I do learn that Mayan bees do not sting and there are thousands of types. We see big ones and tiny ones and taste some honey that is all quite different. Interesting but we’re not purchasing anything so we move on. We pass some brightly painted and decorated streets and see more murals.

It’s time to head back to Pana and Regis has given us plastic ponchos in case we get wet (like we did this morning) but of course we’re prepared now so the water is calmer and they’re not needed!

Back at the casa I have a little rest before we head to one of the many bars on the lake for our final sunset which isn’t bad at all. I’m sticking to the Sprite for tonight!

Our final dinner is at Humaya restaurant. I’ve definitely perked up after the bit of a rest and the drugs from this morning seem to be kicking in so I’m going to risk some dinner. It’s a brave move and I order a chicken burger expecting something small and plain but a very fancy dinner arrives… I enjoy the bit I can eat and hope for the best!!

Next morning we leave lake Atitlan after 3 lovely nights and take a shuttle to Antigua via Chichicastenango or Chichi for short. We have a few hours here before continuing on to Antigua. The shuttle company are very organised and hold our luggage until we’re ready to board the next shuttle so it means we can explore Chichi without having to worry about our bags.

The market is big and fairly chaotic. It’s busy and there are also people walking around the edges trying to sell their wares. There’s a funny moment where we’re walking through the market and Shane turns to tell me something but three women have gotten in between us – he turns and realises it’s not me but I can still see him as I can see over all their heads… yes that’s right – I am tall in Guatemala!

There are two churches on each side of the market. They’re similar in the steps on approach but quite different inside.

We get some food at one of the stalls. I’m taking it very easy as the tummy has been bad again so just have a little rice with sauce and the lady throws in some chips on the side. Shane has a chicken soup/stew and of course it’s served with tortillas.

We walk all around the periphery of the market and then it’s time to get back to the shuttle to continue on our journey.

It takes just over two hours to reach Antigua as the driver flies along and takes no prisoners on the road!! Great for us as it’s still light so we can get out and explore. Our hotel is called Palacio Chico and it has a beautiful courtyard and semi outdoor seating area.

Antigua is famous for being a colonial town surrounded by three giant cones: Volcán de Agua, which destroyed the first Guatemalan capital; Volcán de Fuego, active and smoking plumes of gas; and slumbering Volcán Acatenango, the largest but least threatening of the trio.

It’s a really cool town and I’ve no doubt we are going to visit many churches and convents and ruins walk every cobbled street there is to walk! So it’s time to get started…

On the main square is the cathedral which was originally built in 1545 but of course was ravaged by earthquakes. It has a beautiful facade.

There are so many beautiful buildings to observe both by day and at night when they’re beautifully lit up. I have an amazing photo on my wall at home that I tool back in 2013 but I can’t figure out which building it is.. it could be this but it doesn’t feel right.

Shane has sussed out two breweries in Antigua so we check out the first one called ABC – Antigua Brewing Company. It’s very popular as it has a terrace with a great view. This evening however the top of the Volcán de Agua mountain is covered in cloud. We have a drink here (I’m unfortunately on the sprite) and then take a walk to a low key (very low key!!) “restaurant” for some dinner. I’m yet again keeping it very simple with some rice and fish (I’m afraid to eat what looks like a very nice salad that’s also on my plate!!).

After dinner I feel a renewed energy so we decide to check out the second brewery on the list. Th bar is called Deposito and the brewery is Cervazaria 14. This place is fantastic. They have live music and not only a great selection of beer (for himself obviously) but they have cider and what looks like a decent selection of wine. We have a great night here sitting at the bar and enjoying the music.

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We are definitely coming back here tomorrow when I’m hoping to be back on the booze!

Next day we have a full day by ourselves with no tours organised so we are free to wander and explore. So after a bit of a lie-in and the usual Guatemala. breakfast of eggs, beans, a piece of cheese, plantain served with bread and sometimes an extra piece of fruit, we are off. Across the street is Santa Clara so we start there.

The nuns of St Claire arrived to the city in 1669 and this convent and church was built in 1705. Many earthquakes over the years ruined the buildings which were rebuilt at various times. It is quiet and peaceful walking around the cloister and ruins and the small museum.

We continue wandering and explore more churches and beautiful facades of buildings that no doubt were glorious in their day… like this one.

Next we visit Iglesia de la Merced. Another Catholic Church and convent dating from the 1700’s.

This is where they’ve hidden the Antigua sign!

We walk though the busiest street in Antigua with the Arco de Santa Catalina. The iconic photo of Antigua is taken here through the arch with the backdrop of Volcán de Agua volcanic mountain. Unfortunately as you can see today it’s still covered in cloud and we cannot see the top! Maybe later or tomorrow… we will be on cloud watch all day so fingers crossed!

We walk to the market and while it looks small as we approach, it is huge and we actually get to a point where we struggle to find our way out! It has all the usual crafts, produce and food stalls. Behind the market is the bus station so we see lots of chicken busses.

We have an amazing lunch at a place Shane found called “La Cuevita de Los Urquizu” that serves the most delicious stews with a choice of two sides. We walked by earlier and the queue was really long so we’ve come back for a late lunch and there’s no queue at all. I go for the lamb and Shane has the traditional chicken. It is delicious.

Onwards to Museo de Colonial Art which used to be the university and is the most in tact building in Antigua. The building is on the 100 quetzal note so I try to recreate the image… not quite so good!!

We wander more streets and it’s just lovely everywhere you look.

Back at the square….

We go inside the cathedral which is surprisingly very plain. There are a lot of people praying on their knees.

We pay to go into the ruins of the original cathedral which are attached and these are my favourite to explore and photograph.

Stunning every which way you look, especially upwards as this huge cathedral had many domes.

We head toward our hotel and see the old laundry monument – a very popular spot to gather.

This is where the ladies of Antigua used to send their servants to do laundry. Today it’s a fountain and all the washbasins are empty. 

Tonight we’re going back to the bar we were at last night which is something we rarely do but it was so good and I want to try a cider plus there are a lot more beers Shane wants to try. There’s a different guy playing music and he’s very good. It’s always entertaining to hear English songs sung by people where English is not their first language. This guy also put quite a spin on some tunes. He was very enjoyable

Next morning we are up at the crack of dawn to climb Volcano Pacaya. We are picked up just after 6am and drive about an hour and a half to join a group and hike up. As we drove through the towns we drove through a really old fashioned town where the men are in traditional clothes and there are horses on the road and then we drive through a super modern, almost American town with a row of newly built houses and some industrial buildings and big supermarkets. As we get closer we get a great view of the volcano we will climb.

It’s really cold, even at the base of the mountain and we are in jackets for the first time on this trip. Pacaya is an active volcano and goes to 2,552 metres. The views around are stunning.

It’s really windy, dusty and it’s a very steep climb. We can only go so far as since the last volcanic activity you are no longer able to get to the very top. When we get to the highest point of the climb unfortunately our view is covered with cloud. A shame but a great climb nonetheless.

We do see lots of lava though and there are still hot sections where the guide toasts marshmallows for us and another group are cooking a pizza!

It’s a little calmer on the way down and the views really are worth it.

It’s another hour and half back to Antigua and I really need a cup of tea. Fair play to Shane he susses out where there’s a chance for me to get a “proper cup of tea” – it’s called Coffea. I order a black and tea and well this is a first – tea served in a carafe. It’s an excellent cuppa all round!

We are ready for lunch and go to the amazing El Comalote. The tortillas are made with indigenous corn and are quite unique from others we’ve had. The ladies make them at the front of the restaurant and they are different colours.

The decor is also fantastic. All the tables and chairs are painted bright colours. It’s a really cool place. The giant freshly made lemonade was delicious and the food – I had fish tacos – was also really good.

We do a bit of a pub crawl for the afternoon. The first bar, “Cafe No Se” is really dark and almost dungeon like!! It takes a while for us to focus and see around but the barman and owner (we assume) are really friendly and chat to us for ages. The owner introduces himself as Juan and tells us a bit about the bar and shares some stories about Semana Santa and watching the processions.

On the way to the next bar we pop into another convent and admire some ruins!

At the far end of town we find another little bar called the alchemist and have a margarita – it is served quite differently to any we’ve had to date. The tequila and ice are provided in a glass and when we pour in the mix provided in a small bottle, the colour of the drink changes to almost purple!

Next is Pappys BBQ for one – the margarita is delicious! It’s made with Patron so expensive but the bar is very American so we move along. The sun is just going down and the chicken busses look great with all their lights on!!

For our last dinner in Guatemala we go to La Casa de Las Sopas. Another find of Shane’s that serves ceramic bowls of soup. I order Hilacha and Shane has the foot (yes I said foot!) soup. I take advantage of there being wine on the menu and have a very nice glass.

The food is great here but service is shocking and there’s generally a queue to get in. it was worth the wait though.

On our last morning we have a 7am pick up but decide to be ready a little early so on the off chance there’s no cloud on the volcano we can get some nice photos. When I pop outside to have a look, our last driver Cecil is there so I’m exited to see him and then when I look around I’m even more excited to see there’s no cloud on the volcano.

We quickly grab the camera, after an excited hug to Cecil and head to the arch to get the money shot! A bit of low cloud has moved in by the time we get down here but we can see the top – result!

And of course we take a few more …. Credit on this one to Shane, he even managed to get a chicken bus in so I think it’s apt to leave on that note as we depart for El Salvador and say goodbye to Antigua and Guatemala. It has been amazing.

We arrive to Río Dulce by car from Tikal which is about a 4 hour drive. The mileage is not that high but the roads aren’t great, although in fairness they’re better than what we had to endure the last couple of days. We pass through a number of towns including the town of Dolores. and see some nice scenery.

Río Dulce is not the prettiest of towns, the draw are the river front properties that we are heading for. We get out of the car to wait for a boat to take us to our hotel and we have a little look around.

Our hotel is no more than a five minute boat trip down the river and is called Hotel Tortugal.

We’re not hungry enough for lunch so we get a tea and coffee and a piece of coconut cake at the very cool open bar/restaurant area.

We are staying in “playa 3” which is a small bungalow with a patio and a hammock looking out onto the water.

There are wooden walkways connecting the river front to the back of the property so we take a walk around.

Later in the evening, after a G&T sundowner on our deck, we have a really good dinner in the restaurant, a whole mojarra river fish. It’s delicious and that garlic bread is fab!

Next morning we are taking a private boat trip to Livingston. Our captain doesn’t have any English so this is going to be fun!!

We sail in front of Fort San Felipe which was built in the 17th century in an attempt to stop the continuous pirate attacks. It looks so nice in the sunshine and it’s lovely and relaxing in the boat.

Further along we sail through a canyon and as we slow down and hug the wall there is fresh water running into the river.

We stop at some hot springs and are able to have a dip. The water feels close to boiling coming from the hole in the cave but as it mixes with the river water coming in, it’s very comfortable.

There are many little turn offs on the lake and we enter an area like a little cul de sac with some beautiful properties on the water and some gorgeous water lilies.

We circle “bird island” and see so many birds such as cormorants, gulls and pelicans all happily hanging out together. Back on the shore side there are many decks for the birds to perch on.

It’s quite a distance to Livingston, which can only be reached by boat and which apparently is one of the most interesting villages in Guatemala. Its atmosphere appears much more in tune with Jamaica or the Honduran Bay Islands than the Central American mainland.

The history of this small river town comes from its population of the ethnic group called Garifuna who are descendants of black slaves.

We go to a Garifuna restaurant to try their famous dish – tapado. It is a coconut soup made with plantain, green bananas, fish, shrimp and crab. It’s really tasty. We also try fritters made with green banana which are also very good and served with delicious fresh prawns.

We walk around the town for a couple of hours and soak up the atmosphere. Again there are very few tourists and nobody hassles us. There’s plenty of reggae vibes and it feels like a very chill place, poor and dilapidated but with happy people going about their day.

Back on the boat it will be about an hour and a half to get back to the hotel. Our captain cuts into a couple of fresh coconuts so we have delicious coconut water for the journey home.

I’m really enjoying this boat ride.

Back at the hotel we chill out on the patio and after a quick call home from the hammock (gotta check on the folks) we have dinner again in the open air restaurant. It’s fairly busy this evening, plenty of people coming in, some from boats they’ve moored and others from other hotels.

Next day we have brekkie at the hotel and say goodbye to Angela, who seems to run this place (she’s a South African with a yacht moored nearby!) and get the boat back to the harbour. There we meet our new driver, Cecil and I think he’s my favourite so far. He is really smiley and he has a little English so between his English and Shane’s Spanish we are able to communicate very well.

We drive over the big concrete bridge and it’s about an hour and a half to the ruins of Quiriguá. These ruins are famous for their stone carvings, and stone stelae. The site is just off the main road and there is a massive banana plantation on either side that goes on for miles. Cecil tells us that these are bananas for export.

We explore the site ourselves and see the site’s largest stela which is 8 meters (25ft) tall and depicts Cauac Sky who was the Mayan leader of Quirigia and is depicted here crowned with an elaborate headdress.

There are 10 other stelae in the plaza, a small acropolis to the south, and a ball court. The carvings are fantastic and we see images of frogs, turtles, jaguars, and snakes, and a Buddha-like figure on Zoomorph P (a zoomorph is a word used to describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals).

As we walk through the park we see a row of ants carrying leaves. I’ve never seen this before and it is mesmerising to watch.

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More ancient beautifully carved stellae.

After a couple of hours back on the road, we stop at a little town called El Rosario and the driver pulls into what looks like a truck stop but then he brings us into what looks like a hotel reception and out the back is a very modern resort called Valle Dorado. The lemonades were giant and the food was really good.

We are now crossing the border into Honduras but we’ll be back to Guatemala in a couple of days. See you in the next instalment!

We cross the border from Belize into Guatemala by car as one guide drops us off and another picks us up. I do love a land border crossing, it’s much more exciting than arriving to a new county by air. This is Shane’s first time in Guatemala so this is country number 97 for him [I’ve got some catching up to do]. There’s a reasonable size queue at border control, something that you would expect to move in about ten minites but honestly I think the two officers are in a competition to see who can go the slowest…. Deep breaths! Eventually we get through Belize departure and then it’s a quick efficient stamp of our passport on the Guatemalan side.

It’s an hour and a half to Flores where we are staying tonight at Hotel Isla De Flores.

Isla de Flores is a small island sitting on Lake Petén Itzá (the 3rd biggest lake in Guatemala) and is connected by a causeway to St Elena.

We arrive quite late so we head out for dinner and eat at EL PEREGRINO just a few buildings down from our hotel. A “welcome to Guatemala” margarita, followed by steak and chips – Guatemalan style i.e. with habeneros and tortillas and washed down with a surprisingly good (cattleman’s pour) glass of red wine.

There’s a festival on tonight. We find out later that it’s the feast of black Jesus and they must be expecting it to get noisy as when we check into our hotel they ask us to sign a printed note declaring we know there’s going to be noise until 1am!! While we eat dinner we can hear lots of fireworks going off so we step outside to check them out.

After dinner we walk around and in the main square outside the church there is a stage set up with a band playing and lots of street food and beers!

When we’re out and about next day we come across this poster which shows the band we saw.

We retire to our hotel rooftop bar as we can still hear the music up here (yes it’s going to be loud!) and after a little confusion thinking the waiter says we can only have drinks “sin alcohol” (that’s without alcohol), we re-clarify and I get a delicious tamarind margarita while Shane tries a local beer.

Next morning we head out for a walk around the streets. It’s a cute colourful town but most of the homes are dilapidated and in need of repair.

The most remarkable thing is the flooding that has happened from the lake. In the photo below the path stops and the water begins where there used to be a garden and a full path around the edge of the island. Apparently there’s a 50 year cycle of the water rising and then receding so in 25 years they may be able to use this path again!

Back at our hotel, breakfast is really good and I even manage to get a decent cup of tea as I have a sneaky Lyon’s teabag in my bag and Shane asks for the water to be “mucho caliente” or something like that …. The result is hot enough water for a proper brew!!

We have some free time until our pick-up at 12:30 so we walk off of the island to the mainland and the town of St Elena so we can have a view back. The people who live here clearly love fast food as there’s a Burger King, McDonalds, Taco Bell and a local type KFC within short distance of each other. I have noticed the Guatemalans love their fried chicken – even in the small villages there is always some sort of Pollo fried chicken option!!!

As we walk back over the bridge and re-enter Isla De Flores I see an egret (I think that’s what it is) walk casually along a board at the edge of the lake.

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We head back to the church but it is closed off, awaiting some sort of parade that this guy has just been carted in for (in fact we saw him on the back of a truck getting driven up the hill)!

It’s 12:30 so time to meet our driver (Jose with no English!) and travel to Yaxha which will be our first Mayan ruins in Guatemala. The city of Yaxha sits on Lake Yaxha, approx 2.5 hours drive away. On the way we pick up a new guide – Luis. He has excellent English and will be with us for the next couple of days.

We stop on the way for lunch and Luis has told us about a local dish made with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) that we should try. We stop at a restaurant run by a women’s co-op and have the dish which is called Pepian. We have it with chicken and it is really delicious. Everything is served with black beans and tortillas – of course!

The road to Yaxha was flooded a while back and it is in bad shape. In addition to the obscene amount of traffic ramps (they are so high cars need to come to a complete stop to navigate over them) there are potholes all over the road! We eventually get to the entrance to Yaxha and we must take a boat to the complex of ruins.

This place is magical, we have it mostly to ourselves, with no other tourists around. We are only off the boat, walking among the trees when we hear howler monkeys. I’ve never witnessed this before and it is crazy! Check out this video I took – you won’t see them but you’ll definitely hear them!

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The ruins here are being restored and they have done a really nice job in clearing vegetation so you can walk easily among them and get a sense of where and how the Mayans lived. Luis provides us lots of context and info pointing out where people would have lived and where they would have watched sports etc.

We climb a fair amount of steps to get to the top but there are a lot more steps to climb throughout the visit here. The view from up here is fantastic and in fairness to Luis he takes a great snap showing the top most section of the pyramid.

We climb “Structure 216” which tops 30 meters (98ft) and is Yaxhá’s most impressive construction”. To be honest I can’t remember if this one is 216 or if we’re looking at 216, it’s hard to keep track!! All I’ll say is anything we are allowed to climb we do!

The last pyramid we climb today is our spot to watch a really pretty sunset. We also see some monkeys in the trees and have some great views of the other pyramids in the complex.

It’s time to continue on our journey and as we approach the water, so we can take the boat back to exit the park, we hear a loud splash and Shane (who’s first down) sees a crocodile slip into the water. We see him swim away just as our boat arrives in!! The sky is a magnificent colour as we enjoy the short boat ride back.

I’m very excited that tonight we get to stay within the Tikal National park at the Tikal Jungle Lodge. It’s about an hour and a half drive but the roads are just as brutal (for most of the way) as earlier. The lodge is gorgeous.

On the way there are many signs to be alert to wild animals crossing. It’s almost like a joke as each sign has a different animal picture… deer, turkey, coatimundis, and jaguar!! Apparently only last week one of the guides came across a jaguar crossing the road, he looked at the van and then off we went.. alas we don’t get to see anything other than a large rodent which I actually don’t see at all!!

Next morning or as I would call it, the middle of the night (4:30am) we meet Luis so we can see the sun rise over what is known as the Jewel of the Mayan world. We walk for about an hour in the dark stopping for some info along the way and then at 5:30am, an hour ahead of the official sunrise time we ascend a lot of steps to sit on and there are already some people waiting.

It’s an interesting experience sitting among the jungle treetops and looking out at the Mayan temples below.

The sunrise itself does not lead to the most spectacular colours as there’s a fair bit of cloud but the mist and atmosphere and sound of those crazy howler monkeys makes it an amazing experience.

We are first to leave (there’s a decent number of tourists gathered but not a massive crowd) and climb down the steps to meet Luis and continue the tour, now thankfully by sunlight.

We explore more temples and do some climbing to get a great view of the pyramid we were just sitting on. The early morning sun lights it up beautifully.

Luis seems to be an aficionado when it comes to the flora and fauna of the jungle. He points out this bird called the Trogan and we also see Toucans and other birds I really don’t remember – it was hard to take it all in and then to remember it!!!

There are so many amazing buildings in the complex and I know we’ve seen the tallest and the oldest and the most ornate… but again it’s hard to keep track as to which is which.

This main square surrounded my temples is stunning and it’s hard to capture what we see as we look around. This panoramic shot hopefully conveys a bit more of what we see. It’s hard to walk away from.

As we exit the complex we see the national tree of Guatemala, the ceiba tree also known as a Kapok.

What an amazing morning it’s been. By 8:30am we’ve done a tour of Tikal, hit 10,000 steps and are ready for breakfast!

It’s time to move on now and we have a four hour journey to Río Dulce – read about that in the next instalment! Goodbye Tikal, you were everything I’d hoped for!

From Chetumal in Mexico we are taking the Belize Express (which is a fairly small ferry) to the island of Caye Caulker. After approximately two hours on the water we arrive at San Pedro island to go through customs and immigration.

It’s a straightforward process where we walk in one door, get our passport stamped and walk out the other to get back on the boat!! The customs officer looks at our passports and says “Elaine and Shane”, “Shane and Elaine” and smiles at us as if he’s just come up with this rhyme!!! He’s so friendly and asks Shane where he’s from in Australia but doesn’t seem to have any interest in Ireland!! He does give us a very warm welcome to Belize.

We have a few minutes before getting back on the boat so we walk to the other side of the immigration building and take a quick peek around San Pedro.

It’s a very nice island from what we can see and we see a lovely sunset but I’m pretty confident the island we are heading to will be even nicer!

Belize, formerly British Honduras, became a country in its own right in 1973, formally gaining independence from its British overlords as recent as 1981. The official language is English although most people speak Creole. The population is just 400,000 in the whole country and on Caye Caulker the population is merely 1,500 plus a decent number of tourists of course!

On Caye Caulker, there are no cars, no fumes and no hassles, just balmy breezes, fresh seafood, azure waters and a fantastic barrier reef at its doorstep. That’s a quote in case you didn’t realise but it’s very accurate. There is a strong Creole presence on the island which results in a very easygoing attitude and the mantra of the island is “Go Slow” which we will come to “appreciate” over our 4 days here.

It’s already dark when we get off the boat but the island is so small we reckon it’ll be a short walk to find our accommodation. We have a landmark to go by, and people are very friendly, so when we mention we are looking for Turtleback hideaway and get a blank reaction, Shane mentions that the street we’re looking for has a brewery pub on it, we are sorted! Once we get settled in to our very cute home we head out to find a Friday night beverage. A rum punch at Benders bar hits the spot!

We walk through the Main Street (if you can really call it that) which is covered in sand and choose a brightly blue coloured restaurant for dinner. Shane has lobster and I have some fish in a very tasty sauce.

Next morning we are excited to get up and out to explore the island. The streets or roads look like this…

We’ve heard about the very popular “House of Fry-Jacks” for delicious golden fry-jacks (deep-fried dough) filled with any combination of beans, cheese, egg, bacon or chicken. We walk past and there is quite a queue, I reckon we’ve got to try these. I go for bacon and eggs and Shane chooses egg and beans. They are really popular and I can see why – delish!

We have a few bits of business to attend to… find the nearest laundry, Shane needs a haircut – that kind of stuff is essential when you’re travelling for a month!! So once our work is done we continue around this tiny island and see all it has to offer. Back at the water (on the east side) we see some fishermen gutting and cleaning fish – they tell us they are red snapper and as they clean them they throw bits to the pelicans who are just waiting for a feed.

The main reason people come to this island is for the water sports so after our morning exploration we head down to the Split and check out the beautiful azure waters. The water is such a nice temperature.

Now let me tell you a bit about the Split.

The Split is a stretch of water that divides the island in two. The split was created by Hurricane Hattie, a 1961 cyclone that hit Belize with tremendous ferocity. This storm brought 165-mph winds that ripped through Belize’s coastline. After it passed, the caye had a wide channel of water running through it and it became known as The Split. We are staying on the south side where most of the action is.

It’s time for lunch and as Caye Caulker is known for its fresh Caribbean fish, we go for a water-side grill and order lobster and snapper.

After lunch we need a little respite from the hot sun so we have a little rest in our air conditioned casa. Later we go back to the split, this time with our snorkel gear, although that’s really just for me to practice ahead of tomorrow.

A quick change as we want to see the sunset so we take a short walk to Iguana Reef (on the west side) where we get to see some giant stingrays.

They were swimming around me and at one point 3 of them were rubbing off me… they are huge!!! Shane and I both feed them – you put a little fish underneath and they take it from you!

After the sun goes down I walk along the dock and see the giant Tarpon fish.

Tonight we go to CHICKS BACKYARD for dinner. They definitely work with the island vibe in mind i.e. “Go Slow” as we are waiting a full hour for our food.

I have a shrimp curry which is tasty but cold but Shane’s jerk chicken is straight off the grill and roasting! We do enjoy the rum punch and a few beers though!

We check out the craft beer bar that just happens to be at the end of our street and listen to some live music to round off the night.

Next morning we go to Caveman Tours for our day adventure on the reef. The reef is the second largest in the world (the largest being Australia’s Great Barrier Reef) and is UNESCO protected. The owner of the tour company – Mr Caveman 😀 is quite a character and he chats to everyone guessing where they’re from. He says a prayer to the “big man upstairs” for a safe journey for us all today in this amazing place.

We are a group of 11 – Shane and I, plus a group of nine archeological students from the USA. Everyone is excited to get out on the water. We start by sailing through the Split and west toward Iguana reef to feed the Tarpon. These are the huge fish I saw last night. We each get a turn to hold a small fish over the edge and the tarpon jump and grab it. The fish gave me such a strong whack on my hand, I had a little red mark for ages! It was really cool though!

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We swim at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and see turtles and so many different types of colourful fish.

I’m always nervous getting into the water but with the life jacket it’s easy peasy and I love it!! It helps that there’s very little current and the water is nice and calm.

The coral is beautiful and we see a tiny fish called a remora, which to me looks a bit like a seahorse but it’s really tiny and hard to photograph. We see barracuda’s which are huge and I do manage to snap one of those.

Shark Ray Alley in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve attracts nurse sharks and stingrays. Nurse sharks are considered harmless—most of the time! As we arrive to a certain spot the boat is surrounded by sharks before we get into the water

Underwater they look like this…

And I swear this one was looking straight at me. I held my breath and stayed brave!!

We had hoped to see some manatees but unfortunately none were around today but over all it was an amazing day with a lot of time in the water.

I’m so happy with the amazing day we’ve had, it’s definitely been the best snorkeling experience I’ve ever had (and I’ve snorkelled in some very nice places including the Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii). We decide to stop for a cocktail at a beachside bar and see they have conch fritters on the menu so we try these. I’ve never had conch before and honestly it’s somewhat masked in the fritter but I can report these were really tasty. [Conch is a sea snail that is found in those huge shells that you hold up to your ear to hear the ocean. They sell the shells all over the island]

Tonight we go to a restaurant called Meldys. Now I’m not really sure this qualifies as a restaurant as we know it, more of a case of food being served from someone’s house on their porch!!

In fairness the food is very good – I have a lobster curry which is a massive portion with a lot of veg and Shane has a whole snapper. There’s no booze here so we happily have homemade lime juice which is really good. [note to self lobster is best served grilled and not hidden in a curry!]

The next day is our last full day on the island so we grab some bikes and take the ferry to the north side.

It’s about a 15 minute cycle to the end of the island along dirt track roads and some spots are quite mucky!

The whole island feels like it’s under construction but it’s fun to cycle albeit roasting hot!!!

We get to the end of the island and to Bliss beach which is aptly named. We park up the bikes, find a comfy bed in the shade and then it’s straight into the water.

We relax for a bit and have a delicious lime daiquiri. There’s no admission or cost to use the beds so the price of a drink is all you have to pay for this bit of luxury. It really is a blissful place.

The cycle back is just as fun and I’m feeling confident on this push bike (no gears and no chain just a belt) to take some action photos and even a bit of video!!

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We have built up quite the sweat so we need a quick cool down before having some lunch at Chef Juan’s which is the neighbour of our accommodation. It’s Shane’s turn to try a curry – he opts for the shrimp and I order a grilled fish sandwich which is delicious.

I’ve wanted to have a massage since I came away but I haven’t managed to make it happen, but today’s the day. There’s a cute tiny salon called La Chel and the really friendly lady says she can fit me in at 5pm which is about 40 minutes from now so I decide to walk over to Iguana reef for another encounter with the stingrays.

After my fabulous massage I head back to Shane at our Casa and we have a nice handy evening with a few drinks on the porch. I squeeze in a video call with my “Americans” (Megan, Molly & Lynny) as I’m meeting them in a few weeks and we get takeaway fish and chips from Chef Juan delivered to us as he’s just a few feet away!! Apparently Chef Juan is famous for his key lime pie so we have a taste of that too – very nice. We have a lovely chat with our host Claudia who has been fantastic and if anyone comes to Caye Caulker in the future I would totally recommend this Airbnb.

Next morning it’s time to pack and get the ferry to Belize city. We have a quick brekkie at Ice and Beans, which is a very popular place on the island. It must have really good coffee as the food was very ordinary. Oh and a quick meal is impossible on the island – everything moves at such a slow pace you really do need to factor that in if you’re in anyway on a schedule!! Goodbye Caye Caulker!

We make it in plenty of time for our 10:30am ferry and after less than an hour we are in Belize city and meet our guide Sergio who will drive us to Xunantunich to see some Mayan ruins. We get a drive-by glimpse of Belize city including the city’s cemetery, which the main road passes through, as we drive southwest toward the ruins and the Guatemalan border. We stop for lunch at a place called “Amigos Where Friends Meet” and have a really nice lunch – Quesadilla for me and stewed chicken for Shane.

We drive through some really nice countryside and Sergio gives us lots of info on the local agriculture, points out schools etc. We drive through San Ignacio and then come to a small water crossing which we need to ferry over to get to the ruins. We get out of the car and walk on and the car follows.

The ancient Mayan city of Xunantunich was abandoned in the 10th century following an earthquake. There are 26 temples around the site, dominated by El Castillo pyramid which you are still allowed to climb.

We’re able to climb on pretty much all of the structures here… cool for us, even factoring in the safety risk!!

It’s really hot but we continue to climb!

Another little jaunt on the hand cranked cable ferry and then it’s only ten minutes to the Guatemalan border at a place called Melchor. Sergio leaves us on a queue which surprise surprise moves at a snails pace and this is to leave the country!!! We have to pay an exit tax of $20 USD – it was free to get in but you must pay to leave!! Eventually we get through and meet our Guatemalan driver Giovani. He walks with us the across the few metres between borders and we enter Guatemala – fast and efficient, passport stamped – we’re in!

So that’s the end of our Belize visit, it has been fabulous and I would definitely recommend it, just expect everything to go a little slow!

We set off from Mérida on a two hour ADO bus ride to Campeche. It’s a direct bus and I’m happy for a little rest as my tummy is a bit fragile today after some over indulging since arriving in Mexico!!

A quick geography lesson as to where we are, in particular relative to the water around us. As you can see from the map below, the east side of the Yucatan, from Cancun down sits on the Caribbean Sea and the west side sits on the Gulf of Mexico (potentially soon to be renamed by a certain incoming US president … oh I don’t think so!!!). So when we were in Playa Del Carmen we enjoyed swimming in the Caribbean Sea but now we are in Campeche, we will be on the Gulf of Mexico.

The bus leaves us a few kilometres out of town but as we only have backpacks we are happy to walk into the centre.

Campeche is one of the 32 states that make up Mexico. Campeche city is known for its preserved baroque colonial buildings, military architecture and walled historic district. In response to pirate attacks, the city was fortified in the 17th century and much of the walls remain in tact. It was declared a world heritage site in 1997. The historic old town, where we are staying tonight, lies behind these walls.

There were just two gates into the original old city – one facing the land and one facing the sea. We enter from the land side although not through the original gate and walk through the amazing streets to the sea.

You could spend hours (and we did) wandering through the streets admiring the small homes and businesses, realising some buildings are just facades with nothing behind but ruins or overgrown trees. It’s a fascinating little town.

We sit for a bit looking out to the water and then cross the main road back to the old town and admire a very cool mural.

It’s around 2pm so we walk toward our hotel, which is beside the Governors palace, an interesting building built in the 60’s but with a Mayan take on it and it also has some interesting murals. Our hotel is called Castelmar and we are really impressed. It’s a gorgeous building. We drop our bags, get settled in our room which looks out onto a small pool and has a tiny bed compared to our giant king+ we’ve become used to!!!

We have no time to waste as we only have today and tomorrow here so we start exploring. It’s going to be a high step count today (23,000!). We walk to Campeche cathedral built between 1540 and 1760.

There’s a black Jesus here, he looks like he’s ready to be placed on a float for a Semana Santa (Holy Week) procession. I am always fascinated by the statues… check out this one of Our Lady of Lourdes (that’s fairly standard and they haven’t put a wig on her thankfully!) but what’s the story with the doll at her feet!!!!

We walk to the bastion of San Pedro which was built at the end of the 17th century as part of the defence of the city. It held gunpowder and ammunitions and saw many battles over the years. At one point it housed the Court of the Holy Office of the Inquisition,

There are a number of statues dotted around, this one being a bit like our Molly Malone (without the bosoms)!

Next we pay a small fee to walk the walls of the city.

There is a great view of all the small streets and buildings from up here.

The man who unlocked the gate to let us in told us to ring the bell when we are finished and want to get out!! We really like it here, there are barely any tourists!!

We decide it’s time for some refreshments so we stop into an old cantina for a lemonade and a load of snacks are set out in front of us!!

I really do like the streets in this town…. they’re so colourful and picturesque. This street is pedestrianised for eating… it’s very quiet!

Molly Malones cousin!!

After a short rest at the pool we walk along the waterfront to a restaurant that Shelagh and Fernando recommended called La Palapa Tio Fito which apparently has amazing stone crab. We see the end of a pretty sunset as we walk the 2.5km stretch.

We order the crab claws which are served with garlic butter and they are really tasty. I think we are one of the last customers as the restaurant closes early and the waiter brings us a second portion for free. Shane has a shrimp soup which must have a dozen and a half prawns in it so by the time his octopus main arrives he’s struggling! I have some very tasty fish tacos!

Today is January 6th which is the Feast of the Three Kings so there’s a party atmosphere around town. We watch a cool water fountain show where a lot of locals have gathered.

Further along the waterfront, past the large El Ángel Maya statue, we see the Campeche sign. You really can’t go anywhere these days without a place name sign – the Mexican ones are particularly colourful.

Next morning we are up early and we walk to Museo Arqueológico de Campeche which is 4km from our hotel. On the way we stop to check out the local cemetery.

The museum is housed in the Reducto de San Miguel, a fortress built in 1801 with a small drawbridge.

The inside has a really pretty courtyard and the museum artifacts are housed across nine rooms off this courtyard.

There are some very interesting statues dating back to the 11th century so 1,000 years old! A lot of the statues we see were funerary offerings. The depicted face could be a faithful portrait of the deceased or have attributes of certain deities. They were manufactured with carved mosaics and joined on wood or stucco molds, using materials of symbolic and prestigious value, such as jade, shell or obsidian, to highlight the investiture of the wearer. Most of what we see were found in tombs at Calakmul. Unfortunately we don’t have time to visit the Mayan ruins at Calakmul.

On top of the fortress….

As we leave we see an iguana on the move.

We walk back along the seafront and see lots of pelicans diving for food. It’s really cool to see how they soar and then dive for the kill!

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We stop at Parque San Roman which has another beautiful old church…

…. and see another black Jesus.

Back in the city, we go back to the cantina we visited yesterday and have some lunch. Again they bring us all the free stuff with our lemonade and then our actual lunch. This might be the most colourful meal I’ve had so far in Mexico!

In order to get to Bacalar we have to travel back to Mérida so we get a final night with our friends which is a real bonus. We leave Campeche on the 7pm ADO bus and Shelagh and Fernando pick us up from the bus station. Even though it’s nearly 10pm when we get to their house they treat us to a home cooked meal and we have a chance to chat over a farewell drink. We even get to meet the dog Dallas! If you’re reading this, thank you both for being the most amazing hosts!

Next morning we are loaded up with chilli sauce to take home, some drugs in case of a dodgy belly and sandwiches for the bus journey. We have had such a lovely time here. Hasta Luego!

The bus journey takes five hours so we’ve booked the premium bus. The seats are more or less the same as the regular ADO bus but the key difference is the noise level. On the regular bus there is always a movie showing and the sound is so loud. On this premium service, everyone is given earplugs so it’s so much quieter – it is worth every penny as I was losing my mind on the first bus we were on!! The thing about travelling by bus here is that no matter what hour of the day it is, people just get on and go straight to sleep! In that sense I feel very at home here!!

We arrive to Bacalar and get a taxi to our “resort” which is called Bacalar My Love. This is our home for the next couple of days…..

……And where we had the tiniest bed in Campeche after the luxury of the giant beds in Playa Del Carmen and Mérida, we are back to the giants…. Fabulous!

Lake Bacalar or Bacalar lagoon is a huge fresh water lake approximately 60km long measured from north to south, and 2km at its widest. It is is renowned for its striking blue colour and clear water.

Our accommodation have bikes available for free and it’s about a 25 minute cycle into town. We grab a couple of bikes and cycle into town and stop at Museo del Fuerte de San Felipe de Bacalar

There’s a small museum inside the fort that gives some history of the area, a lot of which is about pirates. I read about Anne Bonny, an Irish pirate who moved to South Carolina with her family when she was young. Later she married a sailor and moved to New Providence where they met the pirate Jack Rackham, who apparently wooed her and although the arrangement remains unclear, when Rackham set sail in his sloop, both Anne and her husband accompanied him and over the following 15 months Anne participated in attacking various ships. Captured by government forces, her final destiny is unknown. 😱

We climb to the top of the fort for a good look around and also get our first proper view of the beautiful water.

It is known as the lake of 7 colours and while we might not be able to see 7 these days there are many beautiful shades of blue.

Before cycling back we find a bank so we can top up on some pesos and check out some restaurants for later. Of course we also check out the Bacalar sign!

Back at the beautiful “Bacalar My Love”, we have a little sundowner on the porch with a few chicharrones looking out to the lake.

We walk into town which is a fair old distance and takes us about 45 minutes and eat at a place called Op69 which oddly enough was named to honour Chopin’s opus 69, seems bizarre all the way out here but that’s what they say! We have a couple of very nice margaritas and an odd assortment of food including shrimp ceviche, melted cheese with some meat and a massive half head of cauliflower!!!

Next morning we are up for sunrise and it is beautiful down on our dock….

We grab the bikes and cycle to a restaurant we saw online which is reputed to serve the best breakfast on the island. I have the chiliquilles and they are really good.

At 11am we are going on a tour of the lake and the meeting point is the dock right next to our hotel – very handy. The tour includes a visit to two popular swimming destinations, a cruise to the Island of the Birds, a visit to Pirate’s Channel, a scenic and legendary waterway that once served as a pirate route and a view of the Cenote de la Bruja.

It is really stunning out on the water and the change in colours as we move around is remarkable.

It’s quite shallow in the swimming area which suits me just fine and we really enjoy bobbing around to cool down. There may have even been a sneaky beer involved!!

When we return back to the dock we climb a tower that gives us more amazing views of the water – it really is stunning here and again there are very few tourists.

It’s time for some lunch as we’ve rustled up an appetite being on the water, so it’s back on the bikes to find something, ideally not too far away. We find a really nice outdoor restaurant called Chiltepín Marisquillis. We have a beautiful shaded outdoor seat and order a couple of tacos each… we don’t account for the chips and dips (garlic mayo, chipotle, tamarind, and habanero btw!) and the fact that tacos here are quite big… not tiny like we were expecting. Really delicious though!

We enjoy relaxing for what’s left of the afternoon between our very comfortable air conditioned cabin and our dock and we watch a very nice sunset.

We tidy ourselves up and head out for a walk, this time not as far as town, we stop at a hotel restaurant called Los Aluxes and order a light dinner of guess what… tacos!! Well tomorrow we head for Belize and I don’t know when I’ll get my next Mexican taco!!!

Next morning we check out the sunrise again and it lights our little dock up lovely.

It’s time to get on the bikes again (I’m loving this!) and cycle to a small roadside restaurant for a final Mexican breakfast.

What a cute location for our final Bacalar meal – fresh delicious food served in idyllic surroundings.

Back to the cabin, pack, shower, check out, wait for taxi!

It’s about a 45 minute drive to Chetumal so we have booked a taxi and our lady driver drops us at the terminal.

We check-in leaving our bags so we’re free for a ramble around. It’s really hot along the waterfront and I notice they love a statue or a monument around here!

We go to “Vips”, an American style diner which has a bit of nostalgia for Shane and then it’s time to depart.

We board a “ferry”, well actually quite a small water taxi and set sail for San Pedro, Belize.

There’s a lot of hanging around waiting for this little boat to take off. While we are hanging around we see something that looks like a log in the water and then realise it’s a crocodile!

Eventually it’s time to go.. we are stamped out of Mexico and then walk back outside – clearly we are still in Mexico! Eventually we get the wave to board the ferry. Adios Mexico we’ll be back soon (in about 12 weeks!!)

I’m flying to Cancun on New Years Eve on KLM from Dublin with Shane… it’s a very early flight as we are flying through Amsterdam so we are up before 4am but by the afternoon we will be in sunshine. We are flying fancy class and the booze and food is fantastic – It doesn’t get much better than this!

We’re staying in Playa Del Carmen at the Reef Coco resort for a few nights before we embark on our Central America adventure. The next few days are all about relaxing and chilling out. We are all inclusive and I’m looking forward to doing very little as we ease into our month long trip.

We check out the resort and have a cocktail on the beach looking at the stars. We are really tired so it’s hard to stay awake for the bells at midnight. We manage a few cocktails, a nice dinner at the really good buffet restaurant and then we have to call it as I cannot stop yawning and we really don’t have it in us to stay up for the festivities!!

Next morning we are up nice and early as we got a great sleep and we walk the length of Coco beach.

This is the Caribbean Sea, along what is known as the Mayan Riveria. The sand is cool underfoot (it is winter after all) and so soft.

There are plenty of people on the beach and many of them seem to be still partying from the night before! We have a nice dip in this beautiful Caribbean Sea – it’s so warm, especially considering the last time we were in the sea was the Irish Sea on Christmas Day and it was freezing!!

While we’re splashing away we witness a terrible incident where a girl is dragged out of the water…. Her friends are screaming and we really think she might be dead but after medics and the police eventually arrive she comes to – seems she was very very drunk and went into the water – scary stuff. What a start to the new year!

The breakfast buffet is extensive and has all sorts of local dishes I want to try. I also have my first ever Bloody Mary on New Years Day and I’m not even hungover!

The food is really good at the resort – in addition to the buffet which is excellent, we book into the Mexican restaurant one night and the Italian another. The Mexican food is really good – I love a dish called chilaquiles for breakfast which is essentially tortilla chips soaked in some delicious sauce with cheese and red onion on top – it’s so good.

I do also love a nice view for breakfast.

Our resort is very central to Playa Del Carmen town so we bust out of the resort and take a walk down 5th Avenue which is the busy street. Lots of shops and restaurants and it’s quite buzzy. The police station is an interesting building in the middle of the road!

We do stop to have a drink that Shane is keen to have. It’s called pulque which is a strange milky concoction – also known as agave wine, it’s made from the fermented sap of the agave plant. I taste it but it’s not for me, instead I have a delicious margarita!

After our evening meal we have a drink looking out to the beach and catch some local entertainment!

The resort looks really nice at nighttime and it’s not too big or too busy – it’s just about right.

We start each day with a walk of the beach going all the way to Playa Punta Esmeralda. At the top of the beach there’s a little break in the sand which forms a pool which we realise is a fresh water cenote. It’s so clear and warm and although shallow, nice for a little sit down!

When we checked in, a guy (who was actually Italian) did the hard sell for us to attend the “presentation” where they try to sell you a timeshare. I have to say I was tempted as the free stuff for going included a massage and facial! Although we tentatively said we’d go, on reflection we ditched it as we just didn’t have enough time to fit it in and really the thought of sitting through it just didn’t appeal to me- I was that soldier before with my San Fran girls but that was a different time!! I do love a bit of pool time and I’m planning to catch up on a backlog of books I haven’t had time to read so I think this is a better use of my time!

After three lovely nights at this resort we have a final walk of the beach, pack our bags, have a last brekkie and head to the bus station. We are taking the ADO bus to Mérida. It takes about 4 hours and we are met by Shane’s friends when we arrive.

Mérida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán. It is quite a big city with a rich Mayan and colonial heritage. We arrive in the afternoon and I’m excited to meet Shelagh and Fernando, friends of Shane’s for more than 30 years. They welcome us into their beautiful home and have a fabulous guest room for us at the back of their garden facing out to the pool. This is gorgeous!

There’s a lot of catching up to do and obviously that’s best done over a margarita or two! For dinner they take us to a local place called Las Vigas which has fantastic ceviche prawns and tacos and surprisingly to me, some really nice wine! What a great fun night to kick off our Mérida adventure.

Next morning we get a tour of town which involves an early stop for Mexico City style tacos on the side of the road…. Wow these are good!

There are a lot of Christmas decorations still around and most of the roundabouts are decorated.

We do a drive by of the Monument to the Fatherland, a landmark sculpture on a traffic roundabout depicting Mexican history from the Mayans to modern day.

Walking around the city, we admire the colourful and ornate colonial buildings.

We walk into a number of famous hotel buildings, most still decorated for Christmas.

It’s time to stop for, you’ll never guess what, ok maybe you can, a margarita or some sort of tequila cocktail! 😜

This place is called LA PARRILLA and the vibrant decor is fab!

Across the road is Parque Hidalgo and another church – Iglesia de Jesus. There are churches everywhere!

Next we go to a traditional cantina called EL TUCHO. It is fantastic. It’s not so busy when we arrive but within a half hour it is packed.

We order a round of drinks and are given some free “snacks” – it is a serious amount of food!

There is also some local entertainment which is really good and I find the singer totally mesmerising. Love a bit of local entertainment…

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We take a walk around and see the city’s focal point, Plaza de la Independencia, which has a nativity scene with an elephant – I’m not sure there was an elephant in Bethlehem!!

We also check out the Mérida sign!!

The square is bordered by the fortresslike Mérida Cathedral and white limestone Iglesia de la Tercera Orden, both colonial-era churches built using relics from ancient Mayan temples. This catholic cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas, construction having completed in 1598.

Inside the cathedral we see photos of John Paul II who was the first pope to visit Mexico in 1979. A local man notices me looking at the photos and tells us he didn’t say mass here but he prayed at the cathedral.

Among other interesting statues, we see our first black Jesus.

We walk through the Santa Ana neighbourhood which has some old grand houses where the wealthiest of Mérida once lived.

Next stop is Hennessy’s! Now normally we wouldn’t visit an Irish bar when we are travelling but this is a favourite of Shelagh and Fernando’s and honestly it is a really nice proper Irish pub. I get to meet Sean who’s one of the guys who runs it and he is super nice. He even gives us a round of drinks on the house as I’m “real” Irish – apparently not a whole lot of Irish tourists visit Mérida!! I try a Mexican cider called Robin Hood and we enjoy meeting a few locals and having a chat.

A view of the Monument to the Fatherland by night on the way to our next spot.

The final stop of the evening is for tacos at TAQUERÍA HERMANOS 2. We had so many snacks today so can’t do a full dinner but there’s always room for tacos. These ones are “Barbacoa” which are barbecued lamb. They’re really tasty and someone is very happy!!

Next morning after Fernando rustled up some very tasty eggs for breakfast we drive for about 40 minutes to a cenote. A cenote is a natural sinkhole created when limestone bedrock collapses in upon itself, creating a system of caves and sinkholes. Something I never knew is that the asteroid that hit earth millions of years ago, and is believed to have killed the dinosaurs, was centred on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. In fact the impact site, known as the Chicxulub crater, is exactly where Mérida is!!!!

We start with a tour of the hacienda. Hacienda Mucuyché dates back to the 17th Century. Agriculture, livestock and the growing of henequen were some of the activities in the hacienda. Henequen is a fibre that comes from the leaves of the agave plant and it was used to make strong rope which the guide demonstrates for us.

The gardens around the hacienda leading to the cenote are really nice…

We even get to see an iguana looking to the sun!

Next it’s time to go down into the caves and enjoy the crystal clear water of the cenote. The water looks very inviting.

Everyone is given a life jacket and you must wear it so I’m delighted! We get in and bob our way along this narrow channel to the second cenote.

It is so beautiful floating around.

My water camera photos aren’t great and it’s very dark in the second cave but we capture some of the atmosphere.

We have a snack and a dip in the poolside bar and decide after another quick visit to Hennessys that we’ll roll on to dinner. This evening we eat at a really nice restaurant – Matilda Salon Mexicano. We have delicious but giant sopes and I find there’s barely room for the main course – the lads do a decent job on it though!

Next morning we are leaving Mérida to travel to Campeche but we’re leaving behind our big bags as we will just do an overnight before travelling onward. So it’s not quite goodbye yet!

More coming in the next instalment…..

We are on our way from Latvia to Lithuania using the same transfer company as we did to get us to Riga. We cross the border a short while after visiting the Rundale palace and our first steps on Lithuanian soil is for lunch!

Lunch is at a restaurant called Audruvis that specialises in venison, although deer is not the main meat eaten by the Lithuanian people, it’s pork. I try venison soup and some venison filled dumplings. It’s a lot of food but very tasty. We eat outside and the grounds are lovely. All fed it’s time to visit the famous Hill of Crosses!

This really is a strange place…. The precise origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the first crosses were placed on the former site of an uprising back in 1831. Over the generations, the place has come to signify the peaceful endurance of Lithuanian people despite the threats they faced throughout the multiple occupations.

Next stop is Kaunas, the 2nd biggest city in Lithuania after Vilnius. It’s a pretty town for a stroll which we start in town hall square.

We continue on our stroll and see Kaunus castle, another medieval castle built in the 14th century.

We see the beautiful Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, a Gothic style church and the biggest building of Gothic sacral type in Lithuania. Although the Cathedral was built in the 15th century it was reconstructed several times and has a mixture of architectural features.

The Cathedral has 9 altars, the newest of which is that of Pope John Paul II with the saint’s relics and a very nice picture. John Paul II was the first pope to visit Lithuania in 1993.

Back outside wandering around, there’s a really cute area with some cool shops and restaurants and I really like this mural on a building.

Look what we happened upon! Once we’ve taken the obligatory photo at the Kaunus sign we are off…

We head back to the car and drive for about an hour to the capital. Laura drops us off in Vilnius old town at an archway that leads to our final Airbnb of the trip. It’s fairly late in the evening when we arrive so we head out for some dinner and find a really great spot close by. Beerhouse not only has good beers and nice wine but the sharing platters we order are excellent.

Next day we are up and out to explore the last capital city of our Baltics trip – Vilnius. We start at Cathedral square. If you’ve read my Latvia blog, I talked about the event that happened in 1989 where approximately two million people joined hands to form a human chain spanning 690 kilometres across the three Baltic states. Well this square is where that chain ended or began (depending on how you look at it).

The cathedral itself is massive. It was built in the 13th century and surprise surprise there were many reconstructions after fires so it has changed significantly through the centuries. One of the most magnificent additions was the chapel of St Casimir. The frescoes at the top were painted by an Italian painter Michelangelo Palloni – not THE Italian Michelangelo!

I knew there’d be some sort of relic in here! We see a piece of bone from a bishop, a small piece of cloth from Pope John Paul II And… we have the earliest surviving reliquary in Lithuania which is part of the forearm bone of the Bishop of Krakow – St. Stanislaus (whom the cathedral is named after).

We walk a little further and spot our next place on the list – we are heading up to Gediminas tower. Gediminas was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 until his death in 1341.

We take the funicular up to Gediminas castle to look at the lovely views, narrowly avoiding a large tourist group.

It’s lovely up here and we are roasting in the sunshine!

Having surveyed the town from up here, we walk down the hill and through a park where we stop for some tea and coffee in the sunshine. It’s so sunny I need a loan of someone’s hat!

Side bar: “they’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats!” 🤣🤣 (I can’t get it out of my head!)

We have bagels for lunch as the Lithuanians claim they were invented here and they’re not wrong. Between 1569 and 1795 Poland and Lithuania were part of the same kingdom so yes Bagels do originate from Polish people but also kinda from Lithuania!

Next is a complex of churches – Ensemble of the Church of St Anne and the Bernardine Church.

I always check out the stations of the cross when I’m in a Catholic Church and here I see the oddest looking stations of the cross I’ve ever seen. They are an unusual artistic interpretation.

Our next stop is a bit of a non event. There’s a beautiful book shop in the college grounds – it’s called Littera and it has paintings all over it (like a take on the Sistine Chapel but the characters are the college professors!). Unfortunately it’s closed 😩. It is nice to see the college grounds though.

We visit the republic of Uzupis which means “the other side of the river”. It is famous as a group of artists, on April 1st 1997 declared it a Republic, along with its own flag, unofficial currency, president, cabinet of ministers, and a constitution.

We pass the border control building where you can buy souvenirs and get your passport stamped (don’t do that!) and walk further along the river to see the famous mermaid statue.

And the chair in the river for that Insta shot!

There’s a lovely view from down here to The Cathedral of the Theotokos, it is the main Orthodox Christian church of the Republic of Lithuania.

I’m a bit behind the gang as a couple of ladies stop me to ask directions and would you believe it they’re Irish!! They’re mad for a chat and God love them one had a terrible fall on the cobblestones in Riga and is covered in bruises. They take a selfie with me (presumably for posterity) so I do the same but I couldn’t post it here… the poor woman looked like she’d gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

Walking inward from the river we see the “Angel of Uzupis”

Along Paupio street we see the constitution in 23 languages and yes it’s in Irish! We read the 38 articles of the Republic’s constitution and 3 mottos – “Don’t Fight”, “Don’t Win”, “Don’t Surrender”.

We’re all a bit tired from shlepping around so we hit +++ (that’s actually the name of it) for some refreshments. It appears to be the Weatherspoons of the Baltics and it has a delicious semi sweet cider.

We move to another craft beer bar called Alaus Biblioteka, which is around the corner with a fine selection of beer but no cider or anything else – I’ll have to settle for water!! As we’re sitting there a delivery arrives and I joke about how maybe it’s a cider delivery. Would you believe the lady comes over and tells me they’ve had a delivery of 3 different ciders!! Now they’re not cold and she doesn’t have any ice (seriously!!) but I try one and it’s very good.

We move on to yet another craft beer bar that has a fine selection of ciders – it’s called Local Pub. I try a quince cider which is tart to say the least. The best part of this pub is that as we are ordering at the bar they play the Smiths “Heaven knows I’m miserable now”. I’m loving this place.

After quite the pub crawl we are ready for dinner so we eat at Etno Dvars which I had heard about in some blogs I read (and watched on YouTube). It’s a famous chain serving Lithuanian cuisine and it is really delicious. Nearly all the dishes we order come with a side of “sauce” which appears to be some sort of fattty bacon bits!! Soooo tasty!!

Next morning we walk to the train station. I’m interested to see the portal which has been set up between Vilnius and Lublin in Poland. It’s a bit early for our Polish neighbours so it’s quiet, we get a better chance of a wave when we return later in the afternoon.

We take the train to Trakai, first class carriage of course and there’s a giant statue of Tony Soprano on the platform… seriously!!

The train leaves us a couple of kilometres from the island of Trakai but it is a beautiful walk along the lake to get there.

There are some beautiful reflections in the water.

The small town of Trakai is home to a tribe of people known as the KARAIMS. They have their own religion which is based on the Old Testament and have lived in this town since the 12th century. They have specific traditions when it comes to their cuisine, in particular their famous kibinai, which is a savoury pastry filled with meat, onions, and spices. We stop at the KYBYNLAR for tea and coffee and we might even have a sneaky taste of these pastries.

The small town of Trakai is picturesque, with painted wooden houses.

We arrive at the bridge and admire the castle in the distance before walking over to the tiny island.

We pay to go inside the castle and look at the exhibits. There’s some interesting silver and glassware and a lot of coins, some turned into trays and other decorative stuff! There’s a lot of construction going on so it’s not ideal and a bit underwhelming!

We walk around the entire island which takes all of about 10 minutes!

It’s lunchtime so we sit down and have the traditional pastries that we had a sneaky taste of earlier.

Time to walk back to the Trakai train station and then home for a short turnaround before the next item on our itinerary. As we exit Vilnius train station, we check out the portal again and get a wave from a few people this time. We take a different street back so we see more localness including this cool mural of a gangsta Einstein!

Before we hit the apartment we decide to nip into the market to pick up some dinner for later. We buy some meats and cheese and pickled cabbage so we can enjoy an easy snack later at home.

After a quick turnaround, we head back to Cathedral Square for our catacombs tour which we booked when we visited yesterday. It’s still lovely and sunny but we are heading underground.

These crypts of the Lithuanian rulers that were buried underneath the cathedral were just recently discovered in 1984. Much of Lithuanian history was stolen, moved or lost because of the Soviet rule, so the fact that these survived detection is quite remarkable. We see the Royal burial chamber where Alexander Jagiellon, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, along with the wives of Sigismund Augustus, Elisabeth of Austria and Barbara Radziwiłł, as well as the heart of ruler Władysław IV Vasa, find eternal rest. Our guide tells us the story of the 2 wives where legend has it that one was extremely plain but Barbara (or Babs as we like to call her) was quite a looker!

Once the tour ends we head for the Bell tower which is one of the most beautiful places to get a bird’s-eye view of the roofs of Vilnius Old Town.

Built in the 17th century, the Bell Tower has 193 authentic wooden steps that take you up to the 45-metre high observation platform. No bother to us!

We stop for a quick refreshment at a bar called 7 Fridays where we sit in the beer garden. I enjoy a Chardonnay which is unusual but it’s one I recognise from the US and I’m delighted to see it on the menu. We also try the local garlic bread which is so garlicy and delicious but I think the Latvian rye garlic bread still beats it.

From here we walk back to the house to have a restful evening at home catching up on some Late Show Trump commentary and a glass of red wine from Georgia.

It’s our last full day in Vilnius so we have lots to tick off our list. We start by taking a walk to the Choral synagogue. I have to google what choral synagogues are – they were built in Eastern Europe, from Hungary to Russia and they represented the ideas of Jewish Enlightenment making certain reforms to the traditional Jewish customs. I’ve attempted to visit synagogues before and don’t recall ever actually having made it inside any. I’m so happy to get inside this one as it is beautiful.

I love a good church as you know and I’m loving exploring this synagogue.

We continue on our way to the KGB Museum formally called The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. The Museum is located in the former Vilnius courts building which was built in 1899. During the Soviet occupations (1940-1941 and 1944-1990), the building belonged to the Soviets and in between to the Nazis. This is where plans for the annihilation of the population and persecution of dissenters were created.

During the occupations there was a prison in the basement of the building and during the second soviet occupation there was a chamber for executing death sentences.

There are so many stories of people who were arrested and deported. Check out these three “enemies of the people” below….. seriously…. it’s hard to read a lot of this stuff..

One of the rooms displayed many of the freedom fighters – a lot of whom were women and there are a lot of disturbing photos of dead freedom fighters on view.

It’s a big building with a lot more in the basement than we were expecting. We look in the cells that housed so many prisoners over many years.

Coming outside, the weather is sunny and there’s a lovely park with fountains and just beyond another massive church… good for the soul after engaging with all the tragic history.

We continue exploring and walk over the river to find the traffic lights that don’t have a green man but have a green lady.

We ladies are very excited to see the green and red lady… well two out of three ain’t bad!! 🤣🤣

As we head for the river we spot this sign on a high rise building….. interesting.

And all the buses have this on their display …

For lunch, we check out a Georgian restaurant in the food court of a nearby shopping mall. We have dumplings and salad and cheesy bread with a fried egg (I’m looking forward to eating this in Georgia at some point). After lunch it’s time to head back to the main square and visit the Grand Dukes palace. This is a huge museum and after doing a bit of research we establish that of the 4 routes you can do we are going to buy a ticket for route 1 which will take us through the rooms of the palace when it was a royal residence.

This was home to Sigismund Augustus who we learned about last night during our catacombs tour – he was the guy who had the ugly and the beautiful wife!! We get to see paintings of them and it’s pretty obvious which was which!!

The palace was built by Sigismund Augustus parents in the 15th century. There’s an interesting mix of history to read and rooms to view. There’s a massive family tree on the wall which is mind boggling but we do spot Bona Sforza and figure out the lineage, although I can’t remember it now and I’m sure you’re not all that interested! 🤣

On the 6th floor we get some nice views of castle hill and the 3 crosses.

We make our way back to the apartment and I put my feet up with a cup of tea. Everyone is having a little rest but I’m not feeling so tired so I sneak out for a last look at some of the churches close by. I start with the Church of St Teresa. Mass has just started so I sit and listen for a few minutes while admiring the large church.

Part of St Teresa’s and placed above The Gates of Dawn is the chapel of Our Lady Mother of Mercy which houses the famous Renaissance painting of the Virgin Mary painted in the early 17th century. The painting is covered in a silver gilt setting and is believed to be miraculous. Pope John Paul Il prayed here in 1993, and Pope Francis in 2018.

Opposite our apartment is the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit and Monastery which has a distinctive architecture. In the 16th century a wooden church was built here with a school beside it. A Baroque church in the shape of a Latin cross was built in 1638 after which, having suffered a number of (you guessed it!) fires, it was rebuilt in the late 18th century.

As I approach the church I can hear singing so I stand in the doorway to watch the service. All the women I see have headscarves so I don’t want to go inside without one in case it’s a massive boo boo. It’s a fascinating service. The music is beautiful and the priests are all in their finery.

I assume this is the high priest with the veil! I stay and watch for about twenty minutes as I’m fascinated by what’s going on. I’ve never seen a full ceremony like this before. I shouldn’t be taking photos but I take a sneaky bit of footage after I see one of the priests (at the back in blue) check his iPhone for messages and the other one take a photo of the big kahuna and his veil… bizarre!! Also one of the ladies wearing a headscarf and blessing herself multiple times whips out her phone and takes a few photos too!!

At the back of our apartment is the entryway to another church and monastery – The Holy Trinity. When I walk into the church I get a bit of a shock as it is under renovation and it looks like I shouldn’t be in here! As I look toward the alter it looks suspiciously like an Orthodox Church but then I look up on the wall and there’s a picture of Pope John Paul II! I’m confused.

Outside I find a plaque in English and all is revealed. In 1595-1596, a church union between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was announced in Rome. This union created a new Christian denomination, the Greek-Rite Catholic, or Unitarian, Church, which recognized the jurisdiction of the Holy See in Rome, but followed the rites of the Eastern Church.

It’s time to get ready for our final meal of the holiday. We have a reservation at Ertlio Namas which is a fine dining restaurant where we’ll have the 6 course tasting menu. It’s three and a quarter hours of delicious food and excellent wine!

Next morning we’re up early for our flight to Finland where I’ll say goodbye to himself and head home to Dublin.

Goodbye Baltic countries, you have been extremely interesting to visit and I would happily come back one day.

We are transferring to Riga and looking forward to seeing some sites along the way. This is a great way to travel between cities and also get a “tour” while you do it. It cost around €80 per person and was well worth it. When I left you in the previous section of the blog we had lunch in Valga, a border town. Well we crossed into Latvia and there was no hint of a border other than it said Latvia on the side of a building!!

We drive to Gauja National Park which is the largest and oldest of the national parks in Latvia, characterized by its limestone cliffs, picturesque views and home of the bob sleigh!

It was established in 1973 and stretches over more than 90,000 hectares, protecting the most beautiful section of the Gauja Valley along the Gauja River.

We do a loop walk and it’s quiet and beautiful among the trees. There’s a spot where an amazing echo comes from across the river. Very impressive…

Our next stop is a little town called Cēsis. We pass the castle as we start a loop walk around the town.

We call into a lovely Orthodox Church where a couple are about to lock it up but they wait (without saying a word) until til we’ve had a good look around.

We pass through the centre of town which has lots of old wooden houses and a beautiful church.

At various locations around the city, on the footpath outside buildings that were owned or occupied by Cēsis’ members of the Jewish population, pairs of concrete shoes have been installed. 

When we circle back to the castle there’s a wedding party dancing which is great fun to watch.

The castle is impressive and on the way back to the car having explored this small cute town I have an avocado and pineapple ice lolly – really quenches the thirst!!

Our last stop of the day is at Sigulda Bobsleigh and Luge Track. The track is suitable for organizing bobsleigh, luge sport, and skeleton. (I know I’ve seen these in the winter olympics but don’t really know what they are. Now that I’ve walked the track I’ll keep an eye out). 

It’s quite an effort just getting in and out of this thing!!

We arrive to Riga and are staying at another beautiful, spacious apartment beside the freedom monument. We have a great view of the Cathedral of the Nativity which has partially covered golden domes. It looks like a Nevsky but it’s not.

In fact the Nevsky church which we drove past on our way into town is a bit of a disappointment compared to what we saw in Tallinn!

Once we’re settled in, we take a walk into town to get some dinner. We eat at a Russian restaurant called “Senās Tradīcijas” which means Old Traditions and we are seated in a private room upstairs. Surprise surprise we are given a small shot of vodka to start our meal!! The food is excellent.

On the way home we admire the freedom monument which honours soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence.

Next morning Caroline and Tom arrive and with Janes and Ravs daughter joining us from the UK, that makes a gang of nine for our Riga sightseeing. Looking forward to catching up with these pair and hearing about all the travel they’ve been doing.

We are on our way to the market for some breakfast and en route pass the famous House of the Blackheads. This is an amazing looking building, originally erected in 1334 as a warehouse, meeting and celebration place for merchants.

Riga Central Market is situated a few hundred meters from the Old Town on the banks of the River Daugava. It is not only one of the largest marketplaces in Eastern Europe in area, but also one of the most visited. It spans approximately 4 zeppelin hangers, built in the 1920s for the military and is even UNESCO listed! There couldn’t be anywhere better for these two to catch up than at a massive food hall… they live for this stuff!

When we finish noshing on some delicious pastries (mostly savoury), we walk through the other side of the market to see the Academy of Sciences building, known as Stalin’s birthday cake!  It is a very distinct looking high rise built in the Social Classicist style, that was commonly used for representative buildings in the Soviet Union, during Stalin’s time.

We buy some meats, cheese, salads (pickles and beetroot of course!) etc… for dinner and then Caroline takes the lead to bring us on a tour of the city. We see the building known as The Cat House, which is famous for the black cats sitting on top. It’s styled as medieval architecture with some elements of Art Nouveau.

We see the “3 brothers” which together form the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga. Well here’s 2 of the 3….

The 3rd was a very different looking building.

We’ve seen quite a lot of the city and ticked off most of what was on my list (you know I always have a list!!) so it’s time for lunch at the famous Lido. Lido is a self service, canteen style restaurant serving local home cooked dishes. It’s fantastic – busy and bustling, you can pour your own glass of wine or pint from a beer tap and point to the many dishes they have on offer. We also get to try the popular garlic bread which is made with dark rye and is so good. We loved it!

We continue our sightseeing and see the impressive St. Peters gothic church. It’s unclear exactly when it was built but was first mentioned in writings in 1209. Surprisingly it’s one of the few buildings we’ve come across that wasn’t damaged by fire and rebuilt as it was built with bricks and stone!

I really do think the tower looks like what Charlie and Willie Wonka flew off in at the end of Willy Wonka‘s Chocolate Factory. I bet the director of the film found himself in Riga at some point and this spire was inspiration!

Right outside of St Peters is a statue for the Musicians of Bremen (a Brothers Grimm fairytale). The legend is that you will get an amount of luck depending on which animal you can reach! Not looking so good for me!!

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We all agree it’s that time of day for a little respite and Caroline has found a gin distillery that also does a range of local beers and cocktails. We are at the door 5 minutes before they open!!! It’s a very nice place and lots of space for our gang. Considering what should we drink in this place…..

Most of us go to for a flight of gins and they are all really good. This is a gang of purists so I get lots of extra tonic!

Back home after a bit of a rest we lay out the food from the market and enjoy some delicious local grub.

Next morning we start with a delicious pastry at MAIZE & RAFIJA, a very popular bakery in an area we haven’t yet explored.

This sets us up for this mornings activity which is a walking tour of the art noveau neighbourhood. Led by Shane, we follow a walking tour from the Lonely Planet and learn so much about art noveau architecture (not!)). We do see some beautiful buildings that aren’t even mentioned in this tour!

Towards the end of our walk we pass the KGB museum. There’s a similar museum in each of the Baltic countries we’re visiting but we won’t visit this one as we’re been told the best is in Vilnius.

We walk through the lovely park and past the Opera house to get to our next destination.

The museum of the Occupation of Latvia is housed in this large dark building.

It tells the story of the Latvian nation and the many fights it battled, in particular against German and Russian overlords!

There is so much information to absorb including heart breaking stories that in equal measure make me horribly sad and very angry. I spend far too much time reading details on the ground floor exhibits that I have to rush through the exhibits upstairs or I’ll be here all day!

There is an amazing thing that happened back in 1989 (I was 16 about to turn 17 and I don’t remember it in the news). We’ve heard it mentioned a number of times since arriving in these Baltic states and it certainly inspires hope after reading about so much horror.

On 23 August 1989 – exactly 50 years after the signing of the Hitler-Stalin Pact – Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian independence movements organised the largest demonstration to regain freedom. 1.5 million people formed a 660 km long chain that stretched from Tallinn to Riga, to Vilnius. By holding hands in unity the Baltic nations demanded the Soviet rulers restore the independence of the Baltic States. Although it would take a little longer (until 1991), this was a key demonstration ahead of the dissolution of the USSR.

The pictures of people holding hands across cities and rural areas is fantastic and definitely has cheered me up. There are also some nice views from the museum.

Shane and I leave the museum and head to the market to meet Caroline and Tom for lunch. There are far too many delicious options but this time I go for a cheburek which is a deep-fried turnover with a filling of ground or minced meat and onions. It’s just been cooked fresh in front of me and it is piping hot. It’s the type of thing I love and it is really good!

After walking through a carpark and narrowly avoiding a smack of a barrier, we happen upon a Sidērija – a pub with just all ciders – I’m in!! So much choice.

Luckily this gang are always happy to try out something different… ciders all round!

We take a walk back to the square and take a moment to consider the Memorial to the Victims of the Soviet Occupation. It has special audio-visual equipment that creates emotional sound and vibration effects daily, fitting into the environment of the city of Riga.

Further along the river front we find the Big Christopher statue. When I originally added this to the list I thought it was a statue depicting St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers but it’s not. Apparently it’s about a giant who resided in a cave on the banks of the Daugara River and would carry travelers across its raging waters. He’s a bit scary looking but we take an obligatory selfie none the less!

We meet up with the gang and have an amazing feast at Ala Pagrabs which is a cool medieval cavern. There’s a massive amount of food across two platters and the beer is served in jugs!

An amazing meal all round with more great Latvian garlic bread.

On the walk home we pass through the car park where we were nearly killed earlier today so we stop for a photo opp and a giggle…. what we don’t realise is that the guy from earlier is still sitting in the hut and sees us…. holy crap, we leggit outa there like bats outa hell!!!

Next day is our last day in Riga and it’s gonna be a sunny one, getting up to 26 degrees, so we head to Jūrmala.

We are very brave and all go in… we have to walk out quite a bit to get full coverage!

It’s a beautiful stretch of beach and we enjoy a walk for a bit…

We take the train back into the central station and have lunch at Lido. I go for fish and veg – they’re hiding under all the sauce!

Next we walk the bridge toward the library and see this cool giant piece of art!

The national library is housed in quite an iconic building known as The Castle of Light.

Inside there’s an interesting exhibit on the ground floor and the book display across multiple floors is very impressive. I could hang around here all day as I love a good library and love just looking at books!

You can also go to the 12th floor and see an all round view of the city…. which of course we do!

Outside the library we decide to take a tram back across the bridge into the centre of town. We let at least four of them pass us as they’re new trams and not the old soviet ones that we want to travel on! I notice there’s a sticker of the Ukrainian flag on the window which is nice to see how they stand in solidarity with their old USSR neighbours.

Traveling on the soviet tram….

Shane has dropped Caroline for her bus to the airport so I meet him at the church of the Nativity so we can take a look inside. True to form and my navigational skills, I take the scenic route which unfortunately for Shane, means he’s waiting at the church a lot longer than he should have, but for me, I do pass a couple of very nice looking buildings.

The Church of the Nativity is the church that we can see from our bedroom window. It is stunning and the inside is much bigger and more ornate than even Nevsky in Talinn.

From here we head to Skybar which is in the Radisson hotel on the 28th floor. We enjoy a cocktail and the amazing 360° views.

Tonight we all agree and easy dinner is on the cards and so we try the local Hess burger which is the McDonald’s of the Baltics! It’s a fairly average burger and fries but hits the spots nonetheless and I suppose, it had to be done!

Next morning as we leave Riga, we visit the Salaspils Memorial to victims of Fascism.

The memorial is built on the grounds of what was a punishment camp built by the Nazis and the stories we read about in the exhibit are horrifying. Salaspils Camp was officially know as an extended police prison and later became a “labour correction” camp “for those who did not follow work regulations”. Data indicates that approximately 23 000 people may have been imprisoned in Salaspils Camp: half were political prisoners, work avoiders and convicted soldiers, and the remainder were prisoners resulting from special campaigns against civilians in Belorussia, Russia and Latgale.

The memorial consists of giant statues, each one in the blocky Soviet realist style,representing a different kind of prisoner. There are a mother and her three children, a weeping woman, a labourer on his last legs, and four men who could’ve been in a protest

We somberly move on……. Our next stop is apparently the most beautiful palace in the Baltics – Rundāle palace. We don’t go in to the palace itself, but we walk around the extensive gardens. It’s a beautiful sunny day and the gardens are a perfect place to walk around and enjoy the sun and the greenery.

The palace was designed and built by the same architect who built the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. This was also a summer home for Catherine the Great and from the outside with the yellow colour it is similar to the Hermitage

Our next stop will be across the border in Lithuania – that’s in the next instalment. Until next time…

The ferry journey from Helsinki to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia is a pleasant couple of hours. We booked in for breakfast which has an impressive buffet including herring and other Baltic delights!

We take a taxi from the ferry building just a short distance to our apartment which is in the old town. It’s a lovely three bedroom apartment on the fourth floor and really well located close to town Square. We drop our bags and take a walk to the square just around the corner.

One of the first things that catches my eye, well except for the beautiful old buildings all around, is a sign outside of Mad Murphy’s (you guessed it an Irish bar!). That certainly sets the tone.

There are obviously some very strong feelings toward the Russian neighbours here and as we continue our walk, we happen upon the Russian embassy where there is a permanent guard on duty and the following material outside.

There are a lot of really interesting buildings on the streets surrounding the square which is the lower part of the old town.

The whole town is UNESCO listed and most buildings have a plaque which gives you the history of the building. There are lots of ornate medieval doors too.

We stop for some refreshments in an outdoor cafe and then continue exploring the town. The church of the Holy Spirit is from the 13th century and is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Talinn. It has the oldest clock.

Moving to the upper old town we climb the hill to Tompea and admire the highlight – Alexander Nevsky Eastern Orthodox Cathedral. It was built between 1894 and 1900 when Estonia was part of the former Russian empire. It is stunning from every angle. We go inside (no photos inside) and it’s quite small but full of icons and extremely ornate.

Opposite the Nevsky church is the Tompea castle which is now the seat of the parliament of Estonia.

We continue climbing the hill and the narrow cobbled streets.

At the top there are a couple of viewpoints where we see the iconic view of the city.

A different and maybe even better view at the next viewing point

We walk down the hill and see the old walls of the city….

We are heading to a bar, not just any bar, a very special bar that I’m very excited about!

In the ex-Soviet states, Depeche Mode are apparently bigger than the map on Mikhail Gorbachev’s head. 🤣 This may explain the DM bar! Set up by a hardcore fan in 1999, the bar is festooned with Violator red flowers and serves cocktails with names like ‘just can’t get enough’ and ‘master and servant’. I am so excited to visit this really cool bar. In fairness to the gang, they stay way longer than I would’ve expected and we enjoy a full live concert on the big screen. We are treated to some old tunes that bring back quite a few memories..

After purchasing a DM mug and taking the opportunity for a photo behind the bar, we leave to get dinner. We end up having our meal in the square in one of the popular tourist restaurants called Ule Estonia, that we wouldn’t have settled on if we weren’t all starving and enticed in by a man in costume!! That said, it’s surprisingly good and we’re happy out!

Next morning we’ve booked a walking tour of the city and we meet our guide at 10 am at town Hall Square. We have a small group of 11 people – a couple of Americans, two Latvians and a guy from Switzerland. A nice size group for walking around together and listening to the guide. She tells us her name is Svetlana O’Lana which I am super impressed with and record it so I won’t forget. When the gang tell me later she said “Svetlana or Lana” we get quite a laugh!

Svetlana is very knowledgeable and a really good speaker, although she talks quite fast so even though her English is excellent, I have to concentrate to hear everything she’s saying. She tells us a little about the history of Estonia and as we walk from the square we stop at a patch of land that has an agricultural truck parked on it. She tells an interesting story about the man who owns the land and would not sell to the authorities. He decided to grow potatoes there and often they were spread with manure which gave a terrible smell right in the centre of the old town and below the very important church of Saint Nicholas. There was uproar by town officials and ultimately he decided to park his truck there. At this stage it has been there so long, it looks a little like an art installation. What a funny and interesting story!

Svetlana recommends visiting Saint Nicholas Church which we will do later. For now we continue toward Freedom square where we see the The Cross of Liberty and the Monument to the War of Independence.

Continuing up Tompea Hill, we pass some of the landmarks which we visited last night. It is nice to revisit and hear some of the history from an expert. She takes us to the viewing points again where we took some photos last night, but they are nice to enjoy a second time.

She gives us some recommendations for food and particular things to try which we are keen to hear about. When we finish the tour we go to the café where she’s recommended we will get a traditional Estonian sandwich of rye bread with herring and egg. We get three of the small sandwiches to share amongst us so that we have enough room to taste the fish pie that she mentions we can get in another café around the corner.

We find the very old St Catherine’s passage

There are interesting statues everywhere…

We stop for a taste of the ancient local fire water at Olde Hansa. They have a number of flavours of aquavit and we try a strong one with pepper, another with caraway seed and a wild forest berry schnapps. The aptly dressed lady gives us a bit of history of the booze and makes us follow an old ritual involving shouting very loudly before downing the beverage (which I obviously sip!!)

It’s time to visit St Nicholas’ (also called Niguliste) church and museum. There’s a glass lift to the bell tower and the 360 degree views make you feel like you’re in the middle of the town. The view across to Nevsky is awesome.

The church itself has some amazing artwork including a fantastic painting called “Dance of Death”. The Dance of Death (Danse Macabre), developed in the Middle Ages, invites one to contemplate the transience of life. The topic, emphasising the universality of death, first arose in medieval literature and art and received great attention due to the Black Death plague that devastated Europe in the 14th century. The dance is performed by mortals lined up according to their social status dancing with skeletal figures of Death. The sequence begins with the mightiest, such as the pope or emperor, and ends with either a peasant, a jester or a child.

I read in Atlas Obscura that there’s a “Chopin bench” in the small park at Freedom square and when you sit on it it plays Chopin, so Rav and I head off to find it. We’re delighted when we spot it but alas there’s no music… maybe it’s out of batteries!!

We’ve booked a tour of the KGB museum which is in the Viru hotel outside of the old city gates. Walking over gives us a chance to see and walk through the very old Gates of Viru.

The guide tells us stories of how the KGB bugged all of the rooms in the Viru hotel and listened in to conversations of visitors from other countries. The hotel has 22 floors and the 23rd floor was the KGB floor which, to everyone else l, did not exist. We see the rooms where they operated, listened in and recorded conversations. It all seems ridiculous and futile and when I ask the guide if they ever got really good info to act upon he told me most of it was useless rubbish! That said, it didn’t stop them making plenty of arrests.

During the Soviet era, many things were forbidden or illegal and the least infringement could get you in trouble and possibly thrown into jail. The tour is about an hour long and interesting in itself, but it’s a bit gimicky. The roof top bar where we were hoping to have a drink afterwards is closed as it is officially no longer Summer. We are here the second week in September so we have just missed out on a number of things that no longer open, after the summer season. We are always happy to be away during the “shoulder” season though and not when there are hoards around. There are definitely not a lot of tourists and it’s very comfortable walking around the city.

We have dinner tonight at Bier House and I order Gröstl which is essentially pork served with a bacon, onion, and potato fry-up and topped off with a fried egg. Shane ordered the ribs and we share half and half – it’s really good. We finish our meal with the quite tasty “Vana Tallin”- the creamy one is a little like Baileys.

Next day we take the bus a little further afield to Kadriong park which was built by Peter the Great in 1718. This beautiful home was essentially his summer palace which he built for his wife Catherine the 1st. The building houses the art gallery but we don’t go in, just admire from outside and the beautiful gardens surrounding it. The flowers are really colourful and it’s very pictureesque.

From there we carry on to the Russalka Memorial and see the angel pointing toward the sea where the Russian warship “mermaid” sunk en route to Finland in 1893.

Continuing further along the coastline, we find the Tallinn sign – you know that means an obligatory timer shot!!!

Further on we arrive at Maarjamae memorial, dedicated to those who lost their lives defending the Soviet Union in WWII. This is a very strange complex of memorials that appear to be somewhat abandoned. The centre part of the memorial is an obelisk which was erected in 1960 and beside the obelisk, the palm of the hand-prints and bronze seagulls named “Perishing seagulls” are also erected.

There is no-one around, there’s barbed wire around parts of it and the area is overgrown – very eerie! Further along we see a much newer, shinier memorial to those who lost their lives during Soviet occupation.

THIS MONUMENT COMMEMORATES OFFICERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA WHO FOUGHT IN THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE OR SERVED IN THE ESTONIAN ARMED FORCES, BORDER GUARD OR DEFENCE LEAGUE, AND BECAUSE OF THIS WERE MURDERED BY THE OCCUPYING SOVIET REGIME OR PERISHED IN IMPRISONMENT.

ESTONIA’S MILITARY ELITE AND HEROES OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO FALL VICTIM TO THE WAVE OF TERROR IN THE SUMMER OF 1940. THE TERROR CONTINUED WHILE ESTONIA WAS OCCUPIED BY GERMANY DURING WORLD WAR II AND IN ESTONIA AFTER THE WAR. A TOTAL OF 801 OFFICERS AND MILITARY OFFICIALS FELL VICTIM TO THE SOVIET TERROR.

Onwards again through the park area, there is a cemetery for German soldiers – seems peculiar alongside a memorial to those who lost their lives fighting these soldiers….

I’ve read that there’s a “cemetery of soviet statues”, which I’m keen to visit but having walked all around the Soviet memorial complex we arrive at the back of the history museum (in Maarmajae castle) and are not able to gain entrance. Other than climbing over the gate we have to follow the path which takes us away from the statues. I don’t get to go in and see them up close but they were all very nasty men so this view is quite enough.

We’ve had enough misery for one day so we get the bus back into the city and visit the market – Balti Jaama. There are lots of options for lunch and we all choose different things. I choose some pelmini which are dumplings filled with salmon and shrimp. They’re really tasty. We also do a bit of food shopping so we can eat in tonight.

We have a drink at the brewery in the market, sitting outside enjoying the nice weather and then we take a walk around the area close by called Telliskivi, which has lots of food stalls and murals on the wall. This may be somewhere we explore further tomorrow as there are lots of old wooden houses and cool things to see.

We head back to the apartment after a busy day and later have a delicious dinner of sausage, cheese salad, herring, beetroot peppers filled with meat cabbage fresh bread all bought from the market today and it is really delicious.

After dinner I take a little walk around to see the town by night. Everywhere you look, there is a tower or castle or church that is lit up beautifully.

It’s our last full day in Tallinn so after a quick brekkie we head out to tick off the last few things on our list. We head to the three sisters building. We see these lovely buildings ….

….and realise, lovely as they are they’re not the 3 sisters…. These are:

Then we walk further to see “Fat Margaret” which is a huge tower flanking another entrance into the city.

We arrive back at Saint Olav‘s which we visited on our first day. Now it’s time to climb the tower. It’s 238 steps to the top and the views are really nice across the whole town. I have to say I preferred the views from Saint Nicholas Tower as you felt like you were in the middle of the city.

There’s a great view looking across to the walled upper town from up here.

I’m the lone tower climber, so once I’m done I head to “Peppersack”, a medieval café, to meet up with the gang and try out some of their popular pastries.

On the way I cut through a lane and come across “The Path of History” where important dates and events are marked on the pavement of Börsi käik (the Stock Exchange Passage) providing a quick overview of the complicated and exciting history of Estonia.

Next we visit “Kiek in da Kok”, (yes it is a funny sounding name 🤣), which is the largest medieval artillery tower in the Baltic states. There is a lot of ground to cover and a lot of stuff to see here.

We see the faceless monks of which there are three spread around the courtyard.

We enjoy more views of the town…

The last part of the museum complex allows us to explore underground tunnels called the bastion passages.

It’s time for a little rest after that huge museum so we decide to stop at Olde Hansa, off town square. This is a famous establishment that you see in most travel programs about Talinnn. The “wenches”, as the host who seats us calls them, dress in traditional clothing and serve our drinks in some very cool old tankards and glasses.

Now it’s time to hit the Banned Books museum. I came across this in my research (it’s an Atlas Obscura recommendation) but it hasn’t been open since we arrived. I’m very keen to check it out.

The Banned Books Museum collects and preserves banned, burned, and censored books from around the world. It is as politically neutral as possible, and they do not condone or condemn the content of the books in the collection. We chat to the museum director whose name is Justin, from Scotland and he tells us that they build the collection mostly from donations. I ask him if he is aware of, or has a copy of Edna O’Briens “Country Girls” and he knows it but doesn’t have a copy. I’m pretty sure I have a copy at home and he said he’d be delighted if I post it to him. How cool is that I may have something in the exhibit.

We find a craft beer bar simply called “Drink” and spend the rest of the afternoon drinking beer and cider with a light lunch of a spratt sandwich and Hungarian lard on rye bread. The lunch is served with a tiny glass of vodka!

This evening we have an easy dinner in a trendy diner type place, with plenty of youngsters! Were happy to rest up with an early night ahead of our big travel day tomorrow.

Next morning we leave Talinn and visit more of Estonia on the way to Riga. An energetic lady called Laura (pronounced Laauu-ra) picks us up in an 8-seater van and we set off for Viljandi which is about a 2 hour drive. We visit the remains of Viljandi Castle of the Teutonic Order. The main castle was actually a convent building which was conquered by the German crusaders in 1223.

It was badly damaged in the Livonian war (between 1558-1583) and the Polish-Swedish wars (from 1600 to 1622/23) and it lost its remains of military importance in the Northern War (from 1700-1710). What a lot of wars!!

We walk around the picturesque grounds.

There is a suspension bridge which was built in 1879, originally on the moat of Tarvastu (a town not too far away). In 1930 the bridge was given as a gift to the town of Viljandi.

Back in the van, we travel another hour to Valga. Here we visit the military museum and see various memorabilia from the time of the Nazi occupation and the Soviet occupation.

Valga is a border town so we have our last Estonian meal before crossing the border into Latvia… that will be in the next instalment of the blog.

So long Estonia, you’ve been fabulous!