I said the next time I wrote I hoped it would be from Mexico, and it is. Honestly, at the moment I am not feeling the best of the best. Sickness feels around the corner, although I am trying to prevent it by any means. With that said, this will be short.
Yael and I visited Semuc Champey and Tikal on our way up to Belize for a week of pure relaxation. The view I beheld at Semuc is one of the best views I have ever seen in my life without a doubt. It was "wow" worthy. Semuc Champey is an enigmatic place, containing natural pools and pools of deep green water, layered one after the other. We had a great time swimming here, as well as exploring the nearby caves with a candle (as we walked in waters so deep, at times we had to swim- we refrained from thinking about what creatures might actually be in the water). Moving on: Tikal is a famous site for Mayan ruins, incredible Mayan ruins. We awoke early to catch the sunrise here, to see the ruins set in the midst of jungle....impressive to say the least.
From Tikal, we entered Belize for a brief week, awakened to the beauty and kindness of the country and its people. It was great to be greeted with constant smiles and to see people so relaxed and seemingly at peace. While we stayed near the border at San Ignacio for a night, our stays at Placencia and Caye Caulker along the Caribbean Coast is what made my experience in Belize. Placencia's beach has to be one of the quietest beaches I have ever been at- it was peace incarnate. We entered its warm waters and lazed all day on the the sand. Seriously, Belize is exquisite. This country took me completely by surprise in so many ways, I just couldn't belize it :)
BUT, the best had not yet come: Caye Caulker, a small island where "Go Slow" is the slogan of life ('Need directions? No? Okay, just go slow ladies'), brought me the best dive of my amateur diving career. The Blue Hole is where it's at! My dive at the Blue Hole meant diving down to 40 meters, swimming through amazing stalactites in the darkened waters (like caves almost), and ascending to view a TON of Caribbean Reef Sharks! The first one I saw freaked me out, but then its whole gang showed up (dude, the whole family, its friends and all their mothers), encircling us in a manner that somehow eased my fear. I get chills writing about it now- I feel speechless because I don't have a clue how to convey how intensely remarkable this experience was. To swim with reef sharks no more than ten feet away, to simultaneously see a Spotted Eagle Sting Ray glide right past you, to see colorful giant groupers (huge, and I mean huge, fish) in the background along with schools of smaller silvery fish flickering in the warmth and clear waters of our shallow depth, was a sight unlike any other. I felt at one with sea dwellers, tense with the presence of sharks yet super excited to be underwater with them. While I did two more dives thereafter, dives that uncovered beautiful coral, a sea turtle, moray eels and a ridiculous amount of other fish, the Blue Hole was my obvious favorite. I think it is officially safe to say I LOVE diving.
The day I dove the Blue Hole, I also visited a small island with a stunning beach, the kind of beach that makes you think, 'hell yeah, this is Belize!' I even got the opportunity to dance while here, having some drinks with the local Caribbeans and experiencing the island nightlife. We were sad to leave after only a week, but time is winding down for both Yael and I and there is so much left to see. And I shouldn't forget to mention that my time with Yael was, in and of itself, great. While together, laughter is no stranger to us...we traveled together for three and a half weeks, sad to part yet eased by the fact that we know we will meet again in Los Angeles. What are the chances of that? I think it was meant to be, Yael :)
We made it up to Cancun together, before I headed to Chichen Itza and she to Isla Mujeres. Chichen Itza, a site of great Mayan ruins, is similar to today at Palenque (another site of Mayan ruins). I feel both sites are so much more than impressive, however, Palenque has some added appeal with its location being in the midst of jungle and it receiving far less tourists on a daily basis. The level of preservation at these places is simply fascinating.
Anywho, this brings me to my close. I plan on spending tomorrow in this town to visit the nearby waterfalls, said to be some of the treasures of the state of Chiapas. Thereafter, I will enjoy the refreshing, cooler atmosphere at San Cristobal de las Casas because I am currently melting away here. Then...back to Central baby!
Shared by my aunt:
"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."
-Robert Louis Stevenson
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