Tobacco Caye

As soon as we saw Tobacco Caye from the boat, we knew we'd arrived somewhere really special. Just the size of a football pitch, the island is a tiny slice of paradise surrounded by turquoise water and a wonderful coral reef. This photo shows how small it is; Rob managed to get the whole island in from the end of a jetty. You just need to tilt your head a bit!



We stayed at a wonderful place called Lana's on the Reef, run by the delightful Lana (actually Lorna but the spelling allows for the strong Caribbean accent!). She looked after us so well, cooking us delicious food and even washing our clothes for us.



This may look like a shed for holding fishing equipment but it's actually a dive shop! Because the reef is so close to the island we were able to dive right off the shore and we had the luxury of a dive master to ourselves; no more large groups or dive boats like in Roatan. Mario was great, going at our pace and he knew exactly where to find the wildlife. We swam with some enormous Tarpin fish that were about as big as us and very inquisitive and some beautiful Eagle Rays, which looked like they were flying through the water. Certainly our most relaxed, and probably our best dive ever.



As we sipped our sunset beers on the beach, we saw this Eagle Ray coasting around in the shallows! We only stayed two nights but Tobacco Caye has gone right in with some of our very favourite places in Central America. It's so great that, though we're into our last few weeks, we can still be surprised and impressed.



By the way, while we were waiting for our boat in Dangriga, we were treated to an impromptu performance of the local Garifuna drumming. It's normal for people to get up and dance but I don't think anyone expected a visit from this drunk guy from the dock. I love the fact that Rob looks totally oblivious throughout!



Rachel x

Roatán, Bay Islands

We've spent a lovely week in the Bay Islands just off the coast of Honduras. Roatán is the largest island and, to me, looks exactly as a Caribbean island should; long white sand beaches, clear turquoise ocean and blue skies.



Here we are watching the sunset from the end of our hotel's jetty.




We've enjoyed spending time on the lovely beaches but it was the marine park that really attracted us. The reef is only just off-shore so provides fantastic snorkeling and diving conditions. It's also the cheapest place in the world to dive so how could we say no!? Unfortunately Rob had a cold for a couple of days (not swine flu, don't panic!) so was unable to dive for a while. I made the most of this time by snorkeling and swimming in the delightfully warm sea as much as possible.



One day I took out my trusty water-proof camera to capture some of the reef's life. It's so alive down there with wonderful creatures and corals of all sorts of colours. Watch the video of the shoal of fish if you can!




Snorkeling's great but I always feel so much more absorbed in the underwater world and see so much more when I'm diving so it was great news when Rob was fully recovered and back in the water.




Getting all the gear ready for the dive...



and relaxing in the sunshine afterwards. Sadly there are no photos from the deep (you need special training and equipment) but we saw some great stuff on our three dives, including several wonderful Hawksbill turtles gliding silently past us. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to dive again when we get up to Belize.

Rachel x

PS We dived with West End Divers and can really recommend them if you're heading to Roatán. Ask for Shona if you're doing any courses, she's great!

Volcán Pacaya

With just a few days left in Guatemala we returned to Antigua for some relaxation and some unfinished business. When we were last here at Christmas, our friends climbed Volcán Pacaya and raved about the amazing lava flows at the top of this highly active volcano. Unfortunately, at the time we couldn't join their trip and we've felt since then that we'd missed out. The best way to see it is to camp overnight on top so that there's a chance to see the glowing lava in the dark without the daytime crowds. As this trip only runs every few days, we didn't expect to have the chance to do it. But, as luck would have it, there was a trip going when we were in Antigua... on our last night in Guatemala, to be precise. Never mind that we had to get a bus the next day to Costa Rica! Even better, our friends Ric and Liz, who joined us for the El Mirador trek, happened to be in Antigua and were also up for it. We couldn't really say no, could we?

At the start of the hike up there's a fierce gang of young children who sell sticks to the tourists. The sticks seem unnecessary at first but you soon realise that they're indispensable once you get onto the lava field.



The start of the hike goes fairly easily. It's only about an hour and a half up a well-trodden trail to the camp site. We camped on a small patch of volcanic sand just off the edge of the lava field. Our guide, Kevin, explained that, although it's not a great spot, it has a great view of the other surrounding volcanoes: Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. Not that we'd have known; the "second worst" fog our guide had ever seen on Pacaya descended on us out of nowhere. Rain and fog persisted all night.



After some wine (thoughtfully brought by Kevin), we hiked up at dusk, planning to get to the lava flows just after dark. It's not easy. Because the lava is flowing all the time, the mountain is constantly changing and the lava might be emerging from the surface anywhere. The hike here is pretty tough, with a surface of volcanic rock which varies from sand to medium-sized rocks. Every step up a steep slope seems to slide most of the way back down! The weather didn't help, of course.



The effort is soon rewarded though. One of the great things about climbing Pacaya at night is that a magical red glow is visible over the rise when you get near the lava, and you can tell you're close. Tantalising!



With all the hype of something like this, it's easy to think you might be disappointed when you finally get there. We were not disappointed. As we approached, climbing over recent lava flows and seeing molten rock glowing through cracks in the rock, our jaws dropped to see a river of intensely hot flowing lava running down the mountainside.



The pictures really don't do it justice. Here's a video to give you a better idea of the molten rock actually flowing:



We stayed up for about an hour, toasting marshmallows and hot dogs (for the non-vegetarians). We had the lava completely to ourselves, which made us feel immensely privileged.



Climbing back down in the dark and fog with about 2 metres visibility was not easy. We were all pretty glad that Kevin had decided at the last minute to bring his GPS! We ate dinner (huge amounts of delicious veggie curry), drank some more wine and turned in for the night.

The fog unfortunately meant there was no sunrise to speak of. It did eventually clear soon after dawn though, and we got this fantastic view of the aforementioned three volcanoes.



Getting back, we were all extremely pleased to have been there and to have experienced it.



But that's not the end of the story. We found out today that, on the day we came down from the volcano, Pacaya was closed to the public and placed on "orange alert" by the Guatemalan authorities, fearing a major eruption after highly elevated levels of volcanic activity had been observed. Looks like we were just in time!

Rob

Final Weekend in Xela

For our last weekend in Xela, we resolved to complete some of the things we'd either been meaning to do before we left or had enjoyed the most while living there. So, on our friend Laura's recommendation, we joined the trip our school was running (teachers are welcome as well as students) to climb Volcán Santa Maria.



The volcano towers over Xela and the surrounding valley, lording it over everything around. The peak is visible from all around the town.



To get to the top early and get the best view, you need to start the climb before dawn (5:30am, to be exact). We arrived at the trail outside Xela (by pickup) and set off in complete darkness. It was pretty cold this early in the morning, as you can probably tell from the photos!



As the sun rose, we realised that there was a lot of low cloud blocking the sun out - and possibly ruining the view. As we climbed higher though, we broke through the cloud and were treated to a magnificent view of the valley blanketed in cloud. Our early start was well rewarded.








After 4 hours, we finally arrived at the summit. The view is absolutely stunning; the photos can't do it justice, I'm afraid. From there, it's possible to see at least six other volcanoes: Tajumulco (the highest point in Central America); Pacaya, near Guatemala city; Fuego, Agua and Acatenango, near Antigua; but most spectactularly of all, Santiaguito, which is highly active and right in the shadow of Santa Maria.



As luck would have it, within 5 minutes of our arrival, Santiaguito erupted with a loud rumble and a huge cloud of volcanic gasses.



To get a feel of the eruption occuring, you need to see it in motion. Well, I did my best. Apologies for the rather shaky camera work, but here's a little video to give you an idea:



Definitely an experience we'll remember, and most likely one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Apart from climbing volcanoes, one of the other things we've loved doing in Xela is visiting the hot springs at Fuentes Georginas. As I said in a previous post, we couldn't get any photos before. This time, however, it was less steamy and Rach managed to get this fantastic shot.



On our last night, we captured this sunset view from our roof terrace. Seems apt to close the chapter on our time in Xela. Time to get back on the road!



Rob

Western El Salvador

After San Salvador, we headed west and have barely had chance to draw breath since! We´ve got very used to taking everything at our own pace, so the deadline of Christmas bookings in Guatemala has been a bit of a shock. Still, as we plan to leave El Salvador tomorrow, I think it´s fair to say we have been able to get a good taste of the country.

Santa Ana, where we spent just one night, is a large, bustling city, but the cathedral is very pretty and there are several other striking buildings around the square.



In contrast, the tiny mountain village of Tacuba is incredibly tranquil and we really enjoyed staying there. The hostel, run by a Salvadoran family and really helpful Italian guy (who speaks countless languages fluently!), was great. We went on a really, really long walk with people from the hostel into the mountains. The national park is called Bosque el Imposible - the imposible forest - but really it was just pretty tough.



Although the climbing (or just scrambling at times) was hard work, the views were gorgeous and well worth the effort. We could see Guatemala on one side and the Pacific ocean on the other. Amazing.



Here we are enjoying a well earned rest.




Many indigenous people live up in the mountains and it was fascinating to see their homes and farms.



Here you can see a man beating sweetcorn cobs to remove the kernels. As in all of Central America, maize is an essential part of the Salvadoran diet.



After over 8 hours of serious hiking, we decided to get a lift in a pick up for the last couple of miles back to the village. As you can see, it was a pretty bumpy ride, being thrown around in the back!





Final stop in El Salvador was Juayúa, a small coffee-growing town known for its weekend food festival.



In amongst all the meat and seafood, we did manage to find a few veggie things, like these frozen strawberries, and certainly enjoyed soaking up the lively atmosphere.




Yesterday we walked to nearby series of waterfalls, which were very pretty and we were able to swim in the pools at the bottom.

It feels a bit like a whirlwind tour of El Salvador, but we are both very glad we came. The overwhelmingly friendly people, the beautiful countryside and the complete lack of foreign tourists has made for a very enjoyable couple of weeks.

Rachel x

Birthday zip-line tour

I knew it would be a bit strange to be so far away from home for my birthday and that I would miss my friends and family a lot, but it actually turned out to be great fun! The weekend was very active with a long trek on Saturday followed by dinner and drinks with friends and Friday was a real adrenaline fix! We went with Kary and David from our class on a canopy tour up in the mountains around Boquete. As you can see from the video it was a series of very high, very long and, at times, very fast zip-lines!



I somehow ended up being the first to set off on the first line and I was pretty terrified, but as soon as I left the first platform, I loved it! As well as being totally exhilarating, it was very beautiful.





The platforms are incredibly high and the forest is stunning with huge old trees and sparkling rivers and waterfalls, so the views are spectacular.



One of the final lines is 400m long and crosses the valley you can see above. It was definitely the best part and is the one that you can see in the video.



Here´s me waiting for Rob to complete the final gentle descent to the end of the tour. We had a fantastic time and it was certainly a birthday I won´t forget!

Rachel x

Jungle bike ride

We spent a wonderful day cycling along the coast from Puerto Viejo to a tiny place called Manzanillo. The route took us through lush jungle and past palm-fringed beaches and we saw loads of wildlife. The highlights were the beautiful Morpho butterflies (as big as my hand and vivid blue and black) and the Howler Monkeys that bellowed at us from the trees above. However, for me, the achievement of the day was over-coming my fear of bikes (I haven´t ridden one since I fell off in California seven years ago!) and, I´m pleased to say that, after a few wobbles, I actually enjoyed myself! Dad, you would have been very proud. Video evidence as proof.
Rachel x