Hola Gringo's
07/07/2010 We flew into Cancun in the Mexican Yucatan, Sun shine, Powder white sand, Turquoise sea's and Package holiday makers abound, Brits, Euros', Loads of Americans and even the odd Russian. The locals are still cleaning up after hurricane Alex and the tropical storm which followed a few days later, They are getting on top of it now and the sea is settling down, So we dived, Some great corals and colourful fish, We couldn't believe how cold the water was though, We began to shiver on the way up. Our hotel is small, great value at £25 PN including breakfast, We cross the road and use the 5 star hotel facilities (there very nice), One even has a swimming pool with dolphins. After 5 days we took the bus south and a ferry to isle Cozumel, A small island at the start of the worlds 2nd largest barrier reef, I could really live here. It has a small town square, The siesta still rules 1pm until 5pm every afternoon. When the day trippers from the main land leave, The atmosphere changes, restaurants have singers with classical guitars, the whole place has a authentic old time Mexican feel, even a banana republic sounding brass band, On Sunday evenings there's a fiesta in the square, Everyone congregates for eating and dancing. (really quaint) The locals say its very quiet as the global recession seems to have hit the island bad. The main visitors are the divers now and the cruise ships from the United States, Very few stay, which worked to our benefit, Fantastic cheap accommodation £25 PN with fill your face buffet brekkie, The dive prices have fallen too, So we took advantage with some great dives including a minesweeper wreck dive.
19/07/2010 We left Cozumel and caught the local bus for 5 hrs to Belize, It turned out to be a good day to travel as the rain poured. As we crossed the border into Belize the sun broke through. We made camp in the town made famous by the poet Madonna "I fell in love with San Pedro" Isla Bonita "tropical the island sun" and all that, A small coral island 25 miles long and 200metres wide, The golf cart and bicycle is the mode of transport on the 3 roads, Front, Middle and Back (aptly named), which run between a mish mash of brightly coloured buildings, all weathered and in different states of repair. Again we dove (American), this time with a group of Nurse sharks who were very nosey and attracted to shiny objects, a small fish even ate a scab off Oonaghs leg. A great island with a lovely Caribbean vibe, (a little bit expensive,)
24/07/2010 Gangster Ville, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, A scary country where gun culture is the way of life, Every family seems to have at least one member killed or shot, We were told as soon as we arrived even the bus was unsafe for us, The doorman at our hotel had a gun, another patrolled the grounds with a machine gun.(expensive, but what price is security) One night was enough and we headed to the island of Roatan, 40 miles from the main land. A sandy unpaved road around a beautiful palm tree lined bay, the water 30 degree's everyone is so laid back they are nearly asleep. Welcome to PARADISE, The shops x 2, ½ dozen restaurants open as and when, Electric fails nearly everyday (means no water), But who cares. Our room £15 PN (garden shed.) In a jungle setting is across the road from the beach, It has two beds, a fan, cold shower, Toilet with a bin for the tissue, Plus we are sleeping under our mosquito nets, If this is the price for Paradise and some really cheap superb diving its ok by us. Beach, Dive, Eat, even the odd game of scrabble again, it's a hard life, We even had time to fit in an Advanced diving course, In which we completed successfully. Then as everything seemed rosy, It all goes wrong, Our credit card was cloned on the main land (now cancelled and with no post code here they won't deliver an emergency issue).Then our service card was cancelled, because they have issued a new one in the UK for some reason none only to the bank ( but no bloody good to us), No cell phone signal, limited internet, and no money. This really is the price for paradise.
Would we come back ?, Definitely, but only to the islands, They are great. We'd leave the mainland to the brave and foolish, As one American gentleman said " I don't normally have a problem", He had a 9mm pistol strapped to his chest.

Adios Chaffers PADI adv