To say the Tikal mayan ruins were impressive would be an understatement. The mayans definitely went all out when they built Tikal. Set in the jungle, covering 16 km, it has ruins that tower 65 meters tall. Daunted a bit by the cost of accomidations within Tikal (think Disneyland prices), we decided to rent hammocks and stay in a palapa on the outskirts of the park and jungle. All seemed to be going well until we were awaken by unifamiliar animal sounds coming fro...

Near San Ignacio, Belize, there is a cave called the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave (or ATM for short). The tour was a little pricey but it got so many good recommendations that we couldn't pass it up. We weren't disappointed. Our guide's name was Patrick, a half Mayan, half Kenyan man who was said to be an original pioneer of the ATM cave. He spoke with a slow creole drawl and told a lot of stories. Who knows if any of them were true or not, but they were entertaini...

Merida came at the perfect time. Good food, some much needed rest, and very nice visits with the family. Couldn´t have asked for much more. We ate a tradicional day of the dead tamale my aunt had prepared and enjoyed a few alters around the central Squire. The two marine geeks even prepared an ocean related speal for my niece´s 3rd grade class (a super nice school at which my cousin Pamela is a principal at). We even took my (Genny´s) half sister, Ximena...

Waterfalls, ruins, the Maya Culture...we couldn´t ask for more from the last week. The Southern Mexico region known as Chiapas has had much to offer. We began the week in a small town called San Cristobal de las Casas. We visited a mountanous Mayan village that seemed to have been frozen in time. The women wore skirts made out of thick black wool and colorful silk tops. Chickens, yucca and local fruit were sold at the outdoor market and a mayan dialect was spok...

I'd like to begin this blog by clarifying that something labeled "First class" does not mean that it is better. We were told by a friend in Veracurz that taking the luxury bus ADO from Veracruz to Oaxaca was much safer and comfortable than local buses. With a strange sense of assurance, we bought a ticket and boarded the bus. A few hours later, we woke up as the bus screeched to a halt to avoid crashing into a vehicle ahead. But things got worse! Our bu...