Today we finally checked out of our hotel in Playa del Carmen after staying a little longer than planned, and we decided to get the overnight bus to Belize, as it meant that we didn't have to pay for a night's accommodation so we could save a bit of money. The trouble was that we had the whole day to waste, as the night bus does not even depart until 11.40pm. Considering we had been going to bed around 9pm nearly every night(!) due to lingering jet lag, it was going to be a challenge to stay awake, let alone find something to do all day with our massive backpacks with us. Luckily, we found out that you could leave baggage in the bus station luggage storage units for just £9 for the whole day, so at least we didn't have to drag our bags around with us.

We managed to waste a few hours by eating and drinking and looking in all the touristy shops, where Matt spent too much money on painted flat canvases of Mexican wrestler heads that he will never display! We then had a paddle in the sea, and sat and watched the sunset on the beach - but it was still only 6pm! Somehow we managed to stroll around for another few hours, and then went to the other station in Playa del Carmen to get the bus.

After a quick change for me in the station toilets into jeans and a hoodie, we went to board the bus. The driver took one look at Matt in his shorts and T-shirt, and told him that he would be way too cold on the 7 hour journey on the highly air-conditioned bus. Of course, Matt had packed his jacket right in the bottom of his rucksack, so he just said he would manage!

The seats on the bus were pretty comfortable with quite a bit of legroom, but it was really hard to get in the right position to sleep - I even tried sitting in the footwell (mine, not the driver's!) with my head on the seat, but that didn't work out!

The journey was about 7 hours all together, and we managed to only get a couple of hours sleep along the way. You have to get off the bus as you reach the Mexican border, where you have to show your passport, and pay about $25USD for the priviledge of leaving! It was freezing waiting at the toll booth, but there were loads of stray dogs hanging about which was a bonus!

After bundling back onto the coach again, we took a short journey on to the Belize border, where we had to carry our own large backpacks through passport and immigration control. I say 'control' but there wasn't much controlled about it: unless you count two casually dressed men at a desk singing along to reggae music strict! Immigration was a pretty similar set-up: just place your bag on a desk while a man tells you to 'Enjoy Belize, guys!'

Our coach met us at the other side of the border, and we got our first glimpse of Belize as the sun was rising. On our way to Belize City, there were loads of people riding bikes in the near pitch-black: Belizeans don't seem to worry about ANYTHING, let alone being mowed down by a tired Mexican night bus driver!