25/12/24

Christmas Day! We started with a quick ferry across the split to the South Island of Caye Caulker (Caye Caulker was cut in half after a hurricane in 1961 ). On the south side, we had some amazing barbecued jerk chicken and lobster. Later on, we discovered a place where you can feed tarpon ( a massive type of fish). It’s hard to explain but I’ll let the videos show you what it is. Later on, we went to a beach at sunset to see stingrays that came right up to our legs looking for food.

26/12/24

Today on Boxing Day we went on a snorkelling trip with the first stop to feed tarpons and frigate birds. On the second stop we went to a reef where we saw nurse sharks, turtles, stingrays, and fish. Next we went to Shark and Ray Alley where the guides fed ten nurse sharks and I swam under them and went right next to them. For the final stop of the day we went to the wreck of a cargo ship that was sunk to be turned into a artificial reef.

28/12/24

Today we started off with a short walk around the jungle next to our hotel before heading into the centre of San Ignacio to visit The Green Iguana Conservation Project where we learned that the green iguana’s main defence is to whip predators with its tail.

Later we visited the AJAW chocolate LTD where we learned about how the ancient Mayans fermented and crushed up cocoa beans and added it to hot water with spices such as cinnamon, chilli, and even honey which of course we got to try ( my favourite spice combo was chilli, honey, all spice and cocoa). Back then cocoa tea was only for people of high class because spice was very expensive. We also learned that raw cocoa beans can treat diabetes, lower cholesterol and give you lots of great vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Later after dinner we toasted marshmallows by the fire pit ( I did mine the scouts way; set on fire, burnt to a crisp and gooey on the inside!

17/12/24

First day in Mexico was a big travel day with a taxi, a two hour flight to Cancun, a two hour taxi, a 30 minute ferry, and a buggy through the streets of Isla Holbox. Once there we we greeted by a beach-side hotel that looked like it was carved out of stone with two infinity pools and an amazing beach.

18/12/24

Second day starts with us going on a walk on the beach and seeing lots of washed up wildlife such as sea urchins, stingrays, and lots of horseshoe crabs. After a drink in town we spent the rest of the day relaxing around the resort.

21/12/24

Hi, it’s Emma guest blogging about our visit to Chichen Itza or ‘Chicken Pizza’ as our tour guide called it!

Chichen Itza is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and is located about 2.5 hours inland from Playa Del Carmen where we are staying for 4 nights. It was built by the Mayans and is dominated by a huge pyramid called El Castillo.

We happened to be there on the winter solstice when the sun directly aligns with the pyramid and casts a shadow that looks like a serpents body: unfortunately it was overcast when we were there so we didn’t see it.

Human sacrifice happened at Chichen Itza and this is depicted on some of the carvings on the ‘ball courts’ where games were played. Daniel counted over 300 stones on an adjacent building that had skulls carved on them – they have real human skulls inside from the sacrifices!

The only downside to Chichen Itza was the presence of hundreds of hawker stalls trying to sell all manner of tat. It made it difficult to appreciate the place as such a significant historical and religious site but I guess that comes with mass tourism.

It’s Daniel again, later on in the day we went to a Cenote which is a sinkhole. The cenote we went to was about 100 meters wide by 150 meters deep. Walking down the stairs you are greeted by a boardwalk submerged one meter deep with catfish and freshwater turtles swimming near the edge. After some photos under the waterfall, I headed up to the jumping platform. Once there I pencil jumped into the 25 metre deep water and I enjoyed it so much that I jumped another thirty times.

23/12/24

On our last day in Mexico, we went to a small town called Bacalar where there was a crystal-clear river with silky smooth warm water that we floated using our life jackets as chairs. In the end, you had to swim to the side of the river to catch yourself in an eddy then go back to the start and rinse and repeat.