Reflections on Central America

Well, most of you know by now that I am long since home. I have been trying to publish on the last of my travels, more for my benefit than anyone else's. Having completed my recent post about the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, I believe I am finally done.

It has been three weeks, and life here in Canada is pretty much back to normal. Work started right away in the very same building as I worked in before I left - I am two floors up, almost directly above my old desk. I walk into the same coffee shop in the morning, and have the same cafe options for lunch. The bus and bike routes are automatic, and I am falling back into the routines with ease. It is almost hard to believe that I took this photo of Misol-Ha not two months ago.

But in as many ways that the transition back to working is easy, I am having trouble really connecting to how luxuriously I am living. Clothing and belongings clutter my home and my head and I wonder why I have so much, having just lived comfortably out of a backpack for over ten weeks. And as comfortable and easy as the old routines are, they are also a source of discomfort as I look for ways to live more simply here at home.

I am also keenly aware of my desire to travel more. The difference is that I now know how easy it is to just set off in a direction with little or no regard to itinerary. South America over the winter months looks as attractive as it is expensive; the Canadian North may be a bit cold in the fall; and I have plenty of places to stay throughout Northern Europe, having met so many great people in my travels. The only restrictions are my own reservations about spending more time and money away from home, family, and friends.

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

The final destination of note on my trip was the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (map). Most access the reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) from the North, about ten kilometres from Tulum, but as you can see from the link to the map above, this is only scraping the surface of this huge protected area. Sian Ka'an covers just over 1.3 million acres, accounting for over ten percent of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

The side-by-side accommodations you see along the beach near Tulum end the moment you pass through the gates to the reserve. The Tulum Zona Hotelera gives way to a mostly pristine, 45km spit of land extending south to Punta Allen. The often narrow (as a stone's throw) spit is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the East and salt water lagoons to the West.

We stayed at Cesiak, an eco-lodge dedicated to conservation and education programs both inside and outside the reserve. The 'tent' we stayed in was quite luxurious, with two double beds and a hammock on the patio overlooking the sea. I felt like I was on the set of M*A*S*H whenever I stepped into the green canvas doorway. The beach below was truly deserted, with maybe three or four others visible at any given time on the ten kilometres stretching to the North and South.



Something that could not be overlooked on the beaches was the incredible amount of garbage, mostly plastic, washed ashore. When you walk a beach near any town on the Yucatán, the beach is usually quite clean. But in Sian Ka'an, beaches are 'pristine' everywhere but in front of the lodging or residences (grandfathered from before the UNESCO designation). In this sense, 'pristine' means that you see them in an unaltered state, with whatever washes ashore staying on shore. It's both amazing and disturbing to see the amount of garbage we assume the oceans of the world can assume, and equally disturbing to see this garbage accumulate in those areas we 'protect'.

The kayak tour of the lagoon was nice, but not well organised. The 3PM tour left just after 4PM, and the kayaks used were surf kayaks - very stable, but not very quick. They are also about as easy to steer as Crazy Carpets once the wind comes up, and in the Yucatan the wind is always up. The guide Manuel was very good, full of facts about the ecosystem and the animals relying upon it.

The lagoon rarely exceeded one metre deep, and paddles occasionally dug into more mud than water. This made our seeing one or two american crocodiles pretty exciting. As you slid across the surface you would often disturb a stingray, who would take off from almost under your boat, leaving a cloud of murky water behind. The birds were nice too, but I'm really not too into birds.

My last few days on the Yucatán were memorable for all the wrong reasons, as Sian Ka'an is where I started coming down with something. I suspected malaria, as I exhibited 11 of the 13 symptoms I researched. Doctors ruled it out once I was back in Canada; it was pneumonia combined with a lung infection. Seeing as the nights at Sian Ka'an (at sea level) were the coldest I experienced on my entire trip, I was not too surprised I caught something.

My Sunglasses

Have taken a beating on this trip. I lost half of the arm in Chiapas, but held them together with duct tape until I got tired of the flimsyness of the tape job. I think the right lens fell out for the first time in Honduras, which led to a bit more tape being applied. I noticed a crack fully through the frame of the left lens in Belize, and (you guessed it) applied more tape. In the end, this is what they looked like:



I hunted for some replacements in any touristy area, but all I found were Oakley knock-offs that felt brittle to the touch. These glasses survived until two days before my return flight. They now call Shelf Above Lockers, Dormitory 9, Poc Na Hostel, home. They are kept company by my green bath towel, spare light, and half-full bottle of body wash. If they wish to travel, they can visit the snorkeling gear I left in the book exchange room at same said hostel.

Tulum and Tulum Ruins

Ahhh, Tulum. The place everyone raves about. Beautiful, long, and quiet beaches; rustic seaside cabanas for those on a budget; and a perfect place to sit back and while away your days in the shade of a palm tree.

Accommodation was at Zazil-Kin (formerly Don Armando's), in the Akumal cabana (320 pesos per night). This is a view from the Tulum ruins; Zazil-Kin is located just at the sandy point, about 600 metres from the ruins. Santa Fe had cabanas available next to Zazil-Kin for 150 pesos per night, but the cabanas there were a bit dodgy. The cabana at Zazil-Kin was a bit close to the bar, but otherwise quite comfy.

This was the only place where I used a mosquito net (provided), and it took some doing to keep it draped properly around the mattress (which was bigger than the concrete shelf for the mattress). I enjoyed using candles in the cabana once night fell - it added to the overall rustic aesthetic.

The beach and the overall atmosphere at Tulum was great. Dinner and pre-dinner drinks on the first night were enjoyed at Diamante K, about a 1.5km walk south along the beach. If I went again, I would stay at Diamante K, where the cabanas were the same price. The only setback to staying here would be the rocky point the resort sits on, which would mean a short walk to the sandy beach to the north.

While walking to the ruins at Tulum via the old access road (still used by people looking to park near the ruins for free), we saw this 1.5m long snake dart off the asphalt. Turns out it is a Green Vine Snake, and is relatively harmless. It still gave a bit of a shock, and it was a pleasure to see.

The Tulum ruins are definitely deficient as ruins go, but how can any archeological site fail to impress with this view?

The third day saw a return to Tulum proper. That afternoon we rented bikes across the street from The Weary Traveler and headed west of Tulum Crucero to find Cenote Calavera. Calavera felt just like a swimming hole, with a 4 metre drop from the limestone ledges surrounding the opening to the water level below. There were in fact three holes: two no bigger than one metre in diameter, known as the eyes; and one about 5 metres in diameter, known as the mouth. The challenge: to not only jump, but dive through the eyes into the blackness below. Knowing that the water is deep enough to dive safely is little consolation when looking down into a small black hole. I was up to the challenge, and managed to dive through both.

Just before leaving the cenotes, we witnessed a very strange thing. Green lights appeared in the cenote below, and bubbles broke the otherwise calm surface. Within the span of ten minutes, six German scuba divers emerged from the depths of the cenote, having followed underground caverns through the blackness below. It took them some work to get themselves and their gear up the metal ladder to ground level, but then they proceeded on their merry way, walking in full wetsuits through the jungle and out to the highway. A strange sight indeed.

The timing of the move to Tulum was good - the rain fell hard that night, and we weren't sure if the cabana would keep out the wet. We stayed at the Hotel Maya, just north of The Weary Traveler hostel, and the savings between here and Zazil-Kin just about covered dinner in town.

Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos is a small coastal town about halfway between Cancún and Playa del Carmen. It costs only 17 pesos to get to the highway turnoff from either city, and another 20 pesos for the taxi from the highway to the town. The whole town can be seen on foot in about ten minutes, as it only covers an area of roughly two blocks by six blocks.

I was really looking forward to my stay here. It was recommended to me by a woman I met on the plane from LA, and the Lonely Planet guide made it sounds pleasant enough. Unfortunately, unless you have some way of getting on the ocean, there is little to do here. Furthermore, if you are on a budget, Puerto Morelos is not the place for you. The Posada del Amor seemed like the budget accommodation of choice, but a basic room with intermittent water cost 420 pesos. One night was enough for me.

Still, there are a couple of reasons to visit Puerto Morelos, if only for the day. One of them is Café Amancia, located on the southwest corner of the plaza. This place serves very good iced espresso drinks. A second reason to stop is Hola Asia, which served an eclectic but outstanding mix of Asian dishes.

So, visit Puerto Morelos, but only for a meal and a coffee. Then carry on to better locales, like Tulum.

Isla Holbox

I managed to get to Holbox in one piece, and thankfully found an Internet Cafe / Money Exchange to burn abother traveller's cheque. I still made myself eat the classic cold dinner* before cashing in.

Cam's Classic Cold Dinner:

Tortillas (preferably corn)
Can of Refried Black Beans
Tomato
Avocado
Lime

Cut tomato and lime. Squish avocado as much as possible without breaking skin. Open can of beans, shaping top of can into a scoop. Lay tortillas out on plate or lap. Scoop refried beans onto tortillas. Add tomato. Cut opening in avocado near the stem and squeeze out fresh guacamole. Add squeeze of lime. Enjoy.

*Can also pass as breakfast and lunch.

Isla Holbox is beautiful, don't get me wrong. Just don't go to the beach, where you will be swarmed by tiny sand flies. I hear the cure is baby oil all over your exposed bits - the flies drown in the oil, leaving you with the task of wiping the black mass off your person every few minutes. I wasn't too keen on this approach - not keen on coating myself in oil before heading out into the sun, or wearing the bug coat.

And if the flies aren't enough, don't forget mosquito hour (or two), when the bugs go absolutely nutbars for human blood. Moscos here can land on you in a 50km/h wind, making their Canadian counterparts look like pansies.

What you do find on Holbox after surviving the bugs may well be worth the visit. The eight kilometres of beach on the north side of town will seem to be yours alone. Locals and tourists (mostly Italian) are laid back and friendly in a style similar to Caye Caulker. Hotels are cheap (camping was still closed due to hurricane damage when I was there), and there is an occasional free flop to be found.

On arriving and departing, take it easy and wait for the slow ferry. It costs only ten pesos (versus fourty for other boats), and the pod of dolphins that hangs out midway between the docks will often play in the carve of the slower ferry.

A Bit Behind

I have fallen a bit behind on my postings, after getting wrapped up in my holiday time and then getting quite sick (blood tests come back today). I will try to get my Isla Holbox post up today.