Mexico City to Panama City
An assortment of unpronounceable ruins. Clockwise from top left we have Teotihuacan, Teotihuacan (detail), Palenque and Chichen Itza. Among others visited were Tulum, Copan, Tikal and Monte Alban at Oaxaco (WAH-HACK-CO),
H and Genine go all dewey eyed over the cute baby turtles.
Even now that we had more time in hotels the standard was a little mixed. This 'portrait of the writer at work' was in the marvelous town of San Cristobal where every building is decorated like this.
On the other hand on the island of Caye Caulker the hotel may have been clean (if a little spartan) but the path to it led through this cemetery which was straight out of a Hammer Films production.
The hotel in Merida was one of the strangest I've ever been in. The decoration included a life size cut out of Charlie Chaplin, coffins, a bowling ball on a plate, mutilated tailors' dummies, an inflatable Batman, a single pink shoe on an ornate iron table and this bizarre item in reception. It was like living in the inside of a psychotic's daydream.
When we stayed at Panajachel we took a boat trip across Lake Atitlan to a couple of the islands on market day. This was the rather colourful scene on the island of Santiago.
And this was the scene a couple of days later when we tried to leave Panajachel only to find that a landslide had completely blocked the only road in our out of town. We were stuck there for several hours while they tried to clear it all away.
Yet another piece of luxury accomodation. This school allowed us to sleep in the grounds after our planned beach camp had to be aborted because they had built a hotel blocking the road down to the site we were going to use. It wouldn't have been too bad if they hadn't had a school disco on until about two in the morning.
Looking at the graffiti in Leon it's clear that the Nicaraguans have very little time for Americans. Notice that the helmet with the snake rising from it has the letters 'CIA' painted on it. This is one example of hundreds in the city.
The most picturesque buildings are often the ones that are falling down. I'm sure if we'd been staying overnight in Granada we'd have stayed in this one.
The Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica is the kind of place that could get me to like relaxing beach holidays. This wildlife filled jungle is no more than a hundred yards from glorious golden sands and a perfect ocean. The only downside is the monkeys who are all kleptomaniacs. Anything left unattended for a few seconds will diappear into the trees. This one is watching me, waiting for a chance to steal my camera.
Ever wondered what a wooden bridge looks like after you have driven a sixteen ton truck off it in heavy rain ? Wonder no more.
