Round the World

Throughout central and south america we have had to endure the terrifying experience that is using a suicide shower. As far as I understand it works by pumping 220 volts through the cables (attached by selotape) directly into the shower head. This results in a combination of electricity and water inches above your head when you stand under it. This heats the water. It has also given both me and Jenny electric shocks throughout our travels. On our pampas trip we met a New Zealander called Mickey who is an electrician. He said that back home if he was to wire a shower up like this he'd be put in jail. Not so over here.

Left Palenque yesterday, getting up at 5.30 to get a bus to the border at Guatemala. Was awake anyway, cos the hostel that we were staying at was right next to a road. Everyone seems to get up at about 3am and start shouting, driving about with music blaring beeping their horns, shouting electoral campains through megaphones or strangling cockrels. Is the noisiest place I have ever been. We paid for an organised tour to cross the border as it was going to cost roughly the same to do it ourselves. We travelled in a little nissan van full of all different nationalities. Wasn´t very comfortable. Spent a couple of hours doing this and arrived at a river where we transferred to a boat. Bit of confusion between times about tickets and who had paid for what. Travelled for about 1/2 hour on a sort of canoe-like boat down the river to another bus. We then had to wait for an hour, for no reason. The guy we bought the tour from said that there would be a 1st class air conditioned bus to pick us up at the other side of the river, but instead it was a clapped out old van-like machine held together by string and elastic bands and seemed to be clockwork and the air conditioning was windows that just about opened. The driver had to open a hatch in the floor and fiddle about with some wire to get it started.

We were then taken to the immigration office where we had our passports stamped and were relieved of some money. We then returned to the river to cram some more people into the bus and repeated the process. All fun and games, but we made it to Guatemala eventually.

We crept along a road made from boulders about the size of my head for another 3 hours. In the meantime we picked up another tour guide about an hour from Flores our final destination. He proceeded to shout his pitch about trips to the ruins at Tikal for the next hour or so. Hard Sell. We were even helpfully taken to two different ATM's to ensure that people bought the trips. Most people did. We didn't. Going to do that in our own time, maybe tomorrow.

Flores

Flores is a little island on a lake, and is really nice. Staying in a very cheap and slightly nasty hotel, and making ful use of the sleeping bag and midge net. There is a large gap between the roof and the wall where insects can get in. Got Geckos and spiders sharing the room with us too. Get what you pay for though, and there is a veranda that looks out onto the lake which is really nice. Getting stuck into more litre bottles of the local bevvy - Gallo, it{s very nice too. Thinking of hiring a boat and trying to catch some fish.

Puerto Escodido

We eventually arrived at the Pacific Coast of Meico, at Puerto Escondido, after a 17 hour bus journey. It was adviertised as 7 hours but took us round half of mexico before finally dropping us off. Stayed in a really nice hostel and basically spend two days lying on the beach. Both of us got burnt. Did a bit of bodyboarding. Getting into the whole Mexican spirit of things, eating tacos, burritos, fajitas, enchilladas, all with plenty jalapeños, all washed down with litres of cerveza.

San Cristobal de las Casas

Another lengthy bus journey up into the mountains to this place This time the bus broke down and the driver and his pal spent about 3 hours fannying about banning the side of the bus while we all sat in the road in the middle of the night. Eventually got to Sn Cristobal, which is a colonil town, and realy just a stop off before the next place. We stayed in another nice hostel, where a bunch of old American hippies were hanging about. Atmosphere was nice and relaxed....until me and Jeny pitched up after a nice meal for valentines day and a few refreshments, at about 1am. Seems there was a curfew that we didn´t know about and had to ring the bell a few times to get in, then one of the other residents stormed off to another dorm when Jenny´s phone went off. Got a bit of a cold goodbye and don´t think we're welcome back. Anywho....

Palenque

In Palenque at the moment. This is further North and right in the thick of the jungle. There are amazing Mayan Ruins that we went to see today. Palenque the town is not up to much but the ruins are great. It was chucking it down with rain but was probably better that way as it added to the experience. The ruins are surrounded by jungle and the clouds were really low and we had our ponchos on looking like numpties.

Trying to decide now whether to head down south into Guatemala, or carry on in the direction that we are headed inot Norther Guatemala and onto Belize.....Decisions, decisions........

Arrived in Mexico City on 9th Febraury and ldft the next day. Mexico city is massive and busy, but there wasn't that much worth seeing. Went on one of the turist buses, which was meant to take 2 and half hours and it ended up taking more like 4. Spent most of the time in traffic and on the bottom deck becaus it was pissing with rain. Jenny was most unimpressed with the whole experience. Main square in the main square was impressive and the hostel that we stayed at was ok. Corona is served in Mexico by the litre bottle for about a pound 20 which is keeping me amused.

We go the bus down to puerto escondido on the pacific coust on the 10th febraury and have spent the last couple of days here. The bus down here was advertised as taking 7 hours but actually took 17, which was fun. Unfortunately they didn't serve corona on the bus so I was as unamused as Jenny at this. Bus was first class tho, so comfy seats and 3 movies.

Puerto Escondido is really nice. About 30 degrees today and blue sky. Really nice beaches. Spent most of yesterday boogieboarding. Nic and relaxing. Heading down to San Cristobal de las casas tonight on an overnight bus, this one is advertised as 12 hours, so who knows when we'll arrive. Will try to update this at some point in the next week or so.

Just arrived in Mexico City, and checked into a hostel. New York was great.

Arrived on Sunday 4th Feb and left today, 9th Feb. Stayed with Nigel in Queens, which was cheap at the price - 4 bottles of irn bru and my ski jacket. Did all the touristy stuff empire state building, statue of liberty etc. Spent an absolute fortune, but litre bottles of corona are about a pound here so should be ok. Taken plenty of photos and will try and get them onto the site as soon as possible. Struggling with the technology and the spanish at the moment so can´t seem to get into my hotmail account. Should get it sorted soon tho.

Think we´re going to spend a couple of days here and then head south to the pacific and the beach. Warmer here than in New York - which is the coldest place I think I´ve ever been - however was raining which I was not impressed with.

Will try and update further in a few days.