squeak_1912's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member squeak_1912 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/squeak_1912 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:06:57 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Happy in Havana — Havana, Cuba http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214780220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214780220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214780220/tpod.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:06:57 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Havana, Cuba

We´d been looking forward to Cuba for some time and were excited as we checked in for our flight to Havana. The plane was a taste of things to come, it was an old Russian "hand me down" and they had adjusted the seating to squeeze in as many infidel capitalists (and their sorely needed hard currency) as possible. Our seats were right at the back, next to the toilets and no window, nice! If there had been any problems with the plane, it would have been all over, u basically stood no chance of getting out alive.

We landed in Havana and Dean desperatley tried to round up other travellers to share a taxi (no public transport to airport, Fidel´s stitch up no. 1!) Our usual luck with this sort of thing prevailed and we ended up with a rich/spoilt/clueless Russian who spoke no Spanish beyond "Gracias" and maybe "Paella"! He spent the journey into town waving around his expensive mobile and laptop and talking about buying property and gambling, neither of which are possible. He was stunned beyond belief when we said we didn´t have a mobile (Thank God, meant we didn´t have a number to give him!) He was going to stay at an expensive hotel but then decided to tag along with us and stay in a private house. Luckily a combinatuion of my rudeness and Dean´s forthrightness (shall we say) got rid of him pretty quick. He´s the kind of tourist we go out of our way to avoid, still, he saved us money on the taxi, hooray!

We checked into a private home (casa) and instantly fell in love with the old couple who owned it. I think we wrote about them and Havana briefly before, so I won´t go on but Havana was a great city and really how we imangined it to be. A bizzare combination of crumbling and decrepit buildings with a faded grandeur and cool old american cars lumbering down the streets.
]]> 3 day holiday! — Playa del Carmen, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211913840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211913840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211913840/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:51:54 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Playa del Carmen, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

After deciding that we couldn´t take any more of the guitar strumming in the Poc Na hostel we went to Playa del Carmen, touristy as hell but we loved it! The main drag we christened ¨fake st¨because it was like legoland but it was a nice place to spend a few days and there were a few bargains in amounst the tourist trap restaurants. We ate the best tacos in Mexico and our room, 2 mins from the beach as really nice and only 30 USD. We spent a couple of days chilling out, I went diving, in the ocean which was pretty avaerage but also in a Cenote. These are underground rivers in the limestone of the Yucatan Peninsular where the ¨roof¨has fallen in creating sinkholes. This is cavern rather than cave diving so u r nevr more than 60m from an opening but still pretty enclosed at some points and a bit scary. The water was unbeileiably clear tho, 100m plus, in the sea, 40m is good visibility. The guide was really funny and there were only too of us so it was nice and relaxed. It was amazing drifting past stalctites and shafts of light punctuating the gloom.
]]> Finally on the beach! — Isla Mujeres, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211654400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211654400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211654400/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:44:14 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Isla Mujeres, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

We had four lazy days chilling out here and drinking too much Corona. The beach was nice and the water sublime. Pocna Hostel was OK, a bit too much of a traveller scene for us. One thing I really didn´t enjoy was the turtle farm. I thought it was there for ecological reasons but seemed to be more concerened with tourism than turtle welfare. They had lots of big turtles in small pools and I thought that it was just to raise small turtles and then release them.
]]> (Nearly) In the Jungle — Palenque, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211481420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211481420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211481420/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:39:27 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Palenque, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

We re writing to you from the jungle! (Well a town at the edge anyway). Today we visited the Mayan ruins of Palenque. The scale and setting were impressive but to be honest we felt a little underwhelmed. It was a stop on the way to Cancun tho and we camped not far from the ruins in the jungle which was fun. We could hear howler monkeys last night which sounds quite exotic and exciting but they do sound like someone being murdered in the woods which is a bit scary. For dinner we walked a couple of kms to an italian restaurant (!) where we d heard the pizza was good. It didn t disapoint and on the walk back to the campsite we saw hundreds of fireflies, the pizza and walk home were probably more impressive than the ruins! It s seriously hot here and after a heated exchange about whether me being too hot was more important than Dean getting dengue fever, we left the tent "doors" open and didn{t get one mozzie bite, unbelieveable.


Thats all for now, waiting for a lovely overnight sweatbox on wheels to sunny Cancun where, with a bit of luck we{ll be on a carribean island b y the time u read this at work tommorow (sorry).

Mayabelle was a good place to camp with clean bathrooms, nearest the ruins too.
]]> Colnial gem no. 3! — San Cristobel de las Casas, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211135520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211135520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1211135520/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:36:11 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
San Cristobel de las Casas, Mexico

Before Palenque we were in the highland town of San Cristobel de las Casas which is, shocker, a colonial wonder! It was a nice enough little town and we also visited a village where the locals have mixed Catholocism with their ancient beliefs. The church was really atmospheric and interesting. They cover the floor with pine needles and there are hundreds of burning candles and clouds of incense. We also saw people being healed by having a (live) chicken rubbed over them, once the poor chicken has taken the evil away it is killed and buried. This didn{t stop Dean eating half a BBQ d chicken in the village, hopefully it wasn t an evil one!
]]> Oaxaca — Oaxaca, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214764020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214764020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214764020/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:32:18 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Oaxaca, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

From Puebla we came to Oaxaca (wa-ha-ca) which is where we are now. Yesterday we had a day off and just wandered around the town (the best colonial gem yet). We decided o treat ourelves to a leisurely breakfast but en route to the cafe Dean spotted a little place that looked cheap, I decided to humour him and after he´d eaten his "fried eggs in gravy"and drank his hot chocolate a la wallpaper paste, he decided that it was worth the extra dollar to go to the posh place, bless him!



Today we went out to a village market, we decided to get up at 5.30 and actually got up after 7. When we arrived a the market they were sill setting up, good job we slept in. Dean has gone out to some ruins today, he´s walking 6km each way in 30degree heat to save the 2.50 pounds bus fare (his is about the principle, not the money he said) hmmmm




We were really looking forward to the food in Mexico but we re pretty bored with it already. We decided to try some regional dishes in Oaxaca, one "regional highlight" is called chiles en nogada, large roasted chiles stuffed with minced meat, dried fruit, nuts and spices, they are battered and fried and topped with a cream cheeseand ground walnut sauce and finished with pomegranate seeds. Dean was excited about this one but his verdict was that it tasted like chiles, stuffed with xmas pudding and meat and topped with custard, mmmm. He didn{t think it would be up to much but the "have a go hero" couldn t stop himself. He found himself bizzarely drawn to each mouthful but was happy to get to the last mouthful. My "culinary delight" was Mole (not the subterraenean creature) a very complex sauce involving up to 30 differnt spices and herbs, each one cooked at a seperate stage before being added to the whole dish and finished with chocolate that has been made according to recepies that origionated with the Mayan peoples (hence Green and Blacks, Mayan Gold which does taste like the real deal). It tasted like chicken with chocolate custard, altho again strangely nice. It made a nice change from Tacos tho!



Thats all for now, waiting for a lovely overnight sweatbox on wheels to sunny Cancun where, with a bit of luck we{ll be on a carribean island b y the time u read this at work tommorow (sorry).



A note for anyone in the area, don´t bother with Hierve el Agua, a huge disapointment. Hardly any limestone formations and 2 mouldy green pools to bathe in. Also the collectivo leaves u there for 3 hrs! Luckily we managed to hitchhike back.

Hostel was good and bathrooms clean, was best and cheapest of a few places we checked.
]]> Colonial wonder 2 — Puebla, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763840/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:27:35 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Puebla, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

Next stop was Puebla, another "colonial gem" but a much bigger and grander town. Hotels there are expensive but we scoured the streets for ones not in our guidebook and ended up in "Mildew Mansions" (not it´s real name). To get rid of the musty smell we burnt outdoor mosquito coils which made my eyes sting and our clothes smell of bonfire! Still a least we chose to be there to save cash, there were an American tour group there too, can´t imagine they were too pleased to have been booked into such a dump.

The town however was lovely, we´ll probably stop here again on the way back to explore the surrounding area.
]]> Colonial wonder no. 1 — Taxco, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1210616580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1210616580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1210616580/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:24:25 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Taxco, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

It would have been easy to stay in Acapulco drinking Corona and watching the world go by but we dragged ourselves away to Taxco, a colonial town on the way back to Mexico City which is famous for it´s silver. It was very pretty but the narrow streets were clogged with traffic which was a shame.
]]> Going Loco Down in Acapulco — Acapulco, Pacific Coast, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763480/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:23:02 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Acapulco, Pacific Coast, Mexico

Sorry, couldn´t resist the cheesy title! Anyway, we did "go loco" (well we stayed out til midnight). After Mexico city we decided that even tho the buses here are really expensive and Acapulco was completely out of the way, we wanted to go, beacuse it´s just one of those evocotive names. We boarded the 6hr bus and Dean soon got bored with my constant singing of the above ditty. We arrived in sweltering heat and walked up a huge hill to our chosen hotel. My bag was so heavy I thought I might fall over backwards but I didn´t complain to Dean because I see his accusing looks every time I am straining to get the zips to do up "They are rusty" i say but I know he is thinking "Too much stuff, too much stuff". Anyway we loved Acapulco, it´s cheesy and tacky but has a certain je ne sais quoi.



Acapulco is on the Pacific coast and it has a pretty much perfect bay. It became a huge holiday destination in the 50s but gradually declined due to pollution and later, the develpoment of Cancun. It seems to be getting back on it´s feet tho. The beaches were packed, lots of families having fun and there was a grea atmosphere. Another attraction was the cliff divers. They dive from a cliff (!) 35m high into a narrow channel below, they do several shows per day but they don´t take it lightly. It´s dangerous stuff and they have shrines at the top which you can see them praying at before diving. We also visited a museum in a restored fort which was all about how Acapulco was the main trade link with the Philippines and that the Philippines were influenced more by Mexico than by SPain which we didn´t know before.

Our hotel had a small pool and was fairly basic but clean and had a great view. It was 25 USD.
]]> Made it to Mexico! — Mexico City, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squeak_1912/2/1214763240/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:22:16 -0400 From Mexico City to Panama and all the way back again!
Mexico City, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

The next day we finally arrived in mexico City. Moments after getting off the underground it became apparent that our preconceptions were way wide of the mark. w were supised to find ourselves in a relaxed part of rown with wide avanues and lots of charming colonial architecture. One of those places that despite being modern, holds onto its sense of the past. Since arriving we´ve been wandering the streets (in a good way!) eating tacos and being tourists. Today we went to teotihuacan, a pre hispanic archaeological sute 50kms outisde the city. We climbed the worlds 3rd highest pyramid (not actually that high) and admired the scale of a city that was built with no machinery and before the wheel was even around (no pun intended!) That´s all for now, we´re hungry but had to fnd shelter from a huge storm, luckily we needed unternet and a haircut for Dean and there was a hairdressers next door. They all had a laugh at the amount of grey hair that fell off Dean´s head!
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