UnBelizeable

Arrival Mama
After our weekend at Lake Atitlan, we returned to Antigua. In the evening, we traveled to the airport to pick up Mama by taxi. She finally arrived with about two hours delay. It was nice to hold her in our arms and welcome her to Guatemala. She was anything but tired from the journey - excited and curious about what lies ahead.

As soon as we arrived at our hotel in Antigua, Mama unpacked her Swiss chocolate. Dési and Rezi immediately jumped on a Toblerone and ate triangle after triangle until there was none left. Mmmh, that was delicious.

Acatenango - August 1st with a spewing volcano

After the first day in Antigua with Mama, we immediately plunged into the first adventure with her. We climbed a volcano that is almost 4000 meters high. (3976m above sea level) On the first day, we climbed for about six hours to our camp. It was steep and exhausting, as our backpacks were "extremely heavy" with four to five liters of water, sleeping materials, tent, and spare clothes. The ascent was worth it, as we had a direct view of the active Fuego volcano from our tent. We had never experienced a Swiss National Day celebration like this before. It was incredible.

We woke up at three in the morning and hiked for another two hours to the summit of the volcano. From there, we enjoyed the sunrise with the active volcano in the background. The cold and the wind made our stay at the highest point rather short.

Afterwards, we had breakfast at our camp and set off on the descent, feeling refreshed. This adventure was breathtaking, unique, and unforgettable.

Swimming with a candle in hand or with Liquido

When we were back in Antigua, Rezi wasn't feeling well. He had a fever and had to rest in bed while Monika and Dési took care of the laundry and confirming our onward travel for the next day.

So the next day, we continued our journey to Semuc Champey. This place is located in the jungle and has many limestone caves and pools to swim in. For Rezi, the journey was torture. Especially the last hour of the journey - now it was already dark - was hell, as we rushed through the jungle on the back of a pickup truck. Rezi felt really sick during these two nights in the jungle. He spent most of the time in the bathroom, alternating between stomach cramps and diarrhea. Monika and Dési had an adventurous tour in the jungle. In the early morning, we set off to the Mirador, where we would have had a fantastic view of the river if it hadn't been for a rain shower that obscured our view. The trip to the river was still a great experience as our guide led us from one pool to another: sitting, lying, jumping, or sliding. The way back was just as eventful. In the afternoon, we visited a cave. We were equipped with a candle. First, we waded through knee-deep water in the darkness, passing stalactites and stalagmites, until the water rose to our necks - and of course, we always held the candle up high! Every now and then, we had to climb vertical ladders. The last obstacle was a narrow hole with swirling water. Our guide showed us the position we should take for this slide, but none of us knew what was happening. Eventually, we resurfaced further downstream! Once outside, we took our rubber tubes that we had brought with us and let ourselves float downstream. As soon as we started floating, agile little boys with their tubes jumped into the water and tried their luck selling ice-cold beers. "You can pay later!" they shouted.

Awakening with the monkeys

On our onward journey, we stopped at Tikal. There, we experienced impressive Mayan ruins that we could also climb. Our tour started with a sunrise on the highest Mayan temple in the jungle. As the day began, we heard the monkeys roar, but unfortunately, we didn't see the sun rise. It was too cloudy. Nevertheless, these Mayan temples in the midst of the jungle were very impressive. We thought about organizing an open-air event in this Maya setting. That would be incredible.

Captain Harry and BBQ on the beach

After eexploring Caye Caulker Island, we booked a snorkeling trip with captain Harry, a legendary sailor. We sailed out to the open sea on his sailboat. We made stops at various reefs to encounter the beauty underwater. In addition to sharks, we observed a manatee and fish of all colors.

The return trip became a special experience. Harry turned out to be a bartender and pulled out two 3-liter bottles of rum, poured plenty of rum on the ship's floor, and blessed the boat with it. The first sip belonged to the ship. Then he poured rum cocktails for everyone. On the ship, you would never find an empty glass.

As soon as we set foot on solid ground again, we were invited to a unique barbecue with lobster on the beach. Dési helped Harry with the preparation. An unforgettable evening.

Belize it or not!

Sun, fun, and nothing to do

We enjoyed the last days with Mama at the beach in Tulum, Mexico. Fine food, lots of sun, unexpectedly untidy beaches with seaweed, exotic fruits, comfortable bikes, and colorful surroundings rounded off our trip with Monika. Our Easy-Riders deserve special mention - they gave us a great sense of freedom and pure joy of riding.

Dési had an indescribable day of diving in the deep and magical caves of Tulum. Divemaster Alex brought her back unharmed and overjoyed.

"For me, it is now time to say goodbye, while Dési and Reto continue their journey to San José, Costa Rica. I will always cherish their loving company and the unforgettable adventures with them in my heart. Many thanks to you two funny birds of passage and all the best for your onward journey!"