Good morning! Mexico

After my 6-hour flight to Cancun, it feels like I'm hitting a wall. From cold Canada to 35 degrees and 80 percent humidity 🙈. After a shuttle to the hotel in Playa del Carmen, I'm heading straight to the first group meeting, where a colorful international group is waiting for me.

I'm using the day in Mexico to visit Tulum, an ancient Mayan ruins site, and then a cenote with crystal clear water and fish - an ideal way to cool down - before heading to the hot beach and warm sea.

End the day with some delicious Mexican food. 😋

Just arrived and we already have to say goodbye to Mexico, we're heading from Playa Del Carmen to Caye Caulker, a small island off Belize 🇧🇿. Departure at 6 am, 4 hours in an air-conditioned private bus, then across the border to Belize and another four hours in a public bus, and finally an hour by ferry. Due to the time difference, we arrived on the island at four o'clock. Here, there are no cars, only golf carts, and the motto of the island is "Go Slow," so everything takes time and I'm training my patience 😉.

We end the evening at a bar with seats in the Caribbean Sea.

Waking up at 35 degrees and 80 percent humidity - and this is considered the cooler season here - we set off on a catamaran for snorkeling in the second largest coral reef in the world, with nurse sharks, turtles, and rays. In the evening, we enjoyed the sunset with a cool beer in a rubber ring in the neighboring small island that was separated from the main island by a hurricane in 1961, arriving in paradise.

Since it was too hot, we decided to have a relaxed day at the beach after breakfast with a sea view and a walk around the island.

We leave the island and continue to San Ignacio, again by public bus. In the evening, we explore the small town. The next day, we face the challenge of Crystal Cave. About an hour from San Ignacio, we walk an additional hour to the entrance of the cave. Overall, we spend approximately five hours underground, with the lowest point being 130 meters below sea level. Exhausted from climbing and crawling, we walk back through the rainforest in pouring rain, and since we were so dirty, we go straight to swimming in the Blue Hole National Park, still wearing our clothes.

Slightly plagued by a slight muscle soreness and some bruises, we cross the border to Guatemala today and visit Tikal. (Tikal is an ancient city of the Maya in the rainforests of the Petén region in northern Guatemala with remarkable step temples. It was one of the most important cities of the classical Maya periods (3rd to 9th century) and is one of the best researched Maya cities 🤓

Rio Dulce, hot springs, unfortunately, there was a thunderstorm right before we arrived, making the water too dirty to swim in. Nonetheless, the 30-minute ride across the lake was very beautiful.

Today, we had to wake up early and kayak through the rainforest to observe monkeys. After a hearty breakfast, we took a boat to Livingston on the coast. Once there, we found a local guide who took us through the original Livingston, where a form of apartheid still exists today.

Off to Antigua, and then it's time for the next adventure: climbing an active volcano. We started at 10 pm, and after a 90-minute drive on dirt roads, we reached the starting point. Equipped with headlamps, we hiked for 90 minutes to the camp, where we arrived in pouring rain. Quickly setting up the tents, we all got some sleep, which was much needed since we had been on the bus all day. At a quarter past four, we set off for the summit, where a fantastic sunrise and the volcano just 150 meters away welcomed us. Unfortunately, the view isn't completely clear, but we can catch glimpses of it from time to time. At times, visibility is less than five meters, and we can only hear the volcano.

After descending and returning, we arrive at the hotel around noon and take a nap before "The Germans" - as the group now calls us 😅 - start a bar hopping evening in Antigua.

Today, we explore Antigua early in the morning, enjoying the sunrise from the viewpoint and taking a walk as the city wakes up. Before we continue to Panajachel, a small town on Lake Atitlan.

Today, we stay with host families. On the way there, we have breakfast in a hotel built into the mountain, and then escape the rain in a local hostel. Using good old German efficiency, we make use of the time and give an update 😉.