We have reached our final
destination. Our top priority is to find somewhere to leave GR2 safe &
sound for 3-4 months. We know there is a camping ground in Cancun, but all
emails I send bounce back. We also have another option near Merida, further
west, recommended by the German couple we met. They have a secure spot saved
for us. We will investigate both.
In the meantime we follow
the Yucatán coast to Cancun, stopping at some seriously lovely beaches. It
would be very easy to stay for ages. We are almost shell shocked to be back in
traffic, have good roads, great supermarkets (with good bread) & to see so
much development on the coast. Most of the coast is heavily developed, catering
to the massive influx of tourists to these lovely beaches & many
sinkholes/cenotes.
After a few days we make
it to Cancun stopping first at Azure Cenote for a swim, then a look at the
lovely aqua lakes, before heading down a peninsula towards Reserve de la
Biosphere Sian Ka’an. We thought it would be easy to find a spot to camp, but
the first 10km is wall to wall hotels followed
by private land, even inside the reserve. We finally find a lovely spot on the
beach, only for it to turn into our very own “Day of the Triffads” We drive
over a wasps nest & they zero in on John ruthlessly. He ends up in the
ocean trying to escape them. Needless to say we do not stay, but head down to a
nice spot by the bridge. We stay safely indoors licking our wounds!
The next morning we
explore more gorgeous beaches north of here & then the very popular Maya
site of Tulum. Then it is on to find somewhere to camp. After a few attempts
that are way too expensive we settle in near La Playa restaurant. A magic spot.
After many swims, we drag ourselves away
& head to the campground at Cancun. They will store GR2 very cheaply, but
they have no secure fences & are right in hurricane area (& hurricane
season is coming very soon) so we decide to head to Izamul. Monday finds us at
The Romantic Hotel Santa Domingo. Security looks great. There are 5 other Swiss
& German vehicles stored here. Tomorrow they will take us to the airport.
Adios Mexico for 3-4
months.
We thought we would give
you John & Lynda’s top 11 highlights from this trip:
1/Boating out to the Great
Barrier Reef in BELIZE to snorkel with Loggerhead turtles & sharks
2/Going on the vehicle
ferry to Boca del Toro in PANAMA to camp on its lovely beaches & snorkel on
the mangrove reef.
3/Swimming & camping
at the Llanos de Cortes waterfall in COSTA RICA.
4/Camping inside the
crater at Laguna de Alegra in EL SALVADOR.
5/Climbing the cinder cone
of Volcan Izalco in EL SALVADOR (actually John suggested this one! I would have
been much happier seeing it from the lookout)
6/Exploring the lovely
Manuel Antonio National Park with lots of Capuchin Monkeys in COSTA RICA.
7/ Exploring the lovely Abode
town of Granada in NICARAGUA & having a local lunch of Virgoron.
8/Exploring the huge Mayan
ruins at Tikal in GUATEMALA.
9/ Camping on a glorious
beach on the Yucatán peninsula in MEXICO.
10/ Camping in a
traditional thatched Garifuna village right on the beach at Punta Sal in HONDURAS.
11/ Collecting a number
plate from every country we visited (in South & Central America)
No comments:
Post a Comment