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November - December 2000
(20/12/2 days)
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Warm sunny Carribean Mexico was a much needed destination after 5 1/2 months in Europe. Isla Mujeres near Cancun (11/00) |
El Castillo, a massive 1000 year old Maya pyramid. Its 91 very steep and narrow steps to the top. I'm a pretty agile and fit person yet I was freaking out a bit, especially on the descent. If you fall from the top steps you will tumble all the way down and break your bloody neck ! Chitchen Itza, Mexico (11/00) |
Mexican food back home looks doesn't look anything like the real stuff in Mexico. Back home, its really Tex-Mex, the bastardized American version (ala. Taco Bell). Merida, Mexico (11/00) |
Sunday is great day to be in Merida. The streets are closed to traffic and the town is alive with performances, theatre, dancing, partying and a great carnival atmosphere. Merida, Mexico (11/00) |
There's always cops all over the place in most developing countries. They never seem to have much to do. Maybe its the gov't way of helping the unemployment problem. Merida, Mexico (11/00) |
Not surprisingly, the nicest old colonial buildings in Latin America are usually churches because back then, they could raise the most money. San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico (11/00) |
San Cristobal is one of my favourite towns in Central America. It has brilliant old colonial Spanish architecture and sits in the highlands away from the heat and mosquitoes. Chiapas, Mexico (11/00) |
Church in San Cristobal. Chiapas, Mexico (11/00). |
Day care or pre-school doesn't exist here so mums carry their kids around this way while they work. San Cristobal, Mexico (11/00) |
Many villages have their own unique traditional dress, customs and dialect. Santa Catarina Palopo, Guatemala (12/00) |
Guatemala has some of the most lively and colorful markets anywhere. Chichicastenango, Guatemala (12/00) |
Even kids wear intricately hand-embroided traditional clothes. Guatemala (12/00) |
Wooden masks. Market day at Chichicastenango, Guatemala (12/00) |
Terraced rice fields in the mountain highlands. Lago Atitlan, Guatemala (12/00) |
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The colourful traditional dress of the indigenous people is the highlight of my visit to Guatemala. |
Coffee is big business in Central America. Lago Atitlan, Guatemala (12/00). |
View from a hill, Antigua, Guatemala (12/00). |
A Canadian, an American, a Swede and a German enjoying a sunny day on the shores of Lake Atitlan. Santa Cruz la Laguna, Guatemala (12/00). |
Lake Atitlan was the most beautiful spot in my 5 week Central America swing. This view is from the patio of my hostel. Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala (12/00) |
Antigua, the former Spanish colonial capital of Central America, is now a sleepy slow-paced town. It was abandoned as a capital because of constant earthquakes and the volcanoes around it kept erupting. Guatemala (12/00) |
Ruins usually bore the hell out of me but the Maya ruins of Tikal in the jungles of Guatemala are awesome. Star Wars (1977) was filmed here. In just 5 short weeks traveling about the compact region of Yucatan, Chiapas and Guatemala, you can see top notch beaches, rich traditional culture, big mountains and old colonial towns with great architecture. Tikal (12/00). |
Central America was a perfect way to end my trip. Europe and other Western countries are safe and fun, but nothing beats the color and excitement of the developing world. |
21 months is a long time to be on the road. Sometimes I have to pinch myself, did I really do that ?? Tulum, Mexico. |
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Day 634, the last picture I took on the last day of my trip. I particularly like this photo because it sums up "La Belle Vie" (the beautiful life). It was a dream of mine to travel around the world and I feel so fortunate to have accomplished it so soon. Everyone has their own dreams but it's such a shame that most people do not pursue them. Fulfilling my dream wasn't hard at all. I quit my job (if you are any good at what you do, you will find another) and spent $32,000. So for anyone who liked some of the places you have seen in this website, don't just dream but go. Yes.......I did make that lovely Maya Pyramid sand-castle and that's why lots of nice people stopped by to chat. Paula, Patricia and I on the beautiful Carribean coast in Tulum, Mexico (12/00). |
Email Reports
| Subject: A few tough weeks ahead in the Carribean | Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 |
I have gotten more sun this morning alone than a month in the UK. It is so hot here that Iīm going to explode. Good thing the crystal clear waters of the Carribean are nearby for a plunge. Been on Isla Mujeres the past week, an island a few km offshore from Cancun. Cancun"s famous hotel strip is basically Disneyland on the beach. I can see how it appeals to some but I find the whole place repulsive. Even if you do have tons of $$$ to blow, you can do so much better than Cancun. Tomorrow, one last day lazing about the beach before heading inland for mountains, jungles and Maya ruins. Hopefully the further away I go from the cancer that is Cancun, the more of authentic Central America I will find. PS. Here is a postcard picture of my little island. |
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| Subject: Guatamala | Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000 |
Now in the Lake Atitlan region of Guatamala, a magnificent highland lake ringed by 3000m high volcanoes. Its a bit like Crater Lake in Oregon, only bigger and surrounded by fascinating traditional villages. Each village has its own strikingly colourful traditional dress and everyone sticks by it even for daily use. I have never seen anything like it in all my journeys. I have been hiking about, visiting local markets, practicing my crap Spanish with locals, swimming in the lake and getting a LOT of sun. I am so glad that I did not return home after England as planned because I would have missed out on this incredible region. |
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| Subject: The End | Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 |
You just canīt travel forever inspite of how much you love it. I am finally ready to go home but feel very sad that my paradise dream life is over. Considering how much there is to see and do out there, 634 days isn't as much as you think, but a fine start. When I initially started I just wanted to see it all, the Himalayas, Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal etc. They didnīt dissapoint but what turned out to be the ultimate highlight of the trip were the people. All the beautiful smiling faces, happy laughs, warmth and kindness from strangers, and the fantastic camaraderie with my fellow travellers from all over. I will surely miss that the most. So after 21 months, 30 countries, 95 rolls of film and my bank account destroyed, here is my "Best Of" list. Overall Top 3 : Karakoram Highway, Cook Islands, the Everest trek. Best of Europe : France, Norway Craziest country : India Most boring : Singapore Weirdest : Iran Dirtiest : India Best big cities : Istanbul, Prague, Paris, Sydney Best food...yum !! : Malaysia, Thailand, India, France Worst food : Iran, Indonesia, England Friendliest locals : Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Guatemala Most expensive : Maldives, US$110 per day Cheapest : Iran, US$9 per day Most over-rated : Greece Easiest hitch-hiking : Turkey, Denmark, France Hardest hitch-hiking : Greece, Hawaii (A Cop pulled over to tell me that its illegal !!) Best hitches : donkey cart, 18 wheel petrol tanker, farm tractor, on-duty police car, ambulance, taxi cab who did not want any money. Prettiest girls : France Best beach : I am NOT telling to keep it that way. HA HA !!! I hoped everyone enjoyed reading all my blabber the past months, I enjoyed writing them. Happy New Year to all. Lee Chai |
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