Had a great Christmas meal with Helen and James before they continued their journey home.

Highlight of Christmas Day was having the use of a washing machine the first time in two months, followed closely by watching the dolphins frolic in the habour.

Went canoeing with James while Dave relaxed.

Inspite of not booking at Christmas time we managed to find a brilliant place to stay. It even had a kitchen and a hammock

Placencia is a very laid-back, sandy peninsula with the Caribbean ocean on one side and a lagoon on the oother.

When we were checking our e-mails in a Internet cafe in Dandriga we met an English couple called Helen and james and gave them a lift to Placencia where we had decided to spend Christmas.

Travelled down the well named Hummingbird Highway.

Urgent news

A couple of days before Christmas we had some very disappointing news. Six weeks before we should be going to the Galapagos our posts have been cancelled. We have been badly let down by the company who organised the trip.
We're not quite sure what we are going to do next. We will keep travelling but not sure where yet.

Crooked tree police station left exactly as it was when the British pulled out of Belize.

Went for a dawn boat ride to see the wildlife.

All the horses on the island had been turn loose by their owners to fend for themselves, after the floods. This vast expanse of water is normally about 12' wide.

Crooked tree wildlife sanctuary.

Stayed at Birds Eye view lodge for a few days. We had a great time bird watching and horse riding on this small island that had been devastated by floods a few weeks previously.

Enjoying rum punch on the way back.

We met Paul and Mel from Derbyshire and had a great day with them but unfortuately no pics.

Climbed to the top of the main temple. The view was fantastic, you could see for miles in every direction over the tops of the trees in the rainforest.

Lamanai Mayan site.

Saw Spider monkeys in the trees. As the boat went closer they came swinging down on the branches to take bananas from us.

Saw lots of crocodiles basking beside the river.

This orange iguana is actually a male green iguana in breeding condition.

Had a really great day trip visiting the Lamanai Mayan ruins on a boat. The guide Carlos was excellent, showing us many different species of animals and birds.

Trying to find somewhere to eat was often difficult! Take away Belizian style.

Second stop in Belize was a small town called Orange walk.

This is the view from our window of the allotments next door.

In the places where they haven't built bridges yet they had to rely on hand-cranked ferries. Getting the truck off and on was no mean feat.

Another obstacle in the road. Dave made me get out and photograph it. He kept saying, " Go closer, a bit closer." But I was definately close enough.

If we thought the roads were bad in Mexico, just look at these.

Crossing the border from Mexico into Belize and the style of the buildings changed.

First place in Belize , just over the border in Corozal.

Good bye Mexico, hello Belize.

After a brilliant month in Mexico we now have to drive to Chetumal to the border so we can be in Belize by Christmas. Mexico is a great place to visit, friendly people, interesting Mayan sites, good beaches and the food was fabulous.
We have now driven 7632 miles
Stayed at 55 different places
All in 139 days.

To all our Bloggees:-
We wish you a really great Christmas and prosperous New Year.

It would be great to see what you all look like - send us a photo of you with all your families on Christmas Day ( carol@cwarman.fsnet.co.uk )

Found a breeding pair of Ospreys in the middle of the reserve. We got within 10 feet. We watched the female on the nest while the male watched us.

Hired kayaks at the reserve to get closer to the wildlife. This is Hans and Nicolle who we met, also kayaking.

Went to a Wildlife reserve a few miles from Tulum on a very rough road.

Headed for Tulum next, an eco-friendly beach resort with limited electricity powered by wind and sun. We had a basic cabana right on the beach. We could hear the waves pounding outside our door all night. Swam in crystal clear warm water with the softest sand I have ever walked on.

Carribean coast

Next we drove over to the Carribean side of Mexico, on the way passing loads of groups of children taking it in turn to run with a torch and then swop over with somebody else in the truck. Sme groups were running hundreds of miles. We learnt later it was in aid of their Saintday. Some cyclist carried enormous pictures on their backs almost as a penance.

Chichen Itza - one of the seven wonders of the world.

The main temple at night.

These two photographs are from buildings on the old site. There are still parts of the site not completely uncovered and there may be buildings laying undiscovered in the jungle.

The observatory

There are many expamles of statues to the rain God.

Even after all these years the cavings on the buildings are still visible and depict the Mayan way of life.

Main temple at Chichen Itza.

After a sedate walk Dave was allowed to do his own thing.

Galloping Mexican style on Poncho!