ARRIVED SAFELY TULUM

We had to get up and be out of Caye Caulker by 6.30 this morning and caught the ferry to the next island called Ambergris Caye and the main town of San Pedro - this is much bigger and noisier.  Then we had to get off and go through immigration out of Belize and get our passports stamped and fill in bureaucracy then onward on a narrow fast launch with airline seats for 1 hour 45 minutes to Chetumal.  The boat sped along bashing down on the waves over very shallow lime green waves and we were entertained by a great black chap with a great sense of humour who did the health and safety talk in a very novel and entertaining way - got the message over but full of jolly japes - the best one for me was - if you end up in the water and meet a shark, you shout the password empanadillas and they will speed away because every shark knows the pasties around here are made with shark meat!  Then for the toilets - if you want to do number ones - we have a little room at the back - for number twos you wait 1 hour and 45 minutes and go on shore! Number 3s or vomit is out the window but not into the wind etc etc.

When we arrived in Chetumal we had to line up with our hand luggage to have it sniffed by the sniffer dogs while we stood in a line next to them - like an identification parade on the dock - then fill in loads of forms - then the armed police hid a can in our luggage and tested the dog to show us it could find the drugs can and he snarled and barked when he found it.  At last we got our luggage and paid our entry and exit visas (expensive) and then got a nice shuttle all the way to posada Los Mapaches just opposite the ruins in Tulum.  We then had our bags fumigated for bed bugs by our hostess Chelo who is like a strict Mum. I was half expecting her to check us for nits, next!  Apparently some mucky backpackers like us brought bedbugs with them once and she had to have the whole place fumigated so never again!   Lots of house rules but she runs a tight ship and is and is super helpful. We are living in a hobbit like tree house with free bikes to get down to the beach. The bikes come issued with head torches, bike locks and high viz jackets and, no doubt, a telling off if you don't wear them.

This is the upstairs

And this is the downstairs

This is our house from the outside

More pina coladas

Not forgetting the mariachis

and how is this for cool kids - our bikes are fixies, well, they have no brakes on the handle bars. American style, you back pedal to stop and they are absolute death traps! We are a danger to all!

We walked 1km to the town crossroads and 3 of us ate the house speciality of steak with guacamole and roasted cactus and chillies - very tasty - starters, pina coladas and corona beers followed by chocolate flan and coffee and all for around £12 each - I remember just the cocktail cost us £12 in Henley - so I am staying here!  And we were serenaded by Mariachis!  And I bought a hamichair - how will I get it home you may ask!

Up early tomorrow again to go to the ruins before the crowds come and maybe to a cenote or the beach - then Moira and Arthur are doing their cooking class in the evening!