MEXICO: (2000) Getting around: Mexico is quite expensive compared to it's neighbour Guatemala. Buses are very good, but even 2nd class is expensive (ca US$ 2 pr hour and Mexico involves long distances). 1st class is more expensive still. Here you get sodas, water and coffee/tea included, even more comfortable seats (like a sofa compared to the Guatemalan chicken bus), plus the video also included on 2nd class buses. At least in the southern part of Mexico, you need to keep your passport close at hand for the many immigration checks en route (4 just from Tapachula to Tonala).  Mexico City: Mexico City is huge with  population of over 20 million. Still it's actually a nice city with lots to see and do, and it has a certain atmosphere. Great cheap place to stay is Hotel Juarez on 5 de Mayo, in the alley opposite Hotel Canada, 1,5 blocks from the Zocalo. It's clean with nice rooms and is very central, and great value at US$ 13 for a double w/bath. Getting around is easy with the efficient and modern metro (buy 5-10 tickets at once - better than queuing every time). One ticket costs US$ 0,20 and you can use it on all 9 lines through the corresponding stations. You get to the airport easily (and cheap) by the metro also.  What to do: The Zocalo has dance shows by Aztecs every day, The grand Cathedral is worth a visit inside. It is very strange to see how its foundation is sinking, which is clearly visible both outside and inside. This is even more visible at the two churches facing the Alameda Central. For great views and photo opportunity of the Zocalo, visit the small restaurant of Hotel de Mexico (entrance from Av 16 de Septiembre, take lift to 4th floor and enter the balcony), especially for the ceremonious taking down of the flag at 17:45. For great views of the city (and surrounding volcanoes on a clear day) you can pay US$ 4 to get to the 44th floor of the Torre Latinoamericana close to the Palacio de Bellas Artes. At Plaza Garibaldi (metro station Garibaldi is 5 minutes walk from the Plaza) lots of mariachis gather every Friday and Saturday to sing for whoever is willing to pay. Their costumes are definitely better than their music... For the fun loving, the area Zona Rosa (1-2 blocks south of Paseo de la Reforma) has very good restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, and lots of bars, night clubs, and discos.  Museo Nacional de Antropologica (on Paseo de la Reforma, just as you get to Bosque de Chapultec - take metro to Auditorio) is a must. It's nicely arranged but you'll need stamina as there is so much to see and the floors are really hard... If you feel like a stroll in a pleasant quiet neighborhood with beautiful well preserved old houses, take the metro to Viveros and walk to the center of Coyoacan. This is also where the Frida Kahlo museum is. If you think a fun boat trip on some nice canals sounds like a good way to spend a few  hours, go to Xochimilco (metro to Tasquena, then tren ligero to Xochimilco). The flat bottomed boats are pushed along the canals with a long stick. You'll have the opportunity of getting lunch from other boats on the canals, even souvenirs or music by floating mariachi bands. It gets quite crowded on weekends and holidays but is still great fun. you pay US$ 8,50 for a boat taking up to 6 people (and that is the price for the boat, not per person as they might try to make you think). A day trip to the pyramids of Teotihuacan is also a must. You can get a bus either from Terminal Norte or Indios Verdes. It takes you 45 min to get there and you need at last 5 hours at the site. Apart from the obvious climbs of the two pyramids  (the one of the Sun rising 64 meters high), make sure you go behind the Temple Quetzalcoatl to see the impressive heads of the feathered serpents . Also recommended is to visit the sites outside the main area, especially Palace of Tepantitla (go behind the Pyramid of the Sun on the left side, out the entrance and down the road another 5 minutes) and Palace of Tetitla (take a right as you exit through the main entrance and follow the signs for about ten minutes). Both these two places have fabulous frescoes  quite different from the very few in the main site. The Palace of Quetzalpapalotl in the corner of the plaza of the Moon also has great stone carvings inside. Underneath it (entrance on the side of the souvenir stalls) there's a temple inside with colorful paintings and carvings (shells, flowers and parrots). Taxco:  Taxco is 2,5 hrs by bus from Mexico City (Terminal Sur). Lots of buses all day at US$ 8,5. It's a beautiful town on a hillside with steep and narrow cobblestone streets between white houses with red tiled roofs. The zocalo is very busy and everywhere you find shops selling Taxcos specialty: silver. You can find some really nice jewelry here. The big church Santa Prisca on the zocalo is very beautiful and also worth a visit. This colonial town is quite touristy but well worth a visit for it's special beauty. For the best views of the town, take the street up hill from the zocalo to the church of Guadelupe. Stay at the reconstructed 17th century convent Los Arcos one block from the Zocalo - spacious good rooms at US$ 30 a double. Oaxaca:  This is a nice town to stop at on the way to or from Mexico City. It has a lively zocalo, and the blocks north of it has picturesque colonial style streets and buildings, while south of the zocalo is nothing special but has some OK markets and is where the cheaper hotels are of course. La Cabaña on Mina (3 blocks south of the zocalo) has simple clean rooms (US$ 15 for double with bath). The food stalls on the south western corner of the zocalo has great inexpensive food. Do try the tortilla with pumpkin flower and cheese! There's also grilled beef and chicken mole to be had in the lively Mercado di 20 Noviembre (2 blocks south of Zocalo). A lively drinking hole is the infamous La Casa del Mezcal (1,5 blocks south of zocalo). A few blocks north of the zocalo is the impressive church of Santo Domingo . The altar is very elaborate in gold leaf and the rest of the church is worth some of your time also. You can take photos as long as you don't use flash or tripod. Oaxaca produces great  mezcal and chocolate (try a cup of hot chocolate in the morning next door to La Cabaña, while seeing how the chocolate is made). Oaxaca is 6 hrs by bus from Mexico City (US$ 18 for 2nd class), and 6 hrs on a very winding road from Juchitan (US$ 12), en route to Tapachula and the Guatemalan border. Excursions from Oaxaca : The ruins of Mitla are 1 hr bus ride (from 2nd class bus station US$ 1) from Oaxaca. It has some very well preserved reliefs on the walls of the buildings. Apart from that it's small and not all that special, and its location in the middle of a small town makes it even less attractive. A few kilometers before you get to Mitla, you can have the bus stop at the road sign to Yagul. Walk the 15 minutes (1 km) to the ruins very scenically located under a rocky hill, surrounded by cactus. There's an impressive ball court  (apparently the second largest of all Central America, and the best preserved), and a tomb with some nice carved heads at the entrance. Yagul is also small but much more scenic and worthwhile than Mitla. None of them have pyramids, so don't expect anything impressive like Chichen Itza, Palenque or Tikal. Going back to Oaxaca on your right, you pass El Tule, supposedly the oldest (estimated to some 2000 years) and largest (that is the width) tree in the world. The most famous and popular ruins in Oaxaca is Monte Alban, a short distance the other way (but we didn't go there). Yucatan :  Puerto Morelos:  Posada Amor US$ 20 for double. Nice little village 30 min from Cancun. Bus to Tulum is US$ 6,50. Tulum:  Entrance to ruins is US$ 3,- and another 3 for use of video camera. Beautifully located above two beaches. Nice stone carvings on ruins. Small but highly recommended for it's beauty! Lots of iguanas posing on the ruins. Bus to Chetumal is US$ 8,50 taking 3,5 hours. Chetumal:  Nice spacious town. Quiet. Ejidal on Av Independencia is very basic with doubles for US$ 8,50. Bus to Belize City (US$ 6,50) takes 3,5 hrs including border crossing. Pacific Coast (South): Buses from Tapachula to Tonala with Cristobal Colon is US$ 8 (3 hrs). Puerto Arista:  Jose's Camping Cabanas has small basic cabanas for US$ 9 (sleeps 2-3). Also a couple that's bigger with bathroom (US$ 20, sleeps 4). It's at the far end of Puerto Arista (take a left when you come to town and a left again at Hotel Lucero). There's beer and sodas and they make great fish dinners. There's a wonderful little clearing down by a small river with mangroves where there are lots of birds, small lizards, and the occasional cayman or alligator. At this end of Puerto Arista you will have the beach (total of 32 km) all to yourself. Further up it's more developed and some Mexican tourists, but it's not at all crowded. The boulevard is "dead" during the day, but comes to life after sunset with lots of small stalls selling food and drinks (tables put out also). ----- BELIZE :   (2000) Belize is small but has lots to offer. A wonderful coral reef for both snorklers and divers, great seafood, nice cayes for the whole range (budget to luxury), laid back caribbean atmosphere, and in the west jungle with lots of wildlife and Maya ruins. Caye Caulker:  Nice island 1 meter above sea level. Relaxed atmosphere, popular with divers. Sandy Lane has cabins for US$ 10 (double) and US$ 17 (with bath). Great manatee (sea cow) safaris including snorkeling at paradise island (Goff's Caye - you can bring a hammock and some food/water and stay overnight) and swimming with sharks and sting rays for US$ 25. Lots of good sea food to be found, and big inexpensive lobsters!!! Harry (hangs around E-Z Boy's tour shop) serves BBQ fish and lobster on the beach around 20:00. Book well in advance. For divers the reef is supposedly incredible, especially the famous Blue Hole in the middle of the reef. Boat from Belize City to Caye Caulker is US$ 7,50 (35 min). San Ignacio:  Double at Central for US$ 10. Nice little town close to border with lots of treks to offer. Canoe trip on River Macal for US$ 25 (for two) all day. Lots of huge iguanas (watch your head for falling ones if canoeing under a tree...), birds (tucans, parrots, egrets, different types of heron, king fishers, etc), the occasional river otter, bats and a beautiful water fall. Bus from Belize City US$ 2,50 (2,5 hrs). There are ruins to be reached from San Ignacio (Caracol and El Pilar being the most "mysterious" and hard to reach). Bus to border all the time (need to take taxi last two km). Don't change money at the border (bad rates), but you may have to pay departure tax from Belize (10 US) and even entrance tax in Guatemala (5 US). ----- GUATEMALA    (2000) Guatemala is quite inexpensive for the traveler compared to Mexico and Belize, and has lots to offer. Beautiful scenery in the southern part with impressive volcanoes (some still very active) and El Peten in the north with jungle and amazing Maya ruins. The south coast has black sand beaches. The indians, especially in the southern and southwestern area hold on to their traditional culture and costumes which are colorful masterworks of weaving. Flores:  Really beautiful town on island in Lake Peten. Eat at Grand Jaguar lakeside. Bus to Guatemala City takes 8 hrs and is US$ 20 (2nd class). Road is good now which makes this trip perfectly safe (as opposed to earlier), so it's actually a good idea to take the overnight bus to reach the not so safe Guatemala City in daylight (arrival ca. 06:00). Minibus to Tikal (1 hr) from twin town Santa Elena from 04:00 until 10:00 am. After that taxis for US$ 20 (takes 3-4 people).  Tikal:  If you get to entrance after 14:30 your pass is valid next day. You can rent basic huts with mattress on hard wooden floor from visitors center for US$12 (sleeps two) or get hammock space for  a lot less. Tikal is huge so you need lots of time. Enter ruins at 05:00 in morning and climb temple 4 for spectacular views and sunrise over jungle (and temples), accompanied by bird singing and monkey howling...(no, it's not jaguars). The pyramids are very impressive and steep in Tikal. It's a magical place  - take your time! Antigua:  Relaxed and beautiful with magnificent volcano Agua as backdrop. Cobblestoned streets, nice little market and lots of churches in ruins from big earthquakes. Las Rosas has clean and nice double rooms with bath for US$ 13. Excursion to active Volcano Pacaya for US$ 7. 1 hr bus ride, two hours climb to crater, 1 hr back and return bus. Great trip - bring warm clothes for the last climb (2500m an windy) and good shoes (last km is steep and in loose volcanic sand)! Buses to Antigua from Guatemala all the time. Bus to Panajachel via Chimaltenango (US$ 0,50 + US$ 2, ca 3 hours). Panajachel:  Nice town by beautiful Lake Atitlan. Whole town is one big market. Stay at nice and quiet Casa Linda , double with bath US$ 10 (7 without). Boats to Santa Cruz La Laguna is US$ 1,25. To go to Mexico there are several options depending on destination in Mexico. To go to the Pacific coast it's a 2 1/2 hrs trip south to Cocales where you can flag down buses to Tecun Uman on the border. Straightforward crossing to Ciudad Hidalgo. From there 30 min with bus to Tapachula. Santa Cruz La Laguna:  Very cozy small place. La Iguana Perdida is a backpacker's haven lakeside with great views of the volcanoes. Wonderful place to "charge your batteries" and just chill, plus exchange travel tips and stories with other backpackers. Dormitory bed for ca US$ 5, double room US$ 8 total. Sign up for what you eat and drink (pay at end of stay). Joint dinners around big table every evening. Also offers diving in the lake. Do make the walk uphill to the town itself. Very pleasant! Chichicastenango:  Exceptional market. Very crowded though, but worth it for the experience. Markets are on Thursdays and Sundays. 1 1/2 hrs from Panajachel.