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The tour took 10 days in August 2003.

Backpacking Tour: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala

Thomas Driemeyer
2005-10-17 14:27:25

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there carries it.

I spend some 30 hours in buses, ranging from decrepit school buses to luxury liners. It's not as bad as it sounds because there are so many people to talk to and so much to see. Food was a bit of a problem - I was warned that it would be mostly very plain and not at all like extra delicious TexMex, which is mostly unknown here. Mangos and pineapples are great, oranges and most other fruit aren't. Tap water is not drinkable so I bought large purified water bottles wherever I went. Sodas are widely available. Tap water is supposed to be ok for brushing your teeth but I didn't risk it. I also avoided lemonades, salads, and other dishes that got into contact with unboiled water. I was spared the common "turista" kind of diarrhea, a.k.a. Montezuma's revenge.

Although I was there in the rainy season, August, it didn't rain all day. Mornings were a little cooler and sunny, we'd get an afternoon shower or thunderstorm every other day on average, and mostly overcast all afternoon. Temperatures got into the low 40s C, with breezes only near the sea. The biggest problem was the very high humidity. And mosquitos, bring a repellent containing 20-30% DEET as an active ingredient. For clothing, shorts and lots of thin and light-colored short-sleeved shirts are sufficient. I brought long pants and long-sleeved sweatshirts but never used them. My umbrella came in very handy a few times. I also bought a hat, the sun can be fierce and sun screen won't last all day.

It was never a problem finding a hotel. Except on Caye Caulker, my first choice always had rooms. Hotels tend to be very plain, even primitive. (I later learned that outside of the towns one can find very luxurious haciendas, but I wouldn't have wanted to have spent time on hotel-hunting anyway.) The American tradition of sealing hotel soap in impenetrable wrappers is followed punctiliously. Ceiling fans have wall controls where 1 is fastest and 6 is slowest.

Mexican pesos are no problem, ATMs are available and accept international cards, including my EC ATM card. This is not the case in Belize and Guatemala! Everyone in Belize seems to accept US dollars, cash, at a fixed rate of 1 US$ = 2 B$. US$ traveller cheques are usually fine too. Bring plenty of US$ cash and don't forget the B$30 exit fee. Guatemala is similar but the Quetzal exchange rate is floating and people expect payment in Quetzales, and don't have much change. Some hotels and banks accept US$ traveller cheques, but one bank I tried did not accept my EC/MC cheques and insisted on Amex. Fortunately my hotel didn't mind. Expenses are fairly low if you stay in low and mid-range hotels; 30-40 Euro per day should be fine.

Phone calls in Mexico are best made with a Telmex card at pay phones. The cards are sold at kiosks. My GSM phone only worked in the larger Mexican cities but not on the road or in Belize and Guatemala. The latter might have been caused by my provider lacking a roaming contract.