unBELIZEable

   Our trip to Caye Caulker, Belize was AMAZING. However, we had quite the adventure while there and on our way back. We had arrived in Antigua last wednesday and left that night to take an overnight bus to Flores, Guatemala. We boarded our next bus to Belize City and as we were waiting for the bus to start, I looked out the window and who do I see but Vishal and his friend, Maruf, boarding the same one! Before med school had ended, we had all previously planned to meet in Belize or Guatemala but we weren't sure how exactly it was going to work out especially since we we had no way to communicate with each other. It was so fun catching up and I think Brian appreciated having other guys around. :)
   We arrived in Caye caulker around noon and settled into our hotel which was beautiful and even included free bikes! Apparently the island only has 2000 inhabitants and they were so friendly and helpful and that weekend happened to be a lobster fest. We had some food and drinks across from the beach and then played around in the water which by the way was deliciously warm but it SO salty. We decided to take our free bikes for a tour of the island and met some cute kids who were fishing for eel and got to an airstrip with a very appealing trail by the beach. At first it was really beautiful with large houses and private beaches and then we ended up in a swamp area. bad idea. We got swarmed and I mean swarmed by mosquitos and rode as fast as we could back to our hotel only to discover we all looked like we had smallpox. 
   After we had showered and tended to our unfortunate bites, we headed over to get some delicious dinner and helado. Apparently the lobster was unreal. The next morning, we headed out in hopes of scuba diving but unfortunately the waves were so high that the guides said it would be dangerous. However, there was a snorkeling tour that promised turtles and manatees and coral reefs so we weren't too disappointed. 
   Our snorkeling adventure was beyond amazing. We saw beautiful fish and turtles in the first drop off spot and the water was crystal clear. The next spot had sharks and sting rays. Amazing. The last spot had a manatee that was super shy. All in all a wonderful snorkeling experience! 
 That night we all went out to dinner out on the beach and then got some more mango coladas and headed out to a reggae bar that had rooftop swings. Definitely the best view of the island at night and spending it with friends was the best. 

  The next morning we peaced out of Caye Caulker early in the morning and headed to Tikal, Guatemala to check out some ancient mayan ruins. The lady asked if we wanted to get dropped of in Flores, a city about one hour from Tikal or at a junction about 30 minutes from Tikal. Naturally we said the junction because we had a bus from Flores back to Guatemala that night so we wanted as much time to check out those mayan ruins as possible. Mother nature had different plans for us. We arrived at the junction in the middle of nowhere guatemala and waited for our bus. After about 10 minutes it started pouring rain and I mean monsoon status so we gunned it to a shed that was close by. We asked every bus/van that drove by if they would take us to Tikal but they kept saying no or asked for ridiculous amounts of money. The locals kept telling us there would be a bus coming soon and sure enough a "chicken bus" showed up with tons of people and hundred pound bags of flour in the front. We got on and it was experience for sure. It probably went about 20 miles an hour and we were never quite sure if it would make it up the next hill. but it did. and we arrived in Tikal with one hour to explore. The guard laughed so hard at us when we told him. So we trekked luggage ( and you all know I do not pack light) and all and saw the Gran Plaza and Temple V. Both had amazing views and were well worth the hike with all our stuff. We gunned it back to the entrance and took a bus back to Flores. Funny story on the bus ride home- the guys we were riding with stopped about halfway to get some cheese from their house and got back in the bus. When we asked what they were doing, they gave us the most incredulous look as if it was completely normal to stop at home and get cheese. Of course it is.
   We got back to the station, had a slightly sketchy dinner on the road and got on the bus home to Antigua. Around 2 am, I noticed the bus had stopped moving and people were getting off. Turns out the transmission had broken down and the driver wasn't sure when the next bus was coming. good thing we were in the middle of nowhere. We sat on the bus unsure of what to do next as none of us speak spanish very well and before we knew it the bus driver closed the door so all the passengers couldn't get out for our "security". The four of us were so delirious at this point so we were laughing our heads off playing would you rather while we were waiting to get the bus driver's attention to let us out of his jail. I finally saw the bus driver come out from the bus and I yelled at him until he opened the luggage and we jetted out there as fast as we could and took the next bus at a nearby station to Guatemala city.
   32+ hours on a bus, 3 pairs of cankles, 100's of mosquito bites between the four of us and 4 passport stamps (my favorite) later we finally arrived in Antigua and I have never been more happy to be home. Thank you Lord for such an amazing trip y gracias para Queena, Brian, Jess, Vishal and Maruf for such a wonderful time. The trip was unforgettable. :)
    Grace and peace
Shreya

Fab four

paradise

Queens and I at Tikal.

postcard?

Sorry it's so shaky, but here's a vid of our snorkeling experience. Yes, I really did wear a life jacket.