Mexico: Yucatan Part 2

The last week of my trip was spent visiting the islands off the coast near Cancun (as opposed to spending time in Cancun itself, which is very resorty with big hotels dominating the coastline). First up was Isla Holbox, about 12 km long and separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon inhabited by flamingos and pelicans. It is a very chilled island with transport consisting of golf carts to hop between beach bars sampling frozen margaritas.. heaven!

One of the main attractions in Holbox is the arrival of hundreds of whale sharks every year between July and September, to feed on the plankton that thrive in these warm currents. Whale sharks do not have teeth and cruise through the water, huge mouths agape, sucking up plankton. So, as they are not especially dangerous animals, tourists can go swimming and snorkelling alongside them. It was a fairly pricey activity, but we decided that since we were there at exactly the right time of year, we couldn't not give it a go. So there I found myself on a boat circling an 8-metre long whale shark (which I will emphasise, is a shark, the size of a whale). While they are not aggressive I was still very nervous that it might bump or flick me with its fins or tail (or suck me in, mistaking me for plankton!) We pulled up alongside and leapt into the water right next the shark, and my worst nightmare manifested as the shark did a U-turn and came straight for us, just dipping and sliding just underneath us... I was screaming but it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity and the adrenaline was pumping!

From Holbox we moved onto Isla Mujeres for the last 3 days of my trip. Isla Mujeres is a more touristy island but a manageable level of touristy, with nice bars and restaurants to treat ourselves to, including a memorable seafood platter to celebrate my birthday. We splashed out a bit to stay at a nice hotel with pool right on the ocean.. no more dorms for me! The last few days were spent in a haze of lounging by the pool and drinking beers on the beach.

So after 104 days away, 3 and a half months of adventures and excitement, 37 books read, beers and food from 7 countries sampled, many wonderful people met and Central America navigated by boat, bus and tiny plane, my trip is over. Central America is an incredible region - to me, Costa Rica was the most lush, naturally beautiful country, while the people in Guatemala stand out, with the Mayans asserting their identity in the face of modern development. Panama's island chains of Bocas del Toro and the San Blas are pure natural perfection, as is Belize, although this may change in the next decade with tourism developing rapidly. I felt I didn't quite get under the skin of Honduras, with only 2 stops there at the Bay Islands and the Copan Ruins, but am sure that it will open up in the next few years (for better or worse). The cities in Nicaragua are memorable, with Grenada and Leon featuring stunning colonial buildings although the modern capital, Managua, continues to be a place to avoid due to crime levels. The Yucatan area of Mexico had glorious beaches and natural cenotes, but I felt that the level of tourism, particularly from America, overshadowed any local culture. However these are purely personal observations and hope you have enjoyed reading about my trip and seeing the photos of this wonderful part of the world - I will miss my daily dose of beaches, islands, jungle, volcanoes, waterfalls, natural volcanic springs, cenotes, caves, lakes, ruins and ancient cultures - it has been a pleasure.