San Ignacio is only 115km by road to Tikal National Park (a UNESCO site) and home of one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization.

We piled into the van and headed west to the Guatemala border. Enroute I asked the son of the tour operator: “So, how many people have forgotten their passports when going to Tikal?!”.

He smiles, lets out a chuckle and replies: “seven so far this month”.

It’s amazing people forget that Tikal is not in Belize and you need to do the immigration and customs song & dance when entering Guatemala before heading to the ruins.

Those that forgot their passports? They get 50% of their money back and take a cab back to their hotel.

In order to expedite the crossing, we hand our passports to the owners son while he waits in line #1. Line #2, the one we’re in, is to pay the Belize exit fee of $40BZD. Once we get our receipt, we meet up with our passports to get our exit stamp.

I’m heading back to the van and I start laughing. I see our driver swapping out the licence plate on the van. He replaced his Belizean plates for a Guatemalan one.

“Is this for tax purposes?!” I joke.
“Something like that!” the driver replies.

We spend the next 80 minutes or so on the road heading to the national park and ruins.

Today was hot. It was in the low 30s with the humidity only a rain forest can offer. Even with the sun beating down on us, the trip and views were worth it.

We climbed Temple IV, the tallest Mayan structure ever created. The views from the top gave you complete oversight over the entire city along with tens of kilometres of visibility to the horizon.

Tikal was the first place where I saw jungle wildlife. We encountered spider monkeys and came across a few groups of Coatis. Spotting what looked like a peacock ended up being an Ocellated turkey.

 

 

We stopped in the mid afternoon and found a vendor where we spent some of our quetzals on some local beers. Like all beers brewed in this region, it was light and refreshing, just what we needed after climbing all those steps.

By four o’clock we were beat from the sun and the stairs. Our driver was waiting for us near the entrance of the park. The three of us piled into the van and passed out on our drive back to Belize.

Being Christmas eve, we wanted to hit up a nice restaurant for dinner. TripAdvisor lead us the way where we headed out to the #1 rated restaurant in San Igancio: Guava Limb Cafe.

The atmosphere was great and the staff were pleasant. It was a welcome change from the restaurants along the tourist strip on Burn’s Ave. They even had a Turkey dinner special for Christmas.

With full bellies our heads hit the pillow hard. Another action packed day under our belts.

At some point during your travels, you’ll be forced to pay for something with cash. Whether it’s for a tip on a bike tour or to pay a departure tax at a border crossing. Cash is still king and getting foreign currency can be tricky and expensive.

Here are some of the strategies I’ve used to get the best exchange rate possible.

 

ATMs

Using an ATM to withdraw cash is usually the quickest and easiest way to get foreign currency. There are three main gotcha’s you need to watch out for:

1. Foreign ATM fee charged by your home bank.
2. Foreign card fee charged by the ATMs bank.
3. Foreign Exchange rate charged by your home bank.

Lets use a recent example where I had to get $300BZD in Belize:

1. My bank charged me $3.00CAD
2. The Belizean bank charged me $8.00BZD ($5.55CAD)
3. 3.34% markup on the exchange rate ($1BZD = $0.694318CAD) or $7.40CAD

Strategy

My home bank will always charge me $3.00CAD regardless of which ATM I use, nothing much we can do here.

Different foreign banks will charge me different rates for using my ATM card. This particular bank was the cheapest I could find at $8BZD. Another bank wanted to charge me $20BZD. It pays to shop around

My home bank (PC Financial) charges a 3.34% markup on foreign exchange, one of the worst in the country. I could use a different bank or just deal with it.

Conclusion

This transaction cost me $15.95CAD to withdraw $300BZD, or 7.39%. The best strategy here is to make one large withdrawal to maximize on the fixed costs (#1 and #2 above or $8.55CAD). The more money I take out in one transaction, the cheaper it will be.

Cash Advance (Credit Card)

Another popular option is to get a cash advance on your credit card. As always, there are a few gotchas:

1. Cash advance fee charged by your credit card
2. Foreign card fee charged by the ATMs bank.
3. Cash advance interest charged by your credit card.
4. Foreign exchange rate/markup from your credit card.

Lets use an example of me getting $2,000MXN from my credit card:

1. Visa charged me $5.00CAD for the cash advance (1.0% of the Cash Advance amount, minimum $5.00CAD)
2. The Mexican bank charged me $25.52MXN ($1.61CAD)
3. Interest for a month would be $2.13 (1.67% per month or 19.99% per year).
4. I have a no-fee foreign exchange card, so my exchange rate is the same as the market rate.

Strategy

The $5.00CAD minimum fee is a little steep, considering that it could have only cost me $1.27 at the 1% rate. In this case, it’s best to take out more than $500CAD equivalent.

Different foreign ATMs will charge different fees for using your card. This particular bank was the cheapest I could find in Mexico, so I went with it.

Cash advance interest is charged from the moment you take the money out, not at the end of the statement like purchases are. The order in which payments are applied differ between cards so make sure that cash advances are paid off first.

I will take a look at my credit card statement online and pay off the portion of the cash advance right away to minimize on the interest.

Using a Amazon.ca Visa means that I don’t have to pay any foreign exchange markup. This can save me over 3%.

Conclusion

This transaction cost me $6.61CAD – $8.74CAD (5.25% – 6.94%) depending on when I pay off the cash advance portion of my credit card. I could get more bang for my buck if I took out more than $500CAD worth of cash, to be charged the 1% fee instead of the $5.00CAD minimum.

Other Methods

If you already have a universal currency like US Dollars or Euros in your wallet, then using a black market or street money changer might work in your favour. I don’t like to carry around lots of cash in USD or EUR, so this doesn’t really apply to me here.

Make sure you have smaller notes though. A lot of places I went to would not accept the $100USD note. Don’t expect them to pay the market rate either, since they still need to make money.

Final Thoughts

Following these rules will get you the best rate:

• The least number of transactions, the better. Try to withdraw money once and make it as large a sum as possible. Avoid going back to the ATM multiple times.
• The fee that the foreign bank will charge you will be converted into your home currency at the same exchange rate of the amount being withdrawn. In my Belize example above I actually took out $308BZD not $300BZD, so the fee is also being marked up 3.34%.
• Try to find a card or bank that offers zero foreign exchange transaction fees. All banks in Canada charge a markup.

There is no way to avoid paying these fees, but with a little planning and research you can minimize them as much as possible. As always, I try to pay for everything on my credit card as its safe and gives me the best exchange rate.

Belize (which used to be known as British Honduras) is a country with multiple personality disorder. Its culture is strongly influenced by Latin America and the Caribbean, yet has its history firmly planted with the British. This unique clash of influences is what makes this country so exciting.

Our first full day in San Ignacio had us hitting up two major Mayan ruins: Xunantunich and Cahal Pech. We hired a guide and driver to take us to Xunantunich, where we spent the morning checking out the ruins.

In order to get to our destination we had to take a hand crank ferry to cross the Mopan River.

 

The hardest part about moving all this weight across was trying to get the barge to move in the first place. Once you put your back into it for a few rotations of the crank, inertia took over and the ferry just glided to the opposite shore.

By the time we arrived it was around 9am and the site was pretty quiet and didn’t seem to be overrun by tourists, which was great. Our guide gave us a tour, making sure that we understood the history and the reason for why things were built the way they were.

We climbed atop El Castillo, which is Belize’s second largest structure at 40m tall. The view from the top was amazing. It’s no wonder the Mayan decided to build here!

With our guide, we spent about two hours at the site exploring.

Our next stop was the smaller, yet still interesting, Cahal Pech. This site was within the San Ignacio city limits and is walkable from the city centre. Our guide dropped us off there and we explored on our own.

We headed back into town to grab grab a quick bite to eat before heading off on our second excursion.

Vivien really wanted to go horse back riding, something I had never done before. Always wanting to try new things, I agreed wholeheartedly. Syb was able to work out a deal with the same tour company that took us to the ruins.

I’ve been around horses before and they scare the crap outta me. So I was mentally preparing my self on the way over.

In the end, it wasn’t a big deal at all and I had an amazing time riding Hercules! These horses were so chill and relaxed (with the exception of Vivien’s, he was an ass hole) that it made riding them a breeze.

The crew consisted of our guide, the three of us, plus our guard dog Tiger. He followed us where ever we went to make sure that we stayed safe… or at least that’s what he thought. Personally, I think he was just bored and wanted to come along for the ride.

Half way through the ride we stopped off at a local watering hole to go for a swim and cool off. When we arrived there were a bunch of kids doing backflips off the rocks into the pool showing off. Another group had started up a late lunch by putting together a makeshift BBQ and cooking some chicken.

We hopped back on the horses for the 40 min ride back. As we approach a road, Tiger sees something and darts off ahead of us in full charge. I look over and see a handful of wild kittens scrambling up a tree to avoid the dog.

One falls down just as Tiger arrives and we hear a yelp. I knew right away what happened. Vivien and Sybil both gasp as Tiger comes out of the brush with a black and white kitten in it’s mouth, all proud.

We witnessed natural selection in full force, and it was awesome. Only the strong shall survive.

Our first full day in Belize was coming to an end. Tired and sunburnt we completed the cliché by riding home into the sunset.

Looking back, this was the most fun I’ve had since I embarked on this adventure.

The trip from Anguilla to Cancún, Mexico should have only been 2,500km by air. The longer (and cheaper way, saving $400CAD) via New York took 5,200km and 16 hours.

The pain was well worth it as I will now be reunited with my friends Sybil and Vivien from Toronto for the next three weeks! Yippee!

Syb did an amazing job organizing the itinerary for this portion of my travels. Jamming it full of activities and sightseeing in over three countries!

Our first challenge: Taking the 12 hour overnight bus from Cancún, Mexico to Belize City, Belize. Then hopping on another bus to San Ignacio, Belize, where we will be stationed for the next three days. I’ve never done a marathon bus ride like this before, especially one involving a border crossing.

We bought our bus tickets from the Cancún Airport for $888MXN. The ADO bus departed for Belize City at 10:15pm from the city central bus station giving us about eight hours to kill.

We had booked a room at a hotel in Cancún to be able to take advantage of its amenities. We spent the next 6 hours or so swimming in the ocean, eating, and napping before our bus ride into Belize.

My first impressions about the bus were way better than I expected. Seats were comfortable and they reclined to an almost lie-flat position! Our driver was playing his own Mexican inspired music on the radio. We were close enough to the front of the bus to hear the music all night.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what kept him going all night while driving south towards the border town of Chetumal.

The ladies had brought hoodies and blankets for the ride down. A prudent preparation as the A/C was on full blast the entire time (another tactic to keep the driver awake!?).

In an effort to control speeding in Mexico and Belize, the authorities have installed massive speed bumps and speed tables at every village. These bumps force the bus to come to a crawl to negotiate them, thus adding precious minutes to your travel time. This, combined with the many stops to deal with passengers embarking and disembarking, the 380km trip from Cancún to Chetumal took 6.5 hours.

Having arrived at the only land entry into Belize from Mexico, we line up, passports in hand, to go through immigration.

We pile back in the bus for the 5 min ride to the Belize passport authorities to do the same song and dance all over again.

Arriving in Belize City, we got off the bus and hopped on to the Chicken Bus to San Ignacio ($10BZD). This retired North American school bus was packed full of Belizeans (and us) heading west.

Time was on our side, as crossing the Belizean border you turn the clocks back an hour to Central time (read why). So taking the regular, non-express route to San Ignacio was fine by us. (Pro Tip: there are express chicken busses that you can take).

Weary-eyed and tired of travelling, we check into Martha’s Guesthouse and begin our adventure in Belize.

Sam had the great idea to rent a car for the day.

“Can you drive on the left hand side of the road?” She asked.

“Of course!” I replied. The last time I did so, was in New Zealand back in 2009. However, this time I’ll be driving on the left hand side of the road with a left hand drive car.

Getting a temporary drivers license was easy, as it was provided by the car rental company at the same time. No test, no photos, just pay $15USD for a 72 hour licence.

The car gave us the flexibility to tour around the island at our leisure. Our first stop: Lunch on Sandy Island.

You pick up the ferry from the docks near Dad’s Bar and Grill. Look for the Sandy Island kiosk and let them know that you want to head over for lunch.

While waiting for the boat to arrive, Sam and I had a drink at Dad’s to pass the time.

As our boat to the island approached, we were met with another couple from Texas. They were here on their honeymoon. Not missing an opportunity to meet new people, I invited them to join Sam and I for lunch.

Scouring the menu for something delicious, my mouth watered at the thought of devouring some lobster. Previously, my only encounter with lobsters had been with the True Lobster. This was my first time eating a Rock Lobster (aka: Spiny Lobster). The main difference between being lack of two large pincers.

Eating a Rock Lobster involves scooping out the meat from the entire body of the animal, instead of just eating the tail and claws with a True Lobster.

Washing the entire meal down with a few bottles of Carib beer was the perfect accompaniment.

We brought our drinks to the beach & surf and spent the rest of the afternoon shooting the shit with our Texan friends. After a lengthy discussion about politics and gun laws, and sensing that the restaurant staff wanted to head home for the day, we decided to pay-up and hit the road at around 4pm.

The four of us, plus the remaining staff, trash, and uneaten food piled into the boat for the choppy ride back to the mainland.

We wanted to catch the sunset back at the hotel, so we hopped into the car and headed westbound.

Mother nature didn’t play nice, and decided to toss in a few clouds for our picturesque view.

After checking out of our Sint Maarten hotel, Sam and I headed to one of the most famous beaches in the world. Not for its pristine sands, or crystal clear waters, but for its amazing view of landing airplanes!

We weren’t the only tourist that descended on Maho beach that day. It was funny watching the spectacle of gawkers, eyes in the sky, trying to spot out airplanes in between waves from the ocean. Every now and then you’d hear yelps as a wave would wash away someones belongings.

I was happy that I was able to snap this great video of a JetBlue flight from New York landing at SXM.

Grabbing our (dry) stuff from the beach and hopping into a cab, we made our way to the ferry terminal to head north to Anguilla.

The island of Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory. One of fourteen such territories, It has approximately 15,000 inhabitants and has one of the coolest flags:

The 20 minute shuttle from the Dutch Side of Sint Maarten to Anguilla was rough and choppy, not uncharacteristic for this time of year. Leaving The Netherlands and arriving in the UK meant that I had to go through immigration and passport control.

Arriving at the Four Seasons, I was blown away at the property. This place was amazing. I would never be able to afford to stay at a resort like this, so I felt extremely lucky to be able to experience how the wealthy relax.

Sam and I walked down the beach to Blanchards Beach Shack. Our dinner plans on the beach plans were foiled, because we didn’t realize that the shack was closed on Sundays! That didn’t stop us from enjoying the ocean, however.

In the end we had dinner at The Sunset Lounge, which was designed to offer spectacular views of the sunset while enjoying Asian inspired small plates.

I ordered the Bicol Express bowl which consisted of: Pot Roast Pork, Ginger Infused Coconut Milk Local Seasoned Pepper, Spinach, Leeks, and Cherry Tomatoes.

Dinner did not disappoint and neither will day two on this amazing island.

When Sam and I first met last fall, neither of us knew that we would be hanging out together in the small Caribbean island of Anguilla.

She had an opportunity to work at the Four Seasons during the busy holiday season and was kind enough to invite me down to stay with her at the hotel for a few days.

Our adventure actually started in Sint Maarten, the Dutch island neither of us have been before. I took the one hour flight from San Juan on an island hopper that ended up being an hour delayed. The Reason? It was because the crew didn’t arrive on time! My first introduction to “island time”.

I was in the mood for some BBQ, so we hit up a place right across the street from the Hotel called Lee’s Roadside Bar and Grill. Nothing special to write home about, but it filled the craving.

This island was described to me as “the Vegas of the Caribbean”. I can see why. The main strip is littered with clubs and casinos.

After dinner we were on the hunt for some cheap booze to pre-drink before heading out to the bar.

Coming across Booze It Up was difficult as there are no sidewalks. Dodging puddles and traffic at the same time was proving to be challenging considering we were already tipsy from the drinks at dinner.

Grabbing our $10USD bottle of Smirnoff, we were handed a “free shot” voucher for the bar next door! Score!

After pounding back vodka sodas at the hotel, we headed to The Soggy Dollar at around 12:30am or so to do some dancing. Cover at the door was $10USD.

Drinking and dancing ensued with us stumbling home around 3:00am.

Overall a great start to our adventures! Tomorrow we’re taking the ferry to Anguilla to spend the rest of the weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing what this tiny island has to offer.

My friend Liz suggested that I hit up Cafe Puerto Rico for some delicious mofongo. She had been there previously and said it was the best place to try some.

Frederick and I rushed to get to the restaurant after the Bacardi Rum tour as they closed at 3:30pm. Arriving just in the nick of time, the waiter reluctantly accommodated us on the patio.

I decided on the yucca mofongo with chicken. It was served with rice and a side salad.

The closest thing I can compare it to is a pot pie, without the top crust. The yucca was flaky and dry, which complimented the chicken gravy perfectly.

If you’re even in Old San Juan, I highly suggest you hit this place up for lunch or dinner.

After freshening up at the Hostel, the gang headed out to La Placita. It’s essentially a large square surrounded by bars and clubs. You grab a drink (served in plastic cups, of course) and walk around socializing. There are people showing off their cars, motorcycles, and generally just strutting their stuff.

Right after we get our drinks in hand: BOOM! It starts raining and everyone leaves the plaza like rats from a sinking ship.

This was a blessing in disguise as it forced us to head inside to dance the night away. When the rain stopped, everyone poured out into the square again. A local told me that this was the first night since school was out for the Christmas holidays. This was the main reason why the place was so packed tonight, everyone was out celebrating.

This was my last night in Puerto Rico so I wanted to go out with a bang and La Placita did not disappoint.

My next stop would take me to a place most of you have probably never heard of before. A tiny little island in the Caribbean.

Being the science nerd that I am, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit the Arecibo Radio Telescope.

I decided to rent a car and post the details on the hostel’s ride sharing whiteboard. I was sure someone else from the hostel wanted to come check it out with me!

Turns out I was right and two guys came along and split the cost of the car rental. Sweet! We hit the road for the hour and twenty minute drive west.

The $12USD entrance fee included access to the exhibits and a guided tour. This gave me an opportunity to get up-close and personal with a Nobel Prize.

Leaving Aricebo to the east, we decided to stop off at La Cuevea del Indio to checkout why it was the #1 attraction according to Trip Advisor.  We spent over an hour exploring all the caves and cliffs in the blistering heat.

The next day Frederik and I decided to go on a Rum tasting tour with Bacardi. I’m not a huge fan of the brand, but figured it would still be a good opportunity to visit a functional distillery. The tasting included five different ages and styles of rum.

Taking the 12pm tour meant that we were only joined by two other people. So we essentially had the guide all to our selves! I highly recommend that you do this tour in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Learning about the distillation process was nothing new, but understanding what changes you make to this process for rum was.

The tasting it self was better than I expected. Bacardi does indeed produce sipping rums that are aged between 8 and 12 years old. All of their rums are blended, however.

The tour ended with me bottling my own exclusive batch of special reserve that is only available at the distillery. The Bacardi marketing team would be proud.

 

I forgot how much I missed that sweet, sweet kiss of tropical air.

Uber is not allowed to pick up passengers from the Airport, so taking a taxi (or bus) was my only option. A taxi to the Mango Mansion, the hostel I’m staying at, cost me $19USD: reasonable!

Getting in at a decent time, I decided to hit up Old San Juan. This was the original city centre back when Spain ran the island. Today it’s a mix of tourist traps and old Spanish architecture. All of the cruise ships that dock in San Juan dump their hordes of passengers here. So every shop in town has signs declaring heavy discounts to those who are disembarking from a vessel.

That aside, Viejo San Juan still has a lot of interesting history behind it. I began my discovery by starting at Puerta De San Juan. This was the original door to the city built by the Spaniards in 1635. Walking through the door I was imagining all of the sailors, dignitaries, royalty, and even pirates that have crossed its threshold over the past 400 years.

The walk around the bay, along the walls, was serene and peaceful. The waves washing up against the shore and the cool sea breeze helped quench the 30°C heat. My destination was Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, the fort that defended the town up until World War II. Entrance was $5USD, which also gave you access to the other castles and strongholds in the city. To note: the entire network of castles has been declared a World Heritage Site.

The government continued to use this location to protect Puerto Rico during World War II by modifying the castle to handle the anti-aircraft guns that were used at the time. Even 400 years later, this was a prime place to keep the city safe!

On the other side of the Castle, is a sick ass cemetery called Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi.

At this point it started to rain, so I decided to cut my trip to the Cemetery short and head back to the hostel.

On the way back I really noticed and paid attention to how serious the Puerto Ricans take Christmas. Wreaths, Christmas trees, lights, and garlands are everywhere in the city. It’s still a funny sight for me to see, considering this is a tropical island.

Navidad, as it’s called here, is an important part of Puerto Rican culture. School children have the ten days off before and after Christmas to spend time with their family and in church.

The traditional Christmas dinner is usually lechón asado, which consists of roast pork served with rice and peas, and plantains. The pork is spit roasted for hours until it’s ready.

For me, personally, the thought of Christmas is the last thing on my mind. I’m sure that will change in a week when I get to meet up with two good friends from home.

Today was all about the history  and travelling back in time. Tomorrow’s trip is going to take me someplace a little more futuristic.