Tag Archives: Beach

Cayes of Belize

Belize port of entry – San Pedro on the beautiful Ambergris Caye. My hostel was right across the street from the beach and was a great place to relax, meet cool people, and drink the free rum punch! Most alcohol is relatively expensive on this island, but the rum is cheap and very good! Enter the Caribbean!

It was easy to get here from Chetumal, Mexico, via a 1.5 hour ferry that runs every day. Customs was simple (as a Canadian), and I was able to enjoy the local language of English, albeit mixed with some creole.

In addition to chilling on the beach and laying in a hammock, I made two great dives from San Pedro. I swam with nurse sharks and sting rays, and meandered through some underwater canyons. Some highlights include beautiful coral, fish, eagle rays, barracudas, and a moray eel!

From San Pedro I took a ferry to the nearby Caye Caulker, which is much smaller and less developed. The laid back vibe was great, and afforded amazing swimming, snorkeling, diving, and kayaking. If you make it here, rent a kayak near the split for $5US for 3 hours, and head for the area with “No Fishing” signs. You’ll see a vast array of fish and sea horses. I also did a day of diving near the Spanish Bay, an underwater wall with coral, sea turtles, and plenty of fish.

My time in Belize has been a blast. Now I catch a ferry to Belize City and take a bus to Flores, Guatemala!

Cheers, Shawn

Tulum – City of Dawn

I think Tulum would have been the best Mayan city to live in. The location is stunning with picture-perfect beaches, warm weather, and an abundance of rich lands and fresh water from nearby cenotes (see my last post for more info about cenotes).

There are several temples with beautiful engravings, and a central palace where the key Mayan official would reside. Quite a cushy posting! The area surrounding the ruins are also gorgeous – the tropical jungle and some of the best beaches on the planet! If you visit Tulum, you can walk to the public beach in about 10 minutes. I headed out there to swim and work on my tan!

I had a nice lazy day, and went for a walk back to town. After visiting with some Aussie friends at the hostel, I thought I’d work on the blog! Hope you enjoy!

Cheers, Shawn

Koh Chang – Paradise at Pajamas

Koh Chang – a Thai island paradise where time drifts away! We found an amazing hostel – Pajamas Hostel! We originally booked 3 days, but ended up staying over a week! The social vibe was fantastic and we met lots of new friends. This is a definite stop for any traveller.

The hostel pretty well has its own private beach with gorgeous sand, warm water, and great sunsets. If the 1 minute walk to the beach is too far, there’s also a pool! Lots of chilling, swimming, kayaking, and drinking beer.

We were here for a full moon festival, which is widely celebrated in Thailand. To participate, we built flower wreaths with a central candle. When it got dark, we lit the candles and floated our wreaths into the night. Then the party got started!

Where do Thai’s party… in the Buddhist temple! The temple was transformed with music, dancing, games, and all kinds of tasty snacks. I recommend the roasted grasshoppers. You could even sit down with a monk to discuss your innermost thoughts.

Considering how long we stayed here, it’s sort of embarrassing that we only went on a few excursions. It’s just too chill! A few trips of note:

  • We hiked to a mountain peak at the top of the island. The views and wildlife were beautiful. You could see out into the ocean for leagues. We also saw all kinds of cool snakes, spiders, and vine parasites that take over entire trees. Pretty cool!
  • Tandem kayaking off to some mini-islands. We thought it would be fun to go around the island, and soon found out that the waves were much stronger on the open ocean. With a flurry of paddling we fought off the waves and dodged the rocks. Some extra beer was drank that night. We earned it!

With so many good friends and fond memories, leaving Pajamas Hostel was tough to do. But with so many new adventures awaiting us, we decided to hop the bus to our next destination – Cambodia!

Cheers, Shawn

Photos taken by Jon Lang

Asia trip – 2015