Camp Life In Belize
Posted On Tuesday, September 7, 1993 at at 8:31 PM by AlvinWe crossed over to Belize and although lacking in Mayan cultures and temples, Belize offered us a chance to sample camp life in mozzie-filled swampy low lands ! I managed to put to good use our colorful hammock bought in Mexico and Mandy ventured out for a boat trip during a thunder storm with some travellers she met and yeh she ended up wet.
Camp life in the Yucatan Peninsula was full of excitement and surprises. We enjoyed having our outdoor lunches by the blue sea; we forgot to zip up our tent and the sudden torrential down-pour completely soaked our clothes inside the tent; we slept through the nightly cries of the animal kingdom in the jungle and we survived the "very" basic communal toilets and showers in Palenque !
Camp life in the Yucatan Peninsula was full of excitement and surprises. We enjoyed having our outdoor lunches by the blue sea; we forgot to zip up our tent and the sudden torrential down-pour completely soaked our clothes inside the tent; we slept through the nightly cries of the animal kingdom in the jungle and we survived the "very" basic communal toilets and showers in Palenque !The trip was made all the more interesting as we met the virtual UN-full of fellow campsters; there was Graham from Oz, a seasoned traveller who had non-stop jokes coming out from him like a stand-up comedian; there were Rudi and Leaver from Belgium who enlightened us about the tales of how Rudi "paid" the extra "last-minute visa" for Leaver to cross the Congo border; there was Roger, a Malaysian who only had a single-entry Mexican visa and we had to leave him behind at the Guatemala border, poor chap and of course there was Wayne, a true hippy hailed from Leeds and was spending, quite likely, the rest of his life enjoying the balmy Mexican climate !
Mayan Heritage - Guatemala
Posted On Thursday, September 2, 1993 at at 8:58 PM by AlvinGuatemala offered us a unique perspective to understand the Mayan cultures as Tikal is considered one of the most sacred and mysterious Mayan heritage sites. The early dawn mist half covering the awesome pyramids did Tikal true justice for its reputation and we ventured around Tikal feeling that we had time-travelled back all those centuries to a time and land when and where the Mayans ruled.
We moved on to the volcano lake of Lake Atitlan and enjoyed some fantastic scenery with a nice Belgian couple Rudi and Leaver by the lake shore.
We moved on to the volcano lake of Lake Atitlan and enjoyed some fantastic scenery with a nice Belgian couple Rudi and Leaver by the lake shore.
Apart from visiting the numerous colorful local markets selling all manners of artifacts and flaky fake-dye local clothes, I also went to Guatemala City, not for any visits to its historical monuments or anything, a couple of us went to Guat City to help Roger, a Malaysian who only applied for a single-entry Mexican visa and he was in dire need of a multi-entry visa to get back to Mexico after his foray into Guatemalan territories. Luck deserted Roger on this sad occasion, as it happened to be Mexican National Day and the Mexican embassy was closed in Guat City ! We later had no choice and bid our sad farewells to Roger as he failed to cross the border and we just prayed that he survived and got home ok.
During our time in this lovely country, we also ventured up the Pacaya Volcano near where we stayed in the city of Antigua, and saw first hand the awesome sight of live lava flow. We started the climb around 6P.M. and took a good 3 hours to reach the top; first passing local villages, then the ascent became steep and the lush grounds gave way to black volcanic sands and our footholds became unstable with every step we took. Although these areas were known as bandit outposts but they didn't show tonight perhaps it was weekend or something. After these strenuous 6 hours we reached back to camp site and Wayne took us to this amazing water park where we soaked our tired limbs in the lovely hot springs.
During our time in this lovely country, we also ventured up the Pacaya Volcano near where we stayed in the city of Antigua, and saw first hand the awesome sight of live lava flow. We started the climb around 6P.M. and took a good 3 hours to reach the top; first passing local villages, then the ascent became steep and the lush grounds gave way to black volcanic sands and our footholds became unstable with every step we took. Although these areas were known as bandit outposts but they didn't show tonight perhaps it was weekend or something. After these strenuous 6 hours we reached back to camp site and Wayne took us to this amazing water park where we soaked our tired limbs in the lovely hot springs.
Mexicana !
Posted On Saturday, August 28, 1993 at at 8:40 PM by AlvinThe name Mexico conjures up an image of excitement and ancient Aztec mysteries and it was exactly what we experienced these few weeks. We climbed up the famed pyramids in Chichen Itza and it was on the way down that I discovered that I was scared of height (vertigo) - too late ! and I just had to bite the bullet and climbed down from a 5 storeys' height pyramid with shaking knees amidst much audible, back-bending laughters from Mandy. We also visited the sites of Uxmal and were amazed at the number of ways that pyramids were built around the world.
During this trip, we came across a couple of novels (fiction) recommended by some passing-by travellers - one of them was Aztec by Gary Jennings and it had since been one of my favourite books.
We spent our last few days in Mexico near Tulum - a breezy Mexican seaside town. The sea was turquoise blue and we spent many fun hours breaking the on-coming Caribbean waves. Moving on to Guatemala next.
During this trip, we came across a couple of novels (fiction) recommended by some passing-by travellers - one of them was Aztec by Gary Jennings and it had since been one of my favourite books.
We spent our last few days in Mexico near Tulum - a breezy Mexican seaside town. The sea was turquoise blue and we spent many fun hours breaking the on-coming Caribbean waves. Moving on to Guatemala next.
Siena Palio
Posted On Wednesday, June 30, 1993 at at 11:50 PM by AlvinOf all the Italian towns, Siena holds a special place for me for its Toscana beauty and of course, it has the annual Pailo - a horse race of great atmosphere and pride for the winning "principale" of the year. Also nearby we can visit the many gorgeous towns of San Gimignano for its medieval rock-throwing towers, Assisi for its churches, Toscana for its sunflowers and Montepulciano for its famed red wine.
Travelling With Dave and Becca down South
Posted On Thursday, June 10, 1993 at at 9:11 PM by AlvinDave and Becca came for a visit in June and we enjoyed their company for 2 weeks. Apart from catching up on old times, had a few games of squash and 5-a-side with my Italian friends followed by some major pasta cooked by Mandy, we headed down South for a long weekend in Positano, Amalfi and the island of Capri. We were told by a local old man of a "bagno" in Amalfi and we had a "cool off" there.
Dave and I went back a long way since Surrey where he was studying for a Ph.D. in Robotics and I did a Ph.D. in Electronics. We were serious squash players in those days and would train for hours and hours after work.
Moving To The Frascati Countryside
Posted On Thursday, May 27, 1993 at at 7:13 PM by AlvinBy a fluke of luck, I saw an advert for a villa rental on a noticeboard at work and the landlord, Enrico showed us his villa and we almost decided on the spot as it was surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and exactly what we had in mind for some country living. We moved in March and we enjoyed our jogging around the countryside and the rustic living. Enrico would bring us his locally grown and hand-picked vegetables, cloudy olive oils and his home-made Frascati vino - what a good man !
