Well - at last we not only have internet access but have managed to change our password as I had forgotten the old one! Very frustrating especially as it was all in Spanish which I don't read too well.
We have had a great time so far visiting Mount Alban in Oaxaca where there are ruins from the Zapotec civilisdation 200BC to 700AD before travelling to the Chiapas region where we stayed in San Cristobel. We had a wonderful boat trip down the Sumidero Canyon seeing alligators, vultures, herons and 1,000 metre cliffs plunging down to 800m deep waters...very memorable. I then had a day in the hotel with the runs and feeling somewhat wiped out while Iain went to visit some Mayan villages where they were dancing and playing music for a fiesta. The church was agood example of the integration of old and new religions with statues of the saints etc but no altar or pews and people sitting around on the pine needle strewn floor with candles everywhere (health and safety would have a ball!). Unfortunately he was not allowed to take photographs so I had to make do with some postcards! The next day we visited Palenque, one of the highlights of the tour with vast pyramids rising up out of the jungle..I managed to climb to the top and was rewarded with spectacular views as we listened to the howler monkeys making their music all around. After a night in Palenque at a good hotel we then visited Uxmal on the way to Merida - another interesting Mayan site. I thought I was getting fitter climbing up to the top with no problem until Rick, our guide, pointed out that we were now at sea level which was probably why I was finding it easier! Today 6 of us took a half day trip to visit some sink holes which doesn't sound too exciting but included a ride on a horse drawn truck along 7Km of single track rail formerly used to take the sisal from the plantations. The sink holes are natural water cisterns underground accessed by precarious wooden ladders where one can swim in clear blue warm waters under stalactites and hanging tree roots with daylight filtering through places where the roof has fallen in - amazing. These underground waters (literally thousands of sink holes) provide the whole of the Yucatan peninsula with its water as there are no rivers in the area at all. We visited three very different sites and had some great swimming. When we got back to Merida we had time to see a Dali exhibition where there were 56 paintings by Dali used to illustrate Dante's Divine Comedy...a special treat! I also sampled the Sacrificio Maya - a flaming combination of local schnapps and tequila - very good if you blow the flames out first! Anyway I'm stopping now as it's 10.30pm and time for bed as we have a long day tomorrow visiting Chichen Itza before driving to Cacun. Oh, by the way, we have heard that we won't be able to get to Machu Pichu because of the floods in the area - a great shame but it can't be helped.....love to everyone...Ann and Iain

Uneventful flights and several excellent meals later we arrived at our hotel with 15minutes to spare before the group briefing with Rick, our guide. We are a group of 7 Australians, 2 New Zealanders and ourselves. after a very poor night's sleep (I seem to have hayfever or a cold) we visited the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadaloupe (very impressive modern architecture) and then the highlight of the day - Teotihuacan. Amazing pyramid constructions - one of which, the Pyramid of the Sun, we climbed up to the top. Hard work but worth it! We also had a demonstration of all the things you can get from the Meguey cactus - paper, needle and string, fibres for weaving and most importantly polque (fermented juice) and mescal (distilled from same juice and like schnapps). We are staying virtually across the main square from the cathedral which we visited upon our return to the hotel. Mexico city is built on a drained lake and is gradually sinking into the mud - many buildings look misaligned because of this.
Today, Tuesday, we went to the Anthropology Museum and saw a fraction of its contents before visiting our guide's hometown Coyocan, now swallowed into suburbia - much more beautiful than the main city and heavily redolent of its Spanish influence. Then we travelled back on the metro which was relatively easy because the rush hour hadn't quite got started! Tomorrow we have a long drive to Oaxaca because the shorter route is closed because of flooding.....hope everyone is well..do reply to the blog if you get the time...love Ann and Iain

Hi everyone - we are waiting, sleepy eyed, at Heathrow for the 7.25am flight out to Mexico via Madrid; having had a great afternoon in London yesterday with Lizzy and Ryan, eating sushi and wandering around the British Museum. The lounge here is well provided with eatables and even at 6am marmite on croissant is good! And they have tomato juice with worcester sauce! I'm not sure quite how long the flights are with the time zone changes but we are due into Mexico tonight about 10pm local time. We will post to the blog again when we get the chance although I'm not sure what internet access we'll get. Love to all..Ann & Iain

Finale

Well folks, we're almost back home - can't believe we'll be in UK Saturday! Hilary - I'll give you a text or a ring on Saturday evening when we get in and let you know when we are due in Manchester on Sunday - around lunchtime I seem to remember. Any chance of a Sunday dinner??!!!
Laos has been wonderful - an almost unspoilt country of mountains, rivers and caves - I suspect 5 years will see a big change - not all for the better. One of the highlights was a trip to the Plain of Jars - massive stone jars scattered over a high plain and surrounding hills. Current opinion is that they were used to contain funerary offerings. Another highlight was wandering through the rice fields and clambering over rocks to several caves in the limestone karsts and another a 2 hour trip along the river and through 7 km caves full of stalactites. We have climbed hills towander around ruins of Wat Phu (5-13th century) and ridden elephants to an old Cham (1-4th C) ruined temple site on the top of some other hills! Today we went down the Meking into Cambodia to see Irrawaddy dolphins - black specks in the distance but the journey was good as were the Somphamit waterfalls we visited on the way. Tomorrow we visit some even larger falls on our way into Thailand to get the plane to Bangkok and then off to Heathrow Saturday morning.
We've been 2 weeks in Laos and Iain's impressions are of a beautiful country relatively untouched by tourism which is unlikely to continue in view of the government's policy to increase it. There is a peculiar mix of tragic history (USA bombings and defoliant destroying much in the north), religion (Buddhism and Animism), politics and economic revival (capitalism and communism seem to coexist happily with Buddhism).
See you all soon - on 18th April if not before. Lots of love Ann and Iain

Laos

Well - we're back in Vientiane after exploring Luang Prabang and surrounding countryside. Amazing mountains and forests and quite extraordinary Plain of Jars sites despite bomb craters and UXO (unexploded ordinance - mainly cluster bombs here) even after 35 yrs since USA raids. We are off tomorrow to the forests and will be uncontactable until 23rd when we fly back to Bangkok - and then we're almost home!!! Lots of love Ann and Iain

Krabi and Laos

Dear all - we have had a lovely relaxing time at Railay although the snorkelling wasn't up to much until we hired a boat to take us out to other outcrops/islands. The main bays are very dead, with all the boat traffic I suspect, and the east bay is just messy mud flats and mangrove when the tide goes out. Our favourite evening meal spot however was on the east side as the tide was in by then and it was beautiful. We also climbed about 200m up steep rocky cliffside to reach the jungle on the top with a great viewpoint. A swim was very welcome afterwards as we got very hot - especially Ann! The whole area is comprised of specacular limestone karsts covered with jungle and the beach on west Railay was silky white sand - very like picture postcards! We stayed in a semi-detached bungalow set in gardens between east and west bays of Railay and had two swimming pools to choose from as well as the beach. Apart from the days we arrived and departed the sun was fierce and we had to use plenty of suncream!
I did eventually get my phone back and took the opportunity of waiting for it in Ao Nang to have a great massage. Iain has just reminded me to say that there is very little evidence of the after effects of the Tsunami apart from a lot of new buildings - although 10,000 people were killed here. They tried to plan the rebuilding but it didn't work as people needed to rebuild their homes and businesses quickly.
We then had our adventures getting to Laos. No problems getting a longtail boat to Ao Nang and then a taxi to Krabi airport. The flight was even twenty minutes early getting to Bangkok so we had plenty of time to get a taxi to the railway station and catch the overnight train to the border. We had paid for first class (still very cheap by European standards) so we had a 2 berth cabin with washbasin to ourselves. We were stung for food though and didn't get much sleep. One of the weirdest things was hearing sounds as if the train was in a car wash at 3am - it was branches brushing over the train and went on and off for at least an hour! It was due at Nong Kai at 8.30 but actually got in at 10.15am (which we were told would happen despite the timetabling!). We took a tuc tuc to the Thai border and had to pay for our three extra days in Thailand (you now only get 15days without a visa if you arrive overland and we didn't hear about this until half way through our trip) but it was still cheaper than buying a visa. Then we boarded a shuttle bus that crossed the Friendship Bridge into Laos. In Laos we had to wait for a visa but it only took a couple of hours to get through the border, so not too bad. We then took a taxi to the starting point hotel in Vientiane and met up with the group last night. Vientiane is an amazingly quiet city - very peaceful and laidback - with wide tree lined streets (Rues and Boulevards because of French influence) and very little traffic. Laos only has a population of 6 million and 60,000 live in the capital, Vientiane. It was strange to cross the streets without taking your life in your hands! As in the rest of SE Asia their economy is slowly growing with a lot of new building and investment, particularly from China. We went to see various temples and stupas this morning and are flying to Luang Prabang tonight. It's not far but being a bit north it may be a bit colder and we may need our sweaters...today was like a good English spring day and I needed my fleece last night sat out at dinner! We understand that you are all having very cold weather in England and we're not looking forward to returning to that! We will be coming back here briefly in a week's time so will update the blog then if not before. Lots of love to you all and keep warm...Ann and Iain

Mobile phone contact

Dear all - I'm afraid that on the way to Krabi I realised that I had left my mobile phone on the bed at Treetops so we couldn't ring you on New Years Day. It was supposedly arranged that another group coming here today would drop it of at the hotel and we would pick it up before going to Relay - unfortunately that hasn't worked, so maybe we'll get on our way to Krabi airport on the 9th - or maybe not! I've just done a morning cookery class - great fun and very tasty - Iain got to taste it for lunch. We're off to Relay Beach and will keep in touch on the blog unless we get lucky with Skype. Please remind Iain to turn down all the radiators and set central heating to a minimum before he goes back to Bangor. Thanks for all your New Year messages. Lots of love Mum and Dad (or Iain and Ann - depending on who's reading!)