Tag Archives: Ancient City

Caracol- lost Maya city

As offered by Renato we went with him and his wife and little daughter to Coracol. 45 miles south direction of San Ignacio. It was a terrible ride in an old Toyota taxi…. to call the road bumpy would be a praise. But finally after 3 hrs we made it. Benefit of this road the ancient place was less crowded with tourists. And it was worth to go there. Built between 5th and 9th centuries it’s still impressive. Highest building is about 150 ft and we climbed it up. My hamstrings were greeting me :)

Caracol Maya site01

Caracol Maya site02

We were discussing the purpose of the ancient city as well as the situation close to the border of Guatemala. Robertos wife brought delicious lunch, rice and beans and potato salat. Yummy. Next step was the Rio Frio cave, a huge cave with a beach inside. And we met 4 other germans at this place. Unbelizable. :)


For our refreshing the last stop on this journey was the Big Rock waterfall. I don’t know why people always like waterfalls but even I do.


Back at the camping ground it was 6pm (we started at 7 am) and our backs hurt a little bit. Went out for dinner to the local street food place and had burritos and chicken wings for 20$ BZ. Great food.

Hue – Hoi An

Just a 3 hrs ride by bus :) Arrived 1 pm which gave us the whole day. Hotel is nice and clean. Mostly traveller guests. Hoi An is cultural world heritage because of its old ancient houses and meeting halls. And well known for more than 400 tailors. And shoemakers as well. So we started business first. Cultural things must wait :) We entered a shoemaker shop and I was asking if they are just selling shoes or.. answer ” we do shoes whatever you want..” Good to hear. I showed the guys a picture of my favourite business shoes and she said ” no problem. which leather would you like ? ankle hight ? shape of the top ? ” yeah. My feet were measured and the result was … less than 100 bucks. Which seems really good for a pair of handmade shoes. Mandys eyes became wider and she said “I would like to have a pair high heels…” To make the long story short we´ll go today for the first fitting :)
Next stop was at tailor. No clothes for me even the lady tried to force me slightly. Coz my tailor is in Bangkok. Mandy was measured again and I helped her out to find some nice fabrics.
Later on we met the norwegian girl again and had a beer together at “before and now” bar. Time for next appointment, pedicure at 8 pm. Very professional and I went to bed at 9:30 pm. What a day.

Today after having a breakfast went to the central market. Crowed but interesting. Like these two women selling betel nut ….

they sell betel nutswomen at Hoi An market

We bought our ticket to visit selected ancient places like houses, assembly halls and family chapels. We were not alone :) Most places more than 300 yrs old and they are still in use or look like.Traditional buildings are very long (like 50 mtrs) with living, working and sleeping places. Here is a courtyard in one of these houses. Used for ventilation.

ancient Courtyard

And we discovered the best coffee in Vietnam ever. Brewed with this small metal filter. Strong , tasty (with a touch of chocolate) and very yammi. And cheap. 15.000 dong which is 60 € cents. For Sono – a place to be for you.

Real Coffee

First fitting for shoes and suits, everything looks very nice. Pick up tomorrow (and carry all items through the rest of the journey…)
Tonight is the night before full moon and no electric light will illuminate the ancient city of Hoi An , only candles and lanterns made of silk. Sounds great and we´ll go later on to watch this.

stay tuned and will keep you updated…..