I’d asked many people where I should go/stay around lake Atitlan, and decided on the very small village of Santa Cruz to start with. One of the smallest villages on the lake, and on advice stayed at Iguana hostel/hotel. Bit of a result as I had an eight bed dorm to myself for £4! Following the slightly boozy previous night in Antigua I took a afternoon siesta before joining all the other guests for the communal dinner. Whilst I was in basic dorm, the also had quite luxury accommodation which makes for a really interesting mix of guests of all ages and back grounds.

A group of us decided on a hike to a neighbouring village the next day and we set off at nine. I’ve done so much less hiking or anything since being in Central America and as half our party were Swiss mountain goats they pushed the pace I struggled, a bit beetroot and very dusty having completely fallen flat on my face we arrived after 2 hours instead of 3! The walk was a bit challenging anyway as some very steep up and downs, but the scenery across the lake was second to none despite a haze which didn’t quite give me the volcano photo I wanted. Myself and an English girl who we found out had an alarming amount in common took a boat back most of the way and stopped off at a smaller village where we had a very decadent afternoon by an infinity pool supping cocktails over looking the lake…and all for £13!

The next day I went for an early swim in the lake and it was so calm, not a ripple. We then took a kayak out for a few hours, and paddled back round to the same hotel for a quick coke. We hadn’t really figured out the mooring or how to get out, but I found some rope and remembered some basics my father taught me and made it onto the dock of the hotel without capsizing. Only to realise that the dock wasn’t really connected and we had to climb round some awkward pillars to get there….not the most graceful of entrants to the joint, but funny enough. We’d timed the kayak well, and our short journey back was all ready much choppier as the wind got up.

I begrudgingly left Santa Cruz for the larger town of San pedro. The reason I wanted to spend a night here was to do a very early morning volcano hike, which would mean getting up at 2am to climb to the top for the sunrise over the lake. But there was no tour the following morning….they offered me a shorter climb to “Indian Nose” which meant only getting up at 3.30am…were I waited by the agency shop for forty minutes…before going back to bed pretty fed up as no one showed up. I decided to cut my losses and get out of there as early as possible and head to Rio Dulce on the northern coast. Refund for tour received I caught my first chicken bus. The bus itself was ok, and yes was completely rammed, but the journey twisting up from the lake to the top of the surrounding hills certainly tested my stomach! One slightly amusing habit I noticed, even though at the start of the journey there was relative more space around the back of the bus, all the women and girls that got on would sit right at the front of the bus even though that meant three to a seat and pretty much blocking the aisle for anyone else that came on…but I’m sure there was some logic in there!

I arrived at lunchtime in Guatemala city, and booked my bus for Rio Dulce. It left at 4 (3 hours in the city was more than enough), and should have arrived at Rio Dulce by 9. The hostal I’d booked was on the other side of the river and on my arrival I’d call them and they’d send a boat. Continuing my 24 hours of average luck, there was a major traffic jam were we didn’t move for at least an hour and that meant we didn’t arrive till gone eleven to Rio Dulce. I was travelling alone, and probably for the first time didn’t feel totally safe arriving in a small town on a Friday night wherever a lot of people were pretty drunk all ready. Luckily I accosted two other travellers, a Russian and a Swiss who had a mobile. But alas no answer from the hostel, so we set off walking round the town looking for another option guided by a chap on a bike. We ended up at a basic hotel, it was hot as hell. I was grumbling about my room price as it twice as much a dorm room would be…actually it was still only £8 for a private room with ensuite and a functioning fan.

I left early as possible in the morning as I wanted get to the Hostal and do something with the day. After several unsuccessful attempts to get through to Hostal by phone again, the chap on the bike appeared and managed to call them and I waited on the dock for the boat. After half an hour waiting I borrowed another phone and managed to speak to the owner, who said the boat would be there shortly, and did I want to do something today. Long story a bit shorter…the boat picked me up, I left my bags with him to take to the hostal, he took me to another dock and I took a local minibus that I got off after half an hour by a small farm and walked down a path where I bumped into the group from my hostal he’d intended for me to catch up to. I had a quick swim in the shower hot waterfall that was there…about fifty degrees! The group waited for me as they’d all ready been in.

We then headed further out on another minibus to a river and canyon. Our group being nine, we didn’t entirely fit in the already full minibus and most of the group ended up on the roof, I was gutted I’d been shoved in first at the back and missed out on some wind in hair action! Some young lads rowed us into the canyon and left as there for a few hours. It was amazing! No one else there, glorious water, more opportunities for jumping off high rocks into deep water and then swimming up against a current and clambering through rocks and slipping back into the current at the base of the rapids and floating back. The canyon was 500 metres on each side, and had a real India Jones feel. Quite often on my trip I’ve headed to some natural wonders, and often water based, but at times they can be disappointing as so many people are there. We were literally the only ones here! Again on the way back there was not much room in the minibus, but this time weren’t allowed on the roof as police patrols were around, somehow we squeezed in….

Arriving back into town we had some grub before calling for the boat…..and I finally got to my hostal! Again recommended by a few friends, did not disappoint. On a jungle island in the river, where you could swim off the dock. I was severely disappointed I failed to arrive the night before, as I’d may have two nights here now. The next day was one of the groups bday, and we took a boat trip up to Livingston which is on the coast in between Belize and Honduras. On the river trip we passed through a water lily field, stopped off a some very stinky thermal waters, and the final bit the open river closed up into a narrow gorge, quite spectacular. Only two hours on a boat, and it was a completely different place. A very Caribbean vibe and much of the people are Garífuna, Afro-Caribbean, it felt much more like Belize than Guatemala with Rastafarians offering us weed etc as soon as we were off the boat. It’s not a very pretty port town, and we were cajoled into a tour by a local to see how they really live, and were the only tourists who’d ever been round the back of the houses of the poorer people….yeah yeah whatever and of course you can have a donation towards the children’s projects….ie enjoy a couple of beers on us. Cynical I know! It was moderately interesting at best, and luckily the chap in our hostal had forwarned us not to get excited about the beach….no white sand here, more like sludgy mud. We ended with a fairly expensive but tasty and worth it lunch of the local fish dish Tapado, seafood and fish cooked in coconut milk. We arrived back to the hostal with a birthday cake organised for the bday girl. It was a really great group of people that I’d met in this Hostal, and it was a shame I’d only known them for a web days…but should be meeting up with a few of the girls again soon.

And that was my last day in Guatemala. I only had thirteen days here, not nearly long enough, and I’m not enjoying rushing but have to be in panama mid May for a flight. The other thing that really effects the travelling here in Central America is the lack of nightbus opportunities. In Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador I didn’t waste days travelling, most of the time I’d get on a bus in the evening and wake up in a new place. And the comfort of transport is worlds apart to! On a chicken or a shuttle minibus it’s nearly impossible to sleep…and I have to say the travelling side of travelling is taking its toll on me a little bit. I also can’t whip out my ipad on a minibus shuttle or chicken bus to catch up on my blog, and some of the roads have been so twisty and windy that even reading is nigh on impossible. My best friend on these journeys is my iPhone…for listening to music, or desert island disc podcasts. But please don’t think I’m complaining! I’m still very much having the time of my life!!

A hectic start to my 36th bday at 7.30am, the ripoff bus ticket I’d bought back in Flores for my Lanquin to Antigua leg was looking a bit dodgy and involved getting a Tuktuk across the village to show my ticket to four different operators, one of them showed some sign of acknowledgement and bundled me into his minibus..all though that one was going to Flores, two minutes later he stopped and pointed at another minibus and I got on that one without my ticket…I was still waiting for things to go wrong! This minibus was moderately more comfortable then the previous journey and not packed full. However we had to stop and get off after an hour for the bus to drive off with all our bags to pick up the rest of the passengers whilst we waited at McDonald’s! I have to confess that one of the first things I ate on my bday, and the first one since Buenos Aires was a cheeseburger…. Also on my a bus were two Irish men, and three English girls…all of whom stank of booze and were more hungover then me. That didn’t stop them buying a crate of beer and two bottles of rum for the journey. I strongly refused the luke warm beer! When the bus got back I called shot gun, and everyone else squished into the back. iPod plugged in, other then the extra five loo stops we had to make for the boozers I managed to ignore my passengers…I know very BORING of me and we arrived about two hours later then we should in the beautiful city of Antigua at 5.30pm.

Antigua is the hotspot of Santa Semana in Guatemala, and I’d booked my accommodation a week before. That night my bed in a ten bed dorm was £13.50, the following two nights it was half price (normal price) at £6.25. Processions go on throughout the week leading up to Easter, and as we arrived quite a few street were closed off and I had to walk a little further to my hostel, only to get to the street as one of main processions was going past…I squeezed through the crowd with my backpack and checked in quickly before watching the rest of the procession. It was quite eerie with a lot people cloaked in black swinging incense, and thirty women carrying a huge wooden float with a statue of Mary. They move forward, then stop and rock back and forth in a slow dance, at any moment it looks like someone might trip or fall. I was fortunate to catch this particular procession as it was one of the last and biggest.

So far I was having a very rock and roll bday….seven pm and not touched a drop! Luckily two Swedish girls I’d met in Flores were also in town, so after a shower and a quick tequila in a bar I headed over to meet them at their hostel. Bless them they had a present…..all the way from Sweden a mini bottle Akvavit, a spirit made from Dill and Caraway. Actually more palatable than it sounded, and helped wake me up after the bus journey. As did the next ten shots of tequila, stupid dancing and yet another Irish bar and a general silly behaviour beneath my years. If I can’t let my hair down on my birthday when can I…..not that I ever really need an excuse. But I was very appreciative to Karin and Chatrin for celebrating with me!

Easter Sunday was understandably a quieter day, and the first day in about six weeks I didn’t do something or catch a bus. I was glad of day spent watching Madmen on Netflix and chilling. I did have an afternoon wander and caught the back end of another procession in the setting sun.

Monday I headed out to see a bit more of the city, and it was so much quieter after the end if Santa Semana. It is a very beautiful place, but with the beauty brings the tourists and it was nearly impossible to speak Spanish…which is ironic as its the Spanish language school capital of Central America. I met up with the two girls in the market and went rummaging for second hand clothes. I got a couple of shirts for less then a £1, and they both found Levi jeans for 50pence! Some more photos of churches (some standing, some damaged by earthquakes), my touring of the city was done. We intended on having a few quiet glasses of wine to say bye, which ended back at the Irish bar again. I adamantly refused to head back to another hostal to drink rum at 1am as had another 8am minibus. That and the fact that a particular tragic version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody sung in the street by some US language students sobered me up quick sharp! I think the girls stayed out till the early hours with an 8am bus to El Salvador to catch themselves. That extra year older has made me a real bore……

I left Caye Caulker in winds and rain on a water taxi for Belize City, the dour weather was a welcome change to the heat travelling on the outward bound journey from Mexico. At Belize city I had a tourist shuttle bus booked, which sounds quite a bit more glamorous than it really is! A mid sized minibus with very little leg room…oh how I miss Argentina’s buses! Luckily this was only a relatively short journey of five hours with a break at the border crossing into Guatemala. I think that’s the most relaxed border control I’ve come across so far…we just left our bags on our minibus and walked through em and immigration with none of our luggage being checked…I’m not complaining!

We arrived in Flores, a tiny island connected by causeway on Lago Peten Itza. For the two days I was there it was quite overcast and grey, on a clear blue sky day the setting is far more picturesque. After making some plans, booking some hostals and buses for the next few days (Easter week, Semana Santa is a very big deal in Guatemala and gets pretty busy), had an early dinner and then as I had to get up the following day at 4am I called it a day.

At 4.30am we were picked up by minibus and headed off to see Tikal ruins, it was a bit of a drive and the reason for starting so early was to see the birds, monkeys and wildlife early in the morning and to avoid the heat of the day. I’d been dreading how hot it was going to be as friends who’d come through the week before had told me it had been 40 degrees and super humid. I was lucky as it was unseasonable cool for the time of year and only peaked around 25 by midday- great for climbing the ruins and exploring. I was also pleasantly surprised by the ruins themselves and having seen so many in Mexico I was nearly at the point of not visiting Tikal, I’m glad I went. Like Palenque the jungle setting makes them far more dramatic, and they cover a huge area. You can also still climb a fair bit of them, and as we were there relatively early with the tour starting at 7pm you could easily gets photos with nobody in sight. There was also a decent amount of birds and wildlife. I didn’t get a great view of any monkeys, but saw a good few Tucan, wild turkey and some raccoon like creatures, Coatamundi. The final temple that we climbed had a breathtaking view across the jungle canopy with the other temples peaking out.

We left at midday and I was pretty beat by then, after finishing my book I had a well earnt siesta…followed by another early night in advance of my 8am departure the next morning. This was an even more small and uncomfortable minibus, and an eight journey…the biggest discomfort is the number of speed bumps! Every time you nearly drop off to sleep the buses heavily break for them before accelerating for fifty metres and then breaking again…..and then the final part of the journey was down a twisty mountain side. But at least the views here were stunning, with lush green tropical vegatation. My destination was Lanquin, and I was staying at Zephyr Hostal on the recommendation of several other travellers I’d met. It did not disappoint….set up on the hill just outside the village overlooking a valley with a river running through it. The restaurant bar had views both of sunset and sunrise. The showers had no windows or curtains, so your view is just smack out over the hills, and hot water to! It’s quite a clever operation, they set up a tab for you and as they are little way out of the village you can end up just staying in the hostal, when I checked out two days later after two breakfasts, dinners, a tour, accommodation and quite a few Moscow mules my bill was 650Quetzal….. About £55. Which actually isn’t so bad….but Guatemala should be a bit cheaper than this.

The following day was Good Friday, the most important day in the Easter week. I headed off in the back of a truck with 12 others from my hostal to Semuc Champey blue waters, waterfalls and caves. The place was heaving with people as it was a public holiday. First up we headed to some caves that you walk and swim through with just candle light to show the way, at our furthest point we could jump off a small ledge three metres into a pool. It was a little risky as if you jumped too far you’d land on rocks, I went first and lived. On our way out we came to a standstill in a gridlock of forty Korean kids, I was just saying how insane it was to their guide that they had such a big group with only two guides and I slipped and nearly took out three other people…he said to me…”Now whose crazy?”…. fair point well made. Ego slightly bruised as was my butt, we exited the final bit of the cave by dropping through a narrow gap into another pool, some of us managed that a bit easier than others.

Back outside we had a couple of other adrenalin options. First up was a swing over a river where you jumped at the highest point into the river below, only four of us did this and it was a bit higher than I thought. Normally the river was clear but some construction up the river meant it was very brown and muddy. Last up was a ten metre jump from a bridge which only two us did, and it took a little while to get up the courage to jump…these things always look much higher when you are on the edge waiting to go! My attitude to all these things is, I’m never going to be back in these places and if I have the opportunity to do anything….just do it! All though all three of those jumps my feet touched rocks or mud below was a bit scary….

We then followed our guide, who by way of totally taking the piss out of us all had crushed some local berries and painted our faces with bright orange. As if we didn’t stand out like pasty gringos all ready… He led us up a very steep climb, to a view point of the blue tiered pools below. I hadn’t really banked on this part of the tour and we were all sweating and grimacing at the apex. I suppose the view was worth it, but all I wanted to do was get back down the other side and get in the pools! It was quite comical with just how many people were there on our day, I’d seen other travellers photos of this place and it looked nearly deserted….it looked a bit like Butlins for us, but in some respects made a more fun day. And I beat some little Guatemalan kids (I think they were eight years old) in a swimming race!

We arrived back after a longer return journey as a few vehicles were stuck on the road, had time for a quick swim in the river below the hostal before a communal Good Friday meal of Prawn Paella. I’d met a fun bunch of girls on the tour, and being as it was my bday the next day all had a stack of Moscow Mules……never a good idea before another eight hour minibus ride following morning!…..