Fortuna Royal Guatemala City

Did not sleep that much despite the wonderful bed and fluffy pillows. Woke up at 0430 and despite several attempts I did not manage to sleep any longer. But took it easy and went for an early breakfast - nice breakfast buffet! Also had time to finally reconnect to the internet and send a job application. Surprised however, about the instability of the wireless network at an esteemed establishment like Hilton. When I mentioned that upon checking out ...

... the road. We went around the mountains so one minute we were looking out at gorges to the right and twenty minutes later it was to the left and all the way along the roads there were little settlements of indigenous people. Women walking up and down the road with baskets of food, bottles of water, bundles of sticks and other assortments balancing perfectly on their heads. It was incredible. <br><br>We stopped off in a little town called Panajachel which ...

... and eating some marshmallows. We took some pictures of the stupidity of mankind... well we were part of it for a moment!<br><br>On the way down, we could see the lava up the mountain, as it was almost night.<br><br>I had no flashlight, so had to climb down in the dark, using the force.<br><br>The city is so nice we will stay here a few days, just to relax.<br><br>More news later!!<br>

... lobby for a few beers. The hotel has two giant, beautiful German Shepards. One enjoys playing catch with a lime. The lime is pretty grouse at this point as it has been thoroughly eaten.<br><br>Beer Total: 2 (Gallo).<br><br>We eat dinner at a tourist-safe restaurant (read - everything is cooked thoroughly) with a view of the lake. It´s still foggy so we still don´t get a great view but the food was good.<br><br ...

... We entered and walked around. It is a very spacious and looks like a 1700s french castle. There were some people rehearsing for a play and that's when we realized that the theater was supposedly closed, but the guard has left for a moment when we came in... we were basically kicked out. <br><br>We finally got oriented and went to a museum that shows the way of living of the first Europeans in Guatemala through some special decorated rooms ...

... the crowds on 5 Avenida. After I booked my tour with Adrenalina and congratulated the owner of having such a prime location for his business, I stopped into a local pub, Reilly's, for a few pints and some pub grub. Other than my initial disappointment that they did not have Guinness on tap, I enjoyed myself in this Irish Island in a sea of Spanish extravagance. The bartender recommended I come back Sunday for their trivia night...apparently it is the ...

Finca Tatin is this secluded little hostel in the jungle, just off the Rio Dulce. Only accessible by boat, we hung out there for a few days in a log cabin avoiding tarantula´s, snakes and evil mosquitos. It´s right on the river so the swimming was great, with obligatory rope swing. I have a history of hurting myself so avoided that, mostly. We rented a double kayak and with a guy from ...

... at Casa Azul where my godmother and her husband were waiting for me. It was pure coincidence that they planned a trip to be in Antigua the same time as me, but absolutely wonderful to see them and to stay in a very nice hotel for the first few nights of my adventure. After a pre dinner drink and a delicious dinner by a fire (Antigua is chilly at night) I was incredibly happy to crawls into my bed after having been awake 24 hours.

... each stem were covered in a layer of white cottony fluff. Hard to see exactly what it was - tiny flowers? - from a speeding van. Oh well. We arrived in Antigua, after crawling through congested Guatemala City, at about 6:30. I had read about a hostel that sounded OK and, after orienting myself, headed there. The Yellow House didn't have any privates available so I got a dorm ...

... cathedral bordering the square before, but the sight was seriously stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time yesterday, so we only had 20-ish minutes to look around (we'll probably return for a tour of the palace, and I'll probably return multiple times by myself or with friends), which is why I didn't take any pictures of the square. Coincidentally, there was a protest against the violence in Gaza (Hamas announced a ceasefire ...