Las Piramides San Marcos La Laguna

... never seen rain like this before!!
We were transported down from the 2200m of Xela through the thunder storm and placed squarely back in the sweaty tropics at sea level in an old american school bus (the yellow ones from the movies)

Another two buses later and we arrived in Tilapa a small beach town, i cant really tell you more because i only know what i saw, it isnt listed in our guide book and it was absolutely pitch black when we arrived, it ...

... this part was even more difficult than the previous sections of the hike. Here, when jumping from boulder to boulder, there was not a riverbed just below (should you fall) but instead the edge of a cliff. There were many times when losing your footing would be... traumatic. For those at home. Who survived. (just to skip quickly to the end, everyone is alive and safe).

Shortly after beginning their ascent, the entire process became even MORE ...

... wearing some pretty sturdy gloves which are reinforced with lots of leather on the bit which touches the cable!!!). After the zipwire we headed back into Pana for Lunch and I bought another set of earrings (and necklace!) but I just couldn’t resist they were just so unusual and beautiful. My current jewelry count is 4 pairs of earring, two necklaces, two bracelets and a ring !!! Oops.

We caught a boat to San Marcos the ‘chill out’ capital of ...

... with a half hour break at 10:30. In the afternoons there are various activities that you can choose to participate in. The learning is intense and there is always tarea (homework), but my Spanish is improving and the good thing is being one on one, you can go totally at your own pace not feel embarrassed about how **** your Spanish is and it is all individually catered to your needs. You can combine the studies with a homestay where you live with a family for a week. I ...

... apparently, was the only one not asleep, because I was the only one to get up and out of the tent. But, boy! Was it worth it! There was a gigantic storm cloud on the horizon that took up the majority of our forward plane of sight, and in the darkness of the evening, you could see the whole thing light up like a lightbulb every couple of seconds. Occationally, you would see humongus bolts of lightening wrap around the cloud itself. And as the storm grew quieter, and the ...

... 3 parrots - i picked up and played with one of the parrots.

We then headed to the end of town, or at least what we thought was the end. It was the cafge (moon fish) where the owner had an attitude (see breakfast story later). He was closing up and so wouldnt serve us. We were about to head back but then saw this discreet sign and a trail up the hill. We decided to explore and about 10 minutes of hiking and following the signs up and the techno, we stumbled ...

... The pupusas made the ones at home look and taste like ****. At the bar, we made some friends. Lola, an ex-Californian who hitchiked her way from Mexico City to San Salvador, then wound up in Pana bartending. Ryan, a 27-year-old from Houston who had just been laid off and decided to spend 3 months in Guatemala. And Charlie, a 27 year old from D.C. who was doing in internship in Panajachel. We wound up drinking many beers ...

Hello, friends! Lauren speaking.

Today was a day of long car rides and interesting stops. We headed out early from Panajachel, taking in the lake one last time as our van climbed out of the valley. The greater part of the morning was taken up by a long drive down from the highlands and towards the Pacific coast. Finally, we came to the town of Quetzaltenango (called Xela by the locals because it is surrounded by mountains). Xela is the ...

... geweest, aan de andere kant van het meer, om een bezoek te brengen aan de tempel van Maximon....een¨heilige¨ die houd van geld, vrouwen, whisky en peuken. Aangezien de tempel iedere keer op een andere plaats is hebben we een Tuk Tuk genomen vanaf de ¨haven¨ en zijn we via wegen langs krotten en zwervende honden naar de tempel gebracht. De jongen van de Tuk Tuk wilde wel op ons wachten.....ik begrijp waarom.....naa ...

... the effects of intestinal parasites, and cursing the hotel for putting me in the room with no bathroom but an outhouse filled with tarantulas outside. Suffered through the night with fever and chills, checked out in the morning