Mansion del Rio Izabal

... the two.<br><br>Punta Gorda, Belize to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala: By boat<br><br>Puerto Barrios, Guatemala to the Guatemala/Honduras border: By minibus/collectivo. We never even made it to the station or terminal in Puerto Barrios. Just hopped into the first van yelling 'frontera'. <br>

... We expected to be able to use the fishing rods, or sail a little or scuba dive or participate in any of the discussions about where we were going and for how long. We were not allowed - so we ended up feeling very passive and that we didn't get the trip we thought we'd bought.<br><br>On reflection we had a good time but we all decided that this was due to the company and the location rather than the boat trip itself.

Llegamos en Izabal a 2 en la tarde porque en noche pasado. Visitamos Izabal lake, otra lago, lago numero tres de viaje. Primero visitamos Castillo de San Felipe, lo es muy antiguo pero bonito. Tomamos un tour con otras personas, te recomiendo que tomes un tour del castillo porque es muy interesante ...

... where the bus to Rio Dulce was. Within a few short minutes we had our bags loaded and were settling in to the surprisingly luxurious 'second class' bus complete with AC and on-board movies. Wow! We couldn't believe our luck! We were expecting a a dump and we had AC AND blue velour!<br><br>As I was adjusting my icy AC I decided to check just one more time to make sure we had boarded the right bus. I leaned forward to the seat in front of me and asked (in my ...

... Rio and Puerto - he says ¨cinco y media, mas o menos¨ - here we go again.<br><br>By hour 3 on this bus, the ride was pretty painful, we had been on the road for about 8 hours and were still not there yet. I decided to speak to conductor about our options of jumping off the bus to get to Rio. At first, he said we can get off at La Ruidosa and catch a small buss for 30 mins to Rio, so it would be no problem. Then 30 minutes later, he comes back and says that we are goign ...

... I left my passport under the mattress (I don´t know the word for mattress) of the bed that was still made up (I don´t know how to say made up) and that it was inside a black case (I don´t know how to say case). So, by some miracle he figured out what I was saying and we worked out a deal to have him drive it to the airport. Unfortunately, after the 1 hour drive he was going to arrive about 40 minutes after our flight left. <br><br>So, it turns out that our airline was TACA which is ranked ...

... have yet to explore Rio Dulce but both the lake and river here are absolutely breathtaking. I am looking forward to simply relaxing and swimming tomorrow (and have no intentions of traveling anywhere). The place where I am staying is made up of a few bungalows, connected by boardwalks, about 200 meters down an inlet off the river. It´s a beautiful and secluded spot with cheap beer and free insects. Now, more than ever, I regret not having brought a camera. My plan (as ...

... br>We got dropped off at the edge of town and from there we caught a collectivo taxi to the bus station. As soon as we pulled up to the bus station a guy was there asking us where we were going and grabbing our bags. He ran over to a bus and threw us on one that was just about to leave, perfect timing! At each town, people come along the side of the bus and on the bus to sell food and drinks, so bought some coconut bread in Tela for breakfast. A couple hours later and we ...

... wider and river sides look completely different too: big, expensive villas with enormous sailing yachts in front of it. At the end, lago Izabal was waiting for us, the biggest lake of Guatemala. At the beginning lies a nice fort, build by the Spaniards in the 17th century to keep out the pirates. After we had toured the fort with the boat it was time to say goodbye to the group as I was dropped off at my hostal ...

When you last tuned in Jim &amp; I had just boarded our bus in Guatemala City. Navigating the bus through narrow streets is no easy task. The driver has a 'spotter' who, as the bus makes its way, is all over the bus, at times even hanging from the outside of the bus. Their teamwork is like an expertly choreographed dance. You may think I'm being overly dramatic. I'm not. It is a thing of beauty. We navigate impossibly tight ...