Posada Monte Rosa Panajachel

... more often there was at least one other person smooshed into the seat with us.

After a few hours, however, we did make it to Panajachel. Pana is probably the most popular of the towns on Lago de Atilan, a beautiful lake set in the Guatemala highlands and surrounded by volcanoes and other mountains. We spent one night here, soaking up the nightlife and exploring the town, before heading to a different town on the same lake (San Marcos).

... It is absolutely amazing with three huge Volcanoes covered in Jungle sitting in the background. Since Christina wanted to come here, I will quickly shoot off down the coast, and not take to much in. But look forward to coming back if we have a chance.

Guatemala is a constant surprise and I look forward to waking up tomorrow and seeing what the beaches are like.

... off tomorrow too. We also invited a new friend who we´ve deemed "McSabroso" in Grey´s Anatomy tadition. Plus Demian, our guide from GAP who´s still in town and our Dutch friend who seems to never want to leave Antigua. Next week, him and I are going ************ the salsa. I plan to be an "experta" by the time I leave!!! Well, wish us luck! We must be practically fluent in two weeks before we set off traveling again. I have every confidence :)

... the massive eye that seemed to wink at me and got stuck in with some proper British stiff upper lip... and to be fair it was probably one of the nicest dishes of the trip so far.

The next day was all about exploring the other villages, the don had given us his opinion on which were worth visiting in the time that we had and so we headed down to the shore to take one of the many water taxis that shipped tourists and locals alike over the vast waters. The water taxis were basically ...

... ou tamales de chipilin (un legume-herbe utlise en cuisine en Amérique Centrale et au Mexique), qu'on ne trouve pas souvent. Très très bon. J'ai aussi mangé un chile relleno (poivron farci), un tamal colorado, frijoles volteados (haricots rouges cuits et frits... je sais, pas très engageants mais c'est vachement bon!). Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur tous ces petits plats guatémaltèques, vous pouvez consulter le tr ...

... from Antigua. Once everything was straightened out we left for Pana around 6 am, but still arrived at 7:30 30 minutes before the boat tour was scheduled to begin. I walked to the waterfront to get an idea of what to expect for the rest of the day. I was floored with the view of Lake Atitlan and the backdrop of the three volcanoes (San Pedro, Toliman and Atitlan) which ringed the lake. The lake itself was a collapse ...

... could also be seen, with the full moon behind it and glowing sun in front. The sun set completely as we navigated tree roots and steps on the way back down. Luckily we all made it safely home and back to Antigua. The newbys for the continuing tour had arrived and we sat down to have a drink with them. We went across to the Café No Se across the road for free popcorn and a few drinks, only leaving when it closed.

... the traffic and the scenery just got better and better. The volcanoes became visible in the moist haze and smog. Clouds were billowing around the tops. We started the climb up to the lake, and buy the end of the day had been to 8,800 feet! We had to layer up to keep warm. A far cry from the 97 degree temps we have be hitting. The Lake is rightly described as on of the prettiest in the world! We worked our way Down to the small but ...

... and helipads. I asked my guide about the cost of one of these as astounded to hear 1-2 million quatzales will get you pretty much any of them, thas about 80-160 thousand pounds. With of a view of this lake it puts London property prices into perspective. All in all plenty of food for thought. Week 5 Meanwhile my lessons every morning were going well and could now hold basic conversations with people and understand many things if spoken ...

... then learning Spanish was one of the main tourist things to do in Guatemala, live with a local family in total immersion. I never did it, but know many who did. Americans can now go anywhere in the world and just speak English. Why come to Guatemala to learn Spanish? That’s always been the British attitude. They never learned anything, except a handful of French.

The scenery heading west goes by like a dream, signposts in memory- San ...