Had a fantastic couple of days down the coast at The Punta Roca Surf Resort. San Blas. Even quieter than El Tunco Beach if that was possible and actually a little eerie when you first turn up and there is nothing but the resort and only one other person staying! Actually the pets out numbered us with the cutest pair of dogs and resident parrots, frogs et al! One dog we took a particular shine to as he was a heinz 57 who had white feet so we named him White socks and he seemed happy to answer to that! Half [View Full Entry]

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The need to see the Pacific again meant we treated ourselves to a beachfront room at La Guitarra resort at El Tunco Beach. OK treated means $60 a night but views like nothing else. To the left we can see the Bocana break and to the right Sunzal break where the ride is just the longest I have ever set eyes on. Pretty large so as we arrived on the weekend we are leaving it to the locals and hoping to get in the water tomorrow - as our surf instructor friend John says this will be the ride of our [View Full Entry]

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After four nights in Antigua we were ready for a new country and to get back to the Pacific. We have had just the best time travelling across land but were really excited to be going back to the ocean and to one of the top surfing destinations in the world. Our transfer was uneventful and now we are starting to spot a Frontera town a mile off, they all just have this look and you know you are about to change countries. The Guatemalan / El Salvador one proved the easiest yet, as we were in a tourist bus we [View Full Entry]

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From the centre of Antigua you can see several volcanos. The largest Agua is extinct with another which is dormant and Fuego which is still live. It´s been amazing to stand in the square and watch it shoot smoke into the air but the main one that everyone wants to visit is Pacaya, active and about an hour from the town. Booking the trip was easy and for once they seemed to want to ensure we really did turn up with the right equipment, health and safety really does not exist in this part of the world and we were impressed [View Full Entry]

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The people are different again from those we came across in Coban. The main square is a key place where the locals ply their crafts and most are being sold by children under 12 it seemed. We were quickly approached by several people trying to sell stuff and by the time we had the cutest little 10 yr old who spoke excellent English come up to us we knew immediately she was charging way over the top for this cloth. That said in the end I bought it from here after some negotiation - it´s green so I think it has [View Full Entry]

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Our journey from Coban to Antigua was again pretty easy - we have stuck to tourist buses and it has been worth the extra couple of quid to get picked up from our hotel and then just tell the driver where we plan to stay. Nothing worse than arriving somewhere for the first time and not having a clue so we always have a couple of lodgings in mind so we can get in roughly the right place. The countryside a gorgeous as ever and we needed to pass through Guatemala City to get to Antigua. So built up and busy [View Full Entry]

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Imagine a place that has been completely untouched - a pure natural attraction which just a few dodgy sets of steps to help you access - this is Semuc Champey. First though a two hour journey from Coban with the last hour a unmade road to make even the most secure teeth shake loose we arrived in the small market town of Lanquin. The people here seem much smaller than even their other Mayan relatives and this seemed really apparent in the market where Neil had to duck continually to not bang into the stall canvas - he looked like gandalf [View Full Entry]

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After ensuring we were on a bus to Coban Guatemala and not Copan Honduras (small difference - big error to put right!) we started the 5 hour journey to Coban. Our main reason to come here before we head to Antigua city is Semuc Champey and Languin. the former is a series of waterfalls and natural swimming pools and the latter a series of caves full of bats which fly out in the evening and obscure the sky. Only 8 of us in a 13 seater microbus as they call a minibus so relatively comfortable and cost only 12 quid each [View Full Entry]

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Had the most amazing day at the Tikal national park. Over 160 sq km in size they have excavated just 20% of the ruins in this area. Completely protected so that the wild life and flora can continue to thrive. We had already been to ruins in Belize but these are the major ones to see and we were just blown away. The tour started with a walk through the canapy and as we went deeper into the park we arrived at the different temples and the main central Acropolis. As some parts of Guatemala still practice the Mayan religious beliefs [View Full Entry]

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Our first bus journey once it finally left Belize City proved to be mega easy. The driver did not believe in hanging about so we arrived in Flores in about 4.5 hours. Loved Belize but it was time to move on and by going by bus you get so see so much of the countryside along the way. It was also nice to see the war memorials just outside the city still with their poppies in place. The border was a piece of cake and as there was only four of us on the bus it meant we got through the [View Full Entry]

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