Three days and nights, 8 buses and 3 collectivos later we have arrived in Guanajuato, Mexico. We left Honduras and made it across the Mexican border in a day and a half. We stayed overnight in a little town called Retalhuleu (Reu to the locals). The drive into Guate City took about 4 and a half hours and was painfully hot and slow as always. I hate that drive. We got to Reu at something like 10h30 at night because what should have been a 6h00 departure time was moved to an hour later because the bus driver decided to yak and needed gas. By the time we finally left the city I wanted to yank my hair out! The drive to the border was a nice easy one and we had no problems with our ... read more

Pico Bonito is a national parc just outside of La Ceiba. To get there take a taxi (150L) or the local bus in the direction of Yuruca. The drive up is gorgeous. You follow the Rio Cangreal into the mountains covered in bright greens, where clouds hide in the valleys and waterfalls seem to appear out of nowhere just around the next bend. There are three tour companies that offer pretty well the same activities. One of them is a upscale deal though. It's called Las Cascadas and looked relatively new. Not the place for poor packers, but if you've got a little to splurge it looked beautiful. The other two companies are called Jungle River Tours and Omega Jungle Tours. The Jungle River people also have a hostel the city of La Ceiba called the ... read more

We pulled into Copan Ruinas somewhere around three in the afternoon. I was sick as a dog. The only way I had been able to make the trip out of Chiquimula was by pumping myself full of no-name brand Immodium, Pepto-Bismol and Gravol. I could barely move, stand the heat or keep my eyes open. In other words I was a verrry helpful travelling partner. Right. I watched the bags, sipping what I could of a soda in a little restaurant while Chris dutifully scouted a place where I could crash. I had but one little splurge request for the night...a private bathroom! All I did was sleep for the rest of the day and night. My luck with the sicknesses hasn't exactly been A1 this time round, but I haven't gotten anything serious, so I ... read more

Now I understand why people came here in the seventies and never left. We spent the first night in Panajachel in a little room in a hostal down some random little alleys. Geared to tourists and gringos, this place is hippie and granola central. Every restaurant has vegetarian options, rare in this country, if they aren't completely vegetarian. There are artisan and clothing merchants lining the entire main drag ready to sell you everything from traditional Guatemalan blankets, to purses to jewelry. If you're looking for something, you'll find it here, but the price might be a little steep. Definitely try your luck at bargaining. The best technique I've found being the "walk away". Shoot off your price and see if you can walk off without him agreeing to it. If he doesn't you know it's ... read more

Robbed on our way to the world's most famous pick pocket festival Antigua during Semana Santa is known for thieves and pick pockets. One of the locals told me that the number of "tourists" from El Salvador and other parts of the country that congregate here in the week prior to the festivities is getting more and more alarming. "They aren't here for the parades or the parties and anyone who lives here can tell exactly who they are," she told me. "Antigua is so small, everyone knows one another. It makes me nervous to see all these shifty types everywhere." This was no news to us. We've heard all there is to hear about separating your valuables, never letting your bag go, keeping your eye on the zippers, especially in crowded places like markets and ... read more