mattngrant

We left Roatan early as scheduled and made our way towards Rio Dulce in eastern Guatemala. We went through the Entre Rios border crossing but unfortunately we found out that the paperwork needed to legally enter the country with a car could only be done in Puerto Barrios, 45 minutes from the border post. We left Matt´s passport hostage and went to do the required work. After two hours and six lineups, we returned, got the passport back, and we were officially back in Guatemala. After spending the night in Rio Dulce and deciding not to do the long boat trip to Livingston and back, we headed up some backroad to Lago Isabal. We found some interesting little resort towns and enjoyed a relaxing brunch by the lake. We made our way back to Guatemala ... read more

This is Grant making a quick update. We left Leon and as planned made it through Honduras to El Salvador for the night. We stayed in a nice place on Playa El Zonte, where Erika spent a week last summer. The waves were huge, but Matt went boogie boarding anyway. We then moved on to Antigua, where we got set up for Lana´s arrival by plane in Guatemala City. I got to almost meet the judge, as the van got clamped as I was parked a meter into the red zone while spending a minute checking a hotel vacancy. I got as far as his secretary, but he wasn´t going to be in until the afternoon, so I just paid the $40 ticket, so I could get my transportation back. We picked Lana up at ... read more

We have found paradise. Even the locals think that Playa las Lajas is paradise, and I have met a lot of locals. We are camping on the beach under a long palapa, next to the Pacific Ocean. The waves are pleasant, and fun for boogie boarding/surfing when the tide starts coming in. I am always with company, because of various friends I have met around the place, even though it is not over touristified or busy on weekdays. When arriving, Dad and I met some fellow Albertans from Edmonton. A couple, Darren and Sandra, and related Angie had five boys about my age. They were fun and we had a few adventures. Darren took us out boogie boarding behind his rented vehicle on the beach. We just held onto a rope behind the truck and glided ... read more

At Tapachula, on the way to the Mexican-Guatemalan border, we asked a stranger for directions. He turned out to be a Mexican who has lived in California, but now living in the area with his Honduran wife. Juan invited us into his small house and we met his wife Iris who is trying to get Mexican citizenship. We were warned about the gun-toting Guatemalans and the problems at the border. That night, before crossing, we stayed in a mistress motel (with air conditioning!) that Juan helped us to find. We had the expected hassles at the border, the van especially taking a lot of paperwork. The Guatemalan countryside is beautiful, but quite littered with trash and election propaganda paint. We took the back road down into San Pedro on Lake Atitlan where indigenous people were everywhere ... read more

Hello everyone, This is Grant here to do the first blog. We had a fast trip to Dallas (it snowed while we were there!) and enjoyed our time with Jaime and Robert. Thanks again for your hospitality and Matt says he´s a better bowler after practicing with the Wii! And you´ll make great parents with upcoming junior! Thanks Rhonda too for everything. Matt and I spent a few hours at the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas, which is very worthwhile if you´re interested in the JFK assassination. We also really enjoyed an afternoon at the Alamo and the River Walk in San Antonio before heading down to Laredo to cross into Mexico. Crossing into Mexico was easy as nobody even talked to us. We expected to do the car and immigration stuff at the 24km check, ... read more