You're not in Guatemala now Dr Raupata

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Today we left Guatemala. Very sad. It didn't feel like we had done everything we wanted to do, which is probably a good way to be. Like leaving a party early... though I've never been very good at that.

Yesterday we had an amazing day at Tikal, which is the Mayan ruin. We got up at 3.00 am (I know... that is the time we should have been coming home!). Waiting 40 mins for the bus was not popular with the 3 of us... but we still made it to the Tikal park in plenty of time. We hiked in about 40 minutes in the dark, which was a little challenging, though not difficult walking. For some reason it had escaped me that I was going into the jungle, so I decided to wear my "special needs shoes" ie birkenstocks instead of trainers... but it turned out ok. Also, we only had one torch between us, a small one that Rachael has attached to a key ring, but remarkably not too bad.

We got to temple 4, which is the highest one and climbed up and up... all in the dark, so we really had no idea what we were climbing. Then we sat waiting for it to get light. The guide told everyone to be silent, so we could hear the sounds of the jungle animals and birds waking up. Though dubbed the "sunrise tour", we had been warned that it would be unlikely that we'd see the sun (of course the touts don't tell you that...). But magically, as it got light, the mist was cleared away by the wind and we saw the other tall temples coming in and out of the mist above the jungle. Magic.

We then had a tour of some of the site, which is huge and in many parts unexcavated. It costs so much and though the Guatemalans are doing their best to preserve the site, there simply isn't the money to do it all. There is a new government and our guide said this means that the park is under new administration, so it's all a bit uncertain.

The city was built over a period of about 1500 years, dating back to around 700 BC. The temples are tall, with steep steps. Some have ladders on the side, which we climbed - truly vertiginous. It is built as a kind of keystone, with temples located according to astronomy, weather and also somehow pointing to other Mayan sites. OK, bit vague about that, as the group was kind of large and we didn't get a lot from the guide, but even so, it was truly impressive.

We came back to Flores in the afternoon. Flores is a tiny island, completely given over to tourists - nobody even seems to go to St Elena, which is the main town. It is in the middle of the Lake and we thought it was really pretty. I made my first purchase (I know, surprising, as there is some nice stuff, but there were benefits to having a very small pack. I'm saving myself for Santa Monica). I bought a really nice amber and silver pendant from a Mexican jeweller on the street called Gustavo.

This morning another early rise for a 5.00 am pick up to travel to Belize City. The bus was supposed to take 5 hours, but after a 45 min wait for collection and truly horrendous roads, it took 7. I think it may have been the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of bus travel for me. Rachael and I have been investigating internal flights in Belize this afternoon... The road between Guat and Belize, the only road that crosses the border, is extraordinary. The last 30kms in mud. I couldn't believe it.

Anyway, we arrived in time for lunch at "Big Daddy's" - kind of cafeteria style; fine, but Jack couldn't face it... The funny thing was that "Big Daddy" asked me where I'd come from and said to me "you're safe now, you're in Belize". I had my doubts. Belize City is a complete dump, so we were happy to leave for Caye Caulker, an hour's trip by boat. The Caye is a tiny island on the reef and seems very chilled out. There is a bit of wind, but still mild. Tomorrow Rachael and I are booked in for massages and we may do a snorkeling trip... when you arrive on the dock there is a sign saying "Caye Caulker, go slow". It's VERY chilled...

Belize already very different from Guat. Obviously they speak English (although accent at times hilarious). Also much more expensive. There is an election coming up... announced the date today (7th Feb, my birthday). I bought the local paper today. Lead story was the election date... announced at a breakfast meeting yesterday. The second para of the article described in great detail what was on the menu at the breakfast meeting, down to tea, coffee and orange juice. The election signs are hilarious... I think defamation law doesn't feature here. Things like: "PUP thief; UDP relief". The only ever woman is resigning after a term (although I see the PUP candidate here is a woman). They are having a referendum on whether the senate should be selected. And another candidate who has been around for a long time is standing down in favour of his son. I'm looking forward to finding out more.

Mum has asked me about food. To be honest, we haven't eaten a lot of local food. We've had a lot of pasta, which features on every menu and Jack has encouraged me to have my food more "pecante" or spicy. Lots of fruit for breakfast and often eggs. They do "frijoles" or mashed black beans for breakfast in Guatemala... they're really good and I found out that's because they're cooked with lard. Hmmm... Sandwiches for lunch, of mixed quality. We definitely haven't starved and the food on the boat was plentiful and mostly quite good...

Hope all well at home.

L xx

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