Though there were surprises, my trips from Xela to here and from here to Tikal and back went well. Internet is more expensive here so I´ll keep this brief. At Tikal I toured the >Mayan ruins as planned and spent the night at the Tikal Inn, the classiest there it turns out, even with a nice swimming pool (but only electricity in the morning and evening for a few hours). I missed taking a ride on a cable (like a zip line on the level for abvout 2 km due to a shortage of cash and the lack of any banking [View Full Entry]

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The various set-backs that I encountered could not have been my last of course, that is just the way it is when you're travelling... After leaving Montreal over an hour late because the Canadian and US authorithies were having ''communication problems'' (surprise, surprise!) over the flight plan, my bag apparently missed its connection to get from Atlanta to Guatemala City. So, I had to return to the airport yesterday to try to figure out the right combination of airline and security representatives that would lead me to my backpack. What joy! I had forgotten how Guatemala City looked fr [View Full Entry]

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Sean: Words are almost inadequate to describe the feeling yesterday as we finally reached the top of one of the tallest temples in the Mayan Kingdom and glimpsed the view from above the jungle canopy. Staring out over the dense growth we saw two thousand years worth of history in the other temples of Tikal poking through. Along with the cacophony of monkeys and birds hollering back and forth it truly gives the place an ancient feel. We were definitely not in Kansas anymore. We had such an amazing day. We left Flores at the crack of dawn so that we [View Full Entry]

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My friends from Xela and I went to Antigua for the weekend. For some this would be but a brief rest from the near constant rain of Xela, for others this would possibly be the search for a new home, for me a new phase of my travels, the journey to Tikal and return to Los Angeles. I have just 3 weeks left before I fly on to Hawaii. Antigua has changed in the three weeks since I left, not in any major way, but there are many fewer tourists and students, this must be the depths of the low season. [View Full Entry]

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In Spanish Antigua means literally antique. Antigua until 1773 was the capital of Guatemala. In 1773 Antigua was devastated by an earthquake that all but destroyed the city. The Guatemalans decided to move the capital of the country to the present location of Guatemala City. Meanwhile the citizens of Antigua rebuilt the city in the colonial Spanish style that had existed before the destruction. Now Antigua is a world heritage site, meaning that special laws regulate any renovations, or new buildings in the area. Nestled between three volcanoes Antigua is one of the most beautiful cities I h [View Full Entry]

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