Blogs from Flores, Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean

After eating our last breakfast burritos, we boarded the 8.30amboat to belize city. The boat was half an hour late and arrived near 10. We met up with the driver of the shuttle we had bought tickets for and were surprise to find we were the only ones on board. We stretched out in the old van and tried to sleep the 6 hour bumpy ride through country side and dirt roads. The driver stopped a few times for personal errands such as picking up bananas from a market and bulk supply of milk which he delivered at the border. We arrived at the border just after lunch time and payed our legit exit fee of belize. We then proceeded to enter Guatemala. We went up to the desk to have our passport stamped being warned ... read more

After a 4-5 hour bus ride, we arrived in Flores (Flore-ess). Well just outside of Flores which is an island connected to the mainland by a 600m causeway. The mob of taxi drivers awaiting our custom informed us it was a 3km walk to the island, they seemed surprised when we said we would walk, it turned out to be about 1.5km. We ended up in a small but clean hotel room, at $60 US, one of our more expensive rooms, but the hotel had a pool which was a bonus. Flores is the gateway to the Mayan archeological site, Tikal. An early morning start the next day and we were on our way out. The archeological site is impressive, it is set in lush deep rainforest, populated by wild animals; we saw deer, monkey, a ... read more

Moving towards the coast! We decided to take an earlier bus from Tikal, so that meant we had to arrange a local transport instead of the prearranged bus. (Think small chicken bus.) At 11:00 (on time!) the bus arrived and we jumped right on it. We were extremely pleased to see that we were the only ones in the bus (extra-large minivan) and had our pick of the seats. We chose the first row of seats and started to get comfortable. However, one of the hotel staff approached us and said to get into the front passenger’s and middle seats. They looked small and cramped and we thought, out load but only to each other, are you nuts? The staff member assured us that we would find the smaller seats in the front much better in ... read more

Flores and Semuc Champey Flores in El Peten is an island on the lake named Lago de Peten Itza which is accessed by a causeway from the adjacent much busier town of Santa Elena. The island is characterised by backpacker hostels, hotels, bars and restaurants punctuated by the occasional tourist agencies which bound the cobbled streets. On arrival we sought to spend the night in Los Amigos, a laid back yet party orientated hostel which is extremely popular with many backpackers. Unfortunately our late arrival meant we couldn’t stay there as they were fully booked. We therefore shuffled down the street to hotel Mirador Del Lago which offered rooms with an amazing view of the adjacent lake. This lake is so warm that despite my shortcomings as a swimmer I took the plunge. This was a ... read more

This morning, we decided to eat breakfast out instead of the usual granola bars. I had delicious papaya, pineapple, and banana served over yogurt and granola. The local fruits are amazing. While we ate, big lizzards ran by and baby chickens roamed. Everywhere you eat here has the most amazing view. In the afternoon, we met up with my sister's friends from school and went exploring the top of the town and swimming at the dock. We followed one of the many side streets up to a wonderful discovery. At the top, was a tiny little town- a local church, school, and park. One of Jessie's friends, Luisa, told us that every municipalidad is requried to have a park/plaza that they maintain. I love that idea and would love to see it adopted in the United ... read more