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We spent our first couple of nights in Guatemala in a pretty town called Antigua, it used to be the capital until it got destroyed several times over by earthquakes. Antigua is a very touristy town but nice to be in for its creature comforts: cappuccinos and what not.

The day after we arrived, we climbed Volcano Pacaya which I had climbed 8 years ago when Amanda and I had visited Guatemala. - even the volcano had changed with a nice walking path up the side of the volcano and official guides to accompany you.

We went on the tour at dusk so got to see the sun setting behind the foggy sky :) On arrival Nick bought a walking stick, well it was just a stick, for about 25 cents and some Skittle sweets, the little boy who sold it was very enterprising as he waited at the bottom for us to return and then took the stick back to re-sell, just think he could be a potential millionaire (well nearly) from just that one stick!

The volcano was still pretty impressive with its massive lava fields, holes where you can see the molten lava and the heat and steam rising off the rocks, nearly melting the bottom of your shoes. The climb down was a bit hairy scary as it was dark, except from our $2 torch that did quite a good job, and the lava was a bit thin in some parts so you had to be careful where you walked.

After Antigua, we headed to Panajchel, a small town on Lake Atitlan which is a massive lake fringed by 3 mighty impressive volcanoes. We had enough of climbing volcanoes so we took advantage of the shopping opportunities at a market that covered most of the town of Chichicastenango where we bargained for a good 4 hours, can you adam and eve it, Nick shopping for 4 hours!

Back in Panajchel we were in an internet cafe and suddenly felt the room swaying to and fro, much like being on a boat. It was quite surreal and went on for a good 30 seconds, the owner confirmed that it was an earthquake we had just experienced and it was their strongest one they had had in about 7 years, wow, pretty cool (cos it was small).

After that excitement, we needed a rest so spent the next three days at what the Lonely Planet termed ´the most beautiful hotel in Guatemala´. We were not disappointed, as you can see from the view from our room , and did nothing except sunbathe, swim and eat - my idea of heaven!

After a brief stopover in Dodgeyville in Guatemala City we took a nightbus up to Flores, an island town on a lake near Tikal. We were woken at about 6am each morning by firecrackers or people going off on their excursion to Tikal so we did not stay longer than we had to.

Our trip to Tikal started at a sprightly 6am, once we got to the site we chose to take a guide as so often you wander around these ruins without a clue, it was well worth it! Even second time round Tikal was fab, the views were amazing, the guide interesting and we got to see Spider Monkies and a Toucan. Tikal really does have a beautiful setting in the midst of the jungle, definitely the best ruins we reckon in Central America.

This is probably our last blog before we get back to England so if you are still reading them (our hits are way down, you guys are obviously partying too much before christmas), Happy Christmas, hope you all have a restful one and hopefully we will see some of you during our time back in the UK.

Take lots of care, love Sal and Nick

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