Blogs from Flores, Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 22

Hello from Guatemala (again!). Only a few more hours and I will be leaving Guatemala, so this is my last blog entry from here.......but it is yet again an exciting episode in my travels. After the exertions of hiking I spent a few days hanging out an Lake Atitlan, a beautiful lake that is surrounded by volcanoes. It is an amazingly picturesque place, so much so that half the hippies from the western world have moved there to find themselves. It was a tough couple of days spent reading books, swimming and strolling around the lake. I highly recommend the area for getting married, retiring, or recovering from a nervous breakdown. From there I made the move north to Flores to the centre of Mayan ruins. Perhaps somewhat foolishly I immediately signed up for a 5 ... read more

Ahhhhhh yeah I am back in Guatemala, my favorite country!!!! All the reasons I love this place are all flooding back to me as we walk around and explore. The small villages with vivid colors, cobblestone streets, smiling eyes and faces, the highlands with wide open country sides and jungles mixed in. Guatemala feels to me like an artist’s masterpiece, like a vibrant painting, like a brilliant photo, like a landscapers dream come true, like a writer’s climax, like a dancer’s fluid movement, like a breath of fresh air, like a place I have only dreamed of. I have been wondering why didn’t we come straight here…I should have known better having already been here twice! Then again there is a huge part of travel we would have missed out on. That part is not just ... read more

After Antigua I headed up to Flores to visit the great ruins complex of Tikal. On the way though I stopped briefly (in transit) in Guatemala city, late at night. I jumped in a taxi and between bus stations noticed a guy with a shotgun standing on the street. This hasn't been unusual outside banks and the like but this guy was stood outside a very cheap family restaurant. I asked the cab driver (in my pigeon Spanish) why there was a guy with a shotgun outside and he said 'well you know it's a violent place'. To which I said 'yes but it's a restaurant!!' and then he said 'yes but they need it'. So, friendly place then?! Anyway the next morning I arrived at Tikal where I was spend a night in a tent ... read more

We left Belize for Guatemala this morning. We got to Flores after lunch. It's an island in the middle of Lake Peten Itza with not much to do. Our hotel has a pool so most of us stayed as close as possible to it because the lake looks a bit suspect to swim in.... read more

Well my stay in Belize was short and sweet (1 week!). After Caye Caulker I made my way south to a lovely beach called Placencia in a sheltered bay with calm waters. However, after 2 days of bad weather (with a lot of places closed because it was low season) I moved on. I seem to be having quite bad beach luck on this trip! I wanted to go to a lovely little island called Tobacco Caye, but again, there was no point going in the rain, so on I went again. Next stop was a town near the border called San Ignacio. From here they run all sorts of cool tours to the surrounding area......... but unfortunately because it was low season there was only 1 trip running. I wasn´t that fussed on going in ... read more