2017.11.28-30 Belize (1/2) San Ignacio

Gas ~$5/gl in Belize vs ~$3 in Guatemala. All prices here are quoted in US$ (=2B$)

11/28, day 11. At the big Belize immigration building, a guy by the door gave me a form, and checked it after I filled it. It asks how long and where I'd be staying. At the counter, they took the form, stamped it and my passport and gave me the bottom 1/3.

There's a large billboard on the wall listing taxi prices from here. $7.5 to Xuanantunich ($10 to San Ignacio). I asked to be dropped off at the ferry. Maybe the price includes all the way to the park. The ferry is free. Two guys operating the ferry parked it on the other side of the river (in the shade). They saw me walking there and moved the ferry to me. It's a very short ride, and the cranking of the cable is fairly easy, as I asked to try it, and ended up moving the ferry all the way to the other side with just one hand. Don't know why you need 2 employees here. One of them talked to me in perfect English. Great, I won't have language problems.

I walked 1 mile uphill to Xuanantunich ruin. A large restroom building, a couple of vehicles in the big parking lot. Then the ticket office ($5). I left my pack behind the bench in the empty visitor center. This is not a big site. I only walked in Group A. There're B, C and D, but not excavated. Cannot see the outline of those. The view above El Castillo is excellent, can see all the countryside around. More cultivated here. No jungles. Belize ruin restoration has steps leading to various parts, no wooden steps scaffolding the pyramids. Saw a few small guided groups (1-4 people). One guy from California commented that the steps here are easier (not as big) than in Guatemala, as I was passing him on my way down. When a large group arrived, I left. Walked back to the ferry. As I walked on the ferry, the California guy and his guide in a big van pulled in behind me. Back on the road, I asked if he could give me a ride to San Ignacio (on his way to Belize City), he declined.

I hailed for a collectivo. A car pulled over. I inquired about the price, he said it's free. It turns out that he's recruiting clients for his brother who owns Maximum Adventure Tours next to the hotel I'd be staying. It was closed when we arrived. I checked into Venus Hotel at 11:30. It was in the process of remodeling, dust everywhere. I Googled the tour company and found good reviews on tripadvisor. So, I decided to buy tours there. In the two blocks of pedestrian-only street, there're 4-5 tour agencies. All offer the same tours, same price. Max finally showed up. $80 for ATM cave, $85 for Caracol, cash. The latter was still pending until the evening, when 2 others signed up.

I went to Cenaida for lunch, recommended by the hotel receptionist. Happy with the choice. I had the traditional stewed chicken with rice and beans, a tiny salad ($3.5) + coconut water ($1.5).

Walked to the local Mayan site Cahal Pech ($5). Not worth going. About a mile. Too hot to walk. I carried my umbrella. Did see one independent tourist like me, without a guide. The site is small, no tall structures, so no views. There's, again, lawnmower noise, and some mosquitoes.

Around 4:40, sun was low enough, I walked to Midas Resort (a sister property of Venus Hotel) to use its pool. Nice looking hotel on the edge of town, more catered to people with a car. I didn't like the walk much, but liked the pool. No one in the pool. It's only 4' deep, so safe. Clay lizards adorned the walls. Quite cute. A bar. 3 ladies sat by the pool, under an umbrella, not drinking anything.

I walked back to town via Guava Limb, rated #1 restaurant on tripadvisor. Empty, maybe too early. Nice setup. Fancy menu. Continued my walk to town, ended eating at Erva, rated #2 on tripadvisor. Similar price. They had one table occupied, by a Dutch couple. The bartender was talkative, gave me some pineapple cocktail smoothy, and invited all 3 of us to the kitchen to see the chef preparing our dishes. I had coconut barracuda ($12.5). I like the vegetable and rice cooked in coconut juice, but the fish was too salty, overcooked, and didn't taste fresh.

11/29, day 12, Wednesday. Cloudy. 8am tour to Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM cave). No photo of the tour, because we were instructed to leave everything in the car. No camera allowed in the cave. I borrowed a pair of watershoes from the office, which turned out to be very useful. Everyone else is late. Thanks to the proximity of my hotel to the agency, I was able to fetch things from my room twice. We had 7 in the van (a young couple from Ohio, a retired couple from Long Island, a mid-aged couple from Toronto). AC in full blast. Same as my previous experience, the first stop is to fill gas. At the turn off from Western Highway, we were joined by a German couple (from Cologne) staying in Belmopan (picked up by another guide) who were on their retirement trip. They paid $120, instead of the standard price of $95 from San Ignacio.

If you've never been to a wet cave, you are in for an adventurous treat. If you have, this is nothing special. To get to the cave entrance, you need to walk about 1km flat trail, and wade 3 streams. We are required to put on life jacket and helmet (neither is necessary). First river crossing is just steps from the parking lot (park fee is $15, included in the package). This is the deepest. A rope is strung across, so it's easy to pull through even if you cannot swim. The other 2 are only ankle deep. Water looked clean, colorful bed rocks.

You swim into the cave, but afterwards, mostly you wade. We separated into 2 groups. The max allowed is 8 per guide. We are forbidden to bring anything into the cave. Need to leave the water bottle outside. The guide makes sure your safety and the preservation of the cave. He carries extra batteries for the provided head lamp. The lesser importance is explaining the geology and history. At the end of about 45 minutes wading, we had to leave shoes behind, and walk up a chamber, or multiple chambers where broken clay pots are lying around in the dry section. We were instructed in walk between colored tapes, so not to be too close to the artifacts. Total we saw 4 skeletons, lots of pots. We did see a small hole with bats. I like the guide, he tried to explained the hypothesis of these remains: ritual, possibly for rain. The more recent relics are deeper in the cave. I enjoyed scrambling in the cave.

When we returned to the parking lot, we were fed a stewed chicken lunch with rice and beans, and rum punch, both are tasty. A very late lunch, as my group doesn't have the most agile tourists, and we started later. I saw maybe 20-30 other tourists. This is not high season. On the drive out, as we passed an orange grove, the Toronto couple and the NY wife wanted to pick oranges. Our drive actually stopped and let them out. Here's a proof.

I walked to Macal River as the sun set. It's right next to the market, close to downtown. This market is not big, don't have any interesting produce. For dinner, I went to Ko-ox Han Nah (Let's Go Eat), also rated high on tripadvisor. More casual. I had coconut rice and stewed beans (almost like a soup in a separate bowl) to accompany my protein (beef). Note, this is the standard beans and rice dish, not to be confused with rice and beans:) If you order rice and beans, beans are solid and cooked together the rice. They add a 12.5% tax to the bill. Not sure if it's legit.

11/30, day 13, Thursday. Overcast. 7:30 Tour to Caracol. Again, I had to wait for the others. The ride is quite bumpy and longer (SW of San Ignacio near Guatemala border). Same driver (Edwin) as yesterday. We were 7 tourists: a couple from Ashford, WA, a Japanese girl, a boy from southern England, a boy from Lyon, and a girl who didn't talk to anyone. Leo, our guide, introduced some fancy resorts on Mountain Pine Ridge, including Francis Coppola's Blancaneaux Lodge. We only saw the signs at the road turnoff. All the Caribbean Pines we saw here are small. Mainly due to the 1949 fire and the bark beetles (1999-2003). 9:30am, at Douglas D'Silva's military checkpoint. I wasn't allowed to take a photo, so took one from the van. This is a ghost town being fixed. Can camp here. There's also a Dutch jungle training site here. We didn't have any army escort, drove to the ruin without any incident. Leo also mention the conflict with neighboring Guatemala peasants, the halt of tourism development here.

Caracol is an expansive city covering nearly 6 square miles and rivaling Tikal in size and power. In the heart of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, it's said to be only 1% excavated. So what we saw today is only 3 interconnected parts. Doesn't seem large. At its peak, with over 150,000 inhabitants and 30,000 structures, including an astronomical observatory, ball courts, plazas, reservoirs (see photo to the left). Caana pyramid (Sky Temple) is the highest man-made building in Belize to this day, ~135 feet above the courtyards below. The stela in the right photo depicts the very first king of Caracol.

Leo participated in excavation many years ago. Good to hear about it. He also pointed out why one relief replica was done wrong.

Lunch is the same as yesterday, plus a watermelon slice. The stewed chicken is very tasty. Belizean stewed meat uses achiote seeds which has a great flavor and has a curry like yellow color. I inquired about the food. Was told that they source from some local lady, not from any restaurant.

In Caracol, I saw many Fishtail Xate, with strange stick-like flowers. Their leaves have oil, can be made into cooking and soap.

On the drive out, saw a turkey crossing the road. A bit too far to get a good look.

After checking out at Douglas D'Silva's military post, we turned left (west?) for ~5 minutes to Rio Frio Cave, the largest cave opening in Belize. Very nice. There's a creek running through. You can also see the other end. Yes, a short but big cave.

Continue back north through the Pine Ridge area, we did another short detour to Rio On Pools, a series of natural swimming holes. As it wasn't hot, no one intended to swim. We went to take pictures. I changed to my sandals, left my pack on a rock, and wade into the pools. At one crossing, the current is a bit strong, so I turned back. A couple of minutes later, I heard a scream, the Japanese girl got swept away right there. Leo caught her somewhere lower. Edwin and I rushed there too, but she was jammed. Leo told us to go to the other side of the water. I tried to cross that current gingerly, but got swept away too. However, I managed to grab on some rock soon and climb out. Edwin found a better crossing further upstream, so I also crossed there. We were able to pull the girl out of the current this direction. Her ankle maybe twisted. At least she can walk, no major damage. However, her camera is gone, and her purse was filled with water. Thanks to the lanyard that I tied my phone case to my neck, even though I got soaked, I still had my phone. But I was stupid: should have left my phone on the rock with my bag before this rescue mission. It got wet and had some brain damage.

Back in town at 6pm. My phone showed 9/9, 12:34am, and was complaining about charging from non compliant charger, without connected to anything. I left the phone's back open, took out the battery, placed it in front of the fan, and went out to eat. Had stewed beef at Cenaida with rice and beans. The rice didn't have enough coconut flavor. Beef was good. Had the national Belkin beer (stout). Was ok. Rained a couple of times tonight.

Overall, I like San Ignacio. It's a small town, even though it's the 2nd largest city in Belize. It feels genuine, despite of all the tourists here. No McDonald's alike. A healthy mix of ethnic groups, including Asian (often operate small grocery stores), Garifuna blacks, and Mennonites. A convenient base to explore the caves and ruins. There're a lot more caves and waterfalls, if you have your own vehicle.

2017.11.25-27 Guatemala (3/3) Flores + Yaxha + Tikal

11/25, day 8, Saturday. Sunny. Languin to Flores (~9 hrs). 8am shuttle (Q110). Of course it's late. We were packed to the gill. Viheke had to get off our bus and get on a different one. She bought her ticket in advance, not from any of these hotels. 26 passengers (6 guys), including all 8 French from the tour yesterday. 8:40, all loaded. It's an hour of bumpy ride on unpaved hwy5. Once on hwy6, faster, paved with potholes and fallen rocks. Saw conifer trees with long needles.

We made a bano break at a gas station outside of Coban, and a longer break around 2pm at La Estacion Ceibita. Viheke caught up with us. She had to transfer to a different bus at Coban. Her bus has only 6 Guatemalans and her. I seems to be the only gringo who ordered regular cooked food. Most of my fellow passengers bought Cheetos alike and soft drink. More sensible ones bought sandwich, like Viheke. It was getting hot. Mercifully, our driver turned on AC. No more curvy mountain roads, more cattle, same amount of litter everywhere. 30 minutes north, we stopped at a control station, which asked us to surrender fruits. Banana is fine. A French couple got off at Sayaxche, where we waited for ferry. While the ride over Rio De La Pasion is ~2 minutes long, loading and unloading took forever.

Overnight in Villa Del Lago (Q340), Flores. AC. Nice balcony overlooking the lake. But they don't have a water refill station. My room comes with 2 small sealed cups of drinking water. Bought 2 tours from the shuttle company for Q125/each (only Q100 from Los Amigos hostel). Dinner at Legumbres Maya between 2 walls, close to hotel. Q10 Gallo beer and Q25 entree.

11/26, day 9, Sunday. Partly sunny. Nice sunrise. Lazy morning. The island of Flores is very small. Took maybe 20 minutes to walk around, as well as to the central park in the middle (top) of the island, which is small, and not pretty. A Sunday service was going on in the church there. Lots of people. The priest was walking in the isle while preaching. All hotels are lower close to the water, so are tourist. Water level is high, and part of the promenade is inundated. Walked by another small church lower on the main street, a lady was giving a sermon to a few souls. Lake Peten Itza is pleasant. No dramatic scenery. They rent canoes. Too warm for me. Around 80F, but feels hotter.

Went to Maracuya for lunch based on tripadvisor's rating. Nice terrace on 2nd floor. Veggie centric. They offer a long list of veggie smoothie, comes with a translation of ingredients. I ordered stomach comfort, with pineapple, ginger, cucumber and aloe. Q25. Daily special today is zucchini, potato and garbazo beans + salad. Q45.

12:30 sunset tour to Yaxha. 3 of us were waiting in the hotel lobby for pickup. 2 of them got on a different van. Mine had just me and a lady from Antigua. The first thing I saw after crossing the causeway to the mainland is Burger King. We then filled gas just out of town near the airport, without turning off the engine. Picked up 2 French from El Remante. The wife was coughing like me. The husband was 76 years old. The lake shore here looks prettier than in Flores. There're boardwalks over marshy grass to huts with thatched roof.

Yaxha is 11km off highway, between Tikal and Belize border. Pretty rough road. My phone started to count steps again. At the turnoff, we stopped at a store to buy food/drink. Guatemalans love Coca-Cola. The entrance is modern and spacious. Paid admission (Q80), got a wristband. 4 from the other van joined the tour. Our guide is entertaining. Told us Maya numbers, colors, ball game (there're a couple of game court) and sacrifice practices. There's one very long and wide path. I held 2 tarantulas! Saw 2 woodpeckers (very red crest), a few monkeys (very noisy), many more mosquitoes (not as bad as I dreaded). We were mostly in the woods, except on top of the pyramids, so not as hot as I worried. We climbed 4 temples. At the last one, everyone waited for sunset over the lake. We tried to keep quiet. It's quite pretty, but isn't magical. Same cicada songs, no extra bird calls. Maybe we ought to stay longer, but were chased downstairs. I brought a flashlight, so wasn't worried about going down and walking the short distance out. I enjoyed this tour. Not many people here.

Back to Flores at 7:20pm. Moved to a cheaper hotel (Q125). Ceiling fan. This place has a proper water dispenser with both hot and cold water. Ate at Las Mesitas at the west waterfront. Very busy and lively. The same hand that handles food also takes money. Oops, surprisingly, I did not get diarrhea. The last photo is my second order of 3 tacos (Q5). Exchanged $24 at hotel to tie me over the last day in Guatemala tomorrow.

11/27, day 10, Monday. 4:30am tour to Tikal, can take the shuttle back at 11, 12:30 or 3pm. I got picked up at 4:40, already 7 aboard. 64F with a little breeze. Picked up 2 more in Santa Elena. Now full. When we arrived at the ticket office, there was a long line, maybe 50 people ahead of us. A bit chilly waiting in the twilight. 5:55, they started to sell tickets (Q150, local Q25). Not sure why they need my name when selling me a ticket (they actually asked for my passport). We then drove another 15-20 minutes into the park. There at the cafe and restroom, we saw a Coatimundi (raccoon family), 2 toucans, some brown jays (common), and a green parrot. On the walk in, saw this giant Ceiba tree.

We passed a checkpoint, showed ticket and got a wristband. Our group was 20+, so slow going. Met a girl from Oregon, she's the only other person in this group who uses a reusable water bottle. I didn't like this tour, most instructions are logistic rather than educational. We made 2 long stops. First at group Q. There're 9 alters with stelea here. But no carving at all. Now I began to appreciate all the engraving in Copan. We climbed to the top of east pyramid here.

The highlight is the grand plaza, with temple 1 and 2 on east and west, acropolis to north and south. Bery impressive. We were allowed to climb all of them except #1. I checked out the acropolis first.

Then our group moved to Temple 4, the highest temple in Maya world (not the highest structure which is El Mirador). There're wooden staircases to walk up. The top has great view of the forest, can see top of 3 structures. But I like the view from Yaxha better, because of Yaxha Lake.

After our group tour was finished, I went to the site called Lost City. Quite big. Less people, so I like it better. Some workers, so noisy. Also visited Temple 5, and back to the Grand Plaza to climb Temple 2, which I didn't have time earlier.

Waited by the road across from Cafe Tikal for the 12:30 return shuttle. Back in Flores at 2pm.Overall, I'm a bit disappointed by Tikal. It doesn't seem as large as I imagined, the jungle doesn't look as wild as I hoped. Too many tourists, too much hype. Noise of chainsaw and lawnmower. Good thing is that it's not too hot here, because of all the trees who provide shade. Mosquito was also minimal.

Las Mesitas were just starting. Only one booth now. As I was eating my 3 tacos and a pineapple drink, the next one was setting up. I lounged in the porch of my cheap hotel, watching the locals playing in the lake. I went to the Mesitas again for sunset. By then, this place was bustling. They sell more or less the same variety among different booths, and everyday. I decided to walk over to the supermarket on the mainland to use up all my Quetzal. Bought some tortilla, banana for breakfast tomorrow and a can of beer for the walk back. There are no grocery store on the island.

Overall, Flores is nice and a convenient base. Feels safe, not overwhelmingly touristy. No international fast food.

11/28, day 11, Tuesday, heading to Belize. By now, I had only one bag + my Hydroflask bottle. Up at 5am, thought there were buses going to the Belize frontier every hour starting at 5 from Nueva bus station in Santa Elena (Q30). When I arrived at 5:50, there were 2 big buses loading, but not my direction. They told me it's at 5 or 8am. Then they directed me to the parking lot where many minivans are parked. I climbed on to one to Mechor (the border town). Around 6:15, failed to get more passengers, it drove to the central market (closer to Flores). Got 6 passengers. We started off at 6:33. Then a few more passengers and a bag of potatoes on the road. At the last major road junction, we picked up 4 more, and 3 of them had to stand bending, as the interior is too low to stand straight.

Arrived at the small bus parking lot close to the bridge. Walked over Mopan River, continued ~200m to border. Finished my bananas. Fruits and beers are not allowed to bring to Belize. Price will double once I cross this border.

2017.11.23-24 Guatemala (2/3) Semuc Champey

11/23, day 6, Thanksgiving Day. Overcast. 8am shuttle Antigua to Languin. It didn't arrive until 9:23. I got worried, and went to the corner store twice to call the agency (Q1.5). Maybe it's better to take scheduled public bus, like the hourly Monja Blanca bus (4am-6pm from Centra Norte bus terminal in Guatemala City to Coban Q70), which I could probably stop at Biotopo de Quetzal (Q55) for a walk. Our shuttle stopped at a McDonald's in Guatemala City to pick up 3 passengers. They waited there since 8am. Then we waited for another bus from Panajachel (which left Pana also at 8!). By the time we drove off again, it was 11:20. The McDonald's here is quite modern: spacious, clean, AC in full force, touch panels on posts to order food, gaming tablets on tables. Our van is now full. About 20 passengers. All gringos. 3/4 women. I met a girl from Oregon, because her boyfriend was wearing a T-shirt from Pelican Brewery. We hit the same construction delay as yesterday. Around 4:40pm, we pulled into a big hotel in Coban, given 40 minutes to use toilet and eat. But everyone wanted to get going. So by 5, we were off again, with a different driver. The advertised 7 hour ride turned to 11.5 hours. Terrible.

In Lanquin, the shuttle stopped north of town. Every hotel sends its truck to pick up clients. Me and Viheke from Munich went to El Retiro, where I'd stay for 2 nights (Q200, Viheke stayed in dorm Q60). It was already 7:30pm! At the reception, I bought Semuc Champey tour for tomorrow (Q185).

El Retiro serves a buffet dinner every night (Q50 veggie / Q60 Schnitzel chicken). I dumped my bags in my room, and headed straight to the restaurant. I was starving. I took veggie, breaded chicken is not my thing. Nothing fancy, but I'm happy with the food, and finished 2 servings, before Maria Teresa (Venezuela) who was sitting across the table finished her one plate. My room is fairly large, 1 twin bed and 1 queen, nothing else, not even waste basket. My previous guest moved a table from the porch inside, so I have somewhere flat to put things. There're 2 switches by the door, but only 1 bulb. Stuffy inside. Outside it's very pleasant. There're 2 chairs and a hammock hanging in front of my door. My building has 3 rooms, the other were occupied by French youngsters, friends sharing a room. No mosquitoes, odd. Cool weather, odd. After a semi-warm shower, I washed some clothes, hoping they'd dry before I leave (they didn't).

Toilet and shower stalls are separate. Water is barely warm here. Sink outside. I like this sign in the toilet.

PLEASE DO NOT FLUSH:
TOILET PAPER
SANITARY NAPKINS
USED DIAPERS
OLD LOVE LETTERS
GOLDFISH
KITTENS AND PUPPIES
HOPES & DREAMS

My phone wasn't able to connect to the free wifi here. No photo today. I'm surprised that I didn't get car sick, maybe because we were so slow. 60km from Coban took 2.5 hours.

11/24, day 7, Friday. Overcast. Semuc Champey (9:00-4:30) day tour. For the first time on this trip, I applied insect repellent. Not too bad. Breakfast has a few choices. I ordered omelette and toast (Q25), and sat by the river. The toast tasted a bit strange, maybe no salt. Baked in house. I walked around the property. Quite nice. All thatched roofs. Found out that Vina Tours has direct shuttle to Lake Atitlan (San Pedro and Pana) for only 8 hours without going through Guatemala City. This would be a much better route. But I'm uncertain that it would run without enough people to fill up a van.

My hotel has 8 French (2 smoke), Maria and me on the tour today. Seems every hotel runs the same tour, each group with 2 chaperones. They speak serviceable English. The national monument of Semuc Champey is 9km away, but takes ~40 minutes. Saw a couple of hotels along the way, 1 turkey, 4 pigs, more chickens and dogs, no cattle or sheep. Saw a hillside where a truckload of trash was dumped!

First stop, Kan'Ba Cave, above Cahabón river. Similar to the one I waded in New Zealand. This is more touristy, water isn't cold. A couple of ropes and ladders are installed inside. Water level gets as high as my head at points. Hard to swim, because I would hit someone or rocks. Not much in terms of security precaution. Maria rented a life vest, as she cannot swim at all. Fun, nonetheless. Everyone is given a candle. Mine ducked in water multiple times. I took my headlamp. There were so many people, plenty candles lit the cave. The downside is that we had to wait sometimes, so I got a bit cold toward the end. There's a plunge you can jump into, a waterfall you can climb with a rope. Saw some bats. Didn't bring my phone, so no photo. Check out other people's photo here. Left everything in a lockbox at the entrance (one per group).

After the cave, we walked to a bigger waterfall, below the last of the terraces. On the way, a swing, where you swing towards water and then release to jump down to the river. The river feels colder. Continue to the waterfall, where you can sit in a rubber tube and flow downstream (extra Q20). From the bridge, you can also jump into the river (no one in my group did). We had lunch at a roadside comedor (not included in the tour price).

Our truck crossed the bridge, but couldn't make the hill to the national monument fully loaded. So we walked up a few minutes to the park entrance. There's a hostel here. More locals selling stuff. In just a few minutes on the trail, we saw some howler monkeys and cacao trees. Didn't see any more animals later. First we hiked to the Mirador. Steep but only ~20 minutes. The view is excellent. From here you can clearly see the narrow and steep walls of this river valley, and the turquoise pools below. At two spots along the trail, locals sell fruit and drink. Took many photos in the small lookout waiting for Maria to get here.

Next, we swam in the pools which we just saw. Can see where the river plunges under the terrace. Water isn't cold, initially, it felt good to wash the sweat off. We were given an hour, so able to relax and explore all the pools. I took my phone in a dry bag to the pools. There are slides and plunges. However, I began to feel cold halfway through. It would be nicer if it's sunny, would be better color and warmer.

It's very pretty here. I'm afraid that soon the beauty will be gone, as more trash being dumped everywhere. Despite of the lengthy access, this is discovered by more visitors. More locals are selling things and leaving trash behind as they always did.

Overall I like the tour of Semuc Champey except that I felt like being herded like a sheep. I guess all tours are like this. It's hard to visit here independently. It's well organized. Not sure if it's worth 11.5 hours of bus ride.

It took awhile to drive the 9km back to town. We had a few local hitchhikers. After a lukewarm shower, I waited for dinner sitting in my hammock reading my Kindle. My neighbors changed, still both French, just older: retired. Christine next door is very friendly. She showed me her itinerary. A large group. They flew here from Paris with Air Mexico. I  would run into her later in Flores.

7:30pm. Dinner is Guatemalan. Quite a variety. My most satisfying meal of the trip. I sat with Maria, who lend me money to tip the boy on the trip. In the middle of the dinner, Viheke arrived. She said she just returned from her tour, which she booked in advance on Internet. They did Mirador and swimming first, cave at 3, so didn't see crowds in the cave. Their trip includes tubing, but she said she was freezing.

11/25, day 8, Saturday. Guatemala breakfast (Q25), slow. My French neighbors woke me up today because they tried to talk to each other through the door. I fell asleep last night with my door open. Oops.

Heading north. Finally I was able to see the scenery of the drive, not bad from Lanquin to Coban. Was pitch dark when we arrived. It would be 9 hours until we arrive at the destination.

I'm now half way through my trip, but I'm getting sick.