Ola amigos y amigas. Buenos dias!!! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and people are getting about with daily life in Antigua. This is my fifth day in Gringoville (heaps of foreigners here) and its been extremely good so far. The place is famous for having the best English language schools in Central America and some people tend to stay here and teach or just work bar jobs. Brightly coloured colonial houses align the cobble streets. The town nestles in the middle of three volcanoes and is very difficult to describe in writing. Easy to fall in love with!

Been a few hectic days of travelling to get here after my last blog update from Belize and really good not to be waking up at the crack of dawn and catching a bus to the next destination. Talking about buses….one of the most exciting things to do in this part of the world is catch a chicken bus. Brightly painted and loaded with commuters, these big chuncks of metal are old American school buses which have been done up by the owners and bus companies. You can hear them a mile away when their large hooter gets sounded by the bus conductor, they are super efficient and its a great way of meeting the locals. One bus we took saw us sitting six people astride when its clearly designed for four people and the whole aisle full of people standing. Great to mingle and enjoy the Spanish tunes balring out of the speakers. Biggest mission is hopping on and off…these guys dont slow down for more than three seconds! A must do if travelling down this way.

The four of us left Caye Caulker after two really good days of snorkelling, touring the island and enjoying the late night entertainment. The boat back to Belize City ran half an hour late on our day of departure and we then ended up arriving ten minutes later for the bus to Tikal. The plan was to head to El Remate ( a town very close to the ruins of Tikal) and then head on to overnight accomodation. Well what followed was pretty funny and something straight out of a movie. The lady at the ticket office informed us (there were now only Damen, Ryan and myself- Rob had to head back to Mexico) that the bus had left but we could still buy a ticket and try flag down the bus at a junction point ,as the bus still had to collect other passengers along the way before heading out of town. So off we headed in a taxi to try catch this bus. The taxi we drove in was one of these old American cars (the name escapes me….could have been a Thunderbird but by the end of the journey it should be renamed El Torpedo or El Tank) that could easily fit four locals with heads or alternatively three gringos with heads chopped off! The taxi driver was no psycho but it seems the appropriate way to describe the space inside the boot. The engine was 5.2 L and he readily admitted that it burnt up mega fuel, but there was no way he was seperating with his baby! Must be a big hit with the Belize babes!! Pimp my ride homie…

Driving at twice the speed limit in Belize City, we reached the junction point and were informed by the army that the bus was still ten minutes ahead of us. So biggest car in Belize and three gringos started the chase- the next bus was later that afternoon and we had no plans to stay overnight in the sh*thole called Belize City. EVery turn we took the driver kept looking for the yellow bus. We either had to give up now or keep on…all the while wondering how much this guy would charge us. Eventually after twenty minutes of driving we spotted the bus on the horizon and caught up with it. A few beeping of horns and the bus driver stopped and allowed us to board. The taxi bill was reasonable and a promise of free beers to the rest of the passengers (some seemed annoyed) as we boarded, seemed to go down well. So after a rather rushed start to the day, off to El Remate and the ruins of Tikal.

The bus driver forgot to mention that we had passed El Remate and with our limited Spanish we had not really told him much when we boarded. So we ended up at the bus terminal in Santa Elena….not far from El Remate but still meant heading back in the same direction that we had come from. The journey back was smooth and we had arranged to get a taxi direct to the ruins at Tikal. No sweat. Settled in to a great room with the sounds of the animals echoing around the place and then took a walk to the temples and pyramids to see sunset. Really good views and if you are ever in this part of the world I would highly recommend it. I also managed to book a sunrise tour starting at 4:30am the next morning. Really impressive site once you walk through all the immense structures hidden in the jungles. Unbelievable history and one of the best ruins on this trip. Plenty of howler monkeys and toucans for company. The sunrise itself was well worth the entrance fee.

From Tikal we caught a bus down to Coban. Coban is a reasonably small town situated in the middle of the Guatemalan Highlands and is famous for producing some of the country’s finest coffee crops. German settlers in the mid 180Os established huge coffee plantations which still exist today. Plenty of us have probably tasted the black stuff on a visit to Starbucks. We arrived in Coban at around 8pm with the sun well and truly gone. Being the only white boys on the bus and arriving in a town we had no clue about, it was slightly daunting when our driver and conductor insisted that we stay at a recommended spot of theirs. They then proceeded to back down a dark side alley and then open some gates and then direct us to some stairs. The unfortunate thing is that when you read the guidebooks they tend to warn you about all sorts of scams. Well we had nothing to worry about although Damen reckons he was close to picking up a rock on the side of the road to protect himself! They had got us safely to a hotel called Dona Victoria (highly recommended in the Lonely Planet) and actually turned out to be one of the most genuine guys I had met along the travels. Did not even insist on a tip although somewhere along the line I am sure they receive a commission. Good on them!

Morning revealed a spectacular view from the hotel over the town of Coban. Good weather meant we had to head through to Semuc Champey and the caves of Kabah. Semuc is highly recommended by everyone I have met. Set in dense vegetation, it consists of numerous waterfalls with crystal clear rock pools in which you can swim and relax. The Kabah caves have to be one of the best things I have done in ages. You enter the caves with a guide who then gives you a lit candle. The aim is then to follow him on an adventure trail through the caves which involves climbing up ropes, jumping into water and swimming with one arm, all the while trying to keep the candle alight. This is then followed with a tube ride down the river. Great stuff and a really unbelievable day. Returned to the hotel to find that my Lonely Planet guidebook was stolen……we reckon it was a dodgy French fellow who had lost his credit card at Semuc the previous day. Not the end of the world as most of my route from Coban had been planned.

Next day bussed it down to Guatemala City (danger capital of Central America) and immediately caught the bus down to Antigua….not spending time in a place where 20 manslaughters occur every day! Found a very well priced guesthouse “El Cafetin” and have been staying there for the past few days. Plenty of things to do here (although there has been plenty of rain in the afternoons which has put a damper on things) and have had the priveledge of climbing up the Pacaya volcano, which is still active. Pretty awesome being able to stand two metres away from flowing lava. Took a tour bus to the market town of Chichicastanango. Very interesting with all the Mayan people flocking to the town to sell their goods. Some great photo opportunities as well.

One of the most rewarding things for me on this trip has been volunteering here in Antigua. Have found an after school educational centre about ten minutes outside Antigua which helps out with kids who are having problems with learning at school and also come from very disadvantaged backgrounds. My role has been to help the kids with writing and mathematics…my Spanish is at the stage where this can be done very easily. Its an afternoon role which I committed five days to. Very rewarding but far too short. They are really looking for some strong regular funding which I will write about once I am settled back in London. 

Finally, Damen and Ryan (the Aussies) have been asking if I have mentioned them in my blog. They have now headed off on their merry way in order to get back to the States. Well here goes- Damen…..just turned 21, dead ringer for Adam Gilchrist, works on the mines in Calgooly (north of Perth) and drinks like a fish. Ryan, reminds me of the shy guy from American Pie, is a physio down in Melbourne and tends to be a hit with the ladies….at least he thinks so….I know he will appreciate the joke! They both travelled to the World Cup in the Carribean and are heading back to Denver where a car they bought is waiting them. They are then driving through the States for two months and then back to Oz. Great guys to hang out with and have been heaps of fun to travel with. They are both big AFL (Aussie Rules) fans, are OBSESSED WITH ORCHIDS and love a good evening of spooning….with each other!!!

So its two more days in Antigua (have a four hour mountain bike ride in the mountains tomorrow) and then on to a place called Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, which I am told is superb when the weather is good. Lets hope this rain dies down. Almost a week to go and then the travelling is done. Cannot believe how fast it has gone!

Adios!