Awakening in the beautiful Lanquin by the river we decided to have a well earned rest day and chill out in the hammocks, and swim in the river. An enjoyable day before another 8 hour bus journey to Flores. Flores is a small town on a peninsula surrounded by a lovely calm lake. 

From here we decided to explore Tikal, probably the most famous Mayan Ruins in Central America. We had the option of a sunrise tour, but all gagging for a few drinks we decided 4am was a bit too early! Turns out 8am was probably even too early, and with sore heads we headed to the ruins. These ruins were far more vast than the ones in Honduras, and unfortunately no Irish connection. The detail and scale of the buildings was fierce impressive and must have been bloody hard work with no machinery. A bottle of coke and a chicken sandwich got rid of the hangover and we enjoyed the day re igniting our cultural spirits. 

The next day we were back to our adventurous selves (even with a slight hangover!). Kayaking was on the cards today as we heard about a rope swing somewhere on the lake. After some investigating and some bargaining we were off on the lake with three kayaks and two canoes. We found the rope swing, and some jumping platforms, and a few beers! We stayed there until evening  and watched the sun setting over the lake, as we kayaked back into it. Nobody spoke on the journey back and there was no need as we all watched in awe at our surroundings. 

We were headed to Belize the next morning for Christmas, all a bit sad to be leaving Guatemala. Another early rise (4.30am) was on the cards, no such thing as a lie on when travelling!!!

Guatemala is a real gem of Central America. For anyone who likes active holidays this is the place to be. We arrived in Antigua to a fireworks display, we would like to think it was in our honour but no, you guessed it, another religious festival. We spent a lovely morning in the sunshine exploring the city and it's wonderful churches. In the afternoon we headed for Lake Atitlan about three hours away. This lake is surrounded by three volcanos, giving the scenery a distinct advantage.The lake is dotted with small cultural towns around the edges, picking a town is the hard part! We found ourselves in San Pedro after a very bumpy lancha (regular wooden boat driven at very fast speeds!) across the lake. The views did not disappoint, in fact they were spectacular, even if we were half soaked!  The next morning we kayaked across the lake to a small beach, taking in the views as we paddled. The only word to describe them are breathtaking. 

Another fourteen hour bus journey (we are getting used to them at this stage!) we arrived in Lanquin, a very remote town in the mountains of Guatemala. Our hostel was located right on the river edge, surrounded by beautiful scenery. We signed up for a day tour, which turned out to be one of the best days of our trip so far. About twenty of us clambered up onto a pick up truck, no sitting down as there wasn't enough room. We headed off in this position for  a hilly 12km drive. The proximity in the truck left us no option but to all chat away, and by the end of the 12km we had definitely bonded. First stop was a candlelight cave adventure. We swam through the cave, in varying depth waters, while holding up the lit candle with one hand. It's safe to say several candles were distinguished ! We climbed up over a waterfall (inside the cave!) and did a cliff jump (still inside the cave!). Next up was tubing down the river, nice and easy except for the varying currents. Luckily we had several young local boys supplying us with beer cans from the side of the river! To get your hands on a beer you needed to catch it as they threw it with force at you! For the brave, after the tubing, was a chance to jump off a 10m bridge into the river. All this and it wasn't even lunch time yet! The afternoon was spent at the wonderful Semuc Champey. This natural wonder is a set of pools, turquoise in colour, sitting on top of a river that flows underground. We hiked up to the viewpoint for a marvellous vantage point. We hiked back down and explored the different pools. We swam, jumped, leapt and dived in the various pools. To finish off the day we hopped back up on the pick up truck and had a rocky 12km again. We returned to the hostel, wrecked and very happy campers! Phew, we were only half through Guatemala !