its been a long time since my last blog so now im back tracking of places and events to keep everyone up to date now. its been a fun and busy few weeks and seems a blur now! So i believe my last blog was from San Ignacio Belize which was over a month ago. When i left there I crossed the border to Guatemala and stayed a night in Flores, Los Amigos hostel where i spent a lot of time back when i was living in Arcas the Wildlife Centre here. The border crossing was easy and because Belize is not part of the 4 countries with the same 90 day visa, my visa for here was reset for a new 90days! We had to walk across the border here but was so easy and then took a local minibus to Santa Elena, twin town with Flores. All this including immigration took 3 hours! The 2 towns are so close to each other! Flores wasnt as fun as I had recalled from the days of Arcas, and when I didnt have to go back to the boat at 6 or 8 and return to the jungle i was lost for things to do. Really small town.
The next day was a sunday so most things were closed which didnt help the boredom! at 9:30pm I took the overnight bus to Guatemala City then a shuttle to Antigua. Back home!
Just the usual daily life in Antigua, going out socialising, climbing Cerro De La Cruz which is a lookout point at the north of Antigua facing the Volcan Agua. On a clear day its incredible. Myself and Chloe took a chicken bus into Guatemala City and went to a shopping centre and spent the day trying to find cheap but good new clothes cus after a good few months of travelling, wearing the same things over and over gets really boring and the clothes get ruined in the wash as it is. No problems to report on the chicken bus there or back, it is actually fun on the winding roads between there and antigua! maybe im stupid but i enjoy using the local transport. plus put it this way its 9 quetzales for the chicken bus which stops right outside the centre and 70 for a shuttle to the airport then id have to get a taxi from there for another 50 anywhere else. No contest really!!!
I was contacted by a friend of the girl i travelled with Kerry one day out of the blue saying she was really critically ill in hospital in San Salvador. He only had bits of information but aparently she had been in hosp for almost a week when i heard. This was a bit of a shock and I immediately tried contacting her. She replied later that day saying she had just left hospital. She had to have her gall bladder removed immediately and Drs said 1 hour later and she wouldnt have made it through. So i upped and left Guatemala and headed for El Salvador in a town called Playa San Diego.