We had thought about trying to bribe the guards at Tikal Ruins so that we could get in early before anyone else but we decided to settle for the 6am tour instead. The ruins are amazing due to the fact that they are set in the rainforest, and also the fact that it was my 30th birthday! We climbed up a few pyramids and the guide told us about the possible human sacrifices and how only a small percentage has been uncovered. The view from temple IV was brilliant, made even better by the appearance of a birthday cake. We could hear the sounds of howler monkeys in the trees below and saw a few toucans flying about looking for Guiness. The girls had smuggled the cake across the border and got some candles in it at the top. A very tasty Belizean chocolate cake!

That night we stayed in Flores, a little island on the lake, the town is really small, with cobbled streets and a nice vibe. We went out that night for Italian which was really good and tried to find a happening bar. This didn't quite happen and we were in bed for mid night. Obviously getting too old!

In the morning we all hopped in a tourist minibus to take us the 8hrs to Lanquin. This place was recommended by a few people, so even though it's a bit of a trek we thought we'd check it out. The drive was slow, with potholed and windy mountainous roads. These buses are pretty cramped but some reading, music and a few episodes of The Inbetweeners got us through the trip. We definitely felt remote when we got out of the bus, surrounded by nothing but mountains. We stayed in El Retiro a nice Eco Lodge, we had a wooden hut, looking down onto the river below. The food here was fantastic, a buffet for less than 3 pounds. Brilliant.

The attraction to check out in this mountainous area was the pools in Semuc Champey, 9 Km from where we were staying. We headed there in the morning, did a bit of a hike and then splashed around in the pools. The river flows under a limestone section of rock 500m long and on the top are a series of pools, which you can dive into and swim through. Pretty spectacular.

The following day we took another 8hr bus to Antigua which is where we are now, well until tomorrow! Antigua was the capital of Guatemala for 200 years after the conquest. Guatemala City is the current capital but is to be avoided. Antigua is surrounded by 3 volcanoes and has no high rises. It's a colonial town, just like San Christobal in Mexico, with cobbled streets and colour washed walls. A real gem.The girls tackled the markets today and with Kim's experience they got a few bargains.

Tomorrow El Salvador for surfing in the Pacific.