We went back to Dońa Goya for a big breakfast before we took a 4 hour shuttle from Flores to Río Dulce. We were going to be travelling over lunchtime and past experience told us we wouldn't be stopping at much more than a gas station along the way.

To our surprise, a 2 month old van was waiting outside for us when we were due to leave. It was big and spacious and we were the only 2 passengers - happy days!! Our driver, Gabriel, was everything you would want from a driver - polite, helpful and a very careful driver too.

On arriving in Río Dulce, after booking onward travel to La Ceiba in Honduras (for the ferry to Roatán), we were talked into a tour to Finca el Paraiso to swim in a natural pool where a hot-water waterfall cascaded into a cold water river. Very relaxing after being stuck in a van for 4 hours, even a nice spacious van.

We were booked in to stay at Hacienda Tijax, a Jungle Lodge and Marina, on the banks of the Río Dulce. Our little cabin was perched on stilts over the swamp/mangroves and had a lean into the far corner. It wasn't so obvious when you stood in cabin but at night, in bed, you seemed to roll towards it.

Dinner was at a table, by the marina, overlooking the river and the town in the distance. A week long celebration/feria 'in the sweet name of Jesus' happened to be running in town and the biggest day was today. A castle was burnt (which we missed) before they set off a spectacular 15 min firework display which was on a par with Auckland's NYE display.