What a day! Left Xela, shuttle to bus station, chicken bus as far as the bus could go due to numerous serious landslides. Off the bus, walked a short distance, 4x4 to police cordoned off barrier, 1 hour wait for road clearance, didn't happen, hiked over the hills (pretty scary) in the rain to join the road, open jeep to bus getting soaked, small bus to another town, Salala, chicken bus to another landslide, jeep to, ran to last boat to San Pedro, arrived at 8pm, ...

11 hour bus ride to the Guatemalan border. Met some other guys who were traveling the same path and an English girl who spoke excellent Spanish. Got a taxi to the border control where the official tried to swindle us each out of 14 quid. I argued the case with my trusty bible - Lonely Planet - and he finally said anyone who flies into Mexico doesn't need to pay....der that's all of us then! Walked across the river into Guatemala. Each had to climb onto 3 wheeled ...

Travelled up and over dense wooded hills and eventually down to the Pacific coast and Huatulcho where we were met by one of Genna's ex-colleagues from UAS, Fran McLaren. She looked after us for 4 fabulous nights, and we even had a memory foam mattress and AC. The beaches at this part of Mexico are stunning. We walked through a woodland to get to Organo Beach and sat there alone with our funny water. Had a snorkel and saw 3 large spotted eagle rays. Spent the next...

Have spent a couple of lovely days here in Oaxaca, hanging out with 3 Austrians and a fashion designer from London. There were some protests going on in the town when we walked about yesterday, but luckily they weren't of a duff-up a tourist type. Realised yesterday that we're spending too much money so started our street food programme. Tortas and corn in a cup were the order of the day. Today we caught local buses to Hierve El Agua (means 'the water boils'), w...

Spent a day in rainy Puebla. Beautiful spot- loads of colonial-looking streets with brightly coloured houses. Tried our first 'Mole' (pronounced Molay). It's a peculiar sauce of chocolate and chilli. Strange, but worth a try.