Hola peeps Hope everyone is fine and dandy So... I enjoyed the Salsa dancing lesson in Coban - in the end the whole of my hostel came to the class which was good fun. Unfortunately as well as picking up a few more salsa steps I also managed to pick up some kind of stomach bug too, so have not been at my best for the last week. Spent the weekend based in Coban, where I stayed while I visited Semuc Champey. Semuc is a stepped series of cool, clear, aqua, flowing pools - bliss! I arrived in Coban with a Spanish guy from Madrid who was on the same bus as me. He is a total travelling keeno - and persuaded the bus to pick us up at 5.15 am instead of the usual 6am because he wanted to get their first. When we finally arrived - its 2hours from Coban, the sight was awesome and reminded me of an enchanted fairytale world. It was especially good as we were the first ones at the pools so had them all to ourselves for the first hour. This may sound romantic - it would have been if he'd had been younger and cuter! But it was a fun day and my Spanish improved again as he didn't speak much English and I was surrounded by lots of Spanish families all there for the weekend. At the last minute we decided to climb the Mirador, which is a steep climb to the top of the canopy. The climb was well worth it as the view of Semuc Champey were incredible. As the weather was so tropical, we decided to take a plunge in the pools one last time before we got the bus back - opps! We missed the last bus, so ended up hitching back in a pick up (2 seater van with open back usually for tools - but this time a combo of tools and people)! 2 hours in the back of a pick up along unpaved roads at 2pm in the heat was not ideal, but I was just grateful we got home at all. While in Coban I also visited Lanquin, which the lonely planet describes as the 'best excursion from Coban' - hmm guess I'm just not a cave loving person then! After Coban I went up to Tikal to see the Mayan pyramid temples. Tikal was really good. Its not as pretty as Chichen Itza in Mexico, but it is much more dramatic. If you are the first ones into the park (this time I was the keeno traveler and left at 5am) you literally feel like you are discovering the temples for the first time as they appear from the jungle. I also saw lots of howler monkeys, some really up close, as well as lots of parrots and some toucans too. I enjoyed seeing the wildlife as much as the temples really. Somewhat bizarrely the main plaza of the Mayan Pyramids reminded me of Stansted Mountfitchet castle! Although I had a great time at Tikal - the tummy bug came back with a vengeance. Luckily two sweet American guys looked after me during the day and thankfully persuaded me to go out to eat with them in the evening, which did make me feel a little better. After Tikal I was looking forward to some R and R in Belize - laying on a tropical beach, eating tasty Caribbean food and soaking up the sun. Ha! No chance! Instead I got thunder storms so fierce that some of my hostel blew down during the night. The rain was torrential with thunder and lightning all night. In the morning Placencia was a mess, and the weather was still super stormy so decided to cut my losses (Belize is no cheap thrill) and make my way back to Guate a few days earlier than planed. In total I spent 3 nights in Belize - in Cayo, Placencia and Porto Gorda , but even without the storms I still didn't really like the Belize vibe. People are generally not that friendly and there is quite a lot of snobbery between the different groups of Belize people. I seriously had much more fun in Bognor than I did in Belize! Am so happy to be back in Guatemala. Just checked into a nice hostel in Livingston (Guate's only part of the Caribbean), the weather is finally sunny again and the people are really friendly, I'm even listening to Lionel Ritchie on the radio in the internet café - chilling is good. Miss you all Love and hugs Lindsxxx