Each day things get more and more beautiful. On Sunday I travelled to Tactic, a small town just south of Coban, where some Peace Corps volunteers and NGO workers were installing 4 biodigesters in El Campo. It was an incredible learning experience and wonderful opportunity to work with the local farmers. That night we partied in Coban with a group of university students also helping with the project.

On Tuesday I continued on to Lanquin and relaxed at El Retiro... a great place on the river with swings in place of regular barstools. They put on a buffet dinner each night which adds to the friendly community atmosphere. The next morning I slept in then went for a walk only planning to go to the top of the hill, but ended up at Semuc Champey. It is absolutely gorgeous, but I would argue against it being the self-proclaimed 8th wonder of the natural world. There are beautiful swimming pools and an amazing view from The Mirador reached via a steep and slippery climb. That night after dinner a bunch of us played giant drinking Jenga (flashbacks to my summer in Seattle ran rampant) which naturally lead to both swimming and dancing on the bar.

Rather than waste my next day hungover on a hammock by the river, I decided I would make the journey to Flores...why not, right? Well, I could have made a better decision because we ended up with 17 people in a 15 passenger van. I had the good fortune of being one of 4 people in the front seat for the duration of the 7 hour commute. I had already travelled with most of the people in the shuttle and quickly got to know the new ones as our bodies were stuck together with sweat.

That brings me to Flores today. It is very hot up here, but there is a nice breeze from the lake which completely surrounds the pretty city. I plan on going to Tikal this afternoon and camping there. I hope to catch the sunrise, the evening and morning monkeys and birds and avoid the bulk of the crowds.

My next destination is Rio Dulce on my way to Nicaragua...