From Belize we headed south to Guatemala...the land of dreams and dreamers. 70% of the popluation live in poverty in a country that has an incredibly rich government and some of the poorest, sickest children on the Latin American continent. We don´t see all that doom and gloom though, as us travellers just pass on through on our air conditioned buses, giving a little wave or smile to the slightly deranged, bored-as-hell kids who wave madly on the side of the main roads...so sad.

We stay in Flores for a few nights, to take in yet more Mayan ruins at Tikal (the best yet by far), then head south to Lago Atitlan. Here we do a Spanish course for a week, more for the benefit of James, who thus far can only say ´dos cervezas por favor´. We think it´s a great idea to immerse ourselves in the Guatemalan life and live with a strictly Evangelical family, who preach to us at every given opportunity and frown upon us going out for a drink...they really embraced us though and loved chatting, cooking and laughing...until we leave and realise that they robbed us of 30 squid...if there was any doubt in the church...

After our lovely relaxing 1 week in San Pedro by the lake, we spend a few days in Antigua, mooching around the colonial streets, arguing about where to eat, spending money we don´t have at the most colourful market in the world in Chichicastenango and visiting a bubbling volcano at Pacaya - scarily close to the lava! Next stop, Costa Rica...we seriously underestimated the size of Latin America and 7.3 weeks is not long enough to see all 8 countries so we´re flying to San Jose missing out on El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua...next time maybe!