What a grump I am! I'm in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and I'm feeling quite hateful about all sorts of things! Well I suppose that's mostly because I've been sick... again! It's getting right on my nerves! This is the third time... actually I think this is a continuation of round two cos I've not been right since then... some evil beast has been lurking in my midsts and it reared it's ugly head again a couple of days ago... so I spent one hot sticky sicky day toing and froing from the docs to the lab, having yet more tests (I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to poop in a jar now! Sorry to have to share that with you!) which came up with nothing which the doctor could see was clearly wrong cos I was fit to collapse before his eyes and running of to the toilet to heave up my empty intestines! So he gave me a coctail of pills to cover all eventualities and his telephone number in case i take a turn for the worse... so I'm a bit better now. I'm off the toilet at least but I'm still plagued with intimitant nausea...

In other news I've realised that I'm a terrible snob! On the most part I can't stand other travellers! The trouble is you have to make an effort cos sometimes you meet absolute gems but most of the time they're just the backpacking equivolent of 18-30 t*** ... I think I've been spoiled being in Xela so long and making such great friends with fellow students who have an interest in the country and the language... I know I was at a stage where i spoke next to no spanish but i made the effort to learn please, thank you and a few simple phrases... but since i've started travelling again I've started to encounter people who shout english in the faces of Guatemalans and it makes me embarrassed to be a gringa! I've come up with a few collective nouns for gringos since I've been here. They are: a confusion, a muddle and an incompitent! I've definitely been all of the above at some point and continue to be at times! So anyway, I'm going to try to limit my stays in hostels as much as I can. It's cheaper when you're on your own but I just end up hiding in my room with a book or my music so I don't have to participate in the same old repetative small talk about where you've been and how drunk you got when you were there... it's boring and annoying.

Phew! But apart from that of course this experience is amazing! There have been occasions I've had to pinch myself cos I can't quite believe how lucky I am. These things don't usually occur when you're in a backpackers hostel or a sightseeing tour though!

Having said that, that's exactly where I am right now... in a bloody hostel with too many annoying brits and aussies... (Sorry to my brit and aussie friends!) ...and tomorrow I'm off to Tikal for some sightseeing! Hehe! Actually I am very much looking forward to that... I've been to quite a few Mayan ruins now but not for a while... and these are supposed to be the most spectacular.

So tomorrow I will cheer up, hopefully feel less sick and maybe even muster up some patience for my fellow travellers! :)

Lastly my spanish is coming on leaps and bounds... I spent a couple of days in the paradise that is Semuc Champey and spoke more spanish than english which made me very happy. I'm currently mulling over the idea of going back there I liked it so much. I've been reading the paper as much as possible too to keep up with my vocab and current affairs... met a spanish guy today though who i didn't really understand... the whole th th th thing threw me a bit!

Anyway, up bright and early tomorrow to watch the sunrise from the top of an ancient mayan temple so I best get to bed.

NIght night x