We left off our last blog at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, and well that's exactly where we stayed!

We headed over to San Marcos La Laguna with the intention of signing up for Spanish lessons, medition courses and yoga but it didn't go to plan!! San Marcos was an amazing little village, very quiet and very suited to those wishing to learn more about themselves. However the day we were headed there I found out my Mum had been admitted to hospital in Perth and was in worse shape than ever before, which as you can imagine made it hard to concentrate on anything else but coming home!!

Those who know me well, know I am a big Mummy's girl and the next 24 hours could possibly be the hardest Matt and I endure on our entire journey. Mum's lung has collapased and leaked air into her chest cavity, putting pressure on her heart - my sister did an amazing job of keeping me in the loop, but the question was, should we go home?

After a huge amount of tears and numerous hippies telling me what they thought we should do, Matt and I decide that we will go back to an area where we can be in contact 24 hours per day and play it by ear - so back to San Pedro we head!

For the record and our memories sake - San Marcos was divine, the hotel we "treated" ourselves to was amazing, and for 2 whole days we tried our best to relax, take in the view and acknowledge that as per the indigenous Mayans believed this truly is where "the rainbow collects it's colours". You only have to look at the photos of our view to be slightly jealous...

We headed back to San Pedro and kept in close contact with my family, and enrolled ourselves in Spanish school as planned!

I think we both ended up loving our decision and fell in love with the lake, as many told us we would...

After 20 hours of Spanish lessons both Matt and I can at least now communicate, if not entertain the locals!! Let's put it this way I get smiles and Matt just gets funny looks - so just for a change it appears I will be doing all the talking from here on in...

I end up be-friending a little local girl named Margeritta, who is 10 years old - the same age as my oldest neice. Margeritta works 7 days per week from 7am until 9pm selling different types of nuts to support her family. It starts out that I practice my Spanish with her, but after 10 days we are good "mates" and I learn she has no Mummy, and works with her "Tia" (Aunty) every day to help her family as she is the oldest. She has never been to school and probably never will, when I ask if she likes to play and if she has any books or dolls she tells me she doesn't have time to play.

We end up spending at least half an hour, if not more a day with this little lost soul and she is so excited when we buy her either a coca cola or ice-cream when we meet up - remember a coke costs about 40c in our money! I cried the last day we had to say goodbye to her, even though she couldn't understand why and I am not even sure she understood that we were not going to be there tomorrow. Matt and I vowed that when we bring children into this crazy world of ours we will be taking them to places like this, so as they can appreciate how safe, happy and lucky they are to be born in our country - education is the first step in making a difference in our world, and I just hope my children work towards making the world a better place for all!

We spend our days in San Pedro learning Spanish, playing pool, and getting to the know locals - many an afternoon in those 10 days was over a beer discussing the way of life with locals, our new friends from Israel and what they saw during their time in the Army and as children, and I honestly believe I made connections with children and adults alike, that I hadn't yet made in my whole 29 years on this planet.

I was so far from home, missing my family so so much, but being continually confronted with just how lucky I have been - the world teaches lessons in the most amazing ways and San Pedro taught a few!

We loved San Pedro but we said goodbye yesterday and headed to Antigua to oragnise the next step in the journey - as I write this we have only a few hours before we jump on a bus ride to El Tunco in El Salvador as we edge closer to South America!!

My Mum is better and got out of hospital yesterday after a few pretty intense days, which allows us to continue to grow on our journey and as I said on the phone to her tonight for god sake don't do that again - it hurt me as much as it hurt you!!

Peace xxx