Alright! How can I possibly sum up San Pedro?
Umm...lazy. Yep, more of it! We spent four nights there, and 80% of that time was sitting/laying on pillows in colorful open-air restaurants, eating Thai curry and falafel and space cookies (oh yes, San Pedro is huge on space cookies!). We went to a market town across the lake (more water taxis, yippie!) one day, and to Santiago across the lake the other day, where we bought a bunch of souvenirs and clothes and eventually went to the house with Maximoni, a little statue of an old Mayan (?) God to whom you can give cigars and whiskey. Because that's what Gods like! Luckily, the three men manning the hut were obviously helping Maximoni to finish off the extras.
We walked into the candlelit room and told him jokes (he likes that, too), took a couple of pictures, and hung out briefly with the extremely intoxicated men there before heading back to the taxi.
Last night I spent the night in Antigua with the New Zealanders and we wandered around and had a couple of daquiris. At 11:30 or so we said goodnight, because we all had to wake up at 3:30 this morning :O
On little more than 4 hours sleep, we stumbled through the pitch dark dorm room, gathering our things clumsily but as quietly as possible. A girl in our room had to wake up to go to Coban, the Kiwis were headed to the airport in Guatemala City for their flight leaving at 8, and I was on my way to Tikal!!
The 10 hours on the bus FLEW by, and I actually wished it had lasted longer. I love that I get to just daze out for hours and listen to my music and watch beautiful scenery roll by. Ended up in a private room at a hotel in Santa Elena (which is connected to Flores, where all the tour stuff happens...both are 2 hours from Tikal). For $9 a night, or 85 quetzales, I get my own room, private SO CLEAN bathroom, a fan, and even A TV! God, super-pampered! Today is my first day alone since leaving home, as I've always been traveling with someone, so I'm really happy. I never realized how awesome it is to have alone time until today.
Booked my tour for Tikal tomorrow- I wake up at 3:15am again, cause we're doing a sunrise tour! We get to see ancient Mayan ruins in the jungle at sunrise, what could be better?! Sooo now I'm gonna update my diary, shower for the first time in 4 or 5 days, eat, and watch some good ol' television ;) Hasta luego!
Favorite quote overheard in a restaurant in San Pedro the day before yesterday:
Guy, to waitress. "Excuse me, miss, can you tell me how many mushrooms I should eat?"
"Let me ask the kitchen for you."
Yes, they were psychedelic mushrooms he'd bought off some Mayan woman who wandered into the restaurant selling them xD
