We crossed into Guatemala by boat, a skinny long tail similar to those they fish from in Thailand. It was a rocky but dry trip. We were allowed out of Mexico with no drama and also let into Guatemala easily, their immigration office a shed in the middle of a cow paddock which smelt strongly like manure.
After the boat we were crammed into a old bus, Bec and I squashed onto the back seat while the boys reclined in relative comfort, scoring a seat of their own. Bec and I passed the four hour trip, mostly on straight dirt roads through paddocks, by gossiping about friends back home, weddings, babies, celebrities and relationships. The boys were sorry to miss out on that one! About an hour from Flores, our destination, the Guatemalan version of Borat jumped onboard the bus and started selling his tourist packages, which mostly involved tours of the local ruins at Tikal. We four had already decided we didn't want to stay in Flores, but wanted to head to El Remate, a quiet lakeside town that is surrounded by jungle. Borat organised a van to take us there, alongwith a pommy couple we had met on the bus earlier. The 6 of us arrived at El Remate, struggled to find somewhere to stay so Pete, Bec, Kim and I shared a room at this hippy backpackers which had an incredible view of the lake but a slight problem with ants. First things first we headed to the lake for a swim, the boys jupming in first and telling us girls how lovely it was, especially the firm sandy bottom. I should have known something was going on, but it was hot and I was tierd so I jumped in, feet down and screamed! The bottom was silty and felt like strong mud, sucking you under a little. No fun! It took some work to get the other two girls to jump in. Afterwards we enjoyed a couple of beers overlooking the lake and watched the sunset.
Everyone was knackered so we had a quiet dinner before hitting the hay. The next day I felt a little ordinary and after a pretty rough night sleep, with lots of bugs, we decided to find somewhere else to stay, and scored two rooms at a really clean hostel down the road, so we moved there and I had a nap and sent basically my whole bag off to be washed, the ants had made their way in there the night before, while the others went for a walk. They returned, having discovered a jungle trek which promised monkies and toucans. We decided to save it for the following day, and hired bikes, each missing various parts, albeit brakes, pedals, seat etc, and rode to a swimming spot, passing the afternoon reading, swimming and trying to communicate with locals who were out in force enjoying the sunday.
That night we had a Guatemalan bbq for dinner, ribs and boiled potato - delicious.. Our hectic few days still catching up with us and another early night. Kim was a true gentleman and gave up the double bed so I could spread out all to myself while he slept in the single. It was a real treat - champion.
The next day we hitched to the start of the national park and headed off on our jungle trek. It didn't take long for us to realise that the mozzies were going to be a problem, we literally couldn't stop or you would be eaten alive, they buzzed around each an every one of us and it was horrid. Talk about incentive to keep moving, was good for me because it was hot and steep and I'm not sure I would have made it in such good times otherwise. We saw quite a few monkeys however and it made it worthwhile to see them in the jungle, on our own and without a guide having to show us. Even if we did have to jump around on the spot so the mozzies didn't bite us while we watched them!
That afternoon Kim and I packed and checked out - it cost us less to stay the night there than it did to have all my laundry done! before we headed to a local hotel or some lunch and a swim in their pool. It was then time to farewell Bec and Pete and head to Antigua, where we were to spend a week learning Spanish.
