Copán Ruinas

We originally planned to only spend two nights in Copán Ruinas but it turned out there was more to see there than just the nearby ruins (less impressive than others we have been to, but the sculpture and heiroglyphics were worth the entry fee). On the second day we took a trip to some thermal springs, though the trip through the foothills in the back of a pickup truck was probably the best part - pretty hard to capture on camera.

Wildlife Count: Furry caterpillar, mini stick lizard, many horses, parrots, dogs (as always)

Mayan Ruins: 1

Bus hours logged: 6 hours

Mosquito Bites: 4

Stuff Lost: Earring

Sloth Count: 0

Next Stop: Estelí, Nicaragua (we were going to go to the Bay Islands in Honduras, but decided to spend longer in Nicaragua and the Corn Islands there)

Antigua

Our final stop in Guatemala was Antigua, a picturesque town situated between three volcanoes. We stayed in a homely hostel called Villa Esthela. We stayed for four nights, including a questionable day trip to Lago de Atitlán. We don't know whether our day was particularly bad, but if you are easily seasick we wouldn't recommend going out on the lake (it is amazing how large the waves get given it is only a lake) and the villages were not quite as charming as we had expected. The setting itself was well worth the trip however, as the lake is again surrounded by volcanoes.

The view from the top of the hostel

Volcano towering above Antigua

James' arty shot of a local

Wildlife Count: Fish and dogs
Mayan Ruins: 0
Bus (and boat) Hours Logged: 9 and a half hours
Mosquito Bites: 6
Stuff Lost: Faith in boat journeys
Sloth Count: 0

Next Stop: Copán Ruinas, Honduras

Livingston

Our next stop was Livingston (via Rio Dulce), a small town on the Carribean Coast, only accessible by boat up Lago de Izabal which was very beautiful. Again, we stayed in little cabañas right on the beach of which there was unfortunately not much.

On the way up the lake you stop at some thermal springs

Pig on a leash (less lucky than his friend who was allowed to play in the sea)

Wildlife Count: 2 pigs, many dogs, giant beetle, spider, herons, pelicans, cormorants, mini sea snake
Mayan Ruins: 0
Bus (and boat) hours logged: 7 hours
Mosquito Bites: 10
Stuff Lost: James' travel pillow
Sloth Count: 0

Next Stop: Antigua

Flores

After a very stressful journey across the Guatemalan border, we arrived in Flores, a pretty little town on an island in Lago Petén Itzá. In fact we stayed on the peninsula called San Miguel, which is a five minute lancha ride over the lake, in Hostel Chaltunha. From there we took a day trip to Tikal... yet more Mayan ruins.

The boat ride that was part of our border crossing

Lunch in Flores

We climbed to the top of Templo IV, where you could see 100km of jungle. I had a panorama shot of this, but alas it is stuck on the corrupted SD card.

LOVE THESE RUINS YEAH WOOOOO

First monkey!

View of Flores from the hostel

Wildlife Count: Woodpecker, 4 Spider Monkeys, multiple dogs (again), deranged Cockerells at 4am, massive beetle
Mayan Ruins: 1
Bus (and boat) hours logged: 11 hours
Mosquito Bites: 10
Stuff Lost: 0
Sloth Count: 0

Next Stop: Rio Dulce & Livingston

Palenque

My SD card unfortunately corrupted, so for the next four blogposts all the photos are James'!

We spent two nights just outside the National Park of Palenque, home to both howler monkeys (which sound like dying dinosaurs when they wake you up in the morning) and some more Mayan ruins.

Our hostel (El Jaguar) was a selection of cabañas in the jungle

Wildlife Count: Howler monkeys (heard) and dogs aplenty
Mayan Ruins: 1
Bus Hours Logged: 10 hours
Mosquito Bites: 14
Stuff Lost: 0
Sloth Count: 0

Next Stop: Flores, Guatemala