Jun 022013
 

Following a grueling, but short, hike up to a viewpoint overlooking Lake Peten Itza and the island city of Flores we marched back down to our launch to continue onto the beach. It was hot and I was looking forward to getting back to my bottle of water under the shade of the launch. But, before I could do that I decided to stop for a photo of these two launches, as they waited patiently for their passengers. Mine was the smaller one on the right.

Two colorful launches on the shore of Lake Peten Itza near Flores in Guatemla

May 302013
 

My first stop on my boat trip was to visit a viewpoint overlooking the island city of Flores. I knew it would be up hill, but I didn’t know how far uphill. I was also shocked by the heat of the day as it was only about 9am. It was at this point that carrying my camera backpack was not going to work in this climate. My back was on fire.

After a hard slog up to the mirador, I concluded there wasn’t a lot to see, except for this view looking back at my temporary home. The hills in the background were all covered in dense jungle.

Flores,in Guatemla, seen from the mirador viewpoint.

May 292013
 

On my first day in Flores I planned on taking it easy. I was going to sleep in and then take a tour of the lake. Little did I know that I’d wake up at 6am and not be able to get back to sleep because my room was absolutely boiling!

I lay around for about an hour before giving up and going for breakfast in my hostel. Then, it was time to do something. I grabbed my backpack full of camera gear and made my way down to the docks to procure a boat for the day. When I arrived at the water there weren’t any boats about. Then, a kid was passing by and called out to me. Stretching my Spanish abilities to the limit, I arranged a price to visit two viewpoints, a beach, and an animal refuge center called ARCAS.

As we sped out of Flores I snapped the below photo of my new guide.

View from on a boat with a young boy driving from Flores Guatemala with the town in the background

May 282013
 

I’ve  made it back from Guatemala and managed to do a lot: Mayan ruins, a pitch black cave on my own with a dodgy flashlight, climbed a volcano and visited an evil saint. It was a busy week.

To get to Guatemala I flew through Miami from Bermuda. It was actually really efficient, leaving Bermuda at 8:30am and arriving at Guatemala City at 1:30 in the afternoon. Then, I had a torturous 5 hour layover before my flight to Flores. Guatemala City airport has to be the hottest place in the world. There’s no air-conditioning and it resembles a giant greenhouse. I wandered for hours trying desperately to find a cool spot.

Eventually I boarded an aging turbo prop and took off for Flores, swerving between lightning storms. That part was actually pretty amazing, watching the clouds flash angrily, occasionally emitting bolts down to the ground. I was sat next to a Canadian girl on her way to volunteer at a center for animals that had been kept as pets or taken from traffickers. She also had a fear of flying. I tried not to point out the lightning storms, but she noticed.

I arrived at the airport and was soon outside looking for a taxi. It was 9:00 at night and I didn’t have a reservation anywhere, though I had a hostel in mind that I wanted to stay at called Los Amigos. I wound up in a taxi, which was actually a minivan that they loaded up with people. Then, we set off.

After arriving in Flores, I was the first person to be dropped off. The driver’s assistant returned my bag to me and gestured vaguely up the street when I asked where the hostel was. Then they drove off, I was left on my own in Guatemala without anywhere arranged to stay for the night. It was a nervous moment. This is where I was stood. Fortunately, the hostel wasn’t far up the street to the left and they had space for me.

A street corner in Flores, Guatemala at night.