On to Guatemala!

The day after ATM a group of us decided to explore the surrounding area in search of come cliff-jumping that we'd heard of. We set off with the intention of taking a bus to the next town, but somehow ended up renting 2 canoes off a local man and the six of us, along with a couple bottles of rum, ventured upstream. It didn't take long for chaos to ensue- flipped canoes, surprise rapids, war wounds. All in all one of the funniest days so far this trip.

On Friday, Katie, myself, and our friend Mark packed up our stuff and headed to Xunantunich to check out our first Mayan ruin site. A word to the wise- if an old man named Star (who smokes way too much pot, and talks like Cookie Monster) assures you that you can find a safe spot at a hotel to store your gear while you hike Xunantunich... don't listen to him. Luckily a nice bartender we spoke to named Ismenia agreed to put our stuff behind the bar while we adventured. Overall it was an epic experience. Looking at this towering ruins and realizing that the ancient Mayans shaped and placed each stone by hand is just mind-blowing. It was great that we were allowed to climb up to the top, and have this incredible view of Belize and Guatemala.

After that began a trip into Guatemala that can be described as nothing short of disaster. Crossing the border on foot was a piece of cake- however, if you are a "gringo" and you are driving a car across, be prepared to stop for a couple of hours while your car is thoroughly searched. Once across the border, Katie and I ignored the the slew of taxi drivers following us who assured us the last bus had departed for the evening, and that the colectivo was a 2km walk away. Rule #17- never trust a taxi driver.

The bus ride itself was uneventful, aside from the two stops during which soldiers with AKs boarded the bus and searched the compartments. Unsettling, to say the least. Overall, we made it to Flores safe and sound and met up with our friends from San Ignacio (minus Mark, plus a new friend named Sofia) and the six of us have been exploring the town and drinking beers on the docks by the lake. Pretty rough life, eh?

Final note: this may be the last post before THE END OF THE WORLD! No one down here actually believe this- from what we can gather, it's seen as a new beginning, focusing more on the start of a new calendar than the end of the old one. However, that hasn't stopped people all over from organizing End of the World parties, and many tours are offering special deals to the ruins. At least four of us plan to spend The End at El Mirador, an ancient Mayan site way up in the jungles of northern Guatemala. It will be a 5-day trek, with us reaching El Mirador on the 21st. It's one of the harder journeys you can take, and we're all pretty stoked about it. Expect a lengthy blog entry about our journey when we get back! That is, if the aliens don't get us.

Much love,
Regan and Smitty