Entonces, it has been a very long while since last posting, but my excuse for that is the hectic schedule we've had since traipsing away from Lake Atitlan:

Primero: before leaving the lake I kayaked with an Irish friend to San Marcos from San Pedro, took saunas and swam in the rain as well as played many many games of "shithead" at La Iguana Perdida hostel in Santa Cruz, saw the most beautiful views of Lake Atitlan from a high viewpoint on the way to Guatemala City where.....

Celeste, our new friend Emily (from McMinnville, por supuesto)and I caught a bus up to Coban and then a shuttle to Lanquin for a total of 10 nauseating hours. We stayed in a lovely hostel in Lanquin however, with friendly staff and a truly tropical jungle atmosphere that had not fully recovered from the rainy season (which is now over, thank goodness!)

Our friend from Panajachel, Matt, is the owner of the restaurant in the hostel and also has a house nearby that he allowed us to use for having more privacy and better swimming areas. The food was quite good, and on that Friday night they hosted a "Brahva party" which included a D.J. and two "Brahva girls" (Brahva being a brand of beer here in Guate). The girls danced in the usual provocative manner, but once everyone started joining in, they sometimes would break away to watch the crowds. At one such moment, during a techno track, I decided to get up and show off my "robot" skills which received applause from the girls and many giggles. They seemed to be both impressed and intimidated by my robust dancing which was decidedly "intriguing" if not exactly "sexy". Damn.

Later on I tried to dance again and spontaneously became the center of a dance circle. I don't know how long it lasted, but I couldn't tell if people were enjoying the freakish dance moves or more in shock. Actually, to me it doesn't really matter, for those of you who have seen my excellent dances skills on karaoke nights (shout out to you, Yolanda!) know what I'm talking about.

On our third day of chillin' in the jungle, whilst getting mobbed by adoring mosquitos, Celeste and I went to the pools of Semuc Champey. The pickup ride there was quite exciting, hanging onto the cattle cage and perched on the tailgate Celeste and I created a new sport--"tailgate vaulting". The bumpy hills proved quite the challenge (and quite the backdrop) for such a unique sport which was just the warm-up needed for cooling ourselves in the lovely pools of Semuc Champey. The first day of glorious sun since we arrived, we laid ourselves half in and out of the waters to soak up every beam we could (now I have the most interesting tan lines from doing such). Celeste and I explored each pool, discovered a rope ladder down a waterfall to see the river flowing underneath the pools, and I watched and laughed as she attempted to swing on the vines overhanging the edge of the water.

After Lanquin; Celeste, Emily and I headed up to Flores on yet another long shuttle ride. This one included an unexpected stint on a boat after coming to a town whose river had flooded so much that only roofs of houses were seen on its banks. It took 20 minutes to cover the span of what was then a lake to get to the other side. Once in Flores, we checked into a dorm room with fellow shuttle bus occupants--an Aussie and a Kiwi couple--only to be woken up at dawn by their resident turkey. I had to chase rescued bird at 6 am in order to use the restroom, and hoped that chasing it away from the room would lessen the noise. It did not.

Around this time, I was also becoming ansy and breaking away from the group more and more, as is common when I travel in groups for a period of time. So, by the time we got to Tikal, I became a lone wolf and stalked through the ruins there during the dusk hours to see all sorts of wildlife....at one point a small fox lead us through part of the ruins, actually showing the way down an overgrown pyramid. We crept through the jungle after dark, the noises so deafening I felt trasported to another world, as if at any time a dinosaur would come pounding out of the brush.

After spending the night in our new camping hammocks, trying to sleep despite the hoarse growling of howler monkeys (which make it seem as if Godzilla is breathing down your neck all night) and the cold, we woke up just before dawn to get to the gates as soon as they opened. Sadly, the possiblity of a sunrise tour at Temple IV is no more, nor is bribery of the guards (just to pay entry is highway robbery ahora) but I managed to sneak in a little earlier so as to enjoy being in the park sans tourists as the sun was just rising. Walking through the paths of the park and listening to the strange animal noises and watching birds reminded me of a Ray Bradbury story, Sound of Thunder, where hunters are transported back into prehistoric times and must stay on a path or else they can inrevocably change history.

I arrived at Temple IV with the sun a few fingers from the horizon, but then had one of the best picnic breakfasts ever. Very shortly the rest of the group joined me, and we spent about an hour relishing the view and the glorious sunshine. The rest of our time in Tikal mostly consists of climbing every temple I could and having a tuna wrap picnic with Celeste and Simon, a French Canadian from Montreal who reminded Celeste and I of the young chef Linguini in Ratatouille.

From Tikal, we took an overnight bus back to Antigua so that we could go up into the surrounding hills and stay at a hippie hostel called Earthlodge for El Dia de Los Muertos. It had the most exciting views of the volcanoes around Antigua and nice hikes too, as well as good people and organic food. My favorite part probably was the rope swing that silhouetted you against the backdrop of blue sky and volcanoes.

We took a shuttle from the hostel on November 1st to a neighboring pueblo, Sumpango, for their kite flying festival. I can't wait until I can post photos to show the intricate beautiful and the incredible size of these kites! We met our friend, Gabriel, who we had visited here the month before(Sumpango is his home village) and he showed us around the cemeteries and grand festivities. This will need to be illustrated with photos soon, descriptions cannot do it justice...

After that, we returned to Antigua and saw the ELECTION!!!! A group of us sprang for a room with cable TV so we could see it without the background noise of a bar, but had to go out at one point just to celebrate the glory of OBAMA'S VICTORY!!!!! The whole bar erupted with applause and shouting when CNN stated that Obama was the elected president (no one cared that it was just the projection at that point). Even Guatemalans seemed very pleased by this, especially our friends here who realize the worldwide impact of such a result. I couldn't believe how short of a night it was, going to sleep afterwards was nearly impossible...

Ok, more later, but ahora I'm in El Salvador enjoying their beautiful coastline near La Libertad. I'll meet up with Celeste later (she stayed a little longer in Antigua but is making her way south today) once I get inland to Santa Ana and the lake.

Besitos! If you want more detail on any of the above, just write to let me know and I can fill you in! (Internet is cheaper and more available in El Salvador it seems)