Earth to Linea Dorada Bus Line: Lose the war movies on the overnight bus rides

Wednesday morning we awoke in San Pedro to the sound of the complaining cow next door. With our new friend Annie (B.S. Public Health, Seattle) we followed the handwritten signs to a yoga class nearby led by a Czech woman who was much more limber than any of us. But the garden was very beautiful and it felt great to stretch, so we decided to follow yoga class up with a brisk hike up the Indian's Nose. It took over two hours to the top (well, nearly the top, once a thunderstorm rolled in around us, we decided to book it down). We actually watched the clouds roll over the mountains and surround us, and we wondered: what happens with lightning when you are inside the cloud? so, yeah, twice as fast down as up! The panoramic views of Lake Atitlan were indescribable, but we were not sure it was safe to bring the camera, so we left it behind. The single most amazing thing, though, was passing numerous Guatemaltecos, men and women, some in their sixties +, laden with supplies, the women wrapped in traditional skirts of thick fabric, climbing past us toward their crops above. We tried our best to hide our panting when we greeted them as they passed.

We just beat the rain down, despite the thick fog and thunder during our descent, and desperately needed a good hot meal. There it was: Thai food at Buddha Bar. Huge portions of hot hot Pad Thai and a dish called Bombay Curry. Sooo tasty and satisfying. We chilled out for the rest of the night, after deciding to reverse our route and head for Belize next instead of Mexico. We jumped a shuttle for Antigua the next morning and booked the night bus to Tikal. Got to see some friends again in Antigua before boarding the bus.

The night bus. Indeed. A little sketch, a little smelly, a lot uncomfortable, but we did reach Flores by early morning as promised. The bus company really could have minimized the discomfort by not choosing to play Rambo for half the ride, and lowering the air conditioning so that the condensation wasn't dripping on our heads. In any case, we checked into Los Amigos hostel on the little island of Flores, had a sleep and a swim and are resting up trying to recover from the sleepless night. Tomorrow - the Mayan runs of Tikal, as close to sunrise as possible!