Still at Flores...

Hi all,

The hostel where we are staying is fantastic. We watched a really strange documentary about a homosexual farmer in the American Midwest last night (yes it was pretty weird...!) before heading for an early night.

We got up at 2.30am to get a bus for 1 1/4 hours to Tikal, which is another Mayan ruin. We walked up a temple and were so high that we were higher than the trees in the surrounding rainforest. We listened to the forest wake up with the howler monkeys roaring away, and then watched the sun rise over the forest. It was absolutely stunning. I will put some photographs up when I am able!

We trekked around the ruins at Tikal, (we heard an ant screaming!) with a very strange ´monkey guide`, Àble Canable`, who summoned us with his monkey roar. Even though the trek lasted a few hours and was quite exhausting (plus I fell over and managed to land in poo, especially to entertain the others... J laughed hysterically - I will get my revenge!) it was still very good fun, and interesting to have a guide for a change around the ruins.

Didn´t realise that today is the celebration of Christopher Columbus landing in America - or if you´re Mayan, then it´s a celebration day of being Mayan. At about 9am this morning when we were finishing our trek, literally hundreds of Mayans came flooding up the ruins for a day of partying and celebrations. Don´t think they´re going to sacrifice victims this time though. They are such beautiful people (so short too!) and the kids are stunning. Apparently though there has been some bad press in the past about Western women coming to Guatemala and ádopting´ local children, though luckily this is getting better.

Have just been pottering about this afternoon, but it has been very humid and now the heavens have opened! Trust us to travel to Guatemala in the rainy season... When we were walking about town, it was so unbearably hot, J started discussing rain dances. When we realised that we didn´t know how to do them, she then decided it was a good idea to sacrifice either Haz or myself. As we had come down off the ruins she decided that the bridge would have to do. Luckily have avoided that so far!

Anyway need to go and clean myself, hope all´s well in Europe,
Love Al, Haz and J xxxxx