Leaving Lago Atitlan i ventured to Xela where many Guatemalan's come to celebrate Independence Day from the Spanish (15th September). The journey out of San Pedro reinvigorated my travel desire and enthusiasm...i had two options:
1) pay $20 for direct on a shuttle transfer with gringos taking c.3 hours
2) pay $5 for various transport forms with locals taking 3.5 hours
Well with some Germans we took option 2. Started with standing in a pick up out of town with stunning views across the lake and being able to grab at coffee plants growing along the way. We got held in a village due to a parade so we had a birds eye view. Followed this by a local shuttle to the main PanAmericana Highway then two chicken buses to Xela. Why take the easy option when so much fun doing it the local way. Plus always funny seeing locals reaction to tall gringos with non-black hair...usually involves staring a lot!

Whats a chicken bus i hear you say...essentially a yellow US school bus converted to a bus with fancy graphics and lights and adults crammed in 3x3...particularly fun for a long legged gringo like myself! Also a nightmare if you need a pee as they stop for no one...I found myself peeing next to the front tyre by the door with the driver revving his engine and edging slightly forward...talk about a pressure piss! Whole bus probably thought i was a loco gringo!!

Upon arriving in Xela it meant the money saved from the transport could be used to buy more beers to watch the Independence Day parade with...always need to reward yourself! All local schools, clubs and societies marching through town to music for hours. Culminating in fireworks at midnight to see in Independence Day. Walking around the next day showed me how much booze and street food was consumed!! Also for Independence Day Xela hosts possibly the largest fair in Central America. Endless food stands and clothes shops as you walk in before the main event of the gypsy fair. Such classics from the funfair as the sliding money trays, hoop-la and my favourite the shooting range with an air rifle...got to love that Central America health and safety!! Given i don't go the fair on Clapham Common due to its safety record it was with some trepidation that i climbed aboard the "Air Raid" ride in the rain with a thunderstorm moments away...it looked the newest ride there hence a calculated risk!! The "Drive In" ride involved spinning and shaking without a safety belt so seeing people being thrown about the ride reminded me of why Thorpe Park is good fun but gypo fairs are a disaster waiting to happen!!

Next stop Semuc Champey essentially from far West Guatemala to East so a long 12hr journey. Decided on the local transport way again and saved Q270 ($35 about 4 nights dorm accommodation) and was rewarded with beautiful sceneries as I travelled through the Rio Chixoy valley and mountain range as i ate my peanuts bought through the window from a street vendor. Only downside was spending 3 hrs next to an old man who smelt like he had soiled himself...reminded me of being at home with the family!!

Semec Champey is a beautiful spot but only managed to stay for 2 nights. My hostel was on the river with hammocks to chill in so easily could of relaxed for longer. The main draw are the caves and river pools. The caves are 11km long but only venture in 1km by candlelight...yup candlelight and with water everywhere means darkness with bats around you a common occurrence. With our small group of Brits we ventured into the darkness; swam through rivers; jumped off ledges and slid through holes. All the time protecting our candle and thinking who the hell found out about this???

Next up was the swing in the river where i flew and flayed into the water and winding myself...following that some tubing and final adrenaline fix jumping off the bridge (I failed at the last hurdle after Fred winded himself!). Most nerve racking thing was crossing the bridge by truck as some idiot had stolen the slats!!

Following that the pools at Semec are stunning. From the mirador the site is huge but the real treat comes when swimming around and jumping into the deep pools. When chilaxing the fish start nibbling so get a bonus exfoliation!! Some pools even have mini caves where the only exit is by swimming under the rock face. Overall a fun day and a worthwhile stop through the Guatemalan countryside.

Final Guatemala leg was Tikal and nearby lake Flores. Tikal is the largest and most famous Mayan site of Guatemala. Built in c.200-900AD in the Mayan classic period it is famous for being surrounded by jungle and where the Ewok's lived in "Star Wars VI Return Of The Jedi". Tikal is a Mayan word for echo as showed by our guide in the main plaza as he awoke the forest! Went for the sunrise tour although being jungle the mist never cleared as the photos show. Although disappointing sitting on the tallest temple (No4) and hearing the howler monkeys wake up and birds start to tweet made up for the lack of sunshine. 80% of the 120sq km site of Tikal is still covered in forest thus what you see although impressive is just a small part of the huge city...having said that what you can see if stunning in terms of grandeur and forest location. It is bigger than Copan in Honduras but Copan has more detailed carvings and engravings thus a good contrast to see both.

I have taken a break from ancient culture for a few months as after a while it gets repetitive...temples in Thailand and Inca ruins in South America. Now in Central America it's the time of the Mayan's and their key archeological sites. First stop was Copan in Honduras. Neat settlement with some cool ornate carvings throughout the complex. Great to climb over the pyramids and examine the carved obelisks. Like all these sites the one thing that amazes me is that they were all lost for centuries until travellers find them or an earthquake reveals lost civilisations. The sad thing is that they have all been looted but with a bit of imagination you can understand what life was like in c.500 AD.

Key highlight for Copan is the German brewery...arguably the best beer in Honduras!! My Weissbier and Schwarzbier washed down with a Bratwurst was a welcome respite from the rice and beans throughout rest of South America!

To continue the volcano hunting season I crossed into Guatemala and Antigua being first stop. The colonial Spanish capital of Central America until 1773 when an earthquake damaged it. Today it is a bustling tourist city with many ruins but certainly a lot of character. Cobbled streets, old churches and surrounded by imposing volcanoes.

Although Antigua is surrounded by volcanoes it was Volcan Fuego that caught my interest...most active volcano in Guatemala (maybe Central America) about an hour away from Antigua. It is also very dangerous hence could only find one operator who went there...trip called the "Double Whammy" as included the summit of Volcan Acatenango at 3976m. A 36hr trek covering 22km so was tough but very rewarding. Seeing Fuego explode, feeling the ground rumble and hearing the loud bangs was fantastic...a little unnerving was the fact that we trekked to within 600m of the explosions!! It erupts every 20mins of varying strength so always keeps you on your toes. As nightfall set in we retraced our steps to camp about 3km away that provided an awesome firework display of hot lava, rocks and ash. It obviously doesn't switch off when we went to sleep so was constantly awoken by ground rumblings and bangs. In terms of magnitude it is like a normal 5th November firework display but 10 times louder and 3 km away! 

Early morning start of 5am for sunrise (ish as our guide overslept) for Volcan Acatenango summit was a tough wake up call!! Steep scree to climb up with tired legs but the reward was breathtaking (literally!!) being above the clouds and vistas of the surrounding volcanoes. We were lucky with the weather as only rained whilst in our tents!! 

What it made me realise is that taking a year sabbatical was 110% the best decision I could of made...after a lot of exercise, exhaustion and tough conditions we made it back to base having thoroughly enjoyed it and the realisation that at aged 60+ and retired this might not of been possible.

Final stop on my volcano adventure was Lago De Atitlan. A 300m deep lake surrounded by numerous volcanoes. A lovely spot to chill out and relax...and scuba dive to see fault lines and sunken hotels. Diving at altitude changes all the maths and can be dangerous if you don't spend time post dive to recover...life can be so tough these days!! The cold water and poor visibility was in stark contrast to Utila the previous week. What was cool were the dives of swimming through sunken hotels and houses with the final spot of being 18.6m deep and cooking an egg!! Sticking your hand into hot silt was a bizarre experience but a great finale to my volcano chase.

The area around the lake is stunning with nunerous villages dotted along the way. I again sampled some German fare thanks to my new German travel buddies at San Marcos. A hippy village full of yoga retreats and meditation centres...i signed up for the 49 day silent meditation centre on the proviso i could play Playstation! This English old dude looking like an aged Neil from the Young Ones had this great philosphy of hating the west, thinking we should live in large greenhouses to be sustainable/self sufficient and that inventions led to war and were bad things...this is from someone from London who flew across the world by plane not raft to be in Guatemala so that he could tinker with his Apple Mac on the internet smoking Philip Morris cigarettes...talk about a hypocrite!! Reminds of a great song by one of my fav bands Primal Scream. Embrace technology and the new iphone 6 that i am definately getting!!

After paying my usual gringo tax to leave and arrive in any Central America country i hitchhiked for the first time (tick...just helicopter to go then all forms of transport ticked) The truck driver was doing the whole customs process with me and we chatted a little. Hence once through and saw no buses i waved him down and jumped on board for 15 mins to San Marcos. Upon arrival in town for the bus to the capital i had people offering help at every corner...first impressions are that Honduran's are friendly people and no danger anywhere. Read the guide books with a pinch of salt but still be aware of big cities is my advice. Oh and this being cowboy country i nearly left town with boots and stetson!! Yee-haa!!

The journey to Tegucigalpa (capital) is beautiful and hilly whereas the capital is boring and uninteresting. After a little wander I hit the mall for some western culture which bizarrely was watching people walk up an escalator for the first time...mucho amusing!! The city has one of the highest murder rates in the world hence the malls are safe! Even the Chinese restaurant had someone with a shotgun outside!

Utila is a backpacking haven asless resorty than nearby Roatan. The island is small with only one small town. The island even has its own song whose video sums up island life.

The island has a great Carribean flavour. The people, the food and the dominoes. My dive resort Altons had a great vibe and people. We had a booze cruise Saturday; Water Caye trip on Tuesday; and Dive Master graduation ceremony Snorkel challenge. Plus also worth noting every bar offers a T-Shirt challenge...I got one from La Cueva but no more!!

After a few nights in their hostel I upgraded to The Lighthouse to have a double bed, TV, aircon and a beloved throne that flushes properly!!

After chatting to a local it was great to hear about local life...the airport has no lights (terminal is a hut) and so if someone gets injured and taken to the mainland by plane at night all the locals in their motorbikes and golf carts light the runway so the plane can land. The island is also notorious for drug planes landing and refuelling hence no lights!! Although better these days...if police stop you from going to the airport then something is going down!

The diving sites are numerous and the coral colourful and beautiful...some of the best I have seen. The sites did lack some of the fish species I was after and the other big draw the whale shark was not evident on my dives. Having said that I saw some very cool eagle rays, squid and some smaller rare species...but really all I wanted were sharks!!

For me the cool thing was getting my diving mojo back and really started to enjoy it again. Did a night dive for the first time which was eerie and cool seeing all these flash light beams everywhere. Also did my first wreck dive of a Halliburton cargo ship at 30m which I really enjoyed. Bring on more wreck dives is all I can say!!