-Rio Dulce-

-Farewell Guatemala-

-December 28th-

I woke to the unmistakeable sound of the whistling turbo of the dilapidated red bus engine and the sound of people clearing their throat in the opposing hotel room.  I am certainly not in the middle of a jungle anymore. I am back in Guatemala City Baby!

Already today I have seen a man defecating in the street and a lady buying a morning loaf with a gun in the space of 5 minutes. Querky place, nice to be back.

  The last few days were a bit of a blur, but a good blur. The Round House served as a great disconnect to city and civilisation. We couldn't go anywhere unless we rowed a boat or kayak or decided to pay for a collective boat ride which dramatically slowed down the pace.

I could have done with another day in Rio Dulce, maybe even a few years. Saying that my data is running low as there was no wifi there...no wifi, almost 2020 and no wifi. I am kidding, this was part of Rio Dulce's charm.

The staff were friendly, not to mention the relaxed guests, all two of them and of course Baloo the son of a Rottweiler. Regarding Baloo, four of us managed to tie his legs up with rope, pin him down, prize his jaws open with two wooden poles and remove the remaining porcupine spines with pliers. It was a stressful event but apparently this is how it is done in the jungle. It certainly worked, 2 year old Baloo was his old self almost immediately, and no vet bills either. Going to miss the chap.

When I come back to this area I would like to see Semuc Champey and climb a few more volcanos, with a couple armed guards. I'm sure it will happen. I feel like Guatemala has something for everyone, every demographic with any agenda. One month is a decent length of time to discover some of Guatemala's gems, whether that be old colonial settlements, traditional Maya villages, Mayan Ruins, lakes, volcanos, hot springs, islands, jungles, rivers, waterfalls, the ocean and fresh fruit.. the place has it all! Of course, the people are very helpful and I would say tolerant of travellers.