Mugged in Granada and looooving Guatemala!

Hey guys and girls!!!

Wow... a lot has happened since the last time I´ve written a message. We have been so busy that I just did not have time to write, yes welcome to the life of a backpacker. It´s a fulltime job, I´d tell you that!!! But a fun one!!! So dancing on a Thursday night in Granada... left us with a bit of a bitter taste, because I got mugged.

We were walking down the streets by ourselves, one of the rare times, because we normally always find male friends for some reason hahah, emphasis on friends! But in our hostel there were only volunteers that had to get up early and went to bed early too... So from the main road we had to walk two blocks home and just when we started to walk away from that main street I felt that we were being followed by two guys ... not a nice feeling... SO we started to walk a bit faster.. and faster.. and around the corner we started to walk really fast. We didn´t want to run because then they know that you are panicking... That´s when I knew that shit was going to hit the van, as Karin so nicely puts ;). So we managed to get to the gate of our hostel, Eva got in and just as I wanted to get in I looked in the direction of the guys and they pushed me and tore apart my little purse... Luckily I had brought an old camera to take pictures in high-risk areas haha, for example top go dancing or the beach. So they stole an old camera and 4 dollars. Rest of the loot: girls´ stuff, lipgloss and so on... Maybe the most valuable thing: pictures of us in our bathing suits grrr!!

So the next day we went to the police, got the paper work done and left for Matagalpa that same afternoon. In Matagalpa we stayed in a very nice hostel and visited a chocolate factory: jummm!!! The next Monday we took the Ticabus towards San Salvador, the first stop, and then to Guatemala City. It´s very easy travelling with the Ticabus, especially around borders such as Guatemala - El Salvador. In El Salvador, the guard of the hostel welcomed us with a huge gun and we were told not to go out on the streets after 20.00.

The next morning we were supposed to leave at 5.30 so we were well prepared and set the alarm clock just 15 minutes before departure. Unforunately, the guy from the hotel thought we would take longer and woke us up at 4.30!!! At mid-day we arrived in Guatemala City where we met a great couple, American and El Salvadorian and the brother of the American girl who helped us in getting a chicken bus to Antigua, one of the few routes that is supposed to be safe. And if you want to see guns.. go to Guatemala, basically anyone has them...

Antigua was very nice!!! A very beautiful colonial city surrounded by three volcanoes, that you can climb. So that´s what we did the following morning, departure time 6.00. As it errupted recently, it was not possible to walk to the crater nor see the lava rivers, but we did get to walk on the lava rivers of the last eruption (more than 7kms long and 100m wide!). You could still feel the heat of the lava underneath and through some holes you could actually see the lava. The next day we went for a tour along the Lago de Atitlan, departure time 6.00 hahahaha! Told you we didn´t have time to write!

We visited three towns and in one of them, San Juan de Atitlan, we did a tour around the tiny town and learned a bit more about Mayan culture, such as medicinal plants, painting, weaving and so on... very interesting!! And of course, a lancha is always a lot of fun! We also went to the house of a God, Maximon, that changes houses every year and drinks and smokes, very interesting hahaha

That same night we went out in Antigua. First we had a drink at a Mexican restaurant, one of the bartenders is a friend of ours, and then we went dancing. As everything closes at 1.00 (also during the weekend) our friend, Sergio, was not able to get to the bar because of some drunk Hondurians (no idea if this is correct) so he took us to some illegal bars. You just knock on a door... someone opens the window, checks who´s there and then literally pulls you in.... And as soon as you hear footsteps... all the lights are turned off, so is the music and everyone is quiet until the noise disappears!!! After a nice relaxing day of shopping and illegal partying in Antigua, we travelled to Semuc Champey last Saturday.

Semuc Champey is a World Heritage Side and it is a natural bridge. A river runs underneath the rocks and the rocks naturally turned into swimming pools. But beefore we went there, we had to work a bit. Adventurous as we are (NOT!!! we are now though), we joined a tour through the caves of the area. The only thing you wear is a pair of shoes, a bathing suit and a candle. Then you go into the caves, swimming through the rivers in the cave, climbing waterfalls in the cave, and keeping your candle alive!!! This was definitely one of the most amazing thing I have ever done, we had sooooo much fun! After the cave exercise, we went tubing, definitely have to repeat that some day! We even jumped off a swing into the river, landed flat on our chest, but got great pictures!!! In the afternoon we went to the swimming pools and as Eva and another Dutch girl we met, went straight to the pools, me and her boyfriend, a friend of hers and two crazy German dare devils, started the climb towards the viewpoint. It was very steep, very slippery and because it was going to rain soon, we did the climb in 30 minutes instead of the 1,5 hours it normally takes. Views from the top were definitely worth the effort!!!

Yesterday we travelled onwards to Flores, a tiny peninsula that serves as a gateway to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Tours leave at 4.30, because of the heat and the chance to see animals. I looooooved Tikal. A lot of the ruines are still uncovered, so everywhere you see a hill hides something underneath. You can still climb some of the temples.... even though they are really high and there is no fence and you look straight down a n enormous set of steep stairs from 60m high...... But I decided that my fear of hights would not ruin my visit to Tikal... trembling I got to the top.... stayed glued to the wall, but loved it!

Tomorrow we will continue our travels to Mexico, to Palenque, another Mayan ruin hidden in the jungle. As Eva has a birthday party at the other coast of Mexico, I will be on my own as of Thursday!! We will join paths again in probably a week/two weeks from now, depending on what we both want from the trip, cause Eva discovered she is not the jungle type... and a lot of the pyramids are in the jungle.... Our little Jungle Jane´s, aka Karlijn, only big fear are the frogs... other than that, I´ll be fine!

So I hope to write to you all from either Palenque or San Cristobal de las Casas, where I´m going after Palenque.

Hope you are all doing fine!!!! Miss you all and hope to see you soon!!!

Big kiss and hug!