7 Days & 3 Countries Later

So, Lake Atitlan..........reputed to be THE most beautiful Lake in the World. I can not for the life of me think why. Lush green mountains towering above crystal clear water, 3 live volcanoes standing proudly directly across from our camp at Panajachel, resulting in breathtaking displays of lightening storms every night. Norton duck pond it ain't.

I decided to stay in the town, really cool, lots of great bars and restaurants.

Next morning Chad & I took a death defying 2 hour bus ride to Chichicastenango for the spectacular market there. The driver paid no heed whatsoever to anything or anybody on the road. There were hundreds of stalls selling everything imaginable.

Next day I bought a boat ticket and visited 3 of the other towns around the Lake. San Pedro was cool and laid back, Santiago had a great "locals" market and stands proudly at the foot of one of the Volcanoes (my apologies for not having the names to hand), and San Antonio was totally unspoilt, rising sharply from the dock to cling perilously to the mountainside around a small Catholic Church. Idyllic.

Leaving the Lake we travelled South and entered El Salvador. As the night drew in we attempted to find a National Park called "Imposible", I kid you not. We found the entrance by driving 20 miles up a single lane track in the pitch black and pouring rain, only to find the entrance "gate" was 6 inches lower than the truck. We had to reverse ALL the way out.

That night we "slept" in a petrol station, in the pouring rain, after persuading the gun-toting guard that our intentions were innocent.

We drove down to a small surf town called El Sunzal. A chap came by immediately and asked did anyone want a surf lesson and days board hire for $20 U.S. I jumped at the chance. We set off an hour later to walk a mile through swamps and litter (which people seem to dump randomly), to arrive at "the beach". This was supposed to be THE best beach in El Salvador (I think that must be in the same way "I AM THE BEST DANCER IN THE WORLD").

After, literally, a 30 second "lesson" (Start from here and jump up here), I was ready for my first ever surf. As you can imagine it went fantastically well. To begin with my "Instructor" forgot to mention the 30 metres of, lets say, rubbish for the sake of the kids, you had to wade through. The razor sharp rocks which cut my feet to ribbons also escaped his tuition. I finally got to a place I could get on the board and began to paddle. After a couple of minutes I looked over my shoulder. My "Instructor" was busy surfing 100 metres away and I had been dragged, by the huge riptide running across the beach, away from the surf. I attempted to paddle towards him and after 20 minutes, exhausted, I had travelled..... NOWHERE. My only option was to swim with the board to the shore. As I did a huge wave hit me from behind throwing me from the board and scraping me over the rocks. I stood up covered in ......let's stay with, rubbish. My surf lesson was over, I left the board where it was and stomped back to the camp to, literally, nurse my wounds.

After a couple of days we headed for Copan, stopping for a few hours in .........a town which really deserved a lot longer. The town really did have the most amazing local market. It was huge and totally authentic. It would have taken at least a day just to get around it. The town itself was beautiful too, sitting as it does in the shadow of another Volcano.

In Copan, as ever, with the opportunity of a double room with en-suite availabe for the princely sum of £3.50 per night. We chose to camp in a field a mile from town with no toilet, water or shower facilities. I stayed in town, and what a brilliant place. Not too touristy but with a great mix of local culture and travellers to make it really interesting. That night I had my first ever Salsa dancing lesson and my word I WAS AWESOME (okay, I had drank a LOT of alcomohol at this point, so my judgement may be somewhat clouded (or is that deluded????)). I was drinking with Aussie Paul (Mick). It was a great night.

Next morning we crossed the border into Honduras and drove to another seriously pretty town called Sochitoto and camped in the grounds of a restaurant called Vista............, a stunning setting right on the edge of a valley overlooking the jungle and Lake. Next morning I went Waterfall jumping with the owner, Rene. This involved walking through the jungle for several miles to a river and the throwing ourselves off 3 waterfalls (approx 8m, 10m and 12m respectively). I loved it!!!

Next stop was Santa Ana, where we arrived 4 nights ago to stay at a German run site. Once again our truck was too high for the entrance so we basically locked it up and abandoned it. I took a bus to the airport at La Ceiba, and then a flight ($47) to the Bay Island of Utila, from where I write this blog. I have been here for 3 nights now and it is definitely on a par with Caye Caulker (so much so that 4 of our party have decided to stay here for an extra month).

Apparently some guy called Robinson Crusoe rocked up here a few years back. Now I can remember reading about this chap at school and "oooh the hardship of being shipwrecked on a desert island, with no food or water" NICK OFF, THERE'S LOADS. I can only assume that old Robbo was telling a few porky's for a bit of sympathy.