As the name of this entry suggests, we have just been through some incredibly awesome times which were quite evenly mixed with really awful times. I suppose it starts with snorkeling.

I told you we planned on snorkeling, so one day we rented some gear to see if I could handle it with my cold, which I could. It was pretty fun, just kicking off the beach and looking around. There were giant man-sized fish that were always just in the edges of our vision, and there were little tiny fish that continually swam around my legs. A few of them even tried to bite George`s shorts!

Well, the next day we joined a guided snorkeling tour. It was very pricey at $70US/person, but when will we have another chance to snorkel in some of the world`s most beautiful reef?

We went to the Silk Cayes, an hours boat ride out in open ocean. It was the most uncomfortable ride I`ve had, as we soared over the tall waves and landed on the other side with a crash over and over. But that was very fun! And the water was beautiful, the most clear water I`ve ever seen, and the sun was shining, and everything seemed perfect.

The cayes themselves were like something out of a dream! Tiny white sand islands with a few palms poking out, little crabs scurrying everywhere, and surrounded by crystal blue water. This was our first snorkeling site. But here`s where my trouble began. My snorkel was one of the new kinds, with a kind of valve in front of your mouth which is meant to automatically release any water which may have come in the top.

My valve was working backwards. With every breath, I got a big mouthful of salt water. George tried to teach me to blow the water out, but I couldn`t figure it out, so we traded snorkels. But his snorkel was taking water in through the valve every ten breaths. When this happened, I had to roll over and dump the water out. Very annoying. It made for a very distracting time. I was really interested in the various types of coral and all the fish, but I was constantly rolling over to dump out water.

Two cool things we saw were baracuda and a ray. Those were pretty awesome. After we finished snorkeling the guides made BBQ chicken and scalloped plantain for lunch, then we went to another island. This one was an island used by conch fisherman, and so the island was covered in conch shells! We took two of them - they are so pretty! But very heavy!

Our second snorkel site had much different coral - it was much crazier and full of peaks and valleys. But because the coral was so high and close to the surface, I had no room to roll over. Some of the coral stings you if you touch it, and others are very sensitive and if I hit them they could break or die. So I (quite angrily) went back to shore and waited for them to finish.

When we got back to town, we tried to talk to the tour agency to get some money back, but they promptly disappeared. Every time we walked past, they were gone. We later found out many people had the exact same experience.

The next day we left Placencia for Guatemala. Ah, Guatemala! How we looked forward to her! It was here we met so many fascinating people, and were so awed by the landscape. It took us two days to get there, bussing through very beautiful country. We saw a bar fight on the way (my first one!) and we were lied to by bus and taxi drivers at the Guatemala/Belize border more than we have been at any other border.

The drivers kept saying "There`s no chicken bus here! You have to take my taxi! It only costs $20 per person. That`s cheap!" But we ignored them, as we have learned to do, and found the chicken bus to Flores.

Flores is a tiny peninsula stretching over Lake Peten Itza. It`s an old colonial town, with tiny two metre wide cobblestone streets. Our hotel had a beautiful view of the lake, and from the rooftop lounge area, we could watch the amazing sunsets over the lake.

When we arrived, a very awesome festival was just beginning! Three times a day some people wearing giant puppets with floppy arms came dancing down the street followed by a ten-man brass band. It was always followed by a large crowd. At every corner, they would blow up some fireworks and switch dancers with anyone in the crowd. And there were horribly loud fireworks and bombs blowing up all day and all night!

On the mainland, there was a fair with carnival rides and some of the crappiest fair games I have ever seen. I can`t begin to describe the extent of their crappiness. And the only food being sold at 100`s of food stalls, was chicken and rice. But it was damn good chicken and rice! Some of the tastiest we`ve had!

One night we went to the carnival and ate chicken, drank loads of beer, and went on a ride. We met up with some friends there, and went back to Flores to find cheap margueritas, which we couldn`t find. So instead we went into a tiny little "cantina", which is a locals pub. There were five old men and one old lady in there.

They were so excited to see us in there, that they put on a marimba CD and we all began dancing. It was a blast! That is, until the lady asked me where my purse was.

I had put it down to dance, not even thinking twice as it seemed so safe and wonderful in there. But she was right - it was gone. And the only thing inside my purse was my camera. The lady asked all the men to give it back, but they all said they didn`t take it. Then we all remembered that someone`s children had come in and quickly ran off. So the lady told us to come back in the morning and hopefully she will have tracked it down.

The next morning we had booked a tour to go to Tikal at 5AM. Tikal is the most impressive Mayan ruins site in all of Central America. I am really sad that I didn`t have my camera there. The buildings were really impressive. And we could climb up the tallest ones by means of incredibly steap and rickety staircases attached to the sides. From the top of the Temple of the Moon (or the Temple of the Sun, I can`t remember) we watched the sun rise over the Temple of the Sun (or the Temple of the Moon.)

Between ruin sites you had to wander through beautiful jungle paths, where we could see so many different animals! We saw howler monkeys and spider monkeys, and we saw the most beautiful wild turkey you could imagine! At first we thought they were some type of peacock! We saw a group exit the forest onto the path, so we followed them quietly for a while, until they pecked their way back into the forest.

We also saw army ants! These are the creepiest things I have ever seen! The group swarmed out onto the path and devoured everything they came across. A cockroach accidentally walked into their group and was devoured in seconds. Awesome.

When we returned in the evening, we went to see if they found my camera. They didn`t. So we went to eat supper at a cheap restaurant and ate the only thing on the menu - chicken and rice. I had one bite of my veggies, and decided against them. I had three bites of my chicken, and noticing the uncooked insides, decided against it.

George, however, had already made and eaten three veggie-rice-chicken tacos, as all meals come with tortillas. After those, he noticed the food was bad too. Needless to say, we both got food poisoning. It was the worst I have ever had. We were both up all night with sickness. It was so bad, my eyelids bruised! We had booked a shuttle service to take us to Palenque, Mexico at 5AM that morning, but we obviously couldn`t go! So at 5AM I slinked down the stairs and told them so.

In the morning, for a $20 fee, we rebooked for the following morning. But George was not getting better. I was almost fine, but George seemed to be getting worse. I guess it`s because he ate so much of the veggies. But he broke out in fever and chills. He wouldn`t eat anything, but we made some orange juice and bought some gatorade and drank lots of water.

The next morning George still was not fit to travel, so we had to cancel and rebook the shuttle once again. We also had some money problems - our only source of money wouldn`t work in Guatemala, so we had to beg our parents for help or we would have no way of getting out of Guatemala! Now, this next part I haven`t told my parents yet. Immediately after they helped us, I lost George`s bank card. The card that had all our money.

And we didn`t notice until we were in San Cristobal, Mexico. We fixed the problem and called the bank and all is well. But damn, was George angry with me! I have never seen him so angry! And I don`t blame him.

The trip from Flores was amazingly beautiful. We had to cross a river on a tiny thatch-roof-covered boat. It was a twenty minute ride, and so peaceful. Again, I wish I had some photos to show you.

Now we are in San Cristobal to do some shopping! And it is so cold! Much colder than last time we were here. It`s very much like Vancouver winter weather.

We met up with some friends from Panama here, and are hanging out with them. Last night was marguerita night! Tonight is two for one cocktail night! Woohoo!

And next Tuesday, we finally leave Central America. It feels weird to say, and I don`t really believe it. And - now here`s the real hard part - I`m going to have to WORK again. Man, that`s weird.

As soon as I return, I am going on a two week trip to visit my family in Saskatchewan! I can`t wait! I really can`t! But family - can you please lend me a coat? And some boots, a hat and some mittens? Or two or three?