Middle of nowhere, Guatemala

I think it must be a couple of weeks since my last entry - where was I then? Queenstown I think. There I skied and bungy'd - the latter being the most terrifying thing I've ever done. It was a bungy swing I did rather than a bungy jump. This still involves a vertical drop but starting out away and level from where the rope is anchored. When the rope becomes taut you then swing out rather than bounce up and down. Also you don't have to jump off - you are winched into position in a harness dangling over a cliff edge (eek), then you have to remove safety clip (eek) being careful not to pull other bits and pieces (eek) and then finally when you are ready you pull the release (eek) and then wheeeeeeeeeee.......
After I opened my eyes a few seconds later it was an awesome experience. The swing is situated on the side of a mountain looking over Queenstown and the lake and the view was stunning - I didn't want to be winched back up again. However the first few seconds was gut wrenching - literally. My eyes were tightly shut and I let out this primeval gutteral sound. My stomach muscles were sore for days afterwards because I'd clenched them so tight. Anyway great experience, glad I did it but can't say I'd do it again!
So now I'm in Hawaii, Guatemala. It took 35 hours to get from NZ to El Salvador. Exhausting. I stayed a couple of days at my aunt's in Santa Tecla and went to see some ancient Mayan carvings that were found buried in a coffee plantation a couple of hours away.
WE also spent a couple of days in Antigua, Guatemala where I experienced my first active volcano and earthquake. Mt Pacaya has been at its most active for at least 10 years. You can see the lava flowing just a metre away and, boy, is it hot. That night I awoke thinking that someone was having violent sex beneath my room by the way it was shaking. Turns out to ahve been a lot more innocent - it was a tremor. Definitely made more sense than my middle of the night theory. I guess I might have been more scared if I'd realised what it was at the time!



I am writing this - actually phyically writing with pen and paper - on Sunday August 13. I am at a nature reserve called Parque Hawai, south of Monterrico on the Paacific coast and I've been here 3 days. The park is situated by a beach that is a popular turtle nesting area. It is also a popular turtle egg plundering area. We spend our nights patrolling the beach for tortugas (turtles) and parlameros (egg plunderers). If we find a turtle we wait for her to lay her 100 or so eggs, then we dig the eggs up and rebury them in the hatchery. If we find parlameros with eggs, they are required by law to give us a donation of 12 eggs which we also then bury.
My first night, I was due to patrol at 4.30am. It got stormy about 10pm which is perfect weather for the turtles so I went out then too and found a turtle!! Beginners luck. It's quite rare to find your own turtle. I wish I'd taken my camera - no doubt I won't see another one if I have my camera with me.

The storm itself was brilliant. I'd never seen such fork lightning before - networks right across the sky.

We are housed if a fairly open construction with a palm thatched roof. I'm sleeping in what is effectively a ledge above the common areas which acn be noisy - there's a squawking parrot outside and a fish tank immediately below full of prehistoric alligator garr (fish) which becmome active and splashy at night. Also since people have different shifts throughout the night there is a lot of noise from alarms, people climbing in and out of bunks and general chit chat, so a good night's sleep is hard to come by.

Free time is spent lying in hammocks or on the beach but generally in the shade. I've just checked the termperature and it 31.5 deg C in the shade. At night it's a chilly 29.5 degrees.

Along with this tropical weather comes the downside - mosquitos, fire ants, cockroaches, sandflies and rats. My legs are covered in bites and sores. Walking on the sand so much in sandals just rubs off the skin wherever the material is in contact with the sand.

Have got the chicken bus into town today to type this up but best go now as have to go for lunch and beer!!

Hasta luego