The shuttle from Panajachel took us to Guatemala City, though we didn't know this would be via Antigua. It felt like a long journey, with a bus that distressingly smelt mildly like vomit, and a driver who refused to let us use the toilet. The journey left a lot to be desired.

We arrived at the bus station in Guatemala City with an hour and a half to wait for our overnight bus to Flores . It was a long hour and a half. Ken eventually located some food though they only gave us half of what we asked for, before we were told to queue pointlessly for 40 minutes whilst absolutely nothing happened. We were searched on entering the bus, swiftly attempted to make ourselves comfortable, were told to move seats which we didn't do, and got underway.

The bus was cold then hot then freezing cold, and we slept relatively well, despite the seats being semi-cama only, and the interruptions in the night. These included being boarded for no known reason by people in orange tabards, a stop for the toilet (though there was one on board), and another random stop where all the lights were turned on. We arrived in Santa Elena bus station, near Flores, at 6.20am, to the touts wishing to take us anywhere and everywhere.

We took a taxi to Flores. Flores is a small island, connected by a short causeway road bridge to the mainland, in Lago Peten Itza . Lake Peten Itza is the second largest lake in Guatemala, is freshwater, and is home to many important animals in the local ecosystem. For us, Flores was a jumping off point for nearby-ish Tikal. We went to a hostel we'd read about, checked in to a room but were offered another at 10am. So we got some sleep, blagged a free breakfast, moved rooms, and set about finding the best way to get to Tikal, camp, have a guided tour, and get back from Tikal. For this, we enlisted several different travel agencies. After circumnavigating the island (this really didn't take long), we settled on a company and bought tickets with them for a trip the following day. On our walk, we saw that Flores appears to be flooding, and that Lake Peten Itza's level appears to be rising, like Lake Atitlan's.

Unfortunately, Jayna became increasingly sick over the course of the day and so retired to bed as soon as she could. It was also our anniversary! No celebrating for us!

On Sunday 19th, Jayna was still sick, so we postponed our trip to Tikal until the following day. Despite promises of a free breakfast, the hostel did not deliver this. Ken later went for a wander to the island's mirador, a swim in the lake and some beers. Jayna basically slept and was sick. It wasn't the best of days.

Next stop - Tikal!