Guatemala esta cool! Alto cinco!

random notes on a whirlwind long weekend in central america (this trip brought to wendy courtesy of super-cheap spirit air fares, a generous boss, veterans of america's wars, and my being born 26 years ago):

* 5 days, guatemala, accompanied by best friend Kat (with whom i've made memorial day/birthday excursions every year for the last 4. we are, uh, starting to look like each other.)

* Antigua: a tremendously colorful and unique colonial city. saw plenty o' church and nunnery ruins sprinkled 'round the city, enjoyed plenty of street food and strawberry licuados.

* The Most Uncomfortable Night Ever on overnight bus to Tikal; sat in 3-seater bench crammed next to tiny restroom in the very back of the bus - and there was a really overweight lady with serious intestinal distress climbing over me and into the bathroom every hour. budget travel, ole!

* Tikal! ancient temple ruins! monkeys! toucans! malarial mosquito bites! insane jungle roads! awesomeness in a half-shell!
* Semuc Champey, the golden pinnacle of the weekend: hiking in the jungle, swimming in gorgeous limestone pools, jumping over rocks, climbing down a waterfall and into the cave behind it, seeing the biggest spider ever, wearing Chacos and loving them.
* Nir the Israeli and an epic taco/churrasco/fajita/nacho eating session during which it became quite apparent that we were delirious and sleep-deprived. How do Israelis feel about little dogs? I know the answer.

* 27 May 007, the day I turned 26. Bus drama involving Guatemala time (no rush!), pouring rains, and a blown tire meant we didn't get back to Antigua in time to hike the volcano Pakaya (though the driver did have a cassette tape with Ghostbusters and Eye of the Tiger which played on repeat and made me laugh). We did, however, get full-body massages and hear some great live traditional Guatemalan music - and Kat surprised me at dinner with 17+1 lit candles in my birthday flan. And receiving so many COMPTRON anagram poems of love in my surprise birthday email account (happybirthdaycomptron!) absolutely made my night and my year - thank you all, thank you thank you thank you.

* Grocery shopping: what Wendy travels would be complete without it? Final day Guatemala City food purchases were inspired primarily by the Honeymonster. Please, frightening hairy yellow cereal man, come visit us in America!