Travelled today. I settled my bill with John at the Trek Stop, said my goodbyes, and I was on the road again. I’ll miss that place. I had an excellent time there.

From San Ignacio, I picked up Lisa and Michelle, the two students who are on a tour of central America and on their way to Plancencia, my destination for today. They were part of the Tikal group the day before and I briefly saw them after my beer last night. As it turned out, we were all heading to Plancencia so I was more than happy to give them a lift.

The drive was uneventful but the landscape was beautiful throughout. The last 25 miles or so were a bit of pain since the road was not paved but Julio, the car, did absolutely fine. We were able to sustain speeds of around 50-60km/h so I felt comfortable taking Julio on that road. Unfortunately, the dust from the other cars got everywhere.

Plancencia seems to be very quiet this time of the year. According to the guide book is a yet-to-be-discovered tourist destination. You couldn’t tell that from the many hotels, cabanas, and few resorts that have already been established. It’s a beautiful town and seems very relaxed. We walked around for a bit to find accommodation. Lisa and Michelle found a budget-conscious room for the night; they are getting a boat to the Honduras tomorrow morning. I rented a gorgeous cabana, with its own veranda and hammock (photos tomorrow). This is the part of the trip where I relax. I plan to stay 4 nights here, reading and writing. Today was cloudy but if the sun comes out, I also plan to do some scuba diving around here.

I also managed to work on the book today.

BTW… since many of you have asked… No more bedbugs (or whatever type of bugs there were I picked up from Progresso). I got rid of them on day 7 and they haven’t reappeared. I’ve been very very careful since then.

Later in the evening Lisa, Michelle, and I went for drinks and beers. It was nice. In all, a relaxing day.