When I get to Panachel, I try to find a bus to Guatemala City so I can stay there for the night and travel to El Salvador. Thing is, I arrive there too late to catch a connecting bus. Turns out the buses stop at 5 or 6pm. I guess they have problems with the roads or with bandits so travel between towns and cities is forbidden for passengers own safety.

So I end up going to a local guesthouse for the night, hoping to catch the next mornings bus. Its a shame there isn’t internet at the guesthouse as it was really cheap! I think some local guesthouses are cheaper as they’re not backpacker oriented though they lack some amenities. When I’m in the room, I look at a tourist guide freebie book on Antigua. I was gonna stay there to check out the place and maybe do another volcano hike. But while I’m reading the guide, I see it has a few pages dedicated to ‘must see’ things in Guatemala. Tikal, volcanoes and Semuc Champey waterfalls. Jon, who I met in Xela said he was gonna check them out. I regret not going with him and if its one of the must do things then really I should go do it!

As I have no internet I need to go to a place with WiFi and where I can have dinner. I end up going to Pollo Campero, a chicken place that has WiFi and serves pizza too! Pollo Campero is a saving grace. I can eat without being too self conscious and I can use the net. The place serves fried chicken but also sells pizza, has table service, has a delivery service, a takeaway counter, a outside counter if you don’t wanna go into the restaurant AND a security guard to open the door for you. Wow. McDonalds and Burger King need to learn from these guys.

Dinner on my own, one of my worst fears. I dunno what it is, but I just hate it. Its a weird feeling I get when eating alone. I NEVER do it back home but I’m now doing it abroad. If there is a situation where I NEED to eat alone, I just won’t do it.

I look up that will have to get a shuttle to Coban which is the nearest big town to Semuc Champey. Its too late to find a tour company so I have to wait til the next day.