Tikal and yet ANOTHER change of plans

Hello folks! A "quick" note (haha) to share with you the crazy experiences of my trip to Tikal and a bit of an update on me. This past week, from Thursday to Sunday, I went with the school to Tikal, a region in the jungles of Peten in the very north of Guatemala. It took about 7-8 hours total to get there, and although I looooove long carrides *groan* it was worth it! On the way to Tikal, we stopped in Rio Dulce, a beautiful city on the edge of the water with a hot, humid, vacation air about it. We then visited Linvingston, a city on the edge of the Caribbean ocean populated by the unexpected combination of Carib Indians and descendants of african slaves (translation: Black). It was beautiful to get to meet this small portion of the Guatemalan nation that is oft overlooked, with their own brand of culture and speech. We then skipped over to Tikal, home of the oldest pre-columbian ruins in Guatemala. It would take 3-4 days to visit what has been uncovered and restored of the ancient city, and so far only about 20% of the buildings and temples have been cleared!!! I got to climb two temples (ouch for the thighs!) and got to look out over a panoramic view of the jungles and temples soaring above the canopy (there is actually a scene in Star Wars: The Emperor Strikes Back that was filmed from that exact spot!). Breathtaking. It made me glad to be alive to stand in such an ancient place, where Mayans once stood to count the stars and ponder the meaning of life. I also got to see (and hear) howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and toucans. I heard a jaguar scream, but didn't see one (although they roam free in the National Park).
On my trip I got to meet some amazing people, amongst them a lovely deaf woman named Roni and her two interpreter-friends, Caroline and Melissa. Over the course of the weekend, with infinite patience, they answered some of the questions I had about the deaf community and taught me some sign language. It was awesome! Only more proof of how many cool and unexpected acquaintances you can make while travelling! It got me thinking, and I would like to work with deaf children while I am studying in BC, during the winter semester. What a beautiful thread in the tapestry of life that I have just discovered!
As for my change of plans... for the third time since I arrived, my plans to travel around Guatemala have fallen through. Unfortunately, my travel partner had to back out and so I found myself a bit stuck. I had told my host home that I was leaving August 1st, so they agreed to have 3 new students come into the house on the 2nd, meaning that I have to move out then, and find somewhere else to stay until my flight. And to be frank, although Antigua is nice I've been here for 9 weeks and it's time for a change. So there I was, stressed out about the situation and the uncertainty...and then a ray of golden sun (AKA God doing His cool thing) appeared and a group of friends from Antigua decided that they'd like to go travel in Honduras for a week. Yayyyy!! So I am leaving Tuesday, August 5th for Hunduras, and will be coming back to Antigua on August 11th. I'll stay a couple of days and then get on a nice long (24 hours) bus ride to Chiapas to arrive, hopefully, on the 14th in Tuxtla. The next morning, on the 15th, I catch my flight in Tuxtla and will be home late that night. Needless to say I have learned a whole lot about flexibility and compromise!!! LOL.