It's my birthday!

I woke up at 4am on Christmas Eve to my phone ringing. I couldn't find it in the dark but it was so nice to know that friends from Australia were calling me for my birthday ... thanks Helen x

My roomie Sarah wished me a sleepy happy birthday, I sang 'Happy Birthday to me' and prompty went back to sleep.

When I did wake up properly I was excited. We were heading to Rio Dulce for a few days.




My fabulous travel buddies surprised me with a birthday gift of a pinata and a bottle of tequila. Apparently the tequila is for every time I miss the pinata. Oh hell!

 We piled into the mini van for the 4 hour drive. Maria (the pinata) took a spot on the back seat. We arrived at a crazy busy town where everyone seemed to be in a Christmas panic. Seems like some things are the same all over the world.

We stocked up on booze and loaded all our gear into a very small boat for our trip down river. Such a beautiful place ...

Maria really enjoyed the ride.....

Our accommodation was amazing ... the perfect place to have a birthday celebration. I felt like I was sleeping in a tree house.

I donned my tiara, matching jewels and wand (thanks Sar and Eb) and settled in for a fun night. After blowing out the candles it was pinata time.

I'd never hit a pinata before so was very excited, but that feeling soon disappeared ... Maria was tough to break and I must admit it took a few tequila shots (on my part) to finally break her.

I made sure I finished her off, then fell into exhaustion.

I woke the next morning with a surprisingly clear head, it was Christmas.

We donned our santa hats (mine was a fancy one with flashing lights) and spent a day relaxing in yet another piece of paradise. The day was finished off with a turkey dinner. Who would have expected that in Guatemala!

Merry (belated) Christmas xx

Guatemala - Rio dulce