Guatemala
17 Juli 2016 | Guatemala, Antigua
The day after we arrived in Flores, Guatemala, we took an very early tour to Tikal, the Mayan City of Sounds in the middle of the jungle. Our intention was to see te sunrise while standing on a plateau of a Mayan temple. Unfortunately it was foggy and we didn't see anything. But we heard thing as the jungle beneath us awoke! It looked like the growling of bears and wolves, but it turned out to be the Howler Monkey. How such a little creature can make such a sound remains a mystery. But that's not why the Mayans called it Tika, the City of Sounds or the City of Voices. It were the acoustics at the main square between two temples. If you clapped your hands in a certain spot in the middle between the temples, you could hear a really weird echo. How this echo is produced is still a mystery to scientists.
We got back to Flores around noon and just wandered around the city and the lake.
The next day we left for Lanquín, the town near Semuc Champey, the inlands of Guatemala. A few days earlier we caught word that Semuc Champey was closed, due to a feud between different villages and the government about the earnings of the park. So the closed it down altogether. But now rumour had it that Semuc Champey was open again. But after a nine hour drive through the mountains it turned out it was a lie. Well, not entirely. The water terraces of Semuc Champey we closed, but the rest wasn't. So we went caving and tubing. Caving was quite fun, it was like a ghost tour. They planted candles in the cave and set out a route for us to follow. We also got a candle and had to swim and climb with it through the cave. So you had to swim with one hand.
After the cave we went to the river that fueled the water terraces of Semuc Champey. We could actually see it from a distance, but we couldn't get any closer because it was closed.
The first activity was to jump in the river from a swing. It did the same thing in Laos, so I decided to do it again. But this time it was much higher. I landed flat out on my stomach in the water. Gasping for air I climbed on the river banks, and not until later I realized that I must have gotten one or several bruised ribs. There was also an opportunity to jump from a bridge. I passed... But local kids came and did it as well, yelling 'Facking Bueño!' as the jumped.
On the way back the road was half blocked by a truck, and our pickup truck, where everyone sat in the back, just managed to pass by. Our guide told us all that we had a different driver, who was not as skilled as the usual driver, because the usual driver had had too much cocaine. So implied was that our driver now had snored just enough cocaine to still be able to drive...
But we made it back safely. The next morning an other nine hour drive lay ahead of us. This time to Antigua. As we drove through supposedly criminal Guatemala City, the driver checked again if all the cardoors were locked, as people from the street tend to jump in your car while you are waiting for a red traffic light.
First we had to find a hostel in Antigua to drop off our backs and then went out for dinner. As we came back we requested an other room, as Kirsten's bed was coverd in marijuana, and it smelled awfull. So we got another room.
The next day I was our own guide again. With my Lonely Planet in my hand, we did a little city tour. We took a taxi to Cerro de la Cruz and form there walked back to the city via various landmarks. We did it on our own pace, stopping for lunch and drinks on the way.
The next morning was early again as we wanted to climb the Pacaya vulcano. First we wanted to do a two-day climb on some other vulcanos around Antigua, but I, and I imagine especially Kirsten, were glad we did only the one day Pacaya trip. Because of Kirsten's astma she took a horse to the top, while I, with a few others I met there, walked to the top. While we all were struggeling to find our way to the top our guide was cracking jokes, he was hilarious!
We got back to Antigua at noon and that evening a friend of mine would drive all the way from El Salvador, were he lived, to Antigua to meet us. I met him three years ago in Laos, and we travelled together through Vietnam and Cambodia. So he told me three years ago to contact him when I found myself in Central America. So I did. And he drove up with a friend to spend the weekend with us in Antigua.
The next morning, after breakfast, we said goodbye as they drove back to San Salvador while we were on our way to Panajachel at Lago Atitlán. At Lago Atitlán we wanted to go parasailing. But unfortunately the wind was not right, so we couldn't do that. And there was not much else for us to do. So we did some souvenir shopping and took the boat to the other side of the lake, to also quiet village. Santiago Atitlán was apparently the first village that chased away the gouvernment forces during the Civil War. I had read about the Civil War before I came to Guatemala, but never imagined is was a huge civil war. That's the apparent reason you don't see any old men in Guatemala, because most of them died during the war, were imprisoned, or both. That's why the average age in Guatemala is under 30!
We only spend a few hours in Santiago Atitlán and went back to Panajachel, where we did nothing at all. So we went back to Antigua as soon as possible for our last few days in Guatemala. There we met with some people we also joined our Pacaya tour a few days ago. We had some food and some drinks and they invited us to visit their guest house, where they did a language course, so we did. It was quiet nice and I wish we had met them earlier, because it was our last day. The next day we would fly back to Cancún, spend our last day in Playa del Carmen and then fly back home.
It is said that Guatemala is kind of dangerous to travel around or walk around at night, but I almost never felt unsafe. One time I got a bit puzzled about what was going on. There were giant queues at every ATM in the city and streets were closed down by the police. So back at the hostel I asked what was going on and it turned out the people were queuing before the ATMs because it was payday. But nobody could tell me why the streets were blocked. The next day it turned out their was a running event going on, so that's why they blocked some streets. Nothing to worry about!
Although my Spanish was basic, I could get by with the little Spanish words I knew. I also did a beginners course in Spanish before I went to Central America, but next time I go to Central or South America (which is on my bucket list), I want to do a Spanish course there. But not before my Spanish is a little better so I can interact with the local people there. So everyday for twenty minutes or so I practise on the Duolingo app, hoping to get a little better before I enroll in a Spanish language course in Peru, Bolivia or Argentina.
We got back to Flores around noon and just wandered around the city and the lake.
The next day we left for Lanquín, the town near Semuc Champey, the inlands of Guatemala. A few days earlier we caught word that Semuc Champey was closed, due to a feud between different villages and the government about the earnings of the park. So the closed it down altogether. But now rumour had it that Semuc Champey was open again. But after a nine hour drive through the mountains it turned out it was a lie. Well, not entirely. The water terraces of Semuc Champey we closed, but the rest wasn't. So we went caving and tubing. Caving was quite fun, it was like a ghost tour. They planted candles in the cave and set out a route for us to follow. We also got a candle and had to swim and climb with it through the cave. So you had to swim with one hand.
After the cave we went to the river that fueled the water terraces of Semuc Champey. We could actually see it from a distance, but we couldn't get any closer because it was closed.
The first activity was to jump in the river from a swing. It did the same thing in Laos, so I decided to do it again. But this time it was much higher. I landed flat out on my stomach in the water. Gasping for air I climbed on the river banks, and not until later I realized that I must have gotten one or several bruised ribs. There was also an opportunity to jump from a bridge. I passed... But local kids came and did it as well, yelling 'Facking Bueño!' as the jumped.
On the way back the road was half blocked by a truck, and our pickup truck, where everyone sat in the back, just managed to pass by. Our guide told us all that we had a different driver, who was not as skilled as the usual driver, because the usual driver had had too much cocaine. So implied was that our driver now had snored just enough cocaine to still be able to drive...
But we made it back safely. The next morning an other nine hour drive lay ahead of us. This time to Antigua. As we drove through supposedly criminal Guatemala City, the driver checked again if all the cardoors were locked, as people from the street tend to jump in your car while you are waiting for a red traffic light.
First we had to find a hostel in Antigua to drop off our backs and then went out for dinner. As we came back we requested an other room, as Kirsten's bed was coverd in marijuana, and it smelled awfull. So we got another room.
The next day I was our own guide again. With my Lonely Planet in my hand, we did a little city tour. We took a taxi to Cerro de la Cruz and form there walked back to the city via various landmarks. We did it on our own pace, stopping for lunch and drinks on the way.
The next morning was early again as we wanted to climb the Pacaya vulcano. First we wanted to do a two-day climb on some other vulcanos around Antigua, but I, and I imagine especially Kirsten, were glad we did only the one day Pacaya trip. Because of Kirsten's astma she took a horse to the top, while I, with a few others I met there, walked to the top. While we all were struggeling to find our way to the top our guide was cracking jokes, he was hilarious!
We got back to Antigua at noon and that evening a friend of mine would drive all the way from El Salvador, were he lived, to Antigua to meet us. I met him three years ago in Laos, and we travelled together through Vietnam and Cambodia. So he told me three years ago to contact him when I found myself in Central America. So I did. And he drove up with a friend to spend the weekend with us in Antigua.
The next morning, after breakfast, we said goodbye as they drove back to San Salvador while we were on our way to Panajachel at Lago Atitlán. At Lago Atitlán we wanted to go parasailing. But unfortunately the wind was not right, so we couldn't do that. And there was not much else for us to do. So we did some souvenir shopping and took the boat to the other side of the lake, to also quiet village. Santiago Atitlán was apparently the first village that chased away the gouvernment forces during the Civil War. I had read about the Civil War before I came to Guatemala, but never imagined is was a huge civil war. That's the apparent reason you don't see any old men in Guatemala, because most of them died during the war, were imprisoned, or both. That's why the average age in Guatemala is under 30!
We only spend a few hours in Santiago Atitlán and went back to Panajachel, where we did nothing at all. So we went back to Antigua as soon as possible for our last few days in Guatemala. There we met with some people we also joined our Pacaya tour a few days ago. We had some food and some drinks and they invited us to visit their guest house, where they did a language course, so we did. It was quiet nice and I wish we had met them earlier, because it was our last day. The next day we would fly back to Cancún, spend our last day in Playa del Carmen and then fly back home.
It is said that Guatemala is kind of dangerous to travel around or walk around at night, but I almost never felt unsafe. One time I got a bit puzzled about what was going on. There were giant queues at every ATM in the city and streets were closed down by the police. So back at the hostel I asked what was going on and it turned out the people were queuing before the ATMs because it was payday. But nobody could tell me why the streets were blocked. The next day it turned out their was a running event going on, so that's why they blocked some streets. Nothing to worry about!
Although my Spanish was basic, I could get by with the little Spanish words I knew. I also did a beginners course in Spanish before I went to Central America, but next time I go to Central or South America (which is on my bucket list), I want to do a Spanish course there. But not before my Spanish is a little better so I can interact with the local people there. So everyday for twenty minutes or so I practise on the Duolingo app, hoping to get a little better before I enroll in a Spanish language course in Peru, Bolivia or Argentina.
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