Guatamala: (Part 1)
Travelling from Copan Ruinas I experienced one of the most uncomfortable mini-bus shuttles ever - the small buses they use in Central America are sure not built for large Westerners! Our shuttle was packed full with all seats taken while my knees were squashed up against the wire frame of the seat in front. Although the border crossing was easy enough the 9 hrs to Antigua felt like forever in our sardine can. The Yellow House hostel was recommended to us and with our mountain of heavy luggage we had to hail a moto-taxi. The moto-taxi made our previous uncomfortable journey look 5-star we were wedged in the back with 6 bags and had to sit with our big backpacks on our laps! That together with the bumpy roads made for a very interesting day of travelling. We both sighed with relief when they dropped us off at our destination.
Antigua: There are two volcanoes namely
Pacaya and Volcan Fuego which were active until they heard about our travel plans and ceased promptly ceased to be so shortly before we arrived. Antigua is a beautiful old colonial city with cobble streets, houses with terracotta roofs and bustling markets. The three volcanoes in the background made it even more magical – I was very impressed with the city! Since leaving Bolivia all the interesting local llama and alpaca clothing sort of disappeared and I was glad when we finally saw it again in Guatamala.
It was difficult walking past all the small stalls selling colorful bags, T-shirts, hand bags, shoes, machetes, rugs, scarves, pottery, hats and much more – a great place for buying gifts! We could buy food on most street corners which were typically rice, beans, meat and salad or also very common were home-made corn tortillas with a filling called tostados. There were also many good restaurants about for good food and with all the museums around Antigua had it all. The only downfall is that muggings and theft can be a problem and we had to constantly be on guard especially so on our hike up to Cerro de la Cruz. They've upped security with police patrolling the area but even with that we met a girl who had her bag stolen at gun point even with police around! We were lucky though and enjoyed a great view over the city.
Due to the inactivity of the volcanoes chosen so because of our arrival we didn’t hike up any. We spent most of our time in Antigua just chilling out, sightseeing and visiting ruins. One place that really made an impression was called Santa Domingo which was half hotel and half ruins, all combined very tastefully where modern meets old. The tombs with skeletons kept me interested while Gillian couldn't resist the chocolate factory where we spent more money intended. My favourite was the chocolate covered coffee beans which are really good while Gillian opted for the dark chocolate. Not to be outdone with was the main square in the city centre. It was very well kept with a constant supply of people sitting on the seats all ready for a random conversation. Back in Yellow House, our hostel, we met a few travellers while chatting over a few beers. It was a nice hostel although the bed bugs made a meal out of me during the two nights we stayed there. I was covered in about 50 itchy bites which had me scratching like a mad man.
Lago de Atilan: It is one of the Lonely Planet highlights so we decided to brave another cramped mini-bus ride there. The lake didn’t fail to impress as it was sunk between volcanoes with small villages dotted around its perimeter. Most of the locals are pretty poor and still wear traditional dress while selling either food or clothing on the street - the men especially had cool clothes. There are around 13 villages around the lake with Panajacal being the largest – we stayed in a slightly overpriced hotel with a nice view over the lake in San Pedro La Lagunac. Other than the locals inhabiting the villages were loads of hippies and students learning Spanish. I could see why so many chose to do so as not only was it a beautiful location, it was dirt cheap as well. Some of the local ladies sold delicious freshly baked bread like banana, coconut and chocolate bread and I couldn’t resist buying some especially as it was still warm.
After a quick boat journey from San Pedro we arrived on a very deserted looking San Marcos due to it being a Sunday. Most shops and stalls were closed and all we could really do was hike up the hill for a nice photo. Another boat ride took us to Panajacal where visited a small park to see the swinging spider monkeys. They were really cool to watch as they swung endlessly back and forth on their tails. Apparently they have the most developed tail of all primates and don’t have a thumb. After seeing them we hiked up to see the waterfall while keeping an eye out for birds in the forested areas.
As we only spent one night at the lake, we decided on visiting a few of the villages and taking many pictures of the locals in their colourful clothing. I wanted to do some shopping for my family and bought various colourful gifts off the stalls. By the end of the day however I was properly fed up with saying “no gracias” to the locals pestering me. Some of them must have severe hearing impairment and just don’t get the message. All in all though it was nice visiting the island and seeing all the locals in their traditional clothing.
Lanquin/Semuc Champey: After another night in Antigua we boarded another packed, too-small mini-bus to visit the Lanquin Caves and from there onwards make our way to Semuc Champey. We were dropped off at the caves while the rest of our gang moved to our hostel called El Portal. The caves were impressive with many stalagmites, stalactites and other formations. A milky-blue river started from underneath the caves which is also where the Lanquin get their water from. Inside the caves we slipped our way around to see many bats and large spiders inhabiting the dark corners. As darkness fell outside the parks people cut the power to the generator feeding the lights inside the caves and slowly the bats came out to play. We sat around the cave entrance while watching the bats emerging which was pretty cool. A moto-taxi with a sound system worth more than the taxi itself picked us up from the caves while we rocked our way to Lanquin. Luckily a 4x4 lorry-shuttle waited for us to drop us off well after dark. As it was dark we didn’t camp as intended and opted for the dorms instead.
I fell in love with El Portal and could easily have spent a lot longer there. The cabins were perched on top of a bank overlooking the river down below. Surrounding us were lush green forests teeming with wildlife which including our favorite toucans. We were lucky enough to spot a few one early morning while waiting for our breakfast although they were slightly smaller than some we’ve seen. The species we saw are called toucanets which makes me think of the “darker and twisted” family of normal toucans…They are darker in color with beaks which looked like they are stitched up and reminded me of “The skeleton bride” but only in toucan form. On our first morning there we joined many others for a hike up to a viewpoint over the ice-blue Semuc Champey pools. It was nice to stretch my legs especially after all our cramped-in taxi rides of late as we make our way up a steep mountain. Most of our team were huffing and puffing by the time they made it to the top although he view was definitely worth the climb with the blue from the pools down below and greens from the mountains around us. We were fairly hot by the time we reached the bottom and after taking a few pictures of a natural limestone bridge it was time to enter the pools.
The water was crystal clear and very refreshing after our hike. Our tour guide guided us from pool to pool where we either slid our way down on our bums or jumped from pool to pool – it was great fun! From there a hike took us back to base where we grabbed some tubes and cold beers for a drift down the river. Before that though we had the chance to jump from two places: a large rock of about 4 meters and a bridge of about 10! There were only a few of us who did it the jumps and it definitely had our adrenaline pumping although the worse was still to come. The real adrenaline rush came with our next trip after we had lunch which was a water caving expedition which would have broken most UK health and safety rules!
We entered the caves with candles and nothing else. I took a small waterproof bag and my camera along to capture our expedition and was glad I did so as no one else did. The only light we had was coming from our candles and we had to swim from one dark pool to another not knowing what might lurk beneath – no wonder Gillian chickened out! I loved it though and took many pictures while we made our way into the dark swimming from one pool the next. At a few places we had to either climb ladders next to small waterfalls or slide on our stomachs to reach the next chamber with squeaking bats above us – brilliant!
We even had the chance to jump from ledges into dark pools below not knowing how deep it was. Towards the end most of the candles burnt out and some of our group started to get a little panicky especially when we had to slide down a narrow water chute with deep water below. I loved it though and had to say that is was one of the best trips I’ve ever done especially with the adrenaline pumping the whole way! I was really sad to leave El Portal as not only was I blown away with the trips on offer, it was also a stunningly beautiful place with a serenity I can’t describe in words.
Rio Dulce: As I’ve had to take so many uncomfortable mini-bus shuttles I really thought I’ve seen the worse but I came to realize that I was very wrong. Our next journey from Lanquin to Rio Dulce won hands down as one of the worse journeys ever. Yet again we were sardined up into a too-small minibus although this time with racks and racks of chicken eggs taking up two spaces on the back seat. The conductor sat the entire way in the side window holding onto the roof while we were cramped up inside. Because the eggs were piled so high they had to strap it down with ropes causing to the top cover to open up and the eggs ready to jump down on any passengers nearby. Most of our crew got carsick especially when, after we hit a few bumps, some of the sh*t covered eggs crashed down onto the floor and seeped into our bags. We had to stop along the way as a little girl had to throw up and we were all really glad when we, what felt like ages, reached Rio Dulce. As one of the recommended “Lonely Planet on a shoestring” (yeah right…) options were way too expensive we ended up in a place just down the road with a nice view over the lake.
Some of the scruffy locals there had me laughing a lot as a few were they the most
un-PC bunch I’ve ever met! With wafts of “herbal medicine” floating about I made the mistake of asking one of the locals if he owned a boat not knowing that I just opened a very big can of worms. He said: “Well, funny you should ask that that. As a matter of fact I did until that n****r bitch burnt it down. I had to leave her after she cut open another bitch’s face with a razor blade. Now I can’t find myself any ‘mo whores as she are friends with ‘em.” The bar owner even confessed that his dad was a hillbilly so made our stay there very interesting to say the least!
Our trip the next day from Rio Dulce to Livingston was however brilliant.
We boarded a small boat and did the more expensive (but worth it) “Executivo” trip. Our first stop was
at a castle called “El Castillo de San Felipe” on lake the lake where we spent 45 minutes walking down the small dark passageways and turrets. The castle was built back in 1652 to keep pirates from looting the villages and commercial caravans to Izabal. The pirates did however manage to capture and burn the castle back in 1686 since which it has been deserted. From there we headed downriver and entered a bay covered in sweet smelling white water lilies and onwards to a natural hot water spring and cave. From there we travelled down “The Canyon” where we saw thousands of pelicans and herons in the water. I've never seen so many pelicans in my life and it was nice seeing them either chilling in trees above or bomb-diving for fish below - I can highly recommend that trip especially for bird lovers.
Livingston: Livingston have a reputation as having a bit of a drug problem with a few “scaly characters” by some so we were a little nervous when we were approached by some iffy looking locals upon arriving. There was nothing to worry about though as apparently it is a common practice for the “hustlers” to guide you to a hotel who then give them a tip for bringing in clients. Our guy was called “Kippie” who couldn’t have been more helpful. He showed us the way to the embassy where we had to get our passports stamped and where we bought our tickets for the boat ride to Belize the next day. He was a happy man as not only did our hostel give him a commission, we also gave him a tip. Apart from a nice location on the water there was not much happening in the town apart from a few restaurants and shops. We stayed at La Iguana which was a party hostel with its own bar, restaurant and “loco” pet raccoon. The night we were there it was one of the staff’s farewell parties which went on till the early hours of the morning. As we had to get up early we had a very bad night’s sleep and woke up all groggy in the morning for our boat to Punta Gorda.
Guatemala: (Part 2)
We reentered Guatemala after travelling through Belize. The border crossing was easy enough and after changing money with one of the many money changers around, it was time to haggle with the taxi and minibus drivers for a cheap deal to Tikal. After some serious bartering we finally got one guy with a taxi down to 250Qetzals. He was a funny character who kept on nudging me to point things out. We camped at a place called Jaguar Lodge which was situated close to the entrance of the Tikal ruins. Although the camping facilities at the lodge were basic, we were located on the edge of the jungle with lots of wildlife around and we spotted spider monkeys and toucans in the trees by our tent. Even though we were assured by the info kiosk that we could buy tickets at 3pm which would also be valid for the next day it turned out not to be so.
We went for a hike instead and spotted a few birds, two small foxes as well as very weird looking turkeys. They are unlike any I’ve ever seen with the males having colorful feathers with yellow wart-like spots on their faces while they also make funny sounds. Both days we were there the weather was very hot and our tent standing in the sun was like an oven melting all our snacks - at least it cooled down during the evenings. Other than trying some more local food at one of the restaurants we wandered around looking at the many stalls selling things such as colorful bags, wooden artifacts, and table runners. I found it interesting watching the local ladies weaving: they tie the whole frame around their bodies while using pieces of wood to weave the thread.
Tikal: What I remember most about the Tikal ruins are the amount of steps we climbed, the towering temples and the vast amounts of noisy wildlife we saw. The advantage of camping near the ruins was that we could have an early start so we were at the gates a little after 6am. The jungle was a cacophony of sounds with the creepy sound of the howler monkeys, frog-like ribeting of toucans and the strange water dropping into water sound made by the orpendulas. It was like looking at ruins while inside a zoo -
we watched toucans fly past or spotted swinging howler or spider monkeys in the trees. Tikal is a pre-Columbian Mayan civilization and though it dates back as far as the 4BC, it reached its height during the Classic Period between 200 and 900BC. Historians still debate how the dynasty ended although one theory suggested it ended with over exploitation of natural resources.
Many of the rulers had cool names such as Foliated Jaguar, Animal Headdress, Jaguar Paw Scull, Double Bird and many more. A few of the temples were really high with great views from the top. At Group H we climbed the temple and admired the view from the top while the howler monkeys kicked off a serious howling fest.
It was like stepping back in time and we couldn’t help but be moved and awed by the experience. We walked for nearly 5 hours straight that day and didn’t manage to see all the ruins as it was just too much - a cold beer seemed more enticing at the time. The Tikal Ruins were very impressive and we both loved visiting the site - for anyone visiting Guatemala it is an absolute must!
Flores: Getting to Flores from Tikal was easy enough with a quick mini-bus shuttle. We were dropped off at Dona Goya 2 hostel which had a lovely view over the lake especially from the roof terrace. The actual town of Flores was very small and we could quickly walk from one side of the island to the other. In front of our hostel was one of the many wooden jetties where we joined the sunbathers for a spot of relaxing in the sun and swimming in the lake. Flores is ideal for chilling out as there was not much else to do other than relaxing or eating in one of the many good restaurants. We only spent two nights there and did just that: eating, drinking, swimming and relaxing. The first afternoon was especially memorable as we saw a beautiful sunset over the water which turned the sky bright orange, while sipping a cold beer. The restaurant served Italian food and although slightly pricey tasted really good. Flores would be ideal for anyone simply wanting to relax while eating good food.
Our last day in Guatemala was mostly spent on a minibus travelling to Mexico.
I really liked Guatemala with all its wildlife, many lakes, caves, rivers,
volcanoes, colorful markets and impressive ruins. Antigua especially was a lovely city with the volcanoes towering over the colorful Colonial buildings of the immaculately clean city. The lakes were a good place for chilling out while sipping a cold beer and watching either the fishermen paddling the blue water in their dugout canoes or the locals walking the streets in their colorful clothing selling souvenirs. Semuc Champey still remains one of my favorite activities swimming in water caves with only a candle for light and jumping into black pools not knowing what is below or how deep they might be. Spotting one of the many toucans flying around puts a smile on my face every time. Cruising down the river from Rio Dulce to Livingston was another memorable trip as we’ve never seen so many pelicans and egrets in one place! Other than that the Tikal ruins also impressed us with its huge array of wildlife and towering structures. Guatemala has so much to offer which made it my favorite country while travelling through Central America.
To reach Palenque in Mexico we had to take a minibus shuttle from Flores at 5am. Our journey consisted of 3 parts: a minibus to the Guatemalan border, a boat trip down the river to the Mexican border and another minibus to Palenque. As a South African I needed a visa for Mexico although having an English Residence Permit granted me entry into the country - I might even have entered with either my American or Canadian visitor’s visa. The curving road to Palenque was through lush green forest with windy roads curving through the mountains making sleeping impossible. From Palenque we took a taxi to Jungle Palace in El Panchan which had cute little wooden huts next to a stream.
I really liked the place as we had jungle all around which was home to many birds including toucans and other animals like the noisy howler monkeys. They weren't however the only noisy ones about as some of the other hotels near us had music pumping while dreadlocked hippies practiced with fire lanterns. I find it funny that so many of them fall into the stereotypical category even though they try to be different. My most memorable experience though of staying there was being woken up during the night a few times by a very loud howler monkey who chose the tree right above our hut! How they manage it I don’t know but howler monkeys make the loudest, weirdest, creepiest sound which should be reserved for horror movies only! That same eerie sound kept us awake most of the night and I needed a few cups of strong coffee to wake me up in the morning.
Palenque Ruins: As the tours were so cheap we opted for a 3-in-1 deal which included seeing the ruins, the Misol-Ha waterfall and Agua Azul. Our first stop was the ruins where we were dropped off by the entrance which was bustling with vendors selling clothing, food and souvenirs like hand carved statues, painted leather or trinkets with the Mayan alphabet, to name but a few. The ruins themselves were very impressive and even though they are smaller than Tikal, they were more detailed with many pictographs still intact. With so many steps around it didn’t take long for my leg muscles to burn while walking to the top for the nice views on offer. Very impressive also were the Mayan symbols used for writing. A large collection was on show in the Palenque museum where we also saw a lot of Mayan art which made for a memorable visit to the ruins. 
Misol-Ha waterfall & Agua Azul: Our friendly taxi driver picked us up again after our visit to the ruins and we made our way to the waterfall, before heading onto Agua Azul. After seeing the thundering Iguazu Falls it is difficult to be impressed by any waterfall. It was however cool hiking behind the waterfall while watching people swimming down below. Our next stop was Agua Azul which did manage to impress us with its limestone rocks and ice-blue water. While hiking up to the top we passed many stalls selling souvenirs and food like fried empanadas. The day was really hot and it was nice cooling off in the refreshing crystal clear pools, after which we sampled some of the empanadas with hot chili sauce. Even though very touristy, Agua Azul was very scenic and made for a nice visit - the only bad part was picking up another ear infection.
San Cristobel: To get to San Cristobel we had to take a taxi from our jungle lodge to Palenque and from there we boarded our first comfortable coach in what felt like ages. It was a nice change actually having leg room as well as a reclining seat – it felt like heaven and even Gillian wasn’t wingeing! Our hostel in San Cristobel was called Hostel Mexico which was very good with a kitchen, free wifi and a well kept courtyard for relaxing in the sun. I was amazed at just how much San Cristobel reminded me of Antigua as both are old colonial cities with iconic terracotta roofed houses lining the streets. San Cristobel is a lovely city with much to offer such as trendy restaurants, local markets, old churches, museums, lookout points for nice views and most of all, it was clean! It was nice sampling Mexican food like sopes, tacos, pozole and mole chicken in the many restaurants while soaking up the atmosphere. I have to admit though that corn-based tortillas or tacos are not top on my culinary list as they have a funny twang - I much prefer the flour ones. One of the highlights of our stay in San Cristobel was a Mexican cooking course in a venue memorable not only for teaching Spanish and cooking, but also for its view over the city. 
Our teacher was quick to ply us with free tequila-like shots and beers which I was of course not adversed to at all! We were being taught how to make chalupas that day which included small tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carrot, beetroot, chillies, avocado, sour cream, black bean purée, coriander and limes. After some serious chopping, grating and mixing under strict supervision and more tequila and beer we could finally sit back and admire 8 small bowls neatly placed on the table. Our gourmet grand finale consisted of a crispy fried tortilla smeared with a layer of refried beans. Next up was carrot and beetroot (par boiled and grated) followed by shredded lettuce, Mexican salsa, a dollop of sour cream and topped off with guacamole. It was delicious and I stuffed myself to the point where normal daily movements became difficult.
Other than our cooking course we spent most of our time simply wandering the streets or visiting the local markets. One shop sold silver Mayan jewelry which woke the magpie inside Gillian. The result being, after many hints and pleading, a necklace as well as a pair of earrings for Gillian. It would be easy to spend a lot of money in San Cristobel with the vast array of shops and restaurants but being on a travel budget we had to try not to! We both really liked the city and would have loved to have spent more time there. Unfortunately we had a fixed flight leaving from Mexico City which required another lengthy coach journey. 
Mexico City: Our coach journey from San Cristobel to Mexico City was through the night and lasted 14 hours. Needless to say most our time the next day was spent chilling out and catching up on some sleep. Our hostel was quiet which made for a good nights rest and run by a very friendly helpful guy. The next day we could only squeeze in one activity before flying out to San Francisco which was a visit to the Anthropology Museum. Rated as being one the best in the world it didn’t fail to impress us with its vast collection of Mayan artefacts as well as many other displays. As the place is so big, one could spend days there so we had to concentrate on specific areas: Mayan, early man and the Aztecs displays. I really liked their exhibits which showed small human and animal figurines in glass cases. It was a really nice visit made more memorable by the fearless cheeky squirrels that tried to share our lunch at the restaurant while jumping from umbrella to umbrella trying their luck with different diners.
I would do Mexico an injustice by trying to summarize it as we only saw Palenque, San Cristobel and a bit of Mexico City. Our original plan was to also visit Chichen Itza and Tulum but we unfortunately ran out of time. Mexico is well known for its beaches and I would love to return one day and do a proper visit and take my time soaking up all the scenery, food and culture. What we did manage to see however made a lasting impression on me. Like Guatemala, the country was beautiful with evergreen forests, beaches, impressive ruins and to top it all, culture. The colourful markets always lured us with interesting souvenirs like dresses, table runners, small dolls, hats, wooden artifacts and belts. The local people we met were, although poor, very friendly. I would love to visit the Mexico again!
