*Remember, most coffee producing regions export their coffee. Unfortunately, most Guatemalans are only able to afford instant coffee. Likewise, in Cuba I only tasted grade B fruit. The good stuff was sold for juice production.
Get it?
Friday, February 8, 2013
Antigua
We booked a van to drive us five hours through the mountainous jungle (or did we decide on jungly mountain?) to Antigua. Oh Antigua. A hot shower. A soft(er) bed. Promises of tamales, fresh brewed coffee*, and internet access!
*Remember, most coffee producing regions export their coffee. Unfortunately, most Guatemalans are only able to afford instant coffee. Likewise, in Cuba I only tasted grade B fruit. The good stuff was sold for juice production.
I've studied abroad in Argentina & Cuba & traveled in the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Mexico, Costa Rica, & Panama. If I were to enroll in a Spanish language immersion abroad I would go to Antigua. The Guatemalan accent is so much easier to understand! (Dear Lord, learning Spanish in the Caribbean is rough!) Antigua has created a really navigable system of homestays, tutors, & classes. There are enough tourists so you're less likely to be homesick, but few enough where you have to use Spanish 90% of the time. Big endorsement!
The mountains and volcanoes surrounding Antigua offer a slew of adventures. Antigua is an enchanting base. Check out Old Town Outfitters-- they're more expensive, but by far the best operator in town.
From Antigua you can easily book a van to take you just about anywhere. Beaches in Belize or El Salvador sound interesting? In 2011 it cost about $12 for transport.
Get it?
*Remember, most coffee producing regions export their coffee. Unfortunately, most Guatemalans are only able to afford instant coffee. Likewise, in Cuba I only tasted grade B fruit. The good stuff was sold for juice production.
Get it?
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Jump!
I'd like to interrupt these travel reflections with something that gives me endless glee:
Kevin jumping into bodies of water.
Behold!
Semuc Champey. This rope swing subsequently broke. (In all fairness, it had lived a good & long life.)
A bit blurry, but A for effort!
That crabber found the gringoes to be awfully amusing. These are from San Marcos, Atitlan.
Switching gears to north-eastern Vietnam, near the Chinese border.
That German Shepherd found the event to be terribly unexpected & exciting.
Back to the Western Hemisphere, from the Kuna Yala, off the coast of Panama approaching Columbia.
Unfortunately the shot is dark, but Kevin is standing about 30 feet up on a rain-slicked, mossy, stone ledge. Swifts circled overhead as light drifted down through the ferns.
And... he made it.
Like a maniac, he followed the foot-holds of some local Galapagos teens to find another jump, this time in Las Grietas on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos.
Gringooooo!
Lived to tell the tale.
I think the enthusiasm sells it.
Lake Crescent, Washington June 2009
Kevin jumping into bodies of water.
Behold!
Switching gears to north-eastern Vietnam, near the Chinese border.
Back to the Western Hemisphere, from the Kuna Yala, off the coast of Panama approaching Columbia.
Moving south to just outside of Tena, Ecuador, & into the Amazon.
I think the enthusiasm sells it.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Semuc Champey
I've said it before & I'll say it again:
Some of the most worthwhile destinations are hard to reach.
I don't know of an easy way to access Semuc Champey. As of this writing, all passage is overland through mountainous jungle (jungly mountains?). Plenty of vans & buses travel north from Guatemala City or Antigua. We were already far north in Guatemala, near Tikal, when headed to Semuc Champey. In north-eastern Guatemala there exists a triangulation of stops on many tourist agendas: Semuc, Tikal, & Rio Dulce. You can travel overland the whole way & make something of a loop. If you have plenty of open-ended time-- do that! Our time was limited so we had flown to Tikal. We opted to skip Rio Dulce on this trip & instead take a van southwest to Semuc before traveling further south to Antigua and Atitlan.
The nearest town to Semuc Champey is Lanquin. I stopped to use a bathroom in Lanquin & was not impressed. The real draw of this area is the limestone pools of Semuc. If you stay in Lanquin you have to take the torturous trip down the mountain for every visit. It takes minimum a half an hour, but I think an hour is probably a more accurate estimate. Stay in Semuc. Go down the valley, and return from it, once. Sure, there are fewer food options. Foodies don't travel to Semuc. They're in Antigua.
For all of my whinging about roads, the journey is a lot of fun. We rushed through fields of cardamon, past farms, through impossibly tall mountains (did they throw a few Himalayas in Guatemala?), before reaching the valley basin. There are only a few hotel options in Semuc Champey. They're all pretty basic. You're pretty much camping. How much do you want to experience this?
I really did. We found a little hostal run by "100% Guate-Maya!" I loved it. That meant the hostal was owned & operated by local Guatemalans who were Indigenous to the region. They made a mean cinnamon-cardamom hot chocolate.
The hostal was super basic. Our room had no windows and the generator shut off all electricity at 10 pm. There was a communal bathroom & I just discovered that it had been a mistake to brush my teeth with tap water. I think we paid about $8 a night to stay here.
It was across the street from the Lanquin River & a rope swing.
The following morning we signed up for a tour to explore the Lanquin caves. Our guide spoke a local Mayan dialect and a little bit of Spanish. I got to play translator! He gave each of us wax candles to light our way through the caves. The water was cold, but I absolutely wanted to experience Semuc Champey. The caves released us here:
Semuc Champey is a little hard to believe. Like Atitlan & Tikal, this place is considered sacred. All of Guatemala is sacred. There is a deep, whole, mystical sense of spirit. Kevin & I waded wide-eyed into cold, clear water. We hiked up and down the surrounding mountains. We never saw the same sight twice.
Some of the most worthwhile destinations are hard to reach.
I don't know of an easy way to access Semuc Champey. As of this writing, all passage is overland through mountainous jungle (jungly mountains?). Plenty of vans & buses travel north from Guatemala City or Antigua. We were already far north in Guatemala, near Tikal, when headed to Semuc Champey. In north-eastern Guatemala there exists a triangulation of stops on many tourist agendas: Semuc, Tikal, & Rio Dulce. You can travel overland the whole way & make something of a loop. If you have plenty of open-ended time-- do that! Our time was limited so we had flown to Tikal. We opted to skip Rio Dulce on this trip & instead take a van southwest to Semuc before traveling further south to Antigua and Atitlan.
The nearest town to Semuc Champey is Lanquin. I stopped to use a bathroom in Lanquin & was not impressed. The real draw of this area is the limestone pools of Semuc. If you stay in Lanquin you have to take the torturous trip down the mountain for every visit. It takes minimum a half an hour, but I think an hour is probably a more accurate estimate. Stay in Semuc. Go down the valley, and return from it, once. Sure, there are fewer food options. Foodies don't travel to Semuc. They're in Antigua.
For all of my whinging about roads, the journey is a lot of fun. We rushed through fields of cardamon, past farms, through impossibly tall mountains (did they throw a few Himalayas in Guatemala?), before reaching the valley basin. There are only a few hotel options in Semuc Champey. They're all pretty basic. You're pretty much camping. How much do you want to experience this?
The hostal was super basic. Our room had no windows and the generator shut off all electricity at 10 pm. There was a communal bathroom & I just discovered that it had been a mistake to brush my teeth with tap water. I think we paid about $8 a night to stay here.
It was across the street from the Lanquin River & a rope swing.
Semuc Champey is a little hard to believe. Like Atitlan & Tikal, this place is considered sacred. All of Guatemala is sacred. There is a deep, whole, mystical sense of spirit. Kevin & I waded wide-eyed into cold, clear water. We hiked up and down the surrounding mountains. We never saw the same sight twice.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Guatemala City & Tikal
While in Panama, Kevin & I met tons of travelers following the Che trail-- moving north from Patagonia, or some, after they hit Mexico, returning south. We spent a bumpy van ride on the Kuna road with some young women from Chile. We asked them about highlights from their several month journey. They kept coming back to Guatemala.
So the next year we went to Guatemala.
We had also heard amazing things from Kevin's cousin. He was brought out by Old Town Outfitters, a cycling & adventure planning organization in Antigua. I had a work friend from Guatemala City. Super cool. First night's room all set with her Mom and neighbors.
I don't know much about Guatemala City because we stayed with our sweet hostess & neighbor. However, if you're staying in the city check out your zone's, or neighborhood's, distance from the airport or any other pertinent destination. Guatemala City is big! Clementina lives in Zona 18, which is FAR from the airport. Taxis didn't want to take us to her.
That said, I've heard great things about Guatemala City. It's not as appealing to the naked eye as neighboring Antigua. If you only have a little bit of time I would opt for Antigua. I get the sense that Guate City is an acquired taste.
We flew directly from Guate to Flores in the north, wedged between the borders with Mexico & Belize. Flores is the nearest airport to the ruins of Tikal. It's still a solid half hour to hour long ride to Tikal proper. Flores itself is intriguing. This city is a small island within Lake Peten Itza. We decided to go from the airport into Flores to have lunch & wander around. This is very much a small city where people live & work. A few hours was plenty of time. We grabbed a tuk tuk & headed towards Tikal, stopping in the neighboring village of El Remate.
While visiting Tikal you can stay at one of three hotels within the park. They're significantly more expensive, not terribly attractive, and don't provide you with access to Lake Peten Itza. The draw is being able to enter the park first every morning-- which is considerable! Those sunrises are epic. There is camping in and around the park but I can't speak first hand about that option.
An affordable well-rated hotel in El Remate, twenty minutes from the Tikal park, had a vacancy so our tuk tuk dropped us off at the door. We were directly across the street from a gazebo over Lake Peten Itza. As soon as we dropped off our bags we ran into the cool waters. After some time stretching from our flights, swimming, & unpacking, we hitched a ride to Tikal. If you arrive to the park in the afternoon you can buy a ticket that admits you that afternoon as well as the entire following day. Best bang for the buck.
The following morning.
We spent a great night eating crepes & playing cards with new friends. A Canadian was spending his vacation from the coast guard riding his motorcycle throughout Central America. He'd just gotten scuba certified in Honduras. A cycling shop owner from Chicago had just come from San Marcos de la Laguna. He offered us a reccomendation that made the trip. With their laughter & ideas we booked a bumpy van ride for Semuc Champey.
So the next year we went to Guatemala.
We had also heard amazing things from Kevin's cousin. He was brought out by Old Town Outfitters, a cycling & adventure planning organization in Antigua. I had a work friend from Guatemala City. Super cool. First night's room all set with her Mom and neighbors.
 |
| Kevin & our hostess, Clementina |
That said, I've heard great things about Guatemala City. It's not as appealing to the naked eye as neighboring Antigua. If you only have a little bit of time I would opt for Antigua. I get the sense that Guate City is an acquired taste.
We flew directly from Guate to Flores in the north, wedged between the borders with Mexico & Belize. Flores is the nearest airport to the ruins of Tikal. It's still a solid half hour to hour long ride to Tikal proper. Flores itself is intriguing. This city is a small island within Lake Peten Itza. We decided to go from the airport into Flores to have lunch & wander around. This is very much a small city where people live & work. A few hours was plenty of time. We grabbed a tuk tuk & headed towards Tikal, stopping in the neighboring village of El Remate.
While visiting Tikal you can stay at one of three hotels within the park. They're significantly more expensive, not terribly attractive, and don't provide you with access to Lake Peten Itza. The draw is being able to enter the park first every morning-- which is considerable! Those sunrises are epic. There is camping in and around the park but I can't speak first hand about that option.
An affordable well-rated hotel in El Remate, twenty minutes from the Tikal park, had a vacancy so our tuk tuk dropped us off at the door. We were directly across the street from a gazebo over Lake Peten Itza. As soon as we dropped off our bags we ran into the cool waters. After some time stretching from our flights, swimming, & unpacking, we hitched a ride to Tikal. If you arrive to the park in the afternoon you can buy a ticket that admits you that afternoon as well as the entire following day. Best bang for the buck.
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| Crocodile! |
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