Final Days in Guatemala

As I sit here in the Conexion internet cafe in La Antigua Guatemala I am feeling quite ambiguous about my journey so far in Central America. Guatemala has started to feel both normal and familiar to me now, and leaving will definately push me out of my comfort zone once again - thought I suppose this is just the nature of traveling. Today is my last day in Guatemala, and tomorrow I will be making my way through the gritty urban landscape of the capital city, known just as'Guatemala' to connect with my bus to San Salvidor -El Salvador's modern capital city. Unfortunately I have run out of time - I will not be able to explore El Salvador on this trip, only passing through in the night like a ghost (or some sort of ghost bus as it were) After staying the night near to the bus terminal in a dodgy part of the city centre, I will be quickly moving on the next morning to Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. Im really looking forward to exploring the Pacific Coast and lakes of Nicaragua in what will be the final few weeks of my trip (with a short one week stint in Argentina before returning back hoem to Oz)

After managing to finally extricate myself from the marvellous Lago Atitlan, I chose to head up into the Central Highland area of Guatemala known as Verapaz (meaning true peace). This is a mountainous highland area where most of Guatemalas' coffee is cultivated. It's a tremendously beautiful place, the bus trip to the small backpacker destination of Lanquin wound for many hours through steep serrated mountain ranges, lush with dark green vegatation and wisps of cloud and fog scrapping past (literaly driving through the clouds up here!) The reason travellers are starting to come to Lanquin now is basically to visit the natural wonders of Semuc Champey pools and the Lanquin and Kan'Bah Caves.


"El Retiro Lodge"


By the river

I stayed at a lovely place by the river called El
Retiro, which seemed like it was fast on its way to becoming the most popular backpacker destination in the area. Definately a cool place, with huge all-you-can-eat communal dinners with fanastic vegetarian food for about $5 Australian, and a wide range of acommodation options. I ended up sleeping in a Hammock outdoors for the 4 nights I was there due to the place being completely full when I arrived - but for $2 a night I couldnt complain. I needed plenty of blankets though, being winter in the highlands area (but still very tropical and sticky during the day!)The composting toilet facilites were an ecologicaly sound solution, in an attempt to ensure that tourism in the area was not polluting the river (a model I hope more places will adpot in the future)


Late afternoon down by the river


Home is a hammock

The Semuc Champey tour was a wild ride with quite a lot packed into one day - having spent quite a lot of time recently resting on my pastey and flacid buttocks it was time to get whipped into action by our Mayan tour guide! (poor guy had been doing to the tour 6 days a week for the last three years, thats over 1000 times doing the exact same tour! Pretty incredible really, I would have gone mad and pushed tourist over the cliffs by that stage. He did have a bit of a rude and surly attitude, especially towards the Israeli girls ("las israelitas siempre son dificiles") but I would be pretty jaded too by that stage.


Our mayan guide - pushed to the edge

The hot and sunny day started with a visit to a beautiful swimming hole where several waterfalls passed out of limestone caverns at the lower end of Semuc Chapmey. We forded a waterfall (my many past lives as a salmon payed off here) in order to have a quick peak at the raging water coming through the limestone rocks, and then the more adventurous amongst us took the plunge off the rock platform above (about 2-3 stories) into the vortex of the waterfall below. Weeeeeeeeeeeeooooaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! What Fun!!!;)




I was tanned in Mexico. What happended?


The waterfall we jumped into

Next up we found ourselves venturing into the cave mouth at Kan'bah. Plunging into the dark,icy water with only candles held above the water with one hand I was starting to have second thoughts about wether this was such a good idea. No safety gear, footwear,or torches to speak off, this is Guatemala baby! ;) Still, aside from some submerged rocks cutting up my feet, exploring the depths of the Kan'bah caves for a few hours was definately a buzz and a personal challange for me to deal with feelings of anxiety and claustrophobia. We turned back when our candles had burnt down half way...

Directly after ermerging into the sweet light of day,it was off to the Rio Cahabon to be swept downstream in big black rubber tubes, navigating around a few sharp rocks but mainly just chilling and enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. Emerging downstream near the entrace to the Semuc Champey National Park, we made our way into the site and first to the Mirador (lookout), A vantage point high above the site form where we could admire the turqoise pools of Semuc Champey glistening in the sunlight far below us.


Pathetic humans


A string of turqoise

After crashing down excitedly through the forest (well, we stuck to the path but man we wanted to swim!) we finally made it down to the pools and spent of the rest of the afternoon relaxing and swimming in the tranquil waters. Nature never ceases to impress me, from the uppermost part of the pools you can see the river sweeping with trememdous force and energy into a cavern which channels the waters directly undernetah the pool complex, finally emerging out the bottom about 500 metres downstream in the beautiful waterfalls where we had begun our day.


Stony resistance

You see, the Semuc Champey pools actually sit on a large rock platform which is suspended over the river - so while you sit enjoying the tranquility of the waters, a raging river rushes silently underneath you. I was talking about it with one of the girls in our group and we could only agree with each other that "nature was our religion"


The lovely Rebecca and Pedro standing at the left - Venezuelen models and all round lovely people

The following day, after a morning of recovery and the eating of muchas Chicky bisquits (super cheap guatemalan cookies with chocolate tops) I headed out to the other nearby set of caves (Lanquin) to try and satisfy my newfound lust for caving. Arriving at 4:30 in the afternoon, I decided to head in without a guide because the caves have pathways and lights that are run by a generator. This was the best option for me because I could soak up the majestic and slightly menacing atmosphere of the caves without the distracting gabble of my fellow human beings.


A light in the darkness

The richest discoveries were to be made well off the beaten track, literally! - at one point I decided to be daring and slide off the side of the track down into an unlit cavern, where wispering voices of the dark were calling to me. Armed only with my trusty Petzl headtorch, I was grappling with a slippery rock looking for a hand hold, when I almost brought my hand right down to rest on what must be the biggest and scariest looking spider I have ever seen. And this was a bizzare, subterranean species of cave spider than had pincers like a scorpian and and almost crustecean-like appearance. This thing was even bigger then the tarrantula that had wanted to share my hammock with me that first night back in Tikal. Were talking about the proportions of a fair sized dinner plate here folks (with leg span included, and what long, lovely legs they were!)


Terror in the dark


Moody kind of chap

I have seen photos of even stranger Lanquin cave dwellers, large scoprion/lobster type cave creatures that look straight out of a lost sketchbook of H.R. Geiger. The caves extend onwards for many kilometres under the earth, but only the first 1000 metres or so are illuminated - I dont think it is possible to go deeper into the cave without some serious caving equipment and absailing ropes etc. I did challange the last frontier where the cave dropped away into a huge swelling darkness, the peebles I threw would only echo a faint response from the deep after a long and pregnant silence. I could also hear the dim but murmuring chatter of thousands of bats floating up from the chasm - this is where I had to turn back. Being the last person to leave to cave system at the closing time of 6, I was suddenly struck by a severe attack of anxiety - what would happen if I slipped and broke my leg, or if they closed the doors and turned the power off before I emerged? Luckliy I surfaced into the dusk light just as they turned the generator off. I really don't even know if they go into the cave to check before they do this. This is Guatemala, they are not fussy about safety guidelines , you need to be slightly more responsible for yourself here! My reward for loitering outside the cave entrace after close time was to witness a thick, dark plume of bats emerge from the cave and spiral outwards into the purple-stained dusk sky. Unfortunately, not being a skilled enough photographer to capture the fast moving bats under low light conditions, all I could do was take a photograph of the sky (which tends to remain fairly still most of the time)

Lanquin at dusk

Last night as we arrived back into Antigua we were lucky enough to drive straight into the beginning of the Semana Santa celebrations, which will run for the next two weeks as we approach Easter (Semana Santa meaning holy week). At this time of year thousands of people descend on Antigua to witness the religous celebrations and colourful street processions, driving the hotel prices up to undesirable levels. With further luck, one of the main precesions passed right by my hostel last night at around 9 pm! I was able to get great views and some slightly blurry photos of the impressive floats and men clad in strange purple robes. Things should only get more festive and colourful as the events proceed over the next two weeks and as more and more people arrive in the city.

Below - Semana Santa Celebrations last night in Antigua










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Currently reading;
~ Walden: Life in the Woods by Hendy David Thoreau
~ Plants of the Gods by Albert Hoffman, Richard Evans-Shults

Recently viewed flicks;
~ Apocalypto
~ Borat!
~ Blood Diamond
~ Hotel Rwanda

Take care and be well,
Luke
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