Efter et par dages afslapning i Antigua, besluttede vi os for at tage ud for at bestige vulkaner! Det blev en vulkan i naerheden af Guatemala City, som hedder Pacaya. Vulkanen er stadig aktiv, saa vi glaedede os til at se en masse lava - og vi blev ikke skuffede! Det var en til tider ret haard tur opad. Nogle steder var det temmeligt stejlt, og paa lange straekninger var der rullesten og grus, som man skred rundt i. Paa naesten hele turen var der et par taalmodige guatemaltekere, som fulgte efter os med nogle heste, og ca. hver femte minut [View Full Entry]

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Vanuit Flores de bus naar Semuc Champey genomen met kleine tussenstop in Coban, waar de andere passagiers gretig een fastfoodhap binnenschrokten, bewoonde wereld zou nameljik niet meer lang duren. Semuc Chempey ligt namelijk in de bergen van Guatemala op een slecht bereikbare plek, in Lanquin moesten we dan ook overstappen op een pick-up, of toch de laadbak ervan. Goed vasthouden want soms ging het echt steil omhoog of naar beneden, met ruige wegen. Ik raakte aan de praat met een meisje uit Californie, die rond aan het reizen was met haar moeder. Zij had het jaar ervoor als vrijwilligster op G [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday we spent the day at Samuc Champey and the Kan'ba caves. This is where the bulk of the Rio Cahabon cuts underground creating a suspended limestone bridge forming the series of pools and waterfalls that are Samuc Champey. We started the day in the Kan'ba caves doing a tour by candlelight. This turned out to be walking and climbing through the caves whilst holding a stubby candle as our only source of light. The caves were partly underwater so at times we were swimming one handed whilst trying to keep our candles alight and aviod all of the rocks that [View Full Entry]

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So our first blog entry has been some time in coming but here it is! We finally made it to Guatemala City on the evening of 4th May, the hostel we had booked for our first night was very good and picked us up from the airport, pointed us in the direction of a money changer and generally sorted us out. The guidebook advertised it as a hostel in the safe neighbourhood of the city. This turned out to be in an armed compound, army style! In addition to the armed guards and barbed wire fence surrounding it, each hostel or [View Full Entry]

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c'est beau mais c'est loin ! (à l'époque !) [View Full Entry]

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Destination 3: Lanquin & Semuc Champey It was supposed to be easy. We were to catch the 6am bus leaving Rio D to take us to Coban via El Retcho on the bus that was heading towards Guatemala City. Fine! No problems! We got on board, found our seat and dozed in preparation for the 4+ hour journey to El Retcho. We stopped at numerous points, not uncommon on the Guatemalan bus journey to pick up and drop of random passengers. Its not as if they have set stops or city signs for that matter. Its also important to note that [View Full Entry]

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Une dernière nuit à la Casa Argentina, et voilà, il est temps de reprendre la route. Un taxi nous emmène au turbulent terminal Minerva, nous cherchons parmi les nombreux kiosques improvisés, quelque chose à se mettre sous la dent. Au menu: poulet frits, pan*, tamal*, etc... Ensuite nous abandonnons nos sacs sur le toit de l'autobus; direction Coban via Guatemala city. Pendant près de 3 heures nous avons l'impressions d'être à l'intérieur du dernier cri en matière de montagne russe. Nous passons de 2300 à 3000 mètres, nous sommes balancés de gauche à droite, nous devons nous a [View Full Entry]

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5 hour drive to Coban from Antigua, we hit traffic in Guatemala City on the way. Checked in at Casa D'Acuña. 4 bed dorms for 50 quetzals about $8. My roommates are 3 brothers from Chicago that lived here in Guate when they were younger, now back in the States for college, they are here visitng their parents who runs an orphanage in the city. These brothers are the nicest dudes I met in a long while, unfortunately only the older I remember the name, Scott. His younger brothers are taking Nursing. We talked for hours then off to bed as [View Full Entry]

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Time to get busy and see some stuff This time we treated ourselves to a direct shuttle bus heading to a town called Coban, yet strangley we had the whole shuttle bus to ourselves (we kept thinking, somethings going to happen, but nothing ever did.) We arrived to rain, which is what makes Coban primarily a coffee growing town with many fincas and historically many Germans. We stayed at Hotel la Paz which was fabulous every corner you turned was like a David Lynch set!! We woke in the morning to a heavy mist which later turned to torrential rain, [View Full Entry]

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