Just follow the light...

---

Caving in Semuc Chempey with nothing but a little flame to guide us

We left Lanquin somewhere around 9h00am and got to the little hostal Santa Maria (the only one in Semuc Chempey) around 10h30. We could have just toured the pools till somewhere around two and taken the shuttle back to El Retiro, but we had been told that the Santa Maria offered a caving tour at 3h00pm that was not to be missed. Chris loves caving even more than I do, so we couldn't pass this up.

We walked the fifteen minutes to national parc they've put up to preserve this natural wonder in the sweltering heat. There are two rivers that flow together here. One coming from overland and one that's underground. The two have formed a series of natural limestone pools that cascade down the side of the mountain and end in a huge waterfall. The clarity of the water is these pools is unbelievable and color of the water is the most unreal aqua green. The perfect place to spend a couple of hours lazing in the sun, but watch your step, the rocks are a tad slippery.

The uppermost pool lets you look down into the cave where the second river is flowing. It's covered by a crest of rock where a huge mass of green plants grow underneath. Make sure you make the 20 minute trek up to the mirador or lookut. Be warned, the climb is almost as steep as they come and you'll be wondering whether it's worth it while you're doing it, but the view is fantastic. A good place to have your lunch if you've brown bagged it and maybe a little nookie if you're not too tired from the climb up.

By the mid afternoon I think I had gotten a tad too much sun and not eaten quite enough for breakfast, so I was feeling a little weak in the knees and out of sorts. I needed a massive lunch if I was going to take on this caving tour. We had been warned that you were in and out of cold water the whole time in the dark and that getting cold was really the only unpleasant thing about the whole experience.

We made our way slowly back to hostal. Man was it hot! For lunch we ordered two "platos tipicos" which is like the daily special and an extra plate of nachos with cheese, salsa and ground beef. The main plate was more grilled beef with salad, rice, guacamole and beans. The women at the hostal took our order three times because they weren't sure they'd understood us properly. They must have thought we were pigs, but we finished every last bite!

Beefed up (literally) from the huge lunch I felt ready to take on this cave. Three other Danish kids came on the tour with us. Our guide, Fernando, was this small compact little guy who had obviously done this many times. We were each given a candle, walked up to the entrance of the cave and slipped into the water and the dark. We waded through the first part but then had to full on swim while holding the candles high above our heads. Fernando was very good about warning you of rocks under the water or where to watch your head, but if you were in the back it really came down to just following the little light in front of you.

We passed from one cavern to another, climbed and descended waterfalls using ropes and sliding on our buts. Fernando pointed out rock formations, showed us underwater tunnels, diving spots and even a natural xylophone in the walls! These were easily some of the most unforgettable experiences I've had on this trip. If you're in Semuc, don't skip out on this! I did end up getting the chills though, and by the end could not stop shivering. Once you get out of the cave you climb to another mirador where you get a great view of the valley and then you tube back down the river to the hostal. I couldn't even enjoy tubing back down the river I was so cold, so I just walked. If you're really adventurous you can probably jump of the new bridge they're building a little ways down the river. It's friggin' high, something like 12 to 15 meters, but one of the three Danish guys pulled it off. Talk about guts!

Back to the hostal for dinner and since Semuc Chempey doesn't have any power, the place has a generator they run until 9h00pm. Then the lights go out and you're living in the glow of the candles for the rest of the evening. We met a wonderful couple, Bruno and Laurie, from Switzerland and Italy who, if they ever read this I would love their emails! Please let me know if you're out there!

We left early the next morning, travelling back to Coban to catch a bus towards Sayache and onwards to El Remate, the cheap place to stay just outside the ruins of Tikal. Flores and Santa Elana were supposed to be too expensive.

The bus ride took longer than we had expected. We left later than anticipated and it turned out that our bus was also the paper boy for all the little towns we stopped in, which meant he knew everybody, which meant he had to talk to them.

In Sayache we hopped a boat across the river and loaded into a collectivo, sweating bullets. I didn't think one of these little minivans could get any fuller than this. Then we pulled over and let in a family of twelve or something ridiculous like that. In total we were 31 people, most of them kids, but all the same I don't think I'll ever see anything quite like that again. I thought the suspension was going to give out any second.

Once in Santa Elana it became a race against time and a fight with the taxi drivers to get a fair price for the ride to El Remate. It was somewhere around 6h00pm, Tikal was closing for the day and very few of them would be going out that way. We tried walking into town to catch something like a pickup or some other cheap form of transport but there just weren't any around. We ended up having to split a cab with the other three gringos that took the packed collectivo with us and finally ended up at the Hostal El Mirador sometime after dark. That night I had my first encounter with a tarantula as I walked into a shower stall (Ack!) People had raved about this hostal but I really couldn't see the appeal. Maybe it was just the low season. In fact, I couldn't really see the appeal of El Remate at all. The following day we visited the Cerro across the lake, where we saw monkeys! It was my first time, so I was really excited. We visited the expensive hostal in the area, the Gringo Perdido, remained unimpressed and decided to blow this popcicle stand, head straight for Tikal and stay there overnight. This would be an adventure in itself.

More again soon.

Much luv.

Vanessa

---

Comments

[anonymous]

Its true
Did the caves in Dec 2003 it was Fantastic we had miners hats on with good lights, most excellent. This year went there with another group and they gave us candles. very differnt. if they want to do it they should do it right like before and maybe charge a little more Catours Motorbike Tours Guatemala - catours