Flores: island on the lake - Days 5-7

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Flores

We´ve spent the past couple days in Flores, which is just half an hour or so away from El Remate on the lake. Flores sits on an island on the lake called Lago de Peten Itza. Flores is unlike any other town that we´ve visited thus far because it has cobblestone streets, bright colored buildings, and is a little cleaner. It is more what we expected to see in the towns we´ve stayed at up to this point.

The lifestyle here is still very laid back, likely due in large part to the heat and high humidity. We´ve never sweat so much in our lives. Everyone here has been very friendly and the town is a good base for trips to Tikal, Semuc Champey (where we´re headed tomorrow) and any other jungle or ruins tours.

We found a great place to stay on our first attempt - the Hospedaje de Doña Goya II. There is another doña goya a few doors down that must be the original with only six rooms, but our guest house has three floors with about five rooms apiece and a rooftop terrace. With hammocks!!! We have spent quite a bit of time on the roof in hammocks - reading or just looking out at the lake. It has been very relaxing and we´ve found some great places to eat too. For interested travelers, Doña Goya is about $17us for a double w-private bath and we´d recommend the chicken tacos at Villa del Lago (at the end of calle centro america), and our dinner at Restaurante Las Brisas last night was good and inexpensive.

We have set up transportation to Semuc Champey for tomorrow and plan to stay at El Retiro. So far the pictures look great where we´ve been and the ones on Semuc Champey just might be even better.

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Photos

Doña Goya II
The rooftop terrace at our guesthouse

Doña Goya II
Looking west from the rooftop terrace

Flores
the cathedral at the top of the hill

lunch yesterday
Tacos de pollo, nachos con queso, frijol enchilada con queso (a tostada with layer of beans and a little cheese on top, not quite what we expected) y dos cervezas gallos

town sponsor?
The town entrance has Gallo all over it - ´Welcome to Fores, Gallo Gallo Gallo´.
When in Rome....

ending the evening ...
... in a hammock

The city arch on the bridge into town
notice the Gallo chicken emblems all around it. Town sponsor?

Tuk-Tuk
These were the little taxis that drove you around town and to Santa Elena and back.

Dona Goya
the rooftop terrace during an afternoon rainstorm

Dona Goya
water pooling up on the terrace

A rooftop chicken yard across the street
Penthouse Chickens, living the high life.

Comments

[kate]

Ahhh...livin' the life I see!

[Graham]

No PBR?
All the hipsters in Flores drink Gallo.