Good times in Guatemala

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From Honduras we cheated a bit by taking a direct shuttle bus to Guatemala. This went against our usual method of cheap chicken bus travel, but even we need some luxury sometimes! The shuttle was significantly faster than the alternative, although still took nearly 6 hours. Distances here look so short on the map but seem to turn into mini epics every time we travel.

Antigua

Our first proper stop in Guatemala was the colonial city of Antigua. It is easy to see why this place has become a backpacker hot-spot, with its nice architecture, quirky cafes, bagel shops, etc. The problem is though that Guatemala seems almost too tourist-oriented. Where are we meant to go for just some normal Guatemalan dishes?!

Still, we enjoyed our time in Antigua, wandering the streets, visiting a few museums and dodging the afternoon rain showers. The best part of our time in the city was an afternoon/evening excursion to the nearby Volcan Pacaya. We had been disappointed not to see lava close-up when we were in Costa Rica and so jumped at the chance to have another go in Guatemala. Our slightly bizarre experience started with a long bus journey to the back of the volcano. Once out of the bus it started raining and I was worried that we were going to get soaked. Luckily, as we started hiking, the rain eased and we were able to walk without our ponchos.

We followed our guide up the side of the volcano, firstly crossing a large lava field. By now it was dusk and so we were easily able to see the lava flows ahead of us. The bright red of the lava produced a gorgeous contrast with the surrounding black volcanic rock. After a tough hike we took a break and at this point the guide said it would be dangerous to go any further. Well, we weren't going to stand for that! So quite a few of us pleaded with the guide to let us go onwards, and eventually he agreed. He led the way as we scrambled up a steep gully, getting closer to the lava. The view was stunning and we could see large rocks being spewed out of the volcano and then hurtling down the slope.

Finally the guide said we had gone far enough and had to head back down. By this time it was completely dark and the rain had started again. Then followed a mad few minutes as we all attempted to descend the difficult volcanic slope in lashing rain, in the dark, and the group slowly getting lost. Thankfully Barry and I stayed close to the guide and so were safe enough but some people went off at their own angles and it took quite some time to get the group re-assembled. When we were all together again the guide set off to take us down the rest of the volcano. A truly adventurous evening! Back on the bus we were all absolutely soaked but exhilarated too. As soon as we reached Antigua we headed for the nearest restaurant for a well-deserved burger and beer!

Lake Atitlan

From Antigua we took a chicken bus to the town of Panajachel (usually known just as "Pana"), located on the shores of Lake Atitlan. This lake is often said to be one of the most beautiful in the world and it is easy to see why. The still deep blue surface is circled by volcanoes, rising out of the surrounding land. We stayed a day in Pana, relaxing by the lake, enjoying the laid-back town and bargaining for local textiles.

We also spent a morning at the nearby Atitlan Nature Reserve, a short walk out of town. This turned into a fantastic experience, where we finally got to see monkeys. The spider monkeys in this reserve are protected from human predators and seem to enjoy spending most of their time hanging out of trees and jumping around the place! We also went on a hike through the reserve which took us up to a few good viewpoints over the lake, past a nice waterfall and along bridges through the forest canopy.

From Pana we hopped on a local boat to take us across Lake Atitlan. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but we managed to fit in with all of our rucksacks. The journey across the lake was bumpy but lovely with great views of the surrounding volcanoes. On arriving in the small town of San Pedro we realised we had hit another backpacker hotspot with people calling to us in English, offering rooms and some even openly offering drugs. We managed to get a hotel by ourselves and spent the next few days getting to know the nice town and its surroundings as well as some of its very good bars and restaurants.

Our favourite day was spent hiking up the nearby mountain known as the Indian's Nose (Nariz del Indio). We had been hoping to climb the San Pedro Volcano but were put off by reports from local agencies of recent armed robberies on the trail. So, instead we went for the easier and safer Nariz del Indio, but were certainly not disappointed. The walk started by heading over to a neighbouring village before the steady ascent began. We started off very early in the morning, so that we would not be too affected by the sun and for better views. The path was quite steep in places and the early start didn’t completely stop the heat, but the views were so impressive that they made the effort worthwhile. At the top of the "nose" we could see right across Lake Atitlan, with its shimmering surface and numerous volcanoes in the background.

After reaching the summit, the guides asked if we wanted to visit a small town on the other side of the mountain, Santa Clara which was celebrating its annual holy day. Of course we said yes! We hiked down to the town and were greeted with a very festive atmosphere, a local market in full flow and a main square covered in decorations. The highlight though was when we saw the traditional Central American “voladores”. A large tree is stripped bare to make one very long pole, from which ropes are hung. The traditionally dresed voladores ("flyers") climb the pole, attach themselves to the ends of the ropes, fling themselves off the top and swing around the post in large circles to finally reach the ground. This was quite a spectacle and definitely a highlight of our visit.

Quetzaeltenango, aka Xela

Next stop in Guatemala was the town with the complicated name, Quetzaeltenango. Luckily the locals sensible shorten it to “Xela”. We had been hoping to get some real hiking in here, but sadly that was not to be. Some hikers had recently been threatened at gunpoint on a local route and, added to this, the weather was dull and drizzly. So instead we explored the town a bit, watched movies and ate burritos at the lovely Blue Angel Café and visited some local hot springs. The springs at Fuentes Georginas are perfectly situated, at the bottom of a volcano. We spent a relaxed morning generally having a very long bath! Great to warm up the bones.

Flores

From Xela we took a mammoth trip, firstly by bus to Guatemala City and then another bus overnight northwards to Flores. Whilst on the bus I developed a bad stomach and by the time we reached Flores all I wanted to do was lie down and cry. Sadly for the next few days my situation didn’t change much as I lay in bed wondering what I had eaten that could possibly have floored me like this. Very frustratingly, this meant that Barry had to go to see the Mayan city of Tikal on his own whilst I had to make to with drinking litres of water and occasionally reading our textbook on the Mayas! Needless to say I was very disappointed. Still, Barry gave me a good description of Tikal on his return and took lots of photos for me to look at. I also spent a whole day chasing a refund we were owed from some dodgy local tour operators. Amazingly, after a whole day of chasing people, accusing one man of being a “ladron” (a thief), using all of the Spanish in my head, refusing to leave an office until I had seen the manager and generally making a big fuss, I got our refund! Power to the gringa…

Ripping off the "gringos"

That last point reminds me of the one thing that really disappointed me in Guatemala. It is much more touristy than many of the other Latin American countries we visited and sadly many of those involved in the tourist industry view the gringos as cash cows. I do realise that foreigners have more money than locals, and of course some may just help to perpetuate a stereotype of the wealthy foreigner, but the situation became annoying for us. We found ourselves arguing with bus conductors who overcharged us and they just threw up their arms in a “what do you want us to do about it?!” kind of way. It seems such a shame that a country as beautiful and potentially welcoming as Guatemala should be tainted by this sad corruption. When I compare Guatemala and Nicaragua, there is not contest, the latter simply won hands down with its appreciation and kindness towards us.

One more to go

And so we keep moving. Next and final stop… Mexico!

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Comments

[barrygahan]

Wish we were there again
It was much more fun than working!