Treehouse living...well kind of.

---

Finca Ixobel may be a bit of a splurge, but what looks like total luxury is actually really affordable.

The only time we ever actually saw the city of Poptun itself was when we passed through it to get to the Finca and back through it to grab an overnight bus to Guatemala. It's a bit of a shame really, and I kind of regret it. But the real draw for most backpackers in this town is the Finca Ixobel. (I've told you before, we can be predictable.)

The place is massive. I'm not sure how many acres of land they own, but it's a hell of a lot and the grounds around the main building and camping areas are well taken care of. When we laid eyes on the place for the first time we'd gotten ourselves into something way over our budget.

To get to Ixobel you have to walk a kilometre in from the highway where any bus or pickup will let you off. Don't worry, there are lots of signs and every bus driver who goes through Poptun knows where it is. As you come through the big gates the road leads you past a huge green space with cabanas, big thatch roof huts and a small stream on your left. Further up on the same side there is a fenced in enclosure where they keep some injured and endangered animals that they hope they can someday release back into the wild. A few McCaws, some really great Spider Monkeys, Wild Turkeys and a few other types of birds. In a small field in front of the sprawling main buildings a couple of kids were playing soccer. We just kinds of stood agape. It was like some kind of sanctuary. Great for families since there's so much to do and really secure.

I'd read in the guidebook that this place rented treehouses! We inquired how much, and next to dorms or hammock space, they were the cheapest. What they really ended up being were elevated cabanas, not really in a tree, but cute all the same. They all had a private porch with a hammock and a little outdoor patio set, perfect for watching the sunset with brewskies. The 'double' we stayed in could easily have slept five people and I think it cost us about Q100.

There's no electricity in the cabanas or hammock huts, but they provide you with candles and it's all very romantic until you have to stumble to the bathroom in the dark in the middle of the night because you can't find the flashlight! Honestly, it was great.

There aren't a whole lot of day trips you can do for free around the Finca, but there are a ton of other activities. Horseback trips ranging from a couple of hours to three-day jungle treks are available. I really wanted to do the big trek, but we didn't have time if we wanted to get to Antigua for Semana Santa. There's an all day cave and river exploration tour with tubing and candles that sounded vaguely reminiscent of the one we did in Semuc Chempey. I wasn't so keen this time since the weather wasn't super warm while we were there and the last excursion we did like this I felt like I had gotten some minor level of hypothermia, but Chris really wanted to go. Turned out he got a cold that stayed with him for what seemed like two weeks and it really hit him the morning he was supposed to take the hike. I felt really bad.

I took a three-hour horseback tour one morning. Since I have a bit of experience they set me up with one of the faster horses, telling me that he was a little sensitive about his bridle and to be really gentle with the reigns. "No problem," I figured. What they didn't tell me was that this horse was not the most social of horses, in fact he was downright bitchy. It kicked anything that got too close to his backside and bit horses that didn't seem to be moving fast enough for his liking. So here I am trying to keep this horse from away from everyone else's while being really gentle with the reigns lest he rear up on me. Not the most pleasant horse, but the ride through the finca grounds were really nice. The most beautiful little flowers seem to grow randomly all over the property and you meet locals who live on the grounds carrying firewood or vegetables through the little paths.

There are other cave and hiking trips too. One of the freebies is a self-guided hike up what they call "The Pyramid" which is a small hill in the back. It's really steep and you've got to be grabbing onto roots and rocks as you make the ascent. The way down is even scarier. Don't even think of doing it in the rain! The climb is only an hour and it's a great way to heat up before you jump in their man-made pond. Just make sure you get really specific instructions on how to get there, and if you're not sure, it's no the right way. Apparently more than a few people have gotten lost looking for the trail and have done some serious jungle hacking.

The other big draw about this place is the food, of course. You didn't actually think I could go an entry without talking about it, did you? They have an all-you-can-eat buffet with meat options for 50Q and just salad for 25Q. The stuff they serve is great and even if you take the big buffet and are vegetarian you get at least five different hot plate options to choose from. On the nights we were there was vegetable pie, chicken cacciatore, fried chicken, beet salad, zucchinni in a red wine sauce, peas with mushrooms and onions in garlic and herbs, cucumber in tatziki, and always a green salad with lots of fresh veggies. The other bonus is that you've got a wide choice of condiments for every meal. There was tamarind, guayaba and pineapple jams, different kinds of vinegars and oils, hotsauces and syrups. They make all their baked goods fresh on the premises and apparently grow all their vegetables in their own gardens. We were skeptical of this just because of the sheer volume of vegetables they go through in a day, but they do have working gardens. They have a different dessert you can add on to your bill every night for and extra 10Q. We had a banana cream pie with a meringue top which was great. The only thing I regret not getting was one of the cinnamon buns. They looked so good and were only 5Q, but when I wanted one they were all gone. You can also buy full loaves of banana and carrot bread to take with you (more good bus food).

They also have a great bar that's right next to their pond and away from the dorms, so if you don't want to party you can sleep in relative peace. Bar opens at nine and the first three people in the place get free drinks. We took advantage the first night with a couple of Quebec Libres. They've got a decent stash of booze including some really good rums. The bartenders, who are a rotation of the daily staff, are always really personable. Great choice tunes, from old jazz one night to salsa the next. There are even some salsa experts among them who are more than willing to show you a thing or two. Stick to trying this at the beginning and not the end of the night if you want to keep your embarrassement level at a minimum.

On our first evening there we met a woman named Renee from the States whom we had gabbed with over coffees while we were in El Remate. Nice to see her again. She was travelling solo and really to do this cave trip. Through her we met Jeff, who preferred to be known as Pancho. Don't ask. Like us, Jeff was on his way to Antigua for Semana Santa where he was meeting up with the rest of his family. Unlike us, he was staying at a newly opened shwanky-ass hotel called La Meson de Maria, that he thought still had rooms open. We subtly declined. Most of our time at Ixobel was spent reading or writing. My only beef with the place was their internet facilities. They only have three computers and the first day we were there two of them were busted. Chris managed to fix one of them, earning himself dinner for the evening, and then there were two but always busy. Not exactly the place to catch up on your blog writing.

I managed to shoot a couple of emails off to the Spanish schools in Antigua that looked good to find out what their holiday week schedules were like, but ended up sending them too late to get any responses before we left. We had no idea if we would be able to find anything in Antigua, be it an open school with availabilities or even just an affordable room.

We left on an overnight bus to Guatemala City planning on hopping a chicken bus to Antigua as soon as we got there and then just scouting out the possibilities door to door since Antigua is small enough to walk in it's entirety. We left our friends at the Finca with a vague mention of "Maybe we'll see each other in Antigua," knowing full well how improbable that would be on this particular weekend. We piled ourselves and our bags into a tuctuc, which is an open, three-wheeled, mini taxi. They're pratically everywhere in Guate and Honduras, always asking if you need a lift. Most of the time they're a pain in the ass, but if you want to know where the good parties are, especially the afterhours, ask the tuctuc drivers. They know everything.

As I snoozed off on the bus to Guate City, little did I know of what lay only a few hours ahead of us...

---