Quetzals for Quetzal!

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From the gorgeous western highlands in Antigua, Guatemala, the families packed up in the rented 12-passenger mini-van and drove for 5 hours to the northern highlands of central Guatemala, to the Biotopo del Quetzal, a protected area specifically set aside for this national bird. These mountains are approximately the same elevation as those we had just left, seemed to be slightly wetter, with lusher forests -- all under the same mild, cool climate. We got there on Thursday, the 28th, checked into our excellent little bungalow suite at the hotel, La Posada del Quetzal, but too late to explore the Biotopo, which closed at 4pm. Thus, we took a short hike on the trails behind the hostel, Los Ranchitos, located a few kms up the road, in search of quetzales. No luck, but did experience the magic of the temperate cloud forests, numerous creeks and waterfalls, and a few mosquitoes. We left determined to come back early the next morning and find this bird. Afterall, how could the oldest child in our group, Quetzal, not greet her wild cousins?
The next morning, at 5:30am (yup!) we all got up and headed for Los Ranchitos and saw not one, but several quetzales, including one showing off it's irridescent blues and greens, and glow-in-the-dark red belly, under the full sun a mere 30 feet from us. What a spectacular sighting. We were all so impressed, that even Scooter, the 4-year-old of our group, immediately opened his journal and drew an excellent rendition of what he saw. Once the quetzales disappeared from this area, we enjoyed an excellent Guatemala breakfast -- eggs, black beans, coffee -- at the hostel. The hostel owner was an excellent host and made us feel very welcome -- an excellent place for backpackers to spend the night.

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