Guatemala

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Tikal

After leaving San Ignacio we crossed into Guatemala where we were hoping to get to Tikal, an ancient Mayan site, and camp up that evening. We got through the border easily enough and Rich and the guy at customs could speak enough Spanish/English between them to do all the paperwork in order to get the car imported. Having crossed the border we both immediately noticed that Guatemala, or at least the part we were driving though, was a lot poorer than what we were used to In Belize. We had heard many horror stories, mainly from the British Foreign Commonwealth Office website, of armed car-jacking and robberies so we were a pretty apprehensive driving at first. It didn’t help when most people walking down the streets are wielding huge machetes. We guessed these are for working but it certainly takes some getting used to. When we got to the first junction where we were both lost and needed petrol we asked for help and found the guy to be incredibly friendly and helpful. We found this throughout our time in Guatemala, contrary to what we had heard and were expecting.

We arrived at Tikal before sunset and made arrangements with a restaurant/hotel called the Jaguar Inn where we could camp for 25 quetzales (about two quid) each. We went for a meal in the restaurant and met an interesting guy from the States called Ross who was a professional photographer and driving around the world (hopefully) in his VW Beetle. We arranged to meet the next morning at 5am to catch the sunrise at Tikal.

The site of Tikal in incredible, it’s in the middle of the jungle and while we were walking in before sunrise we could hear howler monkeys all around us making a deafening amount of noise. If hadn’t known how small these monkeys are we would have been pretty intimidated as when they all get going they sound like Darth Vader - only a lot louder. We weren’t in a great spot when the sun rose but shortly afterwards managed to climb one of the temples where we had great views of the surrounding jungle with the other temples poking out. Like most sites we’ve been to we were told you would need two days to really explore but by about 9 o’clock when the place had filled up with other tourists on day trips we were ready to leave.

Gun‘s and Banks

After Tikal we headed to Santa Elena where we needed to get some money out. Our bank limited the amount we could get out to about £20 a day because it regards Guatemala as a risky country. After having no luck with the cash machines we had to go into the branches to try and make withdrawal. Now, one thing that struck us about Guatemala is the number of guns. You can have a petrol station on the side of the road with a shop by it and there will be two guards armed with shotguns, one for the shop and the other for the petrol station. Well, we went into one bank where there was the usual guard outside and another one behind the door (also with a gun) peering out to let people in. We had been sitting in line for about five minutes when a guy came to the door to enter the bank. Now we shouldn’t be prejudiced but this guy did not look like the type of person we wanted to get talking to. Having just stepped out of his expensive jeep (most people in Guatemala can’t afford cars) he made his way to the door in full-on chunky gold jewellery. Of a big stature with a shaved head and scars all over it we both thought ‘drug dealer’. Anyway, once he steps into the bank he exchanges a few words with the guard and out of his deep pockets pulls out a freaking massive chrome gun that is more like a hand-cannon and locks it up in the cabinet by the door that transpires is for firearms. I think it’s fair to say neither of us felt particularly safe at this time. Well we didn’t manage to get any money out of that bank but did have some luck later on and then we moved on and stayed the night at a great little town by Lago Peten called El Remate. This time the guy let us camp for about 7 quetales each which is a little over fifty pence and it was a lovely set-up.

Finca El Paraiso

From El Remate we headed down to a town called Rio Dulce. We hung out there for a couple of days despite sleeping in the car park of one of the hotels there by the harbour. From there we made the short journey but over an awful road over to a natural hot springs called Finca El Paraiso. The springs were beautiful and when we arrived we had the place to ourselves - probably because the weather wasn’t so great. While we were there we were looking for a place to camp and were pointed down a tiny, country road with cattle, cattle fences and giant puddles to get stuck in. We eventually found a place and got chatting to the owner Julio who allowed us to park up right next to a palapa overlooking the lake. The place was really beautiful and so peaceful; there was not another sole around except for Julio and his family who were doing their chores around the place. We had bought some authentic Guatemalan chocolate in Tikal that we both though was really disgusting so we offered it to Julio and the grandkids pretending it was a generous and selfless act. They really liked it and gave us some great homemade cheese that they had just made which we happily devoured instead of that crappy chocolate.

Antigua

We then headed back to Rio Dulce to use the internet before setting off to Antigua. Immediately as we drove into Antigua we knew we would love it. With tons of the old colonial Spanish architecture and volcanoes all around the place is incredibly picturesque. We got out the van while in Anigua and stayed in a hotel with secure parking and it was pretty nice not to have to worry about the van for a few days. After a few days of Christmas shopping and lounging around in cafes, bars and restaurants (and spending too much money) we booked ourselves up for a guided hike of the nearby Volcan Pacaya.
The hike up to the volcano is fairly tough going and near the summit there is so much solidified, but crumbling rock (formed from the lava) that it’s like climbing up sand. When we got to the top though, it was definitely worth it. The rocks beneath our feet were obviously solidified lava and you could feel the heat coming out from them. In fact, in a few places were there were gaps in the rocks you could see the rocks below glowing red just a few feet away. The actual summit was the highlight where we could see the point where the lava was emerging from the earth and creating its own little river of lava down the volcano. We stayed there for as long as we could but it was really hot. A couple of times, the wind picked up and it was like being inside a fan assisted oven. We happily hiked back down remarking that it’s one of the most amazing things we’ve ever seen

Perfect Christmas

From Antigua we headed over towards Lago de Atitlan where we would spend Christmas together. We found a great little hotel on the internet called Posada de Santiago where we splashed out (it was Christmas!) on a little cottage with a fireplace. Before having Christmas dinner we headed down to the lakeside area where there was an outside Jacuzzi. The thought of having an outside Jacuzzi on Christmas day while everyone was in the cold back home was too much so we jumped in for as long as we could before heading back for the big meal.

Monterrico

After our luxurious Christmas we headed, bizarrely, to a American-style theme parks with roller-coasters, log-flumes and all the usual other offerings. It was a fun day out but not really any different from any other them park we’ve been to. From the theme park we headed to a beach town called Monterrico. We pulled up there later than we wanted and were really struggling to find a hotel, or anywhere for that matter that would let us camp up. We got chatting to a guy who was selling tours who took us to a hotel next door that also wouldn’t let us camp and told us of a group of Canadians in town who might be able to help out. After speaking to him for a while we carried on searching for somewhere to stay without any success. We bumped into the same guy again later who luckily had spoken to the Canadians. He showed us to the house they were renting and they kindly let us park up on their sandy drive. There were four in total Dale, Daryl, Jack and Pauline. All retired, they were from the same village in Central Canada and had come away travelling together on a similar trip to us through Central America. They were so welcoming and laid back it was unreal. Daryl reminded Rich of ‘The Dude’ from the Big Lebowski as the guy was just so laid back.

From their house it was a two minute walk to the beach where we regularly took a dip despite getting lashed by the waves there. Just round the corner from their house was a turtle sanctuary that we visited. When we turned up the guys were digging newly hatched turtles out of the ground and Jess got to hold one in her hand which she was very excited about. We went back later when they released all the turtles that had hatched during the day. Visitors could sponsor a baby turtle in fun little race to sea. The money from the race is to help protect the turtle eggs from thieves and locals who unfortunately eat them.

We stayed at Monterrico for three nights but before heading off Rich and Jack exchanged several albums from their MP3 players as the found they had very similar interests in music. We left Monterrico and heard we could get a ‘ferry’ that would save us a lot of time heading over towards El Salvador. After ten minutes following the directions we had been given and going down tiny back roads we finally arrived at a clearing where there were some people hanging around at what could very loosely be described as a ferry terminal.

There was a faded, hand-painted sign with some form of schedule on it and a few tiny boats in the mangrove swamp. We asked where the ferry was and were directed to a boat that was about as big as our van. We looked at each other and were really unsure at this point. The ‘captain’ got some planks of wood out to make wheel-ramps and directed us onto his ship. By the time we got the van on Rich noticed that some water was leaking in from his side and told the skipper who just said ‘es normalmente’. This boat/barge/ferry was tiny. It was just wide enough to fit the van and had about six feet clear at the back. It turned out to be a really pleasant trip through the mangrove swamp after all and we got to see plenty of wildlife.

Final Night

Struggling to find somewhere to stay again, we found a ‘Turicentro’ on the side of the road. These are places, usually with swimming pools and water slides where Guatemalans go for the day. They usually shut about 5pm but after chatting to the owner he allowed us to camp in there for the night. After being in there five minutes we realized there was a big Christian party going on with group hugs and happy-clapper music. We didn’t really fit in but once they cleared off we had the place to ourselves. The next day was New Year’s Eve and we wanted to get an early start over the border to El Salvador.

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