Blogs from Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 4

Yesterday was really our last day in Guatemala, spending most of it exploring and learning about Tikal. Our excellent guide, Ivania, has led us through five days here in Guatemala, visiting the top three places tourists generally go: Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and, finally for us, Tikal. Having only five days in this country we didn't have enough time in Antigua, as our whole little group of six on this OAT pretrip all chose to spend one of the two days scheduled for Antigua travelling to and playing on and near Lake Atitlan. But all three main tourist spots are gorgeous places, very much worth visiting. In this short time I have enjoyed Guatemala very much! We are an interesting group, two couples and two solo travellers. I am one of the singles, and Yasmin is the ... read more

Nach den kurzen Aufenthalten in El Salvador und Honduras reisten wir weiter nach Guatemala wo wir mehr als eine Woche verbrachten. Startpunkt war die wunderbare Kleinstadt Antigua, welche von aktiven und nichtaktiven Vulkanen umgeben ist. Die Stadt gehört wegen ihrer spanischen Kolonialarchitektur seit langen zum Weltkulturerbe. Doch konnten wir nicht die ganze Zeit nur in der Stadt bleiben. So entschieden einige von uns, eine Wanderung zu einem aktiven Vulkan in der näheren Umgebung zu unternehmen. Das Unterfangen starteten wir am Nachmittag mit einer Busfahrt zum Vulkan. Ab dann hiess es weiter zu Fuss mit Essen und Zelt im Rucksack. Dies benötigten wir da wir auf halben Weg zum Vulkan in der Wildnis im Zelt übernachteten. Beim Zeltplatz angekommen war der Vulkan leider nicht zu sehen, da es so bewölkt war. Glücklicherweise wurde es am Abend schöner ... read more

Fri 23 November - Day 28 to 28 - Antigua Returning to Antigua bought us hotter weather and familiarity. We had loved Antigua the last time we were here but had noticed it was quieter as the Festival of Flowers was over. Tom & I found the Barrister Café on the edge of the Central Square. They served wonderful cappuccino and a spicy soup with avocado. We also visited an old church which was devastated by one of the earthquakes has now been converted into small sections for the purpose of learning carpentry, electrical and other trades. We then visited a travel agent to see if they could take us to a good spot to view the Fuego Volcano which was erupting constantly. He quoted an exorbitant price so went back to the hotel Posada Los ... read more

Sun 18 – Wed 21 November - Day 23 to 25 - Chichicastenango & Panajachel & Lake Atitlan After breakfast we left Antigua and drove towards Guatemala's most famous market town, Chichicastenango. This village's population swells from approx. 1000 to over 20,000 on market day (when we visited). The local indigenous people, mostly descendants of the K'iche' (Quiché) Maya people, come down from the nearby hills to sell everything from kitchen pots and pans to live turkeys! Handicrafts, bags, jumpers and wall hangings are just a few of the very colourful bargains to be found here. Chichicastenango, also known as Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, is a town in the ‘state’ of El Quiche. It is located in a mountainous region about 140 km northwest of Guatemala City, at an altitude of 1,965 m. The Spanish conquistadors ... read more

Thurs 15 November - Day 20 - Rio Dulce Up for a 6am departure, we drove in a minivan on to the river town of Rio Dulce where we overnight in Hotel Catamaran cabins right on the water. At the end of the 3 ½ hour drive through small-holdings farm country and coming across small villages on the way, we arrived at the little harbour and our group boarded 2 boats, both with 115hp outboard motors with a canopy. The weather was clearing with only high clouds remaining. We were hope for good weather. The boat trip to our accommodation took only 15 minutes where we unloaded our luggage and stored them in the bar/reception area. Within 30 minutes we started our boat tour along the 23 kilometre stretch of waterway to Livingston which allowed us ... read more