Go Slow - Guatemala & Belize

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An interesting 48 hours involving 3 border crossings and pulling an all nighter in a 24 hour Denny's we made it to Antigua, Guatemala. It's a beautiful city, rich with colonial buildings and cobbled streets.

Volcano trek
The main reason for our stop in Antigua was to trek an active volcano, Payaca. We organised a afternoon tour so we could enjoy a morning strolling around the city and street markets. On our tour was 6 kiwis and a couple we'd met on our bus to Antigua. The hike was difficult as the temperature was high and the trail was steep.

Unfortunately due to an eruption in 2008 we were unable to reach the very top but this is probably a good thing as the weather began to turn. We quickly roasted some marshmallows on a vent and entered a cave that was nicknamed the sauna. Then the guide after hurrying us along, started to run back down, I swiftly concluded it was best to try keep up.

In the evening back in the city, we met up with the kiwis for some drinks. We had a fun night of guitar playing, singing loudly and by the end we agreed to join them on their next stop, Seyec Champey.

Seyec Champey
All 11 of us (we gained another traveller on the bus) stayed in a wooden cabin, sleeping on mattresses on the floor. It felt like a tree house and we were sharing it with a cat and her 4 kittens. Our day trip was to the lake pools and cave.

We initially hiked uphill to the mirador to view the spectacular surroundings before heading to the pools. We were all grateful to dive into the cool pools after the heat & sweat of the hike. To venture from one pool to the next we had to jump into the deepest parts. There was an over hang on one pool which produced a small cave which you could swim under. Unfortunately Ellie had a small accident and bumped her head leaving her with a small dent.

After lunch we got to go caving, it was brilliant! We were each given a candle which, despite only really lighting up our hand and little else, we clung onto them as if our lives depended on it. We went through waters that came up to our shoulders and when deeper we swam across. We climbed mini waterfalls, jumped into deep pools and squeezed through small corridors. It was a great experience and really enjoyed ourselves. The day was ended slowly tubing down the river and heading back to the hostel with a few drinks.

Tikal
The next day we took a bus onto Flores which is a town near Tikal, a large Mayan ruin site. We started our tour by walking up temple 4, the biggest one that gave a good view of the jungle surroundings and the tops of some of the other ruins.

As we wondered round we saw spider monkeys in the trees and racoons on the floor. We saw the grand plaza where sacrifices would take place and climbed through the old temples. Unfortunately everyone in our group (apart from me and 2 others) were really ill, we believe it must have been the lunch the previous day as it's the only common factor. Therefore we organised an earlier return trip and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon at the hotel.

With everyone being unwell we were able to sway the 6 kiwis to join us in Belize for a few days before departing ways. So the next day we jumped on a bus and boat to the Belize island Caye Caulker. The island was a tropical paradise and we felt the Caribbean presence with the area and the locals.

We enjoyed chilling out on the beach and swimming in the sea. In the evening we went to a pub quiz, as we were too many for one team we split by genders and foolishly agreed to whoever had the least points cooked breakfast in the morning. It was pretty close with the girls only one point behind the boys until the bonus question, where if answered wrong meant you were deducted the points. The girls risked the challenge but unfortunately didn't prevail and the boys came second overall winning a $20 bar tab. As they'd be unwell lately they ordered 10 bottles of water to take away - so rock and roll!  

The hostel offered free use of their bikes so me and one of the kiwis explored the small island. It was beautiful; a true paradise with palm trees and clear blue sea. The island's motto is 'go slow' and couldn't fit it better, although unfortunately its plagued with Mosquitoes which took a liking to me. 

The second evening was spent in a karaoke bar, singing along to classics and cheesy tunes. Some of the kiwis offered some great solos as well as some of the locals - one was so similar to Shaggy singing Angel I thought the CD was playing! 

It was sad the following day when we parted ways from the kiwis and headed on the boat to start our trip to Mexico. 

Sent from my iPod

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