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Published: July 20th 2012
Flores and Semuc Champey Flores in El Peten is an island on the lake named Lago de Peten Itza which is accessed by a causeway from the adjacent much busier town of Santa Elena. The island is characterised by backpacker hostels, hotels, bars and restaurants punctuated by the occasional tourist agencies which bound the cobbled streets. On arrival we sought to spend the night in Los Amigos, a laid back yet party orientated hostel which is extremely popular with many backpackers. Unfortunately our late arrival meant we couldn’t stay there as they were fully booked. We therefore shuffled down the street to hotel Mirador Del Lago which offered rooms with an amazing view of the adjacent lake. This lake is so warm that despite my shortcomings as a swimmer I took the plunge. This was a great way to recover from the long trip from Pelenque and provided a substitute to the cold water and electric shocks offered by many of the hostel and hotel showers in Central America.
The locals seem to party quite hard at the weekends and we headed to a local bar for a couple of bevs before retiring. Flores provides a base for day
trips to the surrounding area and after a much appreciated continental breakfast with a Guatemalan twist (Guatemalan breakfasts knock the socks of anything in Europe) we spoke to a tour operator and booked a trip to the Mayan ruins at Tikal for the next day (naturally the guy’s main selling point was that a scene from Star Wars was filmed amongst these jungle ruins). On the second day in Flores we decided to ship our gear over to Los Amigos and fortunately they had spare beds in the dorms at a cheap Q40 a night (approx £3.40). This place had a very laid back feel with friendly staff, a cool bar and good Wi-Fi access. Believe it or not there was also plenty of wildlife in and around the communal areas in the form of geckos, tortoises, a parrot and the usual blood sucking insects (and the lesser favoured cockroach that ran across the table we were playing cards on one night!). Our first experience of sleeping in a dorm was good and a few bevs helped ensure we weren’t woken by Will the Irishman, who we keep bumping into on our travels in ever increasing inebriated states (him, not
us!).
It was just as well that we slept well, as we woke the next day at 4.30 a.m to head to the ruins at Tikal. We chose a tour as we wanted to learn a bit about the ruins and the wildlife as we explored the ancient site. Luis the guide ensured we didn’t stray far from the group with his narrative about a guy who once did so and got lost in the jungle for three days and was only rescued as he left a trail of Lonely Planet pages everywhere he went (slightly dubious story but we had a copy with us anyway!). We trekked off through the jungle and stopped every 20 metres to watch Luis wake up howler monkeys, dig tarantulas out of holes and molest beetles and grasshoppers for our benefit (see pics). The wildlife was a bonus and the ruins were magnificent, emerging above the jungle canopy at their highest points. The humidity is pretty intense here but we are yet to experience a heavy rain shower (even though it’s the rainy season). All ruined out we burned it out of the jungle and back to Flores for some more chilling, swimming
in the lake and a few mojitos (note: the mint was about as fresh as my underwear!). Flores had been chilled out with a party vibe that kept things lively after the sun had gone down. We heard from a few fellow backpackers that Semuc Champey was a good place to move on to. A mere 9 hour journey.
We awoke to board a minibus which sped us through the rural highlands of northern Guatemala. It’s sobering to travel from backpacker hub to hub through some of the poorest villages and rural settings in Central America. We stopped off for lunch at a local home on the way (all part of the service!) and picked up some grub before heading through the beautiful mountainous region surrounding Semuc Champey. We arrived at El Retero, the riverside hostel which contained over 100 beds some of which were available. Unfortunately we were a bit let down by our accommodation. Our dorm had no locker, no lock on the door and had more mosquitos than we had encountered at any stage on our trip. The staff weren’t particularly friendly or useful either and I guess serving and accommodating hundreds of backpackers on a
daily basis takes its toll on them. We planned to chill and party in Semuc for a good few days but unlike all of our comrades we had overlooked the fact there were no cashpoints and the nearest was a 2 hour bus ride. Optimistically the next morning we headed to another hostel to try and get a decent bed and base for touring the national park. The guy who worked on reception at Zepher Lodge (the other main hostel in Semuc) was friendly enough, but when we told him we had spent the night at El Retero he told us we wouldn’t be able to stay as the place was infested with bed bugs (well that’s good to know then!). We made a strange decision, but a practical one based on our lack of access to funds. We asked how to get to Antigua (our next destination) and were told that normally you get a minibus direct but it left at 6am, an alternative trip involved 3 public buses, the first of which was to leave in 15 minutes time! We cut our losses and hopped on the next local minbus (12 seater with 25 locals packed in like
sardines) to Coban. From here we boarded the most recklessly driven coach I have ever had the pleasure of riding. Next destination Guatemala City. The bus was an hour late and this meant arriving in Guatemala City with all our bags after dark. Lonely Planet warns against arrival after dark so we were somewhat concerned but decided we should stay there for the night. Passing through the city at night was nuts. Every other person seemed to carry a gun and they have armed guards on every building with a cash register. James informed me he was sat next to a guy who had a desert eagle pistol strapped to his side. Whilst I think we were up for staying in the city we decided we may as well take a taxi for Q320 to Antigua and be done with the agro of travel for a few days (nothing to do with the level of military equipment on display of course!).
Antigua Antigua has not disappointed. A beautiful colonial old town overshadowed by multiple volcanoes this place is chilled out, offers a milder climate, has great food, provides a very friendly atmosphere, contains more culture than you can
through a book at, has crazy nightlife and best of all… it’s almost completely mosquito free. We arrived after dark and checked into a place called the Black Cat. This hostel is really cool and has a very good vibe running through the multiple floors of accommodation on offer. It also has a bar which seems to be a hub for much of the nightlife here. Our beds are cheap and breakfast is thrown in for free which means we pretty much skip lunch and save dollar. I think the easiest way to break down our 6 DAYS in Antigua is to categorise as follows:
Nightlife Antigua is a hub for young Guatamalans who in many cases travel from Guatemala City and further afield to enjoy the hectic club scene. We headed to a very lively bar called Café 2000 after starting the night with a few Tequilas at the Black Cat. It was only 10pm when we arrived and the place was full to the rafters. It was hard to get to the bar given that there were so many people there and this was made even more difficult by the fact that people were stood on
the bar dancing like nutters (standard pre-drink session then). We knocked back a few rum and cokes and headed out of there. We had heard that most places close at 1am and knew there were several bars in town which stayed open until the early hours. We got chatting to student from Guatamala city and he offered us a ride in his pick-up truck. We of course threw caution to the wind and spent the next 30 minutes searching for Ricki’s. After driving for all this time we eventually found ourselves about a 5 minute walk from where we started. The party continued into the early hours and we bailed out early at about 3am (because we are seriously hardcore these days)! The party continues every night of the week and it’s a great place to come if getting smashed is your thing.
Chilling and Culture This place will suck you in and won’t spit you out until your itinerary demands that you move on. Thankfully James and I don’t really have a rigid itinerary so we’ve spent a solid 6 days here. There are so many bars, restaurants and cafes to chill out in and the town is small and easy to navigate. There are dozens of buildings which offer beautiful examples of colonial architecture destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again by earthquakes over the last few hundred years. There are a couple of central plazas (big public squares), the main of which always has something going on. Live music, street sellers, street food, performing artists and general hustle and bustle make this the centre of a very, very cool town to stay in. A viewpoint on the nearby hillside offers a breath-taking view of Antigua sat below the surrounding volcanoes and we hiked up a short trail to chill there with the local crowds who gather there on a Sunday afternoon.
Climate It is far more mild in Antigua. We have been used to sweaty afternoons in 30 degree heat but here we were greeted by a much cooler climate. It tends to rain in the afternoon but only for half an hour or so. Around this time of year Antigua is much more European in terms of climate than much of Central America. In fact, everything about this place has a slightly more European feel to it. I think that’s part of what draws you in which in a way is a bit sad as it doesn’t really represent Guatemala as a whole. I cast aside those thoughts as the city offered us a chance to relax and recuperate from an intense week or so of heavy travelling.
Food We had our first sample of street food in the form of some dodgy looking sausages and a taco with a variety of vegetables. To be honest, we got what we paid for on this occasion although I’m pretty sure the old digestive system held its own. I think street food may be a bit hit and miss here. What wasn’t hit and miss was an amazing meal on a rooftop terrace overlooking the city with a sunset over the volcanoes providing a dramatic setting. This is the sort of place you bring the Mrs. Although the atmosphere took a dive when a Guatemalan teenager treated us to Coldplay and other western delights which blasted from her mobile phone as she ate. The food was great and the service better but unfortunately the name of this restaurant escapes me! There is a lot of choice in Antigua in terms of food, including pretty much any type of international cuisine you can think of along with a few choice Guatemalan places.
Volcanoes I think there may be 3 volcanoes within easy striking distance of Angtigua, the cheapest, easiest to scale and most active of which is Pacaya. We arranged a tour including transport and guide (you seem to ‘need’ a guide for most things here). We were told we would get a clearer view in the morning so made the sacrifice and awoke early (as usual) at 5.30am to catch a shuttle bus to a small village at the foot of the Volcano. It has to be said that this was the Renault Clio of Volcanoes. The trip involved a short walk up a dark dusty trail with our guide and a throng of fellow tourists, including an American woman who opted to fork out the Q100 for a horse ride to our destination! It did not take long to reach what appeared to be the halfway point where you could see steam billowing from the Volcano’s mouth. Unfortunately this wasn’t the halfway point it was the final destination and our guide informed us that it was too dangerous to make the summit. Fair enough, I suppose I’d rather toast marshmallows over a warm piece of rock than get swallowed up by a lava filled crevasse half way up the thing. It was exciting to see the Volcano in action and get that close to the summit but I’m sure we will have more exciting reports of volcanoes later in the trip.
Anyway that’s the latest from Central America. Next destination is Lago de Atitlan, a lake in the Guatamalan highlands. I thought I’d balance the humour of previous posts with a more informative post just so you guys can get a good picture of what we are up to. Adios.
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Mike Simpson
non-member comment
Summer has come!
Very informative and I liked the product placement of Lonely Planet. Did that pay for your time in Antigua? It's finally summer in Blighty with blue sky and HEAT - Hurrah! - just in time for the Olympics. I've been tanning myself in garden today between sorting through stuff in the attic and re-arranging the house to fit Claire and Olivia's stuff in. Missing your humour and I don't know how I'll cope without you once Footie season starts (Fergie's trying to buy Van Persie so that would be pretty cool!) Lots of love Daddio