Two Wise Nomads

Thankfully the shuttle trip to Flores wasn’t too packed so we had the luxury of 3 seats between the 2 of us.  Our guide upon arrival in Flores was a perky little local lady called Libby who talked non-stop for the 30 minutes she was with us.  She even walked Deryn and me to our backpackers,  through the windy cobble stoned streets.  Flores is a little Island in the lake of Peten Itza, that has flourished into a tourist hub as a gateway to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. Unfortunately our hostel Ciao Cacaowas just too small and cramped, and after 9 hours in a van, just not what the doctor ordered.  So we checked right out and moved to the much more comfortable Hotel Isla de Flores. It was lovely, even with a roof top pool overlooking the town. 

We spent 2 days in Flores, organising our trip to Tikal and our onward shuttle to Rio Dulce. I managed to track down a Burger King in a local mall so combined the feed with a haircut and a shave – again unfortunately not the cut throat variety. Obviously not a thing in Guatemala.  Flores was stinking hot – not quite as bad as Cartagena but still tough to be outside in the heat of the day – so a fair bit of time was spent in the room or up top in the pool. At dusk literally thousand of black and white birds perch on the telegraph poles – mostly near the lights – to spend the night.  Walking underneath is a real risk!

Our shuttle to Tikal was a breeze, just under 90 minutes before we had checked into our backpackers room in the upmarket Jungle Lodgeinside the Parque National Tikal. The Lodge was beautiful but the backpackers facilities were a lot less so – still at $50 v  $350 it was to be expected.  We had the use of the pool and other facilities mind.  We paid our entrance fee to the park (Q250 – $A50 each) and the additional Q100 for the mandatory guide for the sunrise tour . We had a leisurely afternoon by the pool with spider monkeys swinging amongst the trees and some exotic birds hanging around before we hans a early dinner and bed for an early 3.45am rise. 

The entire UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tikal is impressive. One of the many spectacular attractions is the city’s Great Plaza, home to palaces, ceremonial buildings, stelae, carved altars, and the two giant pyramids known today as Temple I and Temple II. Tikal was the capital of the Mayan culture from around 400BC to 900AD, after which it fell into ruin probably after a severe drought as it had no direct water access. It was discovered again in the mid 1800s and became a World Heritage site in the 1979.  At its peak it was home to up to 90,000 people and covered an area of 500 sq kms. The main area we explored was the religious center which covered 12 sq kms. Tikal National Park measures more than 575 square kilometres! Our guide for the tour was a local lad who has the weirdest American accent from his years of watching American TV. We walked through the main square to temple V to watch the sun rise over Tikal.  Temple V is 57 meters high with great views of the other temples poking through the roof of the jungle.  Unfortunately the weather did not play its part and the views were pretty average – but to be expected when you visit in the middle of the rainy season.  We then spent the next 3 hours exploring the rest of the site.  It was special because we basically had the place to ourselves. 

The Howler monkeys scared a few of our group not having heard them before.  The site was also full of Coati – an animal we first encountered at Iguazu Falls.  It was weird walking around seeing all these hills covered in jungle knowing they were temples or buildings underneath. The amount of work and time that goes into uncovering a building or temple is incredible. They believe there could be literally thousands of buildings / temples in the area yet to be uncovered. Technology is speeding up the discovery process but the removal of jungle still takes years. South and Central American has been a joy in learning about these ancient civilizations – the Aztecs are next. 

The rest of the day was spent like most days in Central America this time of year – enjoy the sun until around 4 until the storm rolls in. Always preceded by an incredible thunderstorm.  We spent the night again in Tikal before returning to Flores at 11am the next morning.  30 of us in a 29 seat mini bus. We returned to our fancy hotel for one night before grabbing an 8am shuttle for a 4 hour drive to Rio Dulce and the imaginatively named Backpackers Hostel before grabbing a boat to take us to our remote hostel called El Hotelito Perdido.  Rio Dulce was full of mangy sea dogs – the human type as well as the canine – because it’s the only place in the Caribbean where you can get covered for cyclones – the canyon is a natural barrier, stopping cyclones from causing damage. Hence all the boaties from the Caribbean spend 4 months of cyclone season in Rio Dulce in differing states of accommodation – ranging from in their boats on a mooring to luxury riverside houses with private moorings.  Quite a scene.

The boat trip to our hostel took 2 hours because it was basically a tourist boat with visits to the old fort, Gringo Bay and the hot baths as well as gawking at the humongous homes along the rivers edge. One has to assume there was a fare amount of narcos money around….

It was 4.30 by the time we arrived at our hostel and we were both sweating profusely. Our garden bungalow had a bathroom,  tiny lounge and hammocked deck downstairs and a mosquito encased double bed upstairs. It was lovely. And very warm. However we soon cooled off in the river and sat down to a lovely vegan curry with all the guests and the owner at 6.  Unfortunately the dining area was too hot, combined with that and the fact that our Polish hostess (a lovely lady but a stickler for rules so we gave her the nickname Gestapo) would not let me drink my rum there as a “Guatemalan” had got drunk a few years back and tried to sleep with a female member of the staff.  Not sure why that was my fault. Anyway, I paid for one of her rums before we headed to bed and sweated our way to sleep.  

The usual thunderstorm and rain was a bit late arriving that first day so we were wakened around midnight to a massive storm.  We were woken again at dawn by an amazing cacophony of bird song.  We had no choice but to rise early and go for a swim to cool down before grabbing breakfast.  This began our daily routine – swimming and then chilling in the hammocks reading.  I finally got to finish Middlemarch.  Also part of the routine was to cover yourself repeatedly in bug repellent to try reduce the amount of insects feeding on you.  It reduced the feeding but by no means prevented it. Deryn was thrilled with my twice daily rundown of the sites and severity of my bites. 

The first day we grabbed the kayaks for a 5.5km paddle up the Rio Lampada (the river we were actually located on – it fed into Rio Dulce)  to look at the waterfall. We took the hostels smelly dog Rasta who loved riding in the kayak but hated water. It was a lovely kayak but unfortunately we could not find the waterfall.  It was still a delightful afternoon.  The next day we grabbed a boat to the Ak Tenamint village (a local tourist school) where a guide took us on the 10km walk to Livingstone – the only Guatemalan town on the Caribbean coast. I had a bit of a dodgy stomach so found it hard work – particularly given the heat – and did I mention bugs? Another guest, a lovely German called Anja who was working at a German school in Guatemala City joined us which made a good companion for Deryn.  We ended up seeing the most wildlife we had seen in Guatemala – owl eyed butterflies, chameleon, crickets and even a baby boa constrictor.  

Livingstone itself was a bit bland but we grabbed a swim before chilling in the Happy Fish restaurant to wait for our 4pm boat ride back to the hostel.  We were a little bit disappointed in the ‘canyon’, as we similar type waterways are a dime a dozen in NZ.  On our last day we grabbed the kayaks with Anja and paddled to a nearby restaurant – El Viajero- on the Rio Dulce for a late lunch and a few drinks.  The restaurant had a swing into the river – which I managed to break – and a couple of waterslides that propelled you 7 or 8 meters into the river. It was a really fun afternoon, capped off by paddling home as the sun was going down over this beautiful part of the world. We finished with a nightcap and gazing at the stars.

When it came to pay the bill we only just had enough to pay it and to cover our return boat journey – the extra day had mucked up our budgeting.  It was sad saying good bye to Perdido and Gestapo (and Dopey) but I was also relieved to be escaping the bites and the heat.  Deryn not so. The boat journey back to the town of Rio Dulce was uneventful and it wasn’t long before we were on our air-conditioned and curtained bus back to Guatemala City.  The ride from the bus stop in Guatemala City to our hotel – Barcelo– was a rip off at Q100 for a 5 minute ride. A lesson to lock in a price before getting in a rust bucket.  The hotel was lovely with an amazing shower and decent pillows. It’s the small things that give you pleasure when on the road.  We pigged out at the buffet, which while pricey at Q160 (A$32) each, well worth it.  I for one enjoyed the air-conditioning. We went to sleep reminiscing over the 6 months of travel, the magic of Guatemala but also the building excitement of soon seeing all our family and friends and of course, Courtney and Dallas’ wedding.

Thankfully our shuttle bus wasn’t full so Deryn and I had a 3 seats between us. We were picked up just before 9 and arrived in Lanquin around 7 that night, the last 45 minutes being a crawl along a dirt, windy mountainous road with the odd cliff edge pass of traffic coming the other way. We then had to jump into the back of a ute for another 45 minutes to our hostel El Portal De Champey. An oasis a mere 100m from the rock pools of Semuc Champey.

We had a lovely little cabin overlooking the river Rio Cahabon, all be it with no wifi and power from 12 to 2 and again 6 to 11. We booked 3 nights there basically to chill before the next 9 hour shuttle ride up to Flores and the Mayan ruins at Tikal. And chill we did. The hostel was run by an incredibly friendly bunch of locals and a German girl called Danielle, who had been living there for over a year

The first day consisted of a walk to the stunning rock pools and the 25 minute climb to the mirador overlooking the pools.  It was nice being so close to the pools rather than enduring the 45 ride from Lanquin. 

The next day we grabbed a couple of truck tubes from some locals and had a 10 year old girl called Marie escort us for the 25 minutes float down the river.  Very relaxing.  Her English was amazing, learnt solely by interacting with tourists. When we saw her again the next couple of days she would yell out “Derr-ring!”.   It was also hilarious how the locals tried to sell us beers whenever we walked past them – even 830 in the morning.

Our final day was a busy one with an early visit to the stunning rock pools so we had them to ourselves. Then we visited the K’anba caves.  They were brilliant. Entry was 60Q each and I also hired some crocks for Q25. We then given a candle each by our guide and led into the caves – thankfully it was only the 2 of us on the tour.  The candles were lit and immediately we were knee deep in water following a rope.  At times we had to swim while holding our candle above the water, we clambered up a waterfall holding onto a rope, dropped down a blind chute into a pool below and generally had a ball.  We entered 1km into a cave system that runs for at least 10; it was an hour of fun. 

That afternoon we climbed the mirador looking down at the hostel and then back to the rock pools for another refreshing swim. We then finished off the day with a decent session in the hostel bar.  Happy hour prices meant I could get 2, 6 oz glasses of 12 year rum, for Q30 (A$6).  A bargain hard to resist. It was a bit of a challenge getting up at 630 for our 7am pick up back to Lanquin to grab the shuttle to Flores.  We arrived st Flores at 4.45pm and got a very entertaining tour guide called Libby escort us to our hostel Ciao Cicao but I could not handle the size and stuffiness of the room so booked us into the much more upmarket Hotel Isla de Flores.  Some hostels just do not work after 9 hours in a shuttle bus!

Our shuttle to Antigua left at midday so it was a very leisurely start to the day (again!).  The shuttle was the standard minivan, with our big bags on the roof and little bags inside. It was packed but thankfully the trip was only 2.5 hours. We are definitely getting a big bus for our 9 hour trip out of Antigua.

Antigua was everything we expected – lots of low rise colourful buildings and incredible cobbled streets – never driven on roads anything quite like it. We checked into our ultra cheap hostel – Lirios, Hotel Boutique– costing us a pricey $A57 per night.   It was fine, a decent size room and working Wifi.  What more could we want? Oh yes, a private bathroom. We headed out for a bit of a roam and to grab some food.  We explored the main square, loads of ruins dating back from the catastrophic earthquake of 1773 and also checked out our hotel – Meson Panza Verde–  that we had booked for 3 nights with Clayton and Em – we were basically ignored as we wondered into the reception area, looking like a couple of street sleepers.   However the hotel looked amazing, lots of beautiful little nooks and crannies. It also boasted the best restaurant in Antigua but it looked way to staid for Deryn and I.   We headed back to our hotel and arrange to meet a local contact of one of the tour guides for an insiders tips on what to do in Antigua. He was a very friendly chap that gave us 5 must do ideas. 

We jumped in a tuk tuk next morning to Panza Verde to await for Clayton and Em.  They arrived soon after 2.30 so we were back out on the town by 3.  Deryn found a well regarded local restaurant which unfortunately looked better than it tasted.   We spent an hour or so exploring before the goodies stockpiled back at the hotel beckoned. Deryn had booked Clayton and Em the hotel suite – or the party room as we called it – so we started there before heading to the roof for amazing views over the surrounding area and Agua Volcano.  The night was finished back in the party room with games of cribbage until 2am.

It was a very slow start the next day with very little activity until late afternoon where we headed out a a bit of a wonder and a meal at Hector Bistro.  We tried to get a came of cards going back at the party room but the enthusiasm was limited so we called it early.  Everyone was a lot more enthused the next day and so we tracked down a business (Simoon Rentals & Tours)that hired ATV’s and rented a couple for a 4 hour tour. Good value at Q800 ($A160) per couple. The horse riding and bike tours both proved too difficult.  We were assigned a tour guide called Freddy – a US educated local who had returned to Antigua a few years earlier. He was excellent.  We  started the tour with a 30 minute drive to the local town of Santo Tomas reasonably high up Agua volcano to explore the local Sunday market. It was a very indigenous experience wandering around all the stalls to the sounds a fire and brimstone preacher bellowing over the PA system. Apparently the locals are religious, only turning up when food or drink is offered post service.  

We then headed back down the volcano to a local chocolate factory for a tour on how the chocolate is produced with a tasting. Obviously this was followed up with some purchases. We then literally walked around the corner to for another tour and tasting of the local wines – I wish I paid more attention but I cannot recall what the wines were made from except it wasn’t grapes and they tasted like a desert wine.  No purchases were made.  It was then back on our bikes for the ride across to the other side of Antigua to the El Cerro de la Cruz – a cross overlooking a view of Antigua. It was a bit of a mission driving to it as it was so busy buy at least on an ATV it was a lot easier than a car.  From the lookout it was up the hill for lunch at the Earth Lodge – a large avocado farm.  It started bucketing down on the way (with lighting and thunder) so by the time we parked our bikes and walked the 300m to the lodge, we were drenched. Thankfully the Lodge gave us some towels to dry ourselves off before we enjoyed the best burgers we’d had for a while – or maybe it was just that we were so cold and any hot food would have tasted great.  It stopped raining so we returned to our bikes for the journey home. We gave a bunch of very cute local kids a lift to the top of the hill before heading down the hill.  Of course it started raining again so by the time we reached the Simoon office we were all drenched so Freddy grabbed the tour car and drove us back to our hotel.  Bravo!!

We headed out for a Texan BBQ meal at Pappys BBQ – why not.  This was followed by a bit of a session in a local bar – including a few shots of mescal – before the mandatory game of cribbage back in the party room.  We were very sad to say goodbye to Clayton and Em the following morning but also looking forward to doing nothing for a couple of days.  We returned to Lirios for an afternoon of chilling before grabbing a meal with Jacko, an Aussie that Taylor met when she was travelling through South America.  He recommended Porque No– a very cool little restaurant that involved climbing into a loft (above the bar) to grab a table to eat.  Jacko was lovely, although we think he was a bit disappointed that we were not the party animals that Taylor had talked us up to be.  

We managed to get a late checkout to enjoy the lake views for as long as possible. We wondered into town quite early for breakfast at Circles Cafe & Bakery before returning for a swim and to pack up.  The boat ride to Panajachel was incredibly bumpy, not sure where the chop came from as it wasn’t windy. Another example of the incredible natural forces that are present on Lake Atitlán.  It was a 600m walk to our hotel – Regis Hotel Spa.  We decided to stay in the heart of the town rather than the alternative hotel a 15 min walk outside of town lakeside. On reflection, we should have stayed on the lake given how wonderful it was.

The hotel looked lovely and our room was nice enough, but unfortunately no wifi in the rooms. However this was offset by the hot springs and a temescal.  We unpacked and headed out to explore the town, immediately bumping into a couple of drunk locals called Tony and Cristian.  I joined them in a tuk tuk for a tour of Para while Deryn browsed the local stores. We ended up going to Christian’s home and meeting more of his family before returning to find Dits eating lunch in a local cafe.  The lads joined us for a few bevvies after which Deryn and I ‘escaped to phone Courtney’ as the lads were getting a bit rowdy.   We said we would call them later which we never did.  We grabbed some booze on the way home and spent the rest of the evening playing cards.

The next morning we decided to hire some bikes and ride up to have a look at a couple of the miradors and the cemetery in Solola.  I had a suspicion it would be a in big climb but I couldn’t get any sense out of the lady we were renting the bikes off, so off we went.  We knew we were in trouble when 500m into the ride the road just went up and up and up.  We tried cycling for a while but eventually had to get off and walk.  Thankfully a truck stopped and asked if we would like a lift.  So we chucked our bikes in the back (onto a pile of gravel) and joined 2 other cyclist in the back.  The climb was horrendous – we would never have done it!  The truck had to stop half way up to refill with water before continuing the journey. It took a good 20 minutes to get to Solola – we both agreed it was an incredibly scenic drive perched high on the back of the truck.  We jumped off on the edge of the town and fought traffic into the town square. 

We locked our bikes at a local museum and headed in to explore it.  Pretty dull except for having to climb 3 flights of very steep stairs to the top floor where the working tower clock was on display although it gave no idea how it worked.  The views from the windows were great. We then wondered around the town market and Deryn very nearly bough an indigenous shirt before I talked her out of it.  I grabbed a fried chicken feed from Guatemala’s version of KFC – Pollo Compero.  It was as awful as KFC, to the benefit of a local dog in the town square.   On that point, we have certainly noticed that the dogs are become more mangy the further north we go. Colombia was an aberration with their love of Chihuahuas, everywhere else the dogs are much larger.

The local cemetery was next on the list – while the colours and crypts were cool, it was a but run down and actually looked a lot better from afar than up close. Still we were really glad we had made the trip because the indigenous Mayan culture was alive and flourishing in the town. The clothes worn by both the males and females were incredibly colourful, with unusually the men out blinging the women for a change. 

The ride down was a blast, easily reaching speeds of 60kmh.  We could have gone a lot faster but didn’t want to risk it with some of the overtaking we had seen on the way up.  I measured the ride on Strava – 8km with over 600m of vertical decline. We thought about having lunch at a luxury hotel with access to the lake but decided it just wasn’t that nice a day.  So we returned back to out hotel for a kip, followed by a soak in the hot springs and some exercise.  We headed into the town for an expensive dinner that looked nothing like the photos on the billboard outside!

The following day was spent relaxing ahead of our weekend with Clayton and Emma in Antigua.

Our accomodation – La Villa Atitlan– was lovely.  2 bedrooms, a pool and lawns leading to the edge of the lake. A perfect spot to chill for a few days and rest our weary legs. First stop was the laundry  and then a supermarket to stock up on brekkie and booze. The nearest supermarket was a bit of hike up the hill – not ideal after walking 47kms – but we got to explore the village of San Pedro.  As soon as we arrived it started bucketing down (you can set your clock to the timing of it every day) so we huddled under a canopy of a street stall and had the best fresh tacos ever. A$6 for 3 each. I then grabbed some hot chips – she held up fingers saying they were 2, 3 or 5.  I thought she meant 20Q etc.  No, she meant 2Q – 40c.  That night we enjoyed the luxury of going to bed early tucked between nice clean sheets with it bucketing down outside. 

The next day we did very little. I caught up with the blog while Deryn explored the town visiting the local market and wandering around the many little laneways. We were both still tired from the trek so enjoyed just lazing around on the hammock and outdoor chairs with the odd dip in the lake.   We tried Jamie’s recommended falafel restaurant – Ha Falafel– and were not disappointed – fabulous. Deryn booked in a horse ride for the next day – 80Q ($16) for a 2 hour ride.  

The horses and our guide met us a 100m from out villa and we proceeded to ride through the town.  It was brilliant – dodging signs, tuk tuks, people etc. Before long the traffic thinned out and we were in the forest around the lake edge.  Pedro our host’s English was very good so we got to hear a bit of history of the place.  The water of the lake is rising because of the introduction of Black Bass by PanAm in the 50s – they thought they could sell the fishing to Americans.  The introduction damaged the natural ecosystem. The bass ate all the local fish and none of the algae which in turn meant the algae bloomed. The algae plugged the vents at the bottom of the lake which helped drain it.  Now the water is rising. Go figure. We headed out for 75m, taking only 45 to return. It was brilliant cantering along the paved roads and then winding our way back through the village.  Best $16 we had ever spent.  We stopped at Ha Falafel for another falafel on our way back to our villa.  Spent the rest of the afternoon chilling before heading out around 4 to the hot springs on the other side of town. We were told upon arrival that they needed 30 minutes to heat the water up (not geothermal then) so we headed to a local bar for a quick couple of bevvies and a game of cards.  Upon return the water was ready and we got to spend a lovely hour chilling in the hot pool, punctuated by a quick dip in the cold pool . Bliss.  

We grabbed a boat the next morning to take us across the lake to San Marcos.  It was sad leaving San Pedro, we really enjoyed the back packer vibe of the place.  We waited at a local cafe to be picked up and taken to our new home as it was a wee way out of the village. San Marcos is known as the hippy haven on lake Atitlan and we could certainly see why. There were quite a few older, bedraggled and guant westerners around the place – maybe they looked worse before they arrived?? The village was cute.  Eventually our host arrived to take us in a tuk tuk to our accommodation – about a 1km out of town. Baraka Atitlan was perched on the side of the cliff with stunning views of the 3 Lake Atitlan volcanoes – Atitlan, Pedro and Toliman.  There were steep steps down to a small wharf to jump off into the lake.  Magic. 

After relaxing and taking in the serenity we headed back into town to grab some food at a Restaurant Fe – pizza and salad. We bumped into both Oded and his girlfriend as well as Teal and Brook walking past the restaurant.  Deryn headed home while I travelled for an hour in a tuk tuk to meet a local person.  200Q tuktuk ride.  I think I was ripped off but in the context of the bigger picture, not too bad.  We did however have a fun night playing cards, boozing and interspersed with some vigorous debates.  The next morning was spent enjoying the tranquility and view of our accommodation. Apart from the 2 climbs down the steps for swims and having to move from the upstairs apartment to the downstairs one on account of us being put in the wrong one, we did little activity. The downstairs apartment was still really nice but did not have the deckspace and as much sunlight.  Best view from a toilet ever though. Around 4 we headed to Cerro Tzankujil (Nature Reserve) for the well know jump off the platform into the sea. It was 20Q entry fee and then we followed the path along the cliff face until we came across the platform. It was probably about a 10m jump, so not easy.  I did a couple of jumps, including a back flip and even Deryn after some deliberation plucked up the courage to jump but landed slightly off so had a bit of a sore bum.  We bumped into a couple of Kiwis from the Naki which was nice. I jumped again to encourage a small kid to do it – which he did.  Brave wee fella.  We made it home just before the heavens opened.  

The next morning we grabbed a boat to take us to the town of Santa Cruz – known as the vertical town.  The boat trip there was lovely – stopping at smaller towns and wharfs on the way and marvelling at some of the houses built on the edge of lake.  Expats or locally owned we wonder?  The climb from the wharf at Santa Cruz to the town itself was over 200 metres.  There was music blaring from the top of the town – purpose unknown but certainly the speaker system was impressive. The actual town itself was a lot more indigenous than Pedro or Marcos. It was fun winding our way through the little alleyways and streets avoiding the copious amounts of dog poop.  We found a tienda selling locally manufactured goods so stocked up on a few local wares.  

On the return journey on the boat we bumped into some Aussies from Perth although one of them was now living in Mairangi Bay in Auckland. Small world indeed. We stopped at Restaurant Fe again for the same pizza and salad. The owner recognised us from earlier and returned Deryn’s water bottle which she thought she had lost. We returned home for a kip, followed by our now regular daily exercise routines then it was into the cards and booze before our favourite home made meal of taco shells, tomato, onion, cheese, avocado, jalapeños and spicy sauce.  Yum!!  It was a reasonably early bedtime to start watching the next series of Mindhunter. 

And to finish of course with a dog..