I have re-started writing these travel posts, almost a year after returning from the trip. My memory is a little fussy so these posts will mostly be mis-remembered timelines and context for photos. The time I’m describing here took place December 15th to 18th 2018. Hopefully they are still enjoyable!
After Kate returned from the hike we had one more night on the boats before before heading out. We woke early in the morning to take a commuter boat from the sourthern shore of the lake where we were anchored (close to El Chapin) up to El Estor. It was a little stormy and very dark when we woke up and lot of our gear got wet during transport to shore. These things tend to happen. The commuter boat was a little rough on the waves but there was a wonderful community spirit on board. Two men held up a tarp to protect the others from the splash and when water started to pool inside passengers just started bailing. Kate pointed out that no-one would ever be that helpful on a Translink vehicle.
In El Estor Kate and I bought ourselves a long awaited desayuno tipico, the typical latin american breakfast, after a week of good but more or less identical meals on the boat. After breakfast we hoped on the bus to begin our trip Lanquin.
We took the local buses to Lanquin. Kate and I generally prefer them to tourist shuttles but in this case we didn’t have a choice, El Estor is not a tourist town. With three separate legs and at least one bus breakdown the trip the entire day. Memorable moments include the bus pulling over so an employee could hope out and chat with a friend for a few minutes and driving up slippery, muddy roads next to some very steep cliffs. Some of the views were excellent up in the mountains, unfortunately I can’t find any photos.
We ended up at the El Retiro Lodge in Lanquin, an inexpensive but pretty spot next to a river. Lanquin is a small town in a fairly rural area. Despite this it is very much a part of the standard tourist route around Guatemala because of the nearby Semuc Champey. Upon arrival we found a cheap dinner and quickly went to bed.
The next day we head out to Semuc Champey. We found a tour by walking into town where a tour guide quickly approached us, skipping the marked up hostel rate. Went to Semuc standing in the back of a pickup truck, holding onto a sort of cage surrounding the bed.
Semuc Champey is a unique, natural wonder. It is essentially a natural “bridge” where the Rio Cahabon has dug underneath a section of wide section of rock. Enough water flows over to create a series of clear water pools. The whole thing sits in the bottom of a steep river valley. It all comes together to create a beautiful, marvelous spot.
We took a guided tour of Semuc Champey. Our first stop was a cave with water running through it. On the way to the cave our guide painted everyone’s faces with a red fruit, I’m pretty sure I got a Rambo look. The cave itself was fun, wading through the water, climbing a small water fall (with a rope) and sliding through a small gap down into a pool a few meters below.
After the cave we climbed a path up from the valley to get a view of Semuc from above.
We descended from the view point to explore the land bridge and pools. I mada my all the way to the bottom pool, sliding a climbing on the slippery waterfalls connecting each pool.
Unfortunately it was a slightly overcast day and not particularly warm December day so the pools weren’t as relaxing as they could have been but everything was still beautiful.
On the way back to the truck from the pools we were accosted by a group of children selling chocolate. They all come running together anytime they see a tourist, shouting a variety of different prices for the exact same product. The chocolate was very different from what’s generally available here, lots of cocoa and granulated sugar.
Back at the hostel we took a break and found some food. We spent the rest of the day reading and walking around town. It was Katie’s birthday so later in the evening I went into town and miraculously found two pieces of cake at a local bakery/restaurant. We ended up staying up late drinking with the hostel bartender, a long time traveler and generally interesting guy.
The next day Kate, the bartender, and I head out to hike into the surrounding hills. On the way out Kate started to feel sick and had to bail back to the hostel. Our route took us through a local farm, the bartender had taken the route before and knew who to talk to. Unfortunately we found our route to be blocked after twenty or so minutes of walking. We made our way back to the road and continued walking, hoping to find another path. We walked for another hour or so before giving up and heading back to the hostel. Not a successful trip but I had a good time getting to know the bartender.
After a quiet night we packed up and head into town to start a day of busing to Guatemala City.
Declan Easton 