The view from La Villa del Chef
Tikal
The view from Hotel Casona de la Isla
On the road to Lanquin
The caves near Semuc Champey
Zephr Lodge
I'm writing these posts almost two years after The Big Trip all the while referring back to a Google Doc I made at the time where I noted the major events of each day. These were written on long bus journeys, at night or laying in bed catching up with myself a few days later after some particularly busy days. This process is interesting in a way as I'm looking back on the specific details combined with the memories and feelings of the country I have two years on. My memories of Guatemala are mixed - highs along with probably the majority of the lows that I had on the trip; withdrawing money and it not coming out of the ATM on the way to Lanquin, some dealings with shuttle bus companies that ended up being unreliable, a gruelling (pour moi) hike I'll never forget that brought us to a viewpoint of Semuc Champey and being left stranded on the outskirts of Guatemala. But, thankfully, there were happy ends and solutions to these hiccups - AIB, getting there in the end, a gorgeous view of Semuc Champey and a very friendly local waiter.
Sleep
Flores - Hotel Casona de La Isla was stunning! We had a gorgeous view of Lake Petén Itzá and the swimming pool was amazing.
Lanquin - Zephr Lodge is in the middle of the mountains and still managed to be blaring Galway Girl in the evening. Ed is everywhere! Very popular with backpackers, would recommend.
Guatemala City - The Clarion Suites for one night before catching our flight to Nicaragua the next day, did the job.
Wear
Insect repellent with tons of deet!
Transport
Our route through Guatemala was as follows:
Belize City - Flores (Tikal) - Lanquin (Semuc Champey) - Guatemala City
We got a bus from Belize City to Flores with Maya Mundo which can be found near the port in Belize City. Then we hopped off the bus and got onto a smaller one organised by Maya Mundo to get us to the small island of Flores. On the bus to Flores, one man very successfully (fair play to him!) sold us on the idea of buying our next three bus tickets from him. That was Flores to Tikal and back, Flores to Lanquin and then from Lanquin to Guatemala City. ''I think the company might have been Repsta?'' is what I have in my notes. These trips were LONG but scenic and all went swimmingly bar the journey from Lanquin to Guatemala City. We rocked up to our bus in the morning only for them to say there was no room for us on the bus when there was in fact room for two, we had booked it and had the tickets to prove it. A very annoying exchange occurred in which we had to fork out the cost of the journey again to be allowed on the shuttle bus. Not wanting to be stranded in the Guatemalan countryside, we paid the money and hopped on, arriving in Guatemala City around six hours later to then be left stranded by our bus driver outside the city. We acquired the help of a friendly waiter who called us an Taxi Amarillo which was apparently the safest taxi in the city. It was indeed and we got to the hotel in one piece, wrecked and still digesting the corners our bus driver overtook on and the potholes we drove over, and between, which were the size of small paddling pools.
Eat & Drink
The food highlight for me in Guatemala was a restaurant in Flores called La Villa del Chef. We popped in one evening as it was just a few doors down from our hotel. It was so good we went back another time! They also gave us little Guatemalan worry dolls with our bill which are still with me today. The view from the restaurant's terrace can be seen in the first picture above, stunning!
Do
Our time in Guatemala was full of adventure. We based ourselves in Flores to travel to Tikal which is an ancient Mayan city. I much preferred Tikal to Chichen Itza in Mexico because we had a very friendly guide, there were a lot less tourists and we could climb the ruins which was amazing to see other buildings in the ancient city from above.
Our journey to Lanquin was to see Semuc Champey which is a kind of limestone bridge with pools on top of it under which a river passes. We booked the day out with Zephr Lodge. Firstly, they brought us to some caves which were great craic but probably not great if you're claustrophobic. At one point we were individually shot down a very small hole in which a waterfall flowed and landed in a pool of water on the other side. It was quite scary but all turned out well in the end. Declan jumped off a few waterfalls within the caves whilst I watched and cheered him on from the pool below. Bravo Dec, bravo! We made our way through the caves with candles in hand which was very atmospheric and again, slightly scary as you had no idea what the water looked like or what lied below as you walked along. Once out of the caves with faces covered in cave mud like a group of warriors, they brought us to a swing and very high bridge to jump off which again Declan participated in and I cheered on from the sidelines. Next was an unforgettable hike up to the viewpoint of Semuc Champey and then we promptly made our way down to take a well-deserved dip in the limestone pools. This was my favourite part of the day. It was so relaxing and refreshing and it was full of locals which I love to see.
Although the experiences we had with the local bus companies weren't great in terms of organisation, I'd highly recommend travelling this way around Guatemala. It's such a great way to see the country. I would also advise closing your eyes real tight when your Guatemalan bus driver is overtaking on an extremely sharp bend. Trust that he knows what he's doing... :).
We also ended up flying from Guatemala City to Managua, Nicaragua which saved us a 16 hour bus journey. It was a little more expensive than normal as we booked it last minute but it saved us a lot of time and energy in the end.
Next up, Nicaragua!
Hope your summer is going well so far,
Ciara
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