Guatemala: Antigua, Semuc Champey, Tikal

(all of my Guatemala pics are here)

This is the country that I wish I could have spent 3 months in: incredibly geographically diverse, the basic dividing line between the Aztec & the Mayan empires, they are more than 24 languages, ruins everywhere, and natural beauty that can rival anywhere. As I only had a week in each country, I convinced myself to stretch it 11 days here... totally worth it.

Antigua is, well, antigua. It was the formal capital of Guatemala. It's a little high in elevation, but no so much that you need to wear a thick sweater at night. The capital was changed to Guatemala city after all the earthquakes started crumbling the churches & other structures.

The market was really vibrant, but not so much the people that ran it. They were in their everyday blah mode, where as the tourists were excited by all the bright colors, produce, & meat! I don't blame them; sitting there and selling fruits everyday would get pretty redundant. Nonetheless, I loved all the colors!

One day, I was able to hike up Volcano Pacaya. It was about 4km, not too steep, so it didn't make me feel too out of shape. I entered the bus that was going around to hostels and picking up passengers & the first thing I hear is "Bom dia!". This marked the beginning of the most Portuguese I have ever been able to practice! Two Brazilians from São Paolo were so happy I spoke Portuguese (Portuñol, at times, hehe) that they wouldn't leave me alone. It was a great experience!

Anyways, we reached the actual volcanic area after about 1.5hrs. There was no lava, but we were walking on top of a lava field. May 27th, 2010 was the last erruption, and hearing that was a bit eery, and also made me go from frustrated to happy that I didn't see any lava. The steam coming off the rocks was so cool! There were areas where, if you stuck your hand it, it felt like a pizza oven! I then regretted not buying marshmallows from the guy at the bottom of the hill.

The volcano marked the end of my stay in Antigua, & I was off to Semuc Champey, a place I had googled 20 times before just to refresh my memory of how gorgeous is really was. I stayed in this apeshit crazy drunk hostel, which was really not what I was looking for, but $2/night in the hammock was alright by me. From the hostel in Lanquín, it was a half hour ride through cornfields (which, I learned, this is where corn was first cultivated) & lush jungle valleys until we reached the site.

My first sight of the water was... jaw-dropping, to say the least. I don't know if I've even seen a turquoise so well-defined! It was the perfect blend of blue & green. The source of the water was a big river with brown water, but, at a certain point, the water passes through a cave of beautiful green stone that somehow morphs the color of the water. The 4 or 5 pools just sit, stacked on top of each other, & slowly spill this water into the next, until the end turns into the river again, eating up earth and turning it back to jungle river brown.This was also my first underwater camera experience :-)

That was the only reason I went to Lanquín, and realizing this the next morning, I just took off. The ruins at Tikal have been the most intriguing to me because of their remoteness & isolation from each other within the jungle.

"rain didn't stop, i didn't care. downpour all day in Tikal. the ruins are stunning. it's in really deep jungle, like YOU are discovering it."  tweet

I stayed at Hotel Mon Ami on the lake in El Remate, a quiet place where I was able to read & do as I please without interruption.

The visit to Tikal was just another day trip, but honestly, I could have spent a few more days at these ruins. It was raining hard the whole time, diminishing the tourist crowd & opening up the whole place for me. Each temple & set of buildings I came upon felt like a new time era, a new set of symbols, sometimes all the way excavated & sometimes only halfway. These temples towered over everything, having this ora that one can only feel when there. I felt subliminal. It was as if I was walking through the middle of an archeological project that had been abandoned due to weather. It was a good thing my camera was waterproof, but it was frustrating that the majority of the pics didn't turn out due to water spots on the lens.

I enjoyed Guatemala the most out of any country, so far. All of the guidebooks & internet posts put it at one of the most dangerous countries in the area; I never felt in danger, never once had an issue with safety. Maybe that was because I was in the touristy area, but like one always should, I just smiled, showed respect, and didn't shit on their home. I hope to go back one day :-)