Guatemala - 2016

So there we were, a small human convoy laden with our bags, having left the last accommodation in Mexico and negotiating the long set of steps back down to a single long boat waiting for us on the Usumancinta River.

Loading our bags onto the boat

We clambered aboard hauling our bags with us and then set off for the 9 km trip upstream to our border crossing point into Guatemala, a country with a very concerning and dubious reputation.  

Heading upstream to the border

This was to be one of the more unique border crossing experiences for us, first that we were making it in a long boat and secondly because there wasn’t a border guard or Customs person to be seen when we arrived at the small village in Guatemala and disembarked.

There were however, quite a few men waiting and offering their help, for a tip, to carry our bags up a scrappy dirt slope to the village itself.  Here a lady waiting for us, a bulging leather bag strapped across her front, a hopeful look on her face and a lot of Spanish spraying out of her mouth.  Lula explained that she was the currency exchange service, so we converted a few Mexican pesos into Guatemalan quetzals in case we needed them.

Lula introduced us to Giovanni, who would be our guide for this section of our travels into Guatemala, then bade us a fond farewell before she headed back to the waiting long boat her trip back into Mexico.

With everything loaded into our small bus, we drove about 10 kms before stopping in a parking area and entered a very ramshackle looking building.  This was the local Customs office and the sole officer behind a glass window, slowly took his time to check passports, enter our details into his computer and then asked each of us for a payment of US$5.  Prior research indicated there is no entry fee for Guatemala, but Giovanni quietly advised us it was a local payment, just for this location.  Welcome to the country.

Good time to share the map of our travels in Guatemala, which consisted of spending a few days in the north of the country before a flight down south to spend a few days there, not very long at all. 

Despite his name, our enthusiastic guide Giovanni was a Guatemalan local from the area and was very keen to teach us a lot about his home region, which he did over the next 2 hrs travelling the 140 kms to Flores on a very bumpy road.

We had been warned by our friends in Madrid, not to visit Guatemala at all and certainly to stay right away from Guatemala City (the capital). It has a reputation for being a very dangerous place, especially for unwary tourists and this same warning was also reinforced by Giovanni and others whilst in country.

It wasn’t long before we were asking about Guatemala’s reputation for drugs and violence.  Giovanni was quick to assure us the extreme violence was a thing of the past, but like any country, we did need to be careful.  As we drove, he also described the many large ‘farms’ located in the area, owned and operated by multiple members of the same family. 

The ‘farms’ are protected by heavily armed guards, cover vast tracts of land but don’t produce very much, apart from the cattle we could see roaming around and are allegedly part of the money laundering activity of drug cartels.  The cartels are still very active, especially in the area we were travelling, as evidenced by a few armed army patrols we passed.  He also told us the locals were not very keen for the bumpy road to be fixed, because it makes it harder for the army and police to move around too rapidly.

Flores (thanks to Google photos)

It was hot and quite humid as we checked into our hotel for the next few days overlooking Lake Petén Itzá and the Island of Flores.  

With a free afternoon, we were soon walking across the causeway to explore Flores, originally a Mayan town founded in the 13^th century.

It was the last Mayan state to hold out against the Spanish when Hernan Cortes visited in 1524, the same conquistador who lead the expedition causing the fall of the Aztecs.  He was en route to Honduras, but needed to move on so did not try to conquer it.  But in 1697 the Spanish marched in, attacked the island by boats and destroyed it. 

From the ruins rose the current colonial city we wandered through, with its narrow streets and central park, also regarded as one of the safest places to visit in what is known as Guatemala’s ‘wild north’.  The locals in the hotel also advised us it was very safe to walk around Flores at night, unlike the other towns around the sides of the lake.

walking through colonial Flores

Now with all this commentary about safety in Guatemala, we were visiting Flores for a reason.  Giovanni and driver met us early the next day for our 1 hr drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tikal.  Tikal is regarded as one of the largest cities of pre-columbian Mayan civilization at 16 square kms and contained 3,000 structures.

Tikal

Brief history time!  Tikal was regarded as the capital of a conquest orientated state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya.  

Some of the architecture In Tikal dates back as far as the 4th century BC, but it reached its power zenith from 200 to 900 AD and during this time the city dominated much of this Maya region politically, economically, and militarily. 

The Mayan here also interacted with other areas such as the great metropolis of Teotihuacan where we saw the Sun & Moon pyramids near Mexico City. 

For whatever reasons, there was a gradual population decline, culminating with this huge site’s abandonment by the end of the 10th century.

We were only able to truly appreciate just how ‘massive’ the Tikal site is by looking at a relief model of it at the parks entrance.  With a mere 15% currently excavated, most of Tikal is ‘guarded’, almost protected by the dense jungle still covering it as can be seen below.

There is a building under here

Giovanni’s local knowledge came to the fore as we started exploring the massive site of Tikal because he combined an archeological investigation with a wildlife search by taking many small paths through the jungle other visitors weren’t using.  

'friendly' spider monkeys 

On the wildlife front we had multiple sightings including a rare event of two spider monkeys mating in the trees above us, a family of coati crossing our path and even a toucan or two to admire.

a coati

Tikal was our last place to visit ancient ruins whilst in Central America, so we took our time to explore the visible very large and impressive buildings, clambering over and through them, which invariably lead to another stone monolith sided pathway or building.  

Its ruins include the giant, ceremonial Lost World Pyramid and the Temple of the Grand Jaguar. At 70 meters, Temple IV is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas.  

It was in admiration as we continued to recognize the Mayan’s skill in building with stone.

It was only a short flight before we were landing into Guatemala City, which seems like it was built atop multiple canyons in a very haphazard fashion. 

We were met by our driver for the next few days and soon whisked out onto the freeway for the 90 minute drive into the mountains and Antigua.

a chicken bus

The freeway was both busy with traffic and ‘decorated’ every kilometre or so with either McDonald’s or Pizza Hut or KFC or all of them!  

Talking about KFC, it was also the first time we saw a ‘chicken bus’, which are retired USA school buses, re-born after the addition of bigger motors, better brakes, vigorous multi-coloured paint jobs and colourful lights all over the exterior.

chicken bus helper at 120+ kph!

Whilst we were sitting on the speed limit with most other vehicles, these buses crammed full with people, literally charged past us, the large V8 motor exhaust sound roaring goodbye.  

We were staggered whilst watching one going past, to see a man open the bus’s rear emergency exit door, climb up onto the roof, organize some bags for the next stop and climb back inside... all at over 120 kph!  

Each bus has a ‘helper’ for the driver who collects fares, shouts out the next stop, organises luggage and ensures the bus is packed full, just like a truck taking a load of chickens to the market, hence the name… ‘chicken bus’.

Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site is a truly beautiful city of around 35,000 filled with classic Spanish colonial buildings and cobblestone roads.  

It was founded in 1542 and for 200 years was Guatemala’s colonial capital until an earthquake in 1773 destroyed much of the town.  

Standing sentinel like near the town is the Volcano de Fuego, its classic cone peak occasionally appearing amongst the clouds.  Guatemala is well endowed with 33 volcanoes within it, not bad for a small country.

Malbi, our guide for a walking tour around the city, met us and soon had us enjoying the multiple things to see in this delightful city including its famous and much photographed arch…

…the central park filled with locals, some in traditional dress and around the park the major buildings of the city like the cathedral, town hall and government buildings.

locals in traditional dress in the central square 

the cathedral 

As one of THE destinations in Guatemala for tourists, Antigua contains lots of shops of all sorts including some really good jade shops, a favourite gemstone of the Mayans for centuries.  Malbi was a local and taught us a lot about Antigua, its history, its reputation for growing food and fruits and was able to take us to a fabulous café for great coffee and lunch.  It was so good, we visited it a few times!

Over the following 2 days, things got a little more physical for us.  First was a drive to Lake Atitlan, regarded as one of the more beautiful lakes in the world, perched at an altitude of 1,562 mtrs in the Sierra Madre mountain range.  Before reaching the lake, we stopped to visit a very vibrant Mayan village in a small town, where the diminutive and traditionally dressed Mayan locals, especially the women, have no qualms in pushing you aside if you were blocking their way.

local Mayan market

San Antonio Palomino on Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan however during our visit, was covered with mist and looking very dull as we travelled by boat to San Antonio Palompo, a small village clinging to the slopes around the side of the lake.   

All the houses seemed almost perched on top of each other as we climbed through the narrow streets to reach a local business weaving very colourful clothes and table runners.  

The ladies running this business, also in traditional dress, spoke very good English and had a very playful great sense of fun.

local weavers at work

and one of their products

On our final full day in Antigua, we drove to one of the most active volcanoes in Guatemala called Pacaya, which first erupted ~23,000 years ago.  It has erupted ~23 times since, the last being in 2015.  

surveying Pacaya volcano and latest lava flow

Pacaya reaches an elevation of 2,552 mtrs and it was a very steep climb indeed to reach the still warm lava flow from the last eruption, so warm in fact, we were able to enjoy marshmellows cooked in crevices at the face of the flow.

cooking marshmallows using a lava flow

During both our climb and descent, we would occasionally catch partial glimpses of men standing off the track in amongst the bushes.  This seemed a bit strange until we learned of the Pacaya Volcano’s prior reputation for the robbery of tourists climbing the track and that the men in the bushes were now acting as guards.

It was a very very early start and drive back to Guatemala City the following morning for our flight out of Guatemala and as we waited at the airport, we all commented on how much of a surprise Guatemala had been, compared to its historical and violent reputation.  We enjoyed our visit, albeit for only 5 days, meeting very friendly locals, as long as you pick the right places to visit.  It is also a country with a rich history and beautiful scenery to enjoy.

Well our time of visiting ancient ruins and cultural immersion was coming to an end as we boarded our flight towards the next country on our itinerary, so until our next post, go well!

For a few more photos covering Guatemala, please click on the link below.

CLICK HERE for more photos of Guatemala 2016