Toby Travels: Guatemala

GUATEMALA

I'll be starting my trip in Guatemala and heading West out of the city to a small colonial town called Antigua. Just a quick visit before heading to Lake Atitlan, the main attraction of Guatemala as far as my trip is concerned. I'll be spending most of my time around this epic lake before returning to Guate City to catch a quick shuttle flight to Nicaragua...

ANTIGUA
[Dec 1st - 4th]

Trip started exactly how i hoped it wouldnt. The airport lost my bag. Fortunately in my day bag i packed clothes and toiletries and my camera. Made it to Antigua though. Apologies for short typed awkward sentences the internet is slow here and i am on a time limit and typing quick.

Night 1 and Day 2

This place is not as bad (in terms of crime and violence) as I read about etc. Im watching my back but I think Guatemala is going to be as dangerous as NYC could potentially be if your an idiot flashing around cash in the subway at night. I get offered just about the same amount of goods and handouts that i would in times sq. in the middle of the day. Everyone is extremely friendly and talkative. The first night i was alone in the hostel which was a little nerveracking. With no internet, no phone, no one to talk to and nothing to do, I passed out at 9pm and woke up 12 hrs later.

View from Cerrro de la Cruz, Antigua is right below tree line.

I hiked to Cerro de la Cruz in the morning after getting free breakfast on the terrace of my hostel while watching a volcano puff out clouds of smoke. I walked around town for a little and then started the hike which took about 45 minutes to get to the top. The view was incredible, i could see all of antigua and what i think is the Agua Volcano, towering in front of me. I met some friendly cops at the top too who were real funny and bored clearly. After walking back down and around Antigua a little more, I stumbled upon the market place and decided i would look for a potato sack, which Luis had recommended I buy to conceal my backpack when traveling on buses. This was intense, at first all the vendors facing each other were outside, but after asking many people where i could get a potato sack i ended up in a narrow, dark covered part of the mercado, with all sorts of chicken feet, fruits and unrecognizable things. After weaving through tons of vendors in this dark crowded part of the market, finally i met a woman who would sell me one, asking for 5 GTQ, I laughed and said, I know i am a worthless gringo but how about 1? She agreed. FOOD: the bread here is incredible. Its insane, i never thought bread could be this good. were missing out in America. The sandwiches are awesome too becuase of this. Scenery is beuatiful in Anigua, but i know there is more to see. One more day here will be perfect. Gotta stop typing and try ot upload a pic or two-later.

Breakfast while volcano erupts.

volcano errupting more

¿Que es Esto? Mi Frijoles.

Stumbled upon this spot after hiking back down Cerro de la Cruz

Parque Central

This volcano went at it all day.

Agua Volcano? no one will tell me for sure...its huge.

Dont know. I was looked for a dinner place at night and saw this.

DAY 3

Last full day in Antigua, but it was a good one. Today i finally started meeting more gringos. Met up with Maura, a former BC teacher who is teaching in Guate now. It was awesome to finally have a conversation in english after 3 days without one. We ate at this awesome restaurant that makes their own chocolate, which i am getting more of when i return to Antigua. Later i returned to my desolate hostel where a large clumsy group of loud obnoxious white people had just arrived. They were the type of people that made me feel bad being a white tourista, but i know im not like them. I went up to the terrace to escape them and ran into Dale and Nancy, an awesome couple traveling to Guate for the second time, they met in Germany but are both originally from Oklahoma. What are the odds? They were awesome to talk to. We sat on the terrace, had a beer, and watched the sunset while Volcan de Fuego was coughing up smoke and lava in the distance. Around 7:00 pm, Antigua started booming. Tons of people from Guate City and all over come to party on Saturday night. The streets were crowded, there were men dressed up in costumes on horses, people circling around little bands, fireworks, and mini hot air balloons that someone was sending up in the air. I grabbed some food to go in the Parque Central because it was too crazy, and ate back at the hostel. Afterwards, I packed up my bags, getting ready to leave for Pana in the morning.

PANAJACHEL
[Dec 4th - 6th]

Writing this post mid-day. Just got to Pana a few hours ago and this place looks incredible, I feel completely comfortable leaving Antigua to stay here for a bit instead. Apparently Aldous Huxley is a big fan of this area. The bus ride was about 3 hours, pretty uninteresting until we reached Solola. Then we descended a mountain and got to see an awesome view of the lake. The roads were winding and extremely steep. I would not recommend if you get motion sickness. Fortunately no one in my van did. I met two more people on the bus ride who were sitting next to me, Sean and Donna. They are from Ireland and they´re hilarious and have done a lot of traveling. After talking for the second half of the ride, we got off the bus a proceeded to find a hostel together. That´s where I´m at right now. We got a great deal in a hostel with good water, internet, really comfy beds and a parrot that speaks multiple languages, saying: "Hola" "whats UP?" and "shut up" along with whistling at any girl and pecking at any guy. Real character that parrot is. Ill be in Pana for another day before heading to Santa Cruz and La Iguana Perdida. (internet very slow for photos here, just the parrot for now...)

Pana Parrot

PANA DAY 2 (Dec 5th)

Well I jinxed it. Pana is not as good as i had thought when i showed up. In fact since i posted yesterday it has been pretty horrible here, with the exception of Donna and Sean. Without them I don´t know what I would be doing. The incessant questioning of the locals finally got to me this morning. Donna and Sean said they were surprised at how polite and friendly I was to the locals, but these Pana locals have broken my patience and kindness with their constant nagging. There is no peace for tourists here, not for a moment. Whether you are eating in a restaurant or walking down the street, you are constantly being approached by men, children and woman offering goods, drugs or boat rides. It has gotten to the point where myself, Donna and Sean left Pana today to go to San Pedro just to get away from it (Ill come back to that in a bit).

Boat Ride across Lake..Lancha Lancha Lancha

I was happy to leave Pana because yesterday afternoon i sat at table near the street, attempting to do a little research with Donna's Lonely Planet Travel book, and within 5 minutes of being there, a kid named Juan who has been trying to get me to take his brothers private boat to Santa Cruz (literally since the moment i showed up here) sat down next to me and started talking to me again about a private boat ride. It was fine after he realized I was not going to pay for his brothers 200Q boat when the local one costs 10Q. I was really enjoying our talk once we moved on from business. He was a cool kid even though hes really persistent, we talked for 45 minutes about basketball, New York and other things all in Spanish, which was great practice for me but before i knew it i had a drunk glue sniffing addict at the table trying to talk to me also, and a homeless woman begging for change. The drunk was nice at first, happy that i liked Pana and that I was from NYC, but he became more and more agitated as we talked, something about me being in his country and not giving him money- it made no sense because he was clearly high. Eventually, i made it clear I wasn´t giving him anything, and he uttered the words "I´m gonna beat you up if i see you again tonight". I looked at Juan and he assured me, that guy is just high and crazy. Basically, this town is small and people are working hard. Everyone is hustling and i understand it but its b.s. to have to deal with it all day long non-stop even when you´re just trying to read a lonely planet book thats not yours.

Anyway, Donna, Sean, Petra, and I all had a great dinner together last night, with a few beers after and some laughs. I hope to see them in New York someday. We returned to our room full of beer and spirits. We got up this morning and decided to go to San Pedro because we were all so tired of Pana and its locals bothering us with the same questions. We got an awesome breakfast that i am still full from and headed to the beach where we spent one minute taking a photo before 3 different men with three different boats nagged us about wanting a ride, we all lost our patience and harshly pushed them away. Then the same glue sniffing addict from the day before came up to us with a friend who offered us many drugs to which we declined, as the glue sniffing guy walked away he uttered to me " that´s a nice camera" another clear threat to me. Donna assured me it was just him trying to intimidate me, I feel the same, not scared at all, but this crap is all stacking up. We all agreed to get the hell out of Pana and see something new for a bit in San Pedro.

Pic I took of the lake right before glue guy appeared again

We get to San Pedro with high expectations from the guide book lonely planet which described it as a place with African drums, fire spinning, partying, and an awesome vibe. We walked around for a good half hour trying to find a place to have a drink. Up a steep hill and basically through the whole town before Sean asked a fellow gringo, "Where the fuck are the bars around here?"

Sean looking hopeless (middle of bar search).

After Pana and this, we were all feeling a little frustrated with this whole area. We ended up on the other side of town at the Santiago dock, where we finally acquired a beer, and reviewed expressions of how to get people off of our backs about selling crap to us. Feeling better after the drink and with some Spanish curse phrases in mind, we headed off to try to find somewhere we could chill in San Pedro. We stopped for some photos and got some awesome pics.

Where we stopped for photos.

Gonna Miss you guys. Don't forget, Gringos turn left...

We ended up doubling back to where we started, walking through narrow ally ways, and found a bar run by an Irishman who had gone on vacation here and never went back home, starting his own bar. He was awesome. We had about 10 minutes there, before Donna started getting hit on by a local drunk, what was his name again? oh yeah, Fredrico, he only told us about 25 times. His english wasnt very good, he was only able to say that donna had great tits, that he was sorry, and that his name was fredrico. He passed out on the coffee table in front of us for a few minutes also. Anyway, we got tired of him too, another awful local, because he wouldnt stop talking to us and bothering us with the same loop of words...lo siento...myname is fredrico...etc. In retrospect we all laughed because he was such a bum.

Were back in Pana now and getting ready for our last dinner together. I cant wait to get to La Iguana perdida, I hope there are some gringos there that I can just hang out with an forget about all this nonsense.

SANTA CRUZ (LA IGUANA PERDIDA)
[DEC 6th - 11th]

Dec 9th

Day 2 at La Iguana

La Iguana Perdida is all that I hoped it would be: awesome people, great food, and a beautiful place in general. I'm sleeping in a loft outside, and it's freezing at night, but worth the price. They do community dinners which is great because you get to know all the people who are staying at the Hostel. Although it was sad to leave Sean and Donna, the first night went really well because I was able to talk to so many people at dinner. There were about 13 guests and then a few staff members eating aswell. The soup is exceptional here too. We all shared many stories and had some laughs the first night. Many people had apparently just cleared out. But more people will come...(and they did).

My humble outdoor loft at La Iguana

Day 3 at La Iguana:

Today I went hiking with Steve and Sally, a couple from London who arrived at LIP last night. I have been wanting to do this hike that was recommended to me by the staff since I arrived to LIP. The hike is from San Marcos la Laguna to Jaibalito, it's about 3 hrs. Steve, Sally, and myself had a few drinks together last night, discussed the idea and all of us were excited about the hike and prepared to get up early and do the trek. A few of the staff members also recommended Mojitos (saying they were some of the best ever, a bold statement) at a restaurant called "Ven Aca" in Jabalito, and they also said there was a hot tub open there for free on fridays. They were already planning on being there for the hot tub anyway. This restaurant was on the way back to the hostel, so it worked out perfectly. A hike with a mojito and hot tub finish, what could be better?

So we set out this morning and it was amazing. We left la iguana on a very crowded lancha (boat) and my favorite dog of the hostel, Balto, jumped in aswell. He has been known to randomly hop on boats by himself to Pana or San Pedro and get held ransom for money until the owners of LIP go to pick him up. He also likes to hike apparently. So he was a nice addition to our group, and some added protection. He is a big dog (german shepard and akita mix). The hike was hot as hell, at first it was very nice and then we started going up really steep narrow paths with the sun beating down on us. The first hour was great, as soon as we got over the first hump of upward walking the view opened up and we could see most of Lake Atitlan below and around us. It was incredible.

Balto was a real help too, guiding the way and fending off barking dogs that were guarding private property near the trail. Every viewpoint was spectacular and the hike ended just at the right time when we were running out of water and energy. We emerged into a cove in Jabalito with the most butterfly's i have ever seen at one time. They were flying all around us and came in all different colors mainly yellow, purple and white, it literally felt like I was in a movie scene, not real life. I have a video I will try to post but I'm not allowed to upload photos at La Iguana so it'll have to be later. We walked a few more meters and got to ¨Ven Aca¨ where some staff members of LIP were already indulging in some drinks, sun and desserts. This is a great restaurant in general and the view from "ven aca" is one of the best on the lake.

Ven Aca Restaurant

We sat down and I ordered on of the famous mojitos I've heard so much about. The rumors are true, if you're ever here, get one. Let me be the first to say that ending a hike this way couldn't be better. After a drink and a steak sandwich, I jumped in the freezing cold pool, and then transferred into the hot tub and felt like I was going to pass out instantly, Balto was way ahead of me already though. After spending a few hours there talking with people around the pool, I grabbed Balto and we headed back to La Iguana. The owner Dave greeted me at he dock and was very pleased to see Balto with me. He reiterated some of the scary stories about Balto's various adventures around the lake, and thanked me for taking care of him. I said it was no big deal, that he was a pleasure, and that I was going to have a drink. Dave said, "its on me! Get his man a Beer!" That was awesome, I accepted, thanked him and had a shower after. Great day but I am exhausted.

Steve from London

We made it! Time for some Mojitos...

On another note, I'm changing my plans to go to with two more great people I have met in LIP that I really like, Emil and Signe from Denmark. I don't feel like going to Xela anymore after everything I have heard, and everyone has recommended Shamuc Champey instead so I'm going North to visit, even though it's 8 hours from Antigua. Were going to leave on Sunday to go back to Antigua and then we'll all head up to Shamuc Champey together from there. Maybe I will come back to the lake afterwards though, who knows, my plans are changing left and right. LIP has been really good to me though, so I'll probably be back.

Speaking of Emil and Signe we took the chicken buses yesterday to go the the market of Chi Chi, one of the most highly regarded markets in Guate. It took about an hour and a half to get there but it was a good experience. The chicken buses were not as scary as everyone has said (especially if you don't have bags), although I completely understand why they are intimidating. It wasn't crowded when we first got on, we were able to get a seat, and then we changed buses in Solola. I ended up with a cute 2 year old on my lap who was clenching 1 quetzal in one of his hands and holding my pinky with his other. Everyone was melting at this. We became friendly with this boys mother and her family, who were all traveling to Chi Chi also for the market, and they helped us transfer buses 2 more times. After the last bus change, I ended up with this boys older brother on my lap, he was about 7 because there were no more seats; \meanwhile, I was sharing my school bus seat with an old man sleeping by the window and another man who came on the bus and set next to me like there was room for three on this seat. Emil and Signe laughed at me cause they didn't have as many people in their aisle. I sat like this for 30 minutes, it was very hot with all these people around me, and these bus roads are bumpy, they go up and down mountainous hills, etc. Basically, it was very uncomfortable but kind of fun, and funny that there is no sense of personal space on these buses, no rules.

I am finding that the markets aren't great, they all sell the same things, but I'm glad I have gone to a few now (Antigua, Solola, and Chi Chi). The best parts are the areas where the locals purchase their groceries, everything is super cheap, and it feels more real. These areas are usually covered, damp, and away from the outdoor vendors. Either way, we made it back way faster, I think its because we were going down hill this time for the most part, stopped in Pana for a bite to eat, and then headed back to LIP. Emil and myself went for a swim in the lake while the sun was setting, and then hopped into the sauna with Signe before dinner to relax. Then I sat next to Steve and Sally for dinner, hike today etc. You get it. Anyway this is too much typing for me and they keyboard is horrible haha. Ill get the awesome photos from the hike up as soon as i can... and now its time for happy hour, gotta go! Oh and they made apple crumble for dessert last night, its not as good as yours mom, not even close, love you, and I miss your baking too!

SAN PERDRO LA LAGUNA
[DEC 11th]

Mom´s secret hotel in San Pedro.

So at this point in time I have pretty much explored all of the Lake Atitlan towns (Pana, Santa Cruz, Jabailito, Tzununa, San Marcos, San Pedro, Catalina, Solola), with the exception of Santiago. I´m content with my stay around the lake and defintely need a change of scenery. I ended at La Iguana Perdida with a bang. We had a BBQ last night that was really fun. There were around 30 people many that had come just for the night to party, saturdays are notorious at LIP for having some fun, and we did. We had a great last night singing, dancing, drinking, and cross dressing. Yeah, all the guys had to cross dress, including me. I wish I could upload the videos and photos, theyll come soon, I promise. The owner Dave was hanging out with us also, and sang some hilarious songs about local stuff like the chicken buses with his guitar and a friend playing bongos. Everyone was laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves. We ended around 3 a.m. but it was the best way to leave this lake. I´m in San Pedro for another 2 hours before I´ll be departing to Antigua for the night, a pit stop before going to Semuc Champey-(Lanquin). From there, I am going to head further East to Rio Dulce, possibly Livingston, and then North to the famous ruins of Tikal. Big change in plans, but I feel content with lake Atitlan and now its time to move on and really see the rest of Guatemala. On the way back to the city I´ll stop in Coban aswell. I´m excited about this leg of the trip even though I will be devoting a ton of time to bus rides. However, many people have done this circuit in much less time, so I think this will be fine. The dates will be flexible depending on who I meet and how much I like each place but a list of destinations follows...

Me and Emil during Saturdays party. very embarassing photo but it had to be posted. Thanks Signe for capturing those gorgeous faces...

LANQUIN AND SEMUC CHAMPEY

[DEC 12th-15th]

One view on the way to Zepher. Hills on Hills on Hills.

11th-started in San Pedro with Emil and Signe (and saw the drunk Fredricko!), took an 6 hour bus ride to Antigua and rested for the night. 12th- Started early in Antigua, Emil, Signe and myself were the only ones in the shuttle to Lanquin. Usually, the tourist shuttles are packed and this was a nice surprise. We had an awesome driver Toni, who we ran into a bunch over the 3 days that we were in Lanquin. He was fast too, passing people on blindside roads with no barriers and steep hundred foot drops on the side of the road, it was a little intense. This ride is also crazy at the end, beautiful views, but there are really bumpy and winding roads. Luckily, Toni got us there pretty quick. We arrived at Zepher, a well recommended hostel with more great views, it is in a valley fulls of hills and mountains. We got there the first night and were exhausted from the ride. I felt horrible, like someone had grabbed me by my torso and shook me for 8 hours straight; we all went to bed early that night.

Chillen at Zepher. Thanks for the photo Maria.

One view from Zepher

Other view, river is in lower left of this pic

End of a long travel day

We woke up the next morning and everyone had gone on the tour to Semuc Champey. It started at 8:30 but after the ride to Zepher, there was no way we had the energy for it. We ended up just hanging around the town and the hostel for the most part that day. Although in the morning we went to go explore the caves of Lanquin, which were incredible. They were massive, tall, there were bottomless pits, and the way the rocks had been carved with water was like nothing I´ve ever seen. The caves are really humid too. There were bats flying around us and it was a self tour so we were able to take our time. I def recommend it. No swimming involved. The last section got really dark though, so we chickened out and doubled back.

Entrance for the Lanquin caves.

Cave Creature

Emil

Little light at bottom is Emil, which gives you sense of how big this cave is.

Exiting Caves.

A Great afternoon followed. We missed the tubing down the river while we were walking back from the caves but it worked out fine. After having some lunch we met with Riia, an awesome girl traveling from Finland, who highly recommended the tour of Semuc Champey which we thought was expensive, but signed up for anyway because of her passionate speech about it (I´ll touch on it a bit). She has the best accent I have heard so far too. We all wanted showers, but the water was broken at Zepher, so we all went and messed around in the river below Zepher before having an awesome dinner, enjoying a great sunset, followed by a party for a fellow hostel member Evan for his birthday. Great night before heading to the famous Semuc Champey.

Riia from Finland

Sunset at Zepher

Evan´s Birthday

SEMUC CHAPMEY

Time for Semuc Champey, what we came for. I actually got a tip to go to Semuc from Maura much earlier in during my stay in Antigua. I did not think i would go there at all, but when i ran into Signe and Emil and found out they were going it all made sense. So far this is the best thing i have done in Guatemala. No Question. Semuc is like a natural water park, its 300m long and consists of all natural pools created from mountain water. The water travels into the pools as well as under and through them, but this place is breath-taking, a once in a lifetime experience that you must see if you are ever in Guatemala. And just like Riia said, "You must do the tour, its amazing!"

View from El Mirador.

The tour goes like this, it varies but this is the order i got to do it in. You start with a rope swing into a river that is a chair- it is awesome it shoots you out into the middle of the river, i have videos. cant wait to show them to you. Then you take a tour into the Caves of Semuc with only a candle. The tour guide takes you through water, up a waterfall inside the cave, and much more, all lit only by candle. It´s quite an experience. Inside the cave you get to do a bunch of little things, including cliff jumping, squeezing through narrow holes, seeing bats, much swimming, and climbing sketchy ladders. Dont forget, all by candle light. Then once you emerge from the caves, you get taken to a bridge which is 10m high and you are allowed to jump off of. The Spanish word of the day for me was Saltar-to jump. I was the only one in the group who did it, i have two more videos of me jumping off the bridge which i am currently waiting on from fellow semuc tour friends. Afterwards we went on a 30 minute hike to El Mirador, which overlooks all of the Semuc Champey Pools. You can barely see people swimming around in them. From there we walked down the other side of the hill and began at the top of the pools on the left of this picture above. You can see water raging down the mountain, and traveling under the pools from here. We then systematically jumped or dove into each of the pools, some had natural water slides that didnt hurt to go down, others had caves with breathing room under them. Hard to explain.The water is not that cold either. It´s more like paradise.

A Pool at Semuc Champey

After hanging around in many of the pools, our guide, Marcos, took us to the waterfall at the bottom of Semuc. It´s 15m high-45 feet-and you can jump off of it if you want. I stood there for a bit, and because i was the only person to jump the bridge, it was looking the same for the waterfall. This was pretty high, and water was running around my feet on the rock face i was standing on. Marcos walked down a little, took a hop and disappeared. Splash. I stepped closer and tried to look over but you cant really. I saw him swimming towards a tree on the side and he yelled at me "Salta" or Jump! Before i knew it, in the distance, i could hear people cheering for me, i couldnt see them though, and i think the were yelling from El Mirador. then my group started cheering also, so i put my hand up, said goodbye to signe and emil and jumped. It was a great feeling while i was in the air. I had shoes on and after i went under the water I hit a rock with the bottom of my left foot, thank god for the shoes. It felt great to resurface. I swam over to Marcos who was cheering really loud. In retrospect, it wasnt that bad, the jump at least. The climb back up was 10 times more terrifying. however. It was a moss covered rock with water running down it, and nothing but rocks below. It was really slippery and i thought i was going to get seriously injured. There were some foot holes, but I was using mostly my arms. Apparently i heard from other groups that they got to use a rope to get up but not me. Marcos helped guide me up and showed me where to stick my feet, but it felt like Man vs Wild or something. Im getting tense just thinking about it again. Obviously i made it up, but that was way more scary than the jump itself and I would have done it again if it weren´t for that climb back up.

Water entering Semuc.

More Pools

FLORES/TIKAL

[DEC 15th-17th]

Mystical...mysTikal...Tikal Ruins emerge.

Getting to Flores was not easy from Semuc Champey. The roads are horrible, many are collapsing, and there is much traffic. It took about 9 hours to get there. The 15th was wasted on moving once again, but i guess that´s why they call it traveling hugh? I got to Flores on a crowded shuttle with a bunch of lively Canadians, some people from France, Holland and Israel. A very mixed van. I ended up rooming with some of the shuttle members in a small hotel overlooking the lake with a nice balcony. Flores is a very small island and perfect to stay at before going to Tikal. There´s a lot of food, good places for happy hour, and it has a nice easy layout. Upon arriving I was able to book my hotel for two nights, my shuttle to Tikal and my shuttle to Rio Dulce which I was very happy about, all in under 20 minutes. I got good prices too. Emil and Signe recommended only booking transportation to Tikal, which ended up working out very well because i ended up paying about 150 Q less than everyone else on the tour.

The shuttle for Tikal leaves at 4:30 a.m. but its worth it because you get to the park with less people, and it has a very mystical feeling in the morning. After waking up at 5 am to get to Flores from Semuc, I got dinner early and tried to go to bed, but there was really loud music at the restaurant below my hotel room, and I only got about 3 hours of sleep before hand. It didn´t matter though, Tikal was great anyway. Its an hour from Flores to Tikal, and waking up at 4 am after the 9 hour bus ride the day before (less than 12 hours before) i felt pretty crappy. I almost fell asleep on the shuttle, but it was bumpy and didnt really happen.

When I got to Tikal, I searched for the tour guide Little Caesar. I had heard rumors of this awesome tour guide from some Canadians the day before. I was able to find him at the reception and hopped on his tour even though i hadn´t paid. He knows a lot and gave so many random facts during the tour. He explained so many little bits of knowledge and even showed us a plant where "All Spice" comes from. We talked a lot in between his speeches to the group. Even about 2012 which was funny. I tipped him well after the tour. So i got a free tour of Tikal which was awesome.

Tikal 1

More Ruins I could see through the Jungle

The ruins were huge. We got to climb to the top of one of the temples, where you could see other ones poking up out of the jungle, which is slowly reclaiming this city. The whole time i was there, i kept thinking about New York, and wondering if thousands of years from now, people will be touring its ruins, and paying some tour guide to show them around. I met with another awesome couple from London during the tour, Mico and Lauren. They listen to Wu Tang clan and many of my other favorite musicians, we ended up hanging out for the whole night after Tikal, listening to music out of a little ipod stereo. It was great to feel at home for a little bit with them. they would have fit it right away in Brooklyn. People from London are pretty cool so far. We sat on the balcony overlooking the water of Flores after Tikal for a few hours and watched a homeless man wake up on a dock, and go swimming naked. It was hilarious because once he got in the water he couldnt figure out how to get back on the dock. I hope you guys are reading this Mico and Lauren.

We got some lunch afterwards at the restaurant downstairs and there was apparently a reggae party in Flores that night. We heard it from the bartender. Later that night after dinner we had some beers and went to check it out but it was too funny to participate in. It felt like a middle school dance with all the boys on one side and girls on the other. The area in front of the stage was blocked off too, so you couldnt even dance or watch the musicians. There were families that must have come from many places for this, kids, and uncles and aunts too, it reminded me a little bit of Antigua on Saturday. It was amusing none-the-less but not what we were expecting at all. My roommates had to get up at 5 am for a shuttle, so they headed back to the hostel. I stayed with Mico and Lauren, and we ended up hanging around their place til 1 am. Good day of Tikal.

Face created inside of house, I want my face built in my house like this.

RIO DULCE

17th

Got up at 5 a.m. with the roommates from Israel and Holland. Packed up, and went outside to wait for my shuttle around 5:30 a.m. I had lost my watch a few days earlier somewhere around Zepher, so i really was paranoid about the time. My shuttle didnt show up, and around 6:15, a tuk tuk driver started trying to tell me that it wasnt coming and that i needed to go to Santa Elena for Rio Dulce. Its a quick ride out of Flores but the one thing i have heard is never take a taxi. Let alone at 6 in the morning. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep over the past few days also. I got the driver to back off, he did not look trustworthy, but he was hanging around the door of the hostel anyway, trying to tell me that the shuttle for Rio Dulce was going to leave at 6:30 am. Around 625 i started to think that this guy was right. and i had seen him around the town the day before, but i knew that the people i booked the shuttle with told me that they would pick me up at the hostel. I started to get a little nervous, and was also worried about missing the bus, but i didnt want to get kidnapped at the same time. The driver made one stab at me at 625 and said that he could get me there in time, I thought about if for a second, and he started to pick up my bag for me. Just then, I guy on a motorbike who was from the travel agency that i booked with came racing around the corner and yelled out, "Toby, Rio Dulce?". Needless to say i was relieved, and told the taxi guy to put my bags down, he tried to keep walking with them, and i put my hand on his shoulder and said, sorry, but please stop. I got into another taxi that the travel guy had booked for me, they raced me to the bus station and i made it onto the bus just in time. I fell asleep almost instantly, but was able to see that we were heading towards rio dulce. This was a tour bus, but it was public and was making stops all the way to Rio. I woke up really dazed about 20 minutes before i had to get off. I couldnt believe i had made it there after this crazy morning, and in the state that i was in, with so little sleep. I was thinking i would have to stay there the night, but I was able to catch the boat ride to Livingston and had 2 hours to kill in Rio Dulce. I found some people i met at Zepher in an internet cafe who said they were heading to Livingston also, and the Iguana hostel. I felt relieved, got some lunch and some money, and waited for the boat. Its a 2 hour ride, but after the morning, i knew it would be fine. I made it to La Iguana 2 so tiredd, but managed to stay awake until 8:30 pm before falling asleep through a party, and waking up at 8:30 a.m. Finally a good nights rest!

Wall at Tikal

LIVINGSTON
[DEC 17th-20th]

What a bummer. Livingston is a strange place, it does not feel like the rest of Guatemala. The food is different, the people are different and so is the whole vibe. I´´m glad i have made it out here, but I not sure what all the hype is about. I stayed at La Iguana of Livingston, which is a decent hostel, but overall its not as good as most of the places i have stayed, and the lack of things to do, mixed with constant rain has just created much time for me to do this blog and upload photos. Not much else to say about it. I wanted to go to the beach, but no one goes when its raining... Oh Well, I´´ll be heading to Rio Dulce tomorrow, the 20th, staying there for a night, and then going to Guatemala City. I might not be uploading again until Nicaragua, I am sure that i wont be walking around with my camera or any other valuables in the city.

DEC 22nd

Ended up back in Antigua on the 21st. So glad to be here, I had some unfinished business with the chocolates, sandwiches, and markets that i needed to take care of...I met two more girls from Holland who were in the Hostel i was staying in by Rio Dulce. They said they were going to Antigua in the morning and i couldnt resist. They already had tickets for a bus at 8 in the morning, but I decided to hop the bus with them and go to Antigua, so that i could get another sandwich. It was worth it. I ate it yesterday afternoon, and im gonna have it again today. The bus ride was brutally hot and crowded, but Im glad i got it out of the way yesterday. We arrived around 4pm and i had plenty of time to walk around yesterday, i mostly ate though because i had nothing the whole bus ride. Today i woke up and headed straight for the market to buy a new watch, and some gifts, I also was able to get some pics of the market, and the area where I bought my first potato sack. Going in the morning is awesome, all the vendors were still setting up, and it was cool to be among the first there. The Antigua market is the best in my opinion, I have been to the markets in Chi Chi, and Solola aswell, Chi Chi is huge, but Antigua comes pretty close in size, you just have to not stick to the outdoor areas and go to covered parts of the market where you can find all the good stuff and local food. Tonight i will be heading to Guatemala City at 6:30 p.m. I cant believe today is my last day. I feel really content with this trip overall. I made it to so many places, met so many awesome people, and didn´t think i would make it to Tikal or Semuc, but managed to somehow in the end. I have no regrets here, especially now that i have gotten my sandwich in Antigua. Most important thing Ive learned so far, dont make reservations or plans. Go by word of mouth. The best advice I got was while i was traveling from people who had already done it, like Semuc Champey etc. Go with the Flow. I´m glad i left my last 12 days in Guatemala open before i traveled here, it gave me the time to get to all these awesome places. This is my last post in Guate, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Until Nicaragua...

Early morning at the market of Antigua