The minivan trip from Antigua to Lanquin, 270km, was a 9-hour trek up- and downhill, through mountain passes, curves and narrow roads – very beautiful forested landscape. Sometimes the road was unpaved, or there was construction, and we would just ride in between the construction vehicles as there was no room for bypasses. In every little village or town along the way there are horrendous speedbumps, and all the buses and cars, even the 4×4 ones, slow down to a virtual stop – very effective speed control. There is a general speed limit of 40km/hrs in Guatamala, and most people stick to it, especially the bus drivers.
I was amused by the initial driver (we changed minivans later) who picked me up at 08h00, the only passenger, and he drove right around Antigua, eventually stopping at a local eatery about two blocks from where he had picked me up to get breakfast for himself. We eventually left Antigua at 09h00, stopped in the outskirts of Guatemala City to pick up another passenger, drove for a few hours, and then he stopped at a random place where we had to wait for 20min until another minivan stopped to pick us up. The drivers don’t communicate anything, and one just meekly accepts whatever happens. There was, however, a shuttle service waiting for me at the bus terminal in Lanquin, and the pleasant surprise I got when I saw the hostel I had booked, made up for everything. It was hot and humid, and the first thing I did was jump into the pool.
The main reason for staying in Lanquin was to visit Semuc Champey, a nature reserve with idyllic swimming holes along the river, caves and river rafting. The Cahabón River plunges into a natural sinkhole and runs in a 300m tunnel under the pools that were formed through thousands of years of limestone and mineral deposits, forming a bridge across the river. The minerals cause the turquoise color of the water.
I always forget to write about the butterflies, which I enjoy so much. Whenever I walk in the forest, they are there. Many different kinds, difficult to photograph. At Semuc Champey there were the big blue ones too, that I had first seen in Colombia. One would be walking along, and suddenly they would appear from behind, fluttering past and disappearing in a wink of an eye. I managed to photograph this butterfly that had politely sat down long enough for me to take a picture.
I had 3 days in Lanquin, which is a small town with not much to see. I walked the 15 min to town twice, and the first time was a market day, with the usual bustling stalls and tables which I always enjoy. The second time I needed to draw money, and took a shortcut past the church, which I sat in for a while. There was another smaller church up on a hill, where I discovered the graveyard.
I saw on the map that there were caves about 1,5km from the hostel, and I decided I would rather visit them than the caves at Semuc Champey, where one evidently gets very wet. They warned me at the entry gate that the path in the cave was very slippery. When I asked about walking sticks, they very kindly fetched me a broom handle – just as well, because I would have landed on my butt a few times had it not been for the ‘stick’. When I came out, there was another older lady entering, so I gave her the broom handle with strict instructions to return it to the office at the entry. The caves were grandiose and beautiful, much like the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. I was the only one there, but a guide, who had been standing outside, discreetly followed me all the way, only joining me as I approached the exit – much appreciated by me, as I don’t know what I would have done if I had fallen. It was very hot and humid in the cave, and at one stage I started feeling a bit lightheaded, lack of oxygen I think.
Another minivan trip of 9 hours to Flores, my last destination in Guatamala, and the grand finale – the Maya ruins of Tikal. Only the first half of the trip was through mountains though, as the landscape changed as we approached the Petén Basin where the first Maya settlement was established in 900BC. More about this later.
Flores is an island in Lake Petén Itzá which is joined to the mainland with a road. It is quite picturesque and full of tourists that use it as a base to visit Tikal. One can take a local ferry to the opposite side to San Miguel and climb up to a viewpoint, which I did on my last day in Guatamala. I offered to take a family’s picture up on the wooden stand, and they returned the favour and took one of me. I was not surprised when I became emotional when I told them it was probably the last photo of me in Guatamala- it was a dramatic and memorable visit, in more ways than one.
Tikal was the largest city of the Maya people, and the capital of the most powerful state of the ancient Maya. Construction of temples, palaces, administrative buildings, pyramids, residences and inscribed stone monuments only started in 400BC and it reached its peak during the Classical period, 200 – 900AD. The ruins were only discovered in the 1800’s and in 1955 the area was established as the Tikal National Park. The old city itself covers an area of 16 square kilometres, is well documented and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage sight. To walk amongst the ruins was an unreal experience. I remember seeing pictures of the ruins when I was young, and it seemed such a far-off thing, these ruins in the jungle, that had lain undiscovered for almost 1500 years. I never thought I would see them, and there I was, walking in this jungle, trying to imagine what life was like 2500 years ago. One gets a good idea of the extent to which the buildings had been covered, as only about 16% has been excavated and one can see mounds of earth covering ruins, with tree roots entwined in the stones. The whole area is well-maintained, clean and uncluttered (no vendors selling stuff as what is the case everywhere else). Kyu, a lovely young man from Korea who was sharing the dormitory with me, also went that day. We took the early shuttle, to be at the gates at 06h00 when they opened, so there were few people around, which made it even more impressive. One can take a guided tour, but we preferred not to, as we wanted to walk around at our own pace. Kyu had a lot of information, so he became my guide. For example, water was an issue for the Maya, so they plastered the hollows that had been made by the limestone that had been removed for building purposes, to use as reservoirs. They even paved the plazas at an angle to channel the water into canals that fed the reservoirs. Kyu also mentioned that Mesoamerican ballgames were played on the plazas, and that at a later stage some cultures combined the competition with human sacrifice.
There is so much information about the Maya, but for me it was perfect to just experience the ruins, climb up the temple steps and view the plazas, wondering what took place there on an ordinary day – women meeting, local gossip, men discussing strategies and children running around and playing.
And so it was a grand finale and final goodbye to Guatemala and Central America. Brazil, here I come!
Mella Madness 