Tikal & Semuc Champey
Visiting the Mayan ruins of Tikal around Flores and a lot of water fun at Semuc Champey.
Januari 3, 21:18
We did absolutely nothing, and I loved it. We just walked around Flores, arranged all our stuff, drank some coffee, and ate good food. Flores was so crazy to see cause almost the whole outside ring is flooded. I don’t know if it’s normal, but the whole street is inaccessible by car, and you can see the water coming in over the little stone walls. Almost like this little island is drowning.
Januari 4, 17:14
We’re on top of one of the pyramids in National Park Yaxha, waiting for the sunset. It’s an incredible view with on the right side the jungle where the pyramids and temples are hidden, and on the left side a big lake where the sunset reflects beautifully in the water. This afternoon, we walked around the park and were surprisingly allowed to climb on top of the ancient pyramids and temples. It was so fun! Super tiring and sweaty in the sun, but the views made it worth it. Especially when you bring banana bread to the top. Good food tastes even better when you eat it with a good view. And we saw so many monkeys! All climbing and playing in the trees above us. At some point, Karo yelled: ‘Lisa! Don’t move to the right!’ It sounded serious, so for once I listened to my sister and stopped to figure out why I shouldn’t move. And then I saw it. A stream of water was coming down from one of the trees where the monkeys were sitting. A monkey was peeing! Almost on top of me! So thank you for warning me Karo :)
Januari 5, 14:18
Back in Flores from a morning at Tikal. The famous old Mayan city, just like Yaxha filled with temples and pyramids, but a much bigger National Park.
Part of the temples are still covered in grass and plants and trees, and some are dug out by archaeologists. It’s a much more jungle vibe compared to Yaxha and such a different experience even tho they are both old Mayan cities. Again, we saw a lot of monkeys, but today we also saw toucans, parrots, a woodpecker, nose bears, and apparently a capybara, although it looked different from what I expected. But what do I know?
We also went with a guide today, which makes the experience different too. On one hand, it was good, because otherwise we wouldn’t have spotted the toucans, but on the other hand, guides can be so annoying. Especially when you have an English tour. Since it’s not their first language, a lot of information is not shared (I know cause I heard him explain some things to the Spanish-speaking people), and then they keep repeating the same stuff over and over in English. But overall, a super nice day and really cool to see the Mayan ruins!
Top of Maya temple in Tikal, Guatemala
Januari 6, 18:27
We’re chilling in our room, which looks like a cute small wooden cabin. This morning, we arrived at 5 am in Lanquin on the night bus from Flores. Well, it wasn’t really a night bus as we know it in other countries with wide seats that can transform into an almost full bed. No, this was just a regular shuttle bus with tiny seats and little space. Those shuttle buses are not even comfortable for 1 hour, let alone 8 hours. After arriving in Lanquin, we got picked up by a 4x4 because regular transport can’t get to our remote hostel. And after about 30 minutes by car, we still had to walk for 20 minutes cause the road was blocked. So with a broken back, hurt necks, and sleepy faces, we arrived. But what a place! It’s so beautiful! The view is gorgeous, the river is right there, the common area is spacious, there are hot and good showers, and family meals for lunch and dinner. Just a great spot! Because of the tiring transport, we decided not to do too much today and take it easy.
So we joined the chocolate tour, which was at the hostel itself, super chill! We walked around the many cacao trees on the plot at the hostel, and afterwards we learned to make our own chocolate. I seasoned them with chilli and salt, but I didn’t do well on the measurements, cause they are SPICY. But good practice anyway, cause now I know how to make chocolate!
Januari 7, 18:00
It’s sunset time! An hour ago, we arrived back at the hostel via tube! We spend the day at Semuc Champey, a famous nature reserve in the centre of Guatemala. It’s a short hour walk from the hostel and a 40-minute tube ride on the river on the way back. We spent over 4 hours in the ‘park’ and all we did was swim in the pretty blue waters, find places to jump in the water, and try out natural water slides. It was so much fun! I do have a few scratches on both legs and my stomach because I tried to climb on some rock to avoid having to go ALL the way around it to go to a higher level. Plot twist: I had to go ALL the 20 meters around it. I couldn’t climb the rock. At the end of the afternoon, we had to meet our guide at the yellow bridge for the tubing. It was a very slow ride, but the little rapids made the whole thing so much fun! We’re definitely doing this again tomorrow.
Januari 8, 14:35
Back at Semuc Champey! Today we only spent 2,5 hours swimming, jumping, and gliding, cause we also wanted to see the viewpoint. And that’s where we are now. With a coconut in our hand, overlooking the beautiful scenery. You can even see the people walking around and swimming. So fun! Oh, and earlier today we saw some monkeys. Climbing in the trees and baby monkeys trying to learn how to swing on their tails. Super cute! In an hour, we have to be at the yellow bridge again for another tube ride back to the hostel.
Januari 9, 16:37
Oh my god. Karo forgot her phone. At the waterfalls, on a rock. About 1,5 hours away. The owner of the hostel is calling someone she knows who works close by to see if he can go look for the phone. She had to promise him a reward, which hopefully helps with getting it back.
Today we didn’t go to Semuc Champey but instead went to a cave close by, where we did a ‘candlelight cave tour’. It was a cave filled with water, sometimes up to your knees, sometimes up to your neck, and for Karo and me, above the head. They gave us a candle so we could see something. Not much, cause it was wayyy too dark inside, and a little candle wasn’t always enough help, but nevertheless really cute. On one spot, we had to slide into a very small hole with a waterfall. It really didn’t look like it was possible at all, but it was. The only direction we got was: ‘swim to the left.’ And then our guide pushed us down that tiny hole. Completely disoriented because of the waterfall, I came back to the surface and remembered the swimming left direction. There, the others were waiting with a grin on their face. Apparently, we all enjoyed that kinda scary fall. Afterwards, we went to a big waterfall, the one where Karo left her phone, and spent some time enjoying the sun before going back, by tube, to the hostel.
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