GUATEMALA:COBAN and LANQUIN: school dinners
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
26
63
Trip End
Ongoing
Lanquin,
Guatemala
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
the start of many a horrid bus journey to come lands us squeezed into the back of a tiny collectivo, four men across. (meant only for 3). lukey has his legs up on his chest and he sits on a metal bar off the edge of the seat, whilst i sit squeezed inbetween two hairy men, without my bum touching the seat! the only thing that keeps us happy is the incredible views as we travel down through the valleys and that the sun has come back out to guide our way.
we are welcomed (!!!) by a heard of boys trying to get you to go to their hotel. and on saying you have one in mind already they get quite rude and abrupt. we heave our rucsacs on and wander to find this ´paradise hostel´..... what we did find was an overbooked school.... nothing in comparison to our last paradise. the guidebook doesnt really have a clue. we are over charged for a small bunk room with people over the top of us, and pay large amounts of money for food which is served like a school dinner... cold and tasteless.
we have two early nights.. not wanting to move , only because we have travelled for two days and need to stay put! we did get to celebrate thanks giving... and said thanks to each other for being the luckiest people alive...very grateful for each other, our family and what we have.
on friday morning we decide to move onto semuc champey. we go against booking a tour guide as we think we can save money. we were right. we hike up a very large hill with all our wordly possessions loaded on our backs. our legs just have to keep plodding one in front of the other , whilst lukey keeps on with the humour to keep us both sane.
we´re lucky that a pickup offers to run us there, and lead us to a hotel in semuc champey. the ride on the back of the pick up is one that makes up for the crappy ones we have ever had. our grins dont do justice to the open air views and rush from the speedy fair ground ride.
our hostel isnt worth much, but we havent come hear for that.
we stroll off in our kinis and board shorts to find the pools, and wander past people jumping from a high bridge, and various kids selling chocolate. i ask one lady how far it is till we get there, for her to reply and demand 50p to tell me (a lot for them).... i refuse. ..... we walk round the corner...and we are there..... the cheek!
we arrive. its breathtaking. we didnt take our camera as we werent sure of safety. it would have been fine. but we have uploaded some pictures from the internet.... check them out!
we walk up past and are amazed at the turqoise colours of the large and small running pools. they are surronded by small bushes and trees line the canyon. as we walk up to the mouth of the pools we are stunned to find a river actually crashes down the mountainside and under the pools. this fercious river would kill you within seconds, and we are only allowed so close. a vast comparison to the tranquility above.
we laze about for hours, swimming and jumping in the warm spots and doging fishes that thought lukey b tasted good (i agree.,.and i wasnt about to share him!) we see monkeys high in the trees, and again agree that this is a wicked spot to come and see together.
on walking back out we meet two lads. andrew is american and selba is from holland. they fancy some lunch so we ask if they want to come back to our restaurant. and we´re glad they did as we hitch a ride in a cool pickup they have driven across from nicaragua. they even have a dog called lola who gets her exercise by running behind us as we drive over the dirt track.
we ofcourse stop back at the high bridge and jump off the 10m into the slow moving river below. a rush if we can finish off a trip better than any wet and wild!
lunch follows and swinging off a rope swing into the river. food and quite a few delicious award winning rum and cokes conclude to a great day.
