Lakes, Caves, and Pools

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Trip Start Oct 11, 2006 Previous
Entry Trip End Apr 25, 2007 Next
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  Lanquin, Guatemala
Thursday, November 9, 2006

Last week we ventured out of Antigua to Lago de Atitlan. This is a beautiful emerald green lake sitting amongst three Volcanoes. We took the small boat ¨Lancha¨ from the town of Panajachel to the small village of Santa Cruz, about a 15 minute ride. As usual, right when we got out of the shuttle to Pana we were approached by two guys trying to give us a ¨good deal¨ for a ride in their boat. The whole operation seemed a little fishy, but we were rushed into things and ended up getting really ripped off on the deal. Oh well, we learned for next time.
In Santa Cruz we stayed in a friendly Hostel named La Iguana Perdida. The Iguana offered lots of fun things to do around the area of Santa Cruz. We took a walk to another village called San Marcos, a hike rumoured to be somewhat dangerous because of robberies in the past. The walk took about three hours with wonderful views of the surrounding landscapes from high above the lake. We encountered no dangerous muggers along the way, however at one point we were both pretty scared of a very vicious looking dog

01 View from a Walk to San Marcos

. We continued unscathed to San Marcos, and faced some difficulties finding the dock where we could catch a return boat to Santa Cruz. We asked a few locals kids who, as it turned out, sent us on a wild goose chase nowhere near in the right direction - they thought it was funny.
On every first and third saturday of the month, the Iguana offers a scavenger hunt that takes participants to many of the towns on the lake. We dressed up in wacky costumes for bonus points - Kyle in a shiny silver dress, and Fran in a yellow tiger-print jumpsuit. Our tasks included: finding a large catholic church, determining the name of the local mayan language, and taking a picture of ourselves joining some kids in their game of basketball. Later that night there was a fiesta where everyone dressed up in drag and enjoyed cheap drinks(double Cuba Libres). The winner was announced over a large family-style feast, and recieved a free meal that night, and two free drinks of their choice. As it turns out WE WON! and we very much enjoyed our third (or fourth) double Cuba Libre on the house. Amazing Race here we come! Overall we really loved the Iguana and all of the staff and guests. We met a few people there that we have continued to travel with, who are a lot of laughs.
After leaving the lake it took a few days of travel before we arrived at our current destination. We spent a night in Coban, and were extremely surprised at the quality of a Chinese food restaurant we found

02 Lago de Atitlan

. The next morning we took a shuttle for 2 hours to Lanquin, and arrived at El Retiro Lodge. The lodge is comfortable with a good lounge and bar, where you can also rent hookahs. Here we have enjoyed two fun party nights with some very enthusiasic dance sessions. We also learned a fun new card game from our friend from Isreal, and played last night for almost four hours.
Yesterday, we took the tour to Semuc Champey, the main reason for our visit to Lanquin. This was the most amazing day we have had so far on our travels. First, we went on a tour of the caves, which go for many kilometers into the mountainside. We ventured in with a group of about twenty, carrying only candles to illuminate the way. The whole cave is filled with water at least waist deep, and at times we had to swim for a few minutes holding the candles above our heads. We left the cave completely in awe at the unique experience we just had. The day only got better from there...
We then went on a short but steep hike to the lookout at Semuc Champey. The view far below of the waterfalls flowing into pools took away the breath of everyone in the group. We stayed for a short while to take pictures then continued down to swim in the crystal clear pools. Describing this paradise doesnt do it justice (wait for photos to come).
Today we relaxed around El Retiro, and went tubing down the river. We went with a big group, including one black lab. Tonight we have one last big feast before we set out for our next destination. At 6:45 am we leave for Flores in the North of Guatemala.
We are in good spirits and in good health going into our fifth week in Guatemala. Hello to everyone and we still miss you. We occasionally check into the Canucks success, which it seems is only occasional.
Love, Kyle and Fran

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

03 Sunrise in Santa Cruz	04 View from an Early Morning Hike	05 Kyle Dressed up for the Scavenger Hunt	06 Our Friends Hilleke and Dana All Dressed Up
07 Kyle in Pana Looking Fabulous	08 Swimming in Hot Springs	09 Jason at the Scavenger Hunt Party	10 Fran and Brenda in Costume
11 Adam and Amanda Fire Dancing	12 Fire Dancing!	13 Tubing Down the River at El Retiro	14 Kyle Going Down the River
15 Semuc Champey	16 Fran on a Rope Swing	16 Swimming in Caves	17 Kyle and Fran with Their Candles
18 Fran, Kath and Hilleke	19 Climbing in the Caves	20 Waterfall Outside of the Cave	22 Mountain View of the Pools
23 Swimming in Paradise	24 Look for the Fish!	25 Fran in the Pools	26 Swimming in Semuc Champey
27 That's a lot of Tubes!	28 Partying Later at El Retiro

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