It's been a while since I've posted anything as I have been pretty busy traveling so I'll try to catch ya'll up. I've written two long blogs, this being the first, that get me from Belize to Guatemala, through El Salvador, and finally to Utila and Roatan in Honduras. I actually just got to Roatan last night after spending a day in Utila as I need to head back to Texas for some time to attend to some family matters. I am not sure when or where I will return to pick up my travels, so you have plenty of time to read the long posts and check out all the pictures. I've added all the photos for Guatemala as well as Belize with captions if you haven't viewed them yet.
Last I wrote I was tired of hanging out in Placencia, Belize and so took the ferry-bus-ferry-ferry combo to get out of the country and up the Rio Dulce into Guatemala. Heading up the Rio Dulce starting from Livingston at its mouth is a majestic trip. You pass through tall cliffs covered in a jungle filled with howler monkeys and some of the most poisonous snakes in the world. You pass tiny huts hidden under the canopy of trees at the water's edge where locals use dug out canoes to catch their daily sustenance. Then the river opens up and is speckled with marinas where yachtsmen bring their boats to safely make it through the hurricane season. Some end up dropping anchor for good seeing that they have reached their paradise.
The focal point of the river is the bridge that spans the river at the town of Fronteras. It is the longest bridge in Central America and is a major artery supplying goods across the country. I stayed at a hostel at the base of the bridge opposite the hustling town of Fronteras. It was a welcomed change from Belize in that things were much cheaper and cleaner for the price and the people seemed warmer.
I stayed for a few days to check out the sites, meet up with some other boaters I knew on the river, get a super tight $2 haircut, and figure out where I was going next. I had a few places in mind but after talking to a few other travelers at the hostel I decided to head west through Guatemala City to Antigua.
I've never been so impressed upon entering a town. Antigua is just a short trip from Guatemala City and it sits high in the mountains at the base of a few volcanos which are usually covered in a light mist. It is an old colonial city built in the 16th century with cobblestone streets lined with one story buildings that are all seamlessly connected broken by the occasional church ruin. The only thing that differentiates the houses is the distinct vertical line where the colors of paint change, sometimes old and tattered while others are freshly painted in a deep hue. The local Mayans still stroll around in their traditional garb and work in the bountiful markets, while tourists and Guatemalans fill in the gaps. On top of that there is a vibrant art scene, trendy, low key bars, international cuisine, and a delightful central park that is great for people watching any time of the day. The photos easily do more justice to the city than any more words I can write. So make sure to have a look at those.
The only unnerving thing about Antigua are the firecrackers that constantly echo throughout the town. It's always a series of about 100 – 200 black cats and just when you think it is over, one loud boom at the end to cap it off. When I first arrived on Saturday, I thought it was for some sort of celebration. Then hearing them on Sunday before sunrise I thought maybe it was a weekend long celebration. Then hearing them on Monday I finally asked someone what was the occasion and they looked at me a little confused and replied, “The firecrackers could be for anything. A birthday, a wedding, graduation, finishing a long book.” Basically any reason would suffice.
After spending a few days in Antigua, I took a short bus trip to Lake Atitlan which is described by Aldous Huxley as "really too much of a good thing." Before our bus departed to get us through the mountains to the lake, our bus driver said a little prayer and touched his cross hanging from the rear-view mirror next to a small Mickey Mouse doll and an air freshener in the shape of a marijuana leaf. I wondered if I should feel better about the trip since we would now have this invisible bubble of protection around us or worried that the road was so bad, the driver felt a prayer was necessary for us to make it through safely. It didn't take long to find out that these bus drivers were miracle workers. They could turn a 1.5 lane road into a 3 lane highway for passing around blind corners. When a road was washed out with water still running over it down the cliff, they could somehow drive on water where no road appeared to be. They could dodge boulders and rock slides with ease as if somehow they could see the future. And this was the tourist mini-van bus. The locals take the “Chicken Bus” which is a brightly painted school bus packed to capacity with people, goods, and the occasional chicken. These guys run the buses around the corners almost on two wheels passing us like we were sitting still. I think they must double up on their prayers before they depart.
But once on Lake Antitlan it was all that I expected. An ethereal lake formed in the caldera of an ancient volcano that had long erupted and now smaller volcanos surrounded the edge of the lake with tiny towns scattered along the water's edge. The hostel I wanted to stay in was in the village of Santa Cruz which was only accessible by boat. It was a great place a few steps from the boat dock and served family style dinners each night which was a refreshing change of pace.
After a couple days of hiking, scuba diving, visiting the towns, taking Spanish lessons, reading lake side in the hammock while it rained in the afternoons, I thought I had escaped the excitement of the firecrackers that plagued Antigua however the last morning I was there, while doing my toiletries, I heard an enormous bang on the roof which I thought was going to bring the building down. My first thought was that someone had thrown just the finale firecracker on top of me. After I stopped choking on my toothpaste I went outside to find the culprit. It turned out to be mother nature once more and this trap took years of planning and foresight. She had planted and raised a fine, tall avocado tree just next to the showers. And on this avocado tree hung the largest avocados I have ever seen. The one laying at my feet must have weighed close to a solid pound and fallen 15 ft before it hit the tin roof I was standing under, bounced off and then land on the ground giving the exact result she had patiently been waiting for. I looked up and smiled at the proud tree and went back in to finish up.
I made my way back to Antigua through the mountains not sure how many more days I would stay there but fully enjoying the days that I did.
