Sunday !Guatemala
So, here I am again in an internet cafe in a foreign land trying to figure out the keyboard and work out why my blog page won´t switch from Spanish to English
So far I have only been here two days and managed to destroy my phone (the charger or voltage make it blow a fuse and now it blinks madly and only once in a while lets me text)
....and my camera no longer works. It takes and saves pics to the memory card, but the display screen won´t work making it tough to do much else. I got it too close to molten lava I guess !! :)
Oh well.......At least Im in one piece
So..the story so far.
...........I arrived Friday night and got a collectivo bus straight from Guatemala City to Antigua.
Like most of my trips the highways between the cities leave much to be desired...switching from one lane to three often without road markings.
Antigua is stunning. An old Colonial city...the whole city is rough cobbled streets and pastel buildings.
On the first night out I meet this bloke from Manchester (Adam)He is embassador for couch surfing.net.( A cool website for people who travel by sleeping on others couches.!!)
This guy sold his house in uk and is travelling the world for five years by only sleeping on peoples couches so he can then write a book and prove it can be done (he can´t stay in hotels or hostels ANY night for the 5 years !!)
Turns out he is also a DJ so I got to shake my thang a little Antigua style :) (his is from UK so the tunes were to my liking at least)
Saturday I did some sightseeing of the city. Its so pretty and like my previous experiences last year in Guatemala I love the people. It makes me fall more in love with this country.
Then in the afternoon once karl joined me we did a Volcano hike.
AWESOME
We got a bus to the village at the bottom of Pacaya Volcano( couple hours drive)
From here, there are many robberies so we needed an armed guide (and he was armed with a chrome sub machine gun !!) to walk us the mile from there.
We were inundated with local kids trying to sell us walking sticks and 4 year old boys on horses shouting TAXI TAXI if we wanted to ride half way up on their skinny nags.
Has anyone seen TOURISTAS yet ?
I only ask because the bus driver was crazy like that and flung us around dirt road hairpin bends up the mountain. Then the Village, we needed the guard through, looked remarkably like the village they wandered through after they had crashed !!!!
Any robberies that have occured were guys with guns or machetes; but all the dudes carried machetes.... so its nerve wracking not to tell the good guys from the bad.
Needless to say I didn´t venture far from our guard !!! He was a bad ass looking bloke too, so I felt safe :)
Once through the scary area the guard left and we were ok to do the rest of the climb in safety (sure)
It was a tough hike.
One and a half hours of steep muddy slopes through forest followed by another hour up steep, steep Cinder cones. It was crazy; for every step up I slid down two. Needless to say it was tough going. I wish I had taken the kids up on their rides so I could have saved my energy for the volcanic part
It was SO worth it though !!!
We got right up to the lava. It was flowing and hotter than hell as we were less than a foot from it. My trouser bottoms singed and if you stood still too long the bottoms of your shoes started to stick
Unbelievable
After a while, the heavens opened and the biggest downpour started adding a magical feeling to the lava spitting and sizzling as the rain hit it !
We would be totally drenched from the rain..then go stand next to the Lava and be dry in seconds from the intense heat. wild
Then..lightning started and one bolt hit with the loudest crack I have ever heard(twenty feet away from us) so we dashed down that volcano as quick as possible (smeone had been killed by lightening just weeks earlier !)
Our friend (Adam) went so fast he fell and cut his hand open on the dried lava...OUCH
The bus back was miserable...we were drenched and cold at this point. It was pitch black and we were sliding all over the road from the storm. Im glad it was dark, but I remembered all too well how steep the ravines were either side !!!!
We left Antigua behnd this morning.
Right now we are in Panajachel, a hippy hangout by Lake Atitilan.
Its stunning...a deep lake formed in the crater between 3 Volcanoes. Panajachel is on the NE egde of the lake and full of backpackers and local Mayans
It was a 2 hour drive here and the guy from our hotel actually came to pick us up.
Instead of taking us the normal route along the PAN AMERICAN highway, he took us through the mountains and through indeginous mountain towns.
It was amazing...big towns where EVERYONE wears all the local Maya outfits, women carry pots and bundles on their heads, children strapped to backs etc
I felt like a caged curiosity in his car, for everywhere we went the locals stopped and stared at these two blonde heads.
It was quite an experiece.
The towns were big and dusty and all the houses were made of concrete and corrugated iron. The scenery beween the towns was spectacular also...steep mountain sides and winding (often unpaved) roads
Tomorrow we will see more of the lake (locals will take you out on their boats for just a few Quetzals)
For now I have just been exploring the town while Karl takes a quick siesta. Its been a busy few days and Im already exhausted.
MondayHAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL MY US PALS
Home sweet home
...not really but Im back in Antigua which is starting to feel alot like coming home. I already know people here and bump into the same folk over and over again (its a small city)
Back to this morning......woke at 6am in Panajachel (lake) to the sound of a demented rooster crowing madly. I love nature and the sounds of it.....but I will tell you I felt really vindiacted later when I tucked into Rooster stew at a local restaurant ! :)
The Lake was stunning this morning with clear skies and calm waters.
There are taxi boats which go from town to town along the lake shores and so we spent the day zipping along visiting all the villages.
Each place has a slightly different language and type of clothing (all Mayan related) so it was really cool to experience a few different cultures within a small area.
We ran into Robert and Adam (couch surfboy) again on the lake which was such a coincidence as we didn´t know they were heading our way.
Then at 4pm it was back on a bus and back 2 hours to Antigua. Good practice as tomorrow we have to wake at 4am for a 6 hour bus ride down across the border and our first time into Honduras.
Wish us luck !!!
HONDURAS
COPAN RUINAS
Tuesday
So, don't ask how, but we managed to wake at 3 30 am (needless to say last night was an early one) for the mini bus to Copan Ruinas
Karl slept alot of the way, but it was so gorgeous I didn't want to miss any of the drive through the Guatemala mountains.
We were in notorious bandit country, as the mountain road signs kept reminding us ! But, truely, I was more worried about ending my life in a fiery wreck from the nail biting game of chicken our bus driver was playing with oncoming traffic
I had my ipod on most of the way, and thought if I was going to die on that Guatemalan mountain at least it was to the strains of Ferry Corsten !!
The border crossing itself was a cinch. We stopped at some hand operated ALTO sign. Disembarked the bus. Payed $5. Handed over our passports (no stamp.boo) Then back on the bus and we were officially in HONDURAS.
A new country finally for this Britgirl to explore
Our Bed and Breakfast (Casa de Cafe) is lovely, and I have already befriended the Pregnant gato which was mewling around our door earlier...me and Kitty hung out in the hammock some this afternoon!
Copan Ruinas is a really small mountain village where The Honduran men still tend to farming rather than tourism...they ride around town on horses, in cowboy hats. Meanwhile, the women have a similar (bright Mayan Coloured) dress to that in Guatemala, and tend to the *womanly* chores such as laundry in the river and cooking.
The one bank in town had 3 heavily armed (chrome shotgun) guards outside, as did the Beer delivery truck we saw pull up.
Dammmmmmmmmm..... but it seems a very quiet and peaceful place.
Nightlife is centered around the local bars and a couple of ex pat pubs that have sprung up so I can't imagine tonight will be wild either!!!!
The main reason for being in this town is to explore the Copan (Mayan) ruins which we will do tomorrow
Im finally picking up a little Spanish, thanks to no one speaking much Englaish on this trip and so I am forced out of my lazy gringo state to pick up the language more than previous trips (Belize is English speaking)
My vocab, at least, is improving so even if my conversations are all stilted and one worded... I am now being understood well. Ha ha ha
DAY 2 in COPAN
Last night my kitty friend had her babies...awwwwwww !!
Today was spent at the Copan ruins.
It was a just a short walk from the town.
Karl was over the moon at the intricate designs and such.
Me......I just had fun playing and climbing everything. Maybe Im not such a culture Vulture but Copan suddenly became my very own jungle jim !!
Some parts were really cool like the ancient ball court which involved a Mayan ball game in which towns men would play with an 8 pound ball and the loser got sacrificed ! wow, now thats competative !!
Food has been wonderful so far and really cheap. We haven't been careful as to what we have eaten at all but have avoided the water...and so far so good
A Plato Typica each and a drink just $4 for both of us. Im getting used to the new currency...the Lempira and it seens to go a long way :)
My favourite (non alcoholic) drink has to be the smoothies and milkshakes they make with fresh fruit. Im sure its not something Im supposed to be downing in big quantities (isn't fruit often a no no) but they are sooooooo good
Kitty on a plate (no ts NOT food but a newborn kitten !!)
My only negative to speak of has been the side effects from the Mosquito meds..its given me bad nightmares most nights. I guess thats ok compared to the hallucinations I have been warned about. gulp !
Karl is taking a Siesta now whilst I catch up on the blog. Most days the heaven opens around 2 and torrential storms come in for an hour or so.
Here in Copan its uncomfortably hot. Antigua and the lake felt great (even chilly at night) but here the humidity is almost unbearable.
The storms help somewhat with that, but not enough
Tomorrow is another EARLY start. Our bus for the coast leaves at 5 am and takes 8 hours !!!!
sorry guys but a storm hit the mainland and knocked out internet so Im a little behind....
ROAD ACROSS HONDURAS
So the storm moved into Copan on Thursday night (tropical storm) and knocked out all the towns power. We had an early bus ride and the town was still in darkness as we were trying to pack to leave. It was crazy....the whole town was in darkness. We walked though town to the bus stop and that, of course, was also in darkness.
Oh well...adds to the excitement (Karl disagrees with me there) of what would otherwise be a long day on the roadOur bus was amazing. Cross country (international) Hedman Alas buses ROCK. We had security patting us down before boarding then someone even took our photo !! Wild. They had reclining seats, a movie, tolilet and snacks. Something to give the airlines a run for their money !
The bus ride was 8 hours and mostly the bus curtians were closed. It was meant to be a more dangerous stretch of road, so whether the cutains were to be sure the mountain folk couldn't see how many gringos were on board or for our own comfort I will never know. Maybe I don't want to know...Regardless, I didn't keep my cutain closed...and survived to tell the tale !
As we traveled South the landscape became more tropical and less mountainous. The locals wore more western clothes and looked more carribean rather than Mayan. Honduras certainly sems even poorer than Guatemala judging by the looks of some of the towns we passed through.The 8 hours ended in La Ceiba (Say-ba) and we killed some time there before heading to the port. By now, another storm was brewing and the race for the ferry to make it to Roatan was underway. Karl hates boats; so this made me extremly agitated :)
2 hours later we are island tourists instead of travelers. Most people here are just on vacation from europe or USA and we stop being the circus show (ie everyone staring at the two blondes walking by) Karl especially was quite the celebrity,on the mainland, with everyone wanting to be in a photo with him or just point and stare.Sucks now, to be one of the masses :)
FRIDAY
ROATAN ISLAND (Honduras)
Last night the storm arrived and carried on through the night; so by this morning all the internet was down (Im writing this late) as well as all the ATMS (whoops)
We also couldn't dive :( There was too much of an undercurrent for novice divers (the shops wouldn't risk taking us out) and yet the sky was clear blue and no waves on the shoreline
Story was that a major tropical storm was heading our way..though of course it may change direction. Basically no one really knew..and it seemed no one much cared ! If it hit- it hit and if not- GREAT.
Anyway as diving was out, we spent the day snorkelling at West bay which has reefs you can swim out to from the shoreline. It was quite amazing. The beaches were clean and white sand and the water really clear.
That night we hit the west end (where we are staying) and as the clouds rolled in some folk said to prepare for a major storm and some said it had long gone...who knows??? Without internet the world becomes a much smaller place and island folk are a rare breed anyway !!!!
SATURDAY June 2nd ...on Roatan
Not sure what happened to the storm...some say its now in Florida (you guys reading this probably know better than me where the hell it went)
Yay....we get to dive !!!! Ocean connections agreed to take us out even though the undertow was still strong
It was pretty scary getting in and first going under, because the waves at the divesite were huge. However, once we started going down it was like another planet. The reef is stunning and as I have only dived at Athens park before this was quite remarkable in comparrison !!!! We got to see the reef (which is stunning in itself) as well as many different fish, rays, an eel and a barracuda.
There was just me, Karl and our divemaster Kent and so we had alot of freedom to roam the coral at leasure and take everything in. It probably ranks up there with some of the coolest things Ive ever experienced !! (along with lava On Pacaya, petting nurse sharks in Belize,playing with tigers in Thailand etc !!)
We have one more chance to dive tomorrow but it depends on the weather (and Karl -he got a tooth squeeze and cracked a tooth)
Sunday June 3rd. Roatan
Last night, for the first time since Antigua we drank enough to get pretty tipsy (Karl especially) It was great..ate at a lovely seafood place right on the water, drank mojitos and watched a lightening storm on the horizon. Karl was stumbling around afterwards and I fell asleep on the pier...thankfully waking up before a major storm moved in.
The restaurants here are good but nothing like the mainland where we ate at Comodores; which basically means someones kitchen. There's no real menu, so they just cook for you and you eat it in their garden or courtyard. Can't quite believe we haven't gotten sick yet. Anyway the places here on Roatan are much more geared to tourists (menus are even in english) and $$$ accepted all over instead of the honduran currency (lempira)
We didn't dive today because of Karls tooth so for the first (and probably last) time on this trip we took the whole day to eat, catch some sun, snorkel and in general just RELAX !!!Heaven !!!!
Tomorrow, sadly, is our last full day and Im hoping to snorkel a more adventurous section of the reef (can't dive because of flight the following day) as well as do the canopy tour (zip line) thats here on the island !!! I have never done the zipline thing before so that should be fun at least.
Monday June 4th. Roatan
We got up really early today to head to Gumbalimba park (part nature preserve part adventure park) for some Zipline action
There were 12 platforms starting on the hillside above the trees all the way down-ending at the beach. It rocked. I wanted to do zipline just because I hadn't done it before but I didn't expect it to be so fast or cool. Fying through the trees (it goes quite fast as long as you don't use the brakes) along a cable. Our guides were total daredevils and as we were the only ones at the park got their total attention
They taught us to hang upside down from the cable so we flew through the trees that way and also got the cables bouncing so the line flung me about 15 feet up and down as well as zooming vertical (Karl didn't like this one at all !!!)
The park itself was cool with its own beach and jungle areas for the animals. I learnt that I LOVE Monkey la las (not monkeys at all but lizard things that run on their hind legs...cool) Also say realy Monkeys swinging from the trees including one spider monkey called Ricardo who was braver than most and came right down onto us.....actually the little shit even picked Karls pocket , but we had been warned and didn't have anything for him :)
Then in the afternoon spent the rest of the day snorkelling back out to the reef. (can you believe one and a half days of relaxing must be a record for us !!)
Tonight is our final night on the town. The West end (like the rest of the island) is actually very empty (not that is was ever really busy...low season) but we are going to enjoy our last good seafood and wake early for the hellish flight we have tomorrow. What should be a 3 hour max flight is going to 16 hours of travel time with 3 connections. :( Our last flight goes from Miami to Dallas !!!?????????? WHY
So amigos...its time to say adios and I hope you enjoyed this blog. The fun memoried will last a lifetime, but hopefully not the mozzie bites and nightmares from the maleria meds :)OVER AND OUT !
damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...I thought I had traveled alot. Obviously not enough !!!
