Guate All Stars

My time in Antigua was short and sweet.  No sooner had I arrived from 3 days of bus travel was I off to Semuc Champey, Guatemala.  At least this time I would be traveling with Bryce so boredom and discomfort was more easily shared and coped with.  The shuttle ride was decent, about 8 hours with a few stops.  At one point we made a stop in Coban to rest, get food so we walked into a nearby grocery store.  Bag of chips, bread, bananas, things necessary for snacking and making the oh so crucial travel PBJs. Everything was fine until we return to the McDonald's the shuttle dropped us off only to find it missing.  A split second we were worried we had been left behind, but the shuttle had taken a quick leave to drop two other people off elsewhere in town and shortly returned.  Loaded back up and carried on to our destination.

Semuc Champey is a natural park located near a city called Lanquin.  We arrived into Lanquin, very small town, authentic Mayan ancestors.  Shops selling Mayan crafts, clothes, the people here predominately speak Mayan versus Spanish, so much for working on Spanish comprehension.  Our shuttle pulls off on a gravel road and we unload to get into the back of a truck.  Weld and bolt on a cage to the bed of a truck and you have the local taxi service.

Bryce and I in the back of the truck on our way to Semuc Champey.











It was about a 30 minute drive through town and down into the jungle valley along a dirt and rock roadway.  At the steepest sections there was concrete strips for tire traction but it was mostly undeveloped.  Arrival at our hostel was very welcome.  El Portal, which was located near the Cahabon River.  Got some good swimming and leaping in while staying here, soon to see.  The hostel was a bunch of huts, sort of mini hostels, we split a 3 bed room to ourselves, very nice, cozy except for the window frame with no window and only cloth drapes to keep bugs out.

 The Cahabon River, our hut was about 200 feet from the river.

Down the river, past the bridge seen above. Early morning swim before heading to the park.

Leaping into the water, I credit the great picture to Bryce and some encouraging words. Thanks.















Following day was the main attraction, the Semuc Champey Park.  It consists of naturally formed pools of water on a land bridge that exists over top of the Cahabon River.  The water collects from water fall and mountain run off.  Multiple pools exist and were as deep as 10 to 12 feet in places.  Incredibly blue and clear, great for swimming, diving, flipping, floating, and lounging.

 A viewpoint of the natural pools.  The river runs below it and cannot be seen from this view.  Well maybe if you have great eyesight you can spot it in the top left above the pools.  The anticipation to swim from seeing the pools was only increased due to the hike up in the hot, muggy jungle.

 A view up river, before the pools.

 Here the river goes underground, under the land bridge where the pools are located.  I wonder if people have ever tried going through this section of the river.

 One of the pools on the land bridge.  Ledges between the pools made diving and jumping very convenient.

 More pools located down the bridge.  We had a guide with us but proved most useful for watching our stuff while we swam rather than providing information.

Definitely my favorite nature sight so far traveling.  Don't feel I took enough picture of this place but it was because I was having too much fun swimming. Also a little guarding of our gear when the guide decided he wanted to swim, but mostly play.  Fortunately this wasn't the only activity for our stop here in Semuc.  More on that later though.  Thanks for reading and take care everyone.  I do plan to return home by the way, let's just clear any of those remaining rumors up. Lates.