continuation of Semuq Champey

Dear Readers,

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, at the good part. After being coralled like cattle into the back of a truck we finally arrived in the approximate vicinity of Semuq Champey. The first order of the day was to swing out into the river and then jump in to it. It looks much scarier than it actually is. After a couple of other people went, and survived, I decided to take the plunge. I gracefully swung out into the middle of the river and then belly flopped right in. This was a great
way to wake up and get my blood flowing.

After everyone had a chance to risk their lives, we headed into ¨Cuerva¨ Las Marias for a bit spelunking fun carrying with us nothing but candles and, in my case, a waterproof camera. The choice of gear may leave you wondering, ¨What kind of cave is this?¨ The cave wasn´t very big but parts there is an underground river flowing through it, so unless you had a waterproof flashlight (and nobody did), the only option was to carry around a candle. Still, candles + H2O = no light. Swimming around in a cave with a candle was definitely a bit of a tricky operation. I, amazingly, managed to keep my candle lit the entire time. I even fell once, but miraculously managed to put my hand down in the water in such a way that the flame remained above the water.

Going through the cave was a lot of fun and there was a sense of adventure, even though we knew that thousands had gone before us, it still felt new and exciting. The cave narrow and around each bend brought a new challenge. In some parts we had to swim, in some parts we had to climb through narrow passages or up rickety ladders (all while holding a candle). There was even the opportunity to climb up a small waterfall with a knotted rope, and later to jump a short ways into a much to shallow pool of water. Even though I had my waterproof housing, the pictures I took did not turn out that great. But here´s a little video and some too dark and blurry shots.


A video of us walking into the darkness.
This is someone climbing down a ladder. The light at the top is someone waiting to climb down.

Group shot! Candle light is so flattering.

After about an hour of scrambling around in the darkness, we make our ways towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The water in the cave was actually quite warm, but it was still nice to be back out in the sunshine for some tubing fun. We tubed down the river for about 20 minutes in what must be the smallest inner tubes I have ever seen. I secretly wondered if they were actually bicycle inner tubes, or inner tubes from trucks driven by Hobbits, but I was unable to inquire because I didn´t know the Spanish word for Hobbit.
At the end of the tubing we sat along the riverbank and like out of a movie we were surrounded by little yellow butterflies fluttering around as we basked in the warm afternoon sun.

Once the group was collected we were off for our next bit of adventure: bridge jumping! We walked along the river bank until we got to this large yellow bridge spanning the river. The guide informed us that this was our opportunity to jump off the bridge, then without any fear he climbed to the very top and the dove straight in. Without any hesitation the boys in our group followed suit, minus the diving part. Then it was just us girls left, looking down at the water and then at each other, wondering who was brave enough to go next. Eventually another girl, Sejlia, and I decided that we were going to jump in spite of the auspicious omen hanging from the bridge (see picture). Gingerly we climbed over the railing and stood on the tiny ledge of the metal girder. The next 5 to 10 minutes were spent egging each other on to jump. Finally Sejlia made the plunge. Buoyed by her courage, I let out a girly scream and made the leap. As I was free falling I decided to try and take a moment to reflect on my life, but before I knew it I was in the water swimming towards the bank.

After jumping came lunch, which I think is a good call on the part of the guide. Full stomachs probably don´t mix very well with jumping off bridges. Then after lunch, we were finally on our way to Semuq Champey. I think in my last post I explained that Semuq Champey is a series of cascading limestone pools nestled in this gorgeous mountain landscape. To fully appreciate the pools it is necessary to first hike up the side of the mountain to the mirador (Spanish for lookout). The first reason for this is that the view from up top is incredible. The second reason you should hike to the mirador is that the devastatingly difficult climb going almost straight up will make you race back down to jumping in the refreshingly cool pools of water. For some people the hike was a piece of cake. For me it was like being stuck on a stairmaster that is set on incline for 30 minutes.
Once at the top, you look down and see these beautiful luminous turquoise pools amongst all the trees and vegetation. Then you let your disgusting sweaty self pose for a picture before racing down to jump in the water. Of course, going back down is not as bad as going up, but at that point I was so tired it was all I could do to keep myself from tumbling the whole way down the mountain.
When I reached the water´s edge I ripped off my sweat drenched clothes and dove into the water. We floated around for an hour before the guide came back to lead us on our last adventure for the day.
We walked a little ways down the river to where one pool of water created a waterfall as it cascaded down into the river. Our guide then informed us that if we wanted to we could climb down the waterfall. The waterfall wasn´t very high but the way we climbed down was quite interesting.

The guide, (did I mention his name is Elvis?), drapes this rope ladder off a rock and then dangles it down the waterfall. He then spends the next five minutes testing it out, during which the rest of us are left to wonder, "Uhm, what happens if while he is testing it, it turns out not be put on properly?" Being a guide in Guatemala is a dangerous job. Eventually Elvis seems satisfied and like a monkey he climbs down the ladder in a flash.
It looks easy enough, but when it gets to my turn I realize how hard it is. The wooden rungs of the rope ladder are very narrow and the rushing water plasters it to the rock, so there is very little to hold on to. At the same time, water is rushing down the falls making it impossible to open my eyes to see where I´m going.
When I finally reached the bottom I joined the others in a little cave behind the falls. At this point I´m thinking that our little adventure is over, but Elvis has one more surprise for us. He tells us to climb out onto this giant rock. He then does a beautiful swan dive into the river. More jumping?! Ahh! I thought I had already proved myself with the bridge. I couldn´t lose face now.





After standing at the edge and contemplating the odds of hitting something I gave up, but then I turned around and rallied, and with a hop, skip, and a jump I was flying off the edge into the water.
After I jumped into the river I had to swim around and climb back up the rock, which wasn´t too hard. The hard part was climbing back up the ladder. I was physically exhausted and everytime I looked up to see where to put my hands I got an eye full of water. When I reached the top I wanted to collapse, but we still had to stand up for the forty-five minute drive back to our hostel. The carne asada I had that night was definitely well deserved.

Next Time: Parasites, Lakes, and Volcanoes, Oh My!

xx,
gwen

p.s. if you made it through the whole blog, here is a bonus video of elvis diving.

Waiter, I´ll have your finest Semuq Champey

Dear Readers,

The road to Semuq Champey (still in Guatemala) was a long and sometimes bumpy, sometimes winding, and sometimes both, one. I was still unsure of these mythical ¨chicken¨buses I had heard so much about, so instead I booked a direct shuttle to Lanquin, which is a little town close to Semuq Champey. The trip started easily enough in a tourist van that I shared with only 3 other people ( a rare luxury). After several hours of driving we pulled up to a modern looking shopping mall in the city of Cobán. This was really interesting, because my perception up to that point was that Guatemala was not that developed. We had a 20 minute break, so I went into the mall. I didn´t see any major chain stores, but they did have a food court with a Domino´s and Pollo Campero. I would have to guess that the average Guatemalan cannot afford to eat and shop there. Still, it was a major surprise considering that I didn´t even see any sort of chain restaurants in Belize, and up until that point I had the impression that it was a country that was doing fairly well. Not that chain restaurants are a signal of progress or wealth. I just mean that I feel like Belizeans seem more likely to be able to afford to eat at such an establishment.

Moving on. In Cobán we drop one of our fellow passengers off, and then the driver, in turn, drops us off at another mini shuttle place. He tries to tell us that this mini shuttle is part of the same tourist company and that we will be on our way to Lanquin in minutes. But as he drove off and I had a look around I realized that we had been dumped at a collectivo mini shuttle station. This turns out to be one of the worst transportation situations of my entire trip (even up until the 2 month mark). We sit in the little station for an hour as the shuttle slowly starts to fill up. The van is full when we finally leave the station. Within 20 minutes the van becomes ridiculously over-the-top panick attack inducing full. I think I counted 23 people were sitting in that van. There were four rows of four (where only 3 can comfortably sit), two people next to the driver, at least two people sitting behind the driver facing the rest of the passengers on what is not even seats but more of an outcropping. Plus the guy who´s legs were inside while his body hung out the window. Adding to the clausterphobia were the not so paved roads winding up and down steep mountain roads. My only saving grace was that I was sitting next to the window and the air outside was cool and crisp. My stomach churned as my legs cramped and lost feeling from my heavy camera bag cradled on my lap. I couldn´t move a single muscle, but at least I could lean my head toward the window, breath some fresh air, and enjoy the spectacular view. Ahh!

Finally, about 2 hours later I arrived at El Retiro Lodge in Lanquin. I hadn´t counted on it being the main place where all the backpackers stayed. By the time all six of us got off the shuttle and down the steps to reception I was at the back of the line. I don´t normally recommend making reservations at hostels, but this is definitely one of those places where you should call ahead. Long story short I ended up sleeping in a hammock my first night there. At least these people have thought ahead and created lockers next to all of the hammocks to stash your stuff. Sleeping in the hammock was really not that bad. I had to adjust positions a couple of times throughout the night to restore circulation to my legs, but tossing and turning is a circumstance of life on any well used hostel mattress. The worst part was the cold. I was only given one blanket, which kept the top of me nice and toasty, but left my backside freezing!

After an interesting night of sleep I was ready for a warm sunny day at Semuq Champey. I bet at this point you are wondering what is this Semuq Champey. Maybe curiousity has already gotten to you and you´ve googled it. If you haven´t, let me explain that Semuq Champey is a series of cascading natural limestone pools set in the lush mountainous forests of Guatemala.
The day trip started with us tourists being herded into the back of a utitilty truck outfitted with metal bars to kind of cage us in. We stood up the whole drive along narrow and winding mountain roads. It was a little intense , but fun. I couldn´t really complain because I have seen these same types of trucks crammed full with Guatemalans to the point that the people in the middle must manage to stay on their feet simply because their bodies cannot move in any other way.

After about 45 minutes of driving we finally reached our destination. Unfortunately, I will have to leave the adventure for another day, because I am all internetted out.

Next time: Semuq Champey, for real.

xx,
gwen