From one lake to another

On 07.02.24 I just wanted to go for a short hike and I did. About a kilometer away from the hotel, a hiking trail starts up a mountain, through the jungle here in El Remate. It actually costed about 5€ to enter but it was worth it. There was a 4km and a 6km route, which doesn't sound like much but it was quite exhausting considering the temperatures and elevation. Along the way, there were 3 viewpoints and the view of the lake was amazing. During the 3 hours I was there, I only saw 2 other people, so it was quite peaceful. I also got to watch some spider monkeys for a few minutes, they were snacking on fruits right above me. There were also some birds around, actually less than I expected, and a few small lizards. On the way back, the howler monkeys started screaming again and I thought I would finally see them. Wrong. 

Back at the hotel, I spent some time in the hammock planning my next destination and then spent almost 2 hours on the pier/in the lake until sunset. The hotel was quite empty that day, mostly older people on vacation. 

The next day (08.02.24) I went back to Flores because the next morning I was planning to take a shuttle to Rio Dulce. This time, I was staying in a different hostel and didn't do much. I had a little conversation with a German lady and after a few sentences, I found out that she is a 'horse girl'. Turns out, she used to ride horses before her trip haha. It was a pretty superficial conversation because I didn't like her personality but oh well, everyone is different. I finally got a SIM card so I could have internet outside the hostel. Actually, I didn't miss having internet the last few days and it was actually freeing to only have internet at the hostel... 'in case something happens' yeah, I don't know. For lunch, I had pupusas, stuffed corn tortillas, in my case with beans and cheese. They were very tasty. I didn't do much for the rest of the day and went to bed early.

I woke up at 04:30 (09.02.24) and could doze off a little until 05:00, at 05:15 there was free breakfast (toast with peanut butter and coffee) and at 06:00 I was on the shuttle to Rio Dulce. And of course, I sat next to a German lady on the bus, she did a semester abroad in Colombia and then traveled Colombia. She gave me some tips and maybe I will visit some of the places she mentioned. After about 2.5 hours, we had a planned break, 15 minutes. That turned into a 45 minute break because the bus driver had to go to the workshop, something was wrong with the tires😂 The rest of the journey was relaxing though, and after 5 hours we arrived in Rio Dulce. I actually didn't plan to stay in the city because it's not particularly beautiful but the secluded hotel right on the river was fully booked. So I have to spend 2 days in a hostel in the city. That day, I walked around the city a little bit and later went to the pool with 2 Germans. And a German couple joined later as well 😂 I had a longer chat with the German couple and they gave me some tips for Guatemala.

Yesterday (10.02.24) was laundry day and a waterfall was on the agenda. The waterfall was recommended to me by the couple and they came along as well. The waterfall was in the middle of the jungle and had hot water. The pool was cool because it had water from the river, but the falling water was very hot because there was a hot spring above. A very interesting experience. There were also a few small caves behind the waterfall that you could dive into. It was incredibly beautiful and peaceful there, a lot of people came around noon but we were already leaving. After that, we said goodbye, they wanted to go to another city and I went back. I visited a second-hand shop and bought a Columbia fleece jacket for 2.50€?! and then went back to the hostel. My stomach was causing trouble again, so I spent the rest of the day in bed and on the toilet.

Today (11.01.24) I'm going to the hotel by the river but until then, I'm just chilling in the hostel✌️