Guatemala, Belize and back

From Auckland we first flew to Houston for a layover. We have flown with many small airlines so far, but by far the most incompetent impression we had was from United Airlines on our onward flight to San Jose. After all passengers were on board, suddenly it was announced: everyone has to disembark! Supposedly, the security check was not properly done, whatever that means. After everyone had gotten off (and various left behind neck pillows and sweaters had found their owners again), we were finally able to board again. We couldn't see any difference from the ticket check the first time... And then there wasn't even any food!!! Not even a sandwich or nuts! Outrageous ;-)

We arrived quite late in San Jose and just wanted to get to our hostel. Actually, we were supposed to get a pick-up service from the hostel, but there was no driver to be seen. After a short Skype call from the airport WiFi, it turned out that they simply forgot about us! No problem though, with a regular taxi it wasn't really more expensive in the end...

Originally, our route only included Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama in Central America. But during our trip, we kept hearing recommendations for Guatemala and after a brief investigation of the top 10 attractions, it was clear: we also want to go to Guatemala! Therefore, after a day in San Jose, we already had our onward flight to Guatemala City. We wanted to start in the north, take a bit of Belize in the east, and then head south through Nicaragua and Costa Rica to Panama. And that was a really good decision!

In Guatemala City, we only stayed for one day. We walked around a bit and I would have liked to see more of the city, but when everyone tells you that you shouldn't walk around here as a tourist and you see a security guard with a pump gun on every other corner, you start to feel a bit uneasy and suspicious. What a shame. But Stephan was able to see a bit more of the city. With the coolest taxi driver in Guatemala and Alex (a Cuban from our hostel), they drove through the city to withdraw money from a bank. Alex's credit cards didn't work here and as a Cuban, he couldn't accept a transfer (Western Union). So, his Canadian girlfriend sent the money to Stephan from home and as a German, he was able to receive the money here in Guatemala. Of course, not without scanning the passport twice and without being thoroughly questioned, which was not that easy with our limited Spanish skills. The bank employee didn't care about the fact that the girlfriend in Canada was not Stephan's girlfriend and that he was only getting the money for Alex, but it became clear to her at the latest when Alex answered the question about the girlfriend's address without translating it for Stephan. But she didn't care and just told Alex to have Stephan sign here and the signature should look as much as possible like it does on the passport :-) The taxi driver waited the whole time (about 1 hour) in the bank for the two of them and explained to the security guards (with their pump guns and Uzis ready) why the three of them were here and not just one and assured them that everything was going on legally.

So, a good deed by Stephan. From Alex, we also got the tip to take an Uber to Antigua. Cheaper for two than a shuttle and much more comfortable!

Antigua is a really beautiful town! Colorful houses and old churches everywhere, with the Agua Volcano in the background. We had a 'little something' to eat, walked through the market, and up to a viewpoint over the city. But after only 2 nights, we moved on to a detour to Lake Atitlan. There we spent 3 nights 'glamping' (a more luxurious camping) at the Free Cerveza Hostel. That was also a lucky coincidence: our hostel in Antigua had a cooperation with this hostel (which had only been open for a few weeks) and offered 2 free nights! That's how we ended up in this chill place! Only reachable by water taxi, sleeping in tipis, you can sunbathe on the jetty by the lake with a view of volcanoes, and in the evening there was a communal dinner at a long table with 1 hour of free beer (hence the name)! What more could you want?!

From here, we also took a trip to the largest market in Central America in Chichicastenango. Thousands of textile and craft stalls with really nice stuff, but as often, we unfortunately couldn't buy much due to limited space...

But we did take something from the market visit: the realization that with better Spanish skills, it might have been even more interesting and entertaining. Before we set off, we had taken a two-week intensive course at the adult education center, but that was already 5 months ago... We just couldn't have proper conversations with people and probably missed out on many interesting stories. That's why we decided to go back to Antigua and take a one-week Spanish course. 6 hours a day with a private teacher who only spoke Spanish with us! Sometimes really exhausting but overall a great week!

However, the week didn't start off so well. Stephan got sick the weekend before and was flat on his back for almost 2 days. I went on the booked tour to Pacaya Volcano alone, in bad visibility and rain, which unfortunately killed my already weakened phone. But I was compensated with a lava-spewing volcano and delicious marshmallows!

Unfortunately, it was my turn in the night with a stomach bug, so I had to skip the first day of school ;-) But as I said, the rest of the week was great. With our teachers, we also went to the market on Thursday and they explained all the fruits and vegetables to us in detail. It was also nice to have a certain everyday routine again. With Michi from Munich, we always went to the same restaurant for lunch (no experiments after the last experiences) and in the evening, we relaxed in our hostel and did homework :-)

After this week in one place, we had to work hard again. We moved on to Rio Dulce, to an idyllic hostel right in the mangrove forest by the water, where we slept in a beautiful bungalow. From there, we took a day trip with some others from our hostel. We were taken to the town by boat and from there, we continued with the collectivo. It's a public bus that is a van but can accommodate at least as many people as a large bus ;-) Together with 23 others, we went to Finca Paradiso Waterfall, the only hot waterfall in the world, as we were told. It was really an experience: you swim in a cool river and warm (sometimes really hot!) water comes from above! Quite crazy! Afterwards, we also went to El Boqueron Canyon before returning to Rio Dulce.

Because we thought we had to hurry, we skipped the boat trip to Livingston and went straight to Semuc Champey, 200 km away. 200 km doesn't sound that bad at first, but when the 'road' is basically 90% gravel road and winds through the mountains in switchbacks, it takes about 6 hours!!! Completely exhausted and shaken up, we arrived at our hostel in the middle of the jungle. But even at night, we could see that it was one of the most beautiful hostels we had ever been to. Beautiful grounds, solidly built, and an amazing view. Added to that was the good (Israeli) food and the location, as we could walk directly to the park entrance the next morning and be ahead of all the other tourists (who still had to drive 45 minutes from Lanquin). Truly an indescribably beautiful sight, these 7 natural pools!

We could hardly wait to finally jump into the cool water, but we stopped for a moment to watch some monkeys...

We spent the day jumping from one pool to another, sunbathing in the water, or sliding down the natural slides! A really beautiful day and definitely worth the exhausting journey!

The journey to Flores was also long but luckily not quite as curvy and bumpy. Flores is a small town on a lake. From here, we took a day trip to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Like Semuc Champey, it was not as crowded with tourists as we had expected. A really beautiful complex with some truly impressive buildings!

From now on, we had completed the 'must-see' program and so we made our way to Belize: 5 days of relaxation on Caye Caulker, a small Caribbean island with the motto 'Go Slow'! Here, there are no cars, only bicycles and golf carts used to drive on the sandy streets. We enjoyed being able to walk barefoot again and our only task for the day was to walk to the other side of the island for sunset (in most places, it's only about 100m!)...

But one day, we were active and took a full-day snorkeling tour: one of the best tours we have ever done! In the morning, we set off and already on the way to the first snorkeling stop, we saw a manatee! They are quite rare nowadays and it was not certain if we would see any...

At the first stop, it was said: jump here on the side of the boat. Because on the other side, the sharks were already being fed! Well, they were only nurse sharks, but still, it was a scary feeling to jump into the water when there are 3-meter-long sharks and rays with a wingspan of one meter swimming beneath you!

At the second stop, we stopped at a fisherman who has been coming to this spot since he was 15 to take out and clean his conch shells. And of course, something always falls for his friend George, the turtle :-) I have seen a few turtles by now, but this one was just huge! Almost a bit overweight, I would say, but no wonder when you are provided with such delicacies every day...

At the third stop, we snorkeled along a canal in the reef. When I briefly looked at Stephan to show him an eel in a cave, it had already come out a bit too far for my taste by the time I turned around again! With this little adrenaline rush, it was a bit easier to swim against the current. Later, we could see barracudas and beautifully spotted eagle rays!

The fourth stop was a sunken ship and at the fifth stop, we saw a pufferfish and a smaller turtle with a very beautiful pattern!

We celebrated this great day with a rum punch and started the journey back. Another boat from the tour stopped at one point and we wondered why: another manatee! And this time, we were allowed to swim with it. Although swimming is an exaggeration, it was just lying motionless in the water. I said to Stephan: it's not doing anything! Not swimming, not eating anything! But when we put our heads back underwater, it had turned 180 degrees and was heading straight towards us! Apparently, it had gotten bored and so it went past us at a leisurely pace :-)

To conclude the tour, we were able to feed fish (2-meter-long ones) and birds by hand and observe a few seahorses. Together with the tour group, we spent a nice evening with coconut rum and pineapple juice and a delicious BBQ.

Next, we actually wanted to go back through Belize to San Ignacio and do the famous ATM Cave Tour there. Unfortunately, we didn't find out how much fun it would cost until it was too late. $100 to crawl through a narrow, wet cave with the skeletons of ancient human sacrifices was not quite what we had in mind as a good investment... Therefore (and because we had more time than expected), we decided to head south, spend another day relaxing on the beach in Placencia, and then travel back to Guatemala by boat across the border. We hadn't done that yet, crossing a border by boat, and as an added bonus, we ended up in Livingston, which we had initially skipped due to lack of time! So, we finally got a boat ride on the Rio Dulce and after another bus ride, we ended up where we had started: in Guatemala City! The first (and probably last) time on our trip that we are leaving a country from where we entered it (apart from the city stops Kuala Lumpur and Singapore)...

In our hostel, funny enough, we met an old acquaintance: Florence, who we met at the beginning of our trip in Shanghai! The world is really small!!!

Now we are heading to Nicaragua and then further south through Costa Rica to Panama City. Final spurt!