Guatemalan stories

Each awkwardly sized step took us that little bit closer to the top of the ancient pyramid that stands obstinate, towering above the jungle floor.  Slightly frustrated we continued to climb, thinking contrary to the evidence; these people must’ve been tall with small feet!  Apparently the steps are steep and narrow to make it harder for the people below to climb to reach the royalty at the top, one theory anyway.   As I reached the top and sat on the ancient stone structure from AD250, I took in the view.  Dense, tropical jungle stretched the distance to the horizon with peaks of other pyramids visible within its path.  The Mayan people had long fled but their presence clearly remains.  Their structures indicate strength, knowledge and mysticism.  Not a bad way to end the year being in the presence of such qualities.  Not a bad way to see the last sunset of 2015 atop this ancient structure; amazing view before me, howler monkeys howling, and sitting close to the beautiful sky of pink shades.  To my surprise there was a large flock of toucans in the neighboring trees below.  I was amazed because until this day I thought they were extinct.  Maybe a blonde moment, but I took this to mean good luck for the New Year.  Beautiful birds back to life, anything is possible!

My time in Guatemala was more of a love-hate experience.  I loved the colours! Amazing embroidery of the textiles, everything from bags to shoes, to clothing, to belts all embroidered with detailed and beautiful patterns and colours.  It had some stunning natural scenery.  Tikal ruins with its expanse of jungle were the most stunning I’d seen in Central America.  The blue pools of Champey, and the country scattered with volcanic peaks, were not short of glorious.  Even the colonial towns had character and colour.  However, it frustrated me the defined tourist path that was mapped throughout the country, and the types of tourist we kept running into.  Small shuttle buses pick you up from your hostel and take you door-to-door, tourist destination to the next.  Sure this is convenient but I found it hard to find the adventure in that.  Attempting to get off the tourist path seemed to result in, just not much there.  Coming from Mexico where the culture was fiery, vibrant and bold, I found Guatemala a little subdued in comparison.  We wandered the streets on New Years Eve with the blarring sound of reggaton but no one dancing.  I found the people were friendly enough, but kept to themselves.  It was also no cheaper than Mexico as expected, if not more costly and it was unexpectedly cold.  I missed Mexico.  I missed the heat, the surf, and the rhythm but actually ended up staying quite a while. 

From Flores in the north, we parted ways with Will and Alice who we’d met in La Punta, Mexico.  It was a long journey travelling on the tiny un-kept roads to Semuc Champey.  Surprisingly, many make the long trip here to only stay 1-2nights, see the sights and trudge on.  Amongst the constant transient crowd, Gus and I feel into our own little world of chillin’ out.  We swam in the crisp blue pools, floated down stream on tyres, and explored the caves by candlelight.  Then we smoked, played chess and backgammon.  For hours we would sit on the balcony and just stared at the trees while telling magical stories of the brontosaurus in the distance, or the faeries by the river, or simply theorize why the leaves were the colour they were.  After a blissfully nothing day, the body would drift off to sleep by the swing of a hammock.  

Antigua was next.  Similar to the colonial town of San Cristobel in Mexico but a little more beautifully ruined and local.  The large town was nice, but we did intend to just pass through until we met Marco.  Marco was a 70 something year old businessman that knew how to work the streets and find tourists what they wanted.  So we ended up staying in his ex-wife’s house, amongst the many family members that come and go on a daily basis, and learnt Spanish.  I took on my Spanish alter ego of ‘Maria’, as Shae seemed to difficult so my middle name of Marie took a Spanish twist.  It’s always nice to spark the brain with a new challenge and 5hours/day for 8days definitely was a challenge.  As the days went by though the white noise of the streets started to turn to a recognizable language.  Our eyes were opened to the details of the Guatemalan family culture and their frustrations with such a corrupt government.  The girls in Guatemala start with kids young, but you’d wonder why because once you’ve got them they are in your house and your kitchen everyday.  It’s not over with the grandchildren either.  The household food was painfully bland, but it had to stretch for the entire extended family.   Gus and I found ourselves skipping dinner in exchange for the most delicious chicken sandwiches from a market stall down the road, and for $3. 

With our brains full with what felt like capacity, we decided to get some fresh air on a volcano hike before leaving the town.  Eight hours of hiking up hill to an altitude of nearly 4000mts turned out to be well worth the views.  It was the most spectacular view above the clouds, with the neighboring volcano slightly spilling its red-hot lava.  One of the best places I’ve ever set up camp, on a ridge in the sky.  The altitude made it absolutely freezing cold though and I didn’t find much sleep with the thought of frostbite seeping into my fingers.  I don’t do cold! But it was magic.  It was a slow and tiring hike but it made me think how lucky I am to have a body that doesn’t fail me when on impulse I just decide to do a massive volcano hike.  Will it always be like that?  Will my body fail me when I’m older?  Then I thought about travel.  Will it ever stop?  I guess it’s like the body, if you don’t use your muscles then they’ll fade.  Just like, if you don’t use your sense of adventure that too will fade and too many comforts slip in.  I couldn’t help but hope I could keep my strength.  Hope it all lasts.   

We felt like we’d been in Guatemala long enough and oh how I missed the surf and ocean.  Guatemala does have beaches but it is not known for surf and I wanted to be sure to get waves, so El Salvadore was the desired destination.  To my extreme frustration, weeks later we ended up having to come back to sort my Indian visa.  This time we were not doing anything touristy.  It is highly un-recommended to spend time in Guatemala city due to dangers and lack of sights, but that’s where the embassy was and that’s where the locals would be.  Surprisingly, this actually turned into a redemption trip for Guatemala.  We discovered delicious food at the local markets where people were wondering what we were doing there.  We wandered the streets to the different districts and found a mix of stylish western restaurants and cultural sights.  With the Guatemalans clear accents we were able to communicate easier, our Spanish frequently put to use.    We worked out the use of the local chicken buses, an experience within themselves.  Don’t carry anything of value but take in the atmosphere of the cranking music, people pitching elaborate sales for simple items like gum and colour-in books, the drivers assistant hangs out the door rallying up commuters, hang on to your seat as the bus speeds round corners whilst the driver is talking on the phone.   The bus driver and his team seem to have a pretty sweet job, apart from the part when gangs extort them or they could get killed.  I guess its safe to say its all fine and an adventure until it all goes horribly wrong.  Luckily, this time we hit the jackpot.  I got my visa.  Then we were back on the road, back to the beach.