Saturday, April 28, 2012

Making our way to Nicaragua

A week and a half to get to Costa Rica. We need to move. I do not believe I mentioned the name of the school in San Pedro. In case you are wondering and would like one on one Spanish classes at a great school, it is called San Pedro Spanish School. We found it on a website called www.guatemala365. This website lists the Spanish schools in Guatemala and ranks them according to people's ratings and allows you to easily research all of your options. I would definitely recommend this school because it is in a beautiful garden on the lake, classes are held under palapas, the family we stayed with was wonderful as was my teacher Clemente.

Paying up to Sunday morning, we left first thing and were out the door at 5:20am to catch the 6am chicken bus to Guatemala City. We contemplated riding to Antigua because we heard it is a beautiful city but agreed upon spending our last bit of time in Nicaragua. Taking a chance and not booking a bus ticket online, we showed up at the Tika Bus station and were lucky to buy seats for the 1pm departure to Managua, Nicaragua. A night stopover in San Salvador, El Salvador, we arrived in Managua at 1:30pm. That was a lot of sitting and my legs swelled like sausages from the hours of not moving. Stopping in San Salvador, everyone needed to get a hotel room for the night and there were two options. One was to stay at a nicer hotel that was a bit more expensive ($24-28/room) or a cheaper hotel ($12/person) in a sketchy neighborhood. We opted for the nicer hotel and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the area. We were able to walk the streets at night to stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat before our 2am wake-up call for our 9 hour ride to Nicaragua. Never easy, the man loading the bus at 2:30am would not load our bikes and said he was not able to do it. ugh! Our broken Spanish was not cutting but with a bit of help from a local woman dropping off her son, we spoke with the attendant inside and he did manage to get our bikes on. Now that would have been a problem.

Crossing borders, there are different requirements and procedures. We just went with the flow and asked our neighbors if they understood the announcement. At one point we blindly handed over our passports to the Tika Bus worker at 5am and did not receive them back until probably 11 after we crossed through Honduras into Nicaragua. Phew. All was fine. Crossing over the border into Nicaragua, all passengers had to unload their bags and gear to be inspected by the border patrol. It was a bit of a pain if you were like us, hauling 8 awkward panniers a few steps at a time. They barely checked the contents of the bags, simply asked what our plans were in Nicaragua. Children around the age of 10 swarmed all passengers hoping for a quarter or two to help carry luggage off the bus and to the search tables. At first I thought it was sad that this was how a child was spending their Sunday, their day off from school. Once back on the bus, I realized it was actually Monday and they must not attend school. The stomach turned to knots at this realization. How do they make a life for themselves without an education? We are so fortunate in life and I am so thankful to have spent time in other countries to put life into perspective as it is so easily taken for granted.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Surrounded by Volcanoes

The collectivo pick-up in Chichicastenango was in a small 4 space parking lot. Being sick and not eating for a few days, combined with the massive number of traveling Guatemalans, we decided to take yet another means of transportation up the windy road to Quiche. Although we attempted to capture the utter chaos of the collective transition of passengers, by the time we turned on the camera, we were too late. I will do my best to describe the scene to you, but I am guessing whatever you are picturing, intensify it. I have never seen anything like this. These vans are equipped to seat 19 passenger. Guess how many people they were carrying? Somewhere in the 30's. Just as the van pulled up and the door began to slide open, people of all ages sprinted to the van and began climbing on before anyone even got off. It is not just people either, they are often carrying large loads that only add to the difficulty. Large cloths wrapped up to hold any type of goods. They sit these colorful bundles in their laps, often along with a child. Anyway, It was total mayhem. We could not even attempt to push our way through the crowd, simply observed from afar with our jaws open in disbelief of the chaos. It was quite a scene.

We eventually found a collectivo with room for our bikes and gear up top. Ryan stood in a small space by the side door as I squashed next to a woman with a baby and a large, round, plastic bin filled with some type of food. The children here are amazing. They stand or sit for hours and barely make a peep. So different from being amonst kids in the US or Australia. They are so tough here and do not seem to expect much. This is another topic altogether.

We unloaded at the collectivo's destination point. Getting off here is nice because we are able to take our time. When we get off along a route, we are rushed and basically pushed out of the vehicle and our gear is dropped from the roof. Not having any food in the day and it already being after 1 in the afternoon, Ryan grabbed a bite at a road side stand while I watched him eat. Such an odd feeling not being hungry for days.

We road the last 15 miles to Panajachel where we stayed for the night before taking a boat across Lago de Atitlan to San Pedro. Lago de Atitlan is a large lake in the middle of Guatemala that is surrounded with volcanoes. It is absolutely bueatiful. Little towns, maybe 7 or 8, are spread around the lake, often tucked under a volcano. It is very calming to be here. We negotiated with the launcheros and eventually found a cheap fare of 70Q ($9) for us and our bikes. The prices ranged from 70-300Q. How is that possible? Early the next morning we were on our way to the tranquil town of San Pedro to start our one on one Spanish classes and live with a local family.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Semana Santa and Lago de Atitlan - Pictures

Two very traditional Guatemalan sights

Lisa helping out making an alfombra in the street for Semana Santa

The dyed hands stayed with us for days

The finished product awaiting the procession

Where it is destroyed in minutes

We hitched a ride in the back of a freight truck to get around this Massive landslide

It is normal to pack all this gear plus 32 people inside.  I know.  I counted.

Mouthes full of decorative gold are popular.  Long live the Grill!

We went looking for the backroads and found them!

The easy and scenic way across Lago de Atitlan.  Great volcano views.

We spent two weeks taking one-on-one spanish classes

The school also helps out delivering food to some poor families.  This room home and kitchen to four people.  Lisa passing the eggs...

Lisa thinks her teacher Clemente is the most patient person on earth

The floating rocks of Lago de Atitlan.  I loved these!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Chichicastenango - Trying saying that 5 times

Leaving Coban, we headed out on the fairly busy road that is the main connector to Guatemala City. Luckily we were only on this road for maybe 10 miles before turning onto the less used route to San Cristobal Verapaz where we were counting on catching some form of transportation to help us over the steep, gravel road that was wiped out two years ago by a massive landslide. This landslide not only destroyed an enormous section of the road, but it buried over 100 people, some of which are still missing.

Due to the festive and well traveled celebration week of Semana Santa, the buses and collectivos were extremely packed. Finding space took a bit longer than anticipated. We patiently waited, tucked next to a building with our bikes and in the shade. Ryan busily spoke with the drivers hoping for us to hitch a ride when another American couple walked up with backpacks in tow. Ian and Liz are New Yorkers who have spent the last few months volunteering in Nicaragua, and were spending their last few weeks of travel in Central America exploring Guatemala. They are great people and we really enjoyed their company as we were fortunate enough to meet up with them later in another city as well. Anyway, an enormous truck pulled up filled with 100 pound bags of corn and 5 locals standing atop the corn. We were happy to pass all our gear up and hop aboard. Bikes, backpacks, maybe 100 bags of corn and 9 people held tight to the sides of the truck for the 3 1/2 hour ride over the rough terrain. A slow and bumpy climb and descent, we eventually made our way to Uspantan where we stayed the night in a clean, cheap hotel.

Soon after arriving at the hotel, the seasonal rain that usually hits Central America in May and June started and since then, we have had a consistent daily rainfall most afternoons. We now understand why everything is so green. I cannot imagine the intensity of the colors come July. What a beautiful country.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Semuc Champay - Coban (finding a town that is often overlooked by travelers)

Running into Saskia, a lady we met in Finca Ixobell, at El Retiro, the three of us walked into town to catch a collectivo for the hour ride to Semuc Champay. Saskia speaks fluent Spanish, which of course helped us negotiate a cheaper rate in the back of the truck... 15 quetzals ($2) per person. The truck had an open bed in the back with a metal frame welded on to allow people to hold tight while standing during the jolting ride over the rocky and hilly ride. It was quite a trip. I am guessing we were stuffed amongst 30+ people, stopping occasionally to drop off or pick up locals. Although the ride is an hour, it is actually only 9k down the road.

Semuc Champay is an absolutely spectacular and beautiful place. There are multiple pools fed by natural springs, and small waterfalls trickle down the rocks which can also be climbed, connected each pool. The water is completely clear and the water is cold enough to cool you off from the heat of the sun and warm enough to not be a shock to the body. The water is surrounded by lush foliage, possibly feeling a touch southern Asia. It is an almost perfect place and was worth the effort to get there.

Although tempting (ok, I'm lying), we rode into Lanquin and found a collectivo to drive us up hill 2,000 feet on the gravel road. We gladly avoided the difficult road and steep inclines. Phew.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Water taxi outside our hotel in Flores
The one and only easy road in Guatemala...
Guatemala is very beautiful... and rugged.
Lisa waiting for a chicken bus in the only shade around
The incomparable spring fed swimming pools of Semuc Champey
If you sit still, the fish will give your feet a "pezicure", I mean pedicure
Semuc Champey translate as "underground river."  This is where the river ends.
...and the tranquil pools begin
The start of many, many days of rock roads
Near Poptun, we hired a guide to take us back two hours in the jungle to this underground river cave
Wading underground
Sometimes it was too deep to wade
The fearless crew

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Rough roads and trying times

Leaving Finca Ixobell, we started riding fairly early, close to 8am and on a road that climbed for 10k. Piece of cake. The sun was out, the humidity already rising quickly and the road was smooth. Great start to our day. The first 20 miles were on a paved road but as we turned right at San Luis, the route turned to a rocky, gravel, rutted nightmare. After a steep initial climb and a short snack to boost our spirits, we were ready for the uncomfortable miles ahead. A few k's and we were back to pavement. Phew! My hands were starting to hurt. Riding Surly Long Haul Truckers, we do not have any frills like suspension. Opting for durability in our gear, even our tires each weigh 2.2lbs. These bikes have been perfect for us thus far, not causing any problems more than a rubbing fender, squeaky brakes or loose cables. Nothing that actually has to do with the bikes themselves. After 15k of more paved roads, we were back to a bumpy ride and loose rocks. What I would have given for suspension and biking gloves (I gave those up along with my biking shorts back in Germany). We had 40+ miles of this route and it was nothing short of absolutely awful.

A fellow cycle tourist had emailed and recommended this route calling it a "rewarding ride". I think he and I have VERY different ideas of rewarding. I hit my wall and this road almost beat me. 2 years into riding and even on the toughest days, I could still say that I absolutely loved what we were doing and wouldn't trade the trials and tribulations for anything. In this instance, I would have gladly given up touring all together to simply be done with this road. How awful is that? Talk about hitting a low point! Ugly conversations going on in my head and a lot of cursing to say the least.