Guatemala, a set on Flickr.
Fair Winds & Following Seas
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Rio Dulce and Livingston
I find myself back in Antigua again, after alomst a month, but I also realize I have learned a lot since i was last here. Antigua is beautiful!
The garden of flowers in the Rio Dulce, beautiful place!
I'm on a boat! . . . Very seriousMy time here is coming to a close, and as much as I am excited to see all of the people I love again, I am also very sad to leave this beautiful country.
As I predicted, it took me approximately 3 and a half weeks to get used to solo travelling, understand my needs and find the inner peace that it mandates. Every moment has been so beautiful and yet so fleeting, and I know when I return to the States, to reality, to work, these moments will evaporate into hazy dreams from times past.
What will I do differently next time? Throw away my Rough Guide and Lonely Planet, for one (or at least ONLY use it as a map of the next city I visit). I will probably avoid backpackers hostels, as their inhabitants tend to live in a parallel universe to the country they are travelling in, only "DOING" the sites, not necesarily experiencing the culture--don't get me wrong, this is a very harsh and broad generalization, and I apologize in advance for any offense taken--I feel i have definately travelled in this parallel universe for at least half of my time here, so I am speaking of myself as well! Next time I will try to set up a homestay or two, volunteer more, and have more time overall to take everything in and build friendships.
This has been a learning experience, as I hoped it would be, and I am so happy that so many people supported me and helped me make it happen. I have the traveller's bug, so this is just the beginning!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tikal, El Mirador
I just got back from 6 days in the jungle. It was such an awesome experience, we hiked a total of about 150 kilometers through flat jungle (all the hills were not hills, but ruins that have been over taken by the jungle). El Mirador is a hige complex of ruins, an ancient city dating back to 300 BC and even earlier. The Mirador Basin consists of a network of cities, El Mirador being the biggest, including El Tintal amd Nakbe, where we stayed for the first, and fourth nights. I will spare you all the dry details, but it is an amazing place to see first hand, and again, the pictures just can´t do it justice!
Our guide, Angel, knew all the details of the jungle, including medicinal remedies for snake bites and malaria, as well as the history and intricasies of the ruins. He and the rest of the crew were a great pleasure to be around for 6 days (which says a lot!). More details later, I am done with computers right now!
Oh yeah--and the day before I went to Tikal. I can´t compare these two ruins, as one has been rebuilt and preserved, and the other is hardly touched by archaeologists. . .
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Coban, Lanquin, Semuq Champey and now Flores
The church is in Coban, I just thought it was pretty. In Coban we went to an Orchid Farm called Vivero Verapaz and saw Guatemala´s national flower, the Monja Blanca, along with hundreds of other beautiful orchids.
Now I am in Flores, getting ready for my trek to El Mirador. I found a group and we will be leaving either tomorrow or the day after. I met them in Lanquin at an amazing hostel with a river, sauna, and tiki hut rooms. They were are group of three, now we are four and we are hoping to pick up a few more people before we leave. In that case you won´t hear from me for a week because the trek lasts 6 days, we will hike through the jungle for two days until we arrive at the ruins of El Mirador. As I understand it, we will stay there for a day to explore, and then take a shorter hike to the ruins of Nakbe. This is what I most wanted to do here in Guatemala, and it has fallen into place so easily, I am so excited!
Flores may be my favorite town so far in Guatemala, it is an island on the lake of Peten Itza and it is so beautiful and comfortable (aside from the heat)! We found a nice place to stay on the lake, with a spiral staircase up to a roof top balcony. The sunset was amazing last night, and all the streets are beautiful.
Hope everyone is doing well!
Cheers!
Friday, December 4, 2009
San Pedro La Laguna
Hello from San Pedro!
I have posted pictures on my flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anneagain/?saved=1), so check that out to see what it looks like here. It is beautiful! This is my 4th or 5th and final day in San Pedro. I spent a good chunk of my time lounging on the hammock on the porch of my fourth floor room, taking in the view and watching the sunrise. I also did some kayaking on the lake, which subsequently turned me into a bright red lobster from the high altitude sun. It was worth every minute of it, as I was able to see San Marcos (another town), and spend a very relaxing four hours paddling around.
You can definately see the cyanobacteria from shore, and it is multiplying at a fairly rapid rate. Algae blooms are not huge, but are definately forming on the surface in some areas closer to shore. Today I am heading to Tzununa (on the lake) for an ecological festival. Rebecca and Andy are representing Long Way Home, and the other volunteers will be there too. Tomorrow we head out to Coban and then to Semuq Champey. I am excited for the change in scenery, even though this one has been so beautiful!
I have posted pictures on my flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anneagain/?saved=1), so check that out to see what it looks like here. It is beautiful! This is my 4th or 5th and final day in San Pedro. I spent a good chunk of my time lounging on the hammock on the porch of my fourth floor room, taking in the view and watching the sunrise. I also did some kayaking on the lake, which subsequently turned me into a bright red lobster from the high altitude sun. It was worth every minute of it, as I was able to see San Marcos (another town), and spend a very relaxing four hours paddling around.
You can definately see the cyanobacteria from shore, and it is multiplying at a fairly rapid rate. Algae blooms are not huge, but are definately forming on the surface in some areas closer to shore. Today I am heading to Tzununa (on the lake) for an ecological festival. Rebecca and Andy are representing Long Way Home, and the other volunteers will be there too. Tomorrow we head out to Coban and then to Semuq Champey. I am excited for the change in scenery, even though this one has been so beautiful!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Panajachel





I arrived in Panajachel by Chicken Bus two days ago. It is a beautiful small town on Lake Atitlan with a large crowd of extranjeros and tourists. It is always a little difficult arriving in a new place by myself, that is what I am coming to realize. Serindipitously I asked a woman if she spoke english, and if she new what I could do in the town, turns out she owns a small place and her husband plays bass in a band that would be playing there that night. I ended up dancing the night away with a small, roudy group of 50+ year olds. . . ok, well for the most part I watched as they danced the night away, but they were a fun, welcoming group I was happy to meet them!
Checked out the Reserva Natural Yesterday, it was beautiful! Hiked around, checked out the butterfly farm, and took all kinds of photos. There were a series of very unnerving suspension bridges that led up to a waterfall that brought out my fear of heights! Saw a monkey, some orchids, beautiful flowers, it was great!
Heading to San Pedro by boat ASAP, so more to come.
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