Visa for one day Oops! At the border of Belize I realized that Argentinians need a visa to enter, and I hadn´t budgeted for the money to buy it, but after insisting a bit and explaining them my voyage they let me enter the country, but only for a day!
In the middle of a storm I arrived at a small village on a heavenly beach, and super super tranquil. Here I am looking out of the window at the beach while I am writing. Tomorrow at noon I already have to be in Mexico.
Pyramides in the jungle
I just visited the National Park of Tikal, an incredible Maya city in the middle of the jungle! The Spanish found it mysteriously abandoned when they arrived in America. It has many temples in the form of pyramides, dedicated to different monarchs, and altars where human sacrifices where held. See pictures.
P.N. Lachuá, Guatemala
Too many stones!
To get to the Lachuá Lagoon, I had to cross 120 km of sand and stone trails that did make me a bit nervous… Poor little motorcycle, it seemed as if it would fall apart on the parts of the road that were full of stones. Coming back I preferred to travel at night to see the ground better with the light of the motorcycle. But I got a bit carried away sliding about on the little stones at high speed and my leg got stuck between the suitcase and a mound, leaving me with a good bruise… See pictures.
P.N.
Alta Verapáz, Guatemala
Red Alert! They're burning everything!
It is sad to see that in certain parts of the country the destruction of the forests is advancing rapidly, and they use the burning strategy to clean the fields, which often “by mistake” sets fire to the woods. In Cobán, there are days where you can not see the sun because of the smoke coming from the fires. The government does little to encourage a better management of the soil by the farmers, and thereby avoid that it wears out and impoverishes.
And the ecological culture is fairly poor. I saw with my own eyes how people had the nerve to enter and exit a national park with shotguns and pistols, to amuse themselves a bit with the last specimen of jaguars, pumas and tapirs that are left in the region.
Alta Verapáz, Guatemala
Caves for every taste
They have caves to burn, but they are under water…
The rocky structure of the region is soft, since many rivers erode it and form long subterranean caves, which with time fill with stalagtites and stalagmites.
I visited the ones of La Candelaria and of Rey Marcos. The first one is very large, with parts that have a height of up to 60m, and can be visited by kayak along many of its 30 km of length. See pictures.
Semuc Champey, Guatemala
Swimming in the Kan'Ba cave
With a candle in one hand and swimming with the other, one has to cross a cave which threads its way through the mountains of Semuc Champey. In total, it is 11 km long and is penetrated by a current of water that flows into the river Cahabón. One can see stalagtites and stalagmites of various types, and you have to be skilled to dodge the bats at the entrance, swim with one hand, climb waterfalls with the help of ropes, descend through water-filled holes, dive underwater, without the candle going out!!
Floating in paradise
I was able to get away from the magnetism of the Atitlán Lake and took the road towards the center of Guatemala. First, I passed some dry, mountainous, interesting landscapes which suddenly changed to intense vegetation with increasing altitude. On a road of loose stones I slipped with the motorcycle and twisted my ankle, which had gotten stuck underneath (I wasn´t able to jump off in time), but it wasn´t serious.
And what was the prize in getting here? A paradise on earth: natural steps of swimming pools that form above a river that penetrates a 300m long cave, the water a crystal-clear torquise, with small fish milling around you, and with the perfect temperature to swim and go from swimming pool to swimming pool along the cascades, all of this in the middle of the jungle… This place is a dream. See pictures.
In the middle of a storm I arrived at a small village on a heavenly beach, and super super tranquil. Here I am looking out of the window at the beach while I am writing. Tomorrow at noon I already have to be in Mexico.
Pyramides in the jungle
I just visited the National Park of Tikal, an incredible Maya city in the middle of the jungle! The Spanish found it mysteriously abandoned when they arrived in America. It has many temples in the form of pyramides, dedicated to different monarchs, and altars where human sacrifices where held. See pictures.
P.N. Lachuá, Guatemala
Too many stones!
To get to the Lachuá Lagoon, I had to cross 120 km of sand and stone trails that did make me a bit nervous… Poor little motorcycle, it seemed as if it would fall apart on the parts of the road that were full of stones. Coming back I preferred to travel at night to see the ground better with the light of the motorcycle. But I got a bit carried away sliding about on the little stones at high speed and my leg got stuck between the suitcase and a mound, leaving me with a good bruise… See pictures.
P.N.
Alta Verapáz, Guatemala
Red Alert! They're burning everything!
It is sad to see that in certain parts of the country the destruction of the forests is advancing rapidly, and they use the burning strategy to clean the fields, which often “by mistake” sets fire to the woods. In Cobán, there are days where you can not see the sun because of the smoke coming from the fires. The government does little to encourage a better management of the soil by the farmers, and thereby avoid that it wears out and impoverishes.
And the ecological culture is fairly poor. I saw with my own eyes how people had the nerve to enter and exit a national park with shotguns and pistols, to amuse themselves a bit with the last specimen of jaguars, pumas and tapirs that are left in the region.
Alta Verapáz, Guatemala
Caves for every taste
They have caves to burn, but they are under water…
The rocky structure of the region is soft, since many rivers erode it and form long subterranean caves, which with time fill with stalagtites and stalagmites.
I visited the ones of La Candelaria and of Rey Marcos. The first one is very large, with parts that have a height of up to 60m, and can be visited by kayak along many of its 30 km of length. See pictures.
Semuc Champey, Guatemala
Swimming in the Kan'Ba cave
With a candle in one hand and swimming with the other, one has to cross a cave which threads its way through the mountains of Semuc Champey. In total, it is 11 km long and is penetrated by a current of water that flows into the river Cahabón. One can see stalagtites and stalagmites of various types, and you have to be skilled to dodge the bats at the entrance, swim with one hand, climb waterfalls with the help of ropes, descend through water-filled holes, dive underwater, without the candle going out!!
Floating in paradise
I was able to get away from the magnetism of the Atitlán Lake and took the road towards the center of Guatemala. First, I passed some dry, mountainous, interesting landscapes which suddenly changed to intense vegetation with increasing altitude. On a road of loose stones I slipped with the motorcycle and twisted my ankle, which had gotten stuck underneath (I wasn´t able to jump off in time), but it wasn´t serious.
And what was the prize in getting here? A paradise on earth: natural steps of swimming pools that form above a river that penetrates a 300m long cave, the water a crystal-clear torquise, with small fish milling around you, and with the perfect temperature to swim and go from swimming pool to swimming pool along the cascades, all of this in the middle of the jungle… This place is a dream. See pictures.
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