This weekend was by far the greatest and most adventurous of my time here in Guatemala! (and of my life possibly!)
It started on friday at 2:00 when we got on a van packed to the max to go to Lanquin. I sat on a tiny folding seat that was next to the normal seat for eight hours. We were with a group from Israel and all that they spoke was Hebrew. I am so glad I know Spanish, at least around here I can understand people, but eight hours of not being able to understand everyone around you can be frustrating. I think at 6 hours I was ready to jump out of the car. No offense to Israelis! I hadn't felt that feeling of frustration of not being able to understand people in a really really long time. The driver drove like a maniac. He would accelerate when we couldn't see a road in front of us! We thought we were gonna die, but at the same time felt like we were on the Jurassic Park ride at Disneyland. Terry started saying the Lord's prayer, ironic because she's not religious, but that just gives you an idea about how scared we were of this guys driving. It was crazy. Little dirt road, late at night, in the middle of no where. No cell service, and with a bunch of tourists. Perfect setup for a kidnapping. Well we lived, and finally, around 10 at night we got to the hotel we were going to be staying at. Allyson, Terry, Adam, Miguel, and I were in one hotel, while 10 other people in our group were in another. We didn't want to be split up like that but we didn't have a choice. I will say that the whole weekend was about not having choices, and just going for it!
The hotel was small, more like a hostel. It had no electricity so we used candles and had cold, dark showers. Our room had 3 beds in it and Adam and Miguel slept nextdoor. There was a huge balcony that looked over the mountains and rainforest. The rooms had absolutely no ventilation, and it was extremely humid so the rooms were hot. Don't even think about your shower towel ever drying. So that night we opened our window and made a make-shift mosquito net to line the window. The bugs there were out of hand. Nonetheless, we all slept like babies.The next morning at 8am we were taken by our guide to meet up with the rest of the group at a small restaurant that had made roadkill decorations. There was a baby deer on the top of the soda refrigerator. Authenticity at its finest. The breakfast was typical guatemalan breakfast - eggs, black beans, tortillas, and plantains. I am so glad I ate a lot that morning...I had no idea what was ahead of me.
We then get into the back of a pickup truck and ride 10km to the trail of Semuc Champey. Riding in the back of the truck was the initial "oh this is gonna be an adventure" indication. It was awesome! The scenery is gorgeous and the fresh air was perfectly cool with the warm sun. It was that feeling you get when you're thinking "this is what life is all about". We are dropped off at the trail head and then start the 2km hike to Semuc Champey pools. The hike was very difficult. There was a "trail" but the rocks were very slippery. A girl in our group fell down and hurt her leg. One person down. 10 left standing. We told ourselves that if 90% of the group ends the day ok, that will have been successful.
So we hike and hike and hike, never a spot of flat earth, always climbing or watching your step descending as to not slip and fall all the way down. The forest was beautiful..massive rocks, lush vegetation, wildlife. Adam almost stepped on a snake. There was a lookout point for a break, and you could see over mountains and directly down to the pools. We were all so extremely sweaty at this point! Finally, we made it to the pools. It was worth it. The water was the perfect temperature and the waterfalls were amazing. Jumping off the falls from one pool to the next was definitely exhilarating. We spent probably 3 hours at the pools exploring and swimming and sun bathing. It was paradise.
We finished up our time at the pools, a little more tan and bug bitten, and continued on the trail until we got to lanquin caves. This was - by far - the coolest thing I have ever done. They give us each a candle before we enter the cave. Upon entrance we are all thinking "oh my god....this is going to be crazy!" Some were really nervous because the cave is pitch black and has at least 2 feet of water in it at all times. Within the caves we waded holding our candles, having to swimming at some points and climb at others. It was a massive cave. We had to fit between tiny spaces - not great for the claustrophobic. Our group was of 13 people - all of La Union - and it got easy to get separated in the cave since some were faster than others. I was in the middle of the pack. In the cave there is a large waterfall with strong water rushing down it. There is a rope you can climb to go up the waterfall against the water. There is a ladder too, but, of course, I couldn't take the ladder! The first shot up the waterfall I went too far to the left where the strongest water was, and it pushed me back down the rope. I don't know how I didn't lose my contacts....anyway, got it the second time and kinda was freaking out that I had just climbed a waterfall in a cave. I kept getting these surreal feelings of "I can't believe I'm here right now doing this". After the waterfall there was a 30 foot jump off a cliff into the water of the cave. Adrenaline like crazy!
Our candles were getting smaller and smaller, and we all started to worry. Our group got split up somehow. I was now with 3 other girls and we didn't know where to go. We go back the way we came, but our candles are slowly going out. We thankfully see someone with a headlamp and he leads us to a part of the cave that is a small hole water is going down. He told us we have to go down it and thats the only way to go at this point. Now this was the part that we were all thinking "so you want us to go into this tiny hole in a pitch black cave, lose our candlelight, while not knowing what is at the bottom of it?" The first answer we gave him was HECK NO. But, we didn't have a choice. Going down wasnt so bad, the rocks were fairly smooth, but the slide dumped you into a small pool about the size of a hotel bathroom. So there we are, 4 girls in this little hole of the cave. The guy with the headlamp comes down last and tells us to swim to the exit. Well, we got to a spot were we could touch the ground, and his headlamp dies. We then all join hands and eventually see light ahead! We found the exit!! At the exit of the cave we all had a group hug, we are convinced we will forever be bonded through that experience.
The rest of the group was waiting for us, worried. But everyone made it out ok!! still had 100% of the group with only minor bumps and bruises. I had hit my knee on a sharp rock, so now have a battle scar. But thats nothing to what could have been! We then get some tubes and relax for a short float of the river. Max and Jessica smoked a cigar on the river. They were way too cool for the rest of the group haha
We get in the back of another truck and go to get some food! There were 28 people in the back of the truck...we counted. I had no idea you could fit that many people! We ate at a small restaurant...the food was terrible...but we aren't picky. Our hotel crew got home, showers were first priority. Then we opened a bottle of wine and sat on our porch talking all night. It was a perfect ending to the perfect day. We all slept so well that night.
We woke up at 7 and got on a van at 8 for another long drive in an overcrowded van. Thankfully we were picked up first so we got the first pick of the best seats in the van! Thank goodness. The ride was not so bad, it went by fast. But we were soooooo happy to get to Antigua. We couldn't believe we made it all in one piece! Definitely a successful trip, we are all still in disbelief of the weekend and the adventure that took place. If you think about it, we just got into random cars and backs of trucks that people told us to get into. I guess thats just part of the adventure!
No comments:
Post a Comment