Incendiary Guatemala

Hello! I would like to quickly introduce you to a very colorful, insanely Instagrammable and incendiary country! Unfortunately, I decided on this trip a week before departure and didn’t read a single line about where I was going. I looked at the meaningless names and decided - let there be a surprise :)

Only today I found time to ask what a wonderful place Antigua is. And here's what I learned: The city was founded by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado in 1527 and was first called Santiago de los Caballeros. But already in 1542 it was destroyed by the eruption of the Agua volcano (in our time here is the village of Ciudad Vieja, or “old town”). After that, I was moved to another place and I must say, it is very picturesque, but quite dangerous, framed by all the mountains and volcanoes that are still active.

Already by the 18th century, the city’s population was about 60 thousand people; its importance became comparable to cities such as Mexico City and Lima. Since 1676, a university operated here, and printing began to develop here from 1660. As I said in those days, it was one of the largest Spanish-speaking cities, the capital of Guatemala, but in 1973 there was a series of earthquakes that destroyed many buildings, and the king moved the capital 24 km away - now Guatemala City.

Well, despite this, Antigua remained the cultural and tourist capital of the country. At 4 sq. kilometers of the old city there are 34 churches. Many of them were destroyed by the Santa Marta earthquake. Some of them were restored over time, but those that were not restored still stand in ruins. Now the city is recognized as a UNESCO heritage site and is protected. This is one of the richest cities in Guatemala, the average income here is higher than in other cities, and prices are naturally higher.

My check yesterday at a more or less decent cafe for soup, salad and beer was about 20 dollars. The city resembles a labyrinth of identical streets consisting of low, colorful houses. The streets are named with numbers, but nevertheless they resemble a labyrinth in which it is easy to get lost. The road is paved with paving stones, it looks like it was the same as it was originally😉. Walk along such streets, preferably watching your step.

The city seemed very safe to me. I noticed that people are very good-natured, they always try to help and advise, even without knowing the language. Wi fi in every cafe and hotel. Tourists are filling hotels even now, although there have most likely been better times.

I didn't expect it, but there is nightlife here, with many themed bars scattered throughout the city. They are so colorful that I would visit each one. And live music in the evenings comes from all directions.

Regarding the mask regime and COVID in general: retrograde Mercury (I’m sure it’s his fault) played a cruel joke on us; upon arrival, our hotel did not have time to prepare for the season and our reservation was canceled. I had to gather my remaining strength and find a new hotel, which I am very happy about 🤣. So, on the street and in public areas you need to wear a mask, the people are law-fearing, they do everything clearly. In a cafe at a table, after sterilizing your hands, you can remove the mask.

I haven’t been on a hike for 10 years... My heart was yearning for a dream. I was offered to go to Guatemala, climbing the Acatenango volcano. I quickly read: the height is 3976 meters, this is one of the constantly active volcanoes. I decided that I could handle it.

The trouble was that we had to walk a lot of kilometers at a 45° slope through loose ash. Approximately 26 km round trip with an elevation gain of 1876 m and the same amount down.

The bus brought us to place X at 11 am. So, a group of 12 people, cheerful and happy, started straight away from a good slope at a temperature of 30°. After half an hour it wasn't so fun. Red and wet, barely breathing, we trudged upward. The first treacherous doubts arose.

The team was very seasoned, many were on the most difficult routes in the world. I just thought that I had to get there. It’s beautiful all around, the birds are singing, it’s green, just the Garden of Eden. Sticking out our tongues, wet and tired by lunchtime, we did not approach the first house, it turned out to be the main entrance to the reserve🤪.

Everyone just went nuts. And then, somehow neatly, our Pablo (aka Pasha) says that we may not be able to climb the mountain. Because this is only 1/5 of the way, and then it will be much worse, and the last section must be climbed. We didn’t take his words seriously, we’re tough, we have Everest behind us. But two newcomers still remained waiting for us at the “start”.

It is very difficult to admire nature, even if it is magnificent, if your head is throbbing from fatigue. Many began to experience altitude sickness. But we had to go even faster. The breaks were short and rare, the group spread out. Having risen above the clouds, it became obvious how much further there was to go. Pablo was already seriously saying: “You are crazy, you will not rise, I refuse to lead you!”

We just got up and moved on! He just shouted after him - crazy Ukrainians and ran after him, forgetting to put on his jacket

The jungle gave way to pine trees, and Teide filled me in part. The Girls and I walked through a small area talking and did not notice that the main part of the group remained far behind. At first I thought that they were just tired, but it turned out that the rest of the group had a “miner’s temper.” They barely trudged along. Some had headaches, others could not breathe. My legs were trembling from overexertion, and my throat was burning with cold air.

The people pulled up. It seemed that the top was just a stone's throw away, but it was an illusion. We met the sunset on the isthmus between two volcanoes, which used to be the crater of the third.

We experienced one of the most breathtaking sunsets that can only be seen on the tops of high mountains. The sun illuminated the bare rocks with a gentle warm light, it became as comfortable as in Mom’s arms. Despite the strong wind and fatigue, my soul sang with happiness. And that was just the prelude.

The last section turned out to be the most difficult. These were huge boulders, about a meter long. They were scattered chaotically, so they had to literally climb.

A fool loves work🤪, for some reason I carried pappaya, a lot of food and water to the top. A backpack weighing 15 kg added load well.

The girls and the guide and I climbed first. For some reason the guide was not dressed, he was extremely cold. Oh well. We crawled with all our strength, each accumulating our last strength. The top has appeared, the last push - and here it is - the cherished goal! I made “him”, I’m great!

The rest did well too. Out of 12 people, 6 of us remained together with the guide! This peak turned out to be too underestimated! We rejoiced like children! They screamed and laughed! And then the first eruption began! None of the group had seen this before! Wild delight and awe of the forces of nature! You remember that you are part of the universe! We waited for more and more eruptions, each raping our phone to take the best photo!

Then I noticed that the guide was hypothermic! He was thrown up and his eyes seemed crazy! We sat down in a secluded corner of the rock to have a snack and warm up the guide. Meanwhile, the rest froze 🥶.

A very long and even more difficult descent in the dark awaited us. We warmed up quickly and walked along the same steep descent, through loose ash, by the light of a phone flashlight. We were in a joyful hurry, but now the load on the knee at the foot has increased, it seemed that our legs almost didn’t bend! For the last few kilometers I could no longer walk without a stick.

I'm so proud of myself! During a period of general panic, I flew to the other end of the earth! I found the strength to test my own capabilities and realized, you know what? The fact that all the obstacles are only in the head! Take care of yourself!

Lake Atitlan. “Where the rainbow takes on colors” is a literal translation from Old Mayan. The name is truly as accurate as possible. Even in the last century it was considered the most beautiful in the world. This is a great location, interesting both for those who like to get high from nature, and for those who are interested in history, culture and antiquities, cheap food and good coffee.

The lake is the crater of an ancient volcano that exploded 85 tons. years ago and over time it filled with water, and three new volcanoes grew on its sides: San Pedro (3020 m), Toliman (3158 m), and Atitlan itself (3537 m). The lake is located at an altitude of 2000m above sea level, the depth reaches 340m, and the area is 130 hectares. By the way, this is the largest endorheic lake in Central America.

Once upon a time, this land belonged to the Mayans, now these peoples are called Atiteks. These are small villages, each of the 12 settlements has many differences, including dialect. And among tribes, multi-faith is when they worship everyone at the same time. Both ours and yours, so that no one is offended, just in case).

For example, we went into the house-temple, where this year the god Mashimon is located - this is a wooden effigy with a mask on his face. When entering the house, you need to bring offerings - cigarettes and alcohol, which were immediately poured into the idol, and the rest was drunk themselves (they claim that the guardians of Mashimon are not in danger of alcoholism or health problems, they say they have studied this phenomenon and are always healthy). So, next to this wooden idol in a mask stood the crucifixion of Jesus. This is quite wonderful!

The settlements themselves are very colorful: there is an embankment with cafes, various guest houses, a temple, a fruit market, and stalls with all sorts of souvenirs. The land near the shores of the lake, as you understand, is incredibly fertile, and people grow cocoa beans here, among other things. Naturally, the best souvenirs are products made from natural oils, shampoos, soaps, alcoholic products based on cocoa, and of course all kinds of chocolate.

This is an idyllic picture - the lake is surrounded by volcanoes, lush vegetation, a pleasant mild climate. Small towns with beautiful embankments grow along the shores, like Lake Garda, only much more colorful and cheaper.

I would have been stuck there for a week or two. And the tourism industry is quite developed and contributes greatly to this. You can drink good coffee and buy beads, what else does a tourist need)).

These were my first pyramids in my life, except for the Egyptian ones (this is already pop 😉).

An early arrival guaranteed a tourist-free area. And we also observed a real shamanic ritual!!!! But of course, they didn’t ask what it meant. This breaks the mold so much - pyramids where you can walk, shamans and no people at all!

For myself, I realized one important thing - traveling is the cheapest and easiest way to be happy and healthy! It is a journey according to your interests (not family, not a business trip, etc.), when you belong only to yourself! Is it the same with you?

The Biotopo del Quetzal Nature Reserve was a short stop for us between the main attractions of Guatemala. There we hoped to walk through the tropical forest and, if we were lucky, meet a rare bird - the quetzal, after which the national currency is named.

The reserve is located an hour's drive from Coban and is included in most programs in Guatemala. I got high! The tropical rain forest is an incredible fairy tale of 3-meter-high ferns, tall trees along which hang vines and moss and all kinds of orchids. Such a mesmerizing sight is usually shown in National Geographic. So this excursion is a must visit for those who love nature. The park is a huge area of ​​1044 hectares.

This is a real rain forest, there are two trails through it: a short one - 2 km, and a long one - 4 km. Moreover, only a small part is open for walks, the rest is virgin nature! We walked along a short trail, it took about an hour and a half. It is recommended to arrive at dawn, then there is a chance to see animals and birds. We didn't find anyone; it was unusually quiet for such a place. But the location is definitely awesome. I snatched a photo of the quetzal from Google) Enjoy!

Semuc Champey is a series of cascading waterfalls that consist of a natural 300 meter limestone bridge. In such a wonderful way, the Cahabon River breaks into the jungle, revealing to our eyes a huge variety of turquoise, buried in the jungle.

So, you can visit:

✅ a cave filled with water, you walk (swim) with a flashlight (in this case a candle) focusing on a stretched rope; you can jump 3 meters from a cliff, observe stalactites and stalagmites; fun, cheerful and not entirely safe (when Polina Velichko said, let’s jump off a cliff, - I replied, come on! Is this the reason for the broken finger 🤷‍♀️?

✅ When leaving the cave, they hung a swing, which is simply a must visit for a good mood and the coolest photos.

✅ A series of Semuk Champey waterfalls - an incredibly beautiful place surrounded by mountainous terrain in the jungle.

✅ River rafting on inflatable tires - cold but cool!

✅ The road to the location is an off-road adventure in the back of a standing car! It’s like an ethno tour of the mountain life of Guatemala)

By the way, we already thought that we would not get to our waterfalls. It turns out Mondays are their cleaning day! Well, no way, the location belongs to the state and it’s useless to “negotiate”. But Kirill probably has very beautiful eyes, as you can see from our happy faces😀! Although they didn’t let us go up to El Mirador (observation deck), oh well, there’s a reason to come back!

When you no longer expect anything that will cover previous emotions, a new special day may happen! We boarded two small motor boats and began to sail along the canals of the La Pasien River (translated as the River of Passion), which is densely framed by the jungle on both sides. The river has winding channels with a leisurely flow. There were practically no settlements visible along the banks, except for small villages. So imagine a vast expanse of jungle on a river, the waters teeming with fish, turtles, lizards and crocodiles. Various numerous flocks of birds occupy the best places on the tree branches, and the piercing cry of howler monkeys can be heard in the forest. And this is just the beginning.

About an hour later, our boat docked. We began to climb the sparse rotten steps and go deep into the jungle. Then there was a narrow gorge with steep walls, from above which a few rays of light broke through. It was difficult to walk, the road through the gorge was slippery, but the sight of it made the imagination play stronger and stronger.

Finally, the ancient and rarely visited ruins of the city of Aguateca (Mayan civilization) opened up to our eyes. This object was opened only in 1957 and has been preserved almost perfectly. The first settlements in Aguateca appeared around 250 AD. eh.!! And in 700, the city became one of the capitals with a population of several thousand people. About 130 years later, in a city closed on all sides, one of the last rulers of the dynasty, named Tan Te Kinich, was hiding. But the city was taken, and the ruler fled.

What can I say - it was an incredible day! Jungle along the banks of the river, the sounds of birds and animals, a dark gorge in the jungle and a newly discovered city of an ancient civilization! Indiana Jones is taking a break!

There were many more adventures to come, but there was no time to write. You can look at other stories about our trip to Guatemala: Marina, Kirill.

Natalia Kolomyychuk, Kyiv