We spent the better part of this past week in Lanquin and Semuc Champey-- living the good life in the jungle! Our journey to Lanquin began when we arrived 4 hours later than expected (at midnight) and were essentially dumped out of our shuttle at a hostel we were not planning on staying at. Happy to just get out of the van at last, we figured we would stay there for the night and then figure things out the next day. Little did we know in the darkness of the night that we had touched down in paradise-- the Zephyr Lodge.
The Zephyr Lodge is a pretty fantastic place!... We awoke in the morning to soak in 360 degree views of the lush jungle, surrounding mountains and the Lanquin River. The Zephyr Lodge sits high on a hill, with hammocks, scenic and hot (this is a rarity) showers, good food and colorful staff to make your stay just that much more memorable. There is not too much going on in Lanquin beyond a simple traditional Mayan village, cool hostels for the tourists and the Kan Ba Caves and the natural swimming pools of Semuc Champey. We spent our first day at the lodge relaxing in the hammocks, eating good food, floating down the Lanquin River in inner tubes and playing Jenga. We met some wonderful people at Zephyr, who we ended up travelling to Antigua with days later.
On our second day at the Zephyr Lodge we went on the most beautiful and sketchy tour of all time: the Kan Ba Caves and Semuc Champey. The Kan Ba Caves are amazing and also incredibly dangerous. With only a candle in hand to provide light we swam, jumped and waded our way through the caves with our fearless leader Carlos showing us how it is done. With bats flying overhead we spent a few hours exploring the dark and magical caves. Next on our tour de sketch was the opportunity to jump off a shady looking bridge from about 25 feet high above the Lanquin River. Although it looked like a blast, I decided to pass-- not wanting to die in Semuc Champey, especially under a rusty bridge. Carlos our guide could not handle my decision and continued to call me a chicken and kept it up throughout the day. Best tour guide ever. After bridge jumping we headed to gorgeous and refreshing Semuc Champey where we spent the afternoon swimming in the natural limestone swimming pools, jumping off rocks (I gained some forgiveness from Carlos when I jumped off some of the rocks there) and slid down natural waterslides. It truly was an incredible day.
After our 3 days in Lanquin and Semuc Champey we headed to Antigua for a day or two of good food and city sophistication. Antigua is a lovely colonial city and features cobblestone streets lined with great bars, restaurants and shops. We took a walk (which turned into a motorcycle ride) with the local tourism police (suggested for safety reasons) to the top of a hill with a beauitful view overlooking the city and the mountains surrounding it. We had a great time in Antigua and it was a nice change of pace after being out in the middle of the jungle for days prior.
We are currently in Xela again and will be leaving on a 4 day trek to Todos Santos tomorrow morning to celebrate Day of the Dead in stlye with their traditional drunken horse races (for us to observe, not to partake in) and celebrations in the cemetary and throughout the town. We have heard it is one of the greatest annual celebrations in all of Guatemala... I´ll report back next week! It´s not quite Halloween, but drunken horse raises in the Guatemalan highlands will just have to suffice! Good bye pumpkins and hello horses!
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