Guatemala

We stayed in Flores for a night. Flores is a picturesque town with narrow, cobble-stoned streets, small, brightly painted houses, and surrounded by Lake Petén Itzá. The island is now attached to the mainland by a causeway, but many of the local inhabitants still get around by cayuco, or dugout canoe.

Our next excursion took us to Tikal which lies around 60 km north from Flores (northern Guatemala). The spiritual centre of Tikal boasts the Mayan’s highest pyramids, and abundant flora and fauna in the surrounding jungle. It's one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. The site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

The central area, with its five main temples, forms by far the most impressive section. We explored the surrounding and found smaller structures and outlying complexes hidden in the jungle. Temple IV is the highest building at Tikal and the tallest in the entire Maya region.  At 64 m (212 feet) high, it towers over the Peten jungle. Getting to the top of Temple lV was exhausting but the spectacular views of the surrounding jungle canopy compensated the hike.

One night out in Flores (thx for the pic John)

Entering Tikal The view from tempel IV

On top of tempel IV  On the way down  Weird creature...

The Robster with Eva and me  

Leaving the beautiful city of Antigua was a nice change of scenery and a long drive to Río Dulce, a small town on Lake Izabal and a port stop for boaters around the globe. Reaching our new home for the next two days we took a small boat across the river and arrived at the Hacienda Tijax - Jungle Lodge & Marina. It’s a lodge in the mangrove forest and everything is only connected via footbridges. Luckily Niels and I had a house with a bathroom ensuite while most of our group had a shared bathroom.

We signed up for a monkey kayak tour which started at 5:30 am the next morning. Its not our favorite time of the day and therefore we were more than unhappy when the guide told us that there are not enough kayaks for all of us. Selfless as I (Eva) am and maybe due to the fact that it was 5:30 am in the morning I sacrificed myself and went back to bed while the rest of the group went kayaking. After 3 more hours of sleep and a very good breakfast the owner of the lodge approached me apologizing and offering a free horseback ride through in the afternoon, which I couldn’t reject. The rest of the day we relaxed in the lodge and explored the surrounding. Arriving at the Jungle Lodge in the evening The missed monkey kayak tour (Niels was still on it) Our small villa Horeback riding and the views ... and a short stop for the hanging bridges riding through a rubber plantation ... and enjoying the sunset My horse and me

Chicken busses again, 4 in a row. The first drive was very bumpy through some small villages (each seat filled with at least 3 persons instead of 2), the second one was hilly, the third driver though he is a Formula 1 driver (going down the slops with maximum speed) and the last one nearly fall a sleep while driving. But in the end we reached the shores of Lake Atitlán. Lake Atitlán is one of the most beautiful spots in Guatemala. Twelve native villages, blue-grey mountains and three volcanoes line the shores of this lake resulting in a wonderful combination of unusual natural beauty and traditional culture.

The first night we stayed in Panajachel, which is a relatively modern town with paved streets in its centre and in our opinion only made for tourists. There are streets with only shops and restaurants next to each other. But you get spectacular views of the surrounding volcanoes.

The next day in the afternoon we took a boat to cross the lake for the small town of San Juan la Laguna, which is home to 3000 inhabitants, mostly Mayas. Once more we stayed in the house of a local family to support the Planetera Project (for further informations about that see Ometepe). We walked around the small village and had dinner with the whole family consists of the parents and 3 boys in the age of 15-20. The communication worked with just a few Spanish words and we also learned some words in the Maya language. Unfortunately, they had a big Christian festival going on, which included ridiculously loud fireworks (more bombs than fireworks) and music. No one of our group did sleep a lot this night. On top our room was next to the fire place of t he family, meaning that we smelled like small incenses. However, the family was very nice therefore making our stay an unforgettable experience.

The next morning on our way back to Antigua we had breakfast at a hotel in the hills at the Lake Atitlan with an amazing view over the lake and the surrounding volcanos (Casa del Mundo). Definitely a place one could stay for 5-7 days!

In the afternoon the surrounding is covered in clouds

Our suite in the local house

We forgot to take pictures of the whole family therefore its just us and our host mother

During rainy season the water level of the lake rises and the houses nearby are flooded

View from the Casa del Mundo

For the first time in our travel I (Eva) didn’t feel 100% well, therefore I slept the whole time wile travelling from Copán to Antigua and even after we arrived in the hotel.

Once the third largest city in all of Spanish America, Antigua served as Guatemala's capital city for more than 200 years until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1773. Modern Antigua is a peaceful, partially restored colonial city that is a pleasure to explore. The architecture of this UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site is beautiful, the surrounding landscape is fascinating,  walking through quiet cobblestone streets is a pleasure as well as relaxing in the many small cafés.

The next day we met the new people for the second half of the tour. The tour size is now 16 and Allie, Hernan and Rafat left us L Enjoying the last evening together on the roof top of our hotel till late in the night was a perfect goodbye (hope to see you soon guys!).

Arch connecting two parts of old Convent, Volcán de Agua in background

La Merced Church

Relaxing in the courtyard garden of Cafe Condesa

Last lunch with the old group

One of the various markets in Antigua

German fans all over the place 😉

Ready to hop on the crazy designed chicken busses

Driving by Guatemala City