Wow. Wow. Wow. That was a lonnnngggg time in a shuttle, about 10.5 hours on the dot. We didn’t eat much, didn’t have coffee, and we only had two stops, but surprisingly, we did just fine! It was undeniably arduous due to the sheer length of the ride, but overall it was better than the shuttle to Pana. We were on a bigger van which had to drive a bit more slowly, so we weren’t being whipped around the corners like before. And I didn’t feel carsick! Success! Or was it thanks to the anti-nausea pills I bought? Hehe. I also ended up with a seat to myself; the van had double seats on one side and singles on the other. I was set up as best as I could be for a day spent on a bus. I downloaded music and a couple of shows from Netflix on my phone, and between that and my intermittent napping, the time passed just as fast as a 10 hour shuttle ride could.
Our last stop was at a mall in Cobán, and we ate sandwiches from Pollo Campero! Yummmmy! I told Dana and Hayden it was a must try. If you don’t know, it’s a local fried chicken chain, often times compared to KFC, but KFC has nothing on Pollo Campero. It’s a big chain in El Salvador, too, and I’m so glad we got a chance to enjoy it.
Another 90 minutes and we finally pull into the gas station in Lanquín, where this shuttle dropped us off, and people from the Greengos Hostel told us to go over to a military like caravan truck, complete with a canvas stretched over the sides and roof, with padded benches in the inside, and even a rope swing style rope…I’m guessing to help you climb in and out of the truck haha. It took us about an hour in that thing, bouncing around, down a bumpy dirt road…it was fun. Sort of, hahah. My head was pounding from not drinking water all day, and the jerking motions from the truck going down the dirt road weren’t helping at all. But we made it! And as usual, it was worth it! We walk down a steep set of stairs and through a hallway and into a really beautiful building. Very eco-friendly vibes, open air, tons of seating, from traditional hammocks to chair hammocks, to a platform with pillows, to a wooden swinging chair, normal tables and chairs, and multiple seating levels. So cool! Our room is on the second floor of an a-frame tree house style cabin. It’s so cute! No bathroom in our tree house, but there is a separate bathroom down the walkway outside. Yay for that hostel life, lol.
After such a long day of doing nothing on a bus, but still feeling beyond exhausted, we simply unpacked our things and got ready for bed. There was a crazy loud party going on back in the main area of the hostel, so we weren’t sure how well we’d sleep. Once it had finally died down, falling asleep and listening to the river and jungle sounds just outside our cabin were quite amazing! I could get used to this! Haha. I love being surrounded by nature and gently being sung to sleep by birds, frogs, a babbling stream, and a gentle breeze blowing the through the tree branches. *Paradise*
The next morning, we gently woke up and opened our eyes to the sounds of the jungle and the river. Like seriously, what could be better than this? It was chilly enough to be snuggled under the blankets, and I could’ve stayed there all day, all cozy and calm, enjoying the serenity of nature. But, we have things to do and places to explore!
We got ready and left the hotel early so we could hit the entrance to Semuc Champey by 8AM, right as they open. If I’ve learned anything from the traveling power couple, it’s: always go early! Hehe. Getting our tickets was a bit of a struggle due to a couple ahead of us taking forever and asking questions in broken English/Spanish. But, with a little bit of patience, it was our turn and we paid our entrance fee and got on our way. We tackled the main lookout first, which was much harder than we anticipated lol. I thought we were done with the big hikes!? Lol. It was pretty much straight up for half an hour. Ugh. But It was worth it! Always is! And what a view! We took turns taking pictures of every possible angle and we even pulled out the selfie stick to get a group glamour shot, hehe. We paused for a few moments, took a few deep breaths in, and absorbed the beauty of the breathtaking landscape.
Once we felt we had fully taken in the scenery and got all the photos we wanted, we made our way back down the steep path, and back to the main trail. We ran into another traveler from our hostel, Casey, and we explored some of the pools together, admiring the vibrant colors. We worked up quite a sweat hiking to the look out spot and walking around the main trail, so we decided to take a dip almost immediately. We just couldn’t wait! The turquoise waters were calling to us! And there was barely anyone swimming yet; a reminder that leaving early is always the right call! We jumped in and refreshed ourselves in the cool blue waters, treading water to loosen up our stiff bodies from the long ride the previous day.
We hopped out of the water and continued further down the trail, and we hit a sign that explained how Semuc Champey was formed. There is a big river that falls into the earth, below what we can see, and what we call Semuc Champey. This is called the “sumidero” and because of it, a natural bridge was formed, where the turquoise pools are. These pools are then filled with natural springs coming down from the mountains. Sooo cool! And below the natural bridge, where the rushing water flows, is where all the caves are. Apparently there are cave tours, and I believe I read something about when you go, you’re given a candle and that’s it. Lol. Dana also heard it can be pretty dangerous and people get hurt. Now, the extent of the that, I have no idea. But either way, it’s not in our itinerary for the day.
After we took one last dip in the beautiful pools, we decided to walk back to the hostel to jump in the hot tub, but much to our dismay, the water was cold. Haha. Oh well, guess the pool it is! Hehe. We enjoyed the rinse off, contemplating whether or not the pool chemicals were a sufficient substitute for a shower. Swimming around all day gave us quite the appetite, so we dried off and went up to the restaurant area. I had a delicious falafel burger and a Gallo beer. Classic. I’m starting to consider what my life would look like if I just set up shop here for a while, haha.
Once lunch was done, we decided to hang out and enjoy the hostel, working on photo edits, writing, and planning the next steps. It’s such a lovely ambiance. 🙂 I got to spend quite a long time in one of my favorite places; a colorful hammock.
Almost forget to mention the best little pup, “Patita,” or “little paw.” She was hit by a car and rescued by the hostel, but her one back leg was pretty banged up and it healed completely in the wrong direction. Yet she doesn’t let her injury stop her, and she hikes to the mirador everyday and plays and runs as if her leg worked the same as before. She was such a little love, I wish I could’ve adopted her, but then again, she lives a pretty fantastic life at Greengos. Cheers to you, Patita!
The next morning we’re up and at ‘em, ready for another day. It’s dark and early and we have another long ass shuttle all the way back to Antigua. It was a smaller van than our last one, and I scored a seat by the window, but it came with the price of the wheel hump, haha. I thought for sure this would be a miserable ride, but it turned out to be the best one yet! I was uncomfortable at times, but we stopped frequently, and each time at a McDonalds, which were exceptionally clean, had toilet paper in the bathroom, and of course, cheap food, lol. What else could a girl want? Haha. I had a breakfast sandwich that was an egg McMuffin, but with refried beans! And I got a side of McGriddle bread, haha. Can’t lie…it was delicious!
We make it back to Antigua in a record breaking 8.5 hours! We still have time to walk around and take in a few last looks of the city before packing our bags and waking up at 4am for our shuttle to Copán. We head back to the airbnb, all aching for a hot shower and to do some laundry. Well, things started off badly when we tried the door code and it didn’t work. Eventually we got in with a second code, and now we see the kitchen floor is caked with dry mud. Huh? Maybe the plumber left behind a mess….when we previously stayed there was a water issue, and it was presumably fixed. Ok, no problem. We check the water, and not only is there not hot water, there is no water at all! Uh-oh. Thats a huge problem…as we need to shower and we specifically picked that airbnb for the laundry. After going back and forth with the owners, we ended up asking for a refund and found a hotel room a block away.
The hotel room was so big and roomy! And it came with some amenities! Score! And it had a rooftop area with a view of my favorite volcanoes! 😀 So we quickly dropped out things, peed, and left straight away to get the most delicious pizza we had the pleasure of trying a couple days before. It’s soooooo goood! After we had our fill, we walked to the central square one last time, saying goodbye to Antigua, and looking for how to spend the last quezatles Dana and Hayden had. They were well spent on several snickers bars. Haha
Back at the hotel, we go up to the roof to watch Fuego from the city. It was surreal, standing on the nearly pitch black roof, staring up at the looming shadows of Fuego and Acatenango. We even spotted the headlamps on the Fuego Ridge, trekking back to base camp! Fuego didn’t seem as active, but we got a few nice red glows…and just as we were ready to go, but still holding out for one last eruption, she gave us what we asked for! A very big and long eruption, and we knew the people at base camp and were shaking with excitement. I bet that one would’ve been a “cabin shaker” for sure! What a fabulous and fitting ending to our time in Guatemala. Until next time!
Taking Off With Amelia 