This last week, I enjoyed myself swimming in the middle of the forest, saw incredible shapes of stalactites and stalagmites, and climbed up pyramids built by one of the greatest ancient civilizations. I deserved it, after four weeks of getting up when it was still dark to catch the first bus a lot of times, being squeezed in chicken buses, being cheated by old ladies selling me mango for 2 Quetzales when the regular price was 1Q. It alll was worth the effort and part of the adventure.
The river that goes under
After three weeks of visiting indigenous villages and ladino cities in the west, I moved to the east to see nature. Lanquin and Semuc Champey are defenitely two of the best natural settings I have ever seen.
I first went to Coban to meet with Monas Roby & Martita. Wherever we go, we are still the Monos from the Beared Monkey - Amen for that! Next day we went to the caves in Lanquin. Getting there we saw lots of dogs along the highway, serious! Then we got off the main road and took a left turn down the hill on a dirt road. That was the real deal!
At first it felt like being on a plane, with clouds right below us. The mountains sticking out reminded us we were still touching ground... so grateful for that. As we continued descending, it was all fuggy, and little by little it begun to clear out by 9:30 am. The green mountains and the thin trees all look so fresh and magestic around here. We had left Coban at 6:00 sharp, and took us four hours to get here, but it was worth the time when we finanlly made it.
The stalactites and stalagmites inside the Lanquin caves were the first ones I had ever seen. Inside was humid and slippery, and full of lazy sleeping bats. From the entrance all the way to our last stop, the shapes of the rocks were amazing. Many of them looked like animals, human shapes and objects. We found the smiling monkey, Virgin Mary, an elephant and an impressive tower taking most of the space in a really large room deep inside the caves. It is incredible what some water passing through rocks can form after a few millions of years. Awesome!
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| Picture from Wikipedia |
Not too far from Lanquin there is Semuc Champey, which means "the river that goes under" in the local Mayan language. There are a series of pools formed by fresh water from springs in the mountain surrounding the area. These pools extend for over 300 mts (900 ft), all of which are so refreshing and beautiful. This whole section of the river is actually a limestone bridge, under which the Cahabon River flows. The brigde and pool formations are a result of a mix of sediments, bones and shell dust over millions of years.
The view of the pools from any angle is amazing. It is difficult to believe this whole thing is a natural setting. The water is so refreshing, and deep enough to take a dive. The section where the water goes under the bridge is breathtaking. The water from the river comes in full force and disappear into the caves with a high speed and a deafing noise. The mountains around are equally impressive, covered in a think forest and a show of birds flying over the pools. Really nice here!
Rio Dulce, classic Jurassic Park comparison
On the way to Tikal, me and the other monkeys made our way from Coban to Rio Dulce at 3:00 am, and arrived at 2:00 pm. Man, that was a long trip! We had to take two buses for this, but it was easy, and cheap... budget travelers style, the best way.
Rio Dulce is a very cool place. It flows from Lake Izabal and goes into the Caribbean Sea passing by Linvingston, a Garifuna town. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours, and the view from either side is incredible. Seriously, it looks like Jurassic Park, but with other animals playing the dinosaurs. Most of the birds are Garzas (white herons). Along the river there are small villages, hotels, restaurants, and natural sites, including a termal water spot. That day was a bit cloudy, but even then it was possible to appreciate the natural beauty of this place.
Livingston
Livingston is the last stop on the boat ride. The beaches around town are not impressive at all, but there are many good places by the shore to have a nice cold beer and some local food, which is tasty. During the day it was a bit too quite, and we were afraid there would not be too much to do, but thankfully we were wrong! The Garifuna life here is better appriciated during the evening, when people come out to play basketball, BBQ, or just chat.
There is a very cool place called Siete Altares (Seven Altars) about 2 hours walking from town. Along the way we saw a really interesting bird. None of us had an idea of what it was, and still don't know. Any clue, anyone?
Siete Altares is a series of seven waterfalls, that during the rainy season I am sure are magestic. During this time, the dry season, the waterfalls are not as impresive, but they are still beautiful and worth the trip. It is possible to take a taxi to half way the distance too, but it is nice to walk and discover what is along the way.
Getting there was a test of trust, in a way. Every half an hour we asked how far we were from the entrance, and pretty much the only answer we would get was "you are only half an hour away".... yeah, right! We were told there was no charge, but we paid 15 Quetzales ($2). It is not expensive, but common, it would have been nice to know first hand. None of this is a biggy; just venting, and warning you.
At first we walked along the beach. On the way back we took a road leading immediately inland. Along the way, and close to the downtown area, there were some good places with Raggea and BBQ.... Ah! Why didn't we have more time to stop and enjoy with them! I was tempted to go back for dinner, but we all were so tired that all we could think of was food, beer and sleep. Still, downtown was good, and the food satisfying. Next day at 6:00 am the monos took their separate ways, me to the north to Tikal, they to the south back to Nicaragua.
Tikal, where did they go to?
There is no certainty as to what happened to the people who built and lived in Tikal. Some think it could have been drought, problems caused by overpopulation, wars - not clear yet. What is evident is the creativity, engineering, and a sense of power of this unique ancient Mayan city.
Seeing it in pictures is one thing. Being there, climbing up the 45-degree steps, looking for the top of the pyramids raising from the forest one by one, being in the middle of the plazas is all a complete different experience. Tikal is the downtown area of the kingdom where the elite lived. Getting further away were the areas for the common people, and much further away were the areas for agriculture and other activities. For a more complete description of the city, what the temples mean, and the history... get a book! Or check out Wikipedia for an overview.
The excavated area is in the middle of a primary forest, full of birds, monkeys, ponds with cocrodiles, and other wild animals. When the Mayans were at home, it is believed there were no trees in between temples. In this way, it was possible to see all the buildings with nothing covering the view. From the two tallest pyramids the other temples can be seen. It is amazing how they look, sticking up in the middle of the forest. I could only imagine what life was like during the best periods of Tikal.
All the temples seem to have a standard architectural style, but in reallity they all are different. Over centuries, plazas were built with pyramids for different purposes in each of the four corners. Each pyramid was built to perform religious and scientific activities. The architecture was so good, that even the sound of the eco was part of the design. In some of the plazas, where there are two large pyramids, I would stand in the middle, clap, and when the sound bounced back, there was a second sound, a Quetzal. Anywhere I could do this, the sound was the same. G!
Next, Belize and Honduras.
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