Our report
Guatemala y Belize !
Some positive stress while preparing this trip…
Everything was planned and booked when we found out that Guatemala isn’t the kind of country to drive by your own. That’s what most travel organisations proclaim. Reason enough to try it anyway, trusting on my wife’s knowledge of the Spanish language and the creativity of my sweet daughter to keep us out of trouble.
The alternative : Juan driving us from A to B and being forced to buy every local craftwork. Awkward silences on the road . A sickly smell in the car, bad lunchstops, macho driving manners, Rear-view mirror peeking…
Although our short taxi drives in the past always resulted in very interesting conversations, we decide that cruising through Guatemala with a complete stranger is not our cup of tea for this trip. Let’s call Avis!
Amsterdam-Miami ! Thank God we’re back on South Beach, so we can have diner at Katsuya. A wonderful Japanese restaurant with great sashimi and plenty of silicones passing by. Great way to digest our transatlantic flight.
On our list for this trip: Mayan culture, rainforest, unique caves, pure leisure and beach. Hosted by beautiful and warm indigenous people.
First stop is Antigua, the ancient capital, 45 minutes drive from the airport. Enough to get acquainted with the car and the traffic. We learn that humour is essential on the highway around Guatemala city.
Antigua is a marvelous town, squeezed between volcanos. Rooftop terraces everywhere, some with bars on top and ice-cold Gallo beer.
Of course there is a Plaza de Armas, with beautiful buildings and galleries.
In hotel Santo Domingo you’re part of the town. History peeks around the corner. Heavy antiques and robust rooms…some have open chimneys. The location is ideal to wander through the small cobblestone alleys.
Very tasty food market. It is allowed to take pictures!
Every quote feels more meaningful when put on a photo of Belize
Off we go to Lago de Atitlan, not to be confused with Lago de Isabel, 640 km to the east thanks to the Maya GPS who found Panajachel in another province. Small confusion which took us 12 hours to reach our destination in stead of the planned 2,5 hours…
But Hotel Atitlan is our reward !
We woke up the next morning with the beautiful reflection of volcanos in the lake, the smell of poppies, roses and lilies… And excellent espresso !
During our boat trip on the lake, the captain falls asleep…but no harm done! No busy traffic lanes up here.
Next stop is Péten to visit Tikal. Hotel Las lacunas is the ideal place to stay, close to this Mayan Sanctuary.
La humildad. The archeologic site looms up from the rainforest. Since the late sixties archeologists are struggling to uncover the temples from the advancing jungle .People versus plants.
It’s not the stairs toward temple 2 who’re cutting your breath, it is the view on top of the central market place surrounded by the forest. Only eagles join us on these heights, monkeys prefer to stay on lower branches.
When you close your eyes you can here the loud voice of a high priest, shouting at his people.
Time for rough nature and action in Belize. We are crossing the border by car and this situation could be part of a Tarantino movie. Starring extremely rude custom officers and some very strange people standing in line.
Finally the visit of Actun Tunichil Muknal ( ATM ) cave complex! We stay in one of the eco-resorts around San Ignacio/Santa Elena, once again ideal to start very early on the hike to the caves.
From the parking lot you follow a trail for about 50 minutes till you arrive at the entrance of the cave. Only one problem: to enter you need first to jump into a very cold pool and then climb your way up to the river and follow it through different chambers of the cave. Wading through shallow or more deep water with blind fish and guided only by your head light. We all walk on socks because the crystals on your feet would change and damage the soil. Our guide asks us to turn down the lights and then you can understand the kind of agony and desperateness the Mayan people must have felt, bringing their sacrifices up to this point. All this to pamper the God of the Underworld to gain beter crops. Children for vegetables !
Everyone is deeply moved by the environment and the history of this place.
After this activity our reward is a horseback riding trip through the magnificent domain of the Chaa Creek Resort. There’s an airstrip right next to the entrance, so we are in no time on our way to Ambergris Caye. Incredibly laid back island. We stay at Portofino’s hotel, powered by belgians.
They even provide you with excellent home-made soap.
To get around we hired a golf car and believe it or not but I got a ticket !
We did some great dives but the most strange experience was @ maritime park : at depth of max 1.5 meters, it was crowded with nurse sharks. Cuties.
Blinky is your guide to show you around.
Hasta luego Guate and see you again Belize !
This was a great trip, especially because of the great company ! Thank you my darlings !
