Trip to northern Guatemala

Tuesday 31 July –  After 6 weeks spent in France, we are back at the Rio Dulce at Marina Monkey Bay. Suitcases barely laid down, we book our language course in San Andres, small village located on the shores of Lake Peten Itza in northern Guatemala. It is a studious program that awaits us during 2 weeks : follow 4 hours of Spanish lessons hosted by a Guatemalan family.

Saturday 11 August – We catch the first bus of the morning,  in the direction of Santa Helena. It's already packed….no seating, We stand for 4 hours holding ourselves firmly to cushion the shaking due to the poor state of the roads and the driving a little nervous driver… At each stop we hope for a place, But the bus fills up and we are stuck like sardines… At the roadside the driver lets rise “Sellers” beverages, by dads fritas…. of fruit… who manage to sneak to the back of the bus to offer their products. No one complains about being pushed or trampled. It's part of folklore and we get used to it!!!
Approaching Santa Helena, The bus empties and some seats become available. Whew!! finally seated. We arrive at the terminus and hop into a taxi that takes us to Flores. Couch ,the local of 65 years who used to shuttle for students between Flores and San Andres by boat, waiting for us at the pontoon to cross the lake. Ernesto, the head of the school, comes to meet us. We discover San Andres and its alleys that never stop going up. We need breath to climb,  Our backpacks are heavy! Ernesto briefly explains the organization of our 2 weeks and “Pockets” quickly made the dollars that correspond to the expenses of the stay!!!

We get to know our host family, who lives 1 minute from the school, next to the police building. Almy and Raoul speak only Spanish, they have 3 children :  Michele 14 years, Naomi 11 years and Kevin 9 years and a Cocker Spaniel type dog named Doggy… full of fleas!!!! Almy works two afternoons a week at a school located “Arriba” and the rest of the time takes care of the children, kitchen, does the laundry…  Raoul runs a small restaurant “La Diligencia” (A caravan fitted out)  in the main square “Arriba”.( which means “at the top”)
The house is big and simple, The kitchen is the main place of life, There is a small raised outdoor garden and a concrete terrace that offers stunning views of the lake. Almy and Raoul are used to receiving students for 1, 2 see 3 or 4 weeks. This allows them to supplement their modest income and buy the essentials on a daily basis.. Ryan an Australian student who has been staying with them since 1 week, confirms that we have fallen into the best family in San Andres.
The evening, Almy is busy in the kitchen…it smells good…It is a vegetable soup.

Monday 13 August – Classes start at 8am. Notebooks, pens are in our bag. Go!!!!
We see Julia and Georgina arrive, our teachers.. I'm with Julia, Philippe with Georgina…
4h during which we speak, Let's learn the grammatical basics, raising eyebrows many times when you don't understand a word. The first few days are exhausting, We are no longer used to sitting around or storing so much information in such a short period of time. We have homework every night and we continue the practice especially with Almy and the children who do not hesitate to correct us. The family is friendly. Almy who is an excellent cook,  prepares us different meals every day . The basis of their diet is rice, mixed red beans, Bananos fritos and tortillas, We have the right to it morning, noon and dinner!!! Not very good for the diet!!!! We learn how to make enpanadas with ongo (mushrooms growing on tree trunks). While Almy prepares some 6 we do it 2! The next evening we go to the neighbor's house to learn how to make corn tortillas... it sticks everywhere!!! We leave with the ones we made…a bit thick…but “Edible”!!! Another time we do at Julia des Bollos in Chipillen. they are corn cakes in which Chipillen leaves are added, that are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. It is a typical dish,  but so heavy to digest that my stomach still remembers it!!!We decide to cook for the family one evening…Chicken coconut cream and crumble menu!!!
The village of San Andres is peaceful. Pigs, Ducks, chickens and dogs wander the streets quietly! Everyone knows each other, People know that two “Gringos” have arrived in town to take Spanish classes and live with Almy and Raoul.

Friday 17 August – We decide to go visit Allison, an American friend of Philippe's, who lives in El Remate on the edge of the forest and Lake Peten Itza. The next day, We walk for 4 hours in the jungle among the howler monkeys that are everywhere in the trees above our heads.. The howls are shrill and impressive. Philip tries to imitate them, apparently it bothers them, They pee not far from us in discontent.
Friendly evening with Allison by the lake , then we dine in an Italian restaurant that changes us from our bean diet, rice, Bananas and tortillas!

Sunday 19 August – Departure at 5:30 am towards Tikal, Tourist site in the heart of the jungle, where the most beautiful Mayan pyramids are located. According to the guide you can come face to face with jaguars, Pumas, Coral snakes….  we only encountered one Coatis and many mosquitoes!! As soon as we arrive at 7am, while it's not too hot, We climb to the top of the most imposing pyramid of the site, to contemplate the exceptional panorama. Nice 5h excursion, through a dense forest and majestic trees,  like the Kapokier or the Sapotillier.

Monday 20 August – Back to class. We are making progress, We understand (almost) everything now!!!
We want to go a few days in the jungle in El Mirador. It is a huge Mayan site buried in the forest north of Tikal on the Mexican border.. Access is long and difficult, You have to count 2 Walking days, from Carmelita, with a guide and mules through muddy paths. Recently, This is the’ Carmelita Village Association,  which authorizes and controls access to the El Mirador website, for a few hundred dollars more. We ask a guide,  Adenis, who was highly recommended to us for his inexhaustible knowledge of the jungle, animals, trees, to take us there. We meet him, He negotiates with the association, denied access,  We are disappointed.
Raoul explains that he knows someone. He takes care of calling him and announces the price… Everything seems ok. Before we want to be sure that this guide is part of the association… Raoul confirms it but we doubt. Finally we are told that by sleeping the night before at this guide in Carmelita and leaving at dawn there is no risk of falling face to face with officials ... We refuse this scam that could cost us dearly as foreigners….We won't go too far!!

Friday 24 August – Last weekend with the family. We take Almy and the kids to Arcas with Couch's boat. It is a center that recovers and treats smuggled animals before giving them back their freedom..
We return at the end of the day.
The next day Raoul and Almy organize a barbecue by the lake, the water is clear and warm, It's very nice!
Share 2 weeks in a Guatemalan family was a beautiful human experience. We proposed to Almy to come and spend a few days on the boat in October. She couldn't believe her ears, nor Raoul for that matter!!!! In Guatemala, Men consider that women should take care of the house, cooking and children's education. This will be our way of thanking her for her welcome., His kindness. And it will be her first holiday without children or husband outside her village. So we're waiting for it!

Monday 27 August – Rather than going straight back to the Rio Dulce, we make a small detour by the roads that pass through the center of Guatemala. First step: Sayaxcé. The road stops at the edge of the river... We cross in lancha.

 

Tuesday 28 to Friday 31 August – Lanquin – 3 nights at the hostel el Retiro – These are wooden bungalows and palm leaf roofs, by the river where we go rafting for a few hours.

Semuc Champey – It is a natural site lost in the jungle by the river with waterfalls of pools of clear water… It is 10kms from Lanquin on the other side of a pass. We walk halfway, under a blazing sun... Then a driver takes pity on us and offers us to get into the bed of his pickup. The climb to the Mirador is vertiginous on the side of a cliff... We arrive sweating from head to toe, But the bird's eye view of the waterfalls rewards us. We have walked a lot and we do not intend to walk back. Finally we meet other tourists with whom we will make the journey in a cattle truck, clinging to an iron bar because the path is chaotic, narrow and muddy. Le sauna de l'auberge nous attend, Il n'y a pas mieux pour nous “achever” A PEU Plus!!

Friday 31 August – Plutôt que de prendre la route carrossable, nous décidons de rentrer au Rio Dulce in 4×4 Par des pistes étroites qui traversent la montagne…