sorry, only google translate…

After a 3 1/2 hour trip in the Chickenbus (should you have made time, but too long the route should not be), we were in Panajachel, the main starting point for the Lago Atitlan. We had quite a lot of thoughts, which volcano we would like to climb. After the volcanoes in Antigua could not really inspire us, we had already set ourselves on Santa Maria, an active volcano near Quetzeltenango (again 2 hours from Panajachel). In Panajachel, however, we had to realize that this route was about twice as expensive, as all the tour operators asked for the ride to Quetzeltenango about the same as for the drive to San Cristobal, where we wanted to go next. Say we would double the trip.

So we decided (again, you can not plan anything in advance). This was not really so bad, because the next day was Kerstin’s great day (I say only 30 * cough *) and so we wanted to spend the birthday on one of the volcanoes on the lake. More specifically, on Vulcano San Pedro (3050m), which is inactive but offers a great view of the lake and the volcano landscape of the Guatemalan highlands.

So at 8 o’clock in the morning, after an hour’s boat trip with the next breakfast, we climbed the remaining 1400 meters above the volcano. It was quite exhausting and Kerstin got a little problems with the altitude (felt like asthma), but the whole thing was definitely worth it. We also arrived at the right time, because about 10 minutes after we arrived, the clouds came for the lake from early afternoon and within a few minutes the whole view was covered. Some hikers who came back to us had probably not been so lucky …

When dropping down was also once again strange shame. We had already noticed two German girls in the morning (there was also a Mexican guy, we suspect he was a kind of private leader), who were already making fun of us in the boat. There is much more then also the already promising sentence: “I believe we are wrongly attracted, I did not even times socks”. By this time, we made three crosses that did not have the same leader on the volcano as we did. Half way down from the volcano, the two of us then came completely met and we had to really master not to laugh loudly. Well, sometimes it helps but the description of a tour to read :-)

Back in Panajachel we left the day with coffee and cake as well as a restaurant visit before the next day the next long bus trip across the border back to Mexico, more precisely San Cristobal waiting for us …

Im Chickenbus

alter Chickenbus am See / old chickenbus at the lake

Bootsfahrt zum Vulkan / boat ride to the vulcano

Kaffee / coffee

Avocado

erster Aussichtspunkt / first viewpoint

 

 

Fast geschafft / almost at the top

sorry, only google translate…

The ride from Lanquin to Antigua was by far the most unpleasant ride so far. No air conditioning, no turns and a slightly mad driver. In the middle of Guatemala City, which is due to the many chicken buses (old american school buses, which are converted as public transport) simply to Diesel stinks But somehow we arrived then and the city is really incredibly nicely framed by three volcanoes (two of them active).

The main reason for our visit were the volcanoes (we had heard here you can examine lava) and the colonial style of the city. After we heard that the volcano is currently inactive and accordingly no lava was present, we were content with the visit of the city. For the alternative 2-day trip to the other active volcano, we missed after the intermediate stop in Semuc Champey a little the time. We also had to make an unscheduled change because the flight we had taken from San Christobal back to Cancun was only bookable with a Mexican credit card and we would lose another day.

Therefore, we strolled through the city, through the huge labyrinth of the weekly market, to a viewpoint in the city and beat our stomach with delicious street food tacos :-)

On the following day we wanted to experience what it feels like to go with a chicken bus and took a similar stop to our next stop “Lago de Atitlan” (only 2 hours away).

Aktiver Vulkan / active vulcano

Antigua von oben / from the top

Koloniales Stadttor / colonial gate

Kolonialkirche/ colonial church

sorry, only google translate

We had Semuc Champey already before on the note, as it looked after a suitable intermediate stop between Flores and Antigua and we did not want to sit again 10 hours in a minivan. Well, sentence with X, was probably nothing. After a little more detailed research, we found a rather striking quotation: “If you want to visit Semuc Champey, you must plan at least 3 days. One for the journey, one for the national park and one for the departure. “That’s exactly how it was then. From Flores to Lanquin, the only sensible place to visit from Semuc Champey, it is an 8-hour drive. From there to Antigua – the next destination – it is again 8 hours. There is also a 1 hour drive from Lanquin to the national park. Therefore, the question arose to us, is it the value?

Well, what can we say, our opinion is a clear YES!

Alone the ride is an experience and we do not mean the boring five hours from Flores to Coban, the fun part comes afterwards. Then the “street” ceases and it goes down on a gravel road through middle of corn and coffee fields into the jungle. Arrived in Lanquin, first around 20 men spread their heads through the door in the minivan and wildly shout all the hotel names of the place. Here you are picked up from the hotel, however, however, you have to ask 20 times, in which hotel you want is still a mystery. Maybe some tourists spontaneously change their mind when another hotel has a more beautiful name?

Our hotel was a bit out of the way, right on the river and just super idyllic. We met a Catalan couple (Marta and Eduardo), who already sat with us on the bus at dinner (or the previous Mojito-Schlürfen).

The next morning we went with a so-called “bus” into the national park. But past the time with “cozy” minivans, we were simply to tenth on the loading area of ​​a pick-up truck and went off even deeper into the jungle, with even deeper sleepers, just super funny!

The waterfalls themselves are best described with the pictures, simply super idyllic and beautiful. Worth mentioning are actually only the fish, which live in the pools of the waterfall. Ever heard of the fact that many people in Asia pay money to put their feet in a water basin with fish, which nibble the cornea and give a velvety soft feet? Exactly the fishes are also here and hardly one puts one’s feet into the water, the feast is prepared and one is “eaten” by a swarm fish 🙂

After a few hours of walking and swimming, we went on another drive through the jungle back to the hotel and the next morning again 8 hours to Antigua!

mit den Katalanen an der Bar / with Katalans at the bar

Auf den Weg runter in den Nationalpark / on the way downhill to the national park

und wieder hoch / and back up

 

Es hat sich gelohnt / it was worth it

 

etwas viele Leute / just a few people

 

Ein paar baden schon / some are already swimming