(For English, see further down)

Efter et hurtig visit i Costa Rica, gik turen til Guatemala. Vi havde planer om at besøge Antigua, den gamle hovedstad i landet, og Lake Atitlan inden turen skulle gå videre til Flores og de verdens kendte ruiner 'Tikal' beliggende i det østlige Guatemala.

Vi ankom sent om aftenen til vores hostel 'Yellow House', og som navnet nok siger, et gult hus placeret midt inde i byen. Vi fik en seng, hoppede i bad og direkte i seng. Endeligt et hostel med inkluderet morgenmad, så det så vi frem til næste morgen. Med lave forventninger, da 'inkl. morgenmad' som regel betød det sædvanlige "brød, marmelade og kulsort kaffe", blev vi overrasket i hoved og hale. På Yellow house fik vi æg, pandekager, 4 slags frisk frugt, kaffe, brød, kartofler og bønner. Behøver vi at sige, at vi blev her i 4 dage :)?!

Så efter et overdådigt måltid hver morgen gik vi ud og nød den gamle hyggelige by, Antigua, så på seværdighederne og brugte en dag på at tage op til Lake Atitlan. Sidstnævnte er kort fortalt et super smukt naturområde, hvor Guatemalas anden største sø, Atitlan, er omringet af forskellige vulkaner. Her sejlede vi rundt til 3 byer beliggende langs bredden og med hver deres karakteristiske charme. Santiago var en ren turistfælde bestående af primært boder (dog skal det siges, at vi fik set den lokale og ældste kirke i området og deres dertilhørende helgener). San Pedro var backpackernes fortrukne by, så den bestod af hostels, restauranter og turistbureauer. Den sidste by, San Marcus var en mere rolig by, men havde ej heller noget iøjenfaldende at tilbyde. Så det vi nød mest af var klart landskabet.

Men efter 4 gode dage i Antigua tog vi op til Flores. En tur, der var estimeret til 8 timer, tog 6 timer (vi er altid heldige med at ende op med de fart liderlige chauffører). Det var jo nu også ved at være et stykke tid siden, man havde frygtet for sit liv, så det blev der lige rådet bod på ;). Vi var i hvert fald fremme kl. 04.40. Og hvad gør man så kl. kvart i skræk? Man går ydmyg hen til hotellet, vækker nattevagten og får 1 times søvn inden dagens program starter, idet man ingen forventet nattesøvn fik i bussen.

Nå, men dagens program i Flores stod på udflugt til Guatemalas største attraktion, nemlig Tikal ruinerne. Ingen af os vidste, hvad vi skulle forvente, da vi havde hørt, at der var super mange turister og nærmest ingen mulighed for at sparke sig frem. Men vi trak åbenbart det heldige kort, for vi fik en super oplevelse med et minimum af turister . Vi vandrede rundt ude i junglen og oplevede, at ruinerne pludselig kom til syne én efter en. Ydermere var vi så heldige, at lokale mayaer var igang med at udføre et af deres ritualer midt på den største plads i Tikal. Vi overværede hele seancen og fik bagefter mulighed for at udforske ruinerne selv og nåede ligeledes et par flotte billeder oppe fra én af de største ruiner. Slutpunktet på Tikal turen var den såkaldte ruin nr. 4, hvor man fra toppen kunne se ud over hele junglen og horisonten. Det var ubeskriveligt smukt. Man kunne også ane toppene fra de andre ruiner stikke op fra junglen.

Dagen sluttede i Flores, hvor vi gik rundt og så byen, som ligger på en ø ude på Guatemalas største sø, 'Petén'.

Det var alt fra vores 6 dage i Guatemala!

Knus fra os

After a quick visit to Costa Rica, we were moving on to Guatemala. We had plans on visiting Antigua, the old capital, and Lake Atitlan, before the trip headed onwards to Flores and the world renowned ruins of 'Tikal' situated in the eastern part of Guatemala.

We arrived late at night to our hostel 'Yellow House' in Antigua. And surely as the name says, it was a yellow brick house situated in the middle of the city. We both got a bed in a dorm, had a quick shower and went straight to bed. We knew the hostel would provide breakfast, which we looked forward to next morning. However our expectations were low, since 'including breakfast' usually meant bread, jam and pitch black coffee. BUT it totally surprise us, because they served five kinds of fresh fruit, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, pancakes, bread (with both butter and jam) and coffee/tea!!! Needless to say, we stayed here for 4 days ;).

So after eating an incredible breakfast every morning, we went out and explored the town. We saw different attractions and just enjoyed this cobble stoned covered city with cute houses in different colors. In addition to that we used one day to go up and see the infamous Lake Atitlan, the second largest in Guatemala, surrounded by volcanic mountains. It was an absolutely stunning view. We sailed around the lake and visited three different towns on the shore, each with their own charm. Santiago was a pure touristic trap, with vendors and booths everywhere (however it has a beautiful church that we got to see along with one of heir very celebrated saints). San Pedro was the favorite place for backpackers to stay, so there were hostels, restaurants and plenty of tourist agencies. The last town, San Marcus, was more calm and relaxed, but didn't offer more than that. To sum it up we enjoyed the scenery immensely, but would probably not visit the towns again.

So after 4 good days in Antigua, we went on to Flores. A trip that normally takes 8 hours by bus, but took 6 (because we apparently attract speed loving drivers). It had also been a while, since we had feared for our lives, so the driver made up for that! Arriving at 4.40 am in an unknown city, what do you do? You drive to your hotel (check in only at 2 pm) and humbly wake up the night clerk and kindly ask for a room in advance, so you can get some sleep (which you didn't get on the bus).

Anyway, the program of the day (2 hours later), was visiting the prime attraction in Guatemala, the Tikal Ruins. None of us knew what to expect, since we had heard that there would be a thousand tourists and it spoiled the experience. However apparently we were extremely lucky, because we encountered few if even any tourists there. We walked around in the jungle and saw the ruins appear one after another from the depths of the greenness. It was beautiful. We even lucked out with witnessing a real Mayan ceremony on the main square of the Tikal Ruins. Our favorite ruin was the biggest one, approximately 70 m high, because after climbing the 150 steps you had a view over the canopy if the jungle and saw into the horizon. It was indescribable.

The day ended in Flores, which is a city located on an island on the largest lake in Guatemala, the Petén Lake.

That was all the update from our 6 days spent in Guatemala!

Ciao R&M