The journey from Flores to Semuc Champey looks pretty straight forward on a map but 4 chicken buses, 1 boat and a trip on the back of a pickup truck later we realized that wasn't the case.

Chicken buses are American school buses, given to Guatemala as aid, each one painted and decorated with unique motifs involving mermaids, skulls, spears and anything else the driver considers fit and appropriate for public transport.  It is hard to explain just how exhausting a trip on a chicken bus can be.  In order to stop yourself being hurled out of your seat to the other side of the bus it takes gripping on with 2 hands as the driver throws the bus around the tight mountain roads. This is if you are lucky enough to snag a seat of course since usually it is so crammed you have to stand, having to be constantly aware not to stand on a chicken or a child who has found some floor space between your feet.  There are no official bus stops along the route, instead the 2nd driver hangs out of the door yelling where they're headed, literally pulling people onboard from the roadside without the bus actually stopping.  When the bus does finally stop it is invaded by a parade of people selling everything from tacos to jewellery before jumping out the back door, usually when the bus is moving again.  Despite not being the easiest way to travel at least you are guaranteed amazing views, if it's possible to see them through the forest if people, tacos and chickens that is.

Despite taking the best part of a day to arrive, Semuc Champey was worth every bump and elbow to the head on the buses.  I realize I'm fickle but I think it may well be my favourite place I've ever been.  Semuc Champey isn't a village or town but an extremely remote valley with a few campsites. It was almost dark by the time me and Mark pitched up at the campsite so had to rush to get our matresses sorted out since the electricity doesn't last long.  

The camp was as basic as they come, though was a little disappointed at the lack of a complimentary mint on the smelly, moth-eaten, lumpy mattress on the ground!  At least we did manage to find some shelter for the bag of cotton wool they called a mattress so I was able to hang up my mosquito net.  Even with my net however I was kept up most of the night by Mark (who doesn't have a mosquito net) slapping himself for hours to keep the mutant-sized bugs off him.  

After the sun had woke the camp up at stupid o'clock me, Mark and a fee other fellow campers headed up to a nearby cave.  I'd been expecting a a pretty small cave so when I was given a candle on the way in I thought they were being a tad excessive.  However, after a kilometre of swimming and climbing through what was more like the temple of doom that a cave I was extremely thankful for the little light that helped me avoid cracking my head on a massive stalactite.  It got even more Indiana jonesesque  when we reached a waterfall.  Initially we all started heading back the way we came thinking it was the end of the line, until our guide reached through the waterfall, grabbed a rope and began to climb up.  After we'd made it to the top we we reached a cliff but since nobody had managed to save their candles from the waterfall it was impossible to see how far the drop was. The guide assured us it wasn't too far.  After pretending to fix my shoes i managed to ensure I wouldn't be first to jump, though I didn't feel any more confident when the Guy who did go first managed to get a whole sentence and a half of expletives out before hitting the water.  After we'd all manned up and taken the plunge it was another kilometre of wading until we saw daylight and a huge rope swing to get back down to the river where there were rubber rings waiting to float us straight back to camp.

The 2nd day in Semuc was less swashbuckling at the natural pools.  I can easily say that I've never seen anywhere quite as beautiful as the pools in Semuc Champey.  The water is ridiculously blue and the views are insane so it was hard to leave the next day, but after another night spent listening to Mark slap himself in the face we packed up and hit the road.  I was sad to leave and a lot sadder to be getting back on the chicken buses but had been looking forward to the next stop, Antigua, for a while now.