Guatemala Pt 2

Yes it's a miracle but i am still going strong on this adventure.


I last blogged about Guatemala. The next stop on that tour was a trip down river to Livingston. This is unlike the rest of Guatemala and has a more Caribbean island vibe. Lots of Rastas on the streets, Reggae music and quaint cafes and souvenir shops. It was worth a visit for the day and there were some good photos to be had along the way on the river.

The next stop on the tour was Antigua, which was a 5-6hr bus ride away. This town is very pretty and perhaps the most touristy place in Guatemala. The streets and buildings are very colourful and there are some good places to eat. The Burger King and McDonald's restaurants I'm glad to say are well hidden and in keeping with the architecture and surroundings. Towering in the background of Antigua is a huge volcano, Aqua. For most of the day the top is shrouded in cloud. The locals also don't recommend you climb it due to recent bandit activity. Instead there is a tourist bus that goes around to the other side to another volcano, Pacaya which is still very much active. On Christmas day of most of the tour group decided to climb Pacaya and watch the sunset.


This I have to say was one of the highlights of Guatemala. It was a few hrs to climb to the spot of the lava on the volcano but well worth the effort to see an amazing flow of lava channelling itself down the side of the volcano. You could literally stand inches from the lava itself and throw things into the lava to see them quickly melt away. The soles of your shoes begin to melt as you get closer and the surface rock becomes hotter. The view is also incredible across to 3 other volcanoes and it was clear skies and an amazing sunset. My only gripe is that the tourist bus got there too late and so we pretty much arrived at the top as the sun had set. This meant we didn't get more than 15mins at the top and also the descent down on the loose volcanic rock was a bit treacherous in the dark. Still if you ever go to Guatemala this is a must do.

After Christmas the tour headed to beautiful lake Atitlan a few hrs away. Surrounding the lake are another 3 volcanoes although none of them are active. We stayed in a small town, Panajachel, which is fairly touristy but it has a good spot in which to explore. I took a boat trip to other villages on the lake to see the local way of life. One thing they didn't seem to appreciate here is if you want to take their photo. They would shake there hands and head or turn and run away. Some elderly men I was shooting from a distance spotted me and then got up and turned around waggling their arses at me which i thought was quite amusing.

After a few days it was back to Antigua for one last night and another farewell to another tour group. Next stop, Vegas.