Leaving Copan
I showed up for my 12 o´clock shuttle to find that it wasn´t there. They told me that at 3 we might leave, but when I returned, there was still no shuttle. Then they said that there would be a shuttle at 9am.
Eventually I left Copan at 12 the next day. While it sucked to basically waste a day, it wasn´t that big of deal. I went out to the bars in Copan and had some awesome Thai curry. Plus, I got a free night in a hostel for the ordeal. Keeping me company during our wait was a retired nurse from Idaho who was in the midst of a four month trip through Central America.
Antigua
Antigua used to be the capital city a few hundred years ago, but was abandoned after getting rocked by some earthquakes. They didn´t pick up the rubble, so what´s left is a city full of old ruined churches and buildings, making it a great city to spend a day walking through.
I stayed in Hostel Gato Negro, which was a pricey 7 dollars per night. I specifically chose the place for the free breakfast, and it was worth it. I shared a room with a couple girls from Sweden, and a few other guys (also from Sweden, I believe). It was nice to be in a town with a lot of travellers, and I got to meet a lot more people here.
My first full day I explored the city for a few hours, checked out an old church, and had 3 ice cream cones, for a quarter each. At 2pm I left on a shuttle with 12 other people for Volcan Papaya, one of a few active volcanoes in Guatemala. It was about a 90 minute trek in the shuttle before we met up with our guide, a woman who spoke Spanish so slow and curtailed for a Gringo´s ear, I understood almost everything she said. One of the highlights for me was when she said a fairly obscure word, cangrejal, that a few others didn´t understand. I acted as translator, since I recently rafted Rio Cangrejal (River of Crabs!). It took our group four hours to get to the top, where we were greeted by an unpredictable lava flow that had forced earlier groups to take an alternate route. You could hear the creaking of volcanic rocks being pushed by the lava. Along the route there were a few dogs that followed us all the way up, and down. Also, there were locals charging five dollars for taxis naturales (horses). I included some pictures, but since we reached the lava at dusk, it was a little hard to capure.
My other full day in Antigua was spent studying Spanish in a cafe, wandering about the city, looking at ruins, and hiking to the cross outside of town. The cross-walk was decent, and I was pleased to find some tourist police there. I got a great view of the city, and could here a wedding in the distance.
Lake Atitlan and San Pedro La Laguna
I ended up shuttling out at noon the next day to go to Lake Atitlan. While my shuttle was a little pricey (8$), it saved me from having to make two exchanges and was only a couple dollars more expensive. Joining me on the bus were the two girls from Sweden I had met in Gato Negro. Since we had the same (very common) travel itinerary, we joined up for the trip to San Pedro and the next day´s volcano hike. After travelling solo for awhile, it was nice to have a couple people to travel with.
When we arrived in the main tourist city of Lake Atitlan, Panajachal, we were steered directly to the port, since the city wasn´t completely safe at the moment. I changed plans, and took the boat to San Pedro. We arrived at our hostel, Jarachi´k a little later, and I booked a very reasonably priced (5$) private room with a private bath and double bed. The hostel is also home to an amazing and cheap restaurant.
I booked a guide, Caesar, to take us up Volcan San Pedro. Joining us were three guys from Switzerland. We also met some Canadians on the trail, who were driving from Vancouver to Brazil, for Carnaval. We took a tuk-tuk up to the visitors center, which saved us a couple hundred meters of climbing, and an hour or walking. The trek took us all the way up to 3,020 meters from a starting point of approximately 1800 meters. It basically went straight up, with very few switchbacks or flat spots, so it only took three hours to reach the peak. The clear day gave us some great views of the lake and surrounding villages. We got back at about 3, and I went on a nice, relaxed six mile run to the neighboring village.
Today, I attempted to run to Panajachal, where I could take a boat back to San Pedro. Unfortunately, my not-so-detailed map made it seem a lot closer than it actually was. Also, I may have missed a turn. I ran for about 13 miles, and then walked for 3 hours, and still hadn´t made it. After running through three of the towns, the road turned to trail, which ended up turning into a trail that was impossible to run on. I decided to just go to the next city and get a ride on a boat back to San Pedro. Even though I didn´t make it, it was a good run; I had great views of the lake, and got to see a few of the surrounding Mayan villages. I succeeded, and made it back to eat a giant lunch.
Manaña
Tomorrow I hope to leave very early for a bus to Guatemala City, where I will change buses to Coban, where I will take one more bus to Lenquin. There, I will be doing some spelunking, tubing, and swimming. Info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semuc_Champey
From there, I will be going to Flores, the main tourist town outside of Tikal. I will stay there for a night, and then camp in Tikal, so I can see sunrise and sunset near the ruins and surrounding jungle. After that, I hope to have at least three days to leisurely bus back to La Ceiba, Honduras. The one stop I hope to make is in Rio Dulce.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Atop of Honduras
Since I left Pico Bonito last week I did some adventuring in the highlands of Gracias. I´m currently (SPOILER ALERT!) alive and well in Copan Ruinas.
Gracias and Celaque National Park
I arrived in Gracias late and found a simple hostel that charged 7.50$-night. I had a private room with ice cold showers, so I can´t complain. The climate there was pretty pleasant, with temperatures dipping below 60 degrees. I didn´t do much besides hike in Gracias, although I did check out the local square and a very old church.
I decided I wanted to do some hiking before hitting up the ruins, and my guidebook recommended Celaque National Park for a good hike that didn´t require any technical equipment. It also told me that there was a simple, dirty, hut with a few bunks that you could sleep in at one of the campsites near the top. I still tried to rent a sleeping bag but had no luck. I read that the hike could be done in a day, but an overnight hike was more feasible, so I decided to try that.
The morning of my hike, I foolishly did a 10 mile run that went towards the national park. This was rolling for a couple miles and then a mix between slight incline to very steep hills. Like always, the farmers and locals paid little attention to me, and at least twice I get scared shitless my dogs barking at me. The run was good though; foggy and cool.
I finally got to the park at about 10:30 am. I struggled to exchange some money at the bank (I´m the only gringo in town, its not really touristy), mostly since I speak very little Spanish. I also struggled to pronounce the name of the park to the first two cab drivers, but the third understood and brought me 10 kilometers outside of town.
The entrance of the park could very well be northern Wisconsin, definitely not the first image that comes to mind when you think of Honduras. My trek brought me through a pine forest, over a river, and through an hour long stretch of switchbacks. After a few hours I reached the first campsite and realized my book was very, very, incorrect at describing the modest campsite. I still wanted to reach the top, so I was now banking on the next stop being better.
In the midst of the next leg, I ran into the only people I would see during my 22 hours in the forest. They were from, of course, northern Wisconsin. One was even wearing some sort of Spooner, WI shirt. We chatted for a few minutes, I received strange looks after they found out I was planning on sleeping up there, and we parted ways. They surely made it back well before dark; unfortunately, I was in for an entirely different night.
I reached the second campsite at about 3:30. This was slightly better: 3 tarp walls, tarp floor, and tin roof. I figured it was shelter, and I couldn´t hike in the dark, so I would stay. First, though, I had to get to the top. It was only an hour away, and I was in full blown Narniaesque Cloud Forest. It was a veritable labrynth of gigantic mossy trees with birds screaming at me. At 4:30 I reached the top, marked by a simple sign and a Honduran flag. I was disappoingted that I forgot to bring my Wisconsin flag, or at least a Bucky towel or something.
I headed back down and reached my campsite at dark. I put on some dry clothes, but quickly realized I would die of boredom or from the cold. I was at about 2500m, and in a cloud forest, so it was cold (50 degrees F), and wet. At 6pm I decided I would break out my flashlight and walk back down, at least to the next campsite.
Hiking in the dark wasn´t that bad. The most difficult section was down to the next site. It involved a little bit of climbing and hanging on to roots, but it was pretty safe and well marked. I took my time and reached my next destination no worse for wear. At this point, its about 8pm, and I figure that I could get back by 11 if I can hitch to town, maybe 1am if I walk. I continue on.
Everything is going well, until I cross a stream and I thought I was almost done with my trip. Its 10pm, I´ve been walking for 12 hours; combined with my morning run, this has made me foolishly tired. I actually had about 2 hours of walking left, but in my strange psychological state, thought I was almost done. I was convinced there was a trail near the stream, so I kept looking for it. For nearly an hour. I then made a foolish mistake. I went off the trail.
Cliffnotes version: I couldn´t find the trail that I had left, and couldn´t find the visitors center, since it was still two hours away. I was stuck on the side of the mounain, and spent the next 6 hours switching between sleeping on the side of the mountain and aimilessly looking for the trail. I realize that once its light I will be able to easily find the trail again, so I just wait it out eventually.
I wake up at 5am, wait until its light at 6am, find the trail at 6:10, leave the park at 9:30, and get a cab back to town.
Some fun stats:
Hours in the park: 22
Elevation gain¨: 1500m
Peak elevation: 2849m
Cost for 20km of cab rides: 10 US$
Time spent walking or running in the 24 hour period: 20
Time to get to the top: 6 hours
Time spent sleeping: 90 minutes
I´m an idiot.
BUT, I survived, and left Gracias by 12.
Copan Ruinas
I arrived, without incident*, in Ruinas Copan at about 6:30, and found my hostel, Iguana Azul. Its very clean, and I´m staying in a 5 dollar dorm room. Also, they have real, hot water, which is a real plus.
I spent my first day doing very little. I made it a goal to wasteland, so I did some internetting, got some coffee, and some ice cream. Yesterday, I went to Macaw Mountain Bird Park, where they have birds that have been donated or rescued. There was an open area where some birds were let out of their cages, and I got to interact with some toucans and Macaws.
This morning I took a cab out to the Copan Ruins. There was a lot to see, and the museum was interesting as well. There was a short nature trail with labeled trees and macaws all along. I found my favorite tree, the Gumbo Limbo, which I guess the Maya used to cure Poisonwood.
Other highlights of Copan Ruinas (I don´t feel like writing much longer)
I gained 912 feet in about 2.5 miles on my run this morning.
3 kids ran with me for about a half mile on my run.
The election was sunday, and everything went by safely. There seemed to be a lot of partying, fireworks, horn honking, etc. I talked with an international observer of the election, and she was impressed with the efficiency.
Many coffee farms outside of the city.
Stumbled upon a Mayan Toad structure while running.
Cobblestone streets.
Good, cheap platos typical. I got one con carne to celebrate getting into PT school.
Watched Zombieland for a dollar at a hotel. Blatantly pirated, decently funny.
So, that´s all. Tomorrow I head to Antigua, Guatemala, where I will do some Volcano Hiking (with a guide).
!!Check out my flickr for corresponding photos of Macaws, ruins, clouds, Gracias, etc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/44191281@N06/
*With incident. I didn´t get off my bus, since I didn´t realize that I had to switch buses. So, they dropped me off 5 kilometers out of town, and I got to hitch-walk back.
Gracias and Celaque National Park
I arrived in Gracias late and found a simple hostel that charged 7.50$-night. I had a private room with ice cold showers, so I can´t complain. The climate there was pretty pleasant, with temperatures dipping below 60 degrees. I didn´t do much besides hike in Gracias, although I did check out the local square and a very old church.
I decided I wanted to do some hiking before hitting up the ruins, and my guidebook recommended Celaque National Park for a good hike that didn´t require any technical equipment. It also told me that there was a simple, dirty, hut with a few bunks that you could sleep in at one of the campsites near the top. I still tried to rent a sleeping bag but had no luck. I read that the hike could be done in a day, but an overnight hike was more feasible, so I decided to try that.
The morning of my hike, I foolishly did a 10 mile run that went towards the national park. This was rolling for a couple miles and then a mix between slight incline to very steep hills. Like always, the farmers and locals paid little attention to me, and at least twice I get scared shitless my dogs barking at me. The run was good though; foggy and cool.
I finally got to the park at about 10:30 am. I struggled to exchange some money at the bank (I´m the only gringo in town, its not really touristy), mostly since I speak very little Spanish. I also struggled to pronounce the name of the park to the first two cab drivers, but the third understood and brought me 10 kilometers outside of town.
The entrance of the park could very well be northern Wisconsin, definitely not the first image that comes to mind when you think of Honduras. My trek brought me through a pine forest, over a river, and through an hour long stretch of switchbacks. After a few hours I reached the first campsite and realized my book was very, very, incorrect at describing the modest campsite. I still wanted to reach the top, so I was now banking on the next stop being better.
In the midst of the next leg, I ran into the only people I would see during my 22 hours in the forest. They were from, of course, northern Wisconsin. One was even wearing some sort of Spooner, WI shirt. We chatted for a few minutes, I received strange looks after they found out I was planning on sleeping up there, and we parted ways. They surely made it back well before dark; unfortunately, I was in for an entirely different night.
I reached the second campsite at about 3:30. This was slightly better: 3 tarp walls, tarp floor, and tin roof. I figured it was shelter, and I couldn´t hike in the dark, so I would stay. First, though, I had to get to the top. It was only an hour away, and I was in full blown Narniaesque Cloud Forest. It was a veritable labrynth of gigantic mossy trees with birds screaming at me. At 4:30 I reached the top, marked by a simple sign and a Honduran flag. I was disappoingted that I forgot to bring my Wisconsin flag, or at least a Bucky towel or something.
I headed back down and reached my campsite at dark. I put on some dry clothes, but quickly realized I would die of boredom or from the cold. I was at about 2500m, and in a cloud forest, so it was cold (50 degrees F), and wet. At 6pm I decided I would break out my flashlight and walk back down, at least to the next campsite.
Hiking in the dark wasn´t that bad. The most difficult section was down to the next site. It involved a little bit of climbing and hanging on to roots, but it was pretty safe and well marked. I took my time and reached my next destination no worse for wear. At this point, its about 8pm, and I figure that I could get back by 11 if I can hitch to town, maybe 1am if I walk. I continue on.
Everything is going well, until I cross a stream and I thought I was almost done with my trip. Its 10pm, I´ve been walking for 12 hours; combined with my morning run, this has made me foolishly tired. I actually had about 2 hours of walking left, but in my strange psychological state, thought I was almost done. I was convinced there was a trail near the stream, so I kept looking for it. For nearly an hour. I then made a foolish mistake. I went off the trail.
Cliffnotes version: I couldn´t find the trail that I had left, and couldn´t find the visitors center, since it was still two hours away. I was stuck on the side of the mounain, and spent the next 6 hours switching between sleeping on the side of the mountain and aimilessly looking for the trail. I realize that once its light I will be able to easily find the trail again, so I just wait it out eventually.
I wake up at 5am, wait until its light at 6am, find the trail at 6:10, leave the park at 9:30, and get a cab back to town.
Some fun stats:
Hours in the park: 22
Elevation gain¨: 1500m
Peak elevation: 2849m
Cost for 20km of cab rides: 10 US$
Time spent walking or running in the 24 hour period: 20
Time to get to the top: 6 hours
Time spent sleeping: 90 minutes
I´m an idiot.
BUT, I survived, and left Gracias by 12.
Copan Ruinas
I arrived, without incident*, in Ruinas Copan at about 6:30, and found my hostel, Iguana Azul. Its very clean, and I´m staying in a 5 dollar dorm room. Also, they have real, hot water, which is a real plus.
I spent my first day doing very little. I made it a goal to wasteland, so I did some internetting, got some coffee, and some ice cream. Yesterday, I went to Macaw Mountain Bird Park, where they have birds that have been donated or rescued. There was an open area where some birds were let out of their cages, and I got to interact with some toucans and Macaws.
This morning I took a cab out to the Copan Ruins. There was a lot to see, and the museum was interesting as well. There was a short nature trail with labeled trees and macaws all along. I found my favorite tree, the Gumbo Limbo, which I guess the Maya used to cure Poisonwood.
Other highlights of Copan Ruinas (I don´t feel like writing much longer)
I gained 912 feet in about 2.5 miles on my run this morning.
3 kids ran with me for about a half mile on my run.
The election was sunday, and everything went by safely. There seemed to be a lot of partying, fireworks, horn honking, etc. I talked with an international observer of the election, and she was impressed with the efficiency.
Many coffee farms outside of the city.
Stumbled upon a Mayan Toad structure while running.
Cobblestone streets.
Good, cheap platos typical. I got one con carne to celebrate getting into PT school.
Watched Zombieland for a dollar at a hotel. Blatantly pirated, decently funny.
So, that´s all. Tomorrow I head to Antigua, Guatemala, where I will do some Volcano Hiking (with a guide).
!!Check out my flickr for corresponding photos of Macaws, ruins, clouds, Gracias, etc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/44191281@N06/
*With incident. I didn´t get off my bus, since I didn´t realize that I had to switch buses. So, they dropped me off 5 kilometers out of town, and I got to hitch-walk back.
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