Semuc Champay swimming holes
Semuc Champey 
El Ceibal Ruins12 hour day, 228 miles. El Cebal Ruins visit, but thats still slow.
we spent the first few hours on good road with little traffic. The burned jungle still is around us but at least it allows you to see the contour of the land. The hills are very steep and solitary.
The jungle appeared again before El Cebal. We drove in the 8k, 15 min rough and narrow road to the ruins. It is small but the setting is great. Huge trees and long trails separate ruins so you get to do a lot of walking in the shade of the jungle. It was nice. and again there was no one there. To top it off it's FREE.
Continuing on the road was fine to Sebol where 17k prior it turns to bumpy dirt. Then it gets crazy to Lenquin. A good bit of the road is under construction but our map does no justice to scale of this road. It is the road that never ends. First we got stopped with some passenger trucks to wait. They said one hour, 2 hours, and another person said not ill 8pm, which was 4 hours and dark. Not an option. The nice construciton guys - who have no radios, let us pass along the dirt edge, well i walked. Then we we shoed up on the unexpecting other group they let us pass the grader through the soft sand. It just kept getting worse once the workers were gone. Up, up, up, we went. It was very beautiful through the mountains and jungle edge through the valleys. The first man that let us through said it was 30 min to Lenquin (if you fly). Ok, so we figured and hours or so. Three hours later we arrived at Semuc Champey on a crazy difficult road.
And the People. First the villagers helped us hesitantly with our request for reasurance that we were in fact headed for Lenquin. Then they got shier, so Steve ask because maybe a woman shouldn't speak when there is a man with her. But then Steve couldn't ask the woman because they should talk to him. People were avoiding our eyes. No one would answer us, so on we went. we finally got a "yes, to the left" at the one crucial intersection. and slowly, for 20 more minutes we went up up up and down down down to one of the best little places in Guatemala. just as dark fell.
We stayed at las Marias, which is really basic, with no fans or screens set in a beautiful jungle valley. We woke up to the reminder not to leave food in your bag on the floor. Biting ant infestation took over the morning. Every item we own was shaken, blown, banged and hung. Peanuts were thrown away. Yuck.
Semuc is in a valley with a big deep river. And a big long rope swing! Semuc Champey is a waterfall pool area that is really beautiful and fun. It was a busy Saturday when we were their, but wow was it awesome. It's only 3 hours drive from Guatemala City.
Better yet we went through a cave on a little tour. It was cave type pitch black inside and tight then huge, tunnels then rooms. We swam with candles, climbed sketchball ladders- not my favorite thing, climed ropes, jumped through holes, climbed waterfalls, slid down waterfalls. It was so freaking cool. We were in their for two hours, and then we tubed down the river. It was an out of the ordinary type of thing for us to do, because it was with a group of four other people who we had met at the hotel. But it was so great.
These are flowers that cover the tree and have Fallen on the housewe spent the first few hours on good road with little traffic. The burned jungle still is around us but at least it allows you to see the contour of the land. The hills are very steep and solitary.
The jungle appeared again before El Cebal. We drove in the 8k, 15 min rough and narrow road to the ruins. It is small but the setting is great. Huge trees and long trails separate ruins so you get to do a lot of walking in the shade of the jungle. It was nice. and again there was no one there. To top it off it's FREE.
Continuing on the road was fine to Sebol where 17k prior it turns to bumpy dirt. Then it gets crazy to Lenquin. A good bit of the road is under construction but our map does no justice to scale of this road. It is the road that never ends. First we got stopped with some passenger trucks to wait. They said one hour, 2 hours, and another person said not ill 8pm, which was 4 hours and dark. Not an option. The nice construciton guys - who have no radios, let us pass along the dirt edge, well i walked. Then we we shoed up on the unexpecting other group they let us pass the grader through the soft sand. It just kept getting worse once the workers were gone. Up, up, up, we went. It was very beautiful through the mountains and jungle edge through the valleys. The first man that let us through said it was 30 min to Lenquin (if you fly). Ok, so we figured and hours or so. Three hours later we arrived at Semuc Champey on a crazy difficult road.
And the People. First the villagers helped us hesitantly with our request for reasurance that we were in fact headed for Lenquin. Then they got shier, so Steve ask because maybe a woman shouldn't speak when there is a man with her. But then Steve couldn't ask the woman because they should talk to him. People were avoiding our eyes. No one would answer us, so on we went. we finally got a "yes, to the left" at the one crucial intersection. and slowly, for 20 more minutes we went up up up and down down down to one of the best little places in Guatemala. just as dark fell.
We stayed at las Marias, which is really basic, with no fans or screens set in a beautiful jungle valley. We woke up to the reminder not to leave food in your bag on the floor. Biting ant infestation took over the morning. Every item we own was shaken, blown, banged and hung. Peanuts were thrown away. Yuck.
Semuc is in a valley with a big deep river. And a big long rope swing! Semuc Champey is a waterfall pool area that is really beautiful and fun. It was a busy Saturday when we were their, but wow was it awesome. It's only 3 hours drive from Guatemala City.
Better yet we went through a cave on a little tour. It was cave type pitch black inside and tight then huge, tunnels then rooms. We swam with candles, climbed sketchball ladders- not my favorite thing, climed ropes, jumped through holes, climbed waterfalls, slid down waterfalls. It was so freaking cool. We were in their for two hours, and then we tubed down the river. It was an out of the ordinary type of thing for us to do, because it was with a group of four other people who we had met at the hotel. But it was so great.
Big Ceiba Tree
El Ceibal ruins
El Naranjosorry for the bad photo order between this and the last post
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