Highland to highland

Juan and I usually manage to avoid double-posting about things, but this has been a diverse week with lots to mention. The drive from Quetzaltenango (Xela) to Guatemala City was effortless and pretty, but getting out of Guatemala City was difficult. Driving at night from Guatemala City to Cobán was just awful. The road isn’t lit at all, and so we were blinded by oncoming highbeams the entire way. We also encountered so many types of road obstacles that it was almost comical, including fire, fog, and road erosion. Then, of course, the tumulo-induced breakdown.

As far as places to spend the night, it wasn’t terrible, although of course it did smell like gas. (Bye bye, brain cells!) I was so stressed out from the terrifying night drive that I slept pretty soundly, clinging onto Milo.

Although I love the pony, I’m definitely not any kind of car freak. Bug Camp was cool because we met lots of different people who were all so welcoming to us. People went out of their way to caravan with us, help us fix the van, and give us advice on what to see in the area. But nobody went as far out of their way as Pancho, the organizer of Bug Camp. He had all sorts of surprises up his sleeve, including presenting us with a bunch of nice goodies for coming all this way.

His family’s cabin–the orchid reserve (Orquigonia) is amazing, and just up the street from the Balneario El Manantial that served as the base for Bug Camp (whose owners, by the way, graciously allowed us to stay an extra night on their beautiful grounds). Pancho’s family contains some serious botanists who have lent their name to hundreds of species of orchids. This is what you can see in their reserve:

It is a beautiful jungle paradise. Not only were we treated to an amazing lunch with the family, but we enjoyed their lovely cabin, waking up to this sight our first morning.

After Cobán, we took a detour to visit Semuc Champey. The place lives up to the hype. The road does not.

We spent the night at the Grutas de Lanquín, as usual under the close guard of an armed man. The most jarring difference for me between Guatemala and Mexico is that guns are legal in Guatemala. You see these guys everywhere. The gas station we stopped at near Cobán sold guns. One guy at Bug Camp said, “most of the Guatemalans here probably have guns.” The night we spent at the gas station in Telpetate, I was let into the locked ladies’ room by a guy with a gun tucked into his waistband.

And, to close, Juan proving (once again) that he can fix anything.

More on our two weeks (so far) in Guatemala at limpire.
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