From Antigua to Coban
It’s 6am in Antigua, the old colonial capital of Guatemala, and instead of being asleep in my bed I find myself bargaining (in broken Spanish) with a chicken bus driver who is blatantly trying to extort me because it is evident that I am not Guatemalan. I argue for five minutes or so over my fare and realise that it is not getting me anywhere so accept being overcharged by $0.50 and sling my bag over my shoulder, ready to embark on my journey to Semuc Champey.
I had heard about this 'hidden jewel' of Gatemala days before; about the beauty of the river nestled in the mountains to the north, cool springs hovering over a fast speed river. These images consumed my dreams to such an extent that I made a last minute decision the previous day to start planning how to get there.
Accompanied by two fellow travellers also eager to explore the remarkable scenery of Guatemala, we set off from the old colonial capital Antigua. heading north to the city of Coban. Even though I know I have to change bus twice to get there I find myself struggling to keep my heavy eyelids open and eventually succumb to my tiredness caused by the antics of the night before.
Awoken by a sharp elbow to the ribs, I am told to get off the bus by one of my friends and, like a sheep being led by a shepherd, I follow my friend blindly through a hectic market and after a few minutes finally realise that we are in fact in Coban and are close to reaching our final destination, Semuc Champey.
My jubilation soon turned to despondency with the realisation that it had just gone 4pm and the last chicken bus had left a few minutes before we arrived. The only consolation was being told, much to the annoyance of my friends, that a lorry had overturned on one of the mountain passes and consequently this had produced a 3 hour backlog of traffic which I had happily slept through.
Eating Arab in Coban
In light of the tiring day - for the majority of our party anyway - we decided to head to a cheap hostel and encountered one in the heart of the eastern part of the city called Mus Mus Hab. Just next door was a quaint Arab restaurant. I had been used to living off cheap rice and beans and was so surprised to find that I was eating cheap food which was
a) full of flavour and
b) Arabic- in Guatemala!
After an early dinner we decided to explore the city a bit and ended up in a bar not too far from the city centre. Unlike other parts of the country I did not see another foreign face and due to this fact we ended up attracting quite a lot of attention, especially since I was travelling with two women. This worked in our favour and we shared a few drinks with some local residents who were very friendly, One of them offered to take us to Semuc Champey the following day for free because he was passing by that way. He was only going in the afternoon and we were eager to make an early start the next morning so we declined his generous offer.
The sleepy mountain town of Lanquin
The following morning we stumbled out of our hostel at 8am and dragged ourselves to the bus stop, hopping on a chicken bus that was heading to Lanquin, the village next to Semuc Champey. We arrived in Lanquin by midday and were surprised at how quiet the village was; after all, Semuc Champey was one of Guatemala’s main tourist sites.
Walking down the hill through the sleepy mountain town we found the hostel - El Retiro - that had been recommended to us on numerous occasions by fellow travellers. A mountain paradise located above a slow moving river, 'The Retreat' was exactly what we needed after two days of travelling.
Being already too late in the day to head to the cool springs of Semuc Champey, we decided to relax in the sun and hire out some inflatable donuts which we used to sail on down the river. Having forgotten that it was rainy season and that it started to rain at 4pm everyday, we were caught out by the storm clouds and had to bolt inside for fear of being struck by lightning or being carried down the river too far!
A hub for travellers going to the cool springs of Semuc Champey and the ominous caves of Lanquin, El Retiro boasted a vibrant atmosphere with a host of people participating in drinking games at the bar and playing cards under the candlelight. We decided to treat ourselves to the ‘all-you-can-eat’ buffet and it was a decision that was not regretted by anyone in our party. The majority of people had been to the cool springs and the caves that day and this only served to further stimulate our uncontrollable anticipation of seeing these natural wonders. However, since funds were running pretty low we could only afford one of the two attractions on offer so we decided that we would spend the whole of the next day at the cool springs.
Finally, the spring of Semuc Champey awaits
At 9am, accompanied by some fellow travellers we had met the previous night, we walked to the bus stop and eagerly waited for the next bus from Lanquin to Semuc Champey. I had only seen bad quality pictures of it and the stories from the previous night were forming copious images in my head of what these springs could look like. A jeep approached the bus stop and the driver jumped out informing us that since there was a problem with an area of the road to Semuc Champey, jeeps were the only form of transport that could get there.
Somehow everyone managed to get on the back of the 4 x 4 and even though we did manage to get there in one piece, I think everyone came out of the jeep with one limb slightly bruised or grazed - every bump in the road was felt! Approaching the park entrance there was a general sense of elation, some people had travelled from El Salvador and Honduras especially to come here. We paid the entry fee and continued down a beaten track with a sporadic sign every now and again indicating the Springs were further on.
Before we arrived at the Springs a sign appeared on the left notifying us that El Mirador (scenic viewpoint) was a half an hour hike to the left and that the Springs could be reached beyond there. One of the people we were with had heard from someone the night before that this was well worth the hike and since we had all day to spend at the Springs we decided to embark on the steep climb that cut right though the heart of the jungle.
A hike and fifteen minutes that made all the difference
Equipped with sturdy trainers I made quick progress contrasting to people who had decided to wear flip-flops - it took them an extra fifteen minutes to reach the mesmerising view. And Fifteen minutes more memory of this was priceless. I could have sat there all day looking out onto the tranquil mountains and the Springs below.
This place offered a moment of respite from the world and I sat there wondering why a natural beauty like this did not have more international recognition. However, the ascent had proved quite tiring so we descended and finally made our way to the Springs which were becoming ever more appealing as the minutes went by. On arrival, everyone immediately stripped off and jumped into the crystal clear water.
The Moment that Time Stopped
I lay back listening to the rushing of the water and studied the jungle that surrounded me. I searched for El Mirador where we had stood earlier and only found it due to the glimmer of a bright pink t-shirt that someone was wearing. Although there were a lot of international tourists there were also a lot of Guatemalans who had travelled from other parts of the country who had come to enjoy the natural beauty their country had to offer.
“Hey, can you take a picture?”
A girl asked me in broken English. She had come with some friends from the western highlands and they were trying to capture themselves in mid air somersaulting from one pool to the next. This was a common activity that I soon started to engage in but sadly I never managed to get a good photo.
We had been relaxing in the Springs all day and it seemed like time had stopped. Before I knew it, the sun was already making its way down and, in the twilight, a mystical vibe surrounded the cool springs. Jumping from pool to pool I almost forgot where I was and was brought back down to earth by the screech of a howler monkey in the trees to my right.
With darkness looming we decided to leave the springs and embark on another painful jeep journey back to El Retiro, silently in awe of the site we had just witnessed.
From UK, one would fly to Guatemala city, take a one hour bus to Antigua and then a series of buses to Lanquin. (4-5 hours).
