I intend to give the traveler a pretty detailed description of our trip with costs and locations so that he or she might do what we did or avoid our mistakes.
We took the 7:45 am Litegua bus, a pullman bus with comfortable seats, from Rio Dulce to El Rancho (40 Q. each = $5.35) which was about a 3 hour ride after a rest/lunch stop in Villa Del Sol. Upon our arrival in El Rancho a fellow escorted us to a van and we paid 60 Q. each for the ride to Cobán. Without the escort it would probably be 50 Q. each, but we looked lost (and we probably were) so the extra 10 Q. was earned by our escort. The fifteen person van was filled with twenty people, but as we made our way toward Cobán the numbers dwindled as we stopped at several villages along the way. I took this photo as we drove along and was told later that taking photos of children might be perceived as "shopping" for whom I might kidnap later and so taking photos of children is especially dangerous and people have been attacked for making this blunder.
We arrived in Cobán at about 3 pm and walked to the City Center ...
...about a half hour away and found the Hotel Virgen Del Rosario .where we were given a room with a two beds, private bath, hot shower, towels (small and scratchy), cable TV, hot and cold drinking water and coffee in the lobby for 130 Q. ($17.35) per night. We didn't know how luxurious these accomodations were at this point. Aside from the street noise that ended around 10pm it was a fine place.
We had Larry (Lorenzo) Gottschamer's cell phone # and knew he and Emilia would be in Cobán at their farm so we called him. He visited us for a few minutes to arrange a meeting at noon the next day. Lorenzo is Christina's father-in-law and he grows macadamia nut trees that he has bred so that they can be grown from seeds rapidly, instead of grafted and they are more resistant to averse conditions. He and Emilia, along with her son Ricardo run two farms, one in Cobán and another in Antigua. They grow and then process the nuts for shipping and for making products such as flour, butter, oil, beauty products and soaps.
The next morning we had a great breakfast in our room. Boxed orange juice and instant oatmeal using the hot water from the lobby became our daily morning fare whereever hot water was to be found. Thusly fortified, we walked to a cathedral on a hilltop over looking the city.
From the grounds one gets a panoramic view of the city and a taste of the religious fervor the locals have. If you look closely at the cross in the photo below, you will see a lock of hair attached to it. Certain members of the congregation practice a mix of catholic and pagan rituals and it is very obvious here. Corn cobs and stalks are burned or left in niches and holes in walls and personal items are stuck to the walls of the niches and to the statuary with wax. Spirits are abundant here, no doubt .
Decending from the hill, we walked a good distance through town and decided to tour the Dieseldorff Coffee Plantation (30 Q each.) We decided that the young guide might practice her Ingleis and we would practice our Español in an attempt to understand the workings of a coffee plantation. It was educational from both a content and language point of view and we now understand how coffee is grown, processed and prepared from seed to cup. We all learned that the short comings of language do not impede understanding one another with some genuine and amusing effort. It was a delightful experience ending with a great cup of coffee.
After our walk, we met with Lorenzo, as we had arranged, and he introduced us to Emilia. They took us to a rather modern mall, very much like one would find in the U.S. and we were treated to a fast food lunch that was 100% Guatemalan and very tasty.
After another short drive, we visited the orchid plantation just outside of town. Lorenzo and Emilia have known the owners and the gentleman guiding us for many years. Most of the orchids were awaiting the winter months to show their blooms, but those that were blooming now were nothing short of spectacular. I have since learned how to photograph blossoms with my camera, but most of the photos taken that day were too out of focus to post - sorry! It is a shame because several of the orchids are international prize winners.
Here below, from left to right; the caretaker, Larry (Lorenzo) and Emilia at the plantation.
We drove several miles out of town and stopped at their friend Felipe's farm. Felipe grows macadamia as well, along with all sorts of other trees, ferns and fruits. Here is Felipe in a shed with a rack of macadamia nuts drying.
Here are a few of Felipe's fine ferns found on his fabulous finca (farm.)
We drove to the Gottschamer farm were almost forty acres of macadamia trees and blueberry bushes are cultivated. I am impressed by the modest living conditions that Lorenzo and Emilia experience. Their needs are few when they visit the farm, so their accomodations are spartan, but comfortable in their one room cabin.
While waiting we made friends with a young woman from San Diego, CA who will be starting in a new position as a public health educator in Washington, DC. I gave her my brother Larry's address and hope that she will look up his phone number and make a contact. Bersabell Asaye is a very friendly person, fluent in Spanish and fun to be with. We enjoyed traveling with her for the rest of the day to Semuc Champey and back to Cobán.
The water seen in the photos above and below drains from the mountains on either side of the valley. The water that runs from the head of the valley drops, upstream, BELOW THE GROUND and below the water pictured. It emerges and joins with these waters downstream. The pools here are spectacular and safe! Others drain like a basin into the underground river and have claimed the lives of several foolhearty swimmers.
It was unfortunate that we had to wait so long for the shuttle here because we would have liked to linger longer. The park fee is 50 Q per person.
We caught a shuttle all the way back to Cobán for 40 Q, arriving at the hotel with a half hour to spare before our 6pm dinner date with Lorenzo and Emilia. We ate family style and enjoyed a hearty paella dinner.
We left the next morning via foot to the Monja Blanca bus station for the ride from Cobán to Guatemala City (65 Q each.) I studied the Guatemala City map in the guide book and decided we could walk from the Monja Blanca bus station to where we would catch the second class ("chicken bus") to Antigua. On the walk we got to a part of town that is "a little rough." We were accosted by a group of a dozen men who wanted to give us "an escort" to our destination, but we pushed purposefully onward without getting our pockets picked or bodies groped or stabbed. By the time we cleared that area we were only two blocks off course and separated from our destination by a long street market. When we arrived at the location on the map we were thoroughly confused. The guide has a 2006 copywrite date and between then and now the second class bus station had moved. In its place was a nice rapid transit station. Here we asked how to get to the buses to Antigua. A transit officer spoke excellent English and assured us that we would be taken care of. As we boarded the transit bus (1 Q each) he called ahead to the station where we were instructed to get off the and there his Spanish speaking colleague directed us toward the "Chicken Bus" stand. Walking a short distance got us to the bus stop and we were "recruited" to ride two busses at the same time. The one we chose turned out to have an ailing transmission, but at least it was not full nor did it have livestock aboard (9 Q each.) We left Cobán at 0900 and arrived in Antigua at 3:30pm.
Our first choice hotel, the eight room Posada Juma Ocag, was full and they recommended the Hotel Santa Lucia. Along the way we saw the Hotel San Marco and took shelter from the rain there (100 Q.) The plan was to switch the next morning to Juma Ocag due to the rough conditions we found here.
That didn't work out because Juma Ocag was still full so we found room at the Hotel Santa Lucia (150 Q.) This was a better room, but the hot water wasn't and even after the cinco minutos we were instructed to wait, the shower yielded only slightly warm water. On the third night we got into Juma Ocag (140 Q.) which is run very efficiently and has hot water in the shower and at the front desk for our breakfast fare. We also enjoyed the roof-top seating area while we waited or read. Phone (502) 7832-3109 for reservations - advised.
Our three hotels where located on the left side of this street. This photo is atypical in that there is usually much, much more traffic. To the right is the central market and farther to the right is the bus station...all very handy but somewhat noisy.
More Antigua details are planned for our next blog entry. Until then, be well!
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