Semuc Champagne

Though not a candidate in the list of the new 7 natural wonders of the world, Semuc Champey goes straight into my top 10 natural places.  A 300 meter limestone bridge over and adjacent to the powerful Cahabon river, encompasses amazing blue-watered pools which are filled with clean water from the mountains.  The view from the ‘mirador’ (in the photo) is amazing and so i just swimming in the pools.  In every direction – a new photo opportunity.  Near the end of the day, we joined our guide to underneath the waterfall at the end of the pools and into the river, and took a cold shower with soap, which supposedly brings good luck.

El-Retiro, the lovely (Israeli packed) cabin based hostel nearby, is located next to the river, where morning swims and against-the-stream competitions were arranged on a daily basis.  Tubing the river for around $2.5 was a good experience, though painful at times – The Guatemalans haven’t heard much about safety measures .  The many nationalities in El-Retiro helped create a great atmosphere in the local pub/restaurant just by the riverside every night after the expensive buffet dinner, and a few of us Israelis decided to taste the local Shakshuka in Lanquin one night instead.  The Shakshuka was great.

From Lanquin, we moved on north to Flores, an amazing and tiny half island in the north of Guatemala, and the jumping point to Tikal – the famous Maya ruins.  We left the hostel at 3am in order to see the sun rise on the pyramids, some reaching as high as 70 meters and by god that was amazing.  The untolerable heat and humidity, which is probably superior to those of Israel in this region, made us leave straight after the tour, but how long can you stare at, and climb pyramids?  There will be more in Mexico, no worries…