It is a bit presumptuous to name your hostel "Utopia"...unless you can actually provide it! Turns out, we landed right into a place that is pretty close!
We arrived three days ago, had planned on leaving after two days and we are now debating if we should stay longer. After leaving Antigua, we took a long bus to Coban and planned on heading to Semuc Champey the next day. Semuc Champey has been called the "most beautiful place" in all of Guatemala- and because the activity included swimming in jade colored pools, I was more than happy to visit!
We arrived in Coban after a seriously cramped bus ride. Thankfully for Dramamine I avoided getting sick on the curvy roads. We learned that Dramamine puts Ang directly to sleep so she slept most of the way. In Coban it was pouring down rain and our hostel left a lot to be desired. I proceeded to have my 1 time per trip breakdown about traveling and being homesick. Angela reminded me we go through this on every trip and I quit being a baby and did Barre with her, which made everything a bit better! Fortunately, Coban was just a stopping over spot and we left the next day for Semuc Champey!
We had decided to stay in Utopia hostel which is located in the jungle near Semuc Champey. A self- proclaimed "Eco-hotel" with various sleeping options from hammocks to cabanas. Limited electricity and lots of candlelight at night make this place very unique! Angela and I choose a room called a 'nook' that has screen windows and a door to avoid being eaten by mosquitoes in the open air dorms. Food is served family style and is all vegetarian and everyone was immediately SO lovely and friendly! Within the first hour we got invited to tube the river with some of the people staying here and started the day off right with a nice tube down the river!
The "thing" to do here is an all day tour of caving and hiking to the jade pools for a swim. Of course we immediately signed up for the next day!
We aren't sure if it would have been good or bad to have more warning about the day. I can honestly say that if someone described the caving as it actually went down, I would have had some reservations. But now that I look back I'm really glad we had no warning of the chaos ahead...
To begin - the guide speaks limited English. Can you see where this is going? The first thing they tell you is to strip down to your swim suit and that you don't need shoes. I personally hate stepping on slimey- unknown surfaces so decided that I would wear my socks. I convinced Angela that this was a good idea. We later commented that on previous trips we would have taken pictures of the people who had done idiotic things like this and fast forward a few years and here we are wearing socks on a cave tour while everyone else is barefoot.
As we enter the cave, the guide hands each of us a lit candle that is the only lights for the tour. Turns out at certain points in the tour, we will also have to swim or tread water with said candle and keep it lit at the same time. The cave tour was crazy! Hiking- swimming- crawling up ladders- holding onto ropes- hiking up waterfalls- general balancing acts on slippery rocks (turns out socks don't help)...all the while with only one hand, because the other one is holding a candle! Ang kept saying "this is Goonies meets The Pirates of the Caribbean" (which means little to my non- movie reference mind, but others agreed.)
The first time my candle blew out was when I was huffing and puffing up a slippery ladder in my Hanes-her-way socks and I breathed so hard I blew it out! Turns out this was first of many times that we would have to re- light each others' candles while hiking through a canyon of water-filled caves! Not an easy task.
Luckily they didn't tell you anything about the "finale"of the cave tour prior to entering the cave. One by one they position you over this hole that has water gushing down it. The only thing visible is a small hole that doesn't appear big enough for a human to fit through. The guides tell you that as you go into the water filled hole you have to roll your shoulders in the right direction to "fit". With little time to think and even
less time to consider what is on the other side, we found ourselves plunging down this hole. A few second slide and then a drop into a deep pool we had made it! As I rose to the top of the deep pool I could see no one and of course my candle was out again. I eventually figure out that we had to swim to the other side of the wall to find the rest of the group. What an adventure! Not one helmet was offered and not one waiver signed. Oh Guatemala!
After the cave tour we had various opportunities to jump off of things on our hike to Semuc Champey. A rope
swing, a bridge, eventually a tree. Angela bravely did the rope swing twice into quick flowing river. I decided my adrenalin rushes needed a break after the caves!
We then completed a really tough hike toward the jade swimming pools. Picture being on a stair stepper for 1 hour, but surrounded by the jungle and monkeys! The jade swimming pools were amazing and well worth the hike!
We went to various swimming pools, completing various rock/water slides and other offers to jump off things!
What a day! All to return to our Utopian hostel for a delicious dinner, games of cards and meeting more people!
Today has been a really rough Tuesday. Drinking coffee, reading in hammocks, tubing and yoga. Loving Guatemala and traveling in general. Tomorrow we head up to Tikal to see some Mayan ruins and check out other parts of the country!
We arrived three days ago, had planned on leaving after two days and we are now debating if we should stay longer. After leaving Antigua, we took a long bus to Coban and planned on heading to Semuc Champey the next day. Semuc Champey has been called the "most beautiful place" in all of Guatemala- and because the activity included swimming in jade colored pools, I was more than happy to visit!
We arrived in Coban after a seriously cramped bus ride. Thankfully for Dramamine I avoided getting sick on the curvy roads. We learned that Dramamine puts Ang directly to sleep so she slept most of the way. In Coban it was pouring down rain and our hostel left a lot to be desired. I proceeded to have my 1 time per trip breakdown about traveling and being homesick. Angela reminded me we go through this on every trip and I quit being a baby and did Barre with her, which made everything a bit better! Fortunately, Coban was just a stopping over spot and we left the next day for Semuc Champey!
We had decided to stay in Utopia hostel which is located in the jungle near Semuc Champey. A self- proclaimed "Eco-hotel" with various sleeping options from hammocks to cabanas. Limited electricity and lots of candlelight at night make this place very unique! Angela and I choose a room called a 'nook' that has screen windows and a door to avoid being eaten by mosquitoes in the open air dorms. Food is served family style and is all vegetarian and everyone was immediately SO lovely and friendly! Within the first hour we got invited to tube the river with some of the people staying here and started the day off right with a nice tube down the river!
The "thing" to do here is an all day tour of caving and hiking to the jade pools for a swim. Of course we immediately signed up for the next day!
We aren't sure if it would have been good or bad to have more warning about the day. I can honestly say that if someone described the caving as it actually went down, I would have had some reservations. But now that I look back I'm really glad we had no warning of the chaos ahead...
To begin - the guide speaks limited English. Can you see where this is going? The first thing they tell you is to strip down to your swim suit and that you don't need shoes. I personally hate stepping on slimey- unknown surfaces so decided that I would wear my socks. I convinced Angela that this was a good idea. We later commented that on previous trips we would have taken pictures of the people who had done idiotic things like this and fast forward a few years and here we are wearing socks on a cave tour while everyone else is barefoot.
As we enter the cave, the guide hands each of us a lit candle that is the only lights for the tour. Turns out at certain points in the tour, we will also have to swim or tread water with said candle and keep it lit at the same time. The cave tour was crazy! Hiking- swimming- crawling up ladders- holding onto ropes- hiking up waterfalls- general balancing acts on slippery rocks (turns out socks don't help)...all the while with only one hand, because the other one is holding a candle! Ang kept saying "this is Goonies meets The Pirates of the Caribbean" (which means little to my non- movie reference mind, but others agreed.)
The first time my candle blew out was when I was huffing and puffing up a slippery ladder in my Hanes-her-way socks and I breathed so hard I blew it out! Turns out this was first of many times that we would have to re- light each others' candles while hiking through a canyon of water-filled caves! Not an easy task.
Luckily they didn't tell you anything about the "finale"of the cave tour prior to entering the cave. One by one they position you over this hole that has water gushing down it. The only thing visible is a small hole that doesn't appear big enough for a human to fit through. The guides tell you that as you go into the water filled hole you have to roll your shoulders in the right direction to "fit". With little time to think and even
less time to consider what is on the other side, we found ourselves plunging down this hole. A few second slide and then a drop into a deep pool we had made it! As I rose to the top of the deep pool I could see no one and of course my candle was out again. I eventually figure out that we had to swim to the other side of the wall to find the rest of the group. What an adventure! Not one helmet was offered and not one waiver signed. Oh Guatemala!
After the cave tour we had various opportunities to jump off of things on our hike to Semuc Champey. A rope
swing, a bridge, eventually a tree. Angela bravely did the rope swing twice into quick flowing river. I decided my adrenalin rushes needed a break after the caves!
We then completed a really tough hike toward the jade swimming pools. Picture being on a stair stepper for 1 hour, but surrounded by the jungle and monkeys! The jade swimming pools were amazing and well worth the hike!
We went to various swimming pools, completing various rock/water slides and other offers to jump off things!
What a day! All to return to our Utopian hostel for a delicious dinner, games of cards and meeting more people!
Today has been a really rough Tuesday. Drinking coffee, reading in hammocks, tubing and yoga. Loving Guatemala and traveling in general. Tomorrow we head up to Tikal to see some Mayan ruins and check out other parts of the country!
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