Scott and I set off on a 2 night/ 3 day excursion to explore more of Guatemala. The ride to Semuc Champey (a national park of natural pristine turquoise pools) with about 8 other tourists took about 7 hours. I was reminded of the extremely mountainous terrain as my ears constantly popped from the altitude change. Like every other driver in Guatemala, ours swerved in and out of lanes with several “close calls” and a lot of honking before we reached our destination.
When we arrived at El Retiro Lodge we saw cute grass huts located next to a tranquil river surrounded by green hills and vegetation. We were very excited for a peaceful evening swinging on the hammock outside our front door. After checking in, Scott and I were escorted the opposite direction from the huts to a concrete room next to the road and facing a large tool shed.
We were in “the ant” room. I thought all rooms maybe had an insect theme like “the butterfly room” or “the dragon fly room.” I was wrong. It was called the ant room because it was infested with ants (not to mention cockroaches too). That night we toured a bat cave and watched thousands of bats swoop over our heads and out of the cave at dusk. We also saw cave spiders that can grow to be as big as dinner plates. Good thing we didn’t find one of those in our room!
After a very unpeaceful night’s rest (and a lot of bug bites) we explored a water cave by candle light. We were either swimming or walking in waste high water with only the flickering of our candles to light the way. It was quite a thrill. At one point we had to climb a waterfall and jump down a hole to get to another cavern. The guide took Scott’s candle and mine as well to help light part of the cave. We swam the second half without them. I felt like I was in an Indian Jones movie (and Scott had the hat to match).
Afterwards we lounged in the pristine waters of Semuc Champey. I wore goggles since I had my contacts in. A parks department personnel shook his head at me and waved his finger when I broke the surface for a breath before plunging back down. When I swam over to him he said that I couldn’t wear the goggles because I would view the fish which were being scientifically studied. I’m always stunned at the ridiculous regulations here in Guatemala. Well, it didn’t keep me from viewing the fish in the 2 foot deep pools that the fish congregated in (which I could see quite well without the goggles). We rode “Guatemalan style” in the back of a truck with a few of the villagers to return to El Retiro Lodge.
That night we got sick. The ride home was torturous as Scott and I tried to calm our gurgling stomachs while for the next bathroom break. One trip to the private hospital and some meds later, we felt just good enough for Scott to fly back home.
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