GUATEMALA - 8th to 24rd November 2009

Introduction

Despite its troubled history, Guatemala is a magical place of startling contrasts with challenges and surprises around every corner. There are mountains, volcanoes, lakes, colourful villages and markets with unhurried mild mannered people. It doesn't somehow all fit together when one hears of the crime and clear class divisions between the ladino (mixed local and Spanish parentage) and the indigenous peoples.

Background and History

The ancient history of Guatemala is similar to the regions, with human habitation dating back to 11 000BC. Refinement in agricultural techniques led to population centres, art and language that are traceable to what many Maya speak today. Architecture, trade and conquest led to city-states from the pre-classic period, but by the time the Spanish arrived in 1523 many centres were in trouble due to infighting, overpopulation and food shortages. Spirited resistance kept the Spanish busy for over a century and Guatemala was originally part of Mexico until it gained independence in 1821, becoming part of the United Provinces of Central America . This federation collapsed in 1839 and the autonomous nation's succeeding governments generally pursued the same policies of control by a wealthy minority until the 1950's, when covert CIA operations instigated a military invasion because of increasing communist-type social change that was affecting American big businesses. Four decades of civil war engulfed Guatemala with the military junta ruling with oppression and violence in a clash over rights to land and liberty, killing 200 000 people and razing hundreds of Maya villages. Peace negotiations with guerrilla groups finally began in the 90's resulting in the signing of a cease-fire in 1996. But with a few owning most of the land and discrimination against indigenous people deeply ingrained, it's been a rocky road since with crime and corruption rife.

Our Experience

The border crossing from Belize at Melchor de Mencos took just over an hour with Tipperdee being sprayed with some disinfectant for $5 and another $5 to import her into the country. We paid $2.50 for the CA-4 stamp allowing tourist travel for 90 days in Guatemala , El Salvador , Nicaragua and Honduras . To cross a river on a narrow little bridge and really start exploring, first set us back $6 as a toll fee – 10 times the local price for foreign vehicles! The 80km west to Flores was through tropical countryside dotted with basic yet neat little homesteads. Flores is the tourist centre to explore Maya ruins and perfect for filling up with diesel, water, groceries and cash from ATM's. It's also a tranquil island town in Lake Peten Itza showcasing colourful homes and shops with uneven cobblestone streets that are linked to nearby Santa Elena by a man-made causeway. After roughing it in the jungle, we needed a major clean-up - bodies, clothes, vehicle and Hotel Petén with A/C, indoor pool and calming lake views hit the spot. The following day we linked up with 2 great Irish guys, Mark and Rob whom we had met on Tobacco Caye and together we strolled the streets and enjoyed a basic set lunch called an ‘almuerzo' at El Mirador with views of the lake. We parted ways as we headed off to Tikal to spend the night in the jungle in the hope of spotting some wildlife. Just as we settled in at the campsite, we first spotted the omnipresent coatis (a mammal related to raccoons) and multicoloured Petén turkey, reminiscent of a peacock. Around sunrise the decision to sleep here paid off when a cacophony of squawks greeted us. Brightly coloured toucans were darting from perch to perch just above the van and Dane was out in a flash, despite another attack of a fever. By 7am we hit the serene, mystical ruins of Tikal after a 20min jungle walk. The striking feature of Tikal is its steep sided temples and pyramids poking above the green canopy deep in the jungle and the experience of walking from one structure to the next with loamy smells of earth and vegetation accompanying the animal noises. Maya settled here around 700BC due to the abundance of flint and within 200 years begun to build stone ceremonial structures. The classic period saw Tikal develop into the dominant kingdom with acropolises surrounding the grand plaza. The construction of the main massive temples date back to the 8 th century under King Moon Double Comb (Lord Chocolate) but the kingdom waned by the 10 th century. The site has over 4000 structures and was only rediscovered in the 19 th century. Quite uncanny how astrology guided the construction of the pyramids to align sunrise with the stelae indicating the solstice and equinox which guided the Maya with their corn crops to fit in with the dry and rainy seasons.

Back to Tipperdee by lunchtime, we continued south via Flores , crossing a river on a barge to non-descript Sayaxche where we wild camped just outside the local hospital at the edge of town. Although comfortable, it was a long night with Dane's rigors that thankfully showed itself as acute tonsillitis calling for antibiotics.

The 11 th November was a tough day as Jo-Anne also developed a fever, pains and diarrhoea and Dane down most of the day. The 200km via Chisec took 6 hours through really poor Maya villages where people live in dark dwellings of stone held in place by wood and mud. These bajareques dotted a mixed mountainous topography of lush jungle or scarred tracts of land cleared for farming. Persistent rain and cold weather discouraged our visiting the beautiful swimming pools of Semuc Champey and we decided on waiting it out at Coban in the heart of Guatemala in the Verapaz highlands. This town in itself is not much of an attraction so by 3pm we made ourselves cosy for the night in McDonalds parking lot!

The only road west to interesting Maya villages and also the most scenic route is via Uspantan, but after just 25km the rough road got really harrowing. A massive landslide had washed away the side of a mountain where the road was, killing over 200 people. A grader was ploughing a lower section of the muddy unstable edge to connect with the track on the other side. After 90 minutes we were able to negotiate our way through between the trucks with every 4X4 tool engaged and a lot of praying! With my boots covered in mud and halfway up my legs, we were overjoyed to be on stable ground on the other side of the ravine. More imposing mountain passes eventually led to a tarred surface after 30km but with dozens of little landslides causing detours. Luckily the consistent rain had cleared for this section, making passage safer and the beauty of this rugged terrain sweeter to appreciate. 7 hours later we'd traversed 120km and over 2500m in altitude to Nebaj. This traditional town is set in a bowl in the dramatic, largely untouched Cuchumatanes Mountains . Although the population had suffered greatly during the recent civil war, the desperately poor locals proudly preserve their ancient way of life with the women dressed in beautiful deep-red cortes with matching head wraps. But we arrived in a cloud with unnamed, narrow rough streets which forced us to enlist the police to guide us to Hotel Boxbolandia, a pretty country place on the outskirts of town with parking.

A clear day made exploring Nebaj's indigenous market an experience – no tourists, just colourful locals selling every conceivable edible thing on the streets. Making our way south we exchanged the slow, rugged dirt tracks of the western highlands for the twisty up and down roads to Chichicastenango. But the difficulty driving chaotic narrow streets with road-works and finding a place to stay with parking forced us to continue to Lago de Atitlan. The road led through Solola on market day so we slowly negotiated the narrow streets with a hive of activity, perfect for capturing the variety of intricate, colourful, eye-catching styles of dress. We found a perfect camping spot at Vision Azul nestled between forested hills overlooking the lake and surrounded by 3 massive volcanoes. Surrounding the waters with unsightly algae (apparently only during the rainy seasons) are traditional Maya villages blending the cultural and natural beauty into a stupendous mosaic. Our 3 night stay was for some schooling, vehicle maintenance, with a bit of sightseeing in between. Jo-Anne spring cleaned Tipperdee, repacking all the clothes while I sealed the leaking sunroof and windows, cleared the stoves jets and made a plan with the knocking exhaust and centre bearing – hopefully.

The town of Panajachel which is just a ½ hour walk away has a unique feel with peace-loving foreigners selling goods, tours and grub alongside traditional Mayans. We also did a boat trip across the lake to Santiago Atitlan which is squeezed between volcanoes Toliman and San Pedro – probably paying double the public ferry rate as 3 rd world countries often squeeze that extra cent from tourists! Another basic traditional pueblo, the attraction on Sundays is the plastic covered street market with the typical produce and wares – no shopping centre here! The 1547 main church with wooden statues clothed in handmade clothes juxtaposed with Yum-Kax, the Maya God of corn (from which humans were formed) made an interesting stop as locals flocked to mass. The kids though just loved the peace of the campsite, running around with the resident dog and doing art. After a long overdue braai the previous evening, on the 16 th Nov the kids spent a few hours making Jo-Anne loving birthday cards and then we did three hours on good roads to Antigua – at least Tipperdee could touch the 70km/h mark now and then!

With organized cobble-stoned streets leading to a rainbow of colonial buildings and gringos instead of locals roaming around, it's unlike the usual townscape. Also surrounded by three volcanoes, this world heritage site was Central America 's seat of power from 1543 for 233 years until earthquakes flattened it. A drive through was however the extent of our visit, as reasonably priced decent accommodation with parking for Tipperdee was just impossible and we were warned that street crime made it unsafe to wild camp. We decided to phone a friend – Frido Birk, who had visited us back home 15 years ago. Originally from Germany , he has made a great socially responsible life here since 1993. By 8pm we were in sprawling Guatemala City that overflowed with Mc Donald's, Burger Kings, Pizza huts and shopping malls as we negotiated more pass-like roads to his comfortable home. The kids had three girls their age to play with, dogs, a pool and just a lot of space. We could finally relax and celebrate Jo-Anne's birthday with Frido and some European wine. He made ‘mi casa su casa' a tangible experience over the next week, tantalizing our taste buds with local and German courses prepared by his Maya housekeeper. A cheese and wine tasting gave a feel of the country's ‘high-society', but the highlight was joining him in a chartered single engine plane to a mine where his company does tunnelling. The great views a mere 600m above the rugged landscape and volcanoes gave us better insight to why overlanding this terrain has been so tough! Unfortunately Jo-Anne suffered through the day (and another two) with a relentless migraine that forced her to accept some intravenous drugs from the mine's clinic. Most of the rest of her stay was going through cocktails of different medications with sleep to abort the symptoms. With Frido's company's workshop and especially Victor's expertise, Tipperdee had a major overall. A full service, re-silicone of the make shift sunroof cover, fixing the air compressor (needed for the rear diff lock) and driver's door lock that had been unable to work since the attempted beak-in in Hungary took two full days. Even the problematic centre bearing that had been banging since our Sudan experience was replaced and one loose spare wheel mounting bracket with studs also needed re-welding. One joy of all this fixing, was sharing a typical local lunch with Victor and his family at his modest home. The kids did some socializing with the family and friends of Frido's daughters, attending parks and birthday parties – but it was rather tough without Spanish.

Our final full day in Guatemala family was jam-packed. Firstly we loaded up with a local Swiss-styled breakfast, and then did a driving tour through the city to Parque Central. This main plaza was a hive of activity with the usual cathedral and palacio (colonial government headquarters) bordering it, typical of the classic town plan. After orientating ourselves with the country's topography at an open air model, we relaxed at the pool and Jacuzzi of a hotel/club and by 4pm we were off to Volcan Pacaya. The adults hiked while the kids smiled their way up on horseback with gorgeous views of other volcanoes. The final 400m straight up to the summit at 2500m was however on foot over thick black grit, lava rocks and in the dark! Progressively the cool air warmed and fear gripped the kids as we searched for footholds over hot rocks with spots of red. Then it appeared in all its glory and it was worth the slog – a river of flowing lava just less than 10 meters away. Quite breathtaking to behold nature's fury – a true National Geographic experience!! The shifting winds, heat and danger of it all eventually forced us to slip, slide and just fall down the mountain – 4 hours later we collapsed into Frido's landrover.

The 23 rd November was for a big clean, shopping and enjoying a final chat over some wine, snacks and tamales (corn meal stuffed with chicken, olives, peppers, tomato sauce and wrapped in banana leaf) while the kids did some art with the lovely Pamela. Early the next morning we had to drag ourselves away from these comforts, bid adios with a heartfelt muchas gracias to Frido and his family for a wonderful week.

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