In the 1960s Lake Atitlan was a paradise hide-a-way from the rest of the world. Gringos lived there in semi-permanent hippy colonies.

It’s still a paradise. And you can still live there for US$10 a day!

The lake is a caldera (collapsed volcanic cone) dominated by huge volcanos.

Everyone starts at Pana (Panajachel), then boats to one of the many villages not accessible by road. San Pedro is an idyl where people get stuck for weeks.

See more photos of Pana and Atitlan by jumping to flickr. 

 

Almost impossibly cute, you will either love or hate Antigua.

… Cobbled streets, mustard and ochre coloured houses with colonial fittings, the leafy central park …

In 1979 Unesco declared Antigua a World Heritage Site.

It’s filled with gringo Spanish students, volunteers and with Guatemalan tourists.

The town is nestled ominously between volcanoes, one still VERY active.

I love it as I do many of the other expat hangouts of the world including San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Pokhara, Nepal.

It costs about US$1 / hour to ride jammed into one of these buses. Some are “Bluebird” school buses, built in Brantford, Ontario – decades ago sold off as no longer road worthy.

Sure life is easy in Antigua. Certainly it is Western. Enjoy it for a few days while psyching up for the real Guatemala.

See more photos of pretty Antigua by jumping to flickr.

 

The hottest new stop for backpackers in Guatemala is Cobán.

We celebrated surviving a LONG travel day from Belize: van, van, ferry, van. When I say van, I mean 25 people! in an underpowered Toyota.

On a tip from some volunteers, we headed out to a good new hostel called El Sapote near Semuc Champey. One of the many taking advantage of the surge in popularity in this “backpacker’s paradise” destination. We squashed a scorpion and relocated big spiders.

This is the jumping off point for the striking karst limestone mountains of Alta Verapaz. A bizarre landscape is reminiscent of Laos and the adventure tourism activities are the same: underground river walking and swimming (holding a candle!), spelunking, tire tube floating, … We lucked into one of the few sunny days and tried everything.

Adventure 1 -jump off bridge

Adventure 2 – 90 minute cave walk near Lanquin.

Adventure 4 – hike up to view point far above the Semuc Champey pools.

Adventure 3 – float down the river. Ahhh.

Adventure 4 – hike up to view point far above the Semuc Champey pools.

 

Adventure 5 – snorkel the pools. Until the irate security guard caught up to me. Seems snorkelling is illegal here.Adventure 5 – snorkel the pools. Until the irate security guard caught up to me. Seems snorkelling is illegal here.

When the roads are improved, this spot will be swarming with suitcase tourists off tour buses. I am glad we saw it first.

 

Tikal is one of the great archeological sites of the world. Excellent. No one leaves disappointed.

I travelled with Ron & Mollie from San Ignacio, Belize to El Remate, Guatamala.

Ron, Molly and I — 3 Canucks fretting about the lack of offence of the Canadian men’s hockey team at the Olympics — travelled across the Belize border to see the ruins and do a US$25 jungle zip-line adventure same day.

By our first evening in Guatemala, we already loved the country. The people are charming, helpful, polite. Reserved to the point of shyness. But quick to smile and very friendly.

In 1996 a peace accord was signed ending (sort of) 36 years of civil war in Guatemala.

Ten years later, the country is perhaps the most popular in central America with travellers and volunteers. Everyone is upbeat and enthusiastic for a better future.

Tikal has more animal life than any other Mayan ruin. The highlight are dozens of pisotes (coatis), which climb like monkeys but forage on the ground.

At the gates of Tikal is what they call a canopy tour. There’s no tour. It’s a zipline course through the jungle. Mollie went first. She had done this before in Costa Rica.

See more photos of Tikal by by jumping to flickr.