#34 From the Pacific to the Caribbean

Guatemala is a smaller country than Mexico, small enough to quite possibly traverse the land from one side to the other in just a day- but there is a caveat- the traffic! East to West, North to South, cities, towns or villages; it really doesn’t matter where you are headed- in Guatemala you will always run into traffic, and your 3 hour planned journey could quite easily be doubled due to a heavy load of automobiles, pickup trucks and chicken buses hogging the roads. But this doesn’t discourage us, because, on this trip, we have time. And the very fact that we spent four and half months in this hidden gem of Central America, just proves that it is all worthwhile.

We were glad to have spent nearly an entire week in El Paredon; a surfer’s paradise that lies on the Pacific side of the country. Its fine black sands stretch out for miles and the wild waves that wash the shore entice even the novices amongst the surfing tribe. We non-surfers took joy in splashing around at low tide, trying our luck on a boogie board and collecting sand dollars with the locals, whilst the dudes out there, flocking together like a brood of seagulls waiting for their catch, knew just when to catch those big ones! And then of course there were the sunsets!

We were travelling with the Simons and our Australian friends. With not many options to choose from in terms of camping, we were glad the ‘Hotel Pacifico’ could squeeze in three overlanding trucks in their tiny carpark. This accommodation was perfect. Direct access to the beach, a decent sized swimming pool to get those lengths in, and with a restaurant with truly the best pizzas we’ve eaten for a long time- you just couldn’t go wrong- and all this for an affordable overlanding price of $10 a night.

We made the most of it all and enjoyed a very special encounter with local Guatemalans, Pablo and Karin, and their two daughters Nati and Cami. They were escaping the weekend busyness of Antigua, where they live, to come to release a few baby turtles and revisit a place that is near and dear to their hearts.

This encounter was one of the reasons we spent longer than usual for travellers in Guatemala. It was because of them that we ate Tapado in Livingston (more about that later) discovered the most tranquil of lakes; Lake Petén, and revisited Antigua time and time again.

In fact, on our way east, we dropped by to visit them. One Saturday afternoon we were spoiled to a meat platter of beef filet, picaña and Argentinan chorizo (with chimichurri sauce of course), and later in the week were invited to go eat some fresh chicharrones at one of the local food trucks, followed by a visit to Pablo’s brewery ‘Cerveceria Catorce’. Pablo is most hospitable and is one of Guatemala’s many entrepreneurs, and quite frankly, famous (just google him, he used to be an actor too!). He is not only involved in beer, but he founded an international school and most recently bought some land in Mexico to produce one of the finest Tequilas. Despite his very tight schedule (he is also a realtor), he will always make time for friends: new and old. He made sure to include us in his daughter’s very cool piñata and karaoke party, and popped over one Monday evening to grill some opossum- yes you heard us right- an opossum. You’ve got to love like-minded carnivores!

But as much as the festivities could have continued we knew we needed to see more of Guatemala’s treasures. So, off to Rio Dulce it was!

Quirigua was on route, and we thought it would be rude not to have a little peek during our lunch break, and this UNESCO site really did take us by surprise. We were all alone and were in awe of the huge Mayan stelae’s standing there. After all those years intricate stone carvings had been excavated and preserved revealing the stories that had once been told about the gods that they believed in.

It is no wonder that Guatemala has chosen one of these stelaes to be used as a symbol on their 10 cent coin. They are something to be proud of.

The walk around the park itself was very pleasant and we were glad of the enormous trees sheltering us from the intense sun- perhaps we should have considered spending the rest of the day there and overnighting in their parking lot, because when we hit the road again, a huge traffic jam awaited and our one and half hour journey, that was to remain, soon turned into 3 hours; once again we arrived at camp in the dark.

Rio Dulce however was an enormous hit. We stayed right on Lake Izabel on Markus Vogel’s property. We had found his location on iOverlander and called him earlier that day to make sure we could stay. Well, being born to German parents who had started a meat business in Guatemala City back in the 60s there was much to learn about him; and this phone call alone lasted a good 30 minutes! Markus wouldn’t be able to greet us upon arrival, but we knew we’d get along and waited for his appearance a week later.

In fact, we spent two weeks on his property, enjoying his private pier, many boat excursions and most of all spending time with his housekeeper Mario and his family. Mario’s three children, aged seven, nine and thirteen treated Zoe like their youngest sister. She spent all her days playing games such as ‘escondite’ (hide and seek), petrol stations, fashion shows and bingo with them.

More children joined in with the fun with two French families pulling up. One of whom we’d previously met in Antigua. They both happily accompanied us on our visit to ‘Castillo de San Felipe’ (this fortress at Rio Dulce, by the way, was a truly amazing piece of history, which ignited the imagination of both young and old), and we shared the cost of a boat trip to nearby Livingston.

Livingston is a unique town situated on the Caribbean coast. It is home to the Garifuna community who are originally from Africa.

As part of our private boat tour, we got to visit Livingston and try out their famous ‘Tapado’ at ‘Tres Garifunas’ restaurant. Tapado is a spicy soup consisting of coconut milk and chopped plantains and with whole shrimp, fried fish, and crab poking out to say hi. No, they were not alive, but this seafood platter in a bowl served as a great lunch and very important fuel for our swim in the sea and hot pools. Yes, our tour guide took us to Playa Blanca, a pristine beach with white powdery sands and coconut drinks and to some thermal bubbling waters.

This wasn’t the only hot natural water to be found in the area either. When Markus did join us he took us to ‘Finca Paraiso’, a collection of cool pools with hot waterfalls cascading into them- what a treat!

The rest of our time was spent eating awesome meat on the grill- arrachera and pork ribs with Markus and his buddy Luis, and some homemade chicharrones. Richie was able to get his hands on some freshly slaughtered pig and chose pork belly for his selection. After 24 hours salted and refrigerated, and a cook-off in the Dutch oven, these crispy pork grinds were born- just check them out…

We shared these successful chicharrones with Simon and Steffi from ‘Auf Wilder Fahrt’ whom we had previously met in Oaxaca. They had come out of their way to see us. Yes, it appeared that we were never going to be alone in Guatemala. But that’s OK, because that is why we’re ‘Meataroundtheworld’! See you in Tikal and Lake Peten soon.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll ‘meat’ you guys around the world!