Tikal-Coban, Lanquin, and the glory of Semuc Champey

Saturday, June 3rd, Tikal Guatemala

I hopped a 2pm microbus out of Tikal and the ride to Flores was easy and pleasant. Once I was there I asked to be dropped at the bus station and they left me 10 or so blocks away. I got into a moto taxi which barely fit me and my bag (its like a little buggy attached to a motorbike) and they took me to... oh yes, Fuente Del Norte bus station.

The bad news was it was 3.30 ad I had already missed the 3pm bus. The good news was I hadnt missed the bus because it hadnt arrived yet. The attendant told me to wait in their non aircondicioned room, which had about 500 flies in it... no joke. As I sat and pondered abouthe Fuente Del Norte bus company I realized what a dumb idea it was to wait for the bus. I was trying to get to Coban, about 6 hours south, so I decided to ask around and see what the deal is. Sayaxe (sigh-ah-SHAY) is about 1/3 of the way and I decided that was a good place to start headed toward. Within 10 minutes I was on the road in a packed microbus, surrounded by a bunch of Guatemalans, with a little kid sitting on my lap because there was no more space for him.

When people need to go places in Guatemala, its quite simple. Guys with microbuses drive all over the place picking up and dropping off wherever you like, for very reasonable fees. They start in a city at a bus station and pile people in. If the bus still isnt full-and by the way the bus is NEVER full- they drive up and down the streets of town, hollaring out the window "SAYAXE, SAYAXE... SAYAXE SAYAXE..." Then, if youre guatemalan and you need a ride, you simply wait by the highway, in the direction you want to go, and wait for one to come. They always stop. They always work in 2 man teams... a driver and a guy who opens doors, handles bags, collects money, and basically tries to keep things moving rapidly. So you have a driver, and a utility man, who also hollars the destination of the bus.

I like riding on the microbuses. Aside from the fact that they are about 1/3 as cheap as tourist buses, there are many more benefits. For starters, they never get robbed, because all the people on them are poor. They move more rapidly because they are smaller and more nimble. Although the frequent stops and starts probably decompensate for the speed.

So, digressions aside I got to Sayaxe without problems. I laughed when I got there. The microbus couldn´t have taken me any further if I wanted. Apparently the government there is very poor because there is a HUGE river which cuts right across the road, and absolutely NO bridge. No traffic moves through Sayaxe. To, yes. From, yes. Through, no. All of us paid 2 quetzales each (25 cents) to get on a long and narrow boat for the 2 minute trip across the river. I thought it was going to tip and I knew that my 60 pound bag would sink to the bottom like a rock. I just learned all about bouyancy in Utila.

When I got across I was in great luck because the bus to coban was bigger and nicer and still cheap and it was leaving as I got on. Still stops and starts but I can´t complain. I was hoping to get all the way to Semuc Champey/Lanquin but I realized that would be impossible. We got into Coban at 9pm and it was pouring rain. The bus dropped me off nearly inside the hostel I would stay at- Chipi Chipi. 25Q for a room with 5 beds... and a hot shower! I took it and got some rest. I had been on the road all day and I was EXHAUSTED. I needed to get some sleep because I wanted to get to the limestone pools and falls of Semuc Champey nice and early the following day (Sunday, June 4th).