Once again, Mauricio organised an upgrade and we loaded into mini buses for the ride down to Rio Dulce. Guatemala is certainly a beautiful country, everywhere is very green with a mixture of hilly land and other flatter areas.
In places large areas were cleared for plantation agriculture with bananas and other things that I didn’t recognise as well as cattle ranches. Elsewhere things seemed less formal, plots were smaller and in places it looked as if cleared land was being allowed to regenerate. Most of the villages we passed through were typically chaotic with random animals wandering about, lots of children, stray dogs aplenty and people; some moving with a sense of purpose and others not so.
In places large areas were cleared for plantation agriculture with bananas and other things that I didn’t recognise as well as cattle ranches. Elsewhere things seemed less formal, plots were smaller and in places it looked as if cleared land was being allowed to regenerate. Most of the villages we passed through were typically chaotic with random animals wandering about, lots of children, stray dogs aplenty and people; some moving with a sense of purpose and others not so.
After a lunch stop at an Eco resort we took time out at a Thermal waterfall. This was like the Boiling River but better and standing under a warm waterfall was as good as a massage. I’m not so convinced about the efficacy of the mud applied to the body but it was fun getting messy. To remove it we swam behind the waterfall into the steam room!
Back at the vans we were besieged by children begging for sweets or ostensibly selling stuff. They are highly photogenic and proved very successful in that everyone got something.
Back at the vans we were besieged by children begging for sweets or ostensibly selling stuff. They are highly photogenic and proved very successful in that everyone got something.
Arriving in Rio Dulce our bags were loaded into a launch and we got into another for the short ride to our accommodation which is a rich persons’ boat park. Our cabins are perfectly charming but this is a long way from a Third World experience. We are certainly ‘safe’ as access is only by boat, but we are largely reliant on the premises for sustenance.
The bar closed at 9pm but we were allowed to go to the upstairs Poolroom until 10.30. At this point we were sold more beer to take back to one of the cabins but on arrival were told to be quiet by the manager. This seems a strange way to do business. If a silence curfew is to be enforced, surely it needs to be made clear at the outset.
The next day was free for a variety of activities but most people have stayed here. I’ve taken the opportunity to catch up with this writing and plan nothing more energetic than a gentle swim in a few minutes.
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