The moment we docked it was apparent that Guatemala was much more mountainous than Costa Maya.
The moment we docked it was apparent that Guatemala
was much more mountainous than Costa Maya.
Again we boarded a bus and after about 60 minurtes arrived at a poor village...
...with a standard of living reminiscent of poor Caribbean islands.
Our guide lead us to an improvized pier...
...where we embarked on little river boats.
They got even bigger as we entered the park.
...and cruised past a bird infested island...
...to the dock of Hacienda Tijax - a private eco camp - sort of.
Here we walked on a flimsy boardwalk...
...that lead us through a dense wooded area...
...and then over a little marsh...
...with curious looking trees.
From here we could see a little hut...
...that became our basecamp.
From here we crossed a stretch of farmland...
...and came to the edge of a little Guatemalan jungle...
...which we entered on a narrow trail...
...cutting through a dense vegetation.
Occasionally, we could see a termite nest.
Path was often obstructed by tree limbs...
...sticking out from a dense underbrush.
But as we climbed up, the forest became lighter...
...and we soon arrived at a watch tower...
...from which we could see the mountains on the border with Belize.
On our way back to the hacienda...
...we had to traverse two hanging footbridges,
from which we could see the forest canopy in great detail.
At hacienda we took lunch...
...and then walked around the premises a bit...
...and admired the native flora.
Hacienda had two kinds of huts: the elevated ones, overlooking the harbor...
...and then the ones hidden in a dreamy bayou.
Some hidden so well, you could barely see them.
Then we crossed the river back to the other side...
...where we boarded our bus...
...and returned to the ship through the poor countryside.
The state of the Guatemalan real estate can be inferred from this unfinished hotel.
Despite the poor economic conditions,
Guatemalan rainbow has as many colors as the American one.
On the pier we also visited a big flea market...
...filled wall to wall with assorted trinkets.