Weng Gus and Platter Pus Go Travelling

The trip to Coban was pretty easy but slightly silly. I had to go 2 hours south the Antigua, the up, going past where I already was to reach Coban. I leave at 6am and arrive in Coban at 4pm. I get off the shuttle with a Swedish guy and go about town trying to find a hostel I read about. The Swedish guy, Olle, is dead set on his hostel so after walking around for like 20 minutes, we find the place but its shutdown and it now an internet cafe only! What a shame. So we end up going to the one I read about and they have rooms. A lot of hippies are staying there. Apparently near Coban there is the Rainbow Gathering, which moves from Guatemala to Palenque, Mexico beginning of December.

Olle and myself are there to see the Semuc Champey waterfall and we go to a tour company that handed out a flyer for one when we were looking for the hostel. The price isn’t too bad, 7am start, 7pm return for £15 I think (breakfast included)

When we return to the hostel we find an awesome Aussie chick and a French guy in our dorm. The Aussie chick is awesome because, she’s a tall beautiful blonde, a yoga instructor, doesn’t speak as fast as most Aussie girls I’ve met and had lives(d) in Cambridge for 5 years. The French guy is like model hot and is tall and fashionable. He’s not like other French people I’ve met, he’s also laid back, a little quite and down to earth. Not too chatty but says enough when he needs to which is fine by me.

We all hang out in the room for a while and then decide to go out for dinner. The Aussie chick is adamant on finding a really local comedor to eat as she doesn’t wanna pay much for dinner. We find a really local place, its like an ex car garage turned into restaurant. We have chicken with potatoes in an excellent stock, some beans and tortillas. This chicken was one of the most tasty dishes I had eaten in a while. This was because it had juicy sauce! Most Mexican or Guatemalan food has a modest serving of sauce, but this dish had chicken stock with potatoes in it! It was amazing tasty. I wolfed it down quickly.

We kind of overstay our welcome at the restaurant as after we finished eating we hang around and chat for about 45mins, eating some monkey nuts that the French guy bought on the way. Some kids start skateboarding near where we’re wasting and it turns out that they’re the owners kids. They’re a nice bunch. The owner starts talking to the French guy and Aussie chick as they speak more Spanish then myself and Olle. After a while we take our leave and head back to the hostel.

In the middle of the night I hear someone get up and go to toilet and throw up. It turns out that Olle was ill. Food poisoning! Thing is, we had the exact same dinner and lunch the day before. I felt fine but was paranoid about what might happen to me later. Olle was supposed to come with me to the waterfalls but said I should go without him and ask if he can go another day. Its a shame that, the more the merrier I think.

I have to stay one more night in Panachel as I need to book a shuttle to Coban to see the amazing waterfalls. I go walk down the road to get to a restaurant overlooking Lago de Atitlan as the views were supposed to be stunning according to the guide books. They weren’t wrong.

Along the shore of the lake a waiter sees that I’m looking for food and shows me his restaurants menu. It looks decent enough so I head down. Turns out I’m the first customer of the day. Not great as I don’t like eating alone. But then that’s not a bad thing as I don’t have to feel self conscious while eating. I have my tablet withnmemso I read my book while waiting for my food. The view of the lake is amazing. I have in sight, 3 volcanoes and a pristine lake without anyone on it. I savour the moment by taking many photos but I only need one to take my breath away and remind me of how magnificent the view was.

A couple of locals come into the restaurant trying to see their keychains and bracelets. 1 particular kid doesn’t take the hint. He hangs around despite my negative attitude. He can’t sell very well as he asks me to buy his animal keychain for Q5 but then asks for a can of Coke instead which is Q12. And then he goes on to ask for a hamburger which is even more money! This kid has a lot to learn about sales…

After breakfast I head back to the guesthouse, stopping off at a bookstore to get a cheap book in case my tablet runs out of battery while travelling. Also reading a paperback book means that I’m not ‘showing off’ my tablet for potential muggers to see. I pick up, Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne. I don’t normally reading fiction but this seemed quite nice. I’ve seen the movie adaptations of his novels but haven’t seen the ATWIED movie. I also manage to pick up a map of central america, something I already own because I bought one but left it in my room in London. I liked the idea of carrying a paper map as I needed to get bearings of the countries I’m visiting. Also I spy a Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoe string book, but after I do the conversion its almost double the price of a new copy back home. I can’t afford it and the weight of it will make my pack worse.

I book a shuttle to Coban and it is very expensive. £30. But I couldn’t see a clear way there as I couldn’t find a decent chicken bus schedule. I decided this would be my last shuttle as I can’t be spending that type of money just to get from city to city. I don’t think I spent that much in Mexico so I shouldn’t be spending it in Guatemala.

I have lunch at Pollo Campero, on my own again, but I had to use the internet. I download some many a as I’ve been reading that in my room to kill time. Afterwards I go to a coffee shop and chill there for a few hours, figuring out my expenses for future destinations.

When it starts to get dark, I head back to the guesthouse to put on more clothes as it gets cold and windy on the lake. I head out to a restaurant for dinner. Armed with my tablet I go searching for a noodle place. I haven’t had noodles in a long time and I have its taste on my mind. I see a place buts empty. Was I too early for dinner? I find another place that served Guatemalan food and eat there. I get 2 dishes as I’m dying of hunger. Mushroom soup and a beef dish with salad, plantains and watermelon. Nice, watermelon on my main dish.

Not many people are there and I’m a little anxious but I finish my meal leave. I wonder what you’re supposed to with the time when you’re just eating. Eating seems like a multitask as I can talk, watch or read whilst doing it. Mainly talk, but no one was around to talk to. So you eat and stare at your food or around the room? My mind boggles at the idea. Though at least I’m actually doing it. I have no choice anymore.

When I get to Panachel, I try to find a bus to Guatemala City so I can stay there for the night and travel to El Salvador. Thing is, I arrive there too late to catch a connecting bus. Turns out the buses stop at 5 or 6pm. I guess they have problems with the roads or with bandits so travel between towns and cities is forbidden for passengers own safety.

So I end up going to a local guesthouse for the night, hoping to catch the next mornings bus. Its a shame there isn’t internet at the guesthouse as it was really cheap! I think some local guesthouses are cheaper as they’re not backpacker oriented though they lack some amenities. When I’m in the room, I look at a tourist guide freebie book on Antigua. I was gonna stay there to check out the place and maybe do another volcano hike. But while I’m reading the guide, I see it has a few pages dedicated to ‘must see’ things in Guatemala. Tikal, volcanoes and Semuc Champey waterfalls. Jon, who I met in Xela said he was gonna check them out. I regret not going with him and if its one of the must do things then really I should go do it!

As I have no internet I need to go to a place with WiFi and where I can have dinner. I end up going to Pollo Campero, a chicken place that has WiFi and serves pizza too! Pollo Campero is a saving grace. I can eat without being too self conscious and I can use the net. The place serves fried chicken but also sells pizza, has table service, has a delivery service, a takeaway counter, a outside counter if you don’t wanna go into the restaurant AND a security guard to open the door for you. Wow. McDonalds and Burger King need to learn from these guys.

Dinner on my own, one of my worst fears. I dunno what it is, but I just hate it. Its a weird feeling I get when eating alone. I NEVER do it back home but I’m now doing it abroad. If there is a situation where I NEED to eat alone, I just won’t do it.

I look up that will have to get a shuttle to Coban which is the nearest big town to Semuc Champey. Its too late to find a tour company so I have to wait til the next day.