Guatemala

The minibus arrived to pick us up from Copán Ruinas in Honduras and take us all the way to Antigua in Guatemala, thankfully the journey wasn't as long or complicated as the one we had been on to get to Honduras in the first place. We arrived in Antigua, an historic city in the south of Guatemala in the evening and were dropped off in the main square which was bustling with people and lit up with fairy lights and flood lit Spanish colonial buildings. We walked down a street to our hostel, inside the hostel was an open air square where a fire pit was burning and swings were suspended from the ceiling. The atmosphere was lively and I remember thinking, 'I hope it quietens down when I want to go to bed!' I'm not the young backpacker I once was. After dropping our bags we left the hostel to stretch our legs after the long journey and walked back to the square to get some fresh carnival style popcorn to munch on.

My Favourite Shade of Yellow With Plants For A Roof, Antigua in Guatemala 

My Favourite Shade of Blue in Antigua, Guatemala

Craig had found a nice sounding café called The Rainbow Café online so we headed straight there the next morning for breakfast. The streets were calm and quiet, we wandered along the old cobblestones admiring the colourful buildings and bright flowers until we found the café which was inside a quirky little bookstore. We each ordered the 'earlybird special' which consisted of rice and refried beans with eggs and grilled tomatoes served on a leaf, it was delicious and was topped off with a cup of English Breakfast tea, how I have missed thee!

My Favourite Shade of Pink in Antigua, Guatemala

Beautiful Pink Roses in Antigua, Guatemala  

As we explored the city the streets became busier and busier, we had known that it would be Semana Santa while we were in Guatemala and that was why the place was even more bustling than usual. Semana Santa is a week long celebration for Easter where men dress in purple robes and march through the streets with floats and statues of Jesus, locals also create beautifully patterned 'carpets' of coloured sawdust and flowers in the streets. The crowds were overwhelming in some parts of the city but many of the extensive network of cobblestone streets were quiet enough to enjoy, the slightly dilapidated buildings and pastel colours were an Instagrammers dream. 

Colourful Carpets in Honour of Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala  

In the afternoon after a morning of sightseeing we drove to Pacaya volcano with a small group and with a guide set about walking to the top, or as close to the top as we were allowed to go. As soon as we left the minibus we were hounded by children leading horses around for tourists to hire. They were extremely persistent. A family in our group decided to hire two horses as they had two young children but we resisted, a ride to the top did sound very tempting but the horses didn't look in good shape and I didn't like the idea of condoning the situation of children being sent to do this job rather than be in school.

The Start of Our Walk to Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala  

A Horse at Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala  

We began to walk steeply uphill, the sandy and dusty terrain made for difficult conditions and it was a hot day, I was sweating and as I was slightly behind everyone else I was being constantly harassed by the kids too. Eventually we got to a point where the horses that had been hired couldn't go any further and the green and sandy landscape changed to a misty, rocky and black landscape. We waked along a steep slope and through a lava field which looked very alien, we continued on to a spot where the heat from the lava beneath the rock is powerful enough to toast marshmallows. After stopping to listen to the hissing sounds of the volcano we walked back down which was a much easier task and we jumped back on the minibus for the hours journey back to Antigua.

Perfecting 'No Gracias' at Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala 

We stopped for taco's before heading back feeling a little grubby from the dusty and sweaty walk. While Craig stopped at reception to speak to the -useless- manager about booking onward travel I walked into our dorm room to see a random bloke climbing into Craig's bed. I asked if he'd been assigned the bed to which he said yes, I explained that it had already been taken and he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I went to reception and the managers response was 'oh, tell him to move'. Annoyed we tried to explain that he should be the one to ask him to move as there had obviously been a mistake somewhere and plus, if we did tell him to move we didn't know where he could go and would Craig really want to sleep in that bed now that some random backpacker had been in the covers?! It turned out that some drunk bloke had passed out in his bed and so he just chose another one even though it was taken so Craig and I slept in my bottom bunk. In these moments I wish that more backpackers were considerate as so many seem to travel just to have an excuse to get drunk, you can do that in a bar at home you know! 

A Portrait of Craig in a Lava Field in Guatemala 

An Atmospheric Landscape on Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala  

We woke up and returned to The Rainbow Café for breakfast as it was so delicious the day before. Thankfully we would be leaving the crappy hostel today as our transport to Lake Atitlán was booked to leave in the afternoon. We had a relaxed day wandering and eating and then boarded the extremely full minibus to the lake. We arrived at a lake side town and were ushered into an already paid for tuk tuk which whizzed us up the road to the town we were staying in, San Marcos La Laguna. The place we had booked was the only thing we could really afford, it turned out to be quite lovely. We had a little basic room on its own in the garden with a view to the beautiful lake, down some steps was a shared kitchen and bathroom and it was run by a very friendly local family and a lovely dog bounding around the premises. We got a bite to eat at a restaurant opposite that served mainly vegetarian fare and it was delicious. 

Our Breakfast View on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala  

Calming Blue and Green at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala  

The next morning we walked down towards the lake to find a place for breakfast. There seemed to be a lot of cute looking cafés and restaurants dotted along the narrow pathway leading to the waters edge, as well as jewellery sellers and tourists in rainbow coloured attire. We decided to have breakfast at the café of a hotel which had a decked terrace with the most incredible view of the lake and volcano. Eating our traditional Central American breakfast of eggs, refried beans and plantain with tea with such an exceptional view was wonderful and so calming. We watched speedboats whizz by and tourists jump on and off the little 'ferry' boats all under a beautiful blue sky. After spending a couple of hours soaking it all in at the lake we returned to our room for a relaxed afternoon and then had a delicious curry at a nearby restaurant. We wandered to the lake again in the evening to see the moon rise above the water. 

Street Art in San Marcos La Laguna in Guatemala  

Street Art in San Marcos La Laguna in Guatemala   

We managed to book transport to take us from the lake all the way up to the north of the country near the border with Belize. Before crossing we'd be visiting Flores a town on a lake close to the amazing Mayan site of Tikal, a wonder that I'd been really looking forward to seeing. I was a little worried about how we were going to get there, it seemed so far away but the man in the tour office booked the whole journey for us with no problems and we were set to go later in the afternoon. We had breakfast and took a little walk around the lakeshore walking to a small beach to take photographs. A woman was giving a man a haircut right on the sand and Craig was tempted to ask if she could sort out his mop of hair too! The little paths trailed all around, to lovely gardens and different hotels. Many places offered yoga classes and meditation sessions, the whole town had a distinctly spiritual feel to it. I was drawn to San Marcos originally because it sounded from the guidebook like a quieter and cosier town, a little more off the beaten track than other towns on the lake. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed; our short stay was extremely peaceful and full of relaxed wandering and lovely food. I only wish that we had a little more time to explore the lake further. 

Onwards; all the way up to Flores to explore the mighty Mayan ruin of Tikal. 

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Honduras

We woke up after a restless few hours sleep, pulled on our already laid out clothes and dragged our backpacks to the front gate. It was just before 2am and our shuttle had already arrived to take us all the way to Copán in Honduras. With bleary eyes we boarded the minibus and after picking up two more travellers we began our journey. The shuttle crossed from Nicaragua into Honduras and rather than drive north towards the capital city we took a road headed straight toward El Salvador. We crossed into El Salvador and stopped at a petrol station for breakfast as we'd already been driving for hours and the sun had risen. A petrol station breakfast sounds like it would naturally be a horrible thing but actually it was quite delicious, the set up reminded me of breakfast at Woolworths as a child, little trays and dishes behind glass to choose from. Putting our Spanish to the test we pointed out the items we wanted; 'heuvo por favour', 'arroz con frijoles', 'plantain y queso'. We drove on further, eventually reaching a beach town where we had to change vans and were able to take a break by going for a walk. It was hot and the town was full of cafes and tourists, mostly American. We walked to the beach which we found to be a popular surfing destination and we had just enough time for a fruity milkshake with a view over the river before we had to return to the office to be led by our new driver to the new shuttle bus. The two guys that we had been travelling with had said goodbye, El Salvador was the end destination for them. We had a new group of people to travel all the way to Copán with. 

An Armed Guard Patrols the Ruins of Copán in Honduras

Stepped Pyramid in Copán, Honduras

On we went to the El Salvador/Guatemala border, by this point we'd travelled the entire length of El Salvador. Our original plan before we really realised how the Central American geography and road network worked was to travel in Honduras and then pop into El Salvador for a couple of nights before travelling onto Guatemala. Because of our actual route we decided not to return to El Salvador again as it would be too expensive to drive all the way back and would cost us too much time. With hindsight we probably could have jumped off in El Salvador for a night or two and then carried on to Copán but we hadn't really thought of that when booking. Knowing that we weren't coming back I made an effort to really look outside at the towns we passed through and the landscape which did look beautiful, perhaps we will return one day in the future for a proper look. 

Colourful Ornately Decorated Stone Carvings in Copán, Honduras

We arrived in Guatemala, drove north and re-entered Honduras just as the sun was starting to set. We'd been awake since before 2am and had travelled via four countries in one day, a new record. We'd incurred exit and entry fees along the way, the fact that we had to pay just to travel through did niggle a bit at the time. After a quick pose in front of the Honduras sign we drove on to Copán arriving after nightfall. Our shuttle ticket included a night in a dorm room which we were shown to. Craig was feeling annoyed because the room quality was pretty poor but as we had just two nights in Copán and we were so exhausted from travel we didn't argue. We popped out for a bite to eat and found a restaurant serving local food, at first glance the menu looked very meat heavy and we thought we may struggle with the local cuisine. We found a 'fast food' section on the menu with prices that were incredibly cheap. Baleadas caught our eye due to the ingredients listed, we hadn't heard of them before but it turned out that they were a toasted flour tortilla filled with a choice of things including cheese, beans, egg and avocado. We ordered a couple each with a side of fries and were pleasantly surprised. The setting in a courtyard with a barbecue blazing and local families tucking in made for a lovely experience. 

Craig Exploring the Nooks and Crannies of Copán, Honduras

Walking Along Walls and Admiring Views in Copán, Honduras

We awoke and went for breakfast which was meant to be included in our shuttle ticket. The hostel owner was oblivious to this and wasn't really willing to oblige. Luckily I had taken a photograph of the shuttle advertisement hanging on the wall of our hostel in León which blatantly said dorm bed and breakfast included. He sent us up the road to a sister establishment which was much nicer and we were served free pancakes at a rustic wooden table. Something we've learned in all our travels is that if you think you're entitled to something for free then definitely insist on it as it saves valuable pennies. Also, do as I do and take reference photos of everything for proof if needed. In the daylight we were able to see the town properly and it was rather lovely. With Honduras having such a tumultuous history and a pretty terrifying reputation I wasn't sure what to expect but Copán Ruinas to give it its complete name was quaint and pretty. The main square was surrounded by preserved buildings and restaurants and the streets were clean and full of friendly locals sat on benches chatting. 

A Sinister Skull Carved from Stone in Copán, Honduras

The Carvings in Copán are Second To None, Honduras

With just a day to explore the ruins of Copán that we came all this way to see we hot footed it along the winding road to the Mayan site. We passed a few small ruined statues on the route and eventually turned off to the ticket office. We walked down a long tree lined path behind an armed guard who was patrolling the area and found an area with perches for wild scarlet macaws that are being reintroduced into the area. Every now and again out of the corner of my eye I'd spot a bright red flash of feathers, never before have I seen such a colourful bird in the wild. We passed intricately carved stone bricks and sculptures before reaching an open area with stepped pyramids which were free to climb. What sets Copán apart from other Mayan sites in Central America is the detailed decoration on the temples and the preserved carvings. Copán pyramids and temples aren't the biggest or the most impressive by size but they are the most artistic. A huge staircase with ornately carved statues had been covered with a large piece of tarpaulin suspended above to keep the rain at bay to avoid any further erosion. The steps were not able to be climbed which was understandable given the quality that needed preservation. As we walked around groups of school children started to pop up which obviously meant that the site was no longer completely peaceful. There was so much to see that we spent a good few hours wandering, we found skulls carved from stone, rock that had colourful pigment smeared on and fallen leaf covered areas with not a soul in sight. 

Perfectly Preserved Temples in Copán, Honduras

Faces Everywhere in Copán, Honduras

After climbing steps and walking along stone walls we found a trail leading through the forest. There we saw some hidden away sights and also lots of little lizards dashing around, the trail was deserted. With our day exploring at an end we returned to the town and went back to the cheap local eatery for more baleadas, this time I had fresh avocado with mine. With another travel day arranged for tomorrow our time in Honduras was already up. All the worry had been for nothing as we found Copán to be a safe and welcoming town and the wonderful Mayan ruins had been well worth the long and tiring journey. 

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Nicaragua

So, to pick up where we left off. We boarded a bus in Monteverde headed for San José early in the morning and jumped off at a petrol station. The next bus we needed was sat on the roadside so we grabbed our backpacks and hauled them along the dusty road, throwing them into the luggage storage. We made our way to the Costa Rica/Nicaragua border and chaos ensued. The border crossing was a mess of vehicles waiting, touts and offices here there and everywhere. We had found a few other travellers to walk with including a Frenchman named Marin to help with the crossing which made life a little easier. After walking to the immigration office we were pointed back the way we came with no explanation, a lady casually milling around advised that we needed to pay a fee. We weren't sure if this was a swizz or not as I had read some interesting tales on blogs and Lonely Planet about Central American border scams. We were led to an office which didn't exactly look official but found that yes we did indeed have to pay a Costa Rica exit fee of $8 which was an extra dollar as we hadn't organised it in advance. We got stamped out of Costa Rica and after a sweaty walk of about 1km we officially arrived in Nicaragua where we were ordered to pay $10 for a tourist card plus $2 processing fee and a municipal fee of $1, how I miss the easy and free border crossings in South America! 

Craig, Marin and I left the immigration office and were swarmed by touts and taxi drivers all hoping to get us in their cab for an inflated price, we had heard that there was a bus going to Rivas for the equivalent of less than a dollar but each tout in turn told us 'no bus today' or 'bus is too expensive, taxi better value'. Agitated and with a face like thunder I started to ignore all the touts and insisted that we walk on to see if there was a bus around, low and behold a bus was just leaving and although it was heaving we were practically pushed on and charged $3 each which I learned was still more than locals had been charged but by this point I was just happy that it was a relatively nominal fee. After arriving at Rivas we quickly jumped in a taxi with Marin and were driven to the huge Lake Nicaragua where our end destination awaited, Isle de Ometepe. Famous for its huge twin volcanoes the island attracted me due to its place in the Lonely Planet's 'top places to see in Central America'. We sat on the top deck of the ferry under a bright blue sky watching as the imposing volcanic island got closer and closer. Once we reached the island we set about finding a place to stay, the port town of Moyogalpa was small but its streets lined with a variety of cafes, restaurants and hostels. We found a colourful shabby chic (minus the chic) hostel and had a look around, the dorm room was separated from the main area of the hostel by a bamboo screen and the bunk beds were tiny rickety wooden things that looked like something I could have made in woodwork class. A lacklustre little fan blew a bit of air around and I was too tired to go elsewhere so with a bit of a grumpy tone I said it was fine for a couple of nights. Feeling tired and hungry the three of us went out for some food, we found a cute and friendly place serving fajitas and tucked in to a huge portion each.

Volcano Concepción on Isle de Ometepe in Nicaragua

Thank goodness for earplugs. I learned that a holy bamboo screen does nothing to stop the racket of noisy drunk backpackers and one small desk fan in a dorm room does little to keep the heat at bay too. Craig and I visited a small empty cafe on a corner and sat at a table by the window. I ordered a traditional Nicaraguan breakfast which consisted of rice and black beans, fried egg, plantain and cheese. It was delicious and such a huge portion that I couldn't finish it all. We met with Marin and the three of us decided to hire bikes and cycle to Reserva Charco Verde which was a few kilometres along the road. The road was long but thankfully flat and as the hours passed the temperature rose making peddling a struggle. We reached the reserve and paid a small entry fee. Just inside was a lovely butterfly enclosure with more butterflies in one place than I'd ever seen before, as well as tropical plants and nectar rich flowers. Classical music played quietly in the background and as we were the only visitors it felt like a peaceful and magical place. 

The Butterfly Garden in Reserva Charco Verde, Nicaragua  

Nature's Bench Overlooking a Volcano in Nicaragua

We left the butterflies behind and followed a trail where we saw some pretty little birds flutter by and heard what sounded like an alpha monkey asserting his dominance, the screech would have been deafening had it been closer. Inside the reserve was a shimmering lake and as we were already on an island in a huge lake, it was technically a lake within a lake. We stopped to sit on a bench surrounded by trees with a view to the smaller lake and the huge lake beyond, breeze gently whipped at our faces which was welcome relief as the temperature was becoming unbearable. We continued our walk and found the large lake's shore which did resemble a beach and I found a huge twisted tree branch which made a perfect natural bench to sit on and admire the volcano in the distance. As we took the trail back to the entrance we spotted families of black monkeys high in the trees snoozing. 

We returned to our bikes and cycled back the way we came turning left to detour to a lakeside viewpoint to watch the sunset. Just after we turned the corner two girls on one moped did the same and miscalculating the sharp corner and gritted road skidded to a crashing halt. One girl was particularly bloody after scraping her foot across the road. Craig and Marin quickly rushed to help as did other passers by and after a few minutes they were back on the moped and on their way to a local hospital to be patched up. We jumped back on our bikes and cycled down the sandy track to the lake where a couple of informal bars were set up inside wooden shacks. We bought ourselves some drinks and sat and watched as the sun dipped lower and lower creating an intensely orange glow across the landscape until it was gone. With night falling and knowing full well that our bikes didn't possess lights we quickly got on our way. It was dark after a few minutes of cycling and I wasn't feeling safe. We still had quite a way to go to get back and although the road wasn't particularly busy cars with blindingly bright headlights still flew past. Thankfully we made it back in one piece and Craig and I went out for well deserved pizza while Coldplay songs played in the background.

Sunset on Isle de Ometepe in Nicaragua

The next day we left the island for Granada. We took the ferry back across the vast lake and tried to get a taxi to take us to Rivas the nearest transport hub. Every time we asked to go to Rivas we were met with; 'no, I can take you directly to Granada'. 'No' we tried to explain, being taken that far would be too expensive for us and we knew of a bus leaving Rivas for Granada. 'No bus going to Granada today, taxi only'. *insert exasperated emoji* Each driver in turn said the same or the driver would simply drive off! Eventually we found a taxi that would take us to Rivas, on leaving the car a couple of backpacking girls asked if we'd like to share a minibus taxi with them to split the cost as they were going to Granada and had been told there were no buses. I explained that we were looking to take a bus and I'd heard of this 'no bus' talk as a common scam so before committing to a driver we should take a look. Again, low and behold a bus heading to Granada sat waiting to depart. Feeling smug that I'd saved us all an expensive taxi fare we were on our way. On arrival in Granada we walked and found a lovely hostel with huge clean metal bunk beds and lots of ceiling fans, hooray! We took ourselves out for lunch and climbed the bell tower to see views of the characterful and historic old city from up high. We then walked to the lake front which was pretty but deserted so we walked back via the city square which was playing host to some musicians and dancers. 

From The Bell Tower in Historic Granada, Nicaragua 

Beautiful Buildings of Granada in Nicaragua  

The next day we took a hostel organised shuttle to Reserva Natural Laguna Apoyo where we sat in a sun lounger on the lake shore and whiled away the hours as if it were a beach day. The crater lake was surrounded by trees of all sorts and the water busy with kayakers and swimmers. 

We left Granada after our customary two nights and made our way to León by shuttle bus which stopped briefly in Managua. León seemed a lot poorer than the parts of the country that we had already seen, it had a distinctly Asian feel about it with litter piled up and bustling overflowing markets. We walked to a hostel that we had pre-booked and as we walked closer to the centre the streets began to feel cleaner and the surroundings safer. We dropped off our bags and went out for lunch and a wander, we found a lovely local art gallery which was well worth the cheap entry price. In the evening we made our own dinner in the shared kitchen and researched our next move. The next country to pass through was Honduras, former murder capital of the world. I was keen to visit as the Lonely Planet guidebook recommended a few places that sounded really interesting and I particularly wanted to visit the Mayan ruins of Copán. Craig was not so sure. After much reading we couldn't find a safe route to take us all the way through the capital of Tegucigalpa to Gracias so we had to begrudgingly book a shuttle that would take us straight to Copán on the far west side of the country, skipping several sights I was keen to see. Due to the roads and Central American geography our journey would take us on a crazy route; from Nicaragua into Honduras, then a crossing into El Salvador where we would drive through the whole country before entering Guatemala to then re-enter Honduras and finally arrive at our destination of Copán. Easy. Oh, and our shuttle would be picking us up at 2am. With that journey to look forward to we got as early a night as we could. knowing that what awaited was hours and hours in a minibus and the most complex route we'd ever encountered. 

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